The day of the elections – February 18 – is here. Some of us must be looking forward to casting our vote, while others will be resolutely planning to stay away from polling stations either because of indifference, or a belief that the result of the election is compiled elsewhere, irrespective of the majority votecaste. Whichever category you fall into, it is hard to stay away from election coverage. Political advertisements are increasing in frequency and a major chunk of any news bulletin is devoted to election campaigns of various political parties. Even talk shows are focusing on the different aspects of the elections, as well as different constituencies and their candidates.
The cyber world, as usual, is not to be left behind. Pakistan Elections 2008 is one website which is totally devoted to disseminating news and views related to the elections. This website is a joint venture of Pak Tribune and Pak Cyber, the two well-known news portals.
If you are planning to vote, you can use this website in various ways. To begin with, you can check whether or not your name is actually present on the list of voters. When you point and click on the relevant section, you will be asked to select your province and then enter your NIC number. If you do not have an NIC number, you will have to enter your name and the name of your father/husband. Moreover, you can also use this website to discover and memorise the symbol of your preferred political party. The names and symbols of all the parties have also been displayed here.
There is a section on key contenders, where detailed profiles of many key political figures are displayed. So you can read up on the likes of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman if your wish. The profiles include the candidates’ political careers, and you can also access their individual party websites and find out the number of seats they are contesting, both in the national and provincial assemblies.
One of the most interesting features of this website, which will come in extremely handy on the day of the elections itself, is the result category. There are two sections dedicated to results. One section will contain a summary of results, while the other section will contain results of individual seats. You can, hence, log on to this website and find out the results as they come in.
This website also features news, articles and editorials which will definitely leave you with food for thought. Moreover, you can also subscribe to a newsletter, which will be e-mailed to you. As with most websites, there are forums here as well. You can make an account, log in and discuss different issues related to elections. And for those who want a good laugh, check out the section on political cartoons where you will find quite an assortment.
So there you have it – a website which is devoted to election coverage. Whether or not you are voting, this is the place where you can keep yourself updated on all that is happening on the election front.
To access in-depth election coverage, log on to http://www.elections.com.pk
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Colour 'em red
There has to be at least a few people in the country who will breathe a sigh of relief when the first half of February gets over. And as long as these people exist, there is hope that sanity will prevail – eventually.
Come February, and all the major malls of the city deck themselves up in as much red, pink and white as they can cram in. The balloon-sellers and flower shops charge an exorbitant price for the demand of the day, the perfect long-stemmed rose and the red, heart-shaped balloons. Even beggars, especially street children, turn Cupids and sell red roses at impossible prices.
That of course is how things go about in the ‘offline’ world. But cyberspace celebrates the much-awaited (or much-dreaded) Valentine’s Day in a number of ways as well. Just enter ‘Valentine’s Day’ on any search engine and you will get whopping thousands of results. And these are not the type of results which would be totally useless and make you want to bang your head against the wall. These are specific websites totally related to your search term. For the sake of simplicity, these websites can easily be categorised into two sections.
These websites include regular e-card, forums, discussions and gifts. One of the well-known website for e-cards is 123 Greetings http://www.123greetings.com where you can find numerous e-cards adorned with mushy, sweet messages. In fact, for Valentine alone, 123 Greetings actually has revamped its entire layout in red and white, and not just the section on Valentine’s Day e-cards.
Another such website is of course Hallmark (http://www. hallmark.com) – the unofficial synonym of Valentine’s Day to say the least. Log onto the website, and the first thing that hits you in the face is the awful amount of red. And if you are one of those people on whose list of favourite colours, red does not even deserve to find a place, then be prepared to get some real red shocks.
Hallmark is an amusing website to browse through. The most revolting of gifts bear the label ‘sold out.’ Whether they really have been sold out or Hallmark has decided to put an air of importance is something that can be left to your imagination. But one cannot imagine who in the heaven’s name would want two stuffed monkeys hugging each other with a background of two red and white vases, complete with red roses in them. Of course, if you want to play a practical joke on someone and can dish out enough money, then that is a different story altogether.
Another category has websites designed exclusively for this day. (The amount of free time some people have on their hands is actually incredulous.) These websites actually feature hundreds of love stories, love poems and other mushy stuff.
For some people, occasions like this are a waste of time, but for others they prove to be meaningful since there is so much apathy in this world, and festivals like this are a welcome waft of fresh air. There are yet others who like to think that these festivals are pretty harmless and who are unable to fathom what the fuss is all about. More people fall in the latter category. They just do not think anything is wrong with it.
But consider this scenario. You are a young person and a member of Orkut, Friendster and Naseeb – regular social networking websites. You have a number of friends in the opposite sex, people you have never met in real life but know only through these websites. Come Valentine’s Day, and you suddenly realise that there should be something to express your ‘sentimental feelings’ for at least some of these people, and then you start dreaming of nice mushy stuff (say, hugging monkeys?)
Sorry to interrupt those dreams but have you stopped to wonder that the person you are fancying yourself in love, may not be the person he/she claims to be? This is actually a regular warning that is given out to all chat and social networking addicts. But February 14, somehow has really weird effect on people – nothing sensible makes sense. And all warnings seem to evaporate in thin air. If someone tells you they are ordering something for you from Hallmark, will you be naïve enough to give them your postal address? And what sort of consequences would it have if you are actually that naïve?
Worse case scenario is when you actually believe that the sender of those over-the-top sappy e-cards truly believes every word written in it. Hence, you swoon and you remain on cloud nine for an entire week. But wait, these cards are virtual! If you are on the receiving end, you can have no way of knowing if the sender actually meant each word, or was simply sending the same e-card to fifty more people in the address book.
However, most people in this country do not have the kind of money that is needed to throw around at Hallmark. And if they do throw away money, then that should be your warning signal to stay away from such people in the first place. No sane person would need hugging monkeys to make their point.
But, as mentioned above, words of wisdom stop making sense on February 14. At the end of the day, guys end up in heavy debt with all the mental stress that comes with it, and girls most of the times are miserable because they didn’t get anything or got something which was not expensive enough. So what sort of happiness and breath of fresh air is Valentine’s Day spreading especially through websites? If love needs stuffed toys and red roses on February 14 to survive in the first place, then the world is much better off without it.
Come February, and all the major malls of the city deck themselves up in as much red, pink and white as they can cram in. The balloon-sellers and flower shops charge an exorbitant price for the demand of the day, the perfect long-stemmed rose and the red, heart-shaped balloons. Even beggars, especially street children, turn Cupids and sell red roses at impossible prices.
That of course is how things go about in the ‘offline’ world. But cyberspace celebrates the much-awaited (or much-dreaded) Valentine’s Day in a number of ways as well. Just enter ‘Valentine’s Day’ on any search engine and you will get whopping thousands of results. And these are not the type of results which would be totally useless and make you want to bang your head against the wall. These are specific websites totally related to your search term. For the sake of simplicity, these websites can easily be categorised into two sections.
These websites include regular e-card, forums, discussions and gifts. One of the well-known website for e-cards is 123 Greetings http://www.123greetings.com where you can find numerous e-cards adorned with mushy, sweet messages. In fact, for Valentine alone, 123 Greetings actually has revamped its entire layout in red and white, and not just the section on Valentine’s Day e-cards.
Another such website is of course Hallmark (http://www. hallmark.com) – the unofficial synonym of Valentine’s Day to say the least. Log onto the website, and the first thing that hits you in the face is the awful amount of red. And if you are one of those people on whose list of favourite colours, red does not even deserve to find a place, then be prepared to get some real red shocks.
Hallmark is an amusing website to browse through. The most revolting of gifts bear the label ‘sold out.’ Whether they really have been sold out or Hallmark has decided to put an air of importance is something that can be left to your imagination. But one cannot imagine who in the heaven’s name would want two stuffed monkeys hugging each other with a background of two red and white vases, complete with red roses in them. Of course, if you want to play a practical joke on someone and can dish out enough money, then that is a different story altogether.
Another category has websites designed exclusively for this day. (The amount of free time some people have on their hands is actually incredulous.) These websites actually feature hundreds of love stories, love poems and other mushy stuff.
For some people, occasions like this are a waste of time, but for others they prove to be meaningful since there is so much apathy in this world, and festivals like this are a welcome waft of fresh air. There are yet others who like to think that these festivals are pretty harmless and who are unable to fathom what the fuss is all about. More people fall in the latter category. They just do not think anything is wrong with it.
But consider this scenario. You are a young person and a member of Orkut, Friendster and Naseeb – regular social networking websites. You have a number of friends in the opposite sex, people you have never met in real life but know only through these websites. Come Valentine’s Day, and you suddenly realise that there should be something to express your ‘sentimental feelings’ for at least some of these people, and then you start dreaming of nice mushy stuff (say, hugging monkeys?)
Sorry to interrupt those dreams but have you stopped to wonder that the person you are fancying yourself in love, may not be the person he/she claims to be? This is actually a regular warning that is given out to all chat and social networking addicts. But February 14, somehow has really weird effect on people – nothing sensible makes sense. And all warnings seem to evaporate in thin air. If someone tells you they are ordering something for you from Hallmark, will you be naïve enough to give them your postal address? And what sort of consequences would it have if you are actually that naïve?
Worse case scenario is when you actually believe that the sender of those over-the-top sappy e-cards truly believes every word written in it. Hence, you swoon and you remain on cloud nine for an entire week. But wait, these cards are virtual! If you are on the receiving end, you can have no way of knowing if the sender actually meant each word, or was simply sending the same e-card to fifty more people in the address book.
However, most people in this country do not have the kind of money that is needed to throw around at Hallmark. And if they do throw away money, then that should be your warning signal to stay away from such people in the first place. No sane person would need hugging monkeys to make their point.
But, as mentioned above, words of wisdom stop making sense on February 14. At the end of the day, guys end up in heavy debt with all the mental stress that comes with it, and girls most of the times are miserable because they didn’t get anything or got something which was not expensive enough. So what sort of happiness and breath of fresh air is Valentine’s Day spreading especially through websites? If love needs stuffed toys and red roses on February 14 to survive in the first place, then the world is much better off without it.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
It's the slang, stupid
“Wassup? ’S ok if you don’t wanna reply.” Sounds familiar? These slang words are no longer confined to our MSN, Yahoo! or Gmail chatting windows. In fact, in this fast-paced life, language has become so colloquial that some people have actually started using these words as regular figures of speech. But to those who are not familiar with such words, they may as well sound Greek. Who knows, you may think someone is complimenting you when they are actually taking a jibe at you.
So, if you fall in the category of people who are completely baffled by these slang words, Slang Site is the website is for you. This website will, hopefully, at least familiarise you with certain slang words even if you cannot or do not want to use them.
The website is totally dedicated to slang words and their meanings. All you have to do is point and click on an alphabet, and it will display an entire list of slang words beginning with that alphabet with its meaning on the side. Of course, it is quite likely that some words will sound totally alien to you, but you must remember that these slang words are used all over the world, and are not restricted to this country. Some words will sound more than familiar, like ‘hellooooo’ or ‘okei.’
A very interesting feature of this website is the facility to submit a slang word used in your surrounding or in your group, along with its meaning and an example in a sentence. This ensures that the website is interactive and you can help expand it, rather than just sit back and skim through the list of words.
You must remember that the use of slang words is acceptable among your age group or friends, or where such language shares the same mind and thoughts. However, in front of elders, it indicates disrespect. Moreover, there are words which are not only offensive but plain obscene – you have to know the meaning of these words and avoid using them.
So basically, you can use this website to learn about new slang words and you can certainly find out who means what when they use a particular slang. But even if you use it to add new words to your slang dictionary, make sure you only use them if they are appropriate, at the right time, and with the right people.
To decipher the meaning of commonly-used slang words, log onto http://www.slangsite.com
So, if you fall in the category of people who are completely baffled by these slang words, Slang Site is the website is for you. This website will, hopefully, at least familiarise you with certain slang words even if you cannot or do not want to use them.
The website is totally dedicated to slang words and their meanings. All you have to do is point and click on an alphabet, and it will display an entire list of slang words beginning with that alphabet with its meaning on the side. Of course, it is quite likely that some words will sound totally alien to you, but you must remember that these slang words are used all over the world, and are not restricted to this country. Some words will sound more than familiar, like ‘hellooooo’ or ‘okei.’
A very interesting feature of this website is the facility to submit a slang word used in your surrounding or in your group, along with its meaning and an example in a sentence. This ensures that the website is interactive and you can help expand it, rather than just sit back and skim through the list of words.
You must remember that the use of slang words is acceptable among your age group or friends, or where such language shares the same mind and thoughts. However, in front of elders, it indicates disrespect. Moreover, there are words which are not only offensive but plain obscene – you have to know the meaning of these words and avoid using them.
So basically, you can use this website to learn about new slang words and you can certainly find out who means what when they use a particular slang. But even if you use it to add new words to your slang dictionary, make sure you only use them if they are appropriate, at the right time, and with the right people.
To decipher the meaning of commonly-used slang words, log onto http://www.slangsite.com
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Research made easy
CONDUCTING original research is Pakistan is still a distant concept. There are very few people who are seriously interested in doing research that goes beyond copying and pasting from various sources. For some fortunate souls, the chance to do research under supervision comes while they are studying in universities. This is the time when they actually learn how to do it, albeit as an academic exercise.
When starting out to conduct research on any chosen topic, one of the key steps is to review the studies that have already been done on the same topic. This gives an idea about the study and whatever has been covered in your area of interest, that is, your chosen topic. Moreover, it beams on the scope and available methods with which you can conduct research.
For many, reviewing the researches seem quite a tedious task. In fact, it is quite tedious, at least at the initial level; but with the passage of time you get more and more involved. It is a quite a time-consuming activity and one is resigned to spending long hours in libraries poring over journals after journals, trying to find relevant and appropriate research studies.
The internet however, once again comes to the rescue. you can now use websites like Find Articles (http://www.findarticles.com) to access at least some of the journals and research articles.
Find Articles is a repository of research journals and research articles on almost every subject that you can imagine. Of course, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. All the journals are divided into ‘Free’ and ‘Premium’ sections. So it may happen that whatever you want to access is falling under the Premium section, which means that you have to pay a certain amount to find access to the articles in it. But there are loads of journals which are free and you can easily avail their services.
If you are new to Find Articles, the sheer amount of research material here can overwhelm you. The best way to browse is to first search for the journals which are relevant to your topic. You can choose the ‘Explore Publications by Title’ link to navigate there. You can either go through all the journals manually – they are arranged in an alphabetical order -- and by subject matter (arts, business, health, sports and technology to name a few).
The other option is to search the journals for key words. You can enter a few words or phrases in the search box and check the search results. Once you have the journals relevant to your research topic, the next step would be to go through the different issues of that journal to see if the study is relevant to you. Find Articles has several issues of the same journal with the full text of the articles (if it falls under the ‘Free’ section), so there is quite a lot of material to choose from.
But, if you do not want to go through the procedure of looking up journals first, you can always search journal articles only. There is a search box on the main page which gives the option of searching articles among the free or premium section, or both of them.
One way in which you can make use of these journal articles is to go through their list of references and check out which journals and articles were used in the preparation of that research study. Even if you cannot find on Find Articles, you can always look up Google Scholar.
Needless to say that the internet is the marvel for today and tomorrow, especially for a person surfing for educational purpose, and conducting the preliminary stages of his/her research. However, it is important that one does not copy/paste from journal articles, but simply use them for his/her literature review. This essentially means that one credit all the articles in bibliography.
When starting out to conduct research on any chosen topic, one of the key steps is to review the studies that have already been done on the same topic. This gives an idea about the study and whatever has been covered in your area of interest, that is, your chosen topic. Moreover, it beams on the scope and available methods with which you can conduct research.
For many, reviewing the researches seem quite a tedious task. In fact, it is quite tedious, at least at the initial level; but with the passage of time you get more and more involved. It is a quite a time-consuming activity and one is resigned to spending long hours in libraries poring over journals after journals, trying to find relevant and appropriate research studies.
The internet however, once again comes to the rescue. you can now use websites like Find Articles (http://www.findarticles.com) to access at least some of the journals and research articles.
Find Articles is a repository of research journals and research articles on almost every subject that you can imagine. Of course, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. All the journals are divided into ‘Free’ and ‘Premium’ sections. So it may happen that whatever you want to access is falling under the Premium section, which means that you have to pay a certain amount to find access to the articles in it. But there are loads of journals which are free and you can easily avail their services.
If you are new to Find Articles, the sheer amount of research material here can overwhelm you. The best way to browse is to first search for the journals which are relevant to your topic. You can choose the ‘Explore Publications by Title’ link to navigate there. You can either go through all the journals manually – they are arranged in an alphabetical order -- and by subject matter (arts, business, health, sports and technology to name a few).
The other option is to search the journals for key words. You can enter a few words or phrases in the search box and check the search results. Once you have the journals relevant to your research topic, the next step would be to go through the different issues of that journal to see if the study is relevant to you. Find Articles has several issues of the same journal with the full text of the articles (if it falls under the ‘Free’ section), so there is quite a lot of material to choose from.
But, if you do not want to go through the procedure of looking up journals first, you can always search journal articles only. There is a search box on the main page which gives the option of searching articles among the free or premium section, or both of them.
One way in which you can make use of these journal articles is to go through their list of references and check out which journals and articles were used in the preparation of that research study. Even if you cannot find on Find Articles, you can always look up Google Scholar.
Needless to say that the internet is the marvel for today and tomorrow, especially for a person surfing for educational purpose, and conducting the preliminary stages of his/her research. However, it is important that one does not copy/paste from journal articles, but simply use them for his/her literature review. This essentially means that one credit all the articles in bibliography.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Diet is who you are
his is an age of gadgets and junk food — a lethal combination for one’s health. The former ensures lack of exercise in the daily routine by means of the innovative easy-to-use devices, and the latter, in the form of gorging food or snacks on the move. They result in obvious problems like obesity, high cholesterol levels and heart diseases.
But even though, there is no dearth of literature on maintaining a balanced diet, very few actually pay heed.
But if you are genuinely concerned about what you are eating, Food Fit (http://www.foodfit.com/) is the website to bookmark and visit on a daily basis. This website is a goldmine of healthy recipes, workable diet plans and of course, a chance to interact with health buffs from around the world.
First things first: when you log onto this website, do sign up as a member. This is one step that many people may want to skip. But since there are quite a few sections which cater to members only, it is worthwhile signing up, especially since the registration is free.
On the website you will find out a variety of newsletter to which you can subscribe as per your interest. Some of these newsletters include Recipe Fest which, as the name suggests, is a collection of recipes uploaded on the website by different chefs, and Simply Food Fit which will divulge fitness tips and information on nutrition.
The website also offers quite a few detailed sections. The Top Picks basically focuses on seasonal food. At the time of writing, it is featuring healthy recipes (comprising organic food, that is, fruits and vegetables) which one can try on special occasions like Halloween and Thanksgiving. Some of you may want to skip this section altogether.
The section on Healthy Eating is definitely the one to pour over. You can go through the food guides to discover which fruits and vegetables are most appropriate for the current season. You can peruse lists of foods which are the main culprits in increasing your cholesterol level. There are also some quick tips on dinners as well. For instance, did you know that children who have dinner with their families have healthier eating habits? Plus, there is an interesting ‘Ask the Experts’ segment where you can put your questions to the resident nutritionist or go through the questions previously asked along with the answers given.
Healthy Cooking is where you can access the recipes. Some of the recipes may include ingredients that are unavailable in local markets, but if you happen to be a good cook, you can modify it to create a local version that could be equally yummy. This section has three main segments. In the first segment, featured chefs share their experiences, recipes and formula for healthy eating with the visitors. The other two feature the recipes.
In addition, people who are curious to know about the routine exercises to keep fit can check out the Fitness section which provides ample knowledge and tips. You can read up on useful stuff as well like how to get motivated to stick to a daily workout routine. There is information on how to compare the number of calories you eat versus those which you burn as well. And finally, the Community section is where you participate in discussions on various forums, and interact with like-minded health conscious individuals.
Overall, this website is extremely informative as well as useful if you are seriously concerned about the switching to a healthier lifestyle. The great advantage of Foodfit is that it focuses both on the eating habits as well as fitness routine — two main areas of concern towards healthy living.
But even though, there is no dearth of literature on maintaining a balanced diet, very few actually pay heed.
But if you are genuinely concerned about what you are eating, Food Fit (http://www.foodfit.com/) is the website to bookmark and visit on a daily basis. This website is a goldmine of healthy recipes, workable diet plans and of course, a chance to interact with health buffs from around the world.
First things first: when you log onto this website, do sign up as a member. This is one step that many people may want to skip. But since there are quite a few sections which cater to members only, it is worthwhile signing up, especially since the registration is free.
On the website you will find out a variety of newsletter to which you can subscribe as per your interest. Some of these newsletters include Recipe Fest which, as the name suggests, is a collection of recipes uploaded on the website by different chefs, and Simply Food Fit which will divulge fitness tips and information on nutrition.
The website also offers quite a few detailed sections. The Top Picks basically focuses on seasonal food. At the time of writing, it is featuring healthy recipes (comprising organic food, that is, fruits and vegetables) which one can try on special occasions like Halloween and Thanksgiving. Some of you may want to skip this section altogether.
The section on Healthy Eating is definitely the one to pour over. You can go through the food guides to discover which fruits and vegetables are most appropriate for the current season. You can peruse lists of foods which are the main culprits in increasing your cholesterol level. There are also some quick tips on dinners as well. For instance, did you know that children who have dinner with their families have healthier eating habits? Plus, there is an interesting ‘Ask the Experts’ segment where you can put your questions to the resident nutritionist or go through the questions previously asked along with the answers given.
Healthy Cooking is where you can access the recipes. Some of the recipes may include ingredients that are unavailable in local markets, but if you happen to be a good cook, you can modify it to create a local version that could be equally yummy. This section has three main segments. In the first segment, featured chefs share their experiences, recipes and formula for healthy eating with the visitors. The other two feature the recipes.
In addition, people who are curious to know about the routine exercises to keep fit can check out the Fitness section which provides ample knowledge and tips. You can read up on useful stuff as well like how to get motivated to stick to a daily workout routine. There is information on how to compare the number of calories you eat versus those which you burn as well. And finally, the Community section is where you participate in discussions on various forums, and interact with like-minded health conscious individuals.
Overall, this website is extremely informative as well as useful if you are seriously concerned about the switching to a healthier lifestyle. The great advantage of Foodfit is that it focuses both on the eating habits as well as fitness routine — two main areas of concern towards healthy living.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Brrr… it’s cold!
The winter season is upon us. Though most people argue that this part of the world hardly enjoys the full blast of winter. Common phrases heard with reference to winter include something to the effect of “You call THIS winter?” or “The temperature is not even below zero degrees Celsius.” But it would be a tad inaccurate to state outright that there is no winter to enjoy. True, the season comes for a relatively short period of time as compared to the summers, but it does come nonetheless. And winter has its own charm.
First and foremost: come winter season and there is an onslaught of warm clothes, sweaters, blankets and quilts which are taken out of the trunks where they are stored for a major part of the year. For warm clothes, there is a major spring cleaning of wardrobes under the supervision of mothers. Summer clothes are folded away and put at the back, while the warm ones are brought out to the front.
It is quite interesting to note that even though it is quite fun to step out of the house each morning and pull one’s sweater tightly around oneself to guard against the chilly winds, there are some young people who take immense pride in not wearing any warm clothes at all. There must be at least a couple of such people in your own school if you look around carefully. One cannot imagine what is so cool about not wearing sweaters, especially if the temperature is indeed quite low. But not wearing sweaters is something that is bragged about to no limit.
Of course, winter is also the time to bring out and wear fancy shawls. They can be worn at all occasions and several varieties of shawls are available to choose from. In fact, there are some people who have genuine allergies to wool and they end up with rashes on their arms if they try to wear one. Shawls are indispensable in such cases. But, as with any item of clothing, shawls too sometimes become a fashion statement and hence, the “cool factor” comes in again. However, if you compare shawl-wearing-for-fashion to non-sweater-wearing, the less desirable option is quite clear.
Apart from warm clothes, a major charm of winters is the delectable selection of dry fruits. Yep, there are all those peanuts, walnuts and cashew nuts which your mother doesn’t allow you to eat the year around stating that these shouldn’t be eaten during summers. Well, now is your chance to gorge on them. You can either gather around a heater with your family after dinner and enjoy these delectable items, or curl up on your favourite arm chair with a bowl of mixed dry fruits. Or you can have a sleepover with your friends or cousins, and make a midnight snack out of these dry fruits. The choice of food, however, is not limited to dry fruits. There is a wide variety of winter food which you can enjoy from coffee and hot chocolate to bars of chocolate and simmering chicken corn soup.
And who can resist the hoards of juicy oranges? If kino is a bit sour, you can enjoy the sweet malta. Eat it or savour the frostly squeezed juice — the choice is yours.
A close synonym of food at least in the Pakistani context is a wedding. Come the more chilly weather and suddenly there is a spurt in the number of wedding invitations. Winter weddings have their own charm and their own issues. First and foremost, there is the extreme reluctance on the part of most young people to wear something warm over the fancy dresses. Then, there’s a very annoying yet regular sight at most of the winter weddings. When dinner is served, people pile up their plates with food only to discover that it goes cold within minutes. Hence, they go fill up their plates again.
Alas, all isn’t totally hale and hearty when it comes to winters. It is all too well to snuggle up in blankets with a book or munch on dry fruits after dinner. However, the beginning of the winter season also means the start of a dreadful flu. For some, it is a routine sinus problem. For others, it is the change of weather. Whatever the reason may be, you are sure to hear quite a lot of sneezing and sniffles around you as people brave through a bout of flu. And if you happen to be one of those people, then all you can do is wait patiently for it to run its course as this flu is usually viral. Of course, if you are into home remedies, then honey and white pepper combined does work wonders.
Another very difficult thing to do during winters is to wake up in the morning. Nothing is more irritating than the sound of the alarm clock on a winter morning. It is an absolute torture to pull oneself out of the warm blanket or quilt, and then stand shivering in front of the basin, waiting for hot water to wash one’s face.
Woes aside, there are some things which seriously constitute a to-do list for winter. If you haven’t already tried some of these things out, then take this winter season as an opportunity to do the same.
• Make a list of books to constitute your winter reading. When the temperature drops to the extent that you don’t feel like doing anything, it is always a good idea to curl up with a book.
• Don’t miss out on a winter walk. Even if it is just a stroll around the neighbourhood park, do make it a point to go. Winters are one time when early morning walks can be enjoyed to the fullest. Of course, dragging yourself out of bed and then willing yourself to step out of the house may require a huge effort, but in the end it is well worth it.
First and foremost: come winter season and there is an onslaught of warm clothes, sweaters, blankets and quilts which are taken out of the trunks where they are stored for a major part of the year. For warm clothes, there is a major spring cleaning of wardrobes under the supervision of mothers. Summer clothes are folded away and put at the back, while the warm ones are brought out to the front.
It is quite interesting to note that even though it is quite fun to step out of the house each morning and pull one’s sweater tightly around oneself to guard against the chilly winds, there are some young people who take immense pride in not wearing any warm clothes at all. There must be at least a couple of such people in your own school if you look around carefully. One cannot imagine what is so cool about not wearing sweaters, especially if the temperature is indeed quite low. But not wearing sweaters is something that is bragged about to no limit.
Of course, winter is also the time to bring out and wear fancy shawls. They can be worn at all occasions and several varieties of shawls are available to choose from. In fact, there are some people who have genuine allergies to wool and they end up with rashes on their arms if they try to wear one. Shawls are indispensable in such cases. But, as with any item of clothing, shawls too sometimes become a fashion statement and hence, the “cool factor” comes in again. However, if you compare shawl-wearing-for-fashion to non-sweater-wearing, the less desirable option is quite clear.
Apart from warm clothes, a major charm of winters is the delectable selection of dry fruits. Yep, there are all those peanuts, walnuts and cashew nuts which your mother doesn’t allow you to eat the year around stating that these shouldn’t be eaten during summers. Well, now is your chance to gorge on them. You can either gather around a heater with your family after dinner and enjoy these delectable items, or curl up on your favourite arm chair with a bowl of mixed dry fruits. Or you can have a sleepover with your friends or cousins, and make a midnight snack out of these dry fruits. The choice of food, however, is not limited to dry fruits. There is a wide variety of winter food which you can enjoy from coffee and hot chocolate to bars of chocolate and simmering chicken corn soup.
And who can resist the hoards of juicy oranges? If kino is a bit sour, you can enjoy the sweet malta. Eat it or savour the frostly squeezed juice — the choice is yours.
A close synonym of food at least in the Pakistani context is a wedding. Come the more chilly weather and suddenly there is a spurt in the number of wedding invitations. Winter weddings have their own charm and their own issues. First and foremost, there is the extreme reluctance on the part of most young people to wear something warm over the fancy dresses. Then, there’s a very annoying yet regular sight at most of the winter weddings. When dinner is served, people pile up their plates with food only to discover that it goes cold within minutes. Hence, they go fill up their plates again.
Alas, all isn’t totally hale and hearty when it comes to winters. It is all too well to snuggle up in blankets with a book or munch on dry fruits after dinner. However, the beginning of the winter season also means the start of a dreadful flu. For some, it is a routine sinus problem. For others, it is the change of weather. Whatever the reason may be, you are sure to hear quite a lot of sneezing and sniffles around you as people brave through a bout of flu. And if you happen to be one of those people, then all you can do is wait patiently for it to run its course as this flu is usually viral. Of course, if you are into home remedies, then honey and white pepper combined does work wonders.
Another very difficult thing to do during winters is to wake up in the morning. Nothing is more irritating than the sound of the alarm clock on a winter morning. It is an absolute torture to pull oneself out of the warm blanket or quilt, and then stand shivering in front of the basin, waiting for hot water to wash one’s face.
Woes aside, there are some things which seriously constitute a to-do list for winter. If you haven’t already tried some of these things out, then take this winter season as an opportunity to do the same.
• Make a list of books to constitute your winter reading. When the temperature drops to the extent that you don’t feel like doing anything, it is always a good idea to curl up with a book.
• Don’t miss out on a winter walk. Even if it is just a stroll around the neighbourhood park, do make it a point to go. Winters are one time when early morning walks can be enjoyed to the fullest. Of course, dragging yourself out of bed and then willing yourself to step out of the house may require a huge effort, but in the end it is well worth it.
• As the winter season approaches, there are calls for donations by many welfare organisations. Find the one which you can trust, and do give some of the warm clothes for those who are not as privileged as you are. For the poor people, winters are a trial and your spare blankets and quilts can do wonders.
In short, try and make the most out of the winter season instead of grumbling about how cold (or otherwise) you are and how your flu is making it impossible for you to do anything else. After all, winter does come for only a very few months, and before you know it, it is summer time again. So be positive and make this winter season a truly fulfilling one, not just for yourself but for others as well.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Up, up and away
There are some people for whom travelling in different countries is not a novelty anymore. And then, there are those who get excited even if they are visiting another city in the same country. If you happen to fall in the latter category, you will find that there are many websites in cyberspace to help you plan the perfect vacation, or a simple get-away for a few days from the routined, stressful life. And if you cannot even think about travelling, courtesy a limited budget, then you can simply sigh wistfully at the all the wonderful places and plan a dream cruise around the world.
Trip Advisor is one such websites which will definitely come in handy whether you are planning an actual trip or just dreaming about one. This website has information on just about everything related to travelling – details on different destinations, hotels, tourist spots, airline tickets and more.
If you are visiting the website for the first time, it can get a little confusing. This is because there is a massive amount of information, and quite surprisingly, not very user-friendly categories. The first thing that hits you is the search for flights and hotels, and if you are here simply to browse, it can put you off very easily.
For your convenience, it would be helpful to access the list of popular destinations given at the bottom of the homepage. These popular cities are divided into featured destinations, recommended vacations, best beach vacations and trips to Europe.
Once you have selected a country or city of your choice or interest, you will be directed to a webpage which has anything and everything regarding that city. There is a plethora of information here which will not only help you decide on you vacation destination, but will also give you all the information you may need when travelling to that place. If you are accessing the information on a particular country, you will discover that the section has been sub-divided by cities.
Some of the information that is given on each city featured on Trip Advisor includes details of hotels and there is a special section on hotels where you can get concessional rates as well, in case you have a limited budget. This section has reviews of different hotels – these reviews have been written by those who stayed there. Hence, you will have first-hand view of these hotels to help you decide which one to book for yourselves. The rates of the hotels have also been mentioned.
Then there are the details of the different tourist attractions. There is a long list of activities which you can do in that particular city. There are detailed maps of the city, along with a search facility which you can use to hunt down the flights towards that particular destination at your required time.
There is a great deal more that you can do on Trip Advisor. If you are one of those who travel a lot, then you can ensure that other people around the world benefit from your knowledge. Yep, you can create an account here, which will enable you to write detailed reviews of the hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions of the places you have visited. You can inform people which option to go for in a particular country and the list of things to watch out for. Also, you can upload your own photos and videos of the vacations – keeping your privacy concerns in mind of course.
So basically, there is a lot that you can do on this website. In fact, you can easily spend hours here. But of course, while this website is good for information on flights, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, you must go through a reliable ‘offline’ travel agent to actually make your booking. Bon Voyage!
To plan your next vacation, log onto http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Trip Advisor is one such websites which will definitely come in handy whether you are planning an actual trip or just dreaming about one. This website has information on just about everything related to travelling – details on different destinations, hotels, tourist spots, airline tickets and more.
If you are visiting the website for the first time, it can get a little confusing. This is because there is a massive amount of information, and quite surprisingly, not very user-friendly categories. The first thing that hits you is the search for flights and hotels, and if you are here simply to browse, it can put you off very easily.
For your convenience, it would be helpful to access the list of popular destinations given at the bottom of the homepage. These popular cities are divided into featured destinations, recommended vacations, best beach vacations and trips to Europe.
Once you have selected a country or city of your choice or interest, you will be directed to a webpage which has anything and everything regarding that city. There is a plethora of information here which will not only help you decide on you vacation destination, but will also give you all the information you may need when travelling to that place. If you are accessing the information on a particular country, you will discover that the section has been sub-divided by cities.
Some of the information that is given on each city featured on Trip Advisor includes details of hotels and there is a special section on hotels where you can get concessional rates as well, in case you have a limited budget. This section has reviews of different hotels – these reviews have been written by those who stayed there. Hence, you will have first-hand view of these hotels to help you decide which one to book for yourselves. The rates of the hotels have also been mentioned.
Then there are the details of the different tourist attractions. There is a long list of activities which you can do in that particular city. There are detailed maps of the city, along with a search facility which you can use to hunt down the flights towards that particular destination at your required time.
There is a great deal more that you can do on Trip Advisor. If you are one of those who travel a lot, then you can ensure that other people around the world benefit from your knowledge. Yep, you can create an account here, which will enable you to write detailed reviews of the hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions of the places you have visited. You can inform people which option to go for in a particular country and the list of things to watch out for. Also, you can upload your own photos and videos of the vacations – keeping your privacy concerns in mind of course.
So basically, there is a lot that you can do on this website. In fact, you can easily spend hours here. But of course, while this website is good for information on flights, hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions, you must go through a reliable ‘offline’ travel agent to actually make your booking. Bon Voyage!
To plan your next vacation, log onto http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)