Y2k fashions for the millennium

Those of you who do want something Western however, don't panic. Designers such as Purnima Abeyratne of Inspirations, Sonali and Sharmini are catering to your needs and tastes and you're sure not to go disappointed.

Purnima's 'Inspirations Y2K Collection' is full of bold, revealing and exciting colours, which she promises are 'sexy but wearable'. She's concentrating on metallic, charcoal and silver and the designs vary from sharp neat lines to flouncy ball gowns and elegant cocktail dresses.

Guys in the meantime haven't been forgotten. After all this is their night to be in the limelight too. Estefan and Michael are coming out with fantastically creative ideas to make sure the guys are noticed this 31st night. Bold colours, innovative jackets and new collar designs are all part of the selections set aside for them.

Michael's gone one step further and designed a pair of extremely sheer trousers with just a short piece of material attached to the top half of the waist for one of his customers, though he wasn't about to dislcose the name of this all too bold knight in sheer armour. 'If women can show their legs off, why can't we' had apparently been his cheeky answer to stares and glares.

But all the elegance and style doesn't come without a price. The cheapest custom done designer outfit you'll be able to get your hands on will leave you Rs. 2,500 poorer, while on average people have been doling out as much as Rs. 8,000-12,000 per outfit, guys as well as girls. And if you really want to make a splash on 31st night, some clients have bought outfits costing as much as Rs. 18,000-40,000. And this year around it's all the more expensive because people are going in for ensembles, such as Christmas, 31st night and the 1st of January, which is after all the day to celebrate a new beginning. Yellow is incidentally the colour to be seen in on January 1.

Last but not least a designer who did not wish to be identified said he had already done more than 25 fancy dress costumes for a large private party being planned for the 31st night. "I'm not giving anything away, but it's going to be a really 'wild' night if you know what I mean," he said, grinning wickedly. The designers themselves have however not yet decided on their outfits for the New Year, but Estefan hinted his would be predominantly black with other bold colours.

And the likes of Anoja Weerasinghe, Iranganie Serasinghe and Veena Jayakody plan to take things cool and calm and spend the night at home or with a few loved ones.

Tai Chi Chuan

By Udena.R.Attygalle

It may not be Mortal Kombat or Jean Claude Van Damme stuff but it identifies perfectly with the quiet, little old Chinese man that movie-goers are familiar with. The man who humbly avoids fighting, but when forced to, defeats the opponent in an easy and unspectacular manner.

That's exactly the essence behind Tai Chi. You don't have to be strong to win. Even a skinny person can beat a big muscular opponent. "You are always going to meet someone stronger than you, so it's best not to depend on brute strength to defeat an opponent," explains Dr. Nimal Jinadasa, Chief Instructor of the Sri Lanka Tai Chi Chuan Association.

But like all martial artistes a Tai Chi practitioner does not fight unless it is absolutely necessary. Advanced Tai Chi fighters, it is said, can actually feel and understand the intentions of an opponent by just making contact with him during a fight. If the opponent knows what you are going to do next, you might as well give up the fight!

Tai Chi Chuan meaning "Grand Ultimate Fist" was originally developed as a martial art, but became popular as an exercise for health and meditation. The credit for developing this art goes to Chang Sang-Feng who lived around 1101 A.D. in China. Being part of the Wushu martial arts, it is based on the principles of Taoism, the Yin and Yang balance of opposites such as hard and soft, light and heavy etc.

As Yang always reserves some Yin and vice versa in Tai Chi, the movements are smooth and continuous. Necessity calls the shots - soft when soft and hard when hard.

The main schools of Tai Chi Chuan are Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun styles. The Yang style was developed by Yang Lu Shan (1799-1872), who became famous as "Yang the Invincible". The style was passed down from father to son and is the most widely practised around the world today.

The anatomical weapons in Tai Chi are not rigorously hardened like external styles of other martial arts. (So you can skip all those painful knuckle dips!) This is because the effective component is not hardness of the weapon but the energy within it. If the correct structure of the weapon is maintained, it is able to deliver telling blows with much power without recourse to hardening.

As an example, Dr Jinadasa pointed out the instance of a "skinny little kitten jumping on to a table much taller than him quite effortlessly". Such were the great feats achieved without the use of muscular strength.

The internal strength in Wushu described as "Chi" is believed to circulate throughout the body in the same way as blood circulation. "Chi is guided by the mind," Dr. Jinadasa says. "We do not have to generate Chi but we have to reawaken it. A toddler crawling around the whole day without getting tired, is an example of our natural internal energy."

Meanwhile, Jing is the strength stored in the postures and is different to Li, the muscular strength that most people would use in a fight. Jing is generated from the tendons rather than the meat of the muscle. The "unbendable arm", a posture learnt very early in Tai Chi training is literally that, unbendable!

Jing, generated mainly in the legs, waist and shoulders, together with Chi is used in a quick pulsing action rather than the lazy "dragging" way in which one would usually throw a punch.

Another ploy adopted in Tai Chi, is "sticking" — lightly attaching yourself to your opponent. Once attached, the Tai Chi fighter will follow his every movement, preventing being attacked and following him as he retreats. The opponent should feel that he is unable to get rid of you.

According to Dr. Jinadasa the internal power (Chi) is generated in the Dan Tien, located in the lower abdomen: one and a half inches below the navel and about a third of the way towards the spine. Chi can also be generated in the arms, legs and so on, but does not have the same strength. It is stored when you inhale and is expressed when exhaling. Sometimes the sounds "Hen" and "Ha" are used to stimulate the Chi flow. Those are the sounds we hear in the fighting scenes in the movies!

Dr. Jinadasa says that usually in Tai Chi "you retreat when attacked and attack when the opponent is retreating. A Tai Chi artiste disrupts the Yin and Yang flow of the opponent. When the opponent throws a punch, he hopes to withdraw it the next moment. Yet by evading the blow and pulling at his punching arm you can use his own force against him".

At advanced levels of learning there is weapons-training such as sabre, sword and spear handling. Then the Tai Chi fighter is able to transport Chi from his fingertips to the edge of his weapon.

Another important aspect in this martial art is the "root" or your connection with the ground. It is imagined that the root is a few inches below the soles of your feet. Fighting without a firm root is like "trying to push a car while standing on ice". Though kicks upset this balance, there is a good "repertoire"of kicks in Tai Chi Chuan.

Although a formidable martial art, today it is mostly a form of dynamic meditation. The movements when practised slowly have considerable health benefits. Tai Chi also fosters a calm and tranquil mind, as concentration has to be on the precise execution of these movements.

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