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Fatty
deposits on the eyelids Raised fat
yellowish deposits of fat on the eyelids usually represent cholesterol
deposits known as Xanthelasmas. They are more common on the upper
eyelids than the lower, but may appear on both. About one-fourth
to one-half of the individuals with Xanthelasmas have elevated blood
cholesterol levels. This may be familial. You should
consult your physician to determine whether your problem is related
to elevated blood cholesterol levels that may require treatment. The fatty deposits can be removed by various techniques, including chemical application of trichloroacetic acid, electrosurgery, cryosurgery or scissor excision. The cosmetic results after any of the methods are usually excellent but recurrences are common. You should leave the choice of treatment up to your physician. Win super prizes
from the Neutrogena range by filling in the coupon and mailing it
to reach us on or before April 14 on a postcard to: Broadway
will have to wait Years ago,
I had watched stupefied as a couple of my classmates moved to the
music at an end of year school concert. "Join in," they'd
say. I never did. There was a big distinction between those who
could move to music and me. I couldn't to save my life! But as I
ventured into the big bad world I made a firm decision to learn
to dance, regardless of the consequences. There were
a bunch of us who wanted to learn to dance. But by the time it was
time to enrol, I was abandoned to my fate. Out of sheer desperation
I turned to Sibling. "Right, now you want ME to drop everything
else and come dancing with you in order to help you cope with the
pressures of dancing?" I nodded my head vigorously. Sibling
had finally understood something I told him. I had also completed
the impossible feat of eliciting an answer from an otherwise deaf
human being. "You do
understand that I have exams to sit for, and that I should study
my chosen subjects and not be dancing?" I nodded my head again.
Things were going so well. For once in our lives, Sibling and I
were on the verge of agreeing on something. And then he laughed.
It was such a full-bodied guffaw that the dogs joined in. Being
the ignoramus that I am, I too joined in, thinking he was laughing
over how come that bright spark had never entered our minds before.
But as suddenly
as it began, it ceased. "NO," he said, "No what?"
I asked between giggles. "I am not going to make a fool of
myself learning to dance with you!" "But why?" I
wailed. "Because." "Because what?" "I don't
want to learn to dance." "Why?" "Because, because
- this conversation has now reached it's official end." I gave up disgusted.
There is no point whatsoever in wasting precious "could be"
dancing energy on males who are of no use to the planet. And so I went.
Escorted by a professional, I stepped into the building and promptly
stepped out. I couldn't dance, I was even afraid of trampling someone's
foot. I was dragged inside and introduced to the dancing instructor.
I grinned faintly, my bravado now evading me. I was in no mood to
dance. "Right,
ladies on one side and gents on the other," said the One Who
Makes Moving to 'Frankie' Look Excessively Simple (a.k.a. the dancing
instructor). The students who ranged from 8 to 80 ran to take their
places. "Today we will concentrate on getting the feel of the
music." And so we did. I went home
jubilant. And excitedly informed the Higher Authorities to charter
a flight to the States in about three months time as my contracts
from Broadway were sure to be flying in. That night I dreamed about
little else. The Queen and the Crown Prince would be among the invitees
as I made my debut on the West End. The audience would be on their
feet shouting, "Encore" as I made my exit stage left.
Sibling snorted
when I recounted my dream. But my excitement was not to be deterred.
No one could stop me. The following
week saw me at the gates of the class spot on time. I was prepared.
And the lesson began. "Today we are going to concentrate on
the initial part of the Jive," said DI. It seemed simple enough.
All the ladies had to do was to place their right foot behind their
left foot and make a rocking movement. It is here
that the problems began. You see, I suffer from a disease no doctor
or scientist has comprehended to date. It is so rare that it is
yet to be named. It is a case of what I like to call "unabletodistinguishleft-fromrightmia".
Patients suffering from it are unable to distinguish left from right.
The only remedy available is to march in one spot for a couple of
minutes. Though only a temporary method it provides an adequate
method of saving one's face. And that's
what I did. I mastered the rocking movement (which is concentrated
on the front of the foot, or was it the back?) and the basic steps
in no time. Soon I started using my 'newly learned' dance steps
to make my way into the kitchen for breakfast. I conducted long
philosophical discussions with strangers regarding the benefits
of dance and soon decided that it would make a lovely vocation.
That state of mind persevered only until DI increased the tempo
of the Jive. The Jive is
a combination of intricately interwoven steps. It is a dance like
no other (or so I assume) because it contains many variations and
thereby many complications. Each movement one is required to make
differs from the next. (Saying much for the inventor's imagination
and my confusion!) It is a relatively simple collection of arm and
leg movements if the music that it is danced to borders on the maximum
of 10 km p/h. Yet, we were required to dance this to a minimum of
80 km p/h. It was not a pretty sight. The dancing
hall took on the shape of a boxing hall. Shoes and spectacles flew
to all directions. But no one really cared. All that was required
was to enjoy the Jive. After weeks
of jiving in all directions, we were pronounced fit to move on to
the Cha Cha, (another innovation of those outrageous Latinos). The
initial lesson demanded that one's left foot was to be brought at
a right angle to one's right foot (Did I just write that correctly?).
Anyhow, the ensuing position was of immense discomfort. A fellow
beginner kindly pointed out that my feet being separate from each
other was completely contrary to any established principle entrenched
in the Cha Constitution. Yet, my feet
stood apart. There was no way in which one could bring my feet together
without damaging my balancing act. And so went my version of the
Cha. I soon learnt the distinction between rocking one's feet after
crossing them and rocking one's feet after placing them in front
of each other. What I've failed
to mention is that one and half hours of gruelling dancing is adequate
to burn all extra calories and "build firm, toned and lean
arms and legs". (Sounds familiar?) At the end of the session
I had to be carried to the waiting method of transportation and
rushed to a hot water shower. This was the only way higher authorities
were able to guarantee me waking up the following morning. Next up on
the cards was the waltz. Images of Julie Andrews and Captain Von
Trapp sprang into my mind. Oh, but no, fate had other things in
mind. The Waltz is excessively complicated. To train to dance the
waltz, one must first learn to hold one's arms in mid-air for at
least six minutes at a stretch. (Completing this exercise had the
added benefit of aiding the toning of one's upper arm muscles but
resulted in making one unable to carry one's cup of coffee the following
morning.) Another complication
was that the waltz was to be danced in the shape of a box. (I can
hear the sniggers). Moving backwards, then forwards and then sideways
at an unstoppable pace does not make this any easier. Whenever I
was asked to dance to one end of the hall and come back to the beginning,
I'd end up dancing to one end of the hall and continuing to dance
hoping that the wall would collapse and let me through to the other
side. Three months
of dancing has made me a changed human being. It showed me that
it advocates no boundaries. For everyone danced. I am now a
firm believer in Latin music and the need for both Hollywood and
Bollywood movies to expressly provide that the dances in the film
were conducted by professionals and should not be attempted by amateurs.
And most importantly, dancing has cured me of my illness. I can
now distinguish left from right and take the correct road home without
having to stop and march in one place. And as for Broadway, "I'm sorry darling, but you'll have to wait!" Get
set to guess Woven around
a few colourful characters, the story has suspense and everything
needed for a great mystery with a touch of comedy in it. Getaway Lodge
is a small but exclusive hotel near Kandy that caters to foreigners
and the upper middle class. It is run by its owners, a young couple,
Ruwani (Catriona Nicholas) and Patrick Perera (George Cook). A few
very different people cross each other's paths at this place as
they have chosen it for their holiday spot this time around. Gerty (Krys
Sosa) and Horace Nugawela (Thulitha Piyasena), a newly rich couple
who usually go abroad for a vacation feel like spending a holiday
somewhere in Sri Lanka. Kamala (Angela Seneviratne) and Sunila (Wanda
Godleib), two wealthy spinster sisters want to spend time away from
people. Neesha (Chanella Fernando) of Neesha Fashions decides to
go somewhere quiet to plan her next big show. Dylan, an ardent socialist
goes in search of the downtrodden proletariat to educate them to
fight for equal rights. Anupama (Keshanee Gunawardena), a famous
and beautiful actress decides to take time off her busy shooting
schedule to spend some time with her undemanding husband Sunil (Danushthan
Innasithamby). Mr. Surasena (Indu Dharmasena), an eminent criminal
lawyer decides to get away from his hectic schedule to relax and
spend a quiet holiday. "Set for
Murder" first written and staged by Indu in the mid nineties
was a great success. So what really inspired the play? "It was
actually during a holiday that I got this idea. We were playing
'Cluedo' and that got me reading Agatha Christie once again."
Inspired, Indu then wrote the play. "It's a light murder mystery
with the 'whodunit' element in it," he says "that makes
it more fun." Why Indu wanted
to stage the play once again was quite simple. During the past year
he had been reviving some of his old plays. "While I was directing
plays I saw that some kids hadn't really seen most of my plays."
Acting in a
play of this sort according to Indu is a bit of a challenge. "You
should act in such a way that the audience is wondering what's going
to happen next." He also jokingly adds that he has no intention
of giving the audience a headache and that if they are interested
they can work out the mystery. The cast is
made up of experienced actors and actresses who in the past have
acted in Indu's productions with the exception of one newcomer.
Speaking to a few members of the cast provided insights of what
they think about the play. "The play
has a sense of mystery in it… and I still don't know what's
happening," says Angela Seneviratne. "It's hard to keep
a serious face cos' I have got used to acting in light hearted comedy,"
says she. Thulitha Piyasena,
who has acted in most of Indu's productions, feels that each play
that he has taken part has been a whole new experience. "The characters
in this play are very different from each other," says Lasantha
Rodrigo who has been acting with Indu since 1996. "Anyone of
us could be the murderer." George Cook
feels that this is a very interesting and different kind of play.
"This gives the audience the opportunity to be detectives." This is Keshanee
Gunawardena's second production and she says that she likes the
hint of suspense in the play. "You can never guess who the
killer is and different people become suspects." Chanelle Fernando,
a new- comer, sums it all up with a simple "I am having a ball." The audiences
get a reward at the end of the three days for guessing the killer.
"All they have to do is, during the interval guess who they
think is the killer, write the name and put it in a box," says
Indu. On the third day the person with the right answer gets an
exercise bicycle from Himalaya's. Whodunit? As the curtain falls at the end will the person who committed the crimes get away with murder? Find out as the mystery unfolds at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on April 4, 5 and 6 at 7.15 p.m. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
As
Indu Dharmasena sets the stage once again for yet another production
it is clear that this time around it is not a comedy. "Set
for Murder" is far from it to be exact, it's more a thriller
that will undoubtedly captivate the theatergoers of Colombo.
