A Traveling Pants Universe

I was going through the pictures on my phone from my December trip to the UK, and got really nostalgic going through my memories from Warner Brothers Studio Tour on the old set of Harry Potter movies. If you are not a Potterhead, you can’t really understand my nostalgia now or my excitement then when I visited the place. But if you grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, love the movies and is a fan in general, I am very happy to share with you what I saw. The people behind the studios did a wonderful job of recreating the feeling of magic that Harry Potter world has as well as the sense of wonder I am sure all cast and crew members shared while working on these wonderful movies for over 10 years in a row. The studio tour starts with a short film of how the books and later the movies came to be (cue tears for romantic and nostalgic idiots like me). And then the Great Hall doors open and you are part of magic! The Great Hall with Christmas Decorations Robes and food!

London Eye! There are many sights and wonders to experience in London, but London Eye is one of the kind. My love for it comes from two sides. First, I absolutely love looking at it from afar. It definitely catches your eye (I know, cheesy!) whenever you see it, and whether I stand at the foot of the Eye, or walk along Victoria Embankment on the opposite side, I always can't help but marvel at engineering genius behind it. The wheel can carry more than 143,000 lb. in one go, and it’s just standing there (not falling!), daring you to come and enjoy the ride. Secondly, I absolutely love the panorama you get when you rotate in the capsule. On a good day, you are supposed to see for 24 miles in each direction, and the views are unbelievably breathtaking. I also have a weakness for night-views, and while you can't see very far in this shot, London, dressed in night-lights, looks pretty fantastic!

Today was excellent for running. There was very little humidity and the temperature dropped overnight to a very cool 57F (ok, I am in TX, so it is "cool" for us). The day was a bit windy though, so no sleeveless shirts. I like to have 2 layers when it is windy, they protect you better from the cold gusts when you are done running and begin your cool-down. Since my aim now is to run at least 5-6 miles, I try to find longer trails so that I don't have to run in circles around the same spot. 15 minute drive and I am on Brushy Creek Trail that starts on a beautiful lake. Here is me enjoying the view and the sun and serenity after I pounded the pavement for about an hour. I was very excited to see bluebonnets (is that geeky?) all around me on my run, the Spring is really here! While running today, I was thinking about must-haves that I developed in my very short so far career of running. Here is my short list, which I dubbed "running 101": 1. WATER! Espec

White Mountains National Forest boasts one of the most challenging daily hiking adventures I have done so far. The hike up to Franconia Ridge is not for faint-hearted (or faint muscled). It is a rigorous, adventurous, demanding but beautiful hike (parking lot to the Greenleaf hut is about 2.9 miles, but steep elevation and difficult terrain slows you down considerably) that leaves you tired but with a feeling of extreme accomplishment. It took us about 7 hours to walk up from the car to the start of the ridge trail on top of the mountain and back. The views at the top took my breath away and made all the sweating and swearing that we did while climbing up there totally worth it! Be on the look out for some wildlife, and say hello to fellow hikers that you meet on the trail. We got great tips on things to see and be aware of from total strangers that we run into while hiking. Special shout-out goes to Greenleaf Hut. It sits just below the top-most poin

How often do you get a chance to be in the same room with The First Lady of the United Sates? How often is that lady in question is someone that you actually admire, follow and look up to? How often does she attend a panel that is also moderated by Queen Latifah, with fellow panelists being Missy Elliott, Diane Warren and Sofia Bush? Well, it all happened at one during "Let Girls Learn" keynote panel at South by Southwest, and I just knew I had to attend it, because it was truly an opportunity of a lifetime. I knew I needed to get up early to get into the room with all these powerhouse ladies who were scheduled to attend the panel, and getting up at 5AM to see them definitely paid off, I had the best seats! The panel was dedicated to the conversations around First Lady's initiative "62 Million Girls" or "Let Girls Learn" where Mrs. Obama shared with us her dreams and plans to bring education to 62 million girls out there in the world who curren

After seeing and listening to Kerry Washington yesterday, here is a throw-back post to me meeting Tony Goldwyn at Vidiots Foundation in LA in November 2015. I got to meet Tony today! It was such a fun and cool experience!  I saw Tony in flesh and blood last March at Paley, and really enjoyed the experience. It was super crazy and crowded though, so when I heard about this event (thanks Dara!), I thought I should go to get a more “intimate” interaction with Mr. Goldwyn. And boy was it not intimate. I don’t know how many we were, maybe 30-40 people max? Kudos to Vidiots of Santa Monica for organizing this, but not kudos for bad planning. We started late (which is OK), but then the next event’s people were waiting for us to leave so that they can start theirs. I felt like Tony had some time to stay a bit longer but they ushered us out. Tony looks so damn fine in real life! The screen and pictures don’t really do him justice! There is no way he is 55! (or he is drinking from the y

South by Southwest is one big messy, crowded, weird, crazy, overwhelming and supremely cool festival. You need to be smart to navigate the crowds and the lines, but if you have strategy, patience and interest, this event is a must attend! This is my fourth Spring in Austin, and my first serious SXSW, meaning I actually broke my bank a little bit and purchased a badge to attend the events I really want to. In the years prior to this one, I just went to open, free or pay at the entrance type of gigs. One of the main reasons I decided to purchase the badge was due to Kerry Washington's participation in one of the panels. I have been a fan of Ms. Washington for quite a while now, and I was very excited to see her in my now hometown. Kerry was interviewed by Ariel Foxman from InStyle, and first kudos goes to him for being prepared! I watched quite a few interviews by Kerry, and I don't know why journalists keep on asking her the same questions all over again! Ariel did his h

It was around Christmas time (hence the picture of Christmas lights to open this post) that I decided to make a list of New Year resolutions. I didn't want to be generic and go the traditional route of "spend less", "travel more", "lose weight" kinds of options. I was looking for something specific and measurable, something I could look back at and say: Yes, I did that! I have never been much of a runner. Usually, running for 5 minutes at a time would leave me exhausted and breathless. But a lot of my 2015 was dedicated to fitness, health, clean eating and exercising, so I thought that 2016 is a good year to get serious about running. I started following #C25K app and I just can't say enough great things about it! It really eases you into running, you can always go at your own pace, and before you know it, you can run for a mile or two!   I gave myself 8 weeks to get ready to run my first 5K. I do a bit of weight training and I play a lot