Will the chemistry between Prince Harry & Pippa Middleton spark enough to turn into the next royal marital bond? Will they be the next “Royal Couple”?

What do you feel?

Britain’s newly married Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, have left the island nation of the Seychelles after a 10-day honeymoon, officials said Saturday.

“They left happy and clearly content with their stay,” said the head of the Seychelles tourism board, Alain St Ange, who saw the couple leave Friday.

William’s office at St. James’s Palace confirmed the couple had returned to Britain.

The palace said the couple “thoroughly enjoyed their time together, and they are grateful to the Seychelles government for their assistance in making the honeymoon such a memorable and special 10 days.”

The island nation’s foreign minister said the nation was proud to host the couple.

“The people of Seychelles are truly honored that Prince William and his wife chose to return to Seychelles for this special holiday and we are proud to have been able to offer them a peaceful and private getaway,” Jean-Paul Adam said in a statement released by the government.

The string of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the eastern coast of Kenya is known for its sandy beaches, clear waters and secluded hideaways.

“We hope their stay was everything they had hoped for and we look forward to welcoming them back to our shores again in the future,” Adam said.

The Seychelles coast guard helped ensure the couple’s privacy as they stayed on North Island. On their last day the royal couple invited the coast guard ashore to personally thank them for their efforts.

North Island in the Seychelles, where the royal newlyweds celebrated their honeymooning, is the paragon of tropical island escapes – the Christian Louboutin of what travel types call barefoot luxury.

At £1,957 per person per night – the average honeymoon for two people costs £3,220 – the stylish resort attracts the super-rich, City whizzkids and A-list celebrities including Liz Hurley, Jennifer Aniston, Pierce Brosnan and JK Rowling. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are rumoured to have plans to exchange wedding vows on one of its two beaches.

Should you wish to reserve all 11 villas, ensuring privacy rather than paparazzi, the tiny granitic speck washed by the emerald shallows of the Indian Ocean will cost £43,000 – a remarkable flourish to what had been dubbed the austerity wedding.

For the considerable outlay, visitors to the fecund island of three small peaks and two white powder beaches stay in huge two-bedroom, butler-serviced villas of 4,843 square feet (450 sq m) made by Balinese thatchers and Tanzanian wood carvers. They have indoor and outdoor showers, staggeringly large bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling windows opening on to decks with private gazebos and plunge pools. Each villa has an electric golf buggy to nip around the sandy tracks.

At 8,000 square feet, Villa 11 claims to be one of the world’s ultimate beach huts with a circular-flow swimming pool, cinema lounge and multiple levels cascading down the boulders to the sand. The resort’s public areas, designed by the renowned safari camp architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, use upturned sun-bleached takamaka trees to create Daliesque columns for open-sided rooms containing rectangular reflection pools, sunken sofas and screens of roped coral.

The choice of the hyper-fashionable if slightly cliched honeymoon suggests the royal couple not only have a less stuffy idea of romance than his parents but also enjoy a more equal relationship. Charles and Diana’s post-wedding travels in 1981 took in Broadlands in Hampshire, the family home of the Mountbattens, followed by a Mediterranean cruise on the royal yacht and a visit to Balmoral with his family – which suggests Charles called the shots rather than his younger bride. Whether North Island will be such an aphrodisiac is another question. William was born in 1982, eight months after his parents returned.

May the joy, cheer,
Mirth and merriment
Of this divine festival
Surround you forever.
May the happiness,
…That this season brings
Brighten your life
And, hope the year
Brings you luck and
Fulfills all your dearest dreams!
Happy Deepavali & A very Happy & Prosperous New Year

 

A long long time ago in Arabia there lived two men in two different cities. One was called Baghdadi, who lived in Baghdad, and the other was called Hasawi, from AlHasa Regio in Saudi Arabia. These two men were sent to Egypt to be schooled and to learn what they couldn’t learn in their own countries. They met there and became very close friends. Hasawi, who was from a wealthy family took care of his less wealthy friend, Baghdadi, and the two men became like brothers to each other. Then years later, when they finished their schooling, they each went back to their countries. But they both promised to keep in touch and visit each other soon.

A year later Baghdadi, who missed his best friend a lot, took the long journey to Hasawi’s village, in Saudi, to visit his old friend. Hasawi showed him the very best of Arab hospitality and did his best so that Baghdadi would have a great time. When the two men discussed their future plans, Hasawi told Baghdadi that he was in love with his cousin and that ever since he was a kid he planned to marry her one day. Baghdadi told Hasawi that he also would like to get married. So, Hasawi promised Baghdadi that he will marry him off before he goes back to his country.

The two men walked the streets of Hasawi’s village while Baghdadi looked at the different women in hope of finding a wife to take back to his hometown. Baghdadi’s heart was taken when he saw a certain beautiful woman. He told Hasawi that he found the girl he wanted to marry but that he did not know anything about her. So the two men took to the streets again, in hope of finding the woman he was taken by, but with no luck. A few days later and by coincidence, Baghdadi finally saw the woman he wanted to marry. Hasawi was crushed when his friend pointed out the girl he had his eyes on! Baghdadi had his eyes on Hasawi’s cousin. The very woman that Hasawi wanted to marry since he was a kid! But Hasawi didn’t say a word. He loved his friend and he had promised to help him marry. So he told his father to allow his cousin to marry his friend, the Baghdadi.  Baghdadi had no idea. He said goodbye to his old friend,  took his new wife, and left back to his home in Baghdad, Iraq.

Years came and years went by. On one of those years a terrible drought hit Hasawi’s village. Death and poverty swept through the town and his family lost all of its fortunes. So, Hasawi decided to make the long journey to Baghdadi’s house. He wanted to seek out the help of his old friend. He knew his friend would never turn him back and would help him in his misfortune.

So, he traveled through the deserts of Arabia and it’s many cities. His clothes were ragged and he had little to survive. He finally made it to Baghdadi’s village and he asked the locals where his friend’s house was. One of the locals looked at him with surprise and laughed at the thought of someone like Hasawi, who looked miserable and poor would know someone of the stature of the famously wealthy Baghdadi. When Hasawi finally found Baghdadi’s home the guard stopped him at the door. Hasawi insisted he wanted to see his old friend but the guard did not believe him and would not allow him in as he looked very poor and an unlikely friend. The guard finally agreed to go tell his master that Hasawi was there and Hasawi waited and waited at the door for the guard to return. But the guard returned and told him that Baghdadi was too busy to meet him.

Hasawi left feeling heartbroken and disappointed to no end. How could his old friend neglect him in his time of need? How could this dear friend of his, who he sacrificed his cousin for turn him away so coldly. He didn’t have food nor shelter. He wandered around the city aimlessly, hopeless and most of all disappointed. As he walked through an empty spot of land two men, who looked like thieves, were running away from something and were carrying what looked like big and heavy bagys. When they saw him, they looked very frightened, so they dropped their bags and ran as fast as they could. When Hasawi looked inside the bags he found stacks of gold. He did not know what to do with them so he buried them in a place and marked the place so he would lose them. After some contemplating, he decided to live off the gold till he finds a plan or a way to survive his loneliness away from him home. So he chipped away at the gold every day. He bought a tent and some food to survive.

On one of his days sitting in the tent a hunched old lady passed by. She begged him to help her. She said she was old and had no where to stay. She just wanted a place to stay and she was willing to clean and cook for him. He welcomed her into his tent and allowed her to stay there. He told her the story of his journey to this village and his friend who deserted him and the gold that he found. She advised him that instead of just chipping away at the gold which is sure to finish one day, He should become a merchant. She also told him that there was a gold merchant in town who was going out of business and that he wanted to sell his store. Hasawi went to the store salesmen and asked to buy the store. He bought the store and before he knew it he became very successful at his trade. He bought the next store. And the store near the next store. Sooon, he became very very wealthy. So, the old lady told him that since he is now rich, he must find a wife! And she insisted that since she was born and living in this town all her life, that she should would find him the best woman in town for him.

The old lady found Hasawi a beautiful bride. He decided to have a huge wedding and invite everyone in the town to his celebration. All the important men in the city came and Hasawi couldn’t be any happier. But at some point in the evening he saw Baghdadi! His old friend was coming to congratulate him. Hasawi was furious! He immediately asked Baghdadi to leave. He told him that he neglected him in his time of need and that he had forgotten the kindness he had showed him and that he never wanted to see his face again. Baghdadi begged Hasawi to let him speak but Hasawi insisted that he was a liar and that he must leave! The other important men in the village tried to calm Hasawi and told him that Baghdadi was known to be an honest man, a man who never lied, and that he just have to give him a chance to speak. Finally, Hasawi agreed to listen.

Baghdadi told him that on that day, when Hasawi came from his city hungry and in torn up clothes, he was watching him from the window of his home. He couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his friend like that and he couldn’t stand the thought of having his friend beg him for anything. Thats why he turned him away, and then sent some of his servants with bags of gold to him in an empty spot of land so that he can live off of this gold. And that the old woman he sent and pretended she was a helpless old lady, cooking and cleaning for him and was like a mother to him, That old lady was his mother. And when she advised him to buy a gold store, that the owner of the store and all the ones next to it was Baghdadi’s stores himself. Baghdadi wanted his friend to become a merchant in his own right. And when the old lady, Baghdadi’s mother, finally told Hasawi she would pick the best wife in town to become Hasawi’s wife – she picked her daughter, Baghdadi’s sister.

Found here, Thanx.

What is the level of intimacy you share with your partner? Have you tried something different to do, together?

Well then it time you try out this Love Exercises. Do take care to spend enough time for this, preferably on a weekend or a vacation.

Art by Rikuko

Art by Hirokazu

1. Two as One. Embracing each other gently, begin to sense your partner’s breathing and gradually try to synchronize your breathing with his or hers. After a few minutes, you might feel that the two of you have merged.

Inhibitions. Countless millions of relationships have probably started with a glass of wine. Inhibitions block feelings of vulnerability, so lowering inhibitions can indeed help people bond. Getting drunk, however, is blinding and debilitating. Instead of alcohol, try the Two as One exercise above.

2. Soul Gazing. Standing or sitting about two feet away from each other, look deeply into each other’s eyes, trying to look into the very core of your beings. Do this for about two minutes and then talk about what you saw.

Art by Jayun

3. Monkey Love. Standing or sitting fairly near each other, start moving your hands, arms and legs any way you like—but in a fashion that perfectly imitates your partner. This is fun but also challenging. You will both feel as if you are moving voluntarily, but your actions are also linked to those of your partner.

Similarity. Opposites sometimes attract, but research by behavioral economist Dan Ariely of Duke University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others shows that people usually tend to pair off with those who are similar to themselves—in intelligence, background and level of attractiveness. Some research even suggests that merely imitating someone can increase closeness. See the Monkey Love exercise above.

4. Falling in Love. This is a trust exercise, one of many that increase mutual feelings of vulnerability. From a standing position, simply let yourself fall backward into the arms of your partner. Then trade places. Repeat several times and then talk about your feelings. Strangers who do this exercise sometimes feel connected to each other for years.

Arousal. Studies by researchers such as psychologist Arthur Aron of Stony Brook University show that people tend to bond emotionally when aroused, say, through exercise, adventures or exposure to dangerous situations. Roller coaster, anyone? See the Falling in Love exercise above.

5. Secret Swap. Write down a deep secret and have your partner do the same. Then trade papers and talk about what you read. You can continue this process until you have run out of secrets. Better yet, save some of your secrets for another day

Self-disclosure. Research by Aron, Sprecher and others indicates that people tend to bond when they share secrets with each other. Once again, the key here is allowing oneself to be vulnerable. See the Secret Swap exercise above.

Art by Fujisawa Machi

6. Mind-Reading Game. Write down a thought that you want to convey to your partner. Then spend a few minutes wordlessly trying to broadcast that thought to him or her, as he or she tries to guess what it is. If he or she cannot guess, reveal what you were thinking. Then switch roles.

Art by Nariyuki

7. Let Me Inside. Stand about four feet away from each other and focus on each other. Every 10 seconds or so move a bit closer until, after several shifts, you are well inside each other’s personal space (the boundary is about 18 inches). Get as close as you can without touching. (This exercise often ends with kissing.)

Proximity and familiarity. Studies by Stanford University social psychologists Leon Festinger and Robert Zajonc and others conclude that simply being around someone tends to produce positive feelings. When two people consciously and deliberately allow each other to invade their personal space, feelings of intimacy can grow quickly. See the Let Me Inside exercise above.

Art by Tetsukuzu Tetsuko

8. Love Aura. Place the palm of your hand as close as possible to your partner’s palm without actually touching. Do this for several minutes, during which you will feel not only heat but also, sometimes, eerie kinds of sparks.

Original here – Thanks, Kitsune

It looks like the World War 3 – Iran v/s Rest of the World has started at the UN conference.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entered into a war of words, calling the other nation’s nuclear capability as the principal threat to international stability.

Ahmadinejad fired the first salvo at a special UN conference on the global nuclear non-proliferation regime Monday, accusing the US of leading a skewed international system that seeks to deny peaceful nuclear power to developing nations while allowing allies such as Israel to stockpile atomic arms.

Demanding that the world’s nuclear-weapons states agree to a clear timetable for the disbandment of their arsenals, Ahmadinejad said: “The possession of nuclear bombs isn’t a source of pride; it is disgusting and rather shameful.”

“And even more shameful is the threat to use or to use such weapons, which isn’t even comparable to any crime committed throughout the history.”

Sadly rather than confronting him with a suitable reply, the leaders walked out.

SHAME! SHAME!! SHAMEFULL!!!

What he said is a fact, that he made explicit to the UN & the world. US may be a superpower and maybe the other nations lookup to it for something. But the fact remains that the US has the largest stockpile of Nuclear War heads and is strategically supporting Israel (who has some nuclear warheads and is the main bone of contention in the Middle East peace process).

It is a great opportunity for brokering world peace, given the initiative taken by Ahmadinejad to come to the UN Nuke meet and clarify Iran’s stand on nuclear power vis-a-vis the world.

Rather than grabbing the opportunity to break the ice and arrive at a consensus on nuclear weapons and energy, it is very much shameful, that the world leader, walked out on him, rather than putting their defense.

It this opportunity is lost, the nuclear issue across the world will be pushed back into troubled waters, with Iran carrying back bitter memories of the UN meet.

Is it that the leaders are bribed by Arms Lobby into derailing the UN Nuke meet, so that their business does not suffer?

Well what ever the reasons, I think President Obama should attend the meet and shake hands with Ahmednijad & understand Iran’s stand negotiate peace. Afterall, he has always said that “Dialogues are better ice-breakers, rather than swords”.

The world is going to blame the world leaders for walking out rather than coming to a table to arrive at a consensus which can foster world peace.

Lord, GOD, Allah – give the world leaders sense to make the world a peaceful playground, as YOU had intended.

Wedding cake is so ordinary, so if you want to cut something different at your wedding in Japan, a company in Kanagawa prefecture offers a big tuna instead.   The company has offered this package for about 10 years now and in the following video one Japanese couple has purchased a 100kg BigEye tuna for their guests.

Are you planning to have one for your wedding?

Article by Pritish Nandy in TOI - source

“Many of us knew of Arthur Andersen, the global consulting firm. But when it broke up and morphed into Accenture, not many made the exact connection. The connection was made on that fateful day when the media decided to out Tiger Woods for his sexual transgressions. Suddenly all the brands he had endorsed, from Accenture to Nike, made it to the headlines of every newspaper, with eager readers panting to find out who drops him first. A golfer worth a billion dollars is not the worlds most loved person, however much he may be admired. But this columns not about celebrity hunting.Its about controversy. The power of controversy.
Nothing builds a brand quicker than controversy. The uglier the controversy,the more profitable its outcome. You can ask me why this happens in a world where we are always taught to sidestep trouble,walk the straight and narrow. The reasons simple: Controversy polarises opinion. When public opinions polarised on any issue,be it Tiger Woods or MNIK, Raj Thackeray or Mayavati, Husain or Bt Brinjal, it immediately grabs headlines. You cant help but notice it. In fact,everyone notices it and then,thanks to the net,everyone reads up everything on it. No amount of paid publicity can ever achieve the phenomenal reach controversy delivers. A broken theatre and a few torn hoardings can give an unbearably boring film screaming front page coverage for days on end,and fans a righteous cause to fight for. Yes,it was the Sena that made MNIK such a success. There was little buzz about its promotions till Saamna attacked it and SRK cleverly turned the table on them.
This brings me to the smart art of conflict management. Take an issue,any issue. Instead of spending a fortune on putting out your point of view,its much easier to design an emotionally charged controversy around it so that people can take extreme positions. Make it a clear love/hate choice and,before you know it,everyones on one side or the other. The commercial objectives will be instantly realised. Funnily,no controversy ever goes to waste. The worms in Cadbury chocolates led to Amitabh Bachchan being brought in to repair the brands image. He not only repaired the image but brought the brand back into business, stronger.
Every time consumer activists attack soft drinks,they sell more,almost as if by consumer defiance. The more we rant about transfats,the more people flock to fast food counters. Its not only the young who refuse to have health concerns forced down their throat; everyone resents being told what not to do. Any pressure exerted, be it not to see MNIK or not to drink Coke or not to eat a burger at McDonalds only helps to increase their sales. Word of mouth, an old aphorism we used in the context of movies that people saw, liked and spread the word about, no longer works. People want to make their own choice these days. A tiny movie called Thanks Maa has got rave reviews this week. Will they sell one extra ticket. Unlikely. Will the film be around in theatres long enough to reap the benefit of word of mouth publicity. Unlikely. Quality and saleability walk on divergent tracks these days.
Actually good, clean entertainment is no longer in great demand. Good, healthy,nourishing food hasnt even taken off. Brain dead cinema rules. So does wicked food. The moment you talk about wholesomeness,you drive away consumers. Good is confused with bland. It works on the same principle that Sarat Chandra (author of Devdas and Parineeta) once espoused, that the more you denigrate a woman, the more you call her immoral, the more attractive she appears to everyone else. Simple question: Would you rather spend an hour with Mother Teresa, listening to her homilies, or with Angelina Jolie risking your perfect marriage.
So lets not kid ourselves. If you have something to sell,go make such a huge controversy around it that the world stops dead in its tracks. Husains fortunes were flagging when the saffronites went for him. Tyeb, Souza, Gaitonde, even young Subodh Gupta had hijacked his best selling tag. Auction after auction saw Husain’s prices tanking. Now,post this silly controversy,hes back–right on top. Raj Thackeray followed the same strategy in politics,instigating one controversy after another,to ensure that he created a space for himself in Maharashtra politics. Its not a unique strategy. Balasaheb Thackeray, Mayavati, Jayalalitha, Mamta Banerjee, and even Sonia Gandhi used every controversy to further their political cause. Each controversy helped consolidate their presence in politics,enhanced their play. Just as Sanjay became a bigger star after Khalnayak and his stint in jail. Salman has hit a purple patch with every controversy. Saif even got a Padma Shri for riling the Bishnois.
It all goes to prove the point: If success is what you seek,go get yourself a controversy. Or else,consign your dreams to oblivion.”

New Year 2010 eve, i,e, December 31, 2009 night will be a Blue Moon night.

It will be a second full moon in the same month. Hence, its called a Blue Moon, and it comes once in 19 years.

So what will you be doing on the Blue Moon night, to classify it as a “Once in a Blue Moon” event of your life.

Party ! Of course you need to party and make merry. But party with a different set of ‘new friends”. You have several occasions in a year (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) to party with your known friends.

This New year eve, make new friends. Party with the underprivileged by showering them with goodies. Let them know that your heart sometime beats for them. Show them your concerns and love & that you care.

Your usual New Year plans will line the pockets of those hoteliers and caterers, who already have a swelling pocket.Rather, lets stitch those pockets with a  hole in them.

So ACT today and show the world that you care for those unfortunates and that ‘Once in Blue Moon‘ night of your life a truly memorable one.

That’s a good way to end the year 2009 on a positive note.

Tiger Woods is no doubt the world richest golfer and probably the richest sportman ( I’m not sure) living today. Over the span of his career, he not only achieved enviable fame but also equally enviable wealth. He was considered the man to promote products that mean success in life. So he endorsed and promote many high lifestyles products. In the process, apart from him, the advertisers, the media, the ad agencies, the PR agencies, the goods manufacturers, etc. all made tons on money alongside him.

Now that he is caught in a scandal, which is more titilating than scandalous, all of the media – press, websites, feeders, paparazzi, reporter, etc. are having a good time collecting any small nuts and bits about his life that can add spice to the already hot news item of his affairs. He is now the most searched person on the search engines such as Google, Yahoo, AOL, Bing, etc. The media and paparazzi are trying to find some more skeletons (even a small bone is a treasure now) in his cupboard. Everybody has turned into a newsperson and is expecting to make a good amount by exposing about Tiger Woods. Sometimes the dead are more valuable than the living ones.

No doubt, it is said that, once you are celebrity, you automatically become a public property, and under the scanner of a million eyes. You probably loose your old privacy. All you life becomes social and the public turns you into a demi-GOD and expects you walk the line that the society has drawn and you not expected to deviate, however little whatsoever. Or else, its a field time again for the media to show the ‘other’ of you.

We all want to become famous, but wonder how many can handle such a situation when it arises.