My REEL n REAL life Stars ;)

Well though after reading this post it may seem that I am inspired by almost everyone and anyone around but then that's what I have always believed in life that no matter how un-special a person may be he/she has atleast one such quality which makes him/her a real-life star atleast for someone. But then it depends on us how we harness that quality. Here's to a random list people in my mind, both from reel n real life, who have left a lasting impression on my heart n mind:

1. There was a serial aired on DD-1 named 'Udaan'....the female lead inspired me to become an IAS...though all I could become in life was just another Engineer.Well that has inpired me to make a soap on budding engineers...hope watching that someday some gal would become an IAS :P :D
2.  PT Usha was my greatest source of inspiration for a long time and believe me  I wanted to be an athelete like her at one point in my life but thanks to papa ka tamaccha India would never know about the greatest "runner" ever born :P
3. Kalpana Chawla inspired me to fall in love with stars. I still look at the star studded night each day and imagine if I could reach there just for once. 
4. Rabri Devi inspired me to select the best husband who could even make an uneducated lady into a Chief Minister ;)
5. Steffi Graf and Pete Sampras who made me fall in 'LOVE" with tennis. Roger Federer just sealed the bond further.
6. Shahrukh Khan....I just hope he inspires my future husband whoever he is...kyuki no one other than him can so gracefully accept the fact that vo "juru ka ghulam" hai :P :P .On a serious note, SRK has the most amazing sense of humor for he knows to laugh at himself which not only requires courage but also wit ;)
7. Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling have instilled in me the required confidence with which I have started writing this blog and will hopefully write a book someday for I now know that people do believe in fantasies.
8. 'Monica' of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fame, for I believe I  am like her in more ways than one and in my solitary hours in hostel she alongwith Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Rachael have been like my next door neighbours too for quite a long time.
9.  Character of Kareena in JAb WE Met....that gal is an inspiration for a lot of the gals m sure...she has just made me fall in love with myself :P Also special mention to Ekta Kapoor...for I didnt know of what the females were capable of in 'REAL' life but sure enough the world knows now... :P
10. Hrithik Roshan,....sorry people I have no specific reason for inspiration from him but he was my 1st love...1st crush ever ;) so just had to mention him

...n now for some REAL stars...

1. My LKG teachers, Ms. Molly and Ms. Judy, inspired me to learn dancing(how n why that's a secret known to others who were in same class as me) :P :P . They taught me my 1st letters and I would be nothing without them.
2. A servant named "Pappu" who had served us for a long time. Well he helped me a lot with my unfinished meals and thus saving me from mummy ki maar. 
3. "Raanu" for just being the best friend, the best critic, n the best 'Wall' I have ever known.
4. "Vicco"...I know she would kill me if I didnt mention her name in this list. n yea U definitely are the bestest friend sweetheart not just best so don't get jealous if I gave away the best friend title to some1 else :P .We have been friends for like a  lifetime and I think she hasn't changed one bit...kudos to the consistency gal...aaj bhi "Mummy daantegi"(hope u remember that ;) )
5. "Nikki"...she taught me selfless service. I havent ever met a girl who's so willing to help others and then forget all about it. Sweetheart U Rock...God bless U!
6. "Rathuuuu" aka Shweta Rathi...well I can just say you made me meet myself after a long interval of time. You inspired me to be self-obsessed and "dance" away the worries of life. I am a big fan of you darling....and since we 2 are the best...just wanna ask u one simple thing...."Will U marry me?"..coz there's no btr match for the best than the best ;)
7. My maasi who inspired me to learn to cook...she makes some of the most amazing dishes. Maasi U make me miss those old summer vacations all over again.
8. My bro ..who inspired me to be sincere in life....he still drives me crazy when he scores 92 in chemistry and is favourite student of MR. B.N. Jha, a teacher who never associated even 'S' of 'Sincerity' with me ;)
9. My dad inspired me to always remember that I am just 'Preeti'...and that all I could do was borrow his surname but then one day I had to make a name of my own in this world! Luv U Dad!!
10. And last but not the least...my ma....c inspired me to b someone I could face everyday in the mirror...thanks ma! I might not say often but I owe you everything I am!

Ahhhh...well there are still so many more names that I haven't included...but I just want all my friends and people to know that you all are just as special....luv u all!

My Socially Networked Circle of Friends ;)

Just yesterday I happened to log into my facebook account after a long time and was surprised to see that the world was still where I had left it...some busy updating their status...some uploading pics..some taking the hilarious quizzes that facebook is know for. It was somehow comforting to know that the people I was familiar with were still around and had not just vanished into their cozy office cubicles like me. I don't think I understood most of the communication that was happening between different groups of friends in my list but it was comforting to just read their chat and feel the spirit of the friendly banter of which even I was a part not long ago.
While browsing through various updates, I happened to see newly uploaded pics of one of my ol school frens. She had got married just the year before and was happily settled in her new role as a wife and as a daughter-in-law. It was difficult for me to picture myself dawning that role someday in my life...I mean somehow it seemed a task with too much responsibility for which I wouldn't be ready ever :P .I had been invited to her wedding but thanks to my pre-job training that I couldn't be a part of her big day. While browsing through her pics I happened to see one of the pics which was taken in Pune that too a month back. I don't know why but that slight bit of information hurt me. Do people change so much after marriage? Aren't we the same friends who used to be excited about meeting each other in school every morning?
Maybe years of growing up takes its toll on us and instead of cherishing our old school buddies we start seeing them as strangers who no longer have anything common with our lives. I don't know about the guys but for gals marriage means an entire renovation of the life they had led uptil then. I don't know the reason why my friend didn't contact me even once and I don't know if I would have been delighted to meet her or not. But as of now I feel a sense of pain deep down to acknowledge the fact that facebook and orkut may have definitely flooded my freind list with familiar faces and names but they are no longer the same people that I knew.
Everyday social networking is growing as a business. It is the new age mantra to excel but what part of this "social networking" is really "social"(please look up the word in dictionary for exact meaning)? I wonder why do I have 300 to 400 odd people in my friend list when I hardly converse with any of them. The ones I converse with are either amongst my "current" friend circle whom I meet regularly these days or are amongst the closest oldest eternal buddies that I have know for like a ...lifetime! It may then seem appropriate if I remove the other people in my list who, it may seem, are just creating a kind of traffic congestion on my "social network". This would then imply that I only stay connected with my closest buddies and no one else. However,  it would be like travelling in an aeroplane which sure enough takes you from place A to B in shortest period of time. But then doesn't gurantee the same adventuresome trip that you might have on a train which stops at every possible station and you could get down and have a walk down an XYZ city's platform which perhaps you may never have a chance to visit otherwise!
Well just imagine a scenario of about 5-6 years back when people hardly talked of sites like orkut or facebook. In those days having a chat id was the latest and coolest way to stay in touch. But then how many people did you have max in ur chat list...30-40 ok max 100...but then having someone on ur chat list meant you had or would have something to chat with them. Orkut and facebook has reduced this compulsion in a smarter and must say friendlier way by allowing us to stay connected with more people without the actual need of talking to each one of them individually. Thanks to the new entrant in this sector- "TWITTER" which has further simplified the whole communication process. All I need to do is tweet of what I am upto and others are saved from asking similar sounding questions like "wassup" or "howdy" !
Though must say that I m a big fan of technology myself but then at times I wonder where technology has brought us today. Are we embracing social networking which limits our feelings to mere tweets? Is technology providing us a cutting-edge in maintaining long lasting relationships or merely increasing the count of my friend list everyday? I don't know friends if Orkut and Facebook is a boon or curse but then to all my friends all I can say is that "kamino sirf friend reqst bhejne se dost nahi bante ...galti se hi hello bhi kar liya karo " :P :P :D

Is it easy to remember or hard to forget?

It's 4am and I am sitting idle wondering what should I blog about! I know it's rather a weird hour and time to think of something like a blog but then I strongly believe in the sentiments voiced out by my ideal in 'Jab We Met' - "Weird lag raha hai na...toh karna chahiye"...
Well while I was sitting on the couch and watching some random music channels, a thousand things were going on inside my head- old memories of friends, foes, strangers I had met, happy times n creepy times. It was amazing how even a simple cup of tea could bring back memories of old times. I was wondering if it was easy to remember things or was it  hard to forget them! Just penning downsome random thoughts ...

• Is it easy to remember the fairy tales and adventure stories that one used to hear from grandpas n grandmas as a kid or is it hard to forget those stories coz they are the best memories we have of our grand-parents?
• Is it easy to remember the first school we went to coz thr we met the 1st 'idiots' we called chaddi buddies or is it hard to forget that school coz most of the friends we met there are no longer the idiots we knew?
• Is it easy to remember the 1st time we flunked in a test and the scolding/slap we received for the "acheivement" from dad or is it hard to forget that failure coz now there's no1 to bother if you pass or fail in the everyday tests of your daily life?
• Is it easy to remember the first trophy we got for outstanding performance coz that reminds us of our excellence or is it hard to forget coz it's hard to imagine how a thing as simple as a 'trophy' could make us happy?
• Is it easy to remember the first love of our life coz that feeling still stirs strings of innocent n happy memories or is it hard to forget the first time we loved selflessly and got dumped?
• Is it easy to remember your first job coz you that was the 1st time you were excited about working or is it difficult to forget it coz it was also the last time you were excited about working?
• Is it easy to remember your first car/bike coz it symbolized your first possession from your hard-earned money or is it difficult to forget it coz you are still paying the installments of the EMI you took to buy that?
• Is it easy to remember the first time you got drunk coz it was the 1st time you didnt remember the "wild" fun you had after that or is it hard to forget the day that got you used to a drink that always made you forget the fun you had?
• Is it easy to remember the first time you were cried all alone coz you didn't know who else could act as the 'wall' or is it hard to forget that it was the time when you so desperately wanted to run away from the world and celebrate your failures by yourself?
• Is it easy to remember the things that made you happy in life coz that still brings a smile on your lips or is it just too hard to forget those moments as you can't have them back ever?

While I keep wondering you can go ahead and do some thinking yourself if any of the points above made any sense to you.. :)

Valentine's Day "BLAST"

It was just another beautiful Saturday evening when usually Koregaon Park, considered heart of the city, is abuzz with young chirping crowd of people. 13th of February meant that there were lots of couples out there at different restaurants, or taking a stroll down the lanes of Koregaon Park waiting for the clock to strike 12 so that they could make their love vows irrespective of the caste, creed, state, country or any other form of human drawn boundaries. Young guys and gals walking hand-in-hand, OSHO followers clad in their maroon gowns, some buying cakes at the bakery for the special occasion at night, others in groups of friends taking sips of their favourite evening tea and loads of other unknown people from different sections of society moved about carelessly on the streets unaware of the disaster which was about to strike. But at about 7:00 all this excitement, happiness and many lives were blown apart into pieces by a bomb planted in one of the popular hangout places in KP- “German Bakery”.


After scanning all the news channel for hours where people were busy discussing if its a bomb blast or just explosion of gas cylinders, I, along with my friend Rathi, decided to just take a walk down the lane which was known for its high-profile party atmosphere on weekends. The lane was all deserted today with a few people moving about and mostly on phones trying to assure people on the other end of the line that everything was "FINE". It seemed weird, and I kind of missed the happy-go-lucky faces on the lane....the faces which I did not know but which reflected that life was all about living for the moment!

The news channels and reports say that 9 people died and only about 40-50 injured in the blast. But if you look deeply, I would say that the entire Pune is injured irrespective of the fact if they are born in Pune or in Bihar or in Taiwan. Pardon me for saying Bihar exclusively but with all this North Indian drama going on in the background I wonder if the MNS or Shiv Sena would now go and say "Sorry" to the families of the so-called "Outsiders" in the city if they were injured in the blast inspite of the fact that they were not considered a part of the city? The injury may or may not be visible externally but what's injured in this blast is the heart and soul of the city. People would now be scared of even going out for a stroll. They would be scared of sitting at a place like 'German Bakery' and taking relaxed sips of their cup of tea/coffee with friends. On the personal front, I would miss 'German Bakery'...though I wasn’t a frequent visitor there yet the place was symbolic of the loads of memories I have had in this wonderful city of Pune as a student and of lately as a working professional. Had the Police been on their alert instead of guarding the cinema halls for Shiv Sena activists, perhaps this blast could have been avoided. Maybe the Shiv Sainiks can now proudly shout their victory slogans...afterall they stopped the anti-Indian from releasing his movie though they couldn’t stop a terrorist attack!

By afternoon of 14th, the site had become a place of outing. The street which was symbolic of life and fun on other days was full of media vans and police troops today. People thronged in huge numbers. All of them stood silent and watched. It was a strange feeling for me to stand there and watch the mayhem. There were people of all age groups standing there and watching the scene. I wondered what was it that they were watching. Were they feeling sorry for the ones who had been affected? Or were they moved by the inhuman incident that had the city grieving? Or were they merely mute spectators like me trying hard to actually believe that such a thing had happened?

As the time passes by, people would forget this blast, people would forget that there was a place called 'German Bakery', people would party in the same careless spirit(I wish that happens soon) afterall thats what we have learnt from 3 Idiots- "Aal Izz Well". But how good is that attitude? Is forgetting and moving on with life always a good option? Shouldn't we stop at some point and think about what happened, and why it happened and how could we stop that in future? Or we may just choose to let the things pass...we may just choose to let few or lot more such places and lives be blown apart....and just keep saying "Aal izz well"!!!

Training ke sunehere din

Training at DLF started on 12th Jan. It was supposed to be a new domain of technology for all of us. The new office has a beautiful ambience and the look and feel of it somehow made up for the distance we had to travel to reach. Our faculty Vijay Sir was the best faculty we could have got. The initial days of training were very serious and boring....for everyone was trying to be sincere and attentive in the sessions.
Rathi didn’t want to b toned down but somehow I had managed to bring her down at a low energy state wherein she didn’t create the ruckus which we were known for in TVM. The two of us used to sit next to each other in the last row n chat on our lifeline ‘Samtime’. We were capable of doing bakwaas entire day with each other only if no one else was available. Antakshari n other gossips on sametime kept us alive during the tuff initial days when everyone was so engrossed in the training materials. If we had any doubts regarding the seriousness of people around us...Chai n Kavi changed the slightest bit of hopes we might have had. They asked such ‘intelligent’(read ‘weird’) doubts that we wondered if we would ever clear the exit test that were supposed to happen after every topic was covered! Worst still Chai n Sir had such compatibility that they shared technical jokes which only the two of them understood n laughed at!! There was a stage when I wondered if Shweta n I were the only ultimate fools who couldn’t even get d jokes..leav alon lauff at them...but anyws we never showed that and instead laughed at it lik everyone else. Though later the truth was out that every1 laughed coz even they didn’t get what Chai was laughing on!!!
The lunch and breaks used to be a serious affair. Guys n gals had an Indo-Pak relation kinda thing...no1 dared to get into each other’s line of control even at dining tables. It was like people here were on a serious mission and didn’t believe in exchanging even formalities of daily courtesies like ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’...infact I think they would have preferred to remain strangers.I remember discussing over this wid Shweta after which Shweta sent out the ultimate formal announcement on Sametime to every1 in the batch to atleast have lunch together. Afterall being the CR and Shweta being A-CR we had some responsibilities. Atleast that was the 1st start to building up a ‘Hi-Hello’ thing. It took time but slowly and steadily people atleast got together for tea n coffee.
Then came up the exit-tests and it was time for everyone to get serious again...everyone except Shweta and me. We had more important stuffs on mind like going Mumbai to Priya n Adi or for that matter my ‘GO GOA’ campaigns at every possible holiday! But somehow we managed to clear the tests. The tea-coffee sessions had slowly n steadily had helped us in atleast initiating a conversation. Then there were treats every now and then for some weird reason or the other...Shweta being the preferred ‘waiter’ in all of them..(I wonder if she earned a good ‘tip’ for that :P ..sory abt tat Rathi :D).
The biggest help in knitting us all together was again the dear dearer n dearest – SAMETIME. There was a period when every1 (except Chai offcourse!) was engrossed in group chat rather than in the sessions. And at times it would happen that Sir would crack one of his techie-stuffs and we would laugh at it on like it was the most hilarious thing we had ever heard...I’m sure even Sir had started suspecting if all of a sudden his jokes had attained ‘Santa-Banta’ status!!
Kya din the wo training ke...I can just go on and on about it. I wish our present training was even half as enjoyable as that...

A new beginning

"No friendships exist in professional world!!!"

---Atleast thats what I had heard and would have believed if I hadn't met a crazy batch of 16 people during my training period! After a rocking experience at Trivandrum during my 1st phase training I had hardly expected any of my future working days to parallel the experience...but then life is all about improbabilities!
My 2nd phase training was to be conducted in Pune from 9th of Jan...the only other person whom I knew in my batch was Shweta n vice-versa for her 2. We had become frens only during the TVM days though we were in same college for 4 years n were infact in same branch also! Perhaps that's what u call irony! We were really missing Priya n AAAaadu...our partners in crime at TVM. Together we four had professionally reached the heights of unprofessionalism!

The 1st day we were supposed to report at Quadra. I had mixed feelings about my second phase of training. I had been given stream mainframe of which I knew nothing. There were 16 other people in my batch out of which I knew just 1. I didn’t know what the training would be like. With so many uncertainities I was about to start a new journey of my life. The 1st new person I met that day was a girl called Vijetha...who I had never thot would become such a dear friend that c is today to me! She looked confused though now I have come to realize that infact that is the expression that comes to her naturally. Later that day we came to know that we wud have our training at DLF and that wasn’t a great news for many of us for it was very far off from the city. Anyways we didn’t have any choice or say in the matter. The day passed off with boring induction sessions which we were having for the ‘n’th time now. We also watched a movie called ‘Babe’.

In all it was a good day. The feel of the office was not great when compared to the training centre at Trivandrum but then it was going to be my office from now on and so had to settle down. The next day mainframe batch had to report at DLF. I was very skeptical about the new training and must say I had never expected that everything would fall into place so well...and must say my batch-mates really turned out to be a surprise package in the end!!!
Fir milenge... break ke baad....

Earthquake in Pune on 17th September '08

How often are people brought out of their deep slumber by bed acting as an alarm clock....confused?? Well thats just what happened to me today and before you start thinking that I may be out of my mind or anything lemme just tell you that its wasn't a magic but the earthquake which hit the city early morning of 17th Sep '08 around 3:25am!
At first I just lay still in my bed trying to figure out what had just happened...it was scary must confess and having seen RGV's "Bhoot" just a few days back I was tempted to think it was some kind of "Black Magic" perhaps. And just as I was speculating other possibilities...my room-mate woke up with a jolt announcing "Earthquake aaya tha!!"...that should have struck me but forgive my foolish self for I often tend to complicate even simple solutions :P . I guess other people who awoke took as much time to come to any conclusion for it was only after a while that cells started buzzing with calls n sms about the tremor. We checked on TV, internet...but probably the world was still asleep while the quake passed. It must be been around 4-5 on richter scale for sure for it shook our complete bed, fan and window panes for about a minute or half.
Just hope that there isn't any destruction 'coz of it for what seems as an adventure now may have catastrophic effect by the time the world awakes to this realization tomorrow! It was my 2nd LIVE experience of Earthquake in Pune and I just pray that it may pass off without causing any damage. Well News Channels will be abuzz with this news all day tomorrow....so I guess my work here as first hand reporter is done and I better go off to sleep before my actual alarm starts shrieking few hours from now.
Gooodnight Earthquake.....