This weekend...

...was one of the greatest so far, since like six months ago. I went biking on Saturday; the two beaches I went to were just packed with relatively good looking people! It was like one of those TV series with hot girls and guys running around in their swim suits! Anyway, the fun part was mostly the fact that I started biking again and hopefully I'll stick to it for the rest of the summer.

Sunday, I went to Pitt Meadows for canoeing with some friends... and had an awesome time there! It was my first time canoeing and I did not suck as badly as I thought I would! So yeah, that felt good. All on all, a wonderful weekend with lots of sun and absolutely no working!

Here are some pictures:

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What song not to listen to ...

... when you're running and thinking "oh, my god! can't believe how long three minutes can feel!"

Madonna's "hung up"
"...time goes by, so slowly..."


Take it from me, it doesn't help you motivate yourself to run that extra 60 seconds.


- and on the same note, if you're doing a graduate degree, never listen to "be a clown" by Cole Porter. That's just disappointing!

"... A college education I should never propose,
A bachelor's degree won't even keep you in clo'es,
But millions you will win if you can spin on your nose.
Be a clown, be a clown, be a clown..."

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Zorro

So I'm just gonna pretend that World Cup is not happening right now... honestly, don't you think it's boring? You never get any surprises...You know! Brazil always wins and Iran... well...NEVER wins!

I know, I know... I'm bitter... but well, it's just the World Cup! guess we have a lot more to be worried about right now, with what happened with women protesting in Tehran last week. I'm not exactly the most interested person in politics you may meet, but I definitely was shocked and disgusted by what happened to them. Can't do much but hope those arrested would be released soon.

I'm reading Zorro right now, by one and only Isabel Allende and so far it's pretty good. It's her retelling of the legend of Zorro and is quite interesting. If the English translated version flows so well, I can't imagine how the Spanish version might be.

hmmm, yeah this was basically to say that I still exist... will write more later (as in SOON)... Stay tuned!

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Hopeless?

Odds of you winning Scratch and Win: 1 in 4

Odds of Iran going up to the second stage games: hmmm... practically non-existent?

All that screaming for nothing... You'd think they would at least leave it at 2-1!

Image from Legofish
Check out the store by the way.

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It's started...

The month of football madness... I woke up this morning, turned on the TV and watched like only 20 minutes of the first game... it felt great, not only because it was exciting, but because it was familiar... a feeling that all of us who lived outside of North America for a while are used to... the rush of Adrenaline whenever the attacker gets too close to score...

Well, we're in for an awesome time here... let's give it up for IRAN and hope we'll do better than most people expect!

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Some statistics

Ok, so (as of Monday, 6:19 Pacific time) 6 out of the past 100 visits to this page have been through Google. Here are the keywords:

saba daydreaming
judie foster film 2006
dress him as a girl ballet (what the...?)
the blindness by jose saramago
how to say i like someone
sebastian kruger

Hmmm, I guess I should be glad at least one person really wanted to get here!

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Daily dose of philosophy

Some say: "chase is the fun!"

Some other say: " chase is what you want, chase is what you get!"

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What to do when you're applying for immigration

Make sure you're eligible, gather all the documents, fill out the forms, and (this is very important) ACTUALLY SIGN THE FORMS, PLEASE!

This way, you can make sure you won't get all your documents back after three weeks just to add that stupid signature!

And they even gave me a Master's degree!

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Saba, I admit you

With the Chancellor on the right and the Professor with the big stick on the left!

Update: That big stick is actually the University Mace and the professor holding it is called the "macebearer"!

Update 2: I just found out that they made a stupid mistake and gave me a blue hood (Master of science) instead of a red one (Master of applied science)... I know it's a "small" detail, but hey, I only have one convocation!

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An equation

Six Feet Under = Freak Show


Lovin' it so far! (half way through the first season)

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Googoosh (or what the hell are we doing here?)

So I went to see Googoosh last night... definitely worth the time and money. Although some said it wasn't as great as her other shows, it was more than what I had expected.

I'm not gonna bore you with the details of the show... those who know her can guess how it was and those who don't will not get an idea by just reading about it! but there's one thing I really need to say... going to this show last night made me realize what a hopeless nostalgic I am! Actually, almost everybody there was super nostalgic... why are we here if we miss Iran so much? Is this going to be my future? going to concerts and shows and singing about Iran, instead of living there and experiencing it in real life? It's sad, and probably true...

And it sucks!

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Everything must end...

... but why? why did IT have to end... and like this?... What will I do without you? my dear TV show, my precious LOST! I will think of you, day and night till September, when you return.

It's painful to even look at the cast photos... they're all so terribly hot... I'm gonna miss them!

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How to say you like someone's new hairdo!

Say: "I really like your new highlights, they are even better than your previous ones!"

DO NOT SAY: " I never liked your previous highlights but didn't say anything. This one's much better!"

... that's just wrong!

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Night

I finished reading Night, by Elie Wiesel, and I am impressed, and disgusted at the same time. He's a survivor of the Jewish concentration camps during WWII, and this book is the story of his survival.

You hear and read about all that Nazi regime did and you see all these movies and documentaries, but every time it has the same effect, at least for me. How could they be so blind and inhumane? Just look at the picture below! Wiesel is the 7th person from the left, on the second row. Do these people really look like people to you? they're nothing but bone and skin, with probably no soul too. How can you survive such horrendous conditions and still have a soul?

It's not a very long story, so I suggest you take the time and read it. The story was written in Yiddish and the new edition has been translated to English by Wiesel's wife. I felt that the writing style was not particularly great, but maybe it was because of what was lost in translation.

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Everybody in the house say : "Yeah"...

I have become a believer... Miracles can happen after all! After almost two days of mourning over my lost shirts (please understand that I'm a girl after all and shopping is my way of making life bearable) and coming to terms with the fact that they are nowhere to be found, Steve emailed and said that they're in his bag, in Bermuda of all places!!!! Can you imagine my relief and happiness?... Can't wait to get them back... So thanks for all the moral support, I think it was your positive energy that somehow made the universe change its ways!

(The picture is me in Terra Nostra store in Montreal, waiting for Steve to try out some stuff!)

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And bad luck continues...

So finally this morning I started packing my stuff to leave Montreal and go back to Vancouver. The trip had already been a bit stressful and I was looking forward to its end. But Being the super lucky girl that I am, while trying to get a pair of socks out of my packed suitcase, I realized it was locked and wasn't going to get opened easily... I thought to myself this was just one incident, it couldn't mean anything... so I checked out, left my stuff at the hotel lobby and went shopping, mind you, for the second time in 4 days! In less than 15 minutes I found that one of the straps of my handbag had become loose and was almost disconnected. It was my favorite hand bag by the way! Anyway, it took me only 1 hour to find a place to buy safety pins and temporarily fix the strap. Well, things started to look up after that... jumping from one shop to another... trying out shirts and pants and skirts... delightful! But no, it just wasn't my day... I got back to the hotel, got all my stuff back and got a cab... guess what I realized after checking in my suitcase... if your answer had anything to do with me somehow losing my precious shopping bag along the way, you were right! I lost FOUR cute shirts, with their tags still on, all at once!

Now try and tell me it's all coincidence!

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Ladies and gentlemen,

...finally, after what seems to be the longest time, she came, my (and many other people's!)one and only Shabnam. Sometimes you don't miss people and things enough, because you can't remember how they were exactly... then when you see/have them again, you realize you didn't miss them nearly as much as you should have! That was the case with Shabnam; only she can turn the most ordinary stories to super fun memories that makes your eyes water from laughing hard. And only she can be so adorably forgetful and caring at the same time. It's absolutely great to have her in the same continent, let alone in the same province!

As excited as I was to see Shabnam, I had to take off to Montreal for a conference. Let me tell you something, whoever said Montreal was cold didn't know a thing... I'm sweating all over the place. The only semi-decent summer-ish shirt that I had brought got totally stinky today, so I had to go,and conveniently, buy a new shirt! That'll teach me a lesson to check the forecast before traveling! I've only seen Old Montreal so far, which BTW was awesome. I'll go around some more tomorrow and Thursday .

On a side-note, those of you who plan to travel light, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SHAMPOOS AND BODY LOTIONS AT HOME just because you think they take up too much space and/or are too heavy. Right now, after using hotel's products, my hair is basically impossible to manage and my skin is as rough as that of an elephant! So much for me traveling light...

On another side note, it's hard to share a room with people who, at least occasionally, get on your nerve so badly that you want to just start shouting at them as loud as you can!

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A song is stuck in my head...

... and I keep singing it to myself. I don't know if you've ever listened to Fiona Apple's songs, but she's got this really strange quality in her voice and style of singing that gets into you (or me, at least!)

The song's called "paper bag" and starts like this:

I was staring at the sky, just looking for a star
To pray on, or wish on, or something like that
I was having a sweet fix of a daydream of a boy
Whose reality I knew, was a hopeless to be had...

And then goes on to:

...Hunger hurts, but starving works,
When it costs too much to love...

Anyway, should try to get it out of my head somehow; it's driving me nuts!

PS - not sure why I even posted this, it's just something that has been bugging me all day!

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And another one...

well, I just realized tonight, with the help of an observant friend, that I usually go out after 9:00 p.m. I mean it just happens that most of my plans somehow end up being late night plans! What do you think is going on? Have I indulged myself in the rotten Western culture or what?

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Another midnight post!

Ok, so since some of you have shown interest in my drunken posts, here's one for you... except that I had my last drink more than two hours ago... so this might not be as interesting!

Following our unlucky chain of events, Nazi and I decided to do a magical trick (Jadoo va Jambal, if you will)... therefore, during an extremely superstitious act, we actually burned (or heated or whatever you may call it) some "Espand"! We did it the old fashioned way... circling it around our heads and moving it around the house and everything! Even our moms would be surprised. Don't judge us though, we'd never have done it if it wasn't for Nazi's injured knee... I mean, THAT was too much! I couldn't just sit there and wait for my hand to be cut off by some unfortunate accident now, could I? So yeah, I openly announce here that I am a "proud" superstitious after all, and so is my roommate, I guess!

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Save us from our house!

Have you ever noticed how bad things happen all at once? So you know, by reading my previous post, that our toilet was clogged! Well, at exactly the same time we found out about that, our kitchen sink just happened to start leaking! While we were trying to call the manager and get someone to take a look at it - which BTW hasn't happened yet! - our kitchen lamps died on us, all of them! And last but not the least... our futon's wooden frame suddenly started to squeak. After careful inspections, I realized it was a loose screw and fixed it (or at least I think so!). Well, I think it's about time that our ceiling falls on us or something in that order!

Honestly, do you think we haven't been paying enough attention to our house? maybe it's feeling neglected and is trying to tell us something! Whatever it is dear house, we've heard it! You can stop what you're doing now...please?!

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Plumbers!

Why get a PhD when you can charge $78/hour for fixing a toilet drain?!

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Hitler was human too!

I watched Downfall (Der Untergang) last night. (spoiler notice: this post may reveal some points in the movie plot!) A movie about the final days of the Nazi regime in Germany. It was a bit disturbing, seeing how people can be blinded by ideas, which in Hitler's case turned out to be very wrong. A long movie, but far from boring. It was the first movie I had seen that showed a more human side of Adolf Hitler. It showed some of the people in his circle of friends that actually liked and admired the guy, even when he was extremely close to the end of his reign/life. Some of them turned to extreme solutions when they saw their ideal future (i.e. a Germany with National socialism) going down the drain... This one couple actually KILLED their own children, because a world without their ideals wasn't an appropriate place for kids to grow up in! How sick is that? All on all, It's definitely one of the best WWII movies I've ever watched, so give it a try if you're interested in the topic; you won't regret it.

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When less is more!

Ok, obviously I don't have anything else to do, so I'm here to write about the new Pride and Prejudice - which I have just finished watching. This is a story that has been told/made-to-movie in every imaginable way and yet, surprisingly, I didn't get bored at all while watching the new remake! I think the director did a wonderful job in this new adaptation. Of course, as some reviews have mentioned, Elizabeth Bennet is too pretty to resemble the original character created by Austen herself; oh well, it's Hollywood after all! It just doesn't make sense when people keep talking about how beautiful Jane is ...you look at Kiera Knightly and are like: "what the ...?"... anyway, that aside, I thought it was a very good remake. The actor who played Mr. Darcy was indeed very agreeable! Beautiful country landscape and good music... Oh, yeah, and you know, there are these movies in which people keep making out and making love and stuff and try to convince you of the affection between the characters... and then, there are some other movies that will carry you till the very end only to find the main characters have their first/last kiss on the final scene. This was one of those movies... another one that I can remember was proof of life, which by the way was an interesting movie... I guess sometimes less can be more enjoyable!

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Totally irrelevant

1. Everybody has their own weird sense of humor; just accept it!

2. Today, this little girl on the bus - who thought I couldn't understand Farsi - told her mom "the lady who's sitting behind us is very pretty!"...yayyyyyy! a six year old thinks I'm pretty... making progress here!

3. I've totally lost my voice for no reason, sound like a Zombie right now!

4. The End.

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Movies and books, again!

I used to be a big fan of Judie Foster a few years ago... when she came back with Flight Plan last year, I was really disappointed I couldn't find a chance to watch it in a theater. However, after watching it last night, I'm kind of glad it didn't happen. It wasn't horribly bad, but still, it could be a lot better. I honestly didn't think that the final 3-4 minutes were really necessary and fading out into the white light was just too cheesy. Other than that, it was an ok movie and I think anyone can enjoy it as a rental DVD.

And while I was flying to Toronto last week, they actually showed "Memoirs of a Geisha" during the flight... I have to say I was impressed. I absolutely loved the movie and the soundtrack. It was a very well made movie. Apparently if you've read the book before, you might not enjoy it as much. I haven't read the book so I can't comment on that really. The acting was very good and the main actress was really really cute!

I have also started reading "Freakonomics" for my book club this month and so far (midway through the second chapter) have liked it a lot. There has been a lot said about it recently and I always wondered what it could be. Apparently, it's a new way of looking at the "hidden side of everything" as the authors put it. It's not about economics, but more on how to use it to explore different aspects of day to day life. I'll let you know how it turns out to be when I'm done reading it.

It was a lovely day and I can't believe I had to stay at school for a stupid invigilation instead of joining my friends on a trip to Victoria! I spent the last five hours (of a Friday evening, by the way!) marking the final exams of an economics course! ...LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSEEEEER!

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Toronto... finally

Got back today from Toronto... looks like I've had enough time to catch a cold after all.

I was really impressed when I first arrived at Toronto... huge highways and nice buildings in downtown area... however, it only took me a day to realize not everything is desirable about this city. People actually honked in the streets for no reason, something you almost NEVER see here in Vancouver. Asphalt on the street was all cracked and uneven, there was traffic on the highway on a long weekend, most trees had no leaves yet and the whole landscape looked kind of brownish...and driving... don't even get me started on it!... Toronto reminded me of Tehran in more than just one way.

You can not go to Toronto and not visit Niagara falls, so that's what I did... definitely an amazing experience... then, of course, was U of T that I just had to visit. A mix of new and old buildings in the middle of downtown Toronto... More importantly, I got to meet some friends I hadn't seen in a couple of years.

hmmm, oh yeah... another cool experience in Toronto: after a night of wondering around the city streets, my friends and I went to "Darband" restaurant and had "KALE-PACHE"!!!!!!! DELICIOUS!

However, as lively and interesting this city is, right now I just can't choose Toronto over Vancouver... but if there was a situation where I had to move, I'd be happy to go there for sure.

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I'm shallow, I know...

...but I have to come out clean to you... I've been shamelessly watching the 6th season of America's Next Top Model... didn't want to admit it, but it looks like I'm shallower than I thought.

I'm not a total retard and know it's just a show and everything is set up and so on. but why oh why did they have to kick out Mollie Sue and Leslie? I mean they were like my two favorite girls...I don't even know why i keep watching the show. Tyra Banks is SOOOOOOOOO on my nerves and the "reality" part of the show (i.e. when the girls are in the house fighting over the phone!) is just too "fake". Anyway, I'll watch the rest of the season I guess and then will quit... I swear!

I'm going away to Toronto tomorrow for the Easter weekend. Should be fun, and hopefully not too cold. That said, have to go start packing.

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Damn you, IE!

I just realized that my profile block looks weird in Internet Explorer. Should figure out a way to fix it (I'm not that good with html after all!), or ask everyone to use Mozilla Firefox instead!

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Lolita

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

-from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (beginning paragraph)

I have always believed in the importance of beginnings. You can tell right away if a book is worth reading by looking at the beginning paragraph. So when I started reading Lolita, I knew it was going to be a great experience... (I don't think when a novel is this well-known you actually need to worry about the starting paragraph, but anyway...). I was deeply and truly sorry that sometimes I couldn't fully drown in reading, because I needed to go look up a word in the dictionary! This is when it truly sucks not to be super-fluent in English. Especially when you know that Nabokov, himself, wrote this in English as his second language! (I think I should be sent to jail for, even remotely, comparing myself to Nabokov in any way)


I don't need to say much about this book, just find it, read it, and see for yourself. (watch out for the content though, I'm not taking any responsibility if you happen to hate the whole idea behind the story!)

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Honey

I love dance-related movies, especially if they are about hip hop... tonight I watched Honey and totally enjoyed it. As predictable as these movies are, I cannot help but enjoy the nice choreography and well, Jessica Alba being so unbelievably cute just made it a lot more interesting. Keep it on your list of movies for times you don't feel like watching anything serious.

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On piracy...

Quote from a friend of mine:

"...you know how they say : "you don't steal a car, so don't download music"...well, if stealing cars was as easy as downloading music... f***, I'd do it!..."

(You have to excuse the f word, my friend is not the politest!)

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Soundtrack of my life

I'm sure every one of you has one melody...one song...one poem that just brings you back the warmest, most enjoyable feelings from a memorable time of your life. Well, for me it's not "A" song, it's AN ALBUM! City of Angels Soundtrack is definitely the soundtrack of my life, for I lived most of my time listening to it when I was seventeen. And you all know how it's like to be seventeen... except if you're not seventeen yet - in which case you shouldn't be reading this blog in the first place! where are your parents?

There's just so much in this soundtrack. I dare you to listen to "I grieve" by Peter Gabriel and not like it! Or "Feelin Love" by Paula Cole... There's U2, Jude, Goo Goo Dolls, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Sara McLaughlin, Alanis Morissette... you name it! It's such a great great album... I STRONGLY recommend it to all of you. Except if you only listen to N'Sync and Jessica Simpson in which case I have to say, again, where are your parents?

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The aristocrats...

...Ok, that was the filthiest, most disgusting joke anyone could ever come up with, and it was HILARIOUS the way the movie, the aristocrats, approached it! This documentary is about a classic joke - which is like a "secret handshake" between comedians - being told in so many different ways by various comedians. It took me about half an hour to actually get the joke and after that it started to get really funny. There are some pretty lame people on it, but still there are some really great ones that just shock you with the amount of foul and disgusting stuff they can come up with! DO NOT WATCH IT if you get easily upset by sexually offensive language.

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Sizdeh-Be-Dar

It is finally Sizdeh-be-dar; eid is officially over!...I went out for just a little while, tied up a knot using the grass, and enjoyed the marvelous view and the great weather.


I'm reading Life of Pi now, a novel by Yann Martel and winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize. So far, it's been more than just interesting... it's supposed to be "a story that makes you believe in God". And I have to admit, it's written in a very captive manner; you just sink in and don't want to leave it aside until it's finished. I'm NOT saying that it would definitely change your belief system, but it certainly has a very refreshing point of view towards religion and God. There's this one chapter that's just HILARIOUS; three wise men from different religions (Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity) start this super-funny argument in defense of their respective religions. I had tears in my eyes, reading what stupid reasons they were coming up with to prove their points. Anyway, you should definitely read this book, whether you are a strong believer, an extremist atheist, or still undecided! I can guarantee that you'll get at least, if nothing else, a good laugh out of it. (By the way, I haven't finished the book yet; I know the story turns more serious later...so, don't expect a comic book!)

And here's a small section from the book that I liked:

" I can well imagine an atheist's last words:"White, white! L-L-Love! My God!" - and the deathbed leap of faith. Whereas the agnostic, if he stays true to his reasonable self, if he stays beholden to dry, yeastless factuality, might try to explain the warm light bathing him by saying, "Possibly a f-f-failing oxygenation of the b-b-brain," and, to the very end, lack imagination and miss the better story."

-Yann Martel , Life of Pi

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Don't look back

So, I watched another documentary about the one and only Bob Dylan yesterday. I had watched "No Direction Home" by Scorsese last summer and had absolutely loved it. However, that was more of a biography/ career history, whereas this movie, Don't Look Back, was a visual diary of a three week tour Dylan had in England in 1965, his last tour as a solo acoustic performer.


I liked the movie ... anything related to 60's music affects me in a weird-but-enjoyable kind of way. The scene where Bob Dylan was typing song lyrics while Joan Baez was singing "Percy's Song" in the background was my favorite... they were literally making history (music-wise, at least!) and there was a camera there to capture it! It's a very good documentary I think, showing the genius Dylan without covering up his jerk-ish side!!!

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A dog flick!

I just got back from the movies (cheap Tuesday nights, what can I say?), this time watching a much more fun movie, called "Eight Below".

There were only four "human" characters in it, namely, the hot dude, the hot chick, the funny dude (same guy from the American Pie movies), and the fourth guy! (Can't really say who he was, cause he was something between the bad guy and the old wise guy)... anyway, the real stars were eight of the cutest sled dogs I had ever seen- if you could call them cute cause they were huge!!! guess you can picture the rest of it... I liked the movie because there's always something very pure about animals and especially dogs.


The only problem was that this movie theater - which is really fancy, by the way - is in a not-very-good area of downtown Vancouver. It was 12:10 by the time we got out of the theater and the nearest bus stop was like 4 blocks away and it took ages for the right bus to show up... good thing we went to watch this movie, not something like "Night watch".

Hmmmm, I need to see a GOOD non-Hollywood movie real soon...

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God is in the rain

No, I'm not suddenly giving you spiritual BS...this is just one of the lines in the movie "V for Vendetta"... and although I absolutely love Natalie Portman, I have to say I'm disappointed!

Not that the acting was bad, or the production, or the music... everything was perfect, but in a Hollywood kind of way. The movie was such a cliche, I can't even begin to describe it! And it's very unfortunate, because it actually had, if you will, a "valuable message".

The movie tells the story of this Zoro-like hero that fights for justice in a future world with a very totalitarian British government. The whole idea of Britain, or any other country for that matter, gaining that much power freaks me out and I believe the movie touches on some important issues regarding how governments use fear to rule people. It could, however, be less of a cliche I think and that's just my opinion. Another $10.95 wasted on a movie that could be watched on DVD!


It's raining in Vancouver, BTW, and aside from the cheesy line in the movie, I actually do like the rain and do think that God , perhaps, is in the rain...

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One year...

...that's how old this blog is! Somewhere in the past month, this blog turned one year old! I can't believe I survived this long... thought I'd be running out of ideas in a month. Well, let's face it, I kind of did... and that was where the movie reviews came to rescue!!!

I do like it here... it's a nice way of letting your (sometimes destructive) feelings out! I still haven't found a clear direction for this blog though... can't seem to focus on one issue for too long... well, I guess that's what daydreamers are supposed to do!

As for the movies, I just watched Ocean's twelve. I had heard some very mixed opinions about it... as it turned out, I actually liked the movie! Ok, I agree it was slow, but that was the whole point. The idea was to focus not on the "mission" but on the people this time, at least that's what I thought. Giving some tangible earthly features to our perfect heroes made them more real and easier to like. Anyway, I thought it was a smart move from the director, cause there was no way in hell anyone could ever top Ocean's eleven in a sequel.


Can't believe the term is almost over and I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing for my PhD! I'm going be here for a LONG time...

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نفس باد صبا...

باز هم یه عید دیگه... باز هم هفت سین و لحظه سال تحویل دور از خونه... امروز داشتیم با یکی از دوستان میگفتیم که خارج از ایران جطور همه چی کوفتت می شه! یعنی لحظه سال تحویل حتما من گریه ام می گیره! اما امسال احساس کردم که یه سری ادمهایی هم اینجا هستن که من کاملا الان دوستشون دارم و اونهان که زندگی کردن اینجا رو برای من لذت بخش کردن... دیگه کم کم می تونم بگم که اینجا هم برای خودم یه اجتماع کوچیک صمیمی دارم و اینه که مهمه...

خوبی نوروز اینه که یه دور یاد همه آدمهایی که می شناسی میفتی که بهشون تلفن یاایمیل بزنی... من هم سعی خودم رو میکنم که ایمیل همگانی نزنم و حداقل یه مینیمم customization داشته باشم! امروز تقریبا به همه کسایی که باهاشون در ارتباط هستم و حتی بعضیها که خیلی وقته ازشون بی خبرم ایمیل زدم... حس خیلی خوبیه!
عید رو دوست دارم با همه حس هایی که بهم می ده . اگه اهل شعر بودم حالا یه بیت شعر می نوشتم اینجا... اما فقط میگم که نوروز مبارک.

شاهین رو چک کنید که بالاخره باز نوشته و مثل همیشه عالی.

این هم سفره هفت سین امسال توی دانشگاه:

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My midnight post

I'm sitting here, half past midnight, replying to an email from my eX about a Begonia plant... maybe it's a sign of desperation when he emails me after all this time for such a silly matter!? I don't know and honestly I don't have time to care... have to be up in less than 8 hours to meet with Tom (my supervisor) and try to run an LP using MS Access. Now, THAT, is worth worrying about, cause I have no idea how you would use Access for optimization purposes!

Anyway, just finished the first season of Grey's Anatomy... it's a shame the second season is not out yet. I think I have a thing for TV series... they make you feel closer to the characters.

Oh, and it's "4shanbe Soori"... might head out to Wreck beach and light a fire with a couple of friends... a lot closer than West Vancouver for sure!... I have kind of ignored this event since I left Iran... never have been a big fan of jump-over-the-fire idea and all the explosive thingies were just too much too handle...kind of miss it now though, would be nice to have it this year. We'll see I guess.

I'm really beginning to consider a new carrier path: becoming a DJ! I mean, it's been like the 100th time someone has asked for my songs/ DJ-ship skills(cut me some slack here! I have to invent words, my brain is half asleep already!)... today this girl who's a grad student too asked me for some songs I played at one of the "lab socials' (a pathetic excuse for grad students/ faculty to get together and drink) and I'm supposed to burn a CD for her! I mean I could at least charge people for giving them my music, don't you think? itunes is charging $0.99/song, I should be fine with 15c I think...

Ok, now I REALLY have to go to bed before I post something I'd regret tomorrow morning... so to everyone, good night and good luck... (I know it's a really cheesy line and Jon Stewart has already used it... but I like it!)

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High fever and "Hazyoonat"

I'm sick! and life sucks when you're sick... even if you spend a whole weekend doing nothing except for watching TV. I have cough and congestion and am not showing any sign of improvement.

There are however some things I still enjoy... like watching the Oscars! I really thought having Jon Stewart hosting it was a big step forward compared to recent years. Not that he could ever beat Billy Crystal! Anyway, it was a good event I thought and I ended up watching "Crash" right after... it definitely deserved to be the best picture of the year.

Hmmm, I was thinking the other day that my supervisor had already had his kids when he was my age. Not only I don't have any kids, but I'm not even married, and not only I'm not married, but I'm not even in a relationship, and not only I'm not in a relationship, I'm not even REMOTELY interested in ANYONE around me... I mean, there's something potentially very wrong with me!... OR I just have a fever!

BTW, we started a book club with some friends of mine and are reading "Lolita" as our first novel to discuss... I started it tonight and I must confess that after three years of reading only fantasy books, it was not easy to understand at first... but as I progress through the story it is getting a lot smoother... there are a lot of things to discuss in our meeting for sure!

I'm not making any sense here, but what the heck... I've been watching the first season of Grey's Anatomy and am really liking it... these interns are really good subjects for TV series, don't you think?

Enough nonesense for now, gotta go...

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I'm back!

It's been two weeks now... I'm starting to get used to my new life style! Not worrying about my defense every single second... and I've actually started going to the gym again! feels good!

I've also had my birthday last week and had one of those house parties that end up in singing Persian folk songs! It was fun...

Nazly and I have been watching the Olympics figure skating competitions and I must say it's pretty exciting... there was this one night when the pairs were competing for their complementary dance and OH MY GOD, they kept falling left and right... I mean, it was ridiculous, couldn't believe it! Tomorrow night is the competition for women's free skating and that should be nice too... I so wanna see if Russia wins the gold or the U.S.

I should get back to reading novels, that way I'll have something to write about!

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After...

It's all over now... I'm actually breathing... and I do have my Master's degree now!

The defense went a lot better than what I had expected... the examining committee didn't kill me, although they were sometimes tough. And afterwards my supervisor actually said that I did well! yaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy...

And the best part was when we went out for drinking and dinner later and people were buying me shots and stuff... that was cool...hmmmmm, at least from what I remember!

I did miss a new episode of LOST however, but i'll download it or something. And there was the Grammy's and I guess I have to say: "Go U2" ?!

Here are some pictures of the historical event! Enjoy!


Saba, after the defense:


Saba and Nazly, packing after the defense:


Saba and Taraneh (M.A.Sc. supervisor):


Brendan, Steve, Shora, Saba, and Nazly:


Tom (PhD supervisor), Saba and James:

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Help...

I never had the chance to read that novel: " the five people you meet in heaven"... but I'm sure those people were not my examining committee for my defense! .... or maybe they were?! hmmmm... that way it should have been "hell" instead...

Anyway, wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on how things are later...

PS- it's tomorrow BTW!

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A quiet little town, not far from here...

I just finished watching Dogville and had to write about it because I can't forgive myself for not watching it earlier. You wanna see the darkest sides of human nature? You wanna know the extremes people can go to when you allow them? watch Dogville... if you're too optimistic about the true nature of mankind, this movie makes you reconsider for sure...

Not that it specifically tries to be pessimistic, but it touches those far unreachable corners of your soul and you instantly know that it can all be happening in the real world... the question is how or if you prevent it from happening.

there's a dialogue in the movie that goes somehow like this [not exactly though]:

- these people are doing the best they can, under very hard circumstances.
- yeah... but is their best, good enough for you?

And I guess that's something people should really consider when they're trying to just close their eyes on all the problems and say: "well, these people don't understand any better... let them be". Nope! you have to help them understand because you should have your own standards. Of course, I wouldn't exactly follow the example of the movie to solve the problems... but still, you have to let people take some responsibility at least.

You can even oversee the fact that Nicole Kidman is acting in this movie... which BTW, was the reason why I did not want to watch it all this time.

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Procrastination... again

You see, sometimes when you have a million things to do, there is a sudden urge to blog and that's why I'm writing these right now...

I should be preparing my defense presentation - which is in 10 days, BTW! - and can't seem to concentrate at all... as a matter of fact, I've been doing everything else just to avoid the main task.

so I'm guessing by the end of this week, I'll have no more dirty clothes, my room will be shining, my files are going to be well-organized, and in summary, I'll be the perfect girl - without a presentation...

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And a movie post!

Ha ha! You thought I had forgotten about the movies, right? No way! Just wanted to give you a break! I watched a lot of movies but can't really remember them all or write about them, however, there were three that I'd like to mention.

The first one was of course the great fantasy novel from my childhood, turned into a movie, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. I absolutely loved it. Although I can see why some people may not like it at all. You need to have lived with the dream of opening your wardrobe one day and find Narnia on the other side and get to play with Lucy and Edmund (cause Peter and Susan are obviously older and won't play with you anyway!)... I went and watched it on the same day I got back from Iran and considering the fact that I was jet-lagged and tired, the movie kept me watching pretty well ... except for occasional moments that I really really had to close my eyes... only for a couple of seconds though! Anyway, if you haven't read the book (and you can't start now because you need to be a kid to enjoy it!) wait till it's out on DVD.


The next one was the most controversial movie of 2005, the one and only Brokeback mountains. It tells the story of two young cowboys that spend a summer together in 1963 and fall in love. They keep an affair going on for almost twenty years and face major challenges along the way. I liked the movie and found the story very touching, but the Golden Globe for best picture!? Not really! And it could have been a lot shorter... But I have to admit that the actors were AMAZING! I mean, Gosh! just thinking that they were not gay in the real world made you wanna hand them the Oscar! It's worth watching for sure, but if you get offended by guys making out/making love (although the sleeping together part is not really that graphic) you should probably stay away from it.


And finally, I watched Frida again last night on DVD. I had watched it three years ago and last night it felt like I was watching it for the first time. This movie is absolutely amazing, the cinamtography, the acting, the music...Oh the music is extraordinary I think. Frida is the story of Frida Kahlo and his husband, two famous Mexican artists (painters). However, it somehow is more than just a biography... again, I absolutely recommend it for anyone above the age of 18!

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داستان همیشگی بعد ایران رفتن

هر کاری می کنم توی کتم نمیره!!! حالا هر کسی هر چی می گه بگه... میدونم که 25 سالمه (البته تقریبا!) و تقریبا دو ساله که هیچ رابطه بیشتر از دو-سه هفته با کسی نداشتم... میدونم که وقتشه یه کم جدی تر به آینده(غیر کاری) فکر کنم و ببینم که واقعا چه کار می خوام بکنم... میدونم که شاهزاده و اسب سفید و هری پاتر و آقای دارسی فقط تو قصه ها هستن و جانی دپ هم عجالتا متاهله!!! ... اما واقعا نمیتونم فکر کنم که یکی پسرعمه شوهر خواهرش رو به من معرفی کنه و من بعدا تصمیم بگیرم که حالا آیا طرف برای زندگی خوبه یا نه!

بابا مگه من چند دفعه قراره عروسی کنم ؟ (امیدوارم که یه بار بیشتر نباشه واقعا) واقعا خجالت آوره که مامان بابات با عشق عروسی کرده باشن بعد خوت بری فقط "منطقی" بازی در آری... ترجیحا تا موقعی که خیلی درمونده نشم (همون deseperate خودمون) نمیخوام تسلیم بشم... هیجانش بیشتره!

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I'm here!

Ok So I’m back! And yes, it’s been two weeks now!

It’s just so hard to get back into the routine of blogging again. I even stopped reading other blogs to stop the feeling of guilt.

My trip turned out to be a lot better than I had expected. I got to see so many people, it was amazing… A lot of my friends had left the country, but again, a lot of them were still there… you see, the good thing about your homeland is that you had made so many good friends during the years that you can always find someone to talk to or do stuff with… of course, this doesn’t mean I didn’t miss the others…

Unfortunately, although I really wanted to, couldn’t go see any movies or plays… so I can’t really comment on that. The city was super crowded/polluted and going out in the streets did not seem like a good idea at all, unless you really really really needed to do it. Drivers are all going mad in my opinion… but well, who’s not?!

I couldn’t see the social impact of the reign of our new president. Guess he’s too busy fixing the world’s problems!!! Of course, this could all be a part of a bigger plan that I have no idea of… so I can’t really comment on that either!

I was amazed by how pretty all the girls looked… they’re all pretty well dressed and done up all the time and have fit bodies… god knows I don’t seem to see anyone nearly that well-dressed here in Vancouver… (I’m still straight, by the way!). And they seem to have this magical energy that keeps them going 24/7, they go to school/work, they are all studying some extra material on the side - usually a third language – and they party like crazy. I couldn’t keep up with them and I wasn’t even working! Way to go guys!

I’m not sure what else to write about Iran… you know how it is… it’s just like time out of this world… you feel like you’ve never left and at the same time, everything is changing (especially the highways! God, I couldn’t go anywhere without first checking to see if the street was still there or was it wiped out to make room for some giant highway!).

(This is how polluted tehran was, see any mountains?)




BTW, LOST rocks!

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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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