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

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 ...