Features | EAT, PRAY, SHOVE

In magazines of a certain kind, it's touted as the healthiest thing before breakfast. Healthy for the mind, the body and, if you are in it, the marriage. Come to think of it, for time-challenged city couples, morning is perhaps the only time to snuggle up before sniggering about price rise. And by most accounts, the best.

Therapists blame it on testosterone. Standard doc-speak on the topic goes something like this: "Men are at their horniest first thing in the morning. That's when testosterone levels peak." Sangeeth Sivan, director of films, agrees: "Anytime is okay. But morning sex is a good way to start the day. This way you can avoid your morning walks." Or the treadmill for that matter, depending on your staying power. "Men usually wake up in the morning with testosterone levels raging and if there happens to be a woman in their bed they just go for it. Usually, the women battle sleep while trying to participate," says Delhi designer Poonam Bhagat.

But most women do not complain. For them, it's an affirmation of the fact that you are the first thing on your partner's mind when he rises (pun not unintended). Member of a now-disbanded girl band, singer Neha Bhasin, says it's the feeling of being loved. "Being caught off-guard is also a big turn-on. Women kind of love that."

And doctors say you perform better when you wake up. When a man has higher testosterone and is well-rested, he has more energy during sex. That energy helps him last longer. And at times, makes him a father. On-off reality television couple Kourtney Kardashian and Scott ....read more>>

words DAIPAYAN HALDER

Features | FRESH, FIT & FABULOUS

When the 25-year-old began to give her morning gym a miss, too frequently, the instructor safely assumed that she was indulging in too many night outs, and would soon be back on the treadmill. Little did he know that she had got bored of the gym and had no plans of returning! Her reasoning was simple: 'When I sport different silhouette every season, then why should I follow the same fitness routine all through the year?' Just like hues, cuts and styles, it is apparent that fitness forms too need to be revamped and reglamourised. The fact being that whether one is committed to one's physical and mental health or not, one is always interested in a fresh, exciting and colourful mode of exercising. Right? As for the experts, they too are happy to oblige. Their sole aim is to ensure your cholesterol is in control, the weighing scale is not overburdened and the heart is happy. Whether they make that happen by encouraging you to skip a rope, attend an Art Of Living course or do a little Zumba, they are happy with the results. We get you the latest on the fit-o-meter. Read to choose your favourite.

PUNCH OUT YOUR STRESS

What do you call this form of martial arts, Thai or Indian? Interestingly, Muay Thai is a martial art from Thailand (it also happens to be their national sport) but the word Muay derives from the Sanskrit 'Mavya' and Thai comes from the word 'Tai'. Punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes make this a fantastic fitness form. It is similar to boxing but more flexible, because you use both your feet and hands for striking. ...read more>>

words PURVA GROVER

Features | DISPLAY PLAY - and PICK

PARMIGIANI

TOURBILLON ARLEQUIN

The Tourbillon at the core forms the aesthetic keystone of the piece, seemingly radiating a myriad of precious sparkles to create an original graphic perspective. Fully set with baguette cut trapezoid diamonds and sapphires, the dial’s invisible setting comprises of concentric arcs.

DIOR

CHRISTAL TOURBILLON

Captivating sapphire crystal takes possession to give superior tolerance to the Tourbillon movement. The balance wheel, the barrel and the winding mechanism now seem to float, suspended in a crystal-clear ensemble .... read more>>

words SASHA SOMYA

Features | DAWN WITH THE PEG

If the most important meal of the day is breakfast, then it would be not just hedonistically rude to rush it, but also medically irrevocably damaging to not pay enough attention to it. I am all for decadence, especially when it comes dusted with cream and caviar and downed with Champagne.

A DRINK TO BEGIN WITH?

I was aghast when I saw what the Internet had to say about breakfasts with alcohol. It was a serious no-no. They kept calling alcohol a depressant and how 10 am was inappropriate an hour to imbibe any. I merely wish to remind people that it is always 10 am in some part of the world just like it is always 7 pm somewhere else. Hence, it is always the right time, just sometimes the wrong place.

So, without wasting any more time in contemplation, what would I propose as a good breakfast fix? The Champagne breakfast is definitely the most obvious and immediate starting point. Simply put, it entails having Champagne with your breakfast. Champagne works sparklingly well, not as much as a perfection of pairing as of a classy way to start the day. Other sparkling wines often replace the original Champs, but then, if you are going to be decadent, let's not insult hedonism by putting a price tag to it. ... read more>>

words MAGANDEEP SINGH

Spot Light |  ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT

Michelangelo's famous fresco, the 'Ceiling of Sistine Chapel', depicting Jesus Christ's life, is one of art's masterpieces. But there is an interesting tale behind the frieze.

Michelangelo was looking for an inspiration to paint infant Jesus. He found the radiance, virtuousness and divinity in an unclothed street urchin. With the waif as subject, Michelangelo finally captured Christ's childhood warmth, compassion and innocence. A decade later, he reached the stage in the frieze where Judas betrays Christ. Again, Michelangelo went looking for an inspiration to portray the vice and malice in Judas. The artist was sitting at a bar when he spotted a young man mirroring exactly what he was looking for. He asked the man to be his source of inspiration and the man agreed. When the painting was over, the young man saw the entire painting and recalled that a few years ago he was the street urchin in whom Michelangelo had found his Jesus.

There is a little corner in our minds to which we have limited access. So restricted that sometimes, we don't even let our laudable alter enter it for the fear of being judged by our own selves. But we can't deny the existence of this dark nook and happy are those who learn to restrain and live with it. But sometimes, we find pleasure in indulging it. ....read more>>

Words DISHA WAGHANI

Features | GOOD NIGHT AT SIX AM

At the stroke of the midnight hour when the world sleeps, a few begin their day. They work graveyard shifts. While you are biting into an extra helping of the dessert, they start the engine and drive to work. Nobody gets tired of talking to them about the evils of an 'owl' shift. At the same time, there are a few who do feel envious of the fact that the night-shifters get to sleep the mornings away. Their alarm clocks, just like their body clocks, need tuning. So, how does it feel to end the day when the rays of the sun are indicating it is time to rise and shine? Dull, exciting, frustrating, interesting, tiring, eerie, regular…

Call centre employees, journalists, drivers, doctors, DJs, chefs, lovers, security guards and many more have a 'night life'. We get you a leaf from the morning diaries of a few.

P.S: A common piece of information, all of them read the newspaper and brush their teeth before they hit the bed! That is quite a good morning, we'd say.

DEADLINE, HEADLINE, TIMELINE…

I have just finished my day, working day, I should specify. For, as I sit in my office pool cab and look around I realise that for almost everybody around me the day has just begun:... read more>>

words PURVA GROVER

Features | ADDICTED TO LOVE

Brain scan studies have shown that early romantic love generates a unique pattern of brain activity. Regions of the brain related to addiction and even mental illness light up on the scan when a person sees a photo of his or her beloved.

But most of the research has been conducted in Western cultures like Britain and the United States. So researchers at Stony Brook University in New York wanted to know if the chaos of romantic love translates across cultures. For instance, does a Chinese brain look the same as an American brain when it's in love?

There are reasons to think that culture and country influence how we love or at least how we express it. For instance, in surveys, people from China typically describe romantic love "in much less positive terms," notes Art Aron, a professor of psychology at Stony Brook who has conducted several love and brain scan studies.

"In a culture with a tradition of arranged marriages where romantic love is disruptive, questionnaire studies do suggest there might be differences," Aron notes. "Romantic love is not entirely a great thing even for us. It has a tragic and dark side if you fall in love and the person doesn't love you back or you're in a relationship with someone else."...read more>>

words TARA PARKER POPE