It\u2019s a good time to unleash the amateur photographer in
you. The Photographic Society of Madras has invited
entries for its competition \u2018All India Salon of Photography,
2009\u2019 under the theme \u2018Incredible India\u2019.
Those interested to compete can send in their entries
under six sections: \ufb02ora & fauna, streets at night, water,
emotions, monochromes and temples of India. The last
date for receipt of entries is 20 July 2009. Entry forms can
be downloaded from the Society\u2019s website

Selected entries will be displayed at the Lalit Kala
Academi, Chennai from 18 to 23 August 2009 to coincide
with the World Photography Day on 19 August 2009.\u25a0

y dog Hulk was born in April 1999 and strolled into

our arms when he was a month old. He was trained in his manners and at the same time thor- oughly spoiled by me.

One winter night, the night my husband was re- turning from his usual \ufb02ight, Hulk proved his love and loyalty. I was watching the television till about 1.15 a.m. and then went to bed. Twenty min- utes later, Hulk was bark- ing furiously and was on top of me looking into my eyes and then looking to- wards the door. I kept ask- ing him: \u2018What is it, baby?\u2019

He ran to the door bark- ing, and then back to me. I sensed danger and went to

the kitchen for a knife. I went close to the door and to my horror, I smelt alco- hol. It was an intruder. With trembling hands, I called my neighbour. He told me to come to the front balcony and I threw the house keys to him. He was up in a jiffy, opened my door and Hulk ran to the terrace.

The intruder was smart to latch the terrace door while escaping hence we could not gain entry to the terrace. We had to keep banging and kicking the door, only then the latch let go.

Once on the terrace, Hulk ran to one end and we realised that the in- truder had scaled the pipe and escaped.

On two other occasions, Hulk came to the rescue of my family by alerting us about intruders who often tried to break in at night when my husband was out of town.

Dogs are like children who want to be loved and cared for; you can see af- fection on their faces. On July 12th, Hulk was laid to rest due to Degenerative Myelopathy, a chronic dis- ease that German Shep- herds are predisposed to. We all loved him very much and thank God for sending us his guardian angel in the form of a dog. We are grateful to man\u2019s best friend, who asked for nothing but gave us his all.

tion and the Embassy of Mexico, New Delhi is organising a Mexican Film Festival from July 20 to 23 at the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre, Anna Salai.

The festival will be inaugurated on July 20 and will be followed by the screening of two short \ufb01lms, At the

awards. The feature \ufb01lm is the story of a young girl\u2019s overactive imagina- tion and how her single mom\u2019s emo- tionally stressed lifestyle breed a combustible domestic scene.

Graceful Sparky has a fondness for
human company, games with a ribbon
and posing for the camera. To adopt
her, call Ananya Ashok at 9952040339.

f pampering your face with face packs, creams and toners have not helped or improved

your skin texture, then its time to ponder on a serious note. Ac- cording to skin specialists the \ufb01rst step is to identify the type of skin. K. Veena of Naturals says, \u201cApply- ing lotions and moisturisers with- out proper knowledge of the skin type will mar the skin.\u201d

Read on to know your skin type, how to apply cleansers and the role of food:

Clean the skin with the help of a mild cleanser followed by a toner. Pat it dry with cotton or a soft tow- el and notice the pores on the skin.

If the pores are small, then it is normal to dry skin. If the pores are enlarged, then your skin is of dry to oily. If you \ufb01nd a combination of small and large pores, then you skin is of the third type, oily to combination.

Immaterial of your skin type, washing your face at least thrice a day \u2013 morning, noon and night with lukewarm water is a must. However, Veena cautions, \u201cAvoid washing your face very often since over cleansing would reduce the natural moisture of the skin and make it dry.\u201d Every night make sure you remove traces of make up with cleansing milk otherwise that

Splash lukewarm water on your face. Take a few drops of face wash and mix it with equal amount of water in your palm. Apply it all over the face in an upward circular movement except around the eye, and wash it off with lots of water. After every face wash pamper your skin with a \ufb01ne line of moisturiser. Application of scrubs once in a fortnight helps to remove the dead skins.

Moisturisers make your skin feel supple and are required for all types of skin. Make sure to apply a moisturiser all over your body af- ter a bath. For people with dry skin, normal moisturiser will do, whereas for oily and combination skin, gel-based moisturisers are ideal.

Sunscreen is a must and prob- ably the most important step when it comes to protecting the skin from harmful environmental factors. Make certain to use a sun-

screen or moisturiser containing SPF (sun protecting factor) of 15 or 35. A regular usage of sunscreen helps to protect your skin from skin tan, pigmentation, \ufb01ne lines and wrinkles.

Apart from external cleansing and moisturising, intake of right food also has an effect on your skin. Proper nutrition and ample rest contribute to healthy skin. Eight hours of sleep is a must, but make sure you adhere to a \ufb01xed time. \u201cIt is quite simple to look young, healthy and beautiful pro- vided you take care of your skin,\u201d sums up Veena.\u25a0

Apply any gentle
cleanser on cotton
pads and wipe under
the eyes very mildly
daily twice.
Drink 1 to 2 litres of
water daily
Consume 2 soaked
almonds, raw carrots
and cucumber daily
Twice a week, make
sure you apply an
under eye pack with
cucumber or carrot

Make a \ufb01ne powder
of rich almonds, mix
with raw milk & a
drop of honey, apply
around eye area, and
keep it for 20
minutes. Rinse with
raw milk and wash it
with normal water.
Exercise for the tired
eyes: Close both the
eyes and rotate the
eye ball for few
seconds and relax
your mind. This can
be done, once in
every hour.