In the Doldrums

(Published on 24 July 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

All of us go through the blues… those grey days when you feel you are in the doldrums! As far as my Aunt Jigna is concerned, everything looks hopeless and life in general is in the doldrums. There’s no arguing here. Everything has a gloomy side – and that’s the side that faces my dear Aunt.

But what my Aunt Jigna is not aware of – is that more than half of my writing comes from my interaction with her. Take for example the term ‘doldrums’… being in the doldrums, means to be in low spirits; or feeling dull and drowsy. In the early 19th century, the term doldrums was used to mean 'a general state of lethargy.' The term has its origins in the word 'dol', which means 'dull.' It has taken its form as ‘doldrums’ from the word 'tantrum'. That is, as a fit of temper was called a tantrum, a fit of laziness and dullness was called doldrums.

Lord Byron was the first to use the phrase in a nautical context. In 1824, in the story The Island, Byron wrote, "From the bluff head where I watched to-day, I saw her in the doldrums; for the wind was light and baffling." Byron was the first to relate shifting and variable winds with the term ‘doldrums’, meaning a wind that makes it impossible for a ship to progress at sea. In other words… a dull wind.

Using the context used by Byron, the region of calm winds centred slightly north of the equator and between the two belts of trade winds was given the name The Doldrums. The two trade winds meet in this region and neutralise each other. This region was given this name only in the mid 19th century. When reports of ships that were stranded in this equatorial region described them as being 'in the doldrums,' it was incorrectly thought that the reports were describing their location rather than their state. And this somehow stuck and remained so until this date.

Signing off sweeties! Enough information to keep your grey cells ticking. Need to give a shot of brandy to my Aunt Jigna… the only effective solution to yank her out of her state of being ‘in the doldrums.’

Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com

Painting the Eiffel Tower

(Published on 17 July 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

When Peter Ford cleverly asked in his article about the colour of the Eiffel Tower, he thought he had me dumb founded. But dear Peter, they don’t call me a Miss Know-All for nothing. My knowledge is as layered as the number of paint coats on the Iron Lady of Paris. Actually, Peter’s question is a trick question. Though it seems as though the Eiffel Tower is in one colour the truth is that the monument is not painted in one single colour. It is in fact painted in three different shades of a specially mixed ‘Eiffel Tower Brown.’

Gustave Eiffel painted his creation red when he constructed the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Since then, the tower, erected for the International Exposition and for the centennial celebration of the French Revolution, has changed from being a yellow to a beige and finally to a brown.

Since 1968, the iron structure has been 'Eiffel Tower Brown,' which has been considered as the colour that best brings out its silhouette against the Paris sky. To ensure that the tower seems as though it is in one colour – it has been painted in three shades. This is owing to the visual effect the background has on any object. By painting the bottom of the tower a darker colour, the centre a slightly lighter shade and finally the top an even more paler shade, it makes the visitor believe that the tower is in one colour. The shading ensures that the colour is perceived to be the same all the way up. This shading is believed to enhance and accentuate the structure's elegance.

However, the painting is not just about aesthetics. Mr. Gustave Eiffel himself emphasised that painting of the tower is the essential means of conserving the metallic structure, and that maintenance is the only guarantee of its durability. The paint keeps the iron structure from rusting and collapsing.

The Tower has been repainted seventeen times since it was built. Sixty tons of paint is required, as well as 1500 brushes, 5000 sanding disks and a team of 25 painters. The paint is applied manually, with brushes. Rollers and paint guns are not allowed. The 18th coat of paint was applied from December 2001 to June 2003. The first floor to the top of the Tower is painted every 5 years while the entire monument is painted every 10 years.

Out of the sixty tons of paint used each time, about 20 tons of pain evaporates or erodes. That still leaves 40 tons more weight on the tower each time. After 17 paint jobs, the Eiffel Tower is about 700 tons heavier than when it was first designed. However, this does not pose any danger, as the weight is evenly distributed.

For those who have been to Paris, the view of this majestic tower can be compared to no other. In the words of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel – “I ought to be jealous of that tower. She is more famous than I am.”

Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com

A shoe museum that showcases used and old shoes!

(Published on 3 July 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

I just love travelling, pets… and that’s really how I gather all my information. My visit to Toronto had me standing in front of a building that looked uncannily like a shoe box. The signpost read – Bata. We all know that Bata is connected with shoes… no prizes for guessing that but what had me curious was that the building actually housed the Bata Shoe Museum.

If you thought that the Bata Shoe Museum housed samples of all the footwear that the Bata Company has ever produced - you are totally wrong. Although the name is synonymous with the giant shoe empire, there are less than a dozen Bata shoes in the entire collection. Created by Sonja Bata, the wife of the founder of the Bata Shoe Company, the museum has a massive collection of shoes spanning 4,500 years. On display are shoes ranging from beautiful Egyptian sandals and Chinese bound foot shoes, to celebrity footwear including Elton John's platforms and Napoleon’s socks.

The Bata Shoe Museum opened its doors in 1995. The five-storey building, designed by Moriyama and Teshima Architects, is truly unique. It is in the form of a huge shoe box with the lid laid across the top. The collection contains 10,000 varieties of footwear and showcases changing fashions, and highlights the craft and sociology of making shoes.

It all began as a hobby, when Mrs Sonja Bata started collecting shoes as she travelled around the globe. The fascination grew into a huge collection. As per Mrs. Bata, shoes are a personal artefact that tells about the owner’s social status, habits, culture and religion. Shoes, more than any other personal item, reflect the living habits, the work and the customs of the people who wore them. A visit to the museum is truly a visit down history. A pair of Egyptian footwear lies alongside the late Princess Diana’s rich burgundy dress shoes. In another display, Queen Victoria’s ballroom slippers lie alongside the ceremonial shoes of Pope Leo the III.

Hundreds of fascinating shoes from famous feet and from some unknown owners, whose names have been lost to history are on display. Pressurised sky-diving boots to iron-spiked shoes used for crushing chestnuts are among the items on exhibit. Rock stars, sports heroes, musicians, artists, film legends...they’re all there.

Viewed chronologically, shoes trace a path through technological development. The museum is a powerhouse of information. Today, if I know where the boots worn by Neil Armstrong for his famous first walk on the moon in 1969 are, it’s because of my visit to the museum. The answer will blow your mind away for Neil Armstrong’s shoes are currently floating in space as they were jettisoned before he returned to earth in case of contamination.

I further learnt that my foot has 18 muscles and that approximately 25% percent of all the bones in my body are found in the foot. I left the museum with a new found respect for my feet. I’ll head off for a foot massage and a pedicure at the earliest given opportunity – which is once I return to my home country. Until then I’ll just soak my feet in warm water… after all a dollar saved is a dollar gained.

Miss Know-All
miss.know.all@gmail.com