The kind of chocolate you like - reflects the type of personality you have

(Published on 21 August 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Trust a Miss Know-All to come up with this pearl of wisdom. Next time when a box of chocolates is doing the rounds, watch carefully what each person chooses for them selves - for the kind of chocolate they like reflects the personality that they are.

Now this is no figment of my imagination – it’s the conclusion drawn after a thorough research was conducted. Have you ever wondered why some people like dark chocolate, some like milk chocolate and others like white chocolate? The makers of a Swiss brand of chocolates commissioned a research to learn whether certain personalities matched certain types of chocolate. The results were astounding.

People who like dark chocolate are as complex as their tastes. They are connoisseurs of all things superior. They are very particular about quality and about achieving perfection. Dark chocolate lovers take the time to study about the things they care about, and value their ability to make choices. They are health conscious and choose dark chocolate for its rich, satisfying flavour and its heart warming content. They are the kind of people who you will find in a pair of faded jeans during the weekend. If a lipstick colour was to be named after them, it would be called ‘Complex & Captivating’

Milk chocolate lovers have a heart of gold. They are optimistic people who enjoy the sweetness of life. They have made the choice to see the good in people and everything around them. They spread joy through their infectious laugh. Eating chocolates evokes warm feelings and memories in these types of people. They are the type of loyal friends who remember your birthday and whom you can call at any unearthly hour to share your problems. Milk chocolate lovers would spend the weekend in an old school sweatshirt. The name of the colour of the lipstick best suited to their traits would be – ‘Breath of Fresh Air.’

White chocolate lovers are different from the above two kinds of people. They know what’s in style long before their friends do. They love chocolates, but they love it just a little bit different. People who love white chocolates are great people to be with. They are adventurous and always willing to try out new things. They are daring and eager to be different from the average ordinary bloke. During a weekend, a white chocolate lover would be found in the latest new yoga gear. The colour of the lipstick that would best compliment their personality – is ‘All the Rage.’

And as for those who like all the three types of chocolates - they need to be in a freak show on display. For it is believed that people who like dark chocolates get put off by the white kind. Here’s a wise one from Terry Moore: “The 12-step chocoholics program: NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE!”

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

Winnie-the Pooh - the Ambassador of Friendship

(Published on 14 August 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Does one need a special day to celebrate ‘Friendship Day’? For me each day is dedicated to my friends. Each day is marked by raising a toast to all those friends who have stuck by me, through thick and thin. Then why this big fuss over the first Sunday of August, when Friendship Day is celebrated the world over?

Considering the valuable role friends play in our life it was considered fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. The tradition of dedicating a day in tribute to one’s friends began in America in 1935. Gradually the festival has gained popularity in other countries as well and today Friendship Day is celebrated the world over.

So what special things are you supposed to do on this day? On this day people spend time with their friends and express their feelings for them. Exchanging of gifts like flowers, cards and friendship bands is a popular tradition.

When we think of friendship, one name that comes to mind is that of Pooh. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s ‘Ambassador of Friendship.’ Though Pooh is described as a ‘bear of little brain,’ he has a big heart. To Pooh, friendship means not just caring and sharing with old friends, but also accepting new ones with an open heart. With his unconditional way of giving from his heart, lending a caring shoulder, and always having a friendly word of encouragement, Pooh teaches us important lessons about friendship. Winnie has always been acknowledged as an Ambassador of Friendship. He even led the Friendship Day celebration in Disneyland.

But what is really interesting is how Winnie happened to get his name. In 1914, a Winnipeg soldier Harry Colebourn bought an orphaned black bear cub in White River, Ontario while en route to fight in the First World War. Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba and is located at the eastern edge of the great plains of Western Canada.

Harry Colebourn named the bear ‘Winnie’ after his hometown, Winnipeg. The cub became the mascot of Colebourn’s regiment. When Colebourn was shipped out to the war zone, he donated the bear to the London Zoo, where it spent twenty long years. It was at this zoo that Christopher Robin Milne, the young son of author and playwright A.A. Milne happened to meet ‘Winnie’ the bear. The young Milne renamed his stuffed bear Winnie the Pooh and his father later wrote stories about a boy and his bear, Winnie.

Friends and friendship have always been valued… there can be no substitute for friends. To my readers – may there be numerous ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’s in your life who offer you unconditional love and support and a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

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

Understanding boomerangs

(Published on 7 August 2007 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

God bless relatives… they come up with the most amazing ways of harassing you. My cousin returned from a trip to Australia with a boomerang. A whole family picnic was planned, far away from the concrete jungle that we lived in, so that the boomerang could be tested.

It was no easy task – for the boomerang refused to do what it was supposed to do – return to the thrower. Many an expert tried their hand and voiced their adroit opinions but to no avail. The picnic seemed to loose meaning as everyone seemed disappointed with the unyielding boomerang. The literature that came along with the boomerang was read aloud, and then re-read one-by-one. We came to the firm conclusion that probably it was our comprehension skills that was at fault. Why was it that the amazing application of complex laws of physics was escaping us?

Boomerangs are curved devices that return to you when you throw them. The specially crafted, lightweight piece of wood has basically two wings connected in a banana-shape.
When thrown correctly, a returning boomerang is supposed to fly through the air in a circular path and arrive back at its starting point. A straight piece of wood, when thrown will simply keep going in one direction, until gravity pulls it to the ground.

The working of a boomerang makes perfect sense once we understand the physical forces at work. The classic banana-shaped boomerang has two wings and that is the reason for its characteristic flight path. The two component parts make the boomerang spin about a central point, stabilising its motion as it travels through the air. The wings are set at a slight tilt and are rounded on one side and flat on the other - similar to the shape, of the wings of an aeroplane. Air particles move more quickly over the top of the wing than they do along the bottom of the wing. This creates a difference in air pressure. The wing has lift when it moves because there is greater pressure below it than above it. As a result of the stabilising motion of the two wings, the boomerang stays aloft longer.

It is not really very clear when and where people first developed boomerangs. Aborigines of Australia are credited with the invention. Aborigines used wooden weapons called Kylies for hunting. It is believed that they discovered boomerangs by accident while using their Kylies. The Aborigines perfected the boomerang design and throwing technique for the simple fun of it.

We are already planning our next picnic. My cousin promises he has mastered the art of throwing the boomerang. I doubt it though – any stick thrown within the four walls of his tiny apartment will bounce back to him. No dexterity required here.

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