Some Enriching Ideas for Self-Improvement

Looking to improve your potential? Dying to make bigger tips as a waitress?

Well, look no further. There are special interest videos covering those fields, as well as several others.

Some of the most popular “new” thinkers such as Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra and Bernie Segal discuss life, health, spirituality, love and human growth in “Quest: Discovering Your Human Potential” (Zolar Entertainment Corp., $30).

If your intuition isn’t as sharp as you’d like it to be, check out “Improve Your Intuition” (Adler Media Productions, $30), which features experts in the fields of intuition and business management offering techniques and exercises. To order: (800) 343-5540.

Budding card sharks may want to watch Discover Images’ new instructional card game videos ($10 each) with tips on how to play hearts, 500 rummy and euchre. They’re recommended for ages 8 and up. To order: (888) PLAYALL.

If you’re tired of just sticking flowers in a vase, Kim Alexander’s three-part video series “Flower Arrangements Made Easy” (F.A.M.E. Videos, $15 each) may just be the tapes for you. Alexander demonstrates simple flower arrangements for table centerpieces, holiday centerpieces and silk flowers. To order: (805) 579-0050.

For budding waiters and waitresses, there’s “How to Be a Perfect Waiter or Waitress . . . and Earn Great Tips” (L.A. Professional Servers, $25). Not only does this video give you plenty of advice on how to get a substantial tip, it also demonstrates correct table settings, napkin folding, serving and clearing techniques and table grooming. To order: (800) 637-3770.

Hearing-impaired actor Anthony Natale (“Mr. Holland’s Opus”) is the charming host of “How to Talk to a Person Who Can’t Hear” (CJ Sign Language, $20), an entertaining one-hour instructional tape that shows how to say more than 300 commonly used words in American Sign Language. To order, send a check or money order to CJ Sign Language, 14622 Ventura Blvd., #110, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 or fax (818) 789-1348.

Mockumentary: Bob McCoy, founder of the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, hosts the offbeat “Quackery Gallery” (Greatapes, $10), an array of truly weird quack medical contraptions that actually were on the market--including the Spectro-Chrome, which was to cure practically every ailment, and the Solarama Bed Board, which allegedly regenerated organs and regrew missing limbs. To order (the video, not the contraptions): (800) 879-8273.

Foreign Affairs: Arriving Tuesday is “The Stranger” (First Run, $60), the last film by legendary Indian director Satyajit Ray. Utpal Dutt and Deepanker De star in this compelling, complex drama from 1991 about a world traveler who returns to Calcutta after 35 years to visit his niece and her family.

A young Ingmar Bergman wrote “Torment” (1944) (Home Vision, $30), an acclaimed Swedish drama about a sensitive schoolboy (Alf Kjelin), hounded by his sadistic Latin teacher (Stig Jarrel), who falls in love with an alcoholic prostitute (Mai Zetterling). Directed by Alf Sjoberg.

The Chinese satire “Ermo” (Evergreen) focuses on a hard-working noodle-maker who decides to impress everyone in her village by buying the biggest, most expensive TV set she can find.

Winter Ball: New on Tuesday is “NBA at 50,” a documentary on NBA Video ($20). Denzel Washington hosts the two-hour special that originally aired on TNT, tracing the NBA’s journey from inception to the present. To order: (888) NBA-AT-50.

For hockey buffs there’s “NHL Power Players” (NHL Video/FoxVideo $15), an insiders’ look at such top players as Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Pavel Bure, Mario Lemieux, Brendan Shanahan and Brett Hull. It includes never-before-seen footage away from the rink, comments from players and game highlights.

Coming Next Week: After a lengthy sales moratorium, Walt Disney is releasing its animated masterpiece “Bambi” (1942) on video. Restored frame-by-frame, “The 55th Anniversary Limited Edition of Bambi” ($27) will include a new 14-minute program, “Bambi: The Magic Behind the Masterpiece,” and an anniversary booklet. . . . Also due: “Jack” (Hollywood), a comedy-drama starring Robin Williams as a rapidly aging little boy; Norman Jewison’s sentimental fantasy “Bogus” (Warner) with Gerard Depardieu and Whoopi Goldberg; “Girls Town” (Hallmark), a coming-of-age drama starring Lili Taylor; and Lara Flynn Boyle and Peter Dobson in a caper comedy, “The Big Squeeze” (BMG).