My full name is Penugonda Naga Venkata Ratna Veni Sri Divya. Thanks to my Dad who wrote only Divya Penugonda in the school records from the beginning.
My dad is, in many ways, an inspiration for me. My dad is all of those things above and more.
I’m a music-maniac!! Even when listening to video lectures, I need some background music to concentrate on what I’m listening.
My favorite pastime is Orkutting and herez the secret: you can bribe me with a testimonial.
I always think about winning the lottery but never play.
My parents raised me like a son and my brother was always second to me.
Best compliment I’ve got till date: “You have a beautiful smile that makes even a mighty volcano to calm down.” (From my school friend Meher Madhurima).
I’ve beaten my dad only once in chess.
Weirdest comment I’ve got till date: “When people talk with you for 10 minutes, the 11th minute they go mad!!” (From my best friend Kodi, she herself talks with me for at least half an hour a day).
I believe in Lord Balaji and I call him Venkat/Deva.
I was born lazy. I believe in: “Invention arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.” quoted by Agatha Christie.
I love Teddy Bears and I never ever got a Teddy Bear as Birthday gift till date!!
My mom is truly my best friend; I don’t have anything to hide with her.
I’m a good swimmer but I’ve never been to the pool from the past ten years.
I am very careless when it comes to eating healthy and being fit.
My sleeping position is Starfish, lying on the back with both arms up around the pillow. According to Professor Chris Idzikowski: These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.
I like taking the mirchi out of mirchi bajji and just eating the outside part.
I attended the Break-dance classes for a year and that is how I got introduced to Michael Jackson Pop Albums.
I always dream of someone chasing me in a huge castle and I finally jump into the waters to escape from them. Don’t know what it signifies!!
Have you ever escaped death? My uncle’s bike got skid and I was literally thrown under the City bus with its Tyres just few inches away from my head.
I have a habit of writing diary from class 7th till my Bachelors which I gave up after coming to US (Lack of privacy).
My dad calls me Divya Donkey, mom calls me Divi Thalli, my brother calls me Divsi and friends call me: DP/ Divs/ Divsu/ Divsi/ Divya/ Penugonda/ Anakonda/ Gonda.
I always wanted to be at the edge where the rain starts.
I’m not a great leader but I’m a good follower. Being a good follower is just as challenging, admirable and important capability as leadership.
I cannot go to bed until I talk with couple of my regular callers (Kodi, Hema, Rizwan, Poori, Srini, Keerthi, Ashwin and Maithili). Thanks to them, I’m still alive!!
Origin: Line from William Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet". Meaning: Is it better to live or to die?
Yes, after completing 24 years of this lifetime, I get this question on my mind very frequently....Is it necessary to live further or to die?? Leave me alone for 10 minutes, the 11th minute...this question pops up in my thoughts !!
August 9, 2006 is the day I landed in US...I was completely scared, fearful and afraid thinking of how my life could be here. August 9, 2007 is when I started loving to be here in US...I was completely bold, fearless and confident dreaming of my life in the near future. August 9, 2008 is when I got a break from my studies. As a matter of fact that's the end of my 20 years of student life but later I realized learning will never end!! I started searching for my first job with lots of enthusiasm, passion and zeal. August 9, 2009 is when I realized my life is in auto-pilot mode and I can't seem to get control over it again !
I'm so helpless, speechless and hopeless. I've been so patient with my job search and all my priorities changed along with time. I feel like I'm dying from inside..I don't really feel alive anymore...!! I'm so lost and just don't know what to do..I think I'm going crazy...
I never ever imagined that my life after graduation would be so pathetic..!! I don't even have a specific visa status in this "Land of Great Opportunities". All my dreams are on fire....!!
But I still find a ray of hope when I talk with my friends and family....their words mean so much to me...I definitely thank god for at least giving such best people in my life.
And the question on my mind remains still unanswered.... To be or not to be????? Let's see what my final destination is...!!
Yes...today is my cute li'l brother's Birthday..! Too bad that Dad is not at home and I did not send him any gifts either, except for the wishes on phone.
My little brother - now my protector - seems like big brother. But he will always be the family's little kiddo and the family's pride...He is a dancer and one of the finest and charming performers on stage and Yes, I am proud of him!
21 years till now, all in my life, I quarreled with him...for a bite of Five star chocolate, for the TV remote to watch the channel of our own choices, for the first puffed Poori, for a chance to sit in front of the HP computer and play the computer games, for taking the shower first, for adjusting the ceiling fan regulator, and the list goes on and on! Oh yeah...hez a handsome hunk and I cannot dominate him in this context!!
Now that my bro is another year older, I wish him all the best things... I wish he does his Masters in his dream college, I wish his girl agrees to his proposal and I finally wish that his sis gets a job atleast now in this year!!
UTA…that’s the university where I pursued my Masters..!!
It’s been a year that I graduated from school, but seems like everything happened just yesterday… :(
I could actually visualize everything happening in front of me..! The on-campus job I worked in the library, all the night-outs at the Central Library before every damn assignment, all that screaming n shouting on my roomies, all the cheating I had done in the projects, all that fun...everything is right here...right in front of me !!
Awe…how can I forget my first day in US….that was a terribly sunny day in Texas and I was just wondering whether I landed up in US or some part of Sahara Desert. The hilarious part of the day was: I asked my senior Gokul (who picked me up from the Dallas Airport) to stop at a telephone booth to inform my parents about my safe-landing.Lol, he just smiled and gave his cell phone to make that call. Later I realized that the so called STD/ISD booths and one rupee coin phone call booths are possible only in India and not in US :)
First semester was all filled-up with amusement, fun and laughter with my so energetic roomies….Shruthi Akka, Aswini and Vasudha. That was the very first time in my life, staying away from my family. Every night ended-up with playing at least one game of Monopoly and getting homesick at bedtime!! I would definitely appreciate Shruthi Akka for teaching me every petty thing starting from holding the door open for other people in the university building, telling Bless you when someone passes the air, how to apply for part-time jobs, how to greet new people and last but not least how to cook. Well, I agree that I messed up very badly with my grades that semester but yeah learnt many things and most importantly how to live it up!!
Second semester was the time when I got stabilized with my grades, got a part-time job in the Library and most importantly met this workaholic friend of mine, Rizwan. He’s the one who taught me to study each and every line of the textbook and do the assignments in a timely fashion. Kudos to you Bro, survived that semester even though I had many controversies with my roomies. But yeah he’s my best critic and also one of my very good friends till date.
Summer semester passed by very soon, that was the time I worked eight hours a day, watched too many English movies, talked a lot on phones standing on Border Trial platform, started applying for Internships, the very first time went to Six Flags, Oklahoma water park and lot many Indian restaurants.
The next semester was in a most peaceful apartment at FG but with the most cacophonous roommate Aswini. This sweetheart is my savior angel, ask her any doubt in your major subjects and she would clarify it the very next day after studying your own textbook!! She’s my GPS, my Wikipedia, my TV Guide, my Dictionary.com, my Cookbook and my Bodyguard. That was when I had this peculiar combination of two brothers (but born to different mothers) as my project-mates. FYI, they are Hema and Muthu. Still I have this question in my mind, should I call them the Best Friends or the Worst Enemies?? Muthu being the narrator with Hema as the hero in his fairy tales, I had a third degree torture listening to his crap!!As the sem lasted, we were all busy shopping for our India trip, meeting the project deadlines. In this context, I would definitely like to mention about the movie “Mungaru Male”. That was such a sad movie; Hema suggested me to watch it after I happily finished my semester exams. Yes we do have a connection with this movie; Hema being the hero (Preetam), myself being the rabbit (Devadas) and our director Prashanth killed me at the end :(. Now, don’t ask me about the heroine (Nandini), only three of us know who she is…LOL.
After the India trip, my story continued in GC with Bala, Teddy and Aswini as my roomies. Bala, the most annoying creature that I had ever met!! But I have to agree that she’s the only one who listened to all my mournful stories. I always wished that I had a senior like her who can be my Mentor for advising me on how to get a job or at least on how to apply for jobs!!
Hmm….decided to stop writing this post for now; I would go on writing pages about my life at UTA. Its May 2009, but I’m still hanging around in May 2008. It’s not the environment at UTA but my very special friends at UTA made me cherish those moments. Love you all my dear friends... :)
Kodi..when i think of her I'm stuck with simple adjectives. Close friend. Best friend. Childhood friend. Intimate friend. Trusted friend. Beloved friend. But whether I use any of the adjectives or any other different word, her friendship denies the nearly infinite meaning in such a simple word.
Friends are special people. We can't pick our family, and we're sorely limited in the number of them at any rate. But our friends can be as diverse and infinite as the adjectives we choose. Our friends, in a very real sense, reflect the choices we make in life. And she is my best buddy and I can strongly say my choices are gr8.. :)
I love Jan 5th, coz shez born on this day of the year..She may not be born for me...But shez definitely one of the reasons I m still surviving in US of A.
Love ya kodi....A very happy Birthday once again.. :)
When Life knocks you down, raise yourself up, dust yourself off and KEEP GOING!
Keep walking, running, swimming, splashing and for Heaven's sake, Keep dancing!
