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Living your dreams THE clock has struck ten and I am still tucked in a warm blanket. I switch on my home theatre to catch up ‘Friends’ for the nth time. I can’t hear my mom asking me to clean up my room or my elder brother calling me a lazy bone. Next, I slip into a designer outfit (brought all the way from Paris) and head for a day of partying and clubbing. I head back in late hours in the evening, pick up my ace laptop, and crack big business deals. Hmm… now before you begin to envy my comfort zone and me, let me tell you that the mercury level outside is still touching forty, my mom is again lecturing me on the importance of cleanliness, my dad is trying to figure out why I can’t work in mornings and my home theatre exists only as pixels on PC screens. Welcome to my world, if not as great as Alice in Wonderland, my virtual world is nothing short of it. Well, I haven’t really tumbled into a rabbit hole, but just logged on to www.secondlife.com. And, now just with a click of a mouse, I roam around in fascinating landscapes, chat with friends and create homes on plots of imaginary land. An ever-changing 3-D world, it allows one to interact with any body across the world, acquire a piece of land, run a business, build anything right from a skyscraper to a designer outfit and then sell it off making big money! It was a friend Cheryl and now a co-resident who introduced me to the virtual world and created an avatar called Marylene for me. And, what’s more like most other fellow Indians, the fact that I get to access the basic account free the idea did appeal to me. (The rest additional accounts come at $9.95) And, the moment I entered I found myself in a digital continent teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. The residents were forthcoming and out of the 6,860,264 residents online, many were more than happy to show me around. A resident also introduced me to another city that was like on the outskirts of Second Life, called ww.teen.secondlife.com. An adult free zone I was told it is a gathering place for teens 13-17 years. While, there were dozens purva@tribunemail.com
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Real money in a virtual world
You can purchase a piece of land that will allow you to build, display, and store your virtual creations, as well as host events and businesses. You retain the IP rights of your creations and can sell them at various in-world venues In August 2006, Suzanne Vega became the first major recording artist to perform live in avatar form. John Mahon, known as Ham Rambler in Second Life, created the popular city of Dublin. His company, PickSL.net builds community-based businesses in Second Life. Dublin started with an Irish bar, some great barmen, and plenty of good-spirited conversation. Since then, it has become a destination location in Second Life. Talis is a respected provider of library management systems for public and academic libraries in the UK and Ireland. Now they’ve ventured into Second Life taking the library sector, heritage and capabilities with them. On June 17, American Apparel opened a store in Second Life on an island. They will soon have an exclusive offer for Second Life Residents too.
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A whole new world…
Opened to the world: In 2003 Discovered by: Linden Lab, a San Francisco company founded in 1999. The company provides the technology but it is the residents who shape the world. No. of residents: 6,516,562 people from around the globe To enter the world: You require computers with fairly advanced graphics and a broadband connection. Seek help:
From an official guide that will advice you on how to create an avatar, the places to visit, things to do and people to meet.
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Explore, discover, learn IF you belong to the category of time-crunched parents, then a workshop for your child has always been a blessing. But, if your child has got bored attending the same classes summer after summer, you can now enroll him in off-beat classes. This summer the city is buzzing with a host of fun-packed summer workshops or in new age vocabulary ‘personality development classes’. Here’s a peep into these classes that have caught the fancy of children and parents alike. Sowing the seed This is the tenth consecutive summer camp organised by SmartKids Kindergarten School . A one-month camp, the first three days are utilised to recognise the inborn talent of the kids after which the team works on to nurture and chisel the same.
“We teach nothing new, but just the basics,” says R.H.Singh, the director. A three-year-old is taught to wish a guest, a five-year-old learns to reach for the first aid box in case of any emergency and another is encouraged to share his sweets with the less unfortunate. Stresses Singh, “We don’t teach anything, we create an environment that makes them learn.” Says Bindra, co-director, “The children pick on basic table manners when we serve them snacks every evening.” The forte of the camp is that the interaction takes place only in English. Says Bindra, ”The children pick on their mother tongue be it Hindi or Punjabi anyways.” They have already enrolled in 120 children from different schools. Also helping them build confident children, are trips to the orphanage, a bookshop and activities like yoga, dance and aerobic classes. At the end of one month, the team interacts with parents and guides them on how to carry forward the process of nurturing the dormant interests of their children.
‘Book’ a friend for life Brought to the city for the first time, The Reading Mission programme undertaken by the British Library is all about letting your child discover and fall in love with books. With a total number of 53 books specially designed for the mission, each child is expected to reach the maximum number of books. Each child has to read a minimum of six books during the session. “However, there is no forceful reading, a child will himself slowly unravel the pleasure of reading,” tells Christina Singh, the coordinator. The mission was set rolling in the last week of May and it will end with a stormbreaker session on 30 June. “It shall involve a plethora of activities based on all that the child reads in the course of one month,” tells Christina. On their journey of reading, a child will be introduced to books through story telling, cartoon making, paper craft and mime workshops. The programme will also include chat sessions, games, treasure hunt and quizzes. So, what are you waiting for? Give your child a head start in reading. Give your child space It has been a regular feature at The Browser since past three years. Each year a huge number of kids wait for the summer workshops to begin here, this year too 50 kids have already enrolled in. Two years back the little ones baked a cake, last year they got their clothes dirty making a sandwich and this year they will be a part of personality development classes. Held in association with Pep Kids (Personality-enhancement programme), the workshop aims at helping a child develop the hidden genius within. The host of activities that will free your child’s mind and revive the spunk in him, include art, craft, basic manners, general awareness, reading skills, story telling, music and many more. The idea is to let your child be what he or she is. Here, an expensive glossy book does not come with a ‘Don’t touch me’ tag. Says Jagdeep Kaur, Chief Operating Officer at Browser, “ Unless a child touches and discovers the book, how will he develop an interest in reading. “Our idea is to give the kids ample space and learn step by step,” signs of Jagdeep. Back to school Now, if you thought it is only children attending classes in the summer break, then you should visit HomeoCare. A homeopathic clinic and child resource centre, the one-month old centre has tied up with Deepali Sharma, a PhD in child development. Deepali did her post doctorate from Germany and returned home with an idea to conduct workshops for the development of life skills of parents. She says, “It is not just enough to send children to classes, but equally important is to worry over if parents are changing too.” Beginning mid-June, she will be conducting two-hour sessions every Sunday for the parents. “We will educate parents on psychological, physiology and nutritional needs of the child, so that they can understand the unique personality of their child.” The workshops will aim at building a respectful parent-child relation.” It will include presentations, debates and discussions on case studies. We will focus on the social, physical, emotional and learning bond between the two,” says Deepali. Parents will also be given a chance to discuss parenting concerns. Once the concept catches on they plan to conduct these sessions with Hindi speaking parents too.
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Aniston’s new beau
The man who has captured former ‘Friends’ star Jennifer
Aniston’s heart is no longer a mystery, for he has been identified as
a hunky Brit model named Paul Sculfor. Aniston has been dating her Brit
beau for the past three weeks, enjoying candle light dinners and all,
but till now no one knew who he was. “When the couple recently
stopped by for dinner at One Pico restaurant in Santa Monica, things
were looking pretty cozy between them,”a fellow diner revealed. “He
was gently rubbing her back as they waited for a table. For the next
three hours they leant in close to talk, holding hands across the
table,” The Sun quoted the diner, as saying.The couple then spent the
night at Aniston’s home, and Sculfor was spotted leaving her place at
11am next day. Friends of Aniston insist that she is “smitten” by
her 36- year old beau, who started working out on building sites in
Upminster before getting his big break in a Levi jeans advert.
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Buckle up in Style This little accessory, which is often ignored while stocking and shopping for one’s wardrobe is the perfect way to change the look of a garment and individualise your summer wardrobe. With the city brimming with varied colourful belts, it is important to choose the right belt, be it a leather belt, rhinestone belt or concho belt. Belt buckles are available in a mind-blowing range too. From simple plastic ones to ornamental and novelty belt buckles, western belt buckle to stone studded and circular ones, belt buckles are now a virtual eye candy that sits on your belt. And depending on how much you can shell out from your pocket, you’ll get these belts in a wide range, starting from Rs 100 to Rs 1600. And now, lets talk about all those who wanna notch up your stylo-meters without spending much. Wear your belts just above your waist height over dresses and wear them slung low with denim and empire line tops. Or else, let them cling delicately to those plunging necklines of your georgette and chiffon kurtis, riding hemlines of those floral and polka tunics in delicate mulmuls and chiffons. Agrees Tarun Laul of Ten West, Sector 10, Chandigarh, “ Girlie tunics, tube tops and tunics in chiffons, georgettes, mulmul and laces with coordinated fabric belts are really hot this season,” No wonder, most young girls in town are preferring fabric belts flaunting interesting prints like polkas, graffiti and floral motifs, that come tugged with similar outfits. For those with a penchant for less daring fashion, large-sized belts with chunky buckles are the in- thing. Avers designer Nidhi Bajaj, “Broad belts tied on the empire waistline are really in. These broad belts are being worn over collared shirts, kurtas, dresses and lacy tunics.” And for those looking for streaks of creativity in these waist-adornments, there are elasticised belts, jute belts and even belts in braided leader. Designers like Bajaj are also playing with satins to custom-make embellished belts for their ethnic wear. Beams Mohika Aggarwal, a belt freak from town, “ I like to explore funky places like Sins, Just Casuals and Whistles for my belts. Gone are the times of those oh-so-boring brown and black leather belts. What we prefer today are the brighter hues and creative detailing.” And so most fashion hubs in town are stocking belts that are more glamorous. Chips in Manish Jain from Meena Bazaar, “ The main attraction of our belts are their big buckles with lots of intricate detailing. We have belts in bright hues like lavender, green, pink, and turquoise. And their buckles sport everything from crochet and tassels, metallic stones, beads, animal prints and laces.” Belts, indeed seem to be the city’s bling bling brigade’s latest style mantra. So all you fashionistas out there, your looks can now be glammed up without blowing a fortune, a reason enough to rejoice. anandita@tribunemail.com
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Broader, Better
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Just juttis
Running his shop Kartik Punjabi in Sector 17 for over 12 years is Rajesh Kumar. Each time you walk into his store, he has a new pair from a different region of the country to offer. Latest on the shelves are colourful delights from Ahmedabad. “The ahmedabadi juttis are embroidered in vibrant colourful wool threads and can be teamed up with an Indian or a western outfit,” says Kumar. They are easy priced, for you can take home a pair for just Rs 290. And, if you that it is only pretty ladies who are sporting them, then you are mistaken. The work of art is even luring men, a Pakistani jutti with cutwork, priced at Rs 1,100, adds just the right touch of style to a sherwani. Also, for the men are juttis with fine embroidery at Rs 750.
Glitch, Sector 8, stocks top of the line varieties. Studded with sequins and mirrors, the collection boasts of almost any colour you can think of. Be it a rich pink, pastel green, light blue or basic yellow, you can pick on a pair and match it with your salwaar kameez. “It adds just the right touch,” says Ravijit Dhillon, the owner. And if it is shimmer and glitter that appeals to you, then pick on the ones with zari and zardosi work. The collection starts Rs 695 onwards. For the trendy look you can slip into juttis in denim. “They look extremely smart with a pair of jeans, “ says Dhillon. They are available in shades of blue and black and priced at Rs 595. Walk down and feast your eyes on an array of juttis on display in the Sector 22 market. Tell the owners of the tiny jutti racks, “NRIs and all others from the west are crazy about these.” The hottest selling here are the aesthetically embroidered ones, be it pointed toes or the rounded modern versions. Also, back on the fashion scene once again are kohlapuri chappals. Forget the usual shades of light and dark brown, and pick on the ones in metallic hues or magenta, yellow, red and even turquoise. These can be had for Rs 150 to 200. So, what are you waiting for?
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Talent show with a difference? Another talent hunt on the ‘reality show’ bandwagon and this one claims to be different. Arti Kataria of LAMP (Ladders, Arts, Media and Production from Gurgaon) who was in the city today, said ‘Star of India’, will identify and promote genuine talents across the country. Ajjay Goswami, who has produced TV serials like Naazuq and Lakeeran, will direct the event. The show will see contestants from five zones – east, west, north, south and central. The organisers have not yet finalised the venue for the quarterfinals and semi-finals, the only thing they are sure of is that the mega finals are scheduled to take place in Mumbai. However, with just the announcement of the show and no slot for telecast as yet, it remains to be seen whether Lamp Star of India will be able to provide the best platform that it claims to offer.
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Health tip of the day
Bunion is a common deformity wherein the great toe tilts towards the other toes causing a lump on the inner side. This could be the result of wearing high heeled narrow toed shoes worn by the fairer sex. — Dr Ravinder Chadha |
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Don’t all of us hate that little tummy bulging out of that fitted, figure-hugging spaghetti of ours? Or wish that the bulging back, playing a peak-a-boo out of our backless blouses disappeared somewhere? For most of us hate bulges and would, in fact, do anything to get rid of them. But if burning calories on that dreaded treadmill was that easy, wouldn’t we all be looking like Hollywood film stars? So the solution lies in stop sulking and begin shopping. Yes, shopping for the fashion statement that will pull together and jazz up our entire ensemble- a belt.
Footwear
Dabka work, too, is making a mark in juttis. Available in a hue of colours, the range begins from Rs 400 and goes up to as high as Rs 2,100. “ We get these from the artists in Abohar,” tells Kumar. In fact, most of the juttis are works of cobblers from Abohar, Malerkotla and Muktsar.