If 2015 is anything like 2014!

I started this blog off as an experiment and I never could’ve imagined I would’ve come this far. Sometimes you forget all the fear and anxiety that goes into making something you are so passionate about. Looking at these WordPress stats left me overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. Not only do these numbers validate all the struggles, I have made some really good friends who are my rock and who have supported me in my dreams (I have also been published nearly 25 times in other blogs as well!)

Thank you so much for a fantastic 2014. If next year is anything like this year, I’m in for a big, big treat!

Have a great new year!

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,400 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 40 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Filling up with the Christmas Spirit through Holiday Movies

I have to start this off with a warning – this is a hastily put together list that was brought to mind while having hot chocolate and chatting with a childhood friend about how we spend used to spend Christmas mornings – bowl full of cereal, pajamas and blankets, cartoons and rib-tickling Christmas themed movies.

Rather than over-thinking this, I thought I’d put together the movies that bring back memories of that time and some newer memories created with my hubbie and kids.

Home Alone 2 –

I know this is a controversial choice because of how good the first movie was but Home Alone 2 feels more Christmasy – the messaging, the grandness of the holiday cheer in New York, the adorable characters – it just makes you feel warm inside.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas –

The newer Jim Carrey version is a family favorite because of the way the Seuss story is expanded and every character is dealt with in a deeper way. Some people consider this an abomination to the original Dr. Seuss but I don’t mind it. However, my favorite is the old cartoon version that only ran to a few minutes.

Arthur Christmas

This is a relatively new movie but it really puts a smile on my face with its refreshing plot – it’s not the same old storyline that is rehashed every Christmas season. It is a nail biting adventure about Santa’s son, Arthur, trying to save Christmas day by making sure a package is delivered on time. I also love the glimpse it gives of Santa’s high tech gift delivering operation. It is simply delightful.

Rise of the Guardians

I love superheroes and when all of your favorite holiday icons come together to save the world from certain doom, there’s a certain magic and thrill in it. I have really tried to pretend I don’t love this as much of the kids but I’ve really, really grown fond of this movie.

What’s on your list of must-watch Christmas classics?

Top 4 movies to look forward to this December

The last 2 months of 2014 seem to be really promising. The movies that are lined up to release in the U.S.A. this winter will have many of us queuing up at the movie halls! Here are a few movies that America is looking forward to towards the end of 2014!

Source

Penguins of Madagascar

Here’s an adorable spy team heating up the sub-zero part of the world! The flightless four consisting of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private are on their mission to save penguins the world over! As they are forced to collaborate with The North Wind, an undercover task force led by the handsome Agent Classified, the four penguins go undercover and do what they do best – plan to save the day. They must stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine, voiced by John Malkovich, from destroying the world as we know it. The first four minutes of the movie released by DreamWorks symbol a good time this Thanksgiving. We have a strong feeling that the penguins will entertain us as much as Alex and his troop from Madagascar did!

Touch the Wall

“Touch the Wall” follows the lives of two Olympic swimmers – Gold-Medalist Missy Franklin and Silver-Medalist Kara Lynn Joyce – and their journey to the 2012 London Olympics.  When the veteran Joyce joins teenager Franklin and her age-group swim club, everything changes. While Missy finds a hero and idol in Joyce, the veteran Joyce finds a new start to life and a training partner in Missy. They form a team and Joyce starts training Missy. Together they start winning tournaments and soon realize that they can make the world’s best winning combination. Thrown apart by coach and circumstances, they reunite at Olympic Trials only to win the prestigious medals and titles.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Mockingjay is a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the last installment of The Hunger Games, following 2008’s The Hunger Games and 2009’s Catching Fire. The book continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to unify the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol.

After Katnis (Jennifer Lawrence) is rescued from the devastating Qaurter Quell, she awakes in the complex beneath that was presumed to be destroyed long time ago called District 13. District 12 used to be her home which has also been reduced to rubble and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is now the brainwashed captive of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Learning about a secret rebellion rising in Panem, Katnis jumps back to life to defeat the evil Snow.

Imitation Game

This was Benedict Cumberbatch’s first release this year, prior to “Penguins of Madagascar” where he is lending voice. Though it released in August in the U.K., it’s left to see how it actually fares in the U.S.A. when it releases in November.

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who cracks the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Though Alan exhibited his genius by cracking the German code as well as assisting with the development of computers at the University of Manchester, he was later prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for homosexual acts which the country deemed illegal. It will be interesting to see how the U.S.A. reacts to this biopic which received great reviews in the U.K.

Have a movie-filled November and December with a little dose of fun, sci-fi, motivation and thrill!