tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75113731669943457342024-03-05T13:28:44.860+05:30Used and AmusedMostly frivolous.Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-56855955273352210732015-10-14T14:38:00.000+05:302020-08-29T01:19:25.820+05:30Flutter Island Fiction
"You'd said you wanted to try it once," stated an acquaintance, with whom my only form of contact previously was over gtalk, in an identity which is his nom de plume.
I did talk about it when asked, if only to partly demonstrate the imaginary halo over my head which would appear whenever I piously thought of how I'd stayed clean, as in - never experimented Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-63961199167350329212011-05-28T11:27:00.007+05:302020-08-29T01:23:31.972+05:30Morphology
This was one of those extremely rare days when we had spare time on hand.
It helped that we had lost a client or two, after they dared go up against LL's sacred and all too fragile ego, which couldn't be compromised even in the face of future loss of income. While LL lost his temper and alienated the clients irrevocably, it consequently left us with a little Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-78109528145076657292010-06-19T09:56:00.008+05:302020-08-29T01:23:39.893+05:30Search String Theory
Since hitting bloggers block ("Yet again", I hear some drawls) and after a satisfyingly sunny beach holiday, I thought fondly of another visit to the service that tracks my hit count here. Much as a mother revisits photographs of her offspring, or an author lovingly caresses the glossy jacket of his latest bestseller, I too on occasion like to see from which part of the world people find their Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-41140197609635872972010-01-04T12:35:00.002+05:302020-08-29T01:23:44.054+05:30Excerpts from LL's Personal Diary
These forgotten pages from LL's diary were anonymously scanned and emailed.
After great trepidation, as I felt uneasy unleashing great evil unto the world, I overcame my scruples as this would give you, dear reader, tremendous insight.
After all, wasn't Mein Kampf published in paperback for the same reasons?
Read with caution - there's no going back.
Some necessaryAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-27326999810069922312009-11-09T22:29:00.010+05:302020-08-29T01:23:48.344+05:30Hasty Retreat
I jump ahead many years with this account, from what I think of as my third life.
I never promised you chronological accuracy anyway.
On this day, I was to encounter my most bizarre meeting ever. I was at the head office of a mid-sized company's MD for different reasons, perceived by me as altruistic and by him as predatory. I only realized this much later.
The most amazing thing is - Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-24895000930968941482009-09-18T22:50:00.028+05:302020-08-29T01:23:53.138+05:30What's an Introvert…like you, doing in a field like this?
Good question. One that I got asked a lot. Of all the unlikely career choices, this was a big mistake, or so I was beginning to think.
Let some alternative titles I contemplated for this post serve as a warning in advance:
If Only I’d KnownWhile We're DreamingSpeculationYour Grass is SO much Greener
Everyone knows what an introvert is like. That wouldAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-26017876288785637672009-07-08T22:53:00.011+05:302020-08-29T01:23:58.289+05:30If Men are from Mars
I liked the Patel brothers.
Quite apart from their ripping, unholy ambition to take on the mammoth market leader, and new launches almost at the speed of light as compared to Indian marketing standard time, they had well balanced family lives, or so I liked to believe.
Juggling four cell phones between the two of them, or at least the four that I'd seen, one cell phone each was Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-7914769658334946722009-05-03T23:19:00.007+05:302020-08-29T01:24:02.524+05:30The Pursuit of Bollyness-II : Wagging the DogContinued from P of B Part-I…For the next couple of weeks things got so hectic that there was no time to worry about the promise made to Mr. Prakash and the next meeting due.A scene I was beginning to picture increasingly with graphic images of dangling Damocles' swords and me as the hapless Damocles. Uneasy, however, did not seem to lie our modern day Dionysius' head. At least, to all outward Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-70102406011605912412009-03-10T22:33:00.009+05:302020-08-29T01:24:26.939+05:30Mafia MarketingFor weeks now, we had been noticing a simmering of excitement in LL's demeanour.He would spend hours closeted in his cabin with his EA, who would then stumble out unsteadily, with sheaves of papers spilling out of her file.Post such a tete-a-tete, we would often see her stagger back into our workstation* with a disoriented air, blinking a little. A bit like a convict let out into the free world Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-32338409508705381392009-03-02T20:53:00.014+05:302020-08-29T01:24:29.589+05:30Just a Random Day at Work
Venue: Client's office, one fine day.As always, do bear with the poor quality of sketch.
The options presented did stump me at first glance. But you can guess which door I chose.
And hey, if you can draw better than this with a mouse, please feel free to volunteer your services for the future. Versus my previous image, hope you've noticed that I've graduated from using boxes to depict bodiesAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-90287422519648457222009-02-25T10:15:00.014+05:302020-08-29T01:24:34.634+05:30Answering Queries from Willing Victims - II
Have stuck to adverbatim questions so readers can recognize their own.
Q: Why do you keep leaving 'notes for global readers'?
Me: Hey, c'mon mate, allow me the dream. Besides, I really do have global readers (I hope).
Q: How do I leave a comment anonymously?
Me: Click on the option that says 'Anonymous' in the comment section. If you're not a complete stranger, doAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-70902152961808015742009-02-24T19:04:00.014+05:302020-08-29T01:24:38.504+05:30The Curious Case of a Chocolate Flan
On the personal front, I'd started feeling that anyone interesting of the male variety I'd lately met (or not met), fell into five categories. By interesting I mean - humane, witty, intelligent and attractive (to me).
This only reconfirmed my theory refined over the years, that all the good guys:
1. Have left the country for the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand or S.E.A.*
 Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-87522505778539136602009-02-04T20:23:00.012+05:302020-08-29T01:24:42.718+05:30The Pursuit of Bollyness - I
There are some who have the ability to catnap anytime, anywhere.
An enviable trait, unless they happen to be sitting next to you at a movie show.
Having snoozed peacefully through the crucial part of a thriller*, they awake newly refreshed, demanding that you fill them in on the intricacies of the plot.
* A Hindi movie allows a lot of opportunity for the sleep deprived, as the averageAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-72433210625051994052009-01-11T23:51:00.013+05:302020-08-29T01:24:46.748+05:30Hex and the City
After week upon week of meeting heads of businesses big and small, the psyche of entrepreneurs still fascinated.
I never tired of discovering anew another facet to their personality and work ethic. To add to this, the sheer variety of personalities was mind boggling, to say the least.
Some were their polished best and others downright boorish. However, it seemed that though Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-10556226544122839552009-01-03T18:39:00.013+05:302020-08-29T01:24:51.829+05:30Say CheersA meeting which typically had an agency/ freelancer or two present in addition to the client sometimes posed diplomatic conundrums.Especially when it came to Desmond, who for some unknown reason, was LL's favourite man of all work of the small time advertising kind. Drinking Desmond was my moniker for him, for reasons which will become clear as you read on.Desmond wore a jacket for most meetings,Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-56409303745513910192008-12-18T19:59:00.013+05:302020-08-29T01:24:57.196+05:30Just a Random Day at WorkVenue : Boss's cabin, one fine day.I know you'll excuse the overall poor sketch quality and the fact that I couldn't quite draw the bodies.Yes, those figures represent people.The ones without any visible hair are male.(Click on the image to see it clearly)Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-76040025793851516102008-11-25T14:17:00.020+05:302020-08-29T01:25:03.551+05:30Marrkit's Memorable Memos
If one studied the memos which did the rounds, one could quite easily imagine the events that led to it.Each crisis faced was thus chronicled by an appropriately worded memo. New administrative rules were created at the drop of a hat. No matter how absurd.The current memo in circulation often indicated an accurate reading of the administrative woes of the company. Good practices of HR and Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-38546884326569177702008-11-19T21:21:00.024+05:302020-08-29T01:25:08.255+05:30A Brief Digression - Friends & Hearts of Gold
Am sure you'll forgive the brief digression from work-related chronicles for a random break from frivolity.
Found myself thinking of what makes a heart of gold and had to put this down.
As we go through life, it gets rarer to meet people you form close friendships or even friendships with, irrespective of their gender.
It happens, but at a slower pace, as one's growing years of school, Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-57607182035567262412008-11-14T00:01:00.007+05:302020-08-29T01:25:17.223+05:30One of the boys
Have been described as one of the boys with such monotonous regularity from platonic guy friends (most of them - either happily married or happily separated and/or divorced) that I no longer automatically imagine a fast-forwarded Kafkaesque metamorphosis into a male version of myself. To picture this if you have nothing better to do, hark back to MJ’s Black or White video. Hey, judge the man(”?”Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-45215850328416324962008-11-08T18:42:00.021+05:302020-08-29T01:25:28.544+05:30Resuscitation
It was one of those days again.Had reached office at 8 a.m. and a whole 12 and a half hours later, was still there.Did I mention that we were understaffed and overburdened? Or that we could have held a record for the highest attrition? Lately, I'd forgotten what sunlight looked like.Since it had always been my burning ambition since childhood to be 'independent', I was happy to be working in an Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-48534708226723885322008-11-03T16:34:00.008+05:302020-08-29T01:25:38.160+05:30The Point is Missing
In the course of acclimatization to the new work-world, which seemed to have till now few opportunities of applying what we had slogged over in b-school, I sometimes felt that my new work life was full of plain good old troubleshooting.
At this stage, I was assigned clients for Account Planning/ Client Servicing, which is the function I was handling within my firm. A lot of it involved Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-89013930182334788242008-10-22T23:29:00.003+05:302020-08-29T01:25:44.567+05:30The Day of the Call...continuedBro: Not bad! Me: Why are you on the extension! Buzz off!! Bro: No way Me: Get off or you’ll regret it. At this point, it struck me that this interruption could be used to my advantage. ‘When embarrassing conversation occurs, shift focus’. Did Sun Tzu say that or Confucius? Maybe the last fortune cookie at that Chinese place. Me: Mom, you need to concentrate on Akshay. He is going wayward. And Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-33992851615012390152008-10-18T20:52:00.003+05:302020-08-29T01:25:50.359+05:30Answering commonly asked questions by faithful readersHave stuck to adverbatim questions so readers can recognise their questions. Send your questions to exmarrkitian@gmail.com. Q: Why the double R in Marrkit? And what the heck does it mean anyway? Me: Look, I wondered too. We are Marrkit Marketing Consultants. We Capture the Marrkit. (Capture the Marrkit is our baseline. Get the pun? Marrkit, Market? LL is particularly proud of it). As per IndianAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-31809199399980848142008-10-18T20:46:00.006+05:302020-08-29T01:25:54.980+05:30Glossary of Marrkit’s Marketing Terms/ Office JargonMarrkit: An orifice (oops.. office) in Bombay - a marketing consultancyMarrkitians: Employees at Marrkit. Marrkitians Unofficial Definition of a Marketing Person: Start with a good human being; and take away his/ her innocence, commonsense, ethics, morals, values and add some ruthlessness, pedanticism, ego, ego and some more ego. That’s good to start with. Obviously, I really don’t think of Annoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7511373166994345734.post-91454956190358480522008-10-18T20:45:00.002+05:302020-08-29T01:26:00.663+05:30Books to read to become a Marketing Consultant (in Recommended Order):
How to Surprise Your Competition
How to Kill the Competition
Don’t Focus on Competitors
Get Your Customer
Know Your Customer
Keep Your Customer
What To Do When the Customer Starts Leaving
Stop Selling, Start Living… Start Marketing
Ageless Product, Timeless Profit
So What if Your Product Doesn’t Meet Any Consumer Need?
Reap First, Sow Later
Principles of Marketing
Business Ethics for NewcomersAnnoymouslyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16334314456453176943noreply@blogger.com1