Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Dear Coz

Wait and see
Dear Coz,
I'm a 15-year-old girl and I've been having an affair with a guy for about a year now. We got caught once and I had to promise my parents that I would not continue this affair and he had to do the same. My parents dislike him so much and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find the reason why they hate him. Though we promised our parents that we will not continue our affair, we couldn't stop loving each other. Now we meet often and he says the only thing we could do is wait. Sometimes I feel guilty about what I'm doing but I can't even think of being separated from him. What can I do?
Lost in thoughts

Dear Lost in thoughts,
You're 15! In your parents' eyes, you're still their baby who needs to be protected and nurtured. Your boyfriend is right; the only thing you can do is wait. Time solves many things. Why not remain as good friends until you're both a little bit older and wiser? Try to understand your parents. They love you and want the best for you. Being in love is wonderful but it's not a smooth road. If you're not careful, your studies can suffer. So be patient and take things slow. Instead of throwing tantrums, be mature. When your parents realise that you're growing into a responsible adult, they'll learn to value your decisions.

Keep a distance
Miss Lonely Heart (Letter withheld on request),
Well, by what you say, it looks like he takes your opinions very seriously. But I doubt whether he meant to lead you on. If he did, he wouldn't have been so candid about this affair. There's not much you can do. Painful as it is, try to keep your distance. If it's you he truly loves, he'll miss you and want you back in his life. You can't force a person to love you. Forgetting him may not be an option, but if you want to get on with your life, it's best to let him go.

Congratulate her
Dear Coz,
I'm a 20-year-old boy in love with a girl who's four years younger than me. She's been on my mind since 1998. She is very shy, innocent and very afraid of her parents. Therefore, I don't want others getting to know of this. I have her telephone number and address. Please tell me how I can win her heart without any problems.
DMC,DI-2001

Dear DMC,DI-2001,
The results are out, so why not give her a ring and congratulate her. You could always say that you were one of her tuition class friends, if one of her parents answer the phone.

Don't rush things and scare her away. If she's afraid of her parents, she's not going to jump for joy and say yes as soon as you pop the question. You've been very patient, just give it a few more months. Use that time to build a good friendship. Convey your feelings when you know she trusts you. Good luck!

A man apart from the fast and the furious
By David Elliott
The most successful skinhead in movies since Yul Brynner (Telly Savalas was more a TV fixture, Patrick Stewart patrols other planets) Vin Diesel commands his films like the domed capital of a steroid empire. In "The Fast and the Furious," Diesel was sort of Steve McQueen crossed with a pumped and even more bass-voiced Brynner. In "XXX," he was a pulp Bond slumming through a party fit for Steven Seagal.

In the recently released revenge drama "A Man Apart," made before those films, he is like Charles Bronson redone in a body shop, but emotionally strung-out after an arrogant cartel bust in Mexico leads to the murder of his wife.

He sulks, he stews, he does not weep, but is a man of constant sorrows. He is beaten, shot, almost drowns, nearly has his eyes poked out. But mostly he avenges.

Backed up by DEA buddies who are all men apart, being former gang "homies", Sean (Diesel) enters into foul nests of narco-scum and turns a money transfer into a rampage of bloody bodies and burning cars.

He humiliates a Hollywood racist swine (Timothy Olyphant) and dispatches hairy, tattooed beasts who could all be the rotted spawn of Al Lettieri and Sally Struthers in Peckinpah's "The Getaway".

Behind all the meanness is El Diablo, new king of the Mex-to-Cal drug trade, or maybe it's his imprisoned predecessor, Meno (Geno Silva). Women parade their lavish flesh. Tough men call themselves "dog" (while a cute chihuahua sniffs out drugs). Aaliyah wails on the soundtrack. And the plot takes a beating.

After turning in his badge and leaving the force, due to purity of overkill, Sean still has the pull to get Meno transferred from one max prison to another.

Director F. Gary Gray, best known for 1996's combustive "Set It Off," has in Jack N. Green's photography a raw, brazen but viable heir to the noir tradition.

Best of care from Durdans
By Thiruni Kelegama
At the forefront of preventive health management, we find one of the oldest and best known hospitals in Sri Lanka, Durdans.

First opened in 1945, the hospital was set up at a house and later converted to a military hospital for injured Sri Lankan personnel during World War 11.

Throughout the years, Durdans has gained expertise in diversifying medical facilities and now has grown to specialise in cardiac surgery and cardiac care.

The Durdans Hospital and Durdans Heart Surgical Unit are committed to preventive health care and this is also why they have introduced a comprehensive cardiac check-up with calcium scoring which is the very latest in technology. The focus is on early detection and control of risk factors and it is recommended that every healthy adult should undergo such a check-up each year as most medical problems can be effectively treated if detected early.

There is the lung function testing, and this can be used to assess lung diseases by calculating the volume, flow rates, and gas exchanges assisting the treatment plan in cardio-pulmonary disorders. It is also a valuable assessment for heavy smokers, athletes or persons with occupational health hazards.

Then there is the treadmill testing, which is an exercise ECG which is non-invasive, monitored and graded exercise recording under controlled conditions. It involves walking on a moving conveyor belt at an increasing incline. This is used to detect a narrowing of the heart arteries.

Calcium Scoring is a painless non-invasive cardiac screening in comparison to an Angiogram, which gives the extent of calcification of the coronary artery at the initial stages.

Heart disease can be debilitating and life threatening, but patients are not alone in their battle against it.

Durdans also provides state-of-the-art eye care in Sri Lanka. The cataract surgery is done in the new Phaco Surgical Unit imported from the USA which is considered the latest version under low heat conditions causing less trauma to the eye and a quicker recovery.

And soon, there will be an exclusive kidney-screening centre at Durdans Hospital.

All this goes to prove that Durdans certainly is one of the best - as it cares for you and your health, the way no one else would.

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