Art and artists have always been cheered and applauded in our city. We have made sure that artistic talents are welcomed with open-arms. And now, we bring some good news to art-lovers in the city. The art camp happening at Le Meridian will not fail to enlighten you. ‘Expressions 2012’ is all about beauty from the canvas. The Art Corridor arts camp makes sure the art-lover in you is blissful when you watch these paintings of more than 10 artists.

You can witness artists from all over the country bring life to canvas through their creative touch. The art camp will be from the 7^th – 14^th January 2012. You can see a blend of colors and shades put across in the most creative manner. Beauty in art-forms never fail to make us happy. Whatever your mood is, these art-works can help you elate your mood.

Make sure you do not miss this one. You can drop in anytime at Le Meridian art gallery between 10 a.m and 6. 00 p.m. The paintings are waiting for you at Le Meridian Foyer. Don’t miss this one, art-lovers in Kochi!

Christmas is all about having fun, being with your loved ones, celebration in the air and of course good food to top it all. This year too Kochi hotels will host the best Christmas feast for you and your family to relish. Check out the restaurants in Kochi that are offering you yummy Christmas delicacies!

The Avenue Center Hotel requires no introduction. They have been serving awesome buffets (at reasonable rates) and yummy a-la-carte too. They are coming up with grand Christmas Eve dinner and lunch. Turkey, the show-stopper for Christmas lunch will be served along with many other yummy dishes. The hotel is located at Panampilly Avenue at Panampilly Nagar.

Le Meridian is celebrating Christmas by ensuring that they treat Kochiites with a 5-star meal on X’mas eve. Their Christmas Eve dinner, on the 24^th of December will be a combo of Turkey with delightful puddings. It will begin at 7 p.m and go on till 11. p.m. Christmas day brunch will be exquisite dishes and traditional which will be on the 25^th of December from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. For more details you can contact them at Festivity Desk- 0484 2705777.

Spice Route restaurant at Oberon Mall is also getting ready for their Christmas treats. They have mouth-watering dishes and special treats. Their dinner buffet will be on the 24^th December, and they will serve lunch and dinner on the 25^th of December. There will be full turkey roast available along with full fish biriyani and crab masala. Slurp!

Hotel Presidency is also coming up with Christmas treat. There will be a moonlight pool side grilled buffet with roast turkey and cranberry sauce.

Choose your fav spot and drop in to treat your taste buds this Christmas season!

Wondering how you can be a part of Miss Kerala 2011? Wish you could scrutinize the pretty contestants with your smart questions? Here is the chance. Shoot your questions to Miss Kerala through the Miss Kerala Official Fan page on Facebook. Your questions will be heard, and the best question, will be asked to the Miss Kerala contestants on the D-day on 23^rd August.

And the best question will win prizes too. You can walk-in free with two passes for the Miss Kerala contest happening at Hotel Le Meridian!! Your question will be asked to all the contestants in one of the rounds. You can shoot queries related to Kerala, Malayali Culture, your take on some socially relevant issue etc. Give it a try. You might witness Kerala’s biggest pageant in grandeur and style. You can post your questions on the fan page till 20^th of August. The post will be removed from the Facebook page after that. So start thinking… Go on… think… what would you want to ask the pretty ladies…!!

Kochi, being the commercial capital of Kerala needs to have some finer 5 star hotels for the flood of businessmen and entrepreneurs that visits Kochi every day. We do have the luxury hotels like Taj, Casino, Dream, and Le Meridian. But with the fast pace in which our city grows, we merit more. Kochi is being presented with international brands like The Holiday Inn, and The Park Hotels very soon. What more can we ask for? The Holiday Inn in Kochi! Holiday Inn is famous for being one of those budget hotels which is affordable for the middle- class. It also provides a 5 star stay to its customers. That is more than exciting. The best part is you can witness these hotels coming up in our Bypass road, and they are being built in a rapid pace. K Kumar, a resident of Kochi plans to start a business soon. “I’am happy that I’ll have good hotels to house my clients. Also, being a Kochiite all my life, I’am glad to see my city grow at such a fast pace.” Kochi is geared up for more progress. This is just a beginning. All excited to see Kochi in the next 2 years, aren’t you?

Finally, Kochi Tuskers was launched in a gala event filled with extravaganza and show! The official launch of the logo and the promotional video was held at Hotel Le Meridian in Kochi. The rally that started off supporting the IPL Kochi team was the perfect start to the evening. And we witnessed the players walking in with splendour and grandeur. When the team owners and players, along with the physiotherapist, coach etc. stood on the podium, the evening marked the start to an era- Kochi Tuskers. To add to the glitz, cine star Jayaram was also present at the event. With our pretty lady Ranjini Haridas doing the MC’ing, the evening marked the official entry of the tuskers to the Indian Premier League. Out if the 27 players, only 20 could make it. But that did not reduce the glamour of the event one bit. The coach of the team along with co-owner Vivek Venugopal, took part in the Q & A session. And the best part was, the crowd was awe struck when the players came to the audience and sat beside them when the video was being shown . It definitely feels good when you sit besides International players like McCullum and VVS Laxman to watch their promotional video! What more can IPL fans ask for a start??!! The tuskers are all set to make Kochi proud with their first match on the 9th of April, and let’s wish them the best of luck, and also let them know that, we are with you! Gooooooooo Tuskeeeeeeeersssssss!!!!!!

Just a few hours stand in between 22 beauties from in and around Kerala to vie for the coveted crown. The crown for Hairomax Miss Kerala 2010 The level of excitement that must be present at Hotel Le Meridien can be imagined. With not just beauty to help them win, they need to push the envelope with the personality and grace. How they can charm the crowd and especially the judges.
Here is a small intro on each of the 22 participants:
Here are the contestants who are from or have roots in Kochi .

Priyanka Premnath, her special skills is dancing.
Renu Kuriachan, is an advocate.
Natasha Anil, is a high school student.
Josephine Varghese, is an anchor for a tv channel.
Neethu R, is a BTech student.
Mumtaz VP, is a a BA student.
Preethi Christina Paul, is from Melbourne and one of the two contestants from abroad.

Lets give these gals and extra little support so that Kochi can be proud to have a winner from the midst.
But being fair as how it is at Kochivibe, lets give the rest of the beautiful contestants a fair chance too, here are the other contestants.

Athira Shridhar, she is Pathanamthitta and is a Btech student.
Kavitha Prakash, our second participant from abroad is a dancer and model from Malaysia.
Stephly Grace Raj, she is from Kozhikode and her special skills are acting and dancing.
Manju Raj, she is from Shoranoor and her special skills are lending her voice for documentaries & ads.
Aswini Rchel Mathew, she is from Kollam and she is a BCom student.
Reshmi Rajan, she is from Pala and she work in IT.
Indu Thamy, she is from Trivandrum and she is an MA student.
Reshmi Thampy, she is from Trivandrum and she is an MBA student.
Aishwarya Muraleedharan, she is from Kannur and she is a BTech student.
Sneha Changroth, she is from Kannur and she is a BA student.
Sindhu Eradi, she is from Palakkad and she does career guidance.
Sonal Devraj, she is from Kannur and she is BMS graduate.
Shrilaxmi Harindran, she is from Kannur and she is a model and compere.

Now these are the 22 girls who are set to steal the hearts of Kerala and the Malayalee world for this years Hairomax Miss Kerala event. Lets wish them luck and may the best Lady win!

Football is described as the ‘Beautiful Game’. I may be biased in a way towards Football, but with the 2010 World Cup fervor at maniacal levels throughout the world I can safely say I have billions agreeing with me. No other global spectacle can match the World Cup’s magic to unite people in such a scale transcending all sorts of differences, united by the passion for the game. With 32 nations are plying their football skills in this tournament, it is truly a World Cup.

This year’s World Cup is the 19th to be held and will mesmerize football lovers and other sports enthusiasts alike for a whole month. This is the first WC to be held on African soil, so it is also historic in many terms. This years tournament is sure to boast of a WC that is entertaining, more competitive and adrenaline-pumping, with more teams emerging as serious contenders. Drama, excitement, emotions and more fill the competition, with players hoping to do their country proud and lift one of history’s most prized laurels; to lift the World Cup for their country.

The 32 nations that qualified for the prestigious event are

Europe: Holland, England, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia , Greece, Slovenia, Portugal , France.

Asia: Japan, Australia, South Korea, North Korea.

Africa: South Africa (as hosts), Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria .

South America: Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay.

North/Central America: Mexico, United States, Honduras.

Oceania: New Zealand.

The top four favorites to win the World Cup this year are, Spain, Brazil, England and Argentina.

Although of which the clear favorites are the 2008 Euro Winners, Spain just seems to swat their opponents away like flies. With a nearly unblemished record with Spain sharing a record undefeated run of 35 consecutive matches with Brazil, this might be Spain’s year to lift the cup.
Boasting of some of the best players like Iker Casillas, David Villa,Fernando Torres, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and many more they are a force to reckon. Precise flicks and passes adorn their play-field, goals are but a fancy for them, but Spanish’s fans have their fingers crossed on hoping that their team’s steam does not fizzle out like before on the World Cup stage.

Brazil is where Football is truly played with magic. The flicks, the step-overs, the fakes, no one does it better than the Brazilians in such numbers. Technical skill is something that is something that comes naturally to them. Five time winners and a true dominating force. With players like Luís Fabiano, Júlio César and Kaká brazil is sure to deliver thrilling and highly entertaining football. If they play their cards right, 2010 can be the year where they add a 6th to their kitty.

England the under-achievers where the game ironically has its modern roots from, with the first ever written evidence of a football match held as early as 1170. With only one World Cup to testify their prowess, England has ever failed since 1966 to win any further WC’s. Under Fabio Capello though England has put behind their miserable Euro 08 failures and marched solidly en-route to South Africa.

With their enigmatic powerhouse of a striker, one of the best in the world, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, has a whole nation’s hopes lie upon his shoulders.England has always had problems at the national level even having some of the best talents, largely due to the animosity through the ranks because of club differences.England can boast of one of the best Midfield pair in Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. This can be their year.

Argentina is one of the most successful football teams in the world. Winning two World Cups in its history and having Diego Maradona one of World’s most legendary players who had lead them to their second successful WC as their current coach. Maradona is now managing the national team hoping to lead them to victory.It should be no mean feat considering the man’s track record and the resources he has at his disposal. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has won all that can be won at a club, being the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, a mean scoring machine, the ball may seem glued to his feet. Sadly the only complaints against him is that he hasn’t been able to emulate his club form in the international stage. If he can find his bearings this year, along with the work-horse of player, Manchester City’s Carlos Tévez and Real Madrid’s hot striker Gonzalo Higuaín Argentina might be able to edge through.

Other hopeful contenders are Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, France and Portugal.

India being a cricket nation may not share the same celebratory mood as the rest of the footballing nations, but several pockets of football fanatics exist across the nation, mostly around the east and south. Kerala is major football loving nation with north Kerala districts being major fanatics.

Our Kochi has a mad passion for the game, where each area within the city and its edges having its own football ‘club’ and lovers dedicated to a sect of international football. Fort Kochi is one of the places that Kochiites consider a major haven for footballers. But sadly this year’s World Cup is not met with the similar enthusiasm it used to get in the past. Although Football posters and cutouts adorn parts of the city and several public screening halls have been set up by local communities, the city largely does not share the same indulgence. It would have been wonderful to see the City Officials set up public screening forums as we have many open and large spaces for such activities (which otherwise acts hosts to religious meeting and political rallies).
A sport such as football which brings people together setting aside all social differences should actually be promoted in such times of low social harmony of want of social interaction with your fellow man. And unlike any other events, this is the World Cup, the pinnacle highest of all sporting and global events.

Don’t let that dampen your moods though, get some friends together, a couple of munchies and a few bottles of beer and viola!-World Cup ambiance and if anyone of you have a wide-screen LCD screens even better!

1)There are several hotels in the city offering live screening of the matches, with drinks and snacks at special World Cup rates. Try the Ava Lounge at Dream, the Le Meridian, the Gokulam Park Inn or the Renaissance Hotel. Your local community is bound to set up a public viewing area as it is common to see such initiatives from local neighborhoods.
2)If not why take up the initiative on your own, get along a few friends, set up a viewing area,spread the fever. Rivalry is fun, bashing each others team, cheering and shouting for yours, highlighting your team’s strengths and your rival’s team’s weakness’s, the fun never ends, but always remember to stick to the fun part and let it not edge over a particular ‘boiling’ point.
3)Add color to the festivities by getting flags and replica jersey’s of your favored nation, go search online for chants and songs (remember to do that in a crowd with people to sing along with, you don’t want to make a fool out of yourself either), wear clothes that resembles your national colors and so forth.

The more livid and whacky the ideas can get the more the fun it is, don’t let your environs hamper your ability to have fun, go ahead let the World Cup Fever get hold of you!

Get your match schedule and fixtures at the FIFA website.

Outbreak Strikes Again In The Best of Hip Hop and Funky House music from across the globe ,being spun by DJ NASH (BLORE )

Live clubfectious sessions by “Psylocybins” with highly intense electro & tech sound waves being belted out by DJ Rupesh ,DJ Abhiram & DJ John ,for a total elevation into higher state of Conciouseness.

Don’t let the title mislead you, it has nothing to do with Voodoo dolls!
JT Pac Presents Black Magic Night with OSIBISA. Le Meridian plays host to the British Afro-pop band on the 20th of November from 5 pm to 10 pm. A prelude show of THRI THAYAMBAKA by Mattanur Sankaran Kutty Marar will also be held at 5 pm.
Osibisa were one of the first African bands to become widely popular, they claim to be the group that paved the way for world music. For a night full of music with a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, rock, Latin and R&B head to Le Meridian.

Passes are available for two catgeories, Marked seating and Free standing. This is a charity show pass,so all the proceeds goes towards supporting ailing artistes in Kerala through fellowships for performing art and culture.
For more details
Contact: 9349528107 9349528057
or log on to www.jtpac.org