DANGEROUS RELATIONSHIPS
Things To Do
# Trust someone who says “Trust Me”.
# Have a one-night stand. ‘Get what you want’ is your new mantra. Just be sure he wears a condom!
# Go to Japan and eat Fugu: Take the epicurean way to living dangerously. The Japanese and Koreans have the perfect dish — Fugu.

Also known as puffer fish, Fugu is so deadly that if it isn’t cleaned and prepared correctly, it can be lethal. The fish’s secret weapon: Its ovaries and liver contain an ugly toxin that attacks the body’s nervous system and paralyses victims almost immediately. Of the people willing to try the deadly dish, most agree that Korean Fugu is the best around, but travellers in search of a (relatively) cheap, risky meal, may want to seek out Osaka Fugu; its prices are supposed to be the lowest. In addition, Osaka seems a fitting place to try this dish, since the city is known for a population that works hard and likes to live it up after hours.

All chefs who prepare Fugu in Japan must be specially licensed by the Environmental Sanitation Division of the Bureau of Health. Only 1,500 restaurants in Japan serve the dish and although these licensed restaurant owners maintain that their Fugu is perfectly safe, some 100 to 200 people show signs of poisoning every year, and 61 per cent of those die.

# Sleep in a Haunted Castle: Comlongon Castle, Clarencefield, Southern Scotland. In 1564, Marian Carruthers, a local noblewoman, was on the verge of being forced into an arranged marriage when she disappeared. Her body was found a few months later. Whether she was murdered or committed suicide is still not known. But locals say that because she was never given a proper funeral, her spirit still roams the many passageways, chambers and spiral staircases enclosed within the castle’s three metre-thick stone walls.

Today, the Comlongon, a 14th century fortress, is run by the Ptolomey family as a three-star hotel, and is a popular wedding and honeymoon spot. Visit www. comlongon.co.uk to know how to get there.

Do it at home: Try any of the ancient palaces in Rajasthan. The more obscure, the better. One of them is bound to have its own favourite invisible resident.

* Climb the Everest. The mountain’s Tibetan name, ‘Chomolungma,’ means ‘Goddess Mother of the World’. A place of wonder, mystery and legend, Mt Everest beckons travellers from all over the world. Once the domain only of the most seasoned mountaineers, Everest today is accessible to people from all walks of life, any age group and any nationality (as long as they can foot a bill that often runs into tens of thousands of dollars).

Do it at home: Climb any hill. Most of us are so unfit these days, even walking to Khandala will give a head rush!

* Volunteer for a good cause. You could involve yourself in projects that include building a vocational training centre for children on the Amazon (keep the leeches off), expanding a health clinic in the Bolivian Andes (escape the jungle dacoits), or historic preservation and environmental clean-up in the Greater Yellowstone Area, US (live with the Americans).

Or, you could take time off and join an organisation like PETA and Greenpeace, who push the edges of activism to maintain a better planet. There are a lot of ‘eco-tourism’ companies that offer volunteer vacations. Some focus on environmental causes, others on social causes and many offer a mix of the two.

MORE RANDOM THINGS TO DO
# Bungee jump in the nude. Everyone bungee jumps. How many people do you know who do it in the nude?

# Have more than five credit cards. Are you a shopaholic? Then this is definitely a dangerous thing to do.

# Tell your boss you’re late for work because you were busy stalking your ex-boss who fired you for being late for work.

# Go to a hairstlyist and say, “Oh you decide”.

# Go have a child. Ultimate in living life on the edge.

‘YOUR DANGER LOOK’
* First up, the almighty Zippo lighter. We all know that fire is a prime factor in danger. Not only is your trusty Zippo useful for lighting your smoke (or the smoke of another risk-rider), it also comes in handy for many other dangerous activities which we won’t go into in detail at the moment. Of course the most important value is the aesthetic quality. It’s just too damn cool.

* The handy dandy, invaluable source of all answers — The magic 8-Ball. You shake it up, close your eyes, ask a question in your head and then look at the top of the ball. It has a permanent set of eight suggestions from which it picks one and flashes it there. Making major life decisions based on the wisdom of the 8-Ball is a dangerous thing indeed! Keep a miniature key chain 8-Ball with you at all times.

* Doc Marten Boots. Terribly dated, but nevertheless still great to create that I-like-to-kick-ass look.

* Strategically torn clothes with just a hint of the naughty and the raunchy.

* A pair of ultra cool Polaroid sunglasses.

* Low slung cargo pants with enough pockets to store ammunition and a lipstick.