retelling the wonder years with gmaps

Google released a new feature in its Maps, allowing users to create and share customized maps. At first, I did not realize its versatility,... then I saw some examples... route 66, googleplex, olympic host cities. I decided to take the leap and create my own. It took me a few hours, but I was actually proud of what I created by the end.

the bay bridge

Here's a interesting view from our car east-bound on the bay bridge. The east-bound I-80 runs beneath the west-bound, so one cannot really see the downtown receding; but in my opinion like this picture shows, it has its own charm. I think my digital camera had a relatively long exposure set, enough to give this illusion of speed, although I doubt whether we were traveling more than 50mph.

To the right is the bay bridge with the silhouettes of street-side art on the Embarcadero.

Both of these were captured by Sucheta,... I was merely the driver!

an evening in percussion

Last night, we went to the opening of the Pan Asian Music Festival at Stanford U. Apparently what started as an experiment by the Stanford Department of Music three years back is now pretty much a 'tradition' in the words of one of the university officials.

This year's performances focus on drums and the opening night featured none other than the renowned Zakir Hussain from India. Apparently, Hussain is teaching a class this spring at Stanford!

The first half of the show featured the classical north Indian dance, Kathak by Hussain's wife, Antonia Minnecola. We were amazed at the grace and eloquence of Antonia as she explained the meaning and subtleties of each piece before she performed it. For almost 45 minutes, she regaled the audience with her steps in sync with Zakir's tabla.

During the second half, Zakir performed solo for about 20-25 minutes. We were all spell-bound as he drummed up amazing tunes and percussions with deceiving ease! Later, he was joined by fellow-percussionists Abbos Kosimov and Vince Delgado. Abbos put on a great show, taking on Zakir head-on with his doira.

After the show, I looked on as Sucheta and her mom Aarati, went backstage to meet the maestro up close and personal! That is when I took this picture; the person behind Zakir is another renowned percussionist Sivamani who is performing today on a sold-out show!

All in all, it was a memorable night for all of us... and I am a new fan of Pt. Zakir Hussain.

notes on a beaten path

We were driving on Panoramic Highway recently when Sucheta took this picture. I think it do good for BMW ad to show off its off-road capabilities and a catch phrase, "take the unbeaten path" or "defy logic".

There were some really neat bike trials with the panoramic views the area's name promised. We ran into quite a few bikers and they certainly seemed to be having fun. I thought the two anywhere-near-avid-bikers I know, Pohl or Deepak, would have gone crazy for a trial like this. Frankly I wouldn't have minded joining them!

It was almost 4pm by the time we reached Muir Woods and given the time of the year, it was dark and cold. But looking up, I could see the tree tops reaching out for the little sunlight that the mountains allowed. Needless to say, there were more trials in the woods and we ran into some in their full hiking gear. There was one 2 mile hiking-trial that took claimed to reward the adventurer with fantastic views of the pacific at its end. I need to get in shape!

Our final destination was Mt. Tamalpais and it was indeed a place to see for all those who want to look at things from a higher perspective!