cricket on ice

The picturesque Swiss resort of St Moritz is famous for the beauty of its ski slopes and the Adrenalin rush of the Cresta Run. But for sheer quirkiness, few sport events can beat the February cricket festival on the ice and snow on the frozen lake.  St Moritz, Engadin, is all set to host  the Cricket on Ice Trophy on its frozen lake once again this year from 23rd – 25th February. Incepted in 1988, Cricket on Ice was the brainchild of a few British enthusiasts who challenged the students of the international boarding school Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz to a match. Ever since, the cricket festival on a frozen lake has been attracting international players and participants from all over the world. On Lake St. Moritz, the game of cricket is played a little differently. Instead of whites, the players wear warm tracksuits. The ball is made of hard rubber, because traditional leather would become wet, heavy and unpredictable on the snow. The pitch is artificial grass on an oval-shaped cricket ground. The game consists of twenty overs per inning; bowlers are limited to four overs. As the sport offers a different setting, it also demands a considerable amount of skill and agility from the players. The cricket played is a competitive, but amateur, level and depends a lot on fairness and the spirit of friendship between the teams.

horse races india

The 75th Indian Derby organised by RWITC is being held today and tomorrow—Feb 4 and 5— evening races today and day races tomorrow. The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby is one of the most high-profile events on India’s horse-racing calendar and promises to be a sparkling extravaganza of adrenaline burst combined with some great art and music, including performances by Brazilian Samba dancers and singer & music artist Lucky Ali.

heuer camaro watch

A classic Jack Heuer masterpiece that’s just coming into its own as a collector’s pride and dream is the Vintage Heuer Camaro Watch, created as a tribute to none othen than the Chevrolet Camaro muscle car. Elegantly designed in cushion-shape, the watch was in production from 1968 to 1972. A manually-wound watch, powered by the well-proven and solid Valjoux 7733 movement, its stainless steel case is in very good condition, retaining factory sunburst finishing, while the dial has “gained a warm, tropical patination.” Arriving with one 18mm chocolate brown leather strap and two 18mm nylon straps from Crown & Buckle, the timepiece has Heuer’s signature on the crown. For vintage watch aficionados this beauty is worth every bit its price tag of $5,400.

paris fashion week

After more than a decade at the helm of Givenchy — twelve years, to be precise— Riccardo Tisci has finally stepped down as creative director of the Italian fashion house. While Givenchy had been known for its glamour, Tisci chose to inject his love of hip-hop and street style into his collections that quickly gained him a popular following. For now, the rumour mills are churning out reports of Tisci heading to join Versace, although there has been no confirmation from either Versace or Tisci. However it is common knowledge that he is close to Donatella Verace and even featured her in a previous campaign for Givenchy, so his heading in that direction seems like a natural course to follow. The brand has also announced that it will not be holding a show at Paris Fashion Week in March, as a result of Tisci’s exit. Fans of his designs can still look forward to seeing them on the red carpet at the Oscars.

mercedes e Classc

The new E-Class long-wheelbase is all set for its official India launch on February 28. This stretched version of the E is based on the standard W213 gen E-Class which was unveiled in early 2016 and actually exceeds the E-class sedan in terms of both length (5m) and the wheelbase (3079mm), a massive 140mm (5.5 inches) more than the standard car. This extension has increased space for the rear passenger compartment. It also boasts of a more streamlined exterior along with the added sheet metal in the wheelbase that emphasises its S-Class-like stance. t will come with an S-class-like dashboard with dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and instrumentation, the latest version of Merc’s COMAND Online infotainment system, both petrol and diesel engine options. Although at present it is only being sold in China due to the huge demand in the Chinese market for long wheelbase luxury cars, but the Indian market looks all set for a rendezvous with this baby soon enough.

maverick helicopters

Up and away from the world on a chopper, landing upon the red rocks of Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park, contemplating the world within and outside, experiencing inner peace. How’s that for an incredible Yoga experience? Well this is the latest in luxe-yoga, an experience termed ‘Heli-Yoga: Limitless’ and can be enjoyed for a sum of $3500 for up to six students. Offered by Las Vegas-based yoga company Silent Savasana, in collaboration with Maverick Helicopters, the entire experience includes being picked up by limousine from your hotel room or from your home (if you’re within 5 miles of the Strip) to the Las Vegas helicopter terminal, where you board a top-of-the-line helicopter for a 20-minute ride to the top of the Valley of Fire. You can roam free and explore the spectacular natural red sandstone formations for 10-15 minutes before being led through a private, 75-minute yoga session by a certified Silent Savasana yoga instructor.

ernest hemingway

Ernest Hemingway is remembered as one of the most innovative and influential writers, reporters and novelists of the 20th century—what is lesser known is his association with Montegrappa pens, which apparently, the writer was fond of using for writing. And therefore Montegrappa has revealed a limited edition collection dedicated to Hemingway—divided into four different ‘chapters’, each portraying a different facet of his personality: ‘The Writer’, ‘The Soldier’, ‘The Fisherman’ and ‘The Traveller’. Each ‘chapter’ embodies a pen of its own, offered in the three types: fountain, rollerball and ballpoint. ‘The Writer’ is made in Turtle Brown celluloid and precious metal engravings, commemorating the years of his literature awards and his most powerful arm – the typewriter. ‘The Soldier’, dedicated to his years as a young soldier in Italy, is made in Bamboo Black celluloid and precious metal engravings, commemorating the Great War and the author’s personal experience. Mediterranean Blue celluloid is used for the Fisherman and Charcoal Black for the Traveller. Each model in the four chapters is limited to 100 exclusive items per model. In addition to the Sterling Silver editions, 10 pens of each of type are trimmed with 18k solid Gold. Embellishing the pocket clip, cap and barrel ends are symbols defined by the subject of the pen. For The Soldier, the barrel end shows Bassano’s bridge, military symbols and the Red Cross Ambulance. The Writer prominently features a typewriter. Hemingway’s initials grace the fountain pen’s nib, while the pocket clip features an Alpine edelweiss motif. The cap crown is decorated with a likeness of the medal for valor, which Hemingway received when injured in Italy. In keeping with the literary theme, the pen comes in special packaging reminiscent of a reporter’s notebook like those used during the First World War.

philippe starck

Remember all those science fiction movies that predicted the future with uncanny accuracy—with objects from them actually springing up to populate our gizmo-studded world? Well, this one’s straight from sci-fi land, too. French designers Philippe Starck and Jerome Olivet have joined hands with electronics company Thomson to create a smartphone concept that looks not in the least like, well, a smartphone. This silver, streamlined glitzy gizmo almost gives off an almost magical vibe in its appearance, but its good looks aren’t the best thing yet. This smartphone is called Alo and it projects 3D holographic images of what you actually see on the screen—messages, images, movies everything.  It is completely voice activated and has a translucent elongated “gelatinous” shape designed to easily fit in your hand. It can actually read out messages and allows users to just ‘dictate’ messages instead of typing them. It also allows you to project a 3D hologram to view a movie or message.  The core of the curved device is made of aluminium alloy, surrounded by pliable casing that actually provides feedback through heat as well as vibration. And that’s not all—the device can repair its own skin automatically “as soon as it is damaged.” Now there’s a smartphone to make all others look dumb! The device is still in the concept stage, of course, but reports state that a prototype is in the making. We’re waiting with bated breath, that’s for sure.

japanese chocolates

An exotic collection of tea-infused chocolates is being prepared by Japanese chocolate manufacturer Sils Maria, and it’s called the ‘Tea Connection: Fresh Chocolates from Three Uji Teas’, created in collaboration with Tsuji Rihei Honten, a 150-year-old tea retailer and manufacturer in Japan. Each gourmet set consists of 20 pieces of three unique varieties of chocolate. There is the “Matcha fresh chocolate” prepared with powdered green tea, cream, Belgian white chocolate and a dash of champagne, and the “Fresh chocolate with roasted stem Uji Gyokuro tea” made from the hoji-cha stem found in the valuable Uji-grown Gyokura tea and some fine whiskey for added flavor. And finally you have the Fresh Uji Sencha Chocolates that blend Belgian white chocolate, stone-ground Uji green tea and fresh sage. Priced at a staggering $900, this gourmet collection is comes packed with three packets of the core ingredients i.e. the hand-picked matcha, two packets of the roasted stem Gyokuro tea, and three packets of the Uji sencha for a complimentary tea experience. And for the final flourish, its wrapped in a beautiful Furoshiki styled cloth. Now that’s what we call double the temptation!

guerlain perfume campaign

Angelina Jolie is not just the new face for Guerlain’s latest fragrance—to be launched in March— but also the muse for the delicate scent that has been created to depict “the (many) notes of a woman”. Created by Guerlain’s master perfumer Thierry Wasser, who defined Jolie as the embodiment “of modern femininity” due to her embrace of “choices, emotions and dreams”, the perfume draws inspiration from the diva. What’s even more noble about the choice, is that Jolie has declared she would give away all the proceeds from her campaign with the French house to charity. Now that is truly going to be the ultimate ‘scent of a woman’.