Maid Available

My maid is also available for work starting June 7, 2008. Kala has been working for expatriates for the past 12 years. All her employers, including ourselves has been extremely satisfied with her services. All of us have employed Kala for the entire duration of our stay in Chennai and only had to give her up since our contracts in Chennai have ended and we had to leave.
Kala has a good work ethic. She comes to work on time and is never absent. She is very hard working, knows her duties and requires very minimal supervision. She also does babysitting, my daughter absolutely adores her! If you have any more questions about Kala or would like to set up an interview and see all this outstanding recommendations, please feel free to call me. Angela 9940162840 or you can call through her son's mobile Sugan -9941650606 Thank you!!

Book Recommendations

New member Rocky Peltzman, recommends the following books. Speaking of books, anyone interested in reviving book club is welcome to do so. Just pick a book and set the date!

Desert Places by R. Davidson
As Robyn Davidson writes in Desert Places, the Thar, a 230,000-square-mile expanse of formidably dry country in northwestern India, is a harsh land of "granite outcroppings, naked but for a few gullies of monsoon forest or a single, white-painted elephant stationed on a summit eternally surveying the farmlands below." Among the people who populate the Thar are the Rabari, who are quickly becoming modernized and dispossessed, wanderers on the fringes of urban civilization, people who are at home nowhere. After making a false start as a book of adventure travel, Desert Places becomes a work of cultural ecology and of amateur anthropology, reporting on the final days of a traditional nomadic culture once utterly at home in an inhospitable land. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers WeeklyInspired by an enchanting encounter with camel herdsmen at a Hindu festival in Pushkar, travel writer Davidson (Tracks) took a magazine assignment to accompany the nomads of Rajasthan (a region in western India) on their yearly migration cycle. Arriving in Jodhpur on the eve of the Gulf war under the aegis of her friend Narendra, a prince who equips her with an entourage of servants and an obstreperous camel-keeper named Chutra, Davidson soon discovers that the ancient culture of the nomads (who are known either as Rabari or as Raika) is slowly being eradicated, faced with diminishing grazing lands, new political boundaries and the spread of subsidized agriculture and Western culture. This book, as breathtaking but circuitous as the adventures it chronicles, begins to gather steam when Davidson is finally accepted by a dang (a migratory group) and sets off to follow them across the desert. She spends a few months sharing the shepherds' life of extreme deprivation, traveling 30 miles a day on a diet of little more than fetid water and camel's milk, sleeping two hours a night and battling illness and exhaustion, before deciding to return to Jodhpur on foot?which proves an even more perilous journey that ends when her camels die after eating poisonous weeds. By the book's end, Davidson's romantic vision of the peripatetic life has given way to a bitter account of her own dashed expectations and of the exploitation of India's nomads. Although her understanding of nomadism as an emotional and geographical phenomenon remains only partly digested, this book will nevertheless prove absorbing to even the most sedentary of bookshelf-travelers. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. The Dynasty--The Nehru-Gandhi Story by Adams and Whitehead. This accompanied a PBS or BBC serial on them.
Rocky Peltzman
http://www.linkedin.com/in/rockypeltzman

Art Show for Charity

OWC members are invited to "Double Take," a new exhibition of Indian contemporary art at the Prakrit Art Gallery. Proceeds of art sales to benefit the Mukti India http://www.muktiindia.org/index.asp.

New #9, (Old #4)

Ground Floor

Dhandayuthapani Nagar

2nd St.

Kotturpuram

Chennai - 85

Ph: 044-42188989, 24472207

Preview is on :Friday the 6th June, 2008 at 6.00 P.M.

On view: 7th June to 20th June 2008.Time: 11.00 A.M. to 7.00 P.M.

Cook/Maid Available

Mercy is available for immediate hire. She claims to have worked for Jackie McFarlane of Canada, but has no references. She is well groomed and speaks good English. Anyone interested in contacting her should call: 9381195601
Tip: Hiring someone without references can be OK if one obtains a copy of the employee's ration card and verifies that the address listed on it is correct. Any theft or misconduct can then be properly followed up by the police. This is good for you and your new hire to know!

Driver Available

Hi all!!
My family and I are leaving Chennai for Qatar on the 7th of June. I want to recommend my driver Ramesh to anyone who is in need of a driver. He is a dedicated employee, knows Chennai inside out, honest and reliable. We are disappointed that we will not be able to have him accompany us in the Middle East but would be glad to secure him an employment before we leave. If you need a driver or if you know anyone who needs one, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you.
Angela - angeline_penry@hotmail.com 9940162840/45511757

More Discounts!

The Park Hotel has generously offered OWC members the following discounts:

At the Leather Bar & Aqua:

• 20% off on food and beverages between 7pm and 9pm on all days of the week.

*Offer valid till Tuesday, 30th September 2008. This can be renewed on mutual agreement. *Will not be applicable if space is blocked for private parties/under maintenance/special events. *Conditions apply.

At Aura:

For May at Aura

• 30% off on hair styling at our Salon
• 20% off on luxurious packages and body treatments at our spa.

*This will be on prior appointment only. For appointments & information, please call 4267 6000. *Conditions apply.

The Park Hotel

#601 Anna Salai

Near the Gemini Flyover

Moving Sale

QUEEN SIZE BED used maximum 20 nights as a guest room bed. Asking price including mattress: 7000 Rs
Lena phone 9444076800 or email: lena.heyman@gmail.com

Tribal Masks

Me and hubby started collecting tribal masks from all the different countries we have visited. Ironically, we have lived in India for 2 years and we didn't have any chance to buy any from here. We only have less than a month here and i really don't want to look around from one store to another. Can anyone suggest any good handicraft store where we can buy a high quality/collectible type Indian tribal mask? Thanks for all your help!!!
Angela: angeline_penry@hotmail.com/9940162840

Tennis Coach

Me and hubby started collecting tribal masks from all the different I wanted to ask all the members about a tennis coach recommendation for a 11 year old boy in the month of July/Aug. Preferably around South Chennai, like Adyar, Besant Nagar.

Please call: Sangeeta 98841 49490

The Benefits of Membership

By showing your OWC membership card, you will now be able to recieve discounts at the following stores:

Jang, The Leather Planet: 10%
T-23A, 7th Avenue Besant Nagar
Beautiful leather bags, pants and jackets.
Landmark: Next to Fabindia and opposite Nilgiris
This discount cannot be coupled with other sales. For instance, a 40% off sale cannot be added to this for 50% off.

Fashion Folks: 10%
#19, Besant Avenue Road
The latest and greatest Western fashions for men, women and children.
Landmark: Near the Esthell Hotel
This discount only applies to cash purchases.

If you know of a store willing to give OWC members discounts, please contact natalievh@gmx.net

Mommies Day Out at Cafe Vanilla!

On May 11th, wear your casuals, pick up your friends and drive over to Vanilla for a scrumptious bit-sized combo platter, specially designed for Mother's Day ! The menu comprising of bite-sized portionsincludingpizza's, salads, quiche, pasta pomodoro,...and the works willsurely beadd more flavour to your momies day out. Well, mommies, you deserve it!Happy Mother's Day!The combo platter is priced at Rs.130/-
Vanilla Children Place,8/57,luz avenue, 1st street, Mylapore, 044-45534145.
Thanking you,
Mathy,PR- Manager9841050581

Queen Size Bed

American Queen Size Bed and two night stands with FREE Sealy mattress Asking Price: Bed with FREE Sealy Mattress: Rs12,000 /

2 Night stands (comb of pine and oakwood): Rs8,000

Angela: 9940162840/45511757 or email angeline_penry@hotmail.com

Request for Recommendations

Very imminent Taj Mahal visit starting from Delhi - does anyone have any recommendations for:

a) Journey between Delhi and Agra

b) Hotel for an overnight stay near the Taj Mahal

Please email: lynnmorag@hotmail.com

Thank you, Lynn

MOVING SALE

• Coffee Maker Original Price: Rs2,500 Asking Price: Rs1,800


• Hot and Cold Water Dispenser (holds 25 liters) Original Price: Rs8,000 Asking Price: Rs6,000


• Computer desk with keyboard tray (100% Oakwood) Asking Price: Rs4,500 office chair Rs2,500
  
• 2 Fab India Carpets (120x180cms) Original Price: Rs1,350 Asking Price: Rs600
• Two Pottery Barn Coffee Table Asking Price: Rs15,000
  
  BABY ITEMS SALE



• Graco Portable Pack and Play Original Price: Php8,500 (Rs8,065) Asking Price: Rs5,000


• Infantino Soft Baby Original Price $27 (1,060) Asking Price: Rs700
  
• Baby bath tub (slightly used) Asking Price: Rs500


• Wooden crib with FREE mattress and bumpers Original Price: 9,000 Asking Price:Rs5,000


• Mothercare Adjustable-Fit Table Seat (portable) Original Price:Rs2,395 Asking Price:Rs1,800


• High ChairOriginal Price: Rs1,895 Asking Price: Rs1,000


• Speedo Toddler Surfwalker water shoe Original Price: $11.95 (Rs475) Asking Price:Rs350


• Medela Manual Breast Pump (slightly used)Original Price: $35 (Rs1,300) Asking Price: Rs500
  
• Mothercare Digital Fever Alert Soother thermometer (unused) Original Price: Rs595 Asking Price: Rs350


• Indian style infant crib (teakwood) with FREE mattress Asking Price: Rs5,000


• Fisher Price kick and whirl carnival Original Price: Rs2,500 Asking Price: Rs1,800
  Please contact Angela if interested 9940162840/45511757 or email angeline_penry@hotmail.com