Why John Cena is not impressive as a maturing pro-wrestler?

I was just seeing the latest Summerslam match, which had Roman Reigns compete with John Cena. Though there was nothing too impressive or outright dislikeable about the match, I must say that Cena is not balancing the maturing act too well. Many former and recent superstars from the WWE have run the seasoned course a lot better. However, John Cena seems to be struggling. His 16-time World Champion credentials stand, and he still has the physical strength, but largely, he seems a bit lost, and this is why:

1. The boyhood charm is not working anymore

When John Cena started, one thing that caught everybody's attention was his boyish, cute looks. He seemed a bit undercooked and too much of a collegiate wrestler for many, rather than being a serious pro-wrestling contender. However, as things progressed, the same look became a bit of a signature for Cena. Even when he completed a decade in the industry, the clean-shaven face and the short, cropped hair looked the part. Cena seemed blessed with a sort of anti-aging gene - this is what many people had to say, and yes, his chiseled physique only strengthened this image. However, now that Cena is clearly a senior in the industry, the hair is thinning, and the boyish charm is not radiating. The hip-hop mad looks are not delivering. In fact, he seems to be oscillating in a state of confused identities. I compare him to Michael J Fox and Tom Cruise - two more faces that refused to age for the longest time, but when aging did start showing up, it just did not blend into their persona. Cena seems to be going through something similar. The white sneakers and the Bermuda-like ring attire seem to contradict that; along with Triple H, he is perhaps the most experienced ex-champion right now.

Workouts for People Who Are About to Get Married

In the months leading up to a wedding, exercise quietly changes its meaning. It stops being something people do for health or habit and starts behaving like a response. Bodies that once moved casually begin to move with purpose. Routines tighten. Missed workouts feel heavier than they should. Mirrors are consulted more often, but not always for vanity. More often, they are consulted for reassurance. This shift is rarely named honestly, because it sounds shallow when described badly. But it isn’t shallow. It’s structural. Marriage is one of the few life events that combines permanence, public visibility, cultural ritual, and emotional risk in a single moment. When that convergence approaches, the body becomes the most accessible site of preparation. Not because it is inadequate, but because it is still negotiable.

Buy It for the Texture alone...

This has been happening for almost four years now—I have been buying shirts purely because of the texture rather than looking at the shades or various hues of the same primary color. I had bought some Khadi shirts almost a decade back and when they started aging, they developed a unique texture. This was not the worn-down, distressed look but something interesting. Something that takes well to repeated washing and light ironing and does not crease a lot and even when it creases, the overall look is not that bad. This texturing thing is akin to a combination of linen, khadi, and cotton - mixed together. 100% cotton is being branded too casually these days. The result is many cotton shirts not looking the part as the thread count is often too low. The texture I am talking about has a subtle hint of the linen, as if in the background with good cotton at the forefront. This fabric blend is hard to define because my interpretation is different from what the package reads. But invariably this is without any type of spandex or elastane that tends to add a polyester-like sheen. Instead, this fabric blend tends to hang rather well rather than clinging too close to the skin. Linen on its own is highly crushable – something I have always hated. Mixed with cotton in the usual form, it tends to lose its essence. My blend is about a fabric that has no see-through features, looks like linen and khadi blended, with a very summery-cotton type aura about it. My shirt shopping for reasons as illogical as the ones discussed here have taken another leap in the work-from-home ecosystem where I am still buying a lot, wearing very little, and hoping beyond reason that I will again get the opportunity to flaunt a few good ones. As of now, on September 7th, 2021, the fact is that buying more clothes is just about feeling good rather than bringing about any practical utility. Have some money? Use it a bit to buy a few moments of happiness and hopefully, some of these worldly possessions will become useful when the new normal goes away and the conventional normal is back!

Reasons why me and Mr. Waffles, representing all waffles known to mankind, are not getting along…

Okay, you like waffles, and you believe that there can be nothing unlikable about them. However, the reality is different. There are plenty of folks like me who just cannot get their mind around what seems like a rehash of pancakes, baked cake-like stuff, and crusty pies. Waffles remain elusive to me in terms of having a taste, an individual flavor that separates them from the rest. Competitors here include many types of bread and bakery essentials like biscotti or cookies. A waffle is supposed to have a crusty exterior, and the insides are supposed to be warmer and softer. However, the manner in which waffles are served these days means that the outer surfaces are already overwhelmed with many sauces and flavoring bits. The outside crust is already lost. The more you try to dice and mix up the fruits and creams, the more waffles are likely to lose its individuality, not that it really have a unique identity to preserve.

Are we trying too desperately to make serveware Boho-chic or something laidback?

I recall this scene from Kill Bill, where Daryl Hannah is visiting one of her former kill squad members. I think his real name is some Madse,n and I recall the guy from Reservoir Dogs and the Species franchise. This is not about how macho he looks or how the one-eyed portrayal of Hannah was very realistic. This is about them drinking some sort of alcoholic concoction in what seemed like glass jars with handles or without handles, really don’t remember now. But if you look closely, the guy was living in a trailer parked in the middle of some God-forsaken landscape and had nothing in terms of lifestyle goods or accessories.

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.

Cobblestoned Streets is about a certain type of primitiveness that has been morphed for urban consumption…

The first impressions I had about roads during my childhood years did not come from my parents complaining about the civic apathy when it came to how the city roads are paved or maintained. My impressions were borrowed from the opening sequence of a Sherlock Holmes TV series adapted for a 40-minute show on Sunday mornings. This was during the late 80s, and I was still ascending towards middle school. This sequence had horse-pulled carts and policemen with big, shiny leather boots walking around on stone-paved roads. At this point, I did not know what a cobblestone is or how many European cities maintain their heritage of cobbled streets. This impression has stayed with me, the images still very vivid. The love for stoned roads did not go away, even when I traveled to other cities in India that are doing a lot better than Delhi. Over the years, lots of TV watching helped me realize that the cobble-stoned street is somewhat of a legacy that our European cousins have consciously tried to sustain.

Ice-creams with the Goodness of Fruits? Not that sure…

I have my reasons for the apprehensions. Just look around at the eating-out or packaged food scene. The house is divided between the ultra-expensive, which seems like the real deal but is also priced beyond your comfort limit, and then you have multiple affordable options that manipulate a lot with smartly chosen words on the packaging. I had blogged about green-washing [Read: We are Ecologically Sensitive Stupid Consumers] consumers earlier, and I am sure that this observation is an extension of the same. There is this aura that has been created around fruit ice-creams. They say that real fruit has been used to replace artificial flavors and to substitute a certain part of the sweetness-providing sugar. Put together, this has been projected as the better, safer choice. Now, try to do the mathematics of calories here.

Fruity Ice-creams are Healthy...really?

A spoonful of real fruits in a big serving is not going to make your favorite ice cream a scintilla-tingly healthier choice. There is always the demon of fruit flavoring lurking in the wardrobe. What if this is a combination of real fruit bits and a high dose of flavoring? Again, this flavoring would be called natural and hence, a safer option. The fruit fiber cannot overtake the metabolic harms of high-fat content creams or dairy. The presence of fruit here cannot be counted in your daily fruit intake numbers. Overall, is the deal really good? Don’t think so. Fruity or fruit-rich ice-creams might seem like the more sensible option for those who tend to eat out a lot, but if you are already reasonably in charge of your diet pattern and have made smart lifestyle adjustments, this can be a fad you can afford to let pass!

DIY Baking: First Attempts at Garlic Bread

Moha and I have been on a culinary exploration spree, with Moha being the creator, me the ideator, and the nuisance in the kitchen. Our tryst with homemade chocolates was good. Now, the focus has shifted towards different types of bread. Moha can make the most excellent naans using the basic tawa. Her control over the dough is enviable. She understands the consistencies so well. Like I said, my handy and timely inputs and the ability to taste and crib about anything are also useful accessories. Together, we create a reasonably good team. Our experiments with different types of bread are growing rather steadily. She has created some awesome thin pizza bases. Each of these was finely baked. The crust is crispy and not too chewy.

DIY Food Journeys: Making Garlic Bread at Home - First Attempts | Don't Overjudge

Last week, we tried garlic bread. Not competing with Domino's, the emphasis was on getting the texture right. I can be weird about textures in food and clothes. What does not feel right, despite tasting great, might not score with me. We did two batches this time. The first attempts yielded reasonable results. Good bread, but a bit stringy and the base slightly under-cooked. Still, I loved it. The last batch was perhaps the best one. The cheese was properly stuffed. The rounded edges were soft. Just the right amount of crispiness. The bites were not too chewy. I ate most of it as Moha thought it was still under-cooked. I don’t agree. It was good. Better than the soft bread served at Domino's. We used the jalapeno generously, and the effect was rather good to taste. Next time around, Moha would be using more yeast, more time to allow the dough to rise. This should be easy now that the summers have set in. Honestly, I believe that the garlic bread sold commercially is usually overtly loaded with different types of greasing options, from butter to oil and whatnot – that is not real baking. You cannot replace real baking by adding types of fat that soften the deal for you. The real challenge is using things in a balanced way and allowing the natural texture to take shape. So far… Moha has been excellent and I am into the type of kitchen journeys I always wanted to undertake…fingers-crossed!!

Moha’s Cakes

Moha Makes Chocolates

Moha Rolls Some Audaciously Sexy Rolls