Help at hand Self-help titles fly off city shelves faster than you think… When leafing through just 500 pages promises to turn you from doormat to dream girl, it isn't your fault! Self-help sections don't sell books, they sell optimism. It's all about 'How to…'. How to be a diva in a dime? How to impress people...

Short take
City writer Tishaa gets shortlisted for Golden Quill award along with Amitav Ghosh and Shobha De
Chandigarh girl Tishaa Khosla, author of teen chart buster Pink or Black, has been shortlisted for the Indiaplaza Golden Quill Books Award 2009. At 19, she is the youngest author to win a nomination in the fiction category along with top names like Chetan Bhagat, Amitav Ghosh and Shobha De.

RULES: Pyaar ka no superhit formula Attraction is not a choice, but a big confusion. Whether it's knowing what the significant other likes, or how to push all the right buttons to get to the object of your affection, it is nothing but bewilderment. And dating is just another puzzle. I mean for the ones like me who suffer from acute dyslexia when it comes to lessons in love.

Rain strain
It’s raining and your pet needs as much care as you do
Each season gets its positive and negative impacts, especially for the beloved pets and monsoons are no different. For pet owners they need extra care for their pets during monsoons.

Koi mil gaya

Dressed in alien gear, this dog seems to come straight from a space shuttle.

Visiting rights
Wondering how to manage your Tommy when guests are over? City pet owners share tips...
Anubhav, an RJ with Big 92.7 FM has friends coming over for lunch, but he has to quickly do something about Marshall. Marshall, the big bully bulldog who scares life out of his friends.

PET THEORY
Anger management
Have you noticed your neighborhood pet pooch barking his head off night and day apparently without any rhyme or reason? Or another comely companion devolving into a snarling predator the moment you touch it’s feeding bowl or try to put a collar around its neck?

PET PICK
Puppy love
People for Animals, Chandigarh, has the perfect companion for anyone who is ready to be loved unconditionally.

Relatively speaking
Rearing to go
Does divorce mean a dead end for a child who is split between the two parents? What does single parenthood bring along for a child? City folks share their views
Separation pangs
A divorce means a lot of things for a child. If one of the parents is indifferent towards the kid, then the child finds his/her comfort with the other parent. But in case both parents enjoy good equation with the child, then it's devastating for him/her.

Sense & subtlety
When I approached her some months back, Leela Naidu was astonished that I was keen to interview her. "I belong to a bygone generation. Why should anyone be interested in me now?" was her reply. After a lot of persuasion, the reclusive actor did agree to speak about her illustrious career, now forgotten by the chill and freak-out generation who care to hoots about classicism.

Time bound I would love to do a period film, says Konkona After portraying a string of intense and serious contemporary characters on the silver screen, National Award-winning actor Konkona Sen Sharma says she would now love to act in a period film. "I would love to do a period film now. I have portrayed different characters in films but have never been part of a period film," Konkona said on the sidelines of a recent event in the national capital. Voice of Priyanka Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker has roped in his sister to croon a song that will be picturised on Priyanka Chopra in his forthcoming movie What's Your Raashee? He hopes audiences appreciate her voice.

Strip to success
Actor Florence Brudenell Bruce causes a stir with a racy advertisement
British beauty Florence Brudenell Bruce who makes her Bollywood debut opposite Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal has caused a stir with a racy advertising campaign for a lingerie brand.

Sanju turns 50
Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, whose real life could resemble a movie potboiler drama, turned 50. "Sanju baba", as the macho man of Hindi movies is fondly called, is in Cape Town, South Africa, shooting for Anil Kapoor's home production No Problem directed by Anees Bazmee.