Recession period and Layoffs

Yes, we all are experiencing the global meltdown since last one year now and we all are somehow victim of the recession in one way or the other. Many of my friends have lost their job or are on bench with lots of depression in their mind. Guys, don't worry, this is just a passing phase and every thing would be alright. Rather, I would tell you, this is the best time to take a deep breathe and enhance your skills. If there are any pending things that you were pursuing from long time, just do it.

Believe me, even in this recession period, it's not at all difficult to find a good job. You can definitely find a good job, just enhance your skills and come out of your shell. This is perhaps the best period to judge yourself and find out your real worth in the world. Be ready to face the challenges, stay calm and most importantly be positive.

• Always remain positive. Bad times are not forever.
• Always do what you believe in and never be afraid of failure as every failure is a step towards success.
• Always be grounded and never let the success/fame go to your head.
• Always prioritize your expenses and don't spend lavishly just to show off. Spend on things you need for yourself and not for your status in the society.
• Never be too complacent of your position.
• Never take huge liabilities which could spell trouble later on
• Make a good portfolio as liquidity is important.
• Learn... Learn... Learn.
• Realize your potential and be positive. If you are talented, you will surely get a job.
• Never think that bad times won't come.
• Save some money for bad times.
• Have an offer ready when you know the situation is getting worse.
• Never let go of your faith in God.
• Never lose hope. Always remain positive. Whatever has happened is good, whatever is happening is better and whatever is going to happen will be the best. Time will surely prove this.
• Understand the law of karma: wherever you are, whomsoever you are with and whatever happens to you, for all of this, there is a reason and that is your past karma.
• It is always better to be well prepared in a crisis situation. 'Prevent and Prepare' rather than 'Repent and Repair'.
• Getting retrenched is something which is beyond one's control. The majority of the stress is because we try to control things that are beyond our control. Practice meditation. It really helps in experiencing peace and disciplining the mind. Most of our energy is drained due to the wasteful thoughts.
• Use the lay-off time productively to build your inner resources so that you are up and ready for the new opportunity when it arrives.

Believe me, there is whole world open for you. Only thing is, go and explore. I really believe the phrase "Tough time don't last longer, tough people do"

Beautiful Himachal at Shimla and Manali

I would like to share some of the experience that we've got during our Shimla-Manali tour. We left Parbhani in the month of May, which is as usual extremely hot around 45 degrees. So, the best option we've gone for AC tickets in Sachkhand Express.
It was first tour with my love, so it was really exciting and we were going for the sweet honeymoon. So, it was kind of double excitement for both of us.

The journey to Ambala cant was really exceptional and it took 29 hours for us to reach there. From there just in front of Ambala Cant. Railway Station, there is bus-stand. And one can catch the Chandigarh bus at every 5 min interval. We've caught one and rich beautiful organized city Chandigarh in just 1.5 hours from Ambala.

The Chandigarh is really well-organized city and we were at sector 17 Interstate bus stand of Chandigarh. Once you reach Chandigarh, you can feel the well-organized things like road, signals, footpaths, sign-boards etc. Even if you are a new comer to Chandigarh it's no problem. Just read the sign-boards and you can reach to any place. The only difference is you've to talk in Sector X.

There are beautiful hotels at Chandigarh, and we stayed at one of such beautiful hotel as per my लंगोटी यार booking :) There are different options available to move in the city of Chandigarh like Cycle Rickshaw, Auto Rickshaw, bus, private vehicle etc. On day 1, we chose city tour bus, which leaves in the morning at 9:30 from sector 17.
The bus would take you to Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake and the museum. Rose Garden is the biggest rose garden and have thousands of different types of rose plants. You must have good camera with lots of memory to take all the snaps. You may pluck one of the rose for your love and give her to create a romantic mood. Hey... don't guess anything... I've...

Then the Museum is really good with lots of old antiques collected from different parts of country and you can really enjoy them.
The best part of Chandigarh is Rock Garden. The idea by Nek Chand to create such an wonderful thing is really awesome and you must visit this place. The Rock Garden is still made out of recycled materials. It is situated near Sukhna Lake. It consists of man-made interlinked waterfalls and many other sculptures that have been made of scrap & other kinds of wastes (bottles, glasses, bangles, tiles, ceramic pots, sinks, electrical waste, etc) which are placed in walled paths. The best utilization of recycle material ever.

The last point was Sukhna lake, which is huge and you can enjoy boating here with some games. The next day we opt for cycle rickshaw, which we miss in most of the cities and believe me, it is one of the best option in this polluting country. You must worth the efforts of the person pulling the rickshaw.
You can shop various things at Chandigarh, the best is Punjabi kurtas and dress materials. You can also buy some armories and Juti.
From Chandigarh, there are couple of Volvo going to Shimla or Manali. We've opted one of them and gone to Shimla in just 6 hours.
It's one of the best place, we've visited in Himachal Pradesh. The people are really reliable and very helpful. There are various options for hotel booking, but probably in our opinion, just stay at Honeymoon Inn hotel. It is situated very near to Market road and is on the top of a hill. The scene of Shimla valley that you'd be observing from the hotel room is really refresh you in and out. You can visualize entire Shimla valley and the houses in between deep jungle of Shimla Valley. The night scene is also worth of at least 10-15 snaps.

The Market of Shimla is really wonderful and the best part is only pedestrians are allowed and no vehicle is allowed in the region. So, take a beautiful walk in the Mall road and you can purchase a lot of things from here like Shawls, Sweaters, Jackets etc. The hotel arranges for you the local sightseeing, which involves ...

• This ridge of Shimla gives a spectacular sight of the ice-covered mountain peaks. Tourists also can have a look of the Tudor library and the Christ Church from this ridge.
• Mall- The mall is an ideal spot for shopping and tourists have a major attraction to this place for the place besides catering to shops also have a theater and a number of good eating joints.
• Jakhoo temple- The temple being situated at the highest peak of Shimla gives a stunning view of the Shimla town. The temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. So tourists visit this place for offering prayers before the idol.
• State museum- This is the abode to excellent paintings, handicrafts, textiles and stone carvings of Himachal Pradesh.
• Chadwick fall- The sight of the amazing waterfall of Chadwick being surrounded by thick forests and bushes from all around is very exciting.
• Summer hill- This hilly path with trees shading the way is ideal for a pleasurable walk.
• Narkanda- This is an important part of Shimla sightseeing as it gives an enchanting view of the mountain ranges being enveloped in white snow.
• Jubbal- Jubbal has been a very exciting tourist destination as it embraces the history of an age old palace that has been a conglomeration of the European and indigenous architecture.
• Prospect hill- This place turns out to be an ideal spot for picnic. The temple of Kamana Devi is situated here.
• Viceregal Lodge- This is the President's house which is now the center of the Institute of Advanced Studies
• Annadale- This place is found just below the ridge and is a spot for picnic and other sports.
• Glen- This is also a nice spot for the picnic planners with a dazzling stream flowing behind.

Some temples of Shimla:

1. Kali Bari temple
2. Sankat Mochan temple
3. Raghunath temple
4. Ayodhya temple

Then we left for Manali from Shimla and it took around 6 hours more to reach Manali. The very beautiful place created by God and extremely romantic scenes. You can ask your hotel to arrange for sightseeing around Manali and the options for you are...

• Hadimba Temple: This ancient Hadimba temple is a very sacred place for the locals. It is said that Bhim met the demon Hadimba here and married her. The pandavas were here during their exile.
• Manu Temple: This temple is situated in the original village of Manali now called old Manali. Manu in Hindu mythology was the creator of the universe. The name Manali is derived from Manu. Though the approach to the temple is not good, it is a good place to visit.
• Manali sanctuary: The Manali sanctuary starts from behind the town square and goes up in the mountains behind Manali. There is a biodiversity trail for the visitors, which showcases all the flora and fauna.
• Solang Nallah: Solang Nallah is a lush green meadow sloped to provide a perfect ski venue. It comes alive during the winter months for ski lovers and during the summer months it is a heaven for Paragliding, trekking and camping. It is just 13 Kms from Manali and 4 Kms from Whispering Rocks resort.
• Rohtang Pass: This majestic pass is 51 Kms from Manali at a height of 13800 feet. It is covered in snow for most part of the year and therefore a major attraction for tourists.
• Naggar Castle: The old capital of Kullu, it gives a captivating view of the upper Kullu valley
• Rohriech Art Gallery: The paintings of the famous Russian artist are exhibited here.
• Vashist: This village is famous for its Hot water springs and the ancient Temple.
• Nehru Kund: The crystal clear spring from where Jawaharlal Nehru used to drink water when he was in Manali.
• Rahla Falls: The waterfall on the way to the Rohtang Pass.
• Marhi: Picturesque point on the way to the Rohtang pass.
• Manikaran: This lies in the Parvati Valley of Kullu District. It is around 70 Kms from Manali via Kullu town. It is famous for its Shiva Temple and Gurudwara and also for its hot water springs. Kullu is the place where you would be finding the famous Kullu shawls and the factories. Don't forget to purchase at least one shawl for your dear ones.

Rohtang Pass and Madhi are the best options to play the Snow sports and beutiful place to enjoy your honeymoon thoroughly.

There are varios options from Manali, but we chose one sleeper to go to Chandigarh back for our return journey. We've travelled around 14-15 days, but believe me, there was no single moment, where we got boared and feel dizzy.

P.S. Even though I was on the honeymoon, I was not missing a single IPL match. The reason being, my love used to sleep at around 6 PM every day and for her the 7 PM match of IPL was like 1 AM in the mid-night :(
Guys, if you've such a wife, please please plan your tour during Cricket carnival or Soccer world cup and most importantly opt for the hotels which are providing you TV with those sport channels. At least you can enjoy watching sports being played by others in the honeymoon ;)