The new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, opened this past weekend. This movie has broken all kinds of records so far. It had the best midnight showing for a Thursday and it raked in over $155 million over the whole weekend to make it the biggest opening weekend at the box office. As many of you, we fought the lines to watch this movie on opening day. We got to the theater about 1 hour before the show and the line had already started to form. Luckily for us, it was not too long. Within 15-20 minutes, the line was around the corner. Were we glad that we had went early! Either way, we got into the theater about 20 minutes before the move started and got decent seats.

Enough of that, let’s get on with the movie. I’ll start off by saying that The Dark Knight was GREAT. I’ll even say that this is probably the best movie of the year. I had read a lot of good reviews and thought it may not live up to its hype, but it truly did. The performances were fantastic and the storyline kept you guessing. Even though all the actors were good, the best acting award goes to the Joker. The Joker was played by Heath Ledger (who passed away earlier this year) and he was amazing. He definitely pulled off the Joker as being the demented and psychotic serial killer he is supposed to be. Rumors are that he got so involved in this role that he had trouble sleeping after the movie was finished and this had some part in him having so many prescription drugs (which he eventually overdosed on). I guess we’ll never know what really happened with him, but I would not at all be surprised if he wins a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker. I didn’t even know one of those existed until recently.

So if you haven’t seen the movie yet, what are you waiting for?! You don’t have to be a comic book fan or even familiar with the Batman movies to enjoy this film. This is one of those movies you will watch in the theater (maybe even twice) and watch on DVD once it gets out.

The Dark Knight – 5 out of 5 stars.

Living in the United States all my life, I’ve noticed through the years that Indian style tattoos (specifically the Om sign and Hindu gods) have really become popular among Tattoo bearing individuals.  Nowadays, its hard to walk through a mall or a college campus without seeing a Ganesh, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva or other Hindu god plastered on somebody’s arm or on somebody’s T-shirt.

It’s kind of flattering to see that so many individuals (South Asians and Non South Asians) are recognizing the beauty and spiritual significance of these Hindu gods…or are they?  Do they really understand the meaning of the Om sign and what it represents?  Does a Ganesh on somebody’s back mean that they truly understand the role that Ganesh plays in one’s spiritual journey?

Some signs point to Yes.  Most of the individuals we’ve spoken with fully understand the meaning of their Hindu based body art.  Most in fact, have spent extensive time researching and understanding the meaning and purpose behind their chosen figures.  For a tattooed individual, not understanding the meaning of your own body art is the biggest sin.

So what goes through your mind when you see individuals tattooed with the Om or any of the Hindu gods?  Is it a sign of respect for the Hindu religion or is it the opposite?

We want to see your tattoos!  If you have a tattoo that relates to South Asian culture or religion and want to share it with our blog audience, please send a pic to Support@SABAsearch.com.  We will gather all of the tattoo pics and display them in a future blog post.

Want to check out some cool Hindu tattoo ideas?  Follow this link.

Kumari Mayawati, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, has emerged as the most important low-caste politician in India’s history, and she is asserting herself as a rainbow coalition leader, a woman whom all Indians can trust to be their prime minister one day.

I think that is great news, the next Hilary Clinton for India no doubt, and here is the most interesting point - she is unmarried. Her forward thinking has lead to her campaigning for an eight lane superhighway (a 600-mile, $7.5 billion highway stretching across the state) as well as better policing and private investment as a means to ease poverty. Some of her rivals might say that she is ostentatious and corrupt and would strike deals with anyone who will advance her political ambitions. Sounds like she is ready to come to the big leagues.

Others would summarize her as this; “She is an original,” said Ajoy Bose, author of a largely sympathetic political biography of Mayawati published recently by Penguin Books India. “She is someone who is obviously going to play a major role in our lives.”

Well we are a few weeks away from the final voting and I can’t wait to see the outcome. Read the article and see what else she has done to help the development of India.

Read the full article here

Brace yourself folks, this weekend’s video will knock you out of your chair!  This one is out of control HILARIOUS! 

Sanjeev Patel and Dustin Grove star in this Youtube video that features a young Indian man who is ready to embark on a sunny vacation.  When his (Sanjeev’s) white roommate returns from work, he is excited to tell him about all of his plans to go hit up all the nice white ”beaches”.  I”m guessing you already know where this one is headed….enjoy!

Sanjeev and Dustin have created multiple videos on Youtube that are just as hilarious.  Check them out:

“Varm It” - This one is a classic!

“Hot, Fried, Wet Balls..” - A bit longer than the others…watch this one when you’re bored at work!

Have a great weekend!

Keith Lotman went to New Delhi on a two-week business trip. But a quick day of sightseeing in India’s capital city left him enthralled and ready to see more of the country.
“I have about a hundred different places that I’d like to visit,” said Lotman, 31, a business executive from Philadelphia, as he checked out the world’s largest Bahai temple in New Delhi. “A hundred different kinds of experiences.” He added: “It’s very different from any place I’ve traveled to before. Culturally very different. I’d definitely like to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal next.”

Read the entire article here.

TATA, India’s largest car manufacturer, has done it again!  First with the World’s Cheapest Car, and now with the world’s first AIR fueled car.  Our bets are on TATA for coming up with the world’s first flying car….but i guess that will be a blog post for later.

TATA is being credited with delivering the first AIR fueled automobile, titled the MINICAT, for mass production, which will hit the US in or by 2010.  The MINICAT should be hitting the streets of India in late 2009, and should run about $8100 USD, or 3.5 Lakh rupees, which is not bad considering the price of gas we pay these days!

Here are some of the specs on the car:

• tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air
• There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket
• Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car
• The car has a top speed of 105 kmph
• Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air (which should cost about 2 bucks! …that is unless the price of air goes up…)

So do you think this car will make it to the US, and if it does, will it be as popular as we think?  Let us know your thoughts. 

It doesn’t matter who you are, you need to be on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is the Facebook for professionals and is growing faster that you can ever imagine.   Generation 1.0 social networking sites like Facebook and Friendster have provided awesome opportunities and platforms for friends to connect, share pictures, post events, share videos and more.  Now, the social networking phenomena has given birth to professional networking sites such as Linkedin, which gives you the opportunity to network with professionals within your industry, or even branch out and connect to professionals who can be of benefit to your business or service.  And best of all, Linkedin can help you land your next job!

Linkedin allows you to import your entire email contacts list, and therefore enables you to quickly build your professional network.   We recommend you definitely spend the time necessary to fully build out your professional profile, as that is what recruiters and other professionals will be seeing about you.  Linkedin also allows you to post questions and ask for advice from other Linkedin members, who are usually very quick to respond.

South Asians are flocking to sites such as these becuase it allows us to quickly connect and find different opportunities for business and employment.  Linkedin currently hosts a very large South Asian population which spans from the US to India.  South Asians offer a unique opportunity to other users on Linkedin as they provide key insights into industry trends and business advice as they relate to the South Asian community.  Many users of the Linkedin website turn to South Asian business leaders for creative advice on how to tap into a South Asian market.  Advice that turns out to be very useful and valuable for many.

If you would like to visit the Linkedin website, or learn more about it, click the link below:

Visit Linkedin!

P.S.  Want to join SABAsearch.com’s LinkedIn networking group?  If you would like to be a part of our Linkedin networking group, please shoot us an email at Support@SABAsearch.com or look for us on Linkedin under the name “SABAsearch.com - South Asian Businesses of America”.  Enjoy! 

For the second straight year in a row at the Miss Universe pageant, Miss USA trips and falls!  During the evening gown portion of the competition, Miss USA got caught up on her train and hit the floor.  She quickly got up and of course pretended like nothing happened.  Unfortunately for her, this may have cost her a chance at the title.  You can check out the clip below.

If you’ve already gotten your tickets, register to win 2 more so that you can take your friends!  If you don’t have tickets (shame on you!), register for your chance to win 2 seats to the BIGGEST CONCERT IN HOUSTON!

Registration for the promotion is FREE, and one lucky winner will be drawn on July 26th!  You can register for this promotion on SABAsearch.com or by clicking on the following link:

http://www.sabasearch.com/promDetail.asp?promid=45

Good luck and ENJOY THE CONCERT!

Here is a video clip of the Unforgettable Tour Trailer: