Specials

Winter Fashion

After the dull season of monsoon God has blessed us with the cold but likeable season of winter. The season in which you take out all your sweaters and other warm clothes and probably wonder how you can not only keep yourself warm but also look stylish at the same time. So don't worry, all you young girls out there, because the fashion experts at RS are here to present you with tips on trends for winter, and Eid, which is just knocking at your door.

Let us start with dressing style. This season the look is very much about vintage, sparkly and ladylike clothes. Tired of wearing the same old sweaters? Opt for tweed coats, jackets and even fitted colorful cardigans. Remember that the color spectrum turns bright in winter, so opt for bright and bold shades.

Long skirts are really "In" this season, the ones, which Priety Zinta sported in the Bollywood Blockbuster "Lakshya". So why wait? Grab a nice colorful and printed long skirt to match your sweater. Or team the skirt with a warm denim top, and top it off with a matching muffler.

Denim is getting dressy again, so if you're the DIY-type like our very own Shayera Moula, bring out the glitter, the beads and sequins to jazz up your jeans. The especially artistically inclined, grab some glittery Frolicka (fabric paint available in tubes), a plain pair of jeans and let your creative juices flow.

For Eid, we usually like playing it a little traditional. Khadi is the material you should be aiming for, because being Deshi is "In" for this season. You don't want to wear kameez this Eid? Then why not make a Fatua out of Khadi material to team up with pants? The hottest colors for this season are ruby red, pink, shimmering silver, deep blue and fuschia.

Now for some make-up magic.
For EYES:
Apply a loose, shimmery shadow in pastel colors (baby blue, pale pink, and white) up to the crease.

Dip your brush in the same shadow and shake gently to dislodge excess particles. Sweep up to the arch for a subtle shimmer.
(Optional) Dip a brush in some loose glitter, and sweep up to the crease for a glitter that will have you thinking of snowflakes.

Curl eyelashes and apply mascara.
Skip the colored mascara, which attracts away from the shimmery eye shadow.

For LIPS:
1.Apply a complementary, light nude color to top lip.
2. Apply a complementary, dark nude color to lower lip.
3.With the help of your little finger, smear together lightly.
Wash your pinky finger then dip in some of the shadow you used on your eyes. Dab a small dot on upper and lower lips. Blend until subtle for a matte glow.

For your skin care, you have to make the best of what you have got and therefore you have to take the best take care of your skin. Cleanse your face everyday with a cleansing cream. This will keep your pores open so that your skin can breathe and it will also keep the dirt away. Then add moisture your skin which is the most important thing that you can do to your skin and the most early you start it is better for your skin. The popular hairstyle this season is straightened hair that it cut in feathers.

Lastly, it's time to talk about accessories. The chilly season demands closed shoes. The market is flooded with leather chappals and trendy mules with fancy uppers, which are a must-have for any stylish girl. The market is also flooded with hideous 'glass' heels in outlandish shapes…big no-no. We've said it before, we'll say it again: this is the season to get a little traditional. Grab a fancy botua made from brocade or Benarasi silk, or cute little beaded totes with paisley patterns. Some of the local craft stores are also selling gorgeous jamdani bags that you definitely should check out. Winter is a season that allows you to experiment with stoles, mufflers, and scarves, so make your own fashion statement. You could also add some sparkle to your woolies by pinning on an antique brooch.
Well, there you have it, girlies…have a stylish Eid!

By Tashmia Zaman

Diwali once more

The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali is on us again. It's a time for fun, exchanging gifts and sweets, lighting diyas, prayers and enactments of the epic Ramayana. On November 13, excited children buy their last sparklers, while the elders prepare the house for the evening puja.

In fact, in the run-up to this festival, houses are made to sparkle. The laborious task of painting homes begins much earlier. In many houses, painters take on the task, making an old house look brand new. As Madhur Jaffrey, actress and author of cookery books, reminisces in her fascinating children's book Seasons of Splendour, "It was not the outside that we decorated. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, demanded that the entire house sparkle with cleanliness and beauty.

In Dhaka, the Indian community has an annual Diwali mela. This time, the momentous occasion, organised by the Indian Association and the Dhaka Indian Women's Association (DIWA), was held on November 5 at the Baridhara Indian High Commission Park. Stalls for food, tambola, raffle draws and skits attracted visitors both young and old.

The young ones enacted a scene from the Ramayana, where Sita was abducted by Ravan, the demon king of Lanka. Equally enthralling were the Guru Vandana and the Ganesh Vandana (rendered in the genre of North Indian classical music), an Odissi dance, Durga Vardana (a dance before the mighty Durga) and the Gujarati Garba dance. There was also a rendition of the very popular song 'Duma Dum Mast Kalandar'. The high point of the evening, however, was the Jatra, a conceptual journey of religion and tradition in a changing world.

Diwali marks the return of Ram to his kingdom of Ayodhya. Exiled to the forest for fourteen years because of his stepmother's perfidy, he returns triumphantly from Panchavati with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. He is welcomed with twinkling oil lamps or diyas.

To observe this day, thousands of oil and wax lamps are lined across the houses. The lights remain on so that the mighty goddess Lakshmi can enter. 'The keyword of the festival is lights. Diwali takes one back to one's roots. However, one misses the crackers in Dhaka" says Monita Gopal. Poonam Rastogi, a teacher at the Indian International School, who is busy helping the children with their show, echoes a similar sentiment. As she says, "I like Diwali mostly because it is a festival of light and happiness. It is a time for fun. Also, there is the Lakshmi puja before the lighting of the diyas."

By Kavita Charanji

How many little girls can boast of international recognition for their literary talent? Our real-life Rising Star can. Meet Adiba. Her poem "The Sea" won an Award of Commendation for the Class D category of the Commonwealth "Write Around the World" contest.

The sixth-grader from Scholastica loves watching football on TV, and aspires to become an interior designer someday. Here's hoping all her dreams come true. For now, let's look at her prize-winning poem:

The Sea
- Adiba Rahman Khan
The sea!
Alive or Dead?
Dead or Alive?
Did it survive?
Or did it die?
Oh my!
The roar of the sea,
In the shore.
The sea is alive!
The sea is alive!
The sea is very much alive!
There are the waves,
Coming towards me
Should I be saved from the giant waves?
No! I should go to the magical world of the sea
Where there are fishes and sharks
Dolphins and whales under the waters,
Boats and ships on the surface of the sea,
And let myself be.
The sea is alive!
The sea is alive!
The sea is very alive!

By Sabrina F Ahmad

Study Buddies

DU admission test prep Ga unit

Students from Science and Commerce groups take the admission test for the Ga unit. From Ga unit you will be able to get admitted to the Faculty of Business Studies. The departments under this faculty are:
Department of Accounting & Information Systems
Department of Finance and Banking
Department of Management
Department of Marketing
The admission test will carry 120 marks. You will lose one mark for every four wrong answers. You will have to answer questions from Bengali, English, Accounting and Business. The number distribution is:
Bengali 30
English 30
Accounting 30
Business 30

Prep for Bengali: read the info about the writers, word meanings and short notes in the appendix of your HSC text book for literature. Go through the poems and stories. For the 2nd paper read the SSC textbook for Bengali Grammar.

Prep for English: you will have to get at least 12 in English to get admitted in the departments of the Faculty of Business Studies. Skills in grammar and vocabulary building are important to do well in English. Use the SAT guide for synonyms, antonyms, analogy, correct spelling and sentence completion. For the grammar part you have to be well-versed in the appropriate use of pronouns and prepositions, idioms, verbs, basic sentence patterns in English, tense, tense, uses of modal, conditional sentence, subject verb agreement, comparison, participles as adjectives, article, voice change, conjunctions, number, gender, affirmative and negative agreement, illogical participial modifier, redundancy, subjunctive, parallel structure and comprehension.

Accounting: math and theory both are important in accounting. For theory study the rules of accounting, capital, profit, things related to income and spending, equations, ratios, production cost, the procedures of non-business firms, depreciation, share issues, journal and sections of journal. For math, practice from depreciation, share business, book keeping equations, non-business firms, production cost, ratio and one-sided accounting. Try developing your mental math skills. You cannot use scientific calculator in the exam.

Business: you will need a good knowledge about the recent goings on in the business sector to outsmart others in this section. The recent changes in the banking sector such as the banking rate, SLR, interest rate, call money rate, balance of payment, the lowest acceptable level of bank capital, info about the stock exchange etc. are important. Read the Business page of The Daily Star everyday to keep abreast of the domestic and international business news.

The other important things are types of industry, the characteristics and jurisdiction of business, annual general meeting, the important documents of a firm, minimum donation, cooperative committee, different sections of cooperative committee in the light of the 2001 cooperative committee regulations, info about ICV and other investment banks etc. In the management section the rules of control, scientific management, labour management, information about great personalities etc. are important. In the banking sector the names of the central banks of different countries, loan management, history of banking and insurance, debit card, credit card, different types of insurance policies, rules of insurance etc. are important.

Last of all, remember, practice makes perfect, so solve a lot of question papers to get your timing right.

By Durdana Ghias