Don't Underestimate Mama Zuma's Revenge!!!!!

Right now, I'm in Vienna, Virginia for a work-related training class. For those of you who are familiar with the area, I'm on Leesburg Pike (Route 7) near the DSW Shoe Warehouse, not far from the Tyson's Corner area. The outside temperature as I type this is 18 degrees Celsius. It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow. BRRR!!!!

............well, even in THIS cold, I managed to catch on fire.

Today for an earlier dinner, my coworker and I stopped at a delicious hole-in-the-wall joint called "The Perfect Pita" near our hotel. We tried it for lunch yesterday and LOVED it, so we decided to grab our quick dinner-to-go there. I purchased a combo meal consisting of a Falafel-Hummus-Veggie pita, a bag of chips and a 20 fluid ounce bottle of Power-C Vitamin Water along with a piece of baklava for dessert.

The chips I selected were called Route 11 Mama Zuma's Revenge Habanero Potato Chips.

When I walked up to the counter to pay, the guy asks "so, have you tried these chips before?" I say no. He then tells me that they are the HOTTEST chips he's ever tasted. I smugly acknowledge that I've heard his warning and pay for my meal. After all, I am Indian, and though I don't eat as spicy as most other Indians I know, I can definitely handle a little heat!!!

WRONG!!!!!

After devouring my pita (delicious, by the way) and my baklava (scrumptious), I reach for the infamous chips. When opened the bag, I got a little of the seasoning on my finger so I licked it off. YIKES! I had to take a huge gulp of Vitamin Water just to calm my mouth. After a few minutes, I pulled a potato chip out and ate it. I have to say, it had a wonderful smokey flavor. However, BOY was that kick rough!!! I tried to remain strong and eat a few more. After about four chips, I put the bag down and walked over to my bottled water. I spent the next five minutes trying to take large swigs of water, let it remain in my mouth, and then swallow. After the burn finally subsided, I took the remaining portion of the chips and put it aside....far aside. I'm hoping I get brave enough to finish the bag before I check out tomorrow, but I have not looked at that bag all night.

I've never said this before, but in ALL my life, Mama Zuma's Habanero Chips are the HOTTEST chips (or food item, for that matter) I have EVER eaten!!!!!!!!!!

Is there an iPhone Addicts Anonymous Group I can join???

For the last two weeks, a few of my avid blog readers (i.e. my friends who kindly indulge me) have been asking me to post another blog entry, particularly about my latest big purchase......an iPhone 3G!!!!

Okay, so I bought it WELL after the iPhone craze this past summer, and the camping outside of the Apple store, and the backorder with AT&T, etc. I wanted to wait until I really needed a new phone and after the general public tested the phone and decided its quirks were at a minimum. Anyway, I shopped around online for about an hour, on and off, and two Wednesdays ago, I walked into an AT&T store on my lunch hour.........and BOUGHT it. I'm sure the sales rep was wondering why he didn't have to work hard at all to make a sale. But, then again, it IS the iPhone!

Anyway, I'm no techie and I barely knew what Wifi, 3G or Android was when I started shopping for a new phone. To be honest, I kinda still don't. All I know is, my new iPhone ROCKS!!!! I have yet to have trouble accessing the internet, sending texts, checking my email or using the mapping application. Of course, I haven't driven on Alligator Alley yet, either. I'll let you know how that works out.

Well, since I can't give you a cnet-style analysis of the iPhone 3G, I can share my FAVORITE applications on the phone. So far, all of them are FREE. I'm not a gamer, so I haven't downloaded any cool games, most of which are sold for a small price, anyway. However, I'm a busy girl who is busy with a million and one things and the following apps TOTALLY make having the iPhone worth it:

• Urban Spoon - Need to grab a bite but don't know where to go? Simply "Shake" and a slot-machine style screen spins three wheels representing neighborhood, cuisine and price range to randomly select a restaurant for you to go near you. You know your craving Dim Sum? Lock that in and the other two wheels will spin and randomly select a restaurant that serves up dim sum in your hood. Are you on a budget? Lock in the price range of "$" and shake to reveal cheap joints nearby. Bon Apetit!!!!
• Shazam - Are you at a party or a restaurant....or on an elevator and listening to a song that you don't know but really like? With Shazam, hold the phone near where the music is playing and press "Tag" and in ten seconds, the application will tell you the name and artist of the song, the album it's on, the ability to see the video on youtube, and the opportunity to buy it on iTunes. SHAZAM!!!!
• Pandora - I was introduced to pandora.com by a friend a year ago. Now that it's available as an iPhone application, I'm golden! The concept is called "music genome." Specify the songs and/or musicians you like and Pandora will create custom music stations that will stream songs with similar musical styles and qualities. It's an awesome way to find songs that are right up your alley or play at a gathering that requires a "specific" ambiance. For example, at my office holiday luncheon, no one brought a boombox, so I just used the PC that was connected to the room speakers and logged onto my Pandora account and selected my already-created "Holiday" music station. We were jingle bell rocking for the entire 1.5 hours.
• To-Do's - I just added this app yesterday and love it for its simplicity. You just enter in all the tasks you need to get done as well as the details in a "Notes" section, specify a priority of High, Normal or Low and that's it. You'll have a list, in order of priority, of all the items you've set out to get done that you can actually CHECK OFF once you complete. Definitely a feel-good application for busy people who love to check stuff off when they get stuff done.
• Facebook - For obvious reasons, my company has blocked the Facebook site in the office. That's probably a good thing, since I would constantly be on playing Wordscraper, looking at photos and updating my status. However, it can be excruciatingly painful NOT to be able to check updates, comments and events that you get email notifications for throughout the day. Introducing Facebook Mobile. This application doesn't allow you to play games, but you can do all the FB basics: see what are your friends up to, read messages you receive, and the all-important ability to add comments. Not too shabby!
• iWant - Wherever you are, if you, all of a sudden, decide you need to find the nearest drug store, gas station, bank, hotel or mall, just click on the icon of your choice and VOILA! The iWant application lists the 10 nearest locations to where you are. Ask "iWant" and you shall receive!

In addition to the above, I have applications to do all my banking, read the news, listen to local and not-so-local radio stations, and check the weather all over the world....including Ambur (the small town I was born in).

Repeat after me: "Hello, my name is [insert name here], and I'm an iPhone addict"

Black Friday MADNESS 2008

With all the talk about economic downturn, I assumed many people would cut back on their spending. I think many national polls said that people would. That was SO not the case on Black Friday 2008. As I texted a few of my friends (while waiting for hours in lines), judging by the voluminous crowds, you'd expect that our economy would be back on track by lunchtime today.

So here was my Black Friday experience for 2008:

After a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my family on Thursday, I dared to take a nap at about 5pm so that I could wake up refreshed to go shopping at midnight. I didn't sleep all that well since the rest of the family decided to play games....VERY loudly.

Although, I'm not sure that I really needed to get rested. The hassle of getting to the mall, finding bad parking, making my way through packed crowds and trying to find deals was enough to keep ANYONE awake.

A little after 11pm on Thanksgiving Day, I got ready and replaced my contacts lenses with my eyeglasses, wore my most comfortable jeans, tank top, sweatshirt and flip flops, and headed out at 11:40pm. The Sawgrass Mills mall is only about 10 minutes from my house, so I expected to get there in plenty of time to find a parking space and stand at the door before stores opened at 11:59pm. However, at 11:45pm, I was already in backed up traffic on the highway. I found myself inching forward so annoying people who sped in the shoulder lane couldn't cut me off at the front. After I successfully got off the Sunrise Blvd exit on SR-869, I had to strategize and figure out a way to enter the mall using the more obscure entrances. Once I finally got in, I quickly realized that parking spots were slim-pickings. I parked at the end of the parking lot near the most unpopular stores. By the time I parked and was ready to go, it was already 12:30am.....a full 50 minutes after I left my house.

During this adventure, my friend Praveen called me and warned me that the line at the Coach store was wrapped around the building. I walked by and asked someone how long she thought the wait was expected to be. Three hours was her answer. I decided that I really don't need another handbag that badly. I then hit the Banana Republic (50% off the entire store) and Ann Taylor (30% off the entire store). Of course, I still dropped a large amount at both stores. And the crazy thing is, I'm SURE I'm probably in one of the lowest percentiles of spenders today.

After all this, I drove by the Brandsmart and Walmart sections of the mall only to find myself trying to drive through very unruly people who apparently camped out all night in the middle of the parking lot. They looked at me like I was crazy for being in a car and not waiting outside with them. Yeah, okay!

I got lots of outfits that I needed anyway, so I'm content. However, after my LONG nap this morning, I woke up and read that my experience was definitely more manageable that that of others.

Apparently in New York, a temporary Walmart employee was killed in a stampede of impatient shoppers as he was trying to enter the store. Then in California, there was a shooting spree inside a Toys "R" Us that left two people dead. Apparently, finding a good deal was momentarily more important than the safety of themselves and those around them.

Next year, I think stores should consider providing online shopping deals on Black Friday. The more people who don't go out in public, the better!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - Desi Style

This is the FUNNIEST thing I have EVER seen in my life. I'm STILL rolling on the floor laughing (for those of you instant message addicts, that's ROFL to you).



Enjoy! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!

Pimple Fool's Day

So, on Sunday, I woke up with the beginnings of a pimple under the left nostril of my nose. I immediately pulled out my rubbing alcohol and pimple cream, but it was too early to do anything about it. Today, my pimple is a hearty, red, mountain on my face....and in many ways, too LATE to do anything about it. Needless to say, I'm not thrilled.

Many of you may be tempted to start giving me your home remedies for the pimple. Before you do, I thought I'd share a fun(ny) story that happened to me on, of all days, April Fool's Day 2005. It was such a momentous event, I actually saved the email I sent to a few of my friends, who laughed at me (of course).

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ME
Date: Apr 1, 2005 4:33 PM
Subject: Happy April Fool's Day, FOOLS!!!!

Hi All,

Here's an amusing story for all of you on April Fool's day, the day commemorating the fools of the world.

The story starts out with a pimple I got over a week ago. Yes, it's a resilient pimple!!! Nothing was working........Clearisil, alcohol, baking soda, Neosporin, NOTHING. These are the kinds of problems that teenagers are suppose to have, not women in their late 20s.

Anyway, at the suggestion of a friend, I used a homemade pimple remedy (Colgate.....who knew?). To make a long story short, this (tooth)paste successfully removed the blemish......... BUT burned the surrounding skin like a bad sunburn. Anyway, I have a maroone nickel-sized burn on my face that I am patiently treating and hoping will go away.

And to top it off, after discussing with others, this blemish may never have been a pimple at all, but may have been a bug bite gone wrong!!!!

I wish this nasty bruise on my face was an April Fool's joke on me by God and goes away tomorrow. But I don't think God plays April Fool's jokes!!!! :(

Love,
Vidya
(March Baby and April Fool)

Decision 2009: The Next First Dog!!!!!!!!

First off, I'd like to say

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!!! Regardless of whether you voted for him or not, Tuesday night was an exciting night and should inspire people everywhere to strive for whatever their hearts desire. Hard work, perseverance and a positive attitude can accomplish wonders!!!!

Many of you are either A) burned out by the election, B) suffering from election-obsession withdrawal, C) have started obsessing about new political issues like who cabinet members will be, or D) started catching up on Heroes, Gossip Girl, and Dancing with the Stars.

I, on the other hand, have NOT stopped watching CNN. I still stay glued to the television set whenever Wolf Blitzer, Campbell Brown, or Larry King show up on screen.

The most IMPORTANT topic I'll be following for the next month or so is the search for the new First Dog. As you know, Sasha and Malia Obama were promised a new puppy if their dad won (or lost) the election.

MY SUGGESTION: Sasha and Malia, I TOTALLY recommend a Labrador Retriever. They are big, smart, beautiful, well-behaved, and learn tricks easily. They are also very photogenic.

Also, in memory of our family dog that we lost last year, it would be AWESOME if you named him "Duke." I think Duke Obama has a very nice ring to it!!!!

Speaking of dogs, I actually didn't know that so many dogs were campaigning for Barack Obama this year. Check this out:

Publix Sabor: Que Rico!!!!!

I realize it has been almost 2 months since I posted. I had really good intentions, I have a notepad of several brainstorming sessions. Alas, life, work and grad school get in the way. However, I am recuperating from a tiring week and thought I'd stop procrastinating on a new local discovery I stumbled upon.......

So those of you who know me, know I'm a native South Floridian. Those of you who know me WELL know that I grew up in the city of Hialeah during my early years. If interested, you can always go to wikipedia and read all about this very interesting city. But in a nutshell, Hialeah is NOTHING like any city you've ever been to in the continental United States. It has the second largest population of Cuban and Cuban American residents in the entire country (second only to nearby Westchester, Florida).

And when you visit, you'll know it right away. Everywhere you go, you'll find Cuban bakeries, random cigar shops, and lunch trucks selling churros. In fact, my favorite memory of living in Hialeah is my family and I driving down the street, my dad spotting (or sniffing) what he believes is the sugary, fried smell of churros, and my dad abruptly changing any plans he has to stop and buy some. You really couldn't go wrong with 6 churros for a dollar. I'm sure inflation has caused a spike in that, but once upon a time that was a delicious bargain!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, many of my coworkers conducted on-site visits to several clinics and doctor's offices in pursuit of gathering information about potential healthcare fraud. Each day they came back to the office with very interesting stories about registered healthcare facilities that were nothing more than mini marts, laundromats, or empty lots. But the most intriguing story they told me is about their lunch experience at a place called Publix Sabor!!!!!

In an effort to reach the Hispanic market, the well-established supermarket chain has developed a facility with a Latin flair. It is a three-way cross between a standard Publix Supermarket, a Sedanos and a Super Walmart. It has EVERYTHING you could ever want, from exotic fruits and vegetables, Caribbean and South American grocery products, a nail salon, a bank, a business center to do all your faxing and a FULL-fledged Latin cafeteria serving up every Cuban/Hispanic delicacy you can think of.

Those of you who REALLY know me, know that a post by me about Publix is not unusual. I am a HUGE fan of Publix and all its offerings. So it's no surprise that I'd be PSYCHED to visit a Publix that will ALSO serve up hot café con leche, fresh pastelitos de guayaba, Cuban black beans and rice, tostones with mojo sauce and CHURROS!!!!

Que Rico!!!!