Must you contain a butterfly in a cage. A common perception is that a brand is a product or just a name given to a product and that branding is the same as advertising or marketing. Branding goes well beyond the print advertising and jingles. It is incorporation of a vision behind the brand in day to day operations of the parent organization. Any organization that is willing to create the most sustainable asset needs to think like a brand manager. So the question is how? The answer is incorporate the attributes of the brand in each process that is conducted by the organization.
Ideaa
Raining, nay, pouring ideas on people. What to wear, where to eat, which movie to watch first day first show, opinions are getting bombarded on those who choose to stick around. Some of them think of it as gibberish while those who pay attention know the taste for good quality as well as the quality of taste. The noble opinion of Ernest Hemingway was that best kind of people have a thing for beauty and discipline to tell the truth and these qualities, although desirable lead to destruction of these fantastic individuals. The thought of your strength being the culprit and responsible for destroying you is quite scary, but who can deny the sacrifices that ought to be made in making the much needed dent in the universe. It takes time, but its for the best to prepare oneself for the sacrifice. Be responsible for the change and responsive to the signs that trigger the passion. Stop wasting 29 days a month for that 1 pay day. Keep moving, make a difference where is matters the most. If it does not make you happy, make sure it brings joy to someone who deserves it well. Simple changes in the routine will make a huge shift in the usefulness of the day.
When the tough gets going
For those who follow astrology, will be aware that the full moons and the eclipses are nasty times on the lunar cycle. Particularly strenuous for those belonging to the cardinal signs (librans in particular). It is a tough time time for a Libra indeed. Too much stress in relationships and long working hours do not do any mercy on one either. My friends are upset with me as I do not remember to call them back for weeks when i am lost in my job. Parents are sick worried their precious child’s health, without regular meals and proper rest. But all said and done, the positive aspect of this testing time is, I get to know the strength of my own character. How easily will I accept defeat? Will I or won’t I succumb under pressure and make mistakes? And most importantly, when this is over, I will realize was it really worth it? Am I in the correct job, where hard work is its own reward? or it’s better to move on? these questions and lot others get answered during these monster full moons.
Something else i would like to add, is that it brings out the worst and the best in me all together at the same time. I do not stop challenging myself till its over for the time being. A word of recognition, a praising smile is all that makes the difference. It is not just being the right place at the right time, PASSION must be channeled in the right direction always, but how frequently is it that one gets a chance, a moment to reflect. In my case, I do not have to find a moment any longer, the right moment comes and finds me these days.
The tough full moons ( 2 of them in pairs) in the month of April, 2014 did the needful and pushed me off the cliff to make the moves and find my destiny one more time.
How fortunate are those who have no option but to follow their dreams or to perish.
Krazy Kuotes
“Love may be blind but men are still visual”
“To have faith is to bear a cross, when there is an absolute certainty that your trust shall be toyed with and your desires will die forever unmet”
“Things that are taken casually will always comeback to pay a haunting visit”
“History has a way of repeating itself and when it does, one must not forget that it is, after all, history, for it was meant to be”
“When silence turns into music it is the best feeling in the whole world”
“I love the things that are left unspoken”
“it doesn’t count as mistake unless its committed”
The Royal Bargainer
Kaun hai bargaining ka king??
Kisko Madhur lagti hai sikko ki cling?
Arey aur kaun, apna leader Satyam!!
Baat ho jab pate ki
To poochhne me na aaye use sharam.
Abhi haal hi me ek sales girl kar deti uspe 2 t-shirts charge,
Par usne to pehle hi puchh liya
“Madam, kya ye hai ladies ka large?”
“It’s a men’s brand sir!!!”
Ladki ne fauran kiya reply.
Satyam ko kya, uski bala se bhaad me jaaye.
Infy me jeete tumne awards bade bade.
Client ki problem solve kardi khade khade!
Dum hai tumhare top floor me
Aaj humne maan liya.
Tum ghode ho lambi race ke
Ye to sabhi ne jaan liya.
Shine karoge tum family business me bhi, I am sure.
Because you were designed to be an “ENTREPRENEUR”
The Lady with an Ermine
The lady with an ermine is one the four portraits of women painted by the great artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. It is also considered very first modern art portrait by a number of noted historians. The lady in the painting, Cecilia Gallerani was unarguably the most beautiful of all the people ever painted by Leonardo. Cecilia, unlike Mona Lisa was not a noble woman. She was however acknowledged as a woman of high intelligence and multi-talented accomplishments.
A favorite mistress of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, Cecilia was responsible for appointment of Leonardo Da Vinci in the royal court of Milan and we can reasonably assume that the painting was commissioned by her lover, the Duke. Like Leonardo’s other works of art, this painting has a number of hidden meanings and holds a high significance in renaissance art. Many historians have come up with a diverse set of interpretations for this remarkable portrait; I however chose to interpret this brilliant piece of art as my imagination allowed me to.
Cecilia was only sixteen when this painting was commissioned and it’s rumored that she was expectant mother to the Duke’s child. An accomplished poet and musician, she was in my own opinion a woman with a foresight and liberal thinking. It is often quoted that Cecilia’s Salon was the very first in the world where noted artists showcased their work for the most supreme nobles to patronize.
In this painting Cecilia is extremely careful for the ermine. She holds it close to her bosom not out of affection but simply to make sure it remains safe and does not attack her. Ermines were considered sacred creatures in the European folk lore as they chose to die rather than let their pure white fur gets soiled. These were commonly kept as pets by the royalty as well as a symbol of purity. The ermine with Cecilia is neither a pet nor an object of affection, it is in fact symbol of the Duchess Beatrice d’Este, who was Duke’s wife and was responsible for an immediate and unconditional banishment of Cecilia from the castle of Sforza post her marriage with Duke of Milan. This act of Duchess was out of envy and rivalry with Cecilia for the love of Duke and admiration of the members of court. The ermine (or Duchess) digs her claws deep into Cecilia’s skin as she tries to hold it. Cecilia on the other hand suppresses the pain; in fact on a deeper study of Cecilia’s facial expression one cannot overlook her keen gaze, curiosity and her quest for excellence even though she lives with the pain of being object of Duchess’s hatred and the shame of being the young mistress to the Duke. She looks at neither the painter nor the ermine, as if she is able to absorb information and interpret it at the same time. Her subtle smile conveys her insurmountable spirit to achieve her goals as she lies in the isolated dark background.
Leonardo kept Cecilia’s attire very simple instead of a lavish royal consort. This stresses the fact that Cecilia’s interest in nobility lies primarily in prestige and not in flamboyant luxury. She wears a simple necklace made with black beads for jewelry which complements her beauty and brings the focus of the viewer on her charming and delicate features. The thin cape on her head accentuates her forehead. Her simple medieval attire enhances the beauty of her delicate fingers with which she is gently stroking the ermine.
In a nutshell, The Lady with An Ermine is a mesmerizing and amusing painting. It broke the barriers of the then conventional art standards and thus was able to bring out the painful complexity of human relationships. The subject of the painting, Cecilia was an underdog in her actual life when compared to the Duchess of Sforza but with her very position as that of a mistress in the royal court, her intrinsic capabilities and desire to excel she won not only the admiration and respect of the royal subjects but of the Duke himself. It is true indeed, potential of building strength lies in the very qualities that lead directly to weakness.
Soul Stream 