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Pug-o-mania Decidedly square, cobby & frisky, you can’t help falling in love with them… just look into a pug’s eyes full of life, say city’s dog lovers. But if you don’t have the time, space or energy to have a pet, fret not. Many adorable pets are waiting to be adopted in cyber world!
Ask engineering student Honey and pat comes the reply, "He is the don of dogs." Hmm`85 So is that why he christened his pug Don? Nope. "Pugs are an unaggressive and docile breed, so I thought the name would make him feel like a Don," he smiles. Well, Don is new to the family. He came this January via an ad in the paper. Says Honey, who has had Pomeranian, German Shepherd and Pointer as pets, "I wanted a small, affectionate pet. Don is all that and more!"
Honey has even built a cardboard kennel for his little bundle of joy! And in winter, a 200-watt bulb kept Don cosy in it. So what makes Don special? "He is resting one moment, jumping the next." As of now, besides his antics, what keeps Don busy is the task of exploring his teeth. "He bites into everything he can get hold of," shares Honey. Our next Puglet in town is Pogo. Christened so by its owner, two-and-a-half year old Dishita. No points for guessing the reason behind the name. Dishita loves watching Pogo (the cartoon channel) and playing with the three-month-old pug. Says Dishita’s dad Amit, "This breed shot into fame after the Hutch ads and that’s what got us to buy one." They brought home the pug this January and also have a Cocker Spaniel, Tiger. So is there a tiff between Pogo and Tiger? "Pogo is too young," says Amit, who has had Labrador and Alsatian pets. "The toughest bit of bringing up a pug is taking care of his eyes. They are big and protruding, making them prone to infections and injury." As for Dishita, Pogo is a toy. "Everything about the breed, from its growling to looks to behaviour is toyish," says Amit. And what’s Pogo’s fave toy? A bone! The toy breed made it to the hearts of this family for its expressive face. The family’s life, especially that of class X student Ivan, revolves around Bosco’s smiles, moans and sighs. So how did the five-month-old enter their lives? Says Ivan’s mother, Sukhrit, "My son hurt himself in school and had to stay home for a long time. That’s when he took a promise from us to get him a pug." And Bosco came home in October 2007. Says Ivan," He has a lovely smile and his face turns into a U when he’s sleepy. His eyes are full of questions when I scold him." And well this young pet owner has done his reading. "A pug’s grasping power is equal to that of a class III student. Also, till now five American presidents have owned a pug." Now, that’s an informed pet lover! Well, not all think that the pug is cute; some even find it ugly. We say beauty lies in the eyes of the pug lover!
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Virtual bond, real love Can't own a real pet? The neighbourhood garden is not lush enough. The four-walled small flat leaves no space in the home. Parents think a pet is too much of a trouble. So, what do you do? Sit back and watch your neighbour play with a bundle of joy? No, instead you get yourself a virtual pet. A lovable kitty that jumps across your desktop, as you’re engrossed making PPTs. A fishy that swims over the taskbar as you listen to your fave music. Or a pup that cuddles up on the side of your screen, so as not to disturb you. Yes, that’s right, the World Wide Web, allows you to adopt, care, pamper, punish, and reward a virtual pet. From a kitty, pup, chick, bird to a monkey, bunny or a fish, you can adopt any of these lovable creatures. Wondering how? Well, all you need to do is login, choose the pet you are looking for — Poodle, cat, Pommerian, fish, horse or a birdie, christen it, choose its gender and age, and then make a promise to take care of it. Log in to sites like www.neopets.com, www.virtualpet.com, www.adoptme.com, and more. And if you think taking care of a virtual pet is no big feat, you are absolutely mistaken. It’s as real as it can get. You have to feed it, play with it, watch it grow, put it to bed and most important, keep it alive. The sites have times fixed for feeding, sleeping, playing, and training of the pet, making sure you don’t miss any. Mind you, it’s also your responsibility to teach your little one new tricks, reward him for good behaviour, and also ensure he stays fit by exercising regularly. Some sites like www.neopets.com even mention the weather conditions of the inhabitant land of your pet, warning you to take special care of the pet so that he doesn’t fall sick. The total neopets at present are 22,75,28,647. Another site, www.giropets.com, allows you to choose from among some 25 species. Here, you train your pet, communicate with other GiroPets, buy and sell various items for your pet, or simply take him for an evening walk. In the world of www.fishland.com, one creates a fish and from thereon, takes care of all its needs including helping the fishie in fighting opponent fishland’s citizens. The aquatic world is presently inhabited by close to 5,00,000 residents. Now, not everything in the virtual world is unreal, for instance, a site called www.mycemetery.com is a portal where you can memorialise your pets. It allows you to place an epitaph for your pet and share your feelings with other pet lovers who’ve lost their pets. Back to the virtual world, there are a few therapeutic virtual pets out there that have been specially designed to accompany sick or elderly people. And what does the pet do for you in return? Well, just like real pets, it loves you unconditionally. Wins in online pet shows. Wakes you up by doing little tricks, just when you are about to fall asleep on your workstation. And looks at you with moist eyes, when you tend to ignore him. Well, so what are you waiting for? Find yourself a desktop buddy or a screen mate now. How about a baby dolphin following your cursor around? Or a bunny that hops from the top of your screen, and then looks around sheepishly when you ping him? purva@tribunemail.com
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Telly Tales It is that time of the year when starry nights take over weekends of every native of tellydom!
It’s that time of the year again when the best in telly and tinsel town join hands to bring to you the glitz, glamour, and gossip of celebdom via the celebrated award nights. Bigger nights like Star Dust and Filmfare are over and it’s actually these first nights of the season that give an insight of what will follow. So, now we know that Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor will make a clean sweep of the year’s debut awards. Chak De SRK will add another to his kitty. Kareena will grab one, finally. Shimit Amin will please us with his sentimental patriotism-accented speech. And yes, yesteryear stars like Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor and some more will receive a standing applause for their works done in the times, when awards weren’t instituted and weren’t that fancy. And, Taare Zameen Pe will leave all hoping for the presence of the real star at one of the nights at least! Now, Aamir sure was missing at Star Dust, but what caught our attention was his huge poster. The crew and cast couldn’t stop singing paeans in praise of the ace debut-director. Tisca Chopra was on her toes, collecting awards for Khan. And yes, she did manage to grab a supporting female actor award, for herself, too. Talk Khans, and one has to give an award to the King Khan. And when talking of him, it’s not the very many awards that he is getting at these nights that one is concerned with. It’s his persona on the stage that leaves us in awe, always wanting more. At Balaji’s The Global Indian T.V. Honours 2007, we saw him made all the bahus, bhabhis, vamps, devranis, saas and more, dance to the Chak De beats. Another not to miss performance at the awards was the feat put by Nach Bailye 3 and Jhalak Dikhla Ja winners. Getting back to SRK, how can one not mention the gags he put up at Filmfare with Saif Ali Khan! The duo was hilarious, rude, crude, vulgar, and witty, and managed to keep the giggles going past midnight. They did succeed to a certain extent in sending across the message that after all Bollywood is sporting enough to laugh at itself. And, mind you, in case some didn’t have the spirit, Saif and SRK didn’t really care! Talk Saif and the next thing that comes to one’s mind is this girlie jumping with joy. Bollywood’s Bebo made sure that she announced how much she deserved an award for Jab We Met in all her pre-award interviews. And bingo, it seems to be coming true! For, the confident, bold and yes, now gorgeous, Kareena is sure riding high these days. Now, does love do all that? Well, that’s another story altogether. As of now, stay tuned, for in the next few days many more stars will be reaching your living room. (This column appears weekly)
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Little Interview After Maayka and
Marathi serial Tujhya Vina, talented Kathak dancer Urmila
Kanetkar now plays the female lead in Sachchidanand Productions’ Mera
Sasural, written by Anjana Sood and directed by Rajesh Babbar. It
revolves around a Punjabi family. It is already on air from Monday to
Friday on Sahara One Television. Talking to Life Style, she shares
her views about her serial and talks about her ambitions. What kind of character do you play? I play Heer, a Kashmiri
girl who works as a radio jockey for All-India Radio. She also conducts a
programme for the Army called Fauji Bhaiyon Ki Farmaish. Tell us about Anjana Sood — the writer and the producer. Anjana
is a complete package. She has an in-depth knowledge of telewood and is a
very helpful person. What is the
response from the viewers? So far so good. The experience has been
quite good. How is the experience
working the team? Sudhir Pande, Darshan Dave, Vishal Puri and Ragini
Shah are exceptionally good to me and are very helpful. The crew is also
very cooperative. For a
Marathi-speaking girl, do you find it a little difficult delivering
dialogues in Hindi? Initially, I found it a little difficult but soon
I learnt the language. Now, I am doing well for myself. This makes me feel
proud. What does fame mean to you? People
should know me as a good actor. I do not wish to imitate any one but want
to create my own identity. — Dharam Pal |
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An exciting summer camp for the city kiddie brigade comes calling Hey kiddies, the exams are over and it’s time for some fun. And what else could beat the thrill of shaking a leg, enacting plays, learning Baseball and letting your creative juices flow? Yup, here’s all this and more rolled into one. For, city’s Go Bananas kids club is back with its Spring Camp for little ones at the Skating Rink- 10, starting from March 17 and culminating with a grand stage performance on the March 30. Informs club director Anu Vala, “Children here can learn American Baseball by coaches from America and Australia, thanks to our tie up with the Baseball Federation of India. Local kids might even find themselves a chance to fly abroad for further training in the game if they show enough potential!” The participation cost is Rs 1,650 per child and transport is available on request. Time for some exciting learning kids! — TNS
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Cool Stuff HTC Corp has launched a range of world-class mobile handsets. The HTC handsets include the HTC Touch Dual (Rs 27,900), Touch (Rs 17,900), P3300 (Rs 21,900), P3400 (Rs 12,900), and S710 (Rs 14,900). The handsets are available across all leading retail outlets across Punjab and Haryana. Featuring a robust Qualcomm® MSM7200 chip running at 400MHz, the HTC Touch Dual™ with Windows Mobile software will enable users to stay connected and access information – from a single, personalised device. The new HTC-designed home screen provides one-touch access to emails, text messages, calendar appointments and contacts, as well as current weather conditions and forecasts for cities around the world. Fashion Cool Comfort Nautica has introduced its Island Collection 2008, ideal for fun and relaxation. An extensive collection of easy care silk and silk/cotton-blended styles, it’s meant for enjoying summer vacations whilst also looking cool-chic. The feisty collection brings you a chance to break away from the stereotype fishing shirt and slip into a custom designs. The collection offers silk patterns, featuring floral, scenic and leaf prints with conversational logos on the tees, which reflect the whimsical tone of the season. Made of coolmax fabric, this collection of t-shirts, shirts, shorts and pants grounds the bright palette of light yellow, mystic blue and velvet green. Footwear Fiesty Comfort Numero Uno has recently introduced its new range of casual footwear in leather, suede and canvas in trendy colors and styles for both men and women. The footwear collection for Spring-Summer 08 has an exciting range of casual and semi-formal shoes comprising of both slip ons and lace ups. This range is crafted with state-of-the-art technology and constructed on TPR and PU soles with soft padded in soles and cambreel lining. Available for men in camel, navy blue, khaki, beige, olive, gray, white and red, it’s priced between Rs 1,299 and Rs 2,699. The women’s range is available in pretty pink, red, white, blue and black (Rs 1,099 and Rs. 1,599). Accessories Designer bags Da Milano has introduced an exquisite collection of reptile print handbags as part of its Spring Summer Collection 08.These handbags are crafted with supple Italian leather which is embossed with snake and crocodile prints. The collection is crafted from top quality leathers dyed and embossed to look like a particular reptile skin.These ultra sassy Croc and Snakeprint handbags feature generous zippered compartments, stylised buckles and comfortable leather handles. With the African safari, jungle themes and animal prints strongly predicted for Summer 08, reptile skin bags (Rs 3,995 onwards), footwear and accessories are sure bets for the season. — TNS
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Innocence Unlimited Yet another fresh-faced couple from Ekta’s telly brigade breezes through town
We catch him along with his co-star for Kis Desh …Aditi Gupta at The Taj –17. The duo has come to town for promoting the serial (what else?). Harshad is the talkative one between the two and as he grabs the mike, we come to know about this small town guy who landed up in the televille via Grasim Mr India contest. Yes, he won the Best Smile contest, way back in 2006-07, but could not clinch the title. Well, that did not stop our guy who was studying in Pune at that time to audition for Mamta. And he managed to get the role of Karan. “Before Mamta happened, I was trying out everywhere. This serial gave me a proper platform and also the power to chose the characters I play now.” But playing Ali in Left Right… was the most exhilarating experience for this actor. “I am a small town guy myself and playing that simpleton character came naturally because Ali was someone I could relate to.” The character he is playing in Kis Desh Mein…is close to his heart too. “It is character which is passion, rawness, young and so many different shades to it.” How does he go about selecting his roles? “I don’t go with a pre-conceived notion. If the character appeals to me, I take it.” Given a chance, Harshad would like to play some strong character. Aditi’s story is of a simple college girl who never dreamt of becoming an actor. This is her first serial and she plays the role of Heer Maan. Heer is a lawyer by profession, not a rebellious character but fights for the cause she believes in. “I was doing a fashion designing course from Pune when I was almost forced to take an audition for Kis Desh Mein…” What attracted her was of course the role she was offered. And what attracted the Balaji to select her as Heer, we ask. “My innocent face,” comes the reply. Of course, we may like to watch Pamela Anderson types doing heroic stuns at the beach, but when it comes to our desi love stories, we still fall for the innocent faces. And at that we leave the on-screen love-birds do some more crooning about what Ekta Kapoor describes as an ‘ethereal story from the heart’.
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Décor Den Shopping for your den here promises to be an indulgence rather than a chore!
TRICITY décor lovers have another reason to clink glasses. Here’s another new and hip shopping address that promises to make doing up your space a ‘labour of love’ than laborious. World Bazaar, a Delhi-based artifacts and furniture store, has now set up shop in Panchkula. Housing tropical-chic artifacts and handicrafts imported from Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Phillipines, Africa and Hawaii, the place brims with must-picks that are opulent, without being OTT. Walk into the store and indulgence takes a ‘natural’ form. Luxury is the ability to surround yourself with an abundance of pure, natural materials, believes Randip Dhingra, the man behind the concept. “World Bazaar has objects d’art sourced from places around the world. Our USP, however, is the most diverse natural fibers and textures. There’s nothing plastic about our handicrafts and handmade furniture that comes in wicker, water hyacinth, sea grass, banana peel and rattan,” chirps Dhingra, who has clubbed with friends Jasjit and Sahib to start this store. “We have a chain of four stores in USA and two in Delhi. We are home to everything from masks, paintings, lamps, Buddhas, screens, wooden abstracts and more, sourced directly from artisans and craftsmen worldwide,” he tells. Casual tropical married with elegant chic is how one can describe the picks. While there are contemporary, clean lined white sofas in pure Italian leather, there are very tropical artifacts too. If you love to lounge in a chic bar, there’s a hut-themed bamboo bar from Bali (Rs 35,000). For those with exotic gardens, there are cutesy picnic tables in Malaysian and Indonesian Rattan (15,000-35,000). For your living room, the choices are mind-boggling. Right from interesting tree-bark uplighters in natural wine (Rs 7,000-13,000), wicker Victorian chairs and drum-like coffee-tables (Rs 3,500) to Saraswati Panels from Bali (Rs 1,500-5000), the hub houses it all. For those finding the stuff exorbitant, there’s some respite. You could pick something from an assortment of Thai masks. Crafted out of natural wood, they come with bronze, copper, silver and dull gold polish (Rs 1,000-4,000). Other offbeat grabs include African Giraffes, Thai trucks, umbrella holders, CD holders and tissue boxes (Rs 500-1,500). Besides, there are incense sticks from Bali, wrapped sensually in a banana leaf (just Rs 50!), wooden Pinocchio (Rs 500), fishes, parrots and colourful butterflies (Rs 400) waiting to be hung in your verandah. So friends, head to the hub head on! anandita@tribunemail.com
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Spice up Condition your hair by giving yourself a hair spa treatment at home. It helps to counteract stress caused to the hair by chemical colourants, excessive sun-exposure, dust, grime and air pollutants. Have it looking silky and shiny. Get yourself a mild herbal shampoo, a plastic shower cap, towels, a comb with large, wide teeth, as well as the hair conditioning ingredients mentioned below. Prepare them in advance. If your hair is dirty and grimy, first shampoo it. Clean hair allows better absorption of the ingredients you use for conditioning it. Use less shampoo and rinse thoroughly with water. Wrap the head in a towel and allow it to soak the water. Comb it. To disentangle, start at the ends and work upwards. Mix together one egg, one tablespoon of castor oil, the juice of a lemon and one teaspoon pure glycerin or honey. These ingredients should be well mixed. You can use an egg beater if you like. Massage this well into the scalp and apply on the hair too. Wear the plastic shower cap and relax for an hour. Then wash the hair with the shampoo and rinse with water. Now add tea water with lemon juice. Use this for the last rinse. It leaves the hair clean and shiny. Ayurvedic massage Head massage is popular in ayurveda. A self-massage technique can be easily followed. You can choose from almond oil, sesame seed (til) oil or olive oil. Warm the oil. The oil should be poured on the centre of the head. To determine this point, measure eight finger widths from above the eyebrows, towards the centre of the head. Smoothen the oil by massaging both sides of the scalp, going towards the ears. Pour some oil on the back of the head and massage it along the sides and back of the head. Gentle tapping movements should be followed all over the head to stimulate circulation. With your fingers, rub all over the scalp. (This column appears fortnightly) InstaShine If your hair is looking dull, give it a quick conditioning treatment before your shampoo:
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Grill & Thrill
If you do not have a backyard with a charcoal grill to enjoy an evening of barbeque, then no problem! You can still experience it at Barbeque Nation - 26, where you can make your own grills and have it too. That too, sitting at your own table and without getting your hands and clothes dirty. The outlet, which will be open to public from March 17, introduces the ‘live grill on your table’ concept, where you can make your skewer to your personal preference using the variety of sauce and dips available. However, the skewers, both for vegetarian and non-vegetarian, come pre-cooked. But don’t mistake it for a kebab outlet or something similar. As its CEO Prosenjit Roy Chaudhury is quick to point out, “It is a multi-cuisine restaurant with grilled starters being the highlight.” So if you are ready to shell out Rs 275 for lunch or Rs 400 for dinner, you can sample non-stop supply of grilled starters like chicken, prawn, mutton, capsicum, potato and broccoli along with a buffet that serve two different soups, eight types of salad and 11 main courses of Pan Asian, Oriental, Mediterranean and continental origin besides an assorted desserts. The variation in the pricing for lunch and dinner is because during lunch only four types of grills are made available while during dinner, the number goes up to 10. The supply of skewers is non-stop. When you have had enough, just turn the Barbeque Nation’s flag on your table down and the person serving you will take the hint. parbina@tribunemail.com
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Health Tip
Contrary to belief, sciatica is a symptom and not a disease. The term is used incorrectly for almost all cases of leg pain and low back pain. Sciatic nerve starts from lower spine and goes upto the foot and therefore, the pain and numbness are felt from the hip to the big toe. The main reason for sciatica is disc prolapse when the nerve is pinched between the vertebrae. This usually affects one side. This can cause tingling, burning or shooting pain radiating down from buttock to the leg making the patient bed-ridden. Spinal stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal) and Piriformis muscle spasm can also lead to sciatica. Treatment:
Analgesic help relieve pain. Avoid activities that aggravate pain and a soft mattress. Sleep on a firm surface and put a pillow under the knees. Exercises:
Prolonged bed rest can de-condition and weakene muscles. After a brief rest, appropriate exercise is recommended.
— Dr Ravinder Chadha
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He is small. He is humane and overtly
affectionate. He has a wrinkly face and can be mistaken for a toy. This
toy happens to come from China too! And yes, he is hugely popular in his
circle. Meet one of our country’s fave brand ambassadors, the Hutch dog,
as we like to call the Chinese Pug, Mops or Puggu. Well, now we can’t
say if the network that transformed from hues of orange to pink to red
managed to reach wherever you went, but the cuddly little thing surely
captured hearts in the city. We stepped into a few homes and found out
what makes the Pug oh-so-adorable.
STRETCHED thank-you speeches interspersed with names of one and all — directors, co-stars, spouse, parents (dead or alive), Tommy, blah-blah, Rekha draped in shades of gold, SRK voicing a God Bless You every second, wifeys (out of work, post-marriage) in designer outfits clinging to their actor hubbies, Kajol struggling to catch the action on stage through her ancient spectacles, Karan Johar lending his voice to the politest words in English language, some long forgotten faces stepping on the podium (their only annual appearance) to give away the honours, and a well deserved lifetime achievement tribute. 
He is enjoying playing Prem for Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil. Guess why? Because he is a die-hard Salmaan Khan fan and Prem is now almost his hero’s pet name. Of course, how lucky can anyone get? Yes, we are talking about Harshad Chopra — Ali of Left Right Left. If that still does not ring a bell, then he is Akshad of Amber Dhara, who did a disappearing act in the middle of the serial. 
Celebrity donations are not a new thing in Hollywood, and now it was the turn of a charity co-founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle to put their money for a noble cause. The charity, known as Not On Our Watch, dished out a whopping $ 500,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme to combat the food problem in Darfur, Sudan. “Without immediate additional funding, humanitarian aid in the region will be crippled,” Clooney said. Not On Our Watch has already raised more than $ 9.3 million dollars for Darfur, and donated $ 1 million dollars to the World Food Program last year. Clooney has recently filmed a documentary about the crisis in Sudan last year and has certainly become a strong supporter for action against the genocide.
— ANI