Unsolicited Swagger when Sipping Tea | Are you a Tea Snob - use the Check-list!

You are a tea snob if you think drinking many cups at your work-desk makes you look important

Needless to say, this is due to my irresistible habit of observing things and forming knee-jerk opinions. I had always been intrigued by how people try to put in a bit of style when smoking, always holding their poison in a way that it looks sacred, something that makes them elite – a class apart. To some extent, this is understandable. Smoking is about getting a high and perhaps the high includes an ego boost too. What I couldn’t understand is why people who behave in a slightly similar way when sipping tea or coffee. This is not about some uptight tea drinking etiquette or weird tea serving rules like adding the milk last!

You are a tea snob if you pay a big tip for a single serving of tea at a cafe

Me & Moha Finally Did It…I meant Baking a Homely Chocolate Cake

Sprinkled with Walnuts Cauz I Love Dem

Get your head out of the perversity that surrounds you, look-up and listen to what I have to say – Me and Moha had been trying to cook our cake for some time now. The first attempt had been gastronomically traumatic. The batter was left uncooked and the crusting was a bit too much. This year's 26th January weekend meant we could try again, prepared with some failure-makes-you-better wisdom. Families and colleagues trusted with making the final judgment in our favor!

Red Underwear – does it empower you? & More Innerwear Conversations

Not sure about how many folks are going to understand this but I firmly believe that what you wear within is as important as crisply ironed shirts and that blue blazer. I can never dress-up using ill-fitting underwear or an under-shirt that does not seem to have lost all of its moisture under the sun. A few years ago, it just chanced upon me that the color of my underwear often made me feel good about the wardrobe ensemble I chose for the day. The reason?

Don't have the usual psychological study to share with you guys but yes, for me this color is about being passionate, driven by self-confidence. I have explored almost shades of red as a part of my outerwear options. This spilled over the zone of inner wear to work.

Sleeping with a Collar? Not my cup of tea!

Discussing My Strange Reason for Sleeping Difficulties

Needless to say that I have had falling-asleep issues. These have oscillated from being awake at night like an owl to having the most frightening thoughts ruminating in my mind. The result has been what I call superficial sleep. The sleep here used to be slightly disturbed with some depressing thoughts doing rounds in the head. The result was this feeling of something tied to your upper back and forehead – the feeling was not perhaps as acute migraine bouts but it was awful. Now, during this phase of high sleep sensitivity I developed another habit or a handicap – I just couldn’t sleep with any type of nightwear that has anything alike a collar.

[Suggested Reading: My Sleep, Anxiety Troubles & Meds]

Dyslexia or Dysgraphia due to Breaking the Habit?

Some people call it Dysgraphia, but that is the more technical term. What am I talking about?  The inability to write with the kind of fluidness and simplicity we had at school level. If children struggle to do it, it is labeled as a learning deterrent, a medical condition that can be come over. However, when middle-aged men like me cannot hand-write in a form that is always legible and without needing too much effort, it is not an underlying medical condition but perhaps a problem of having broken away from the habit for far too long.

Remembering ECW: When Pro-wrestling was for Real

I recall Tazz doing the most extreme range of suplexes, coming-up with variations that would put a Brock Lesner to shame. From New Jack to Mankind, from Shane Douglas to RVD – there was something very graphic and lovable about ECW. One big reason for folks from the subcontinent to love this wrestling franchise was that the biggest brand in the biz, WWF at that time, had unchallenged monopoly. Their show was run in a more scripted way. The risks were there to see but a lot lesser when compared to the maniacs who tossed each other around like crazy in ECW. After the acquisition of WCW by WWF, it became clear that ECW was next.

DIY Throat Management: Washing Away Potential Threats with Betadine Gargling

I have always had an inclination to developing a sore throat at the most odd moments, essentially every time there was a plan unrolling. Years of staring and murmuring, aimed at saying that I was a spoiler of a human being, notwithstanding, I developed many mechanisms to get rid of this problem. Most of these habits vanished since I am too lazy and others just did not seem to work at all. Lately, the tendency to develop a rash like sensation in the throat and the passage connecting the ear and the throat, has met a serious challenge in the form of betadine-formulated gargle solution. This is some seriously old-world medicine with that historically-correct color of purple and some shade of very dark blue. 

Suggested Reading: How tea tree oil is now part of my daily health management?

That Heavy Anxious Feeling: Exhaling Away the Blues, with a Thrust

You must have heard about breathing correctly. More and more lifestyle coaches and wellness instructors are talking about the need our breathing pattern. Even Ramdev has repeatedly emphasized that breathing out or exhaling is more calming for the entire body, helping you stay more relaxed. In comparison, inhaling in takes a toll on our mind and body. While am not sure about why inhaling can be so villainous, am pretty sure that breathing out, with some effort, does keep you calmer.

[Suggested Reading: Me, Anxiety & Mornings]

Tea Tree Oil: Drops of Naturalness Make a Difference

I tried Tea Tree Oil not because lifestyle bloggers and health writers were vouching for its ability to heal the human in the most amazing way – my decision was as usual the result of a gut feeling. I chanced upon this oil during my search for something that could stop my allergies that often broke out due to too much stress being interpreted by me – yes, I am guilty of snowballing anxieties into a chronic worry that eventually leads to physical manifestations. I had heard a bit about organic and cold pressed essential oils. In all these discussions, one or two oils continued to be spoken about very fondly. This included lavender oil and Tea Tree Oil, the latter for its various healing properties. It has been almost 2 years and I continue to use this natural oil without any apprehensions.

Guilty, First-Time Offenders: Couldn’t French it Perfectly!

DIY French Toasting with Wife

I am not talking about the perfect kiss – this is another food-heavy exploration, fresh from today’s morning spread. I must have shared that eggs find a prominent place in my daily diet, essentially for breakfast and every time I run out of ideas. Lately, me and Moha have been exploring how to make the humble omelet or scrambled egg more engaging. The results have been rather good. We have salad-i-fied scrambled eggs and created omelet-like cheesy egg preparations that are exotic and nutritious without much prep time. Today morning, we tried making French toasts. Moha does not like the odor of eggs but she cooks them for me with the enthusiasm of a curious toddler. Our first effort today was rather simple - we wanted to make classic French toasts without too much experimentation.