What's your excuse?

Last weekend at Okemo we happened to see a boy skiing on a specially designed wheelchair. Yesterday at Stratton there was a girl on a single left ski using specially designed crutches. I will definitely think about that the next time I come up with a silly excuse to not do something.

In other skiing news, thanks to Nemo and the fresh and thick coat of snow we were finally able to ski down two of the double-diamond expert only slopes at Stratton. Here’s a picture of the last section of Upper Down Easter and that’s not me posing for the pic. Just to brag, that slope is steeper than it looks :)

Why do we fall sir? So we might learn to pick ourselves up - Batman Begins

Finally, a long overdue update. I have been meaning to be more regular but somewhere I lost the way. Work got in the way, I guess. Or maybe I was just plain lazy.

Diary entry: Jan 27th 2013

I first thought of writing this in early December after my first ski trip this season. These thoughts have been, then, swirling inside my mind for the last few weeks. Never really got around to actually writing them down. Now, sitting in my car after skiing at Stratton for the 3rd time this season, I finally stopped procrastinating.

After starting my doctoral studies in the fall of 2009, thesis apart, nothing much has meant more to me than skiing. Personally I have found it the very epitome of the post's title. I used to be afraid of failure and as a consequence of trying new things, stepping outside my comfort zone. What if I embarrassed myself in front of scores of people? I used to over-think and later regret.

Not anymore; not since my first ski trip when I could hardly handle an easy slope and had to be brought down on a sled, the ultimate embarrassment one can have at a ski resort. Even later, when I mustered courage to try again, slipping and losing balance every few meters when everyone around you are skiing down with immeasurable skill is highly demotivating. Some skiers or snowboarders used to go past me twice before I made it down.

Yet, like Sir Bruce's spider I kept riding up and falling down. I really don't know why, but I kept going and finally pushed through. I am hardly an expert now, far from it really, but I feel good about myself and I really enjoy skiing down with the wind on my face, negotiating the slope at the fastest speed I can control.

I still fall, especially when I take the next baby step toward working a tougher slope. I don't mind falling anymore. As an extension, I don't mind failing anymore. I don't mind making attempts to learn something new. I feel better for it. I couldn't have asked for a better life-changer than skiing.

An afternoon at the Gorge

It’s been a while, a month to be exact, since I even thought about updating the blog. Am I getting disinterested? God, no! Just that “pressure” has been getting to me.

[For those who are interested, I have to calculate the local pressure in a spherically symmetric atomistic system that is both heterogenous and in thermal non-equilibrium; and, the freaking math does not add up. If you have got a clue, do let me know.]

Anyway, I happened to visit a nearby gorge in a short afternoon stroll with the Photo Club last weekend. I haven’t been there before in spite of living close by for over 2 years. What a shame! Here are the pics.

A "hermit" meditating near the mini-falls. No kidding! He was practicing some new-age meditation technique, shouting his lungs out.

No doubt that was the last thing we expected to see; at least I haven't seen such randomness before in my 2 years here.

Location: Poestenkill Gorge Park, Troy, NY

Anyway, March is here and hopefully I'll keep y'all posted more often.  Cheers and until next time.

Jugaad Ka Desh

This happens only in India, rather, wonly yin yindia.

Location: Mumbai

jugaad n. an improvised or jury-rigged solution; inventiveness, ingenuity, cleverness.

Kodachadri - A photo journey

Hello folks. I’m finally back after a long hiatus. My Jan 7th promise didn't hold up. Couldn't help it. Let's just say it was a combination of dry eyes and general laziness. After ending 2011 with the LASIK procedure and welcoming 2012  with a glasses free life, all I hope for now is that the Mayans didn’t know something we don't.

Anyway, now back in Troy suffering through a depressingly mild winter and perennially planning to start a final sprint towards graduation, here’s my long overdue photo gallery of my India trip. Starting this new session of postings with the drive and hike up the enchanting Kodachadri located roughly 20kms from Mookambika Temple.

One other thing, I won’t be posting every Sunday like clockwork anymore. However, I’ll update the blog as frequently as possible.

Driving up the narrow winding road from Kollur. It is possible to hike the entire 20km stretch, something I might have done if I were not with family.

The drive up - I would have kicked myself if I had left my camera back at the hotel.

The drive up - I would have kicked myself if I had left my camera back at the hotel.

The drive up - I would have kicked myself if I had left my camera back at the hotel.

The drive up - I would have kicked myself if I had left my camera back at the hotel.

The final stretch - Hiking up to the Sarvajna Peetam (roughly translated, site of all knowledge) at the top.

The final stretch - Hiking up to the Sarvajna Peetam (roughly translated, site of all knowledge) at the top.

The final stretch - Hiking up to the Sarvajna Peetam (roughly translated, site of all knowledge) at the top.

Sarvajna Peetam. After seeing how US’s short history has been well maintained, polished and kept sparkling new in Virginia and DC, I was left wondering if it was that we were not really interested in preserving our history in a manner that attracted tourists or was it that the old, beaten down site added to the allure of our long and rich history.

Mookambika from atop the hill.

If you guys get a chance do visit the place. You don't have to be religious; it's just a beautiful sight.

Cheers and until next time.

A spiced-up irony

A couple of days back I boarded Spice Jet for the first time in my life. As the plane taxied before take-off I did what I always do. I opened the in-flight magazine at a random page. This is what I saw and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Maran saab is going to be mighty pissed; someone’s surely losing his/her job.

Irony is a dish best served spiced.
Maran saab, do ask your editor if this was intentional.

Wishing everyone a happy new year. I will be doing LASIK tomorrow; that is, unless I chicken out in the morning. Hopefully I can welcome 2012 with a glasses-free life. Unfortunately that also means that my laptop will be locked up for the next one week. So next update won't be till at least Jan 7th.

Until then folks.

Cheers.

A mighty impressive spectacle from the least expected of places

The site of the terrorist siege in the September of 2002 that took the lives of 29 devotees, a place of worship and, in my mind, a tourist site that warranted just a quick 2-hour stopover on a visit to Gandhinagar, Gujarat; that was all I thought of Akshardham Temple located 30km from Ahmedabad.

Both my brother and I were visiting relatives in Ahmedabad with our parents and we decided to spend an afternoon at the temple. My brother was hardly eager initially. He was more keen on spending his time at a mall. But go we did, entering the temple premises at around 2 pm after a strict security screening.

Akshardham Temple at dusk. Image courtesy Wiki.

We spent time in the temple museum, walked around the beautiful premises (cameras and mobile phones are not allowed inside, so photography is a no-no), and watched a movie on Nilkanth’s life. But, more on that in another post.

We bought tickets for the 7:15 water show. Inaugurated on April 3rd 2010 featuring fireballs and scenes of various hues on water fountains, the show was advertised as a scintillating experience with 4000 nozzles, 2000 lights, over 100 pumps and 12 fireball throwers. The 45-minute show depicts the story of Nachiketa, the child protagonist in an ancient Hindu fable.

I must add, the show did not disappoint. In fact, it was way better than expected - 45 minutes of a story narrated through a mighty impressive medium. In essence, a screen formed by water fountains is the target of projected laser that produces scintillating images. Though, some visual elements were difficult to understand without the narration, these instances were in the minority. Even my brother who was initially wanted to spend his time at a mall said this after the show, “7:15 to 8:00 , on 24th joins the league of the best moments of life till date”. To be honest, even if you do not understand Hindi, and hence the story would make no sense, the show alone makes these 45 minutes a worthwhile experience.

The organizers haven’t made a full-length video of the show, but here is a 2-minute trailer. It does not do full justice to the spectacle. If you do visit you won't be disappointed.