CHAPTER 2 – Why Annapurna Circuit??

Annapurna Circuit is one of the most beautiful treks you could do in Central Nepal. The geography is slightly different to that of any trek in Himalayan Range. This is a trek that mostly everyone does anti clock wise due to quick altitude gains you would experience if you are doing otherwise which is not safer and recommended.

During this trek, you sight the beauties of Annapurna I to IV, Manaslu, Tilicho Peak, Dhaulagiri, Machchapuchchre and Pisang Peak – all in the range of 6000m – 8000m. The view everyday are beyond breathtaking in every possible sense.

The absolute breathtaking views during the trek

Given that the full trek is anywhere between 160km – 230km depending on where you begin and end, you also come across multitude of cultures and villages throughout your journey making it one of the best long treks you could take up. The Tibetan culture that you could experience in the Manang Valley as well as in parts of lower Mustang is beyond admirable.

There is never a day with a bad scenery. Each day has something new to offer

Trek starts in Besisahar and throughout mostly goes in parallel to Marsyangdi river for the most part of the trek.  Most trekkers do take the high trail from Upper Pisang via Gyaru and Ngawal to Manang as the view are extremely breathtaking and it helps with the altitude through better acclimatization as well. Also, some of the best-preserved Tibetan villages in their original state is something you could experience as well.

City of Besisahar

Preserved Tibetan Villages

And finally, this was a solo trek! It was going to be just me for 15 days! I was extremely anxious and knew I will have no one to share anything with except myself. There were many days, I tried not to think too much of the detail or what could go wrong. I remember during the Everest Base Camp trek, around 8^th day, we all cried. No one knew why we were crying – it was different reasons for different individuals. But we all did. It was more of a distraction from the fatigue – if I am to look at it from a different perspective now.

So it is all ready now. All that is left is a bag to be packed and a flight to board.

Next up - CHAPTER 3: Landed in Kathmandu - Prep days are fun!

Note: Some of the pictures are extracted from google as I did not have a good camera to capture all of it to preserve the natural beauty

Passion, it is !

Does the Sri Lankan job market embrace Gen Y as they are?

Gen Y by its definition is revolutionary and has more interests in diversified areas. Most young professionals have career interests in diversified fields and shows potential in learning faster and expanding their learning horizons compared to the Gen X. I have met many individuals who have various interests in different fields who are willing to take up different functions and work in different industries but the biggest challenge that is faced by many of them is that the  job market not allowing them to do so.

If you look at any job advertisement, job description, most highlight the relevant industry experience as a must neglecting the fact that an individual who is fast in grasping concepts, who has excelled in many different areas, who has performed extraordinarily in professional exams, who has managed time between work and studies, who have performed well in their current functions could well be the next leader for an industry that they are new to. This might not work in very specialized industries such as software development if the requirement is a coder but there are so many other functional areas from marketing , branding, management accounting, analysis, research,operations management,etc where the diversification actually could bring in new blood to the organization.

I am not certain if it is the risk averse nature of the Sri Lankan job market and corporate that doesn't facilitate the diversification at greater extent, but in my opinion it does affect and limit the capacity of most of young individuals who are ready to take up challenges in unknown horizons. Learning the building blocks of the industry is something that can be done on the job always, it is the qualities such as creativity, determination, work ethic, willingness to take risks, hard work, multitasking capability and ability to grasp new concepts that are key to success in today's competitive business environment. So why not give a chance to an individual who has excelled in many other areas a chance to prove him/herself?

In my opinion, risk adverseness in current corporate  are largely due to the non availability of succession planning within the Organization. Most of the time, the recruited individuals are expected to perform as soon as they join in. I believe with the changing environments and given the entrepreneurial spirit in Gen Y members, it is critical that Organizations have a succession planning strategy where individuals with diversified experiences are brought in to the Organization and industry exposure is given so a new perspective is allowed in decision making. This would not only be a ground for success for Organizations but also for young individuals who have started their career at very early ages and who are ready to take up challenges no matter  what they are exposed to.

It is true that Industry experts are required to head an Organization, Unit , Division but if the doors are opened for individuals with diversified industry experiences, I am certain there will be a flow of cross industrial best practices that can facilitate growth in any given Organization. Sri Lanka is not yet there in terms of being open to young dynamic resources but it could be the right time for Sri Lankan job market as well as corporate to re-think their strategies to get the best out of the Gen Y.

They are different and they want it differently.

Ready To Be Special?

Every human being in this world is born the same way. For that matter conceived in the same way during a process which is same and spends nine months of their life in a similar fashion and then inhales and exhales throughout their existence until the last breath is taken after which is death is common to all.

But how many of us do understand this truth of being able to live an extraordinary life in a special way is something that you make out of yourself and has nothing to do with what we bring in to this world.

We all want to be special. Be recognized. Live extraordinary life styles, but how many of us act upon or embrace the little opportunities we come across in our life with both hands? How many of us want to make that commitment today for a better tomorrow?