An Article at one of the Big 5 firms in the world. A Chartered Accountant in the making. Astronomy enthusiast. Closest friend and Confidant. Music aficionado.
Apart from all of these, a beautiful person inside and out. That’s Swathi Peddi for you 🙂
So, Swathi tell us a little about yourself which has not been covered in the intro.
To begin with, the introduction is hugely exaggerated. I am flattered anyway. A little bit about me.
Family
I have always been a person who spends more time with family than friends. I am designed that way and I’m really blessed to have a loving family. My cousins are the closest people to me and I had some of the best moments in my life with them. We make a great team, don’t we?
Work
Like you have already mentioned, I am an intern at Grant Thornton LLP currently pursuing my Chartered Accountancy course- boring? I know!
Interests
- I am an amateur doodler. There is an application called ‘Sketches’ which has a wide range of pens and tools to work with. You definitely need to check it out.
- I love to read books; every free hour at office is spent on one. Fiction- (crime and legal) and young adult reads are my go to genres. When I read, I am completely immersed into the imaginary world which the author creates and I can be whoever I want to be. Be it an 1800s ballroom finding my ‘prospective groom’ or a prisoner on parole; anything and everything no bounds whatsoever.
- Typography is something drawing my attention recently.
- I enjoy cooking and baking; a stress buster for me. Unwinds and loosens me up.
Awesome!! Now tell us some of your favorites
My favorites and likes?
- Actor/ Actress – None.
- Band/ Artists – Breaking Benjamin, Imagine Dragons, One Republic, Green Day, Linkin Park, Coldplay, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Radiohead, Snow Patrol, Maroon 5, Avril Lavigne, 30 Seconds to Mars, Adele, Bullet for my Valentine, Ed Sheeran, etc.
- Food – I love everything which has to do with food. I have a sweet tooth, doesn’t mean I compromise on savory. I find solace in home-made potato bread rolls, garlic bread and classic lasagna.
- Color – Black, just like my soul *evil laugh*
- TV Shows – I binge watched two seasons of Jane the Virgin, and I absolutely adore the show. Telenovela rocks!! How to get away with murder, Person of Interest, Gilmore Girls are some of the very few TV shows I followed. As a kid, I watched a lot of The Discovery channel and Travel & Life Channel.
- Movies – I am a sucker for rom-coms and thriller/mystery genres. Some of my favorites would be – Pretty Woman, Pride and Prejudice (love the book too), The Holiday, Orphan, The exorcism of Emily Rose, The Exorcist, The Prestige, Batman Series, The Silence of the lambs, The Shining, American Psycho, Gone Girl. I have watched only a handful of movies and there is a long to-watch list waiting for me to strike them off.
- Youtube Channel– Boyce Avenue, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Nicole Cross, Taylor Davis, Jess Greenberg.
You are a big music fan. What does Music mean to you? And if you had to recommend only 5 songs, what would they be?
Music. It is something I can’t imagine my life without. It is my escape.
When I have something on my mind and I need to stop thinking about, I switch on to music.
If I have nothing on my mind, music inspires my muse.
I have some chores to finish? I play music.
Okay, I think I made my point.
*feels victorious*
There goes a saying that you can tell all about a person based on their playlist. I don’t believe that. My playlist doesn’t tell you my story. So, don’t judge me now. You asked for my top 5 songs? That’s so cruel, you are trying to make me choose.
*well that’s how life works right. Can’t choose everything*
I am taking the liberty to tell you my top 10 in no particular order:
- Demons – Imagine Dragons
- Fix you – Coldplay
- Snuff – Slipknot
- Creep – Radiohead
- Chasing cars – Snow Patrol
- Boulevard of broken dreams – Green Day
- My immortal – Evanescence
- Iridescent – Linkin Park
- Daylight – Maroon 5
- When you’re gone – Avril Lavigne
- Snow – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
- Through the trees – Low Shoulder
- Shake it out – Florence and the Machine
- Make you feel my love – Bob Dylan /Adele
- Strangers in the night, Fly me to the moon – Frank Sinatra
- Dreams – Flewtwood mac
- Phantom of the Opera
I exceeded 10, didn’t I? Can’t help it.
*What are you waiting for. Queue them up in a minute. You’ll definitely love them*
Swathi, you’ve cleared one of the most selective exams in the country- IPCC. Lot of hard work and dedication is required. So, walk us through your preparation and struggle. Any advice on study strategies?
Honestly, I did little until the last three months. I had all brains to crack the examination without preparation. Well, that’s what I thought for many months but then I had to get back to reality. Luckily it didn’t get out of hand.
The last three months was a real test. I woke up at 4 o’clock every morning and tried to get 8 effective hours of study every day. Perseverance and Implementation is key for anything. Never give up. Always look back at all the moments of preparations and push yourself till the very end.
That’s Inspiring. Moving on…what is your primary goal as of now? Where do you see yourself in 5/10/20 years from now.
This feels like a job interview *sweaty palms*
I have some short-term goals – Academic and Non-Academic.
Qualifying CA-final in the very first attempt, a girl can try you know!!
Getting consistent with my fitness and diet would be at the top of my list too.
Pursue Business Administration from one of the best Business Schools.
*she means M.B.A folks*
Leave GT!!!! (can’t wait to do that)
And where do I see myself in 10/20 years? That is for you to see. Surprise, surprise!!!
I always admired the fact that you are so empathetic towards the less privileged. What are your thoughts on this?
An untainted and younger version of me dreamt of establishing an Orphanage. Call me cynical, I can’t help but think it is nearly impossible in the current scenario given my resources. But, I promised myself to adopt at least two kids and raise them as my own. My part will not end with just providing them a roof but also give them all the love and care which my family gave me. And also a part of my earnings will go to an orphanage each month.
You’ve worked in the corporate world and that too in a big company like GT. Any takeaways from your experience?
One thing you should remember, be it in a corporate or anywhere for that matter- always mind your *own business*. DO NOT GET INTO OFFICE POLITICS. No one is your friend, NONE! The white sheep could turn out to be a sly fox. But it has also been a great learning period being surrounded by such experienced people. Getting such an exposure at a young age is non-comparable.
Now lets dig deep into your brain. If you had one extra hour of free time every day, how would you use it?
I would invest the time to learn a music instrument- a Cello to be specific. Have you watched Tina Guo play? I’ve never seen anyone playing a cello with such intensity. She looks fierce and scary. She turns me on to be honest!!
*Well some girls gave me a similar compliment. (laughs hysterically)*
Tell us how do you handle peer pressure?
One thing most people do in a corporate is trying to fit in. There is always peer pressure, living up to certain standards to get acceptance.
I’ll share one incident with you. All my colleagues were having hookah at a party. They asked me to try and I denied the first time. But the second time, I gave in.
Did I like it? NO.
In fact, I hated everything about it.
Did I ever do it again? NO.
Why not? Because it was not worth it.
I was accepted anyway and they never forced me to do it. You don’t have to do the same things as your friends to be in the squad.
Whom do you admire the most? In what ways does that person inspire you?
My brother has always been the biggest inspiration for me. One quality I love in people is being passionate, be it about science, cycling, dance, music, etc and my brother is very passionate about chemistry and medicine. He is currently completing his Ph.D from USC and a budding scientist. His areas of research include cancer and tuberculosis. He is very modest and unpretentious and also a great cook too- he keeps feeding his friends every weekend.
If you knew that in one year, you would suddenly die, would you change anything about the way you are now living?
If I were to die in a day, I would change my cautious ways. I have always been a caged bird. I would try and do a new thing every day for next 365 days. Strike off my bucket list.
A look at my incomplete Bucket list:
- Go watch the Aurora Borealis, the Artic Cathedral;
- desert for star gazing;
- go to a concert of any of my favorite bands;
- audition for a singing competition (I know I suck, want to do it anyway)
What message would you put on a billboard for millions to see?
Your pieces aren’t lost, they are scattered around you. Search and you shall find them.
Credits- Vertigomadeness.blogspot.com
Last question for the day. What do people never ask you that you wish they did 😛
You want to have some more cake?
That was a wonderful session Swathi. Any closing words to the audience?
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*HAHA!! These weren’t my words*
Hey there, this was my first Blog_Cast episode. I’ll be doing a Blog_Cast every week henceforth and this would go on till the end. Please do subscribe to my blog and don’t miss any updates.
Thank You!!!!
