Coconut M&M's and Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M's

After a couple of weeks, many store visits, and even more odd looks from store employees, I found the two new flavors of M&M's candy. Lucky for me, they were both in the same 7-Eleven store. The scene was rather interesting as I was very excited and took 3 of each kind for purchase. With a huge smile on my face, I said to the man at the register: "This is so great! I finally found these. No other store I have been to had these!" I get a puzzled look. He examines the candy bags: "Oh, that's cool, we have these...." Well, I hope he tasted them at some point because they are yummy.

Coconut M&M's

The Coconut M&M's have a pleasant Coconut butter essence. The chocolate is certainly up to the M&M's standard. The design of the package is fresh and new. These candies give a relaxing feeling with a hint of Hawaiian beach. Good stuff!

Strawberried Peanut Butter M&M's

A peanut butter center is deliciously rich but not too heavy. The strawberry flavor gives peanut butter and chocolate just the right balance. I found that the sugar coating of these was thinner and mimicked the softness of the PB&J's experience!

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Chew with Glee and Satisfaction

Given my, sometimes obsessive, hobby of searching for yummy things I have not seen before,
I was bound to notice Glee Gum, near a checkout counter. The first time I saw it must have been at a Whole Foods. I thought: "Wow, I have to try this gum made from chicle that was acquired from Sapodilla trees that grow in the rain forests of Central America!" My instant favorite was the Tangerine flavor until I tried Bubblegum.

Glee also makes the only Cinnamon flavor I can tolerate. It is zesty but not too strong. Best of all, there is a Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit. I have no doubt that one of these days I will revisit childhood and make my very own gum. Exciting!

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Musical Memories

Red Hot Chili Peppers take me to a number of great memories having to do with one of my dearest friends. In general, familiar songs usually have some significance to me. Each time, I am amazed at the powerful emotions roused by a few songs.

Different types of music can serve various purposes in one's life besides stirring up memories. Rock music can be used to get energized prior to a meeting or a presentation. It can also help soothe anger. Dance music definitely works for energy but more on the aerobic and happy side of things. Classical helps with relaxation and clarity. I have yet to understand the beauty of classical music but I see progress there! I think I would rather learn to play the classics on piano first. I hope after that, the understanding will surely follow.

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Masks

Masks have always intrigued me. They can be great fun and create a sense of mystery at costume parties. Arguably, people wear masks of some sort a lot more often than an occasional party, more likely, on daily basis. Makeup would be the best example here and one of common physical masks.

The other type of a mask is the one that is more difficult to notice and identify. Wearing this kind of a mask can be compared to taking on a different personality to show to the people outside of some predefined comfort zone of the wearer. Conforming to surrounding society or community norms, however, is usually a necessary skill to practice. Similar to the necessity of applying stereotypes, wearing masks makes life easier. With stereotypes, people are able to quickly organize the constantly incoming information flow. With masks, people can go about their daily life without having to explain their uniqueness if they do not want to, without frequent misunderstandings but protecting their innermost personality traits from possible attacks. Too often though, the barriers are thick and getting to know someone well becomes a uncommon privilege.

In Pursuit of Finding New Things

My dear friend Arun made a great point the other day. When we were talking about blogging and using Twitter, she said something along the lines of: You always told me about new types of gum and candy, so why are you not writing about it in your blog? Arun is right to question why I have been excluding my hobby of searching for new edibles. I guess I can write about my findings after all.

I cannot be sure when or why this hobby came along. Every time I am in a store that sells gum, snacks, candy, dried fruit, or any other fun tasty-looking stuff, I stop at the counter and search for something I have not seen or tasted before. If I hear about something I think may taste good, I will employ the web and go from store to store until I find it. Nice bloggers, like the author of Candy Blog, kindly inform my interest in sweets.

This hobby of mine, can be distracting on trips when I spend extra time lingering at all the small kiosks. It can also be annoying to people who are with me because I do like to make sure I see everything! Not many people like to go grocery shopping with me because they know, for me, it is a fun time to look around!

One of the latest things I have finally found and tried was Siggi's skyr. So far, my favorite flavor is Pomegranate and Passion Fruit. The Orange and Ginger flavor is also very good. I am looking forward to finding the Acai kind soon! I read about this Icelandic yogurt a long time ago, but had to wait until it arrived at the West Coast stores. Had I visited the East side of the US, I would have been sure to look for it. Yes, this hobby is something I am passionate about!

Arun, thank you so much for the reminder! I was off looking for the Coconut M&Ms and the Peanut Strawberry M&M's. Well, I have found them. Review coming soon...

...just found this fun gum website for Wrigley 5