Uncovering Ways to Treat Yourself and Reasons to Do it...more than just cheat days and guilt-free binging!

There has always been a certain segment of psychologically-rich lifestyle bloggers who talk a lot about treating yourself. I totally agree with this approach as a life-management skill. It is easy, too practical not to do and makes you feel better. Plus, you are not depending on anyone else. This self-pampering is rewarding yourself for something you stuck to, managed to be stoic when flowing with the moment was easy, could say NO when everyone expected you to nod your head...there are so many battles we fight each day and if we can make some rules and stick to them, the effort should be appreciated - by who?...YOU!

Romantic dates for more soulful relationships? Knock-Knock...you are a Moron with an "M"

Couples' therapy can be very DIY, still effective and so easy to find that you won't believe it. You don't need to exchange notes about your list of favorite movies, you don't need more candle-lit dinners and Viagra cannot infuse the warmth you want in your relationship. Couples need to spend time together and vacationing is not the only way to do it - you can do something every day to strengthen your bond, to understand each other more. Just knowing her favorite colors does not make you a good husband. If she remembers the birthday diary of your ancestors, it does not amount to her being a kick-ass wife. The real magic lies in watching TV together even if it is the most hopeless piece of digital content ever produced but just lying there, together without speaking too much - that makes it look romantic.

Standard Interview Tips R.I.P - time to bring out the ugly truth!

I have had my share of interviews, the good, bad, and ugly ones, and I feel shocked at realizing that most people just don't know about the simplest trick to ensure that you make a better first impression, and create longer-lasting impressions that can get you hired, with your wishes being granted. Just imagine this scenario at any organization's HR desk - you are decked-up in good business casuals, you have scored reasonably well in the first round of interviews, you are now waiting for things to take a more definite shape, perhaps fumbling with your smartphone...what is it that you are not doing? You are not taking observing things that can be turned into simple questions. Yes! One big thing that most interviewers don't realize is that HR practices tend to get too mechanical. So predictable that some candidates cannot be differentiated. Unless you look like Brad Pitt or speak with the intensity of Morgan Freeman, forgetting you as one of the many candidates is not that difficult - yes, perhaps one more thing you didn't realize.

An apple pie a day can make Jack a less enthusiastic boy
...not my best rhyme by far!

Like anyone who was born in the 80s, I have had some fascination about postcards mailed by people from faraway cities, especially international destinations. As I grew up, traveling seemed to get less challenging, more celebratory and without the premium that people once put on postcards. The traveling demographic today is rather different...so drastically convenient that perhaps a good journey or a memorable trips seems readily attainable. Back in the day, receiving these postcards meant a lot of sighing.

Reasons for My Cup of Tea vs Normal Folks | Everyday Babbling Thoughts Blended with Handy Lifestyle Management

Anyone who has been at my blog, even twice, would know there is a definite difference between how I perceive thoughts and situations and react and how the more normal world behaves. This includes the pattern in which a cup of tea makes appreciable contributions to my everyday life.

Usual:         To Awaken Yourself
My Take:    To Calm Overactive Senses

Most people I know talk about having tea to awaken their senses, earlier in the day to wake-up from the slumber and during the day to regain their mental acuity. However, with me things are rather different. Think of me as an overworked, almost always engaged mind. I have this habit of digging so deep into the work that often I start blinking too infrequently and, as a result, my eyes get dry and irritated. This is why, for me, taking a few sips of tea is about interrupting my self-righteous habits that tend to exhaust me. This is not therapeutic for me. This is more of lifestyle management. Simple thing like ordering the tea or pouring it in my cup and sitting back to catch a break really helps to disengage the slightly over-stimulated sense, helping me regain that sense of calmness.

Back to school for the simple love of learning?...wait, there are bills waiting to be paid!

This is about an insatiable need to study more, read more without worrying about the bills and monthly installments - will Life gift a chance to relive and recreate what was left incomplete? I have always felt that in terms of culture and social normality, I have been a very, very slow learner and in most situations where I should look suave and educated, I seem short-supplied, often searching for answers. My education was more than just academic learning but later it got too career-focused. I realize that I sacrificed many things that should have been experienced to grow, really develop as an individual.Now, that I am beyond 35, the cravings to learn, to excel in classrooms and study abroad are back and back, in a big way. But then again, ditching your full-time job to pursue the more dreamy stuff is perhaps not the best plan right now. For some, it might not seem like the best plan during any phase of life. Things like Music and Architecture make all the right music now but during the growing-up and early college years, the same subjects seemed mundane and stupid.

Should be GOOD because it’s LIMITED EDITION? Not sure about this bUyInG MinDseT…!

I realized one thing the other day when viewing some real fancy sneakers on Jabong the other day – every time the phrase limited edition was used, it grabbed my attention instantly. Immediately, I concluded that these items would be worth the big sticker price, the materials would be exquisite and the style…wouldn’t make sense to argue it because anything with this tagline would have all ticked every checklist ingredients…right?

Nothing Oceanic Perhaps but this Shade is Calming for Sure…

This shade of blue is trending a bit these days – around me and in my life. I just bought a dumpster-cum-storage sort of home accessory in this color. Why?

There is something very appeasing about it. I specifically found an image where this hue of blue is used in a typically sad background. However, this shade manages to retain its cooling charm but I don’t want to use words like ocean or river-like in my description. Actually this is not about describing the color but just that it seems to be found in the smallest accessories, in the most unnoticeable forms and still it manages to make an impact. This is not about blinging the ambiance. There is nothing oceanic about the color but just that it has an adrenaline-boosting aura to it. You don’t need to choose complimenting or contrasting colors with much care. Nearly every shade, from dark grays to pale pastels make sense with this shade of blue. I recently bought a couple of lanterns for the living room, that can accommodate a tea-light or LED, in the same shade. This color has another thing that stands apart - despite what hue you are looking at, there is a certain amount of texture involved. Don't know the scientific reason for it but must be about how this color reflects light.

Condition that makes dotted patterns visually overwhelming is called___??

There is something wrong with my perception of fashion and prints in particular. Just the other day, I shared a fact that white trousers or lowers or any kind look lost on most men. My friends were aghast. I believe some of them must definitely have at least a couple of white track-pants or casual lowers in white. I then decided not to share another thing that stays a constant in my mind - the failure of polka dots or dotted patterns of any sorts to make an impression on me. In essence, I am slightly overwhelmed with them.

There is too much going on there - the visuals tend to fight for attention and I cannot figure out the actual silhouette. The shape or pattern of things seems lost. I first felt this when watching a zebra close-up on one of those wildlife Sunday marathon shows. The zig-zag pattern was still easy to digest but when they compared more patterns, using the close-up of a leopard cup, it had the same effect. It was as if I was trying to find symmetry which did not exist. Is there some medical condition or cerebral limitation that causes this? I find this issue with too many dots on steering wheel covers, jackets, handkerchiefs, umbrella prints, Tees, stationary, etc. 

Still stuck on green tea? These guys are doing Tea Spirits! #teatrends

Tea Infographic from www.divinitea.com

I have been dedicatedly exploring green tea and herbal tea combinations that can be very handy in hydrating and boosting immunity. However, this genre seems to be rather big. While I have been rambunctious about my first impressions and emerging trends in this domain, every now & then I find something that seems beyond my horizon of green tea literacy. Now, I was just browsing through when I chanced upon this link on liquor.com that talks about a young distillery that is trying to do spirits in a different way. The approach seems intent on moving away from the hangover of hangover perception associated with consuming liquor. Rather than sticking to the traditional base ingredients, these guys are using fermented tea.

When there is an Overkill, Everything that is Floral is NOT Lovable

You see a vase and you start imagining the type of flora and fauna it can host. You enter a business meeting and seem impressed with the flower collection. You buy another pair of floral-printed denim and feel that this time, the print is really unique. Do you think you create happy vibes? Wrong!! You are nothing close to helping people feel better. You are predictable and therefore, boring, in a suck-it sort of way. I have encountered so many of these instances. Yes, bright flowers are something I love too, spread across the room in a minimal, subtle way. The fragrance can be seriously uplifting - after all, many potent essential oils are actually flower extracts. However, calling a home charming, a room outdoorsy, a workplace welcoming, a hotel lobby glamorous, a beauty queen ethereal, or guitarist in a floral ensemble, a true Boho gypsy sort is a stretch. I truly believe that everything that is themed around nature, natural, organic, beautiful, earthy, and real does not need to be floral all the time.

Why not take an adventure trip within your home with almost zero gear? [DIY Anxiety Management]

What seemed like an empty patch of floor in our reserve bedroom now challenges me - I must do mountain climbers and skull-crushers to ensure my physicality is maintained to some extent. I haven't stepped out, not compared myself with others at the gym or done anything drastic, and still, this challenge is huge as daily motivation levels can vary and I tend to be dicey with time management. What am I talking about? The fact that your home itself can be the canvas for some adventure type activity without Googling the best nearby locations for a weekend break!

You can easily do things that help to challenge your overall fitness with basic supplies at home. There is no camping or hiking gear involved here. This is about getting adventurous with the least important things that are found in nearly every household. Lately, I started doing mountain climbers and as compared to push-ups these are much more full-body involving and can be done in so many ways. But then, there are a million push-up varieties too. So, let us not compare them. If you could combine mountain climbers with push-ups, 30 minutes can seem like an eternity. Plus, all you need to do them is a plain, empty floor and a towel, because you will sweat a lot for sure! These are two core-killers and seriously, even if you happen to be in good shape, 5 sets of each, alternated, can leave you panting, sweating and almost blushing...just like the after-glow. The rushing of blood also kills the anxiety pangs. It keeps you occupied even after wrapping-up the session as the body is trying to cool itself and recuperate from the torture you just unleashed!

Don’t Deny It – Everyone is Guilty of Leave-the-Office Early Pangs

I wasn’t always a manager. I have a long history of working well beyond the stipulated hours. There were phases when work would absolutely consume me, ensuring I never checked the time. However, a decade of work-life seems to have changed something, somewhere. Now, like many other colleagues, and all of my fellow team handlers, I have started suffering from monthly bouts of leaving-the-office early pangs. Please understand that this has very little similarity with hoping the work-day gets easier, less demanding, or gets over quickly. Leaving- office-early symptoms stem from this sudden urge that makes you plot in the most conniving manner to ensure you can leave the workplace prematurely without getting noticed in any way, without affecting your workload for the day.

You are not an un-Chef cook, you just don't fail enough...

This is about experimenting in the kitchen being vital to improve your gastronomic superiority. I would always wonder that despite her culinary art being superior than anyone else on the planet, why would my mom deviate from the standard path so minimally? I thought it was just the fear of failure. Turns out, I was horribly wrong. My dad would never recommend trying too many things in the kitchen. This subdued the inner chef in her, not allowing her to really spread her cooking wings. This did not make her a good, bad or better cook but it did not allow the real potential to express itself. Today, I see my wife able to do a lot more with the most basic supplies because both of us are open to the idea of food experiments that can go horribly wrong! [Will share her latest creation - bread, egg pizza that is better than the crap served at Domino's]. And this is what this discussion is about - you are never going to be an awesome, chef-like kitchen maestro if you don't play around enough.

You might want to drive alone, not to rethink, but to think better...

Many people talk about long biking voyages to rediscover their passion or to pursue their instincts, but there is something very uniquely calming about long, driving miles that some people just don't explore and I am talking about almost-immediate stress management that costs you less than a visit to the shrink. Just consider this – sometimes, the only way to solve a problem that seems unbearable is to disconnect with it, only to retrace it later when your mind is better placed to join the dots. This is what a driving in isolation does. At first, it is a temporary escape route. You quit and move away from the physicality of the event that caused all the commotion.

Most Ridiculous Theory Ever about the Curse of Perfection – Only a Guy Could Share This | Popcorn Bytes

I was watching a song from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and it slowly dawned upon me that I was having the ARILFS or the KKSDS symptomology again.  What are these? These are mental conditions found among the male species across the Indian continent in very little concentration and is essentially about these guys finding themselves not attracted to women who are otherwise worshiped for their oomph and sensuality. The Aishwarya Rai Induced Failure to Fantasize Syndrome or the Katrina Kaif Sexual Disassociation Syndrome is not due to stress or workplace issues or a disturbed childhood. Contemporary psychology has no answers for why such men don't find such beautiful women the least attractive—not saying that you have to ogle and get charged-up whenever beautiful women are on the screen but the WOW sentiment is just not there!

Better way to Green Tea @office – making it easier #zeropreparationgreentea

I have been regular with green tea and its various, herbal options since Jaundice struck me down for good. From chamomile to lemon and honey, from ginger-heavy to very bland flavors, I have been testing the entire field, assuming that some form of natural goodness needs to be sipped every day. Most recently, my wife chanced upon the theory that at work, I don’t get the option of really stewing the cup of immunity boosting herbs. This is because the overhead fan is in full gear and there is no cup-covering sort of accessory with me. Therefore, she recommended preparing a ginger and honey concoction with two lemon and herbal extract dippers positioned within the flask itself. The upper, threaded end of the dippers were secured with the cover. It takes me almost 2 hours from the point of leaving the house to reach my office.

Currency shouldn't look like the byproduct of a school activity gone horrendously wrong!

There is a huge difference, that some people call a fine line, between using colors in a happy, vibrant way and overdoing it to the extent of killing the goose. When the Modi administration decided to print the currency in colors that would make the Tomatina look pale, they crossed the line, in fact dug a hole within the line and jumped to the lowest depths. For some reason, I find very little room for creativity in the currency we use. It is a lifeline, a financial instrument that cannot be fooled around with, best portrayed in colors that are sober and serious. Every note does not need to wear colors right from the handbook of the fashion police and when you have bright, fluorescent-type colors that look outright kiddish, too desperate to grab your attention, you know that just like many other things they tried, the Modi administration yet again, spoke a lot, promised too much, did too little, and still, glorified actions that are downright stupid...

Parking Lots not on Bollywood's love list?

Hollywood has always used the backdrop of grey and black garages and parking lots for action sequences and creepy horror movie effects but Bollywood seems reluctant. I recall how Feroz Khan destroys a Mercedes owned by his rival in a home production that seemed inspired by the West. A few decades onwards and we are still creatively handicapped in using our over-stuffed and sometimes shockingly empty parking lots into the narrative. Why?

Hollywood scripts have been rather generous with using the parking lot background and the reasons are not difficult to understand. These places are big with plenty of empty spaces. The lighting is usually not bright and there are plenty of pillars that provide the perfect opportunity for creepsters to startle you. Directors in Hindi-land don’t seem to like the fact that the parking lots have everything needed to create a situation that keeps the movie-watcher engaged. From empty drums to electrical connections, from statue-like cars to almost vacant cabins, from plenty of zero-personnel spaces to those corners where the lighting does not seem to have penetrated at all – the parking lot can be your movie-making landscape!

Shooting Locations that Need More Exposure

I would say that shooting a song sequence too makes sense. We are no longer in the era of high-velocity winds blowing away the dresses of an actress. All you need is some digital effects and a troop of backdrop dancers and a parking lot can accommodate all of them. If the movie calls for sordid, grey-market deals, massive underground parking zones seem safe and logical.


If the plot needs a car chase scene, it can end or start from the parking floor. If an action sequence needs cars to be blow apart, what better option than a location that is overflowing with cars, the retired and the most recent ones? Even for the Insidious type of scene, there is a high propensity of disturbing man-animal-devil forms emanating from the walled enclosures. Even a romantic comedy with the latest Kapoor girls or Alia can be shot here as the parking lot provides so many reasons for people to interact including must-have guy tries picking up the girl sequences with the lady trying to tiptoe herself to the car, juggling too many purchases from the mall.

The parking lot needs to be explored more by Bollywood and Amazon TV series directors churning out content for the Indian audience. Whether it is the ghoulish creations or zombies and mob hits, the parking lot landscape is perfect to hide, attack, and unleash something demonic. It can be the perfect place to create the match of edgy, dark corners and shadows that together create that eerie feeling. I have been watching Penny Dreadful on Netflix these days and some of the dark colors and Gothic undertones have been beautifully matched with a Greater London picturization that is not happy or ecstatic about its riches. The dark characters of Penny Dreadful really benefit from the manner in which the surroundings have been presented - somber, almost saying to you that this TV series is not meant to put a smile on your face.

Stop Hopping Places...Stay Steady, Do the Grind & Flourish!

There is no harm in feeling defeated at the workplace, there are no points lost for thinking that your parents don't support your enthusiasm but there is something wrong about quickly quitting what you started or dropping what once drove your passion. There is a certain sense of accomplishment, that feeling you drive from having proven your point that comes with standing your ground, saying it to yourself that unless you drop dead, you are not going to duck the storm. Why am I sounding so philosophical today? Just that I was on LinkedIn today and happened to come across a friend, a schoolmate, who is now professionally far-far better positioned than I am. Why?

Quick Reviews of Eating Places in and around Janakpuri, Dwarka – Hot Curries

Hot Curries is one of the many neighborhood establishments that are competing for the top slot in the niche of reasonably priced, always accessible eating joints. The place is neatly located, just around the corner of Janakpuri’s road that takes you along the lane that houses Tihar Jail. I and Moha decided to try it out as a part of our Sunday gastronomic ventures. Overall, the experience was good but could have been better and I can recommend this place to other foodies out there.

First Impressions

Hot Curries does not try to do anything spectacular and this is perhaps why it manages to succeed. The ambiance is laidback with some outdoorsy spread also. The chairs and tables are typically made of discounted type plastics that don’t lend an upmarket appeal to the place but then Hot Curries is not a fine dining destination. You have the option of eating upstairs in the air-conditioned indoor space also but at the time of our visit, the place was at the center of a very lovable windy period. The air was somewhat refreshing.

Asian homes seem crude, crass & downright poor vs Postcard-perfect Euro Locations

Italy, Spain and European nations have never been ashamed of very colorful walls, their homes always brightly shaded and vibrant but here, in Asia, the story is rather different - it seems that dwelling in real colors are associated with being stupidly uneducated about the elite, more educated things in life. While places like Burano Island in Italy can boast of Venetian homes lined-up in the entire shade-card of a rainbow, places like Hong Kong and Beijing might have mighty sky-scrapers but the overall color scheme is disheartening, dull and predictable. Here, the love with grays and sleek blacks and browns does not seem to go away.

Dining-ware matters when you buy a dining experience, not just food...

When I eat at a road-shack, the quality of tissue paper handed across, actually stolen and ripped apart, does not matter. When I pay premium for a supper with my lady I expect everything to be equally reciprocative and meet my expectations. Some restaurants don't seem to understand this basic human thought! Managers of legacy hotel chains too might be witnessing a lot of disruption in terms of how food is being served. What was once exclusively grand is now becoming more artisanal, earthy and the push towards everything clay-baked or hand-finished is taking over. I have nothing against such cutlery but when I am seated for supper with my lady at an eating destination that expects me to pay and tip big, I want everything about my dining experience to be worth the price.

How pint sips can be my anxiety fixer with no big downsides...

I am hardly a drinker but I have seen that my senses seem to react in all the right ways and show some inexplicable patterns after slurping on the smallest amounts of beer or anything that is alcoholic. Ask anyone with any type of beer drinking credentials – it is unlikely that the glory will be talked about in the number of sips. The culture clearly mandates that all such beating-the-drum conversations should be about the number of pints, glasses, 6-packs, etc.

Food-with-Tea or Post-meal Cup: your pick?

A sip after a couple of bites, more as you start chewing and swallowing more and always scope for one more half-serve - these are the typical traits of folks who should have a cup of tea accompanying their meal. Mostly seen at dining tables, I have seen many people who just cannot wrap-up their luncheon without sipping tea throughout the meal's journey, from the start of the meal to its grand ending. When I queried about this culture, it turned out that many were in the habit of pushing the bites down the food pipe via the hot beverage. Others just had this habit as their throats were rather sensitive and teas pacified any type of irritation. There is another consumer demographic here, i.e. folks who drink tea along with major meals as a means to suppress their hunger. In some way, this is a dieting habit I believe and I can understand the logic.

Fruits with Aesthetics: what is it about happy lemons?

Do you relate personalities with fruits or vegetables?

Happy in his own world, fully aware of its red, enviable form – that is how I can describe the apple's aesthetics. Bananas on the other hand have banal personalities, complete with an unenthusiastic color. However, I still couldn’t understand when this guy in a TV sitcom kept saying 'happy lemons' like a phrase to suggest someone feeling rather good without a genuine reason. Invariably, how you interpret the visuals of a food item is highly inspired by how you react to their taste or flavor. You cannot call mangoes happy and cheerful if you hate the fleshy sweetness.

This discussion is trying to do this difficult job – decode fruit personas without caring about their taste!

Images to Decipher How an Individual has Aged, Lived, Prospered, Degenerated

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Perhaps, still a working man. The clothes are really loose and once fitted well, at least better. The way the pants are slumping indicates a body that was once much bigger and how lies in absolute ignorance. Not finding the time or the means to update it puts some spotlight on a mindset – stick to the bare minimum and whatever gets you through the day, is better than what seems like a better choice. Even then, the over-sized jacket seems more like a factually incorrect gift of a handed-down version of something that was once warm or stylish. The facial grumpiness seems natural, not enforced at all. The simple stance when being clicked, with hands on the side says a lot about the humility of the moment or perhaps the man. Not a hobbyist – that is the first impression since the apparel and the work-desk in the background does not belong to a study or a garage-type setting. Someone still employed, by choice or need, at this age seems a bit cruel. I expect to get a headful of grey with more-than-sufficient savings so that it is only an option to work with power tools or pen more short stories on a legacy typewriter.

Those things where everything superficial matters the most!

If you thought that this was going to be another discussion about people and human behavior, you are seriously mistaken - this is about the goodness of baked foods and how we should approach them. I believe it is all about the crust - the quality of it - the crumbliness - the break-ability and much more. Let me school you into this:

• A crust that breaks and splutters and crackles but does not fall away invariably means the insides are decently cooked too
• A crust that is naturally textured with cracks and crevices is most likely for the inner, more subtle flavors to rise to the surface
• Crusts that are moist tend to spoil the charm of biting into something. Even if you want chocolaty goodness inside, you expect the bite to actually "bite" and not stoop to softened surfaces
• There is nothing like a flawless crust. Consider goods handmade by an artisan. Every item, though created repeatedly during the day, has something, making each item special - the crust does that to your cookie, biscuit, cake, etc.