After an eventful journey for the 16 finalists contesting in the Hairomax Miss South India 2010 by Pegasus. The last leg of that journey was at Hotel Le Meridien on the 6th of November. The final had a nerve racking set of rounds for the contestants with a host of music and dance shows in between to entertain the crowd. And again the crown goes to another Bangalorean, the beautiful Shubha Phutela, Geethu Christy, a Malayalee was the first Runner Up and Nikita Narayan an Andra native was the second Runner Up. A huge congrats to Shubha and the rest of the contestants and also to Pegasus events for a great event for all us to enjoy.
Now photos from the night.
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We also got a chance to interview the brains behind Hairomax Miss South India. Read it here.

Photographs by Gifen, Adheeth and Myself

Gone are the days when the only role of women was cooking and child rearing. Women in India (especially in the more conservative south) are gradually playing a more visible role in society , and perhaps there’s no greater affirmation of how far we’ve come than the Hairomax Miss South India Contest, where young women from various social and cultural backgrounds come together to show off their talents, brains and of course, not inconsiderable beauty.

Four beautiful young women have made it to the finals from our very own state of Kerala: Aiswarya Muraleedharan, Geethu Christie, Priyanka Mohan and Denita Anand. The auditions were held at the Hotel Wyte Fort on October 19th, and judged by former Miss Kerala Ranjini Haridas, Miss Andhra Pradesh Valentina Mishra and Managing Director of Nupal Remedies Mr. Krishnakumar. These contestants will now go through grooming sessions emphasizing all round development: yoga, meditation and personality development for the mind, as well as photo shoots, catwalk training and beauty sessions. These sessions will be under the guidance of Mr. Arun Ratna from Fashion Runway, Mr. Sameer Khan from Elite Model management, Valen’s Model Management, and Mr. Jayagopal and Mr. Jaison Paulson from Jaison Fitness First.

The finals will be held at the Le Meridien Convention Centre in Kochi on November 16th and will have four rounds interspersed by cultural performances. Four representatives from each of the four states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will battle it out for the crown, over designer saree, casual, black & black and linen wear rounds, sporting ensembles designed by Sajimon Parayil.

The judges include actors from all of south India such as Swetha Vijay (also a former Miss India) Aditi Chibber and Kaushal Prasad, model Simer Motiani, fashion designer Sajimon Parayil and media personalities Vijay Babu and Thoshma Biju.

The title winners will get a gold plated crown designed by Prakash Parakkat, and cash prizes of `1 lakh, `50,000 and `25,000 for the first, second and third positions respectively. Apart from these, other titles include Miss Beautiful Hair, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Beautiful Skin, Miss Beautiful Face, Miss Beautiful Eyes, Miss Congeniality, Miss Cat Walk, Miss Perfect 10, Miss Talented and Miss Photogenic.

This beauty event is not without a heart, literally. The organizers, Pegasus Events, will use part of the proceeds from this event to cover the expenses for heart surgery for two children at Sunrise Hospital,
Go out there and do us proud, girls!
The contestants from Kerala

We gave you the buzz on the Italian food fest that started on the 15th at Le Meridien, the ‘Festa Italiana’. We got to check the fest firsthand ourselves yesterday. The fest at the Treasure Trove restaurant and the Italian ‘air’ can be seen as you reach the entrance. The whole placed is decked in the Venetian sort of style and the bright colors that do relate to Italy. The staff is similarly attired, friendly and warm. The spread looked impressive on a quick look over; we were greeted by the captain of the restaurant and offered Italian country bread with some pesto sauce, a light gentle start to ‘our’ Italian Fest. The buffet also offers beverages from beer to wines, red or white and the assorted juices or aerated drinks.

We checked out the Classical Minestrone Soup with pesto, the flavors of the herbs were gentle and it was just delightful. What’s wonderful about the subtle flavors of the herbs which can really make a difference to a dish. We checked out the assorted breads which had some interesting candidates like the pita bread, basil pesto bread, soft herb rolls, to be short, there were quite a few . To go along with the breads were a nice set of cheeses. We took our time enjoying the varied tastes of the breads and cheeses over a glass of red wine.
Our next step took us to the cold meats and salads section. You have your usual salad-material, lettuces, balsamic vinegar, olives, olive oil, zucchinis and a lot more of the green. What interested us more was the set of cold cuts, which did look pretty good and tasked likewise.

Over to the main course area, they had dishes that were already cooked and set, and then they had live stations. The live stations churned out food to-order. From a seafood station to a pasta and pizza station, it took us a while to decide on what to try out. On the main course section, we tried out the Grilled Beef with rosemary and red wine sauce. The meat was finely cooked, tender and properly done on the outside, tender and pink in the inside. That was indeed a fine sight, the meat was delightful, with the rosemary flavor being a little on the heavy side, but it being rosemary, who can complain. There was a chicken and a veal dish that tasted quite good too, cooked with tomato and white sauces, the main course had quite a good feel to it. There some side dishes like the wild mushroom fritters and roasted potatoes with Italian red onions which went well with the main course.
We were very lucky to get a plate of the grilled seafood, which had salt crusted Sea Bass with fennel and lemon salsa and calamari’s. The Bass was the dish that stood out, it was juicy, it was crispy, it was subtle, it oozed gentle flavors and it was succulent. That was the highlight for us, five stars for that dish, it was perfect!
We tried out their pastas which was again a lot, they had sauces from alfredo, carbonara, arrabbiata, mixed seafood sauces and many more. What interested us over the pastas they had was the two that was house made, Gnocchi and Tagliatelle, it added a nice authentic touch to the whole fest.

With the main course done with it was the Dolci ( sweets in Italian ) that we eyed. The dessert section was beautifully set up, there was an arrangement with resembled a tree on which Pannacotta’s were placed. The whole place looked quite nice and being the dessert section, it even intrigued us further. So with no further adieu, we tried out the different sweet savories. The Chocolate Pannacotta was heavenly. There were other like Kiwi, berry, they were also nice, but to me the Chocolate really stood out. And as I hoped they had Tiramisu and it was a welcome addition to the marvelous meal we had.

A good meal should always be topped off with coffee or tea and they brought us fresh cups of the same, as we sat back and looked back on the meal we had, I can say it was quite good. Service was very good, with the staff being very friendly and prompt on bringing you with anything that is required. The whole ambiance was nice and well toned, the spread was nice and varied, authentic to the feel. As a whole on the Italian Fest, is where you can take your family, your date, your friends or yourself for a nice dinner over a nice glass of wine ( or without), it is quite worth it to try out.

Feast upon one of the world’s most popular cuisine, Italian at Le Meridien, Kochi. For a week long, from the 15th to the 24th of October, indulge in some fine Italian dining only at Le Meridien. Be there between 7-11 pm and enjoy pastas, risottos , lasagnas made with that subtle but mouthwatering touch.
The Festa Italiana is a dinner buffet at their multi-cuisine restaurant Treasure Trove,priced at INR 850/- plus tax per head for adults and half price for kids from age 5 to 12 yrs of age.

Head to Le Meridien and let your palate have a wild time.

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!

Another year is coming to an end. We all bid adieu to 2009 and beckon in 2010, the beginning to a new decade. We have a lot to look forward to in the next year, most importantly for me is the FIFA World Cup in South Africa ( pardon my try at humor, but I am serious in a sense ). But we all have something or another waiting for us in 2010, it is tradition that we say goodbye to this year in a manner befitting it. New Year to most people is synonymous with parties(wild ones), crowds, huge gatherings of people and so on. Each culture has its own way of celebrating it. Kochi is soon picking up the pace on being social and trend-savvy to celebrate New year in all manner possible. So to those still planning on what to do for the New Year’s Eve, here are some suggestions that I can merely provide.

Parties
As always a lot of people look forward to the end of the year to let loose. Parties are on of the foremost places where you can do that, well in a sane manner at the least.
Here are some parties to soothe your thirst, that is happening in Kochi on New Year’s Eve.

The Gateway hotel
One of the places where New Year parties have been happening over the past few years. Click for more info.

Casino hotel
The Casino Hotel has a retro theme to their New Year bash, if you in a retro mood check out the Casino in Wellington Island. Couple’s and Stag Entry’s cost Rs 5000/- , while kids get in cheaper.
Magic shows,DJ nights and food is what’s in store for you.

Renaissance
Rejoice is their New Year program, which they have had since 2005 where they celebrate the New Year. Its accompanied by DJ’s, Live band’s, Professional Dancer’s, a huge Gala Buffet with more than 100 dishes to try out!
This is another good place for families to try out.

Taj Malabar
One of the swankiest places in town. For fine dining check out their dinner and of course their water front lwans will be set afire by the festivities with a DJ and all the works!

Dream Hotel
Always a hot place in town for parties. Click for more info.

Glow Disco Bar
One of the clubs that offers regular parties. Bound to be a fun night over there. Click for more info.

Gokulam Park
Free Formation has a party setup for you over there.Click for more info.

Le Meridien
Celebrate the New Year with The Blue Torrent at Le Meridien. Music extravaganza by bollywood fame Shrradha Pandit, DJ’s,mega buffer dinner all await you for the New Year Celebration.

Avenue Regent
Have a succulent dinner at the Springs restaurant for the New Year or head to Loungevity, which has one of Kochi’s hottest dance floors and party your socks off late into the night.

Ramada Resort
Check out another hot party spot at the Ramada Resort, they are hosting the Song of the Seas New Year party with Kingfisher. Exotic dancers, three DJ’s, unlimited beverages,of course the food and more.

Micheals Land Resort
Another place that could be a good place to spend your New Year’s eve. Click for more info.

DD Retreat
Try out DD Retreat for fun with the family. Click for more info.

Mermaid Hotel
The Mermaid will host a Mermaid night to celebrate the New Year, with the familiar Filipino female band lending their music. Fireworks, cinematic & folk dance, karaoke and more are what they have in stock for you.

Dinner parties
If you aren’t exactly the socialite and prefer quiet dinners with your close friends to parties, a dinner at home is your best option. Whip up some of your best dishes, get your friends to pitch in with some of theirs too and welcome the New Year over some good food and Wine if you are in the mood for it. Go for whatever that fits your mood but remember the hangover that comes with it. So unless you have work to get to in the morning, have fun! Better stock up on drinks and groceries as soon as possible if you doing the hard way or have it done fast food style and order take-out.

Experience the Surreal
These are prone to had a risk tag to it as is done in the late hours, don’t worry its nothing illegal either. You can roam around the corners of Kochi where you wouldn’t be able to otherwise in peace during the day, watch the flights takeoff from the airport, the calm waves of the sea from the beaches, the alluring lights of the city from a high rise, its all up to your imagination. Park yourself at a strategic location and watch the Sunrise on the first day of the New Year with your close buds. But stay clear from any funny stuff and dangerous spots where criminals can catch you in a tight spot. Also don’t give the Police a reason to haul you in. Keep it neat and clean and you can experience something great, simple as it may seem.

Cochin Carnivale
Its harder to get to this event at Fort Kochi than any event in Kochi. The Thomppumpady bridge is jam-packed usually due to the majorly high influx of traffic into the Fort Kochi side and it is hard to get there with the police restricting vehicle movement. If you get there early enough or have two-wheelers as your mode of transportation, you really should try to get in the sight of the ‘Burning of the Santa’ on the beach side. Locals and foreigners alike throng to catch a sight of this spectacle.

Note:The New Year is always the time to be merry, alcohol do form a major factor but do refrain from drunken driving, hire a driver or decide the designated driver between your chums, don’t cause misery to your family and to others.

So on this note I wish you all A Happy New Year Kochi! See you in 2010!