Shop Special

Body and Sports

Awareness towards health and fitness has taken new levels in Dhaka City, with the lack of parks and recreational facilities available. The present Dhaka dweller is now more concerned about keeping fit and shedding off those pounds. Gyms and fitness centres are sprouting all over the city nowadays, but some having exorbitant membership prices.

So, if you want to really workout at the serenity of your home then one of the best places to check out the best equipment is 'Body and Sports' at Kemal Ataturk Avenue. Although they do have another branch in Panthopath, the one at Kemal Ataturk Avenue is dedicated to health and fitness. The store offers complete multi-stations workout equipment suitable for both home use and for even setting up a commercial gym. However, some of the products are a bit tough on the wallet. The Panthopath branch has sports together with fitness equipment.

Body and Sports was set-up about ten-months ago with the aim to provide good customer service and state-of-the-art equipment, and the store has definitely improved ever since. Now it boasts equipment spanning from treadmills to cycle-machines and dumbbells.

Electronic treadmills are available at the shop in Banani and prices start at Tk.45,000. Manual treadmills are also available but at less cut-throat prices. They are available between Tk.6500 to Tk.14000. Electronic treadmills are easier to use and provide a uniform speed unlike the manual ones. The manual treadmill speeds vary according to the user. They also have cycle machines of different categories and are priced between Tk.3500 to Tk.19000. Cycle machines can come in handy when one has trouble getting out of home or if you look for the privacy of your own house while working out. Although cycling on the great outdoors can be entertaining, certain areas in the city are not quite safe for biking. One good use of these cycle machines is that it can be modified for steeper slopes and hence provide a better workout.

Body and Sports also offer two-station gym equipment and although these are expensive, they provide good weight training used together with dumbbells. The shop also sells physiotherapy supplies such as gym balls or balancing balls and even knee and ankle supports.

Snooker or billiard enthusiasts would find the Banani branch of Body and Sports thrilling. The shop offers a variety of cue-sticks at different price ranges and also provides pool tables and snooker tables. However the prices of the tables seem completely unrealistic, with wooden floor tables costing around Tk.85000 and slate-floored tables consting much higher. Snooker tables should not even be mentioned as they cost around Tk.7 lakh.

Surprisingly, keeping a mind on the flooding in the country, the shop sells well made lifejackets at around Tk.600. These can come handy if one decides to witness the floods paralysing the country, or go for relief purposes.

Body and Sports offers good quality products with many different varieties. However, the prices are a bit high and this does work as a drawback. However, quality comes first and in this regard they look to be getting even better. So, if you are planning to get more health cautious, visit Body and Sports and get yourself the desired equipment.

By Mishel Ali Khan

Table Mats
Tablemats embroidered with neat stitches and pastels would by every means enhance the beauty of your table decoration. Even tables with no attractive cuts and designs gain new dimensions if sets of tasteful tablemats are laid n them. At the outlets of OG, you will come across pleasing tablemats ready to be parts of your table dining room accessories. Each artistic tablemat at OG will cost you around tk.110. So next time you think of beautifying your dining table, think of visiting OG.

Make-up Foundation
You can't probably think of going to a gala event without putting a quality make-up foundation on your skin before starting the entire make-up session. The shops of Dhaka have foundation of various brands and countries of origin in their collection. The popular shops of Rifles Square, Metro Shopping Mall, Rapa Plaza, New Market, Karphuli Garden City and others have foundation from L'Oreal, Revlon, Maybelline, Cover Girl, Max Factor and Lakme in their collection. Each bottle of L'Oreal foundation will cost you around tk.500, Revlon and Maybelline about tk.480, Cover Girl tk.380, Max factor tk.250, Lakme tk.100 and Indian Revlon tk.130. Shops like Almas, Priyo and Prime Collection have a large stock, waiting to compliment your complexion. However, remember that the above-mentioned prices vary depending on market conditions.

For Dramatic Eyes
A gorgeous facial make over is never complete without a few expert touches of eyeshades. It's the eyeshades that flatter your eyes, make your eyes more appealing to others. Eyeshades of various colours and quality are available at stores like Priyo, Almas, Prime Collection and others. Price will vary by size, country of origin and sometimes, quality. A box of eyeshades from Maybelline will cost you about tk.450, Constance Carroll tk.180, Jordana tk.135 and Revlon within tk.350 to tk.550, besides above mentioned stores eyeshades are also available at the stores of Concord Twin Tower, New Market, Metro Shopping Mall, Rifles Square etc.

For fresh, healthy skin
Cleansing your face with a good quality face gel or liquid is essential in keeping our skin dirt-free. For invigorating skin, look for brands like Clean & Clear, Clearasil, L'Oreal and others. Even Lever Brothers Bangladesh Ltd. produces Pond's Face Wash, which is reasonably priced and is available at most local stores of Dhaka. Among the foreign brands, Clearasil will cost you around tk.340, Johnson's face wash at about tk.220, Neutrogena tk.400 and L'Oreal within tk.250 to tk.450. Remember that prices often differ from store to store and on market conditions. Check out Prime Collection, Almas, Priyo and other popular stores for the above-mentioned brands of face wash.

Gorgeous finger rings
Large gold or silver plated finger rings are definitely in vogue at present. These large stone studded rings are gracing the shelves of all the large and popular malls of the capital. Although mst stores display gold-plated fingers rings of diverse sizes, shapes and designs, Venus has an eye-grabbing but limited collection of grand silver-plated finger rings. Each ring is priced at tk.180. Venus is located at Metro Shopping Mall; and the shop number is 133. Besides, you can also visit the Banani branch of Woman's World for large stone set finger rings, each ring will cost you between tk.200 to tk.300 at this beauty parlour. So, to add elegance to your hands, and to keep up with the latest style, plan to buy at least one of these finger rings in coming weeks.

Party Bags
A party of some sort is always in our schedule… Be it a birthday party, wedding reception, family get-together or a reunion night, parties are there to add little fun to our busy life. A splendid makeover, an elegant sari will look somewhat lifeless if you don't carry an impressive handbag by your side or around your wriest. Pay a visit to Soma General Store for superb party bags of diverse colours, sizes and designs. These bags will cost you between tk.1200 to tk.1500. You can also stop by Celebrations for mind-blowing party bags, each of these bags is priced between tk.550 to tk.850. Both of the above-mentioned stores are located at Metro Shopping Mall, Dhanmondi.

By Wara Karim

 

 

Essentials Special

Raising Hell?
To the devoted mother, her child is the perfect angel. To someone who's not as blinded by filial affections, s/he might see the devil lurking behind that cherubic smile. So while Mommy darling smiles indulgently as her 'pumpkin-pie' terrorizes the visitors, those on the receiving end of the mayhem might not be as sympathetic. So how do you, as a parent, ensure that you're not raising another Dennis the Menace?

It's never to early To start
The biggest mistake the doting parents and grandparents make is to say "Babu is just a kid, he's too young to understand what he's done wrong". It's never too early to start instilling a sense of right and wrong in a child. So if you see your toddler reaching for the decoration piece in the living room, stop him/her, say something like "No. We don't touch that." Don't expect it to work instantly; babies are nothing if tenacious. You have to remember to be persistent, until the child understands that some things are off limits. The earlier you establish this, the less trouble you'll have when the child grows older.

Differentiate between negotiable and non-negotiable rules
Sit down with your child and discuss ground rules. Explain clearly that there are certain excesses they can take, and some they cannot. Like for example, if you have a 'one-hour of TV everyday' rule, you could make a concession for a special two-hour episode or something, maybe once a week. This shows the child that you can be reasonable. However, you also have to be absolutely firm on certain issues, like not going somewhere without notifying either of the parents. If your child flouts these rules, you have to be firm and make sure they are penalized.

Scold, but don't be a nag
So what happens when the child disobeys? Remember to be steadfast, but not unreasonable. Give your child a chance to explain him/herself, and listen carefully without interrupting. Count to ten before scolding your child, so that you don't lose your temper. When you are remonstrating the offender, criticize the action, not the perpetrator, especially if you are dealing with a young child. Instead of saying something like "Pinky, you're a bad girl, how could you tear that book?" say something like "Pinky, you're a good girl. Good girls don't tear books, do they? No, they don't." Also don't bring up past issues when scolding your child. Remain clear on why you're scolding him/her.

Proper Punishment
Punishment also, should be moderate. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" is something best left to Dickensian novels. Beating a child is a useless form of punishment. Do something like taking a 'tax' out of the child's allowance, or grounding the child. This way, the perpetrator feels responsible for the action, without the need to rebel. Keep in mind that no offense should go unpunished.

Finally, remember…
Set an example. If you want to raise polite, well-behaved children, you have to be the role model for them. Adults often forget to say 'please' and 'thank you', and yet expect their children to say it. It doesn't work that way. Show your child that it's important to mind your p's and q's. If you have a fight with your spouse, don't do any yelling or name-calling in front of the children. Be nice to domestic help and anyone providing service. If you can be a pleasant, cordial person, you're child will definitely follow suit.

By Sabrina F Ahmad