Beauty Redefined

There were days when the ideal man was "tall, dark and handsome". So when did the importance of men's fairness creams pop up?

Today even the biggest stars viz. SRK is found endorsing fairness creams.

Perhaps the mindset of the Indian population is changing. Yesterday on NDTV, Barkha Dutt's "We The People" discussed the problem of India becoming obsessed with fairness.

Perhaps we are. Young ladies today are in search of the perfect man, and though many don't admit it, they have a picture of a fair man.

Come to think of it, our idea of the perfect man has changed. Though some may hold on to the traditional "knight in shining armor" idea, but many have grown beyond that idea and are commonly interested in that गोरा [gora], with either a family business, or sustaining himself well. It seems like today's perfect man has been repositioned - "Tall, fair and have-some".

Game Play

Setup: There are essentially 2 players (M & F). Other players may join the game with the consent of the two original players.

Game Play: M's main motive is to advance forward as quickly as possible, but at the same time, has to make sure to avoid certain obstacles called "commitment". F's main motive is to advance forward slowly and to disguise those obstacles for M.

Of course, the game begins with M finding different ways to lure F into taking the same path.

During the game, other players (M1/F1) may join in with the consent of either original player. Thereafter, the motive of the additional player is to lure M/F away from their path.

There are several other obstacles on the path to the end, which the players can either choose to cross over together, or where one can leave the other behind.

The game ends when either player achieves their motives entirely, i.e. either when M/M1 has managed to reach the end without falling into the traps of commitment or when F/F1 has managed to trap their opposite player into going down the road to commitment.

An ideal end (though rarely achieved) is when M willingly walks down the disguised commitment path without being lured there.

Rules:

1. M, F and all other additional players need to keep their motives a secret throughout the game.

2. Neither player should appear too involved in the game. This could result in sudden palpitations and in dire cases, the end of the game.

3. In the event that the additional player does succeed in luring one away, the other original player should appear aloof and either choose to quit the game (non-violently) or stay but not interfere with the other players' game.

4. Mention of past players of the game (who might have exited willingly or through pressure) is absolutely forbidden at any time during the game.

Sounds familiar?

This is definitely the most widely played game in the world, with subtle hints of 'hide-n-go-seek', 'Tom & Jerry' and 'catch me if you can' - the Game called "Relationships".

Wanna play?

Morning Mishaps

Yesterday started off on a bad foot for me. I got stuck in a lift (when I left home for work), found out that HSBC bank was closed (where I had to meet someone) and then my chappal (roadside one) broke. The sole came off right till the heel, and I had a good 10 minute walk to my office!

I thought - that was it, the start of a horrible day! But then, then I heard an elderly man call out to me and tell me that there was a mochi just down the next lane. It was nothing to rectify the horribleness that was my morning, but it gave me hope that my day could pick up. And it did, I met a great friend (something he has come to be called now) and enjoyed a nice snack, before walking to the station together and leaving for home.

It was a good day...!

Today when walking to work (under the shade of many trees) I saw some bird shit fall right in front of me! Phew! Think today is gonna be a 'lucky' day?

Express Expressions

Looking back on a couple of online conversations with a friend, I realised that people are learning to become very expressive online. This can be great, however, when you think about it, you realise that people are quick to adopt it into their day to day conversations as well.

How many times have you been talking to people and they say "sigh". People have refrained from actually 'heaving a sigh of disappointment' only to actually use the expression in their vocabulary.

It's also seen with the commonly used "lol" - expanded to 'laugh out loud'. So people these days have incorporated the word (if you can call it that) into their language. So people today are actually saying "lol" rather than "laughing out loud".

It makes me wonder if the day will come when people will say "clap" or "applause" rather than actually applauding!

Blogging challenge?

When giving the URL of this blog to a friend, I began to wonder why I started another blog, when I couldn’t even maintain my previous one.

Maybe it could be my delight at exploring new options to make a page (if that does prove to be that reason, I am definitely going to try my hand at designing).

Perhaps there was a valid reason for me convincing myself that I will be able to maintain this one. After having pushed that thought to the back of my mind, on my way home, I realized that ideas for articles kept coming to me.

Something as simple as my journey back home from work is tattered with many instances that tug at my emotions and I find myself deciding and reciting the flow the story should take.

Bombay seems to be filled many opportunities to pen down some words.

So on that thought, I hope that I can maintain the enthusiasm with which I have penned down this post.

The STP of Travelling in Mumbai locals

I don't believe that strategies come into use only when your sitting at the desk in your office. After traveling by train for more than 3 months now, I have learned that the most common strategy of marketing can be applied here too - Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning.

Step 1: Segmenting

Having arrived on the station platform, the crowd needs to be surveyed. You need to look around at the crowd and determine where the first class ladies compartment is. Head for the large group of women hurdled around each other. Upon reaching there, determine the class that the women will be entering into. There is a clear distinction between those traveling first class as compared to those traveling second class. As with many strategies, this involves prior research and is merely a one-time action, carried out only at each new station.

Step 2: Targeting

The second step involves carefully planning and targeting to catch the right train. Taking trains after those which eat up all the crowd is a smart idea, but always be careful and be aware of the destination of the next train coming into the station.

Step 3: Positioning

After you have climbed onto the train, positioning is the most tactful of all steps, since it differs from train to train. You can enter an empty train and only stand in the queue right when you enter your destination station. You can enter a completely packed train and have to find your way towards the correct exit. Or you can enter a train and cleverly position yourself in such a place where you are comfortable and not at the push and shove of all the passengers.

Of course, no strategy is complete without “evaluation”. I believe that the evaluation phase should be carried out to ensure that you are getting off at the right station without being pushed out of the train beforehand. Successful implementation of the above strategy can be evaluated by inquiring with the passenger ahead of you of their destination – if you are behind someone getting off at the same station, your STP is successful! Be sure to get off the train at the right stop, in one piece and in case of perfect implementation, you could even be looking forward to your next eventful train journey.