Social mores

Swiss Style
Fresh from a multi million dollar renovation, Switzerland's Crans Ambassador in the heart of the Alps is worth a look.

A Swiss holiday could mean hitting the splendid slopes on a pair of skiis or just gazing at the Alps from inside a snug room while sipping hot cocoa. Whatever your plan, the new look Ambassador Hotel at the Crans-Montana ski resort, tucked away in western Switzerland, will tick most of the boxes. The five-star sport hotel has reemerged after an extensive refurbishment that took about two years and cost a few million Euros. This particular luxury resort is what one would call a ski-in/skiout, where the skiing begins from right outside the hotel.

Ideally located in close proximity to some 85 miles of alpine ski trails, there is also a cable car service available in the area. The heated indoor swimming pool, sauna and spa provide relief after a hard day spent outdoor. You could either curl up by the fire and enjoy breathtaking views of the peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn or hang out at the in-house casino and cinema . The hotel is yet another reason for you to visit Switzerland.

Price: From $500 (Rs 22,721).
Website: www.cransambassador.com

Arty Fact
When French electrician Pierre Le Guennec was installing burglar alarms in Pablo Picasso's house in the early 70s, it seems he charged him the earth. Now 71, the resident of Cte d'Azur in South France claims he was gifted a total of 271 works by the artist. Valued by experts at 60 million, the collection includes cubist collages and portraits of Picasso's first wife Olga. The painter's family has rebuffed the pensioner's claim on the grounds that the the collection didn't contain any signature or inscription, an obvious mark of any gifted work. Whether the collection was gifted or stolen, the art world will celebrate this treasure-trove of new works by the master.

License to kill
Of the many things that embed James Bond in the popular imagination, one is the unerring ability of the film franchise to come out with iconic images of the spy. Bond's insouciant charm has always evinced awe and Christie's Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Sale in London re affirmed his standing in the pop world. The auction witnessed an anonymous bidder paying a whopping $437,000 (Rs 1.9 crore) for the Walther pistol wielded by Sean Connery as Bond in 1963. Interestingly, the gun was used in the publicity shots of the movie From Russia With Love when a crew member forgot to get the actual Walther PPK Semi Automatic and borrowed one from the photographer for the shot. The image burned itself in the popular consciousness, and was subsequently seen in every promotional poster up till 1967's You Only Live Twice. With the price approximately 14 times more than the estimated $32,000 (Rs 14.5 lakh), it has set a world record for a Bond gun. If a simple air gun can kick up such a fuss, we understand why for Bond the world is never enough.

Craft your car
An interesting evolution in the auto world, Bugatti's new online configurator for their Veyron model enables you to colour code and design everything from the logo on the centre console, to the grille design, the wheel pattern and leather for the interior trim. Just log on to their website, do the designing, share a pdf file of your design with the dealer, and you're sorted.

The BT More Playlist(New releases)

John Taverner, Towards Silence Britain's finest classical composer comes out with a haunting soundscape that muses on spirituality and death.

These New Puritans, Hidden The artful Brit quartet surprise with their second album, not only full of electronics and atmosphere, but also great beats.

The Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning The Peas' ability to unerringly dole out the hits with every album continues on this, their sixth album. Expect to hear these songs in every club and everywhere

I Am Kloot, Sky At Night The Manchester band deliver their breakthrough album with these tunes of loss and love, married to melody and beauty

Dave Brubeck, Legacy Of A Legend The best box-set retrospective of the Jazz master's oeuvre, captures the perennially cool Brubeck's best

6 things to do this month

1. World racing championship: Hosting this year's only snow rally, Sweden offers an opportunity to enjoy the enthralling sight of drivers speeding up to 130 mph, on sheet ice and snow. Besides the campfires, the heat of excitement on these frozen lakes will bring alive the thousands who gather for the race. Catch the action at Karlstad City in central Sweden from February 10 to 13.
Website: www.rallysweden.com

2. South beach food and wine festival: This international exhibition for food celebrates fresh produce, from fish and meats to dairy products. Florida's five-day beach side culinary extravaganza will feature presentations by world renowned chefs and spirit companies. To be held at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay campus from February 24 to 27.
Website: www.sobewineandfoodfest.com

3. Kala Ghoda art festival: This vibrant street festival is a free of cost event that promotes the spirit of community art through its various exhibitions as well as music, dance and theatre performances. To be held at the Kala Ghoda Arts Precinct in Mumbai's Fort from February 5 to 13
Website: www.kalaghodaassociation.com

4. Jaisalmer Desert Festival: Rajasthan's folk culture comes alive amidst music recitals, traditional gymnastics, mystical snake charming acts and traditional puppet shows. Besides these, competitions like turban tying and camel polo attract thousands of tourists to the Jaisalmer fort. To be held from February 16 to 18.

5. Khajuraho Dance Festival: Classical dancers of India breathe life into the stone carvings of Khajuraho's Chitragupta and Vishwanath temples in a dazzling celebration of the arts. The seven-day fest commences on February 25th.
Website: www.festivalsofindia.com

6. New York fashion week: The Big Apple turns into a fashion fiesta when top designers showcase their Fall/Winter collection in over 250 fashion events held all over the city. So be at the Lincoln Centre for a heady fashion fix from February 10 to 17.
Website: www.nycfashioninfo.com

Cruise in style
If you're a sea buff, you won't need any persuasion to holiday in the South Pacific. If you have a million dollars to spare, then you can do it in style. For that modest amount, you can charter Italian Shipyard Perini Navi's luxury yacht for a month. A convenient pad for water sports, this 50-meter motor yacht boasts a 16.4 ft amphibious vehicle, a Hov Pod 12 ft hovercraft, two electric land scooters, a Seabob and a Sea-Doo RXT 250 jet ski.

The interiors of the yacht are done up in oak, teak and marble and feature one master and twin cabins, besides sun pads, chaise lounges and an accessorised Jacuzzi. With a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 12 knots, the yatch will take you around in speed and style.!

Back to the future
Keeping with the Japanese spirit of integrating heritage and technology, is the company Takayanagi's first commercial single seater electric roadster, the Miluira Retro EV. With the looks of a 1920s automotive, this 350 kg tech toy is powered by lead acid batteries, making it more fuel efficient. The batteries work just fine with a 12-hour charging period on a regular household outlet and gives a range of 22 miles with a top speed of 37 mph, making it suitable only for leisure rides. A tad different from its counterparts like Nissan's Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt, the concept car is exorbitantly priced at 6.3 million (Rs 34.5 lakh). In all, it's great for those looking to show off a vintage car around their obviously posh neighbourhood.

Ferrari Cam
Whether you're getting behind the wheel or the lens, the thrill of adventure is insatiable. Taking care of the latter, Ferrari has collaborated with Hasselblad (Swedish manufacturers of photographic equipment) to bring out a H4D Limited Edition camera. Ideal for adventure clicking, the camera features an 80 mm lens and a 31 megapixel sensor along with a True Focus feature which compensates for shifting your camera and keeps the subjects in clear view. Set in Ferrari's custom shade 'Rosso Fuoco' with the Racing Shield symbol, this medium format camera is priced at 21,499 (Rs 12.7 lakh ). Now that's a hot-shot!

Sounds like you know about Valentine's Day
The lovey-dovey time of the year is on us, so here's what you need to know about Valentine's Day:

1. This day started as a Christian festival way back in 500 AD when the Pope Gelasius I named the day to be celebrated in the memory of early martyrs

2. Legend has it that the original St Valentine was from Rome, but it also refers to Valentine of Terni-both of whom were martyred in the turn of first century AD

3. The modern tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day as a day for romance can be traced back to the 14th century when all manners of romantic legends sprang up about a mythical Saint Valentine

4. The romantic roots of this day lie even further back in pre-Christian times when the festival of Lupercalia would celebrate fertility and love in ancient Greece and Rome focusing on the mystical marriage between Zeus and Hera. This nature of the festival remained the same afterwards.

5. In 1797, a British publisher came up with a tract of romantic sayings and poems for the inept lover. This lead to the tradition of memorial cards and later, gifts.

The right cut
Till a little while ago, the marriage of complementary opposites was just ancient philosophy. Today it has more extravagant interpretations. As a proof of this, the Steinmetz Diamond Group recently crafted their Yin-Yang diamond earrings which weigh 35.61 and 35.77 carats respectively. Holding the record of the world's largest pair of round-cut diamonds which are Type IIa (reserved for less than 2 per cent of diamonds in the world), these are valued in excess of $25 million and will be available for sale through the Sotheby Auction House.

{mosimage}Foot light
Inspired by the visual effects of Disney's latest 3D flick Tron Legacy, Puerto Rican designer Edmundo Castillo has crafted sandals that boast of blue LED lighting. Made from the electro-luminescent lamp materials used in the costumes worn in the film, the neon lights on the sandals light up once the attached thread cable is plugged in. It's available in silver metallic calfskin, black calfskin or in multi coloured tangerine with blue calfskin. Step up! Price: $1,650(Rs 74,330).