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Get noticed…online
What if having a huge following on Twitter means a better appraisal? Uploading videos about you opens up career options? And, the longer your friend list, the better the chances of landing a six-figure job in an
MNC? While a resume might look a tad too old, personal online branding, or in simple terms creating an online profile, earns you more than just a job title.
Social networking and brand marketing are connected in the virtual world of personal online branding. This, and a lot more is what make you a known brand!
Personal online branding is a step further than highlighting the expertise and emphasising your achievements. "There are four important processes for self-branding - discover, create, communicate, maintain. Join sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Apnacircle, blogging communities et al. You can make an introductory video of yourself and upload it on websites. You can add the professional introduction link on your resume as well. Besides, there should be networking on both personal and professional forums. You should be an keen participant in office activities, which helps build up your image as a pro-active employee," says Manleen Kaur, a PR professional who is becoming a brand with an impressive online profile. "These days, HR managers or employers go through your profiles online before they hire. My boss did the exact thing; she found out if I was somewhat a known brand before hiring me," she adds. These sites also help by providing information on job openings, online mentoring programmes and interest groups etc. It is also advisable not to join multiple sites; rather you should join a site that is oriented toward your field and provides local information. It is also important to mention about the niche that you have. "Checking the online profiles of my potential employees is a regular practice for me. It helps me understand certain their personality traits such as confidence, communication skills and attitude. Their online references, queries and activities are monitored, and taken into consideration," says Manisha Chaudhary, director operations, Value 360 communications. Sandeep Mehra, centre head, operations, Rely Strategy, too depends on the web for professional benefits. He markets himself as a brand by staying in touch with various professional sites and being a part of discussions on various forums. He also blogs and connects with people. "It acts as a mirror that reflects your professional traits and helps in making as well as maintaining contacts," he says. But then, this online professional hunt is not all that foolproof. "We have seen colleagues benefiting through conscious self-branding. But you should not rely fully on online information, albeit it gives a fair idea about the candidate. It's the job of an HR professional to derive authentic information during personal interview, through references and backgrounders. Although I agree that online search definitely serves as a start-up tool these days," says Yogesh Bansal, CEO, ApnaCircle.com. "People should learn the tricks and be smart enough to tap opportunities. One should explore all possible options and not just only post a resume on a job portal," he adds Word of advice … at the end of the day, you are your own brand ambassador! nehawalia@tribunemail.com |
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Diamonds rise against eternal gold
Women don't need an occasion to buy jewellery. If they want, reasons can be created. And just when their male counterparts were relieved by the rising gold prices, women found alternatives in trendy platinum, titanium jewellery and of course, diamonds. But, even with trendy designs and latest tags, diamonds haven't really been able to replace the 'gold'en charm.
"Diamonds have always maintained their popularity against gold jewellery. Smart pieces in titanium and platinum are also in these days. But they are not forever, unlike gold or diamond jewellery. They are trend-based and may go out of fashion in two years. People still prefer gold or diamonds," says Deepak Gupta, franchise owner, Gitanjali Jewels-9, Panchkula. While maintaining that recent gold price rise has accelerated sales of diamond jewellery, he still feels gold is here to stay. "For Indians, buying gold is still a lifelong investment. So despite the high cost, gold will be the first choice for many." But Mayank Kampani, area business manager, Tanishq, believes the transformation has already occurred: "Last six months have seen a rise in sales of diamond jewellery. Statistically too it has grown, as awareness for diamonds has grown. Keeping this in mind, we have launched a diamond wedding collection." "Diamond jewellery has an international repute and since modern women are fashion conscious, it is mostly chosen over gold," says Mayank. He adds that the trend will continue with a strong possibility of gold prices remaining high. However, all is not wrong for gold. "There is no dip in sales of gold; the only change is a slight increase in the popularity of diamond jewellery," says Praveen Talwar from Talwar jewellers. He believes that spending on titanium or platinum jewellery is just a fad. "If you have to spend a good amount of money on jewellery, then other expensive metals and diamonds don't offer a scope for resale." Be it gold or diamond, one thing is for sure, fashion conscious women do know how to survive in style. nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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The young sufi
"My dress up is such and so is my singing style, but there's still time before I can call myself a Sufi singer," says Satinder Sartaj, a young, humble, rising star from a small village, Bajraur, near
Hoshiarpur. Sartaj was the main attraction at the Lohri function celebrated by The Sunday Indian, a Punjabi weekly, at the Chandigarh Press Club on Sunday. The gathering included artistes and writers from the region.
A PhD in music, Sartaj realised his vocation around six years back. "Although I sang in university fests and the like, my performance at the Punjab Kala Bhavan-16 made me find my true calling," says Sartaj. An admirer of the likes of Bulle Shah, Sheikh Farid and Waris Shah, Sartaj started writing his own lyrics only recently. "I believe that it is reading that inspires writing. While reading there is something that stirs your soul and that is when compositions flow," he says. So far, this avid reader does not have TV or Internet at home. Sartaj's compositions are strongly inspired by his childhood: "I spent my early days in villages, so one will find nature in my writings." Albeit he started singing early, Sartaj was academically trained after bachelors, masters, M Phil and a PhD in music. "For my M Phil, I took up Sufi writers. Interacting and recording them inspired me to delve deeper into Sufi," he says. Having performed in Canada, New Zealand and Australia as well, Sartaj wants to sing for the masses. "I am just back after doing a show in Banga, near Nawanshahar. Even in this shivering weather, some 3,000 people turned up for the show. I consider myself fortunate and would love to sing for the common man," he avers. About Sufi getting so popular, Sartaj feels: "Although there is much hullabaloo around it, there are not many who go into the depths of Sufi music." mona@tribunemail.com
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Think before you drink
Other than pure water, whatever we drink requires a check. Excess intake can cause health problems such as acidity, migraine and obesity. While ordering a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of coke, energy drink or alcohol next time, consider these important facts.
Tea: Bed tea, to begin with, and then another cup with breakfast, at least four more to work efficiently for eight hours in office, a cup once you are back home and if it’s winters increase it by three to five cups. As many as 10 cups a day means an equal number of teaspoons of sugar, which means more calories and weight gain. The negatives of excessive tea intake don’t end here. “Too much tea causes acidity and bloating. Tea might keep you alert but then it is addictive and the intake might witness gradual increase,” informs Dr Manju Mathur, chief dietician, GMCH-32. Taking tea in moderate quantity isn’t harmful and acts as a healthy stimulant. Green tea is the healthiest form of tea. It has active anti-oxidants that increase immunity levels and helps one stay healthy. “But it shows results only when one takes green tea regularly, at least once a day,” she adds. Coffee: Cappuccino, Mocha, Latte, Espresso, Irish, Macchiato … ample options, but none can be had without sugar. So with each cup, calories shoot up. The cafes take the cause of calorie addition further by offering irresistible, tempting options such as coffee with cream, ice-cream, chocolate sauce, caramel, cookies … in a nutshell, coffee with more calories. Nancy Sahni, dietician, PGI, says: “Coffee is a healthy stimulant, provided one takes it in moderation. Blood pressure patients should avoid coffee.” “Coffee is addictive in nature and can lead to severe migraine,” she adds a caveat. Soft Drinks: No amount of research has ever revealed a single advantage of soft drinks, except that they taste good. The fact remains that they are harmful. Nancy adds: “Soft drinks have empty calories, which means there is no other nutrient except calories, which cause weight gain.” However, the effect of taking excessive soft drinks can be more serious than just weight gain. “Soft drinks have high quantities of phosphoric acid that cause calcium of the bones to leach out, which weakens of bones,” says Dr Manju informs. Energy drinks: They are beneficial for sportspersons and replenish energy. In case of those who don’t undertake much physical activity, energy drinks can rather prove harmful. “These drinks are rich in potassium, which provides instant energy to the body. Excess of these can change the electrolyte balance of the body, which causes disease arrhythmia,” informs Dr Manju. Hard drinks: Research has proved how injurious these can be, but certain exceptions like red wine and beer can be useful if taken moderately. “Red wine is rich in anti-oxidants, which is healthy for the heart. Beer helps in flushing out kidney stones since it is uretic, which increases the production of urine,” says Nancy. People whose alcohol intake is high should give a gap of a day after two consecutive days of drinking. “That helps the stomach lining to rejuvenate and doesn’t affect the liver,” says Dr Manju. However, abiding by the limit is important. ashima@tribunemail.com
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Balancing act
Fitness mantra: Nothing works better for me than healthy food and enough rest. Fitness regime: I work out for five days a week. Rest for a day after working out for two helps recuperate the body by forming muscles from fat. I prefer working out under the guidance of certified fitness trainers as any exercise not done in the required way can sprain the muscles. Regular swimming and cycling sessions keeps my muscles well toned. Diet: I begin my day with a healthy breakfast comprising of whites of three eggs and a glass of skimmed milk. For the rest of the day, I take four to five small meals instead of a heavy lunch or breakfast. I only have home cooked food and do not like junk much. Crash dieting is not a solution to lose weight. Rather, the tendency to gain weight increases as one begins to take normal diet. Zzz… time: A good night’s sleep helps me stay fresh. I sleep for a minimum of six hours, which increases to eight hours on weekends. Fantasy food:
I would love to have motichoor ke laddo daily if only they had no calories. Fit celeb: Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have got the best bodies in Bollywood and serve inspiration to many to stay fit. —Ashima Sehajpal |
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Blaming hunger for overeating? Well, you could be making a mistake, say scientists who have found that it’s not necessary that we eat only when we are hungry and finish when we are full. Food labels, plate size, lighting and music, what’s on our plate, what the person next to us is doing and our subconscious eating routines, are more likely to influence eating behaviours than hunger. These external factors drive us to overeat and add inches to our waistlines. By understanding the psychology of eating, it is possible to control eating behaviours, weight and health. While we don’t want to overeat, the truth is our brains trick us all the time. They tell us to mindlessly follow the same routines at mealtimes - routines that Dr Brian Wansink, in his book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, calls ‘mindless eating scripts’. These ingrained routines tell us when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat. It takes around 20 minutes for the body and brain to recognise we are full, but most meals in Western society are eaten so quickly, they are finished before the 20 minutes is up. Clearly, it isn’t satiation of hunger, which tells us to stop eating. Rather than consider whether we’re feeling full after each mouthful, we’re more likely to trust our eyes and stop eating by judging what’s left on our plate. Eyes also mislead. We can’t ‘see’ kilojoules in a meal and we’re not good at estimating the size of a meal on sight. Eyes aren’t good judges of food intake and worse, they’re easily tempted. —ANI
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Weight & watch
More successful is a holistic approach to losing weight that lets you feel good. “By understanding the whole person, including emotional reasons for eating, stress triggers, medical history and physiological factors, we help each individual approach food in a whole new way,” said Henri Roca. Roca works with the Centre of Integrative Medicine’s (CIM) registered dietician and nutritionist to help people understand why they eat what they do. “We look at the emotional aspects of eating and the habits an individual creates surrounding their relationship with food,” said Roca.
“Stress can have more of an impact than most people realise. Chronic stress can lead to increased cortisol levels, which stimulate glucose production in the body. Excess glucose is stored as fat, particularly around a person’s mid-section. A chemical chain reaction can occur inside the body and sabotage the best weight loss efforts,” said Roca, according to a CIM release. —IANS |
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Personal touch
Sachin Kalra Working out with a personal trainer provides certain benefits that you one doesn’t have while working out in a gym or on your own. We all need a little help with exercise sometimes, whether we’re just starting out or we’ve been at it for a long time. Still, there are lot of people who shy away from training, unsure of what they’ll get out of the experience. It is at times like these that a personal trainer can help achieving desired results. A few reasons of hiring a personal trainer are:
Accountability and consistency - A personal trainer will show up at your home, giving you no excuse for skipping the day’s workout would work. Not being able to stick to an exercise regimen is a common reason why people fail to get results. If you have a personal trainer to be accountable to, it can help you push yourself harder to achieve your fitness goals. When someone is watching your performance, you naturally tend to push yourself harder which can make all the difference in terms of your fitness gains. Source of motivation- Trainers come with built-in motivation. A trainer will motivate you when you need it. You will receive encouragement and a trainer will keep you posted on how much you are progressing in terms of stamina, flexibility and overall fitness; plus body composition and other elements related to your goals. In short, they will give you helpful feedback throughout your fitness routine. Plus their enthusiasm for fitness can be contagious. Inspire to lose weight- There is a major reason to hire personal trainers. They help you lose weight and get into shape at a faster rate. If you made a resolution to lose the fat and build the muscle, a trainer can keep you on track and help you realize that goal. The right guide- If you are an absolute beginner, a personal trainer is the ultimate fitness coach. A good trainer will introduce you to a simple, effective routine and build it efficiently so
befo for you. Result oriented Training - If you’ve been exercising consistently for several weeks or months and aren’t seeing the results you’d like, hiring a trainer may be a good choice. A trainer can look at your current program and eating habits and help you see where you are going wrong and make changes to create more effective workout and diet plan. A trainer can also help you determine if the goals you’ve set are realistic for you. Add variety- If you’re an experienced exerciser and need some variety and newness, consider working with a trainer. A trainer can bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to challenge both your body and your mind. Even if you just do a few sessions or meet every few weeks, you’ll find it refreshing to have new workouts and a fresh approach to fitness. Comfort factor- If you’re seriously out of shape, or very shy, you may not feel comfortable exercising in a public place .A personal trainer is then the right choice. This may allow you to feel less conscious and in the long run it would help you build up your confidence. Training for a purpose: If you’re training for a marathon, a golf tournament or some other type of sport or event, an experienced trainer can help you figure out what you need to do to stay on top of
your game. Self training: If your goal is to exercise by yourself, hiring a trainer for a month or two can be a very beneficial. This is especially true if you want to learn more about the muscles in your body, the exercises that target those muscles and how to do those exercises with great form. Just a few sessions can teach you a lot about your body and how it works. Cure and counsel : If you have any specific issues like arthritis, heart disease, old injuries, etc., working with an experienced trainer (who consults with your doctor, of course) can help you formulate a program that works out the best for you. A good programme can help heal your injuries and avoid any further problems. Just make sure your trainer has experience with your condition. Honest feedback: A personal trainer watches your form, monitors your vitals and can provide objective feedback about your limits and strength and give you tips to make your workout more effective. Money wise: Hiring a personal trainer can prove to be more cost-effective in the long Most of us, continuously buy health club memberships, which we don’t utilize, or buy expensive exercise equipment which we don’t use. Compared to all this, working out with a trainer will save your money as you will get your money’s worth and will yield results to
justify it. kalrasachin@hotmail.com
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Art from the heart
Single canvas, a few colours, couple of brush strokes, countless emotions. Emotions, a painting exhibition by Satinder Sharma, is all about art and straight from the heart. “Well, to be honest, I never learnt art. I am a bachelor in science, post-graduate in business administration. And, I worked with a pharmaceutical company for 14 years. My job was really tiring and even if I returned home at 2 am, I would pick up the brush and start painting,” she briefs us on the matters of passion and profession.
So, she picked up the brush as and when the emotion or inspiration struck and over 36 canvases came into being. One look around and there’s oil on canvas depicting ‘Radha Krishna’ playing a flute. ‘Search of God’ shows a pair of eyes against the background of black and white. While in another acrylic on canvas, ‘Destiny’, petals symbolise people and it’s sheer destiny that some are in glass while some floating in the water. Yet another ‘Ladder to Success’ portrays an orange ladder leading up to blazing red sun in contrast with monochromatic background. She says, “I just sit in front of the screen and keep thinking, thinking and thinking. I always want to do something different. I meditate in front of the canvas till the time something strikes.” She adds, “The entire process of the inception of an idea could take anything from three to four days or it could be instant.” The mediums used are as myriad as the sentiments they speak of, acrylic on canvas, oil on canvas, acrylic on sheet, water colour on sheet…love, destiny, search, struggle, journey…anything. Love in transit, another oil on canvas, speaks of the eternal love; the remnants of a building standing for everything earthy and ephemeral while it’s the ever-lasting love above symbolised through colorful clouds that remains. “It also depends on the mood and the phase I’m going through. For example, when I was learning how to swim I did an entire series on water and fish, all in blue,” that was strictly artistically speaking. — TNS On till 12th January at the Government
Museum and Art Gallery—10
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Mane matter
Shahnaz Husain
During the winter, when the weather is cold and dry, the hair really suffers. This is the time of year when we like to sit outside and enjoy the warm sunshine. We use hot water for bathing and washing the hair. These things can actually dry out the hair. For one thing, the hair and scalp lose moisture to the atmosphere, due to lack of humidity.
Both sun-exposure and hot water also cause dryness. The hair becomes dry and difficult to manage. It can also develop problems like split ends.
A conditioner helps to give protection and body. A good conditioner works by coating the hair. This adds thickness, strength and body to the hair. Conditioners can contain protein and oils. Some ingredients, like henna, are conditioners too, as they have the ability to coat the hair. For your hair is dry, apply a creamy conditioner after your shampoo. Take less quantity and massage lightly into the hair. Leave on for two minutes and rinse with water. Or, you can apply a leave-on type of conditioner or hair serum. They help to add shine and make the hair look more manageable. You can also buy a shampoo with a built-in conditioner. Home ingredients can also be used to condition the hair. What to do
Use a mild shampoo and use small quantity. Harsh shampoo can also rob the hair of natural oils. Due to this, the scalp loses its ability to hold moisture. Avoid very hot water. After shampooing, apply a conditioner. Or, choose a shampoo with a built-in conditioner. If you apply a conditioner, put some on your fingers and then run the fingers through the hair. Apply on the ends too. If you use a hair dryer, hold it at least 10 inches away. Stop using the dryer before the hair is totally dry and allow it to dry naturally. w Twice a week, oil your hair and leave it on all night. w Once or twice a week, condition the hair. Curd or egg yolk can be applied on the hair for conditioning dry hair. Apply and leave it on for half-an-hour,
before washing. w When sitting out in the sun, cover the head. Home remedies
Heat pure coconut, sesame seed (til) or olive oil and apply on the scalp and hair. Then dip a towel in hot water, squeeze out the water and wrap the towel around the head, like a turban. Keep it on for five minutes. Repeat the hot towel wrap three or four times. This helps the hair and scalp absorb the oil better. To add shine and softness to dry, dull hair, take a cup of honey, half-cup of olive oil or sesame seed (til) oil and two tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir and keep it overnight. Then store in a jar. Massage a little of this mixture into the hair before your shampoo. Use the hot towel wrap method for better penetration. Shampoo hair after an hour. For dry and damaged hair, use castor oil. Add one teaspoons of castor oil to two tablespoons pure olive oil or coconut oil. Massage it into the scalp and hair. Comb the hair to make sure it has been properly distributed. Follow the hot towel wrap procedure three or four times. Applying mayonnaise on the hair helps to nourish and soften it. It can be applied half an hour before washing the hair. Egg yolk is a good conditioner for dry hair. Take the yolks of two eggs and beat them together. Apply this on the hair and leave it on for 20 minutes. Then wash the hair with a mild shampoo. For extremely dry and damaged hair, mix together a little olive oil and the yolk of an egg. Apply this on the hair. Tie an old scarf on the head and leave the mixture on for an hour. Then, shampoo the hair, using a mild shampoo. Beer makes a good rinse for dry hair. After shampoo, add the juice of a lemon to the beer and rinse the hair. Wait for a few minutes and wash off with plain water. |
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