Thursday, August 27, 2009

He Cut My Wings Away...

I was a happy li’l tweeter
One tree to another, I flew
Suddenly he came along
And cut my sweet song...

What would happen if suddenly one day I lost the only thing that mattered to me – the only thing that I thought differentiated me – the thing that made my survival worth it.

It was the moment that I waited for

The victory would’ve been mine
Today would’ve been my day
Had he not cut my wings away...

I was planning for things to come. My future looked bright. The only thing I was afraid of was uncertainty. Alas, that had the last laugh...

To stay alive, I fought hard
The breath was snuffed out
The claw curled, I clung on
Lest in death I be frowned upon...

It wasn’t just myself that I was leaving behind. I didn’t have to be the joke. I was the brave tweeter who would will his way out of things... I wouldn’t give up, not now... I couldn’t be myself but I could still be someone. I’d live my life as that someone.

Those final steps I had to make

Just go that one more tile
Though would I fly in the rain
Never be the tweeter again...

The unknown. The unobtrusive. But I’d live. It was just three steps... one... two... three... Almost there... Like so many others who had been... But I was no “other”. I was the tweeter. I had to claim my right to the six feet of space. The three steps for the six feet...

Those three steps is why I live

First for my sweetheart
Two for the clouds cast
And three to relive the past...

And I survived. He could take my wings but I flew higher. Or could I? May be I couldn’t. He took my wings... Oh, he didn’t take my dreams. I could dream of flying higher. But would I? Probably I would. I was the tweeter... I shouldn’t give up... Or should I???

Friday, August 14, 2009

I Think Therefore I'm.... Single :)

Disclaimer: The following piece of literature is a satire and an attempted application of MBA concepts to real-world. The author is not responsible for feuds resulting or arising out of the text though he would be interested in knowing about them ;)
Disclaimer 2: The analysis is believed to be gender independent and universally applicable :)
The ‘product’: Depending on the consumer characteristics, the product can be high involvement product or a low involvement product. It may not be generalised but the product’s use as FMCG is not socially desirable. Thus, for the purpose of simplification of analysis, we shall assume the product is a high-involvement product and is intended to be used as a consumer durable. The product has a high-maintenance cost associated but the perceived lifetime value is higher than the costs involved. Thus, the product has a high aspirational value.
The ‘purchase’: The purchase decision is generally non-impulse though the primary point of contact with the product has a high impact on the final purchase. The purchase can involve extended information search. Alternative evaluation, though, is restricted, often by the terms and conditions mentioned by the product. To meet the alternative evaluation requirements the consumer often observes flanking brands to be satisfied of the genuine advantages of the evoked set. General consumers like to try the product before deciding the purchase. Only surrogate attributes are used for evaluation during trial. The trial period can involve high monetary, emotional and temporal costs. Elimination-by-aspects is the general rule used for final decision. Sometimes, consumers do trade-off important attributes for the less important ones and thus actually use compensatory decision rule in conjunction with elimination-by-aspects. In many cases, the product is deemed faulty and discarded without any damages sought. Packaging has a high impact on the purchase decision. The consumer seeks out the product and hence the place dimension of the product mix is insignificant at the point of contact. However, for all further decisions, proximity is a highly desirable trait. Group impact on decision-making is very high and co-branding strategies are often successful.
Post-Purchase: Post-purchase dissonance is often delayed and not instantaneous. Display of post-purchase dissonance is restricted. Consumption guilt is often absent. Disposability of the product is very low. Hence, in cases where post-purchase dissonance or consumption guilt exists, the product is put to a no-use state before being slowly discarded. The duration of the no-use phase before disposal (and replacement) is highly dependent on attribution. Depending on the individual consumer, the product may sometimes be replaced immediately with a new one but more often than not, the second purchase is characterised by a prolonged period of analysis of previous use, and an in-depth study of the consideration set elements for making the second purchase.
MMM
P.S.: Go Ahead, Guess the product :)
Disclaimer 3: The author has limited knowledge of the product. The analysis performed is based on secondary data.
Credits shared by: @ng, Kutti

Monday, August 10, 2009

My Late Date...

I had imagined it’d be like this but never could have imagined it could be this great. The weather was just apt. Slight drizzle from the sky, a hint of hum through the wind... This moment had been long time coming but somehow the forces were against it. Today I decided, come what may, I’m not gonna miss the chance – no matter what the world thinks – the GRAX boards could keep rolling... my date was gonna happen today. I decided 2245 hrs would be the meeting time.

The restaurant was quiet... the last of the diners were leaving. Slow instrumental music filled the room... The light was just right... The diffused yellow light gave a snug feeling to the room... The setting was perfect. I took a few moments to prepare myself for this... this was definitely not an everyday thing. There I was, sitting on the corner table of Regent, waiting.

And then... she arrived.

The waiter escorted her in. Instantly and involuntarily, my lips parted and my tongue rolled over. The whole world came to a standstill. My mind went numb. She was dressed in a dark overall just as I had asked; So beautiful... So sensuous... Looking hotter than ever... Did I just see a few wisps of steam rise from her... I was sure I could devour her just with my eyes... My heart started racing... Should I get up and take her to the table? Or do just sit and wait for her? Would the waiter get a wrong impression if I looked too anxious? Would I be judged? Oh so slowly the waiter moved... painstakingly slow... She was shown the way to my table. Was anything in the world worth this feeling – of a quiet corner in a restaurant with your true love? I could’ve exchanged anything in the world for this moment. I was sure the waiter could’ve too.

Slowly and courteously, without moving his eyes away from her, the waiter asked, “Anything to go with the Bull’s Eye Sir?”


P.S.: Regent = One decent place to dine; Bull's Eye = One decent Chocolate Dessert
P.S.2: This story is inspired from true events of today and doesn't involve any living person other than me and the waiter. Any coincidences are purely coincidental :)