one less human

I was very sad to hear about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto; maybe she shouldn't have gone back ...

Since very early this morning the news channels are showing the same scenes over and over and saying that there is disruption in Pakistan. I don't know if I am sure that Parviz Mosharaf had a direct hand in it; nevertheless, they were opponents in the upcoming elections which didn't look too good for Mosharaf and ...

She did many great things for her country, may she rest in peace ...

taking chances

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

Don’t know much about your life
And I don’t know much about your world.

recycle

Starting January 1st some new items have been banned from the garbage bin:

• Vehicle tires


• Oil, oil filters and empty containers


• Yard trimmings and green waste


• Blue box recyclables


• Beverage containers (all except milk cartons)


• Medications/ pharmaceuticals

to you all

donate prepared food

Since it was a question to many friends where I take the left over food from the party, I am listing a few places with phone numbers and addresses below. Hope it helps.

• Food Runners, 1150 Raymer Avenue, (604) 834 7457


• Dugout, 59 Powell Street, (604) 685 5239


• Living Room, 528 Powell Street, (604) 255 7026


• Bridge Women's Emergency Shelter, (604) 681 8480 ext 221

Of course all these places are in Vancouver and they usually require you to drop off the food.

Merry Christmas

A Sikh art teacher in Burnaby had his students make a very long Christmas card to display in city hall this year; and yes, it said Merry Christmas on it all along. A Santa with an Indian accent even stopped by!

I really like the attitude; I've kept my parents' tradition of putting up a Christmas tree ever year. And especially since Christmas no longer has a great religious weight, I think it's important for us all to share in the happy times ...

so proud

We had over 140 people; I recycled all the water and beverage containers, and the cutlery. I am also taking out the left over food for donation tomorrow. I am very happy that we did our part in having a green party.

i just learnt

• Vancouver has the most fit population (fewest overweight) and we have the lowest density in fast food stores; however, they still haven't figured out if it's the people who attract the stores or the stores that make people fat!
• Hummingbirds bread in the lower mainland in January and February. Hummingbirds are my favorite bird, so yepee!
  

تولد

دقت کردین چقدر تولد هست این روزها؟ 9 ماه بعد از عید است!؟ به هر حال، تولد همشون مبارک

intro to the holidays

Who am I kidding! I don't want to work and I really feel like going out. What the heck, I haven't done much in the last few days anyways!

somewhere under the rainbow

I have always been one to believe in fairytales. I sing and dance whenever I want and I know that true love is something we can all find. I went to see Enchanted tonight; amazing is the only word to describe it. And it wasn't just me, everyone was so happy walking out of the theater; it was the grown up version of all the princess tales we knew when we were kids ... you just have to go and see it! Take a look at some of the trivia.

I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss
And a prince I'm hoping comes with this
That's what brings ever-aftering so happy
And that's the reason we need lips so much
Four lips are the only things that touch
So to spend a life of endless bliss
Just find who you love through true love's kiss

common?!

"Common sense is not common enough anymore." - Dr Phil

like Xmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go;
Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Toys in every store,
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.

- James Pierpont (1857)

don't drink

In the past week a series of reports came out confirming that water bottles and such plastic products are not as safe as we would like them to be. Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical in the mix, is thought to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen in cells and in more than 100 independent studies has been linked to increased incidence of cancer, obesity, and early onset of puberty in humans and developmental, neural, behavioral and reproductive harm in animals

... many people reuse disposable PETE plastic bottles, a study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health in November 2002 confirms reused water bottles also make good breeding grounds for bacteria since thorough cleaning is difficult. Also, in one Italian study, the amount of DEHP, an endocrine-disrupting phthalate and a probable human carcinogen, in bottled spring water was found to increase after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle. However, it is unclear whether the levels detected could harm people drinking the water.

I have seen reports like this before, take a look at this part: In 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that tap water is often better regulated than bottled water and has to meet more stringent standards at both the federal and local levels. In any case, among the thousand bottles tested by the NRDC, about one-fifth contained chemicals such as toluene, xylene, or styrene, known or possible carcinogens and neurotoxins ... One of the more surprising findings from the study is that a city's tap water cannot have any E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria, while bottled water is allowed a certain amount of these bacteria.

I've never been a big fan of bottled water but I do carry my water in a plastic bottle. I am going to go down to Mountain Co-op to see what they are suggesting to replace the plastic bottles now that they are pulling those off the shelves. I guess stainless steel would be the best solution ...

- source 1, source 2

back to culture

I just bought myself a couple of books online, and I'll get them before Christmas. They are part of my New Year's resolution: get fit, physically and culturally!

Which reminds me ... a few weeks back I got really fed up with my weight gain and decided to do something serious about it. The reason I gained weight was that I have moved to a new apartment which is on a hill and it's too dangerous to go jogging on wet days. And no thanks to the weather, most of what we have had in the past year has been wet days and so ...

I hate working out in a gym and my dance classes weren't frequent enough to get me into shape; all of which ultimately lead me to the really cool workout place I go to now. But that's not what I was getting at. While I was looking around for a solution, I would talk to people and tell them that I have gained weight and I need more exercise. The answer would usually be, really? you don't look different though! Very bad answer people, very bad! At that time it sounded to me as but you've always been like this! See my point?

my gingerbread

It took me about 2 minutes standing up in the middle of a bunch of kids!

a thought

I have no idea if it's ignorance or a hostile approach to a simple problem; but honestly, who cares ...

the singer

I never would have guessed!

آن دلبر من

گفتم چه شود، گر لطف کنی، آهسته روی ای سرور من

آن دلبر من، آمد بر من، زنده شد از او باغ و بر من

not me

There is a reason I don't have pets; I just get too attached. Although I had a great workout today, I have an extremely tense neck because of the stress from loosing the little cute fish. I have found a dozen different reasons to blame myself for it ...

good morning sunshine

Believe it or not, those are two towers; the rest of the city was in the fog this morning. You can click on the image to see it full size.

paparazzi

I knew that walking around after celebrities had become a growing occupation but I had no idea about the money they made; many of them of course belong to an agency but none the less. Take a look at these numbers:

• the highest-known selling price was the famous Diana and Al-Fayed photo which sold for $7,000,000
• after that there is a vague photo of Anna Nicole Smith in a bed stretch that sold for $1,000,000
• a simple video footage of Britney Spears dipping into the water sold for $50,000
• of every $5 that is spent on magazines in the US $3 is spent on a celebrity gossip magazine

Amazing, we make them rich, and then get excited that they are so rich! I love the speech George Clooney gave in Diana's memory about how they killed the people's princess; nobody sees the line any more ... on the right, the statues that Mohammad Al-Fayed dedicated to Diana and Dodi.

money

I know that it's not good for our economy, the farmers and the people who own small businesses and trade with the States; but I have to admit I am sure liking the par dollar!

getting rich the simple way?

After chasing round and round we have come to the point where simple ideas win; here's the proof.

رقص و سماع

تا به حال سماع ندیده بودم؛ خیلی هیجان انگیز بود ... کلا از ایده های رقص و شادی درویشها خیلی خوشم میاد. درست برعکس ایده همیشه غمناک بودن آخوندهاست.

عکس: داوود آزاد

first snow

strength

Never underestimate your power to determine the situation ...

my share

I have always been an avid recycler. I don't buy non-reusable plates and cutlery. I go shopping with my own bags and I reuse all the plastic bags I can from food wraps. For health reasons also I don't buy much of the ready made foods and ... you get the feeling.

A little while back I decided that I would start buying more in season fruits and vegetables and I would try to buy locally. My resolution is BC-grown as the first priority and then if I am really stuck for something California-grown. Nothing from Florida, Mexico or anywhere farther than California. Surprisingly it hasn't been that difficult, although there is still room for improvement. Lucky for me British Columbia grows a wide variety of fruits and veggies ...

a test

Theory of mind is an awkward name for the human ability to perceive oneself and others as thinking but separate individuals. It is not an ability evident from birth, but rather develops around age four.

A classic way to test whether a child has developed theory of mind is also a good way to demonstrate its meaning. In the test, a researcher empties candies out of a box of, say, Smarties, and replaces them with a pencil, then hands the box to a child who hasn't observed the switch.

The child opens the box expecting to find sweets and finds the writing implement instead.

The child is then asked to give the box to another unsuspecting youngster. A child who can exercise theory of mind would probably giggle, understanding that the other child is in for a surprise. But younger children would expect another toddler to think that the candy box would contain a pencil - because they aren't yet able to understand other individuals haven't shared their experiences.

- source

disgrace

It seems like there are no boundaries with these people, they will sell anything for money!

decision

I flipped the page and totally unrelated to anything else on the page it read: The heart is wiser than the intellect. I was just not going to argue; it was the answer, I went ahead and did it ...

he's a genius

I asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say
Oh
The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that
It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

The taste of her breath, I'll never get over
The noises that she made kept me awake
Oh
The weight of things that remain unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

- Won't go home without you, Maroon 5

guilty pleasure

I have to confess something. Last week I bought myself a pair of taupe high heels and I haven't had the opportunity to wear them since. So every afternoon, just like a kid, I run to my shoes and put them on; I walk around the house for a while with them and admire how nice it feels. I put them back in the box neatly and then into the closet they go ... and I giggle ... I haven't been so excited about anything for so long! The feeling is like Christmas morning when we were kids ...

diskette

... think of it, we will have to explain to our kids why the save sign on so many applications is a floppy disk because they would probably never have seen one. It'll be even more ancient as the 8" was to us!

location, location, location

I had a friend with whom I would sit and chat about work. We would come up with good ideas and then I'd go off and find the solutions that fit. Many times it would be a leap in completing whatever I was working on; and although we didn't talk very frequently, he was exactly the brainstorming I needed to get me out of a rut. Now he's graduated and although I am sure he'd be happy to answer an email, it'll never be the same in bringing out those great ideas. So here I am, stuck in a rut, thinking and thinking the hours away ...

wake UP call

I didn't get to go to the Maroon 5 concert because I had already made a commitment. That night didn't go as smoothly as planned either ... and I have sort of regretted not going since, they are one of the few singers around I really like!

I didn’t hear what you were saying
I live on raw emotion baby
I answer questions never maybe
And I’m not kind if you betray me
So who the hell are you to say we
Never would have made it babe

If you needed love
Well then ask for love
Could have given love
Now I’m taking love
And it’s not my fault
Cause you both deserve
What is coming now
So don’t say a word

- Maroon Five

serving size

I had noticed the thiner bread slices in breads that claim to have fewer calories per slice but I hadn't thought of serving size reduction, to below a threshold that can be claimed zero, as a general "cheat method" in advertising. Look at this: Coffee creamers, for example, may contain 30% or 40% fat, but by defining the serving size as one teaspoon, the manufacturer may claim that one serving has zero fat, even though one teaspoon may not be a sufficient amount to whiten a cup of coffee.

new expression

a life

Today I talked a lot about the man who died of a taser in Vancouver International Airport; it was the day the video tape was released to the public. It's an extremely sad incident, one which in the eyes of many could have been prevented ... what have we become? why is violence the only language we speak? ... Whoopi said it well today when she was talking about security checks in the airport, we should first identify what we are looking for ...

the sound of music

The von Trapp family was known in Europe for their exceptional singing talents. Now the real grandchildren of Capitan von Trapp (not the kids in the movie) are touring North America. Hmm, maybe this is what I need to set the mood for Christmas ...

where would you live?

... yes, you guessed it; it's a house in the shape of a toilet. The building is named Haewoojae, or a place to solve one's worries, an expression I am sure many would agree with. You can find more details here.

Tokyo Motor Show

Introducing the Nissan Pivo 2.
The wheels turn 90 degrees and the cab can turn 360, COOOL!

more me

Have you ever met someone and thought you were meeting yourself? It's not as pleasant as one would imagine. It creeps me out sometimes so I keep a safe distance. Wouldn't want to get too close to the me who can wear whatever it desires and go wherever it wants.

passions

My flamenco teacher told me that I dance much better while I am talking. I would attribute that to many things, but most of all the fact that my body is smarter than my brain!
I can dance two full sevillanas (verses) and I am hoping to pick up at least one more before the year end. It has been one of the best experiences I have had and with only 3 of us in the class it's practically private lessons!

yang

pampered

I don't know why, but in the past 10 days I have been making myself pancakes for breakfast and buying myself treats. Can it be some stress relief hype? What is it will the pancake fiesta thought?

next

... and in a couple of months, another lady president ...

rentals

So after the successful launch and operation of the public rental bikes in Paris the word has finally reached North America! I think it's a great idea, especially for climates that experience a lighter winter and will probably be able to use the bicycles year round. Maybe it'll help the weight-gain problem too.

aftermath, after that

I was listening to Maroon 5's Makes Me Wonder and thinking, more often than not the reason a relationship breaks up is that after something goes wrong you can't turn to your partner and say But I still love you. The pull that's missing, the indifference, makes the relation fade. And then there are those once in a blue moon relationships that just don't survive for other reasons, and even as you break up you know that you will never have that piece of your heart back ...

offline

My dad has the most interesting way of leaving messages. I think he assumes he's in a conversation with you and then puts down his part. He probably expects your answers to fill in the blanks for the conversation! It's an offline chat like no other!

energizer

... my skin had forgotten what sun feels like ... I needed the solar power to recharge my batteries ...

tounge tied

I need a little more luck than a little bit
Cuz every time I get stuck the words won't fit
And every time that I try I get tongue tied
I'll need a little good luck to get me by

I need a little more help than a little bit
Like the perfect one word no one's heard yet
Cuz every time that I try I get tongue tied
I need a little good luck to get me by this time

- Faber drive

would you like a hand?

A hand designed with delicacy close to the human touch! Touch Bionic's website and the National Geographic's report.

the cat, the lesson

I went over to feed the cat. I could see it in her eyes that she needed affection; I thought about it as I filled her water bowl and opened the can. And then I found myself buying coffee. I had forgotten to groom her, just because I had so much on my mind with these deadlines and all ... wow, but what if it was a human who had needed my affection? Would I have been so drowned in my thoughts as to walk away? For one thing, until I am sure I have changed I have to make sure that no human being depends solely on me; I mean, honestly, NOT reliable!

A380

There's been talk of it for a while but Airbus finally launched the A380 double decker; it can seat up to 853 people, now that's something!

P.S. click the photo to see the complete layout.

let's fall in love

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we, fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance
Why be afraid of it
Let's fall in love

I won't tell you which commercial it is, just that the Youtube link I left isn't exactly the rythm in the commercial. I can't help dancing and singing along with it :)

lay off

The suggestion is, if you're letting people go do it in one cut and as fast as possible, uncertainty is the worst position to be in ...

boarder

I think I've lost the balance, the thin line between being naive and waiting things out ...

finding way

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

- Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Mrs. Potts

I have had a really nasty cold for the past few days ... it was so bad that I had to cancel all my plans and stay home to rest. This snapshot, which a friend took on Saturday, is one which I have been well acquainted with recently ... my warm little teapot. My mum bought it for me and it reminds me of the teapot in Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast; I wouldn't be surprised if started talking to me :)

martyr

If I've learned anything it's that we can never let the chaos and injustice makes us so blind with hate that we become part of the problem. Understanding, compassion, kindness and love are the only true revolutionary ideas; when we compromise those we become what we despise and we loose our humanity.

- Bones series, soccer mom episode

ordeal

I love how complicated we are as a society, the diversity and the ways we find around pot holes. Our TV broadcasts a pro-jew series and our president denies the Holocaust and suggests we expel the Jews. This all in a setting where Iran has the highest number of Jews in the Middle East after Israel. I guess we have our own definition of democracy!

nazi

It's only in Canada that you can name a street after your enemy.

- Langsdorff Drive

letting go

I was 26 when I first realized that mum can no longer make everything right in my life, and it scared me. Then I learnt to use my own strength to get through ... Now I am experiencing the same thing with my supervisor. There used to be a time when I thought he knew the answer to everything, but recently I have had to go against his advice and do what I thought was right. I guess this doesn't scare me as much but it is somewhat of a similar experience in the sense that you understand that you are a grown up now ...

words of wisdom

- Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.

- Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.

Randy Pausch (last lecture speech CMU)
Short Report, Full lecture

some friends

You have different social needs so you have different friends. You dance with some, talk to some, call some in the middle of the night and chat away the hours with others. You remember some when you're happy, some when you're sad. That's just what we all do as people; but whether it's conscious or not I can't say ...

divorce and cancer

"It seems to be worse for your marriage to get cancer early," said Astri Syse, an epidemiologist at the Norwegian Cancer Registry who led the study. But Syse said that it was only cervical and testicular cancer that produced a spike in divorces. Other types of cancer did not result in more divorces.

Age also helped.

At age 20, women were 69 per cent more likely to get divorced if they had cervical cancer. But by age 60, that risk dropped to 19 per cent. The same trend was seen in men with testicular cancer. At 20, men with testicular cancer had an increased divorce risk of 34 per cent. That fell to 16 per cent for men aged 60.

- source

these days!

We have a saying in Farsi, you can hear the truth from children, so listen to this carefully. He makes so much sense with such simple logic! But then, Ahmadinejad never seizes to surprise me in one way or the other; the translator actually makes him sound good!

goodbye

They say writing is therapeutic; after a few months my parents are leaving today. I was so busy during the summer I didn't get to see them much ...

کار فرهنگی

میگن صدتا پسر امام حسین یه شوهر شمر نمی شه. من تازه یاد گرفتم که این حرف در تحسین و تمجید شوهر است!؟

romance in sand

let's dance

I am taking Belly dancing for the fun and Flamenco for the challenge ...

failed gene therapy

Now this is what I was worried about! I should agree though that there's a difficult choice between waiting for all the answers and using trial medication.

smart move

Talk about a career change, Al Gore just won an Emmy for Current TV!

tonight

I will go to bed early, keep my fingers crossed and try as hard as I can; there are no bounds but there are limits to human power.

careful people, careful!

"Certainly within five, and absolutely within 10 years, it will become relatively common for people to have their genome sequenced as part of their entire health profile," predicted Venter who has just published his genome map on the web. It's exciting, but I think we should be wary of the power that comes with this knowledge!

understanding

There are things you understand right away, things you understand after a while, and things you never understand. Then there are people who know they understood, those who know they will understand one day and those who will never understand. The troublesome part is that the last group usually don't get that it's their issue, and that there is a line between understanding and agreeing with something.

goals

I can't remember where I read this, goals may be:

• positive or negative (I want this to happen or I don't want this to happen)
  
• general or specific
  
• clear or unclear
• simple or multiple
• implicit or explicit

But I now realize that it is very important to know what kind of a goal you are looking at so you know how to deal with it!

no bad day

I should say grace more often, for everything, including the wonderful people around me. With them there is no such thing as a bad day in my life. There's always someone to smile and hug you, someone to tell you how good you look, and someone to listen ... just another ordinary miracle today ...

It's not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today ...

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own ...

When you wake up everyday
Please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

It seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today

- Sara McLachlan

ties

If you define yourself as an opponent to something or someone, all meaning is lost once that is gone; so sever yourself from the hate for your own good.

mechanical heart

Talk about giving your heart a break, literally!

fling

Today a friend pointed out Forbes' ranking of the overpriced real estate markets of the world; no surprise that Vancouver is 6th on the list after Monaco, Rome, Paris, Madrid and Los Angeles.

obscure

The moon was so big and beautiful last night. And then, there was a full lunar eclipse about 2:30am - 4:30am. It was all cleared up by 5:30am. Good thing I didn't stay up to watch it though, it was cloudy and I wouldn't have been able to see anything!

career path

He called and asked if I was able to go over and give an opinion on the house and how they should renovate. I didn't think I would have much to say, but it turned out that I had, well, a lot. And most importantly I really enjoyed it; maybe it was a good idea for me to go into "flipping" homes!

superman

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

It may sound absurd; but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed; but won't you conceed
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

- Five For Fighting

miracles

The Fifth Estate did a documentary on crusades, specifically on Benny Hinn. He runs a religious ministry which unlike many ministries does not disclose its finances; and since he is the leader, the ministry pays for all his expenses including his house and bills. And apparently he likes the high life; nice car, a home on the beach, presidential suites in hotels, and bodyguards.

From what he has disclosed, the ministry's revenue has been estimated around $250-million a year. The financial forensic accountant who was presented with confidential financial documents descried the expenditures as "well above what is reasonable". The most outrageous part of the documentary for me was that a former guard described that after signing 30 Bibles he put his pen down and said, I just made $30,000! Above and beyond all of this, all the so called "cured" patients the Fifth Estate contacted show no sign of improvement, so he's getting all this money and he's just a charade! Now this is Mass-Seduction!

insight

I learnt a while back that you don't measure your happiness by what you can't control and that satisfaction should come from what you achieve irrespective of what or whom you compare it with. Still, for the first time I am having trouble explaining it to myself ... and on such a lucid subject!

فریادرس

دیشب مونده بودیم

من مست و تو دیوانه، ما را که برد خانه؟

ولی یکی پیدا شد نجاتمون داد

میگه

اگربا ما نبودش هیچ میلی
چرا جام مرا بشکست لیلی؟

suspicious

There is something going on; and because I can't put my finger on it I wanted to jot it down here until I know what ...

entitled

You get what you think you deserve, so don't sell yourself short.

sunset

I was at home, and then I found myself in Stanley park. I hadn't done this in a long time. There was something on my mind; I could feel how unconsciously I was thinking and yet I couldn't point out about what ... as soon I began noticing the people around me I knew that I had the answers. As to when it would affect the outside I really didn't care ... the americano was good ... I should do this more often ...

Cheney! oh Cheney!

Yesterday Jon Stewart pointed to an interview with Dick Cheney from 1994; very interesting, especially the points he makes for not going into Iraq! Take a look, just so you know there is a commercial before the video segment.

big girls

I need some shelter of my own protection baby
Be with myself in center, clarity
Peace, Serenity

I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We've got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket

But I've gotta move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry

The path that I'm walking, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps till I'm full grown, full grown
Fairy tales don't always have a happy ending do they
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay

- Fergie, Big Girls Don't Cry

jeopardy

Edward Griffin passed away yesterday. He had great talent and big money, but what I will remember about him is that after his cancer returned when a reporter asked him about dying he said, "... all I know is that when I die my tombstone will say, I will not be back after this short break ... "

lonetime

When there is no one around, nothing distracting you, it's like you think in different terms. It's a whole different level of understanding; like having a crystal ball. It just comes down to what's inside you ... I get this isolation once in a blue moon, be it work or be it just an out of town vacation, it opens up my mind ... I believe I should try hard to remember these thoughts; because once again when it's crowded around me I need something to keep me on the right track ...

last chance

I was browsing the department website when I saw an announcement titled saddening news ... he came to our department as an adjunct professor; the fact that he was still doing research despite his old age had always astonished me and I had thought about going up to him and asking how he does it many times ... God bless his soul ...

money

- [Cheyenne] All you think about is making money.

- [Van] I like money, it doesn't yap at me 24 hours.

far far away

I was just thinking, if he took the offer, said goodbye, and moved away, then why are her eyes so red? I thought I was the only one who had noticed but it seems not ... I wish I had something to say ...

tranquil

... there is this calm inside of me. My life has been crazy for the past little while, and yet I have that ocean feel as if nothing can go wrong. Maybe this is my comfort zone, where I go to hide from the storms ... storm or not, I couldn't wish for anything else right now ... I should go dancing somewhere this weekend ...

prospect

Sometimes you make a decision and you linger afterwards for a while thinking back and forth whether this was the right step. Other times there are so many arrows and lights showing you the way that there is not even a iota of doubt in your mind; and as much as you would like to tempt yourself to rethink it one more time, you know deep inside that you'll come to the same conclusion over and over again ...

a day from the past

It started off as a dull day. We all met around lunchtime and started complaining about how everything was going wrong. We went for lunch, sat in the sun, and talked for a while. Then we headed down for coffee and again sat around for a chat ... by the time we were heading home together I felt like I was in high school; we had giggled and made fun of things and people and places the whole time, just like when we were teenagers ...

a woman should have ...

• enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...
• something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
• a youth she's content to leave behind....
• a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....
• a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
• one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
• a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
• eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...
• a feeling of control over her destiny.
  

every woman should know ...

• how to fall in love without losing herself.
• how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...
• when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
• that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
• that her childhood may not have been perfect.. but its over...
• what she would and wouldn't do for love or more ...
• how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
• whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...
• where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table...or a charming inn in the woods...
  when her soul needs soothing...
• what she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year...

- Woman by Maya Angelou

encounter

... the white clouds drawn so carelessly and yet so sightly, I can lay my thoughts to rest on them while my imaginations fly ...

lulu

I love the flowers on my balcony; especially the hanging baskets. Who knew so little time and money could buy me so much joy for such a long time ... now that's a good investment!

one green step

BC residents can now recycle their electronics. A recycle fee, like what we have with bottles, is being added to the price of all electronics which is redeemable when they are taken in for recycling. My concern has always been tube TVs, but now you can recycle your TV and get yourself a new flat screen!

lucky number 13

Another lady as president, the thirteenth one. But India had always been progressive in this sense, I still don't think the States is ready ...

money honey

This is a band that I had never heard of but I really liked the song. I left the link from YouTube in the title, enjoy!

As I'm staring through this fire,
it's to late to make you mine,
so far from where we started, so far from what we wanted
and as both our worlds fall down,
we get lost and we get found
so far from where we started, so far from what we wanted.

I've made mistakes that I can't erase, I've made mistakes
If I had the money honey would you love me love me love me
If I wasn't just somebody like me (like me)
If I had the money honey would you love me love me love me
If I wasn't just somebody like me (like me)
I've made mistakes that I can't erase, I've made mistakes

- State of Shock

the nightmare

It's so sad to see the injustice, to see the pain of what I cannot cure. Tears circle my eyes, my heart aches deeply and my mind searches for a solution to the problem it can never solve. Even in my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined myself where I am today ... what we need is a miracle, a miracle ... it was so much easier when we were kids. All I had to do was to go to bed and when I woke up tomorrow morning everything would be fine. What if I wake up tomorrow to find that this was all a bad dream, what if?

ancient fish

ZANZIBAR (Reuters) - Fishermen in Zanzibar have caught a coelacanth, an ancient fish once thought to have become extinct when it disappeared from fossil records 80 million years ago, an official said on Sunday.

Researcher Nariman Jidawi of Zanzibar's Institute of Marine Science said the fish was caught off the tropical island's northern tip. "The fishermen informed us they had caught this strange fish and we quickly rushed to find it was a coelacanth," he told Reuters, adding that it weighed 27 kg (60 lb) and was 1.34 meters long.

The coelacanth, known from fossil records dating back more than 360 million years, was believed to have become extinct some 80 million years ago until one was caught off the eastern coast of South Africa in 1938 - a major zoological find. None has since been caught in South African waters, but around 30 have been caught in recent years off Tanzania, possibly because diminishing shallow-water resources have forced fishermen to cast their nets in the deeper waters where coelacanths live, experts say. Coelacanths are the only living animals to have a fully functional intercranial joint, a division separating the ear and brain from the nasal organs and eye.

* source: Reuters

balloons

We stared at the sky as the balloon went up and up and disappeared. We watched and whispered, can you see it? can you still see it? still? still? ... i lost it, can't see it any more ... it brought out the child in us all, what a joy ...

media

Just like what you see about the movies and how inaccurate they usually are when on a subject you know about, the media rarely take the right impression from scientific work. But this is even worse, a BBC reported called and asked to talk to Simon Fraser whom our university is named after!

But the most memorable inquiry came from a BBC reporter in London, "who wanted to speak to Simon Fraser," laughs PAMR office manager Fiona Burrows, who resisted the urge to say "I’ll try and dig him up."

economic inequality

economic inequalities (ref:Wikipedia)

Differences in national income equality around the world as measured by the national Gini coefficient. The Gini coefficient is a number between 0 and 1, where 0 corresponds with perfect equality (where everyone has the same income) and 1 corresponds with perfect inequality (where one person has all the income, and everyone else has zero income). Countries in red tones have societies with more income inequality than those in green tones.

Note that Iran and the US have the same economic inequality and Greenland, Denmark, Hungary and Japan are the fairest countries!

rowing boat

I was talking to a girlfriend on the weekend. I made an analogy which she liked, I thought you might like it too. I said, "You shouldn't have to work too hard in a relationship. If one person works too hard and the other one doesn't try hard enough it's like two people sitting in a rowing boat one of them rowing fast and the other rowing slowly; they will just go round and round in circles. Literally, they won't get anywhere ..." I am happy for her, she is getting a lot stronger ...

امروز

سلام دنیا، سلام

the gambler

Said, "If you're gonna play the game, boy, ya gotta learn to play it right.

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

Ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep.
'Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser,
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep."

- The Gambler, Kenny Rogers

a baby

They are pregnant, they're pregnant, they're pregnant ... a friend of mine ... i am so excited!

SOS

I've been watching the Live Earth concert since it started a few hours ago. What a great cause and what a wonderful effort. If only people wouldn't forget about it after the concert is over ... if you check out your ECP score it might just give you enough incentive to make changes in your lifestyle. It's time we took this seriously, there is no time for fooling around ...

چه حرف قشنگی

هنگامی که کمتر از همیشه شایسته دوست داشتنت هستم دوستم داشته باش. چون در آن لحظات از همیشه به دوست داشتنت نیازمندترم

relations

I read somewhere today that according to a survey over 25% of the world's population have had only one partner in their life; I wouldn't have guessed such a high number ...

جزا

یادمه که یه چیزی مثل این رو توی یکی از کتابهای صادق هدایت خوندم، در جامعه ای که می شه کسی رو بی گناه جزا کرد، می شه گناه رو بعد از جزا مرتکب شد. حالا می فهمم یعنی چی

echo friendly cleaner

Make an all-purpose cleaner by mixing one part water, one part white vinegar, and a few drops of tea-tree oil in a pint-sized spray bottle.

- source

غربزدگی

این دریافت یک آدم ساده از چندین سفرست. حکم نیست. استثنا هم حکما دارد. همین

sports

I watched the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation awards, the Oscars of sports, on Saturday. It was overwhelming, I teared up during most of it. Not to put down actors but I feel that since sports people are less in the paparazzi spotlight they give back so much more to the community. The highlight for me was to learn that after 107 year F.C. Barcelona wore a logo on their vests, the UNICEF logo. What a beautiful gesture ...

Bono vs. Harper

In response to Bono's request to meet Harper, whom I believe has done a worse job than I would even expect from him, replied: "Meeting celebrities isn't my shtick" and that "that was the shtick of the previous guy" referring to Paul Martin! How can you even say that Harper, what a disgrace.

To this of course Bono replied: "It's not the pop stars he doesn't want to meet. It's the movement that we represent." Pointing out that the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Britain had managed to meet with him.

To me this strengthens the allegations that Harper was the only one at the G8 summit that blocked the progress; my God do you realize that even Bush was ok with this and Harper said no!

Bono expressed his disbelief of the situation: "I said some years ago that the world needs more Canadas and I meant it. I can't believe that this Canada has become a laggard. I think he's out of sync with the people." Bob Geldof added: "A man called Stephen Harper came to Heiligendamm, but Canada stayed home." Shouldn't we wake up to see who is representing us?

You can find more on this subject here and here.

shame

Take a look at this. I don't understand, what's wrong with the world? Why are we so violent? Why are all of us one by one having to flee our homeland to save our lives? Where is humanity going?

sunshine

I am not the best person in the world with moisturizers or creams of any sort; maybe because my skin does ok on its own. But then, I know some who disagree that your skin can be ok on its own; they think you have to wash all the oil off your skin and then rub in moisturizers (oily chemicals) to keep it healthy. That just isn't me ... I have always pushed sunscreens into the same category as other creams. I'd rather get a little sunshine here and there and then stay in the shade the rest of the time. But with all the heightened levels of skin cancer even I felt obliged to do a little research. My biggest concern was that sunscreens themselves cause some sort of skin cancer. I think this page does a rather good job of describing the problem and solution. A few notes to take away:

• Not getting sunburn due to the protection of sunscreen is what is dangerous.
• The sunscreen should have UVA and UVB protection.
• Like everything moderation is a good idea so get some sun throughout the day, preferably not 11am to 3pm.
• Put on sunscreen 20 min before going into the sun.
• You can protect yourself with clothes and a hat - which honestly is what I prefer to do!
  
• Wear sunglasses.

With all of this I went out yesterday and bought some sunscreen. It's kids sunscreen (because I am a little allergic to the scents some creams have) with SPF 45 with no fragrance or colorant, water resistant and non-greasy. I'll be able to tell you in about 30 years if this was a good idea!

woe

I know that the world is much bigger than me and I know that if I sleep tonight tomorrow will be another bright sunny day; yet none of this takes away the hurt a friend can cause. The interesting yet pitiful point being that two different people who have never known one another made me think the same thing today, should I really care?

tweel

Now this looks like something out of the movies! You can read about this new Michelin tire here.

خاطره

امروز دارم می رم سخنرانی دکتر قمشه ای رو گوش بدم ولی احساس می کنم بیشتر از اینکه بخوام بشنوم اون چی می خواد بگه دلیل رفتنم اینه که شنیدن حرفهاش خاطره های گذشته رو تو ذهنم زنده می کنه

پی نوشت: یه قصه خیلی قشنگ تعریف کرد دیشب که نوشته یه نویسنده اروپایی بود، از من که توقعی نیست اسمش یادم باشه ولی قصه ... یکی وارد یه باغ پرنعمت و زیبا شد. یه رودخونه پر آب توش جاری بود و پرنده های زیبایی روی درختها آواز می خوندن. کمی که جلوتر رفت یه پرنده توی یه قفس دید که از بی آب و دانگی تلف شده بود. میله ها باعث شده بودن از اون فراوانیها نتونه استفاده کنه ... آخرش اینجور تموم کرد: نذارین میله هایی که دورخودتون می کشین جلوی بهره مند شدنتون رو از زندگی بگیره

crossroad

The best decision is the one you never regret no matter how the circumstances change!

دیوار

یه چیزایی در من خیلی عوض شده، مخصوصا وقتی درباره زندگی و رفتارهای اجتماعی با کسی حرف می زنم حرفهایی رو از خودم می شنوم که اصلا انتظارش رو ندارم. به نظرم می رسه که این تغییر در بیشتر زمینه ها مثبت است ولی ... حداقل یه چیز هست که من قدیم درباره من جدید دوست نداره. من جدید یه دیوار جلوشه، یه دیوار که باعث می شه یه فاصله رو با خیلیها حفظ کنه. فکر کنم این دیوار رو من قدیم واسه من جدید ساخت که ازخیلی چیزها جداش کنه، آخه من قدیم ضربه های زیادی خورد به خاطر اینکه به همه خیلی نزدیک می شد. حالا من جدید باید تصمیم بگیره این دیوار رو واسه من آینده نگه داره یا نه؟

paralyzed

Well I’m not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to make you move
Because you’re standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You’ll probably move right through
Me on my way to you

- Finger Eleven

advice

Listen to this ...

فکر

داشتم برای خودم توضیح می دادم که دیگه بزرگ شدی و گاهی درست و غلط بودن تصمیمهات رو خیلی نمی شه تشخیص داد، خودت که هیچ، کس دیگه هم شاید نتونه بگه. همین جور که این حرف از ذهنم گذشت پیش خودم فکرکردم آیا این یعنی حالا خیلی هم مهم نیست چه تصمیمی بگیرم؟ نه دیگه اینکه نمی شه. برم بیشتر درباره اش فکر کنم

پیاز داغ

Clinical Gastroeneterology and Hepatology بر اساس تحقیقات جدیدی که در مجله
چاپ شده مصرف روزانه پیاز و زرچوبه در پیشگیری سرطان روده بسیار موثر است؛ بارها به این فکر کرده بودم که ما چرا هر روز توی همه غذاهامون پیازداغ می ریزیم!؟

reality

Reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

-Albert Einstein

my list

Under an old brass paperweight is my list of things to do today
Go to the bank and the hardware store, put a new lock on the cellar door
I cross 'em off as I get 'em done but when the sun is set
There's still more than a few things left I haven't got to yet

Go for a walk, say a little prayer
Take a deep breath of mountain air
Put on my glove and play some catch
It's time that I make time for that
Wade the shore and cast a line
Pick up a long lost friend of mine
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
Start livin', that's the next thing on my list

Wouldn't change the course of fate but cuttin' the grass just had to wait
'Cause I've bot more important things like pushin' my kid on the backyard swing
I won't break my back for a million bucks I can't take to my grave
So why put off for tomorrow what I could get done today

Like go for a walk, say a little prayer
Take a deep breath of mountain air
Put on my glove and play some catch
It's time that I make time for that
Wade the shore and cast a line
Pick up a long lost friend of mine
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
Start livin', that's the next thing on my list

Raise a little hell, laugh 'til it hurts
Put an extra five in the plate at church
Call up my folks just to chat
It's time that I make time for that
Stay up late, then oversleep
Show her what she means to me
Catch up on all the things I've always missed
Just start livin', that's the next thing on my list

Under an old brass paperweight
Is my list of things to do today

low carb

So much for the low carb diet. A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine says that it's the glycemic index that matters not the carbs and that carbohydrates with low glycemic index can help you lose weight! I have always disliked low carb diets since I believe in well-balanced eating; and now I have one more reason ...

life

I always thought of life like this, now someone has drawn it.

about me

You know that there is a need in people to discover themselves through tests, because simply put they can't think of a better way like analysing their own behaviour to understand themselves. Anyhow, this is what the color test reviled about me!

• You are a person who approaches their finances aggressively and with purpose. You make sure you have covered every angle by consulting the best professionals, then move in for the attack.
  
  
• Fashion is marketing vice that only the weak fall victim to. You like to rise above it all, dressing in a way that is your own unique style.
  
  
• You are aggressive in business, but tend to take the backseat when it comes to your personal life. You are more comfortable talking about work than relationships.
  
  
• You make sure that your possessions will boost your image, no matter whether it's a necessity or not. If one of your friends has it, you must have it as well.
  
  
• A good listener. You are comfortable allowing others to take the spotlight and share their adventures. You are protective about your friendship and ensure the best for your friends.
  
  
• You are a no-nonsense, practical person. You make sure that you are there when your friends need you, and like to solve their problems for them.
  
  

driving

• Gas prices in Vancouver are estimated to be about 27 cents per liter overprice! Just think of how much is going into the gas companies pockets. The explanation is that after Catrina they just didn't see a reason to reduce the prices and so it just went up from there ...
  
  
• Statistics have always shown that women are better drivers than men, based on getting into fewer accidents. But as it looks that is about to change; in the past few years women's accidents have increased by 14% and accidents caused by men have declined 10%. Although men are still in the lead, with the current trend it won't be too long before that changes.
  

cool!

Call me out of date but I just clicked on the friends map tab in Orkut and discovered that it shows you a somewhat estimate of your friends' sparsity around the world; now that is cool!

catching up

There used to be a middle aged man at the local grocery shop who would stand at a distance and ask if he could return the cart. I always said yes, and usually tipped him rather generously. In his eyes I could see that this is not the life he is used to. Last week when I went shopping I was approached by a taller younger fellow, and when I said no to him another one and another one ... WHAT? It seemed all the homeless people where there, it felt very uncomfortable. As I drove off upset over all the harassment I thought, where is the old guy? Did he become rich? Is he now living the good life? Or did he move for some other reason? Wish there was a way to find out ...

some people

Some people you talk to when you're happy, some when you're sad. There are people you talk to when you need to make a decision and then there are those who you just hang out with ... just don't confuse them!

چه حرفا

یه وقتایی خیلی طول می کشه که آدمها رو بشناسم؛ اینکه راست راستی کی هستن. ولی دیگه حالا یاد گرفتم که اون حسی که اول بار ازشون دارم تا حد خوبی درسته. یکی دو بار ناخودآگاه یه چیزی رو به کسی گفتم و مدتی بعد فهمیدم چرا همچین چیزی به ذهنم رسیده ... خوشحالم اون چیزی رو که اون موقع خواستم بگم گفتم

دلم شکست

تا کی؟

something special

Bagh-e-Shazdeh - Mahan, Kerman, Iran

where?

There's this controversy inside me; should I run or should I settle for a possible mediocre? Will mediocre evolve to the top or have I already waited too long? Why the indecisiveness? I thought we agreed we always reach high; but then, what is high enough?

traffic

It seems to me that the city is a lot busier than a month ago; I wonder if it's the weather or the hockey games!

قصه حسنک

گاو ما ما مي كرد
گوسفند بع بع مي كرد
سگ واق واق مي كرد

و همه با هم فرياد مي زدند حسنك كجايي

شب شده بود اما حسنك به خانه نيامده بود.حسنك مدت هاي زيادي است كه به خانه نمي آيد.او به شهر رفته و در آنجا شلوار جين و تي شرت هاي تنگ به تن مي كند.او هر روز صبح به جاي غذا دادن به حيوانات جلوي آينه به موهاي خود ژل مي زند.

موهاي حسنك ديگر مثل پشم گوسفند نيست چون او به موهاي خود گلت مي زند.

ديروز كه حسنك با كبري چت مي كرد .كبري گفت تصميم بزرگي گرفته است.كبري تصميم داشت حسنك را رها كند و ديگر با او چت نكند چون او با پتروس چت مي كرد.پتروس هميشه پاي كامپيوترش نشسته بود و چت مي كرد.پتروس ديد كه سد سوراخ شده اما انگشت او درد مي كرد چون زياد چت كرده بود.او نمي دانست كه سد تا چند لحظه ي ديگر مي شكند.پتروس در حال چت كردن غرق شد.

براي مراسم دفن او كبري تصميم گرفت با قطار به آن سرزمين برود اما كوه روي ريل ريزش كرده بود .ريزعلي ديد كه كوه ريزش كرده اما حوصله نداشت .ريزعلي سردش بود و دلش نمي خواست لباسش را در آورد .ريزعلي چراغ قوه داشت اما حوصله? درد سر نداشت.قطار به سنگ ها برخورد كرد و منفجر شد .كبري و مسافران قطار مردند.

اما ريزعلي بدون توجه به خانه رفت.خانه مثل هميشه سوت و كور بود .الان چند سالي است كه كوكب خانم همسر ريزعلي مهمان ناخوانده ندارد او حتي مهمان خوانده هم ندارد.او حوصله ي مهمان ندارد.او پول ندارد تا شكم مهمان ها را سير كند.

او در خانه تخم مرغ و پنير دارد اما گوشت ندارد.

او كلاس بالايي دارد او فاميل هاي پولدار دارد.

او آخرين بار كه گوشت قرمز خريد چوپان دروغگو به او گوشت خر فروخت .اما او از چوپان دروغگو گله ندارد چون دنياي ما خيلي چوپان دروغگو دارد به همين دليل است كه ديكر در كتاب هاي دبستان آن داستان هاي قشنگ وجود ندارد.

my pilot

My copilot licence was mailed to me while I was back home, I had so much fun taking that class ... I don't think I ever mentioned it, but as a little girl I always imagined I would marry a pilot. I never even came close to that; as a matter of fact I don't think I have ever known anyone who's a pilot ... well maybe I'll be one someday!

برگشتنم خونه

الان چند روزیه که برگشتم. خیلی بهم خوش گذشته، از سال تحویل خونه بابابزرگ تا دیدن همکلاسیهای مدرسه و شبها تا صبح با مامان حرف زدن، همه اش خیلی خوب بود. احساس می کنم که می تونم رو ابرها راه برم، تو دلم یه آرامشی هست اون آرامشی که فقط خونه می تونه به آدم بده. بی انصافی نکرده باشم، دلم واسه این خونه ام هم تنگ شده بود

این هفته یه کنفرانس هست که من رو یاد اون کنفرانسی می اندازه که روزای اولی که اومده بودم ونکور رفتم. پنج سال از اون موقع گذشته و منی که اون موقع با احتیاط اولین قدمهام رو برمی داشتم الان سرم رو بالا می گیرم و محکم راه می رم. یاد اون آرزوها و اون فکرها به خیر، چقدر من و همه چیز دور و برم عوض شدیم. خوشحالم از همه چیز، خوشحالم

باران بهاری

امشب که داشتم می اومدم خونه یه دفعه احساس کردم که یه بوی آشنا می آد. بعد فهمیدم بوی بارونه رو زمین گرم. دلیل تازگی بوش این بود که اینجا معمولا سرده وقتی بارون می آد واسه همین هم بوی بارونای خونه رو نمی ده. از ته دلم لبخند زدم، میرم خونه واسه عید

nerdy

My supervisor sent me an email titled quotation; it had the following quote:

Once I developed a new theory and really appreciated its beauty, I asked myself, how do I make it practical? - Prof. En-Hui Yang, University of Waterloo

He's the nicest guy on the planet but that won't keep me from saying that this is the nerdiest email I have ever received, and I know many many nerds!

if everyone cared

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We’d see the day when nobody died

And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be

- Nickleback