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The Hindu : y>Choose from Travelocity’s offers for hot destinations in South-East Asia

Travelocity India offers great offers on hotels in Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phuket and more as part of its ‘Far East on Sale’. Whether you’re flying to surprise friends and family, shopping for gifts or planning a special holiday vacation, these offers promise to get you there for less.

The Singapore package is at Holiday Inn Atrium, Singapore (four star), a 27-storey atrium-style hotel located at the crossroads of Outram and Havelock Roads.

The Bangkok package is at the President Park, Bangkok (four star). The hotel is within walking distance of Phrom Phong BTS Sky Train and approximately 17 miles from Bangkok International Airport.

In Hong Kong, the hotel recommended is The Luxe Manor (four star). It is a designer boutique hotel in Kowloon, with 153 rooms and six themed suites.

Located in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui, a premier shopping and entertainment centre in Kowloon, it offers direct access to major restaurants and bars at Knutsford Terrace.

The Kuala Lumpur offer is at Grand Millennium (five star), located in the heart of the Golden Triangle, the business and shopping districts of the city, and steps away from five shopping malls.

The Phuket deal is at the Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort (five star).

Overlooking the Andaman Sea, Le Meridien Phuket Beach sits on 40 acres with its own secluded beach, Relax Bay, a five-minute ride from Patong, and approximately 32 miles from Phuket International Airport.

Visit www.travelocity.co.in for details.

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The Hindu : y>London-born Pepita Seth is at home in the temple universe of Guruvayur. BAGESHREE S. finds that the author lovingly records everything, and not with the clinical eye of an academic

PHOTO: Bhagya prakash K.DEDICATED It took Pepita Seth seven years of meticulous work to complete the book on Guruvayur; (top) her photograph from the book of the decorations around the kodi maram.

An Indian friend of Pepita Seth once described the place of her birth as a postal error. “You were addressed to India, but wrongly delivered to England,” he said.

What re-directed the London-born to the right address in the Seventies was the dusty diary of her great-grandfather, who had served in the colonial army. Curiosity led her to retrace his journey in India, and the country eventually became her enduring passion.

India, Kerala in particular, is more or less her permanent address now. Pepita has extensively researched, written and photographed the traditions of Malayalees, a people “passionate about everything from rituals to politics.” Despite her halting Malayalam, she has turned quite a Malayalee herself.

Not love at first sight

Her most recent work, “Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala’s Guruvayur Temple”, a meticulous documentation of all the elements that make up the pilgrim centre swarmed by thousands every day, was released at Basava Ambara in Bangalore recently. The book goes into every detail of what is quite literally a self-contained universe: the twists and turns of its history through the ebb and flow of dynasties, myths, oral traditions, rituals, arts, priests, servants, elephants…

Pepita’s fascination for the abode of Guruvayurappan was not quite love at first sight, though. The first time she saw the temple, reconstructed after a fire in 1970, it struck her as a clumsy PWD construction with “no known standards of architectural excellence.” But as she began to look beyond the outer shell and into the heart of this universe,…More

The Hindu : y>Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa, Goa, has fun offers this Christmas

The Kenilworth Beach Resort and Spa, Goa, offers a special ‘3 nights and 4 days’ Christmas package from December 24 to 28.

The package costs Rs. 52,000 per couple for deluxe and garden view rooms, and Rs. 12,000 for a third adult.

For children between six and 12 years, it will cost Rs. 7,000. An extra bed costs Rs. 3,000.

Also, one child below 10 years can stay free in the parent’s room (without extra bed). And, you can enjoy a Goan Christmas gala dinner on December 25, which is part of this extraordinary package.

On arrival, enjoy the welcome drink, and partake of a Christmas cake, a bottle of feni, chocolates, a fruit basket and cashewnuts in your room. You can also enjoy half-a-day sightseeing trip by an air-conditioned coach to spice plantations, old Goa, the Mangeshi temple, feast on delicious buffet meals and avail a 20 per cent discount on beverages. Children will get ice cream coupon per day.

For Reservations, contact 0832-6698888, visit www.kenilworthhotels.com

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The Hindu : y>

The recent controversy surrounding Bal Thackeray’s latest remarks, where he admonished one of the greatest cricketers of our times, Sachin Tendulkar, has generated universal condemnation. Metroplus asks city residents for their take on this issue. Even as the controversy continued to boil, media outlets in Mumbai were attacked by goons claiming that the channels had shown disrespect to the sena supremo, Bal Thackeray.

Last week, in a similar display of chauvinistic behaviour, MLA’s of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena attacked an opposing party legislator for not assuming the oath of office in Marathi. Most people felt that Thackeray’s remarks are tasteless and insult the genius of Tendulkar. They said that Tendulkar was a national treasure and Thackeray or his cronies had no business intimidating Sachin. Some felt that the gravest threat to the unity of the country was faced by such divisive elements who exploit such sentiments to cater to a fringe of the populace. They felt that such incidents not only damage the image of the state, but are also against what a majority of the electorate/ ordinary people aspire for. They felt that by ignoring such attacks, the government is patronising such elements, who aim at affecting winning votes. Some felt that such people must not be allowed to hog the national limelight must be ignored. We sample some responses.

Bal Thackeray is a spent force politically. He has no business commenting on every issue that comes up. These elements must not be allowed to dictate terms to anyone. The government must not allow anyone to take into their own hands. He should apologise to Sachin and retire from politics.

Gangadhar IT consultant

The Thackerays must be jailed. They have no popular support and occasionally make an attempt at instigating parochial sentiments. It is shameful and rather despicable. These elements must be condemned universally and strict action must be taken against such…More

The Hindu : y>

Helping hand The site aims at helping mothers

Www.blrmoms.com is a portal that seeks to offers moms in the city, easy access to a support system and networking tool. It offers a multitude of features such as blogs and forums. It aims at providing answers to queries that young mothers may face, while bringing up their children in a world where the nuclear family is a norm.

In the website, blogs emerge as the primary manner in which the mothers communicate. It comprises opinion on subjects they care about, their every day experiences, poetry, cooking recipes, home making tips etc.

The site also offers forums where mothers can ask questions and receive answers from other mothers. Information available on the website ranges from best schools, arranging a play dates, kid-friendly outings in Bangalore, family-friendly travel destinations, reference to good pediatricians etc.

For more information log on to blrmoms.com.

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The Hindu :

Xtreme Zone, Praveen Krishnaiah’s brainchild ensures a 360 degree spread in adventure

After eight years in the IT industry, engineer Praveen Krishnaiah wanted to venture into something which was exciting, has a style quotient to it and kept one physically fit. Xtreme Zone, a one-stop shop for adventure sports was the answer. “It has kept me fit,” laughs Praveen Krishnaiah, the CEO of Xtreme Zone.

“In six years, we have done 35,000 bungee jumps across metro cities and maintain a 100 per cent safety record,” he adds. Now, the company has branched into Xtreme Zone events, Xtreme Zone paintball, Xtreme Zone enthukids and Xtreme Zone getawayz to offer something for everyone in adventure sports. So, there is hot air ballooning, BMX biking, river rafting, rappelling, artificial wall climbing, paint ball and camp fires.

Unusual choice

The engineer-turned-entrepreneur says adventure is always about design, process and people. “In the history of adventure sports, 99 per cent of accidents happen due to human error, when they fail to follow safety procedure,” he explains.

He sources the equipment from the U.S. and Europe, which are certified as per international standards. “A good equipment makes adventure enjoyable.”

Praveen Krishnaiah is trained in the U.S. on paintball, which he calls as a modern version of hide and seek. He has set up paint ball fields at Prakriti Club Resort (near the new airport) and at Angsana Spa, near Doddaballapur Road. “This is targeted towards corporate as a team-building exercise. They come in teams for a day, enjoy good food, play paint ball (players compete in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with pellets containing paint (referred to as a paintball from a special gun called a paintball marker) and participate in team building.

Getaway

To ensure a 360 degree spread in adventure, there is clean and green ‘Xtreme Zone getawayz’, located at Manchanbele dam (off Mysore Road), about 55 kms…More

The Hindu :

You want to hide all the flaws of your face? Go international make-up artist Deigo’s way

HEAD TURNING Using a variety of brushes and mixing many colours to get an unusual look

The creativity of a talented artist in any field is enjoyable to watch, especially if the artist is passionate about his gift. So sitting in the Vivanta Hotel, in Whitefield we watched Deigo Schober, an international makeup artist from Germany, transform makeup free Rashme C. into fashion model material. Diego was in Bangalore for the BeYu Fashion weekend.

Fascinated we watched him lay out the tools of his trade – satchels full of every conceivable type of makeup. Later he belted another bag around his waist, full of different sized brushes.

“I am a professional so you will see me use a variety of brushes and mix many colours to get an unusual look.”

Base run

To get a professional look to your makeup, an eye base is important, says Deigo.

“The eye base helps to heighten the colour of the eye shadow. Then I use a soft liner for the eyes which is waterproof. Every woman likes a liner which does not smudge for the evening. On the models that I makeup, it is essential that the makeup looks fresh and that the black eyeliner does not change to grey.”

“Models especially have skin which is stressed by regular makeup. Our makeup is mineral based and safe,” he said.

Beginning with Rashme’s eyes, Deigo mixed two shades of foundation and added a spot of golden shimmer. “Brightness around the eyes is important,” stressed Deigo, “dark colours make the face look older.

She will look gorgeous, trust me,” he says as he goes to work. Then he swiftly applied a light reflecting concealer around the eyes, nose and chin. “Use it on the chin only if the face does not have a neat chin,” he urges. Once the…More

The Hindu :

Take an ear-popping ride to the observation deck of the world’s tallest building, Burj Dubai, and literally touch the clouds

I don’t like heights, and I hate elevators! So, my visit to Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, had every possibility of ending up as a disaster.

After a light breakfast, shod in my ready-to-bite shoes and covered in misgivings, I take deep breaths before the dizzying ride up to the 124th floor observation deck of the 800-plus metre Burj Dubai. The building dominates Downtown Burj Dubai, the flagship project of Emaar Properties.

My fears are unfounded. The service elevators rush us to the observation deck in under two minutes, and my ears pop only once.

Once there, a flurry of activity greets the eye. More than 10,000 workers (12,000 to 13,000 during the peak construction phase) race against time to spruce up the tower that rears up to meet the sky.

The attention to detail is admirable. As you make your way gingerly to the observation deck, you see groups of workers touching up that little extra plaster on the ceiling, and polishing the last grain on the tiles to a dazzling shine. Not surprising, considering this tower has broken records as it grew level by level, and this is where the first Giorgio Armani hotel in the world will come up!

The Armani Hotel Dubai offers 160 guest rooms and suites, restaurants and a spa, covering more than 40,000 sq mts. And, then, there are the Armani Residences (144 one-and-two-bedroom suites), located on levels nine to 16, designed by Giorgio Armani.

The glass-tinted observation deck opens to a 360-degree view of Dubai. Everywhere you turn, are small, medium and tall-rises, now dwarfed by the sheer height of Burj Dubai. Many of Dubai’s earliest high-rises now resemble tiny specks. And yes, aeroplanes fly lower than the tower’s spire!

The observation deck will boast hi-tech telescopes that will…More