Contest Entry: The Perfect Road Trip

To me, a Perfect Road Trip is about getting away from our lives with the people you love the most, to the place you love the most. Because that's what a road trip is all about; getting a break from school or work for a day or two, and go crazy, remaining oblivious to everyone and everything in your work life.

To plan a perfect road trip, you'll need four things; company, transport, a relaxed state of mind, and a destination. 

When it comes to company, most of us have two options, friends and family, the former being the better choice when it comes to this. Family are always fun to have around, in most situations, but when it comes to hitting the road and having a blast, friends are the clear option. 

Transport would be the biggest problem in road tripping. Taking your own car could be a hassle, so you'd resort to public transport. Busses and trains are real fun, and offer a challenge and unique joy to the trip. Although using the trains' pubic bathrooms and sharing a cabin with sweaty little men may not appeal to most people, you have next to no stress about petrol, maintenance, or loosing your keys at a hotel. Then again, nothing beats high speed getaways down NH4 with friends in an A/C car! So here, private cars are the best.

A relaxed state of mind is quite easy to attain. You just need to let go of all work, deadlines, and anything that might cloud your mind. On this note, throwing your phones out of the car might be a good idea! 

And last but certainly not the least, the destination. It goes without saying the you need to plan a spot which is far away from home. Not too far, but far enough that your mom can't reach you even when you're in trouble. That said, beaches, resorts with swimming pools, and hill stations might be a good idea. Even wandering aimlessly in a car can be extremely fun and adventurous. 

Overall, according to me, the Perfect Road Trip is one where you have all your best friends, in your car, leisurely cruising down from Chennai to Kanyakumari and back. The souvenirs should be nothing but the memories, Hangover style!

Trekking all the way!

"Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise." Every single time those words ring in my ear, it sends a chill down my spine. STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. What. a. movie. From the time the trailer came out, I was excited beyond my wits to watch it. The thing about these sequels is that, the more you get excited, and the more your expectations become. And it is only fitting to say that every single minute of Into Darkness exceeded them.


Why Star Trek Into Darkness is the best film this summer.
Firstly, the CG was brilliant, and unlike any other film. It had all the action and the blowing up and the usual phasers and ships, all that is a part of the star trek franchise, but for some reason, everything just looked so spectacular, and the level of clarity that they have achieved in incorporating every single firing and move is remarkable.


Secondly, the actors outdid themselves compared to the Star Trek movie of 2009. For a moment there, I felt that Zachary Quinto was a better Spock than Leonard Nimoy himself but let's face it. No one beats Nimoy. However it was a bit disappointing that Spock never mentions the line "Live long and prosper" and that Mr.Nimoy had screen time of less than 10 seconds.
Benedict Cumberbatch looked truly formidable and was perfect for the role of Khan except for the fact that his skin color was a bit lighter than our impression of Khan from the Original Series. But come on, he was brilliant.


I don't know if it's just me, but Simon Pegg always seems to be the technician and engineer recounting his roles from Mission Impossible and Star Trek. Seeing Scotty have a kick at all the action was surprising and Mr.Pegg's comic way of presenting it was awesome.
I thought that all the actors did a great job. Afterall, they aren't part of the Star Trek franchise for nothing.


The one thing that I loved about this film is that, all the three leads, Kirk, Spock and Khan brought out their soft side and they actually CRIED. And especially for Spock, it took the audience by utter surprise.


The most notable thing about this film is that it isn't just for the fans of Star Trek. Anyone who has absolutely no idea about Star Trek will be able to appreciate it and that is something very hard to bring about in the movie of a series that has a history of over 50 years.


It's fast, it's gripping, not predictable and I believe, will turn out to be one of the best movies of all time and I won't be surprised if it gets on IMDB's Top 250 sooner or later.
Such a genius this J.J.Abrams is. Word has it that he will be directing the next Star Wars movie and I can't wait for it already!
Overall, in my opinion, this is the one of the best movies of the entire series and every Trekkie as well as non-Trekkie is in for a treat.
Sorry for the spoilers btw.
Live long and prosper. _\\//

-Ranjini Ramesh

http://ranjireviews.blogspot.in/