Free Essay

Varun K

In:

Submitted By SK1987
Words 912
Pages 4
8/17/12

Times of India Publications

Adve rtise m e nt

International [Next]

One wild night Theres a man in her cake.And a stripper at her door.Its all clean fun,protests the bride-to-be.But the shower just got steamier
Mansi Choksi | TNN

They function like a kind of secret service clients come in and whisper their orders,and when the house is empty,they get down to business.Dodging the judgmental gaze of domestic help and children,these cake ladies fulfill requests for phallic chocolate lollipops and other erotic confections.Cakes at bachelorette parties are no longer just about chocolate,icing and candles.From a naked man on a beach to threedimensional confections that resemble male genitalia and even squirt out cream,brides-to-be in the big cities want their last fling with singledom. The naughty cake market in Mumbai has grown.Five years ago,one sole cakesmith monopolised the scene.Now there are at least nine more in the bakery.Ruchi Chopra,owner of Any Surprise Any Place,says that most of her cakes sport some kind of exaggerated body part and she also serves up interestingly shaped food.For instance,the innocent spring roll gets a whole new meaning. A Matunga-based cake maker says parts of the cake are assembled after her domestic help has left for the day.Although they want kinky confections,some clients find it hard to spell it out.They just ask for those cakes, she says. But those cakes arent the only attraction at bridal showers that have become more than just underground booze-fuelled fiestas of giggles strippers,dirty games and weird gifts are all part of the party,as essential as the mehendi or sangeet.Morality is thrown away with empty vodka bottles,skeletons tumble out of closets and untamed hoots fill the room. The location could be an empty flat,a farmhouse on the city s outskirts or a five-star suite to accommodate the stripper.Theres reportedly one stripper in Mumbai who has been dominating the henparty scene,but party planner Varun Kapoor says that over the last year,many more have entered the arena.Some are gym trainers and lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=19&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=05-11-2… 1/3

8/17/12

Times of India Publications

body builders who choose to entertain as a hobby or to earn some extra cash, he says.Of course,there are celebrity strippers and Russian strippers too but they charge up to Rs 1 lakh as opposed to Rs 15,000 for the ordinary guys. Most brides,he says,want a naughty bachelorette but prefer to opt out of the full monty.At one party,the stripper stunned the best friendturned organiser with options.He asked if I wanted him to dress like a firefighter or a Greek god.I had no idea there were options available she says.If the party has a theme,strippers dress in character for the occasion.Its all clean fun, clarifies the owner of bachelorette party planner Minx.They dont touch or anything. The stripper is only one part of the exercise.Usually,the girls will dare each other to enact a prostitutes maiden street walk or mime the ritual of seduction.They can be quite audacious, says the Minx owner. And so can the decor.At one party where the theme was condoms,standard-issue colourful ribbons were replaced by flimsy streamers made of condoms,says Kapoor.For those who dont want to risk calling in an unknown man,a guy friend is roped in to entertain.They made me stand on the table,remove my shirt and dance with a feathery boa while they whistled and hooted, says a collegegoer coyly. The party planner also arranges a survival kit for the bride,usually containing condoms,a wedding veil,fetish wear and chocolate body paint. The latest game at bachelorettes,says Kapoor,is Sach Ka Samna,based on the television reality show.How many times have you done it Which is the wildest place where youve done it Five times,baby,and there are wolf whistles, says Kapoor.Nobody is coy anymore. Kapoor,who organises at least five bachelorette parties during the wedding season between October and March,says every year the bridal shower becomes more eclectic.There are belly-dancing competitions,spin-the-bottle sessions and suggestive body-part dumb charades.Ruchi Chopra says they even have a dress-up game where the bride is made to wear funny things. Kapoor says that he also gets requests from newly weds to organise a shower after the wedding is over.Its like they dont feel married until theyve had a legitimate send-off, he says. Very few brides,say planners,are secretive about their bachelorette partiestrigger-happy girls blithely post the photographs on Facebook the next morning,without worrying about in-laws and relatives.But there are others who chicken out after all the arrangements are made.Some worry about what their in-laws will think, says Kapoor.But overall,girls just want to have fun.

lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=19&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=05-11-2…

2/3

8/17/12

Times of India Publications

International [Next]
Copyright © 2012 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. A ll rights reserved.

lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=19&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=05-11-2…

3/3

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Kpop

...The world of Kpop In a world where music dominates and influences everything we do, there is a new type of music that is quickly progressing in popularity, not only nationally but globally as well. Kpop is Korean pop music, although it is not only pop music, it is also trot, hip hop and R&B and Rap. It is a competitive field that requires hard work and determination. Kpop is not only music though; it is a guide that can help give a person more insight about the world around them. It is a hard thing to be an idol in Korea, there are so many values and difficulties they must overcome in order to achieve recognition and fame. If someone were to want to be an idol in South Korea then their best bet would be to go to “The Big Three”. YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and SM Entertainment, These three companies are named “The Big Three” because they are three of the most highly distinguished and accomplished companies in all of South Korea. “The Big Three” have led many idols to fame in not only South Korea but globally as well. In comparison to Canada or the US you could call South Korean’s harsh with the way they train upcoming artists, but they have higher standards. The training process consists of around three year’s minimum of being a trainee and there are many hardships that must be overcome through that process. The trainee years are what determine whether or not a person can make it in the competitive field of being a Korean pop idol. Have you ever looked around and...

Words: 2036 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

401(K) Plans

...Abstract The intent of the paper is to examine current trends in the most commonly defined contribution retirement plan, the 401(k) plan. It will outline the best course of action to achieve an effective plan and maximize employee participation. This paper will review current mandates regulated by government agencies and explain the importance of remaining in compliance. Finally, the paper discusses best practices for implementation, as well as the best ways to promote a 401(k) plan within your organization. Throughout the process the details of the 401(k) plan at Tampa Bay & Company, a small sized organization, will be compared to other non-governmental company 401(k) plans to highlight specific examples and draw comparisons. Overall 401(k) Trends In response to the economic downturn there has been an increasing surge of employers who are lowering benefits associated with 401(k) plans. The most common trends are employers reducing the amount of match, reducing the portion of the match, or eliminating the match altogether. Over the past couple of years several surveys have been completed by investment firms, revealing that the number of employers who have decreased company contributions is on the rise. Some surveys show as low as a 7% decrease, but the majority of surveys claim that the amount is closer to 25% of employers who decreased matches or ceased employee contributions all together. Nearly two-thirds of employers still continue to provide matching contributions...

Words: 3737 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

K-Fever: a Case Study

...The Impact of Korean Popular Culture on Consumer Behavior Abstract The Korean wave hit Asia in the early 2000’s, initially through television dramas, and has gradually skyrocketed in popularity, expanding its reach to the film and record industry as well. Its success is owed to the effective combination of Western pop-culture with an added Asian flavor, across all its industries. With the sudden influx of Korean boy or girl pop groups led by pop idols worshipped by many fans, the media industry managed to tap on the popularity of certain idols, starring them in television dramas and hence garnering support from fans all over Asia. Together with popular drama series came its respective memorabilia, such as posters, bags, accessories – you name it, they have it. This paper serves to explore how the wave of Korean popular culture (commonly known as the Hanryu) on television today has had an impact on the behavior of people who participate in this Hanryu culture, not only through purchases of memorabilia, but also through changes to their lifestyle. The Influence of Hanryu on Consumer’s Buying Behavior Media, and the television to be specific, can be seen as a medium for informal learning, as well as influence. It is sometimes known as a socializing agent, which can influence who we are and what is expected of us. Just like how advertisements serve to increase the perception that consumers have towards a certain brand or product, occasionally using attractive endorsers or impactful...

Words: 2018 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Retirement Plan and Communication Proposal

...Retirement Plan and Communication Proposal Ebony Brown HRM/324 January 24, 2012 Jocelyn Freimark The design of a company’s benefits program is important to ensure the plans fit the structure of the company and the needs of its employees. Being a new company starting with 150 employees it will be important to design a varied and comprehensive retirement program that will not only address the needs of the company’s current employees, but will also attract potential employees, and be affordable for the company. Qualified plans “entitle employers and employees to substantial tax benefits” (Martocchio, 2009, p. 3), because neither has to pay taxes on contributions within a dollar limit outside of defined contribution plans. As an additional benefit, investment earnings are tax free and participants and their beneficiaries do not pay taxes on retirement benefits until the funds are received. There are two types of qualified retirement plans: defined benefit plan and defined compensation plan. A challenge of the defined benefit plan is that it may prove to be more costly for employers as employer contribution rates fluctuate yearly and requirements may be difficult for employers to ensure all the funds are available for participants or beneficiaries to receive. In this case, the best retirement benefit design option is the defined contribution plan. Under the defined contribution plans “employers and employees make annual contributions to separate...

Words: 1225 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

A Bad Obsession

..."Breaking news! The famous U-Known from T.V.X.Q had been sent to the hospital! The manager stated that he had been acting really strange and ended up vomiting blood. Authorities had said that a fan had dressed up as an employee and gave him a drink that contains adhesive!" the T.V stated. In Collin Palmer's essay, "A Healthy Obsession," he explained how being obsessed is okay, and it does not affect anyone in a negative way, but it helps people in a positive way. Fans these days had been violating idols' private life, and they would do anything to get close to their favorite celebrities. Fans who stalks celebrities these days can take it too far which can cause them to do negative things to themselves and everyone else around them. Fans these days that stalk celebrities would imitate their favorite idols in many ways whether it is good or bad. In "The Impact Celebrities Have on Our Lives," written by Deborah King, she stated, "For instance, if you are not centered and balanced energetically, and you don't feel so good about who you are. you are much more likely to follow your favorite celebrities and wish that you could be them." What King meant is that fans do not like how they are or how they look like. They would most likely follow what their favorite celebrity's look or their way of acting so they could be like them, which can lower their self- esteem. In the same article by Deborah King, she stated, "The sad fact is that we are more enthralled by celebrities who have bad...

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Soft Power and Korean Wave Summary

...potential in South Korea: Economic success Democratic political system (human rights; free elections; distribution of power) Korean tradition (art, crafts and cuisine) Success of Korean diaspora overseas. 2B Strategies to enhance the soft power: Attracting foreign students Increasing its overseas assistance outside Asia Government, companies, universities and non-profit organizations working together to develop and sponsor Korean cultural projects in order to gain visibility...... Hosting international conferences and events that draw attention to its success. 3A Korean Wave as soft power tool: Encouraged by the globalizing market forces in a digital age, the exportation of Korean cultural products, as Korean Drama and K-pop, have become a “cool” way to promote the country. 3B “I wish I could visit Korea someday”: Korean Wave is understood in other cultural spheres raising an interest in Korean studies and Korean language amongst young generation. 3C Recreation of national image and...

Words: 539 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Beginning of K-Pop

...published lyrics books of their own.[41][third-party source needed] The first known Korean pop album was "Yi Pungjin Sewol" (This Tumultuous Time) by Park Chae-seon and Lee Ryu-saek from 1925 and contained popular songs translated from Japanese. The first pop song written by a Korean composer is thought to be "Nakhwayusu" (낙화유수, Fallen Blossoms on Running Water) sung by Lee Jeong-suk in 1929.[41] In the mid-1920s, Japanese composer Masao Koga mixed traditional Korean music with Gospel music that American Evangelists introduced in the 1870s. This type of music became known as Enka in Japan, and later in Korea as Trot (Korean: "트로트").[42][43] These songs became extremely popular.[41][third-party source needed] Later, in the 21st century K-pop singers rediscovered the genre of trot, for example singers like Daesung from Big Bang and several members of Super Junior produced trot...

Words: 263 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Mt435 Unit 6 Assignment

...Albatross Anchor Unit 6 Unit Six Written Assignment Ury Salinas MT435 Operations Management Introduction Question One Carefully review the assignment scenario/case study. From the limited information in the scenario/case study, along with your answers to the unit three written assignment, identify at least three direct and specific long-term and three direct and specific short term operations changes that Albatross Anchor must make to gain a clear and sustainable competitive advantage (provide detailed information to validate and support each recommended change) Long-Term Operational Changes (01) An improvement in technology can increase efficiency and effectiveness throughout the plant. It is obvious that technology changes at such a rapid rate, older technology can slow down or inhibit the manufacturing process, making it longer for the products to reach the consumer. A plan over the span of 3 to 5 years to update technology is realistic because it gives enough time for the updates to be made effectively. (02) The purchase of additional equipment can take away the need to share manufacturing equipment between the two different types of anchors. The new equipment should be top of the line, because this will not only fall in line with the upgrades to technology, but will be the most cost-effective. Time is what will be saved primarily, since the separate equipment will do away with the 36 hours that are needed during equipment change-overs between production...

Words: 976 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

K-Pop

...Good morning to Miss Liana and fellow classmates, my name is Chua Wen Yee and the topic I’m going to talk about today is K-Pop. First of all, I’ll start off with some basic facts. K-Pop is a musical genre originated from South Korea. The pioneer of K-Pop is Seo Taeji and The Boys, which one of the member is the CEO of YG Entertainment, home of Big Bang and 2NE1 now. K-Pop was strongly criticized by a lot of people, including me. However it has been rising day by day and not only conquered the Asia music market but it is also globalized in the sense that there are K-Pop fans all over the world. According to my research, in year 2012, 68 K-Pop groups made their debut compared to 12 in year 2008. From hate to love, from critics to praise, how does this happened? I think everyone of you definitely has a friend who is a hardcore K-Pop fan. Most of you must have suffered a lot because they like to share their K-Pop information and ask you to watch funny videos very much. Thanks to them, you’ll slowly found out that you are starting to love K-Pop and soon you’ll become one of them. Seriously, some of you may wonder why people love K-Pop so much? The reasons are simple. First of all, the songs are really nice. There are three main components in a song, melody, choreography and visual. Catchy and repeated chorus is one of the reasons why K-Pop songs can be viral and popular. For example, “Wow, fantastic baby”, “because I’m shadow, shadow, shadow”, “bwara Mr. simple simple” or “I...

Words: 1361 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Kpop

...K-pop (an abbreviation of Korean pop;[1] Korean: 가요 kayo)[1] is a musical genre originating in South Korea that is characterized by a wide variety of audiovisual elements. Although it comprises all genres of "popular music" within South Korea, the term is more often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop music covering mostly dance-pop, pop ballad, electronic, rock, hip-hop, R&B, etc.[2] In 1992, modern K-pop was ushered in with the formation of Seo Taiji & Boys, whose successful experimentation with different music styles had sparked a paradigm shift in the music industry of South Korea.[3] As a result, the integration of foreign musical elements has now become a common practice in the K-pop industry.[4] By tapping into social networking services and the video sharing platform YouTube, the K-pop industry's ability to secure a sizeable overseas audience has facilitated a noticeable rise in the global proliferation of the genre.[5] Since the mid-2000s, the K-pop music market has experienced double digit growth rates. In the first half of 2012, it grossed nearly US$3.4 billion,[6] and was recognized by Time magazine as "South Korea's Greatest Export".[7] First gaining popularity in East Asia back in the late 1990s, K-pop entered the Japanese music market towards the turn of the 21st century. In the late 2000s, it grew from a musical genre into a subculture among teenagers and young adults of East and Southeast Asia.[8] Currently, the spread of...

Words: 296 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Questionnaire About Korean Trend and Its Influence on Hong Kong Culture V1

...voluntarily provided by the respondents, and the information will only be used for academic research. After this study, all the information obtained will be safely destroyed. 1) Your gender □Male □Female 2) Your age □Below or 15 □16-20 □21-25 □26-30 □31-40 □Above 41 3) Your education □Primary below □Primary/Secondary □Degree/Bachelor □Above bachelor 4) Your income per month (HK dollars) □0-5000 □5001-10000 □10001-15000 □15001-20000 □>20001 5) What is your occupation? □Service industry □Retail and sales industry □Self-employed □Computer and technology □Professionals □Student □Unemployed □Others (Please specify): _________ 6) Do you love Korean Pop music (K-Pop) □ Yes □ No 7) What K-pop artists do you know? (You can choose more than 1) □2AM □ 2NE1 □2PM □ 4minure □ C.N. blue □ F. T Island □f(x) □ Big Bang □ Se7en □ T-ara □ SHINee □ KARA □ BOA □ IU □ Beast □ G.O.D □JYJ □ Super Junior □Girl’s Generation □ other: 8) Do you like to watch Korean drama? □ Yes □ No 9) How often do you spend on watching Korean drama a week? □ 0 day □ 1-3days □ 4-6 days □ Everyday 10) Which of the following reasons explains why do you choose to watch Korean drama? □The stars □The Storyline □The setting □Not interested □Others: ...

Words: 613 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Chapter 6 Retirement

...CHAPTER 6 – RRSP & OTHER SAVINGS PLANS Why a limit? * Each individual is only entitled to save a specified amount in a registered retirement savings plan * Through pension adjustment (PA), those who participate in employer sponsored plan are limited in how much they can give to RRSP * Limit is based upon earned income in prior year * RRSP contribution limit is cumulative....any amounts not used can be carried forward; therefore, all Canadian taxpayers should try to accumulate contribution room as early as possible.  How about investment income????  Is that the same????  Not quite.....why??? The income earned on investments is not “earned income” --- which can be broadly defined as income that was “actively earned”.  This leads us to the review of the formula for RRSP contribution limit and the definition of “earned income”.   RRSP Contribution Limit: * Start with: * Lesser of: * A) 18% of prior year’s earned income (see below) * B)  2013 money purchase limit * Less: pension adjustment for prior year (from Module #5) * Less/add: PSPA  (module #5) * Add: unused RRSP contribution room (carryover of amounts earned but not contributed)  * Can be made from January of THAT year to 60 days afte the beginning of next year - contriubtions made in the first 60 days of the year can be used for previous year or the year of contribution Earned Income - Defined: * Generally, excludes income that is earned...

Words: 2626 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Persuasive Essay On Pension Plans

...As people go through their entire lives they expect themselves to be able to retire after working for at least thirty years. As a matter of fact, state pensions are enough for a number of people to satisfy their basic needs for lives. Obviously, most people would want to supplement of pension plan because they have to depend on the pensions after they retire. It goes without saying that how important for them to have a stable pension plan when they are still working. A lot of employers also believe that they should set up pension plans when they still work. Pension plans not only bring benefits to the employees but also contribute the complete the corporate system. A couple years ago, some plaintiffs began filing lawsuits against pension plans sponsored by religiously- affiliated non-profit hospitals, challenging their designation as ‘‘church plans’’ under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 19741 (ERISA). In order to protect employee’s rights and make sure employer offer pension plans to their employees, the employee retirement income protection act of 1974 (ERISA) was published years ago, and employees can usually avoid unexpected losses in their retirement plans. The federal government set laws to protect employee’s rights with pension plans. However, there are some special circum that church The pension plans have been a hot topic for recent decades and there are over thirty lawsuits filed all over the country and it involved billions of dollars. In the case...

Words: 1702 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Compensation Mid Term

...Name: Yunjia Zhang Syms School of Business Tax 6145 Deferred Compensation and Employee Benefits Fall 2014 Midterm Fill-in 2 pts each 1. The qualification requirements are intended to prevent discrimination in favor of highly compensated employees, 2. The age and service requirements require that an eligible employee participates in the plan no later than the attainment of age____21______ and_____2 year(s) of service. 3. A contribution to a qualified retirement plan (“QRP”) is income tax deductible if it is made no later than __due of tax return(April 15th) OR 60 extension days___________. 4. Under the dual entry method of plan participation, a QRP’s entry dates are usually the first day of the first plan year beginning after the date on which the employee satisfied the Code section 410(a)(1) minimum age and service requirements ___________ and __ the date 6 months after the date on which the employee satisfied the minimum age and service requirements. ________________. 5. A plan that provides for individual accounts is called a __defined contribution plan__________________. 6. A plan to which annual contributions are discretionary by the employer is called a _profit sharing plan________. 7. A plan in which the fair market value of the plan’s assets may be either greater than or less than its benefit obligations is called a ________defined benefit PLAN_________________. 8. A “year of service” generally is a calendar year, plan year, or other...

Words: 2094 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Yg Swot

...SWOT Analysis of YG Strength Unique brand image, leading the creation of new trends The company’s potential for growth is huge in light of its superior creativity. For example, the company boasts the largest share of the domestic digital music market due to its creative music development. YG Entertainment sticks to the HIP-HOP style and leads the hip-hop fashion in this industry. YG catches the HIP-HOP heat point and distinct itself from the other regular K-pop entertainment company with digital dancing music, which is the mainstream in Korean music market. YG is known for performing unique Korean Pop/Hip Hop music, mixing the genres. Given YG’s unique music style and fashion taste, it has accumulated a group of loyal fans. Resourceful talents, YG spirit and YG family. The quality and size of artist lineups are key growth determinants for an entertainment company. A larger lineup improves a company’s brand awareness and makes it easier to market new artists. YG has been promoting itself as a company that encourage creativity of its own artists within a family-like environment without interfering with the creating process of its artists. YG spirit consists of creative thinking, excellence, unique identity and family-oriented mind set. Strong relationship with SBS. Over the years, SBS and YG Entertainment have been known to share a good relationship. Indeed, YG entertainment has a particularly strong relationship with SBS compared to its relationships with KBS and MBC...

Words: 846 - Pages: 4