MOMMY’S BOYS AND DADDY’S GIRLS

Mothers hold their child’s hand for brief moment but their hearts for a lifetime! But..But..at times mothers hold on a little too longer than a moment. Why? How? The most probable answer that pops in our head is the big L word. Oh yes! L.O.V.E!! Fathers aren’t any lesser too. As they say “Any man can be a father..It takes a special someone to be a dad.” Some dads are extra special that they become super dads! So this week on UNMASK, lets unravel the mystery behind this special bond. 

            We are well aware of this theory that every girl wants to see her dad in the man she marries and every man wants to see his mother in the girl he ties knot with. But why is it so necessary for us to see our parents in the person of our dreams?? Doesn’t it shake you up a little?? Psychologically there is an explanation for this tendency. The reason as stated by scientists is that as young adults we tend to fancy the faces that we have looked at constantly through our childhood. And it invariably is Mom and Dad. This result kind of holds good in a lot of cases as it explains the Indian mentality of falling for their own cousins because they apparently have spent more time or admired their cousins. There is a stream of study which deals with Pheromones. This is one of the most researched topics among scientists these days.  Pheromones are well understood by most mammals as they possess VNO- vomeronasal organ in their nose. Well, let me put in English. Pheromone is nothing but a chemical factor secreted by us which causes the affinity we have to certain smells. The smell of our parents gives us a sense of warmth, love and security. This is exactly what an individual looks for in the opposite sex. However, one does not plan it and roam around with a smelly dress of his parents and matches it with every individual he or she comes across. These things happen involuntarily. And it is stated that an individual gets attracted to the scent of another individual who has an immune system different from his own. 

            Mommy’s boys are considered to be the Best husband materials. However, how much of the mommy potion in a guy is acceptable is the big question. A guy who is attached to his mother apparently looks at his wife through the same lens. So he tends to be more considerate and tries to keep his wife happy. And such relationships tend to last longer it is stated. The reason being a guy who is attached to his mother tends to develop more intimate and emotionally open relationships which is the most essential factor when it comes to a relationship. Men are generally enigmas who consider it their birth right to lock up their feelings. Mommy’s boys are more open about their emotions and hence making it easy to work out a relationship. The research reveals that men who had a strong love for their mothers also tended to date women who described them as 'their best friend'. And those who said they sought to 'make their mother proud' ranked high in terms of their ability to communicate with their partner. But, how often are these researches in synch with our real life conditions? Maybe 6 out 10! Nearly two-thirds of the professionally successful men questioned identified themselves as a man who "runs every life decision past his mother", and "takes her side over everyone else's". That only 18% of them thought a mummy's boy was someone who "likes to spend time with his mother" should in no way undermine your confidence in the usefulness of the results. Despite all these heart melting nice things said about mommy’s boys, most women show a big NO-NO to them. The reason is pretty obvious, ain’t it? A mommy’s boy expects unconditional love as a consolation. That’s not too much to ask for from your mother because a child tends to be her flesh and blood and she would be ready to do anything for you. However, from a wife you can expect unconditional love but not at the expense of throwing her own life away. This thought scares women and hence the NO NO! 

            As for the daughters, from infant to toddler to tween to teen its daddy all the way! The girl is a reflection of her father’s self esteem, confidence and most often her opinion about men. For a girl, her dad’s constant encouragement is the most needed boost. She happens to match this quality of her dad’s in the man of her dreams. It’s a father who teaches his daughter to love! Shocking! But this is the fact. It is a father who teaches a girl to love a man..but of course only a who treats her right. Again an involuntary action it is. Daughters will see what their dads believe about women by how they value and respect women, or by how they fail to do so. It is a dad or the first male care taker in your life who shape up the first model of how a relationship with a man should be. It is our parents who shape and paint our lens through which we look at the world at least in our growing years. A woman’s early relationship with dad, who is usually the first male object of her love, shapes her conscious and unconscious perceptions of what she can expect and what is acceptable in a romantic partner. 

            A child’s relationship with his or her parents in their early childhood is the lynchpin of her romantic life. This doesn’t mean that a child with troubled parents becomes a bad person. But it certainly influence their outlook on their preferences for a better half. So beware mommys and daddys your kids are watching you like hawks. 

            To form a doting amorous relationship with someone random person you meet on this weird planet is a challenge on its own. Not as challenging as Ted Mosby’s life I hope! It requires constant compromises and undeviating concern about the interests and well being of your better half. You cannot expect your girlfriend or boy friend or husband or wife to instantly vouch for you at all situations which invariably your mother or father can do. Eventually, love is love and all it takes is little or…. a little more than little time for an individual to step out of their maternal or paternal comfort and stand up for the one with whom they wish to share your life. It is certainly not too much to ask for! It is Love after all! Let’s embrace this Mother’s Day with this thought. 

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

-N&N

A DAY OUT IN JAIPUR

                           A trip to the North Indian states during the winter season is a complete pleasure ! Come lets travel through Jaipur , Delhi and Agra exclusively for the next three weeks. These prominent tourist destinations are mainly famous for their monuments which have been built with amazing architecture and mindblowing interiors. This week’s complete story is on a day out in Jaipur.

                        The journey started from Chennai central in Rajdhani express to Jaipur. We a group of ten people went on a trip to the North Indian states during the 2011 Christmas – New year eve. On our way to Jaipur, in the train we met with a political problem, where the people in big groups sat in the railway tracks and blocked the way. So the route was changed, thereby the already one and a half day train journey was elongated to two and a half days. So the very start of the trip was itself quite thrilling but spending two and a half days in train during a trip was sick too .One person I would like to mention here is the one who served us food in the train. He was a very enterprising person who did his work with full dedication and passion. That’s when I realised one thing, that good habit and life lessons can be learnt from any random people whom you come across in your life. When the train was about to reach Jaipur, he swiftly changed his uniform into casual clothes with his hair perfectly tucked in  and little powder applied on his face. He totally resembled some old bollywood hero. So he is one person whom I can never forget whenever I think of this trip.

 

                      Once we got down from the train, we went in a cab to our place of stay and checked into our rooms. Within an hour, we got ready in total winter clothing because the place was that cold ! Then we started our day with hot idly, pongal, sambhar and some chutnies. After the breakfast we got into the cab and went on mountains to the Amber fort. The moment we entered into the fort we were bragged to buy the puppet kind of raja rani dolls which were really cute. They demanded a starting price of Rs.200 then they finally gave it for just Rs.50, worth its price. It still hangs in my room window ! Renowned for its combination of Hindu and Mughal architecture, the Amber fort is located about 11kms from main Jaipur city. The citadel was the seat of the Kachhawa Rajputs who ruled Amer before the capital was moved to the present day Jaipur. The intricate carvings, mirror and precious stone works on the walls and ceilings of the fort are marvelous. The fort is connected with Jaigarh fort through fortified tunnel which was built for the royal family members and others during the time of war to escape.The most entertaining part of this fort is the elephant ride.

                          On our way back to the main city Jaipur, we saw the Jal mahal – a palace located in the middle of the Mansagar lake. One of the main reason for us to stop there was for the camel ride. I still feel bad for having taken the cameras along with me when I went on the camel but still I don’t have a single picture  that captured that moment..sigh…For lunch we went to Darg restaurant, the very entrance of the place had people playing traditional instrumental music and drums and the place of dine was so beautiful with a centre circular grace and we were seated around the stage. That day’s lunch was perfect which brought in the flavours of Jaipur with its music, dance and yummy food. Then the whole of that evening we spent wandering along the local streets and admiring its beauty !  Jaipur has been popularized with the name “Pink city” because of the colour of the stone exclusively used for the construction of all the structures. This pink colour has a history. In 1876, the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited India on a tour. Since pink denotes the colour of hospitality, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the whole city pink in colour to welcome the guests. The tradition has been sincerely followed by the residents who are now by law compelled to maintain the pink colour. One always falls short of words while describing the bounteous charm that the city captivates the visitor with its culture, architecture, traditions, art , jewellery and textiles of Jaipur that have always charmed the travellers. It is one city that even after modernisation still holds to its roots and values.

                          There is something in the atmosphere of Jaipur that brings joy and delight as soon as you set foot in the city. The pink colour of the city brings out romantic charm that bounces every heart. If you haven’t got a chance to experience the royalties of Jaipur then plan your trip right away !

-N&N

HORMONES- BODY’S INTERNAL INTERNET

John Mayer sang- Your body is a wonderland! He is certainly right. But how many of the mysteries of this wonderland have we busted with our gifted brain?? Woah! Don’t freak out. I ain’t going to take you back to your anatomy or biology classes and bog you down. There are certain parts of our mind and body we always wish we knew better. Especially the ones which rule our emotions- love, fantasy, hunger, fear, lust etc. Well, we shall stick to that part of our human body and unravel the enigma.

            As a sequel to our previous Unmask edition, this week let us change the angle of our microscope a little and find out more about men and their hormones. The general thought is that hormones are associated with women! It’s like an inevitable equation women & hormones. Don’t men have hormones?? Ooops I mean besides their testosterone! That everybody is sure of.

            Men and violence (not the terrorist level but general anger with physical acts) go hand in hand. The hormones which instigate this are cortisol and epinephrine. Its called your Alarm system. Imagine your alarm clock screaming…its fast..its shrill and its active! Precisely the same happens to your body. Your heart beats faster and your mind becomes more alert. Keeping your cortisol under check requires.. well not much..just regular exercise. Looks like Gandhi did a lot of exercise..Ahimsa is our moto!

            Of late , more than women , it is men who are conscious about their physique. Men hit the gym, spas etc. to be in shape. There is six packs..eight packs..so on and so forth. When it comes to weight issues, we become our biggest doctors. Cut the carbs..add the greens..go for walks! What not! Well, have you ever bothered to stop by and think which part of your body controls your weight?? Weight is a direct function of your hunger. When your tummy cannot be in control, so will be your weight. This is the deal! Your body has a battalion of hormones to tell you when you feel hungry and when to get your platter full of yummy food and also when to put the fork down. The grumbling sound of your tummy is kick started by the hormone Gherlin which sends signals to your neurons. We have generally heard of our stomach secreting acids to digest the food, haven’t we? Our stomachs also secrete CCK- cholecystokinin which is an appetite suppressant. Yes foodies! CCK is the black sheep. PeptideYY and Leptin are your warning signs. It is them who tell you- stomach full and back out soldier!

            It is Leptin who tells you- Dude you have gained extra weight..cut down right away! But we have a spoiler in our system! If insulin levels go high, it confuses your brain and overtakes leptin and puts up the sign- Go eat! You have been starving. Well, the secret to reduce your weight is this. Cut down on sugar. Less sugar..less insulin..High leptin..brain is clear..mission weight reduction shall begin. And talking about weight loss, if a woman competes with a man on weight loss, it is the man who always wins. Men tend to lose weight faster. The reason being men have 40 pounds more muscle than women and 10 times more testosterone.  (Women also secrete testosterone). However, men in their mid age, tend to put on weight and develop pot bellies. The reason being, a gradual decrease in levels of testosterone decelerates the fat burning metabolism.

            PMS- Premenstrual syndrome is considered a teeny tiny devil which men and women fear facing. Well, hormone trouble is not just entitled to women. Men have it too. Men’s hormones also rise and fall over a period of 30 days. If one keenly notices men also have a period of the month where they are supremely energetic and in good mood all day. A man’s testosterone levels rise and fall over five times in an hour and is high in the morning than at nights. As an add on, men’s testosterone levels even vary with seasons-high during spring. Men’s testosterone seems to fluctuate worse than our voltage! There is a huge myth surrounding Male menopause or Andropause.  Please do not go “Yuk” at the idea. There is still no certainty on this topic. Male menopause deals with the decreasing levels of testosterone. However, it is a gradual process as we all know. It decreases at the rate of 1% per year after one has reached his BIG 30. Lower testosterone levels are characterized by certain symptoms. Besides the obvious symptom, there could be depression, insomnia, reduction in muscle bulk, loss of body hair etc. A shocking detail about testosterone is this! Men with high testosterone levels facilitate your grey matter to adapt to technology better. Dear tech savvy men, take a note!!!

            Mid life crisis in men- lack of interest in family or career etc routes back to the physiological grounds. Not a brand new BMW but a simple blood test can help one to overcome his mid life crisis

            The sleeping beauties! What makes you sleepy?? The miracle man is Melatonin! Melatonin is the winding key behind your internal alarm clock. And it is generally preferred to have lights switched off while sleeping because light exposure short circuits melatonin production and start the ball rolling for cancerous growth in our body.

            When  your internet connection ain’t good..the wifi doesn’t work well..be it your laptop..desktop..mobile..ipads..everything has a malfunctioning. So is the case of your Body’s internal internet! If your hormone levels ain’t right, the body has a total malfunctioning! Watch out on your internet connection folks! 

-N&N

             

WHIZZING INTO ELECTIONS 2014!

What is election without campaign? What is campaign without travel?? Dromomania is back with the Elections 2014! Lets hit the roads this week ..not on a fun drive..but for a drive with a purpose! Yeah! Election campaign it is!! Get ready to travel along with the primary parties of the Tamil Nadu state.

             The general Parliamentary election 2014 is taking place in nine phases. This is supposed to be the longest election in the country's history, from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha in India. Voting will take place in all 543 parliamentary constituencies of India to elect members of parliament in the Lok Sabha. In Tamil Nadu alone the election is going to take place in 40 constituencies. The result of this election will be declared on 16 May, before the 15th Lok Sabha completes its constitutional mandate on 31 May 2014. According to the Election Commission of India, the electoral population in 2014 is 814,5 millions, again the largest in the world. There is an increase of 200 million newly eligible voters, which is a positive sign.         

            The major part in the election process which connects the politicians directly with the people and influences their decision of whom to vote is CAMPAIGN. To be precise, it is the kind of advertisement to the party in order to bag maximum votes. Each and every party will have their own way of projecting themselves. They travel in caravan cars from one district to another projecting themselves aloud in speakers for hours together until their voices choke and throats dry out. Weekly once or twice a public meeting (popularly known as pracharam in tamil) is conducted for a whole evening, gathering hundreds and thousands of people who support the party. When the party head speaks, an energizing wave is spread through the entire space. The way in which the crowd responds to the leader’s each and every question is so electrifying which made me realise the major role played by the leaders in people’s life and so a huge responsibility lies on them. Everywhere around that place we can find people waving their parties flag and wearing cap printed with the party symbol. Not only with the speech but the parties adopting and binding themselves to the current technology have started targeting people through the social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc, where if a single picture is posted, it is viewed and shared the very next moment. In all possible means, they are approaching the people to make a stand in their heart either by boosting their own party or by criticizing and opposing their opponents.

            The major parties which are contesting this April 24 to get hold of their seats in the parliament from the Tamilnadu front are, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK), Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(ADMK), Indian National Congress(INC), Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam(DMDK), Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK) etc. The DMK patriarch M.Karunanidhi, inspite of his oldage and illness has been campaining for the past 20 days starting from North,Central and South Chennai as the first phase followed by Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, puducherry,Cuddalore, Vellore, Tiruvayar, Thanjavur,Salem and many more, seeking votes for the party’s candidates for the Parliamentary polls. During his first visit to Madurai after expelling his elder son M.K.Alagiri from the party, Karunanidhi did not make any mention of the intra – party rift, but chose to train his guns on the Chief minister Ms. J.Jayalalitha.  His successor and the DMK party’s sincere leader M.K.Stalin is campaining in all 40 constituencies of Tamilnadu. His daily schedule for this month is to travel under the scorching hot sun in a caravan car from one place to another promoting his party and evening around 7,  he will attend the public meetings. His way of addressing the crowd is by listing statistical facts in a paper which will involve all the statements and the promises that were made by the present ruling party which is yet to be brought into existence. He majorly pointed out the power cut and water scarcity problems in Tamil Nadu that were promised to be solved years back.

            The next on the line follows the current Tamilnadu ruling party ADMK. Lot of cinema actors and singers support this party and they campaign along with the candidates to different places. They even frame  music tunes with appropriate words describing and adoring J.Jayalalitha as Amma. J.Jayalalitha - the head of DMK’s arch rival with a twin leaf as its symbol and the Tamilnadu’s Chief minister has a special commanding voice with which she addresses the crowd. Her usual slogan that she keeps repeatedly asking her followers is –“SEIVEERGALA???”, “ERATTAI ILAIKU VAAKALIRPEEGALA???” with a brisk gesture that alerts the crowd and makes them respond in a loud manner in unison. The scene pretty much looks demanding than convincing! She usually targets DMK and pulls all their family issues by pointing out their 2G scam problem and labels the party as kudumbha aatchi. 

            The next party which comes to my mind is the DMDK, the very recently emerged party yet, it gives a tough competition to the elderly parties which have been ruling Tamilnadu for ages. The leader of this party – Captain Vijaykanth covers the crowd with his drowsy speeches. Sadly, he even tends to forget the candidate’s name with whom he is campaigning. But his fame and the kind of popularity he has among the masses, makes him and his party reach the people instantly. His counterpart, wife Premalatha supports the party in a huge way and exists as the pillar of support for the party. The kind of confidence and boldness with which she approaches the crowd is her strength. She just attracts the crowd with her intelligent crisp speech. She exactly points out the ADMK’s head J.Jayalalitha for ” how can a person have crores of property with just Rs.1 salary ??” and pulls in the 2G scam followed by the family issues for DMK. She states all the realities and commands the people to change the two alternative party’s rule and give a chance to DMDK. DMDK ties an alliance with the BJP and so their promotions gives equal space for the Prime ministerial candidate – Narendra Modi.

                      The National parties such as BJP and Congress travel from the top most Jammu to the lower most Kanyakumari to promote their party and occupy the maximum seats in the parliament. The MODI WAVES  are spreading all around us, right from the posters , Modi face masks to the advertisements in the social networking sites and messages in whatsapp applicatiuons  vouching to vote for BJP with a link which when clicked , Rs.500 is accounted to the mobile balance. Nevertheless, Modi has rightly sensed tamil minds and so he goes and visits the top star actors in the film industry. Firstly Rajinikanth followed by Vijay as a part of the campaign, but in the name of “non political visit”.

                                “POLITICS”,” ELECTION”,”CAMPAIGN”!! This mantra is everywhere around us ! For the past one month, you turn the pages of the newspapers, magazines loads of articles and pictures on the election related stuffs kept prompting you. And ofcourse this topic is a treat to the media – every party owns a channel for itself and so they project themselves in the form of ad films and the people round the globe get to see the 24x7 campaigns which are telecasted. I even witnessed a program putting together all the funny things that happens during election, like a clipping of candidate sleeping on stage during the party meeting,  2  people standing and promoting on stage without even a single person to listen to them..and lot more! Campaign is one part of election filled with huzzle buzzle things.So this is it ! The parties are finalized, campaign is done. So people!! Its our call now to decide which button to press. Be responsible ! Think twice and act wise!!! This is the first election in which I am going to cast my vote! Excited First time voters like me ..Just go for it! Future India – a button click away!

-N&N