2014 : My Year in Review

My name in Japanese

2014 has been a year filled with lot of excitement and thrill. In the last 365 days, I have done quite a few things for the first time.

Leaving India

• I moved away from Bangalore for the first time in my life. Officially, I have lived away from 560085 for more than three months. 
• Resigned(?) from my first full-time job. I enjoyed the last two years with the few good friends I made at TI.

Studying at Thunderbird

Incoming Class of 2014 - Thunderbird

• I have been enrolled in the MBA program at Thunderbird. So far it has been a exciting ride for me. The curriculum has more of concepts and less of calculations, the classes are conducted through case-studies not just lectures, and finally, I do most of my coursework in teams. The most appealing aspect in school is working with people from different parts of the world - no, I haven't learnt any abuses from other languages yet.  
• Started driving on the right hand side of the road. Unconsciously, I did steer towards the left hand side of the road, but, was immediately corrected by my brother.

Hiked Mountains

• Kumara Parvatha - This was my first trek. I enjoyed scaling the three boulders, which was a total surprise for me, making bonfire in the cold and whistles which were used to communicate within our group. 
• Roopkund trek in the Himalayas - This was my first Himalayan trek. The best part of the trek was the trek team which was fun to be with. Eating Ghee rice - Dal for a week and nail-biting cold was quite uncomfortable but all was forgotten amidst the scenic beauty of the Himalayas. I feel, more than the final destination - Roopkund lake - the trail is more enjoyable. 

  

  Roopkund in the background

• Camelback Mountain - Snowed capped Himalayas to the rocky trek in urban Phoenix. The best part of Camelback mountain is that you can finish the hike within three hours, so you can start your day with it or end your evening on the peak. The peak offers a good view of the city landscape too. 

  

  View from the top of Camelback mountain

• Brown's peak - The road to the trail is more difficult than the trail itself. The enjoyable part of this trek is the rock climbing. You also have to be aware of the cactus on few rocks. On the trail you get a beautiful view of the lake beside the mountain.

Visited new places

Havelock Island

• Andaman & Nicobar Islands - My first organised trip with MakeMyTrip. The islands seem to be isolated with the huge population of rest of India. The tourist places are pretty much unexploited. This trip was a nice break from the over-populous tourist places in India. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in Asia. After this trip's experience, I prefer MMT for future family trips.  
• Dubai - Money can buy the Sheikhs anything. They have built a magnificent city in a desert. Dining in the Burj-al-Arab, the one-minute elevator ride in Burj Khalifa and roaming the different themed areas at the  Ibin-Batuta Mall are a highlight of this trip. 



Oak Creek Trail in Fall colors

• Sedona - A few red rocks pulls so many tourists that an entire city has been built. The 3 hour Oak Creek trail was aesthetic for the fall colours. 
• Philadelphia - I was in this historic city for a couple of days only. I managed to watch the screening of a theater recording in a public park and roamed near the Ben Franklin bridge in the dead of the night. I didn't try the Philly steaks - one for the future.

Misc

• I completed a 10k in an hour. 

  

  Completed TCS 10k Bangalore

• I bought my first laptop, for my graduate coursework which means I can now play new games than just Most Wanted and Rise of Nations. 
• Finished Limbo - beautiful but short game, started Civilization V and Portal 2, and addicted to Dota 2. 
• Experienced Black Friday and Halloween 

I am really happy with what I have accomplished in the last one year. It was indeed a happy and prosperous 2014. I hope next year will bring much more joy.

Happy New Year!