Congratulations DR. PP :)

We all wait for Friday. And most Friday's are just the usual.

Yesterday was a special Friday for me. My dearest, nearest, closest friend P successfully defended his PhD dissertation (on Friday, July 10, 2009).

It's just a matter of few days before P receives his official degree; it's just a matter of few months before he "walks" at his graduation ceremony, but for all practical purposes, P is done with all his PhD work, and I can now proudly call him DOCTOR!!!!

Yesterday morning, I prayed for everything to go well for him, and even though I was buried in work, I was anxious to hear from him in the afternoon.

This sooper busy and always forgetful friend of mine can easily forget to let me know how it all went, and keep me waiting until the end of the day when I finally run out of patience and call him. I'm so glad he didn't do that yesterday.

When he called me in the afternoon, I was so relieved to hear that everything went well. He got all the signatures of the committee, and sometime next week, he will submit his final dissertation and then it will be all over. I could sense the HUGE sigh of relief, and the tremendous happiness in his voice, from 3000 miles away. I am so so proud of him!

I met P in Summer of 2006. We lived in the same town and worked for the same company for a few months, and we became friends. I taught him how to play racquetball, and he taught me how to play poker. Whatever we did together, it was always a blast. It was not until he went back to his university to complete his PhD that we actually became such close friends.

P is THE hardest working individual I have known in my entire life. I saw him working tirelessly on his PhD, day in and day out. There was not a single day when I saw him slacking. His research was his passion, and I could see that zeal and enthusiasm in him to give his best to his passion every single day.

There are numerous sacrifices - small and huge, that have been made to achieve this goal. Dear P, I am really proud of you for your achievement. YOU DID IT and YOU ROCKKKK!

Once P was done with this research work, he accepted a job back in California, and I could not have been happier. I vividly remember the day he moved to CA for good. I was at a Bryan Adams concert, and as soon as it was over, I went and met him. We spent the night at his new apartment...all of us slept on the new carpet, with the security alarm beeping every few seconds, P being bothered by it and covering it with furniture pads, etc etc.

P continued to amaze me with the dedication he showed for his new job. Within weeks, he had made a mark in his small company. On an average, my buddy works more than 12 hours a day, including weekends. He never complains. He simply enjoys it. Hats off to you bud!

P, you are a HUGE inspiration to me, every single day. I always get motivated to do so much more when I think about you. I am extremely lucky and blessed to have you in my life.

Now that this huge stress is gone from his life, I look forward to spending more time with my buddy and having a blast, as always :)

Congratulations DR. PP :)

PS: Can't wait to give a huge bear huggie to my doc....hope we meet sometime soon :)

PPS: The graduation card that I picked for P has very beautiful words, which I would like to share here:

For the Graduate

We are all on a journey toward

becoming a complete person.

Along the way, we reach milestones - 

chances to step aside and 

take account of how far we've come

and where we still need to go.

This is a very special time - 

a time full of potential,

of unexplored paths,

of undreamed dreams....

Your graduation is

in some ways an ending,

but in more ways,

this is only the beginning.

Congratulations!!!!