Discussing my Coleus...the plant of Gods!

I will be adding images to this discussion soon but right now, my focus is on talking about the growing love for coleus. I chanced upon this plant last year. At that time, I did not understand the difference between foliage plants and flowering plants. Soon, along with my love for the plant, a bit of knowledge also seeped in. Within a few months, I realized that the coleus family is rather high on color combinations and bright, colored leaves but does not flower. Yes, sometimes you get some seed stalks but these are not really pretty. This is a means to create some seeds that can be preserved for restarting the pot after the winter has ravaged it.

Some Thoughts about Salads Not Getting Enough Mainstream Attention

It is hard to point out when salads attained the importance they demand these days, since every cuisine in the world would have obviously interacted with vegetables and fruits in a just-about-raw state with a little seasoning. Again, the history of cooking wouldn't be impossible without experimenting with foods in a less-cooked way. Somewhere down the line, salads became an acquired taste, a dining table vital that is now synonymous with modern living. Nearly every cuisine would realize the importance of including some herbs in their food and the herbal purity is best consumed in a form that is not barbequed or deep fried - making salads an easy medium of catching up with those micro and macronutrients that cannot be included at all times in a rushed lifestyle irrespective of where you are catching up with the deadlines - at home, school, or the workplace.

A Little Bit About Salad History | Salad Evolution

While arguments continue over the Greek or Roman origins of the salad, it is perhaps in the Americas where the art of salad making, dressing, presenting, and consuming took on a more serious role. There are so many salad history books that were trending in the Americas more than 100 years ago and in today's comparison, it was like hash-tagging the salad, and celebrating every type of salad, ranging from the candle salad to the chef's special salad and salads so elaborate, it would not be wrong to refer to them as a main course or proper food! Through these stages of salad's evolution, something became a bit blurred, too. Salads were presented like the native salad, salads in a salad section, salads as a side dish, salad dressings, tossed-up fresh produce, and salads that came in a bowl, on platters, and those fortified with meats and things that were far, far away from being fresh from the farm or being herbal.

Did salad lose its originality while it slowly became more mainstream? People making enormous sandwiches started referring to the option of a salad dressing, taking away the very concept of the salad accompanying your meal. Today, the salad is no longer just a leafy green; it is also animated, colorful in the most shocking manner, and often, unbelievably expensive. But this is not about borrowing notes from a salad historian. This is about one aspect of salads that did not mature enough back then and even now - salads not being packed, retailed, and accepted as an on-the-go meal option, as a small tiffin, or as a mini-meal. While many have tried to do it, most have missed the mark, infusing too many spices, condiments, or flowing rivers of cheese in the final product. The leafy-green identity of the salad needs to be maintained. It can borrow shades of blood red from a goofy beetroot, but it cannot drip olive oil or creamy sauces. Finding some pieces of chicken in the salad bowl is a good thing, a bit of culinary adventure trip where the meat-finding equipment seems to find something in between the bites - some salad gold-digging that makes it all the more interesting.

All Salads are Not Created Equal | More Salad Culture Inputs

The problem is closer to home, rather than blaming it all on changing consumer mindsets or restaurants trying to sell more salad boxes. Salads come without the lineage that they deserve. It is hard to find a book that clearly dictates how finely chopped the green leafy vegetables and fruits should be to make every salad bite-sized, easy to pack away for on-the-go nibbling or even filling up when the only other option is a greasy wrap or an unseasonal fruit without any real flavor. It was watching Seinfeld that helped me understand the scope of salads being eaten as a mini-meal, as something that can be ordered, and obviously, salads have been a mainstream dine-in option across America. However, the pattern here in India is rather different. I don't recall any of the food ordering apps showcasing ordering salads as a popular option. Even more feeble is the response when trying to talk to a restaurant or a service provider about personalizing the salad. Essentially, salads are still an afterthought when it comes to ordering food or dining in, often disregarded as compared to the larger, bigger, and more proper meal. Clearly, the salad culture is not to be found everywhere - honestly, my interpretation and expectations from salad are along the lines of some seasoned onions and salted tomatoes, which are by far the poorer cousin of the wholesome salads served elsewhere.

Perhaps All Cuisines Don't Warrant Proper Salads on the Side

I also believe that some cuisines are inherently drawn towards underplaying or building up the salad. For instance, oriental cuisines seem to have so much semi-fried and almost raw greens on the side. I have seen folks from this part of the world gulp down octopuses and shrimps and crabs dipped in animatedly red sauces, followed by a few bites of leafy greens on the side. Similarly, a lot of their steaming bowl preparations are naturally high in bringing together many types of greens, taking away the criticality of salads being served in a standalone manner. Compare this with the subcontinent, where the meals are high on starch and carbohydrates with lots of cereal, and it seems like salads are needed to ensure the fiber content of the meal and the alkalinity of the intestines is maintained.

I am pretty sure that most people would not know about the five basic types of salads despite the information being easily available via an online search. The basic understanding is usually along the lines of salads in the form of tossed salads, salads with vegetables only, salads with fruits, and combination salads that can get very creative. A peep into salad culture also suggests that salads can be served throughout a main course meal, ensuring a more apt type of salad accompanies the main course or even the dessert! I believe that it is not about the lack of awareness about the role of salads from a nutritional and health care perspective or underselling it that keeps it away from becoming a routinely ordered or consumed food, at par with ordering a burger or getting a BBQ platter customized. It just hasn't been packaged well enough. Salads need to evolve and surpass the perception of being predictable.

Simplifying Salads to Make Them More Commonly Ordered and Explored

They need to be presented in a manner that makes it easy to consume the leafy mix from a box, even when catching up with a meal in the car or in the backseat of a cab. People often complain about the challenges of serving salads since so many ingredients need to be fresh, and this is where better preservation methods need to enter the picture to ensure that takeaway salad bowls and boxes can last for the entire day on the vendor's premises without fussing over the weather or the humidity levels. The perception of some traditional salad types, such as appetizer salads, also needs to be challenged. It is hard to find people who routinely gorge on salads before starting a lunch or supper - salads cannot be just a precursor to a traditional meal. Chefs and food vending brands need to start offering options like some bread or slices that can accompany each salad box to allow people to have some fun in creating their own salad-focused meals. Food bloggers could also talk a bit more about the cause of salads being termed in a simpler way, such as protein salads, seasonal salads, salad meals, high-fiber salads, and exotic salads. This just might help more people understand what they are about to order and take away the high-street aura of salads, easing the leafy greens into everyday lifestyles...

Honey, I need some more honey – yes, I eat the warm, gooey thing almost every day!

These days, my wife has started a morning ritual of swallowing a bit of aloe vera juice as soon as I get out of bed. She remembers it, pours it, reminds me about it, and then follows up as to whether I consumed the supposed Digestive tract soothing agent or not. Notwithstanding, discussing her affection for me, this adds one more thing to what I consume every day, to a list that is dominated by Honey. For some reason, I have been having that sticky, amber-colored stuff for years now. I love to spread it on hot, toasted slices along with butter. I dip my digestive biscuits in it. It is also the SOS when sugar cravings hit me badly, and I don’t have the good stuff to satiate the cravings. Other inclusions to the daily regimen include honey in hot water, infused with herbal tea extracts that I carry to the office. I might put some on vanilla ice cream served with almonds and cornflakes. What makes it so good?

Big sandwiches are good but when they turn meal-sized, are we still eating them like a sandwich?

The other day, I was at Burger Place, Rajour,  and I ordered the double-egg burger. Here, the burger patty was really big. It had been filled with poached eggs and lots of green veggies. The result was a true gastronomic delight. The eggs were slightly mushy and, when pressed slightly, almost hung tightly to either side of the burger buns like some industrial adhesive, and the flowy sauces and cheese things were equally warm and orgasmic. However, I had a small issue. I just couldn’t eat the burger like a burger. It was too big. It was oozing too much of the good stuff. I could not afford to press and kill my vulnerable Pattyy. And I hate when the cheese starts to drip. So, the solution was finding refuge in a plastic fork and slowly eating away at the hand-sized burger. Did this ruin the taste? Not really. I should say not at all. In fact, having a burger like a plateful of the meal was a refreshing experience. Now, when I compare this with some of the sandwiches I come across in Delhi’s cheese-based eat-out locations, it seems that eating these sandwiches, held up like the traditional way of eating your bread, is not really practical.

Being Punju: If it hasn’t been Roasted to a Brownish shade of RED, it is not worth eating…

I keep watching these foods shows about the Mediterranean way of eating and always have borderline dreams that touch upon the idea of at least tasting all these delicacies at least once during one of my dreamy vacations. But the reality? I am a true Punjabi in most ways and the chances of actually biting into stuff that looks half-dead or still has a layer of its actual, wilderness or ocean life are very, very remote. This comes with being a Delhi-bred Punjabi. Our logic with food is rather simple. If you have killed it, roast it to the extent that it loses its identity. I mean the French preparation of marine being is such that sometimes you must get fish that stares right back at you. The other end of the story – if you have pulled it from the ground or plucked it from a tree then undress, cut, slice, dice, fry, simmer, re-fry, and re-heat it until what was once from the plant kingdom now seems like a serving of something mixed in a highly enthusiastic mix of onions and tomatoes. Not doing this every day of your life, not staying true to this way of interpreting food, and not passing judgement on food that hasn’t been prepared in this way is unbecoming of a Delhi-ka-Punjabi.

Almost Ancient Moral Science Classroom Chapters that Make More Sense Now!

Our moral science classes were usually held in the first period of the day. In a catholic school, as a fraternity, we were big on manners and learning the good things to do. At that time, it seemed a bit too vague, often about things that we really didn’t practice, but yes, it helped to draw some sort of line between the good, the bad, and the reasonably acceptable middle, grey zone. These lessons were usually forgotten and often the classroom aura was more of winding down for the day to follow with many mates catching up on quick bites and pending homework copies. Things that were transmitted to us were usually never received or processed. Now, after nearly two decades, it seems that many of the lessons that we didn’t bother to learn during that period are waiting for their share of the spotlight. We were told not to lie, and yes, I learned this lesson rather well before giving it away when handling the type of projects that were too big for the teams I managed. The lesson of one lie opens a box of more dicey stories, tales sprinkled with misleading creativity. Soon I realized that no matter what the Management or the workplace buddies say, don’t lie to your client – this will blow up in your face in the most hurtful manner. The smallest lessons about refreshingly starting the day, always taking the time to tidy up make more sense now, in my mid-30s, when there are a million tasks to manage and not starting the day on a positive note means daylong anxiety and unwanted stress!

If only, at that time, someone could have been schooled in the wisdom of teaching these lessons as life-essential skills and not just another round of classroom learning.

Did you just mark that wall with your imprints? Don't dumb it up!

What is it about fingerprints on the walls that make people gush about its authenticity? Just recently, I read an article about how to decorate a room using your handprints. My reaction was a blend of confusion and amazement. I felt confused because the idea of having an entire wall covered in handprints as the accent walls trending did not appeal to me, and more so, I could not understand what is so organically creative about it. I was a bit amazed because some people call it artistic! I can never understand this. Prints of human hands, with the fingerprints, clearly showing, in a color of the paint or pigment, does not create great visuals. There is nothing so progressive about them. I am not complaining about how some people have abused heritage sites with this irresistible urge to leave their imprints all over these places of cultural or religious greatness - instead, I am talking about my failure to really interpret what makes this such a lovable thing to do. No one has majestically different hands whose imprints will create a Picasso-niche imprint. Most of these will be scratched away or painted out someday. As long as they are there, plastered on the surface, they look plain ugly. Some vacationers tend to think of these hand imprinting exercises as a very anthropological way of marking their territory or adding that family aura to something that only society or community actually owns. However, nothing of the sort is the reality. Imprinting your hand over anything, often creating smudges, is no art! I see people do it in the kid's room, and for once, a couple of handprints on a call can look cute. I say so being the father to a 1.8 years old girl whose feet and handprints have never been properly captured. As a couple, we have always planned to do it but just never got around to doing so. Here, the visual appeal of it is somewhat understandable but that too in the form of a few prints only, and not doing the entire wall in a maze of handprints. However, handprinted walls in the kitchen, living room, or bedroom are not macabre or eclectic.

WhatsApp Invitations aren't that un-personal unless you choose to be upset...

This is about wedding invitations sent via WhatsApp and other lifetime moments that are communicated via a messenger that some people interpret as being rude or impersonal. I find this rather useful. When everything around us is getting digital, the sanctity of the wedding invitation, too, has to be transformed. WhatsApp invitations are just an extension of the way we function. It is a soft copy, contains easy-to-share data, and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Calling WhatsApp wedding invitations cheap or impolite would be making a statement about our entire lifestyles.

While some people stick to WhatsApp invitations only when the entire event is a bit of a last-minute arrangement, or when they don't want to spend lavishly on wedding cards. However, wedding invitations were never that expensive. They get printed rather easily, and these days, the postal system or your logistics service provider can mail them instantly. The problem lies in the entire effort associated with it, more about the time you can devote to designing and creating the card's layout, rather than the spending or the slowness of the procedure. In comparison, WhatsApp wedding cards are easy to create. You have the leverage of laptops, phablets, tablets, smartphones, etc., all around with cables plugged into their energy source. You can get overtly creative here. There are no inhibitions as compared to the more intimate and lovable physical wedding invitation. This is why some couples have used different variations of their WhatsApp wedding card - a standard and a naughty version. These are shared or WhatsApp-ed depending upon the type of bonding with the guest in question. I guess the printed card does not provide this degree of flexibility.

But the romance of it all?

This aspect stands compromised. You cannot make me agree on a digital invitation as compared to the beauty of ink on paper, even if the ink was channeled through a digital system. The mechanical assembly of a printing press notwithstanding, a real, old-world wedding invitation has this charm. You can feel the texture, the choice of paper makes a difference, you carry it for some days or stack it in the drawer, you compare it with your own wedding card, or if it is from someone you hardly know, you use it as an investigation tool, trying to fathom what type of financial integrity you are dealing with! In comparison, even if someone creates an entire website dedicated to the pre- & post-nuptial phase, including the invitation web page, the impact cannot be the same. You might not have noticed, but the printed ink on wedding cards tends to age in a rather unique manner. This varies across all types of cards. Dark maroons can turn slightly purplish. The glitter on paper can turn bronze-like, somewhat vintage. Would you actually revisit a wedding invitation URL after a few weeks or months?...would it have anything different to show?

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.

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?

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...

When Pro-Wrestling’s Surreal Undertaker Helps Grieve, Heal & Cope-up Better

I recommend this beautiful discussion that helps you understand how people learn to self-adapt & learn when life strikes them down with damaging consequences. While most children would have developed strange social habits or a self-destructive escape mechanism, the child here watches and bonds with pro-wresting broadcasts. A beautiful, short, narration of finding some way of dealing with the situation even though the solution comes as comical as it can be with eerie zombie music, smoke-filled entryway, an absolutely empty ring and the Deadman himself – the Undertaker! During my early years, I was fortunate enough not to have witnessed or gone through any tragedy of similar proportions. While the protagonist here loses his father, the less regular people, wrestlers in gimmicky tights provide the relief. This is about a grieving mechanism that manages to carry-on, now employed every week to cut away from the issues that make-up regular lives…an escape mechanism that doesn’t really hurt anyone!

Catch the real discussion: My Mental Health: How WWE helped me deal with death head on BY STEPHANIE CHASE: http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/wwe/feature/a856883/wwe-undertaker-death-mental-health/

Spottified Science: Finding Artistic Impressions in the Most Unusual Places

There is art in observing artsy shapes, textures, thoughts

Crowded, stinky, sweaty like an Asian sweatshop - these expressions come immediately to mind when commuting in heavily trafficked public transit systems like the Delhi Metro. However, there are some instances where you spot the most unusual types of artistic impressions. This is not real art. This is not typical art. There is no intentional expression here. This is about noticing something that might seem a blend of genuine shapes, textures and colors without a mind - something that is hanging out there, waiting for itself to get spotted. This is without the expectation of being rewarded - this art is purely visual, highly uncontaminated. This image is perhaps the perfect example of how I tend to look at such things. One look at the pictorial and the things that immediately come to my mind:

• Yellow can be a great contrasting shade - not my favorite, it does stand out beautifully...sometimes
• Ring on the finger that is hanging on - is this like someone trying to hold on to a relationship?
  Just a finger-level support - can save the day if you really try to hold on, really want to survive
• Focus on one thing - the camera shot blurs out the surroundings, like we blur away important things when our minds our fixated on something!
• Concentric type shapes - the smooth curve triangles seem to create perfect symmetry 

Updated on October 17, 2018 - talking about textures, earlier today I was watering our balcony of live plants and it seemed that some of the planters had aged and most have not aged that well. Upon closer inspection it became clear that the paint had managed to stick on to the ceramic and concrete surfaces but the daily exposure to sunlight and hard water had taken a toll. The resulting texture was crumbly and very dry. From a distance, it gave a weathered look to the planter but upon closer inspection, the texture gave way to an unusual type of syncing, some ageing plants were matched with ageing planters while the younger pots, the younger generation, was bright and sparkling. For a moment, this reminded me of how youthfulness is about brimming and shining with this energy of enthusiasm and it seemed that this fact is true across every level, across all types of surfaces, alive or dead!

SOME Scientific studies to prove MOST antibiotics are becoming less effective? Just Ask Me!

This is yet another case of research money being wasted. According to some dailies, it has been proven that the effect of antibiotics on humans is waning. What was the need to go through such a long and expensive process? These guys could have simply asked me. A decade ago my throat infection would go away with a 3-day course of antibiotics.

Now, it usually takes me a 7-day course. The money could have been utilized for something more sane and urgent like feeding the hungry and providing shelter to the homeless. And all medicines, particularly the vaccinations and antibiotics, will continue to become less effective as the causative agents evolve and we weaken our environment with unplanned urban development.

As it is, antibiotics don’t guarantee remedy for every type of illness. The newest strains of viruses and bacteria are already proving too much for conventional antibiotics. Something as common as the common cold or Flu is yet to contained. Rather than patronizing antibiotics, medical researchers could invest time and energy in developing better vaccines.

When Empty Rail Tracks can Make You Wonder about the Course of Life...

There are times when the simplest things that surround us, suddenly, in the most unanticipated manner, pose a question that we realize was begging to be asked all this along but perhaps our minds were too numbed by the daily grind to hear the query or find an answer to it...

Something like this happened to me recently when I was about to board the Metro train. The tracks seemed so stoic, like pathways that wouldn't change their direction even if the Gods said so. The tracks wore their usual black shade but this time around, the intensity of the darker hues was overwhelming. Why was that everything that is layered in sober shades of grays and blacks, unlike vintage camera pics, always seemed sad, as if these colors were destined to make us melancholic. As I stared down the tracks, their eternity, the infinity of their length, a question dawned upon me - was this one of those moments when you wonder where is life taking you?

Don't get metaphysical about it - flowing water tends to take away the heaviness and that is it[period]

We were shopping for some home decor accessories and it just came to my mind that there is an entire world of home decorative accessories that don't use strong colors or weird shapes to impress you. The Japanese have created many living room and garden items that are supposed to harmonize the flow of energies around you. Now, don't get uptight about words related to aura, energies, chi, cha and what not...this is not some product peddling blogger trying to promote his inventory. I am sharing with some real connection to the subject. The Japs have relied on the home decor items that use running water to infuse a sense of calm. The feeling is real. There is no metaphysical phenomenon at play. if you have found yourself to be calmer than usual, less anxious, when seated alone near a serene river bank, you have already experienced it. Flowing water seems to overcome time and speed calculations. It seems to carry away the negativity and apprehensions you have. In a way, it is healing. It keeps you hooked as long as you are ready to appreciate its simplicity, the beauty of it. However, small contraptions that use this running water concept are not the ones I am talking about - you need something bigger, more expensive to get the right stuff. Yes, money plays an important role here!

Rightfully Placed Beliefs | Japanese Culture Things | Opinions

Beyond the Clouds: where else do you see hidden faces, expressions?

Everyone seems to have some experience in the niche of observing facial expressions, forms and shapes in the clouds. However, that is not the only place in our immediate surroundings that provides plenty of fodder for such undefined exercises. I have found some of the most beautiful shapes, including the face of a frowning bear, a small hut, and the masked face of a big, brawny Batman in unusual places like:

Case of DIY Warriors: Some Men Can Afford to be Anybody’s Nemesis!

Not all of us can claim that our present lifestyle, academic progress, workplace achievements, relationship status, reputation of being a good sibling or a son and the newest business venture has been a totally independent journey. Most of us have taken the liberty to extract that extra effort from someone else, ring-in a few favors or managed to polish some egos to push our life’s cart. However, this is not the case with a truly self-made man. His credentials are entirely different. He wears the scars of failed attempts with upmarket pride. Even the manner in which he orders food has this air of conviction, as if he owns the moment, as if not tending to him is breaking a social law. It seems that with time, God has been arm-twisted into helping him along the way, bowing to his will.

Motel visuals - when our minds are trained to recreate typical images for a word!

I came across this image when sieving the imagery database maintained by Canva.com. Immediately, I realized that this is the exact manner in which my mind interprets and recreates an image whenever the word "motel" is spoken, heard, or read. Why is that? This is the typical American imagery, and we have seen it in countless movies and TV soaps. Still, why can't we think of an actual motel building, a room, any accommodation facility, rather than this type of signage? I asked a couple of friends if this happens to them too, and yes, things are very similar. The only difference lies in the signage of the Motel, surfacing lighted up during the night or just like the image here. Sometimes, as people shared, their mind recreates the Motel imagery with a broken, slightly tattered M or T.