Remembering birthdays can be difficult at times. After all, there are so many birthdays to remember, and the figure increases as the social circle expands. And not only must the birthdays be remembered, they must also be recalled well in advance in order to find enough time to prepare for it, or at least to select and purchase gifts and cards.
Fortunately for the internet-savvy, there is a very website which can be extremely useful in a situation like this. Birthday Alarm (http://www.birthdayalarm.com) is your answer to a bad memory for birthdays. The website is pretty simple. All you need to do is enter the name of your friend or relative and the date of birth. You can set the website to remind you of the birthday as many days before as you want. If the birthday is of an important friend of cousin, then you can set the website to remind you a week earlier so you can plan something special. But if the birthday is that of an acquaintance, then you simply choose the option of getting reminded a day earlier so you can send in an e-card. You can also choose the frequency of reminders — one or two, for instance.
One advantage of Birthday Alarm is that it does not bother you with details of notifications regarding the website or updates of new and exciting features available, something that is quite the norm with similar websites. You only get the information you request, at a time of your choosing. If you are interested in finding out the new features of the website, simply log in occasionally to check this out yourself.
Another interesting feature of the website is that when you receive an e-mail reminding you of the next birthday in line, there is a link within the email itself, which leads you to the section on e-cards. One can argue that this is shameless self-promotion (or advertising if the link leads to another website), but nevertheless it is quite a convenient option to select your e-card from your favourite website.
And for those who are running against time do not even have to open the reminder e-mail send by the website. The subject of the email tells you pretty much all that you need to know. For instance, the subject will read like: “First reminder for XYZ’s birthday on 20th August 2007” which should suffice. So, unless you want to use the links to e-card, you will not even need to open the email.
Of course one cannot deny the excitement that results from the trial of remembering birthdays and the joy one experiences in its aftermath. But in a day and age, when there is simply too much to digest in one go, remembering dates is frankly too much to ask of anyone. So make your calendar on birthday alarm, if you think making it by hand is not worth the time or the effort.
There are people who simply like to watch movies, then there are those who watch the same movie again and again, and finally there are those who don’t just watch a movie they go into the nitty gritty of their favourite movie right from its making to its premiere; such people can only be classified as ‘movie buffs’.
The Internet Movie Database precisely caters to this particular category of film fanatics. In a nutshell, it is all about the movies and is one of those websites which can easily keep you glued to your PC for hours.
The website covers detailed movie reviews, with each movie having at least three reviews to give a fair idea of whether the movie is worth your time or not. Not only do you get a chance to know about the most trivial of bloopers and other information about the movies you have already watched, the website also gives a preview of upcoming films.
Every movie has its fair share of bloopers, and you’ll be amazed to see how many there actually are. Reading goofs is quite fun and you can analyse how many bloopers you have overlooked while watching the movie, for instance, do you notice how often cellphone screens are blank when characters are supposedly typing something on them, or how often do you hear people’s voices but in reality their lips are not even moving? Yes, there are many goofs in movies and they’re all here on one page.
For movie maniacs, the collection of memorable quotes is a section worth going to. It sometimes happens when characters utter a variety of dialogues that one would always want to remember and quote them, but they pass by all too quickly in the actual scene. Well, here they can be found easily.
For those who like to put forward their comments, there is also a particular segment. If you are into writing movie reviews, you can easily contribute one for this website. Moreover, there is a list of cast members along with their real names and photographs, so you know who’s who at a glance. Sound tracks have been detailed too with the list of songs in each movie and names of artists who have performed them.
Like every movie-related website, this one too has web forums, where you need to register before accessing the discussion on various movies. The interesting bit is that you can easily find out which discussion topics pertain to which movie. This is because every movie page has a section at the bottom of the page which lists the topics being discussed related to that particular movie.
So there you have it — everything related to the silver screen at your disposal in the cyberspace. Of course, the sheer amount of information related to every movie can overwhelm you at times, but the fact of life is that there are more movie buffs than one can imagine and websites like these are made just for them.
To find out more about movies and what goes on behind the scenes, log onto http://www.imdb.com
Imagine this scenario: you are surfing through your favourite movie channel, which is running the trailers of the upcoming movies. You eagerly watch out for the timings of your favourite ones so that you don’t miss them. But much to your dismay, the time is not displayed as “Pakistan Standard Time” or PST. Instead, it is given according to the timings of some other country and you are totally clueless about the time difference between the two countries.
In the past, such a scenario would have meant seeking help from the family members or friends who may know the correct time conversion. Or you would painstakingly calculate the conversion yourself by assuming that if a certain movie aired at ‘x’ time, then when will the ‘y’ movie be aired. The Internet has changed all of that. Now, instead of fretting over the time being given in some country’s standard, you can simply log onto websites like Time Zone Converter, and trust them to do the conversion job for you.
Time Zone Converter is a pretty simple website. All you need to do from the homepage is to select your desired country’s time zone. The question it asks you is, “What time is it in?” and then presents a drop down box filled with almost all the countries in the world. Whichever country you select, the website will give you the exact time in that country at the moment. So it is easy to calculate the time difference, and find out which movie will be aired at what time.
Of course this time conversion phenomenon isn’t exclusively related to movies alone. There are many sport channels that show timings which need to be converted into PST. With Time Zone Converter, there is no need to worry about missing your favourite match, being aired live. You can simply convert the timings. While you are going through the schedule of play and timings in one window, you can simply open the converter in another window and convert timings as you go along.
There is much more in Time Zone Converter than simple on-the-spot time conversion. If you are about to travel to some other country, can simply select the relevant options from the website, and print out a reference card. The reference card can serve as a helping tool when travelling abroad and will enable you to be in touch with time zones all around the world.
There are some external links as well, if you are interested in reading more on the subject. Specifically, you can access maps of certain regions plus read all about how the system of time measurement has evolved from history. So at the end of the day, there is a pretty handy and useful website for you to check out whenever the need arises.
It was a typical wedding being held in the middle of June. Guests were jam packed in a lawn. Apparently, the hosts had underestimated the number of people that might turn up. The result was that members of the groom’s family arrived to find no empty chairs for them to sit. Without missing a beat, they cheerfully made for the stage and sat down on the sofas. Others perched themselves up on the tables, for dinner was a long way from being served. With the temperature already soaring, the multitude of people made the heat all the more difficult to stand.
To add to the confusion, the electricity went out. The entire hall plunged into darkness. One would have expected the generator to start functioning immediately, but apparently it was a low-budget hall, and consequently it took some time before power was restored. Till then, one can only imagine the chaos which reigned, with children crying out for their parents, and harrowed guests groping their way around tables and chairs, trying to find their way around.
The above was only one of the many anecdotes which are the hallmark of weddings held in the summer. As it so happens, the summer season is more of a pre-Ramazan season, so loads of families cram in as many weddings as they can. At an average, one family might have two to three weddings to attend each summer. And if there is a wedding in the family, then it might take up the whole summer.
Summer weddings have their own issues. From venues to timings, and from menus to power failures, there are some things which are an inevitable part and parcel of summer weddings only.
We’ll start off with food —an integral part of most weddings. When it comes to deciding the menu, very few families actually take the weather into account. The fact that some food items are suitable in summers, whilst others are more appropriate for a winter wedding, is quite true. Unfortunately, you easily find families choosing the traditional greasy biryani and fried fish as a summer wedding meal, whereas, a Chinese menu would be lighter, more sensible option.
Of course, the fact also remains that at most weddings, dinner is served really, really late. Eating a hefty amount of heavy food at such an unearthly hour can easily lead to indigestion the next day. When asked, teenagers had much to say on this issue.
“I suffered indigestion once as I ate two whole plates of biryani, and there were other dishes too which I definitely tried. Yes, the menu at weddings should be light considering the heat,” said Taha Baig, an O’ level student.
“I’ve suffered from indigestion many times from the food at weddings,” complained Zeenat Razvi, an O’ level student. “Sometimes it’s because of eating so late, but other times I think it’s because of the dodgy food itself. But I do think the menus at weddings should be light considering the heat. It also depends on the kind of food. Some heavy food items taste good, others less so. It all depends upon your taste buds really.”
Zainub Razvi, her sister, had a different take on the issue. “Indigestion from wedding food, in my opinion at least, is a result of either overeating (which is very common in our society, especially when you get food at 1:00 am, by which time you’re starving), or because the food has gone bad (either because of the excessive heat, or because it got contaminated, which is not uncommon, given the standards of hygiene prevalent in our society).”
When it isn’t food, it’s the phenomena of dressing up. This may sound quite interesting, but many girls are simply not willing to have their weddings in the summers because putting on layers of makeup, and dressing up in designer clothes becomes a trial in itself, with the rising temperatures. And obviously, telling such girls to tone things down is an exercise in futility.
However, even female guests don’t really seem too bothered, considering how overdressed most of them are for the occasion, anyway. But, the normal folks who find nothing fascinating about dressing up, and promptly being drenched with sweat, wear light clothes to weddings, and they are therefore the object of much disdain among the ever-gossiping aunties. Yes, it’s a wonder how people don’t have anything better to do with their time.
Moving away from aunties and their gossip, summer brings with it the monsoons. And rain. Rain is one of the best ways of jazzing up a totally boring wedding, but the fact remains that it can totally ruin things for the families concerned. It so happens that many families choose to hold weddings in open spaces because of the heat, and the next thing you know, the guests, as well as all the furniture, is drenched.
Zainub Razvi narrated the following incident: “Last year, we went to a wedding of some distant family friends. It was fairly early in the summer, and the monsoons weren’t expected, so the event was arranged in a massive outdoor park, covered with net-like overhead covering. But suddenly it started raining, and before we knew it, it turned from a harmless drizzle, to quite heavy downpour. As the rain got heavier and heavier, panic set in. Many guests started leaving in a hurry without even having the food in order to avoid being completely soaked. Unfortunately I don’t know what happened eventually because we also left once it started raining that heavily,” she concluded.
But it’s not all that bad. The greatest advantage of summer weddings is that if there is a wedding in your own family, you can enjoy it to the full as there is no worrying about homework or assignments or projects. There is definitely no hassle of going home and getting into bed early so that you can make it to your educational institute in time the next day.
Fizza Hassan, an O’ level student agrees. “Summer weddings are good in a way because the late night weddings do not affect us. We can spend the next morning sleeping, and we can stay at the bride/groom’s place and have lots of fun.”
Considering what a late affair weddings in Pakistan usually are, it is no surprise then that if they are held in summers, it is actually a convenience for the younger guests, not to mention that their mothers also remain more at ease.
Overall, summer weddings can become more bearable as well as enjoyable, if families pay attention to minute details like holding weddings in halls/lawns which have proper generators and a good overhead covering. Light menus for food items are a definite plus, not to mention punctuality to ensure people don’t have to eat late at night. Till then, we will be simply “braving” the wedding, instead of “enjoying” it.
What is the first thought which comes to your mind when you visit a cosmetics shop and are confronted with the arduous task of deciding between two brands of lipsticks, three brands of face powder and five brands of perfume? You look at the reliability of the brand and the quality of the product. But, do you ever check the ingredients of every particular cosmetic before buying it?
Unfortunately, not many people in this part of the world pay much attention to how a particular brand of cosmetics has been manufactured. And this is the reason why many companies dupe unaware customers by using substandard ingredients in their products.
While, one cannot verify the quality of each and every product, one can turn to the Internet to do some research before making any adulterated purchases. ‘Safe Cosmetics’ is one website which not only provides information on the ingredients used in the manufacturing process of different cosmetics, but is also serving as a campaign to get rid of all the harmful chemicals that are used in the process.
The website has been divided into various sections. Interestingly, one of which carries scientific reports on the results of tests conducted on chemicals used in cosmetics. It is learned that the main item of concern in cosmetics is phthalates, which poses long-term health hazards. There are many research reports that have focused on its usage in shampoos, face lotions and deodorants. If one does not want to go through the entire reports, then one can skim through the media section which contains press releases where information is present in a condensed form.
The website has a list of companies that refrain from using ingredients which pose a medical risk; by going through the list, one can easily decide which products are safe.
The website also urges the surfers to get in action, irrespective of their geographical location. There are ideas on how to create awareness among one’s social circles about the harmful chemicals present in cosmetics. There are handouts and leaflets that can be printed and distributed. There are letters to store managers which one can print, personalise, and give out to the shopkeepers who are selling these products.
Above all, there is a facility entitled ‘Skin Deep’, which is basically a database of all personal care products which have been tested by a working group to see whether or not they contain any toxic elements. So one can enter the name of the product one is using or intends to buy to see if it’s listed here.
One can also browse through products in various categories ranging from skin care and hair care to nail care and fragrances. Each product has a list which tells about the possible medical risks the chemicals pose, along with whether its manufacturer is a signatory to the safe cosmetics petition or not.
So there you have it — a wealth of information on cosmetics. The unfortunate part is most of the people, when shopping for cosmetics, choose to remain indifferent to the chemicals present in them. There is also a vast majority who prefers to buy cheap cosmetics containing low quality and harmful ingredients. This is equivalent to slow poisoning, as the damage done is grave and also affects the next generation. So be vigilant and beware of these products – after all health is more important than artificial beauty.
To find out more about what exactly is going on behind the scenes as far as cosmetics are concerned, log onto http://www.safecosmetics.org
