Back to dial-up!

So… I’m here at last! Both happy (to see everyone I had missed so much) and disappointed (to see the crazy situation here, pollution and the fact that no one seems to care!). The internet connection is slower than I remember and I admire all the bloggers inside Iran for still posting stuff! (I know I’m being too KHAREJI here, but honestly, can’t remember how I checked my emails before).

Anyway, that’d be the reason I won’t be posting much during the next month. I’ll do my best though.

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Norton Systemworks 2006 = Crap!

Boys and girls, don't try this at home!

I spent the last 4:30 hours trying to install the freakin' Norton System works 2006 and finally got it to work half an hour ago... I can't believe that I did not read the reviews before buying the product. My previous subscription (from a pirated CD of course) was running out in 7 days, so I decided it was a good time to be a part of the legal software installation campaign and bought NSW2006. But was I crazy or what not looking at all the horrible reviews.

Everytime I started the installation process, I had to wait an hour before receiving an error message saying that I had too many applications running in the background. Finally, after the third time I went online (with another computer because I was afraid I'd get infected!) and realized that this stupid Norton GoBack feature was what's causing all the trouble and Symantec was fully aware of the problem. I don't know why they don't just put it in the user manual. Anyway, the solution was apparently to just not install the GoBack feature which makes it useless to have it in the package in the first place.

Akheish, now I feel better... bad bad Symantec!

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Ray

Following my movie marathon this week, I watched Ray tonight. Maybe it was me, but I felt a great similarity between the story of Johnny Cash and Ray Charles. How they were burdened by a sad memory from their childhood, got famous all of a sudden and started a "life on the road" and how their family life was affected by their fame.

And this thing with drugs... I mean are all of the great artists addicted or what? Makes me wonder if dope is actually helping them!

Jamie Fox was more than great and the musical performances made you tap your feet all through the movie...

It's amazing how music can touch people like this... bless you, all musicians out there, you're saving our souls!

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Walk the line

A must see! was awesome... Go watch it NOW! Loved the music...been downloading stuff since I got back!

The movie is covering a few years of Johnny Cash's life when he met June Carter and finally married her. Both actors were amazing! The prison concert scene was one of my favorites. The movie paid its dues to Bob Dyaln too, playing one of his songs in the background in one of the scenes and also "it ain't me babe" song that Johnny and June performed on stage. But the quote of the movie was probably this: "the world has changed...Dylan's gone electric..."!!

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First Snow of the year!

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

The first snow of the year is here in Vancouver and it feels just lovely... Christmas is in the air... I absolutely love this time of the year, reminds me of the all the excitement before "eid" in Iran...

On a side note which is totally in a different mood: have you guys (outside Iran) watched the Prison Break TV series! Oh my God! I watched the last three episodes of this season and thought it was pretty good... next season starts in January I think! Don't miss it...

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Immigration... starting anew?

I have chosen to leave my homeland behind and start a new life in another country, two continents away from mine... I am a student; therefore, on paper at least, I'm not considered an immigrant. Does it make a difference though? I am facing the same challenges, if not more, as immigrants everyday. I am adopting to new rules everyday, just like others.

Based on my experience in the past two years, I've found that, in a very broad sense, immigrants can be divided into two groups: one group that is open to the options and opportunities that their new life offers them and one group that still hang on to their past and the life they , supposedly, left behind.

I used the word "chosen" in the first sentence for a reason... no one MADE me come here and study, I HAD THE OPTION. I made a compromise, all the good memories and familiar things in return for something better - in my opinion. If I try to hang on to every little thing that is a representative of the old days, how can I cease the new opportunities? I would end up grieving for things that, most probably, wouldn't make me happy, even if I had them.

I came to a new country that had an-already-working-system and I started enjoying it right away. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is the ultimate utopia. All I'm saying is that this system would work perfectly without me... it is true that I am adding value to the existing system, but someone else could do the same if I had chosen not to come here. The price I pay - being lonely, homesick, and known as an "immigrant" for many many years to come - is reasonable for what I get in return. I could have stayed where I was and could have tried to make it a better place to live and work in. I preferred to start in a system that was already set up by others for me. I think it's rather absurd to expect the system/society to let me act according to ALL of my old values and habits. Don't you think that, perhaps, those values/habits were somewhat responsible for the way my country has turned out to be today?

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North Country

During the past few days I've been watching movie after movie after ballet after movie, it's just crazy! I've gone totally out of control!

I think I should try to write about something else for a change, but it's just impossible when all I can think about are the great movies I've watched recently. I guess I can turn movie posts into discussions... for example the last movie I watched, North Country, was not just a well-made movie... for me, it was a proof of how everything we take for granted today, has been fought for.

The movie is based on the story of Lois Jenson, the woman who filed the first class-action law suit for sexual harassment against Eveleth mines in Minnesota. She was among the first female miners and, along with other women in the mine, was subject to harsh treatments from her male coworkers. What I found amazing about this case, was the fact that it only happened 15 years ago and the actual verdict was issued several years later. Today, everyone (at least in the Western world) is super cautious about anything that might be interpreted as sexual harassment. This proves that if people stand up for their rights and unite against a wrong deed, they may actually live to see the huge difference they made to the world; something that we, as Iranians or female Iranians at least, need to understand. If we have all these discriminations against women in Iran, it's because, usually, we don't believe that we have the power to change things. I'm not saying that the justice system in Iran is exactly going to help women to get their rights easily, but there must be a way and once we find it, the results will certainly be astonishing.

If you're a woman you should watch North Country and if you are a man...you need to watch it even more!

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

This morning, I woke up, had breakfast and headed to the movie theatre to watch the new Harry Potter movie at noon! and boy, did I enjoy it!

It was everything I expected... of course a lot of the side stories from the book were not included, which made total sense... the movie was already above two hours, although I didn't even notice the time!

The special effects were amazing and they just felt very natural, since you'd expect weird things in a magical world anyway. I just can't stop thinking about the movie... Oh yeah, and the greatest news was Lord Voldemort's actor... I agree 100% with Ralph Fiennes, great choice!

Anyway, go watch it... you'll join the gang.

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Carmina Burana

"Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magic images"

This was the actual subtitle that Carl Orff chose for his cantata in 1937! A piece that is most commonly referred to by "Carmina Burana" today.

I went to see Carmina Burana's ballet, directed by John Alleyne, this evening and was stunned! The wave of passion coming from the stage just knocked me over! The music was performed by Vancouver's Chamber Choir and was absolutely perfect!

The name comes after a monastery from which the poems were originally found. The lyrics were the work of medieval poets, monks and minstrels and, surprisingly, were mostly secular... Carl Orff arranged his cantata based on these lyrics and, needless to say, achieved a huge success.

Apart from the great music, dancers showed a great deal of emotion too... you could literally feel the lust and desire...a truly unforgettable performance!

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Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly...

I know this is going to sound stupid, but I watched Disney's Cinderella twice in the past week. It was the first Disney animation I watched (and can you believe they actually made it in 1950!) when I was a kid and watching it again brought me a world of memories. Of course, I had watched the translated version which was equally great, if not better than the English version! I had watched it so many times that I ended up memorizing almost every single dialogue... It was a blast watching it again... loved the mice dialogues and songs!

On the contrary, couldn't get myself to finish watching Team America: the world police... was it really lame or is it just me? I absolutely loved South Park episodes and the movie, but couldn't find this movie funny at all! Maybe I'll finish watching it later and then make a final comment about it!

If you're wondering what happened to my thesis, the answer is: "not much"! Apparently one of my committee members is not going to be able to finish reading it in time, so I might have to actually wait to defend in February! How ridiculous is it to write your thesis in October and defend next February?

* Update: I finished watching Team America, still think it could have been way better. I have to admit that I liked the "Pearl Harbor sucks" song though!

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Live and let die (?)

Tonight I watched Mar adentro (the sea inside) and cried. Yeah! I'm one of those people who cry when seeing sad movies... sounds childish, I know!

The movie was the true story of Ramon Sampedro, a Spanish man who fought 29 years for his right to "die with dignity"...you can imagine what kind of a movie it was I guess. I have to mention that it was very well made with strong acting and great cinematography.

It kind of makes you wonder if life is a "right or an obligation" - as Ramon asks in the movie. What would I wanna do if I ever end up on a bed and know I'll never be able to get up again and live a normal life? I'm not sure if I'll be strong enough to go on living, nor will I be brave enough to end my life! It's going to be hell on earth, I assume. I can only hope that day never comes...

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There's something wrong when...

... you go out with the class you're TAing to a pub crawl, end up in a club and dance the night away.

There's something more wrong when they tell you the day after that you're their "favorite" TA... did you have too many Tequila shots and can't remember what happened?

But the funny thing is when they ask you to go out drinking with them again the week after!...hmmmm, yeah, don't think it's gonna happen!

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Sharif Alumni... nostalgy?

Just got back from the second bi-annual reunion of Sharif University of Technology Association, (Western Canada's chapter)... it was at this nice Italian restaurant in Downtown Vancouver and was relatively well attended!

I remembered the first re-union, more than two years ago, when I had just arrived in Vancouver and seeing all these people, talking about the school I had just left, didn't make any sense... now I know that you actually CAN miss Sharif - as unlikely that it seemed at times - especially when you're surrounded by people that were all there, at some point in time. They keep referring to places you know - or people, if they are not 40 years older than you! - and it just makes you feel nostalgic! I felt so nostalgic that I even nominated myself for the board of directors - and of course, didn't get elected! Honestly, can you believe that? I thought it was just a matter of nominating yourself, then you're automatically in! :)

Anyway, just wanted to say hi to all of my Sharif-pals here, especially class of 77 and especially the industrial engineering people! HI!

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Almost there!

Do you know the feeling after a difficult exam, or after handing in your term assignment, or...handing in your thesis??? that's exactly how I feel now!

today I submitted my draft to my supervisory committee... now all I have to do is to sit around for them to give me their comments and then hopefully defend sometime before Christmas! I never imagined I'd live to see this day!!! feels great!

Of course I still have to submit papers for publications and stuff like that, but I'm almost there...Yippie!

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Mad!

This just makes me wanna shoot everyone who didn't vote in the presidential election this year!

How does it feel now?... we get what we deserve and no one is to blame but ourselves!

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The Machinist

This movie was sooooooooooooo "chet"... if you know what I mean!

very very weird and kind of creepy... and interesting I must add! I was really disturbed watching it and couldn't take my mind off it for a couple of hours after it was over.

The leading actor is so great in the role, it's hard to imagine anyone else playing it and he must have lost around 20 kilo's or something like that to play such a skinny character!

I can't say anything about the movie plot because it'll ruin it for those who wanna watch it... Definitely don't recommend it to people who tend to easily get disturbed by dark movies though. The truth is that I was putting it off for a very long time myself, wasn't exactly in the mood for it!

So beware!

PS- Do you think it's inappropriate if a TA likes one of the students in the class a bit more than others?!

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There's always something... to invent, to read, or to bite!

So following my previous movie updates... here's what I watched tonight and absolutely loved: Lemony Snicket's: A series of unfortunate events...

It is a must see if you're a Jim Carrey fan (or Jude Law's, or Meryl Streep's!)... the whole movie definitely has a Tim Burton-ish ambiance, but I should say it's far better than the last Burton movie I watched (Charlie and the chocolate factory)! The set decoration and art direction is superb and Jim Carrey just shines...

The movie starts with a happy little elf running around and singing and then suddenly comes to a stop. Lemony Snicket (the original author of the series of books) is the narrator and advises the viewers to leave the theater (or living room or the airplane that the movie is being shown in) if they'd like to see the story of the happy elf... because this story is going to be about three unfortunate orphans and their adventures!

I can go on and on about this movie but am gonna stop here... I recommend it to everyone though! you're gonna love it!

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...And up again!

Ok now... I need to thank for the emotional support that the public showed, following my last post! :)

I think I am actually going back... Although it's gonna be really late... I will be in the air ON CHRISTMAS DAY! And will be able to stay in Iran long enough to make me happy! And all this is possible thanks to my future supervisor,... I am beginning to really like the guy!

hmmm, yeah... so now I'm just waiting for my defense date to be set and that's it! Guess I'm gonna get my degree after all! And boy, am I jealous of all the people who had selected the non-thesis option for their Master's!

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Down...

Feeling extremely down today... eversince my supervisor mentioned the possibility of me not being able to go back home in early December!

It's ironic, cause I should be feeling happy after finally finishing the writing!

pffff, whatever... don't even feel like writing!

I'm listening to Ennio Morricone's "Tema D'Amore" from the soundtrack of Cinema Paradiso... not exactly improving my mood!

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Home, sweet home...

Well, I'm not sure if watching "portrait of a lady, far away" and "one night" should exactly make me miss Tehran... But it does somehow...

Of course,these movies definitely showed the mad/dirty side of the town and people for the most part... But still there was a feeling that came along by watching Tehran streets and realizing that although I'm not there,people still walk in "Vali-e-asr" street, shout at taxi drivers: "pol-e-rumi", and drink juice late at night... Life still goes on back home and like it or not, I'm not a part of it anymore...

I miss the crazy polluted Tehran.

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No Direction Home

Although I really should be writing non-stop these days, I spent around 3 hours (or maybe more) watching Martin Scorsese's documentary on Bob Dylan: "No Direction Home".

I have only recently been listening to Bob Dylan's music, after much resistance... It's funny how something that sounded horrible to me just a couple years ago can actually feel good now! But anyway, even if you don't want to be a fan, you should know about the guy cause he was a hell of a genius... Wikipedia's Bob Dylan page gives a fairly good picture of the artist and his work.

In the movie he actually sounded like a jerk sometimes... Which could be true in some ways because apparently he never really cared what people or other artists thought of him... And that is probably why he became what he is now... The movie was full of old and unreleased footage from Dylan's early performances... The artist's success story progressed in an interesting way... Different people were interviewed and a relatively comprehensive picture of Dylan's life from 1961 to 1966 was presented.

I definitely recommend watching the movie to people who are interested in Dylan's music or folk music in general. Watch the trailer in Apple's site.

The ambiance of the movie made me feel a bit sad though... Looks like all the important things have already happened in the 60's and 70's... Nothing left for us to do! :)

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Happy Birthday...

Dearest Nazly joonam! This is for you...
Hopefully we'll be able to celebrate many more birthdays together... I'm gonna dedicate someone else's song to you here! ;) (just because you never listen to it when it's playing!)... HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

Forever young - by Bob Dylan (although I like Joan Baez's version a lot better)

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.

May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.

May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.

May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

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Let it go...

How do we know when is the right time to just give up! When is the right time to just end something... no matter how strongly we believed in it once... when it's not working, then it's not working! Why can't we let go? Is it that we think no such great thing would ever happen to us again? Or do we feel like we have to be loyal to the memory of something that doesn't exist anymore?

I don't know what it is, but it's definitely wrecking lots of people... Why the hell do we have to let things linger on for so long... I think we're just too afraid to see "the end" of anything... Whether it's a short trip, a job, or a relationship...

I really hope that I learn to let go of things when it's time... better learn it before I die, or else I'll have a hard time dying!

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Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

Being the dedicated student and the extremely well-read lady that I am (!), I spent the last 24 hours reading one of the greatest novels in the history of mankind, Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince !!! ;) (Spoiler notice: don't read the plot description in Wikipedia page linked above, it gives away the ending!)

I should probably be ashamed of it and - let's face it - I am! How could I wait three months before reading this book! I mean I can't call myself a real Harry Potter fan any more, can I?

And my supervisor would be really proud of me I guess, knowing I didn't show up at school because of a children's fantasy book! Not to mention the unfinished introduction chapter that is still to be written!

Oh well, what's done is done... At least now I know a lot more about he-who-must-not-be-named and I found out who wants to go out with which girl (yeah, our little witches and wizards are finally old enough to be dating! Exciting stuff!)

The clouds are gone finally after three gloomy days... It's noticeably colder though and guess I can't deny it anymore... Summer is officially over!

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Swan Lake

Thanks to my wonderful Shora, I got the chance to go watch a ballet for the first time in my life, and not any ballet... the Swan Lake from the national ballet of Canada!

I can't tell you how great it was... it felt like a dream... still can't believe such a delicate and divine art can be publicly banned in our country! The music was played by Vancouver Symphony orchestra and needless to say, was perfect!

I'm definitely gonna try and see more of this from now on, probably a bit more contemporary... I think there's gonna be a ballet of "a streetcar named desire" in November... hopefully I can make it to that one too!

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Good Bye Lenin!

yeap, you're right... another movie! You gotta watch this one though, a very well made movie and a strong screenplay ... although I thought it wasn't that original... somehow reminded me of underground, by Emir Kusturica.

It's the story of a young man who tries to hide the fact that Germany has reunited from his sick mother. He goes to extremes to create an imaginary East Germany and it is interesting that this newly created world sometimes makes more sense than the real world out there!

It was much better than I thought it would be... the movie is deep but not disturbing...There is good humor in it too, especially when Alex (the son) tries to make fake news clips to show his mom.

Oh, and the music also helps a lot in delivering the content... the composer is Yann Tiersen, who also composed the music for Amelie... and if you've watched that, you know what to expect... there is actually a scene in the movie where a track from Amelie is played and although it was perfect for that scene, I still think it was a bit weird!

If reading subtitles is not a pain for you, watch it... you won't regret it!

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توهمات ملت!

یک سال بالایی باحال مواردی از توهمات دخترانه و پسرانه را معرفی کرده که پیشنهاد می کنم بخونید

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Ed Wood - the worst director of all time

Oh my god... just finished watching Ed Wood and had to write about it!!! I know the movie is a decade old, but I had never had a chance to watch it back home. Can't believe how good it was... Tim Burton is a genius and the movie was hilarious...

It's a (mostly) true story of Edward Davis Wood Jr., the Hollywood director of the 50's and the 60's. He has been considered by some as the "worst director of all time"... from what I saw in the movie, the guy had absolutely no talent for film making... his screenplays made no sense whatsoever, the actors were simply horrible, not to mention the lack of budget... but I guess what made him stand out was his love for the movies... the guy never gave up in spite of all the failures...He also liked to wear women's clothing because they made him feel "comfortable"... Apparently his mom used to dress him as a girl when he was a kid... God! I really wanna know what was her logic for doing this!

Tim Burton's version of Ed wood's life though was brilliant... I loved the fact that it was black and white... Johnny Depp and Martin Landau were great... amazing cinematography...Ed Wood would be surprised for sure to see himself in such a well made movie!

Check Ed wood's appreciation page... not everyone hates him!

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And Cartoons of the week

In case you are not checking Irancartoon, here are some samples of the new stuff on there. There are some works by Jan Op De Beek which is really cool I think. You can see more of his sketches here.


Juliet Binoche - by Jan Op De Beek - I think it is awesome that someone finally thought of drawing a caricature of her! It was about time!


Mick Jagger again - by Jan Op De Beek (I told you he was a good subject for cartoons!)


De caprio - by Jan Op De Beek


Mordillo- Argentinian Cartoonist

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New Orleans

"There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again." - G.W. Bush

So the president addressed the nation again... it was an exhausting practice for him trying to read the notes AND talk at the same time I guess!!!

I was listening to Tom Wait's song on new Orleans a little before that and thought it was an interesting coincidence. Here are the lyrics...

I Wish I Was in New Orleans

Well, I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
hoist up a few tall cool ones
play some pool and listen to that
tenor saxophone calling me home
and I can hear the band begin
"When the Saints Go Marching In"
by the whiskers on my chin
New Orleans, I'll be there

I'll drink you under the table
be red nose go for walks
the old haunts what I wants
is red beans and rice
and wear the dress I like so well
and meet me at the old saloon
make sure there's a Dixie moon
New Orleans, I'll be there

and deal the cards roll the dice
if it ain't that ole Chuck E. Weiss
and Clayborn Avenue me and you
Sam Jones and all
and I wish I was in New Orleans
I can see it in my dreams
arm-in-arm down Burgundy
a bottle and my friends and me
New Orleans, I'll be there

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Ok, I need to apologize again for not having anything to write about but the movies I watch... Thanks Ali (nouri) for the comment on the last post! I think so too... Watching movies makes up a big part of my life! The more movies I watch, the better I feel (usually!)... Therefore when you read my posts and they're all about movies, you can be sure that I'm feeling ok... And hopefully you care and it makes you feel good too! ;)

Anyway... I watched Woodstock: the director's cut , actually just some of the performances... I'm not sure if I like the editing and the "director's cut"... But I certainly do like the music! And watching Joan Baez perform is always a pleasure!

Last night though was even better when I watched Live Aid (some of the performances again!) after having a couple of drinks and it felt awesome (doesn't it always?)! Although seeing all those artists in their "funky" 80's outfits just cracked me up! Bono looked hilarious and don't even ask about Madonna! Anyway, it was a good watch, although the artists did not perform at their best... Or at least that's what I thought!

And finally... Madagascar which was ok but definitely not worth watching in a movie theater... But I sooooooo liked the penguins... They were real psychics... There's this scene in the movie that I just LOVE... The penguins finally get to go outside the zoo and get to Antarctica - their "dream land"... It's super cold and the wind is blowing hard... Penguins are quiet for a couple of seconds and then one of them says: "well... THIS sucks!" ... Just remembering the way he said it makes me laugh... I was wondering if I'm gonna say the same thing in a couple of years after getting settled down and finding my "dream job"... Which by the way is unknown so far!!!!

anyway, watch the movie if it's a cheap Tuesday rental or something... It gets funnier towards the ending...

Hmmm, and I guess I'm feeling fine which is really surprising cause it's Sunday afternoon...


Madagascar!

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It's funny,

but I can't decide on what movie I wanna watch tonight! whether I wanna watch a serious movie with a deep message embodied in it, or a chick-flick that entertains me for a couple of hours, or a concert from a favorite musician (BTW, I recently watched Diana Krall performances in Montreal and Paris...all of you vocal Jazz fans out there, don't miss out on it... she's truly amazing!)... anyway, it's funny and at the same time frustrating, cause I don't feel like wasting my time on a movie I'm not gonna enjoy!

Hopefully I'll make a decision before midnight!

Update: I watched Upside of anger at last! a slightly above average movie...

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Horrible reality...

I don't know if you have read the Blindness by Jose Saramago, but somehow this whole Katrina disaster in New Orleans reminds me of that story...

It's extremely horrifying how a natural disaster can destroy a town to an extent that people lose their humanity ... they kill over food, loot and live in unimaginable filth... unable to change things (at least temporarily), you suddenly realize how weak we are... we build a whole city over a couple of centuries and in a couple of hours it's gone... just like that...

Really hope the critical conditions start to get sorted out as soon as possible.

By the way, there would probably be nothing left of the house of the rising sun! The mystery never unfolds I guess!

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Should I care?

So you found someone you liked at last... Talked to you last night, and still it hurts a little... Not that you don't deserve to have someone wonderful beside you and be loved by them...It just reminded me of how things have gone wrong in certain aspects of my life... Not sure if I should even care after such a long time, but I do! Feel like I've lost a major part of my connection to home. But still, from hundreds of miles away, I do wish you all the best...

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"a" lesson...

You know when they say: you "bring out the best in me" ?
Today I learned some people "bring out the beast in me" ...

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March of the Penguins

And here's another post on a movie! I watched the March of the Penguins last night and it was simply amazing! Had not seen such a strong documentary in a long time.

Only watching the movie made me feel cold, can't believe how the crew survived that harsh cold (it's in the south pole)...and the penguins were unreal... they are the cutest creatures, especially when they're young! I was wondering how long it had been since I actually thought about an animal apart from cats and dogs... had almost forgotten that penguins even existed!

It was unbelievable how strong they were and how devoted to their chicks...I'm not sure if people had to walk 70 miles every couple of months to bring food for their kids, they would want to have children at all! We're a bit more selfish I think!

I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a slight interest in the wild life and/or documentaries!

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Beyond borders

I watched Beyond Borders and to my surprise, it turned out to be a really good movie...although I had recently decided not to watch another Angelina Julie movie, I'm glad I watched this one... It's about relief camps in different parts of the world and people that do humanitarian work (although as you can guess there was a love-related story line going on, but it was not the focus of the movie at least!)... maybe it was an American version of what's going on around the world, but still it showed some realities...

Made me wonder how "my" problems are not even real problems compared to what other people are going through... not that every one has to go through starvation and death for his/her problems to be considered "real", but at least it made me appreciate what I have and try to stop complaining (let's see how long that will last!)...

I also felt kind of funny for wearing the white band, but let's hope it really is for a good cause!

Can't believe the summer is almost over... wish I could stop the time from passing by (or fast forward it to December!)

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یعنی راسته؟

یادمه که توی فیلم آوای موسیقی (اشکها و لبخندها)مادر مقدس به ماریا (جولی اندروز) می گفت که خدا اگه دری رو ببنده در دیگه ای رو وا می کنه... نمیدونم درسته یا نه... اما ترجیح می دم که راست باشه!

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The cure for the helpless...

You have had a rough week, the work pressure is building up and personal matters are kind of messed up and you haven't seen a good movie in a while... what do you do:

a) Go biking or do some other outdoor activity ($0)
a) Go to a movie (maximum $14)
b) Go to a dinner and a drink with your friends ($30)
c) Go cut your hair and highlight it (well... let's say a little more than a $100)

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Before Sunset

I had asked my mom to send me a recent copy of the "Film" magazine just because I used to read every single issue of it when I was back home. I'm not saying it was the greatest information source, but at least it covered a major portion of the Iranian film-related activities. And usually it would focus on a foreign film in each issue and would publish a series of articles related to that - which could be translated from other sources or written by an Iranian critic.


Any way, the issue I received last week, focused on "before sunset"... a movie sequel that was released last year. I watched it on DVD a couple of months ago and really really liked it and decided to write about it so someone else might get interested and go watch it. It was a sequel to a movie from nine years ago, "before sunrise". I never watched the original but have read the reviews and it was apparently a good, sort of independent movie. It was about this American guy (Ethan Hawke) who meets a French girl( Julie Delpy) on a train from Budapest to Vienna. The whole story happens in one night, before the have to part ways to their different destinations. The movie ends as they promise each other that they would meet in Vienna in six months - without giving each other any contact information.

Nine years later this movie comes out which is in fact taking place nine years after the time of the original story. The guy has written a book about their experience and is in Paris, in a book signing session. His flight is in an hour and guess what?... yep, the French girl (more of a woman now) shows up. The rest of the movie is all conversation between these two as they walk the streets of Paris and talk about what happened to them in the past nine years. (I'm not gonna tell you if they actually met up in Vienna or not... you have to watch the movie for that!)...the amazing thing about the movie is how simple and smooth it is. The main feature of the film is that it's "real time", meaning that not even one second is skipped by the movie... so from the second it starts in the bookstore till the final scene, you have spent exactly as much time with the couple as they had with each other. The conversations are very natural... you can picture yourself talking about the same things if you ever meet someone after such a long time. The actors are really really strong... just as a note, they have also been involved in the process of writing the dialogues for the sequel and that's probably why they can play the role so well.

Anyway, I'm not gonna spoil the movie by giving away the ending, so go watch for yourself... it's not a super-long movie - just 80 minutes and as I said it's really smooth and you're gonna like it if you're not looking for a Batman type of movie. Another interesting thig about the movie: "before sunrise" is the movie with the lowest box-office sales in the history of cinema that has had a sequel.

So that was it for your film review session today, stay tuned for more... I wish I could find the time to watch more movies and write about them... it's really fun!

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Cartoons

If you're into cartoons and want to know what's going on in Iran, then Irancartoon is probably a good place to check every once in a while... they have news on cartoons, comic strips, flash animations and so on.

Currently they have a collection of Sebastian Kruger's cartoons on their website. I didn't know him until I came across his book, Stones by Kruger, browsing the shelves in Chapters. It's a collection of his cartoon on the Rolling Stones... apparently he's got even more sketches on them which is understandable, since Mick Jagger has "THE" face for being a cartoon subject... anyway, there's even a website devoted just to the stars Kruger has sketched so far and I think it's worth taking a look. I'm gonna post some of the sketches I liked here...

I like the ones from Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan the most...

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Michael Stipe - By Sebastian Kruger

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Andy Warhol - By Sebastian Kruger

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Bob Dylan - By Sebastian Kruger

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Jimi Hendrix - By Sebastian Kruger

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Mick Jagger - By Sebastian Kruger

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Don't get mad, get even!

This must have been the most fun website I have visited in a long time!... I was laughing out loud seeing some of the mean things they have in there!

I particularly liked the prank envelopes section... you must be really mean to send some of those stuff but on the other hand it would be really funny to send something like this as a joke to a friend... I don't think sending it as a revenge would actually work, unless your target is publicly hated and can't guess who sent out the "revenge" package!

Take a look, but don't get offended!

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Felicity

So remember when I said I became a Zip.ca member just to watch Felicity... well it's over now... I watched the whole 4 seasons and now I'm gonna suspend my membership for a couple of months till I can afford it.

Felt kind of nostalgic though... watching the last episode. Keri Russell is definitely cute and although the last couple of episodes were kind of lame, I liked the series. If you like to watch some college kids fooling around all the time and keep falling in and out of love with each other, then give it a try!

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...and history repeats itself (or "I" repeat history!?)

Since it's not even worth another typed paragraph, here's what I wanna say now...again!

Have a good day!

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Wisdom tooth... are we growing older?

First, Let's just say I am extremely glad that I haven't had to pull out any wisdom teeth so far and I hope I never will have to do it!

After witnessing what Nazli went through today, I'm sure I never wanna have to experience it... not that I have a choice! My mom got her wisdom teeth extracted just a little while ago so looks like I have at least 30 years before I have to worry about it!

But it made me realize something else... we are really getting older (and apparently losing our wisdom on the way!)...

So when all is said and done, where are we standing? where is it that we're going to? To me, it looks like most of us are so wrapped up in our little world of day to day activities that we're missing the big picture... what is it that we want? what is it that "I" want out of this life?

Aside from a career goal, what other dreams do I have? (I'm not even sure if I have a career goal, but let's ignore that for now)... I remember that someone once asked me this and I said that I wanted to be remembered for what I did after I died... well, it doesn't look like I'm doing anything to achieve that goal!

I always think it's more important to do what you feel like rather than what you think is logical but I never seem to be doing it! There are so many things that matter to me... I want to help the environment... I want to help my country become a better place to live in... I want to watch a movie every single night...I want to have my own website and write about the movies I watch... I want to read novels, something I haven't done that often recently... I want to adopt a little girl form an underprivileged country and help her grow up without having o worry about her basic living needs ... I want to speak more than two languages... I want to do so many other things that I am not doing right now or am not even moving towards them...

I remember when I was in my undergrad and I had to quit doing stuff because of my course load... I used to think that it'd be over soon and I would have the chance to do all those things, well I never quite got that chance... My fear is to wake up one day and realize I am 40 years old and am still waiting for that right time to go after my dreams...

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The girl who finally did it (....not THAT you perverts!)

So I finally did something super active... I went biking for around 5 hours today with a friend and biked for at least 40 Ks!!!

I'm not kidding... I used Google Earth (you see... I actually USE the stuff that I download!)to measure the path we biked and without considering the elevation it was 40.52 Ks! For those of you who care: we started from Broadway, went all the way down from Vancouver to the Ikea store in Richmond and then came back through the Knight bridge and then 41st... we biked up so many hills, I thought I'd faint any second...but I survived!!!!!!!!!


I'm impressed... especially considering the fact that my "physical exercise" or whatever it's called in English (Tarbiat Badani) courses were one of my lowest grades during my undergrad studies and I basically never did anything active!

Hence, using this evidence I conclude that people actually CAN CHANGE for the better... if you let them!!! (so, there! this is to the people who said I could never change! And no they are not reading this page so it doesn't matter!)

"Be Ghole sha'er ke mige:"

...
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'

For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'

...

"The times, they are a-changin'" - Bob Dylan

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Depp'ed up!

Have I ever said that Johnny Depp is AWESOME! Well, I'm saying it now! I watched Charlie and the chocolate factory last week. Very well made, although I was expecting more... If you have not seen the original movie or read the book, this might not be the movie for you! This is like going to a Harry Potter movie without reading the books... you're gonna like it but you just don't see what's so amazing about it.

I also watched Don Juan De Marco (I know...it's like 10 years old) and really liked it. It had a weird sense of comedy in it that I liked. And of course, Johnny Depp was hot as hell...

Started watching the blues: feel like going home, but didn't finish it. Seemed interesting...if you're into blues music.

BTW: I installed Google Earth and it's amazing!!! I know I'm jus a big Google fan, but they rock! If you have extra memory and a good connection speed, it's worth a try!

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What can you say?

How many more of these cases should happen before the super-sexist laws in Iran change?

It's a lesson for us as Iranian women to take some preventive actions before things get this messy... know our rights and ask for them when it's not too late.

I hope she can get her kids back...

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A series of "Supertramp" moments

Some of the "supertramp"songs I have been listening to a lot recently... they make sense to me now, don't know about you... (I wish I actually had some online storage to put the songs for download!)

Hide In Your Shell

... Too Frightening- the fire's getting colder
Too Beautiful- to think you're getting older
You're looking for someone to give an answer.
But what you see is just an illusion
You're surrounded by confusion
Saying life's begun to cheat you
Friends are out to beat you
Grab on to what you can scramble for

Don't let the tears linger on inside now
Cos it's sure time you gained control
If I can help you, if I can help you
If I can help you, just let me know
Well, let me show you the nearest signpost
To get your heartback and on the road
If I can help you, if I can help you
If I can help you, just let me know...

The logical song

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd, but please tell me who I am...

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blah blah blah...

I hate myself for being so lame and writing only when I’m down… but this seems to be the routine! I’m a bit confused so I’ll be writing “sher o ver” a little… don’t take it seriously (or personally for that matter)!

I think it’s pretty shocking that people can be so selfish… even when they are being nice to you; it’s just for their own freaking sake. They don’t want to feel cruel so basically instead of saying “oh, just get out of my face…”, they make up the nicest story with the most reasonable excuses… but the core is still there and you can’t help but notice it.

God knows I am selfish!… and don’t think I know anyone who’s not. Of course depending on how close you are to someone, you might be willing to sacrifice more of yourself, but that’s like…what?... 5% of the times. The remaining 95% is basically you trying to get what YOU want out of every relationship, every situation... and that is making me sick to my stomach! I want to change the way I am and can’t, so I can’t really expect others to do it… It just makes life harder than what it is, knowing that more than half of your relationships with people is based on mutual “benefit” rather than mutual respect or love or …

Usually during these periods of being down and doubting every thing around me, I start to miss my family even more… I believe they are the only ones giving unconditional love and support without asking for something in return! This has been bugging me for a while…My sad feeling will be over in a couple of days, but it will probably come back… at least as long as I am not proven wrong about what I said!

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Boring life!

Trying to write my freaking thesis and that's why I don't update too often. Honestly, what do you wanna hear? That sawmills are more efficient than wooden door and window manufacturers? ... didn't think so.

I haven't really watched a good movie... except for Motorcycle Diaries which still wasn't as good as I expected. I also watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith... pretty obvious that it was not a good movie...at all. And the last but definitely not the least horrible movie was Cursed... I mean, the director must have had a serious brain damage or sth!

BTW, I installed google desktop search and it's simply AMAZING! Definitely recommend it to everyone!

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Experiment...

I think it's kind of funny that people can justify anything in a way that matches their interests... for example whenever I wanna do something that I really like to do but does not seem like the best choice, I keep telling myself that I should try new things and...yada...yada...yada.... and then when I don't feel like doing new things, I find all the excuses in the world to make it look like I'm being wise and thoughtful. This said, now I'm again stuck with a "situation" and this is how I justify it:

(This is the lyrics to a song from the soundtrack of De-Lovely, a movie about the life of the American composer - Cole Porter. I totally admire the movie, partially because of the storyline but mostly because of the extremely amazing music and performers in it...)

Title: Experiment
Composer: Cole Porter
Performed by: Kevin Kline


Before you leave these portals
to meet less fortunate mortals,
there's just one final message I would give to you.

You all have learned reliance
on the sacred teachings of science,
so I hope through life you never will decline,
in spite of philistine defiance,
to do what all good scientists do:

Experiment,
Make it your motto day and night.

Experiment,
And it will lead you to the light.

The apple on the top of the tree
is never too high to achieve;
So take an example from Eve:

Experiment.

Be curious,
Though interfering friends may frown.

Get furious,
At each attempt to hold you down.

If this advice you'll only employ,
the future can offer you infinite joy
and merriment.

Experiment, and you'll see.

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On the verge of crying...

Well, seems like we rode the time machine to 25 years ago... The ultimate results are not announced yet, but it's pretty obvious. Great!

I am really really sad about this and I'm worried about all my friends and family who will be living in Iran for the coming 4 years. If this is what people really wanted then they probably deserve it, but I doubt it... And whatever the analysts say, I don't think anyone deserves to live in Iran with the existing conditions.

Right at this moment, I am officially ashamed of being an Iranian...

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Time is ticking out

Everybody seems to be defending these days... Makes me panic! Feeling so behind...

And on a completely irrelevant note: I watched the three new Star Wars series (which by the way are the first three, story-wise) in less than 10 days. So I'm all "Anikan"-ed up and am ready to watch the original three. I actually liked the movies which was kind of surprising cause I always used to laugh at others when they said they were Star Wars fans!...Another reason for me to stop judging people on their movie taste!

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wtf

Honestly I can't believe this! How did this happen?
Since when everyone got so f*** confused about things that Ahmadi nejad gets more vote than Moeen. I mean ok, I can understand why people would vote for Hashemi or Karoubi... But Ahmadi-nejad??

Whatever, I'd like to know if people actually remember how things used to be 8 years ago... Maybe next time, they vote for a real change.

I'm not that much of a politician, so I'll leave it to the experts to analyze the results, but I am truly and deeply shocked... and worried.

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A conversation with my mom

after talking for like 5 minutes about things I need to have sent over to me...

me - So mom...guess what... my PhD admission finally got sorted out, I'll start this January!

mom - That's great..."bah bah"... ok, glad that you're alright, I'll send you the things you wanted. I'm calling from work so I have to go now... I'll call you later.

...isn't she like the coolest weirdest mom on earth?

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And the "vacant PhD position" goes to ...

I hereby officially announce that as of January 2006 (or maybe even before that) I'll be moving from her students' office to his and will thereby commence my PhD studies in the area of forest resource management. I want to thank my parents, my grandparents (in heavens and on earth), my friends, and of course last but not least, all the fans that made this possible...

But seriously, I'm happy!

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Horrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"damemoon garm!"

I wish I was back home and could see the happy faces of the people in the streets, it doesn't happen too often. "Yade 8 e azar be khier"

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How long

do you think I can procracinate? I mean... for god's sake! I'm supposed to finish this damn thing by September and all I seem to be doing is internet surfing!

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در باب مهاجرت – دیدگاه مثبت!

این متنیه که به درخواست یکی از دوستهام نوشتم و تصمیم گرفتم اینجاهم پستش کنم:

این کلمه غربت هم واسه خودش داستانی داره... اصلا خود کلمه انگار بار منفی داره با خودش. من حتی نمیدونم چه کلمه انگلیسی میشه مترادف غربت پیدا کرد!؟ اما به هر حال می خوام که راجع به تجربه خودم از مهاجرت (حداقل نیمچه مهاجرت) و غربت بنویسم.

من هیچوقت تو همون ایرانش هم فکر نمی کردم که کانادا یا امریکا بهشت موعودن و هر کی پاش برسه این ور خیلی دیگه قراره حال کنه تو زندگیش... اما با این حال خیلی دلم می خواست همیشه که بتونم زندگی اینجا رو تجربه کنم. مخصوصا به عنوان یه دانشجو. خوب، خدا هم نامردی نکرد و من اومدم کانادا، دانشگاه UBC تو ونکوور.

خوب یکی دو هفته اول که کاملاً تو سردرگمی و دلتنگی گذشت... خونه پیدا کردن و وسیله خریدن و واحد برداشتن و ... اما خوب کم کم زندگی رو روال خودش افتاد و وقت اون رسید که با دقت بیشتری دور و برم رو نگاه کنم.اینجا چند تا چیزی رو که حس کردم برام مهم هستن بی هیچ ترتیب خاصی می نویسم:

1. برخورد با من به عنوان یک خارجی: به غیر از یک مورد، من هیچوقت تو کانادا تو برخوردهای مستقیم در ادارات دولتی و دانشگاه و غیره احساس تحقیر شدن به عنوان یک ایرانی یا یک نفرخارجی نکردم... قوانین این کشور واقعا بعضی مواقع به من به عنوان یک خارجی بیشتر حق و حقوق میدن نسبت به قوانین کشور خودم در مورد من به عنوان یک شهروند ایرانی زن. اینجا هر نوع تبعیض جنسی و نژادی شدیدا محکوم می شه، چه از نظر اجتماعی و چه قانونی. البته این به معنی این نیست که همه لزوما به این مساله عمل می کنند اما به هر حال نژادپرستی یک استثنا است تا قانون. خنده دار اینجاست که کسانی که بیشتر تمایلات نژادپرستانه دارند همون خارجی هایی هستند که حاضر نیستند افکار کهنه خودشون رو عوض کنند. ایرانیهایی که چینی ها را خنگ، عربها را سوسمارخور و وحشی و آمریکاییها را ساده لوح می دانند. من این شانس رو داشته ام که دوستای زیادی از جاهای مختلف با فرهنگهای مختلف داشته باشم و به وضوح درک کردم که جمع بندیهای عجولانه (generalization) چه توهینی است به این دوستان و چقدر من ناراحت میشم اگه یه روز بشنوم که اونها حرفی در مورد ایرانیها بزنن.

2. تحصیل: خوب باید اعتراف کنم که درس خوندن اینجا خیلی با اون چیزی که من تصور می کردم فرق می کرد. شاید از نظر تئوری آسونتر بود، اما انگار فشار کار یه جورایی خیلی بیشتره. من چون رشته ام خیلی تغییر کرده بود یه کم هم بیشتر باید زور می زدم. تمرکز بیشتر روی عملی بودن چیزیه که می خونی... حل کردن یه مساله المپیاد ریاضی مثل تو ایران (یا حداقل شریف) اونقدر نکته مهمی نیست. مهم اینه که بتونی از دانشت استفاده کنی و من با این موضوع خیلی حال کردم. تز هم که مساله اصلی هستش... واقعا من به عنوان یک دانشجوی undergrad هیچ ایده ای نداشتم که تحقیق کردن می تونه اینقدر بغرنج باشه! واقعا آدم یه جاهایی می خواد به جد و آبادش فحش بده که چرا همچین تصمیمی گرفته... اما در کل الان فکر می کنم که تجربه خیلی خوبیه به شرط اینکه استاد خیلی بی ربط نداشته باشی. استاد بد واقعا عذابه و متاسفانه ما از ایران هیچ راهی برای فهمیدن این موضوع نداریم. اگه آدم کسی رو بشناسه که توی دانشکده مورد علاقه اش درس می خونه واقعا ایده خوبیه که یه کم در مورد استادها پرس و جو کنه.

3. تفریح: ذکر یه نکته اینجا خیلی مهمه، اگه دنبال تفریح مداوم مثل سیستم ایران هستین باید ایران بمونین برای اینکه امکان نداره هیچ جا مثل ایران آدمها هر شب برن مهمونی و مدام دوستاشونو ببینن و سالی n روز مرخصی استعلاجی و استحقاقی داشته باشن و تازه کسی هم بهشون نگه بالای چشمت ابرو هست. اینجا باید مثل سگ کار کنی و درس بخونی و ... در طول هفته که امکان نداره جون تفریح داشته باشی (یا پای تفریح!) آخر هفته ها خوب قضیه فرق می کنه. اگه یه کم سر کیسه رو شل کنی می تونی یه سری کارهای باحال بکنی که باز هم مدل ایران نیستش... یه کنسرت خوب، یه فیلم جالب سانسور نشده(!)، یه پیک نیک توی پارک، دوچرخه سواری، والیبال ساحلی... هر از چند گاهی یه مهمونی خوب که البته باید غذا و نوشیدنیتو ببری! نکته اینجاست که زمان اینجا مفهوم متفاوتی داره... وقتی باید کار کنی، نمی تونی مثل ایران بهونه بیاری... برای همین آدمها تو روزهای هفته کار می کنن و بعد تو آخرهفته واقعا تفریح می کنن. اولش برای من خیلی سخت بود که 5 شب تو هفته بمونم تو خونه اما بعد یه مدت کوتاهی دیدم که اصلا نمیکشم که بیشتر از این بیرون برم! بعد یه مدتی یه جورایی عادت کردم به آرمش زندگی اینجا... به اینکه با طبیعت خوش باشم... به اینکه با موزیک جاز و شراب بیشتر از پانک راک و عرق سگی حال کنم. برای هر کسی این تجربه یه چیز متفاوتی خواهد بود اما اینکه سعی کنی چیزی که اینجا هست رو قبول کنی ازش لذت ببری خیلی کمک می کنه به زندگی.

4. تنهایی: مهاجرت یعنی قبول تنهایی برای قسمت اعظمی از زندگیت. تو داری یه کشور پشتوانه رو می گذاری و میای... هر چی هم که از سیستم متنفر باشی نمیتونی وابستگی تو به وجودش انکار کنی. وقتی همه چیز رو میگذاری و می آی انگار دیگه چهارچوبی نداری که خودتو توش تعریف کنی...این باعث می شه که کل ماهیت خودتو دوباره بسازی و یهو بزرگت می کنه... من وقتی برگشتم ایران برای تابستون، متوجه شدم که چقدر فرق کردم. خیلی آدم با خودش درگیر می شه، بیشتر وقتتو داری با خودت می گذرونی و طبیعیه که با خودت و عقایدی که همیشه برات بدیهی بودن مشکل پیدا می کنی و خیلی از اصولتو ممکنه تغییر بدی. مهمترین مساله (برای کسایی که دلبستگی تو ایران دارن) می شه موندن یا برگشتن. یه روزایی هست که احساس می کنی هیچ کس رو نداری، که هیچ کس اهمیت نمی ده تو مردی یا زنده ای، اون موقع ها تصمیم می گیری که برگردی ایران. بعد یه روز پا می شی، خورشید داره می درخشه و هوا عالیه، دوستات بهت زنگ میزنن که برین بیرون...همونطوری که داری تو خیابون راه میری و لبخند رهگذرایی که نمی شناسی رو جواب میدی مطمئن می شی که خروج از کشور بهترین تصمیم زندگیت بوده و حتما می مونی. یاد می گیری که از تنهایی نترسی...هر چند که من هنوز از تصور تنها وموندن تو سن بالا تنم می لرزه ولی تو این سن مطمئنا کارای زیادی رو می تونی پیدا کنی که تنها بشه انجام داد... این تنهایی به خصوص برای دخترها که تو ایران مهلت و فرصت تنها زندگی کردن رو ندارن معمولا خیلی تجربه لازمه به نظرم.

چیزهایی که اینجا نوشتم نصف گفتنی ها هم نیست اما این تایپ فارسی داره پدر من رو در می آره و الان هم خیلی خوابم می آد. فقط باید بگم که این ها تجربه شخص من هستش و من در کل خیلی راضیم از تصمیمی که گرفتم برای اومدن اینجا و خیلی به همه توصیه می کنم که امتحان کنن این مساله رو هر چند که اصلا آسون نیست.

فعلا تا بعد!

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Sleepy morning

So here I am, sitting at my desk at 10:38 a.m. and still have a hard time openning my eyes! But life goes on and you have to put up with it I guess... even if it means waking up when you don't feel like it!!!!

Yesterday started really bad... I found out that a friend - not a very close one but still a friend - had passed away... heart attack they say! Can't beleive it yet. Recently all I've been getting from back home is the news about someone's death. I mean, last year everyone seemed to be getting married and engaged and so, then suddenly there's like a death spell in the air! I really wish that it would stop now!

Saturday, I went biking around and enjoyed the great warm weather in Vancouver and also spent most of Sunday by the beach, playing valleyball and freezbie(?) and trying to throw a footbal with the right spin... have been really active compared to myself just a year ago! Looks like people can change for the better after all!!

Anyway, here's a link in case you're interested. If you want to join, just email your stuff to this address.

Hmmm, have been really bad with the movies lately, gotta catch up soon. Will write later...

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No political view

Do you think it's shameful that I have no idea whatsoever about what's happening in the political world? I stopped caring a long time ago and honestly, don't miss it all that much... Is it a sign of ignorance?...Maybe.

However, yesterday was "Dovom e Khordad" which used to be a reminder of a great success (or at least what used to be perceived as a great success)we once achieved. I couldn't help noticing it although I wanted to! Here's a note I found interesting... I am not defending a certain group or person or ... As I said, I have been ignoring these things for quite a while now!

Now that we're done with politics, back to my favorite subject: movies. This is a must see: What the bleep do we know and here's the official websiteI watched it only once, it needs more than that definitely!

Also watched the Chorus, a nice movie but not as great as I thought it would be; the ending was kind of random!

Hmmm...Oh, yeah and my first experience with Jafar Panahi; gotta say I was not impressed! Start was really great, then the story line got kind of messy and the I never found out why the main character did what he did at the end! Just helped me remember how Tehran streets looked like!

Guess I must get back to work now... Will write soon later!

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And Finally, this is the baby Christler we rented... nice car and really smooth!

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The three of us... I was trying to use the remote but apparently had not placed the camera on a flat surface!!!

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The fishermen monument in Peggy's cove... fishing seemed to be the traditional job around that area...

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This was the warning on the light house wall!

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Peggy's cove, NS - this light house was like the most important tourist attraction they had in Halifax. Of course it was very pretty but honestly, not that big of a deal!

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Somayeh and I, streets fo Halifax!

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THE ORIGINAL ALEXANDER KEITH'S brewery... for all of you who drink Canadian beer!

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This is Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and this dog does not look happy to be tied next to the giant bird!

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This is a view from the top of one of downtown streets in Halifax, waterfront is visible.

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This is our hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia - Westin Nova Scotia hotel, nice place! This is the only sunny day in Halifax, while I was there!..

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It's over

Horrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaa!
It's done...I'll write later!

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Feeling better

Ok, so I'm in a completely different mood compared to my last post!

Had an awesome weekend, playing beach volleyball and partying almost all Saturday and Sunday two weeks ago. And of course most importantly, finally got to resolve a long-lasting misunderstanding with a friend... Someone who once used to be and hopefully in the future will be one of my closest friends.

And then last weekend went to a great Persian party and fulfilled my craving for Persian music and dance!

Right now however, I'm in Halifax along with Somayeh on an OR Conference. It's been pretty cold and cloudy/rainy since we've got here and there's no sign of improvement!
It's a pretty small town and I'm not sure what we would do even if it was sunny.

My presentation is on Wednesday, hope I'll do fine (crossed fingers!)...hmmm yeah so that's basically it! I'll write later! Feel so bad about not updating here for such a long time!

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My favorite mistake

Does anyone know why we keep repeating our mistakes?

Why the hell don't we understand the first time something goes wrong?! Why the hell DON'T I understand it?!

I just hate the way things are right now... To be honest, don't even bother to listen to all the B.S. I'm getting... It's always the same story, just different versions.

Whatever... I'll get over it soon enough.

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And finally the view of the river where it's wide and calm

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Shora and I, enjoying a relaxing day under the sun... it was just amazing!

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First night... I'm not asleep, just protecting my face from the fire! ;) That big smile is Craig!

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View from the balcony... Steve, a little hungover! the fire place was amazing at nights when everyone would gather around it and "socialize" which can be another word for drinking beer!

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Steve's Cabin with Alex in foreground

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It's one of those days...

when I'm quite grumpy... what can I say? no specific reason...just that I am grumpy and need to be spoiled a little... it sucks not having your mom around during these times! (Actually from what I hear, my mom has been doing some major dental surgery thingie back home and has been even grumpier than me lately... my sister has actually fled to Klardeahst!) But still, she would spoil me I'm sure!

Oh yeah, the rafting trip... seriously as grumpy as I am now, still can't stop smiling thinking about the trip. It was the most relaxing experience I've had in a long time (rafting trip, relaxing...no, I'm not crazy!). Steve's Cabin was on the most beautiful spot right next to the river. I think the group combination was also great...fourteen people and two days and no one wanted to kill any one else by the end of the trip?! recently I had started to think it was impossible! Rafting part was awesome too, don't have any pictures from it though, cause they did not have their camera man on the spot and no one had brought their camera!

Diana krall is coming to Vancouver in June. Although I really really wanna go and might actually buy a ticket pretty soon, don't wanna get my hopes too high. Don't want to have the same experience as the one I had with Metric concert!

It's been so nice and sunny here for the past two weeks that I actually bought a bike to be able to get the most out of it (according to my own lazy standards, that is)...so far, so good!

I'm gonna post some pictures from the trip after this. Should try to update more when I get back in mood!

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It's a great day...

Kimi's back from Australia and we're going on a rafting trip for the weekend and everything's awesome!

Plus, I watched finding neverland and, amazing... makes you wanna be a kid again and Johnny Depp's hot as always!

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I'm not a "suck up"...

but I gotta say I just love my supervisor... She is not reading this blog, believe me!

I don't think I could ever be so tolerant with a student if I were at her position! Anyway, interested in forestry and operations research? She's the one!

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New theory: any plan is better than writing

Looks like I'm stuck in writing the discussion for this paper/chapter. Any suggestions for any kind of activity is accepted by me so that I can postpone finishing this!

Just got back from shopping (Got a pretty sexy ipod! :) ) an hour ago and now am off to pizza (it's Monday and they have a deal after all!). This thesis will make me broke by the time it's finished!

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Links

An interesting illustration of immigration

A gift company introduced on Leonardo da Vinci's birthday

You gatta read this book!

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Butchart gardens, Vancouver island.

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Story of a weekend

Ok... I know I've been ignoring my duties as a blogger! It's kind of hard when you have to write the first chapter of your thesis and have no idea where to start!

I had a nice weekend though, went to Victoria which is like the capital city of BC (I know, I used to think it was Vancouver too!) on Vancouver Island. It's this tiny little town and of course is beautiful but there wasn't much to do honestly! I literally fell asleep on a museum bench while others were looking at the displays!

Watched the secret window last night and got a little scared, embarrassing I know!

Remember that concert I was so excited about... Well, it turned out I didn't go! A dear friend's dad passed away the same day and after talking to him, I just couldn't think about going to a concert. It was pretty good though, from what I heard!

How stupid is it that people still keep getting killed on the roads in car crashes? I mean, we don't need a tsunami or even a huge earthquake! Just a simple trip from a city to another and chances of getting killed is pretty much the same as when you get hit by a tsunami!

Gotta go right now... I will write more about this, maybe later!

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To forget or not to forget...

After watching the Eternal Sunshine... the idea seemed so interesting to me, I felt it's worth a post.

How great would it be if we could forget all about our bad experiences? Or maybe even our good ones? Don't you ever regret that first date, when you are filled with excitement and happiness and all ready to start... After a relationship ends, how much pain do you feel, remembering just that one memory?

But again, isn't it true that our personality is a result of our experiences? How would we become wiser if we could actually select our memories? I believe selecting only the "successful" moments would cause us to stop where we are and never move forward...

Watching the movie, I tried to do a fast review of memories from my "important" moments and surprisingly there were tons of them that I had to try really hard to recall. Things I used to think I would never ever forget...And I did! As simple as that!

To me it seems like a big part of the memories stay alive, because we're in contact with their sources... We're living in the same place, seeing the same people and doing almost the same things... But when we change this context, when we disconnect from these sources, we start losing everything gradually... Everything connected to the previous context seems different, the truth (or what used to be conceived as truth) starts to fall out of shape and memories distort and disappear.

Certainly there should be people that are capable of keeping those memories alive, hanging on to that connection, but looks like I'm not one of them. It's not like I completely forget about the past, but everything seems so far away that it looks almost unreal.

Maybe this is a natural reaction to homesickness! Maybe my mind just automatically decides to make all the memories from home fade... This is another approach to selective recalling!

There is a fear however..., how long will I be able to still be ME and ignore these faded moments? Does it even matter if I become a completely different person without them?

I don't know the answer yet but here's how I feel right now: I don't want to forget any of my memories, no matter how bitter, sad or humiliating they are... I WANT and NEED the ability to bring them back to life whenever I feel like it.

Am I totally losing it?

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Here is how Vancouver's looking right now! It's the Burrard bridge connecting downtown Vancouver to Kitsilano. UBC peninsula visible in the skyline! (I still don't know how to include pictures in my blog when I dont have them stored online!?)

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عجب فیلم چتی بود

این Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind واقعاً! این دوستمون چارلی کافمن کلاً خیلی قاطیه... اون از Adaptation اینم از این! من خیلی خوشم اومد البته و احساس عذاب وجدان شدیدی می کنم که این کیت وینسلت بدبخت رو هی دست کم گرفتم بابت تایتانیک...

الان نشستم و سعی می کنم در عین حال که فکر می کنم بنویسم که این تایپ فارسی هم اصلاً داره کمک نمی کنه!

این لینک خانهء کاریکاتور ایران هستش. به نظر من جالب بود! تقویم هاشون خیلی باحاله. کلاً خیلی چیزها داره که بانمکه...

مممم....گفته بودم که این Metric دارن میان UBC برای آخر هفته...باید باحال باشه. تازگی ها خیلی خودم رو دارم تحویل موزیکی می گیرم و امیدوارم که پشیمون نشم فقط!

یه نکته دیگه این که من یه CD بازی استراتژیک (مال Sierra) قرض گرفتم از یکی از دوستام و خودم رو رسماً نابود کردم. من معتاد این جور بازیهام و یکی از برزگترین مشکلاتم وقتی کامپیوتر نداشتم همین داستان بود... همگی میتونیم امیدوار باشیم که من self control خودمو حفظ کنم!

بی ربط: آقا من ویرگول (آخه این چه اسمیه!؟) ندارم مثل اینکه! هر چی می گردم پیدا نمی شه!

من برم ببینم که چه جوری میتونم با این وبلاگ یه ذره دیگه ور برم.

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بالاخره فارسی

این طور که به نظر می رسه من می تونم فارسی هم بنویسم
خداییش خیلی سخته تایپ کردنش... و تا همین الان من هر کلمه رو 5 بار اشتباهی نوشتم حداقل!

Ok, the rest in English... I need some practice to regain my excellent(!!!) Farsi typing skills that I used to have when typing my B.Sc. thesis!
BTW, does anyone even read this blog? How would you feel if you had written about your stupid committee meeting for a whole week and then received an email from a friend saying: "So how's school?"... I mean could this blog be any less frequently visited?

Next mission: watch "the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind"... I know I'm ages behind everyone else, but I'm catching up! :)

PS- I will gladly accept any Farsi-related blogging tips from you; Thanks!

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It's after the meeting

and it feels great. Although they ended up asking all sorts of related and unrelated questions but guess everything turned out fine. I had another 1:30 hr meeting with my prof. afterwards and am just exhausted... But man, do I feel relieved!

Gotta go back to work now, sooooooo happy!

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Jazz again!

Well, is it me or is it just a coincidence that whenever I go to the cellar a credit card gets declined? This time it was Shora... Well, at least I know no one's really read the last post!!

Tonight it was Kate Hammett performing and although she was a bit annoying as a person, but her voice was really strong and it was a night of good music for sure.

The big meeting's just two days away (damn, it is already past midnight?... Well one day I guess)and I still have stuff to do... hmmm, which means I'm going to bed right now!

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All That Jazz...

I know I sounded bored earlier tonight but that's what I love about being here in Canada... You can go and listen to Jazz almost anytime you want (if you're willing to spend money of course!)

So yeah...That's what I did; I got all dressed up and went out to this really nice cozy jazz club... I had such a great time and now am feeling just great (plus a little bit drunk)

The only tiny little thing was that at the end when I was ready to pay, my credit card was declined...Obviously I got panicked just thinking about my credit limit and the "dept of the disaster" (omghe fajeé) but then again why do you have a roommate for? I called up Nazi and she, just like a super-heroine, saved my life by letting me use her credit card number.

So this is my advice to all you nostalgic-feeling lonely outgoers: CALL UP YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY BEFORE GOING OUT!!!

Yep, guess that's it for tonight; unless I wake up in the middle of the night and feel like writing again!

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Good Friday?

I don't know why it's called Good Friday, but it definitely doesn't feel good at all!

I've been feeling down almost all day, for no reason... Exactly like I'm back in Iran and it's Friday afternoon and I'm thinking about all the things I should have done for Saturday! (Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that my meeting is right after the long weekend and I haven't practiced my presentation even once so far).

Oh, and maybe it's this stupid documentary I've been watching about Googoosh, called "Googoosh: Iran's daughter"... God it was horrible! Unbelievably poorly-made and BORING BORING BORING plus it was sooooooooo long!

Seriously the director was madly in love with repeating shots...So he would repeat a little scene, like a sentence from a movie with Googoosh in it,three times in a row every 5 minutes and then he would even sometimes repeat this "repeated" sequences as well. I mean, the whole movie was more than 2 hrs, but the unrepeated scenes were not more than 1 hour and even worse: the material was not worth more than 30 minutes maximum!

I know I sound a bit mean, but you gotta watch it to understand what I'm saying. The only thing that kept me going was some videos playing every once in a while that I hadn't seen before. Anyway, DON'T RECOMMEND IT AT ALL!

Suddenly wished I had my old friends here... I miss the times when I used to call Laleh or Ali and just set a plan for the night in a couple of minutes! Definitely miss the A.S.P flat, with all the crazy people and parties in it... Well, getting a bit nostalgic here I guess.

Adios my friends until the time I feel high again!

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Finally...

Best feeling in the world:

Realizing that your methodology actually makes sense and is working, after a week of stressing out over it!

Horrrrraaaaahhhh... Time to start writing my everlasting masterpiece: referred to by some as "thesis"!

By the way, Barbarian Invasion... Just watched it; can't believe I was missing out on such a great movie!

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Link dump

Thought this was kind of cool:

Iran salutes female 'Schumacher'

I'll try to include links that look interesting to me in here from now on!

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To St. Patrick

I'm not sure why I'm writing this when I should be writing my document for the freakin' committee meeting but I just had to write something!

Hmmmm... So I did write and guess my blogrolling is working finally! And I added my mood so you get an idea of what's going on with me!

Ok, I'll go now.

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Things you do for an office-mate!

Thursday night, I am sitting at home, having a great relaxing time watching one of my favorite TV series, Felicity. (I have always been looking for a place to rent it and finally found it on zip.ca.) Anyway, it's around midnight when I hear my phone ring...hmmm, that's a bit unusual, cause the screen is blinking with the name of my office-mate, James.

-"Hey James, is everything alright?"
-"Yeah, the thing is I left my keys in the office and I'm locked out!"
-"Ok, so do you need the keys? You can come and get it from me now..."
-"mmm...That's the problem, I left my shoes in there too!" (By this time I'm getting a bit suspicious)
-"Oh...But you have a car, you can just drive by without your shoes"
-"But my car keys and my house keys are in there too... (I'm wondering why he's not calling the security), and Bobby is also locked in the office" (Aha! Surprise, surprise!)

Bobby is James's dog and you're not supposed to bring dogs inside the building, of course.

-"Oh...So...So I guess I'll be there as soon as I can"
-"Oh, thanks... I'll give you a ride back home (can you believe this?) and I'll buy you a lunch sometime (Ok, I'm trying really hard not to tell him to shut up)..."

Ok, I had to get dressed, go out, ride the bus to school and save my stupid office-mate! Don't get me wrong he's a really nice guy, it's just that he's not always thinking about the consequences of what he's doing.

Anyway, by the time I got back home it was already 1:00 am. So much about me watching TV! But as they say "To niki mikon o dar dejle andaz..." you know the rest!

BTW, it's unbelievably amazing outside today and I don't know what I'm doing sitting here blogging.

And...Can someone please help me with the stupid blogrolling list, I can't make it work!

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Easter holiday: officially ruined

Well, well, well...I know I didn't really have a plan for that long long weekend, but still I could definitely do better than preparing myself for a second committee meeting!

I'm supposed to have all my results ready by March 29th, have a nice presentation and be ready to face my thesis committee (which by the way, are really nice people)! This way everyone can be sure that I'll have a stressful new year's.

But, enough of research, that's all everyone's talking about all the time anyway. Right now I'm sitting in Starbucks (Well, it's shameful I know, but it's next to Forestry building and is open till 11:00 pm)and just finished reviewing stuff for my Spanish class! Si, hablo Español!...or at least a little.

There's this huge fair coming up in April. It's a tradition for UBC students to just party hard at the end of the academic year and this year it's going to be really great cause there will be Matthew Good's Band, Metric and K-OS performing at the fair! There are also two other bands that I don't know. I still haven't got the tickets, hopefully there are some left!

I still can't figure out how to post photo's in my blog without having them stand out as individual posts. I downloaded that "Hello" software and all, but still can't seem to make it work! Anybody knows what I should do?

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Confidence lift for guys!

Well, research poster night went ok... I didn't win though, in case you were wondering!

After it was over, Shora and I decided to go watch a movie and chose "Hitch" because of good reviews it had. Now, if I was a guy, it would be considered as "THE" movie... like guys don't have enough confidence already!

For those of you who don't know, it's about this "date doctor" who helps guys in their first 3 dates with the girl they love. I know it sounds lame, but it's actually pretty funny and if you're a guy, go see it: it just reminds you that no matter how lame, annoying or pathetic you are, you can always get J.Lo (...or someone you find attractive!) to fall head over heels in love with you!

Anyway, I think there should be a warning like " not suitable for male audience showing over-confidence symptoms" or something for this movie!

All said and done, it's a funny movie and if you get a chance to watch it, don't miss out!

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Who is to blame?

From a real conversation:

"You thought I said "Yes" and I thought I said " errr... okay i'll see" which for me means... ahhhh probably not"

You tell me, who is to blame?

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Not a supergirl!

Well, guess I'm not as strong as I think... Went out on a windy day with wet hair and no warm clothes, now I'm sick! Soar throat and coughing; it's not too bad though, I'll live!

Guess I was too excited about the spring coming... The city's looking more alive with everyday that passes; all the cherry blossoms are out and streets look lovely! Vancouver's just gorgeous in the spring.

This will be my second "Norouz" away from Iran and the home-sickness-attack is on the way again. It just doesn't feel like "Eid" without having everyone you love around you. Last year we didn't even realize when the new year stroke cause there was no loud "Boom!" to announce it, pretty sad! This year will be better though, or so I hope...

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Brunch and blog...

This morning (or actually noon!) I went to this really nice restaurant in Yaletown and had a delicious weekend brunch with some friends. It was a bit cloudy and windy, not unusual for Vancouver, but we had a great time anyway and I came back home early to "work on my poster"... well, guess that didn't happen!

I ended up playing with the html tags to change some details on this blog and surprisingly was successful, although I don't know a thing about html.

Anyway, while having brunch we had this discussion on how men and women have different skills and apparently a survey result shows that guys are better at math compared to girls! Obviously, I wasn't thrilled with this conclusion. But still, I'm pretty happy about being a girl!

We have this research poster nights at school where you have to make a poster about your research and they actually give a couple of hundred bucks to the student who has the best poster. It's all a matter of choosing the right color and having lots of pictures... and there's no way I can find a picture on my research topic. How can you represent an optimization linear programming model? anyway, I'm still half way through the poster making process and the poster night is next Tuesday, so good luck to me!

Gotta get back to work now.


Few minutes later: I gotta work on my writing, can't figure out the point of this post now!

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