Friday, December 21, 2007

Winter Solstice wishes



Hey People !!
I came to know something interesting !! Its called Winter Solstice !!

The winter solstice occurs the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane as the observer. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the Winter solstice occurs sometime between December 20 and 23 each year in the Northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and 23 in the Southern Hemisphere, and the winter solstice occurs during either the shortest day or the longest night of the year.

Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant, the term is also used to refer to the full day and night (24hrs) within which the event occurs. A more accurate usage might be the "day of the winter solstice" or the "night of/before the winter solstice". Winter Solstice is a controversial subject, since it is sometimes said to astronomically mark the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's Winter and so there is much argument about when it starts.

Here is a video on Winter Solstice that captures its religious significance.

Source: Wikipedia

For more information, here is the direct link from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

How to go Skiing ?



Hi Guys !!!

Did you ever thought of going Skiing ??
Does the thought of Skiing makes you nervous ?

Do you feel it takes a lot of Guts to learn Skiing ?

If your answer to any of these question is 'Yes' then I can help you in reversing your answer to a big 'NO'

I went for Skiing at Blue Mountains ( around 2 hours journey from Brampton, Canada ) on 15 Dec 2007 along with my relatives.

Precautions:
If you are in a group of 5-6, its great !! You never know when you need help !! So make sure you are not going alone.

How to get started ?
Simple !! just wear you Skii, your Gloves and make sure you have a good cap. You are ready for a big adventure !!!

How to Balance ?
If you know rollerblades, or ice skating- then balancing is not a big issue for you !!
Now if you dont know balancing also, well enjoy falling guys- no one can learn anything without falling !!
Just take care that you are not speeding up too much !!

How to Stop ?
There are two ways to stop that i generally use:
1. Spread your legs as much as u can, and bring your toes inside !! This really works for beginners !!
2. Another good way is to bring your right foot at around 90 degree angle compared to left one, or vice versa.
This way you will start moving horizontally instead of moving down the hill. And finally you will stop !!



Steep Slope or Bunny Hill ?
Well, if this is your first time, stay on bunny hill itself, till you fell you can start and stop at your convinience !!
If this is your 3rd or 4th time, i bet you wont even think about bunny hill !! For you its a child's play for sure !!


What i think i missed and would like to carry with me next time ?
I feel Goggles meant for skiing would have been very useful. Also if you already know Skiing and want to try a difficult slope, then wearing a Helmet is not a bad idea !!

Enjoy Skiing as and when you get a chance !!
For those of you who are still scared, well take my example Guys, I broke a pole on my first day of skiing and went into a Fence - i couldnt stop it !!
This is what my relatives said after i went into a fence ( as i couldnt stop while coming down hill )
"Hey Ankit, We just missed to shoot a really funny video man !! "

So People, Enjoy Skiing- you will fall in love with it !!

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