Enjoy long weekends this year

Are you among those people who want some time off from their office and office work? Are you one of those who want some more time for themselves and for their family? If your answer to these questions is 'YES', then you should read on this article.

Most of the people always look for a break from office work and spend time on other things like travel, visit someone or simply relax at home. Usually you get only 2 days (sat &sun) in a weekend but what if your weekend gets extended. And what if you get a series of long weekends? Yes, you heard it right! a series of long weekends. It will provide you more time to spend with family and friends and more time for yourself. You can even plan a mini vacation to your nearby exotic location.

The current year, i.e, 2014, promises 15 long weekends that you can utilize. The first one got over but there are 14 long weekends still left. The list of weekends is:


1.  Jan 11 (Sat)                                                 2.  Feb 27 (Thu, Maha Shiv Ratri)
     Jan 12 (Sun)                                                     Feb 28 (Fri, take leave :-D)
     Jan 13 (Mon, Lohri)                                           Mar 1 (Sat)
     Jan 14 (Makar Sakranti) -> Got over :-(          Mar 2 (Sun)

3.  Mar 15 (Sat)                                               4.  Apr 5 (Sat)
     Mar 16 (Sun)                                                   Apr 6 (Sun)
     Mar 17 (Mon, Holi)                                           Apr 7 (Mon, Ram Navami )

5.  Apr 12 (Sat)                                                6.  May 1 (Thu, May day*)
     Apr 13 (Sun)                                                    May 2 (Fri, take leave :-D)
     Apr 14 (Mon, Dr. Ambedkar Jayanti )              May 3 (Sat)
                                                                              May 4 (Sun)

7.  Jul 26 (Sat)                                                 8.  Aug 15 (Fri, Independence Day)
     Jul 27 (Sun)                                                     Aug 16 (Sat)
     Jul 28 (Mon, take leave :-D)                            Aug 17 (Sun)
     Jul 29 (Tue, Eid-ul-Fiter)                                  Aug 18 (Mon, Janmashtami)


9.  Aug 29 (Fri, Ganesh Chaturthi)                  10.  Oct 2 (Thu, Gandhi Jayanti)
     Aug 30 (Sat)                                                      Oct 3 (Fri, Dussehra)
     Aug 31 (Sun)                                                     Oct 4 (Sat)
                                                                                Oct 5 (Sun)
                                                                                Oct 6 (Mon, Eid-ul-Zuha)

11.  Oct 23 (Thu, Deepawali)                         12.  Nov 1 (Sat)
       Oct 24 (Fri, take leave :-D)                             Nov 2 (Sun)
       Oct 25 (Sat)                                                    Nov 3 (Mon, take leave :-D)
       Oct 26 (Sun)                                                   Nov 4 (Tue, Muharram)

13.  Nov 6 (Thu, Guru Nanak Jayanti)            14.  Dec 25 (Thu, Christmas)
       Nov 7 (Fri, take leave :-D)                               Dec 26 (Fri, take leave :-D)
       Nov 8 (Sat)                                                      Dec 27 (Sat)
       Nov 9 (Sun)                                                     Dec 28 (Sun)

* May day is also known as 'World Labour Day' or 'International Labour Day'.

These are the 14 weekends you can enjoy this year. Do what you've wanted to do and plan weekends accordingly. Since this year has 15 long weekends (now 14), you can plan each weekend in a different way. So what are you waiting for? Start planning and make your weekends in 2014 memorable.

HAPPY WEEKENDS :-)

How Valentine's Day started

With the begining of February, the count down for Valentine's Day starts. All of us, mostly couples, wait for this day eagerly. We make plans for V-day and when the day arrives, we execute our plans and celebrate. But only a few of us knows about the history and origin of Valentine's Day. While we all are busy celebrating the day of love, it is good to have knowledge that why do we celebrate this day and how it started.

"Saint Valentine's Day" or simply "Valentine's Day" is celebrated on February 14 in many countries, though it it is not a holiday in most of them. The story of V-day begins during the active years of Roman Empire which held a festival every February. This festival was held in the honor of the God of fertility and during festival young men would get to choose their mate. That time marriage was a common occurrence, but when Claudius (10 BC - 54 AD) became emperor he outlawed this festival fearing that men would not want to leave their wives and refuse their duty to fight. But young couples still fell in love and wished to marry. They took their problem to then Catholic Bishop Valentine. Valentine, himself a believer of love, began to secretly marry couples. When Claudius found out, he arrested Valentine and ordered death penalty for him. While in jail, Valentine started exchanging letters with jailer's daughter and soon they fell in love. On the day of his death, he wrote one last letter and signed it "from your Valentine".

Many years after death of Valentine, in 496 AD Christianity has taken over Rome but the festival of marriage was still popular (after Claudius reign, festival was again started). Pope Gelasius wanted to replace this festival with something more appropriate so  he restricted this festival and chose a day in February to honor the martyr St. Valentine . The chosen day was 14 day of the month. From that day on wards, February 14 is observed and celebrated every year as The day of love or Valentine's Day.

Now you know why we celebrate this Day of Love. Spread this knowledge with others and more importantly, spread love. That is what this day is all about.      HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY :-)

For those who are single this Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is about to knock the door and many among us are still single. If you are single this  V-day then it is natural to be in a sulky mood, specially if you've broken up or divorced recently. Such situations generally leads to depression and loneliness. Escaping the love in the air on this day might be difficult for you but you need an escape to cope up with your loneliness.

Here are few tips you can use this V-day to leave loneliness behind and enjoy the day:

Decide to be happy
It is difficult to feel happy when you are dealing with problems and loneliness, but if you decide you can overcome it. Just decide that you'll be happy no matter whatever comes in your way. At times, keep reminding yourself to be happy and you'll automatically start feeling better.

Don't sit at home

Sitting alone at home will only remind you of your problem and loneliness. There is no point of doing it. This will make you feel more miserable. Take it as just another day. Go out and enjoy.

NOTE: Promise yourself that you won't shout at anybody who wishes you today.

Indulge in yourself

Since V-day is all about love, spending the day loving yourself makes sense. Do whatever that makes you happy. It can be your hobby,playing a musical instrument, playing with a pet, painting, dancing, singing.It can be anything. Just do it.

Go out with your single friends

There might be some friend/s of you who is also single this V-day. You can use this opportunity to hang out with your friend. You can go to your local market or a mall or anywhere you want. This will make you happy and relaxed.

Call your old friends

If you don't have ideas for what to do on this V-day, calling your old friends will be a good option. Call all of your old friends whom you haven't contacted since a long time. Old friends are like lifeline for us. They understand us. Talking to old friends gives a soothing experience. Just pick up the phone and start dialing numbers.

Take yourself out for a dinner

All your friends are busy and you don't have someone to spend time with. Don't be sad. You yourself are your first friend and you are wonderful. You should treat yourself for being so wonderful this V-day. Just dress and take yourself out for a treat to your favourite restaurant. Having a meal alone with good music playing in the background can actually lift your mood. So don't wait for someone. Just treat yourself.

Watch your favourite movies/ play games

If nothing works, then get DVDs of your favourite movies and enjoy them whole day. I t can be romantic or comedy or action or whatever you like most. Don't forget popcorn, chips and soft drinks.

You can play your favourite video games also. Just grab them and start playing. 

4 Valentine tips to make your lady love fall for you

Valentine's day is just few days away and as a guy, you would like to gift her something that she would fall for. Love is all about trusting each other, enjoying each others' company and spending quality time together. You would like to make this quality time more special and more memorable one. Care and gestures are attachment and have much more power than physical gifts to show her your love.

Here's a list of things, other than gifting, that you can do to make your lady love go weak at her knees:

1. Sing her favourite song

Learn her favourite song by heart and sing it for her. You might not be a great singer, but with little preparation not only you can get her appreciation for your efforts that you've put in but also you can make her love you even more. So go ahead, sing her favourite song and prove yourself a good boyfriend.

NOTE: Don't mess up with lyrics and tune as it can make your effort look under prepared.

2. Make her wish come true

She might have told you someday that she would like to do certain things or to visit some place she haven't visited before but forgot due to busy schedule and other commitments. It is the correct time to make her wish come true. Isn't it..?  Yeah, it is.
Plan the entire visit in advance so that you don't have to waste your time looking for what to do next. As she do not remember her wish, you can show your effort as a surprise gift for her. This will show your care for her and her happiness. By doing so you can make your love more strong.
So use your memory and recall what she had wished to do but couldn't and use this opportunity to express your love.

3. Wear her favourite color

You know what her favourite color is.  Right..??   Wear her favourite color when you take her out on the special day. Girls are more attracted towards color than guys. Your this effort will definitely please her. What if her favourite color is pink. Its a big NO. This color might not suit you on such a special day.
The solution to this is that just grab the same clothes that you wore when you first took her out/proposed to her. Girls notice, and appreciate such small things.

4. Do what she likes

You might not get a chance to plan your V-day due to commitments but still you are left with many options.
You can please your lady love by engaging yourself in an activity that she likes. For example, she might like watching emotional romantic movies and you might dislike it. But, during this season of love, its all about opting for her favourites and not yours.
Take her to a movie she would like to see or borrow a DVD of her favourite movie and spend a romantic evening with hand in hand and cuddling. Bring in popcorn, chips and cold drinks. Your small effort to make your quality time more enjoyable will work much more in your favour than an expensive candlelight dinner.

Try these ideas to make your lady love feel more loved and more special. In this season of love, fill her life with your love, care and warmth.

Good Luck  :-)