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Body mutilation

To pierce, or not to pierce, that is the question. Piercing has been considered the oldest form of body-art practiced. It was used from more than 5000 years ago by the Egyptian culture as a sign of status and love. In fact, some piercing practice was only limited to the royal family, for example anyone except the pharaoh could be executed for having navel piercing. The Romans, the Aztecs, all were practiced piercers. In 1741, the German-born George Wilhelm Steller became the first European to describe the Native peoples of Alaska Unangan or Aleuts on the Shumagin Islands: “One man had a piece of bone three inches long struck through crosswise above the chin just under the lower lip. Still another had a bone like it fastened in the forehead, and another, finally, had a similar one in each of the wings of the nose.”

Nose, ears, lips, navels are nowadays common and easy to obtain.In the rise of popularity of such flesh piercing, some people in the West are practicing piercing in places-which-should-not be mentioned! Whatever the case, nose and ear piercing has been a part of the Bangali femme culture for a long time. It used to be signifying coming of age, but nowadays, ear, nose and even naval piercing are all really a part of the 'IN' culture.

Some religions do not allow piercing, while others do. I am not quite sure which though! For men, having an earring or piercing in the right signifies being homosexual. So before piercing, be sure to clarify these things. For girls, nose piercing is a common phenomenon. It is even a portrayal of 'rebellion' in girls in the West, while it is quite natural for us in the East. Although piercing in between the nostrils is common in the villages, very few actually consider this kind of piercing as a 'fad' in the urban area. Side nose studs are the considered the most fashionable and acceptable to all. Nose piercing also suits some noses, while it looks weird in others. So if you are considering nose piercing, be sure to wear a mock nose-stud before the actual piercing. If you think it suits you, then go ahead, otherwise don't.

Bellybutton piercing is quite painful experience; quite uncommon in Bangladesh though. Moreover, if you are not wearing transparent (!) saris, then I think bellybutton piercing is quite a waste. It is done in few places in Dhaka, namely Bandhai, and probably in Facewash as well. I am not aware of any other place, so if you know about it then please let me know.

The parts-which-should-not-be-named also can be pierced, and it is probably only done in the West (talk about people finding no other places to pierce!) Anyhow, eyebrow piercing is also seen nowadays in Dhaka, and for some it suits them a lot. It is considered rebellious to some parents, but then again it depends on individual choice. Tongue piercing is not common here (ouch!), and it is a painful experience (that is what my friend Fahad told me). I also haven't heard about shops that do lip-studs, but don't you think it is better to wear a mock-stud instead?

Whatever the case, wherever you may pierce, it is best to make sure than the parlor you are going to pierce in, are using sterilized guns and surgical steel tribevel needle. If you aren't sure then bring in Dettol yourself. Do check out Bandhai in Gulshan 1. OUCH! That was my upper earlobe! Well the ears don't really hurt that much…

By Shamma M. Raghib


Teen diaries 2
Wannabe
February 6, 2006

Dear Diary,
Prianka seemed to be in a very bad mood today. We hung out during class, but she didn't really want to gossip about the other girls or anything. She gets like this whenever her parents take off...I guess she misses them, but she would never admit it.

We had fun picking on that stupid new girl Sadia though. She's got no sense of style at all! She wears her hair in a dowdy ponytail, and she's such a goody-goody! Her uniform reaches below her knees, and her shoes are plain and white, and she doesn't wear a smidgen of make up! She just stood there blinking like a cow while we cracked jokes at her. Prianka is just too clever...she really makes me laugh.

I had a terrible time in Biology class, though. I didn't get time to study last night (I had been too busy watching 'Kabhi Saas, Kabhi Bahu' on Tony Channel), and that awful Hafiz sir decided to give us a pop quiz! I was totally unprepared, and Sir gave me such a lecture! You'd think the world would end just because I didn't know what ATP stands for!!

If things weren't already bad enough, that awful geek-monster Afrida had to make me look like a fool by answering all my questions, and hers, and then posing some outlandish queries of her own that had the teacher scrambling after his books to answer her. She acted like all this was kid stuff...of course they'd be kid stuff to her...she doesn't have a life outside her studies, I'm sure!

After school, I took Prianka out for shopping, because I thought it'd cheer her up, but she was still in that crabby mood, and she made a couple of mean comments about my figure that I'm sure she didn't mean, but they hurt anyway. But then she made me laugh when she pointed out some funny looking customers who were trying on stuff that so did not suit them, and so everything was fine again...although I did like that blue bag that the girl in denim was carrying. If Prianka thinks it’s not cool, however, she must be right. Prianka’s always right about these things.

I think I'll go paint my nails now, and then finish my biology homework before the Gruesome Twosome in Biology class get me again!
Lamia

By Sabrina F Ahmad


Campus news
Master Mind tops IUB
Inter-College Debate Championship

The Debating Club of the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organized a three-day inter-college debate competition, which commenced at IUB's Baridhara campus on Thursday, May 4, 2006. The competition was inaugurated by IUB's Vice Chancellor Professor Bazlul Mobin Chowdhuy, and has been sponsored by Igloo Ice Cream of Abdul Monem Ltd, and Yemen Airways. Participating schools include Mastermind, Manarat International School, Red Brick School, Radiant International School, and Dhanmondi Tutorial.
Master Mind School became champion, while Manarat International School clinched the second position.
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International Education Centre (IEC)
Keeping the cultural spirit alive

April 29, 2006 was yet another eventful day of the year for the International Education Centre. The school hosted a Meena Bazaar followed by a Boishakhi cultural event.

The stalls at Meena Bazaar were horded with keen customers. The food stalls serving mouth watering dishes and the henna stall were the most popular with their children and their parents.

The entire Boishakhi event was hosted at a later date to keep the Bengali pride alive throughout the year and not just confining it to a specific day of the year. The Principal of the school, Ms. Shireen Ahmed, was most encouraging.

In between all the festivities IEC has not forgotten about the underprivileged and distressed people. Two stalls “Women of Todays Association” and “Chetona” have tried earnestly to make people aware of the less fortunate. The cookbook “A Passage To Cooking” was compiled and published by International teacher (members of WOTA). It was also a popular pick at the Meena Bazaar along with handicraft items. Chetona contributed with “Fight Poverty” printed on T-shirts.
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Sunnydale's Graduation
Ceremony 2006

Frequent explosions of uncontrollable mirth characterised the simple Graduation ceremony Sunnydale hosted at the Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel on the evening of April 28.

The valedictorians from the Class of 2004 and 2005 gave speeches--Prathama K Nabi Idris (of the Class of 2004) opted for a humorous note (reminding everyone of, for example, how much they miss Ms Habib's legendary jharis) that had the audience chuckling in no time.

When the chairman of the school, Mr Abdul Mannan Khan, handed out certificates to all the graduates, Ms Habib chose to spring the biggest surprise of the evening. She had collected small, relatively unknown details (unknown in the teacher and guardian circles, that is) about most of the graduates pulling out old nicknames and hilarious quirks into the open, making an already enjoyable evening doubly so.

It all ended with an exhausting photo session where everyone insisted on taking pictures with everyone else! The evening was memorable because of how good everyone looked -- girls sashaying in saris and guys choking in ties!


 
 

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