black & white mag issue 56

Learning ABCD...Learning ABCD... p20p20

Better person, better worker p51

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4March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

The truth about journalismBy Adarsh Madhavan

People may expect too much of journalism. Not only

do they expect it to be entertaining, they expect it to

be true.

Lewis H. Lapham, American publisher and editor.

“You people never tell the truth, do you?” So goes

my neighbour as he accosted me on the sidewalk

next to my home the other day. I went d-uh?! My dog,

who I was supposed to take for a much-needed walk,

silently bared his fangs at this intrusion.

I am sorry, I said. I don’t understand, I told him.

“We don’t either,” the man, who was in his walking

shoes and swanky shorts, tells me. “You guys tell one

thing one day and then another thing the next day

– who are we to believe? I have told my wife not to

believe anything you journalists write,” he said.

But, but, but…I said.

Then, I caught the drift. It was probably the recent

news in all forms of the media that seems to have

irked him. Admittedly, the news was quite believable

and although the media was forced to retract having

found out that it was not true, it is no one’s fault.

Truth is not something that can be bought from the

supermarket. It is a reality that can be denied but one

cannot cover it up forever.

Actually I have got nothing to do with it, but, if you ask

me, I would have been doing the same things that the

scribes here are doing, I tell this irate man who gets

more irritated. My doggie is pulling me to one smelly

corner, while this irritated man is pulling me in another

direction.

“Terrible,” he went on. “You guys are terrible. You

guys don’t know how to write, what to write…when to

write…you create lot of disarray in the market. You

guys have a responsibility,” he said, suddenly turning

to his left and spitting on the road and then throwing a

soiled tissue next to it.

I was appalled. But, honestly, I have nothing to do

with all of this. You are right that sometimes, you

[email protected]

don’t know whom to believe. But, scribes here and

anywhere actually walk on a tight rope because

although they may sincerely believe what is told to

them, what is the guarantee that whatever they are

told is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the

truth? Blind belief is not exactly a journalist’s positive

feature but there are times when gut instinct plays a

major role, especially when circumstances are of a

varied nature.

As a scribe you face this issue of either being told the

truth or being told a blatant lie.

The man stared at me for a long time and then

told me rudely: “Cut the crap my friend! You guys

are good at defending yourself, but see how much

damage the pen can create. You forget that the pen

is a mighty weapon, but all of you misuse it. Yes, you

may claim that you have nothing to do with the recent

sensationalism in the media, but you have a moral

responsibility to it. You should have stopped them, or

at least contained the damage.”

I stared at the man with mounting frustration. First

he accuses me of doing something I haven’t and

now I am supposed to take moral responsibility.

My dog began to sniff around more and my hands

were paining. What am I supposed to do if wrong

information went around in the media? But, maybe,

the man was right. I should take moral responsibility.

What if I was in a daily news paper and I was fed

the wrong information? I would have done the same

thing and I will do the same thing all over again. We

are not superhuman beings. In a restricted media

environment this is all that we can do, I told the man.

“Humph! You have got excuses for everything except

for your incompetence,” the man huffed, puffed and

walked away rudely, leaving me in the sidewalk there,

unable even to retort.

My doggie, sensing my exasperation, kept straining at

the leash, wanting to have a go at the man. I was in a

good mind to let him go…

All a

bout

X,

Y &

Z

5March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

6March 7 - April 6

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Published by: Muscat Press & Publishing House SAOC

Black & White

Postal address: P O Box 86, PC 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos

Office location: Hatat House A, II Floor, Suite No: 212, Wadi Adai

Ph: 24565697 Fax: 24565496

Website: www.blackandwhiteoman.com

Editorial: [email protected]

Printed at Oman Printers

Xclusive

Editor-in-chief Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali

Managing editor Priya Arunkumar

Work editor Adarsh Madhavan

Design & production Beneek Siraj

Advt. & marketing Priyanka Sampat

Conte

nts

You need a very sane, sober and

holistic approach to your exercise.

Of course, routine exercises can

be done, but even they need to be

done in a systematic manner. It is

not a very easy task to achieve and

maintain your ideal body shape

or even succeed in a weight-loss

programme

The legendary composer and

live performer, who played to

rhapsodic listeners in Oman two

years back, is all set to unleash his

live musical extravaganza at the

magnificent 5000-strong capacity City

Amphitheatre, Qurum

48

34

10 Real life strong!

The best exercise

World without borders

There are many out there who may

have never stepped into a gym but

are actually stronger than anyone of

us 'gymmers'

Learning ABCD... 20A year back, a progressive school in a fishing village in Yiti decided to introduce kindergarten as part of their

school curriculum. Black & White chronicles their journey into the world of kindergarten and also highlights the

support rendered by Oman’s premium-most charity body, the Dar Al Atta’a, to this remotely located school

7March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

www.blackandwhiteoman.com

Read our magazine ONLINE

Log on to

BLACK AND WHITE MAGAZINE, OMAN

Like our page on facebook

8March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

I totally admire the attempts of the four young Omanis (issue 55) who are

currently in Antarctica (at the time of writing this letter). It is not an easy

challenge that they have undertaken and I wish them well. It would be great to

know their story when they return.

Syed Abdul Khan, Wadi Kabir

The Antarctica trip by these brave young Omanis seems to have already gone

into the history books. It has the youngest Omani to enter the Antarctica and

also the first Omani media official, plus the second Omani woman to set foot in

the windiest, driest and coldest place on earth!

Fatma Al Balushi, Nasra and Zubaida, Ruwi

Amina Anis Al Zadjali’s Tiara will indeed be the first wedding planner in Oman.

So many marriages happen here and some of them are done quite lavishly

too. There is enormous scope for an experienced wedding planner to start

operations here. Like the story noted, with little or no wedding planners in town,

Omani families (who are planning to have a wedding in the family) would really

appreciate help from a professional quarter. Tiara’s link with Yours Truly, a well-

known Lebanese based company will bring about a professional approach to

wedding planning in Oman. We wish Amina all the luck!!

Muna Al Alwai, Seeb

Antarctica challenge

Antarctica trip already enters history books

Great scope for wedding planners

Reader's

colu

mn

9March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Mail your views and opinions at

[email protected]

Why are these Omanis risking their lives to reach the

world’s windiest, driest and coldest of places? Why,

because they are Omanis. Omanis are always known for

their sense of adventure and we are a country that has

a history of seafaring; adventure is in our blood and so

is a sense of responsibility to the environment we live in.

While I congratulate the attempts of my brave fellow folks,

I must proudly say that this is what we expect of Omanis.

Our leader has set a great example by taking this country

forward. And today, we have reached great heights and

are on par with any country in the world in many aspects,

despite starting late. We are a forward looking nation and

so are our people. And exploits of young Omanis such as

these only succeeds in taking the name of our country to

greater heights.

Abdullah Hamed Al Hadhramy, Muscat

Dr Anchan C. K’s was quite a treat to read this time (issue

55). Like he said, listening is a vital part of our lives.

Most of our lives are spent in either listening to our own

voices or becoming deaf to other’s. In this world of make

believe and in this world of lies and deceit and in this

world of arrogance and aggressiveness, it pays to listen.

If we listen, we succeed. I believe that. And thank you Dr

Anchan for reiterating this so emphatically!

S. K. Singh, Muscat

Exploits on par with the vision

Importance of listening

10March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Men r

ead

10March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

11March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

REAL-LIFE STRONG CAN BEAT GYM STRONG

The reason for asking the above is this truth. The latter

could probably beat you in real life combat. Most often

than not, the real-life strong could really outdo gym

strong. And thus begs the question: isn’t it better to

become real-life strong than gym strong?

LOOKS GOOD BUT…

In our desperate need to be better than everyone and

to have a better looking body than any, we have really

forgotten to understand that it is not all about looks alone.

Real strength does not emanate from looks. You may

look good, but are you? You look strong, but are you

actually strong?

Of course, it is great to have a ripped body, and the

exuding confidence that goes along with it.

But, however muscled you might be, you got to

understand natural strength is not part of it.

‘S’ (STRONG) TYPES

There are many out there who may have never stepped

into a gym but are actually stronger than anyone of

us ‘gymmers’. It has been found that we cannot really

be stronger than manual labourers; those types who

work out in the yards, building stuff, working with wood,

stones, concrete and the like. The silent, ‘s’ (strong)

types.

SWEATING IT OUT IN THE HOT SUN

Compare yourself to a guy who is a manual worker

(physical work involved in shifting heavy stuff etc) and

picture yourself pitting against him in a real battle of the

brawn. In all likelihood, you may lose. You may look

good of course, and if it is just a body beautiful contest,

you may win outright. If both of you compete in any

gym tests, again, you will be the winner. But, imagine

competing against him in the hot sun, lifting obscenely

heavy stuff and moving them around in a natural setting,

or rather in the great outdoors. You might have to accept

defeat even before you break into a sweat.

NO COMPARISON

Guys like us who were into video games as children,

graduating from expensive high schools, colleges and

now enjoying cushy office jobs can never match up to a

man who has lived a hard life, worked in farms, joined

the military or was part of a workforce doing manual

labour.

WORK OUT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

So, should we stop our gym antics and get on to the

great outdoors? Start real workouts in the real world

rather than the artificial, air-conditioned world of gyms?

Well, why not?

What is stopping you from actually hitting the road,

walking, jogging, trekking, climbing mountains, working

out in the heat, toiling and labouring in farms – or at least

in natural settings?

REAL-LIFE STRONG

No, in today’s modern set up, it is not easy to find natural

locales, or practically speaking you can’t just enroll

yourself in farms to build your body or become strong.

But, if you devote an equal amount of time to the great

outdoors as much as you devote time for your gym

activities, chances are that you will not only have a great

body, but also be really strong too. You won’t just look

good, you can actually be good. You need not just be

gym strong, but actually real-life strong.

Why not give it a try?

gym strong

Real-life strongvs

By Chris Manson

Are you a ‘gym’man? Or are you real-life strong? Are you a gym built muscled bunch of mass? Or are you simply a man into physical labour and your body naturally

developed thus? Nature’s creation…natural body…?

11March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

12March 7 - April 6

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Good bye “my dear” Sir

By Adarsh Madhavan

O

ff th

e wall

[email protected]

“My dear,” he would start and my dear self would freeze. I

used to really dread the moments when Mr Essa (Mr Essa

bin Mohammed Al Zadjali, the founder, chairman, editor in

chief of the Times of Oman who passed away recently) “my

deared me”. During such moments I would just wish the

earth would open up and swallow me, for I never had the

guts to face the head of the only English daily -- which I have

worked for in Oman -- when he was in the “my dear mood”.

For if he starts his “my dear” that would mean trouble my

God for the one at the receiving end. Big trouble!

At the time of joining the newspaper in 1992, I was just an

arrogant young journalist hopeful from India. Since I was

ignorant about everything, it was bliss. I approached life in

Oman in the same manner. I had no clue as to what was

happening, but it did not deter me. Of course, I was painfully

shy yet I had an ego that would dwarf the most ignorant

imbecile in this world and I used it as a weapon.

Since I was ignorant of various aspects of my job, there was

no problem – I just went ahead and did it. And I approached

life and behaved in the same manner; but, whatever swagger

of confidence and conceit I had, all of it would melt before Mr

Essa’s “my dear”!

I think someone of my average intelligence and minuscule

creativity and sneaky sense of work and unbelievably lazy

and laidback attitude succeeded in parts only because of

one man – Mr Essa and yes, his “my dears”. I would go to

any extent to avoid his “my dears”. For that spelt trouble

with a capital ‘T’. Just to avoid being castigated by him, I

would do my job pronto and in extra time and this slowly

developed as a habit. I had no qualms in facing the many

editors who played musical chairs during my 14 years with

the newspaper. None. I also never bothered to keep any

officials or any biggies of my time in my good books during

my stint there – for which I am regretting today, but that is

another story – but, if any of them complained to Mr Essa,

I would quietly back off. I realise now – I didn’t then – I

was a bit of an irritant to some people out there because

I gnawed at their conscience by trying to bring out some

negative aspects of what they were doing in society. I was

not targeting anyone. But when I was let into the big bad

world of journalism in Oman as a news hound, I was

forced to do my job and it was here that many felt that

I was ‘washing dirty linen in public’. But, whenever

they went with complaints and the like to Mr Essa,

he would call me and enquire casually what it was

all about. When he was convinced that there was a

story and I was merely doing my job and not indulging

in a personal vendetta because of some personal/

political reason, he would stick by me. Even if the

entire powers that be turned against me, he would

stand by me. “What else do you want him to do?

He is a reporter – he is reporting!” he would sternly

tell them and even to those in the office who were

often against ‘negative’ journalism. I survived all

the potshots because of him. Even during the worst

stages of my career, especially when I got into a real

spot and when even the staff and friends alike either

kept away from me or treated me like a leper, Mr

Essa went directly to the authorities concerned and

defended me. When heads of other departments and

those under them repeatedly tried to stir trouble for

me (everyone hits you when you are down) he just

dismissed their accusations.

But, soon, I realised that I was putting him into more

trouble and I was actually contributing to my own

demise as a scribe there and so I decided to lie low;

sink into oblivion. For that there was no option but

to quit and it was at that time, he said in a bit of a

pained voice: “Mr Adarsh (he always addressed me

thus), you should stand tall and strong as an oak –

forget your detractors; forget the criticism – stand

tall!” When I finally decided to call it quits and went to

him with a resignation letter, he said in an even more

pained voice: “Mr Adarsh, you don’t have to leave!”

I wavered, but I quickly got out of his home. I was

afraid he would say “My dear…” and I would then

have to just tear up that letter and stay put.

13March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

In collaboration with the ministry of foreign affairs, the

student forum between Oman and Japan held its first

event here at the Diplomatic Club. The forum was held

for two days and adopted the title ‘Diplomacy: Building

Mutual Understanding and Awareness’ and used student

diplomacy as a panel discussion theme.

The forum succeeded in its mission in developing

intercultural communication skills, exchange of ideas and

provided a training ground in event management for all

participating students.

A total of eight Omanis and Japanese students were

selected for a panel discussion that took place recently

in the presence of the guest of honour, Mohammed bin

Yousef Al Zarafi, the undersecretary at the ministry of

foreign affairs for administrative and financial affairs.

Acting as supervisors of their respective team were

Mohammed bin Ali Al Khusaiby, the former ambassador

of Oman to Japan and Zenji Kaminaga, the former

ambassador of Japan to Oman. The discussion was lively

and essentially reflected the students’ perspective and

approach to grassroots diplomacy to across social and

cultural barriers between the two countries. A cultural

festival was held at same venue on the second day of the

student forum. All of the proceeds will be donated to the

Muscat Autism Center. Dr Suad Al Mudaffar, organiser,

thanked all organising members of the student forum for

their dedication and contribution.

Special thanks were given to sponsors: Times of Oman

and Al-Shabiba (media sponsor), Muscat Eye Laser

Centre (platinum sponsor); Mitsubishi (gold sponsor);

Muscat College (hosts) and also SNK Production for

providing video recording service and to the Japan

Origami Association and Kokeshi Association for their

support.

Oman-Japan student forum held at Diplomatic Club

14March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

The Badr Al-Samaa basketball team handed over the

trophies to their ever supportive sponsor, Badr Al-Samaa

Group of Hospitals. The team successfully emerged

as the best among other teams and was crowned as

“Champions” during the 3rd Basketball Tournament last

2011 and had won the 3rd Runner-up in the recently

concluded “Director’s Cup” Basketball tournament. Both

tournaments were organised by Filipino Muscat Ballers

(FMB) in collaboration with the Filipino Community Social

Club (FILCOSOC). The coaching staff and the players

expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the management

of Badr Al-Samaa Group of Hospitals for their continued

Badr Al-Samaa receives trophies

support to the team and vowed to play their hearts out in

every game they will play.

A delegation from Sri Lanka headed

by the Governor of the Central

Bank of Sri Lanka, Ajith Nivard

Cabraal visited Oman recently. The

15 member delegation included

officials from the Central Bank

of Sri Lanka as well as the Chief

Executive Officers and senior officers

from the six largest banks in Sri

Lanka namely, Bank of Ceylon,

People’s Bank, Hatton National

Bank, Commercial Bank, Sampath

Bank, and National Savings Bank.

The main purpose of the visit was

to express the appreciation of Sri

Lanka to the banking sector of the

CBO hosts a delegation of top bankers

Sultanate for the strong interest

it had shown in Sri Lanka and

also to further strengthen the ties

between Sri Lanka and Oman, while

exploring new opportunities for trade

and investment between the two

countries. Addressing the gathering,

Dr Mohamed Abdulaziz Kalmoor,

chief executive of Bank Sohar

reiterated the banking community’s

continued support to Sri Lanka.

He added that apart from commercial

reasons to invest in Sri Lanka, the

growing political stability was another

factor that had close affinity to the

political situation between the two

countries.

Bank Sohar has been at the forefront

in initiating a climate for investment

of excess money abroad after rightful

deployment for the growth of the local

economy.

As part of Omantel efforts to improve customer

experience, Omantel has launched a new service that

allows customers to inquire about their traffic violations,

vehicle registration expiry date and other pertinent

information like their visa status through SMS.

This service is launched in collaboration with Royal Oman

Police (ROP). Commenting on the service, Sahar Khalfan

Al-Asmi, team leader, data and applications at Omantel

consumer unit said, "The launch of ROP SMS Inquiry

Service comes within Omantel’s efforts to enhance our

customers’ with new and innovative services. Customers

can now inquire about their traffic tickets through their

civil ID number for private vehicles or commercial

registration number for commercial vehicles.

This unique service

also allows Omantel

customers to inquire

about their personal/

commercial vehicles

registration expiry date

and the status of their

visa application. All this

can be done while there

on the go!”

To benefit from this service, customers can simply send

a blank message to 90085 and they will immediately

receive message that contain instructions on how to use

the service. The service cost is 100 baisa per request.

Omantel Provides ROP Inquiry Service via SMS

15March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

NPA Events will be organising a full day management

seminar by America’s numero uno success coach, Jack

Canfield.

Canfield, the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul

series and the featured teacher in the movie, The Secret,

will be here as part of the Jack Canfield Live in Muscat

event, which will be held here on April 2.

As the originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul

series, Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational

anthologies as a genre and watched it grow to a

billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the

development and delivery of 210 books and over 125

million copies in 47 languages sold through the Chicken

Soup for the Soul® franchise, Canfield is uniquely

qualified to talk about success.

“This programme in Muscat will enable you to build

resilience and develop the core competencies required

to thrive and achieve peak performance even in the most

challenging and turbulent times. You will learn effective

applications of the Law of Attraction, The Success

Principles plus much more to ensure sustainable growth

and success for you and your organisation. You should

have your team, family and friends join you for the

seminar. I am sure you will all absolutely love it,” Jack

Canfield said.

“The corporate sector and even individuals will benefit

greatly from The Success Principles put forward by

Canfield, It shows them the path to success and get from

where they are to where they want to be. Rest assured

that participants to this content-rich programme will leave

excited about the potential they have for their career, their

company, their personal life and their success goals,”

says Ashok Suvarna, executive director, NPA Events.

Jack Canfield Live in Muscat by NPA Events

‘The Pioneer,

Professor

Fatma

Salem Seif

Al-Maamary

(1911-2002):

A Historical,

Documentary

and

Academic

Study’ will be

launched on March 25 at Al Harthy

Hall (located near the Qurum City

Amphitheatre).

The biography is written by Dr Asyah

Al-Bualy, advisor for culture at the

Research council. It is translated by

Dr Zayana Al- Badaei and edited by

Dr Domenyk Eades.

The original version was written

in Arabic published in 2008 by the

ministry of heritage and culture and

launched at the Muscat International

Book festival. The 289 pages English

version was published by the Oman

National Commission for Education,

Science and Culture, ministry of

education.

The biography provides an honest

account of the life of Fatma Salem

and her achievements. It has been

produced in order to shed light

on the role of an Omani Egyptian

woman who ascended to the highest

ranks of academia and society. Her

biography is furthermore, a valuable

topic of study due to the fact that

she is an ideal role model. She

became a cultural symbol during an

era characterised by the pioneering

role of women and the establishment

of enlightenment ideals, which

witnessed the advancement of

women in the Arab world. Fatma

Salem was therefore, undoubtedly an

exceptional woman during the period

that she lived in. Her pioneering

role was of a special kind, which

is emphasised by the exceptional

historical circumstances of her time.

The book is sold at OMR15 and all

proceeds go to National Association

for Cancer Awareness (NACA). It will

also be available there.

Contact: [email protected];

www.ocancer.org.om and 24498716;

fax 24498726.

‘The Pioneer…’ to be launched on March 25

16March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Word

pre

ss

LG Electronics (LG) announced recently that an Optimus

L Series device is sold every second over the past two

months, propelling sales of the popular smartphones

to over 15 million units. Since its launch at Mobile

World Congress (MWC) last year, Optimus L Series

smartphones have become the device of choice for

individuals around the world who favor a well-balanced

smartphone with a unique design. Building on this

momentum, LG will unveil a new generation of the stylish

series at MWC 2013 with an upgraded design and

improved features.

Jayanta G Borpujari, general manager, Khimji’s

Information & Communication Technology said, “The

L series LG mobiles are already popular in Oman. We

expect

the new Optimus L SeriesII smartphones to be available

in Oman by second week of March and it will be available

through all the major retail outlets. Customers can call our

customer care toll-free number 800-75000 to get more

information on LG products.”

LG Optimus L series

Management and staff from the Tilal Development Company

conducted the official opening of the largest mall in the

capital – The Muscat Grand Mall under the auspices

of Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mahrazi, minister

of tourism, whose attendance marked this momentous

milestone for the complex.

In addition to the minister of tourism, gracing the occasion

was the governor of Muscat, Sayyid Saud bin Hilal Al Busaidi

and Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, minister of commerce

and industry, who were joined by numerous dignitaries and

media personnel.

Muscat Grand Mall official opening

The Muscat Youth Summit (MYS) 2012 mobile

exhibition opened its doors to the public showing

the culmination of what was a life-changing

experience for 200 young people from 26

countries.

In a ceremony held under the auspices of

His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said,

chairperson of the Muscat Youth Summit

Organising Committee, key partners and

supporters came together with heads of schools

and colleges from across Oman to celebrate

the achievements of the bright students aged

between 15 and 24 who attended the Summit last

December. The MYS 2012 video was also aired to

the audience for the first time shedding light on the

various workshops and discussions that took place

throughout the four day residential programme.

Muscat Youth Summit mobile exPO OPENS

17March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the exclusive importers and

distributors of Nissan vehicles in Oman, unveiled the new

Nissan Sentra.

The completely new Sentra is poised to become the

new benchmark in the hotly contested premium compact

sedan segment. This game-changing model will raise

segment standards to new highs with its upscale styling,

“class above” features and globally recognised levels of

safety.

Nissan Sentra is the all-new nameplate in the Middle

East’s compact sedan segment. It is however the 13th

generation Nissan sedan in its model line globally. The

new Sentra is a modern and charismatic vehicle deriving

its strengths through seductive design, unexpected

spaciousness, class-defining features, safety and over-

delivering on the basics.

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) is largely committed

to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through

major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by

providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

With a national network of more than 17 showrooms, 22

service centers and 35 parts outlets, SBA has further built

upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and

providing value for money to each of its customers.

New Nissan Sentra makes a powerful entry in Oman

Under the patronage of the Ministry

of Sports, Oman Cricket has

currently developed five astroturf

cricket grounds and one green grass

ground in the wilayat of Al Amerat.

A record number of 72 teams which

includes seven all Omani Teams

and major corporates and banking

institutions, comprising 1400 players

made up of 165 Omanis with the

rest made up of Indians, Pakistanis,

Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans

are playing in the domestic league

matches which have already started

from September and will continue till

the cricket season ends in May. In

addition a Junior League consisting

of 10 teams in the Under 16 category

and 7 teams in the Under 19

category commenced in October and

will continue until end February. The

teams participating are the Indian

Schools in Muscat, Darsait, Wadi

Kabir, Al Ghubra and Seeb, Pakistan

School Muscat, Bangldesh School

Muscat, Sri Lankan School Muscat,

Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre and

the Darsait Cricket Academy. There

is also a Inter School Girls Under 19

tournament which currently attracts

teams from the Indian School Muscat

and the Indian School Wadi Kabir

which is held in January/February.

More schools have shown interest

and more participation is expected

for the next season.

Oman Cricket has officially appointed

NPA Events, a leading events

management company in Oman,

as their marketing consultant of

this prestigious project and have

authorised them to promote,

coordinate and execute advertising

displays available on the ground

such as at the entrance, on the

scoreboard, sightscreens, pavilions,

changing rooms water tank and

other locations for the entire season

starting from September to May each

year. There will also be branded

boards on the boundary line and

portable branded flags too.

Oman Cricket appoints NPA Events as marketing consultant

The Ferrari Middle East and Africa branch along with

representatives of Shanfari Group of Companies

and officials of Alfardan Motors announced today to

the Omani press the official transfer of the Ferrari

importership in Oman from Shanfari Group of Companies

to Alfardan Motors.

The transfer of Importership comes after a series of

friendly meetings between Shanfari Group of Companies

and Alfardan Motors, with the support of Ferrari Middle

East and Africa branch, providing the needed support,

facilitating the transition between both parties and

ensuring a smooth and complete handover, with the

objective of leveraging and enhancing the provided

services from Ferrari in Oman.

The representatives of the two companies celebrated

this moment amidst journalists, and documenting the

transition by signing the formal contracts.

Alfardan Motors new Ferrari importer

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Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat launched a unique service concept “Experience Meetings”

This new concept for meetings and events harmonises the meeting essentials:

breakout rooms, food and connectivity with the intangibles: service, satisfaction

and sustainability. “Experience Meetings” is the newest attractive offering at 255

participating Radisson Blu hotels with a total of more than 2,200 meeting rooms in 55

countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “The meeting segment

is our key business. “Experience Meetings” provides our guests with a consistent high

standard of products and services – from the first to the last phase of their booking –

and supports our ambitious revenue generating activities”, commented Olivier Jacquin,

senior vice president sales, marketing and distribution at Rezidor, operator of Radisson

Blu in EMEA.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat 'Experience Meetings'

Second Cup Oman recently received

the Best Marketing Award for the

third consecutive year, and the Same

Store Sales Increase Café for 2012

vs. 2011 title for one of its popular

branches at the annual conference

in Doha, Qatar. Second Cup

franchises from all over the world

converged in one city for a chance to

compete against each other and win

awards ranging from Best Operating

Standards, Franchise of the Year and

Best Café.

Jannat Moosa, marketing director

at Bin Mirza International said:

“In the words of John Wooden

‘Winning takes talent, to repeat takes

character’ and that is what the staff

at Second Cup have proven over the

past three years. We have grown

from strength to strength since our

establishment nine years ago and

have added many new members

to our family, who have shown

their commitment to the brand.

The Second Cup Marketing Award

belongs to each and every single

person in our team who contribute

towards our continued success

everyday.”

Some of the tools that Second

Cup have adopted include social

media as a platform to directly

communicate with their guests

opening up dialogue between the

two, and to receive instant feedback

on service, promotions and much

more. The international franchises’

understanding of the local market

stems from their accessibility and

interest in better identifying with their

consumers.

Second Cup Oman wins award

An entertainment show featuring Bollywood Favourites

Abhijeet Sawant, Pragya Sodhani and popular comedian

Rajiv Nigam, was presented by Jindal Shadeed, at Al

Wadi Hotel Grounds in Sohar recently.

Organised by Roar Entertainment, the event featured

a blend of music and comedy, providing high voltage

performance from all artists who kept the guests

entertained all through the evening. Popular stand-up

comedian Rajiv Nigam was armed with his notoriously

famous punch lines, creating a laugh riot.

Sohar buzzed with action, as the show attracted more

than a thousand fans of Abhijit Sawant from different

parts of the city. Many were on their feet, tapping to the

dance numbers from Abhijit Sawant,the hero of ‘Indian

Idol 1’,the popular reality show.

Bollywood Sizzlers at Sohar

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FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE

We are all born helpless. We cry out to get the

help we need when we are born and in a year we

start to walk a little…life moves on a set path and

direction as nature tends to take it, but the irony is

that we would still not have decided when we need

the right things. When we have no ways and means

to control the laws of nature, why make laws that

cannot complement the way of life? As a child, we

start learning the minute we are born, from identifying

the mother’s face to capturing all that is around us.

So why should we limit education and schooling to a

particular year or age? Learned scholars and religious

heads say education is an important phenomenon

that starts from the cradle and ends in the grave…

A GOOD SCHOOL IS NOT A BUILDING

Education is a perfecting process. It starts from

home, and it starts at a very young age. Children’s

minds are very impressionable and they learn quickly

at ages one to three. It is very important that their

minds are filled with the right kind of knowledge

they shouldn’t get engaged in any other useless

and unwanted stuff. This is where a school plays its

role. A good school is not just a building; it is a home

of knowledge that secures the future of the youth,

It is important that young minds are filled with the right kind of knowledge and not filled with unwanted things

Mohamed Issa Al ZadjaliEditor-in-chief

In Black...

& White

In B

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prepares them to live their lives. Education is vital for both

societies and individuals. So let us start it at the right time.

Unfortunately the Omani curriculum provides education

from Grade 1 and there is not much emphasis on the

kindergarten stage. Early learning experiences have a

profound effect on children’s development and directly

affect the way connections are made in the brain.

We would like to appreciate the efforts of the teaching

faculty of the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taie School in Yiti

village, which has taken steps to start the kindergarten

for the children of their village. Around 56 tiny tots are

housed at the school in the kindergarten sections and Dar

Al Atta’a has taken up the responsibility to facilitate the

right environment to provide these little ones the best start

up in their lives.

YANNI LIVE IN CONCERT

Black & White join hands with Dar Al Atta’a to support

Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taie School in its attempt to

provide a kindergarten school shelter through the

Yanni live in concert. There are many well wishers and

supporters in this project and we hope B&W will make a

difference too.

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A year back, a progressive school in a fishing village in Yiti

decided to introduce kindergarten as part of their school

curriculum. Black & White chronicles their journey into the

world of kindergarten and also highlights the support rendered

by Oman’s premium-most charity body, the Dar Al Atta’a, to

this remotely located school.

Inspired by Dar Al Atta’a, Black & White has also stepped in

to support and further this cause. We have now adopted it as

our charity theme for this year’s Yanni concert. The Yanni Live

in Oman concert, which will be held at the City Amphitheatre

on March 21 evening is set to scintillate as the world famous

musician unveils his extraordinarily popular music to thousands

of fans here. The extra sparkle for the event is of course this

charity element, which has also managed to draw socially

conscious music lovers to the venue where they can see a

great musician perform live.

Fantastic music set to a charitable tone – this is in short what

this event is all about.

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The teachers, the principal and

some visitors at one of the makeshift

class rooms of the Suffanah bint

Hatim Al Taei School in Yiti village

enthusiastically applaud Barazan’s

achievement. The latter beams with

innocent pride and joy.

Other bright students in the class

also showcase what they have learnt

in just a year’s time. The happy

bunch reel out prayers, verses and

other poems with their teachers

merrily singing along, encouraging

and applauding.

It is just a reciting of the alphabets, or

some verses, not splitting an atom,

one would say. All school students

do that. But, there is much more than

that here. For, if not for his school,

Barazan and many other students

of his age, would have to wait at

least two years to learn what he has

already learnt. Actually, Omani boys

like Barazan, who hails from the

nearby fishing village of Yiti would

be learning all of this only when they

reach first grade.

Because, as the school officials note,

Oman’s government schools do not

adopt kindergarten (KG I and KG II)

as part of their curriculum.

While there are several private

kindergartens in the capital area,

remote locations like Yiti do not have

any. Therefore, children of pre-school

age in Yiti village do not have access

to any forms of education until they

enter Grade 1 but only when they

are around six. However, thanks

to the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei

School, around 60 children from the

Yiti village are now accommodated

in this adhoc kindergarten. “We

have two voluntary KG classes now

accommodating exactly 56 students,”

Amal Khamis Hamad Al Battashi, the

principal of the school, told Black &

White.

56 KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

“With an aim to introduce a healthy

early education opportunity, we

started off the kindergarten last year

and have evoked good response

from the local community,” she said.

“Currently, we have 56 students

and two classes. The children are

happy to attend and the parents are

overwhelmed at the way the kids are

learning. The early education and

training will make the children more

organised and focussed in the first

grade. The students will be better

prepared to learn and understand the

syllabus of the first grade.

The parents are supportive and pay

a small fee of OMR10 per month for

the kindergarten. The students are

currently housed in two small school

rooms and volunteer teachers teach

and train them,” she explained.

WHY KINDERGARTEN?

Children learn the basics in

kindergarten. This means the basics

in math, science, reading, writing,

social studies, and more. You want

your child to be prepared for the first

grade and beyond and in almost all

cases kindergarten accomplishes

“A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I –P-Q-R-------X-Y-Z!” A tiny Omani tot recites the alphabets at lightning speed from his classroom. Some letters were swallowed of course,

but Barazan, all of four, chirps out the alphabets in his singsong voice and smiles endearingly at his teachers

and us. He is a picture of happiness, flashing two dimples (in each cheek).

His reward? A round of applause!

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Amal Khamis Hamad Al Battashi, principal


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that. “If your child skips kindergarten then s/he may be

prepared for first grade anyway, but s/he may still be

behind. Another reason why kindergarten is important

is because it allows the child to become accustomed to

school. Then a full day of school in first grade and beyond

won’t be a shock,” Amal noted.

BRAIN BEHIND THE KG INITIATIVE

Amal is the brain behind this voluntary KG initiative of the

13-year old school. “I have been thinking about this for

sometime. But, finally last year, I took the plunge,” Amal

explained as she proudly took us and top members of Dar

Al Atta’a around the school.

She noted that she had always been worried about the

young kindergarten potential children in Yiti village who

would be able to enter the school only when they are

ready for Grade 1 “So, after taking a consensus with the

teachers and other officials, we went ahead and began

the adhoc KG classes,” she says with a smile.

The reason for the smile is very simple: She and her

school have been successful in transforming a segment

– however small – of children of the fishing village into

KG students. This is no mean feat as until last year, the

village could not send their young children anywhere.

RIGHT LITERACY PATH

“The Yiti village has largely low income groups of

residents and the lack of kindergarten sections lowers

the quality of first graders. Some of the children who

get admitted to the first grade cannot even hold a pen

properly. This is the reason why we took the steps to

create the KG1 and KG 2 sections and thereby uplift

the standards. We believe that it has given the young

ones the timely boost to the right literacy path,” Amal Al

Battashi said.

LIKE A SPONGE

Other than the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School, which

has both boys and girls, there is also a boys’ school. But

both these schools did not have KG, until Suffanah took

the lead.

However, the interest level has caught up and parents

of the village in the vicinity of the school have realised

the benefits of sending their young ones to KG. “These

children are actually very smart – they are like a sponge,

they really learn quickly so we are now thinking of

taking the next step to have a proper building for the KG

section,” Amal said.

A PROPER SCHOOL SHELTER

This is why we (Black & White), and the members of Dar

Al Atta’a, were at the Suffanah bint Hatim Al Taei School

recently. The Dar Al Atta’a had identified this school in

Yiti to provide support for them. They had looked into the

issue and had decided to raise funds to build a school

shelter that could house the proposed KG sections.

DAR AL ATTA’A SUPPORT

“Dar Al Atta’a’s effort to contribute towards building a

school shelter for the KG students is warmly welcomed by

all of us from the school and the village. This shelter will

help the children in their first step to literacy.

“This contribution will go a long way for the children of

the village. This is an investment for the future. It is very

important that the children are trained at a young age and

the right atmosphere and facilities will make their school

days a motivating experience. We thank all those who

worked behind the scenes and hope that this small step

will pave the path to a progressive future,” noted Amal Al

Battashi.

YOUTH – OMAN’S FUTURE

The youth of Oman was the future of Oman, members

of the Dar Al Atta’a team who visited the Suffanah bint

Hatim Al Taei School in Yiti village, said.

The members, which included Maryam Issa Al Zadjali,

chairperson of the board of directors; Nada Al Jamali,

head of families, and May Al Bayat, marketing director,

Dar Al Atta’a, stressed on the need to highlight the fact

that children need to be given the right education. Most

importantly, it should start from the right age, they added.

"Children are our future; they are our assets. The right

education sets them on the right path.

We feel it is the duty of every single person to motivate

and encourage education in the right way, so that the

nation benefits. The current educational curriculum locally

follows a system of Grade 1 to Grade 12 and does not

have a system of kindergarten."

This is the reason why this school (Suffanah bint Hatim

school) has taken this right initiative to introduce KG. We

congratulate the school and its dynamic teachers, led

by Amal Al Battashi, who has taken the step in the right

direction.”

The team also noted that they had visited the schools

several times before to explore the possibilities of

extending support. “So, when we learnt that they were

planning to introduce this KG system into their curriculum,

we were all for it. This was the reason why we decided to

support the drive to build a proper school shelter for them

– the kids deserve it!” Nada Al Jamali added.

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Children are our future; they are

our assets. The right education

sets them on the right path.

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We feel it is the duty of every single person to motivate and encourage education in

the right way, so that the nation benefits. The current educational curriculum locally

follows a system of Grade 1 to Grade 12 and does not have a system of kindergarten

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“Neurological studies show that stimulating environment for

young children can enhance the physical potential of the brain

and that the plasticity of the brain is at the highest around age

three. Studies of educational and social impacts of early quality

intervention point to benefits of ECCE in terms of better cognitive

achievement as well as social and emotional adaptation by

children, impacts that last over the long term.

“Studies of long-term economic benefits indicate that ECCE is a

form of investment that pays for itself in returns to the economy

and government revenues.

More importantly, early intervention in favour of children

from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds can be an

important policy for overcoming disparities along socio-economic

lines and for creating a cohesive society.”

Benefits of investing in

early childhood care and

education centre (ECCE)

Text: Adarsh Madhavan & Priya Arunkumar Photos: Ben

“There are compelling developmental, social and

economic reasons for Oman to invest more in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE),” feels Michele Ni Thoghdha,

chief supervisor, English, ministry of education.

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Yanni’s music is aworld without borders

He has come all the way from London to Oman just to be part of the Yanni Live concert, which is being held at the City Amphitheatre.

Sultan Rashid Hamed Al Manji, a young Omani who was currently in London came back to Oman “just to be part of the Yanni show”.

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WOULDN’T MISS YANNI

“Wouldn’t miss Yanni for anything in this world,” the jovial

young Omani told B&W. Sultan Al Manji had walked

into the B&W office some days before the concert and

although he appeared quite cheery, one would detect a

slight flicker of anxiety when he made his entry. He was

worried whether the tickets were sold out. But, luckily

for him, there were tickets at the time he came. “After

this show, I am going back to London,” Sultan declared,

adding that he was a very big fan of the world famous

composer with magical fingers.

BUZZ PRIOR TO THE EVENT

The legendary composer and live performer, who played

to rhapsodic listeners in Oman two years back, is all

set to unleash his live musical extravaganza at the

magnificent 5000-strong capacity City Amphitheatre,

Qurum, today. And the buzz he created prior to the event

can be understood by the various statements of his fans.

Omanis, expatriates, everyone are united in their love for

Yanni.

ALL THE WAY FROM LEBANON

A Lebanese group who was visiting Oman was all set

to get back to their home country when they stumbled

upon a media report about Yanni’s proposed trip to

the Sultanate. Quickly plans were changed and all of

them decided to extend their stay. Alaa Abou Zaky and

his friends who trooped into the B&W office also noted

how they were caught in the magic of Yanni’s music.

Another lady of Egyptian-Canadian origin expressed her

happiness of being able to grab this chance to see Yanni.

“I couldn’t attend his event here, last time – but, I am

going to make up for it this time,” she enthused. Yanni

was brought to Oman by B&W in 2011. This was the

first time that Yanni was entering not only Oman but any

country in the AGCC.

ANYTHING FOR A PHOTO

There is another couple, who, besides their love for

music are also bird collectors. Apparently, they have also

missed the show when Yanni came to Oman in 2011.

So, this time they wanted to be part of the show come

what may. They also cutely requested for a snap with

the great musician. “We’d give anything for a photo,” Dr

Vijayshankar Nanjagowda and his spouse confessed.

There are many others. And not just from Oman. Yanni’s

magic is that he can draw his fans from across the world.

In short, the experiences of our dealing with Yanni fans

are varied, but all have a singular love for the musician.

“Our collective hearts are beating for Yanni,” they note,

adding that few can actually pinpoint the real captivating

charm of his music. “But in that mystery lies the beauty of

his music,” they claim.

WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS

Under the theme, ‘World Without Borders’, Yanni, who

has performed around the world, including previously to

sell out crowds at the Acropolis, Taj Mahal and China’s

Forbidden City (he was the first western performer to play

at the latter two), has managed to capture the hearts of

romantics and musical lovers everywhere.

SOLD OUT CONCERTS

Yanni recently played two sold-out concerts at the

historic 16th-century Castillo San Felipe Del Morro in

San Juan, Puerto Rico, a Unesco heritage site. Yanni’s

performances at Castillo San Felipe Del Morro represent

a 20-year dream come true for the artist. The shows also

connect the famed Puerto Rican landmark with other

iconic sites that have played host to Yanni’s spectacular

concerts.

MILLIONS OF FANS

Yanni has brought hundreds of millions of fans and

fellow world citizens together through his concerts, with

countless experiencing the magic of his music through

television broadcasts. Yanni’s contemporary symphonic

music has inspired millions of fans around the world.

In concert, his passionate, soaring melodies and lush

orchestration has always succeeded in creating a spirited

and uplifting musical experience like no other. Yanni’s

music cut across borders and always manages to woo

the musically inclined with its rich musical repertoire;

scintillating soundscapes unleashed by exotic instruments

and gorgeously treated vocals and his trademark high-

tech studio wizardry.

CHARITABLE INITIATIVE

Brought to Oman and organised for the second time by

the Black & White magazine (www.blackandwhiteoman.

com), this year’s show also has a charity initiative behind

it. This year, the B&W has teamed up with Dar Al Atta’a to

build a school shelter for children in Yiti Village.

OMAN ON THE MUSICAL MAP

“Besides bringing a world class event to Oman, for the

second time that is, we also feel that world famous

musicians like Yanni can help put Oman on the musical

map of the world. Yanni and his team are known to

promote the countries they perform in and this was

evidenced in the media blitz that he created during his

last visit to Oman,” Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali, editor in

chief of B&W said. “Also, all our events have a charity

initiative. This time, we wanted to support Dar Al Ataa’a to

build a school (building) in Yiti Village. We sincerely hope

our Yanni event will help us in our humble attempt.”

More details on www.yanni.com, www.yannioman.com or

mail to [email protected]

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“Do you have the patience to wait’...

By Dr CK Anchan

Dr Anchan C.K.

managing director,

World Wide Business House

It is a common saying that patience is a virtue.

All of us want to be good people with high

morals. This is important if you want to be a

confident happy person. Some of us are flexible,

broadminded, adjustable, humorous and patient.

Stop for a moment and ask yourself - why is

patience important. It’s just like any other quality,

but fit more into the qualities you require to be

successful and happy. There are moments when

our immediate gut-level response to a situation is

a flash of intuition that can be trusted, moments

when it’s crystal clear what needs to be done.

But at other times, an experience stirs up, and at

those times, patience engages us in the process of

becoming still.

We’ll have to accept the reality of life that not all

we aspire will be given to us instantly. We need

to sacrifice and wait. Things come at the most

appropriate time and opportunity. If we have the

patience to wait, that opportunity will be given to

us just as we need it. But then if we don’t wait, we

become desperate and we lose hope, thus losing

the opportunity in the end.

While some of us are born patient, others can with

help develop this in them. You can over time get

over your mood swings and angry behaviour. Being

patient is staying calm, without getting anxious. It

could be an accident or a work related problem.

Many situations arise in our daily living which can

easily raise your blood pressure. Health wise over

a long time, this can lead to hypertension and heart

risks. Further most things will sort themselves out,

only you need to give it time and wait.

Patience is one of the virtues that man need to

possess. We may have everything we wanted

in life but all of these were achieved because of

patience. Patience is what we need especially in

times of heartaches, despair, and agony. If we

don’t have patience in life, we make decisions

instantly and this would lead to a more complicated

situation.

Why not change for the better by becoming

more enduring and patient? It could make a big

difference to your work, family and social life.

Nothing is difficult if you have a mind to do it.

Cultivating patience keeps us from being stuck to

preconceived notions, and helps us let go of our

fixation on outcomes. We come to accept that we

don’t always or immediately know what is best,

and learn to recognise that our reality is in constant

flux.

Patience elevates our understanding of deeper

truths and helps us transcend our limited views.

And therein lies its virtue. Patience is rooted in

knowing that our current reality inevitably gives

way to change. But change won’t always happen

when we think it should, and patience with

ourselves comes from accepting that there are

things we can control and things we can’t

Lao Tzu in his powerful quote states : “Do you

have the patience to wait until your mud settles,

and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving

until the right action arises by itself?” We might

think of “waiting” as taking time, but it’s actually

less about clock time and more about inner space.

When we think we know, we expect to find a

solution in the direction in which we are looking;

when we don’t know where to look, we remain

open to all directions. But remaining open and

“unmoving,” as Lao Tzu suggests, isn’t about being

passive or lacking conviction. There are lot of

committed activity happening beneath the surface

-- it takes great effort and discipline to remain alert

to what’s happening within.

So it’s time that we take the ownership of being

patient, History has time and again proved that

people with utmost patience have created history

and they have been successful irrespective of the

area and background they came from, be it from

sports, science, politics, business, art..., any field,

the singular strength was to accept and inculcate

the true virtue of patience.

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eatures Syndicate, Inc.

Difficulty Level7/12

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onceptis Puzzles, D

ist. by King F

eatures Syndicate, Inc.

Difficulty Level7/11

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given

numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares

so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same

number only once.

SOLUTION:

3

65

6

1

3

7

9

8

6981

4

2

97

3

4

2

9

5

1

8237

9 2012

Con

cept

is P

uzzl

es, D

ist.

by K

ing

Feat

ures

Syn

dica

te, I

nc.

By Dave Green

Difficulty Level 7/11

9

2

8

6

7

4

2

5

4

1

36

47

5

1

1

6

7

2

5

9

4

320

12 C

once

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zles

, Dis

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atur

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yndi

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, Inc

.

By Dave Green

Difficulty Level 7/12©T

hom

as S

nyder

©T

hom

as S

nyder

38March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Kid

stuff

Something

39March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

• Starfish are not fish. Neither are jellyfish.

• Although the fangtooth fish is only a few inches long, it has teeth about the size of a

human’s.

• The mudskipper is a fish that spends most of its time out of water and can “walk” on

its fins. It carries a portable water supply in its gill chambers when it leaves the water.

It can also breathe through the pores of its wet skin.

• Catfish have over 27,000 taste buds. Humans have around 7,000.

• Most brands of lipstick contain fish scales.

• Lungfish can live out of water for several years. It secretes a mucus cocoon and

burrows itself under the unbaked earth. It takes in air with its lung through a built-in

breathing tube that leads to the surface. A lungfish has both gills and a lung.

• Seahorses are the only fish that swim upright.

• Some fish, such as the great white shark, can raise their body temperature. This

helps them hunt for prey in cold water.

• The oldest known age for a fish was an Australian lungfish. In 2003, it was still alive

and well at 65 years old.

• Fish use a variety of low-pitched sounds to convey messages to each other. They

moan, grunt, croak, boom, hiss, whistle, creak, shriek, and wail. They rattle their

bones and gnash their teeth. However, fish do not have vocal chords. They use other

parts of their bodies to make noises, such as vibrating muscles against their swim

bladder.

• Fish can form schools containing millions of fish. They use their eyes and something

called a lateral line to hold their places in the school. The lateral line is a row of pores

running along the fish’s sides from head to tail. Special hairs in the pores sense

changes in water pressure from the movements of other fish or predators.

• Since a fish’s jaw is not attached to its skull, many fishes can shoot their mouths

forward like a spring to catch startled prey.

• Electric eels and electric rays have enough electricity to kill a horse.

• Sharks are the only fish that have eyelids.

• Fish have sleep-like periods where they have lowered response to stimuli, slowed

physical activity, and reduced metabolism but they do not share the same changes in

brain waves as humans do when they sleep.

• Some fish, such as the herbivorous fish (grazers), often lack jaw teeth but have

tooth-like grinding mills in their throats called pharyngeal teeth.

• Most fish have taste buds all over their body.

Fresh fried fish,Fish fresh fried,Fried fish fresh,Fish fried fresh.

40March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

It is okay when citizens try to become journalists, but what happens

when journalists try to become citizen journalists? There are plenty of

seasoned journalists here now attempting citizen journalism, meaning

they seem to be showing more interest in writing about general issues of

interest (pot holes on the road, lack of parking spaces etc)?

But, perhaps, if they leave it to the citizens themselves, they could

concentrate on other issues? No? Just a humble suggestion…

Cold cold trip

Journalists vs citizen journalists

We have been thinking of it since quite sometime now. Fi-nally, we have taken the plunge to bring home to you some offbeat stuff. Here goes, if you like it, give us the green signal for more; if not, just take it with a pinch of salt. For this fort-night, here is some nitter natter for the B&W Bitter Batter:

Nit

ter

natt

er

You should have seen the way the hostesses doled out

the orange juices. No hello sir, hello ma’am; in fact no

words at all. She rudely tapped at the side of the seat and

since we didn’t hear, she shook the same under our very

nose. Verily! This is in-flight service?

It was cold and we asked for a blanket; it never came.

Later they came pushing a trolley and from a distance one

of them asks: “boolan…?” the rest of the word gets chewed

off, or is blown away by some mysterious gust of wind. She

tried it for three times and the passenger gets tired of

it and asked her politely, please, could you tell

me what sandwich it is, I did not understand.

Finally, she is clear: Bolognese sandwich,

she says sans accent; beef, she adds

to make the ignorant passenger

understand. Ok. Thanks, but no. This

passenger did not want beef. Chicken?

No. Veg? No again.

Our team has been flying to and fro to

Qatar off late for business purposes.

And we have so far enjoyed our trips on

Qatar Airways (even though they only give

out a tiny sandwich for an hour and a half

trip; well, what did we expect, a five-course

meal? And they have the latest movies, but do not

provide ear phones, ha!) but during one of our recent

night flight back from Doha (to Muscat) we literally could

feel the classic case of hostess freeze in mid air. They

were so cold, so plastic, so distant, and so ungenerous

that we just couldn’t wait to get back to good old warm

Muscat asap…brrr!

41March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Whoever has been complaining the lack of entertainment events

in town can be happy now. Off late there seems to be a glut

in the Muscat’s events calendar. Be it last month’s Shah Rukh

Khan Temptations, Himesh Reshammiya concert, Chris Tucker

stand up comedy, Yanni Live concert, Akon, Justin Bieber, and

a series of self help kings like Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma

and the like…We think we are all going to have a rollicking good

time. Entertainment reloaded, hey?

Driving KJ crazy

Entertainment loaded

(Note: Readers who have something bitter to chatter about can either email on [email protected] or call 99218461)

We welcome KJ, a new contributor to BB. A firebrand, who

works for one of the media houses here, she is someone

who always – ALWAYS – stands up for her rights unlike

other women who run away when confronted by a problem.

However, her experience is mostly road-related.

For example, take this incident where she is on a busy

street when a man in a sedan clearly bumps into her car

from behind. Although the traffic was slow and they were

all in front of a traffic light, the absent-minded driver behind

her just came and banged. The thing is everyone

saw it; our lady felt it and her car had a dent to

prove it, but the driver of the car behind her was

oblivious to everything. He had huge headphones

on and he was shaking his head in tune to the

music and he did not even realise that he his car

had bumped into the one before him. He was

totally immersed in his music so when our lady got

out of her car shaking her hand at him, he put his

side window down and asked casually what? The

lady told him to remove his earphones and when

he did, she gave him a piece of her mind. But the music

lover was quite baffled by the whole thing and confessed

that he did not realise that he had hit her. Finally, the issue

was settled but our lady still chuckles at the incident and

says how careless drivers have become and how oblivious

they are to the roads they travel on.

She has more road cases to reveal but let us take it

fortnight by fortnight.

42March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Find your centre and work

with it this week, as fragmenting

your energy will leave you tired and

frustrated. Kick your inner demons

into touch and focus on long term

goals that will bring you happiness.

Relationships are stabilising but still

need effort applied.

If old career prospects

resurface, keep them to yourself

for now as there may be some

glitches to overcome before getting

back on track. If work or personal

relationships need attention, don’t

waste any time tackling these issues.

Strong unions are your backbone.

You’re in the frame of mind

where you want to stabilise or ground

a situation, so you’ll want to make

commitments of some sort, be they

emotional, financial or professional.

Focus on the legalities of everything

and make decisions that’ll have a

long lasting impact.

Joint financial

arrangements need attention,

especially where budgets and

outstanding credit is concerned.

If its not money its love that blurs

the boundaries between you and

a partner, so stabilise intimate

relationships and work together to

plan the future.

It will take determination

and resolve to get things done this

week, but as long as you’ve patience

and don’t allow anyone to divert

your attention, you’ll make steady

progress. Think before you speak,

as if you come across as abrasive,

others wont be so keen to help you.

Open and honest

communications with those in your

inner circle gives everyone a chance

to clear the air of recent crossed

wires and confusion. Try not to

lose your temper if travel plans go

askew. It’s not your fault and yes its

challenging, but others will realise it

cant be helped.

March 21-April 20

June 22-July 23

April 21-May 20

July 24-August 23

May 21-June 21

August 24-September 23

Your ARIES

CANCER

TAURUS

LEO

GEMINI

VIRGO

Horo

scope

EVA JACQUELINE LONGORIA

(BORN MARCH 15, 1975)

is an American television and film actress.

Longoria is best known for her roles as

Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera The

Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2003,

and as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television

series Desperate Housewives. For her work

on the Desperate Housewives, she received

a Golden Globe Award nomination. She

has also has starred in films such as Harsh

Times (2005), The Sentinel (2006) and Over

Her Dead Body (2008).


Are your expectations

realistic? Have you set your sights

a bit higher than is attainable? Be

careful here as if you over stretch

and don’t quite reach your goals

you’ll be left feeling that you’ve failed,

and you haven’t. Try lowering the bar

for a while over money and love.

With so much love in the

air this week, its hard to keep your

mind on work or mundane matters.

Feeling extravagant? What about a

night out for two with champagne by

the fire when you get home? It’s been

a while since you’ve felt like this so

let your hair down and indulge.

A sympathetic approach

will win the day be it with partners,

family or work mates this week, so

when someone wants to go back

over old ground, again, try to grin and

bear it. A Saturn/Pluto configuration

will help you find lasting solutions to

problems by the weekend.

Your finances are a lot

rosier than you’re making them out

to be, so stop sweating the small

stuff and focus on plans for the long

term. Sweet talk your way into getting

influential others to get behind you

over plans and projects to create

powerful long term alliances.

Now is the time to heal

old family wounds if there are any to

heal, so be patient and understanding

even with those you feel have done

you wrong. Show others you’re taking

the high road even if they didn’t in the

past. Relationships get stronger and

stronger now.

Some self indulgence is

inevitable this week, but that’s not

to say you should go over the top.

Pace yourself. If anyone gets under

your skin, try to manage your anger

constructively. There’s no point losing

the head. Others are watching and

judging remember.

September 24-October 23

December 23-January 20

October 24-November 22

January 21-February 19

November 23-December 22

February 20-March 20

starsLIBRA

CAPRICORN

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

Top notes

Middle notes

Base notes

X SPRAY

E-MAIL: [email protected], Website: www.albahja.com

For men

44March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

WADI KABIRBait al Zubair Bait al BarandaMarina Bander Al Bustan Palace HotelOman Dive club Shangri-La- Barr Al JissahSri Lankan School NHIPencil Building (Stationery shop)Al Maha bunk –Wadi Kabir Ajay Enterprises (Khimji) – (Next to Jingles nursery) Hotel Golden OasisSana FashionsAl Maya markets – (Old Rawasco) Scientific pharmacy – Opp to al Maya market ( Arab Udipi Rest)

CBD AREA TO DARSAITAl Amana Building materials – Opposite Jawad SultanAl Omaniya Financial Services office Oman oil bunk Khimji mart shopping mall – (Old shopping & saving)Khimjis Bait al Ahlam- CBD areaPizza Muscat (Opposite ministry of manpower)Pizza Hut/TFC – CBD areaCentre point-SplashMuscat Securities market Times of OmanShell petrol Bunk (Next to Sheraton)OCCI Library – Oman Chamber of commerce (OPP MSM)KFC – Ruwi Oman International Bank – RuwiPalayok Restaurant – Filipino restaurant Ever ready supermarket New India Assurance OfficeAl Fair – Ruwi high street Lakhoos Money Exchange, Ruwi High streetDamas Jewellery/office – Ruwi Oman UAE Exchange – OCC CentreAir Arabia Office- Shanfari TravelsRuwi HotelGulf air building – Gulf air officeSaravanabhavan Restaurant Sarco – Samsung showroom Khimji Megastore – Swarovski showroomOTEMoosa Abdul Showroom – next to al JadeedToshiba Showroom Al Jadeed shoppingBadr Al Samaa Samara video (next to Talentz, old bait al ahlam) after 5pmMinistry of Education – Opp Wearhouse – Ruwi Future management consultants -(opp Toshiba showroom)Haffa House HotelAl Falaj Hotel Muscat Bakery- Near church Pakistan School (after temple & church Darsait)Naranjee Hirjee office (before Hotel Golden Oryx)Hotel Golden Oryx Bank Muscat corporate office (Opposite Hotel Golden Oryx)Kamat Restaurant Uptown Restaurant Turtles Book shopAl Rima Clinic Lama Polyclinic

Oman Air – CBD NBO- CBD areaBank MuscatBank SoharHSBCStandard CharteredOman Arab BankHarmony Music Centre – Next to OAB Bahwan Travel Agencies – CBD banks areaOTTB – Oman Travels BureauAir India office – CBD next to Costas CostasPapa John Supa Save – CBDWoodlandsBank DhofarHorizon Restaurant – (Next to Moon travels)Oman post office Lulu DarsaitKhimji Ramdas Head office, Muttrah (Kanaksi Khimji & pankaj Khimji) Majan College – Darsait junction (canteen)Indian Social ClubMelody Music Centre – Next to ISMGerman Embassy – Hamriya roundaboutApollo Medical CentreComputer Xpress – Hamriya Roundabout Atlas Travels (Wadi Adai Roundabout (next to polyglot)Hatat HousePassage to IndiaBest carsHyundai/Subaru/GM showroomAl Asfoor FurnishingAhli BankShell marketing officeSEAT car showroom- Wattayah DHL office- Wattayah Honda ShowroomSabco Head office wattayahNTT travels WattayahToyota Bahwan Advertising – Ist floor – Toyota showroomLexusFord showroomShanfari AutomotiveWattayah Motors- VW showroomKhoula HospitalInstitute of Health sciences – opposite KhoulaKia showroom- wattayah

QURUM AREA TOWARDS AL KHUWAIRAl Harthy Complex- Pizza Muscat – next to Sultan Center in al Harthy complexSultan Center Nissan showroomBMW showroom Muscat Private School Qurum city centrePizza Hut – Qurum Capital StoreAl Asfoor PlazaKFCHardeesFono showroom next to Sabco centreShah NagardasSabco Centre- Barista coffee shop onlyAl AraimiPanasonic ShowroomNBO QurumAl Khamis PlazaAl Wadi commercial centre – Coffee shopMercedes showroom

CCC- StandCCC Al FairBollywood chatPizza Hut – Qurum Second CupNandos McDonaldsSalman StoresJawahir OmanHamptonsBusiness Services & Travel Amex office Ernst & Young buildg (OUA Travels) StarbucksHawthorne institute- ELS Fahud Street, opp Qurum parkMumtaz Mahal Left bankOman Association for the disabled Ministry of education (20 +20=20)Muscat Intercon Jawaharat Al Shatti complex- standOasis by the sea - crepe café standLNG OfficeAl Qurum resortBareek Al Shatti ComplexAl Qandeel head office -, Entrance of Bareek al Shatti Al Shatti Cinema - Dunkin DonutsAl Sahwa Schools– principal’s office next to Ramada hotelHotel RamadaAl Muriya Offices- next to Al sahwa schoolsGrand Hyatt MuscatAl Masa MallRadio ShackAl Sarooj ComplexShell Petrol Bunk- Al Sarooj Al FairRamee GuestlineRock BottomClassic Institute of Arts- next to Asas OmanAsas Oman ApartmentsCrowne PlazaCoral hotelQurum Pvt schoolPDORas Al Hamraa ClubOmanoil head office

AL KHUWAIR/MSQ TOWARDS AZAIBAELS – Al khuwair service roadBritish School Muscat – MSQBritish Council Oman oil- Madinat Qaboos Pizza HutKhimjis mart – MSQ Kargeen Café Al fairFamily Book shop- MSQ Tavola – Al Noor Hall buildgStarbucks Hana slimming centre – Ist FloorFotomagicAl Noor Hall Al JadeedEqarat office Above Welcare Clinic – al KhuwairDomino Pizza Oman mobileSafeer Hypermarket Mustafa SultanSouk TechniaOmantelOman international Bank – Al khuwair main officeIbis Hotel

Park inn HotelFriendi OfficeMuscat Bakery Tropical Ice creams SubwayPizza Hut service road Ice Skating RinkNational Training InstituteGolden spoon RestaurantShell Select- Al KhuwairMcdonaldsMct holiday Inn HotelOman Bowling Center HalliburtonCafé VergnanoKhimji Mart – Next to Verganano Safeer suitesAxa insurance (opp assarain Al khuwair)Zakher shopping MallPAN Furnishing Harley DavidsonThriftyAl Amal Medical Centre – Dr BashirHotel RadissonPizza Hut Al KhuwairOzone Video Shop(Next to Pizza Hut)American British School Omar Khayyam Restaurant, next to V kool Grill House (next door)V KoolTAISM Centre for British Teachers – CFBT Baushar Complex CaféAviation Club Restaurant

AZAIBA TOWARDS SEEBLulu Hyper market – BausharOman Medical collegeCollege for Business & financial Studies opp Oman medical, bausharAzzan Bin Qais school - BausharMuscat private HospitalDolphin Village – BausherRoyal hospital Ghala industrial area – NTINational mineral water – Tanuf ( next to Al Madina Holiday Inn)Oman oil AzaibaSpicy Village – Rusayl Pizza Hut – GhalaOman oil – GhalaTowell head office – Enhance & Ist floorMazda showroom Mcdonalds – Azaiba Select shell AzaibaOman Tribune – Al Watan officeNew India assurance Azaiba office Safeer HypermartNawras head office Zubair showroom and Yamaha corporate office(two places)- Yamaha Showroom – close to Zubair showroom – 1st floor Polyglot InstituteGU Tech – Beach road AzaibaChedi Muscat The wave Muscat corporate officeNACA – national cancer Awareness AssnMCC – Crepe CaféAl Bahja– Mood Café & food CourtAl Maya Super market Oman air Seeb office (Below Flyover, before Golden Tulip)Oman Tourisn College Golden Tulip HotelAir portSelect Shell – SeebPizza Hut airportKFC

PICK-UP POINTSPICK-UP POINTS

MUSCAT

Cir

cula

tion

45March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W45

March 7 - April 62 0 1 3B&&&&&&W

SHOPPING MALLSLulu shopping centerAl- Istaqarar shopping center (Salalah)Dhofar shopping centerBab Al- Salam marketAl- Mashoor (Salalah)Al- Mashoor (Saada)Al-KhareefK.M TradingAl-Isteqarar (Saada)Al-Hoq super marketHamdan commercial marketFresh super market (Al-Sarat)Union Salalah MarketFamily bookshop

HOTELSCrown PlazaHilton Salalah Hamdan plazaDhofar HotelSalalah hotelHaffa HouseRedan HotelAl- Hanaa HotelBAMSIR hotelAl- Jabel hotelAl- Nile suite (Saada)Salalah Mariott

MINISTRIESMinistry agriculture & fisheries Ministry of educationMinistry of defenseMinistry of housing & electricityMinistry of waterMinistry of tourism Diwan of Royal court (Salalah)Ministry of primary court and justiceMinistry of Commerce & industryDhofar municipality (Baladia)Ministry of man power

PETROL STATIONS, BANKSShanfari filling Stationshell select, al saadaOman oilShell SalalahBank MuscatOmantelOman Arab BankPizza hutDhofar UniversityAl Maha souk

OIB, NizwaOIB, FirqBankMuscat, NizwaBM main branch, NizwaBankMuscat, FirqNBO, NizwaNBO, FirqBank AbudhabiToyotaOTEOmantelNawrasKhimji, NizwaKhimji, IzkiMuscat Bakery, NizwaPizza HutDiscount centreFamily shoppingAl Diyar HotelSafari hotelAl-Nif shopping, IzkiHungery Bunny, NizwaCollege of ScienceCollege of TechnicNizwa Medical CollegeBusmath ClinicThalal ClinicOmanoil, IzkiOmanoil, FirqOmanoil, NizwaOmanoil, MarfaShell, IzkiShell, FirqShell, NizwaAl-Maha, FirqNizwa university -Dept of foreign langAl-Maha, Marfa

Lulu hyper marketSafeer CentreAl Nahda resortAl Maha SoukOman Oil RumaisOman College of managementOIBNBOBank MuscatShellOTESARCONissan showroomOmantel

MUSCAT continued...

MUSCAT, SALALAH, SUR, SOHAR, NIZWA, BARKA, KASAB

SALALAH NIZWA

BARKA

SOHAR

SURAl-HasharLNGLNG, Club SurSur Beach HotelSur UniversityOTE, SurMitsibushiRawaya coffee shopToyotaNissanSur Plaza HotelMazdaKhimjiOmantelPrivate Hospital, SurBankMuscatSur HotelNBO, SurBank Dhofar, SurELS, Sur

Muscat golf hills, SEEBKOMSQU – SQUH hospital , SQUH 2- canteen, 3- Diplomatic Club, 4 – College of Commerce, 5 – Students banking area)Pizza Hut – al Khoud Sultan School al hail service road – principals’ officeCaledonian college – principal’s officeOman Foot ball association

RUSAYL AREARusayl Industrial EstateOman CablesSadolin PaintsJotun PaintsAl waqia shoesMehdi FoodsAreej veg oils

MINISTRIES AREA – AL KHUWAIRMinistry of tourism(Ghala, next to ISG)Ministry of social Development(next to Regional municipalities, Bank Mct)Ministry of foreign affairs

Spicy Village RestaurantLulu HypermarketJumeirah Shopping CentreKhimji’s MartAl Salem shoppingCentrepointMoosa Abdul Rahman – GMCToyotaNissanMitsubishiLG showroomSohar BakerySohar UniversityBank MuscatHabib BankBank SoharOman International BankAl Raffah HospitalBadr Al SamaaOman Arab BankBank DhofarHSBCTravel CityNational Travels and ToursUniversal Travels and TourismDHLDhofar InsuranceAl Ahlia InsuranceTaeeger Finance CoOmantelAl Jazeera GroupNarenjee Hirjee (International)

Circulation enquiries: 98675976/24565697

FREE FORTNIGHTLY MAGAZINEAVAILABLE ALL OVER OMAN ON 7TH & 21ST

20, 500 COPIES (BEING AUDITED)

46March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Ingredients

3 large boneless chicken breast, cubed

1 tbsp shrimp paste

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 green and red hot chillies, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 thumb size ginger, chopped

1 can (1 1/2 cup) coconut milk

1/4 cup spring or green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

cooking oil

Method

Add cooking oil to a preheated pan. Saute onion, garlic

and ginger until soft and fragrant. Put in chicken and

saute for a few minutes until light brown. Season with

shrimp paste and pepper. Stir until well combined. Pour in

coconut milk and stir. Simmer over medium low heat for

at least 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and

the sauce thickens. Sprinkle in the spring or green onions

and stir until well combined. Turn off heat.

Serve and enjoy!

Chicken BicolKrystel Ann B. Sakai

47March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Ingredients:

Digestive Biscuits - 1 pack

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 5 to 6 tbsps

Whipping cream 1 packet

Nestle cream 1 tin

Coffee decoction -use 1-2 tsps of instant coffee with 3-4 tbsps of warm water

Nuts or chocolate chips or mm-For garnish

Method:

Soak the biscuits both sides in the coffee decoction ( you can add a little milk

to the decoction)

Put a few soaked biscuits in a serving bowl as a layer

Blend whipping cream, milk, nestle cream and sugar to taste (5 to 6 tbsp)

together in a blender

Pour some of the blended cream mix over the biscuits.

Next layer put some more of the soaked biscuits

Then again pour the cream to cover the biscuits

Continue making layers of biscuit, then cream, then biscuit and then cream

again till it gets over

Garnish with nuts or chocolate chips or MM gems

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours and serve chilled!

Simple biscuit pudding is ready to be served. Simple and easy.

Biscuit PuddingSimple

Vijayalakshmi Shetty

48March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

in the world…

The

Forget all that has been said before about exercises. Forget everything

you know about exercise. Now, with a clear mind, having swept away the cobwebs of your past workouts, why

not start all over again?

Before we even take that first step, let us also understand that at this moment

the best exercise in the world is the one that you are NOT doing.

DONE THIS, DONE THAT

“But, I am doing every exercise in

the book,” you may argue. And you

are right. You are doing quite a lot of

exercises. And you are also working

very hard for many hours. But, who

told you that the exercises that you

do are the right ones? Have you gone

through a system that enabled you to

understand what exactly you need to

lose or gain weight? You haven’t? And

that is simply why your exercise regimen

is not bringing you the desired results.

Shape n

sound

48March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

49March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Top notes

Middle notes

Base notes

Poem

E-MAIL: [email protected], Website: www.albahja.com

NOT AS FAST AS YOU WANT

Yes, you are losing weight. But it is not happening as

fast you would want it to. The reason is just this: you

are working on the wrong game plan. Maybe there are

other genuine reasons that you are not losing weight

or not getting to be fit the way you want yourself to be.

However, research has found that the prime reason that

many women are not able to reach their desired fitness

levels, despite proper exercise is because they are doing

the wrong thing again and again. They are repeating the

same mistakes.

GET A FITNESS COACH

And what about you? Are you repeating the same

mistakes? The only way to find out is to approach a

fitness coach. Don’t baulk at the idea because you may

be under the impression that only the rich and the famous

can have their own coach. You do not have to employ

one, but you can just consult him/her at one; or maximum

two times. Get a simple work plan based completely on a

diet including stringent work outs. Do not get afraid and

do not lose hope in your attempts. It is not going to be a

mountainous task.

THE HEALTH TRIO

Every gym in town will have an instructor; health

instructors are not hard to find. But to get a real 360

degrees approach to a real fitness plan, an instructor

alone is not enough for you – you need a dietician and

also a doctor. The latter is required because you need to

be sure that the exercises that you are going to do would

be according to your body requirements. You should not

overdo it and cause unwanted harm to your body.

HOLISTIC APPROACH

This is why you need a very sane, sober and holistic

approach to your exercise. This piece is not about what

type of exercise you should be doing because you are

yet to find the correct one for you. Of course, routine

exercises can be done, but even they need to be done in

a systematic manner. It is not a very easy task to achieve

and maintain your ideal body shape or even succeed in a

weight-loss programme.

COCKTAIL PLAN

Exercise works. But it has to be supplemented with other

methods of diet, a proper food plan, yoga and meditation.

It a cocktail of these essentials that drive you to success

in whatever you want to achieve on the weight loss or

ideal body shape front.

NO ONE SINGLE SOLUTION

Otherwise, all attempts, strenuous exercise, limiting meal

portions, skipping breakfast, avoiding fast foods, skipping

ice creams and sweets will not work. The trick is to

understand that if you are looking for one key to open all

doors to a heavenly body and figure, you will find yourself

locked out of the fab fit world.

50March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

Shape n

sound

50March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

51March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING

The toughest challenges remain in

creating time for business priorities.

So, let us look at how we can change

our attitude to better our prospects.

Everyone would say that we should

adopt a strong, aggressive makeover.

I beg to differ. We are women; human

beings. And we are wherever we are

because of a higher power…bearing

all of this in mind, let us try to adopt

a new attitude structure. A simple

policy to adopt is to be forever grateful

for all that you have now and all that

you have achieved so far. Be grateful

that you are alive and that you are

well; be grateful for having wonderful

family and friends – remember there

are many out there who are alone and

simply don’t have anyone.

This feeling of gratitude should be

all enveloping as that would give

you the base from where you should

start anew with this changed attitude.

Adopting a spiritual stance will not put

you into any harm. Feeling grateful

for what you have will not throw you

off track or soften your attempts at

success in any field.

But once you begin feeling grateful,

slowly you will find your eyes opening

in various ways. You will find yourself

broadening your horizons and also

working from a very new positive

perspective. Life opens various new

possibilities for those who appreciate

it. The more you dislike it, the more

you complain and the more you find

fault in the world, you will move around

with the same attitude and the sky will

open up with all possibilities.

SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM

In the same breath, let me tell you that

this mood will help foster a spirit of

optimism in you.

When you are optimistic, you are

smiling, cheerful and happy. Who

does not want to be happy? The

whole world is running after happiness

but why can’t we simply look within?

Why can’t we be grateful, why can’t

we have faith in ourselves and most

importantly, something greater than

ourselves and why can’t we be happy?

When you are happy, it will also be a

chance for you to be sincerely loving

towards everyone you are with and

even those whom you are meeting

for the first time. No, this is not about

being saints and showing the other

cheek, but to simply walk with a

developed aura of happiness, love and

gratefulness.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Also adopt a heart that always seeks

knowledge and truth; believe in

honesty and practice it. But, where

is this all driving you? You want to

improve your work life, right? What has

all this got to being a better achiever?

Very simple. You become a better

person, you also become a better

worker; better achiever.

SOUND VALUE SYSTEM

A better person doesn’t mean you let

go of opportunities and make everyone

treat you like a doormat. Nor does it

mean that you let go of that chance

to ask for a promotion or let someone

snub you or treat you like a worm.

By being a better person means

having a sound value system with

which you can climb the ladder of

success anytime, anywhere.

By Mary Allen

Women all over the world are making a concerted effort to improve their work lives. But, experts

claim that whatever they do, they need to

have a drastic change in their attitude if

they really want to progress. Most of them time women

know what they want and how to get it, but

then, there are also those who do not

know what they want and often waste their

time trying to find ways and means to get it.

Kalpana Chawla,Shobha De,Priyanka Chopra,Chanda Kochhar,Indira

Nooyi,Monisha Kalteborn, Anshu Jansenmpa,Indira Gandhi,Queen

Elizabeth,…..the list is endless. If I sit down to write all the names I’ll probably

be writing way after March 8, International Woman’s Day, comes and goes,

and... I’ll be still adding more names to this limitless list.

Space, accountancy, corporate ladder, films, books, imprint with publishers,

ruling countries and kingdoms, Formula One Management, scaling Mt.

Everest not once but twice in a fortnight. Is there any summit that has been

left unconquered by women? Courage, confidence, excellence, acumen, and

most of all the fabulous ability to multitask have helped women storm to the

top even in spaces reserved as “bastion of men”.

When I read about the how women were not allowed to vote or work outside

the house, because they were thought to be dumb, I rejoice in my view of

the world which was shaped by a progressive father where the currency of

success was minted through hard work and brilliance and being a girl was no

excuse for not doing well.

I am hopeful and confident that the dark history that shackled women

is relegated to the dustbins and women all over the world, my sisters

everywhere, will fearlessly somersault to the top.

As for the men, talk to me baby, the day you can carry a child in your womb

for nine months.

Hugs to my sisters and the men who have supported us!

Whooo…Man!!Vandana, award winning author (‘360 Degrees Back to Life')

By Vandana Shah

Vandana Shah, Author 360 Degrees Back To life, editor of Ex-Files. www.vandanashah.com.

Email me what you’d like to say on [email protected]

Follow me on twitter Vandy4PM

52Black & White

It's m

y lif

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52March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

We are human beings with intelligence,

not sheep, Mrs Priya.

We don’t need paths; we need to make

our own trails, he had said.

It was a very long way back in 1995.

Sitting in front our chairman, I was as

nervous as anyone else could be.

I was just a junior copywriter, who knew

nothing about management, coordination

or marketing.

Here I was sitting across the table with the

boss, listening to him explaining the whole

complex process of organising the quiz in

three simple steps.

First, look for the venue and permissions,

second call up all the schools, you can

even write to them. And third is publicity

and marketing, I can give you a team

member in sales for that. There the event

is done, he smiled at me.

Sir, I stammered, I do not know anyone in

town yet, am new to Oman.

And I haven’t done any events yet!

I can only write.

No one is born with a particular job

portfolio Mrs Priya, all of us learn.

Have an open mind, if one person can do

it, so can you. You are a lady, have you

not organised a party at home, a birthday

party, a wedding party, anything… even

a get together? Ladies are better event

organisers; they can make anything look

beautiful. Any event is that. Simple as you

make it. Or complicated as you make it!

Here let me help you start right away…

I will book the venue, get you the

permissions, balance make your own path.

Here you go… he made couple of calls

and grinned at me. Half your job is done;

you have to pay me now.

Yes, it did sound very easy.

You choose one of your team members

from the media sales team… well, I said

Bejoy.

By Priya Arunkumar

[email protected]

Thank you sir!

Good luck to you and Bejoy. I am confident

that you both will do well.

He got up to leave, and once again reminded

me… remember the sheep.

Sheep are followers. If one sheep moves,

the others will follow even though it may not

be the right decision. If the lead sheep jumps

over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Most

of the time, we are followers. We follow what

other people are doing, even though it may be

detrimental to us.

Don’t be a follower. Be a leader… we can set

our own path!

There… we ventured in to the world of events,

me and Bejoy, not knowing anything other than

how to make proposals. My first step in to the

world of events, difficult as it was, there were

no readymade models or shortcuts. Adjusting

to a new job can be a daunting challenge,

whether you took the new job by choice or

out of necessity. I can tell you, It has been an

incredible journey since 1995.

Today, sitting on my table, planning one of the

most sought after global event –Yanni live in

concert, I am overwhelmed that without my

beloved chairman, I would never have entered

this world of events; leave alone execute world

class events.

Almost everything I learned in my career,

I learned from him, from the small lesson,

money saved is money earned to the fact of

life: how to say no!

I frequently made mistakes on the

supplements and special features I did, and

he would admonish me saying if only you

had learned to say no, you would not have

overloaded yourself in to committing what you

could not deliver!

Learn to say no, know your limitations, but

don’t accept the limitations.

We all can fly, if we wanted to…

Every new step I take in my career, I stop for a

moment to say: Thank you Mr Essa!

Hooked

55March 7 - April 6

2 0 1 3B&W

black & white mag issue 56

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