influences

We have always mocked how so much of our information about the world, animals and such comes from the programs we watched as children; but now that politicians are using their childhood learnings to discuss issues, it maybe time to reconsider our attitude!

I don't like forecasting, particularly if the future is involved.

- Yogi bear (quoted by Mitt Romney)

source of information

I went to see my podiatrist and this is, in concept, what it said on the cartoon picture on wall:

A few things you should know about your period:

1. it won't go away if you stand on your head
2. if you have 22 babies in 22 years you will avoid a lot of periods
3. if you go on vacation it will come with you
4. although PMS, GST and PST sound similar they are of very different nature

waterboarding

my two cents

It seems that a lot of people inside and outside the Liberal party agreed with me about the serious flaw in the leadership of the Liberal party. Yesterday, Dion finally did what he should have done after his defeat in the federal election and announced that he will step down once the Liberals have chosen a new leader.
But it's not that simple. New Brunswick MP, Dominic LeBlanc, has stepped down from the leadership race in support of Michael Ignatieff; but it seems that Bob Rae isn't being as kind or as thoughtful. He has been described as "bitter and angry" by other Liberal MPs. What surprises me is that Rae doesn't have much support either; personally I don't think he stands a chance. Ignatieff has been a favorite with both the MPs and party members for a while now. Whereas Rae, although well respected, has never had a strong endorsement from either group.
Anyway, I think it is in the interest of the Liberals, the coalition (which I am not sure will even make it until January) and maybe all Canadians to deal with this as soon as possible. Dragging it out can only give Harper the upper hand ...
This is Jon Stewart's take on the recent issues in Canada, eh!

state of mind

About 2pm on Sunday, unsuspectingly, we walked into a store on Davie. A woman about 50, thin, with light blue jeans and a not so stylish shirt and jacket, walked rapidly towards us and asked us in a very high pitched voice whether someone had referred us to the store and without pause followed that she has been in business since 1993. Silly me, I took it as a greeting and said: "no, we were just walking by."
As those words left my lips, her face grew tense and she started telling us how she dresses people and that people come from a long way away and that they make appointments ... and she didn't breathe! She talked faster and faster and grew more aggressive as she went on. We stood there with our eyes wide and our jaws hanging! I don't know how long that went on but it seemed an infinity.
As soon as she breathed to say that her store is not for looking around in, I turned to the door and reached to push it open. She yelled in her squeaky voice: "no, no, don't touch the door, I'll open it, you already jammed it!" Even if I had jammed it coming in, which I hadn't, she couldn't have known!
We walked out and away so shocked at what we had just witnessed that we couldn't even talk. We still haven't figured whether she was bipolar, high on drugs or just pure crazy and we couldn't even tell if she wanted us gone, wanted us to come back with an appointment or was looking for a specific reaction.
After getting something to eat we walked back to find the name of the shop. Believe me, she was walking out to slap me as I was looking for the name of the store on the window. And yes, I ran away before she got to the door!
It was reassuring to learn later that we weren't the only people who had encountered the crazy lady (apparently she's called Linda). I wonder how she is still in business! Oh, and the name of the store, State of Mind, how fitting!

a dose of sunshine

I have decided to start taking vitamin D. The general recommendation is for people in the lower mainland to take vitamin D supplements from October to April. In addition, ethnicity studies suggest that people with darker skin tones should take vitamin D supplements. So despite my resistance I am finally convinced! It hasn't been that long yet but I do feel a little more awake when I get up in the morning. Now whether that is psychological or it's really the effect of the pills I can't tell :)

Two related articles you may want to take a look at: sunshine vitamin, pregnant and lactating women and infants. The suggested intake for vitamin D is about 1000 IU per day. The table below gives some information about the sources of the sunshine vitamin.

Source: B.C. Ministry of Health
Food	Serving	Vitamin D
Milk	1 cup	100 IU
Fortified rice or soy beverage	1 cup	100 IU
Fortified margarine	2 tsp	53 IU
Salmon canned, pink	3 oz	530 IU
Tuna canned, light	3 0z	200 IU

حس آشنا

درست قبل از امتحان بود که یکی از بچه های ایرانی رو دیدم. گفتم می شه یه سوال بپرسم؟ با لبخند و خیلی مودب گفت: شما از من؟ و یه چیزی توی این مایه ها که آخه تو که خیلی خرخونی! اون موقع حواسم پرت بود و عجله داشتم، ولی بعدش که بهش فکر کردم نفهمیدم چرا اینقدر حرف به این سادگی حس آشنایی در من برانگیخته بود! چند ساعتی گذشته بود که دو هزاریم افتاد. این از اون حرفهایی بود که بچه ها توی مدرسه می زدن و سالها بود که کسی این حرف رو به من نزده بود! احساس دوران بچگی بود که اینقدر آشنا بود و حس برگشتن به اون موقع بود که من رو خوشحال کرده بود

torn

Yesterday, prime minister Harper asked the Governor General of Canada to prorogue parliament, despite the bad image it gives him. As he said, he was willing to take any legal measure to keep the government going. But on the other hand, in my opinion, the opposition coalition tried to stir things up a little too soon. I mean at the least the economic situation is tight and we just spent millions on an election!

Think of it, there's the Bloc Quebecois who basically supports mayhem and Harper just calls them the separatist although they have somewhat softened that tone. I can't say I disagree with him on that.
Then there is the NDP, who until yesterday were friends of the Conservatives and gave Harper the confidence of a majority government. I really don't understand Layton's move in getting with the coalition because he was a lot closer to Harper before and after the recent election and then he woke up on Wednesday and was buddies with Dion!
But the biggest and baddest of them all are the Liberals. I admired Paul Martin both as a minister and as the prime minister. When he stepped down there was no one to step into his position, the Liberals had no leader. On the other hand Steven Harper, despite the fact that I don't trust him, emerged as a strong leader. I think the quality of the televised messages from Harper and Dion (without even listening to the content) showed how much more organized and able the Conservatives are at this point in time.
The recent election showed the lowest level of Liberal support and of course everyone knew who was to blame. Now don't go blaming it on the accent, didn't everyone love Chrétien? It's his lack of leadership and his poor communication skills that repel people, even the Liberals themselves have admitted it time and time again. Dion is the type of guy you would put in charge of a museum, not a government.
So as far as the coalition goes, I don't support it at all. Two parties who have different objectives along with the separatist and no leader to pull them together isn't going to do Canada much good. Especially with the difficult financial situation we are facing. They might have had a chance if Dion was wise enough to let Layton lead. It goes without saying that I have never and will never approve of Harper and his politics, but right now he is the lesser of two evil.
All of this being said, suspending parliament seemed like a very extreme measure to me. My initial reaction was that Michaëlle Jean will not approve of it. After thinking about it a little more though it just seems very unconventional but most likely the correct move ... all of the controversy goes to show that even old Canada can stir things up a little. Now all we have to do is wait until the end of January to see what will become of Harper's government ...

diabetes cure?

Dr Mehran Anvari, McMaster University, is offering new hope to type 2 diabetes patients, especially those suffering from obesity. According to the article in Spec, a local Waterloo news website, 10% of people in Ontario suffer from diabetes. This is the posting for the study of Laparoscopic Bariatric surgery to treat type 2 diabetes in obese patients. The major concern is that the study is in its early stages and not all the side effects are known.

ballet

Today, Ballet British Columbia announced that they are laying off all the staff and dancers! What a shame! They are calling it a reorganization. The truth is that the dancers will either have to move away from Vancouver or find something temporary and hang around in hopes that it won't take them too long to get back into business. I think that's a big risk though and my guess is that the dancers who really care about their careers will move away ... if you live in Vancouver and haven't seen Nutcracker, I suggest you do it this year. Who knows if there will be a ballet any time soon in the city.

state of shock

Now I know I messed up bad
You were the best I ever had
I let you down in the worst way
It hurts me every single day
I'm dying to let you know

Now I'm here to say I'm sorry
And ask for a second chance
Cause when it all comes down to the end
I could sure use a friend

P.S. I know you will both be strong and make it through :)

right now

justice

I have always admired the great civilization of Egypt. I guess they owe their abundance, at least partially, to their long history. My envy is that as a society us Iranians come from a rich background too, but we have failed to hold ourselves to the same standards. I can't blame it on governments or systems because the Egyptians have had their fair share of corrupt leaders. I think it has more to do with our personal sense of belonging to the society and our willingness to fight for our human rights. I don't want to downplay the great men and women who have done so much for our country, but I'd like to draw attention to the moral values we may have given up on.
This is what triggered these thoughts in my mind again:

The student concluded that the government could do whatever it wanted - oppress, detain, torture, whatever - but if the judiciary was independent, then freedom had a chance in Egypt. Without these independent judges, there was no hope of protecting human rights.

- Amin Ashmawy (interview with Robin Wright)

This is a testament for truth's sake. If I did not record it, I would be accountable before God on the Day of Judgment. by what I write here, I do not intend to support or defame any party. It is merely a question of telling the truth, to which I have devoted my life, and to honor the justice that I have vowed to uphold.

- Noha al Zeiny, Al-Masri al-Youm newspaper, 2005 (Dreams and Shadows)

geeky humor

optimist: the glass is half full
pessimist: the glass is half empty
engineer: the glass needs to be redesigned

- Carl Selinger

me and her

It had been raining all night and now a little sunshine was coming through the clouds. I walked by a large window swiftly and took a quick glance at myself in the glass ... and ... I slowed down as I approached the next window ... and ... I WAS her ... I stood and looked at myself in the glass ... I looked like the person I had dreamed of being as a little girl. In the glass, I saw the image of a woman I had wanted to be ever since I was a child, and, now I AM her, I'M HER! By this time there was a big grin on my face ... me and my future image of me are one now ... I need a new vision ...

W, always a disappointment

We went to see the movie W. The only believable characters in the movie were Bush senior and junior. The rest of the movie was a mess; even the travels in time were a disaster. It had insignificant details highlighted and important events skimmed. I don't know what Stone was thinking but didn't it ever occur to him that the Bushs wouldn't be watching election reports on their home TV? All in all I would give it a mere 4 out of 10; just like W himself, a dissappointment!

professional profiling

According to a 2007 Oxford University publication by Gambetta and Hertog 78% of Jihadists are engineers ... I think it may be that the engineers are the dumb ones who get caught!

guess who?

If you guessed Sarah Palin then you're right! It's her Miss Wasilla 1984 head shot and one of the pictures for the Palin Calendar. The cover page is below and you can find all the pages here.

اوضاع و احوال

گفتم تفعلی بزنم؛

رایت سلطان گل پیدا شد از طرف چمن
مقدمش یارب مبارک باد بر سرو و سمن
...
مشورت با عقل کردم گفت حافظ باده نوش
ساقیا می ده بقول مستشار موتمن

و شاهدش

تو نازک طبعی و طاقت نداری
گرانیهای مشتی دلق پوشان
درین صوفی وشان دَردی ندیدم
که صافی باد عیش دُردنوشان

salaries

... with the current situation it seems 2008 will be the highest peak at least for some time ...

* source: IEEE Spectrum August 2008 and they got it from the US Department of Labor

greener clean

I've been trying out "greener" choices for cleaning supplies in the past few months. I've tested both brand name and drugstore labels. In my opinion the best dish washing liquids are [drum roll] Method by Method and Green Works by Clorox. Both claim to be naturally derived and biodegradable.
As for glass, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, once I got to the Green Works line of products I stopped checking because I was very please with what I had found and, well, I'm not a consumer product reviewer!
You might find the Greenzer website helpful if you're looking for a particular product, but keep your eyes open for the frauds ... maybe I should come up with a green-meter of some sort ...

اسلام و ایرانیان

اين مکر و ريا گشت به گوش همه ياران
اين حيله بشد باور يک ملت نادان

ای وای از اين قوم وازاين ملت بيمار
لعنت به سر گور امام زاده مکار

ايرانی که بود تاج سر دانش دنيا
اينک قمه بر سر زدنش خنده دنيا

زنجير به سرو سينه زدن در غم تازی
از شب به سحر در غم ودر گريه وزاری

شد سنت ايرانی پس از عمری شهامت
ای وای از آن قومی که شد خام ديانت
...
ايرانی بشد چاکر درگاه امامان
آن شيرزن خاک گهر پوش دلارا

شد زينب و زهرا و خديجه و سهيلا
از کوروش واز ايرج و کاوه و بابک

قربانعلی و غلامحسين آمده اينک
لعنت به من و ما که بيگانه ستائيم

پيشانی به سنگ در هر تازی بماليم
لعنت به من و ما که فرزند يلانيم

بيرونی بيگانه از اين خانه ندانيم
نفرين به چونين تيع که تيزش نتوانيم

لعنت به چونين دست که مشتش نتوانيم
اهريمن از اين خانه برون ما نتوانيم

اين ديو ستمکار از اين سفره نرانيم
لعنت به من و ما که خاموش نشستيم
که خاموش نشستيم

سیمین بهبهانی -

the Hamas point of view

Do you not find something very wrong with this sentence?

"We might forgive the Israeli's for murdering our innocent civilians but we will never forgive them for forcing us to kill their civilians."

- Sheikh Nayef (from Dreams and Shadows)

The later leaders were of course a lot more lenient.

Our message to the Israelis is this: we do not fight you because you belong to a certain faith or culture. Jews have lived in the Muslim world for 13 centuries in peace and harmony; they are in our religion "the people of the book" who have a covenant from God and His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) to be respected and protected. Our conflict with you is not religious but political. We have no problem with Jews who have not attacked us - our problem is with those who came to our land, impose themselves on us by force, destroyed our society and banish our people.
We shall never recognize the right of any power to rob us of our land and deny us our national rights. We shall never recognize the legitimacy of a Zionist state created on our soil in order to atone for somebody else's problem. But if you are willing to accept the principle of a long-term truce, we are prepared to negotiate the terms. Hamas is extending a hand of peace to those who are truly interested in a peace based on justice.

- Khalid Mashal, 2006 (from Dreams and Shadows)

path to liberty

We are not expected to be transported from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.

- Thomas Jefferson

Judge Alex

As I was eating lunch today, the TV was showing one of the many reality court shows. I never really warmed up to Judge Judy, who is apparently the highest paid TV personality, but some other ones I can take ... but I digress ... The case was about a lady whose car had been stolen and totaled by the next door neighbor's son, well actually they had a teenage boy visiting from out of town who had apparently driven the scenario. The conversation was something like:

• Judge: well how did they break into the car?
• lady: the door was not locked. where we live we don't even have keys to our front doors, all the doors are open.
  
• Judge [with a smile]: in Florida the only reason you would leave your doors unlocked is that you want to shoot the thief inside the car! well how did they start the car then?
• lady: they turned the keys and started the car.
• Judge: so you had left the keys in the ignition?
• lady: yes, everyone does that. even the police officer who took my statement said he leaves his keys in the ignition when his car is in the driveway.

The judge looked amazed and so did I. But she was telling the truth; the defendant confirmed what she said. He admitted that he had asked his son where his cell phone was and the son had told him what they had done with the car and said that he'd left the phone in the car. A little into the trial she starts crying and when the judge asks why she replies: "well if car theft is their first crime what is their second crime going to be? break into someone's house and put a gun to their head?"
What they described and how they reacted to everything was like a fairytale. So far from reality in my mind! I grew up being told not to forget to lock the second lock on the door. I had heard stories of how my grandparents never had to lock the door but that was by far my closest encounter. Just think how much more tolerable our lives would be if we could just go back and live as peacefully ... I hope these people and their little towns don't go extinct any time soon. Maybe we should preserve them as treasures ...

politics

Politics is about getting outside of yourself and your own problems for a little while and fully immersing yourself in the lies and deceit of others.

- Stephen Elliot

Zoroastrians

I have started reading the book Dreams and Shadows by Robin Wright and I am going to share parts of it with you in the next little while:

"I once visited a fire temple of the Zoroastrians, who worship light as the symbol of good and omnipotent God. Iran is the world center for the faith founded six centuries before Christianity. As the symbol of light, fires at the altars of their temples have burned continuously for centuries. Zoroastrians ideas about the devil, hell, a future savior, the struggle between good and evil ending with a day of judgment, the resurrection of the dead, and an afterlife had great impact on all monotheistic faiths, and even Buddhism.
The largest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel is also in Iran, ...."

giving

We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.

-Winston Churchill

for the boys who never became men

so you can grieve and move on with life ... i am sorry that i can't be beside you in your pain ...

well in case you failed to notice
in case you failed to see
this is my heart bleeding before you
this is me down on my knees
these foolish games are tearing me apart
your thoughtless words are breaking my heart
you're breaking my heart

- Jewel, foolish games

فال شب مهتابی

کنار آب و پای بید و طبع شعر و یاری خوش
معاشر دلبری شیرین و ساقی گلعذاری خوش
الا ای دولتی طالع که قدر وقت می‌دانی
گوارا بادت این عشرت که داری روزگاری خوش
هر آن کس را که در خاطر ز عشق دلبری باریست
سپندی گو بر آتش نه که دارد کار و باری خوش
عروس طبع را زیور ز فکر بکر می‌بندم
بود کز دست ایامم به دست افتد نگاری خوش
شب صحبت غنیمت دان و داد خوشدلی بستان
که مهتابی دل افروز است و طرف لاله زاری خوش
چو می در کله جامست وساقی در نیامیزد
که مستی می‌کند با عقل و می‌بخشد خماری خوش
به غفلت عمر شد حافظ بیا با ما به میخانه
که شنگولان خوش باشت بیاموزند کاری خوش

harder times

I haven't been writing for a while and the reason, unfortunately, is mostly sad events rather than happy ones. I've been distracted, preoccupied and stressed. All of this being said, I should mention that the "situations", for the lack of a better word, I have been dealing with were mostly related to my loved ones rather than me. I don't mean to downplay their dealings with all of this but for my side, I guess, it just all came at the same time and took me by surprise.

I'd like to take a step back to the happy event before I think about the sad ones. We, as Sharif graduates, had our fifth international reunion in Vancouver. I was on the organizing committee and we hosted over 300 people. It all ran very smoothly. I learnt about the origin of the Sharif University of Technology Association (SUTA) and met a few of the people who had actually started the whole thing. We even had a surprise birthday on the last day ...

But the problems! Since it's people's personal matters it would probably be a better idea for me not to delve into them too deep. I'll just point to a few things.

I, for one, have never been that big a fan of marriage. It never quite made sense to me for someone to commit him/herself to someone for the rest of their life when they didn't know what the rest of their life would bring. You may say that it has worked for so many generations in the past, but that is exactly my point. That was in the past. In my opinion our parents were probably the last generation that could, as a society, live up to the old definitions of marriage. In today's world man and woman change so fast and independent from one another that they can easily evolve into very different beings with little commonality.

Now, my opinion is not meant as an invasion on the institution of family but more of a cry for the need to move around the boundaries and find something that would fit the mold of modern society. Just think of it this way, an average successful marriage in North America is estimated at around 5 years and we are promising our partners until death do us part! I would understand something along the lines of I promise to love and cherish you until the day we are happy and I will fight for being happy with you ...

Despite my pessimistic views towards traditional marriages, I was shocked to hear of so many of my friends having issues. I guess theorizing about matters and understanding them logically is far from accepting them emotionally. Some relationships have run their course, others are hanging by a thread and some are slowly working their way to getting stronger. At this point there is no saying where we will all be standing once the tide is gone, all I can hope for is that one day when they look back at this they can say I am pleased about the decisions I made ....

for the past

and I'm so sick of love songs
so tired of tears
so done with wishing you were still here
said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow
so why can't I turn off the radio?

- so sick, Ne-Yo

life

Give me books, fruit, french wine, fine weather, and a little music ...

- John Keats

fall for you

The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting
Could it be that we have been this way before
I know you don't think that I am trying
I know you're wearing thin down to the core

But hold your breath
Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you
Over again
Don't make me change my mind
Or I won't live to see another day
I swear it's true
Because a girl like you is impossible to find
Your impossible to find

This is not what I intended
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart
You always thought that I was stronger
I may have failed
But I have loved you from the start

- Secondhand Serenade

there

Beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there's a field. I'll meet you there.

- Jalal al-Din Rumi, 13thC

taste

When you are exposed to a new flavor of food it is said that you can acquire a taste for it in an average of 10 tries. Now I am not that kind of a person to force myself into liking something, but throughout life my appetite has changed. I used to hate even the smell of olives and now I would kill for them; there are other examples when it comes to food too ...

And then there is another side to taste. I first started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude when I was about 15. I don't usually leave a book half read but this one just didn't give me enough incentive to go past page 50. A few months back I read Love in the Time of Cholera, which is also written by Gabriel García Márquez, and I loved it. This prompted me to think that I may have grown into his work and "developed a taste" for it.

So, I order One Hundred Years of Solitude with a bunch of other books. When they're shipped it's the second book of the pile I start reading ... and ... it was still the same. Nothing had changed for me. It was still as distasteful as it had been 13 years ago! It makes me think, maybe there are some virtues of your appetite that you can't sway ...

phenomenon

I realized the other day that instead of calling friends I have started to leave them messages on facebook. When I thought about it a little more, I realized that I haven't been paying as much attention to my weblog either. My friends have the mobile facebook application installed so that they get messages on their iphones or cell phones and what not. We contact each other because the status on someone's profile looks worrying. And instead of having my friends over and showing them photos of my trip I post odd ones on facebook and ... it feels more than just a social network, maybe like some sort of new technology that crept into our lives over night ...

my new favorite artist

quickly i'm learning, to love again
all i know is, i'm gonna be okay

thought i couldn't live without you
it's going to hurt when it heals too
it'll all get better in time
even though i really love you
i'm gonna smile because i deserve to
it'll all get better in time

since there's no more you and me
it's time i let you go so i can be free
and live my life how it should be
no matter how hard it is, i will be fine without you

- better in time, Leona Lewis

late laundry

There were clothes in the drier, I was late and I knew that I would get back home around midnight. My landlord locks all the doors including the laundry room every night and opens them 6am next morning. Options were, stay home until the drier is done or leave and hope for the best. I decided to leave her a message and run. I got back and found the clothes folded in the basket I had left on top of the drier. She had also left the door unlocked so I could get in and take the clothes. It just made me warm and fuzzy inside ...

food

The food was on display outside the restaurants especially for places that were designed as lunch places. Lunch breaks were about 30 min so things had too move fast :)

There was also a hierarchy in the restaurants, I was told that I couldn't just walk into any restaurant; it felt like something from the movies. The picture on the right is one of the places I wasn't welcome!

garbage and gaming

Since the streets were so narrow and there were not that many back alleys, this is how they disposed of garbage in the business area. In most places there were even green nets to pull over the garbage. Interestingly they had somehow convinced the cats and birds to stay away.

There seemed to be this wild obsession with gaming, this is a quick shot I took inside on of these gaming shops.

cars and streets

There weren't many personal cars on the streets in Tokyo, most of what I saw were taxis. The streets were very narrow, and they even had narrower cars! The cars were mostly Japanese cars as you'd expect, but there was the occasional BMW or Benz.



By the way, they drove on the left side of the road and stood on the right side on the escalator.




Another interesting thing was the fuel pumps, I guess when you don't have enough land you hang things from the ceiling!

forgotten

"I can feel from the bottom of my heart that you came to Urumqi many many times and spent days and night for the hope to see me, visit me. I am grateful, I am thankful for the hardship you have experienced in cold and hot, snow and rain. I know you are doing it. I know the thin heart of my mother and my children and all of my relatives."

The Globe and Mail published an article on the recently released letter from Huseyin Celil, the Canadian citizen who was arrested (I think) in Ozbakestan and extradited to China 2 years ago. In China, he was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to life in prison.

"Dear mother, Please forgive me if I have done any thing wrong to you in my life. Please forgive me if I even have spoken loudly in front of you."

You can find the full article here and the letter translation here.

Iidabashi - Shinjuku

The first night I arrived in Tokyo, my friends picked me up and we went walking through the Iidabashi - Shinjuku area. This is an older neighbourhood, where apparently no foreigner ever sets foot - they could not believe I did not speak Japanese! It was a good thing that one of my friends was a translator. The area was full of small shops and cafes, just what you would expect of Japan ...

We went into a shop that was owned by a 83 year-old lady, she had started up the business with her husband 60!!! years ago. He had passed since.


I bought many pieces from her shop. Whenever I chose something, she would take a glance at it, go into the back and get another one that was still in its box. She'd show it to me so that I would be sure that it's the same and I had to nod to show my approval. Then she would ask permission to gift wrap it. She did it as if it were a ritual. The gift-wrapping itself was an amazing procedure. The neatness and delicacy with which she worked was amazing. When we were leaving I asked if I could have my picture taken with her. She replied: "but my hair is not made up and I am not dressed!" She was by far the cutest old lady I met on this trip.

earthquake

The first night I arrived in Tokyo there was an earthquake, about 6.3 on the Richter scale at the source. It shook the hotel pretty hard, enough to wake me up in the middle of the night, and those who know me know that that is a big deal! Anyhow, I got up the next morning, called everyone in Canada and Iran and made sure they know I am fine ... fast forward a few days, and the earthquakes in China. The horrible pictures, the devastation and the pain you can see in people's faces. The gut wrenching fact is that most of those killed are children who were at school, 7000 schools fell down when the surrounding buildings almost survived. And now about 5,000,000 people are homeless. It's been about a week, what has been done for them? I can't stop thinking, it was so close, it could have been me!

my journey

Narita airport, Japan

I had a conference in Singapore and I decided to stay in Tokyo for a few days since I was transiting through Narita anyway. There are a few experiences in life that make an impression that will stay with you for ever, this was definitely one of them. I learnt as much about the world and other people as I did about myself. Since the personal experiences are not as easy to bring to words and maybe not even as interesting, in the next little while I want to give you a peak into some of what I learnt about Tokyo and the Japanese and maybe even a little about Singapore.

One thing that I have to establish first is that what made this trip exceptional are the people I met on the way. I will talk about some of them along the way ...

Narita, areal view, Japan

Narita is rather far from Tokyo, about 40 min with train. In between the airport and Tokyo lie many rice farms as you can see in the photo.

Narita rice cultivation

away ...

... i am leaving for a little while, i'll be back with photos :)

transportation in China

You won't believe your eyes!

electricity

This is a link I found very useful. It gives electrical power levels and outlet shapes in most countries; so next time you can know what to expect :))

stupid/intelligent

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

- Bertrand Russell

insensitive

How do you numb your skin, after the warmest touch
How do you slow your blood, after the body rush
How do you free your soul, after you've found a friend
How do you teach your heart it's time, to fall in love again

Oh you probably won't remember me, it's probably ancient history
I'm one of the chosen few, who went ahead and fell for you
I'm out of vogue, I'm out of touch, I fell too fast, I feel too much
I thought that you might have some advice to give, on how to be, insensitive

- Jann Arden

math and music

Very smart people have always fascinated me, and I have always wondered what they would be like in person. Alia Sabur, a Persian - American is now the youngest university professor according to the Guinness book of records. You can find more information about her on her website.






source: Alia Sabur's website

no revolution

Something inside of me has waited far too long, it's past the turmoil, past the suspense, now there is a cold silence. There was a rush, i could hear my heartbeat over the music in my ears. Piano sooths me you know, i can see the gentle strokes on the keys as i hear the music. But then i was a ghost, i couldn't really see the familiar places i was walking through. i am amazed at how numb i feel towards everything today, this cold calm silence needs to break ... it's just the wrong state of affairs ...

P.S. it's broken, this was a wish granted so soon ...

women's health

two websites you might want to take a look at:

• safer make up
• ovary removal and heightened risk of Parkinson's
  

i'll be back with more information on women's health in a few weeks!

contacts?

Take a look at this!

source: University of Washington Office of News and Information

the risks

"You shouldn't have asked," I said. "Love doesn't ask many questions, because if we stop to think we become fearful. It's an inexplicable fear; it's difficult to even describe it. Maybe it's the fear of being scorned, of not being accepted, or of breaking the spell. It's ridiculous, but that's the way it is. That's why you don't ask - you act. As you've said many times, you have to take risks."

- By the river Piedra i sat down and wept

now

I should cry, what happened to all my tears?

Happy Earth Day!

the living camera

I remember watching him as a child ...

سالگرد

تولد دو سالگی این وبلاگ هم شد. باورم نمی شه دو ساله که اینجا مطلب می نویسم

in fairy tales

In fairy tales, the princesses kiss the frogs, and the frogs become princes. In real life, the princesses kiss princes, and the princes turn into frogs.

- By the river Piedra i sat down and wept

خانه بامداد

یادش شاد

see you again

i got my sight set on you, and i'm ready to aim
i have a heart that, will never be tame
i knew you were something special, when you spoke my name
now i can't wait, to see you again

i've got a way of knowing, when something is right
i feel like i must have known you, in another life
cause i felt this deep connection, when you looked in my eyes
now i can't wait, to see you again

i got this crazy feeling, deep inside
when you called and asked to see me, tomorrow night
i'm not a mind reader, but i can read the signs
that you can't wait, to see me again

- Miley Cyrus

hopeless

"... and that's why they invented families, so hopeless didn't get the last word"

- Ramona Calvert, Hope Floats (1998)

did you know?

Some of it is really surprising ...

good day, bad day

I had a bad day a few days ago, anything and everything went wrong. I curled up in bed at the end of the day and told myself a bedtime story to go to sleep. It took me a few days to get over the emotionally tramma. I know, none of it was a big deal but combined, it just drained me ... and then today, I got a few pieces of good news, actually more than a few and some of it was exceptionally good news. I just had to write it down to remind myself that my life always has a positive balance ... thankfully ...

دعای باران

!خشکسالي به علت کفران نعمت

change

"Don't forget!" she shouted as she walked away. "Love perseveres. It's men who change."

- By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

health card

A new report says the overall health of B.C. students is improving, but too many young people are getting fat and many are passing around infections through sex. While fewer young teens report having sex, there's an increased incidence of sexually-transmitted infections.

The report also says there are too many overweight or obese students, more students are suffering from anxiety disorders and it warns about a rise in cyber-bullying. The report released by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says fewer students are smoking and alcohol and pot use have dropped since 1998.

- The Canadian Press

going, going, gone!

As I walked by the buildings it passes through my mind I want to work among lawyers and high ranking managers ... I wasn't even thinking in English before that, my mind must have really wanted to say this!

stars

It says: " They admire each other’s skills and position in life."

where?!

If I had seen this photo anywhere else I would have no doubt that it's a fraud; but when the source is the White House website there is nothing left to say! They even had a dinner party!

The traditional Haft Sin at the White House by Chris Greenberg

anxious

Wait. This was the first lesson I had heard about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways - and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.

- By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept

ties

... if there is one thing i have learnt, it's that i am the only person who sets limits on what i can achieve ...

frozen grand central

عیدتان مبارک

راز بی اخلاقی مسلمانان

و "خواجه نصیر الدین " دانشمند یگانه ی روزگار در بغداد مرا درسی آموخت که همه ی درس بزرگان در همه ی زندگانیم برابر آن حقیر می نماید و آن این است :
در بغداد هرروز بسیار خبرها می رسید از دزدی , قتل و تجاوز به زنان در بلاد مسلمانان که همه از جانب مسلمانان بود . روزی خواجه نصیر الدین مرا گفت می دانی از بهر چیست که جماعت مسلمان از هر جماعت دیگر بیشتر گنه می کنند با آنکه دین خود را بسیار اخلاقی و بزرگمنش می دانند ؟

من بدو گفتم : بزرگوارا همانا من شاگرد توام و بسیار شادمان خواهم شد اگر ندانسته ای را بدانم .

خواجه نصیر الدین فرمود :
ای شیخ تو کوششها در دین مبین کرده ای و اصول اخلاق محمد که سلام خدا بر او باد را می دانی . و همانا محمد و جانشینانش بسیار از اخلاق گفته اند و از بامداد که مومن از خواب بر می خیزد تا هنگامی که شبانگاه با بانویش همبستر می شود , راه بر او شناسانده شده است . اما چه سری است که هیچ کدام از ایشان ذره ای بر اخلاق نیستند و بی اخلاق ترین مردمانند وآنکه اخلاق دارد نه از مسلمانی اش که از وجدان بیدار او است.
من بسیار سفرها کرده ام و از شرق تا غرب عالم و دینها و آیینها دیده ام . از "غوتمه ( بودا ) "در خاورزمین تا "مانی ایرانی" در باختر زمین که همانا پیروانشان چه نیکو می زیند و هرگز بر دشمنی و عداوت نیستند .
آنها هرگز چون مسلمانان در اخلاقشان فرع و اصل نیست و تنها بنیان اخلاق را خودشناسی می دانند و معتقدند آنکه خود بشناسد وجدان خود را بیدار کرده و نیازی به جزئیات اخلاقی همچون مسلمانان ندارد .

اما عیب اخلاق مسلمانی چیست ای شیخ ؟

در اخلاق مسلمانی هر گاه به تو فرمانی می دهند , آن فرمان " اما " و " اگر " دارد .
در اسلام تو را می گویند :
دروغ نگو ... اما دروغ به دشمنان اسلام را باکی نیست .
غیبت مکن ... اما غیبت انسان بدکار را باکی نیست
قتل مکن ... اما قتل نامسلمان را باکی نیست .
تجاوز مکن ... اما تجاوز به نامسلمان را باکی نیست .
و این " اماها " مسلمانان را گمراه کرده و هر مسلمانی به گمان خود دیگری را نابکار و نامسلمان می داند و اجازه هر پستی را به خود می دهد و خدا را نیز از خود راضی و شادمان می بیند .
و راز نابخردی و پستی مسلمانان در همین است ای شیخ کسلان

از اسرار اللطیفه و الکسیله

pocket full of sunshine

i got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine
i got a love, and i know that it's all mine
oh

do what you want, but you're never gonna break me
sticks and stones are never gonna shake me
no!

take me away, a secret place
a sweet escape, take me away
take me away, to better days
take me away, a higher place

- Natasha Bedingfield

holly bush

I'm not really a holly bush; that's just a game I play ...

happy international women's day!

being a couple

If you have to give up who you are as an individual
to be half of a couple,
the price is just too high.

- Dr Phil

lonely no more

Since all the kids left home, every year, my parents travel to be with my grandfather for the new year; I never figured if I should be happy or sad about it. This year I am just worried about my grandfather's health ... when I first came over he said he would come to Canada and visit me. He renewed his passport but one thing after another happened ... and now he's probably to fragile to travel ... love you grandpa, I wish I could be there for the new year ...

lyrics

I don't know if it's a coincidence or not but I am noticing the 70's songs making a come back in the commercials; for example, JCPenny is using Let's dance and Mini wheat is using a modified version of Leap up and down and wave your nickers in the air ...

time goes by ...

March 1st, 2008 hah! I wonder what happened to last Spring?!

love and hate

I just finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera; some parts of it I felt as if it were me going through the emotions:

"Ever since her rejection of him at the age of eighteen, she had been convinced the she had left behind a seed of hatred that could only grow larger with time. She had always counted on that hatred, she had felt it in the air when the phantom was near, and the mere sight of him had upset and frightened her so that she never found a natural way to behave with him. On the night when he reiterated his love for her, while the flowers for her dead husband were still perfuming the house, she could not believe that his insolence was not the first step in God knows what sinister plan for revenge."

this time

Now I'm just confused, is life trying to tell me to stick to familiar territory?

Don't go chasing waterfalls
just stick to the rivers and lakes that
you're used to
I know that you're gonna have it your way
or nothing at all
but I think you're moving too fast
- Waterfalls, TLC

new history

In Russia, Putin's government is having the history books re-written to reflect the untrue idea that Stalin's era was a wonderful time for the Soviet Union, familiar?!

disclosure

I don't know what I should do; I don't even know what the right thing is any more. I knew I'd have to face this decision one time or another and avoiding it hasn't made anything easier ...

happy valentine's

creativity and concept

I don't know if you watch Celebrity Apprentice or not, but if you do I think you'll agree with me that it is getting tiring to watch the same pattern over and over. Trace Adkins, the brilliant mind he is, comes up with the concept and presentation and that is about all he says throughout the challenge. Then the rest of the team put it together and win.


He is by far the most creative person in the race and without him their team had no chance in hell of winning any of the challenges presented so far because they are mostly clueless as to what should happen. If you think about it, the praise they always get is, great slogan, wonderful concept, exactly what we wanted to hear. The only time the other team won was when they played the design card very strongly. And yet Trace's team got the great slogan praise again, so in fact Trace did do his part and it was their shortfall in execution that cost them that challenge.

I should say, I totally agree that creativity and getting the concept right is a fundamental part of winning in any business so it doesn't surprise me that Trace's team have been able to win only relying on his ingenious thoughts ... It's going to be interesting to see what will happen this week as Donald reorganizes the teams. Take that Piers! I hope you sink :))

Nikita

I know Elton John's gay but still, it's like Cher singing "Does he love me"

Oh Nikita you will never know anything about my home
I'll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita I need you so
Oh Nikita is the other side of any given line in time
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita you'll never know

Do you ever dream of me?
Do you ever see the letters that I write?
When you look up through the wire,
Nikita do you count the stars at night

- Elton John

the air we breathe

The day came much sooner than we anticipated. The lower mainland (almost greater Vancouver) has received a failing grade in air quality from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The worst part is that, according to a survey, most people are oblivious to it! Maybe we should change the slogan from "save the planet" to "save your heart", then people might take it more seriously.

i did not die

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

- Mary Elizabeth Frye (1904-2004)

wildlife, really?!

I watched a documentary a few nights ago about the treatment of show business animals and the filming of wildlife. Two highlights, or should I say "low-lights" from the documentary were,

1. the chimps we see on TV or in the movies are orphans. They are separated at birth and kicked and beaten so they are afraid to misbehave. As soon as they are a few years older they become too big and strong for the trainer to handle so they are sent to research labs, where they are kept in isolation, concentration camps or roadside zoos where they are not typically cared for. The even sadder fact is that they live the life of an average human, so for the few years we enjoy them on the screen, they will suffer 40 - 60 years.


2. the so-called wildlife documentaries of animals which we see on TV are well scripted movies played by tamed animals. Remember the cool Animal Planet movies from Walt Disney? Apparently they were all scams! And not only that, they presented a lot of mis-information about the animals featured!
   This is the place where most of these animals are trained these days and it is also the place where much of the filming is done. Take a look at their list of contributions; there are names like the BBC and National Geographic in there. And they don't deny it. The explanation being that it is too difficult to film real wild animals! Is there anything you can believe in these days??
   

bad day

I wasn't having a good day today; actually, I was having a pretty crappy day. I tried to drown my sorrows by eating a few pieces of dark chocolate with my tea, but it just wasn't working. And then the phone rang. I got another call in the middle of the first one, and a couple of other ones followed.

Before I knew it I had cheered up. Nothing had changed about the problem, it was just that I felt so warm and fuzzy knowing so many of my friends cared enough to take time out of their busy day to call and ask how I'm doing. And believe you me, it wasn't that big of a deal; I was upset that I wasn't given a fair chance to get what I (and others) felt I deserved.

It took a good workout at the gym to shake the rest of the sorrow off. All that I am left with now is knowing there is a bunch of great people out there supporting me when I need them, and that just feels AMAZING!

knowledge

Knowledge will earn you respect but not a husband.

- Jane Austin

Hmm, it's not always true, but times a many you may seen that guys just don't like smarter girls.

old, rich me

I have no faith in fortunetelling and all, but it just caught my eye: "You will spend old age in comfort and material wealth". Ha! so even the stars know that I am going to be rich! :))

days

ironic

As I was walking with my coffee in my hand, it suddenly hit me. I take public transport to get here to save the emissions from my car, but by the time I get here I am so cold and tired that I must have a coffee and usually something to eat. Both the coffee and the food come in non-environmentally-friendly containers and so, I am probably not doing any good this way! I am going to try to take a coffee mug with me and then pack a sandwich from home .... we'll see how that goes ...

GO SFU!

SFU became the first post-secondary institution in North America to achieve Go Green certification from the international Building and Owner Managers Association.

cherries

I was already feeling guilty about the divergence from my regime and buying the cherries from Chile when I heard the conversation:

- Mum, buy some of these, please!
- [whispering as she held a bag of potatoes] I don't have the money, I can't.

There was a long pause, as if time was still; and then the guy behind pushed his basket forward indicating to me that I should hurry. I paid for the groceries and walked out ... now I can't eat the cherries, I keep remembering their faces and their conversation ...

investing

People say you should have your money working for you. I have decided to do the working and let the money rest, because when your money is out there it can get fired. And you say where is my money? It was right here! And they say: "Yeah, I know your money, coming in late, taking extra vacations ..."

- Jerry Seinfeld

documentary

Welcome to Tehran is airing on Thursday January 10th at 10:00pm; if you haven't seen it I suggest you do.

P.S. sorry about that; the knowledge network is airing it.

today,

I feel taller ...

2008