just an excuse to update!

Ok, so I'm sitting here in the library trying to get some work done. but it is a universally known fact that you can not get any work done until you update your blog! and you can not update your blog until you waste at least an hour tryng to come up with stuff to write about. and so after wasting enough time I thought I should just get it over with so I have no excuses left to not work. here it goes:

I used to be filled with ideas to write about, and in the past year I see myself getting less and less inspired. in writing, and in photography, and probably in life in general. is that a side-effect of staying too long in school and feeling unmotivated about anything and everything?! maybe. Or maybe it's because I used to whine about my love life a lot, and then just got tired of it...whatever it is, the only thing left for me to write about seems to be books and movies. and TV of course.

I have fallen in love with "the flight of the conchords"! It's so original, and so weird... this series follow two New Zealanders who are in a "digi-folk" band and like to get famous in New York City. Their characters are just unreal, stupid but cute at the same time and the songs are too funny if you listen to them in the context of the series. Their music (not necessarily the lyrics) is actually pretty good I think. Anyway, you definitely need a special sense of humor to find this series funny. Give it a try for one or two episodes, and find out for yourself.

I have also been watching "Law and Order: special victim unit" whenever I could catch it on TV and although I like it, I can't help but feel paranoid about everything after watching it. The whole series is about s e x u a l crimes, mainly involving women and children and it sometimes makes you sick to your stomach. of course the stories are fictional but it still hurts to watch! anyway, not for the faint of heart, but if you're into crime series it may be a good choice. it is a pretty old series as well, about 10 or 11 seasons, so lots of episodes to catch up on if you get into it.

hmmm, what else... I can't think of anything! I miss writing here... should try to update more often, with stuff other than movies and TV!

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Coppola, Almadovar, and other tales from VIFF

So here I am again, writing about Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). For me, VIFF is a big part of fall in Vancouver... I look forward to it every year and although I only manage to watch five or six movies, it still lightens up my October.

anyway, I have watched five movies so far, and have got two more to go. Here's what I thought about them:

Pandora's box: erhhhh... that's all I can say about it. I watch a Turkish movies every year and this year it didn't pay off at all! The film is about an old woman who gets Alzheimer and her dysfunctional family will have to face this among all their other issues. It mainly played with the viewers' sentiments and basically just made me cry without leaving any feeling behind.

Tetro: Francis Ford Coppola's latest movie was definitely a treat to watch. The story turned a bit Bollywood towards the end, but the images were absolutely amazing and except maybe for the last 15 minutes, I really enjoyed the movie. The whole movie is shot in black and white, except for flashbacks which are in color! cool, isn't it? anyway, I definitely recommend this movie, but beware of the length.

A prophet: OH MY GOD! Could this movie be any better?! I don't think so... the movie tells the story of a young French/Arab man (movie is French by the way) who goes to jail for six years and during this time goes up the ladders of prison mafia. I can't say how great the lead actor was! and the story was interesting on so many levels and nothing was done half-ass, and I can go on like this for hours. Apparently this was one of the main competitors for White Ribbon in this year's Cannes festival, although it didn't win in the end.anyway, watch it, watch it, watch it... you won't even notice it's 2.5 hours long!

My Tehran for sale : another errhhhh... why do Iranian directors insist on showing the "underground" life in Tehran when they are so limited by regulations that the end result is a mess of a movie that's got no taste of reality (or artistic value, for that matter) to it. The first half of the movie was so artificial and below average that I thought about leaving the theater, however it got better towards the end and in the end it was good if you missed Tehran and wanted to watch images of the city while listening to Namjou! not recommending it though.

Broken Embraces: last night I watched the latest movie from Pedro Almadovar, and although it wasn't a masterpiece like some of his older films, I liked the movie. It was light and funny and sometimes romantic. It had some "dark" elements but even they seemed comic somehow. Penelope Cruz was hot as usual, and some of the familiar faces from Almadovar's previous films were in it as well. This is a movie to watch as light entertainment or if you like to follow Almadovar's work, otherwise you won't miss much if you pass on it.

On a side note: I watched "Roman Holiday" again since it was on TV and enjoyed it as much as the first time. Honestly, how great is the last 5 minutes of this movie?!

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a link

this is a blog (in Farsi) that a friend of mine writes in a mainly minimal writing style. I find it funny, you may too.

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the world according to Neil Gaiman

"It is a small world. You do not have to live in it particularly long to learn that for yourself. There is a theory that, in the whole world, there are only five hundred real people (the cast, as it were; all the rest of the people in the world, the theory suggests, are extras) and what is more, they all know each other. And it's true, or true as far as it goes. In reality the world is made of thousands upon thousands of groups of about five hundred people, all of whom will spend their lives bumping into each other, trying to avoid each other, and discovering each other in the same unlikely teashop in Vancouver. There is an unavoidability to this process. It's not even coincidence. It's just the way the world works, with no regard for individuals or propriety." --from Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

it's so true!!

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isn't it amazing?

don't you think it's amazing how moms just bring the feeling of "home" with them wherever they go?

my mom has been here less than 6 hours and it already feels like our house is a warmer place.

Life is truly good now. :)

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:D

finally had my hair cut! :D feelin' much better and "light"headed...

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what I feel these days:

ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ihatemyhair ...

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how cool people spend their Saturdays:

1) get up early and take the car for regular service
2) have awesome tea in a specialty tea store and read a while
3) buy a few pots and a big bag of potting mix and spend all afternoon re-potting plants
4) and finally, have a glass of wine, grill a frozen pizza, and watch Michael Jackson in concert on TV!!!!

I bet you all wish you were that cool, don't you?!

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Of vampires and zombies

having the great experience of watching six feet under previously from HBO, I was really excited about watching " True Blood", despite its vampire-falls-in-love-with-mortal-girl plot which inevitably reminds one of "twilight" (may all existing copies burn in a sudden and selective fire accident). Unfortunately I was disappointed!

Actually, the beginning of the series is pretty strong, The starting credits are just awesome with a song that goes really well with the images. And then you meet a few of the characters and it all seems very interesting. it's not until the third or fourth episode that you kind of realize that it's not really that well-made, and actings are not the best they could be and that some characters are constantly on your nerve. and in my case it took me six episodes to realize I don't want to watch this anymore. I might be tempted to follow the story though, just because I'm an addict like that and have to know what happens in the end. maybe I'll just read wikipedia! Anyway, it's a shame!

Here's the starting song by the way:

Title: Bad Things, By: Jace Everette

Also, I have been reading Pride and Prejudice, and zombies. So far, so good... it's funny, but not hilarious, yet!

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Just a note:

skype add-on on firefox creates a mess when using facebook.

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Jane Austen, yet again

Remember a few months ago when i was reading Jane Austen novels? For some reason, I just keep getting drawn to them again. Last week I started listening to the an audiobook of "Sense and Sensibility"... of course the whole thing was triggered by me turning on the TV one day to find the 1995 movie adaptation of the book showing on a channel. I realized I had forgotten the details of the story (surprising after so many times of reading it!!!) and would like a review. In order to avoid having to read a 5.0 kg book in bed (I have all of Austen novels in one giant binding), I decided to listen to the audiobook and it was such a great decision. I picked the version read by Nadia May, and absolutely loved it. She made me realize how to read the super long sentences in Austen's novels and make sense of what's going on in the dialogues.

I also think that after reading her novels time and time again, I am finally beginning to see the comedy in them, and find myself laughing quite often, which was not the case before! So yeah, another round of Austen novels in audio is probably on the way! :)

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When hell freezes over

...today, for the first time ever, I got to experience real customer service from Apple Canada's support staff. It took a long time alright, but after hanging up the phone everything I wanted was taken care of without me needing to do much other than giving them the serial number of my phone! It probably should be an everyday experience with customer support staff, but well, unfortunately for me that doesn't seem to be the case.

anyway, I just thought I should publicly announce my gratefulness!

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ermmm, I thought I was smart

My mind has been a bit unwell these past few weeks for a number of reasons. So I have been frequently forgetting stuff, misplacing things, and unable to focus on anything important. But the highlight of this constant confusion came last week when I went to a food place on campus to order a burger:

I ordered my food and paid, then the cashier lady gave me a piece of paper with the number three on it:






Of course, I'm looking at it from the other side of the counter, so what I see looks like this:






(if you're not Iranian, that's how number four is written in Farsi). So then I , using my brilliant mind, thought to myself: "this is very confusing!" and then actually asked the lady:" Is this a three or a four?!"!!!!! of course as I was saying it, it occurred to me how stupid my question was, but too late! ... the poor woman looked at me like she was looking at a retarded kid, and then very slowly said :"I think it's a three."... I was embarrassed beyond measures! and my friend almost peed himself laughing at me! [sigh]

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Your romantic comedy correspondent reports

One month and a few romantic comedies after my last post, here I am! If you're following the news on Iran you understand why it's hard to find the inspiration to blog these days, and if you aren't then you probably think i'm a lazy good-for-nothing blogger! either way, here's what I got to watch in the past few weeks.

The proposal: I lost my interest in Sandra Bullock movies a few years ago and the only reason i went to watch this movie was because it was a girls night out. Surprisingly though, it was an O.K. chick flick. at least it was funny! I liked the ending credits the best where there was a weird questioning session going on between the immigration officer and random characters. I wouldn't recommend watching it in the theaters, wait for the DVD.

A break from romantic comedies came with Harry Potter and the half-blood prince: At last, the movie I've been waiting for since 2007 came to theaters! As a big HP fan, I have long lost my faith in a good movie adoption, the movies so far have been average at best compared to the books. This book especially was one of my favorites in the series, since it revealed a lot of history on Voldemort and of course you had the terrible ending and all! So I went in the theater expecting an average movie as a separate entity from the book, and that's why I wasn't disappointed. If you compare it with previous movies, it is as good as the last one, and I also liked some of the locations like the cave where the locket was hidden. Anyway, don't have high expectations, but go watch it in the theater if you can, you'll want the whole package to enjoy the sound and the special effects.

I love you, man: do I really need to write anything about this? It was a romantic comedy that I think guys would enjoy a bit more than girls! It was funny, but not all the time. I didn't find any hysterical funny scene in it (unlike Hangover), but that might be just me! definitely wait for the DVD, or even download it!

and last but definitely not least (500) days of Summer: one of the sweetest, most honest romantic comedies I have seen in years. It was so simple and light, but true at the same time. Anyone who's ever been in a one-sided relationship will relate to this movie 100%. The soundtrack was AMAZING and the cinematic tricks were also smart and well-used. The movie tells the story of a guy who falls for a girl that doesn't believe in relationships, and as cheesy as it may seem to you in text, I guarantee you'll enjoy it whether you're a guy or a girl. I don't think Zooey Deschanel is the prettiest of girls in her photos, but on screen she's just adorable!

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what I listen to these days:

... KCRW radio. A couple of my friends from the States told me about it and surprisingly you can listen to it in Canada, for now at least! it's just an online radio, not one of those databases that learns your taste in music. But I like their songs, mostly! and anyway, they've got a "today's top tune" feature which is basically a song they'll let you download for free. Just thought you might wanna give it a try at some point, especially if there is a big musical whole in your life after last.fm went all commercial!

by the way, it's official: my ipod is dead. A memorial service to follow shortly. :(

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happiness

there's always a place to find happiness even when things are not going so great. So although things are looking ugly in Iran, I had a chance to celebrate a happy occasion: my best friend from high school got married today (hmmm, technically it was yesterday!). The whole ceremony was just beautiful and the partying was of course really serious since i'm sitting here blogging at 4:00 a.m.!!!

a few pointers for you bridesmaids though:

1) always bring an extra pair of shoes that don't make you wanna jump of a cliff just to get rid of the pain in your feet!

2) watch out for champagne over consumption!

3) do not lose the bride's purse at 3:30 a.m. and then call her to ask if she's in fact got it!

4) do not mention x-boyfriends in your speech!!! it's just awkward!

5) do not get too friendly with the groomsmen, they're all married already.

6)and last but not least: DO NOT, under any circumstance, think for a second that you can get a group of more than 4 Iranians to listen to you and follow a fixed plan!!

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"Stuff I'm going to do..."

This was a great weekend at the movies for me! I watched two movies, very different but equally entertaining: UP and the Hangover.

UP was the sweetest animation ever about an old man in pursuit of a childhood dream. It wasn't all funny moments, especially in the beginning I found it even a little sad. It kind of made you think about what you thought you were "going to do" when you grew up, and if you ever really got around to doing it. But anyway, I loved every moment of it and it didn't hurt that the whole thing was in 3-D. I definitely recommend watching UP in theaters if you can.

-by the way, the short pixar animation before the movie (Partly Cloudy) was absolutely the best! they just come up with the best ideas.

The Hangover of course was a totally different story! I laughed through the whole movie, and I'm not exaggerating. The movie had cheap jokes, I know, and was very sexist and sometimes even racist and homophobic, so if I wanted to consider it from a social perspective there was absolutely nothing you learned from it and it was actually kind of anti-educational!!! However, as just a movie it was HILARIOUS! I had zero expectations when i went into the theater, looking forward to have a few laughs to cheer myself up and it turned out that I had a lot more fun than what i thought. No need to watch this in the theater though, you can wait and enjoy it on DVD with your close friends, no family and please no children!!!

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you know you're lacking real contact with people

when you have to email the person in the office next to you to get an appointment for a 10 minute conversation! (and yes, you have tried walking in to ask him in person and it didn't work!)[sigh]

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Books etc.

"It is astonishing just how much of what we are can be tied to the beds we wake up in in the morning, and it is astonishing how fragile that can be." - Neil Gaiman

I'm listening to "Coraline" audio book by Neil Gaiman these days and it's kind of creepy! I'm liking it though. Probably I'll watch the movie too. So far, it sounds like exactly the kind of story Tim Burton would wanna make into a movie!

I'm also reading "the book of vice" on the side. It's pretty interesting actually, although sometimes I forget the point of the book! maybe I'll figure things out in the last chapter. It's a book on "naughty" behavior of people and possible reasons behind it. There are chapters on lying, s e x, consumption, gambling, etc. Anyway, it's the kind of book that you never think of buying for yourself but is actually a very interesting and smooth read.

update - Ok, I finished Coraline and it was the most scary kids story I have ever read! and I can't believe that Tim Burton had nothing to do with the movie! It looks like exactly his kind of stuff!

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I take my victories where I can get them

I appreciate all the little things that have changed, you can be sure of that.

It's amazing how things feel different just by looking at them from a different angel.

it's like they say: "context is decisive".

well, you can say that again!

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No one knows everything

Have you ever paused to think, for a second only, that what you think may not be the whole "truth". That you may - as impossible as it seems - be wrong?! that I am much more than you think, and you are too. Have you?

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urgh!

another favorite thing ruined: Last.fm now charges you if you're outside the UK, Germany, or the US! Oh Canada, why should you always be on the lame side?!

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New addiction:

... Following Adam Lambert on American Idol. Ashamed of it, but still very much interested in the outcome!

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Wanting something so badly

... and knowing you're not gonna have it. One of those feelings I absolutely hate, and am powerless against. I can not look at the big picture, can not be grand and "learn from it"... I can only be mad as hell, and wish for a miracle I know won't happen.

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Rainy day woman

It doesn't feel like spring in Vancouver right now: it's raining and I'm sick sitting at home writing these.













I went to see Joan Baez in concert last night and loved the whole vibe. She of course has grown really old and I felt her voice wasn't as strong either, but I still enjoyed the show. I was there with a couple of friends and we were literally the youngest people there. You would have mistaken the place with a senior house common room if it wasn't for the stage! It was funny when Joan Baez came on stage and said she was going to sing a song from her first album which came out in 1959!!! (I'll do the math for you: it was fifty years ago!!!!!) She performed some of my favorite songs including diamonds and rust, forever young, and the night they drove old Dixie down. And the last song was amazing grace when Baez was singing without playing any instruments and people were singing along with her. She also imitated Bob Dylan while singing one of his songs which was pretty funny. All on all, a great night with some great nostalgic music! :D

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"I put a spell on you

... cause you're mine." Muhahaha >:)

Also: Happy Spring.

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Jane Austen Marathon

While many chores are piling up waiting for me to attend to them, I have been spending my nights reading some of the Asten novels I had previously ignored: Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. Reading Austen in English is exhausting for me. Having English as a second language and being used to more contemporary styles of writing, I have to read each sentence three times to understand the meaning (if I do understand, that is). While I personally don't find the writing amazing or anything, I find Jane Ausetn's morals very firm and clear. It seems as if she's got this image of a perfect person - how they should talk, think and act - and people who don't match this image are inevitably second-rate characters in her stories.

irrelevant note: it's snowing in Vancouver!

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Lost in transportation

So here I am again, after a LONG time. I've had so much going on with me that just thinking about blogging all of it was scary! So this post may turn out either extremely long or stupidly short!!!

1. I did the Landmark Forum three weeks ago. It was a very different experience than what I had expected. And I learnt a lot, but don't feel "transformed" yet. They have their own language for describing their mission and what you'll accomplish after the forum and I can't really explain what it was, expect that it could help you become extraordinary. I still feel very much ordinary of course! I do recommend you check out the centers near you (they're in many places) and attend an introduction session if you can.

2. I went to Japan last week! It happened without much planning beforehand but turned out to be one of the most amazing trips I've ever had. Nazly and I went to see Kyoto and Tokyo which were two completely different aspects of Japan. Kyoto was a peaceful place full of old temples and parks, while Tokyo was a metropolis like I'd never seen before (and I've been to New York city). We even stayed in a temple while in Kyoto which was an amazing experience.

Japan must be literally the most developed place in the world... including both technology, and the people. They had the perfect combination of old (and I mean OLD) traditions and history, and high-tech stuff. People were extremely polite, kind and helpful. We were amazed how many of them could understand the basic English words to understand us, even very old people. Strangers in the street would go out of their way to help you get to your destination. and everything was spotless and extra-clean. city streets were amazing, especially when you noticed the fact that there were no garbage cans in the street which meant you had to carry your garbage in your bag until you got home! every single person had a colorful cell phone with accessories hanging from it. I saw women as old as my grandmother texting in the subway! In general, I was shocked at how much more organized and efficient everything was compared to Canada (and the US, as far as I know). also, nothing felt fake, even the crazy Japanese fashion! Japan is like a different planet and Nazly and I concluded that: Japanese people are too good for this world! I know my respect for them has increased 100 times after seeing what they have accomplished in their country.

I can go on and on about how great Japan is, and still there would be more to say. So I just say this: save up your money and pick Japan for your next travel destination. you won't regret it.

Of course, we stayed in three different places in one week, and just moving our luggage without a cab was a major hassle. By the end of the trip I hated my suitcase, my camera case, my backpack, and even my fluffy jacket!

3. I turned 28 while in Japan! I didn't get a chance to feel sad or happy about it really. I wasn't sure when my actual birthday was because of the time difference so Nazly and I decided that it must have been somewhere around the time that a free park deer was eating our only map of Nara (a city near Kyoto)! no kidding! We were walking around admiring the beautiful animals and then decided we'd like some pictures of us with the deers. Of course we had no idea that they would find paper delicious, and this was how our map ended up as deer food. The coolest birthday memory ever, right?

Oh God, this is already too long, so I'll leave the Oscars out of it. there was nothing extraordinary about it anyway.

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Told ya!

yay! She won!

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"it takes backbone to lead the life you want"

I'm speechless. Revolutionary road is one of the best movies I've seen about life and it's mundane, boring, "hopeless emptiness". I had no idea I was in for such a treat when I got the ticket and now I just have to urge all of you to go watch it as soon as you can. The story doesn't sound so interesting when you read the movie synopsis but Sam Mendes has done a superb job (of course, owing to Richard Yates, the author of the original novel). The movie is about this young and supposedly perfect couple that live in the suburbs and lead a "normal" life. Until they realize how distant they've become from their dreams and everything suddenly falls apart.


All through the movie I found myself thinking about stupid compromises we make everyday in the name of "logic" and "sanity", but really it's all because we don't know what the hell we're supposed to get out of this life. Most of us don't have any real passion to pursue and so we stick to jobs we don't like and follow the rules we don't believe in until that magical moment we're supposed to suddenly find happiness. Well, I think we all know that happiness is not going to appear out of thin air, unless it's already within us. It's easy to blame everything on "responsibility", but as April Wheeler says in the movie: "it takes backbone to lead the life you want".

PS - Kate Winslet certainly deserves the Golden Globe for this movie.

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Tomorrow in Downtown Vancouver

There will be a rally against Gaza's bombing. It's in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. I'll try to make it, maybe some of you would have time to attend as well.

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the world we live in

... is a ridiculous place.

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requim for a christmas

two weeks ago I had so many plans for this Christmas break. so many things to buy, so many places to go and a lot of fun things to do with friends. However, here I am almost at the end of the break, and I have done absolutely none of those things! It started snowing like crazy the weekend before Christmas and except for a couple of dyas here and there it hasn't really stopped yet! Our car was buried in snow for two days and it was impossible to drive it anyway because of the street conditions! all on all, city of Vancouver just doesn't know how to deal with snow and that's a fact.

So what did I do in the past two weeks? I watched a few movies, including some Iranian ones. I watched "the death race" on DVD and I refuse to talk about it (do I even need to? it was awful.). I also watched "the day the earth stood still" which was ok. The story was weak in many places, sure, but there were some stuff in the movie that made me think about our way of life as a species on Earth and so it wasn't a total waste of time. Kiano Reeves was horrible though, I remember a time when i liked him as an actor and can't seem to remember why! I watched a few of the Harry Potter movies again as well and was reminded of how much better the books are compared to the movies.

as for the Iranian movies, I watched "ChaharShanbe Soori" and "Tofigh-e-ejbari". "ChaharShanbe Soori" was good, kind of sad as most of the Iranian movies are, but at least felt real. "tofigh-e-ejbari" on the other hand was a joke! TERRIFYINGLY BAD story with bad acting and it wasn't even funny. Don't ever watch it... ever!

so yeah, not much of a fun Christmas break in the end, really! I feel like I've gained weight from all the eating and not doing anything. I might go into hibernation for a while if the snow keeps falling like this.

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