Soft toys and stick ice-creams. School friends and warm cuddles. A little part of you holds on to those single-digit years long after the 21st birthday party. When Aamir Khan, in his new movie, says every child is special, he echoes what your heart already knew.

In her debut book Ginger Soda Lemon Pop, Christina Daniels — an LSE grad and Wipro employee — articulates the EQ further. Through the ups and downs of a five-year-old girl’s second year in kindergarten, she tells a universal story of love, hate and loneliness with a sense of fun and empathy.

The humorous storytelling is punctuated with the little protagonist’s deep life lessons. Self discovery is a journey; not a destination. The thrill of life is always the strongest when it seems like it’s all going to end.

Written in childspeak, yet profound (”my mother told me that my father was good for nothing. I felt nothing”), the book can be finished in one sitting but lingers long afterwards.

Perfect for those times when you need a hug.

Ginger Soda Lemon Pop by Christina Daniels. Dronequill Publishers. Price: Rs 225. Available at leading book stores nationwide.

Certain things don’t need explanation. Why Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta is as coveted as it is, is one of those things.

So we’ll just let you know the brand you’ve seen on the arms of Jennifer Aniston, Rene Zellweger and Lindsay Lohan has come to India. We know you’re going to make your way to the store to take in the beauty of their handbags, shoes, small leather goods, belts, eye-wear and luggage firsthand.

Catch the current Fall-Winter 2007 collection. The signature handbags come in two shapes: big and slouchy with a drawstring closure to fit under your arm, or a precise frame bag made from shiny crocodile leather with a handle at the top. Expert craftsmanship trumps the need for extra chains, charms or bells.

In fact, Bottega bags are so revered, they’re actually shown to you on green baize presentation pads that slide out from walnut display counters. Like the iconic Intrecciato shoulder bag with a lush suede lining, woven from buttery soft leather. So divinely smooth, you’ll almost feel guilty touching it. Choose from this season’s palette: inky black to alabaster, blonde to a delicate yellow-white.

Once you’ve made a Bottega yours, it’s like carrying a sacred talisman. Those in the know, know you’re blessed.

Bottega Veneta: Galleria, Hilton Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai, 400021; Tel: 022-3027 7090. Prices: Start at Rs 3,000 and go up to Rs 3,00,000.

Mist in the mornings. Pale sunshine in the afternoons. And the evenings, full of possibilities. The play at Sri Ram Centre? Or that recital at Kamani?

This December, all roads do not lead to Mandi House: the first Delhi International Arts Festival spreads the cheer. Feast on an ensemble of music and dance, kavi sammelans and mushairas, films and plays, from home and abroad.

Our top Trendy picks:

Dec 14, 6.30 pm: Music for the soul — rare double act by the Delhi Opera Ensemble, and Delhi Chamber Choir. At Baha’i House of Worship, Nehru Place.

Dec 16, 12-7pm: Exciting documentaries on the arts and artists from around the world. At Alliance Francaise, Lodhi Road.

Dec 19 , 6.30 pm: French choreographer-dancer Giles Chuyan who’s worked extensively with several Indian classical styles, presents his latest show. At The Ashok, Chanakyapuri.

Dec 20, 7 pm: Seven well-known poets, including Keki Daruwala and K Satchinandan, read aloud from their works. At Amaltas, India Habitat Centre.

Dec 23, 5 pm: Ghazals by Penaz Masani, Talat Aziz and Bhupinder and Mitali, at one of the most picturesque spots in Delhi. Town Hall, Chandni Chowk.

The First Delhi International Arts Festival, organized by The Prasiddha Foundation and The Forum For Art Beyond Borders, on till Dec 23, 2007.

The freshest greens, the reddest tomatoes, the crunchiest salads. You’ve known Namdhari’s as the place to drop in on your weekly fill-the-fridge day, en route to the gourmet store for the imported cheeses and chocolates.

The time to save on the fuel bill starts now, because your neighbourhood grocer is changing into a one-stop-global-food-shop, stocking fresh pesticide-free veggies and exclusive imported delicacies. Gnocchi from Italy, Brie from Denmark, Camembert from France, goat’s cheese from Switzerland, even canned Starbucks cold coffee from the US, they’re all there in the store’s chiller shelves.

Plan a special dinner: Lettuce and cherry tomatoes from the fresh produce section, dressed with a Honey Dijon mustard, Agnesi pasta with a bottled pesto sauce and a shaving of Auroville’s delicious Parmesan, followed by crisp New Zealand apples or a cheese board of the best in the world.

Or make the most of the weather by packing a picnic basket: Ciabatta, locally made, with a selection of extra virgin olive oils from different regions of Italy, Graham crackers, cans of mocha frappuccino or Snapple juice.

The Big Apple for the Big Cheese. Right here, right now.

Namdhari’s Fresh has outlets in 14 locations. Indiranagar: No.134, Doopanahalli Road, Tel: 41152909/910; Koramangala: 821, 20th Main, 8th block. Tel: 41103777/8; Vyalikaval: 13, 13/1 (New No: 73) Shree, 2nd Main Road, Tel: 41236134/5; Jayanagar: 579/37-1, 10th Main, 5 th block, Tel: 41210561/ 41502443; Frazer Town: 133, M M Road, Tel: 41487135; Sahakar Nagar: 849/7, Near Canara Bank, Tel: 41735363/64; DVG Road: DRD Complex, Site no 129, Basavanagudi, Tel: 26610266; HSR Layout: 819, 27th main road, Sector I, Tel: 9986093582; Sarjapur Road: 17/2, Sarjapur Road, Tel: 9902599553; Banashankari: Site no. 576, Kattari Guppe, Banashankari III Stage, Tel: 9900524457; Kanakapura Road: No. 41/1, Ramakrishna Nagar, Kanakapura Main Road, Tel: 41218523; Langford Town: 14/1, Langford Road, Tel: 9900178543/ 9880860134; BTM Layout: 774, 16th Main Road, 7th Cross, BTM II Stage, Tel: 41572618/41572605; HRBR Layout: 25, 9th B Main, 80ft Road, Chairman Layout, Tel: 41615837.
Cheeses start at Rs 190, olive oils at Rs 300, juices at Rs 85, Starbucks coffees at Rs 155.

It starts with blue and pink baby things. And grows to embrace galactic dimensions, Mars, Venus et al. But are men and women really so different?

Director Pawan Kumar’s latest theatrical offering The Woman in Me sashays on the premise that there’s a woman in every man and a man in every woman. What happens, then, when the inner woman rises in conflict to the very things a man stands for?

Playing out in a bathroom — yes, that’s a secret only our Trendy Culturista was privy to –with light and shade aiding the narration, this one’s bound to leave you thinking about gender roles and social conditioning.

Or check out Hugh Leonard’s play Pizzazz, directed by Sharanya Ramprakash. Two strangers, a bored woman and an uppity man, find themselves stranded on a jetty with three others, waiting for a boat strike to end. To kill the long, tedious hours, they play a series of games that expose hilarious levels in the man-woman relationship.

Get set for the new battles of the sexes.

The Woman in Me.December 14, 15, 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, 108, Thimmaih Road, Vasanthnagar. To book tickets over phone, call 9964033115. Pizzazz. December 14, 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara, 36/2, 8th Cross, JP Nagar. Tel: 26592777. Tickets for both plays: Rs 100.

How do you silence an Italian? ‘Tie his hands’ goes the old joke. But our Trendy Taster found that at Mia Cucina, it’s easy to keep both hands, and mouth, busy with the goodies on board. This is Bandra’s latest, most talked about Italian eatery that’s gone super easy on the hype.

What it offers are all the basics. Solid-yet-comfortable straight line furniture. Soft-on-the-eyes lighting. And chef-owner Sanjay Kotian, who personally checks on your wellbeing and takes the trouble to remember your name if you’ve been there more than twice in a row.

And then there’s the food. Now, here’s where the magic touch boils down to sheer simplicity — 12-inch thin crust pizzas that melt in the mouth, handmade pastas like tagliatelle, hard-to-find dishes like gnocchi and polenta. You’ll be hard pressed to choose from the menu, which appears charmingly handwritten, complete with little animal doodles scattered all over.

Don’t forget to round off your Italian gastronomic viaggio with one of their four coffees or a delightful dessert. Which to choose? White chocolate cheesecake or the lighter-than-air pannacotta? Life is short, and the wait for superb desserts long. Take both.

Think it’s your own kitchen.

Mia Cucina, Gasper Enclave, 16/17, St John Street, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai; Tel: 67104000; Price: Starters cost between Rs 120-195, mains around Rs 250. No alcohol. A meal for two with soup, starters, mains, desserts and beverages would cost under Rs 1,500.

Hot oil massages. Japanese rebonding. Styling. Colouring. Your hair is your pride and joy, and you’d go to any lengths to keep up with the latest. But you are getting seriously tired of spending an hour and more on the road to your fave South Delhi salon.

All ye trendy North Delhi gals, put the crazy commute in the past. Walk into the new Affinity Salon at Civil Lines (its first in this part of town), right next to the lovely old Oberoi Maidens. Black, off-white and all glass, it gets straight A’s for squeaky cleanliness, and well-organised separate sections for various treatments and therapies.

The hairdressers, trained specially by Wella Friseur Services, are up to the global minute: try, instead of old-hat streaks or highlights, burgundy or brown lowlights. Get an asymmetric fringe, or layered strands in auburn or chocolate brown. Or a look-for-the-season with some block colouring that adds depth to your cut.

While you’re at it, try out the Affinity spesh pedicure. Grainy scrubs exfoliate dead skin, deep-pressure massage tones the muscles. Our Trendy Fashionista loved the ped masque, which left her feet all firm.

Or just get a luxe wash-and-blow-dry. Walk out with a swish of your silky strands.

Affinity Salon, 13, Exchange Store, Civil Lines, New Delhi. Ph: 23952244, 23972244. Services start from Rs 600.

Split-second decisions; not mulled-over assessments. Instant soups; not simmered shorba. SMS; not scented letters. Often, the sheer speed of our world stops us from savouring of special moments. Gifting too, in the world of the Web, has been reduced to a tick and click.

Perhaps Orchids Etc can save the day. Here’s a gift that you’ll take your time choosing and the receiver will take her time relishing. Not a sprig of purple orchids hurriedly picked from a bucket at a roadside florist that withers away just as fast. Instead, a growing orchid plant that reveals its treasures in leisurely installments.

Visit the greenhouse: the perfect setting for plant lovers, with the starkness of wood and austerity of glass contrasting beautifully with the vibrancy of the orchids. Pick from a wide array, such as Dendrobium, Cattleya or Oncidium. And several options in metal, clay and glass containers make for infinite gifting combos. Our Trendy Flower Power Gal was floored by the arty way the pretty pink Phalaenopsis she picked was planted in a delicate glass holder.

Like her, you’ll find yourself pausing to appreciate life’s sweet moments more than ever.

Orchids Etc: 189, Aram Nagar-2, JP Road, Versova, Opposite Pyramid building, Andheri(W), Mumbai; Tel: 26394489; Website: www.orchidsetc.in; Prices: From Rs 300 to Rs 1,500 per plant.

The first winter shower has left the Capital all a-shiver. Brr. Console yourself with daydreams of sunny beaches and shorefront seafood shacks while you wait for a vacay. Or head on over to the bright Mediterranean ambience of Azzurro, which plays perfect venue to a seafood festival all December long.

With the mercury plummeting, restaurant menus migrate towards coastal currents. But too many stick with the oh-so-boring mahi tikka. Of course, there are the specialty eateries, but they’re open all year. Much more exciting to opt for a Trendier kettle of fish. Swim amongst seasonal currents, and get ready for adventure, because the Cordon Bleu-trained chef’s out to flip each gourmet dish any way you like it — poached, grilled, pan-fried or baked — and pair it with matching vino.

Our Trendy Taster fell hook, line and sinker for crisp goujons in yeasty beer batter, served with classic tartare sauce. Then netted a sweet catch of crabcakes, before diving for sole in lemon butter. And reeled in some caper-sprinkled jumbo prawns, too. The grilled rainbow trout from Manali was the one that got away.

But tomorrow’s another day.

Azzurro Kitchen & Bar, 3 Community Centre,PVR complex, Saket, Delhi; 41664274. Meal for two Rs 2,000, minus alcohol.

Presley’s whoo-hoo-ing from the iPod speakers. The cocktails are all shaken up. But to really get the gal pal goss session going, there’s nothing like the unexpected. Nope, not the electric vibes between Callow Youth and Mother Hen. But the unlikely marriage between Indian pink and Prussian blue. Right on the Victorian sofa.

Expect the unexpected at Linen Galore as they celebrate their first anniversary. With colours so curious and textures so tantalising, it frees the imagination from the conventional. Black and white? Boring. Black and fuschia? Ah-ha. With shades of lime green thrown in? Ta-daaa.

Cleopatra-esque in inspiration and sybaritic in execution, Linen Galore’s trippy combinations come in exotic silk diwan sets, sparkly cushions, oversized fillers, patchworked covers. Choose from autumny burnt oranges and roasted reds, or splash out on turquoise, teal, and oceanic hues of bubbling blue.

Throw an all-silver rectangular cushion on the sofa and watch it morph into a conversation piece. Pile an assortment of shapes, covered in complementary — or clashing — shades, on the chaise lounge. (And, for when the guests are gone, tuck in the silk bed sheets.)

Bling on the party.

Linen Galore. 54, Commercial Street, 1st floor, Bangalore. Tel: 32514448. Diwan sets (three pillowcases, two bolster covers, a sheet) start from Rs 1000 (cotton) and Rs 2000 (silk), bed sets (two pillowcases, two cushion covers, bedcover/duvet) start at Rs 1000 (cotton), Rs 2500 (silk).