"Thank you Friday"

I am back with my “Thank you Friday”. Sorry for being away from this space. My big thanks goes to the most wonderful person who is always on the top of the world.
Preeti (love), her name itself speaks about her personality. She is full of love and warmth. I whole heartedly thank you for your friendship. With your talent, grace and magical touch you can make any one look beautiful. I am sure there are hundreds of them to vouch for this. Your artistic eye, attention to detail and gentle touch gives everyone a perfect look. You bring a smile on every girl/woman who walks into your parlour and make them feel special.

I thank you for:

• All the pampering and primping to keep my mood up
• Your time and patience when I was fussy
• Not refuting my appointments any time
• Adding the perfect touch to the perfect day

It’s been a fantastic journey so far (7 years); I hope this journey remains forever. I wish you loads of luck for your future endeavor.

"Thank You Friday"

Here I am with my fourth “Thank you Friday”. This goes to my wonderful cousins ‘Amrutha’ and ‘Vinod’. Yes, my little brother and sister.

I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for:

• All the endless love and affection that still surrounding me and keeping me happy
• All the worthy weekends spent in the last 2+ years
• Accompanying me for the movies(sitting through some disastrous movies)
• Being there with me during all the lonely days , when I needed the most
• All the innumerable trips to commercial street (clothes/footwear) for shopping
• Unwearyingly waiting when I was drowned in the heap of books(Landmark/Sapna)
• All the continual bike rides- anywhere and everywhere in Bangalore
• Attending all the(stranger)weddings with me

"Thank You Friday"

My third big thanks go to my PET team (ex), which is known as Performance Enhancement Team. This team is like my second home. I have wonderful memories to cherish all through my life. I learnt the significance of time management, commitment, perfection, and professionalism being in this team. It has made me independent, confident, emotionally strong, and has equipped me to face new challenges in life. I thank you guys with all my heart for the potlucks, team lunches/dinners/outings and weddings.

Here is a small depiction of the team members:

Pia:
A total “perfectionist & professional” If you weren’t a perfectionist, I wouldn’t have learnt to make good presentations. If you weren’t a professional, I wouldn’t have learnt the importance of time management. Thanks so much for transforming me into a new person.

Prashanth alias Pra-shaanth:
The name says it all- calm and composed. You are a person who has never said “No” for any of my requests. (Be it leaves, projects, tracking, new ideas- just about anything). Thanks for having that confidence in me and giving me all those wonderful opportunities.

Ramya alias Rammu:
You are as sweet as honey and as affectionate as a dear friend. You can charm anyone with your 1000 Watts smile. Your smile is like Sun-shine. Thanks for the utmost concern you show towards everyone (me!). Way to go Rammu!!!!!

Sowmya alias Sowm:
I have known you for a long time now. We share so many things in common (interests for -books, movies, food). I enjoyed being your neighbor from 3B to 1A. My love for reading grew stronger with you. Thanks for encouraging me to read. There is one unique thing about you, which I won’t forget. Guess what that is? It’s your sneeze. I’ll always remember you whenever I sneeze or anyone else sneezes.

Thiru alias Tkannu:
One word to describe you is - Committed. Your commitment to work is amazing Thiru!! I haven’t seen any one as focused as you. You are very sensitive and concerned about people around you. Thanks for making me smile with all your wonderful compliments (genuine) :-).

Arpita alias Orpita:
A Bengali beauty as sweet as Rasgulla and as hot as a mirchi. You are very soft spoken and friendly by nature. The only request I have for you is to eat more and put on some extra weight. It’s really nice knowing you Arpita. For some reason my old clothes always looked new for you. I wish I could shop that often to flaunt new clothes.

Latha alias Maami:
If someone has to learn how to balance their work life and personal life, we’ll have to learn that from you. I really admire the qualities in you as a daughter, wife, mom and a homemaker. Not to forget your awesome dressing sense and finger licking cooking skills. Thanks so much for all the good time we spent together at work/shopping.

Arnab alias Ornab alias Urban:
An artist who has not only good talent but also good heart. You are a highly talented and a creative person. Keep up your spirits!!! Thanks for making our workspace colorful. I have preserved all the drawings you did for me.

Kiran alias king of snakes’ alias Mama alias kannada putta:
Your sense of humor is awesome (I am still laughing at some of your jokes). Your dialogue “Oddu holag haksthini” has become a punch line among our goonda gang of PET. You very well know what you want in life and you go to achieve it. Thanks for making us live longer with your wittiest jokes.

Sumesh alias Bob alias Chander:
Bob, I have known you from the day one of AOL. You haven’t changed a bit till date. You are such a simple and innocent guy, be like this and don’t ever change (ahh, will help if you can remember things a bit though...). It’s hard to find people like you. Thanks for getting us all those yummy banana chips and prasadams from Kerala. Indian Railways has generated extra revenue with your frequent trips.Thanks for the journey from ITPL to Eco-Space.

Mahesh alias Max alias Maxi-Taxi:
Always smiling and banging his head (definitely for music). The first thing we notice about you is your lovely smile. Keep smiling Max! Any time I see a nice bike on the road, I only think about you. With those cool hairstyles and beards like stuff (what are they called, anyway?) and your pierced ears, you look like a rock star man!! Thanks for adding life to our work with your music.

Sada alias Sadu alias Sada-boy:
The total entertainer of the team. You are always upbeat and on your toes to play some pranks (especially with Arpita). Not to forget, the number of times you’ve played ‘Zombie’ song, By now I know that song by heart. Your bean bag sessions were definitely a break from our hectic schedule. Keep up the spirit!! Thanks for sharing those wonderful movies.

Nitin alias Tin Tin alias Zun Zun alias Zinger alias Zungerwad alias Tun Tun:
One person who is always helping and known as a friendly next door guy. I think you have more alias names than anyone around!! You are a very friendly, sincere and hardworking guy. Hope you find a match very soon (who does not change you). Thanks for the wonderful time we spent in the team. Wish you all the best for your weight gain (biceps) program.

Rakshith alias Haloppa:
I don’t think there is any such topic we haven’t discussed so far. Starting from movies (especially kannada) to politics and what not. Oh boy, how can we ever forget your Salman Khan's avatar (towel dance)? Thanks a ton for making me laugh on slow days; you have no idea what a booster it was for all of us. And all your one-liners are a big hit in the team. Keep up the hygiene I say!!

Harsha alias Nair
Harsha, you are one person I have met who is not biased and have a head on your shoulder. A smart Delhi girl who is bold, peppy and a good dancer too (saw the skills at Guhantara). Thanks for sharing the secret behind your clear skin which every girl envy!! It was really nice knowing you and having a friend like you.

Nilesh alias Nile’s café alias Neelu alias Neelsandra:
I’ve always heard about your coffee making skills from our smokers. You always have an SMS or 2 a day to remind us that “oh, here goes Nils”. Jokes apart, you are always a sport and I appreciate the sprit in you for quitting smokes. Hope your determination takes you a long way. Thanks so much for being a sport in the team.

Gaurav:
A simple, shy and quiet person in the team. We have had some interesting conversations/debates on some topics (mostly movies). Thanks so much for showing the significance of 'Baba'. I will always be grateful to you.

Dhivya alias RDX alias bomb alias loosu:
Do I really need to say anything about you? By now, everyone knows who you are(there are already 2 posts of yours on my blog). Thanks so much sweety for all the joy and laughter. You are the life of our team.

Thank you one and all for making life fun at AOL. We are more like a family than colleagues. I would like to welcome Arun and Pulok to the PET family. There are many more names to be included in this list, will surely do it sometime.

"Thank You Friday"

“Each day God sends his angels to guide us. We don't expect to see them with wings, or with halo flying above their heads. Instead, they come in disguise and we call them friends.”

I wanted to thank someone whom I’ve never thanked before. I didn’t have to rack my brains for this, it was simple. My ‘thank you’ goes to my wonderful friend Rajani. I Know I’ve never told you in the hurried rush of days, how much your friendship means to me. You are one of the most important people in my life. I don’t think I could have gotten through the last few years without you. Let’s leave behind the differences we had in the recent past. We have come a long way to be to what we are today.

I thank you for:

• Being a true acquaintance to me
• Listening to me when I desired to talk
• Organizing something fun when I looked-for a break
• All the special breakfasts that you cooked for me
• Guiding me through all phases of my life
• Accompanying me to all the movies (some good/some bad)
• All the dresses that you have specially designed for me
• All the surprise birthday parties! I can’t overlook any of them
• Endless shopping and fun-filled trips
• Motivating me to join gym and inspiring to stay fit

I fail with words to express my gratitude for all you have done. You are a true blessing for me.

"Thank You Friday"

Here I am with my first “Thank you Friday”.

We usually take relationships for granted, especially family members. I don’t know if it’s the Indian mentality; we don’t express love. Though, deep down our hearts we all love our parents and respect them. We seldom express it. We just assume that they know it and they understand. It’s just not our duty to love/thank them; we also need to communicate. We should stop taking such things for granted. I want to start my ‘Thank you Friday’ with my mom (I couldn't think of anyone else). She holds a special place in my heart. She is a guardian angel who protects me round the clock. She means a lot to me in every walk of my life.

This is my way of showing gratitude to the best mom in the world. I thank you for:

• Being “my mom”. You are a special gift sent by god and I always cherish it.
• Devoting your time, love and care in all these years.
• All the good times; laughter and tears.
• Protecting me from all the evils of the world.
• Lending your shoulders to cry, arms to comfort and lap to rest.
• Always being with me when I needed the most.
• Choosing the right companion for me. Niranjan is the best thing happened to me. I couldn’t have asked for more.
• Being a paramount cook in the world( who thinks that I live to eat, not eat to live).
• All the sleepless nights you’ve spent for me when I was unwell.
• All the temple visits that you’ve done (still doing) for me.
• For all the bittersweet fights (that made our relationship stronger).
• The concern you show me every single day by:
• Waking up in the middle of the night to see if I am sleeping peacefully.
• Packing my food to ensure I am hale and hearty.
• Staying awake for late hours- till I reach home.

For all the times I didn’t say it before. I thank you for everything. You mean a lot to me. Without you, my life is a zilch. I love you very much :-)

Joy of Thanking:

How often do we acknowledge someone with all our heart?

The answer is either ‘none’ or very few times. In this fast paced world, all of us are so lost that we are too busy to even notice someone’s work. This is a small exercise (resolution) for 2011 that I am going to do and recommend you all to do.

‘Gracias’,’ Danke’, 'Merci', 'Thanks'- simple and powerful words to bind, to build, and to behold. You’ll know its power, if you’ve ever gotten thanked or given thanks. It can make a difference in someone if you ever say it. It can also make a difference in a negative way if you don’t say it. So, better say it and make a difference!

Showing gratitude is an earnest sign that something nice has occurred to you. It gives you a chance to return positive emotions back to the giver.

All we need to do is to 'thank' someone and give a small little gift. This could be anyone, your parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, just about anyone. Give them a sweet little thing and be rewarded with their smile (priceless!). The gift should be something like you, your time or value. The gift should not involve something like your old clothes, footwear, bags, jewels or something else (which you want to do away with). These gifts DO NOT count. You should reward someone with what you mostly like and treasure. This rule is only because, it’s easy to part with things that have lost their value but not something you would penchant. This can be anything that ranges from your favorite pen to clothes

For my part, I am picking up on chocolates! I being a true ‘chocoholic’ decided to give away (I don’t like to share my chocolates) the wonderful bundle of joy, to the one whom I sincerely want to 'thank'. I promise I’ll share the details with you all.

One post every Friday will be devoted to this. Let’s call this as “Thank you Friday”.