That Thing You Do, 'You' Being Macaroni

My wife gives a new twist to nearly every type of food out there - yes, she can cook most things people find at snack stalls and famous eateries. However, it is her Macaroni that is perhaps the best example of personalizing the taste, giving some Indian tadka to it, blending it with her expertise and creating something that is outright exotic!

What makes it special? For starters, the sheer volume of thinly chopped veggies. I believe it is the lack of semi-fried vegetables that makes many food items fare averagely. My wife's version of Macaroni is overwhelmed with veggies, chopped to perfection, thin slices that crunch and texture-up the dish perfectly.

[Suggested Reading: Food, Detox and Sugarcane Juice]

Why is winter dressing about Greys, followed by fanaticism for Black and Deep Blues?

It is very wintery in Delhi and all around me, including my office, people finding their way on the road, and folks behind the steering wheel are dressed-up, creating layers to insulate them against the chill. However, my floating observation took me to a realization – there is an overkill of Grey colored clothing, even the accessories are overcooked in shades of blue and black. From what I can fathom, Winters can be somewhat depressing. Some folks suffer from winter-induced clinical depression too but overall, the season is about Christmas, New Year and plans & resolutions. The monotony of these shades is a big contrast to the feel-good vibes which comes with loving every sip of coffee, that feeling of warmth that coats your throat every time you pounce on dark chocolate. My winter wardrobe is as colorful it can get without getting weird.

2018 Diet Trend is about eating CEREAL for dinner?

There has been a lot of noise about what type of diet trends grabbed attention in 2017. Personally, I stay away from reading too much into this. Every year some fad surfaces and then for no reason, it suddenly disappears, leaving the followers in limbo. However, yesterday I came across one thing that sounded interesting, logical and doable. This is about eating cereal for dinner. It might be a pleasant coincidence but I have already been doing this for nearly 10 days, long before I read this trend on Yahoo Lifestyle.My reasons for following this regime are completely different. For me, recovering from the recent bout of Jaundice has taken precedence over taste or a detailed supper.

Are your dreams always wintery?

This is a bit strange and somewhat personal – I tend to dream very sporadically and within the realm of visuals that my mind sketches, there is always a preference for winters being the background. As long as I am dreaming about having turned into a father, raising a family, the retirement years or feeling good about my financial might, the landscape is always extreme winter. Really cannot understand the reason for this. There is nothing special I have achieved in this time of the year. In fact, the last two winters have been rather hard on me, financially, health-wise and from an emotional perspective. Even when the mind ruminates about how I can make my mother’s last year’s happier, the setting is always cold, with the temperatures dipping rather drastically. When dreaming about my imaginary baby son, whom I would love to call JUNIOR, the setting is same – the boy-toy is dressed in cute, costume-like woolens.

No Monkeying Around: Are you eating a banana or hot dog?

Call me crazy for observing and commenting about the smallest things that happen around me but the fact is that I just cannot help it. A few days back, I saw this guy perched on a small slab like thing along the road, eating a banana. There is nothing serious or wrong about consuming a fruit that is extremely high on carbs, potassium and sodium and is known to help people relax better and sleep. However, there was something odd about the way in which he was holding the banana, fully peeled, held horizontally, just like we eat hot dogs. I have seen many members of the ape family, particularly monkeys, eat their banana in a manner that is far more groomed, peeling away the fruit and eating it one or two bites at a time.

Sugarcane or Cane Juice – the Natural Detox??

Fasting + Raw Sugarcane Juice can be your Detox Savior

If you have been reading my blog, you must have come across my struggles with Jaundice or Hepatitis A. Turns out that Sugarcane Juice is the best among natural therapies to help the liver get rid of the toxins that tend to accumulate when your liver is affected by this disease. To make it more effective, you need to squeeze one lemon in one big glass of Sugarcane Juice and drink it up to three times a day. Please understand that recovery after Jaundice is about preventing the relapse and for this, you need some form of natural liver support - jaggery juice does this beautifully!

To Office-goers: What is your workplace ecosystem like?

Healthier, Happier Workplaces are Small but Beautifully Managed

This question is relevant for anyone who does not have the luxury of working from home – something that I, personally don't count a blessing as huge some folks make us believe. Working from home has totally different dynamics. The reason lies in the office culture, the infrastructure, the people fueling daily interactions and the type of decision-makers that are found at every contemporary workplace. Closing-in on the question – what really is a good workplace environment? Does the presence of a great snack stand or awesome lattes throughout the day mean you are privileged as an employee? There is limited help out there if you want to evaluate your organizational culture, most information found online often heavily manipulated. The answers have to come from you and me...

DIY Anxiety Management: Need that Morning Sense of Calmness

There is one challenge that has been constantly biting me – the inability to dress up in a calm, relaxed manner when getting ready for the daily drive that leads me to the office. Why? I am a self-confessed, highly embraced, chronic anxiety sufferer, and despite my best efforts, the smallest of changes in plans for the day, from a minor change of breakfast menu to running any small errand that might surface at the last moment, I tend to get a bit agitated. During winters, this feeling is somewhat controlled as I don't sweat as much but during summers, the feeling can be excruciatingly bothersome. To explain this better, I will need to divulge more details about my morning routine too, and the stickiness of it that is also a bit of a challenge. The thing is that I need a few minutes of working in the morning to get in the right frame of mind and soldier up for the day to follow. This is not about gaining muscle or fitting into a muscle tee. This is just a means to an end, as it helps me prepare mentally for things that might bother me and those that have already been marked as problems to solve. Whether I am expected to be a peacemaker or a troubleshooter at home or the office, the morning workout helps me be better at it. But working out comes with another challenge - the sweating and the time it takes to snap out of the exercising mode.

Feasibility Analysis for Project Manager: are you doing it?

I have become a hands-on project manager, not by intent or professional training, but as a result of gradual progression at my workplace. However, there are some PMP or project management basics that I have inculcated specifically to ensure that I can better map and manage my projects. For instance, feasibility analysis has a lot more to do with the overall relevance of landing a project rather than just the costing. Some projects have an identifiable starting and termination point – you are aware whether this is an ongoing collaboration or a one-time affair.

The Jaundice Battles: Liver Recovery, Managing Symptoms

Jaundice is really energy draining | Kills You Inside-Out

Recently, about 3.5 weeks back, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis A. Turns out, I was never vaccinated for this medical condition. Though Jaundice sounds like a very regular disease, non-fatal and easy to combat, the reality is quite different. The fact remains that Jaundice takes a toll on your liver. This invariably means lesser ability to metabolize or digest food. The body is unable to holistically remove its toxic overheads and the result is a culmination of many health conditions.