Detail

If you have experience, your resume should show it. After all, your resume is the professional you – your life, experiences – everything that makes you a better candidates. And that doesn’t mean you scrimp on the print cost and use a small font-size and abbreviated descriptions so that it all fits into one page. If you’ve lived large, your resume should be large.

Just a Degree?

Everybody being interviewed has a degree. What do you have (i.e. work experience) that sets you apart. And not only do you need to mention work experience, but your accomplishments – they further set you apart.

Bad Paper

The paper your resume is printed on shouldn’t be of an inferior quality. While most cyber cafes stock high quality paper, this is still worth paying attention to. A discerning HR at a premium company might be turned off by faded yellowing paper. And only A4!

Useless Hobbies

A hobby is a activity you do in your leisure time. There’s nothing wrong with watching TV as a hobby, but the HR interviewing you views your hobbies as an extension of your productivity, and will ask you questions about it.

Fancy Fonts

Times New Roman, Helvetica and Arial are your friends. Comic Sans is not. That said, be safe with only one font for all headings, subheadings and descriptions.

Typos, Bad Grammar

Not allowed. Use short sentences, small, words. If you’re still unsure, have it checked out by someone who knows the language better than you.

Lies

If you’re caught, not only will you be banned from the company, but you also might be blacklisted from a lot of allied companies.

Embarrassing Email Address

This one is optional, but it is still advisable to change your email username from something irritating (e.g. handsomehunk@mail.net to something simple. The easiest? your name@email.

Honorific Titles and Flowery Language

An HR will laugh at “May I bring to your esteemed attention…”in your covering letter, or any attempts at projecting a grandiose image of yourself. The real you will be sitting right in front of the interviewer in a few days, not the resume.

by MensXP.com

“The mystery of $6 billion that seemed to go missing in the early days of the Iraq war has been resolved, according to a new report,” CNN national security producer Charles Keyes reported Wednesday. “New evidence shows most of that money, $6.6 billion, did not go astray in that chaotic period, but ended up where it was supposed to be, under the control of the Iraqi government, according to a report from the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction or SIGIR.”

Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, had previously testified that as much as $6.6 billion of the $10 billion the United States shipped to Iraq had disappeared due to “weaknesses in [the Department of Defense's] financial and management controls,” Keyes wrote, citing the bureaucratese from a previous SIGIR report.

The cash had in part been drawn from Iraq’s own international assets, accrued during the pre-war, UN-run Oil for Food program. It was flown to Iraq in the wake of the U.S. 2003 invasion; the idea was that it would help pay for the Iraq reconstruction and development efforts under the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-led occupation outfit that dissolved in 2004. The original idea was to store most of the money in accounts in the Central Bank of Iraq; U.S. occupation authorities also apparently stored a few hundred million in a vault at one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces they used as their headquarters for various cash needs.

After the Coalition Provision Authority dissolved in 2004, however, it wasn’t clear where the funds had gone, the previous SIGIR report said. But apparently, the money was properly transferred to accounts held at the Central Bank of Iraq, the new SIGIR report found.

“But the inspector general’s new report says almost all the $6.6 billion was properly handed over to Iraq and its Central Bank,” Keyes writes. “‘SIGIR was able to account for the unexpected [Development Fund of Iraq] funds remaining in DFI accounts when the [Coalition Provisional Authority] dissolved in June 2004,’ the new report says. ‘Sufficient evidence exists showing that almost all of the remaining $6.6 billion remaining was transferred to actual and legal [Central Bank of Iraq] control.’”

This is not to say that the mystery of all the billions and billions the U.S. spent in Iraq has been entirely resolved. The SIGIR report says that inspectors are still trying to piece together the fate of some of the few hundred million that U.S. officials stowed at one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces.

“While the bulk of the money was transferred to the Central Bank of Iraq, $217 million remained in a vault in a former presidential palace and was held by the U.S. Defense Department and most was doled out for a variety of projects and payrolls, the report says,” Keyes reported. A February 2008 SIGIR audit found that $24.45 million of the $217 million stored at the palace vault remained, and was later turned over to Iraq.

The next SIGIR report on DoD spending on contracting projects in Iraq is expected in January 2012–after the formal withdrawal of the last U.S. troops from the country.

Home prices and rents in the Gulf emirate has already plunged nearly 60 percent from its peak before the global financial crisis.

Residential property prices in Dubai will fall 70 percent from a peak in the third quarter of 2008, according to the median estimate of ten banks, investment firms and research institutions.

“Although we have witnessed better volumes and slight increase in prices at few property transactions, the overall sector is still facing oversupply and lack of volumes/investor interest, which acts as a headwind against price increase,” said Harshit Oza of Beltone Financial.

All but one of the 10 respondents said the renewed global economic concerns and euro zone crisis will further delay recovery of Dubai’s property market.

The lack of confidence on Dubai real estate continues to weigh. Respondents in the poll saw no chance of a recovery this year. They gave just a 37 percent of property market recovery in 2012 and a 70 percent chance in 2013.

Prices in Dubai will plummet by another 10 percent, an average of eight respondents showed.

The findings matched those of a Reuters poll in April which showed that existing supply and additional new units would push Dubai’s house prices down by 10 percent.

Global markets were rattled in 2009 when Dubai announced a $25 billion debt restructuring of conglomerate Dubai World . A real estate collapse followed, putting an end to an historic building spree in Dubai.

SUPPLY WOES CONTINUE

Dubai’s property market is oversupplied by about 25 percent, a median of eight respondents showed with two saying the emirate has nearly half too much supply.

Two respondent said house prices in Dubai have already reached a bottom. Seven said they expected prices to reach a trough in 2012, while others said 2013.

In percentage terms, the Dubai housing market crash is set to be more than double the size of the fall in the U.S.

A Reuters poll in September found that U.S. home prices — as measured by Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index — will fall 3.8 percent for the year, before stabilizing and gaining 0.8 percent in 2012.

Oversupply in Dubai has forced developers to cancel and delay projects worth $170 billion up to August, a Citigroup report showed.

The United Arab Emirates, the second largest Arab economy, is likely to grow at 3.8 percent next year, a Reuters polled showed last month,

Analysts now estimate the overall debt burden of Dubai and its state-owned companies at around $111 billion, or 137 percent of last year’s GDP, the poll showed. This is slightly less than the June poll’s estimate of $113 billion.

ABU DHABI FOLLOWS

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and home to most of the country’s oil had fared better during the downturn but is now facing challenges as a huge supply of high-end homes are expected to enter the market.

As many as 11,000 units will flood the Abu Dhabi market in the next quarter, a report by property consultants Jones Lang laSalle said this month.

Prices in Abu Dhabi are expected to fall another 14 percent from here, or 60 percent from their peak, the median estimate showed.

“Abu Dhabi and Dubai are not out of the woods yet,” said Patrick Rahal, manager for asset management at The First Investor bank in Doha.

“The market will continue to adjust on the short term as local banks are still averse to real estate lending and deliveries continue to increase supply. The supply-demand mismatch is still in place.”

Rental prices in Dubai will fall 8 percent in 2011 and 5 percent next year, the median forecast showed. Abu Dhabi rentals are expected to drop 14 percent this year and 10 percent in 2012.

House prices in Dubai soared after the emirate — which overstretched itself building extravagant real estate projects — opened its real estate sector to foreign investors in 2002, granting them freehold ownership rights at many developments.

From start-2007 to mid-2008, prices rallied almost 80 percent, Morgan Stanley estimates showed.

But the bubble burst when global economic woes and a debt crisis at home led to billions of dollars worth of projects being put on hold or cancelled while house prices plummeted some 60 percent from their peaks.

“When you look at Dubai, yes the market is oversupplied on the residential side,” Martin Kohlhase, senior analyst, EMEA Corporate Finance at Moody’s, told the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit in Dubai.

“We don’t see recovery over the next five years. New construction, new projects are unlikely to happen and the same would hold true for the commercial market,” he added.

Dubai’s housing market will plummet another 10 percent before it stabilises, a Reuters poll showed earlier on Monday, adding the market is oversupplied by about 25 percent.

Brokerage AlembicHC said last month it would take at least three years for supply and demand to reach equilibrium, while Rasmala Investment Bank’s Saud Masud said it would be 2020 when property prices get back to 2008 levels assuming five or six years of recovery.

The situation in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is no better with as many as 11,000 homes expected to flood the property market in the next quarter, a report by property consultants Jones Lang laSalle said this month.

House prices in Abu Dhabi are expected to fall another 14 percent from here, or 60 percent from their peak, Reuters property poll showed, while rents are expected to slump 14 percent this year and 10 percent next year.

In June this year Moody’s downgraded Abu Dhabi’s largest property developer Aldar Properties credit ratings to B2 from Ba3 with outlook changed to negative, citing uncertainty over future government support for the struggling developer.

“There is a higher chance of revisiting the credit rating over a 12- to 18-month period with negative pressure,” Moody’s Kohlhase said at the summit.

DUBAI SAFE HAVEN

While the outlook for Dubai’s property sector remains gloomy, the emirate has been seen as a safe haven during turmoil that has gripped the Arab world and toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

The Gulf emirate’s retail sector has benefited from the unrest, Iyad Malas, chief executive of mall developer Majed Al Futtaim (MAF) Holding, told the Reuters on Monday.

“Arab spring benefit to Dubai has been evident in the summer because people in the GCC didn’t travel elsewhere in the region,” he said.

“Mall traffic continues to be very strong. We’ve seen drops of about 20 percent in sales from top to bottom but since then (the turmoil) we’ve seen an upturn.”

The uprisings cost the most affected countries more than $55 billion but the resulting high oil prices have strengthened other producing countries, a report by political risk consultancy Geopolicity showed earlier in October.

Major oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait avoided significant unrest and saw their GDP grow during the turmoil. Oil prices rocketed from around $90 a barrel of Brent crude at the start of the year to just short of $130 in May.

Home prices and rents in the Gulf emirate has already plunged nearly 60 percent from its peak before the global financial crisis.

Residential property prices in Dubai will fall 70 percent from a peak in the third quarter of 2008, according to the median estimate of ten banks, investment firms and research institutions.

“Although we have witnessed better volumes and slight increase in prices at few property transactions, the overall sector is still facing oversupply and lack of volumes/investor interest, which acts as a headwind against price increase,” said Harshit Oza of Beltone Financial.

All but one of the 10 respondents said the renewed global economic concerns and euro zone crisis will further delay recovery of Dubai’s property market.

The lack of confidence on Dubai real estate continues to weigh. Respondents in the poll saw no chance of a recovery this year. They gave just a 37 percent of property market recovery in 2012 and a 70 percent chance in 2013.

Prices in Dubai will plummet by another 10 percent, an average of eight respondents showed.

The findings matched those of a Reuters poll in April which showed that existing supply and additional new units would push Dubai’s house prices down by 10 percent.

Global markets were rattled in 2009 when Dubai announced a $25 billion debt restructuring of conglomerate Dubai World . A real estate collapse followed, putting an end to an historic building spree in Dubai.

SUPPLY WOES CONTINUE

Dubai’s property market is oversupplied by about 25 percent, a median of eight respondents showed with two saying the emirate has nearly half too much supply.

Two respondent said house prices in Dubai have already reached a bottom. Seven said they expected prices to reach a trough in 2012, while others said 2013.

In percentage terms, the Dubai housing market crash is set to be more than double the size of the fall in the U.S.

A Reuters poll in September found that U.S. home prices — as measured by Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index — will fall 3.8 percent for the year, before stabilizing and gaining 0.8 percent in 2012.

Oversupply in Dubai has forced developers to cancel and delay projects worth $170 billion up to August, a Citigroup report showed.

The United Arab Emirates, the second largest Arab economy, is likely to grow at 3.8 percent next year, a Reuters polled showed last month,

Analysts now estimate the overall debt burden of Dubai and its state-owned companies at around $111 billion, or 137 percent of last year’s GDP, the poll showed. This is slightly less than the June poll’s estimate of $113 billion.

ABU DHABI FOLLOWS

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and home to most of the country’s oil had fared better during the downturn but is now facing challenges as a huge supply of high-end homes are expected to enter the market.

As many as 11,000 units will flood the Abu Dhabi market in the next quarter, a report by property consultants Jones Lang laSalle said this month.

Prices in Abu Dhabi are expected to fall another 14 percent from here, or 60 percent from their peak, the median estimate showed.

“Abu Dhabi and Dubai are not out of the woods yet,” said Patrick Rahal, manager for asset management at The First Investor bank in Doha.

“The market will continue to adjust on the short term as local banks are still averse to real estate lending and deliveries continue to increase supply. The supply-demand mismatch is still in place.”

Rental prices in Dubai will fall 8 percent in 2011 and 5 percent next year, the median forecast showed. Abu Dhabi rentals are expected to drop 14 percent this year and 10 percent in 2012.

In the study, researchers from Harvard and the University of Murcia in Spain asked hundreds of men ages 18-22 to keep a log of everything they ate for months.

After analyzing the food diaries and their sperm, doctors found that those who binged on high-fat foods like cookies, cakes, chocolate, chips and fried and processed foods had poorer-quality sperm than those who followed a healthy diet, reported British paper The Sun this week.

The same was true of men who were of a healthy weight and exercised regularly: doctors said their sperm was less likely survive the perilous journey to fertilize an egg.

Those with the weakest swimmers were men who consumed diets high in trans fats like hydrogenated oils, while men who ate whole grains, vegetables and fish produced the best-quality sperm.

Foods that have been shown to boost men’s fertility include eggs, salmon, natural yogurt, nuts, seeds, berries, sweet potatoes, broccoli and asparagus.

Being able to read body language can also allow you to detect things such attraction, truth, confidence and shyness.

You can read body language by carefully watching the facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, and other movements made by another person. All of us — whether we realise it or not — use body language in our everyday lives.

With this in mind, here the realbuzz.com team have selected a few common body language behaviours and gestures, and given the common interpretations of their possible meanings — which will help to make you fluent in the art of reading body language!

Eye contact

A failure to look someone in the eyes or rapidly shifting eye movements can often be interpreted as trying to hide something or lying. It can also be a sign of shyness or lack of confidence.

Smiling

Smiling can demonstrate confidence, friendliness, and a positive attitude, and also gives the impression that you’re someone that people would want to be around. On the other hand, a ‘nervous’ or ‘false’ smile can demonstrate the opposite.

Attention span

Often you can tell what a person is like by noticing their attention span. For example, if someone quickly loses focus and clearly is not listening then this makes them appear disinterested, bored, and possibly even uncaring — whereas a longer attention span is likely to indicate more interest.

Head shaking or nodding

Frequently, without realising they are doing it, people nod or shake their head to signal whether they are in agreement or not. You can give your approval to someone just with a nod of the head, and your disapproval either by not nodding or by shaking your head.

Touching

Touching another person during social interaction, if done appropriately, can convey a strong message to them. For example, it can be used in a flirtatious manner to show romantic interest, or can simply be a way of calming or reassuring someone.

Arms folded/legs crossed

This can be seen as a defensive posture or can signal that the conversation is at an end as far as that person is concerned. Sitting tightly folded up indicates that you are closed to communication, as your crossed limbs effectively form a physical barrier to keep other people away from you.

Standing with hands on hips

This demonstrates a readiness to act in a situation, or can even indicate aggression. It is not the most welcoming of gestures and you may often see it displayed by teenagers wishing to show their defiance.

Handshakes

You can tell a lot from a handshake. A firm handshake is usually given by a person who is confident of themselves, while a limp handshake is usually given by nervous, shy, or insecure people. Also, watch out for the ‘hand crusher’ given by someone trying to intimidate you!

Sitting with legs crossed/legs apart

People frequently sit with their legs crossed, often with one or both feet kicking slightly, and this can be seen as a sign of boredom or impatience. Sitting in a position with your legs apart shows that you’re more relaxed and open.

Touching the nose

Touching or rubbing your nose can often be seen as a sign of doubt or a signal that you’re lying. Pinching the bridge of your nose, which you’ll often do with your eyes closed, can often be seen as a negative response to something you have just done for another person.

Rubbing hands

We’re all familiar with the old ‘rubbing the hands in anticipation’ thing. It’s usually something that we tend to do when we’re awaiting the arrival of something that we are really looking forward to!

Open palm

An open palm gesture is often one of sincerity, openness, or innocence. For example, if you truthfully say ‘It wasn’t me’ or ‘I haven’t done anything’, you’ll probably also use an open palm gesture.

Tapping fingers

Tapping or drumming fingers on a surface such as a table or desk is a sure-fire way of letting someone know you are bored. It displays a degree of impatience in a given situation, and is often our way of telling someone else to get a move on!

Playing with hair

Patting or fondling hair often indicates insecurity or a lack of self-confidence. Certainly, people who are nervous will frequently do it. Try watching an interview with a young sportsperson who is new to being interviewed, and you’ll see what we mean.

Tilted head

When a person tilts their head to one side, it’s often because they’re interested in something. We probably most commonly notice it with dogs, which quite clearly tilt their head when something takes their interest — but we do it to a lesser degree too.

Leaning forward

When you lean forward — either when you’re sitting down or standing up — you are indicating that you’re interested in something. In other words, an interested listener leans toward the speaker. Conversely, leaning away is a clear sign of disinterest.

Biting nails

Biting your nails is invariably an indication of nervousness or insecurity. People often refer to ‘nail-biting moments’ when watching sports matches or films — in other words, moments that are very tense and cause viewers to be nervous.

Pacing the floor

Nervousness can also be displayed by someone’s inability to stay still. A person can be up and down and pacing about, and many of us will interpret this as them being nervous or tense. For example, if you see someone waiting for an impending birth, don’t be surprised to see them wearing out their shoe leather!

Interpreting body language …

Although some behaviour and gestures have clear-cut meanings, reading people’s body language is not always an exact science because some actions can have multiple meanings. For example, if you fold your arms it doesn’t necessarily mean you are being defensive — you could just be physically cold!

Our advice is not to get in to a habit of scrutinising your and everyone else’s movements and gestures for hidden meaning. However, if a person uses several behaviours or gestures at the same time (such as biting their nails and pacing) that have the same common interpretation (nervousness), then this is a good indicator of how they are feeling at a given time.

UAE accounts for 56 percent of the total cancelled and delayed projects for the main regional markets, the MENA construction projects tracker report by Citi showed. The cancellations are an increase of 13 percent since July.

“Unsurprisingly cancellations in the UAE relate predominantly to real estate,” the report said.

UAE’s property boom ended in 2008, with home prices in the Dubai emirate plunging by about 60 percent, forcing many developers to abandon projects.

Dubai developer Nakheel , which overstretched itself by building islands in the shape of palms and other ambitious projects, wrote off up to 78.6 billion dirhams ($21.4 billion) of its real estate assets due to a property crisis, according to a bond prospectus.

Meanwhile, projects cancelled and on hold across main MENA markets dropped slightly to $1.69 trillion in August from $1.7 trillion in July.

In other markets, Saudi Arabia added $81 billion of preliminary projects to its pipeline since July, said the report, highlighting the growth potential in the market.

Kuwait and Qatar also have projects worth $20 billion and $2 billion respectively that are in preliminary stages of construction. In contrast, UAE showed a $12 billion decline in preliminary projects to $118 billion. (Reporting by Praveen Menon, Editing by Dinesh Nair)

The day marked one of the biggest news events in modern history and almost everyone will remember where they were when the story broke. Amid all the tragedy and the horror that took place in the days, weeks and months after, here are nine surprising things you may not have known about 9/11.

1. 20 people were pulled from the rubble alive

According to 9/11 research on World Trade Centre survivors, 20 people were pulled from the rubble alive. Among the survivors were John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, two Port Authority policemen, who were rescued after being buried in debris around a freight elevator for about 13 and 21 hours. They were the subject of the 2006 Oliver Stone film ‘World Trade Centre.’

Pasquale Buzzelli, a structural engineer for the Port Authority, and Genelle Guzman, a secretary, were in offices on the 64th floor of the North Tower when the building was hit. Buzzelli was knocked unconscious for three hours, and awoke on a hill of rubble, looking at the sky. Suffering from a broken foot, cuts and a concussion, he was removed by rescue workers and evacuated on a stretcher. Guzman, who was just below the surface, was rescued more than 27 hours after the Tower fell. Her leg was crushed but she fully recovered within four months.

2. Second biggest loss of life were of British nationality

It wasn’t just Americans who fell victim to the attacks at both the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. More than 80 nationalities suffered at least one loss from the day’s horrific events, including Japanese, Irish, British, Australian, New Zealanders, Swiss, Indian, Mexican, Brazilian, South African and Canadian. Out of 372 foreign fatalities, 67 people of British nationality died.

3. Ron DiFrancesco managed to escape from collapsing South Tower

Thirty-seven-year-old Canadian DiFrancesco was escaping the World Trade Centre South Tower as the second plane hit between the 77th and 85th floors, immediately throwing him against the wall on impact. After making a difficult descent to the ground floor, DiFrancesco managed to exit the building – which then collapsed behind him.

Engulfed in a fireball, DiFrancesco woke in hospital days later with lacerations on his head, burns all over his body and a broken bone in his back. After his miraculous escape he was one of only four people to escape from above the South Tower 81st floor.

4. Fires raged for 99 days

It took 99 days for the fires at Ground Zero to be extinguished completely. At 8.46am on September 11, the fires started as the first plane hit the North Tower. The remaining fires were eventually put out on December 19.

5. A third skyscraper fell down

A third skyscraper World Trade Centre (WTC) Building 7 – a 47-story building and one of the largest in downtown Manhattan fell during the attacks. It went largely unnoticed in the media because it hadn’t been hit by a plane. It is commonly believed that ‘ancillary damage’ from the collapses of the twin towers led to the collapse of WTC Building 7.

The 9/11 Commission Report states: “The total collapse of the third huge skyscraper late in the afternoon September 11th was reported as if it were an insignificant footnote… most people never saw video of Building 7’s collapse… Incredibly, it is virtually impossible to find any mention of Building 7 in newspapers, magazines, or broadcast media reports after September 11th.”

6. Code messages were sent out online by 9/11 conspirators

It is claimed that one of the 9/11 conspirators – Abu Abdul Rahman – sent a coded love post on an Internet chat room to his “German girlfriend” weeks before the attack, who turned out to be fellow 9/11 conspirator Ramzi Binalshibh.

The message allegedly read: “The first semester commences in three weeks. Two high schools [twin towers] and two universities [Washington DC targets] … This summer will surely be hot …19 [the eventual number of hijackers] certificates for private education and four exams [the number of planes used]. Regards to the professor. Goodbye.”

CNN reports that about three weeks before 9/11, targets were assigned to four teams, with three of them bearing a code name. The US Capitol building was called ‘The Faculty of Law;’ the Pentagon became ‘The Faculty of Fine Arts;’ and the North Tower of the World Trade Center was code-named as ‘The Faculty of Town Planning.’

7. One company lost two thirds of its workforce

Global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald was the worst business affected by the 9/11 attacks. Unfortunately, its New York headquarters based on the 101st and 105th floors at One World Trade Centre lost 658 out its 960-strong workforce – which amounted to two third of its total NYC staff.

After the tragedy hit, CEO Howard Lutnick called a colleague and said: “We could shut the firm and attend our friends’ funerals, or we’re going to work harder than we’ve ever worked before to help their families.” And that’s exactly what they did. Ten years later, Cantor Fitzgerald has handed out more than $180 million (£109 million) to the families of the deceased staff and has fulfilled its promise to pay their health care.

8. World Trade Centre steel was sold on

What did the US authorities do with the 185,101 tons of steel left at Ground Zero? They recycled it. The American public was outraged because authorities removed the steel before it was properly tested for evidence. Mayor Bloomberg responded by saying: “If you want to take a look at the construction methods and the design, that’s in this day and age what computers do. Just looking at a piece of metal generally doesn’t tell you anything.”

According to the ‘9/11 Research’ Website, the bulk of the steel was shipped to China and India. The Chinese firm Baosteel purchased 50,000 tons at a rate of $120 (£73) per ton. The rest of the steel was used for memorial material across all 50 states.

9. Plane engine survives crash

In the wake of the attacks, engineers volunteered to investigate the structural responses of the WTC buildings. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a single engine from one of the planes that struck the twin towers miraculously survived the plane crash and the explosion and collapse of the towers.

What’s the difference between a healthy diet and a dangerous one, a workable one and one that sees you secretly stuffing your face with chocolate cake just two days after you promised not to. Tried and tested expert advice, that’s what.

So, in honour of that little black dress you’ve been dying to fit into, we asked 6 diet and nutrition experts for their top tips on getting rid of those extra kilos. And no, there’s no carb-hating or mealmissing involved…

Cheenu Prashar, Consultant Dietician, Max Healthcare

1. I never skip breakfast as it can leave one hungry, tired and looking for less healthy food later in the day. I begin my day with high-fibre, low-fat breakfast of porridge, muesli, oats, wholewheat bread, and sprouts.

2. Another reason not to miss brekky: it takes care of indigestion, which occurs when you skip a meal or overeat. A light lemony drink after meals also aids in better digestion.

3. I look for ways to walk and move around every minutes during the day. Taking the stairs more often and parking farther away from your destination, going and grabbing a glass of water on my own, are simple ways to stay active.

Kiran Sawhney, nutritionist

1. Consistence, dedication and strong willpower in following a fitness regime is what works. We are disciplined for a bit, and then tend to binge, which ruins the entire rhythm. Build your willpower by achieving small missions every day.

2. Adopt a variety of fitness regimes, on different days. If you do kickboxing one day, try pilates, walking, swimming and aerobics on other days of the week so you don’t get bored.

3. Cardio is very important as it tones up your system. Exercise is a great way to cut flab, but you must get a personal trainer, who will teach you the right techniques to aid weight loss. They may be expensive, but they are worth it.

Reeta Shankar, dietician

1. Should start their day with protein so that there is no extra insulin in the system. I have egg white, milk and sprouts or cottage cheese, oats and bran, so that my body gets the right complex carbs.

2. The aim is to stay full for as long as possible, so mix some moong dal into your flour. It is quite filling and will cut your craving for big meals or snacking.

3. Dinner should always be light, so try grilled chicken or just a soup. Veggies are ideal they’re light on the system and natural. Eat as much as you like.

Shikha Sharma, dietician

1. I think skipping alcohol is one of the best way to stay fit and healthy. Alcohol has empty calories and no nutritional benefit. It also stimulates appetite and interferes with your sleep. A loss-loss, really.

2. Instead of a sugary treat, which you may want to indulge in after a meal, try a fruit instead. Fruits satisfy a sweet tooth in the same way cake might, but it’s much healthier.

3. Liquid food is a great way to lose weight. Soups and juices give you instant energy without the carbs, plus they nourish the body. However, a liquid diet doesn’t work for everybody, so consult your doctor before starting one.

Ishi Khosla, dietician

1. I typically avoid sugar in my drinks, or restrict it to a small spoon in my morning tea. Sugar is empty, fattening calories, so large quantities are best avoided. To cut your intake, watch out for the worst offenders: drinks and baked goods.

2. Not having big meals at night is a perfect way to cut calories. Towards the end of the day, your metabolism slows down, so stick to small portions and light foods.

3. Fill up your plate with veggies instead of starchy stuff, which will make you feel awfully full and add calories. If possible, make yourself an organic meal it’s light, and great for your body.

Rachna Sethi, nutritionist

1. Increase your fibre intake by eating whole foods and grains instead of processed foods. Avoid white rice and refined cereals.

2. Substitute junk food with homemade, healthy snacks. You can make burgers or pizzas at home, which will not have trans fatty acids. You can also attempt continental style idlisinstead of sambhar, have it with green veggies.

3. Add soyabean to your diet and have it at least once in a week as it helps strengthen the bones. You can boil soya, make it into a paste and add it in your meals, or just have soya milk (especially great for those who want to keep fit the right way, without skipping meals or starving). Soya has many nutrients, as does tofu, which you stock at home.

Kajal Pandya, nutritionist, Vedanta, MediCity

1. Have lots of fruits and salads, as they have antioxidants and minerals which boost your body, plus they are low in fat and calories. They also eliminate wastes quickly and help reduce cravings for sweets.

2. Drink lots of waterit removes toxins and helps cushion your joints. Studies have also proven that a low consumption of water allows more fat to be deposited instead of being metabolized into energy.

3. Scientists have discovered that stress could make you gain weight. Relaxation is the key to many health problems, so indulge in daily meditation.