Of the good and the great

Celeb in the city columnist Priyanka Chopra pens down her most memorable moments of the year gone by.

Here it is... my 12 heart-warming, smile-inducing, catch-your-breath experiences of 2009. It’s in no particular order and not the only ones:

1. The release of

Kaminey

- My first release after

Dostana

and in a diametrically different role. It was a huge pleasure working with Vishal (Bhardwaj) Sir and Shahid (Kapoor) on this film and also with Ronnie (Screwala) and the UTV team after

Fashion

(2008).

2. Opening of my mom and dad’s clinic, Studio Aesthetique - My parents refuse to slow down no matter how much I try to get them to. I was the proud daughter standing on the sidelines as I saw them create and then launch their dream, beauty enhancement centre in Mumbai. I wish them many more!

3.

What’s Your Rashee?

- My most difficult film till date. It took a lot out of me both mentally and physically… It’s a film that will always hold a special place in my heart.

4. Shoot for

Pyaar Impossible

- I call it my secret getaway... it helped me get past the tough roles I had just played and make my way back to my fun place. I had such a blast filming it and I’m now eagerly waiting for everyone to see it.

5. My first holiday after six years - I felt like I was playing truant from school!! A girlie getaway with my best friends is exactly what the doctor ordered (in this case... my parents!)

6. Siddharth (my lil brother) came back home from college – He’s my lil baby and as much as I bully him, I love him to bits. He was away for many months at Culinary College in Switzerland and I was just so happy to have him back home.

7. Starting shoot for

Anjaana Anjaani

- Back to work after a long break with this love story. I really am enjoying my new character (so much so that my friends and family tell me I’m turning into her!!). Siddharth, Ranbir and the whole crew are tons of fun and I’m looking forward to the new shoot schedule in the United States.

8. Cutting my hair short - After a very long time, I actually did what I wanted to do with my hair. It wasn’t for a film or a ad campaign... it was just for me... I felt so free that I added a few streaks of blue into my hair as well!!

9. Judging for Miss World 2009 - From a nervous contestant to a judge on the panel. How’s that for life coming full circle! I know what everyone of those ladies were feeling when they were on that stage because I was there myself. For the winner, it will be a memory of a lifetime and one for me as well.

10. Winning 14 awards - This is actually 14 individual moments but because of lack of space, it’s all rolled into one. This is the year that I received my first best actress award, which was followed by many more. I can’t even begin to express what I felt every time my name was announced as the winner. I’m honoured and ever so often, I sneak into my office to stare at my award case.

11. Starting my column with

HT

- If you told me 44 weeks ago that I could write a weekly column and in a sense let everyone into my very private world... I would have laughed. But here I am today, still going strong, loving the journey and the friends I have made along the way. Thank you for making this journey possible with your overwhelming response and feedback that gave me the courage to continue.

12. My online connect -

Twitter

,

Facebook

and

Orkut

... I suddenly discovered a new way to reach out to my audience - one-on-one. I love it and I look forward to being a part of this big, borderless community that gives so much love, support and honest feedback!

2010 is round the corner and I can’t wait to see what the year holds for me. If it is anything close to 2009... then I’m a lucky gal!