Mohawk Hairstyle

Last Friday, Administrators of a school in Ohio, USA called the Mother of a kid to come and pick him up from school. The kindergarten student was being suspended for sporting a Mohawk hairstyle.

This bit of news got me researching more on Mohawks..... Mohawks became a popular fad in mid 1960s and then in mid 1980s it became common with the youth punk subcultures. The Mohawk is often thought to be worn by the Mohican or the Mohawk Tribes. In this hairstyle both sides of the head are shaved or buzzed and the remaining hair in the middle is left long and often spiked.

Joseph Brant is the most well known of the North American Indians. He was a Mohawk leader and a British Military Officer during the American Revolution. Brant was born near prsent day Akron. Ohio. He was named Thayendanegea which possibly meant "he who places two bets". He was a Mohawk of the Wolf Clan (his mother's clan).

Joseph Brant, painted in London by leading court painter George Romney in 1776.

Joseph Brant, painted in London by Gilbert Stuart in 1786.











1830s lithograph based on the last portrait of Joseph Brant, an 1806 oil on canvas painting by Ezra Ames.

Personally, I am in awe of this hairstyle. To sport a Mohawk, one would need a lot of spunk!

High Tech Times!

Even though living in an age of technology, there are certain things that I still expect to be done in an old fashion way...but I guess times are changing and people are too busy. It's a rat race.

There is no time to socialize...meet, go out and fall in love. It's the instant coffee which gets to you. The net has become the meeting ground. You chat & through the many bytes exchanged you decide that he or she is the one to tie the knot with. Then one fine day, just as quickly, you decide that the marriage was all wrong and you decide to call it off....the high tech way...

NRI divorces wife via video conferencing
24 Feb 2008, 1912 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: A couple whose love bloomed into marriage through an online courtship are now going for divorce through a similar route.

The NRI husband and his Indian wife will be deposing in the divorce case at a city court through video conferencing facility starting March 7.
more.....

"OM"

The syllable AUM, represented by the symbol as seen on the right is described as an all-encompassing mystical entity in the Upanishads. This leads us to the most ancient sacred mantra of this world for the Hindus.

The Gayatri Mantra

Om Bhur Bhuvah Swaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Pracho Dayat.
(The Meaning)
Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,
Remover of pain and sorrow, The Bestower of happiness,
Oh! Creator of Universe, May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light.
May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction.

These same mantras filled the US Senate as it opened its session yesterday.

Washington senate opens with vedic chants
23 Feb 2008, 2028 hrs IST, PTI

SILICON VALLEY: Vedic mantras filled the Washington State Senate chamber as it opened its session with a Hindu prayer for the first time.

Saffron-clad Rajan Zed, prominent Hindu chaplain, spoke in Sanskrit and English and recited "Om" as lawmakers listened on Friday.

Washington was the latest of six Western state senates that Zed has opened in Hindu prayer, each reportedly for the first time, in the past eight months.
more.....

A confession

I have a confession to make....brought on by the fact that I am perceived to be "hard to approach" by the guys.

I have suffered at the hands of that chubby little diaper-wearing fellow named Cupid in the past....with his stupid arrows. But, then life goes on....with or without.

Yes, I am wary but I can be easily charmed. I am not wearing a bullet-proof or should I say an arrow-proof vest....and I don't ever intend to wear one in the future! If I ever get struck by Cupid's arrow intentionally or by accident again, I hope the arrow this time is special. A special arrow which would make me sing...okay hum...can't sing for nuts!...dance... hmmm....again, I am not good in this though I love dancing....and make me smile for no reason!

I hope for Spring to come and Zhivago to meet up with Lara (Dr.Zhivago). I hope for Rick to say once more "Here's looking at you, kid" to Ilsa (Casablanca). I hope for Joe Bradley to meet Princess Ann again and take up from where they left (Roman Holiday).

There, I confessed....I confessed to being hopelessly romantic!

Guilty as charged!

Mannequins to be 'beheaded'

Gosh! Some of the things that one come across in the Middle East...either it leaves you amused or appalled or frustrated or all three at the same time.

If you read what I read this morning in one of the news site, I did not know whether to laugh or to be indignant. Do not understand how beheading the mannequins would help in upholding the traditional & religious values.

Sharjah shops told to 'behead' mannequins

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
Published: February 19, 2008, 17:31

Sharjah: Mannequins in Sharjah shops should be headless and only model “decent” clothing, a Sharjah Municipality circular has stated.

The municipality has urged shopkeepers to abide by a ban that prohibits the display of mannequins with facial features, said a senior Sharjah Municipality official.

“The only clothes on display now should be decent and the mannequins should be headless,” said Khalid Al Jaberi, head of market control at Sharjah Municipality.

A circular was recently sent to all shops stating the heads of mannequins be removed and that they are forbidden to wear underwear, to uphold the traditional and religious values of the emirate.

more....

It's a Baby Girl!

A huge Box of prettily wrapped chocolates arrived in the office - Fashion & Footwear Dept this afternoon.

It's a Baby Girl for our Colleague who does the Visual Merchandising for us. Her first child. How sweet of her to send us these pretty chocolates complete with the Baby's name on the satin ribbon and the date of the birth! Baby Honey, born on the 27th of Jan. Yes! The Baby has been named Honey!


Needless to say........the chocolates disappeared in no time! Poof! And it was gone!

Dust Storms

For the past 2 days, we have been experiencing some real dusty weather. Yes, the Dust Storms so familiar in this part of the world has arrived.

Friday, I woke up to a real dusty dusty weather. Through the window I could see the parked cars outside, already covered with a thick layer of dust. I spent the day cocooned around the TV, watching DVDs or reading and surfing the net. Yesterday, I ventured out in the afternoon and it wasn't so bad.

Dust, it's still there in the air....though not as severe as it was the other day (Friday) where it brought activities in the Seaports to a halt due to poor visibility and strong winds although the Airport was functioning as normal apart from one Yemeni flight which decided not to land here and preferred landing elsewhere.

A little bit of rain is all that we need to clean the air....but I guess that would be wishful thinking?!

Banning Red

Some of the things that you get to hear...to read....leaves me speechless. Banning red roses doesn't make sense at all! I wonder what the rest of the world thinks on this bit of news?!

The headline reads.......

Saudi Arabia bans all things red ahead of Valentine's Day
February 12, 2008 -- Updated 1013 GMT (1813 HKT)
(CNN) - Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin, local media reported Monday.

"As Muslims we shouldn't celebrate a non-Muslim celebration, especially this one that encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women, " Sheikh Khaled Al-Dossari, a scholar in Islamic studies, told the Saudi Gazette, an English-language newspaper.
more.....

Saudi bans red roses for Valentines
by Talal Malik on Tuesday, 12 February 2008
(ArabianBusiness.com) - Saudi Arabia's religious police have banned red roses ahead of Valentine's Day on February 14, pushing up the black market prices for the red flowers.

Mutawwa, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, on Sunday ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove any items coloured scarlet, widely associated with romantic love, local newspaper the Saudi Gazette reported.
more.....

Follow Your Bliss....

I get this mail from Karen saying to quote Joseph Campbell, "Follow your Bliss and the Universe will open doors for you where there were only walls".

The mail goes on to say that everything in the world started out as an idea in someone's mind. If the idea can be conceived, it can be achieved. Where would we be today if the greatest mind of the past had believed that it could not be done?

So, if I want to make money doing something that I love, to open my mind, expand my thinking and to look into my heart. Me and the Universe are a great team!

I am reminded of the quote that I read while in College by Jesse Jackson....

If my mind can conceive it,
And my heart can believe it,
I know I can achieve it.

Hmmmm......let's see....I'm thinking.....sunshine....clear blue water.....me with a floppy hat....big dark sunglasses......sipping colorful drinks with those tiny bright umbrellas on it.....and not a care in the world!!!!!!!!

Never met a fry I didn't like!

I love fries....French Fries! My favorite dish when I eat out is "Fish & Chips". ("Chips" are but "Fries" which the English, the Irish and some Commonwealth countries like to call.) It is a complete meal and with a bit of greens thrown in, I quite consider it light and healthy.

Working days, I prefer having fries with a bowl of crispy green salad for lunch or order for a take away - combo meal...for the fries & the Pepsi! Then for dinner I usually end up having a little bit of rice & curry with fries on the side or noodle/pasta with fries or a bowl of fries and salad! Note the subtle variations in the menu but accompanied with the fries! Ah! the freedom to eat what I want and when I want! This is Bliss!

I love potatoes and I can have potatoes cooked any way - baked, boiled or fried.....but as they say, the lowly potato reached its crowning achievement only once after it was paired with oil!

McDonald revolutionized the process of churning out perfect fries after pouring millions of dollars on research. Their research lab turned the production of the fries from an art into a science. The labs developed a potato computer which could monitor the temperature and tell the operator when a batch of fries were perfectly cooked. Flawless French Fries now became a reality.

For me any fry will do....though nothing to beat the McDonald fries! Whether the ultra thin fries or the thicker varieties or the recent waffle cut potatoes....I could have French Fries anytime, anywhere and with anything!

Really! Never met a fry I didn't like!

Working "8to5"

Everywhere else it's "9to5" while here in the Middle East where I work it's "8to5"! From the moment I arrive at my desk and switch on my PC....my job never seems to be done. Of course we get half an hour lunch break which we can take between 12 to 2pm....and which I seldom avail!

Mails to be read and answered. Various Reports and Analysis to be prepared based on which feedbacks and actions to be taken. Then, there are the phone calls that I attend to if the queries from the Stores, Warehouses are not directed to my Assistant or if she is unable to answer them. I even get calls from disgruntled Customers complaining that a Store was not refunding their money...after months! The Company Policy is exchange or refund within 14 days. Anywhere else, they would not have dared to but here in the Middle East they blatantly claim their friendship/closeness to the family (the Company Owners)..........even if it's a far off relative one would not know!

I guess the only time I get some relief is when we have our meetings with the Boss. Meetings are called "Ladies, let's meet for 10-15 mins" but of course this carries on for not less than an hour! "Sales are down....blah blah....what can we do to increase the sales?.....Promotions?....Stock transfer...blah.....blah.....blah..."

Weekend's come to an end. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. It's already driving me crazy.

Dolly Parton sings it exactly how it is...

Tumble Out of Bed and Stumble to the Kitchen;
Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition,
And Yawn, and Stretch, and Try to Come to Life.
Jump in the Shower, and the Blood Starts Pumping;
Out On the Street, the Traffic Starts Jumping,
With Folks Like Me On the Job From Nine to Five.

Chorus: 1,3,5.
Nine to Five, What a Way to Make a Living;
Barely Getting By,it's All Taking and no Giving.
They Just Use Your Mind, and (Depending On Verse) "They Never Give You" Or
"You Never Get The" Credit; It's Enough to Drive You Crazy, If You Let It.

Verse 2
They Let You Dream Just to Watch Them Shatter;
You're Just a Step On the Boss Man's Ladder,
But You've Got Dreams He'll Never Take Away.
In the Same Boat With a Lot of Your Friends;
Waitin' For the Day Your Ship'll Come In,
And the Tide's Gonna Turn, and It's All Gonna Roll Your Way.

Chorus: 2
Nine to Five, For Service and Devotion;
You Would Think That I Would Deserve a Fair Promotion;
Want to Move Ahead, But the Boss Won't Seem to Let Me.
I Swear Some-times, That Man Is Out to Get Me.

Chorus: 4,6.
Nine to Five, They've Got You Where They Want You;
There's a Better Life, and You Dream About It, Don't You?
It's a Rich Man's Game, no Matter What They Call It;
And You Spend Your Life Putting Money in His Pocket.

Chinese New Year

The Chinese Calender has been in continuous use for centuries. It measures time, from minutes & hours to months, years & centuries entirely based on the astronomical observations of the Sun, Moon & the Stars. A New Year begins on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Due to its scientific & mathematical nature, we can easily calculate backward or forward for thousands of years.

The logo on the right is the Chinese word for "Spring". The Chinese calls the New Year's celebration as the "Spring Festival". This is a reproduction by the Master Calligrapher Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322).

Today, 7th of February is the first day of the Chinese New Year. It is the 4706 Chinese Year. This is the Year of the Rat which is also known by its former name of Wu Zi. Every year has a different zodiac sign and 2008 happens to fall under the Chinese Zodiac Rat. Rats mark the commencement of the 12 Chinese Zodiac. There is an interesting story behind it.

Tradition says that Lord Buddha had called for all the animals to come before him before he departed from the earth. When the cat got to know about the news he told the rat about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However the rat did not wake up the cat the next day and the cat missed being on time for the gathering and so this is the reason why there is no year of the cat and why cats hate rats!

The rat made it first to the gathering and received the first year though he used a lot of trickery to reach first. The Year of the Rat is followed by the Year of the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon. Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. In this way, each year is linked to an animal and the people born in that year are believed to share the traits of that animal.

The Year of the Rat is associated with enterprising and aggressive qualities. Hope this year of the Rats, 2008 becomes the harbinger of health, wealth and good fortune for all of us.

In Chinese New Year celebrations, people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Long ago people in China lit bamboo stalks believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Chinese New Year celebrations ends with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the month. People hang glowing lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade. The highlight of the festival is the Dragon Dance.

High Heels Highly Sexy!

A recent study has just confirmed that wearing high heels not only makes a woman look sexy but also improves her sex life. Now that's an added incentive for a woman to go for heels!

The Researcher, a woman herself, Maria Cerruto who too loves wearing heels wanted to tackle the existing theories for blaming heels for a number of health problems and so she conducted her tests to find something healthy in them. Wearing a pair of moderately high heels, the study found that it could tone the body, condition the muscles and even improve a woman's sex life without the tedious need for the exercise sessions.

Matt Roberts, a personal trainer to someof the rich & famous like Madonna, NaomiThough Campbell, Natalie Imbruglia, also stated the negative aspects of wearing heels. He said, "A woman wearing high heels will hold the muscles tight to compensate. When you are standing on tiptoes you have to clench the buttocks, the inner thighs and the pelvic floor muscles. It would potentially give them a short-term tension and toning. But the negative effects can outweigh the positive. The knees and metatarsals are put under strain, the hips are out of position. It can lead to long term health risks. "

Honestly, I have never heard of high heels killing a person. J'adore la heels! I feel good in it! Being petite I need my heels! I walk tall in it!

The verdict......High Heels Highly Sexy!

Am I lonesome tonight?

Elvis croons to me as I read....long into the night.

Are you lonesome tonight
Do you miss me tonight
Are you sorry we drifted apart
Does your memory stray to a bright sunny day....

I am often asked if I get lonely, staying all by myself. My answer always has been, "Alone I may be....but lonely I am not."

Being alone does not mean being lonely. This is a state of being. One could be lonely even while being surrounded by a bunch of people. Loneliness can be very depressing. Its so negative. On the other hand aloneness has taught me the love of solitude. I can stop and smell the rose wherever and whenever I want. It's been quite fulfilling.

I have explored the quite of the woods...discovered the beauty of the wild flowers as they grow shaded amongst the thick growth of the jungles. I have uncovered the various sounds one gets to hear in the thick of the woods....the various birds, insects and animals. I have seen the power of the waves...how they smash against the rocks and as they recede...leave behind the strange smelly weeds and tiny crustaceans clinging to the bits and pieces of sand and rocks.

I love to read...books have been my constant companion. Movies I love to watch and there are so many good movies that I have to see. Now that I have taken to writing....I need more time! There is so much to do! So much to see! Where is the time to be lonely? Solitude is such a bliss!

Coffee? Starbucks?

I seriously fail to understand the endless brouhaha over Starbucks Coffee. I am more inclined to believe that patronizing Starbucks is more of a Fashion and being with the "in" crowd rather than for their coffee. Their fancy can't pronounce it proper long winding names...."Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte" or "Toffee Nut Latte" or "White Mocha Frappuccino".....is nothing but flavored coffee and it is so over priced!

I am not much of a coffee drinker though I do relish a cup once in a while. A good cup of strong coffee is what I would welcome after a fitful night or when I have to listen to the drone of my Boss or a colleague.....just to keep me from yawning.

Growing up, I would dilute my morning glass of milk with a teaspoon of coffee when Mom wasn't looking....it removed that peculiar smell....as I hate milk!

During College.....in Hostel....my friends and I would hold endless discussions on various topics...ranging from current world affairs, campus news, latest movies, religion, boys...over cups of steaming hot coffee.....which usually occurred after dinner. I am giving away the secret recipe here on this Post!

Seven steps away from a nice cup of coffee! My way.

1. Get Nescafe Instant Coffee or any other Brand you are familiar with.
2. Take a cup and add teaspoonfuls of the coffee. Number of teaspoons depends on the number of Coffee Drinkers.
3. To the above, add equal amount of sugar but this could vary....a teaspoon less or a teaspoon more depending on whether you like it less sweet or more.
4. Then add a little bit of water to the mixture till its all wet and beat it till it turns nice and tanned.
5. Meanwhile get the milk boiling hot. Nothing but full cream milk for me....but I guess you could get the low fat or low cal variety, whatever....suit yourself.... sufficient quantity of milk for the number of cups.
6. After you can beat the coffee no more and everyone is waiting to have the coffee and the milk is boiling hot....divide the "stuff" into the waiting cups.
7. Pour the boiling hot milk into it....stir it with a spoon...and watch the coffee become frothy or foaming.

Voila! Your coffee is ready! Enjoy!

PS:- I cannot understand how some can guzzle coffee without adding milk or sugar to it!