Bangkok -- Day 1 -- Sa-wäd-dee

I arrived in Bangkok toward midnight somewhat apprehensively, given the recent political turmoil in Thailand. I had received several emails from friends warning me not to go. Fortunately, the fears of violence and travel restrictions on foreigners were unfounded and I had a great time in Bangkok. Arriving in Bangkok on my first visit I expected to be ripped off and I wasn't disappointed. I hailed a taxicab at the international arrival terminal from a "metered" taxi-stand and paid 600 Baht (~ 12 USD) for a ride to Asha Guest House. Had I known better, I would have paid no more than 200 Baht. Oh well, live and learn, I suppose. The directions to the guest house, that I had printed out in English turned out to be useless, because the cabbie neither knew the location nor could he read the directions -- a rude introduction to Bangkok, to be sure. I finally reached my guest house at 1.45 a.m., completely travel-weary and sleepy.

I got a single non-a/c room (300 Baht ~ 8 USD). The room was spacious, but the lighting was inadequate for reading. As far as the guest house is concerned, it is fantastic, given the reasonable price, relatively easy access to public transportation, excellent English-speaking staff and amenities and not in the least the guests. There were people, young and old, from various countries, from Australia and New Zealand to Canada, US and myriad European nations. Many were traveling like me, while many were just hanging out and enjoying the cheap accommodations.

After a reasonably good night's sleep, I had an excellent continental breakfast (70 Baht) at the guest house with plenty of fruit, coffee, toast and orange juice. I took directions the the Skytrain station called Saphan Khwai, but the signs were quite confusing and finding English-speaking who could direct me turned out to be quite a task. Since the recent coup in Bangkok, security was very tight and soldiers were on full alert throughout the city. Finally, I got to the train station and got a little glimpse of the street life in Bangkok. It reminded me so much of Chennai, India. The weather was (always) hot and humid, vehicular exhaust smoke and naturally the accompanying pollution were ubiquitous, honking motorbikes were everywhere. The smell of fish, seafood, exotic spices and cooking oils were inescapable.

I took the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin, the terminus on the eastern bank of Chao Phraya river. Chao Phraya is the main artery running through Thailand and much of the life is dependent on this river. Much to my disappointment, the water was brown and muddy, apparently due to the recent rains. I mistakenly purchased an all day pass (100 Baht) on the ferry; it's cheaper to pay for each ride. I disembarked the ferry at the pier leading to the Grand Palace; unfortunately, I was told that the palace was closed for reasons of security. (Note: You will be accosted by locals who will "guide" you through the tourist sites and take you shopping. They are compensated by the local merchants, with whom you make purchases. These guys are good with the "soft sell". Be your own judge!) I met this Thai man posing as a professor of history. He hung out with me all day, but never did say anything about the history. I went along with the charade. He took me to the Sitting Buddha and Standing Buddha (Wat Indrawiharn) temples, and we made traditional offerings of incense sticks and lotus stalks at each temple. For lunch, we went to a run-down place by the river and had pad Thai and the best iced coffee of my life -- all this for barely 65 Baht (~ 2USD). We also walked through the fish market and the flea market, where street vendors sold old coins, objets d'art and other curiosities.

After lunch, I was taken to a locally renowned clothier, where I got some hand-tailored formal clothing at a fraction of the cost in the US. I did not, however, buy any jewelery. Finally, to cap off a "successful" tourist visit, we went to a 2 hour Thai massage. I paid 500 Baht for it, but I probably got ripped off. Live and learn! The Thai man got this for free, I think. We finally departed, and along the way I stopped by Siam Square to buy a bilingual map of Bangkok and an English-Thai phrasebook. In retrospect, the phrasebook was useless, because the Romanized Thai did not reflect the actual pronunciations. Siam Square on the other hand was a shopper's paradise and apparently the hot spot for the Bangkok high rollers.

It was time to call it a day, and I returned to the guest house (Saphan Khwai Skytrain station) for dinner and drinks. I met my house mates, Will, Emma, Dave, Darren, Jessica, et al and had an excellent dinner (minced pork with basil leaves, rice) and plenty of cheap beer called Singha and Tiger. The strange thing is, they give you ice cubes along with the beer. You might laugh at the idea, but once you see how the locals do it, you appreciate the gesture, because the heat warms up the beer quite quickly. A successful, albeit expensive end to my first day in Bangkok.

Hong Kong - Day 4, Shopping!

This was my last day in Hong Kong. After taking a couple of pictures with my roommates and bidding goodbye, I set out with my backpack to Hong Kong Central station. I left my luggage at the train station (25 HKD), and took the subway to Tsim Shia Tsui MTR station and took it easy. I visited the Hong Kong Museum of Arts and found it a waste of time. I had a good lunch at the museum cafeteria (roast pork, chicken noodle soup and chocolate cake). I wandered along Nathan Road where I bought a couple of "imitation" brand name watches. Man, is this place filled with all kinds of fake stuff? Amazing. You see hundreds of people buying Louis Vuitton bags, Rolexes and all kinds of electronic junk. I bought a Tag Heuer watch (125 USD) and a Breitling for my friend. You can bargain as much as you want. The price started at 200 USD and I finally brought the price down to 125 USD. Perhaps, I could have gone even lower.

With a few more hours to kill, I walked back to the pier (Avenue of the Stars), bought a coffee at Starbucks and relaxed with some podcasts on my iPod. I hung out at the pier and indulged in some people watching. Nothing like not having an agenda. After many more cups of coffee and bottled water, it was dusk, and I took a few more pictures of the Hong Kong skyline.

It was time to say goodbye to Hong Kong. I headed back to the Central MTR, picked up my luggage and went to the Airport Express counter to check in my baggage. The Airport Express runs every 5 minutes or so and the trip to the airport takes roughly half an hour. The beauty of the Express is that you can complete your airline check-in at the train station in central Hong Kong, board the train without baggage and go directly to immigration check. FYI, the fare for the Airport Express is 130 HKD (~ 15 USD). I've got to say, Hong Kong has really put in an effort to make travel almost painless. In the future I'll definitely take the Airport Express. Bravo Hong Kong! Well, it was time to catch my flight to Bangkok and on to the second leg of my backpacking journey.

Hong Kong - Day 3, Lantau Island

By the third day, I was very comfortable using the public transport. I left Wang Fat Hostel early and after a quick coffee and scones at Starbucks, headed to Lantau Island, the home of Tian Tan Buddha statue, the world's largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. To reach this take the subway at Causeway Bay in the direction of Sheung Wan, change at HK Central station to the Tung Chung line and get off at the final stop. This was a good time to get the daily MTR pass (50 HKD), since the one-way trip alone would have cost me 23 HKD. From the Tung Chung station, you can either take the bus to the statue or the picturesque cable car called Ngong Ping 360. I took the 90-minute bus ride on the way up (23 HKD), which took us through winding, scenic roads. It was a welcome change from the concrete I saw over the past couple of days.

The statue and the surroundings are imposing, to say the least. The 250 odd steps leading up to the statue are quite strenuous and not suitable for the lazy or the "gravitationally-gifted". Along with the entry to the museum beneath the statue, I also purchased a coupon for a vegetarian meal (70 HKD) at the Po Lam Monastery. The meal was very healthy, but very, very bland. It consisted of a mushroom soup with a strange looking vegetable or a root, I can't say which, a couple of excellent egg rolls, white jasmine rice and a wide assortment of steamed vegetables. Some spice would have been nice. See how good I am with rhyming? Spice and nice. Oh well! After some relaxation, I walked through the tourist trap called Ngong Ping Village. It was like a theme park, only without the excitement of rides. Avoid this village if you can.

I rode the cable car (55 HKD) on the way back and shared the ride with a Chinese family. They spoke no English and I "knew" a couple of words of Mandarin Chinese. It was of no use, because they spoke Cantonese and didn't understand a word I said. No matter, we exchanged a few smiles and pictures and I "spoke" with my arms and head. The views from the cable car were breathtaking and the sheer size of it makes it quite an engineering feat, I must say.

From the Tung Chung MTR station, I arrived at Prince Edward MTR on Kowloon island and took a 7-8 kilometer walking tour lasting roughly 3 hours. I passed through Mong Kok and took in the interesting sights including Ladies Market, Yuen Po Street Bird Garden and Flower Market, Goldfish Market, Tung Choi Street Market, etc., ending finally at the Jordan MTR station. Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise, but me, I'm no fan of shopping. So I just wandered and took in all the smells -- of food, of the humid, hot air, and of the exhaust fumes from automobiles. Not to be missed.

I returned to my hostel and met my roommates, Arnold and Rod, for dinner at a local restaurant. We wandered all over looking for a restaurant that served snake soup, because Rod wanted to try some. Arnold, the Taiwanese guy, asked around and finally located one. I can't tell you the name of the place. As for me, I had some excellent roast duck and took a sip of a snake soup that Rod had ordered. The taste wasn't bad, but psychologically, I couldn't make it past that sip. I did, however, try a glass of red rice wine, in which were preserved a couple of lizard-like reptiles and was considered an aphrodisiac. The wine was actually quite good and had no chance to verify the aphrodisiac claims of that wine. Too bad!

After dinner, we wandered a bit more locating a pub called Inn Side Out Bar near Causeway. The pub itself turned out to be very good and had a unique charm (or peculiarity). This one has outdoor seating, a rarity in Hong Kong. The tradition in this pub is that you get a limitless supply of peanuts in the shell and you discard the shells right on the floor. It's quite cool actually. Reminded me of my college days. I'll return to this place the next time. Like drunken sailors we returned to the hostel for a well-deserved good night's sleep. Whew, that was a long day!

Hong Kong -- Macau, Day 2

I woke up early and set out for Macau, the oldest Portuguese (and European) colony in China, now under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China. I had heard about Macau, the casinos, its rising prosperity (24,000 USD per capita income), increasing tourism from Mainland China and Hong Kong, the food and the renowned banking industry, etc. -- I wanted to experience it firsthand. From a historical standpoint, Macau traded extensively with the British East India Company (later British Raj). Portugal, in the meanwhile, controlled parts of India in the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1498 AD, Vasco da Gama discovered the trade routes to India and made parts of East and South Asia accessible to European colonial powers. As they say, the rest is history. Incidentally, Macau lies 70 km(43 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and is best reached by ferry.

I had breakfast (sausage and eggs) at the Ferry terminal near Cheung Wan MTR, a terrible mistake. Avoid sausage in Hong Kong -- it tastes really bad and looked like no other sausage I had ever eaten. To get to Macau use one of the many ferry operators between Hong Kong and Macau. The ferries run every 20 minutes or so. I took the TurboJet Ferry at a cost of 140 HKD (~ 16 USD); there is a first class @ 240 HKD. The trip is an hour long each way and pass through Hong Kong emigration as well as Macau immigration. Upon arrival, I took a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of the Macau peninsula suggested by Lonely Planet. I took the walk and was happy to get a feel for the city, from the new and the old to the weird and typical. I had mentioned in my previous posting that the "ladder streets" in Hong Kong were fast disappearing; Macau still has them.

Macau's casinos, financial districts and governmental buildings are connected by wide, paved streets, while the commercial and the residential areas are narrow, winding and sometimes steep. All street signs are in Portuguese and in Chinese, however, you'll have a hard time finding anyone that speaks Portuguese or English, for that matter. Portuguese has little or no significance to the people in their daily life today, perhaps only some official types speak it. You will still see a lot of Western influence in the architecture, though. Right in the middle of the alleyways, I found an Indian restaurant, something that I never expected as well as a signboard pointing to an Alliance Française of Macau. Wonders will never cease.

I visited the very informative and interesting Macau Museum, passed through the various shopping districts similar to those in Hong Kong. The final stop in my 3 hour walk was lunch at the highly recommended A Lorcha, very close to the A-Ma Temple. This restaurant carries traditional Portuguese cuisine. I had a sopa de marisco (seafood soup), porco balichao tamarino (pork with tamarind and shrimp paste) washed down with an excellent oporto (port wine). The lunch tab was 160 Macanese pataca or MOP$; MOP$ is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar.

With a few hours to kill, I hopped over to the Taipa village, which, to my chagrin, was a waste of time. Avoid it! To get around, I used the excellent public transport system in Macau. The signs and directions are neatly marked and the cost was approximately 2.5 MOP$ a ride. I also peeked into a couple of casinos -- Golden Casino and the newly opened Wynn casino. According to Wikipedia, the Macanese casinos have revenues greater than those of Las Vegas. Imagine that! Many more casinos are expected to open over the next couple of years.

After a long and tiring day, it was time take the one hour ferry ride back to Hong Kong. I took the subway back to Wang Fat Hostel, and I managed to get the crazy Korean guy moved to another room. Good riddance! I met my new roommates, Arnold from Taiwan and Rod from Calgary, really nice guys. Since I was feeling a tired and satiated from all the food, I had a couple of fruits and some yogurt and called it a night.

Hong Kong MTR: The subway system is fantastic, frequent and easy to use. All signs are in English and Cantonese. A typical ride is 10 HKD (~ 1.25 USD). MTR is huge and reaches the all the important parts of Hong Kong. There is no graffiti to speak of and cellphones work even underground. You can purchase an all day pass on the MTR for 50 HKD (~7 USD) and travel between Hong Kong Island, Kowloon as well as Lantau Island, the home of the new Disneyland Resort. BART in comparison is dirty, expensive, infrequent and overrated. Whoever called BART the number one public transportation system in the US has not seen the subway system overseas. We've a lot to learn from them.

Hong Kong - Day 1

This was the beginning of my month-long and wonderful trip through South and Southeast Asia. This was also the very first time I traveled overseas as an American citizen - a strange feeling, to be sure. After more than four decades of calling myself an Indian, I now identify myself on all official documents as a citizen of the Red, White and Blue. No matter, in my heart I am still an Indian. Now on to the story.

A long 13 hour flight from San Francisco ended at the Hong Kong airport at 6.25 am on September 19th. I quickly passed through customs, obtained some local currency (1 USD = 7.8 HKD) and took bus number A11 (cost HKD 40 ~ 5 USD) for a 45 minute journey to Causeway Bay - Stop no 13 on the Hong Kong main island. The first thing that hit me after alighting from the bus was the crowd at the traffic lights-- man, millions appeared from nowhere.

Wang Fat Hostel:
The directions given by Wang Fat Hostel (No A2, 3/F, Patterson Bldg, 47 Patterson Street) on Hostels.com were quite accurate, but it took quite an effort locating it. In addition to the street address, you have to know on which story/floor of the building the hostel is located. In the example above, 3/F is the third floor, A2 is the house number on the 3rd floor and finally 47 is the street address for Patterson Street. Hong Kong is a vertical city much like New York City, only more densely populated. At any rate, I arrived at Wang Fat Hostel at 8.30 am very much jet lagged and exhausted. I checked into the Hostel and found my "room" -- a tiny one approximately 8 feet by 12 with bunk beds! Damn, the last time I had seen bunk beds was about 22 years ago in Germany. Now this room was one of 3 bedrooms in A2 the entire apartment was no more than 800 square feet. The bathroom was a mess, but at least there was some TP.

The cost per night was approximately 17 USD -- not a bad deal at all. It is a win-win situation for the budget-conscious travelers and the hostel owners. In terms of access to public transportation though, you just can't beat it. It's right near the Causeway Bay MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station on the Hong Kong island.

I lazed around for a while and got a coffee and a scone at the neighboring Starbucks, perhaps the only place to get a decent coffee in Hong Kong. It appears that coffee drinking is not such a popular activity. Over coffee, I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet guide and took the subway to the Peak Tram station, from then up an interesting funicular (cable railway) that cost 55 HKD. On the way, I met Darren, an English doctor from Bristol on his way to New Zealand. The destination was Victoria Peak, which at approximately 552 meters from the sea level is the highest point in Hong Kong and supposedly provides fantastic views of the skyline. Unfortunately, the sky was smoggy and consequently, no "picture postcard" views. Pollution was a familiar sight throughout my Asian trip. Incidentally, the Peak is a tourist trap with the usual shopping malls and overpriced restaurants. Anyway after a quick look-see, we hiked around the Peak for a couple of hours in the intense heat and passed through Po Lam reservoir. The brochures said it was great, but in reality it was a letdown. It was nice to see some greenery though.

After the strenuous hike, we went to one of the restaurants on the Peak and had some Tiger beer and an excellent dim sum (130 HKD per person). After lunch we rode the funicular down to the base and took the subway to the Sheung Wan MTR station on the main island. We strolled through Hollywood Road, a road filled with antique stores, jewelery shops and carpet shops. Earlier this area used to be famous for its "ladder streets" (steep inclined streets with steps) giving it a Shanghai like atmosphere, but much of it has been torn down today to make way for new buildings.

We took a peek at the 18th-century Man Mo temple, perhaps the oldest and the most famous in Hong Kong. Enormous incense cone coils hang from the ceiling, each representing a fervent wish made by a worshiper. The whole interior has a mysterious feel to it -- intriguing, smoky and hot. We were very thirsty and it was quite an ordeal locating a pub near Sheung Wan MTR. Finally, we located a dive and got a local San Miguel beer. After a good hour-and-a-half, Darren left because he had to catch his onward flight to Auckland. Goodbye Darren!

I took the subway at Sheung Wan MTR, switched trains at Central to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR and reached Kowloon island. I strolled along Nathan Road and the Kowloon Pier, more popularly known as Avenue of the Stars. This Avenue is the Hong Kong equivalent of Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are huge statues of Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and other cinema giants, none that I recognized though. Although touristy, it was a pleasant enough to while away the time. I hung out there and gazed in awe at the imposing skyline. It looked much better at night. I was tired and around 8 o'clock rode the subway back to Causeway Bay MTR and ate at a neighboring traditional Hong Kong restaurant. As I recall, I ate some fried flat noodles with chicken (65 HKD). I headed back to the hotel for presumably a good night's sleep, but there was a nasty surprise waiting for me....

So, I walk into my "room" and there was this Korean guy, Winston. We introduced ourselves and he mentioned that he was a writer. His computer was on and he was typing frantically on it. He was approximately 45 years old, scrawny and he smelled awful -- think of the homeless guys you see in San Francisco. For all I know, he must have worn the same clothes for at least a month. At any rate, I wanted to sleep desperately because of the jet lag and I bade him good night. I climbed up the bunk bed with great difficulty, given that it was not built for adults and I had no prior experience climbing bunk beds. So much so for saving money! I listened to my iPod and tried in vain to get some sleep. I twisted and turned and woke up abruptly around 11.00 pm, and there he was, Winston still typing something.

He was ready to eat -- at 11.00 pm. He filled his rice cooker with noodles and from a drawer near his bed took a couple of eggs from a whole stack and tossed them into the noodles. The vapors from the rice cooker added to my discomfiture. He ate noisily, slurped and smacked his lips loudly. Damn! I slept fitfully yet again for the next couple of hours and woke up at 2.30 am and there he was, Winston, cooking yet again, this time, some plain rice with some unfamiliar powder. His computer was still on and a bedside lamp was on as well. After another bout of fitful sleep, I woke up all tired at 6.00 am to face a brand new day. God knows when he sleeps or where he works. His co-workers must certainly hate him, at least I do. Oh well, so it goes...

Backpacking through Asia -- the preparation

After getting laid off from my comfortable job in the Silicon Valley, I decided to do some travel for a month with a couple of constraints -- to keep the trip within a month, to spend as little money as possible and to experience new cultures. Here then, are the steps I took in preparation for the trip. If there are things I should have done better, please suggest them.

1. Research: I used Google search, Lonely Planet and backpacking entry on Wikipedia to see what other people more experienced with budget travel have done. I checked with some friends who had undertaken similar trips. The key thing is to keep baggage to a minimum.

2. Budget: I arbitrarily chose $4,000 for the entire trip, including airfare, accommodation, food, entertainment and miscellaneous expenses. By and large, I managed to complete the trip within this limit. Go, me!

3. Where to go: I was contemplating many destinations including New Zealand, South Africa, South America, Asia and Europe. I settled on South East Asia and South Asia for reasons of economy and also the fact that I had not traveled much there at all.

4. Air tickets: Cathay Pacific has a fantastic deal called the All Asia Pass, which allows "unlimited" travel between 18 cities in Asia for an unbelievable amount of $1,299 for 21 days or $1,499 for 30 days. I chose the latter. Malaysian Airlines has a similar Access Asia pass for $1,399 , but that would mean flying out of Los Angeles. Thai Air has similar packages called Round the World with THAI and Visit ASEAN Airpass, but the pricing is not yet clear and requires additional planning.

I decided to get the All Asia Pass and the next challenge was to find a travel agent to finalize my travel plans. I discovered that the airline websites are useless for these tickets. After unsuccessfully searching through Google and Yahoo!, I found my travel agent on Craigslist. Airbound is the travel agent and located in downtown San Francisco. They are really nice and very accommodating. Give them a call at 1-877-424-7286. They deal with all the previously mentioned air tickets.

5. Destinations: After deciding on the starting date for travel (September 18th, I settled on Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur (with a brief visit to India), Bali (Indonesia) and Seoul (South Korea) in that order. I allocated about 4-5 days for each destination. I'm grateful to Mayona Lim at Airbound for helping me finalize the list. Initially I had included Japan and Vietnam, but Vietnam fell through because it requires a visa and Japan would have meant too much travel. All said, my airfare came to $1,720 including all taxes.

6. Visas: If you are an US citizen see the Foreign Entry Requirements for which countries require a visa. As stated above, Vietnam requires a visa, while all others require none. Incidentally, I had to obtain a visa for India too.

7. Accommodations: I used a combination of Lonely Planet books, Hostels.com and friends' recommendations for lodging. Where possible I stayed in guest houses, which are cheap, reliable and typically near tourist destinations. You have to spend a lot of time picking places, especially on Hostels.com. I learned that it's not worthwhile deciding upon them in advance. Most places will allow you to book and, if necessary, extend your stay upon arrival. However, be prepared to move if you don't find the accommodation to your liking. Another option is to simply use the recommendations in the Lonely Planet guides. For the most part, they are pretty accurate.

I had previously stayed in Youth Hostels and had good experiences with them. This was going to be my first experience with guest houses. Staying in established hotels meant paying a lot more money than I could have afforded, and of course the accommodation and prices are ho-hum. If you've seen one hotel, you've seem them all. Guest houses on the other hand cater to travelers and/or backpackers on a tight budget and each has its own personality and idiosyncrasies. Naturally, you have to trade in the your privacy for the cheapness. The chance to meet interesting people from all over the world more than made up for the privacy. I was a little older than the average backpacker, but no matter. In future, I intend to do more travel this way.

8. Miscellaneous: The final step in preparing for the trip was to buy a medium backpack ($120 at REI), a day pack (almost new from Craigslist), memory cards for my camera (2GB @ $50 at RadioShack), batteries, additional passport size photographs, and not to forget the excellent and indispensable Lonely Planet Guides (Hong Kong and Macau, Seoul and South Asia ($80 for all three guides).

Now it's off to Asia.

So you got laid off, downsized, rightsized -- What next?

About two weeks ago, I got laid off from my well-paying job in the Silicon Valley, which by itself is neither news nor newsworthy. It has happened to millions before and it will happen again. What's more important is to concentrate on how to cope with this situation.

Corporate America is finding more ways than ever to become profitable or more profitable, for the shareholders "demand" this, notwithstanding the fact that many employees are themselves stockholders holding either stock options or 401 (K) plans. As companies grow ever larger and cross national boundaries, individual employees affected by these changes have to become more proactive in countering these changes. So, here are a few things I have learned and am actively putting into practice. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary!

1. Live within your means. I know it's easier said than done, but frittering away your money on frivolous things is really not worth it. Do you actually need a double-whipped, venti, cappuccino latte everyday? Or for that matter, a pair of $200 jeans, a $50,000 car, dinner at fancy restaurants or the next fanciest cellphone?

2. Save money on a regular basis. It requires a little bit of discipline to get into this habit. Most people save money via 401 (K) plans or IRA. Do a little more and you will be surprised at how quickly your savings add up. You can then afford that vacation you've always wanted. Another little aspect to this is to never accumulate credit card debts. I've been fortunate enough not to have any credit card interest payment since 1996. Yay!

3. Work to live, not live to work. A wise man once said: "no one on the deathbed ever said, I wish I'd spent more time at the office." Do not misconstrue this to mean that you do the bare minimum on the job to keep your job. What I am saying is don't kill yourself on the job, otherwise you will be deeply disappointed when that layoff comes, and come it definitely will.

4. Constantly update your skills. This is a no-brainer really. After all, what your next employer will be interested in is what you can bring to the job, not how many hours you put into your previous job.

5. Never burn your bridges at work. Yeah, I know, we all have managers with whom we don't always see eye-to-eye. If you don't get along with your direct manager, ensure that you've made other allies at work; they may be able to provide good references for you.

6. Maintain and cultivate your network. Keep those business cards handy. Every person you meet at work outside of your direct network may become a good source for future jobs. On another note, join professional networking websites such as www.linkedin.com. It's also a good source to look up old acquaintances.

7. Don't take it personally. The business of business is to make money, period. So if you get laid off, think of it as a new lease on life. You can re-examine your options and think about how to get the next best job.

8. Have 6-8 months' living expenses. It does require a lot of discipline, but once you have the comfort that no matter what happens, you can live for at least 6 months without any income, you are that much better off. In my case, I don't have any mortgage payments to worry about. Another reason to live within your means, I suppose.

9. Have some "me time". Go ahead take that holiday you've always wanted. There is more to life than going to work each and everyday like a zombie. Many Americans are not used to living with themselves, and when a layoff comes, it becomes that much more difficult when you don't devote time to your self development.

10. Stay healthy. This is the best time to go to the gym regularly. You don't have the excuse of not having the time. This is also the perfect time to ride that bike, go on a hiking trip, travel, avoid junk food etc.

11. Read. It doesn't matter what you read, as long as you read something. And by the way, turn off that TV. A friend of mine once said -- and wise words at that -- TV is not a medium of communication, it's a substitute for communication. As for me, I've started reading again the complete works of Shakespeare, footnotes and all. Man, it's such a pleasure.

12. Get back to your cooking. Most Americans, don't find time to cook when they are so busy working. Try new cuisines -- the internets (sic) have tons of them.

13. Visit the local library. Yeah, almost every town or city has one or more libraries. They do have DVD's, books, cassette tapes you may want to check out. Go ahead, it's free.

14. Don't get too comfortable. After 6 months or so, lethargy begins to set in. Be careful.

15. Get off your ass and get the next job. Now that you've spent a relaxing time, get back to work. You will feel energized, I promise.

Ibidy, ibidy, ibidy, that's all folks!