Betty & Veronica
I have recently being giving ears to two of my very close friends, Betty and Veronica (I am not the Archie between them, they have two different Archie for each one of them) Some times the situation is so interesting that I can’t help laughing at the irony of life. The life is so similar to fiction and a stark contrast it provides at times is really interesting.
Betty is always the one who loves, the one who is ready to give in and ready to go that extra mile to make the relationship work. A cute simple bubbly kind of a girl who would remain cheerful and would always be worried that if she would have her Archie or not. The problem with Betty is Archie likes her as a friend, thinks really high of her and he would do anything if she needs help. The only problem here is this is not enough to start a relationship, a relationship requires a lot more than just being there. This is where the problem arises when Betty asks a fundamental question; if there can be someone else then why not me? What is the problem with me? Why someone else over and above me? The only answer to this question is that world is not binary, the relationships and emotions do not work that way. I always say that I execute my relationships very practically. I know what I am into but the truth is that there are times when I have done things which in most of my sanest explanation were insanity. This is not because I am imbalanced or something it is just that the co-existence of Love & Insanity is not a mere chance but a law of nature.
Veronica is a total contrast to what Betty is though similar in a lot of aspects but posing a stark difference also. Veronica is the one who has decided that Archie is her guy, and she owns him. She will make sure that he remains his guy. She is completely laid back and expects Archie to do travel that extra mile for the sake of relationship. Aware of the fact that even if he goes that extra mile there is no end to it, doesn’t find it sane. Veronica on the other hand knowing the end would trade everyday a little just to get the moment of pep with Archie and would stall the relationship to a day further and then a day more and another. The problem here is Archie doesn’t left with much his life is answerable to Veronica. The interesting thing is why he should be able to answerable to her, when there are no long term commitments. Veronica on the other hand would ask questions like how can he be so oblivious to me? How can he think of someone else? The problem here is she is not willing to accept the fact that he does not belongs to her from the moment they disintegrated their future. A relationship is not a day to day trade which you keep on executing but a long term investment which you sow in initial years and reap later. If you start reaping before watering the roots properly the relationship would only be only bark with no solid trunk & roots to support from inside.
When I listen to them, I feel touched by the conviction of emotions be it Betty or Veronica especially when I know they are not heading towards what they want. All I can do is to suggest them the right path, but sometimes I question myself that am I capable enough to do it? Do I really understand the sea of emotions with them? Would I be doing the same thing if I were in there place? The questions can never be answered because I can never be at there place because I am not what they are, the only solace for me is that what I tell them is what I really believe and my honest wish to see them happy all through out their life. Best of luck mates for whatever you do in life, I always wish you get what you want and a bit more.
My Problems with Strategy
Strategy is a very nice small word defined by Webster dictionary as “1 a (1) : the science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war (2) : the science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions b : a variety of or instance of the use of strategy
2 a : a careful plan or method : a clever stratagem b : the art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal
3 : an adaptation or complex of adaptations (as of behavior, metabolism, or structure) that serves or appears to serve an important function in achieving evolutionary success”.
I feel in the current scenario it is one of the ill treated and demeaned word, specially where my fellow “HumBheeHain”(read MBA) comrades. Now after seeing the summer project titles of many of my fellow beings I have come to utter dislike for this word. I don’t know why but even my summer project title also includes the word (ps: yes I made the title) and is the most frequently occurring word in my resume as well. Getting back to the point that why I would not want to be associated with anything that has something related to this generic word of “strategy”.
1- It is too easy and non-challenging; almost every B-school student does it in his summer internship after the first year. You know things like “Strategy Formulation”, “Strategy Evolution” and other things of sorts.
2- Every company on the block does it; everyone seems to have it, more or less on the similar line. Everyone talks about customers, service, growth, market leader etc. even the ones who file for the bankruptcy. So why to be involved with one which is not the differentiator.
3- Once can not make their strategy independently without the help of someone. Either they need summer interns from the business schools or the glorified strategic consultants which are flocking our campuses on day to day basis. So it is a job from the lower end of the value chain which can easily be outsourced.
4- It partners us with our own competitors and might lead to risks. For example both Wipro & TCS are a strategic partner to General motors which also make them strategic partner to each other. I assume that strategy would be following the transitive laws of multiplication. After all strategy should be objective in nature.
5- Another thing which really irritates me about this word is it starts with an S (Read : ass) and ends in Y (Read: Why). May be because who starts it is a real donkey in himself and some why’s are always left in the end. Well why do I need an ass to make a plan which in the end would still leave some why? I swear I have no clue.
6- When I search in google the “strategy failure” I get more than 3 times more results from when I search “strategy success”. Now why would I like to spend my time doing something which is more associated with failure than to success.
8- If I rearrange the letters of the word strategy the words I get are grayest, gyrates, & targets all three such depressing words so now you would know how much depressing league this words belong to.
9- Another reason is that strategies are sometimes so stupid and they make you wonder if it is worth it, like some of you are wondering over my attention grabbing strategy to miss seven on the numbering list and cursing my strategy to gain attention
10- The only thing that is good with strategy is sometimes it works for no apparent reason, like some of you are looking up paying close attention to the crap I have written to see if I have really missed out seven.
So now you know why I am not really entertained by the idea of a job at strategic position in a strategic company having strategic clients asking it perform strategic roles for them and in turn giving me strategic growth paths in my career.
The Dame's Love: Professionalism or Emotionalism?
I got one more forwarded mails today, I sometimes wonder that what purpose these forwarded mails serve except for informing that sender is still alive and has at least one of his hands in his place so that he can press the forward button. In some cases it is good to know that while in other it doesn’t matters. Though this one triggered made me write this blog
A cute love story.....!!!!!
Two butterflies were in love. One day, they decided to play Hide n Seek during the play
girl Butterfly - "A small game within us"
boy Butterfly - "OK"
girl Butterfly - "The one who sits in this flower tomorrow early in the morning that one loves the other one more....."
boy Butterfly - "OK"
Next morning, the girl butterfly waits for the flower to open so that he can sit before the boy butterfly does.....
Finally, the flower opened.....
What did she see?
The boy butterfly had died inside the flower he stayed there all night so that early in the morning as soon as he sees her he can fly to her and tell her how much he loved her. This is true LOVE Life is LOVE.
This may sound ridiculous and I may sound like a male chauvinist pig (which I don’t mind being tagged) but the women are not worth the love they are given. All this fiasco about love and everything is an absolute crap when you see what has been happening around you especially in this area. The increased professionalism in the fairer sex can be noticed the way the relationships are becoming more professional than emotional. I understand there might be a lot of exceptions to this but the fact is the male counterpart always suffers the irrecoverable loss. The Bharti Yadav issue is one of the glaring examples of what I am talking about. A person, a real living person, was murdered brutally at a very small age. His only fault was that he loved someone who was a daughter of a politician. His fault was that he never cared for the end and just flowed in emotions. What is the end, someone he gave up his life for denies the entire romance in their relationship, when she is supposed to accept it. She says he was just a friend when there is a 20+ Valentines Day photograph album of him and her. Was the love smaller than blood relationship? If she could not take a stand, then why did she start a relationship in the first place? Why allowed things to get so worse and then quit after some one who trusted you with his life.
I know it is not only problem with the females; a lot has been talked about males ditching their girlfriends. But the point I am making is not what males did, they were wrong. All I want to say is it is an equal sin when you break someone’s trust, when you refuse to take a stand where you should have irrespective of you are a guy or a gal. There is lots of talk about how males cannot be trustworthy and how they tend to leave someone they love. Its just that females also do it and they generally get away without making too much of noise. But that is not a right way to go I know a lot of females would be fuming when they read this, but there is no point fuming about it. The best you can do is stand by the person who is willing to stand by you, or don’t get into a relationship first place when you know it. I am still unsure and too immature the question I have raised in my title, but the problem is the question exists.....
