Some memories of 2014

Again, its an end of an eventful year and i am writing another blog on what were my highlights for this year ( not in any order). I write this piece so that i can better it next year

Leh: It was a dream come true. It was one of the adventurous hiking where in i visited 4 villages in the interiors of Ladakh. I had to trek around 40 KM distance in 3 days.

Thailand: Family vacation with priyanka and the little one. Experienced under sea walking, enjoyed good sea food and basked in the scenic beaches.

Interstellar: The movie which rekindle my interest in the area of science. Loved the movie - especially the  relationship aspect of a father and daughter.

5K Run: Something i had wanted to do for long got accomplished this year with this 5K run.

Hiking at Shimla and Nainital: Had wonderful hiking experience in the himalaya terrains of Shimla and Nainital.

APP Launch: Always wanted to write an IPAD app. This year this dream became reality when i conceptualized and launched an internal app.

Dance performance from the little one: Always wanted to dance and could never hone this aspiration. I was super excited to see my little one dancing on the stage...something which i ll cherish forever....

Meeting my nephew for the first time: Some feeling cant be put to words...This event was one of these....

Wishing you all a happy new year !!!

Interstellar - Stellar of a movie

Interstellar - Last few days, i have been going through a lot of reviews, comments. videos, even tutorials !!! on this movie. Some people love it, some see it as an extravagant effort to depict mediocrity and some people are confused on the "ending".

Some of the reasons attributed are:

1. Confused Ending - the end is where the debate continues. How can it be possible. How can everything be so perfect in the end. How can both the plan succeed. A lot of unanswered questions on time travel. space travel, role of gravity....
2. Loud Music - complaints that the music was too loud for the dialogues to be heard
3. Gaps in reasoning and dis-coherent screenplay - Some questions like why did NASA not contact the protagonist, why the best amongst of astronaut turned evil, repeated dialogues on the need for explorations and getting away from an agrarian society.

But leaving aside all the lacuna and drawbacks that are attributed, I feel the movie did inspire !!! The reason i am writing this blog after a long hiatus can be a good validation for this.

For me, the movie scores in totality !!!- Not because of scientific terms, the concept of love or anything else ...Here are my reasons:

• Does everything need answering: For me, just enjoy the spectacle and story. Reasoning is there for each scene and its a movie and not a science course....A lot of people have tried to answer to answer the time confusion....here is one attempt....not by me !!.

Interstellar Movie Timeline. by sivadigitalart on deviantART

• Spectacle: Movies like this take the movie technology forward. Ambitious plans ( growing acres of corn for realistic imagery, using IMAX camera to capture the Space near perfectly and capturing the view from a single person's vision are some of the things which i liked the most.
• Reinvigorates the interest in science - I need not say more - I ended up reading more about Warm holes, relativity, O Neil Cylinders etc
• Hans Zimmer soundtrack
• Amazing script of amalgamation of  time , gravity ,relativity and human survival instincts.
• Father Daugher relationship between Cooper and Murph and Dr Brand and Amelie
• And the last one - my favorite one - the wonderful recitation of the prose by Dr. Brand - Definitely Quite Inspiring....And i end this one with that...Do let me know your feedback on this blog..

Do not go gentle into that good night
Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light........

Naina Peak Trek Snaps

Some picture of my trek to Naina Hills, Nainital on 12th april, 2014. Taken from my cell phone.

Starting Point

Nainital Lake

Midway

Lake at a distance

"Colorful Mountains"

Forest Flowers

Himalayas at a distance..Snow capped Mountains

Lake at a distance

Another view of the himalayas

Another view

Forest Office @Peak 

Woods at the top

Another View of the woods

View from the highest point

Mission Accomplished

Naina Peak as seen from the lake

Sitting Ducks

Nainital Library

The Scenic Locales of Pokhara

The Scenic Locales of Pokhara

Pokhara is a sleepy town located around a lake. The scenic beauty is mesmerizing and is must recommend to all the readers.

How to reach: Indigo and other airlines fly to Kathmandu on a daily basis. You can either take a connecting flight from Kathmandu or take a cab/ bus for a 3-4 hour scenic journey.

What to do: The place offers a lot of adventure activities and is also the base camp for Mount Annapurna. I would recommend the readers to go for Para Sailing apart from regular treks conducted by the local people. Apart from that, boating can be good alternative to bask in the scenic beauty of the place

What to see: There are host of temples, waterfall , cavesET all which can be accommodated for a full day trip.

What to buy: T-Shirts, old artefacts and other Souvenirs

What to eat: Fish, Fish and Fish. Simply a fish eater paradise and you will find good fresh water fishes there.

I have posted some personal pictures for our readers at various times in a day to showcase this vibrant town. Definitely a Must visit location!!!