Bangking Tips

Nasreen Sattar Head of International Sales, Standard Chartered Bank

Q. What is a Promissory Note?
A. Promissory Note is a negotiable instrument. It is an unconditional promise from one person that is the maker of the instrument to pay a certain sum of money to another person on demand at sight or at a determinable fix time in future.

Q. What is the difference between a Gross Profit and a Net Profit?
A. Gross Profit is the total profit achieved by a concern before deduction of any taxes and expenses. Net Profit is the Gross Profit after meeting all expenses listed in the debit side of profit and loss account.

Q. I live overseas, but maintain an account with your bank in Bangladesh. Can I use my email to send you instructions to make fund transfers from my account to other accounts.

A. We do not accept email instructions for any kind of fund transfers. This is because this is not a 'secured channel'. Instructions have to be original with your signature, which will be verified by the bank before any transaction is effected.

Style Files

Maheen Khan Fashion designer, Mayasir

Maheen Khan's tips on trendy winter wraps
Shawl Blends:
Pashmina pure
Pashmina wool
Pashmina silk
Woolen + cotton, Woolen + Rayon, Cotton + Rayon, Cotton Types:
Kashmiri embroidered
pashmina Jamewar woven
Tribal Gujrati/Nagi/ Chittagong
Mohair Nepal
Colors:
Black/Grey
Tan/Brown
Ivory/Khaki
Burgundy/Red
Indigo/ Olive
These are the popular colours. Shade variations will occur.
Tips:
Soft= Feel
Coverage= Width
Shawl=36 inch, 32inch, 28inch.
Stole= 28inch, 24inch
Scarf= 16inch-12inch
Wrap length= 32inch, 36inch, 40inch

Every winter we find ourselves facing a dilemma, How should I accessorise today, will the shawl look right? Loes it seem too out-dated and old fashioned? Can it be updated to give it a renewed sense of style? Winter in Dhaka is mild lasting only a few weeks between the 15th of December and 15th of February. You only need to wrap yourself lightly or swing a thing or two across your shoulders. Shawls for both women and men are the most preferred winter accessories. These come in various lengths and width. The feel of a shawl is very important. The colour and the pattern are created with weaves, prints and embroidery. Stoles are also very popular as it can create a soft accent to your ensemble. Particularly nice on evening outs, it may have embellishments of beading, stones or sequins. Scarves are a regular part of a winter o}tfit. Wrapped azound your neck, it can create a nice fashion statement. For a Bangladeshi winter, hand woven cotton and silk scarves are very useful indeed. They are lightweight, soft in feel, with intmresting cuts and options. It is also stylish to wear matching shawls with saris. The saris are sually in crepe silk or mulberry silk while the shawls are either woolen or Pashmina silk mixes. The uniting factors are held in colour and motif. This winter, accessorise with fun and interesting wraps. Update your old pieces with beaded tassels or add Swarovski crystals or line it with silk to make it a reversible piece. You can also go out and find something new. I assure you it will be worth the trouble.

And here are some answers to the queries.

Q. Dear Maheen Khan, I am a slim girl with a well proportionatm body. I love to wear fatua and jeans but I have one problem. My legs are too thin. If I wear jeans they look too skinny. Please advice on what type of pants I should wear to make my legs look allright with fa|uas. I would also like to know |he types of fabric best suited for them.
Thanks. "S"

A. Fatuas or kurti's are ethnic blouses which have taken off as very trendy pieces to wear. It can be worn with skirts. A-line, tapered or tube is a great way to hide skinny legs. You can also wear trousers but I suggest you try draw string lose styles. There are many different heavy fabrics available in the market: linen, drill, ramie, denim, twill to name a few. You should check out the suiting stores. They normally carry a good range of fabrics of different textures.

Q. Hello Maheen Khan, I love to wear taat sarees. In Bangladesh we usually wear very ordinary blouses with a saree. I want to wear something different and something stylish. Can you please suggest several cuts for blouses that go with taat sarees. Also a few for silk, the ones good for wedding parties. Hope to hear from you soon.
Tanzina

A. Taat sarees that you are referring to are cotton sari{. You can wear choli blouses (this refers to the cut). It is a particular two piece cut in the front chest area, which provides better lift and fit. The normal cuts have a variation of neck lines and sleeve lengths. Wear deeper necklines at the back and a square cut looks smarter. Tzim the blouses ith cording to oive an interesting edge. Try hidden zippers on your blouses instead of the regular hooks. You should put it on |he side seam. This will give a new look to an ordinary blouse. Longer jacket style blouses look nice. This winter you can wear it long sleeved, and scooped necked.

Q. Hi. What are the colours in vogue this winter? I would also like to know about some designs and patterns for sweaters and shawls.
Thank you, Munni

A. The colours this winter are shades of pink, burnt orange, plum and olive. But always remember that ivory, black, brown, and grey shall always remain in fashion in all seasons. Patterns for sweaters can be in many different styles, the most popular being v-neck and polo neck, but for our weather, buttoned down cardigan sweaters work best. It is versatile and can be worn with saris or suits.

Q. Hello. My father is in his early fifties. He wears very dull outfits. He thinks it is time for him to wear light and dull outfits. We don't agree with him. Can you suggest some sober shades and styles that go with a man of his age?
Lina.

A. If your father is in his early fifties he can possibly carry off a great deal of style, provided he is adventurous and willing to experiment. If he likes ethnic styles he can try Nehru jackets with trousers or mid length kurtas with churidars to go out. For western styles, suits are a great option. Black, beige or grey, all are good mature colours.

Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods

Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. It will cause disaster if you eat for pleasure and your favourite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar. The key to keep your weight low is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.

Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat kan reduce fat intake significantly.

If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion. If you love beef Eid-ul-Azha will add some extra weight for s}re. Drink water and juice beform you take the main course. And }se a small plate. It will reduce intake as well.

 

UNDER A DIFFERENT SKY

The Raja and his Rajjo

I always feel a certain kind of special something when I mention to someone I live in the DC metro area. The good old Washington DC… I don't feel the special something because of the White house or the US Capital building or the tall boring monument, my feelings come from the love of a truly festive and live city, a city that brings an automatic smile with a pair of hurried feet, where you don't get lost in the crowd but the crowd guides you, to me DC exudes the smell of breathing life and ancient history at the same exact time, it's mysterious yet so known…making it |he ideal place nor me to live.

But this year, as the dwellers of DC metro area are being forced to an extended holiday mode I am almost starting to feel unfortunate for being around. It started back in November when George W. Bush won for the second time, and I also realized I will be spending 8 years of my precious 20s under his rules. And I also realized there will be something posi|ive about me tuzning 30, as that will be the last year when Bush will be in office, so maybe I wont mind rushing to being 30 as fast as I never desired to...funny how one can change your perspective on getting old…in that sense George W. Bush did a lot for me. Bring on the big three O, I am ready for 2008.

But like I was saying the extended holiday mode. Yap, January 20th 2005, the big day for George W. a day more special than his birthlay, the big Inauguration ceremony, when Bush gets to be America's and America gets to be Bush's…like it or not.

There will be a total of nine inaugural balls this year, a youth concert, a parade, a fireworks display and, the official swearing in ceremony at noon on Jan. 20. Inauguration officials said they plan to spend $40 million on the four-day celebration, Those expenses -- which do not include security and other public services -- are being funded by private donors (wealthy republican and their stacked wallets).

The Office of Personnel Management has announced Federal employees who work in the DC me|ro area are entitled to a holiday on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. As of June, the cost of giving federal workers in the capital area a day off was about $66 million.

In the middle of all this Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated security during the inauguration, breaking with pzecedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects. So a big party without appropriate funds, just like a war without a proper reason, I see a trend here do you?

All |his strangely is taking me back to my childhood, how unrelated you must think. Well it just keeps me going back to a certain film I watched over ind over as a child, a classic of Satyajit Roy, "Hirok Rajar Deshe," do you recall? Hirok the corrupted foolish King who tortured and wronged his people and his greediness and ignorace sipped through his fake front. Hirok Raja had his "Borshopurti ]tshob" kind of like an inaugura|ion where Gupi and Bagha the 100% Bengal heros were invited. Of course Gupi and Bagha through their sonos, dances and bravery taught the evil Hirok a lesson…and all lived happily ever after.

This inauguration ceremony of Bush is having everything the fictional Hirok Raja had in his inauguration, balls, concerts, parades, fireworks display. In addition Hirok had a statue of himself built especially for this occasion, who knows maybe Bush will surprise us with one of his on the 20th. It all just looks too familiar to me.

The thing is where will we now find a Gupi Gain and Bagha Bain in the middle of 2005's dry winter. I do remember the closing song of "Hirok Rajar Deshe" where Gupi Bagha ends with singing "Ebar Kareu jodi bhut e dhore, moder jeno khobor kore, s}ndi desh er rajprasade moder |hikanai, mora asbo dujonai" roughly translated to "If someone again gets possessed by evil spirits, please do notify us at the king's palace in Sundi, we shall return."…Satyajit was that a promise?

By Iffat Nawaz