Ambassadors of goodwill
Transformation is the word to describe this five-member team of group study exchange of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. In the city for a four-week visit, these young professionals, Ryan Walker, Alicia Netterville, Sarah Harris and Julie Skipper along with their leader Hal Morgan, are full of ideas, ready to make a difference and build bridges of goodwill. How? Well, by coming to India, experience the culture and carrying the lessons back home. “We want to learn more about the people, the community as whole and share our experiences with them,” says Alicia Netterville, a partnership specialist for the United States Census Bureau. “We are the ambassadors for people in the US who cannot visit this country but want to know the depths of it,” adds Ryan Walker, a horticulturist and a member of the team.
Under the programme, the team members along with the a Rotarian team leader, would be visiting Kasuali, Panipat, Hardwar, Anandpur Sahib and many other places in their journey of ideological and cultural exchange. Coming from various fields of specilisation, like education, community development, corporate law, insurance, they come with no pre-conceived notions about the country. “We come with an open mind and want to explore areas like education, administration, grassroots development, economics and business. We want to study the country as a whole,” shares Sarah Harris, who works as an insurance investigator and has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. In what can be called a close contact with the Indian culture, they will be staying with the family of Rotary club members. “I am putting up with a Sikh family, so I am going to learn everything about Sikhism,” says Sarah. Within the eagerness to assimilate with Indian culture, they talk issues, real ones and hope to find some solutions too. So, when we mention Bush’s ‘beware of India’ threat, Ryan comes to explain, “The basic education system in the US has fallen behind, specially in science. It lacks the overall appeal, and that’s what my focus area will be, while studying aspects of Indian education system.” Well, that comes as a revelation from a country that boasts of NASA! But he clears, “education doesn’t mean getting a job. It means bringing out your personality, that can only be done when every area is given equal importance.” Well, with our IIMs and IITs churning out big brains, it won’t take much time to get the Harvards and Stanfords of the world sit and take notice. “Sure,” Ryan agrees but reveals, “Not everybody can afford a Stanford or Harvard. So we need to make quality education accessible to all.” And, if you thought that being culturally different meant facing different problems then Alicia spells out the truth for you, “We have the same issues, crime, teenage pregnancies, unemployment, demand for better living conditions. We can follow the development programmes in the Indian villages and apply them to our benefit.” But she feels that exposing people to change needs time and effort. And what about the recession blues? “I feel it’s a humbling experience for the people back home. A cutdown in their luxurious life would make them realise the importance of the basics,” she replies. But it’s not all work and no play for Sarah and Alicia swear that they will shop till their last drop. “I plan to buy lots of bangles and jewellery,” says Alicia. “And also colourful fabrics,” adds Sarah. lifestyle@tribunemail.com |
On record
Let me take you to the world of fairytales and let us live a fantasy together. Once upon a time, you were in your office. You wanted to ask a question to your colleague sitting on the same floor. You got up from your chair, went to his place, flashed a smile, asked about his aging mother’s health, made the enquiry and came back happy. Yah! that was once upon a time…
Fast forward ... the colleague is sitting right next to you and you won’t even have to get up from your chair to make a conversation. Yet, you choose to the email him the query. As for his mother’s health, you are not even sure if he lives with his parents or not! Welcome to the world of ‘on record conversations’ where ‘regards and best wishes’ are a permanent part of your signatures so that you don’t have to go through the pain of typing them again and again for anyone and everyone you send an email to. “Of course, the personal touch is lost in the process because you strictly ask work related questions through an email. Also, you are always out of sync with the actual reaction of the person on reading the mail as there are no facial expressions or body language to gauge,” ponders Bhanuja Sharma, a 23-year-old girl working in Infosys. Now, who could have imagined this! “I had enrolled myself in the Art of Living course and it was then that I was introduced to Gaurav Wadhwa. It was after a while that I realised that Gaurav not only works on the same floor but also sits just two cubicles next to me!” It required an out-of-office accidental interaction to find a good friend in life!! And it’s not just informal communication that gets hit. It can also be a hindrance for formal interaction. “Emails can be quite hampering when it comes to idea sharing or discussing an issue that requires discussion. There is certain degree of freezing of dialogue that takes place and one cannot really expect natural inputs in an email conversation” says Neelu Kapoor, centre-head, Arena Animation. Also, there is one more issue, “The message in the emails tends to be stronger than intended. This is because the person feels an added need to clarify and justify issues as it is all in written.” So, then why not go for the more conventional forms of communication, one wonders. Simply because sending an email puts everything on record and thus acts as a proof if need be, that’s the unanimous verdict. “Also this culture pushes the HR Department to organise more and more get-togethers in the office,” smile Neelu. Oh! Now that explains it — the fairy tale element of today’s work culture! lifestyle@tribunemail.com |
Mixed singles
Mehak and her friends had a great time at the disc as they danced on one rocking number to another. Oh! They had one helluva of time, dancing non-stop. It was while coming out of the disc, Mehak asked her friend. How does the DJ manage to play so well that too non-stop, which lead to a string of revelation for music and dance lovers, who normally have an unadulterated time at the
dics, courtesy DJ and their instruments. And these are….
Offers Surya, an house DJ with Score, “First, it was records, then came CD players and now we have state-of- art software, which have brought about a lot of difference in the final product. In some cases you just have to use a laptop and connect to the software.” So, ‘the’ word is software. “Absolutely,” Surya nods his head. “Different kinds of software help to create varied kind of music. For non-stop numbers you can use software called Syntax, and then there is Hamilton.” As for DJ Tarun, who plays in Bangalore, software indeed has entered the DJ world like fire, but this isn’t something he approves of. “I took me eight months to learn deejaying, and now, youngsters can learn it in two months. Thanks to the software, there is nothing like creativity in mixing music. Anyone who is well acquainted with software can mix and play music. But, I wouldn’t call such people Deejays.” And what is it that he uses to create foot -tapping music. “I use a normal CD player, which is almost similar to the turntables,” tells Tarun. “You can create a turntable affect with it. For instance, it has scratching affect. All the same, turntables are live, they are a little difficult to operate but are lot of fun.” The only drawback here is the price. You cannot turn the tables without investment!!! Now, this gets us back to what most Deejays in the city and Delhi relies on ‘software’. Updated software is what DJ’s use. Whether it is ‘Tractor’ or ‘Frooty Loops’, a DJ should be well versed with the same to create good music. As curiosity gets better of us, we ask what software does to music and how? With software, you can mix all tracks and play them live. You can add samples — an old vocal made foot tapping with beats. “Some bands like the Medieval Pundits mix live music through software. And their kind of music making have a lot of fan following in India and abroad,” says DJ Tammy. “Whereas people like Nikhil Chinappa play on records, which are difficult to source and are expensive too,” adds Tammy. Are we then left with one choice, software? Guess so. jasmine@tribunemail.com |
Zip zap zoom Windows 7 with its commendable performance improvements may be on the horizon. But for now, most of us have to live with Windows Vista, which can make even the fastest computer seem slow. But you don’t have to put up with Vista’s sluggishness without a fight. In fact, most of what ails Vista when it comes to performance can be remedied by adjusting some settings and eliminating some features. And the good news: The whole process need not take more than half an hour. Afterwards, you’ll be rewarded a computer that feels a lot faster. Vista went overboard with window animation - the almost slow - motion visual effect that occurs when you minimise or maximise an application. Whether you think the animation is cool or not, it’s indisputable that it slows you down - or at least it seems to. Luckily, turning off window animation is possible, and doing so will not affect other types of interface animation that you may enjoy in Vista. Open the Windows Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, Performance Information and Tools, Advanced Tools from the task pane at the left, and then click “Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows”. A user account control dialog box will prompt you, and you should click Continue. The Performance Options dialog box will open. On the Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options dialog box, you have four choices: “Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer”, “Adjust for best appearance”, “Adjust for best performance”, and “Custom”. “Custom” is followed by a list of individual check boxes that allow you to determine exactly which visual effects you would like to turn on or off. To start, click “Custom”, and then remove the check mark next to the “Animate windows when minimising and maximising”. De-activating that option will make your applications and other windows snap into and out of view immediately rather than gradually. Changing this setting alone may be enough to make Vista feel snappier for you, and you could stop there and see how you like the change. If you want to get rid of all of Vista’s fancy - but resource zapping - visual niceties, you can revisit the Performance Options dialog box and turn off a few more of the effects. If you’re working on an underpowered or a really old machine and want to configure Vista’s interface so that it uses a minimum of system resources, simply select the “Adjust for best performance” option. Doing so will remove virtually all of Vista’s interface enhancements, but it will reduce the load on your computer. User account control (UAC) is supposed to keep you safe from malicious software. But the penalty is that at every turn, you’re prompted to provide Windows permission to carry out some action - from deleting files to installing applications - that you specifically requested. It’s an annoyance. You probably lived fine without UAC for many years. Plus you also likely run antivirus or anti-spyware software that keeps a lookout for possible harm. Then why not just turn UAC off? It’s easy enough to do. Open the Control Panel, and click User Accounts and Family Safety. Then click User Accounts. From the resulting User Accounts screen, click “Turn User Account Control on or off”. On the next screen, remove the check mark from the box labelled “Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer”. Click OK. You’ll have to restart your computer, but once you do, those annoying UAC prompts will be gone. Whether you like Vista’s new indexing feature or not, you can optimise the way it works or disable it altogether. Open the Vista Control Panel, and click System and Maintenance, followed by Indexing In the resulting Indexing Options dialog box, you can control which drives and folders get indexed by clicking the Modify button. Click Advanced to specify which file types are indexed. Limiting the drives, folders, and file types that are indexed will reduce the amount of time that Vista spends indexing, and it will therefore reduce the overhead required by the indexing feature and consequently speed up your computer. Making the few interface and operational tweaks here typically allows Vista to perform on a par with Windows XP. And for now, while the world waits for the even snappier Windows 7, that’s probably good enough. — DPA |
Click & send
Busy as usual. Caught up in the same 9 to 10 grind. Not even single a minute to stop at the florist to order flowers for your parents’ anniversary. How you wished a fairy angel or a ‘friend in need’ could come to your rescue. And till the time the possibility works out, Nitin Vyas and his friend Vishal Baptish offer a ready- made or need we say an online solution called www.jackandgill.com. The site is one-stop solution for all you people sitting anywhere in India or abroad and who wish to send flowers to their near and dear ones on various occasions.
Offers Nitin, who tells us why he thought of coming up with this site. “I was outside India, and I desperately wanted to send flowers to my mother on Mother’s Day, but their wasn’t a single good site that could do this for me. This is how I thought of creating a site, wherein people sitting anywhere abroad can send flowers to their loved ones in India and vice a versa. Though in our city we find flower shops on a roadside, but they don’t provide the right choice of flowers. Through the site we aim to provide just about all kinds of flowers, fresh and beautiful.” So, be it roses, carnations, bird of paradise, the site provides numerous options to pick from, in terms of choice of flowers and the arrangement. Nitin adds; who also runs an on line company, “Now that Valentine is coming, people can send flowers to their loved ones sitting anywhere without any problem. You just have to log on to the site, select the options and then fill your credit card number and we ensure that the flowers are delivered to the right address at the right time, without any laxity anywhere. In addition to this, we also give suggestions to people as to what flowers would work best on what occasion. For instance, roses are the best gift for Valentine instead of carnations. Whereas for Mother’s Day you can send carnations.” Umpteen choices is not the only thing that Nitin offers to people who log on to the site. Floral astrology is another thing that he plans to come up with just before the Valentine. “This concept is pretty popular abroad, and we would start the same here. Through this, you can send flowers according to the sun signs. Like flowers for Virgos, Gemini’s and so on.” If you thought this sounds great, Nitin supports it with some numerical facts. 2000 users per 15days, and almost 5000 hits in a month is what the site is getting. “Nevertheless, our main target is people sitting in all major countries abroad,” adds Nitin. And now you know what to do the next time you can’t make it to your son’s birthday. Click jackandgill and there you are. |
Cheers to health
Stress, tensions, anxiety and what not try to bog us down in a day. We find these lifestyle monsters subjugating us every morning as soon as we wake up from a good night sleep. Till late night they crush us under agonising pressure of hectic schedules not before leaving us with after effects. As per medical experts these lifestyle diseases are "silent killers" for they don't have any symptoms in the early stages. In such conditions what becomes important is constant monitoring of health and resorting to measures of relaxation. The health expo at sector 34 offers us healthy tips for a healthy living. The medical services whose access was limited to hospitals are available here.
The age-old blood pressure testing instruments have now been done away with automatic blood pressure testing instruments. These are automatic and easy to operate; one need not seek medical help to note down the readings. "It's an aid for patients of high and low blood pressure as one can take the readings daily and make little changes in lifestyle accordingly," says Vikas Bhatija of Omron. He also adds that, as people cannot afford to visit a doctor on regular basis, these machines provide the best alternative. "The accuracy of these machines is up to plus minus three points, which is quite high. Also these are approved by the WHO and assure correct results." Also available here are massagers. "We have tried to customise services that can help us maintain a healthy lifestyle. The massagers are sort of tranquilisers that lend a soothing effect," he adds. Now you need not wait for your next visit to get a spa done. With sauna and steam bath cabins at your home, you can enjoy the luxury at home. S.B Shourie of Prime Bodies says, "Spa and body massage is a soothing experience that people are opting to relax." Also, there are some other genuine benefits, "Sauna and steam bath helps in loosing weight and toxins from the body." These cabins offer a complete spa experience at your home. They have been customised, are easy to use and affordable. The steam bath cabin available here is available for Rs 36,000. Last but not the least, the expo also offers a one-touch solution for diabetic patients. Blood glucose meter helps testing sugar levels in no time. "It is a painless way of testing sugar and very accurate. The auto coding instrument is not bigger than the size of a computer pen drive," says Varun Dhiman, area manager of Glucocard. ashima@tribunemail.com |
Recession blues
By now everyone, who is identified as a global citizen, is aware and affected by the recession, the big economy blues striking us in the bell. And when everybody from MNCs to the common man is struggling for survival, the student community is taking blows from all sides. First, their career hangs loose, then their pocket gets lighter, and now even their share of fun and festivity is going down the ladder. How?
Well, the fests considered as the lifeline of the campus are being affected by the market slowdown. The moolah required to make a fest happening is making life difficult for the students who now have to sweat it out in this money-freeze situation. Result, cut-down in the budget and less events. Says Yuvraj Singh, member of the marketing committee of Cyanide; "Door-to-door marketing has always been a good strategy for collecting money. But due to recession, nobody wants to commit anything. The onus has now shifted to personal contacts." Earlier, big companies like Reliance, Hero Honda associated their names with Cyanide, but this time the principal sponsor is yet to be finalised. "We have cut down our budget for the event by Rs 2 to 3 lakh. Also, earlier the stalls were given out for Rs 5,000 or so, but now we are offering them for free," he adds. The focus has now changed to lesser events and more participation. Divyang Thakur and his marketing team from UIET had a hard time finding sponsors for Goonj-09. "The market was not favourable for sponsorships and generating Rs 5-6 lakh from the market wasn't an easy task. With the slowdown, all our hopes crashed," he says. Lesser money means slashing some events and well this simply means no star nites. "Marketing forms the backbone of a fest, so we had to put in all our efforts to make sure the fest has good sponsors. And we had to face direct reactions and harsh No's," he adds. As for the Department of English, when no help came from the market for their annual event Patchwork, the student council came in to their rescue. "We had PUCSC sponsoring us and with help coming from our department and Panha, a city-based NGO, things were made easier," says Nausheen Kapoor, organising member. But even that demanded some sacrifice, "We were not able to keep cash prizes and had to do away with the food stalls and coupons. If things were better than probably we would not have to cut down on some facilities," she adds. The same happened with first-timer Praznik of UIAMS. "The big money was missing from our fest due to the cut down and most companies avoided the sponsorship. But we changed our strategy and generated money by increasing our stall strength and souvenir advertising," says Amanpreet Singh, co-convener of the fest. And they did manage with the Amrinder Gill nite, though their rock show became a victim of recession. But is it only recession that's making sponsorship-hunting a tough task? "Most of our marketing work began by December and the companies had exhausted their marketing budget. Also, our dates clashed with those of Praznik, the UIAMS fest and so the job was made tougher," says Divyang. Manjot, student of the Department of English, says, "It is easy to get sponsors for a star nite or cultural event but not for a literary event, as it comes with less glitterati. For a fest to happen there are so many other things apart from events like transportation and food." lifestyle@tribunemail.com |
SPADE WORK Come February and hundreds of the gardeners, both home gardeners and those working in institutes are on their toes. Yes, this is garden competition time. In this city of gardens, it is a serious business to be one up whether it is the competition for the whole garden or producing prize blooms. Over the years, the competitors have learnt the art of presenting their exhibits and have known what it is exactly that the judges want to see. Your garden may have been one of the best but due to a complex you never thought of competing. At times gardeners think there garden is very small and cannot compete but do not forget that there is a separate category for that kind of small gardens. So those competing with you will have the same constraint as you think you have. So shed the inhibitions and come forward. You may not get it this time but then there has to be the first time sometime. Here are a few tips to prepare your garden for a competition. The basic thing about preparing your garden is that it should be inviting. Do not forget to clean the outside area near the entrance as the first impression starts from there. Winter is the time when one can grow a wide range of annuals in the garden and pots. The condition of the garden at the time of judging matters the most. It should be in full bloom. But due to the weather conditions if it is not, then do not worry it will be with most of the other competitors. While judging a garden, the judges look forward to the number of species you have, the way you have presented them and the neatness and uniformity of growth in the bed. It is better to have the mass effect of single species plants rather than an unruly mixer in the same bed. The rose bed should not have other annuals growing in it. The rose effect is killed. In case you have included more than one species in the bed due to large size then what matters most is the height wise arrangement of various species and their colour contrast. The plants should confine to the boundary of the bed and should not spill out trailing unevenly on the lawn. The best way to contain them is by erecting small criss-cross sarkanda kana boundary around the bed. It gives decoration effect too. Similar treatment can be given to potted plants too. Only healthy plant pots should be on the display. The diseased and dying plant parts should be removed. The pots should also be neat and clean. They should not be painted in a hurry and should look natural. Cleaning them with a wet hard cloth will also do. They should have mellowed natural colour rather than harsh paints. Where the gardeners loose most of the marks are the areas where there is shade or the area behind trees or shrubs, which is left unattended. Remember, the bad features attract the attention of the visitors the most. Do not forget decorating that area because 'there grows nothing'. You can create features with pebbles, stones, earthen ware, statutes or small water ponds etc. Anything that reflects your imagination will give you an edge. Above all, wear a smile and be ready to discuss your garden features with the judges. You may also take a tip or two for your garden if you are clever. satishnarula@yahoo.co.in |
Bowled over Being repeatedly hit for a six by actor Harman Baweja in the film Victory was not exactly his idea of a debut in the movies, South African cricket captain Graeme Smith said here as the movie continues to draw crowds to the box office in its third week. Smith is one of about 40 leading international cricket players who appear in Victory, most of them suffering defeat at the hands of the character played by Harman - that of India's latest cricket star. "We spent the greater part of the day (while filming) with this guy (Harman) who kept hitting our deliveries to every corner of SuperSport Park," Smith said. "It's not exactly how I imagined my debut in the movie industry, but maybe there is a chance for a career in front of the cameras one day when I've ended my cricket career," jested Smith, currently recovering from an injury that saw him having to opt out of the final games in the Australian tour recently in which the hosts were beaten in both test and one-day series. "I'm not expecting any Oscar nominations any time soon, but those who are in the know say that I have potential," he added. Smith and the Morkel brothers, Morne and Albie, were asked to participate last year in the filming of Victory at SuperSport Park in Centurion. "We realise that there is nothing bigger in India than cricket and Bollywood, and to get involved in a Bollywood film about cricket was therefore a great fun," Smith said. "In the movie, India plays against most of the international countries and those that we (South Africans) are in, is the South African leg of India's games." Describing the film, Smith said "Victory related the tale of a talented Indian cricketer carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders. "But he loses the plot along the way as he wrestles with how to handle the pressures and expectations of international cricket," Smith said. — IANS |
If I don't do yoga for a day I feel something is amiss. I don't believe in slogging out in a gym or running on a treadmill because gyms are full of AC's. One hour of yoga is enough," Kareena quips. "People are bored of me I am continuously asking them to stop taking meat and protect our animals," she says elaborating about the benefits of eating healthy. The star who has an slew of releases lined up in 2009 is excited about working with Aamir Khan in Raju Hirani's 3 Idiots. "Till now we have completed only one schedule but I feel lucky and blessed to be working with Aamir, both him and Raju Hirani are fiery combination," she says. Kareena is equally perked for Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambakht Ishq where she teams up with Akshay Kumar. The film was in news for having a host of Hollywood biggies like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and a host of other stars. "The Hollywood stars have acted in only one scene. The film is more than that," Kareena quickly adds when asked how was it working with them. The actor is happy that Hollywood is gradually opening up to the Hindi film industry. "We have Danny Boyle and Denise Richards coming to the film industry. I think now we will wait for Brad Pitt to come," the style diva noted. — PTI |
Actress Nicole Kidman is considering turning her hideaway in a New South Wales (NSW) village into a horse riding refuge for her sister Antonia and her four kids. Lavish renovations to the 6.5 million dollars homestead in the Southern Highlands region are revealed in council documents which show plans for a pool, tennis court, sandstone gym and entertainment centre. However, insiders say the heart of the 45ha colonial estate, known as Bunya Hill, will be the stables. "The stables are for Antonia. She's the one who's really into horses. Nicole is absolutely in love with the place; she thinks it's fabulous," said a source close to the family, as saying. "But since she and Keith (her husband Keith Urban) are here only twice a year, this home is not just for her - it's for her extended family,'' the source added. A 2.5m high, 250m earth wall dubbed The Great Wall by locals, is being built along the perimeter of the property, making it impossible to view from the road. Plans show the proposed sandstone brick gym will look like 'a traditional Victorian-era outbuilding'. An 18m in ground swimming pool is to be constructed in front of the gym and the largest of the dams will feature a 3m jetty made from treated pine. The entry will be framed by antique posts topped with stone plinths and look out onto a full-size tennis court. — ANI |
Rumours are abuzz that the reason behind Jessica Simpson's sudden 'weight gain' is pregnancy. According to pals, the sexy actress and singer might be expecting a child with her boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys hunk Tony Romo, 28. "She hasn't been packing on the pounds because she's over-eating," said a friend. "The big rumour from her inner circle is that a baby could be the reason she's carrying some added weight," the friend added. Jessica, 28, has admitted she's 25lbs heavier than she was six months ago but she has refused to respond to hints on late-night TV chat shows about her new belly bulge. "The reason for that is simple," her pal said. "I'm sure she and Tony aren't ready to say she's pregnant yet because they don't want to announce it till later in the pregnancy for fear they'll jinx the birth. "Those closest to them almost certainly know the truth but they will have been sworn to secrecy. "Just like her, they're having to bite their bottom lips and keep mum," the pal added. — ANI |
Oscar-nominee Eddie Murphy has reported clinched a multi-million pound child support package deal with former 'Spice Girl' Mel B, ending their bitter legal battle. As per the settlement, Murphy will pay 35,000 pounds a month until their daughter, Iris Angel, turns 18. This simply means that the actor will have paid about seven million dollars by that time. Eddie is also said to have agreed to see his 20-month-old child. The Hollywood actor had been fighting his legal battle with Mel in Los Angeles courts for 15 months, during which the latter was determined to force him to play a part in his child's life. Sources have revealed that both of them have signed non-disclosure contracts, which prevent them from discussing their settlement in public. "Mel is delighted that the case is over as she just wanted what was right for her girl. It was never about money - it was Mel's way of asking Eddie to show consideration for Angel," News of the World quoted one of Scary Spice's pals as saying. The couple's drawn-out battle began when Murphy denied he was Angel's father back in April 2007. A DNA test later proved that he was the father of the baby. — ANI |
The Healthy Baby Show at the ongoing International Health Expo being held at the Exhibition Grounds of Sector 34-A drew huge crowds. The contest was in four categories. The winners in 6 months to one year category are Dhairya Singh, Yorick and Anmol Jannat Sarwal. Shivam Girdhar, Samera and Azaan Siddiqui won in category one year to one year 6 months. Maanya, Monal and Ayushman won in category up to 2 years and Adda, Sahajdeep and Arpit won in category 2 to 3 years. — TNS |
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