By Toutatis!
Asterix is 50
This may be the age for androids and spaceships, but Asterix and Obelix still have their own cult following in the city
Happy Birthday Asterix and Obelix! It's time to place 50 candles on the cake, cheer out loud and celebrate. And Boy, what a ride it's been. Fifty years ago, two heroes were born and it's only natural they've traveled far and wide, have fought the Romans, hunted for wild boar, entertained all and sundry…Are there people still shuffling those pages, are the Gaulish heroes still ruffling hearts, while getting ready for the big branded birthday party, it's inevitable to explore a couple of issues.

Check mate
We've seen it all, from matchmaking to rearing kids… now comes a reality show that will showcase infidelity
Rich guys for girls and any number of girls for a boy; infinite tales of infidelity and infinite false promises, swears, vows. I love you and 'you' love somebody and 'somebody' loves someone else's buddy… it continues minus any rues, someone's at someone's rescue all the time. It is a cold, emotionally barren world today and confirmation comes from Angad Bedi, "In a recently conducted survey, 66 per cent youngsters confessed cheating on their partners."

Men shop on Mars, Women on Venus
When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking. — Elayne Boosler, American comedian 
Time flies when women shop. While they scourge store after store, look at every shelf and check out every item on display, men just get in and quickly get out with the relevant stuff. Ever wondered why?

Pinkstinks
A Brit group called The Pinkstinks is urging parents to stop buying pink Christmas presents for their daughters, because they are sexist. Founders, twins Emma and Abi Moore, 38, are asking parents to boycott stores that sell "pretty" gear for little girls. And they have even managed to bag the support of Labour Justice Minister Bridget Prentice. Prentice believes girls' toys should be more "progressive".

Motherhood
'Mums to be' interpret negative or emotional things around them in a more sensitive wayA new study by scientists in the UK has shown that raging hormones during pregnancy not only prompt mood swings, but may also lead to a heightened ability to recognise threatening or aggressive faces. This may have evolved because it makes would-be mums hyper-vigilant, yet it could also make them more susceptible to anxiety, according to the study.

Bond wagon
Balvir & Madhu Mahajan
Relationship: Husband-wife
Times together: 35 years
Same to same: Love for nature

I do forever…
Marriage really is good for you, with a major international study finding it reduces the risks of depression and anxiety, but these disorders are more likely to plague people once the relationship is over.

Relatively Speaking
TV as a babysitter
Kids are glued to the TV all day long thanks to the cable network that provides various channels round the clock. Both parents these days are working and exhausted at the end of the day so even they do not deter their kids from watching TV. But in reality kids are becoming couch potatoes, munching junk food whilst sitting in front of the TV, endangering their eyesight by the strong rays emitted from the TV and most importantly they are sometimes left back in their studies.

Weavers’ woes
Kareena highlights the plight of Chanderi weavers
Actor Kareena Kapoor advocated providing a proper platform to the weavers of the famous Chanderi sari so that they get the rightful for their efforts. Draped in a black-gold, hand-woven Chanderi sari gifted by her Three Idiots co-star Aamir Khan, Kareena took to the stage along with four weavers, at a press conference organised to promote the movie here.

Guided trip
Aamir Khan in ads promoting tourist friendly India
As part of its effort to make people more friendly towards foreign travellers as well as domestic tourists, government on Tuesday launched new commercials featuring actor Aamir Khan as part of a social awareness campaign. "These new commercials are meant to educate people as our aim is to make India a tourist friendly country, said Tourism Minister Kumari Selja here after launching the ad.

Veer(y) stressful
Salman Khan who has turned script writer with his upcoming dream project Veer says the film has been a stressful experience for him as an actor and writer. "It was a stressful experience for me. But Veer has shaped up well and I am happy with the final product," Salman told reporters last night at the music launch of the film. The period flick, set in 1875, is slated for a theatrical release on January 22, 2010.

Warm up
Winter wear for children is surely high on style quotient, be it apparels or accessories. Have your pick from woollens, light and heavy jackets as well as tweed. Check out what city stores have stocked up this season

Something spa-cial
What? Another parlour or lounge or spa? Well, this one's called Spa Lounge, offers assorted services, of course there's spa and you can lounge as well! The just inaugurated spa salon at Sector 15 boasts of everything for Unique Selling Proposition. "Spas are especially good for all kinds of chronic problems, like insomnia, depression and the like," Madan Singh, spa manager, states the obvious. As you check in, the beige and brown interiors (in contrast to the outside usual neighbourhood market surroundings) tend to do to you what all spas claim, relax, rejuvenate, restore.

On the ramp
Moms-to-be sashay down the ramp for a fashion show
In a unique ramp show held at Fortis Hospital, Mohali as part of a maternity workshop and fashion show for expectant mothers, 35 moms-to-be sashayed down the ramp to vie for the 'Healthiest Mother-To-Be' title. More than 75 expectant mothers from the tri-city participated in the workshop. The workshop was organised by Fortis Paalna, the complete maternity and obstetrics unit of Fortis Hospital, Mohali. A panel of Obstetricians including, Dr Neerja Chawla, Dr Preeti Jindal, Dr Rashmi Garg, Dr Sarla Malhotra, Dr Shanujeet, Dr Sunil Agrawal (Neonatologist) and Dr Swapna Misra interacted with the audience o

Sing along…
The old black sole colour of headphones is out. Go in for turquoise, magenta, parrot green or yellow. Need more colours at the same time? Make a choice from stripes in several colours, CYMK or a combination of black and red, purple and yellow. Spoilt for choices? Anybody would be with the kind of options Skullcandy, America's most popular headphone brand is offering in India as well. 
Amlan Bhattacharya, CEO, MB Accessories Pvt. Ltd.