Happy July 4th Everyone!  The entire blog staff hopes that you are having a good time Wildn’ Out at all the parties this weekend.

Since it’s July 4th weekend, we know there will be TONS of desi weddings on your calendar.  We know - you love your friends but you’re TIRED of going to all these damn indian weddings, right?!  Therefore, for this episode of Weekend “Wee”deos, we’re bringing you some clips of drunk uncles tearin up the dance floor to get you back in gear and pumped for those desi weddings.

Hopefully, if you’re lucky enough, one of the uncles featured below will make a cameo appearance and bring you some REAL entertainment this weekend…Enjoy!

This guy has that stiff move down!  And what is he doing w/ his fingers?  He’s a Baaad Boy…hahah

This guy has a mean choke move!  We need to learn that one…

Happy 4th Everyone!

He’s back!  Sanjaya Malakar, the ex-American Idol contestant, is set to star in the next “Life Comes at you Fast” Nationwide Insurance commercial.  So what if he can’t sing…at least he’s found a way to make it big by using his hair as his biggest asset.  Real entrepreneur.  And man…his hair is crazy!

Here is the latest statement from Nationwide Insurance, found on the Nationwide website:

Sanjaya’s “American Idol” experience is another Life Comes at You Fast example. The images (pictured above) are from Sanjaya’s shoot in India where the ad was developed. In the spot, Sanjaya visits a monastery in India to seek advice and he is told that he needs a retirement plan, and some work on his hair. Read the Q&A with Sanjaya to find out more about his partnership with Nationwide.

This is the third year Nationwide created advertising specifically targeting the South Asian market. The Sanjaya ad is one of six new spots that will specifically target the South Asian market. The ad also makes an appeal to its younger audience, reminding them to start planning for their retirement now, even if it seems a long way off.

Read full article

So for all you Indian kids - don’t worry if your dad is still cutting your hair using a metal bowl…he may just be getting you ready to be the next Sanjaya.  Haha..just Kidding Samir…we love you man!  You’re still the spelling bee champ in our books!

Samir Patel - The Greatest Spelling Bee Contestant of all Time

Read SABAsearch Blog’s “Samir is the Man” Post here

Well it has been recorded and scientists are saying that its not a good sound, in fact scientists say its awful.  Since the 70’s scientists have been learning about this earth emitting sound. They say that this sound can be heard by any life forms or aliens out there, so if you are listening out there, just know WE COME IN PEACE…

Here is an interesting excerpt from the article, which was published on Yahoo! News:

Earth emits an ear-piercing series of chirps and whistles that could be heard by any aliens who might be listening, astronomers have discovered.

Read full Article published on Yahoo! News.

The SABAsearch Blog staff is saddened to learn that Vinay Chakravarthy passed away on the morning of June 25th.  Vinay was diagnosed with Leukemia and was the spotlight of a nationwide promotion to get South Asians registered for the National Marrow Donor Program.  Vinay did receive a bone marrow donor and transplant, but unfortunately relapsed and passed away shortly after.   

Vinay’s fight brought inspiration to many South Asians, including our entire blog staff.  His positive attitude and striving personality could clearly be visualized through his blog posts on HelpVinay.org and his dedication to raise awareness for South Asian bone marrow registration was truly amazing.  Sameer Bhatia, who passed away from Leukemia in March 2008, also played a vital role in raising awareness for this cause and served as inspiration for Vinay and his family.

Although we cannot bring Vinay and Sameer back, there is still much that we can and should related to their cause.  There is a deep need for members of the South Asian community to register themselves in the Bone Marrow registry as there are not enough South Asian donors within the program.  Therefore, the program has offered South Asians FREE registration, and we’d be foolish (not to mention selfish) not to take advantage of this life saving opportunity.

Here is a video clip of Russell Peters urging South Asians to register in the National Marrow Donor Program on behalf of Vinay’s struggle:

So at this point, we are calling ALL South Asians to STEP UP to the plate and help save a life.  Here’s how:

The first step is to find out whether you are registered within the Bone Marrow Donor program.  To do so, please click here and fill out the status information form.   The registry will check their records and return a status memo to your email. 

If you are not yet registered for the marrow donor program, there are many ways you can do so.  If you live in Houston, there are many Bone Marrow Donor Drives throughout the year.  Click on the link below to find one near you:

Join the National Marrow Donor Program

You can also go directly to a Donor Center to register.  Please visit the Donor Center Locator Page on the National Marrow Donor Program website to find a donor center near you.

We hope that all of you will take the time to get this done.  

Our hearts go out to the families of Vinay and Sameer.  The impact that both of these men have had on our lives through their strength and smiles will never be forgotten.   

If you have the regular case of the “Mondays”, just remember that July 4th is right around the corner!  In Texas, that means this weekend will be filled with good drinks, good food and good fireworks. 

If you’re looking for a spectacular fireworks show, we recommend you head to downtown for Houston’s traditional Freedom Over Texas celebration.  Here is a little bit more info:

LIGHT UP THE FOURTH
The city’s Fourth of July celebration, Chevy’s Freedom Over Texas, will feature music from country singers Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert and Jo Dee Messina, followed by - what else! - a massive fireworks display.

• When: 4-10 p.m. Friday

• Where: Eleanor Tinsley Park at Buffalo Bayou (Houston,Texas)

• Fireworks: Begin at 9:30 p.m.

• Live broadcast: 7-10 p.m. on KTRK-Channel 13

• Tickets: $5 at the gate until 5 p.m.; $8 after that. No charge for children under 10.

• More information: Purchase tickets online at www.houstontx.gov/specialevents/cfot/index.

If you know about a good party or celebration, post it within the comments section of this blog posting.  Have a happy 4th!

All we gotta say is…what the hell is wrong with these Desis?!!!  They have some loose bolts up there or something…

CNN just reported that Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment for forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.  This is just one episode of desis gone wild…

Here is an excerpt from the latest CNN.com article:

A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison.

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted on a 12-count federal indictment.

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.

The trial provided a glimpse into a growing U.S. problem of domestic workers exploited in slave-like conditions.

The victims testified that they were beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, and forced to climb stairs and take freezing showers as punishment. One victim was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers and then was forced to eat her own vomit when she couldn’t keep the peppers down, prosecutors said.

Read full article

Earlier this week, another crazy Desi, Chiman Rai, 68, was prosecuted for masterminding the killing his African American Daughter in law.  Here is an excerpt from that article from ABC.com:

Atlanta jurors have found an India-born businessman guilty of masterminding the murder of his black daughter-in-law because he feared the mixed marriage would smear the caste-conscious family’s name.

Donna Lowry Reid, front left, stepmother of Sparkle Rai, sits at the Atlanta trial with her husband and the victim’s father, Bennet Reid Jr. In the inset is Chiman Rai, who is accused of hiring a hit man to kill his black daughter-in- law.

(AP PHotos )

Chiman Rai, 68, was convicted on seven charges, including felony murder and burglary. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

Read full article.

Our hearts go out to the victims of these heartless acts.  We hope that the proper justice is found and delivered in both of these cases.

I’m a new homeowner and I’m very excited to do various projects around my house. Just the other day I mounted my flat panel to my wall…something that I’ve been thinking about forever but finally did. I can’t tell you how much joy it brought me to have it finally done! There were a few road blocks along the way though… I considered hiring someone to come by and do the work for me, but after pricing it out, it would cost roughly $500 to $600 to make it happen, and that’s the low end! After a lot of thought and since I’m a cheap Indian, I decided that I can do it myself! After everything was said and done, I was able to get all the supplies I needed to do the job for roughly $160. This includes the mount, cables (and I got a bunch of cables) and drill bits. A significant savings, if you go to the right spots to get your equipment.
Here’s what I did if anyone else is in the same boat as me. I jumped online to a site called www.monoprice.com. There I found the greatest deals known to man. For example, At Best Buy you’ll buy a 6ft HDMI cable would cost $60.00. I got a 10ft HDMI cable at monoprice for $12.00! There are savings like that across the board so definitely jump on that site if you’re making any purchases. I waited 7 days for it to be shipped to me, but I think the cost savings was well worth it.

So here are something things you’ll need outside of the actual mount and cables (or at least I needed):

We all know that Indian Desi Weddings and Receptions cost a FORTUNE!  We recently read an article about an Indian wedding in Dallas that costed over $750,000…whoa! 

Nowadays in the US, however, fathers of the beautiful brides are finding, to their dismay, that spending so much money on a wedding reception is not a wise decision…especially because so many Indians and desis are getting divorced!  There goes Daddy’s $750K down the drain…and probably doesn’t leave much room for the next marriage…

Unfortunately, divorce is plaguing the Indian community more than it ever has in the past.  Second generation Indians and Desis are splitting up more than those chapped lips of yours.  So we ask, why spend so much money on an extravagent wedding celebration when you don’t even know if these two brown lovebirds are going to even have brown eggs together?  Receptions and Celebrations should be EARNED, right?

Therefore, we the SABAsearch Blog staff is proposing to install something called the “10 year Later” Wedding Reception into the Indian Desi Community.  If your daughter is about to get married, tell her that she can spend daddy’s hard earned money after 10 years for a wedding celebration under the following conditions:

• She is still happily married to her husband
• She still allows the parents to invite over 1000 brown people that nobody knows…because its the “desi tradition”

Your new wedding invitations would look something like this:

The “10 Year Later” Wedding Reception idea is now available for usage…enjoy!  We have lots of desi wedding coordinators standing by on the SABAsearch Blog hotline to help you get started.

We all know that trying to find a job is one of the hardest things to do.  You have to apply for a job, land an interview, interview with the company, most likely interview again with the company, and maybe even more interviewing before you finally get the well deserved offer letter.  Interviewing is really a negotiation.  You have to convince the interviewer why you are valuable and why they should select you, but at the same time the company needs to show you why you need them. 

If you are the person being interviewed, there are some crucial steps you need to take before getting to the interview.  First, research the company!  We all have done it - applying to everything we see on the Internet even if we have no clue what the company does.  You may want to know what you are getting yourself into.  Next, stay away from all the corporate taboos - politics, religion, and personal lives.  There are many other things you can talk about so be ready with a few pre-planned conversation pieces.  Below is a list of more items NOT to talk about during an interview.  This list was compiled by CareerBuilder.com and could be seen in more detail here.

1. I hated my last boss.
2. I don’t know anything about the company.
3. No, I don’t have any questions for you.
4. I’m going to need to take these days off.
5. How long until I get a promotion?
6. Are you an active member in your church?
7. As Lady Macbeth so eloquently put it…
8. And another thing I hate…

BMW has released a new concept car they are calling the BMW Concept CS. They are not revealing too many secrets about it but you can check out some pics below and read more about it at the Motor Trend blog. Be careful not to drool on your keyboard…

On this episode of SABAsearch Blog’s Weekend “Wee”deos, we bring you some clips from the new web-series, Foreign Body. Foreign Body, based off a Robin Cook novel, is a new web-based show with a unique South Asian twist. This show is definitely catered to the men, as it features two hot young South Asian women (Rachna Khatau and Pranidhi Varshney) who come to the states to pursue a professional opportunity and get themselves involved in all of the benefits and troubles of the western world.

Here is the storyline as per the Foreign Body TV website:

An Exotic Thriller:

A group of dangerous Indian beauties, brimming with hope and desire are brought to the sunny shores of Southern California and are promised the American dream. They are taken in by a group of young, cutthroat medical entrepreneurs who hope to train them and cultivate their nursing skills for their own mysterious ends. The women soon become seduced by the brash and ambitious charmer who lords over them, but for him, his lust for the one, mysterious, unattainable beauty threatens to unravel the very conspiracy he built.

But who is seducing whom and what exactly are the women really being trained to do? With freedoms in America they could never imagine, the girls discover they just might get what they want, no matter the consequences or the risks involved.

Take this trip into seduction, murder, and international intrigue. From the exotic streets of Delhi, India to the sun-soaked sands of Santa Monica, mystery, deceit, and romance are around every corner. Witness how this tale of illicit passion, murderous ambition, and the dark underbelly of medicine unfolds and how life will never be the same for everyone involved.

Here is the trailer for the new show:

Here is a compilation of Foreign Body, Week 2 (week 1 is kinda slow, and just lays out the story line for ya…week 2 is a little bit more interesting):

Have a great weekend everyone!

17 girls at Gloucester High School in Gloucester, VA are expecting babies. Many are blaming the movie “Juno” and ‘Knocked Up” for this. This is crazy! Who is to blame and what can be done to stop this?

Below an article pulled for www.time.com.

As summer vacation begins, 17 girls at Gloucester High School are expecting babies — more than four times the number of pregnancies the 1,200-student school had last year. Some adults dismissed the statistic as a blip. Others blamed hit movies like Juno and Knocked Up for glamorizing young unwed mothers. But Principal Joseph Sullivan knows at least part of the reason there’s been such a spike in teen pregnancies in this Massachusetts fishing town. School officials started looking into the matter as early as October, after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, “some girls seemed more upset when they weren’t pregnant than when they were,” Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. “We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy,” the principal says, shaking his head.
Continue Reading »

That’s right, if you’re a South Asian living in the United States, chances are that you are being TARGETED…

We all know that the South Asian market is an untapped GOLDMINE, but the recent SAMMA conference confirmed that more and more big companies are hunting down South Asians as targets for their newest marketing campaigns.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise as the South Asian population is steadily increasing, as well as provides a huge portion of the country’s buying power (compared to other ethnic groups of our size).

A recent article published on mediaweek.com outlines some of the reasons why YOU are now a target of their (the company’s) mass-media marketing campaigns:

“…within the past two years, the advertising has begun to come from outside the South-Asian marketing community. Companies like Lowe Worldwide, the Home Depot, The New York Times Magazine, Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Delta Airlines are all advertising to this audience.”

One of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the U.S., Indian Americans, who represent 89 percent of the Desi population, increased from 815,000 in 1990 to nearly 1.7 million in 2000, a 106 percent rise, per the Census Bureau. Even so, that population makes up less than 1 percent of the total U.S. population versus the Latino communities, which made up 12.5 percent in 2000. Both figures have no doubt since risen.

“The South-Asian and especially the Indian-American numbers will show another marked increase in the 2010 census. And even though they represent just a fraction of the Latino population, South Asians have disposable income in the area of $90 billion,” says Shah, whose estimate is based on the $76 billion figure the market research firm Cultural Access Group arrived at in its 2005 report. “What the South Asians lack in size, they make up for with purchasing power.”

Read full article.
 

So what does all this mean?  Well, for one, it means that you will probably see more South Asians in television ads and definitely see more South Asians on the front lines of these marketing campaigns.  Marketing analysts are beginning to study the culture of our communities and even our buying behaviors, as seen below:

“They like to be connected. Family is a big thing. It’s not unusual for people to shop for a car as a family.” 

According to the above, you’ll probably be greeted by a man named Santoshkumarnarayanan the next time you walk into a Lexus dealership!  As long as “Santosh” still lets me negotiate…i’m cool with it!

I am a newly married South Asian and my wife is a great cook! We’re a young couple born and raised here in Houston. She makes wonderful food all the time and I love to eat! But there’s one thing… she doesn’t know how to make Indian food. At first I thought this was a not a problem, because I had an entire life with an abundance of Indian food, so why would I miss it, right? As time passed, my taste buds just start calling for some chicken curry…. ya know? Her parents and my parents are not too far away and they both love making food for us. If I wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about some chapati and chicken curry, I can always go there…Plus living in Houston, there are numerous Indian restaurants to dine at (you can find them on www.sabasearch.com) but for some reason, there’s nothing like some good ole homemade Indian food….

With all of the things going on in your life, it’s often hard to keep track of your priorities and it’s even harder to make sure you tackle them in the right order.  Time Management is a skill that allows an individual to make sure that he/she is getting everything done, while also allowing time to for pleasure, family, and entertainment, which all are necessary for continued success.

Many time management coaches turn to the pickle jar theory when trying to help individuals learn time management skills (for the sake of this blog, we will call it the Mango-Pickle Jar Theory )  We all know that Desis are in desperate need of time management skills…but how do we know that?  Well, lets just say the phrase “Indian Standard Time” says it all…

So what is the Mango-Pickle Jar Theory say?  Well, in a nutshell, it argues that individuals should focus on the pickles within the jar and eat those first, meaning people should focus on the bigger priorities in life and then focus on the succulent juices (which is usually the more pleasurable part).  By focusing on the big pieces first, individuals can theoretically free up more time to actually enjoy the juices that we all love.

For example, if your day is anything like mine, you probably spend a lot of time in the morning checking emails, then getting a cup of coffee, then looking up the next party in Houston, then doing a lot of nothing before you actually start your work.  Well, the Mango Pickle Jar theory says get in, and get to work!  Then, you’ll be able to leave early and actually enjoy some of the other things in life.

We’ll let you read this article on the Mango-Pickle Jar Theory in your own time, but hopefully it will help you in managing your time to better balance your life.  Good luck!