volume 17, issue 4 sindhi samachar - gurmandir.comgurmandir.com/scats/newsletter17-4web.pdf · dr....

The diyas were lit, the praise to Goddess Laxmi given and the partying began. On October 13, 2006, almost 200 members of our community at-tended Diwali Ball 2006. It was a joyous event that kicked off the holiday season. Puja and Vinod Karna graciously mc'd the evening's festivities which in-cluded the unveiling of the new SCAT website (www.sindhisoftoronto.com) and the keynote address by Dr. Ruby Dhalla MP. For those of you who were un-able to attend, your absence was felt; however, for those of you who joined us for this wonderful night of merriment, scrumptious food and dancing, you know that it was a grand affair. So mark your cal-endars now with next year’s tentative date for Di-

wali Ball 2K7 - November 3, 2007.

Annual SCAT Diwali ball

Sindhi Samachar O n l i n e a t w w w . s i n d h i s o f t o r o n t o . c o m

Volume 17, Issue 4

December 2006

Diwali Ball/Upcoming Events

1

Community News 2

GurMandir Update 3

NRI Season 4

Bollywood Update 5

Jokes 6

Recipes 7

Dear Dadi 8

Children’s Classes 9

Word Search 10

Let’s Learn Sindhi! 11

Sudoku 12

Financial Corner 12

Horoscope 13

Travel Destination 16

Inside this issue:

Sign up to receive your copy of the Sindhi Samachar

Newsletter by email

[email protected]

Dhoom Dhamaka Night Sunday, Jan

21/06 4 pm onwards at the Gurmandir

Upcoming Events

Dhoom Dhamaka! You've heard of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and of American and Canadian Idol...well, we Sindhis have talent too and it’s time to showcase the talent of the young people of our community. On Sunday January 21, 2007, SCAT is holding the second annual youth talent event, entitled "Dhoom Dhamaka". So whether you are a budding Adnan Sami or a talented dancer or a drummist, or tabla player, or come-dian, come on out and share your gift with our community. Parents, we urge you to encourage your children to show their talent with pride. Dhoom Dhamaka will be held at 4pm at the Gurmandir on January 21, 2007. NOTE: All are welcome to attend and encourage our young people. $3 at the door. Food and beverages will be served; prizes for all participants. For more information or to register your act, contact Indrani Butany-DeSouza or Reshma Wadhwani.

Bradriya je Sukh Dukh Mein Saath

Condolences Condolences to Kishen & Roma Kal-waney, Gobind & Kusum Kalwaney, Deepak & Neeru Kalwani, Kamal & Rani Kalwani, Raju & Neetu Kalwani and Titu (Kunal) & Sonia Kalwani on the demise of Deepak, Gobind, Kishen, Kamal, Raju and Titu(Kunal) Kalwani’s/Kalwaney’s father, Mr. Udha Ram Kal-wani, who passed away on Monday, De-cember 4, 2006 in Toronto, ON. Condolences to Haresh & Reena Moor-jani on the demise of Haresh’s brother, Mahinder (Manu) Moorjani, who passed away on Friday, November 24, 2006 in Markham, ON. Condolences to Sapna & Narendra Java on the demise of Sapna’s father, Lilad-har Bhatia, who passed away on October 24, 2006 in Mumbai, India.

Kush Khabri Congratulations to Naresh & Hilda Ramchandani on their son, Vikram Ramchandani’s engagement to Payal Khandwala (Mumbai) daughter of Ash-win & Vibha Khandwala of Mumbai, India. Congratulations to Dilip & Punam Tha-kur on Dilip’s brother, Vishal Butani’s engagement to Mita Grewal (Toronto) daughter of Gurbir & Manpreeet Gre-wal of New Delhi, India. Congratulations to Kamla Malhotra on the birth of a grandson Sahir Maxim Malhotra, who was born on Friday, Oc-tober 27, 2006. Congratulations to proud parents Shivon and Pavan Mal-hotra.

Change of Address Monesh Aswani & Dr. Kavita Khubchandani 5030 Heatherleigh Avenue, #31 Mississauga, ON L5V 2G7 Tel: (905) 232-2349 Shilu & Ashok Ramchandani The Mansion 55 Kingsbridge Garden Circle, Suite 1505 Mississauga, ON L5R 1Y1 Tel: (416) 217-1066

Disclaimer: Sindhi Samachar is a quarterly publication of the Sindhi Cul-tural Association of Toronto. Views expressed in this publica-tion, direct or implied, are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Board of Directors. No member of the Board assumes responsibility, either expressed or implied, as to the data con-tained therein. Should you wish to contribute articles/announcements for the upcom-ing issue(s), please contact Ro-hit Makhijani or Lata Wadhwani.

How to Contact Your Board :

Manoj Balani : [email protected]

Indrani Butany-Desouza : [email protected]

Lata Wadhwani : [email protected]

Rahi Mirchandani : [email protected]

Shami Shahani : [email protected]

Rohit Makhijani : [email protected]

Reshma Wadhwani : [email protected]

Rajni Lala : [email protected]

Do you have an announcement to make?

Are you having an open house, a garden view-ing, or a private function you would like the community to be aware of? As long as it is Sindhi, you can now advertise such events in the Private Sindhi Events section of the Sindhi-sofToronto website! We have heard your com-ments and suggestions and put them into action. Please visit our new website to see what is go-ing on in the community. Although there is no charge to put up announce-ments, the Board of Directors reserves the right to limit announcements only to those benefiting the Sindhi community insofar as the event being directly organized or involving a member of our community. Members must be in good standing with membership dues for current year having been paid.

GURMANDIR TEMPLE UPDATE . . . Sindhi Samachar

YEAR 2006 We are thankful to each family for making 2006 a memorable year for the temple. We had excellent attendance at most of the events at the temple. The attendance on July 2nd to celebrate the first anniversary of our new temple, and on the 22nd of October to celebrate Diwali, was exceptionally good. We are asking for your continued support in 2007. We still have lots of Sundays available for the year. Please call Sonia Wadhwani at 905 890 2896, or any other board director to book a Sunday to celebrate any special event with your family and friends. As usual, we can arrange Guru's Kirtan, Mata's Chowki, Ram Mandir Mandali, or any other special Kirtan for you. UPCOMING EVENTS We are planning the following events during the first few months of 2007: Mata's Chowki January 7 Shiv Ratri February 18 Holi March 4 Cheti Chand March 25 Ram Navmi April 1 Hanuman Jayanti April 8

CHILDEREN CLASSES We are planning to have classes for children in the 4-16 years age group. The classes would be held twice a month from 3 to 5 pm on Sundays. At present the plan is to teach Sindhi Language, Music, Yoga, and Meditation. For more information, you may call Kavita Manyal, Nanik Lakhani, or Kris-han Vasdani.

ZEN MEDITATION Meditation sessions are being held on alternate Saturdays at the temple from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. The meditation starts with a short prayer, fol-lowed by two sessions of meditations, about 20-25 minutes each. The next date for this event is Dec. 16, 2006. We are also planning to start Yoga classes. For more information please call Dev Golani at 905 568 1247. FINANCIAL UPDATE For the first nine months of the year, we have received about $160,000 in donations. In addition we have received $20,000 deposit back form the city. This has helped us to pay $9,000 monthly expenses for the temple, spend $30,000 on paving, and pay $60,000 to the builder during this pe-riod. We are hoping that the community would continue to provide a strong support to the temple in 2007, and the coming years. This would help us reduce the $700,000 mortgage loan, and install air-conditioner in the prayer hall. Chao Jhulelal

Have you considered

sponsoring a satsang in

2007. Visit

www.gurmandir.com

for more information!

NRI Season

The month of December is a special month for the whole Sindhi community as fami-lies from all over the world congregate in Mumbai in hopes of finding a match for their young, while simultaneously enjoying all the festivities. Local Mumbai-ites have be-gun preparing for the traditional flood of NRIs that is about to plague their bustling city. The number of Sindhi’s that are expected to populate the paan stained streets of Mumbai will shatter all records of previous years and the sales of Johnny Walker Black Label will be unparalleled! As Uncles and Aunties world wide attempt to book out whole AIRCRAFTS for family and friends at the obvious discounted rate while convincing the ground staff to allow double their weight allowance, their offspring cringe at the thought of being displayed at what they perceive to be a ‘Meat Market’. Still, one can’t deny that the hopes of finding a suitable maitee will be high within the community. Parents will be well pre-pared, especially those that have embraced technology to give them an extra edge. One can expect colour-coded Bio Data’s and certified chatis being shared via flash drives and Blue Tooth PDAs. Mothers will be walking around pretending to talk on

their camera-enabled mobile phones only to stand with the lens pointed at your oblivious self and click away. The re-flection of their diamond bracelet, necklace and anklet will provide enough light to procure a clear picture and before you’ve even blinked, some chokro/chokri in Karachi’s machi market is checking out your image on their Nokia. The men on the other hand will be at the bar relying on well honed skills as they engage in business discussions where they’ll at-tempt to gain as much information while simultaneously revealing as little as possible. With standards becoming increasingly higher and quality eligible folk on the decline, competition promises to be fierce. Parents have spared no expense in preparing for this December, and have enrolled into vigorous training programs that include speed walking in a sari while being under the influence. Other regimes include rapid chati matching and the abil-ity to have 360 degree peripheral vision so as to keep abreast of the goings-on. Some aunties have even invested in corrective eye surgery enabling them to possess the vision of a hawk for the sole purpose of scoping out a room in a split second and spotting the most suitable catch for their spawn. Google has also begun to prime itself to handle the increased traffic and searches anticipated in the month of Decem-ber, as parents ‘google’ all the potentials for their son/daughter. You can bet that before you’ve even finished your first thumbs up, an aunty in the room knows you failed colouring in kindergarten. From there a rumor will spread, and by the end of the night the world of Sindhis will believe that you are mentally challenged. The younger adults will be equally as resolute as they prowl through the human traffic and watch their prey from a far, studying their every move and gesture before gliding over to their side. They’ll stand proud as they parade their body on which they spent two vigorous months working out. After getting an initial feel (and your name) he/she will head over to their parents to drop off the information as they head towards the next unsuspecting victim. In the meantime, the parents are sure to get cracking on the grunt work and within thirty minutes they’ll have answered every question on their checklist including if you’re manglik, thalassemic and your bank balance to the penny! The search for romance, temporary or permanent, will overflow onto the intense party scene as youngsters will keep tabs on the ‘happening’ spots, and by side stepping the ever roaming cops, they’ll manage to crash a private party and find their love (for the evening). Numbers and promises of a future will be exchanged, but names will be forgotten the next morning, only to be followed by the couple falling in love all over again the next night. As daunting as the wedding season may seem (and even though most feel that December in Mumbai is nothing more then a drunken debauchery), one can’t argue that most NRIs truly enjoy themselves. In some cases, new unions are born as life partners are introduced by chance or in most cases, by design. Before the trip is over and done with, agree-ments are made, engagements are announced and jewelry is exchanged (and in some unfortunate cases, they’re re-turned later). New friendships are spawned and experiences shared, leaving individuals anxious for the year to roll by swiftly so they can repeat the cycle all over again. In the meantime, they relive the trip by broadcasting their adventures to friends for the next eleven months, enticing them to join in on the fun next year. After all is said and done visitors depart Mumbai with both a smile and a slight sense of melancholy. For those, remember, there is always next year! About the Author ... Currently running an import business in Nigeria, Chandru is a Masters graduate in International Business Management and like most Sindhis, he has lived all over the globe from the US to India and places in between. An avid fan of the NBA, Chandru also enjoys playing basketball and is also quite the movie buff. Chandru's writing is known throughout the Sindhi community and he has a column with Beyond Sindh Magazine titled 'Being Cult Jones'

By Chandru Bhojwani [email protected]

Famous Quotes “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul” -William Ernest Henley

Sindhi Samachar

A source tells us that supposedly the Bachchan family has consented to the wedding of son Abhishek with Bolly-wood leading lady and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, according to a Star News exclusive. The wedding is likely to take place in February next year. A firm date will be settled upon by priests for the two families who to-gether agree that the month of Febru-ary, 2007 is auspicious. There is, however, no official confirmation of the reported wedding. The two stars, who have been romantically linked since over an year now, have consis-tently refused to confirm media speculation on the issue. Past media reports have suggested that the couple have kept their wedding plans in abeyance pending a nod from the Bachchan family, something that has so far not been forthcoming. Speculations on the reasons for the holdup have centered on father Amitabh Bachchan's desire for a homemaker bride not a film star, the family's ardent faith in matching the horoscopes of the bride and groom, and the need for Abhishek, 30, to stabilize in his film career. Though Amitabh Bachchan himself had married a very successful Bollywood star, following their wedding wife Jaya had stayed at home to tend to the needs of the family. She, did return to films but only after her children were settled. In the recent past Aishwarya, 33, has made great efforts to assuage any mis-givings that the Bachchan family may have harbored about her abilities as a homemaker. Her efforts at winning the hearts of the Bachchan family include a hospital visit to Abhishek's grandmother Teji Bachchan and frequent visits to the Bachchan home. Recently she and her family spent their Diwali with the Bachchans. As far as matching of horoscopes go, both Aishwarya and Abhishek are believed to be Mangliks. A wedding between two mangliks with matching horoscopes is considered very auspicious. Apparently Aishwarya's successful efforts at portraying herself as a home-maker, in the mould of mother in law Jaya Bachchan, the blessings of the fam-ily priests and Abhishek’s recent successes at the box office have together weighed in on the family which has now given a nod to the alliance. When asked to comment on reports that his wedding had been set for February next year Abhishek, with a smile that belied his words said, "No, it has not. Sorry to disappoint you." Stay tuned for more news on the romance!

Bollywood Update

Khila Charcho

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God went missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God, "Where have you been?" God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed down-wards through the clouds, "Look Michael, look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put LIFE on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place of great balance." "Balance?" inquired Michael, still confused. God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth, "For example, Northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while Southern Europe is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a hot spot. Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people," God continued, pointing to differ-ent countries. "This one will be extremely hot and arid while this one will be very cold and covered in ice." The Archangel, impressed by Gods work, then pointed to a large landmass in the top corner and asked, "What's that one?" "Ah," said God. "That's Canada, the most glorious place on Earth. There are beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers, streams and an exquisite coastline. The people from Canada are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they're going to be found travel-ing the world. They'll be extremely sociable, hard working and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace. I'm also going to give them super-human, undefeatable ice hockey players who will be admired and feared by all who come across them." Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed; "What about balance, God? You said there will be BALANCE!" God replied wisely. "Wait until you see the loud-mouth idiots I'm putting next to them...."

Amma jee Rasoee Sindhi Samachar

Bhee Aloo Tikki (Lotus Stem and Potato Patties) Cooking Time: 30-35 min Serves 5 (8-10 tikkis) Ingredients: 250g lotus stem 2 medium-sized potatoes 2 tsp red chilli powder 1.5 tsp mango powder Oil for deep frying Salt to taste 4 green chilies (finely chopped) For the batter: 2 cups gram flour 1 tsp red chilli powder A pinch of soda bicarbonate Salt to taste Sufficient water to make the batter Method: 1. Wash and cut the lots stem into medium sized pieces. 2. Boil the lotus stem and potatoes individually. 3. Mash and mix them. 4. Add red chilli powder, finely chopped green chillies, mango powder and salt. 5. Make small portions of this mixture. 6. Now make a thick batter by mixing the gram flour with red chilli powder, soda, salt and a little water. 7. Dip each portion of the lotus stem potato mash in the batter and deep fry on a medium flame till golden brown. 8. If there are any leftover from this vegetable made in gravy, it can be dried over a flame and made into patties in this way.

YOUR THOUGHTS??? For all other suggestions, inquiries, questions and/or thoughts on the Sindhi Samachar, please contact one of the board members. We encourage you to submit an article for publication. SCAT reserves the right to review and edit any submissions.

Dear Dadi ...

Dear Dadi, Kids make fun of me at school because I am Indian. Even when I’m in the lunchroom, they make fun of the food I eat. I ask my mom not to make me all this Indian food all the time because it’s embarrassing. Is this bad? Why do they always pick on me? Sincerely, Angry Anand Dear Angry Anand, When I was younger, there were children in my school that also made fun of me because I was Indian. Don’t take this to heart. People sometimes only make fun of things or ideas that they don’t understand. You have two different type of people in this world: one that will make fun of those things that they don’t understand, and then the other person will want to ask and learn about what it means to be Indian. They embrace your culture because they think it is fascinating, curious and maybe even exciting. Making fun of anything, whether it be someone’s age, gender, weight or culture is never a good thing. It is better to learn about them. Laughing at them may make them feel bad and hurt their feelings, and no one I know likes that. Now getting to your mom making lunch for you: if you ask her to stop making lunch because the other children laugh, then don’t you think that your mom would feel bad? She makes lunch for you because she loves you and wants to make sure you have something to eat. It is confusing to understand why children make fun of other cultures and nationalities in their younger age and those same people go our and celebrate the various cultures and their respective cuisines as adults. It is common for children to bring lunches that are made in their native countries, so why not us? Again, I think that you should be proud that your mom makes you something different from everyone. Dadi Dear Dadi, I am currently dating a Caucasian and my parents don’t know. My elder brother married a Sindhi girl, and they are living happily elsewhere in Canada. I don’t feel that my brother or my parents would approve of me dating this “white boy,” but he makes me very happy and I do really love him. What should I do? Sincerely, Lost in love Lavina Dear Lost in Love Lavina, This is not, as you already know, an easy situation to deal with. However, trying to understand where your parents might be coming from may help you have an appreciation for the situation. Traditionally, parents used to decide the fate of their children, whether this be for school, work or married life. When your life may have been decided in the same man-ner, then it is not easy to accept that children should and can make their own choices. It is hard for anyone to let go of something as dear as a child. Your elder brother married a Sindhi, which makes the adjustment for your parents a little more comforting. Parents and elders in general do feel that getting married to someone within the same community is a good thing because you have a number of similarities mainly through culture. Not all parents are the same though. Edu-cation, individual upbringing, etc. all contribute to each individual’s school of thought in this subject. Marrying outside the Sindhi culture, but to an Indian is becoming a norm now. However, if you look at history, even this was frowned upon, not only in the Sindhi community, but in almost every community. Adjustment and change takes time. My advice to you is for you to be open and honest with your parents. They may not agree with your decision, and they may have a hard time accepting your decision, but at the end of the day, it is YOUR decision. And remember, they are your parents. They will continue to love you through thick and thin. You must communicate with them though. This is the only way to start making any sort of progress in a positive direction. Dadi

If you have any questions or letter for Dadi, please e-mail her at [email protected]

Sindhi Samachar SINDHI GUR MANDIR, TORONTO

(207 Queens Plate Drive, Etobicoke, Phone: 416 840 7677 www.gurmandir.com )

ANNOUNCES CHILDREN CLASSES FOR THE YEAR 2007

Highlights :

Starting Dates of the Classes will be announced shortly

For more information, please call Kavita Manyal 905 202 2150 email: [email protected] Nanik Lakhani 905 567 1151 email: [email protected] Krishan Vasdani 905 858 2943 email: [email protected]

DIRECTIONS: 401 East/West, take 427 North, exit on Rexdale East, pass Highway 27, then take left on Queen’s Plate Dr. From 407 East/West, take 27 South, left on Queen’s Plate Dr.

v Sindhi Language Classes

v Yoga and Meditation Classes

v Music Classes

v Participation in Cultural Activities

v Twice a month from 3-5 PM on Sundays at Gurmandir

v Fee of $100 per child for the whole year

v Tax deductible receipts will be provided

v Children between 4-16 years of age are welcome

Word Search Cities in Sindh

N M I T H I M K I U S O P V J H Q F X X L B P J R W E A W H K A R A C H I E M Z G V Q P Q C Q I N P F T F Y Z G R O O F G J W Y D P C E H F E M J Y S B L U C I Q L Q L J F U S G Y S T P A O X R H A A P E J J E Y E C T D Z N H L G G P O H A I N J O B K Z C G F R E H O Q B L Z C J W Q S D Z O I I O H L P I Q O S L Q H V B N N O X Z J W A V D O P Z X P N H N N K I H T Y F H B W B S Q Q T U H F C P B R W D Z H Z A J E M I U T L Q I W A F F H I F O A H O T M Q T L J C G P R H M Q Y X U O W I J N H F I V K L G B Y A P R S W W U W X E T Q B Z Y K E P L J Z Z X K H A T A U L L E O W B U N V A X Q K P B N V H O S S V P S A U C B O L X U H O U U N I L J P A S L X O X T U A N G A J R C A G L H A R Q D N A R K A S I H E N Y T D T B N X H Q J P D Z Q N R G R H Z O I C Q W A W E P R G H Y Y X C K N O F U U S E W Q A H K X X L O T N L K W L A Q I U B O R U V U F R U K S V A O R S A G N E E B T Z V E G W C Z M U T Y Z Y C Z B N H Q K V T S E N S S E B K T D J K H B B P A L M I B D M H L R I Z W R U C D A I I M N Z D S Z J D R S E N U S Q X N V K U K S Q B M N F Q B F I E B Q X H S I C P B R G A I V M Q U K W I K W Q G L O P E S Z P P J N M R R R I G A O E M K M E K D J T D H Z X X R S A O C U B N A W L V Z K T M R T A C U U Y D X C M Y I C S E Z Y G H E R F A L V A H T T E F E Y D S V A X A A G V G O M D S Y U A S O J L M O V S P S R A H T J C F J T S M S V P U Z O Q S J W N U F I I X M Z A B O W X M H O T E P Q G I E D J L T K N Z M Z G B Z K A O N C K O U B D A U R Q G K T H E L K B A U W N R C L K O B F G H J M N N H X D N T Q F D T L R A G R R D Q S K K N K S T H W K R A T H L K U P M R U P R I A H K D J

Can you find these words? DADU

GHOTKI HALA HYDERABAD JACOBABAD KARACHI KHAIRPUR LARKANA

MEHAR MIRPURKHAS MITHI NAWABSHAH RANIPURE RATODERO SAKRAND SANGHAR

SHIKARPUR SUKKUR TANDOJAM THAR THATTA UMERKOT

Let’s Learn Sindhi!!! Sindhi Samachar

By: Rakesh Garg, CFP, AMP

Financial Corner

Be sure to add up all your assets The best laid financial plan takes all of your assets into account. Major assets, such as your Registered Retirement Savings Plans, may automatically come to mind. But some less ob-vious holdings can have just as much impact on your portfolio’s optimal asset allocation. Common items overlooked. People often forget to consider their Canada Savings Bonds, Guaranteed Investment Certifi-cates, and Registered Education Savings Plans. Locked-in retirement accounts from former em-ployer pension plans or discount brokerage trading accounts should also be factored into your financial plan. Also, don’t underestimate the influence that company stock plans, share options, shares in private companies, and life insurance policies might have on your asset allocation. Each component has an effect. Taking into account all of these items ensures that your investments work together, without duplication or conflict. For example, career public employees with secure, high-quality defined benefit pension plans may be able to as-sume more equity risk in their own portfolios than those with weak pension plans. Other considerations. Also factor in your current and anticipated debt load. Your debt-service requirements affect how much investment risk you can wisely take on. The same goes for your job security, health, and family obligations. To maximize the benefit of professional advice, it’s important to provide a complete picture of your financial hold-ings. For more information, or financial planning assistance, contact Rakesh Garg at Mayrak Financial Solutions, Tel: (416) 568-4082 or E-mail him at [email protected].

Sudoku

Horoscope Sindhi Samachar

Aquarius (January 20 to February 18): With the holiday season just around the corner, be prepared for a month of changes!! This month will bring possible weight gain, empty wallets and binge drinking! Be sure to continue to work out regularly, work overtime where possible and always remember “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear; beer before liquor, never been sicker!” Enjoy the holiday season.

Leo (July 23 to August 22): It is a great idea to always carry gum in your pocket. That way, when you meet someone with bad breath, you can casually take out a piece to eat and offer them some as well. If they decline your offer, be sure to insist and tell them that it’s new, improved and a must try! Also, if Yash Chopra is in town and picks you to star in his next movie, you’ll be prepared to come face to face with Shahrukh or Rani, as you dance around the trees.

Pisces (February 19 to March 20): The upcoming months bring travel into your life. You will likely plan an adventure to a far off city, east of Toronto. It could be St. John’s, NFLD, or Florance, Italy. Either way, you are in for an interesting holi-day, be it with family, friends or colleagues. Of course, if it’s with fam-ily, it will be more than just interesting! And, if you end up in St. John’s, be sure to get SCREECHED!! (it’s a lovely and traditional method of inauguration.

Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Try and stay out of the spotlight for a change. Your ego has gotten the best of you and taken over your life. People who try to drop sub-tle hints about your arrogance will eventually just cut you off. You also need to recognize that just because you’re a perfectionist, that doesn’t mean you’re perfect. One day your moment in the spotlight may not be a good one! Really!

Aries (March 21 to April 19): You are feeling a little under the weather lately. While I would nor-mally suggest you take rest and drink lots of fluids, I think you need to recognize that you are actually faking your illness to get extra time off work. These lies will likely only lead to you actually getting sick. Re-member, Hindus believe that what goes around comes around, and with your luck, you’ll end up getting sick when you have a really hot date!

Libra (September 23 to October 22): You have been annoyed lately with always having to repeat yourself and explain things to your employees. Remember, some people are slow learners and some just don’t care to listen to you. If you want results, suck it up and repeat yourself, or just fire the people who don’t listen.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20): I see food in your future. I suggest you pay close attention to what you eat as you never know what will sit right in your stomach. Further-more, too many calories are no good for anyone! Be sure to check the labels of everything you buy, avoid the McChicken at McD’s and never eat daal that isn’t cooked by someone you know. Bon appetite!!

Scorpio (October 23 to November 21): You feel like you’ve been out of the loop lately. Well, you have! Peo-ple have come to see what a big gossip you are and are worried about telling you their secrets. Perhaps you should try to regain their trust by keeping a few secrets to yourself for a while. Then, when you start gossiping again, no one will think it was you.

Gemini (May 20 to June 21): Mars is in your favour this month as it is getting further and further away from Jupiter’s rings. In short, this means that you will have bet-ter luck finding good parking spots, less chance of getting parking tick-ets, and better service at restaurants! This does not mean that you win the lottery or a new car so please try and control your enthusiasm!

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21): You are a genius! But as a result, your peers don’t like you. You need to learn that life is about balance. Being smart may get you pro-moted, but it will not get you friends. So put some time and thought into what is really more important; money and a good secure job, or lame co-workers who you can drink with after work. Clearly, a tough call! Be sure not to make any hasty decisions.

Cancer (June 22 to July 22): I suggest buying tickets to a game or show. You need a night out and more so you need to take your significant other out. Don’t be cheap! Splurge a little and add dinner to the evening. If you want a healthy relationship, learn to invest a little … time and money!

Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): You’ve managed to get ahead in the game. Stay humble because although you did work hard, most of this was just luck. You happen to have the planets aligned in your favour and for some unknown reason, the gods were on your side. Don’t get smug, cause this will only last for so long.

Getting There / Getting Around Las Vegas is a very high traffic tourist population, so there is an abundance of airlines flying into McCarran International Airport (LAS). Don’t just depend on the usual suspects of Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) or Westjet (www.westjet.ca) to get you there, you may also find deals with Ameri-can airline companies such as American Airlines (www.aa.com), America West (www.americawest.com), United Airlines (www.united.com), Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) and Delta (www.delta.com), to name a few. Besides the numerous car rental companies located at the Airport, there are also a number of shuttle companies that will be happy to transport you to your hotel. The price for shuttles ranges between US$5.50 and US$10.00 each way. Once you are at the Strip, getting around has never been easier. Walking is the cheapest and most enjoyable method to absorb all that Vegas has to offer. However, there is also a Monorail (www.lvmonorail.com) that operates alongside the Las Vegas Blvd. (The

Strip) from 7:00am to 2:00am daily. Tickets are US$5.00 for a single trip, or you could purchase an unlimited day pass for a mere US$15.00. Taxis are easily accessible throughout the Strip and are reasonably priced. Travel from Mandalay Bay to Sahara (the two furthest hotels on the Strip) will cost approximately US$12.00!

Accomodations There are too many hotels to name in just a few lines. When booking, make sure to visit each individual’s website to find out if they have any specials packages available. Also remember, if you are planning to spend more than just a few hours in the casino lo-cated in the hotel where you will be staying, make sure to sign up for a Members Card, as part of the privi-leges include free accommodations, or deep discounted accommodations. The more luxurious hotels and resorts include The Venetian (www.venetian.com), Caesars Palace (www.caesarspalace.com) and Bellagio (www.bellagio.com). Some of the other popular hotels and re-sorts on Las Vegas Blvd. are Treasure Island (www.treasureisland.com), Mandalay Bay (www.mandalaybay.com) and Stratosphere (www.stratosphere.com).

Places to Visit This city just never sleeps. There is something to do around the clock, whether it is 5 in the morn-ing or 11 at night, an endless pos-sibility keeps you constantly confused!

Most of the hotels have special shows and/or attractions as part of their indoor ambiance, or outdoor beauty. The free Fountain Show in front of the Bellagio shoots off every 30 minutes from 3 pm to 7 pm and then every 15 minutes until midnight. (The routines often vary from one show to the next.) Wait until after to dark to go see this attraction. The shows are more frequent and the fountain lights, which are not very visible before sunset, add to effect of the routines. Wind your way through the Grand Canal Shoppes to St. Mark's Square at the Venetian and see the "street performers" and "living statue". Go into the casino's main entrance and take the escala-tor up one level to get to the Shop-pes. There is also a "Gondolier March" through the Shoppes to St. Mark's Square. Also at the Venetian are the gondola rides. There are ac-tually two different rides, both featur-ing serenading gondoliers. One out-side, in front of the resort, and an-other one inside through the Grand Canal Shoppes.

Travel Destination : Las Vegas (U S of A)

The Eiffel Tower observation deck at the Paris offers a great view of the Strip and a unique way to see the Bellagio fountain shows after dark. If you're an art lover, or going with one, check out the Gallery of Fine Art at the Bellagio which rou-tinely features works by van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and Gauguin. If you like roller-coasters, New York New York, Sa-hara, and Circus Circus (indoor) have them. If you're a hard core thrill-seeker, there's a roller-coaster (called the "High Roller") and a tower launcher (called the "Big Shot") on the roof of the Strato-sphere Tower, and bungy jumping at Circus Circus. If you plan to go "downtown" do it at night so you can check out the Fremont Street Experience. The canopy over the Fremont Street pedestrian mall is the giant "screen" several blocks long for a great, free light and sound show with 2 million individual bulbs.

There are also all of the shows that are hosted by the hotels. Tickets are available through numerous websites, although some charge a really pricey premium for booking using their services. To get the most savings, call the hotel directly and they will transfer your call to the Ticket agents in house. Some of the more popular shows cur-rently running on stage include The Blue Man Group @ The Venetian;

Celine Dion: A New Day @ Caesars Palace; KA @ MGM Grand; Mystere @ Treasure Island; Phantom – The Vegas Spectacular @ The Veneitan; Nathan Burton Comedy Magic @ Aladdin and David Copperfield @ MGM Grand, just to name a few! There are a couple places that offer tandem skydives. Both are actually about 20 miles outside of Las Vegas but they both have a shuttle service (and you can see the Strip resorts from both drop zones). They also both offer a package which includes a video tape and still photographs of your jump. With a tandem jump you're harnessed to a jumpmaster and just "going along for the ride" and you'll likely be back at your hotel within four hours. There's also an outfit called Fly Away Indoor Skydiving which is an indoor vertical wind tunnel where you can simulate a free-fall. However, it can't simulate the canopy ride which is the greatest part of a skydive, but it is a decent alternative.

Restaurants Las Vegas is filled with restaurant after restaurant after restaurant! Every-where you look, North, East, South or West, if it is not a fully-fledged Buffet, there is a specialty restau-rant. Look a little further and you might find a world famous McDonald’s some-where in downtown Ve-

gas! For those of you who are a little more ethnic in taste, these restau-rants come highly recommended: Or-tanique (Carribean: Paris Hotel & Ca-sino, Tel: 702.926.4346), RA Sushi (Japanese: Fashion Show Mall, Tel: 702.696.0008). If you are looking to drive a little for some tantalizing meals, may we suggest Landr’s Sea-food House in the Southwest part of Vegas (Seafood: 2610 W. Sahara Avenue, Tel: 702.251.0101) or

Hannah’s in the Northwest (Vietnamese: 1050 S. Rampart, Tel: 702.547.5552). Of course buffets are a must in Ve-gas. Some of the more highly re-nounced buffets are located in Bel-lagio Hotel & Resort and The Ve-netian. With many party-goers con-stantly in Vegas, there are some beautiful Bars and Lounges set up to get you in the mood and on the dance floor. A few suggestions to enjoy the city and the nightlife in-clude Ghostlife (Tel: 702.942.7777)at The Palms Hotel, where you can enjoy a martini while enjoying a glassed-in view of the city from 450m high. Coyote Ugly (Tel: 702.740.6969) offers a more enter-taining traditional bar atmosphere, while Tabu (Tel: 702.891.1111) will keep you on the dance floor with their high-tech and even higher en-ergy dancing arena! With entertainment at each step of “The Strip,” and food constantly sur-rounding you, shopping just a skip away, Las Vegas is sure to keep you constantly on the go and constantly spending! But there are deals to be had in this, a true paradise in the middle of an otherwise mun-dane desert!

Travel Destination Cont’d Sindhi Samachar

volume 17, issue 4 sindhi samachar - gurmandir.comgurmandir.com/scats/newsletter17-4web.pdf · dr....

Documents