2007, the year that was....

2007 was a very interesting year for me… it was filled with every emotion required to make a perfect Ekta Kapoor saga. It had anger, heartbreak, betrayal, friendships, career change, beer, good times and all that jazz… Time just flew by… I am in 2008 already but the memories on Jan 07 are still fresh in my mind…

I distinctly remember ushering into the year doing what I do every year…. Watch Alpha TV Marathi with my parents. I seriously don’t understand this yearly ritual… Here is what it goes like … Alpha TV Marathi, desperately waiting for 12:00, once than happens we wish each other a happy new year, light a diya … pray to have good year… hang the new calendar… cut a cake… and then goto sleep… ideally, I should be out partying with my peers… but somehow it hasn’t happened yet… so I duno for how long am gona have to do this Alpha TV routine…

Looking back at the events as they occurred…

January: Tushar was in town till the 2^nd week of Jan, so the first week was about Beer, Laughter, gummie bear candies :D, Fun and good times with my job at ICICI bank. It was followed by the annual suck fest, the ICICI Annual party! It sucked so bad, I seriously regretted showing up and spending so much on that super hot dress! After the party, we crashed at my cousins friends place… had loads of alcohol and I spent the night, on an international call … Mid- Jan was the period of Looooveeeeeee… It all felt like I was in a relationship, I had that special someone… we had that longing to meet… we were on the phone 24\7… everything was perfect and suddenly one day, he said he was flying down… I was over the moon!!! Excited, nervous, anxious, horny…every emotion u can think of, I was feeling it all at once! Butterflies in the stomach? No I think I was having Elephants! Then THERE he was… had the most memorable kiss of my life… I believed that this is it, nothing can go wrong now… this is it… while I was basking in this fuccckaad (façade), I was shattered when he asked… hey, are we exclusive? I was like, what the….??? It was like, hey u were dreaming all this while, wake up… this is not real… I felt like a joke, a victim, I felt rejected…like a looser…my whole world came crashing down then… all my dreams were shattered!!! Above all, I dint know the reason why this happened… I was thinking, what did I do wrong?

Lesson Learned: Don’t make someone a priority in your life, while you are just an option in their life.

February was spent putting the pieces back together and finding the courage to face everything again. A confrontation never happened; I was told I was being unfair n unreasonable instead. I decided to throw him out of my life…. At least I tried to…I had everything at stake… my friendship, my love, my life …and above all, My SANITY… I had not expected it, but I spent this Valentine’s Day also, ALONE… I am glad am blessed with people like Pooja and Shalaka in my life, who helped me put the pieces together by doing everything they can… Retail Therapy, Alcohol Therapy, Introducing me to cute guys Therapy, Cheese Cake Therapy. They also counseled me and made me understand that I dint deserve this, and there are a lot of people out there who will give me the respect I deserve… My job also kept me very busy to even think of all this crap. I used to forget everything while I was at work, or maybe all the effort went in putting up a happy face… I read this amazing book, He’s just not that into you, and THERE I was believing that I don’t need a man to make me feel good about myself. I decided to take charge of my life… I felt liberated…I also passed the NCFM exam with not so flying colors…. :P

Lesson learned: You always need people who would stand by you, laugh with you, cry with you… and also kick you in the ass when u need a reality check!

March: More soul searching… work load… crying myself to sleep… and the realization that I missed him so much! Everything I had decided went down the drain and I made that drunken call. I was back to nowhere again… hoping it will change, hoping it will work… and YES, being the doormat and all that jazz AGAIN! I am love fool, don’t blame me! I couldn’t help it….(Ok stop throwing stuff at me!!!)

Lesson learned: love makes you do stupid things!

April, nothing interesting happened ...I joined my animation class and attempted to finish the course. I was also serious about making a career in animation then, I worked towards getting an internship at Rhythm and Hues studios… I tried, I tried really hard to make that portfolio… it somehow never got sent…

Lesson learned: I am lazy!

May was sort of interesting work wise. I got trained in a new product (idirect) at work. Training was super fun, all I remember about the training is laughing like crazy! I did learn a lot, but more so I discovered that I can find anything funny and I can laugh at it for hours! Had my exams, I just had to nail that DSP bitch this time. I studied like crazy for weeks… and even after the exam I was sleepless thinking about the results for days… (Please god, leme pass this time types…). A cousin of mine got married; the worst part of it was the venue, Virar. By the time I got there all my makeup was smudged n I looked like a Raccoon! It was hot like a furnace! As always, I was introduced to a lot of wanabe grooms and their mothers… I was thinking, Hey! wana marry a Raccoon? Anyone?

Lesson learned: Do not wear Mascara in summer…

June, the worst month of my life! I was screwed at work; I messed up something really important. But I did mange it well, I spoke to customer and sweet talked him into not filing a claim or anything, I saved ICICI a lot of money! Then, someone had moved on and fallen for another girl. She turned him down, and guess what??? I was the shoulder to cry on! I had to hear how it went, he said, she said, give motivational speech (I’ve been there u know), I was there for him in spite of it all and then one more heartbreak… ALL this on my Birthday! The next day he was talking about getting hurt n stuff, I just lost it n told him have u ever considered what I go through after you hang up? The next day, he called another friend and whined about it… He somehow always has options, great huh? My b’day was not that bad otherwise. I had an awesome time at work, got a surprise from my bro and my EX TL, and got calls from long lost friends from every corner of the world, followed by Smirnoff with my cousin Archana! Puurrrfect! The rest of the month was not so good, I was putting the pieces back together again and trying to figure, what did I do wrong?

Lesson learned: 1. Honesty is appreciated; we just have to be brave enough to tell it.

2. Some people move on, and they move on REALLY fast!

July: More madness at work and my jigar ka tukda, Pooja decided to move to Dubai… It was heartbreaking to see her leave but I was also happy she was going there to have a good life, away from all the madness in Mumbai! I got my results; I am a Computer Engineer now! Finally nailed that engineering bitch after 7 long years! Yay! Beer on the house!!! Also Tush was back in town for 3 months, so it was more fun, beer, going out, more gummie bear candies (he also got me a little miss naughty t-shirt :P) and yea lots of laughing!!!

Lesson learned: 1.If you want to pass, study ur ass off!

2. Being a computer Engineer is sooooo cool! :D

August and September, just went by… I followed to routine on waking up, going to work, getting frustrated, banging my head on the desk, hating my TL, home, dinner and Sleep. Repeat.

Lesson learned: I need to get a life!

October was very interesting career wise. I was very frustrated at work, all coz it was very monotonous and I was a Computer engg so I dint need to do this good for nothing job! So…. I faked malaria, and started hunting for jobs…I got one as a Technical Writer at Jupiter Infomedia, I was very happy… and then I quit it in 2 days!!! Reason? I had to travel a looohhhooottt (take 2 trains and a bus to get there)… I hated the job, the office environment, and the people there! I went crazy in just 2 days! I had to write about these huge industrial machines. It was so bad, I thought of running out the door and escaping from there during lunch! I came back home, cried buckets and told my parents I dint want to go back there, like a lil girl who doesn’t want to go to school… I dint go back there. Started hunting for jobs frantically again and prayed loads. I got one at Praxis Technologies. I joined on 29^th Oct’07. This is when I met Pradeep (more about this in the next blog)… I like it here,I love my job, the people here, the smoke zone, everything about it actually! AND am working on a project for Microsoft! HOW COOL IS THAT ?

Lesson learned: 1. It’s ok to LIE for a good reason.

2. Always take control of things before you regret it!

November again was all about work, getting used to the new place, getting to know a few people, long conversations with Pradeep in the smoke zone and at lunch… getting stuck in traffic at Powai (this is still a major part of my life by the way…), document reviews, criticism and appreciation, dealing with some people ogling at me: women included, checking out a lota of cute n hot guys around... I sometimes felt like I was in heaven or something :P !

Lesson learned: Change is a good thing!

December was again work, brothers engagement, more fun times at work… I Went on a date with someone on 1^st Dec… went shopping at Globus n I bought an expensive Maroon T-shirt (which is our favorite ;)), it was a bit weird that day coz, I was doing my favorite thing, SHOPPING! But I just dint feel like it… We tried looking for a coffee day around, but we couldn’t find one. Then we ended up in a local hotel, ordered coffee and a grilled sandwich. We tried to strike a conversation, but then… somewhere in the hotels backyard people started singing Shabrimalla Aiiyaapa ,banging on mridungums n what not! I wanted to shoot them all dead! Shut up u Idiots, am trying to have a date here! We just couldn’t talk! But it was still sweet...i returned home ,smiling :D. Then there was an awesome X’mas (read Beer and awesome company) and new year’s eve J. Decorated the entire office for X’mas and I got my own X’mas tree for my desk, something I had wanted for a very long time! Got a very sweet gift from someone very special, more than the gift… it was the letter accompanying it that was incredibly sweet… someone also confessed a few things, and yes I was over the moon! I did like him, but then I was not really sure about my status with the other one, so again I was feeling every possible emotion, all at once! I was smitten, confused, happy… I felt special… I was drawn to his simplicity and honesty… but I was still not sure… went out with him a few times, got to know him better and yea, I really liked him! He made me feel really special, and this was something I hadn’t felt in a long time… and I think, I THINK, I was falling in love…

Lesson learned: Give love another chance… let it happen !

So this is what the year was about… Whirlwind would be the right word to describe it… but it was awesome! I ushered into 2008 with Alpha TV Marathi again… more details about what followed later… Happy New Year!