Malls, coffee shops and movie theatres have always been youngster’s favorite hangout. They get to spend a reasonable time together by loitering around, spend less amounts of money, and of course have fun at that minimal cost. So if it was coffee shops where they went often, now we see a drastic change in the scene, and the crowd seemed to have switched over to malls!

Yes they have. And the scene is no different in Kochi. We must admit the fact that our youth tends to spend more time inside those big malls rather than sit in a coffee shop and chat or gossip over a cup of coffee. So why do you think this change now? Is it the onset of numerous malls that come up in every nook and corner of the city, or the fact that you will have to shell a little extra when you are in a coffee shop? Well, we managed to speak to a couple of them, and here is what they think!

Devika Kumar, a B.D.S intern from the Amrita School of Medical Sciences, Edapally says that she prefers shopping malls any day than coffee shops. “The whole fact that we get to walk around aimless with our friends is the reason why we love malls. And who doesn’t love shopping? If you have a few hundred bucks with you, then you can at least get a pair of slippers. Shopping and fun, that is what malls offers you”, says Devika. Whereas Harikrishnan, a young dentist who works in Kochi says that malls are cheaper and affordable than coffee shops. “We don’t have to shell hundreds on cappuccino or hot chocolate. No one will ask you to leave. We can just relax and take our own time. Also, me and my friends never realize how time flies when we are inside the mall”, said this 23 year old.

So now you tell us which one you prefer and why? Kochi, as we all know is growing at a fast pace. The mall culture has definitely had an impact on our kids. Don’t you think so Kochiites?

In a spectacular show that happened at Boomerang Klub at Oberon Mall, Kochi witnessed some classic games being played by students. Rizwi Mohd of Kasargod defeated Varun Nair (2-1) and 2011 Pool Champion. Rosie Sam of Ernakulam defeated R. Bhuvaneswari (2-0) to win the Men and Women titles of the BOOMERANG TEAM SAM ALL KERALA POOL CHAMPIONSHIP, 2012.

The event brought together kids who were keen on the game, and it was an opportunity for them to get to know things better. The event which was extremely successful was held on the 8^th of January 2012 at Kochi’s most sought after game spot ‘Boomerang Klub’. The tournament was organised by the Boomerang Klub in association with Team Sam Academy.

Samor K. Joseph defeated Tejas Ratnam (2-0) to take the Junior under 18 years title. The games were conducted well, and the spectators as well as contestants had a good time being part of it. Vinayakumar T.P., Manager of Boomerang Klub gave away the prizes to the winners. Kochi hopes to host more of such events and bring together young minds so that they can reap the best out of it. Authorities, are you listening??!

Flash mobs have been spreading! Delhi, Mumbai, and now the latest one in Kochi! We must admit the fact that Kochi flash mob was definitely mind-blowing. Hat’s off to the team behind implementing the initiative. For those who do not know what a flash mob really is, read on. A flash mob is where a group of people (in a public place) come together and perform. This happens for a short span of time. They are usually done for causes, entertainment or satire.

The one in Kochi happened on the 16^th of December 2011 at Oberon Mall. The speculations regarding how Kochiites would accept this prevailed. Thanks to social networking sites and Youtube, Flash mob in Kochi has been labelled ‘SUCCESFULL’. Inspired by the flash mob at Mumbai CST, the one that happened in Kochi had youngsters and kids dancing to some lovely tunes. All for the Mullaperiyar issue!

Composed with over 150 dancers, the flash mob was done in full swing and the participants along with the spectators had a gala time enjoying every bit of it. Kochi has always welcomed newness. This one was an effort worth it. Big loud cheers for the initiative! Way to go Kochi!

Chicken, Mutton, Prawns, Fish and more of non-vegetarian, that too all grilled??!! That would be the perfect abode to be with friends. Wondering where this li’l haven is? Drop in at Chak De, the Indian restaurant near Oberon Mall.

You can grill it to your taste, and eat it till your tummy gives up. All that at a reasonable rate! They have an unlimited array of exquisite delicacies and kebabs that can be grilled live on your table. There are three different packages that the restaurant offers. But you won’t have to pay too much for it. This is no fest, so you can drop in here during anytime between lunch and dinner, and relish on yummy kebabs.

For more details, ping Adwaith at 9567762957. So let’s grill it for this dinner!

Times change, so do we. Our exploration in search for ‘newness’ in style, has alwaysfetched great results. Busy lives and unending work demands would have taken atoll on your life, already! Maybe you are a little too young for work to ‘literally’ eatyou up. You need to unwind. Relax and slow down, loosen and chill out. They areinevitable now. So that is when age-old therapies and man’s ancient ways of living findrelevance. Innovativeness in practicing the healing methods has a huge fan-followingin the contemporary scenario. Yoga and Ayurvedic therapies are universally acclaimedand applauded. For youngsters who have wanted to try out some universally followedmethods, do not miss what a ‘Spa’ has to offer you.

Sadly, Kochi needs to come a long way to reach the ‘Spa culture’. When counterpartsBangalore and Chennai have already established their mark in the spa industry, Kochilags a little way behind. But wait, we have a good international Spa in Kochi too. Thanksto ‘Ela Spa’, at Oberon Mall. No one would want to miss that one! From spa treatmentsthat can blow you over, and therapies which can make you clean bowled, ‘Ela’ has comea long way. Along with pleasant staff members and a lovely crew to take you through allthe good things that a spa offers you, ‘Ela Spa’ ensures that your money shelled does notgo down the drains.

Here are ten different ways (out of which you must try at least a couple of them) topamper your senses with the best available spa treatments in town.

1. Aromatherapy: A massage nurturing the art of human touch with the health pre-blended essential oils to transmit the pressure force or energy to create highly therapeutic effect. This is a gentle massage coupled with an aromatic blend, foryour choice of desired outcome. You can choose from balancing, stimulating,invigorating, and sensual. The therapy is something which you would not want to miss on.

2. Hot Stone Therapy: This therapy helps you go back to Mother Nature, andexplore her better. Harnessing earth’s healing energy; this massage alleviatesaches and pains. Along with providing a soothing effect to the nerves, the therapymakes sure that you indulge in the best products. This is a gentle massage withheated stones with an aromatic blend which makes you totally stress free.

3. Javanese Mandi Luhur: Let’s get some international treatments now. This therapyoriginates from the royal courts of Java. This traditional fragrant scrub cleans,exfoliates and freshens your skin using a blend of turmeric, herbs and spices.After lulur, a relaxing aromatherapy massage and refreshing bath in rose essencefor soft and supple skin makes a huge difference, even to the way you look.

4. Thai Herb Heat Revival: A secret Thai technique, employing a heat compresscontaining 20 Thai herbs, it eliminates lethargy, and frees blocked energy centers.

5. Hot Stone Spa Revival: You would be treated with the right blends for this one.This is a gentle scrub with a blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cardamom,followed by a flower petal bath to heal muscular soreness and improvecirculation.

6. Ayurveda Treatments: If you want to go Ayurveda from Ela, you can dothat as well with the best Ayuveda treatments available. From ‘Shiro Dhara’to ‘Udwarthanam’, the Ayurveda treatments are worth trying out. They also offerdifferent ‘kizihis’ as well. Yes, they have the traditional ‘Pizhichil’ too!

7. Rich Coffee Skin Smoothening Scrub: Who would not want to look pretty andbeautiful? What if ‘Ela Spa’ offer you some wonderful beauty treatments too.This scrub is a must check-out. You get acquainted with deep cleaning exfoliationthrough scrub with a blend of olive, roasted and powdered coffee beans, hemp seaoil, shea butter and herbal extracts.

8. Honey Sesame Body Scrub: This is a gentle scrub with honey dipped sesameseeds to exfoliate skin, heal wounds, and promote cell growth. This would beideal for dry or normal skin.

9. Re-Mineralizing Marine Bath: This underwater massage is enhanced with seaminerals. It helps in alleviating stress, aching limbs and stiff joints.

10.Cleopatra Milk Bath: Do not miss this one! Soothe your mood and indulge yoursense with this secret recipe from the legendry queen of Egypt. This aromaticpotion will leave your skin silky and fragrant. This is a wholesome milk bath toexfoliate and moisturize. It brings a unique glow to your skin.

They have various other beauty treatments, and facials which you can try out. Withinternational standards to boast about, ‘Ela Spa’ is something Kochiites would lovechecking out.

It’s Onam. The season of colors and festivities are here. Celebration beckons you. With Ramzan around the corner, Kochiites seems to be all set to rejoice in the days to come. Merriment and celebrations are not complete without doing a round of shopping. No one wants to wear already worn attire on a festival day. Kochiites are spending their weekends and weekday evenings shopping with family to get lovely clothes and accessories to wear during the forthcoming celebration month. The sea of shops in hotspots like M. G. Road and Broadway, Oberon Mall and all other malls in and around the city, Edapally and Aluva (to name a few), have geared up their sales too.

All those who have been traveling around the city on weekends would have had their share of traumatizing, patience-testing traffic playing the villain in between your shopping thrills. Reaching destination 1 to destination 2 is not easier anymore, but rather time consuming. Yes, we have cops here and there. But traffic mayhem finds no respite.

But wait. You can always do ‘walking around the city’, which eases your traffic chaos tensions, helps you reach faster, and of course saves a reasonable amount of money. (We are not talking about walking from Oberon Mall to M. G Road ). Taking busses can also help ease the traffic scene in Kochi.

So much to get, and so little time! Kochiites, shops are beckoning you from every nook and corner of Kochi. Exhibitions and sales have reached our city. With festivals around the corner, this is the perfect time to get hold of good stuff. Shop till you drop!!

Are you all set to throw darts, or bowl for some nice charity cause? The Boomerang Charity Bowl at Oberon Mall will be inaugurated on 14^th of August (Sunday) by M. L. A Hibi Eden. By doing the ‘first throw’, our young M. L. A will set the start for the celebrations to begin. Make sure that you step into Oberon Mall by 11.30 a.m, so that can you can also witness this grand start. This shall happen at the Boomerag Club at Oberon Mall. With 40 teams already confirmed for the event, more people are welcomed to take part in the show. So, see you at Oberon this Sunday!!

Here is your oppertunity to do something good and have a ball time in the process. Or should we say ‘bowl’ of a time. Here is your chance to take part in Boomerang’s Charity Bowl, Oberon Mall. Join and take part as an individual or as a team and take part in the Darts, Pool and Bowling competitions. Proceeds from the funds raised will be used towards improving sanitaion of the Sneha Bhavan Orphanage, Palluruthy Call +91-9747015030 or +91-980999918. This event is powered by Salt Mango Tree. Be the change, Kochi!

Gone are the days when we had to wait in long Q’s to get hold of tickets for long awaited movies! Thanks to the multiplex trend that boomed amazingly in our city in the last one year. Earlier, we had to wait for hours under the hot sun to watch a Mamooty or Mohanlal release, and most of the time, the results are sad too. (:D)

Now, all we have to do is call up Q cinemas or Cinemax and book for the tickets. Most of the time, you end up getting tickets. The fact that the service of Cinemax sucks has to be admitted here! But people, who think that the rates of Multiplexes are too high, often end up in our regular theatre. And there too tickets are available at ease.

But this has also led to the speculation that so much of money is wasted at times (on certain shows, especially the morning ones). Moreover, some shows runs with startlingly less crowd even during weekends! So the question would be, has the ‘excess’ of theatres led to a ‘less crowd’ (as Kochiites have so many options open), or is Kochi seeing a diminished rate in ‘movie-lovers’? What is your take on this, fellow Kochiites?

North Indian restaurants have always been loved and sought by Kochiites. We have has a few ‘desi’ restaurants in and around the city that serves some nice non-veg and vegetarian dishes as well. Now, we have another restaurant that can serve some good North Indian dishes. I’am talking about Chak De!, the restaurant right next to our very own Oberon Mall. Chak De! ain’t new to us, and we have heard a lot about the restaurant for the yummy Biriyanis and Thali meals that they dish up there. All of us who have watched a movie from Cinemax have managed to get a discount coupon from Chak De!, and hence the restaurant is familiar to us that way. At least, that’s how I took the pain of checking out the restaurant. But I must tell you that the restaurant is worth a try. The thali meals are lip-smacking and delectable!! And moreover, the price of the dishes ain’t that expensive also. They come at really reasonable rates!! And if you wanna check out on more varieties of dishes and look up to an assortment, try their butter chicken, rotis, range of dal curries and so on. They are lip-smacking. So next time you step out from Oberon Mall after some shopping, make sure you drop in at Chak De for a delightful meal!