Have you wanted to try out some dance moves? Then we have a good suggestion. One World Foundation for Research and Comparative studies in Performing Arts and Traditional Knowledge is conducting a one-month Conceptual Dance & Theater Workshop from February 4th, to March 3rd, 2012 at P.T.C hall, press club road, Ernakulum.  Candidates well versed in Classical, Western, Contemporary dance & Theater can take part in this event.  You can learn everything about dance and also ensure that you come out of the classes as an expert.

Selected candidates can perform in RAGAM & MANOJs CONCEPTUAL DANCE SHOW which is to be held on the month of March 2012. So put on your dance shoes and make sure that your ‘dance’ is seen by everyone. You are yet not late. Register soon!

Contact them for more details at 9447530633.

Kochi’s own MLA Hibi Eden looks like he is all set to gift his constituency with all that he had promised us during the campaigns. Starting from the drinking water issue in places like Cheranalloor and Thevara, to the sewage system atrocities, Hibi seems to be gearing up to ‘clean’ Kochi. Kochivibe managed to meet up with the charismatic Hibi. And he has loads in store for Kochi.

Hibi plans to work on a better sewage system for Kochi, which he thinks is inevitable and a top priority. “Kochi has been facing the mosquito issue for quite some time, and we need to find a good solution for this. We are still clinging on to a project which was brought in 1967, during Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s time. We have not yet executed it in the right way”, says Hibi. Also, he plans to do something so that drinking water is made available to the people in Cheranalloor Panchayat at ease. “Being the only Panchayat under my constituency, I would make sure that the drinking water facility is provided to the residents. They always had some temporary arrangements for this, and that should not be the case. I plan to bring in some exclusive project through which drinking water would be ensured for the Panchayat”, said Hibi.

There is more to come!  Our MLA says that the transportation facilities in Kochi are poor, and with projects like the metro rail coming in, there should be alternatives that can make things easier. “Kochi is getting congested, and Kochiites should be able to compete with this time-bound”, said Hibi.

When asked about the atrocities shown by Kochi’s own Autorickshaw guys, Hibi said that, the high literacy rate of our state and the support of trade unions are playing the vital role in making the situation worse. He thinks the law should be ‘strengthened’, and that would be the only solution for this.

Hibi added that Kochiites do not know much about the two small islands ‘Korongotta’ and ‘Thanthonnithuruthu’ which lies adjacent to our city. “These islands too are part of my constituency. Due to the less number of residents, authorities, over the years have not taken any measures to improve the condition of people living there. They live a hard life with no facilities, and not even a hospital to end up during emergencies. They should be connected to the mainland Kochi. And they should also be given a better lifestyle. They undoubtedly deserve that!” says our MLA.

Well, here is the start to the list of things that our Hibi Eden needs to start off with. But he ensures, there is more to come in the months! Good luck Hibi!

Kochi South station has got a 6^th platform! Well, if you thinking whether that is any big deal, it is.  For a fast growing city like Kochi, who have been dealing with hitches from all sides, this is a good move from the part of the authorities. It definitely makes a change, and can make things easier too.

So much had been talked about the repair works going on, and a few trains being cancelled. That did sound like a menace and there are people who had a tough time because of it too. But looks like, it was all for the good. J Even though the full platform has not yet been in use, trains can still fit in. Long distance ones like the Duronto Express, Janashatabdi etc. would be halting here. The best part is, you can enter through the Eastern gate rather than toiling all your way from the first platform till the sixth. There still is an uncertainty over the official inauguration of this platform, but that shall not take long for sure.

The entrance through the Eastern gate is a guaranteed nightmare. The corporation needs to work on their bit for this. Once this is done, things would be made much easier for Kochiites who plan to commute by trains.

Friday, May 13^th saw the grandiloquent win of Kochi’s own Hibi Eden!  When Hibi won for 32437 votes, Kochi saw the ‘young lad’ rising to glory. It was not an inch-to-inch contest. Right from the start, Hibi had marked his victory and it just took a couple of hours to finalize it! So, with Hibi as our leader, let’s hope Kochi looks younger and vibrant in the days to come. Welcome Hibi!

We managed to click a few pictures from near Maharajas college premises, where the counting happened. And Hibi Eden fans celebrated his victory, and happiness was in the air! Check out the pics!!

When the concept of union strikes and such came into being in India, it was a non violent manner of creating a forum to address the issues of workers. But in Kerala, it has come to be such a despondent tool that is a blemish to our state. From being a laughing stock to creating uneasiness to tourists and fellow citizens, now the Hindalco farce is looming on the fine lines of National Security. It would have been a pride to say that this factory is the only one in India to produce the AK6 alloy required by the wheels of the T-90 tanks, but now it is just an unfortunate handicap to say the least.
After failing to meet any sort of agreement between the management & the employees, the crisis has just broken down even further. Even police intervention on trying to get these wheels to Bharat forge was foiled by the employees. Are the our people so short-sighted and so into themselves that they failed to see the repercussions of their actions? I can understand their point of view on trying to find a decent understanding on the wage issue which is their source of living. But for our defence forces’ lives may depend on these alloys lying useless at Hindalco. I have always heard people say Kerala act as though they are a separate nation since the attitude and mindset portray such an image. Which is not to bother much with how the rest of India operates, this kind of affirms that opinion. It is high time our people change this and the Government dealt this issue with an ‘iron hand’ before things get ‘out of hand’.

The Chef

We had the delight to experience the Thai Fest that is going on at Le Meridien. Having experienced the Italian Food Fest a couple of months ago, we had similar expectations. And we sure weren’t disappointed. On entering the Treasure Trove restaurant we were lead to our seat and we met with the Thai chef who was specially flown down to personally manage the fest. He explained the whole array of foods and his selection of the night’s menu. Thai food can be quite sublime and straight up at the same time. But he had a selection of Indian food to suit his Indian and international patrons as not all will be able to appreciate the Thai flavors.

The Tenderloin

But it takes just a little ‘trying out new things’ to actually enjoy things like this. We started off with the Tom Yum Soup, it was looking too clear from what we were used to from the local Chinese restaurants. We had our first spoon with an aura of doubt, but when the first spoon crossed our lips, the blend of flavors that hit my tongue was excellent! There was a live Som Tam counter, which btw is a spicy blend of a salad made from Papaya, but we diverted paths seeing the pieces of Tenderloin being cooked.
The main course seemed more appealing. Most of the people being unfamiliar with Thai cuisine or atleast the terminologies, the staff had nicely placed their English description underneath each dish tag. It was very helpful in identifying each food item. Starting off the main course, the Pla Sam Rod was very nice, deep fried fish, tasted like fish fritters with a nice subtle sauce splashed all around it. Fish was a commonplace on the menu, but the next dish, was the highlight. Beautifully grilled Tenderloins or Paneang Neu with Panang sauce, which melts in your mouth, the meat was so soft and you could bite through it like butter. We even stayed to watch the next set being grilled. Poetry in motion, hats off to the chefs for this masterful creation! Other notable dishes was the Kai Pad Med Ma Meung, stir fried chicken with cashewnuts, black mushrooms, huge and juicy. Even the Tofu was nice; it was mushy and had a well balanced flavor. To go with these dishes were a choice of Thai fried rice, stir fried noodles and a mix of breads. And there was live grill section which had a Thai version of our chilli chutney with grilled prawns…a must try.
This was not the end of the dinner, the desserts looked similarly impressive. Although their descriptions sort of confused us, a Mr Arun Stepfen was very patient and helpful in getting us the names of various dishes and their literal translations. The king of the desserts was the humble Thai custard, made with wheat flour and duck eggs. Sublime, mellow and wholesome, it tastes just about right; the perfect end to a good meal. Other desserts like the Pisang Goreng or banana pancakes tasted fruity, the Thong Yip a mango mousse was a contrast of sweet and milky tastes.

Thai Desserts are a innovative

The fest is running till the 13th of Feb and it will set you back 850 bucks excl taxes. But if you want to try some real nice Thai cuisine, definitely head to Le Meridien for a different experience!

When we were invited to the curtain raiser show of S36, a band conceptualized and brought together by Kochi’s own Sreesanth, I secretly hoped he was not going to take this music thing fulltime, coz I for one have not had enough of him on the cricket field.

Last night, I went to JT Pac not knowing what to expect, and by the end of the show I had some concrete opinions about what I had seen. So here is my review :
I have to confess I missed a couple of songs, Mostly coz of traffic on a Sunday evening  ;), but as I got in to the theatre, the first song I heard was a rendition by Madhu Balakrishnan, that man is super polished on stage, what stands out most is his presence on stage and I’m convinced that comes from years of performing. But that is expected from one of Kerala’s foremost singers. I was here to listen to the singers I have never heard before. The next song was a tamil song by Deepak Das, one of the young singing talents in the band. He did not seem scared of the stage, he did not seem shaken up by the celebrities sitting in the first row, he belted out a clean number with the help of Latha Krishna. Harib another vocalist with the band sang a very well co-ordinated hindi number. Their rendition on ‘Allah Ke Bandhe’ got the crowd going and was a musical treat.

The highlight of the evening was an unplugged performance by the band, it truly showcased the amazing range the vocalists in the band have, I was particularly impressed by the two youngsters Deepak and Harib, the ease at which Harib reached those high notes were incredible. Madhu Balakrishnan was his amazing self. Another highlight of the evening was a song written and composed by Sreesanth himself. The tamil song was called ‘ Anubulla Azakai’ and was dedicated to his mum, I believe there was an ulterior motive. There was also a world cup song called Hello.

It was an entertaining evening of music, but the shining star was the exuberance of youth and the never say never attitude. There were people on that stage who had put in a lot of heart and soul into their performance and it was all in the open for people to see and enjoy. We should also commend Sreesanth for having put together a set of young artists to make this band, its his passion that made the evening happening, the same passion and heart with which he runs in and bowls on the cricket field.

Was it a error free evening, no, but it was the curtain raiser show, and they have a super mentor in Madhu Balakrishnan, and we know they will not lack support or passion. They will learn to use the equipment and sound to benefit their voice as they go along. Will I pay to watch them perform , Hell Ya…

The Band

Vocals :
Madhu Balakrishnan
Deepak Das
Harib
Latha Krishna
Sreesanth

Keyboard : Anoop
Lead Guitar : Sandeep
Bass Guitar : Chippu
Percussion : Shomi
Flute and Sax : Jose
Drums : Arunroop

Original Compositions : Deepak Warrier
Anubulla Azakai : written and composed by Sreesanth

Hello : The World Cup song
Composition : Deepak Warrier
Lyrics : Sreesanth.

Photographs of the event coming soon

Courtesy - business-fundas.com

This is not a sequel to Gabriel Marquez’ classic ‘Love in the times of Cholera’.  But it is nevertheless nothing less important, if I may say so myself . Most of us, who are in the right side of 30 really live in the internet. Social networking sites have taken our lives in the most revolutionary way. And no wonder this extends to our friendships and relationships. There are people who “meet up” on Facebook, orkut or other social networking sites and become friends over the internet. Some of these friendships die an early death, some of them last forever (forever being till the next fascinating or revolutionary thing come around.) Some people actually make an effort to meet up in real and give it a different dimension to their facebook friendship. Yet there are others who know each other, but rarely exchange a word or even pleasantries when they meet face-to-face, but they are such bumchums in the online world. Weird ain’t it?  It becomes weirder when it is a romantic relationships. Social networking sites, along with the emails, chat options, and mobile phones make dating easy for the youngsters. Asking a girl out for coffee can be simply done over a text message. There is no stuttering, sweaty palms, pounding heart or  going week in the knees. Or even if there is, nobody knows as you get to do it  (texting, I mean) in the comforts of your home. There is no trouble of  getting the age old “love letter” to the  recipient of your affections, no days of wondering if your  little brother’s , friends’ cousin delivered the letter to your love or to her dad, no days of anticipation and sleeplessness waiting for a reply. You can direct your message to the right person at the right time  and get an immediate reply (unless your recipient chose to do otherwise). Even those who are having long –distance relationships find it easier because they can stay in touch easily.

Just as technology made loving so easy, it has made breaking up that much more difficult. In the olden days, it took courage to fall in love, to be at the receiving end of the parental wrath and flak of the society (apparently good girls from good families don’t fall in love because the bad boys are just taking them for a ride) , the fear of getting caught and all that angst of being in love. Breaking up with your love or even being ditched was so much easier. All you had to do was make sure you don’t bump into the said love. After few days of silence and few nights of weeping into the pillow, you are good to go.  Break ups are not so easy today. To begin with, you should control that urge to contact your ditcher (yeah, new word coined by me). The most important step would be to erase your ex-lover from your memory and the first step in this direction would be to make sure you do not see each other. But that is not enough. You need to delete his contact number from your mobile, lest you contact him in a moment of weekness. You are happy about this smart move and give yourself a pat on your back. But the moments of weakness do appear at the most inappropriate times and in that desperation, you frantically search your text messages for his message and find his number in the recipient details. That is when it hits you that you should delete all his messages too. But being the smart woman that you are, you delete them too. But you read every mail you exchanged with each other, every chat conversation you had and cry buckets. That is when you realize that you need to delete the mails and chats too. But only once you deleted them, you realize that you have nothing to hold on to. That is when you start obsessively checking his facebook and orkut for new pics, new updates, new comments etc. When the obsession reaches psychotic levels, you delete him from your social networking sites as well. Loving is easy in the times of facebook, breaking up is not.

Another year down the lane. Check out the party at Micheal’s Island, a hot spot for some of the happening parties of the New Year. Are you game for some island partying?
Check the poster below for more details.

New Year’s party at Trine Green Lagoon. End the 2010 with a bang by celebrating New Year’s eve at a different sort of set up, amongst the Kochi backwaters. Featuring the Goan DJ Wavell, he is bound to set the dance floor on fire.
This is a private party, so only limited entries are available. Hurry before they run out.

Call 09809926294 for entry details.