Off to Mountains

Skywatch Friday - Contrail

Jet aircraft leaving back it trail across the blue sky, iphone shots from moving car at the outskirt of the city.

An Upgrade to Real Home Theater System

I already have a DVD home theater system bought in 2011 and it’s still continue to sound good and I watch movies connected to surround sound but lately I feel it wasn’t effective or I was in need of more effect and moreover the system isn’t reading the latest video formats and I need to convert the files or play through the television port to bring the digital out and then convert it into analog and play the sound though the home theatre. I always like listening to quality content and used to buy original audio cassettes and CDs when the albums of my favourite artist release and it continued till 2010 – Enthiran was my last purchase from the shop. I slowly converted to download songs from internet and later movies, but I still maintain my policy of not downloading or watching new movies rather than in theatre and watch movies at least 100 days after the release.

I was looking for a better opportunity to upgrade my listening and lately started to dream of buying an advanced music and home theatre system and while I was into research the Amazon.in came up with offers and 10% discount encouraged me to go ahead. I really don’t want another home theatre with a playable disk which has any other option of connecting. Technology keeps advancing and I can’t keep changing the home theatres accordingly and keeping it in mind I convince myself for an AV receiver with multiple inputs and UHD out though single HDMI. AV receivers are priced high even without speakers, and the basic system is not less than Rs.25,000 and I opted for Okayo or Sony as I got good reviews about them.

 I was in idea of using the old home theatre speakers with the AV receiver, although I was in doubt I went for a powerful system with more than 100 watts per channel, keeping in mind the future setting of big screen home theatre. After a lot of conflicts within, I was in conclude of not missing the advantages of Sony which is bit better than Okayo. Though both uses the Bluetooth technology to fully operate from smartphone, the NFC and few more technology, want me to go for Sony receiver which specifically is made for iPhone and iPods connectivity. I was really amazed at how it operates through iPhone and I could listen to any song from live stream or internet. As I planned I cannot connect the satellite speakers of old home theatre and was forced to buy new speakers.

The Sony STR-DH770 is a 7.2 channel receiver and I have connected just 2 channel bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer from previous home theatre, simply rocks.  I can’t describe the feel it produces even from just 2 Ch. Speakers; I can’t image how it would sound from 5.1 Ch., the basic setting of home theatre. The receiver has given me an opportunity to relive and enjoy listening to my favourite music/songs again through this enhanced AV receiver and I love the details it reproduces via Boston speakers, which cost me Rs.10,000 a pair and I’m in need of 3 more speakers. I really loved listening to old songs than the new ones and I can’t say how amazing it feels and each song sounds alike listening for first time.

Perhaps it’s the reason for my slow blogging as I can’t stop listening or watching movie from the time connected, I trying listening to many songs and genre. The actual price of the STR-DH770 including import fee and delivery charges is Rs.41,000 but amazon offered me at Rs.27,000  along with 10% discount. This receiver is not sold in India and amazon imports it from USA and it can’t be directly plugged into the Indian socket but need a 220 to 110 volt step-down converter to give power to the receiver which is at 120 volt. I also found the receiver to be damaged at a corner for which they refunded Rs.6, 660 after I sent mail to amazon with pictures of damaged part. And in this way we save the amount and I’m quite content with the outcome which I’m expecting to improve as I use it fully.

Greeting for Women

What I think about women is right or wrong but I have thoughts about women who are our profound desire and without whom any man survive in this world and they are our source of life which dwells around them. First as a mother she couldn’t be compared with any other relationship and she’s so special in many ways and in various stages of life and from womanhood to motherhood she’s consider to be so sacred and venerable and according to a child she’s a livelihood.  There is no way a man could live without women and he need to come across her at every instance as a mother, sister, wife, daughter and overall as a friend man’s life depend on women and of course women to men. 

Being a son I couldn’t stop related by my mother, who’s behind and in front of my life to make sustain there’s sunshine and I couldn’t think a world without my mother and even in my dream I couldn’t survive without her, because she’s my life and nothing could part me from her in this inevitable world. Though I don’t have a sister to personally make life better and sweeter, my cousins fill the gap and there’s nothing communicating with them and they add an ingredient of sweetness to my world through their immense concern, care and love which exuberate me to a height   invisible. My grandmother at other hand is a transformation of love and there’s nothing concern for her other than the welfare of us, following the footstep of our late great grandmother. Anyone related with her would have disliked her and there wasn’t a hardworking woman like her, who has been busy all her life upbringing her children and looking after the dairy business. 

My aunts are all cool and always come with special care and attention and at the midlife I see a balance at their approach with either the young or old, it’s always fun being with them. And about a life partner or wife it’s never in my list of concern or wish or desire but as always keep dreaming or imagining which is common among men or women, the thinking inspires writing and although impractical I continue to script down the desire. I never think women is lesser than men but only more sufficient and incredibly mysterious to bear immense trouble or pain we would only fail to realize or try to understand. 

I do have friends in women, who were all such nice personalities distinct by their liberal thoughts, what the world really needs now to improvise the gender and not only as professional women or mother, but as student has the response to teach the parents the changes we really need and as a mother bringing up the boys reliable to women and treat with same regard.  Rely by true friendship; I admire the women here who create an impact in my lifestyle which I consider fortuity to understand (a bit on) women and their point of views. On this Women’s Day I greet all the women   there to look forward in life against all the hurdles and you were the most wanted women in our lives, where our hopes and desire for future is defined and designed by you. Love you dear women!

Travel through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

A continuation of travel to Munnar…

Following Anamalai Tiger Reserve, we entered the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the state of Kerala crossing the border check posts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is facilitated with ecotourism where tourist can stay and enjoy wildlife from their rest houses and take safaris and hiking through forest. The Chinnar got its name from the river Chinnar, meaning small river, which travels long the northern edge of the sanctuary defining the state boundary of Tamil Nadu/Kerala by East-West.

(the monkey leaped on our car bonnet and we're force to roll up the windows)

It continues to be cloudy and slightly drizzle to keep environment wet as we travel for about 13km through the sanctuary and few kms from check post the Pambar River joins for company along the left side of the road and as we continue to elevate through hills the river travelled against us as gorge. We stopped at few places to watch the river flowing amid the wild forest and hills and at some places making beautiful waterfalls. Near the check post of the Sanctuary we are attracted to the handing bridges made for monkeys to cross the road, and we find couple of monkeys using the bridges, which remind me Valparai, where I saw the bridges made for same to the endangered Lion tailed macaques.  

With Eravikulam National Park to the south and Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (Anamalai Tiger Reserve) to north and Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary to east, Chinnar forms an integral part of 1187 sq. km of protected forests. The road from Udumalpet-Munnar passes though the sanctuary, divides it into nearly equal portions and the Chinnar and Pambar rivers being a perennial of the sanctuary leads to Amaravati Dam after merging at the interstate boundary. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 34 species of mammals including Tigers, Panthers, Elephants and Nilgiri Tahr and Indian star tortoise and mugger crocodiles live largely in the sanctuary.

A forest camp site is down the valley and close to the Pambar river

The Ecoregion of the sanctuary comprises mostly grassland and wet grasslands vegetation with 965 species of flowering plants and some South Western Ghats montane rain forest and moist deciduous forest and high sholas. The Maraoor sandalwood forest or reserve is located close to the sanctuary and Thoovanam waterfalls is a must watch for anyone on this route. More on later…

Pambar river creating little falls like flow

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Yellow Gate

Captured the gate during a detour around Vellore and the yellow gate, radiate through sunlight, caught my attention at glance, as I shot (using iphone) from moving car. The  gate lookalike belong to a residential or farm house since the road we took take us through hills and villages, flourished by farm lands.

The bush of orange flowers bloomed beside the gate is an additional attraction to the scene, enriched by coconut palms and banana trees proves the wealth of fertile soil, and being a hilly terrain is pulse to the environment.

Linking this post for  Good Fences by Gosia