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.

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

kitchen malfunction

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

Read the rest...

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!

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

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:

Read the rest...

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!

Read the rest...

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!

Read the rest...

نه!

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

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

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..."

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

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!

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

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.

Read the rest...

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!

Read the rest...

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

Read the rest...

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

Read the rest...

After seven years of driving

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

Read the rest...

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?

Read the rest...