News flash

Local cook has a chance to win world title

Good news for those who loves to cook. A Bangladeshi cook is guaranteed an expenses-paid trip to Scotland next year, with the chance of carrying home a world title and £1,000 prize.

But first the cook, man or woman, professional or amateur will have to prove his or her skills by cooking an ideal four-dish meal in competition with other experts.

Entries will open shortly to an annual contest at the Tommy Miah Institute of Hospitality Management in Dhaka. Each entrant must submit recipes for two main dishes of meat, poultry or fish, and two vegetarian side dishes.

Food trade experts will examine all the recipes and up to six of the best will be selected to cook their entered menu with strict time limits and under the scrutiny of judges.

The winner automatically gets one of the eight places in the final of the International Chef of the Year competition in Edinburgh on Friday, March 10, 2006.

The winner will have 2 ½ hours to cook the same meal again, in the Training Kitchen of Edinburgh's Telford College, and present it to table.

All eight cooks will be watched closely by a panel of judges, headed by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie. The judges shall then taste all the dishes before awarding the Inter-national Indian Chef of the Year title.

Check it out

Nescafe coffee comes up with 'My Cup & Saucer'

Imagine the great refreshing taste and the unique aroma of coffee- just the way you like it. Even the sound of it boost the senses. And if your favourite coffee comes with a cup and saucer its even more enjoyable.

Nescafe has recently launched a new promotion pack called "My Cup & Saucer". The suggested consumer price of this offer is Tk290. Now, you can enjoy an aromatic cup of the world's best coffee in a special Nescafe cup and saucer.

Nescafe is the world's premier brand of coffee which provides a special selection of the world's finest coffee beans roasted to capture the full-bodied flavour and aroma.

One thing you must remember that the true taste of Nescafe coffee can only be attained by adding Coffeemate creamer.

Siemens CF75 launched

If you consider your cell phone to be an essential fashion accessory, then the new Siemens CF75 (launched globally from July 2005 in the ocean blue colour scheme) will help you flaunt your goods in style. Yet another clamshell beauty from this telecommunications giant, its sleek lines are subtly elegant. With a small colour display on the outside, and a high-resolution display that supports 65,000 colours, it's definitely a treat for the eyes.

It's more than just eye-candy, though. A VGA camera (with an attachable Flash IFL-600 option), facilities for multimedia messaging (MMS), email, the Push and Talk feature for spontaneous calls, a hands-free option, and a fun 3D Phone Pilot that acts as a virtual secretary…it doesn't get better than this, right? Wrong. The CF75 also boasts a wide range of logos, polyphonic ring tones and wallpapers, all accessible through the 5-way navigation button, which is complemented by a well-structured intuitive menu.

Efficiency has found an attractive package, and it's called CF75.

LS Desk

Shop Talk

DVD Drive
Still using the CD Driver in your computer? If you are, then you're missing out on better picture quality. Get a DVD drive, people. A neat little multi-tasker, this gadget allows you to enjoy the sights and sounds of the latest movies. At the same time, you can still play CD's on it, as the DVD drive will also perform all the functions carried out by a CD Drive. At the computer shops of Elephant Road or IDB Bhaban you'll be able to buy a 16X DVD drive of brands like Asus and Liteon for about Tk2,000.

Zippo Lighter
If you have to smoke and spread cancer around you, the least you could do is do it in style. One way to do this is to have a lighter that sets you in a class apart from other smokers. A lighter is just another lighter unless of course it's a Zippo. If you go to an outlet of Almas (Gulshan & Dhanmandi) you'll be able to purchase a Zippo lighter in the range of Tk700 to Tk4,000.

Lip-gloss
Beauty fads change faster than the weather, but the lip gloss has been reigning as an essential part of your make-up kit for a long, long time. Whether you're smoothing it over matte lipstick for that extra shine, or using it by itself for that fuss-free, natural beauty-boost, there's no competing with the lip- gloss. There are various brands of lip-gloss available in the market, and Rochus is one of them. At Shoppers World (Gulshan) you'll be able to purchase Rochus' lip-gloss for Tk985.

Wheelchair
Has a relative of yours got limited mobility? If this is indeed the case, then instead of putting your relative and yourself through excess hardship, you might want to consider purchasing a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are now available at many places of Dhaka city. For instance, you can get them at some surgical stores at National Stadium Market (Gulistan), Babar Road (Mohammadpur; opposite Shishu Mela) etc. The price of a wheelchair at these places will be around Tk4,000.

Travel Guide
Have you got plans to go to a foreign country on a holiday? In case you do have such plans, then it would be pointless to roam around a foreign country without having a clear idea about what the tourist attractions are in that particular country. How can you get to know what the tourist attractions are? Well, that's simple. All you have to do is thoroughly read a good travel guide about the country you intend to visit and then you'll be able to truly enjoy your holiday. Travel guides can be purchased from Etc. (Gulshan and Dhanmandi). Prices will be from about Tk750 onwards. Lonely Planet is the most chosen guide around the world. Price of this rich guide will be around Tk2000.

By Sayeed Mahmud Nizam

Essential

"The idle mind is the devil's workshop." If you're well above your fifties, then that devil is Alzheimer's Disease. Recent studies have shown that an active mind is less vulnerable to this affliction of old age. Want to stay young at heart? Here's how:

Throw out nonessential numbers
Don't grow gray hairs worrying about how old you're getting. Age, weight and height…they're numbers you can safely forget about. When you've passed half a century, these numbers really don't matter any more. Let the doctors worry about them. That's what they're here for.

Keep learning
Always wanted to speak French? Get enrolled in a language course. Does the current generation's enchantment with Instant Messaging mystify you? Sit down with your grandkids and ask them to show you how this 'MSN thing' works. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever takes your fancy. You're never too old to pick up a new skill. Never let the brain idle.

Enjoy the simple things
Wake up early one day to enjoy a sunrise. Sit in the veranda during a rainy afternoon and challenge someone to a game of carom. Take pleasure in a freshly brewed mug of coffee, or a particularly nice song that's playing on the radio. Enjoy the simple delights of life without worrying about complicated issues.

Surround yourself with what you love
Paint your walls a colour that makes you happy. Stay in touch with friends and loved ones. Put up a display of photographs of people you love and memorable events in a place where you can see them. Play your favourite music whenever the mood strikes you. Your home is your refuge, not a prison. Make it come alive for you.
It's all about maintaining a positive attitude. Life is only sad and complicated if you let it become that way. As Captain Planet would say, 'The Power (to be happy) is yours".

By Sabrina F Ahmad