C is for Coffee, chocolate and caring for yourself

What is so special about coffee that I choose to write about it? Almost all my regular readers know that I love coffee and that it forms a way I indulge myself in. Coffee, chocolate and ice cream in that order. If I get a coffee with chocolate ice cream on the top, nothing like it. Now you might be thinking. Well wait a minute. Didn't you say you are writing about positive psychology and what is coffee doing here? Read on how to beat Monday Blues everyday!

Today we are going to talk about indulging yourself. When I mean indulge it doesn't just mean eating something but it is about taking good care of yourself. It may be your favorite food, drink, dressing up well, grooming yourself, going for a walk, run, swim, shopping, participating in a charity, helping someone, reading a book, writing a blog post, going on a trek, diving, cooking, practically anything. Anything that you do for yourself.

In the hum drum off life, we tend to ignore the most important person in our life - YOU!. If you don't take care of yourself, who will? So taking good care of oneself is as important as taking care of your children, parents and everyone else. How would you do that? Here are some tips for you to do that. Hope you follow them and be happy by doing so.

1. Watch your health - take good care of your health, sugar levels, signs of cholesterol, what you eat, drink. Go for a run, have some exercise routine fit in to your daily schedule.
2. Get your health checkup done once you cross significant milestones like 35, 40, 45 and so on. You might want to start early if you have someone in your family with heart problems, cancer and stuff like that.
3. Read a lot: I love reading and I am sure you should be liking it too. Whatever genre you might like, do make a point to have a book on your table or bedside and read it. Books are windows to a different world that runs on your own imagination.
4. Drink enough water: One of the simplest things we forget is hydrating ourselves. Usually we are already thirsty when we seek water which means we are late. Water forms over 70% of our body and needs to be hydrated all the time.
5. Write awesome stuff: Well you need to be kidding me when you think you will
   l be remembered when you don't even write? Leave enough paper trail and notes for people to find out more about you. A thousand years later somewhere someone would be reading this on his eyeball and thinking, wow!
6. Take up a cause: It can be anything. Don't seek anything in return from that but take up a cause. It can be recycling, helping out an ngo, volunteering or donating. Spend your time and yourself.
7. De-clutter: Take time to sort your sh*t out! Well you need to do that and do that regularly. We spend too much time on unnecessary things like searching for stuff all around the house. Same thing with your laptop, work desk and life!
8. Family time: Spend time with your family but you be the one who is served. Once in a while change the game and demand to be taken care of.
9. Gift yourself something! Isn't it too long since you bought something for yourself? Do it today. Buy that dress, bag or whatever you wanted to buy but kept it pending. Go indulge.

Now where is my coffee.

#AtoZChallenge

#ConsumerPsyche
#IloveCoffee

Monday Blues: ME Time

Once in a while take some time out and spend with yourself. Everyone needs some ME Time. 

Time to reflect.
Time to think. 
Time to gather yourself. 
Time to restructure your thoughts. 
Time to restart. 
Time to rest. 
Time to plan. 
Time to grow. 
Time to stop the chaos.

Grow, like there is no tomorrow.

Monday Blues: Keep calm

This monday, let us not lose our cool and keep calm. A good cup of coffee always helps :)

Kauphy

Had a surprising coffee today at Novotel coffee lounge. I was served with about 50 ml of coffee, ice cream and chocolate syrup and it jolted me out of my slumber. This made me search online for a coffee measuring system and here is the infographic(No direct source detected!).

Tell me which one do you like?

Lack of "excellent" coffee blends

Is there an excellent or very good coffee blend? The answer seems to be a no! After tasting 37 different blended coffees, Consumer Reports couldn't find one that measured up to its "excellent" or "very good" ratings.

The less-than-glowing report follows a year that saw tight supplies of high-quality arabica coffee beans in Colombia, followed by steep premiums that caused some roasters to look for cheaper and more available options for their blends.

Ranking at the top of the list of 14 caffeinated blends -- earning a rating of "good" -- are the Starbucks House Blend, calculated at 26 cents per cup, and Green Mountain Signature Nantucket Blend Medium Roast, at 23 cents per cup.

Blends are the best-selling type of ground coffee and contain beans from at least two regions or countries, the publication said.

The highest score for the 13 decaffeinated coffees also failed to reach the top two categories. The better scoring varieties included Allegro Organic Decaf, Blend Medium Dark, Peet's Decaf House Blend, Caribou Daybreak Coffee Morning Blend Decaf and Bucks County Decaf Breakfast blend.

Consumer Reports has a rating criteria in which the tasters look for specific characteristics including the flavor and aroma.

The publication advised coffee drinkers not to count on familiar brand names or expensive price tags, noting that the cost doesn't accurately reflect the cost per cup due to varying grind densities, and recommended ratios of coffee to water.

Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, an independent nonprofit organization that does not accept outside advertising or free test samples, it said in a release.