Night Time, Rock Show and Heavy RAINS!!!!!

As I am writing this blog, its raining pretty heavily outside.Chennai has been having amazing climate for last five days continuously. Sun has not shown its face.

Well weekend was amazing. Saturday evening....along with two friends I went for a Rock Show here in Chennai. Izaz was performing there. The band was good, nice smooth guitar works and most importantly - it was very different. It is a group from UK but having origin in Pakistan. The crowd was good [well that is understood ;-) ]. The show was going on fine and got better when rains started. Though thye show had to be stopped due to heavy rains. Still we waited there without any cover and got completely drenched in Chennai rains. Night Time, Rock Show and Heavy Rains - are a deadly combi. Fun to the max. I just love it. I love all the three things....so when got a chance to experience all three together so how could I not resist waiting there. All in all it was a SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.

Now coming back was also quite a experience in itself. With rain showing no respite, we were forced to go out of the Open Air Theatre to the road in search of auto-rickshaw. Backed solidly by heavy rains and lack of availability of empty autos, the auto charges went soaring up - touching Rs. 100/- which we were not willing to pay for an auto -who in the world would be willing to pay that much for a Rs. 30/- ride. Again we spent around an hour on the road. Well - best was when there came another group - were forced to come out of shade since rain was not stopping and the young lady in their group came out to look for the auto - followed by two of her guy friends. She was determined to get the auto before we got. And alas she succeeded - she might have even got a good bargain, courtesy my friend (we 3 were guys) who was trying to get the auto was not that attractive ;-). Life is so biased against guys na.....

Then we decided to try to get the auto from the other side. Crossed and went on to the other side - to the Pizza Corner - we were all drenched and were in half mind whether to go in for a bite or not - courtesy the AC which was switched on inside. After waiting for auto for a real long time - we decided to go in and try and sit only to come out - WE WOULD HAVE CHILLED - the Pizza Corner guys weren't willing to adjust the AC temperature.....Again the bargaining process starts.....and after seeing off around 6 autos we finally managed to get one at 6o bucks. WE HAD TO PAY THAT -we had to reach home. There was no way I could have gone home that day - so stayed at my friends place, had dinner there and went back in morning.

I just love rains, I just love rock music and now I got enlightened about Chennai - so I just love this city too.... :D

Sunday went off lazing around at home....had a breakfast cooked by us..."egg bhurji" and it was good. Then had a nice sound sleep in the afternoon and again for dinner went out with friends to Pizza Corner.

Weekend went off well....and the next day - following the usual "MONDAY MORNING BLUES" I got up late- though managed to reach office on time, and before leaving office here I am typing this post and its raining....yet again....

The Chennai climate right now is nothing close to what I had been told it is during this time of the year.

Am happy - Life Rocks....

Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya

Well was in Bangalore this weekend.

Arey the mixup of the title and the above line can be very misleading. Am still single and was not meeting someone special in Bangalore.

Well had a great time in Bangalore. Met up with cousin bro n sis and many batchmates from XIMB. Its always great meeting up with old pals with whom one had spent 2 years in hostel. Also had great food - people going to Bangalore try out a restaurant - Angeethi near MG Road. Its really amazing and had really tasty Punjabi food there. Well weekends are time when there is absolutely no walking space in the two hot spots in Bangalore - M.G.Road/Brigade road and the Forum Mall. In Bangalore they really need to open more hep places to give the crowd living there more options to roam around and thus making these two places less cluttered. The city really needs to revamp its infrastructure big time. BUT, best part of stay were the two evenings which I spent there - it rained really heavily there - haven't experienced them yet in Chennai here and got drenched both days :D . Hoping someday a technology comes using which we can copy and paste the climate of one city over another - then we will copy and paste Bangalore's climate here in Chennai.

On Saturday saw the Salman Khan starrer - Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. Well I can say only one thing - It's again a David Dhawan movie and he doesn't let you down. From start to end you will be laughing yourself out (TIP - Do not try to use your brains - and just incase if you have brains leave it at home or car or anywhere but leave it outside the hall). The whole hall was just laughing from start to end. In the very first scene itself, you are guaranteed to burst out. Sushmita Sen is again sizzling with and this time also in a Saree - she is looking amazing. Katrina Kaif thoroughly overshadowed by Sushmita's presence in the movie, still manages to make her presence felt - just by being there and just modelling arond with some acting. But she does look hot - but Sushmita sizzling hot - after all Katrina got chilled doing Just Chill. Yeah Katrina does look hot but needs to work on her acting a lot else she will just come in item numbers (JUST CHILL). That was a nice song and very well directed. The songs in the movie are good, the album can be bought. But go and watch it in a movie hall for once and have a great laugh - non stop - with the whole hall roaring. Sohail Khan gives bro Salman Khan a good competition - actually seems as if you are watching two Salman's acting. Well, movie has everything - great comedy [after a real long time] - Salman Khan [yet again topless - so females can have a yet another look] - Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif [Guys double treat for us all] - and all other great comedy actors playing their part really well.....

Its really sad that in some parts of the country the screening of the movie has been stopped and that too just by hearing of the tape - in which its not even sure whether the voice is of Salman Khan or not.

The life goes on.....

Well have now realised how important "Wednesday" is.It is a day after which the week actually starts looking bright. And this is not for just single person, but for most of the people who are working or in School (not college or not doing MBA).

After Wednesday the week seems as if its shrinking. I suppose it is the day after which the productivity of personnel might be at its peak - because of the happiness that weekend is nearing (and here I am blogging - performance mein count nahin hota - but still....)

Anyways, the week had been hectic till now and still is. But still - work is interesting and this is in itself a motivation.

Have been pondering on a question - should I or shouldn't I - go for a car?
Its gonna be a big expenditure - initially thinking a second hand Esteen/Honda City and later on after 2 years when enough savings are there I should go for a new car. Lets see what I decide upon.

Today in market there are so many exciting hi-tech products and I feel like getting some of them asap - Canon EOS 350D (Digital SLR Cam) and a PDA Phone to start off with.

Have to explore Chennai also and some surrounding areas, but this weekend most probably am gonna land up in Bangalore.

Liking this city - its very mixed and hopefully its a trend happening. Mostly the city is conservative, but there are pockets where one can feel at ease. The people are nice, they try to understand you - there was time when auto wallahs would simply ignore you - not today - though they fleece u - but unlike what happens in Bangalore. Best thing is the cost of living is best for the person who is starting to earn. Loads can be saved. The best transport which I liked here has been Shared Auto concept and it is really amazing. In this the auto (bigger than normal ones) will not take only one person or small group, but will try to carry many other people on the route in which they operate. and will charge u a small fraction of total cost - which is fixed and thus no arguments. Also, the cost of pubbing is really low compared to other metros. The only grouse is the rains - when it rains here it is just small drizzle for 10 mins. Have heard it will rain here big time in retreating monsoons (October) - lets see [wait and watch for the update on that]. Also will keep on updating about the city as and when I experience anything more.

Another interesting stuff happening is how technology is making life difficult for celebs. The DPS - MMS was just a start. What followed has been more of invasion of privacy or use of technology for keeping oneself in news by celebs - one will never know this. There have been three mobile cam video recording leakages into media (public arena) - Kareena Kapoor and Shahid, then Riya Sen and now Mallika Sherawat (though it was not her in video but someone of close resemblance). So this is just a trend starting. Most mobile phones are now equipped with cams with video recording capability and the quality is good. It's now on us how we use technology. This has always been an issue with technology - is it bad or good - this depends on how we use it. And as technology advances making laws for their proper use becomes more and more difficult. We should adopt new technology (else how will people like me achieve targets) - but then we should use them not for invading someone's privacy or for any unsuitable purpose.

Thank God its Saturday

wat to do...its saturday...sittin in office......working on projected cash flows...

waitin for evenin....wen i hope to GET FREE and tom is off....ONE DAY WEEKEND

People across the world say - TGIF - Thank God its Friday - but there are many people like me who say TGIS - Thank God its Saturday...........

aha finally weather in Chennai seems to be improving somewhat....i hope it stays like this for a long time.Yesterday, finally got drenched in the first major Chennai rains of this season - FINALLY - after a long time. It always feels so good getting drenched in rains. Miss those Bhubaneswar rains so much now. During this season rains were a regular feature there. Almost everyday and almost for whole day. Day in day out rains. Open the windows of ur room and u may very well wake up without the need for having a bath that day.

And today sun aint showing its face. The sky is cloudy, the climate is neither HOT/HOTTER/HOTTEST infact cool. Slept without switching on AC (cost cutting - baniya in action).

And what is happening this monsoons - heard that Delhi was under flood threat (on NDTV - one of the few channels here wich we can understand), Gujarat already bore the brunt, MP realing under it (rains for 5 days continuously finally stopped), rivers in Himachal Pradesh and J&K also overflowing big time (seen the shots in news channels - and its way too scary). Orissa will soon be under floods after a real hot season there. Freak snowfall happened in Himachal Pradesh (i think) - in this month.

Firstly Tsunami, then came heavy snowfalls (unprecedented), then extremes of heat and water problem, and now excess (too much) of water.....wat next from Nature's side. How much of Nature's fury will this country have to bear during this year.

Before monsoon session started the political parties got a major debating point - Ayodhya attacks and now no one knows will this session ever happen. BJP might this time around boycott until the Government takes the action which it demands - as L.K. Advani says - build the Ram Temple at the site and all the countries problems will be solved - even Terrorism. If it was all that easy, why the hell did not BJP do that in their rule and then they could have taken a credit for eliminating terrorism. Even US of A should co-operate with BJP - easiest way to bring terrorism to an end.

Thank God tomorrow is Sunday.... many friends here from XIMB...after a whole week will be meeting them and many more whom I have not met for a long time....

Shaking Dreams......

On Reaching office at 8:15AM what better thing can describe the experience - the only thing coming to my mind is a Poem/Song byThe Doors - Awake. This is how they used to start there live performances normally...

It Goes on as follows:

"Is everybody in?
Is everybody in?
Is everybody in?
The ceremony is about to begin.

Wake up!

You can't remember where it was
Had this dream stopped?

Awake

Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day's divinity
First thing you see."

Ok am slowly adjusting to the timings now. But then am not comfortable sleeping of early.

And today or tomorrow hoping to get a huge speaker and sub-woofer set and have some head banging after some real long time. Its been ages since I have heard "Burn by Deep Purple" at full volume. The drum rolls and the guitar rolls - Ritchie is amazing toooooooo goooooood toooooo beeeeeee truuuuuueeeeeee on guitar. Even todays guitar god - Joe Satriani praises him.

Music whatever kind one is listening to does keep on giving the required momentum to ones life. Luckily my phone can keep some MP3s and play them really well...so that has been providing some respite.

and in the end with today being Friday - again The Doors - Break on through to the other side

"Made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side"
AND THE CORPORATE RAINDANCE CONTINUES.........week on week, day on day hour on hour...with the coffee driving you through the day......

Still enjoying it till now.....hoping it stays the way its going or gets better....

All Marketers are Liars

Hmmmm interesting...finally I decode my career...finally get to know what I have to keep on doing to be successful.... "All I have to do is lie"

Now thats where the catch is...

"Marketers aren't really liars, they are just really good at telling stories which customer wants to listen"-Seth Godin (in book - All Marketers are Liars"

There is a limitation to telling stories - Marketer MUST tell stories which matches with the viewpoint of his audience - else will the audience believe? NO and he fails.

This is how all these fairness creams are earning big time. They are selling you a story that you want to believe - see any advt. - most of these are today concentrating on girls getting jobs by using "XYZ Fairness Cream". This is a central story being used on our television. and are people buying it - YES.
End result, customer willingly fooled. Customer was made to accept a story which he/she would believe.

And from there the Book "The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big Difference" takes over the mantle.
Once the people start believing your stories, they will spread it on their own - "WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING" - The best thing which can happen to a product.

The Best example for this is the Apple iPod.
It wasn't the first MP3 player with hard disk available on the market. But its the product which now is earning Apple more money than its Macs. Why?
They had a simple product - concentrating on just small compact design, easy PC Connectivity and Good battery life. Today it has a whopping 65% market share in portable MP3 players and tooooo whopping 92% market share in hard disk based MP3 Players. It was launched in November 2001 and took over 1 and a half years to start on a path of success by clocking 1 million sales count. It took a real long time for that. But after that there was no stopping. Today it has crossed 6 million sales.

What made iPod a hit, while others could only just watch and actually could do nothing. Even Microsoft till date is only looking and doesn/t know what to do.
Here comes the marketer. Am sure the person who devised the marketing strategy for iPod should be a marketing god. Just look through any of the iPod advts. and you can see where they sold. Simplicity, small size-huge space and good battery life were onething. There were many who had similar or more offerings - Creative and Dell and many more. But then Apple positioned it as a "Must have Fashion Accessory" and this accessory was affordable for the targetted segment of students and young professionals.There was a coolness factor associated with it.

Steve Jobs rightfully says - iPod has become a cultural phenomenon.

Apple is depending a lot on Word of Mouth. Now iPod is more of a success because of the Network Effect - there is a huge iPod community which is growing and many more people wanna be a part of it - I ALSO WANNA HAVE ONE....maybe soon I will be an iPodder.

As one iPod user said: "It's a society within itself. You've got your biker community, your hip-hop community and now you've got your iPod community. It's all about those wires."

The essence of the communication from Apple was basically that you wear iPod and not own iPod. This made it an essential, just like you wear clothes.

So iPod continues to live on with its new offering iPod shuffle being a major success - even though there are competitors like Creative (also some other brands or non-brands) with products cheaper and having more features than iPod shuffle.

But then to this story telling there is a limitation - it should be authentic and in no way way should the marketer try to be a fraud.

Currently Reading: The Tipping Point
Plan to Read: All Marketers are Liars