Movies, movies, movies

VIFF is back once again and I'm enjoying it so far. I've watched only 3 movies so far, and here they are:

Waltz with Bashir: it was an Israeli animated documentary of the massacre in Sabra and Shatila and was absolutely amazing! It was strong and interesting and kind of reminded me of Persepolis in a remote way (Persepolis is still better in my opinion though). The main character of the movie actually is the director himself and the movie is his quest to remember what happened in the massacre, when he was a 19 year old soldier in the Israeli forces present in Lebanon. It's disturbing but not too exaggerated in my opinion. A must-see for you serious animation lovers.

three monkeys: This Turkish movie was unfortunately not as interesting to me as I had hoped. Three monkeys is a reference to a proverb that says: "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" and basically tells the story of a family that decides to close their eyes on the truth and stick together in a very messy situation. Don't get me wrong, it's not a sweet tale of family love, it's actually very dark and dramatic and kind of depressing with no background music and not a lot of dialogue. I could see why some people might actually like it, the cinematography was very good and acting was good too... but I didn't exactly love the plot. anyway, this is not a good choice if you get easily bored, I was ready to enjoy the movie but fell asleep during the first 15 minutes!!!

And last but definitely not least is the song of sparrows: Majid Majidi has once again created a story about real people with real connections that's moving but sweet at the same time. He tells the story of a guy who tries to be a part of the big cruel world of a big city, but realizes that his happiness lies in his own small community. The love between a father and his children is pictured beautifully. I had expected to see a very sad movie, but although there were some sad moments, the movie was filled with hope and optimism. I think Majidi would be a perfect nemesis to Von-Trier in that regard! :) everyone should watch this movie, it deserves all the good reviews it's got!

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:(

Paul Newman died yesterday.

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weepy movie

Do they have to make such sad sad chick flicks in Hollywood? I thought the whole point of the chick flicks were their happy endings! [sigh]
don't bother watching this movie unless you're looking for a reason to cry!!!

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Water

not necessarily a masterpeice, but Water was a good movie to watch to get into the festival mood I think!

It is about the lives of widows in India and how they're supposed to half-die with their husbands. I was shocked to see how women were treated, but then injustice and misery have no limit and for women it has been observed over and over again. Watch it when you get a chance.

I'm excited to see "Heaven on Earth", the new movie from the same director in VIFF.

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introducing CBC radio 2

I have recently started listening to them. so far their Jazz channel sounds ok to me. you can't skip any songs which sucks. but at least it's commercial-free. definitely not as good as last.fm but still a good online radio.

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The truth is...

... we ran out of time.
now you're looking for me... or anyone like me.

Title: Koop Island Blues, By: Koop Feat. Ane Brun

I really like this song! :)

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a movie about idiocy

I watched "Burn after reading" and absolutely loved it! Ok, so it wasn't like "No country for old men"... but so what?! It was funny and smart, and so hilariously pointless!

Everything that happened in this movie could have just as easily not happened, if people in the movie were actually capable of logical thinking. But since they're all perfect idiots, you end up with a movie that makes you laugh all along. So, if you like movies that have really well thought plots and are full of logic and facts, don't watch this movie!

as a conversation in the movie goes:

" - so what did we learn from this?
-Um... I don't know. "

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why?

when you break my heart so terribly, why should I still be your friend?

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Richard Wright Passed away.

It's a sad mid September day.

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VIFF schedule is out...

life is good again, and although I probably won't watch more than 4 or 5 movies, I can't help feeling excited about it.

view schedule here

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Who would have thought

...when we first started school some ten years ago, that we'd be here now? Who would have thought that those innocent, inexperienced and sometimes weird kids would end up being us? some of us never even became close friends until after graduation... but there was the intertwined web of human relationships that connected us all in unexpected ways. Over the years, people I knew in separate worlds ended up being best friends, partners, husbands and wives. Friends collided and overlapped with family. Some got distant and some got inseparable. Some got into rough patches, some glided on smoothly on their way. some found happiness in their own special way, some are still searching. I've seen my friends grow up and through them, I watched myself grow older. But I'm sure of one thing: they may not be innocent or inexperienced anymore, but most of them are still the same weird kids inside. I know I am.

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من دیگه کم آوردم

لطفا گیج زدن های خانم طاهره رحیمی را بخونید و حال کنید! آخه آدم چی میتونه بگه به زنی که همجنسای خودش رو اینقدر دست کم می گیره و ازدواج نکردنشون رو باعث ایجاد شرایط اضطراری می دونه؟

"...حتی اگر تمام عالم را به زن بدهند باز هم زن نمی تواند بپذیرد که شوهرش همسر دیگری اختیار کند چرا که این خلاف فطرت زن است. من معتقدم رضایت زن چه باشد و چه نباشد نه عقلی است و نه شرعی. ماده 23 که شرط رضایت زن را برداشته قانون بهتری است چرا که اگر قرار بر اجرای ازدواج مجدد باشد با مشت و لگد و زور هم که شده زن را مجبور به دادن رضایت می کنند پس رضایت زن معنا و مفهوم ندارد. ..." !!!!!!!!

گلرخ نفیسی این تصویر را به طاهره رحیمی تقدیم کرده: "...که بعد از خوندن مصاحبه ش تصویرش برای همیشه توی ذهنم ثبت شد تصویر آدمیزاد بیچاره ای که زنده بودن را هرگز تجربه نکرده.."

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something totally irrelavant

I am in the middle of making this presentation for a meeting tomorrow, and suddenly I get carried away by my daydreams as usual. remembering great moments spent with friends, I realize something obvious: love makes you drunk. and I don't mean the romantic kind. I mean the love your family and friends give you, and how it makes you feel light headed if you receive it intensely in a period of only a few weeks long.

How simple moments become colorful and simple conversations turn hysterically funny and simple plans sound exciting. It makes me wonder: do I miss the routine life I used to have back home, or do I miss the drunkenness that comes from overdosing on love and friendship?

I'd love to contemplate some more and come up with a theory, but the slides are waiting ... maybe later.

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Hamoun in Vancouver

In memory of Khosrow Shakibai, Hamoun is screening in Pacific Cinemateque in downtown Vancouver on Tuesday, August 12. Show starts at 7:00 p.m., doors open at 6:30. You can get your ticket at the door as far as I know. I will update you once I know more. You can also check out Cafe Radio's show for this week for more information.

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Pink Martini, one of my all time favorites

I have been meaning to write about Pink Martini for a long time. I heard them for the first time two years ago through a friend. I instantly fell in love with them... their work has this 1940's feel to it, but at the same time is fresh and young. Their melodies feel familiar, although the lyrics are original most of the time. Pink Martini is based in Portland, Oregan, but the founders of the band met at Harvard! The lead singer, "China Forbes" has this heavenly voice (you have to see her live to understand what I am saying!) that you just can't help but love.


Pink Martini's music is very international. they have songs in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabic! I saw the band's performance live last month during Vancouver's international Jazz festival and all I can say is don't miss them if they every come around to your town!

Unfortunately, some ongoing technical difficulties (!) have resulted in me not being able to upload music for this post. I waited a few days, but decided to post this without a sample song. It was pretty hard for me to pick a favorite song anyway. You can go on you tube and listen to whatever is available from Pink Martini and pick your own favorite. (do not miss out on songs from their latest album)

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My Batman Marathon

I can not believe I had missed on such a great movie! (great movies I have to say now)


I spent the last 6 hours of my day watching Batman begins and the Dark Knight basically back to back. I watched the first one on DVD, hoping to understand what all these hard core fans were talking about. How could a Batman movie be this good?! and I was surprised (in a good way) and loved the movie so much that decided to devote a Saturday afternoon and go see the sequel. What I loved about both movies is how no one character steals the scene. There are maybe 10 different characters that are all important to the dynamics of the story, and they are all so well developed, and well acted too.

I absolutely loved Batman begins because of the background it gives on Batman and how he became who he is. The fact that Batman is a human like everyone else that learns to be a hero is something that separates him from other superheros like Superman or Spiderman. He's more like James Bond, with better morals!

And Christian Bale was awesome. Let's face it, you can only act so much when you have a mask on your face, and I think in all the un-masked scenes he was pretty good. The Dark Knight had more of the masked Batman in it, so I can't really say much about Christian Bale's acting, but I thought Aron Eckhart did a great job in the movie.

I recommend both movies strongly. There's a reason they've got such high ratings on imdb.

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The not-so-imaginary future of Earth, if we keep on living like this!

...or, the adventures of the cutest (and the only) robot on Earth! This would somehow summarize the story of the movie I watched last night: Wall.E.


Wall.E is so cute, you'll find yourself aw-ing all through the movie! It is amazing that the only words he says is his own and Eve's (the white super-robot) name, and yet you can feel all sorts of emotions in these words, depending on the situation! Apart from all the funny and romantic and cute moments that happen in the film, what interested me the most was how the movie showed the future of Earth, all covered in garbage (and clearly as a result of crazy consumption' you could see the remains of huge supermarkets and gas stations, etc), and also the future of Earth people, who were living with the most advanced technologies imaginable and yet their lives were so empty. I am not trying to read too much into this film, but I honestly think it's a great thing if kids' cartoons occasionally have a message as well!!

All in all, I had a great time watching Wall.E and so recommend it to everyone. I haven't met a single person that hasn't liked it.

Another awesome thing about last night was the short Pixar animation that preceded Wall.E: Presto. It was one of the funniest short animations I had seen. You can see a sneak preview here. The whole film is a comical fight between a magician and his bunny who wants a carrot, but can not get it.

hmmmm, oh, ok, I also watched Shortbus a few days ago. Not at all what I had expected. Except for crazy s e x scenes, I couldn't understand what all the excitement was about!

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my most unfavorite chocolate flavor:

mix of chocolate and mint! urgh!

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days go by

... and nothing really changes. nothing progresses. nothing happens.

It's all nice and sunny in Vancouver. Hope all is well with you.

whiningly yours,

S.

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a note to listeners (!)

ok, I've read up a lot on this whole autostart thing in FireFox and apparently for some reason FF doesn't recognize autostart=false and I couldn't find a quick answer anywhere. however, Mozilla now offers an add-on called "Stop Autoplay" that you can install and forever live autoplay-free. I hope you either use IE or install this add-on and never have to open this page again to music being autoplayed!

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I thought that you were wise

... but you were otherwise.

Title: Otherwise, By: Morcheeba

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Yet another return

It gets kind of exhausting starting over again every time you go home and come back. Less motivation every time, at least for me. Not that I didn't miss Vancouver with its supply of Oxygen(!), cold breeze, and beautiful daily sceneries. It's just that I think I miss Tehran more.

Well, not exactly Tehran , but I miss life in Tehran. I miss my parents, and brother and sister and grandparents, and uncles and aunts and cousins and the few friends that are still there. I miss being spoiled for nothing, and being appreciated simply because I'm part of a family. I can not believe I am thinking all this now, while two years ago I was doing just fine. It's probably the PhD taking its toll.

All this said, I had a blast in Tehran. I spent most of my time with my family but ended up taking two trips to Taleghan and also Rasht/Masooleh area. I felt the real summer heat for a while before coming back and wearing the exact same coat I was wearing all winter and carrying an umbrella everywhere.

movie report:

1. Dayere Zangi: definitely watch it. a great work for a first-time feature film director. very funny and smart.

2. Kung fu Panda: that chubby panda is the cutest and the movie is pretty funny. my favorite quote: "There is no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness".

3. Sex and the city: please don't watch this movie, even if you liked the series! It was soooo long, had no solid storyline, and messed up all the good memories I had from the show. I'm very disappointed!

random point: Madonna's tickets are sold out and I, being on vacation, totally missed it. Now I either have to pay $300 for a ticket or sit home and feel sory for myself. I always wanted to see her live.

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vacation

I haven't been writing much lately so I guess it really doesn't matter if I say this, but I am going back home for a few weeks, don't wait up! :D

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mental note to self

"when you finally graduate and get a job with e real income, remember to take your student friends (if you still have student friends, of course) out and buy them dinner! it's a very nice gesture!" :)

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women and s e x uality

there has been this discussion going on in Iranian blogs on women's point of view in s e x and their stories. It has become a heated debate! I personally think it's about time women write about this stuff. This post has quite a few links that you can check out and see what you think.

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The day that just wasn't mine!

So today was just one of those days... I woke up, and thought to myself: "hmmm, I should bike to school today!"... happy with my super-athletic self (!) I started preparing for the 15 minute journey!!! I made my lunch, took a change of clothes, got my gloves, helmet, bike lights, and my phone's hands-free. I went to the bike room, got the bike out, and went out the door, guess what?! I left my keys inside the bike room... and I'm outside, no-one's home, and there is no freakin' way I can get in!... after waiting around for some time hoping that someone comes out of the building, finally this guy let me in. anyway, that 15 minute trip stretched to one hour just like that!... then I had to go to the library at some point to get some articles copied. I had only 4 dollars, and no copy card. Turns out you need $1 deposit to get a copy card and then each page costs you 12c!!! (it's outrageous!)... and there is no other way to recharge your card except for $1 and $2 coins! Long story short, I could not copy even one article fully (they had to be soooo long!) and had to walk back all across the campus empty-handed!!! and last but not least, I left school in a hurry and when I got home, guess what happened? I HAD LEFT MY KEYS IN THE OFFICE!!!! life can be so freakin' ironic sometimes!!!

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Give it up for Bob!

Bob Dylan wins this year's Special Pulitzer prize! :)

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Just a link

so this post is about a month late, and you might have already known about this, but I just found out, thanks to pooya. Apparently, radio Zamaneh had this online festival for international women's day: "the forbidden voice of woman" (my translation, of course!)... it's got some good and some not-very-good music from Iranian women working as musicians worldwide. Take a look if you haven't already.

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funny blog

I found this really funny blog yesterday: stuff white people like. I have read a number of their posts and some of them are hilarious! The writers (Christian Lander, and Myles Valentin) criticize - in a satirical way - the interests of what they call "white people", which mostly are just the ones that think too highly of themselves or consider themselves educated and above-average (including myself! while reading the posts I realized half the stuff they mention is true about me, and I don't think I'm considered white!). Some of the interests for example include: Asian girls (my favorite!), San Francisco, non-profit organizations, Recycling, ... .

This blog is actually very popular. I think they are pretty new (since their archive doesn't go before January 2008) but have already had over 20 million hits!!! and Target has in fact recently bought them to use their blog for promotional purposes! anyway, thought you might enjoy their posts as well! :)

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Mostly Martha

I never got to see no reservation when it was in theaters, but yesterday I watched the original German movie that it was based on: Mostly Martha. The movie is about this angry chef who suddenly is responsible for raising her niece and during the process gets to know herself better.

I really liked it, and since I like Martina Gedeck better than Catherine Zeta-Jones, I bet I wouldn't like the Hollywood version as much. It's got some sad moments, but in general is a happy movie and has one of those happy endings that you know is only possible in fairy tales. But still, worth watching, especially if you're into food!

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Norouz and the inevitable urge to post something

well, i thought about writing something about how great Norouz is and about coming of the spring and blooming of the flowers and so on... but it's kind of too late now, and so I just say Happy New Year!

Now to continue on with the usual(!) stuff in this blog: I have seen a lot of movies during the past few weeks, and here's a quick rundown of the ones I remember.

The Jane Austen Book Club: an absolute favorite... instantly went up right beside "Love Actually"... watched it twice already and will watch it again anytime! A super melo romantic comedy that's also smart for a change. And no, you don't have to have read the Austen books to enjoy this movie, although you may like it better if you have.

The accused: I can't believe I had not watched this before. Jodie Foster is absolutely amazing! deserved the Oscar for sure. The movie is about this girl who gets gang raped and then tries to get justice on her side. I thought it was well-made and so definitely recommend it!

Bitter moon: hmmmm, here's one movie I didn't like as much as I had expected! And I have to blame the lead actress (Emmanuelle Seigner) since she was just so not believable! Peter Coyote on the other hand was too good to believe! The movie tells the story of a couple whose relationship changes drastically from passionately loving each other to a completely hateful state. I thought the story was interesting, but didn't exactly love it. so all on all, it wasn't a masterpiece in my opinion but i know many people disagree! also beware that you probably don't want to watch this with kids in the room :)

Superbad: :D one of the funniest movies I have watched in a while... I know, I know, it looks like there are a million movies made about high school kids and they're all lame... but you gotta watch this one! I think it's one of the best among movies that are made about North American high school life style! do not even trust the trailer, because it made me not wanna watch the movie... i was actually forced to watch it but am so glad it happened! a great choice for when you feel like laughing at a not-so-deep comedy.

hmmm, can't remember anything else that was significant! have to go cool dinner now. So, later...

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snapping out

It happened one rainy afternoon in a downtown coffee shop, while talking to a friend. She had just started complaining again when it suddenly hit her: she was complaining, AGAIN!

There is a time to snap out of everything: love, hate, excitement, boredom... and apparently even emptiness!

Not that she's suddenly all happiness and energy. She's definitely not jumping up and down. But maybe she'll pick up her camera after ages and takes a few photos, maybe she'll start writing more often...maybe she'll even start planning a trip.

Everyone has the right to feel down every once in a while, right? sometimes it just takes a long time to feel better.

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seasonal depression and more

Well, it's pretty obvious that I can not think of anything to write anymore! It's mainly because I'm feeling like Sh** most of the time, and when I don't, I'm usually outside doing something else! I don't know if it's the fact that I'm going to miss yet another "eid" with my family, or is it the PhD stuff not going too well, or what? all I know is that I can not think of anything fun to write about!!! I even watched a couple of good movies, but still nothing!

emptiness prevails... at least for now.

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"- What have we always said is the most important thing?

- Breakfast?

- family."

(dialog between Michael Bluth and his son from Arrested Development, pilot episode)

... it's so true!

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super whats?!

why is the US election system so damn complicated?!

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27, and counting!

well, i was supposed to nag some more about getting older and stuff... but I don't feel that bad after all! :) good friends can make even aging enjoyable... also, I found out that my BD was on the same day as the " Sepandarmazgan " or "Esfandgan" celebration... a day to celebrate love and women!! so that's something to be happy about, right?

anyway, no complaining from me this year, I'll save it for my 30th (if this blog still exists, and you all just better skip that one post!)

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Not ready to make nice

I have been meaning to watch "shut up and sing" for a while now and tonight I finally got the time to do it. It was as good as I expected it to be, a very strong movie with a pretty good soundtrack!

For those of you who don't know, the movie is about the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks because of an anti-Bush comment made by Natalie Maines, the band's lead singer. In 2003,when the band was extremely popular and successful(and the US was starting the war on Iraq), Natalie Maines said (this is not an exact quote) that they were ashamed that bush was from Texas. It is amazing to see how their "devoted" fans suddenly turned their backs on them, and radio stations stopped playing their songs in the years after that. They were being insulted (being called bimbos, just because they're attractive women who accidentally have an opinion too!), and even threatened publicly. But what's more important is how these women dealt with the situation, remained as a united band, and created a best selling album inspired by their experience.

I'm not exactly a country music fan, and I also do not agree with all the Dixie Chicks girls do and say, but I believe the lyrics for most of their songs on the album "taking the long way" is really amazing and honest. I also found it very interesting that all three of them are married with kids, two of them having twins(!).

Anyway, if you haven't had enough of Bush-bashing movies yet, this one's for you! (although it's really not so much about Bush, but more about media's power over public)and here's their most famous song from the album. This song cleary shows the frustration and anger that Natalie Maines feels for being crucified just for stating her opinion.

Title: Not Ready to Make Nice, By: Dixie Chicks

"...And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round..."

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year, after year, after year

... that dreadful day is here again!!!

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More TV stuff

I've been watching a lot of Arrested Development lately and have to say that I absolutely love the creators' sense of humor! It's a very smart show.. it takes a couple of episode to really get the jokes though and after that the real fun begins!

I also finally watched a scanner darkly and did not like it as much as I had expected. I had not read the book though, so maybe that's a part of it too.

Hmmm, since when has my life become so boring?! I don't understand why I can't write about things other than movies, books and TV series?!! very frustrating!

Oh, actually there is still the radio!!! Cafe Radio is up and running now. Tune in to 90.1 FM on Wednesdays (6:00 to 7:00 p.m. PST) for an hour of Persian programs and music. Or if you're not in Vancouver, listen to it live at cjsf.ca. (I think podcasts are also supposed to be created for the program, but don't quote me on that).

Anyway, here's a favorite song of mine from Tori Amos, just for the hell of it!

Title: Crucify, By: Tori Amos

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random stuff

So, I did finish "the Kite Runner"... the story was very captivating, and I enjoyed finding familiar stuff in Afghan world. kind of made me realize I didn't know much about Afghanistan after all! anyway, definitely recommend it, you don't need to be a hard-core fiction lover to enjoy this book. Maybe I'll wait a while before watching the movie though.

I also watched Santoori, the latest film by Darius Mehrjooee and I gotta say I was a bit disappointed. It definitely does not measure up to his previous films. I thought the acting was mainly ok, didn't like the soundtrack though, which is a shame since the movie is kind of about music. All on all, don't beat yourself up if you don't get a chance to watch it!

Still not feeling too excited about anything, this is just the freakin' cold I guess... I can't imagine living in a place that has a few months of winter as cold as this!!

Well, to wrap up(!!!) here's a song from Laleh Pourkarim I've been listening to a lot lately. She's got some really good songs, but this is the only one I own right now! enjoy!

Title: Live Tomorrow, By: Laleh

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The state of minimum energy...

That's where I'm stuck these days I think. Can't post anything here for some unknown reason!... have been mostly busy with school and, in my free time, reading "the kite runner" (I know, it's a shame I'm reading it this late), and learning how to swim (well, I think it's also a shame that I can't already swim!).

Anyway, one good thing is that Bahman is in Vancouver and it's always great catching up with friends! Also, LOST will be back on next week! :)

So I just wait until the muse strikes me again to write something here... you never know, I may always watch a good movie to write about!

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forgive, but not forget

... that's the way you should act I guess. But sometimes for me it is the opposite! I forget and think that I forgive, but then at some point I realize I am still angry or sad about whatever that had happened... it probably makes me a weak person, and I'm not sure what I can do about it!

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Go Hillary ...

yay! just wanted to show my happiness... not much to write really!

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But we can still be friends

...if only I had a penny for every time someone told me this!

and just for the record, it hardly ever works.

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The cheese to my macoroni...

I went and watched my first 2008 movie and it was probably the best I could pick! Juno is the sweetest movie you can possibly make about teenage pregnancy. The story is so simple you wonder how such a great movie could be made out of it! It's full of indie songs that really help the independent feel of the movie and I absolutely love the lead actress... also, the dialogs are very funny and sometimes really sweet too. I think I need to watch it again to understand all the high school slangs that were being thrown around. Definitely watch it! Here's a song from the soundtrack:

" ...I had a dream that I had to drive to Madison
To deliver a painting for some silly reason
I took a wrong turn and ended up in Michigan
Paul Baribeau took me to the giant tire swing..."

Title: Tire Swing, By: Kimya Dawson

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4 years, 3 months, and 28 days

... that's how long it took me to become a permanent resident in another country! As of yesterday, I am officially an immigrant. Not sure if I'm supposed to be happy or sad!!! (don't get me wrong though, I totally appreciate the fact that my whole existence in Canada no longer expires every 12 months!!!)

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Drama, drama, drama

I think December is really not my month! I'm done fighting. Guess you can't have everything you want! And life goes on, regardless of all this.

Title: Lost Cause, By: Beck

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and Saba prevails...

:) thanks everyone for your positive thoughts, it worked! also Somayeh, you can have any positive thoughts sent to me after 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time! :)

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It's getting closer!

Dear readers, lo and behold that my exam is finally close enough for me to completely ignore it! It's tomorrow and there's nothing I can do right now except sit and wait! Positive thoughts are welcome!

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You just want me to say what you want me to say

With my comprehensive exam coming up in four days (yikes!), I had to go back to my late night movie routine, so I went and watched "I'm not there" and truly enjoyed it! I've already written about other movies I've seen about Bob Dylan's life and career. This one though, was different. It's not a documentary, not even a real biography. Todd Haynes has made this amazing mix of different story lines, each inspired by "music and many lives of Bob Dylan"... If you know Dylan, his songs, and some important turning points in his musical and personal life, you'll immensely enjoy this film. Otherwise you might end up all confused and frustrated after watching a long movie about some crazy characters. I definitely recommend watching "no direction home" before going to see this movie.

I can write about each and every character in the movie, but it will be too long and you gotta watch the movie for yourself anyway. I just have to say that Cate Blanchett's performance was FREAKIN' AWESOME...

Soundtrack is great too, of course! (Duh!!!) The soundtrack that's out in the stores has all cover songs of Dylan performed by other artists. In the movie though, most songs are originals. Here's a favorite song of mine and many others.

On a side note: DO NOT, under any circumstances, watch August Rush! terrible movie!

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On the radio, you hear "November Rain"...

Regina Spektor is my new favorite artist (thanks to Payv and JJ who introduced her to me)... she's got this unique style in singing which you probably either really like or just hate! So here's a sample for you! (I think this is one of her better songs).

"...This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't..."

Title: On the radio, By: Regina Spektor

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Today's recipe: garlic prawns with nightmare

So yeah, yesterday I - the girl who hated most seafood not that long ago - bought a big bag of prawns to make some garlic prawns for dinner. But of course, universe has a funny way of reminding you of your fears... I took a nap in the afternoon and guess what?! I had a nightmare in which all the little prawns had grown little lizard-like legs and were crawling all over me! urrrrrrgh! still can't think about it! anyway, I did make that dinner eventually, just to get back at them, of course... but I wonder if I will ever buy lobster to make a meal!!!

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successful relationships?!

The notion of successful relationships came up a while ago when a friend of mine said he didn't want another unsuccessful relationship, so he would prefer not to start dating again. It was very interesting to hear that, because I'm not sure what a successful relationship is supposed to be like! Is it marriage that validates a relationship?

I never thought a relationship should necessarily end in marriage... If someone's first relationship happens to be their one and only relationship, I just call it pure luck! It's very strange to me when people assume that a break up is a failure... of course it's hard and painful, but if during the course of that relationship the partners have learned from each other, then who can say it was not successful? If they felt the affection, and enjoyed their time together, then how could it be a failure?!

I don't think we can afford to miss out on all the great things we can learn from someone, just because that someone might not be the "one"! who's to say we'll ever meet the "one" anyway?

(disclaimer: I don't say that we should lower our standards and hook up randomly with anyone...you know what I mean!)

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You've got such a pretty smile...

...it's a shame the things you hide behind it
Let 'em go, give it up, for a while
Let 'em free and we will both go find it

(one of my favorite songs ever!)

Title: I know, By: Jude

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new addicition: last.fm

I'm absolutely in love with last.fm, an online radio (similar to Pandora, which now only people in the States can listen to). It's one of those radios that learn about your music taste through the songs you listen to (online or on your computer) and then recommends songs/artists/videos/ etc. to you... also you can skip any song you don't like and there's no advertisements! it's just perfect! ... tune in and enjoy!

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should you ask a guy out?

I consider myself a feminist or a feminist-to-be at least. I know this is not exactly the most important issue women are facing today (!), but I've always thought it's ridiculous that girls should have to wait for guys to ask them out... but I've asked two guys out in my whole life, both with no luck! so I know how it feels to be turned down, even if you get over it after a few hours, which makes me admire guys' courage for asking girls out left and right! So the question is: should we just leave it to guys to ask and be turned down? or should we step up and face the occasional rejection in exchange for the liberty of asking out the people we like?!

PS- comments that make fun of me will be deleted! :D I'm a very open-minded person too, did I ever mention that before?

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remember, remember, the fifth of November

...can't beleive a year has passed by so quickly. I still remember, do you?

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living toys

as a kid, whenever you get a new toy, every moment is full of joy and happiness. You constantly look at it, can't wait for play time so you can go play with it. It doesn't take long for the toy to seem less special though, and then it's time for you to want to peek inside it and see how it works, throw it around, and test its strength against the other toys. eventually you'll end up damaging it so bad that it no longer functions ... you get tired and the poor thing is buried somewhere in your memories.

It's almost the same story with new people in life... they all seem so shiny at the beginning, you enjoy their company, but it takes merely a few weeks for you to grow tired... then it's time to push them to extremes and see how well they survive! those who stick around may have a chance to actually get close to you... others are forgotten, as easily as they once entered your life.

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No more Tv-links!

One of my favorite websites, tv-links.co.uk, has been brought down by Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT)and the owner has been arrested and is being held in jail for now. I think it's absolutely retarded! There is a petition going on, if you were a regular like me.

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kitchen malfunction

hmmm, Guacamole omelet: disgusting, especially if you've messed up the eggs so they're not all cooked, arrrgh!

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More from VIFF

This'll be my last VIFF post, hopefully. Unless I go watch a movie tomorrow, of course! :)

I watched a few good movies in only two days and I'm all excited, my head still filled with images from the last one I watched only a few hours ago, Bliss. It was a Turkish movie about a young village girl that gets raped. Village's "Agha" decides that she has sinned and only death will erase this dishonor (you can imagine how I felt throughout the movie I guess!). So they send a guy to kill her and he's not happy about it and the two disappear. It was filmed so beautifully, with amazing scenery, and great acting from the lead actress (she was so cute!) that I was shocked! I think that this movie must be a commercially successful one in Turkey, not one of those artsy independent ones. Anyway, it's screened again next Monday in Vancity theater in Vancouver, if anyone's interested. I liked the movements of the camera in the movie and also the score, it was so sad that I cried at the final credits, even though nothing was showing on the screen! (I'm a woos when it comes to the movies though!)

I also watched Persepolis...need I say anything? It was all I expected and more! I thought the book was pretty awesome, but seeing those figures in action was a totally different experience and I absolutely loved it. Eevery Iranian that has a chance should watch it and feel proud (and force their non-Iranian friends to watch it too!) :) Reading the two books will help too.

Another superb movie was "the diving bell and the butterfly"... it told the true story of a man that got affected by the "locked-in syndrome"... so basically, he was paralyzed from head to toe, and the only part working in his body was one eye! (and his brain, of course). And then this guy went on and wrote a book (!!!)- through a very cool communicating system that one of his doctors created - about his experience. It was greatly made, and felt really strange. It has won the best director award in Cannes, so it should be pretty easy to find on DVD later on, a must see for all you movie fans out there!

And finally, a relatively good movie - but not great - was Jellyfish, a movie from Israel. It's the first feature film from the director and it was definitely a good first movie. I didn't exactly love it though!

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I do not defend my president, but...

I came across this article through sibil tala's blog and thought it had some great points in it about the famous homosexual-related comments of Iran's president in Columbia University.

"...At the risk of being accused of defending him, I want to point out that Ahmadinejad did not say that queers do not exist in Iran at all. He said “we do not have ‘hamjensbaaz’ the way that you have it in this country.”
...It is no news to anyone that he represents one of the most socially conservative officials in Iran. But he is correct to say that homosexuals do not exist THE SAME WAY that they exist in the US."

I think it is the realization of the term "tof e sar bala" when I have to defend a man that represents almost everything that I hate about the way my country is run today, but well, can't just stand there and nod while people make jokes about Iran.

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A dream-like movie

You're gonna have to cope with my movie posts until the festival ends. Last night I went to watch "en la ciudad de Sylvia"(in the city of Sylvia) and "Unas fotos en la ciudad del Sylvia" (photos in the city of Sylvia) , two back to back movies from Spanish director, Jose Luis Guerin.

"en la ciudad..." shows us this young man (super good looking!) that sits in a street cafe and watches women. We don't know why (and we won't find out for a long time).. but that's not the point. The way he looks at these women and makes sketches in his notebook is what's interesting. The way he notices little things and movements. Then he starts following this one woman and the chasing scene is just absolutely beautiful... I can't describe it, you have to watch it for yourself.

The movie felt like a dream... it had an amazing quality to it... for one thing there was almost no dialog in it... there were a lot of different sounds though (and they did a superb job of sound recording and editing I thought), you could hear the wind, the street musicians, people walking and talking, everything. But what blew my mind was the imagery... every frame could be a perfect photo... the camera shot each location from many different angles... of course, it really helped that the movie was shot in Strasbourg, the old streets and buildings introduced so much character into the movie.

the second movie, that was screening for the first time, was actually a slide show of these old photos that the director had taken in Strasbourg before making the film and had used to get ideas. You could instantly see how he had translated the images into the movie and if you enjoy photography, you'll enjoy this slide show as well. It is absolutely silent though, I could hear the theater seats creaking and people whispering and all!

The movie had a very simple plot, and according to what the director said at the screening, he intended for the viewers to enjoy this simplicity. I know I did.

Here's a very short clip from the movie:

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free woman and modern life

So today, on an impulse, I went to watch a documentary in the Vancouver International Film Festival. It was called "Flying: confessions of a free woman". It's actually a six hour documentary that is split in two and there are two 3 hour shows. I only watched the first part tonight and hopefully will get a chance to see the second part next week.

This movie totally made up for the bad weekend! It's kind of interesting that both "10 + 4" and "flying..." were documentaries about the life of the director, filmed by handheld cameras, and still the latter was so much more dynamic, interesting, and enjoyable. The movie has this interesting style of "passing the camera around".

So basically all through the movie, Jennifer Fox (the director) and her friends film each other while talking about relationships, traditions, sexuality, freedom, and lives of modern women. You can relate to so much of what's being said, and the interesting point is that the interviews are with women from all over the world: USA, Europe, South Africa, and India. It's amazing how similar the issues are for the so-called modern women, women that are educated, have careers and are not following the paths of their mothers. It kind of makes you rethink what is "natural" and what is not. Why do all these traditions haunt us although we keep telling ourselves we're free? Just like in day to day lives of women, you see anything in this movie from pregnancy to infertility, from marriage to divorce, cancer to brain tumor, and so on, and that's why it feels so real.

I can write pages and pages about "Flying...", but you should watch it for yourself. I know that it has been sold to some TV channels (like BBC, Arte, and so on) and it'll also be out on DVD next spring. I encourage everyone to watch it, man or woman. In fact, in the Q & A session after the movie, a man (Iranian, I guessed from his accent) made a pretty long speech just to thank Jennifer Fox for the sacrifices she has made in her personal life to make this movie.

Here's the movie's website: www.flyingconfessions.com check it out!

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Bad weekend at the movies!

So I had some bad luck with the movies this weekend. First, I went to watch In the valley of Elah, and was totally disappointed! I don't understand why I need to feel sorry for a soldier that runs an Iraqi child over! Poor American guy, he must have suffered a lot, not being able to sleep at night! And then, what's with the pride at the end of the movie? so, let's hang our flag high up and send more troops to kill more people?! anyway, wait for the dvd so you can fast forward!

Then there was the VIFF which I was so excited about. My first movie was today at 12:00, but guess what? I slept in and missed that! I was soooo pissed off! I almost decided against watching the next movie but then changed my mind, and now I kind of wish that I had not! 10 + 4 was not even one step further from Mania Akbari's previous movie and although I admire her courage and strength in the fight against cancer, I didn't enjoy the movie at all!

So here I am, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, bitching about my movie experience! sorry! I have been busy with my research and my committee meeting is approaching fast, a bit stressed out here!

PS - I did enjoy Kiosk's concert very much though. They were awesome, even if the sound system wasn't!

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نه!

یه نگاهی بندازید و پرسشنامه رو پر کنید... چند دقیقه بیشتر وقت نمی بره.

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My journalist cousin!

This is my cousin's weblog... she's a very strong and committed journalist that acts on her beliefs and never compromises what she thinks is right. She's been recently banned from all events related to the department of justice in Iran! But I know this won't stop her from doing what she loves. Good luck Sanaz.

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حمایت از خانواده چی می گه؟

خوب اینم از لایحه جدید برای حمایت از خانواده! پررویی هم حدی داره دیگه! بابا این که اسمشو هر چی میشه گذاشت غیر از "حمایت از خانواده"...

گزارش محبوبه حسین زاده رو توی سایت تغییر برای برابری بخونید:

" ... مساله مهم دیگر تجویز ازدواج مجدد است که در حال حاضر این ازدواج باید با اجازه همسر اول باشد و در قانون، مجازات کیفری هم برای از دواج مجدد بدون اجازه همسر در نظر گرفته شده بود اما در این لایحه ازدواج مجدد مردان با اجازه دادگاه و منوط به تمکن مالی مرد و تشخیص دادگاه در برقراری عدالت توسط مرد صورت می گیرد. کدام مردی در دنیا پیدا می شود که ازدواج دوم انجام دهد و ادعا کند که همسر اول را به اندازه همسر دوم دوست دارد..."

"... درصد زنان شاغل در كشورما فوق العاده پايين است و بقيه كار نمي كنند و آناني كه كار مي كنند درآمدشان كفاف زندگي در حد استاندارد را نمي دهد بنابراين زنان مجبور مي شوند شوهر پيدا كنند. حتي بسياري از زنان مشكلات را تحمل مي كنند به خاطر اين كه اگر طلاق بگيرند و فرزند هم داشته باشند، مشكلات مالي شان بيشتر مي شود. در اين شرايط دولت، دو متغیر برهم زننده خانواده؛ یعنی ازدواج موقت و ازدواج مجدد، را مطرح می کند باعث می شود که در واقع عنصر خیانت را در خانواده به صورت شرعی وارد می کند و می گوید شما می توانید به همسران تان خیانت کنید و من اين را هيچ جاي دنيا نديدم. از این شرایط قدرتمندان جامعه یعنی مردان نفع می برند و اما برنده دیگر دولت است چون یک وظیفه دولت طبق قانون اساسي این است که به وضعیت آحاد مردم رسیدگی کند. دولت ما به جاي اين كه در مورد زنان مطلقه، بيوه و ...فكري كند مساله مردان را بر دوش زنان مي اندازد و به جاي اين كه كاري براي زنان فراهم كند آنان را سوق مي دهد به سمت ازدواج موقت و ازدواج مجدد. و در اين حال مردان را با يك سري امتيازهاي ظاهری وادار مي كند كه خرج زنان را بدهند..."

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and another one

don't miss 2 days in Paris if you have the chance. It's one of those unexpectedly well-made funny movies, a very good movie from a first time director. Julie Delpy, who's also the director, plays the role of a French woman that brings her American boyfriend to Paris to meet her family and see the city. Obviously, the movie is about the clash of cultures and although Delpy is French herself, sometimes it feels that things are a bit exaggerated. It's funny anyway and I definitely recommend it.

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Movies

I don't know why I always pick the crappiest movies to watch in the theater... I went to watch this independent Canadian movie the other night and was utterly disappointed! A stone's throw tells the story of this photographer that goes to visit his sister in Nova Scotia. He is a weird kind of environmentalist and is against the building of a mine near his sister's house. Little by little the story unfolds to show how he can go to extremes to "protect" the environment. Anyway, for one thing the movie felt like a class on "how to save the environment"... it was boring at times, and the acting wasn't the greatest... music was ok, and I thought the cinematography was cool too. But i can hardly recommend it to anyone!

I rented thank you for smoking though and absolutely loved it. Smart and funny at the same time with an amazing soundtrack. It really makes you rethink your notions of liberty and personal choice.

Finally, I watched the pursuit of happyness and liked it. It was well written and well made and all, but wasn't as strong as I had expected. Made you wanna make more money though!

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Job opening advertisement

Are you incompetent beyond imagination?

Are you incapable of figuring out your day to day affairs?

Are you having trouble using a computer?

Do you find it hard to understand people when they explain a simple situation to you?

Is English your second language and you have a heavy accent that no one can understand?

Then we've got the perfect position for you!

Join our customer service department and help people figure out the problems with their phone bill, cable service and high speed internet!

Note - No resume required, just prove that you can drive a person mad by just talking to them on the phone.

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sometimes you wonder

what is it that got lost? how things change so dramatically that you can't even remember how you felt only a year ago.

I honestly don't remember anymore.

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just a note

Check out Waiter Rant for quite interesting posts from a now ex-waiter in New York. I've been reading his blog for a LONG time and it's just amazing. He has stopped waiting tables and is in the process of publishing a book from his experiences. Most of you might have already known his blog, but I thought I'd mention him anyway!

Also, Parastoo has written something on Chevening scholarship for studying in the UK. Check it out!

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Four years

... that's how long it has been. Same number of years I spent in college back home, meeting new people, making friends, learning about life, traveling, falling in and out of love... and here I am, four years after leaving, and when I look back it seems like I just re-did that whole process! I guess that's what life is all about anyway.

Now back to the movies, I watched El Cantante tonight. Just an average movie, you know, the typical musician biography movie, and not very well made. But if you're a Salsa lover, you'll at least like the soundtrack!!! The movie is about the life of Hector Lavoe, who is the guy that brought Salsa to the States. And well, let's just say he makes Johnny cash and Ray Charles look like saints (well, maybe that's over exaggerating, but you get the picture)!!! J Lo, of course, had to be the main focus of the movie! She is a delight just to watch though, however terrible her acting is!!!

Title: El Cantante, By: Marc Anthony

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Back to movies and more

I watched the Bourne ultimatum tonight and liked it for the most part. This was the third movie in the Bourne series and I thought it was better than the second one, but still not as good as the first movie. I'm a sucker for spy movies though, so I'm a little biased!

Although, I admit that most people in this movie are unbelievably invincible and don't get hurt after car crashes and fights! But well, it's Hollywood! If you've liked the other two movies, you'll like this one too.

I'm also listening to Harry Potter audio books, read by Jim Dale, and I'm absolutely loving it. He makes characters come alive with all the different accents he imitates and I'm reliving the experience! I'm a geek, I know!

Title: Extreme Ways, By: Moby

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After seven years of driving

...I can now confidently say: "Parallel parking, checked!"

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it's just a tiny word under your profile picture,

...but somehow that's all people can see. You are defined by it, as if you don't exist if you're not in some way associated with another being. Sad, isn't it?

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blah blah blah

why is everyone getting married? I know It's great and everything, and I'm happy for all my married friends, but it just means that a) I'm missing out on all the weddings, and b) being single is rapidly becoming uncool!

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Marking Scheme!

- so...why did I get an 85 in this course?

- well... I gave 78 to all undergrads and 85 to all grad students!

hmmm, yeah, right!

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Done...and done!

Almost 18 hours of reading and I've reached the end of my adventures with Harry Potter (spoiler alert: don't open the link if you're planning to read the book)... and yes, I cried some during the last two hours or so!! There will be no more of it... an appropriate ending for a great story. Down with the Dark Lord and stuff...

Now, with no more Harry Potter battles to come, all I'm looking forward to is (hopefully) an awesome performance by Miss Dolores O'Riordan tomorrow night!

Title: Ordinary day, By: Dolores O'Riordan

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scientific whining

Just look for yourself:


And here's the forecast for you:


And well, this is me:

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It's rainy and I'm bored

... so be good and don't be picky on my posts. I honestly can only think of bulleted posts... maybe it's a sign that I've been away from scientific writing for too long and I actually miss it?! Oh God, I hope not!

- someone tell me please, is it July or is it not? because, I think there has been a mistake... it's freaking raining in Vancouver and I had to put on a hoody to go to school today! isn't July usually hot in the Northern hemisphere? I really want to go on and on, nagging about the weather, but what's the use? you're either here and are suffering like me, or not here and are already bored by this paragraph! Let me just say this: all of you guys that I've been inviting for so long (you know who you are!), just forget about it, right at this moment Vancouver sucks!!! :(

- I watched blood diamond finally... excellent movie, although I didn't exactly see the hero in Danny Archer!

- every single person I've met since I've been back has commented on my hair... my friends, office mates, advisor, group administrator... I even had two random girls shouting at me in the department stairways to tell me how great my hair looks! yay! something to be happy over I guess! I actually think it's mostly the shock of seeing me with basically no hair, after getting used to that fuzzy curly mass of hair who used to walk around in the corridors! (photo: courtesy of Aydin, shot without even looking, obviously!)

- self-tanning is hard... like, really hard! If only we had real sun...

- I spent half an hour today, wondering if I'll be the maid of honor if my friend gets married... and she's not getting married in the near future! What do you think it means if you're actually daydreaming about someone else's wedding? hmmm...

- I'm missing the good TV series, why do they have to have the worst programs in summer?

- can I be more whiny? I don't think so. I'll just zip it for now.

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More listed stuff

13. so on the way from Vancouver to London, there was this old man sitting next to me who knew not a single word of English. So he would move his hands and make faces and I would understand him and tell the stewardess what he needed. His knees hurt really bad and that's why he didn't let me sleep for even 30 minutes before poking me to ask for painkillers or this or that. anyway, 9:30 hours passed like this. This girl passed me by and I knew her and started talking to her in Farsi. Guess what? the old man was Pakistani and he actually had lived in Iran for many years so he spoke very good Farsi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I never knew... all those hours of trying... well, I guess the worst part was when he realized he could guide me to salvation by telling me not to drink wine!

14. Of course, on the way back I had to sit next to another 70 year old man for 10 hours and well, he started by telling me that I looked 16 because I didn't have big breasts (can you beleive this?! that old bastard!) ... and then told me I needed to get married (!!!) and that he got married twice because he liked s e x!!! have everyone gone mad or is it just the people who get to sit next to me on the plane? I slept after an hour and kept myself asleep by taking motion sickness pills so he wouldn't start talking to me again!

15. I have pre-purchased the new Harry Potter book and can't wait for Saturday!!! yay!

I will think of a real post for next time, promise!

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So I'm back

I finally decided to blog! It's pretty hard after you stop for a while...

1. I had the greatest time back home if you ignore the fact that my suitcase got lost on the way there, and took two weeks to get found! Since all my shoes (favorite ones too) and pants were in that suitcase, I spent two weeks without any shoes or pants! God bless same-size sisters :)

2. Nothing is better than having original Kaleh-Pache or Dizy in the right place and with the right people.

3. Never go to Iran during the exams period. No one will give a damn how long you've been away; those tests have to be written!

4. I started and finished His dark materials series by Philip Pullman on my trip. I think it's great that he introduces this awesome practical strong female character into the fantasy world. The movie is coming out in December and I for one will go watch it as soon as it is screened. I'm still a big Potter fan though!

5. Dubai must have degraded by like a million percent since the last time I've been there; I definitely won't recommend it to anyone, at least not the old part of Dubai where everyone used to go. Explore new areas if you decide to go.

6. One Iranian movie never to watch: Parkway
One Iranian movie to maybe watch if you have time: neghaab
I missed out on Khoonbaazi, and Santoori wasn't out yet. Those two should have been good movies.

7. Heathrow is as crazy as you can imagine an airport to be... avoid it at all costs!

8. London is the coolest city ever (I'm exaggerating, of course!) ... especially if you have cool friends like Bahman and Aydin to make sure you see everywhere in only three days!

9. Harry Potter and Order of The Phoenix is exactly what you expect, a Hollywood movie, not badly made but not a masterpiece either... lots of side stories were cut out but there's really no other way to make the movie I guess... you'll like it if you're a Potter fan, but not nearly as much as you liked the book.

10. I discovered Rana Frahan in Iran, she is this Iranian Blues singer who lives in New York... I think she's awesome.

11. I missed Vancouver while I was away, and well it's a pretty hard city not to miss... but honestly, nowhere feels like home without your family next to you.

12. I know this was not a real post, but I'm jet lagged and a bit homesick still... give me a break.

Title: Drunk in love, By: Rana Frahan

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Vacation

I'm going back home today. You guys enjoy your June... will write when I get back :) And here's some Jazz for you:

Title: No more blues, By: Lils Mackintosh

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CD shopping

This whole week, I was looking for Alizadeh's new album (Ode to flowers) to buy. The only website that had it for sale was this CD Baby (i know!) website. Obviously , it was not very cheap and the shipping cost was ridiculous (I needed the fast shipping)... but well, I had no other choice so I bought it while cursing them non-stop. They sent me an email today that totally made up for their price and terrible use of colors in their website:

"...Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Friday, May 25th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Sigh..."

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This is probably what you're thinking:

"I have been busy with work and women, i just didn't have the time to call her. Surely she'll understand."

Well, just so you know: I won't.

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I really thought it was supposed to be summer!

But looks like Vancouver is on a different weather schedule or something. Anyway, in these rainy days, this music manages to make me feel better, as always:

Title: Vianne sets up shop (from Chocolate OST), By: Rachel Portman

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Hey, wait a second!

so you mean the world is NOT revolving around me?!!!

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I just did this test...

and guess what my mood is! Yeap, it's not rocket science my friends: apparently, I'm a dreamer! way to go Imagini!
(try the test. just pick the photo that, to you, will complete the sentence on top of each page, it's a fun way to waste 5 minutes of your life!)

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If I was a super hero

... my super power would be sending emails, like, indefinitely! It has been shown that I can spent a few workdays in a row just sending emails. Not sure if it would be a helpful power to save the world or anything, though!

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Industrial tour?! ... yeah, right!

I don't exactly call a trip to Okanagan valley an industrial tour, especially when it includes staying in a super luxurious hotel, shopping and a winery tour. But well, when it's all paid for, who am I to judge, eh?!
I kind of wish though, that I had not agreed to go jump in the lake after the dark with a few other people - including professors and such. Don't think the pictures are gonna be exactly pretty!

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When i grow up...

I'm going to have a job that allows me to travel, A LOT. I'll have time to watch movies all the time, and read books that people recommend, and will never have to work on weekends. I'll have 4 weeks of paid vacation, and as many sick days as I like.

I will meet this guy who's kind, and understanding, and funny, and into movies, and maybe even books. He'll drive when I drink, will carry my shopping bags, will be a feminist, will listen to the songs I pick, will laugh at my jokes, will share his thoughts with me, will talk to me, and won't expect me to talk back all the time. He won't think it's funny that I'm into TV, and won't get annoyed when I photograph him all the time. He'll be in love with me.

I will have a kid, a girl. She'll be nerdy and a bookworm, will wear glasses, and won't talk much. She'll be smart, with curly hair. She'll grow up to be much better than me. She'll love me anyway.

I will live in a crowded city, with my friends living close by. I will take the subway home, while listening to my ipod and watching people. My city will have all four seasons, a little bit more fall than winter though.

I will be everything I've always wanted to be, I'll be happy.

I can't wait to grow up.

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New addiction:

Heroes. Great series if you're into super powers!

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You know what they say...

... a drunken phone call is better than no phone call at all! So please drink and call more often!

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