Making a Splash

I've always been torn between the two: coffee or tea? Unlike a lot of others who need a coffee to wake them up, tea does the trick nicely for me - but coffee is the more go-to beverage when I'm meeting someone, or hanging out with friends.

Many, many years ago, I had watched a movie (first in the theatre, then many times over on the VCR. does anyone remember VHS?), called Splash, starring a baby-faced Tom Hanks (who still hadn't hit the big league - which he did soon enough with Forrest Gump and Philadelphia) and the delectable Daryl Hannah. Hannah played a mermaid who gets washed up on a beach somewhere close to New York City, and is 'rescued' by Hanks. It was a magical movie, like a fairytale set in modern-day (well, almost modern-day, considering Splash is more than a quarter-century old) New York. And it had a happy ending, with Prince Tom bidding farewell to urban trappings and creature comforts, and plunging headlong into the ocean to live 'happily ever after' with Daryl, the mermaid. Splash remains one of my fave films ever, but I never fantasised about being a mermaid (I can't swim, maybe that's why). Hannah Fraser - not to be confused with Daryl Hannah - did. She'd been in love with mermaids (and underwater life) since she was a little girl, but Splash was a definite turning point in her life. She didn't let it just remain a fantasy or a dream. She chose to become a mermaid. How so? Read about Hannah's fascinating life in our lead wknd. feature. She's managed to make quite a splash.
I've always been torn between the two: coffee or tea? Unlike a lot of others who need a coffee to wake them up, tea does the trick nicely for me - but coffee is the more go-to beverage when I'm meeting someone, or hanging out with friends. Which leads me to think that, perhaps, coffee plays a 'social' hand in my life. It makes for better conversation. One of our reports this week is on coffee being a stimulant, a creative catalyst. A lot can happen over coffee. Drink up.
In Travel, we take you to a lesser-known nook in Germany, from where we climb up to the highest point in the country. Meet a 'celebrity' plastic surgeon who transforms and rehabilitates lives. Find out why Bollywood actress Tabu - who, post-Astitva (where she played a middle-aged woman while in her 20s), has managed to essay challenging, offbeat roles - is being denied mainstream formula success. All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!