At 36, Michaella is one of the top belly dance artists in London and has been enchanting audience for the last ten years. 

Michaella is also well versed with oriental dance styles like Takasim, Beladi, Saidi and Shaabi.

Performer Extraordinaire

Watching her perform is absolutely magical! She moves her willowy, flexible body as she whirls and sways her hips with sheer balance and grace.

A bevy of enthusiastic students seem equally impressive with their effortless twirls and beautiful stomach-flutters.

The entire scene exudes a sense of poise and majestic grace with Michaella at the helm.

Dressed in a flowing gypsy tog and a halter-neck rhinestone blouse, Michaella looks every inch a dazzling star!

The Inner spirit

According to her, every woman brings different energies and perceptions to the basic elements of belly dance.

Helping them form a positive self-image and unleashing their inner strength is something that Michaella strives to achieve.

She teaches belly dance for its physical, spiritual and therapeutic benefits. Michaella has absolute faith in the energy flow between dancers and the audience.

The dancers aim is to visually communicate with the audience the emotion and pulse of the music. Despite the fame of female dancers, men often perform Raq Sharqi as well.

However, Michaella feels that some people do not take belly dancing seriously and think of Raq Sharqi as pure entertainment.

Being a dedicated performer, Michaela’s passion for belly dance knows no boundaries. She constantly strives to inspire people and bring people together through this medium.

American Cabaret 

The fact that belly dance is used famously by burlesque artists has given it a questionable reputation in today’s society.

Hollywood does not help by sustaining only two roles for belly dance performers – that of background dancers or a vixen.

These have created stereotypes of such performers that many belly dancers today are working hard to overcome.

Pure High

Women in Europe approach belly dance as a means for empowerment of the body, soul and mind.

Ever evolving, this versatile dance absorbs a blend of influences- modern fashion to underground subcultures and many other contemporary influences.

 For the common people, belly dance is a form of entertainment. But for Michaella, it is “the ultimate high.”

After weeks of slaving over University assignments, I finally decided to hit the club tonight. My friend Assad, who works as a DJ at this trendy club called Maddox invited to join him and his friends. Of course I said yes.

What are Friends for?

I invited about six people for the do. As always, my ever-loyal friends came to the rescue. Rahul Joglekar was the first one to cancel out on me. After a while, David stood me up saying he had to work on his blog.

Finally, Eliana texted me saying she and her friend cant make it because she has to fix her laptop. The thought of going out alone was beginning to get on my nerves already!

Anyway, Karunya and Priyanka Misra were too lazy to step out so I decided to embark on my ‘single woman mission.’

Ping Pong

“How depressing”, I thought to myself as I walked down the Paddington Street on my way to Ping Pong where Assad and I had scheduled to meet. Assad was dressed in black and seemed unusually relaxed and calm.

This amazed me because Assad is flying back to India on Tuesday to kick-start his DJing career in Mumbai and leaving London for good.

“I’ve spent six years of my life in London trying everything out and I’m ready to settle down in India now.” , he said.

The dim sums at Ping Pong were quite average. After that, we headed to Maddox where Assad would be DJing the last time before leaving.

Magic at Maddox

At first, I must admit I was ridiculously bored because I didn’t know anyone. The fact that so many people were dancing and having fun with their set of friends made me very conscious. 

 I had plenty of time to kill so I decided to play cool and analyse everybody’s dance moves and body language.

This turned out to be quite a funny exercise.  The men who looked older and married would just sit around, gawking at women for ages. Some of them would offer to buy them drinks, get refused and try again.

The younger boys would first make eye contact with the girls they fancied. If anyone smiled back, they’d be ‘getting jiggy with it. The women at Maddox were quite pretty and pretentious. 

That’s when I saw Fergie and Kate Hudson chilling on a sofa, drinking champagne and giggling like little girls. It seemed almost unreal to be present in the same room as these two glamour dolls.

Artificially Perfect

 I borrowed Assad’s camera in hopes of getting a photograph clicked with them. Right then, as if by miracle, I bumped into a friend. 

I was absolutely thrilled to have found her.  We both marched towards Fergie’s table. To my surprise, the smokin’ superstars were not there. Mini and I looked everywhere but couldn’t find them.

The queue outside the ladies restroom was long and stuffy. Two girls standing in front of me wanted me to click a photo of them with another girl. As I stared into the camera, I saw a familiar face. It was Fergie!

Her hair was wet and thinning, her eyes were emotionless and she forced a wry smile. Fergie seemed to have aged over night!

The ordinary school girls standing next to her looked like super models. This seemed like a David Blaine trick!

 Be Cool

‘My Lovely Lady lumps’ star seemed to have left her curvaceous body back home and needed a shampoo desperately.

I was absolutely flabbergasted. ‘This can’t be her’, I thought to myself.

Mini seemed pretty surprised herself.

And my ‘cute as a button’ Kate Hudson looked like an anorexic teenager.

The ‘How to lose a guy in ten days’ star should probably make a new movie titled ‘How to not shed your ribs at 29.’

She had small features and a ginormous handbag!

I kept thinking how incredible the Photoshop industry is. The women we idolize on the television are far more ordinary that our next door neighbour.

It’s amazing what perfect lighting, great make-up and a celebrity stylist can do!

Mini and I headed back to the Lounge and danced our heart out!

We had a terrific night and a terrific time.  With my head in the clouds, I returned home with some great memories.

Do I ever want to be photographed with a stranger again?

Definitely not!

After her much publicized break up with Hollywood heart throb Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston is finally in control of her life and her acting career.

The Southern California girl is finally “ at peace in my mind and with my body.”, she tells the GQ magazine.  

City Love

Usually tight lipped about her personal life, actress Jennifer Aniston is full of praise for her new man, John Mayer.

The couple were first spotted in May 2008 by the pool at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami, Florida.

While they tried to keep their secret rendezvous private, it was hard for them to dodge the intrusive paparazzi’s. 

The couple then split up in August 2008 because of lack of chemistry.

American musician and notorious ladies man, John Mayer stated,”I ended a relationship to be alone, because I didn’t want to waste someone’s time.” reported the LA times.

However, it seems that Jennifer Aniston’s ‘wow’ factor has not been completely lost on John.

The couple rekindled their romance on the eve of his 31st birthday in October.

According to OK magazine, the ‘gravity’ singer begged Aniston for a second chance but this time, she is keeping him on his toes.

Girl, Uninterrupted

Jennifer Aniston’s new found confidence has made her a lot more comfortable with her life.

She was recently quoted by the Vogue magazine saying, “What Angelina did was very uncool.”

This comment was made in retaliation to Angelina Jolie’s confession that she fell in love with Brad on the sets of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

At that time, Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston.

Therefore, Jolie’s comment in the New York Times made it obvious that they fell in love while he was still attached.

A mighty heart

The post- Brad Aniston is the world’s most hyped tabloid celebrity at the moment.

One reason for this is the fact that millions of fans who read about her divorce were moved by her loss and her state of self pity.

 Another reason is that she took two years off work to find love.

Since her divorce came through in 2005, her every ‘fling’ has been described in detail by tabloids all over the world.

After years of keeping quiet and maintain resilience in public, the Derailed star is finally learning to let go of her old grudges.

Jennifer Aniston has finally wizened up and is ready to further her film career as well as her love life.

Canadian born Indian comedian Russell peters had everyone cackling in amusement with his comical wisecracks about the Indian culture and the Bollywood industry. 

Performing on Wednesday, 30^th October in New Delhi, Russell left the audience spell-bound with his original satire and derogatory comments. 

He commented that when he turns on the television in Canada, the newsreader mentions how three people died in a car crash; when he comes to India, the newsreader states, “ 5000 dead in a bicycle collision”.

Russell mocks Bollywood

He also claimed that the Indian people don’t follow the road rules and that amuses him.

 The audience was roaring with laughter when he took the Mickey out of the ex Miss Universe and bollywood actress by saying that, “Aishwariya Rai is a beautiful, stunning woman to look at but can she act?”

People were very impressed with his digs at the bollywood actors and the fact that they were selected according to “their looks and not their talent”.

Laughing stock of the hall

His jokes were not all pre-written and revised. He was quite spontaneous with the audience and made some jokes at their expense as well.

 At one point, a couple came in late and were trying to find seats when Russell screamed, “ Hey, you’re right on time buddy! The show is about to end. Hey table cloth, I’m taking to you”. 

However, everybody took it in good spirit and laughed along with him.  

This was a busy week for Peters. He flew into Delhi after performing shows in Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore and he was greeted by overjoyed crowds. 

Needless to say, the show was a complete sell out and a smashing success!

I literally jumped off the bed in a state of complete shock and knew that this had something to do with the Mubai attacks.

As I switched on the BBC, images of heavily armed men filled the tv screen and were shown walking around, killing innocent people on the streets.

Watching this ghastly sight made me realize how unsafe the world really is and that, even a place like London was vulnerable to such attacks.I could only imagine how terrible the mumbai attacks would have been.

Harrow University mayhem:

At around 9 pm, Sky news reported that the University of Westminster was seized by eight Indian looking armed men. Visuals of panicking students ran across TV channels as they tried to get away from the unidentified terrorists.

Girls were shown hiding in the toilets and crouching behind the bar as the militants sprayed bullets into the crowd.

My cousin Anu and I were absolutely petrified and felt that Finchley wasn’t a safe area for us. We packed out bags and drove off into the night to stay with her dad’s friend.

There will be dessert

Moore Park looked like a pretty posh locality. It had flashy cars and some of the most staggeringly expensive villas in London.

Strangely enough, it was dead quiet, almost as if none of the attacks seemed to have affected it.

As I pulled out of the car, I saw three Indian residents standing outside a massive house.

One of them had a pistol and was passing it on to the other.

I got so afraid, I legged it up the road and into the fabulous house of my cousin’s uncle.

In front of me stood a very tall, middle-aged coloured man who, by the way, was very well dressed for his age.

He took us into his luxury penthouse and told us not to worry.Everything inside looked extravagant and fancy.

“Have you had dessert? you must have dessert!”, he said as we walked around his drawing room, looking for the dessert trey.

He had the strangest looking pets I’d ever seen. A one eyed tiger and a Cheetah with a horn!

When they walked into the room, I petted them thinking they’re really ugly street dogs.

Nevertheless, the two ‘endangered species’ were quite friendly and didn’t mind me petting them at all.

A Gory Nightmare!

Anu was still quite worried about the attacks and turned on the television to find out what was going on.

Suddenly, I woke up and realized I’m in bed – DREAMING!

It was a bit hard for me to believe what had just happened and I took a few moments to let it sink in.

At first, I felt completely relaxed and was glad to know that it was nothing more than a silly dream.

Then, suddenly I felt terrible as I realized how real it was for me.

The Sign

Its been nearly two weeks since the mumbai blasts took place but unfortunately, It still haunts my dreams.

I dont know if this was a result of fear or a premonition.

Maybe it means that India cannot afford another attack. The blind Tiger represents a weak Government that cannot control terrorism .

And perhaps, the coloured man represents Barrack Obama who might just rescue India  in its crucial hour of need.

American actor and football prodigy, O.J. Simpson has been sentenced up to 33 years in prison by a Las Vegas District court.

The 61 year- old National Football League star was found guilty on 12 counts of robbery that included conspiracy to kidnap and assault with a deadly weapon. 

Simpson was accused of holding up two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in their hotel room while he tried to recover  personal possessions which, he believed still belonged to him. 

The verdict

According to the BBC, Judge Jacky Glass described Simpson as arrogant and ignorant while announcing the verdict.

She also said that the evidence against him was overwhelming.

Simpson’s co-defendant and golfing partner, C.J. Stewart has been sentenced up to 27 years in prison.

 According to Reuters, but would be eligible for parole in about 7 1/2 years.

On the other hand, Simpson will be eligible for parole in nine years.

 Stewart did try to get a separate hearing to distance himself from O.J.’s notoriety but unfortunately, he was given a chance to do so.

O. J. apologises

The BBC also issued a couple of video’s showing the retired star pleading for leniency as he fought back his tears.

He said in a quivering voice, “In no way did I mean to hurt anybody or steal anything from anyone. I thought I was confronting friends in retrieving my property.” 

However, the County District judge Jacky Glass ignored his apology.

She blamed him for storming into the hotel room with weapons and obtaining property by threats, which is considered a robbery.

“And Mr. Stewart, you got caught up in something. I’m not sure how much you knew. But clearly Mr. Simpson knew.”, she added. 

Fall of a Hero

American Football legend, O.J. Simpson was one of the most successful players of his generation and enjoyed a sparkling career in the 1970′s.

 Popularly known as the juice in his hay days, O.J. was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

 His charming personality and natural charisma landed him several roles in Hollywood flicks as well as promotional adverts.

Unfortunately, Simpson became a victim of his own fame. 

In 1995, he was a prime suspect in the murder case of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman who were brutally stabbed to death.

However, the Jury took only took a few hours to reach a unanimous decision that proved O.J. Simpson not guilty!

This was described as the most controversial trial of the 20th century.

His acquittal received mixed reactions from the general public.

 While some fans cheered for him after his release, his ex-wife’s and Goldman’s family were distraught and terribly upset.

O.J. Simpson’s arrest has put a smile on the victim’s father’s face.

Fred Goldman seemed ‘thrilled’ by the sentence given to O.J. and was quoted saying, “this monster is where he belongs.”, the Telegraph reported.

Simpson’s lawyers have pleaded with the Clark County District Judge for a light sentence of six years over the Palace station hotel kidnappings.

In 2005, I had the incredible opportunity to meet a reformed militant from Kashmir to discuss the changing scenario of the Jammu -Kashmir militancy.

At first, he was quite apprehensive about being interviewed. He did not want to give away too much information.

Iqbal* was a frail looking man who saw the world around him morally crippled and wanted to make a difference for his people.

Beginning of the terror trend

Iqbal*(named changed) mentioned that he joined the Yasin Malik led JKLF (Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front) in the late 1980′s to protect his land from the Pakistani attacks.

At that time, militancy had only begun. Just about every boy from every household had picked up a gun to join the ‘terror trend’ in Kashmir. 

“About 25 of us were taken to Pakistan on a bus and trained there for 5 weeks”, he said.

Once trained, they were sent back to Kashmir and a fresh batch of aspiring candidates would be driven back to Pakistan. 

While Iqbal maintained that he never killed anyone, he said that seeing death and terror all around made him very bitter.

He cried out, “I did not want my brother to join a terrorist group. I wanted him to go to school instead.” 

Life at the training camps was not easy for Iqbal either. “I was only allowed to meet my family members once a year for one hour.

My family missed me so much, they never criticised or quizzed me about anything.”, he recalled.

A man of virtue

Today, Iqbal is a farmer and a family man. If there’s one thing he’s learnt through his torturous experiences is that, “no amount of killing can establish peace.”

 A police informer got him arrested ten years ago and today, Iqbal is a changed man.

“I want a terrorist-free Kashmir for me and my family.”, he added.

Realization

Talking to Iqbal made me realise how a conflicting, war like situation can create panic and hostility within the lives of simple, peace-loving people.

When Iqbal was presented with an opportunity to return to his roots, he gave up everything that he had been brain washed about, because in his heart of hearts, he was a still son of the soil.

The fact that he did not want his brother to join a terrorist outfit also showed that he was aware of his actions and their outcome.

Clearly, he did not want others to repeat his mistakes.

Terrorism stems from constant stress and conflict.

Without it, people of all races and religions can live together in a perfect balance of peace and harmony. 

(Iqbal’s* real name has not been revealed due to legal reasons)

Bachchan lashes out

Some of Bollywood’s biggest celebrities have expressed their grief and shock over the militant attacks that took place last Wednesday (26th November) in the city of Mumbai.

Film industry’s biggest Icon and International Sensation, Amitabh Bachchan lashed out at the Government authorities through his blog as he described the on-going tragedy as a “TERRIBLE! TERRIBLE SITUATION!”

“Before retiring for the night, I pulled out my licensed .32 revolver, loaded it and put it under my pillow. For a very disturbed sleep”, he exclaimed.

Aamir shows deep concern

There have been militant attacks before but none of them compare to something so horrifying and disturbing as this.

 Two luxury hotels, Taj and the Oberoi as well as hospitals and train stations were attacked by the ‘Deccan Mujahideen’ as they walked around the city, open-firing on people indiscriminately.

Another movie superstar, Aamir khan expressed extreme sorrow and offered his ‘heartfelt condolences’ to those who lost their loved ones.

“I dread to think of how various political parties are now going to try and use this tragedy to further their political careers. At least now they should learn to not divide people and instead become responsible leaders”, he further added.

Sharmila’s City of memories

Yesteryears’ silver screen queen, Sharmila Tagore updated her blog on the same, describing the torment she went through as she watched the city of dreams go up in flames.

 “Initially, when I came to Mumbai, I stayed in the Taj Mahal hotel for a very long time. So when I saw the hotel burning, I felt as if my house is burning”, she stated melancholically.

Clearly, this attack has affected everyone on a large scale.

 The Rich and the poor, Hindu’s and Muslims, Indians as well as foreigners – all have been perturbed by it in some way or the other.

 This encounter is not just an attack on the Indian pride; it is an attack on the entire humanity. 

 Mumbai, the glorious city of cinema and spiritedness has been choked by a handful of men and will take a little more healing time than usual to bounce back.