Sex is back! Sexism and the city. Behold.
We’re ready for new bedroom lessons. The girls are back. The serial taught Indian women to deal with their sexual vulnerabilities, anxieties and intelligence openly. It was the world of quickies, ladies lunching and shopping. So, what did Samantha, Carrie teach Indian women and men, are we ready [...]
Most Bollywood actresses get cold feet when it comes to exposing or doing steamy scenes on-screen. However, the new breed of dare bare girls have turned the tide in Hindi cinema. Here’s a look at some sensuous babes who are all set to rock the big screen with their oh-so-hot acts…
Rakhi Sawant happens to be [...]
Shah Rukh’s tribute to stars of yore
Aditya Chopra is leaving no stone unturned to make his ambitious film, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, Rab ne Bana Di Jodi, a grand success. Aditya Chopra has recorded an 11-minute song in the film for one important sequence that will have Sonu Niggaam paying tribute to five yesteryear stars.
Our [...]
Vidya bestowed with
When we called Vidya Balan recently, she was at a dubbing studio, dubbing not for her forthcoming Kismet Konnection but for an ad film instead.
So we told her that we’ll call her up and chat later. But when we called after eight hours, the actor was still in the dubbing studio! Apparently, Vids [...]
Dhoni finds a new love interest
Deepika Padukone has left quite a lot of incensed hearts in her trail.
Yuvraj Singh was most devastated by her rebuff. And Mahendra Singh Dhoni was surprised that he also got the cold icicle shoulder from La Padukone.
Glad to report that Dhoni has got himself a new love interest. She’s called [...]
Christina Aguilera wants more children
The Dirrty singer who has a four-month-old son Max with husband Jordan Bratman is “absolutely” planning to extend her family in the future because motherhood makes her feel “sexy”.
When asked if she wants more babies, Christina replied: “Oh, eventually, yes! Yes, absolutely. Absolutely!
“Motherhood comes very naturally to me. I think a [...]
Aniston, Mayer set to get matching tattoos
Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer are set to get matching tattoos. The former Friends actress, who already has a heart etching on her stomach, is keen to add a second heart in the same place and wants the Gravity singer to have the same.
However, John is unsure about the [...]
Allen might be dating Hoffman’s son
Troubled British pop star Lily Allen has sparked rumours that she might be dating Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman’s son.
Contactmusic.com reports that Allen recently split from Chemical Brothers member Ed Simons and she was spotted with aspiring director Max Hoffman during the Cannes Film Festival.
A source said: “Max and Lily were [...]
Mallika Sherawat’s sugar daddies!
An internal source tells us an interesting gosip about Mallika Sherawat. He says that she isn’t at all interested in her movie career .. and wouldn’t mind if she didn’t get an offer ever again.
And that’s because she has three sugar daddies .. who’re willing to get the moon for her.”
Moon? Now [...]
Madonna travels in style!
Just as she’s grown as an artist, Madonna’s travel style has evolved as well.
Whether she is on a tour, adopting a baby or simply removing her clan from the public eye, the pop star is regularly spotted in far-flung spots.
While visiting Brazil for a concert in 1993, the singer laid her pretty [...]
Do you have summertime blues?
you woke up this morning feeling down in the dumps, you’re not alone. It could be you’re experiencing something even the experts have struggled to fathom - the summertime blues.
But for some, those blues go beyond a simple bad mood or unexplainable sadness, sinking them deeper into real depression and even suicidal thoughts.
Figures from countries all over the northern hemisphere show May and June to be the peak months for suicides with around 10 percent to 14 percent more people taking their lives in Hong Kong during these months than any other time in the year.
By contrast, the low season is December to January which experts attribute to the fact that Christmas followed quickly by the Chinese New Year festival keeps people’s spirits up and helps them stay connected with loved ones.
In the southern hemisphere, the peak occurs around November to December, again the early summer months.
It’s a phenomenon which has puzzled scientists specialising in the fields of the human brain and psychology for years: given that the dark dim days of winter are more associated with a deterioration in mood, wouldn’t it make more sense for suicides to peak then?
According to Dr Paul Yip Siu-fai, director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, at the University of Hong Kong, May and June have long been the most miserable months in Hong Kong.
“It could be a seasonal effect, the change of the weather. It is very humid and very moody. Some people suggest it is the change from spring to summer which people prone to depression are more receptive.”
This is a theory borne out by a survey in 2005 in Finland which suggested changes in the light and temperatures disturb the human body clock which, in turn leads to suicide attempts as seasons change. Likewise, in 2005 researchers in Britain deduced the climate could be to blame for the seasonal rise in May.
The Priory Group, a provider of acute mental health services in Europe, said although the increased level of sunlight helped combat depression by producing serotonin - known as the feel good chemical - in the brain, it also brings a burst of energy compelling people to take action.
In the case of the severely depressed, this new found energy could be the stimulus they need to put suicidal thoughts into action, the researchers claim.
“It is a harsh irony that the partial remission which most depression sufferers experience in the spring often provides the boost of energy required for executing a suicide plan,” said Professor Chris Thompson, the group’s director of healthcare services.
“Spring is a time for new beginnings and new life, yet the juxtaposition between a literally blooming world and the barren inner life of the clinically depressed is often too much for them to bear,” he said at the time the research was published.
The weather theory would also explain why equatorial regions show very little or no such seasonal peaks. A study published in 2001 by the School of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales in Sydney examined suicide data from Singapore covering 1989 to 1998 and concluded that any variation was random rather than seasonal.
There are also signs that the seasons may be playing a less significant role on our moods regardless of where we live, says Dr Yip who has published papers on this very subject.
In recent years, countries which have long recorded summertime peaks are seeing the peak become less noticeable. In some countries it has almost disappeared. Why?
Modern life appears to be smoothing out the peaks and creating a situation where we are less likely to feel any more depressed in the early summer than at other times of the year, according to Dr Yip.
The good news in the modern world is despite all these increased year-round pressures, better communication channels mean we are less likely to feel alone.
And the suicide rate is decreasing in places like Hong Kong since reaching a peak of 1,200 in 2003 at the time of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. Last year, it stood at just under 1,000 people or 13.5 suicides per 100,000 people.
But still there is no denying May and June remain the most miserable.
magi @ June 13, 2008
The healthy way to get six-pack abs
Today’s impatient youngsters are so enamoured by hunks on the silver screen that they want to build six-pack abs as soon as possible. Many gym instructors and fitness experts admit to being regularly questioned how to build muscle quickly. There are many shortcuts by way of steroids and illegal food-additives to aid their cause.
However, some smartness and guidance can do it naturally…
KEEP A RECORD: Probably the most important step in learning how to build muscle fast is to keep an accurate record of what you are doing, and the effects your workout is having. Be it the traditional way in your little diary or through an electronic system if your machines have one, effective workouts need to be tracked. Notings may include the amount of calories burnt during each cardio and proportion of weights you’ve been lifting.
TAKE TURNS: Be diligent in working with each muscle group in turn. Many-over excited teens start pumping iron in isolated muscle groups and have disproportionate results. Also, if you do three or four sets, making sure the weight gets greater each time. This is one of the most important lessons in learning how to build muscle fast. When you have reached the fourth set, you should have already set up enough strain on your muscles for them to be stimulated to grow. Finally, lifting heavier weights does not mean you ditch your other exercises.
SHORT AND INTENSE: Your trainer might have told you this, but keep the length of workouts down is playing safe and smart. More time doesn’t necessarily mean greater results. In fact, cultivate a routine of doing the same amount of work
in less time, by taking shorter rest periods, and you will see greater results from your efforts. Consistently increase the intensity levels of your workout.
magi @ June 13, 2008
I’m over the Sahil incident: Sonal
Sonal Chauhaan would have been in jannat, literally so, had it not been for the incident of Sahil Zaroo.
The actress, whose debut film Jannat went on to become a runaway hit, was caught in controversy right when it should have been her moment in the sun.
“I could have done without all this just before my big moment, for which I have been waiting all my life. If I had any control over things, I would not have let things turn out the way they did,” says the actress on a visit to the city.
Going back to the controversy, she was slapped by ex-boyfriend Sahil – of Vivek Moitra and Rahul Mahajan infame – and her mobile smashed at the Mumbai airport recently.
But why would she take such behaviour from him? “If things were under my control, this would have never ever happened to me. It was unfortunate but it could have happened to anyone,” she says.
And why did Sonal go so low profile after the incident? “The day this incident happened, I was on my way to Hyderabad, where I was shooting for a film. I didn’t think it was important enough to hold me back from my commitments,” she explains. However, this incident did bring out many skeletons from her closet – her friendship with Sahil and how he was in touch with her on the night Moitra died and Mahajan was found unconscious. Sahil was allegedly the guy who supplied them drugs. “This was a very big case. My being associated with anything that night was cleared as police never even got in touch with me. If they thought I was at fault, they would have given me one call at least, which they didn’t. And regarding the calls Sahil made that night, people should ask him and not me,” answers Sonal.
All Sonal wants to do now is put all this behind her and focus on her career. “I’m reading scripts and working on a Kumar Mangat film for now. Jannat has done well and Maheshji has told me not to let success go to my head. He said that I have heard the word hit in my first film itself, which actors crave for. I have reached a certain stature and if I let it go to my head, I will only come down.”
The film got a good reaction in Pakistan too? “Yes, the film was premiered there and I am happy with the response. There were about 3,000 people to welcome us at the airport. If the response wasn’t this good, it would have been a problem!”
magi @ June 13, 2008