LIVE TO EAT The latest trend of live kitchens not only assures the customer of cleanliness standards, but also increases the interaction with the chef Sitting casually, chatting up with the chef as he tosses a pasta with your favourite veggies or herbs - Live Kitchens seem to be latest 'in thing' in city circuits. Lately, there has been a barrage of new eateries in the city and one common thread that binds them is live or open-counter kitchens.

TAKE A LEAF RS Shakya is in the city with his collection of paintings that is hugely inspired by leaves Understanding the basic philosophy of life doesn't take much. Even if it's often projected as a subject difficult to comprehend and meant only for intellectuals, in reality everyone can make sense of the simplest truth with the help of a little observation!

TASTEfully done Newly opened Nando's in Sector 35 is set to delight the foodie in you It was a pleasure to watch people eating a big piece of grilled, juicy, well-marinated chicken. One on every plate in the restaurant, the chicken chunks were easy to dig out since the piece was cooked well. Just inquisitive about the taste, when we sought a bit of details, the answer from a colleague was quite expected, "Chicken seldom tastes like this.

Pathfinders The preparation for SJOBA rally begins on an adventurous note The Thunderbolt SJOBA Sub-Himalayan Rally maybe a few months away (scheduled for March 2011), but the SJOBA team is already out on the dusty, bumpy trails of the mountains doing a recce for the rally. Over the weekend, two vehicles and a team of promising young (and a couple of not so young) ex-Johnians took off from Chandigarh to test the rugged and unknown tracks in the sub-Himalayan ranges.

Bits about Bytes When words are not written When a letter was something that you penned on the paper, you selected the paper, the pen, and devoted much attention to the words that would be inscribed on the paper. Often, it was at least a page long, sometimes longer than that. Even as you were bothered with the physical aspects of your epistle, a part of your mind was already composing it, crafting the words and weighing over their message.

Pet theory

THREE IS COMPANY: Pups huddle together to generate warmth as the winter sets in. Photo: Vinay Malik

Small wonder
Motorola Mobility India Private Limited has launched the stylishly square and pocket-perfect Motorola Flipout. This smartphone packs a punch with a unique form-factor and innovative features.

GEEK SPEAK
Single window
Till a few years back, there were separate machines for printing, scanning, copying, and faxing, but this is no longer the case. Thanks to the 'all-in-one' printer, which helps save time, electricity, and space.

SPADE WORK
Social climbers
All that is weak need support and so do the plants. There is this class of plants, the climbers that are all weak stemmed and thus cannot grow up on their own. No doubt there are provisions by Mother Nature like tendrils, sticking pads, claws etc in nature.

Love thy robot!
In what could bring some solace to the millions of lonely hearts worldwide, scientists have developed a robot, which they say can fall in love with its owner. Invented by German designer Stefan Ulrich, the bizarre blob-like Funktionide has special sensors that react to human touch to show when it is happy or in love.

Let's talk!
A study has concluded that people are unhappy with the lack of face-to-face time they spend with friends and family. The incessant march of technology is to blame, with text messaging, emailing and social networking taking over from traditional conversation, it revealed.

Get well soon, Hrithik Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan was hospitalised on Sunday after he complained of breathing problem caused by an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. The actor's spokesperson said that he was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital late afternoon for an allergic reaction to an antibiotic that he had taken. "He is under observation and will be discharged tonight. He is much better now and recuperating," the spokesperson said.

Couple Dance
Jimi Mistry, the Indian origin star of Hollywood flicks like The Guru and 2012 is reportedly romancing Flavia Cacace, his partner in the reality TV show Strictly Come Dancing. The Italian-born dancer was photographed enjoying an intimate evening with Jimi Mistry after they attended a fashion gala together.

Spotlight on Rahman
Oscar winning musical maestro A R Rahman headlined a spectacle of colour, sound and light to round off a week of celebrations in South Africa to mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured Indians in the country.

Arnold coming back?
Hollywood action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning a comeback to the big screen after his reign as Governor of California ends in January 2011.The actor-turned-politician whose tenure as Governor will end next year is weighing his options for the future and a return to his action star days could be a possibility.

Teri not so desperate
Hollywood star Teri Hatcher has quit her leading role in the cult hit TV series Desperate Housewives, throwing the show's future into jeopardy. The 45-year-old actor, who has played ditsy mother Susan Mayer for seven years, has told colleagues at ABC that the next season will be her last.

Who’s afraid of werewolf?
Twilight star Bronson Pelletier was attacked by a group of drunken men during a film convention in Birmingham, England. The 24-year-old Canadian, who plays werewolf tribe member Jared in the film franchise, was left with a broken nose after allegedly being struck, headbutted and put into a headlock.

Engag(e)ing talk
Simon Cowell's fiancee Mezhgan Hussainy has rubbished rumours that she and the media mogul have split. Friends of the music mogul say he has become increasingly cool towards his relationship with the make-up artist and one close confidante even revealed it was 'definitely over'.

Of herbs and berry Aloe+B, an unique value-added product by Aloecorp, Texas, USA, has been brought here by Jodhpur-based 2M Marketing India. The product, a combination Aloevera and blueberry, which prevent and remove the harmful effects produced by free radicals. Aloe + B™ improve the activity of the natural body oxidant enzymes and destroy the oxidants, there by improves the immunological activity of the body.