Into the wilderness, Yosemite !

Surrounded by the stone hedged mountains, Yosemite is a delight. It has been a home to one of best photographer known to mankind Ansel Adam, and an inspiration to the learners. The geological fact of Yosemite is characterized by granitic rocks. The age old upliftment of Sierra Nevada resulted in dramatic slopes of Yosemite. It is California’s most visited and one of the most loved National Park. It is famous for its adventurous fields and scenic outdoors. The theatrical mountains in every season, replenish its slopes with different moods. The higher meadows of glacier movements millions of years ago has sculpted the U –shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.

Being the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in sierra, it supports a diversity of plants and animals. It was designated as World Heritage Site in 1984 and is being widely recognized for its spectacular granitic cliffs, clear streams and waterfalls, and exquisite biodiversity.

Tuolumne and Merced River systems originate along crest of Sierra and have carved river canyons. Merced River which begins in the southern parts of the park gives a scenic drive into the park.

Yosemite Valley is open all year long, though much of the park remains closed because of the snow in winter and re-opens in mid to late spring. The valley is covered with hiking trails, to waterfalls and other scenic destinations. Spring and summer seasons vendors millions of trekkers and campers to its grounds. The park can be divided into 5 sections for the day-user—Yosemite Valley, Wawona/Mariposa Grove/ Glacier Point, Tuolumne Meadows, Hetch Hetchy, and Crane Flat/White Wolf. The park ranger encourages visitors to experience these all portions in addition to the park. While some locations require hiking, other locations can be observed via automobile transportation. The most scenic of the lot is the Tioga Road; it is typically open from late May or early June through November.

The valley caters grand ground for rock climbing, Camp 4 which has also been listed on National Register of Historic Places, has been instrumental in developing rock climbing as a sport. Glacier point is one of the majestic places in Yosemite. The grand view of the valley from Glacier point completes the wilderness of the trip.

Off trail and mountain biking, and rafting in Merced River are few of the summer activities in Yosemite. Where as in winter downhill skiing is available at the Badger pass ski area; the oldest downhill skiing area in California.

In addition to exploring the natural features of the park, visitors can also learn about the natural and cultural history of Yosemite Valley at a number of facilities in the valley: the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, the adjoining Yosemite Museum, and the Nature Center at Happy Isles. The Ansel Adams Gallery is also a sort after destination for photographers and enthusiasts of Ansel Adams worldwide.

Accommodation: There are plenty of Camping spots designated by the park authorities for trekkers and campers to explore the wilderness of the park. For an easy stay you can choose from number of lodges located in an outside the park. To list a few here are also two National Historic Landmarks: the LeConte Memorial Lodge (Yosemite's first public visitor center), and the world-famous Ahwahnee Hotel. Camp 4 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Happiness; How happy are you

How happy are you, is there a barometer to measure happiness? The argument of being happy, or born happy has been on for so long. And scientists happily work on getting statistical data to prove the intensity, experience and mode of happiness. I’m humored that we need to look upon numbers to determine the possibility of happiness. But I do believe that today, in the age of critical thinkers, we need an external support system, in the form of books, studies and gurus, to understand happiness.

Happiness is an experience within; stop looking for it outside oneself. Find a minute of silence in the day. Forget everything and just hear your within; your breathe. It will heal you in the measures that you can never understand.

Studies define happiness in various extents, and through various ways of lives we come across. These are the phases where we judge the magnitude of our happiness.

Children are born with the seed of happiness, but with the education system nowadays they are not experiencing it today. The strain, the competition and the expectation has driven them away from everyday happiness. How to help them is still a big question. But everything starts at home.

Parenting is the most demanding job of all. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I envy my parents. Like every relationship, there are stages in parenting. Having a child makes you happy, but being a new parent is agonizing at times. But we are good learners. However as you get older your life gives the clear picture. And we can work the relationships, of parent and the child, into the happy zone with understanding and trust.

An additional effort of knowing your neighbors also helps a great deal in our day to day happiness ordeal. The more we connect with our neighbors’ aka surroundings the more happy and secure we feel. In fact studies shows that a happy neighbor will make our life 34% happier. Connecting face to face in a community prosper our social existence.

Another big factor that seeds happiness is money; it is hard to live a happy life without money. In fact I believe it’s the second closest important things in anyone’s life after family. Families fall apart in the tiff on monetary disputes. But can money buy happiness? Perhaps it does, but to what point that is debatable. What is the reality of happiness; food, healthcare, mobility. And when they are achieved are we really happy? After the necessity, there comes over estimation over reality, if a bigger house, or a new better car, and the magnitude of happiness grows wider.

People equate happiness to things, not understanding that impact of things dies with the course of time, if we talk in numbers 6-9 months at most. But not the life experience they are priceless and everlasting. We have to understand that happiness comes from the baseline.

The phenomenon we call Michael Jackson

Thriller was and still is a phenomenon, it's intensity can heat up any place, anytime, anywhere. But MJ kept running after the same phenomenon all his life, whereas he had touched the pinnacle of artistic divinity already, that magic can be renewed but phenomenon cannot be recreated. His magic will always be part of our lives; he inspired a generation of musicians and will continue doing that.

The attire, style or music kept changing, but our legend and his peculiar MJ sound never changed.

I have been his fan since the time I could understand music. I remember ‘Bad’ being was the first song I heard. Thank god for MTV we could see his out of the world music videos. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs including "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous hip hop, pop, contemporary R&B and rock artists

The allegations also had an effect on the content of Jackson's music: History, which was released shortly after the allegations, "creates an atmosphere of paranoia," according to one writer. Its content focuses on the public struggles Jackson went through just prior to its production. In the songs "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", along with the ballad "You Are Not Alone", Jackson directs much of his anger and personal hurt at the media. In the introspective ballad "Stranger in Moscow", Jackson laments over his "swift and sudden fall from grace".

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and History (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him one of the most-awarded recording artists in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities.

His sudden death took the entire entertainment industry by storm. After Elvis Presley he was the only legend who could keep you carving for more always. I have never had the privilege of watching him perform live. But his videos can take us into his world filled with eccentric possibilities. And when I say ‘us’ I talk about all the millions of fans he has left behind to marvel from his legend. He was an intoxication artist. His music still can change the face of the music. A perfectionist of his art, a larger than life performer, and a guru to many generations to come, MJ we will miss you.

MJ you are gone too soon, your music has kept the childhood alive in us, and we will always keep your legend alive by healing the world not matter if we are black or white..

Your loyal fans..