1) get up early and take the car for regular service
2) have awesome tea in a specialty tea store and read a while
3) buy a few pots and a big bag of potting mix and spend all afternoon re-potting plants
4) and finally, have a glass of wine, grill a frozen pizza, and watch Michael Jackson in concert on TV!!!!
I bet you all wish you were that cool, don't you?!
having the great experience of watching six feet under previously from HBO, I was really excited about watching " True Blood", despite its vampire-falls-in-love-with-mortal-girl plot which inevitably reminds one of "twilight" (may all existing copies burn in a sudden and selective fire accident). Unfortunately I was disappointed!
Actually, the beginning of the series is pretty strong, The starting credits are just awesome with a song that goes really well with the images. And then you meet a few of the characters and it all seems very interesting. it's not until the third or fourth episode that you kind of realize that it's not really that well-made, and actings are not the best they could be and that some characters are constantly on your nerve. and in my case it took me six episodes to realize I don't want to watch this anymore. I might be tempted to follow the story though, just because I'm an addict like that and have to know what happens in the end. maybe I'll just read wikipedia! Anyway, it's a shame!
Here's the starting song by the way:
Remember a few months ago when i was reading Jane Austen novels? For some reason, I just keep getting drawn to them again. Last week I started listening to the an audiobook of "Sense and Sensibility"... of course the whole thing was triggered by me turning on the TV one day to find the 1995 movie adaptation of the book showing on a channel. I realized I had forgotten the details of the story (surprising after so many times of reading it!!!) and would like a review. In order to avoid having to read a 5.0 kg book in bed (I have all of Austen novels in one giant binding), I decided to listen to the audiobook and it was such a great decision. I picked the version read by Nadia May, and absolutely loved it. She made me realize how to read the super long sentences in Austen's novels and make sense of what's going on in the dialogues.
I also think that after reading her novels time and time again, I am finally beginning to see the comedy in them, and find myself laughing quite often, which was not the case before! So yeah, another round of Austen novels in audio is probably on the way! :)
...today, for the first time ever, I got to experience real customer service from Apple Canada's support staff. It took a long time alright, but after hanging up the phone everything I wanted was taken care of without me needing to do much other than giving them the serial number of my phone! It probably should be an everyday experience with customer support staff, but well, unfortunately for me that doesn't seem to be the case.
anyway, I just thought I should publicly announce my gratefulness!
My mind has been a bit unwell these past few weeks for a number of reasons. So I have been frequently forgetting stuff, misplacing things, and unable to focus on anything important. But the highlight of this constant confusion came last week when I went to a food place on campus to order a burger:
I ordered my food and paid, then the cashier lady gave me a piece of paper with the number three on it:
Of course, I'm looking at it from the other side of the counter, so what I see looks like this:
(if you're not Iranian, that's how number four is written in Farsi). So then I , using my brilliant mind, thought to myself: "this is very confusing!" and then actually asked the lady:" Is this a three or a four?!"!!!!! of course as I was saying it, it occurred to me how stupid my question was, but too late! ... the poor woman looked at me like she was looking at a retarded kid, and then very slowly said :"I think it's a three."... I was embarrassed beyond measures! and my friend almost peed himself laughing at me! [sigh]
One month and a few romantic comedies after my last post, here I am! If you're following the news on Iran you understand why it's hard to find the inspiration to blog these days, and if you aren't then you probably think i'm a lazy good-for-nothing blogger! either way, here's what I got to watch in the past few weeks. 
The proposal: I lost my interest in Sandra Bullock movies a few years ago and the only reason i went to watch this movie was because it was a girls night out. Surprisingly though, it was an O.K. chick flick. at least it was funny! I liked the ending credits the best where there was a weird questioning session going on between the immigration officer and random characters. I wouldn't recommend watching it in the theaters, wait for the DVD.
A break from romantic comedies came with Harry Potter and the half-blood prince: At last, the movie I've been waiting for since 2007 came to theaters! As a big HP fan, I have long lost my faith in a good movie adoption, the movies so far have been average at best compared to the books. This book especially was one of my favorites in the series, since it revealed a lot of history on Voldemort and of course you had the terrible ending and all! So I went in the theater expecting an average movie as a separate entity from the book, and that's why I wasn't disappointed. If you compare it with previous movies, it is as good as the last one, and I also liked some of the locations like the cave where the locket was hidden. Anyway, don't have high expectations, but go watch it in the theater if you can, you'll want the whole package to enjoy the sound and the special effects.
I love you, man: do I really need to write anything about this? It was a romantic comedy that I think guys would enjoy a bit more than girls! It was funny, but not all the time. I didn't find any hysterical funny scene in it (unlike Hangover), but that might be just me! definitely wait for the DVD, or even download it!
and last but definitely not least (500) days of Summer: one of the sweetest, most honest romantic comedies I have seen in years. It was so simple and light, but true at the same time. Anyone who's ever been in a one-sided relationship will relate to this movie 100%. The soundtrack was AMAZING and the cinematic tricks were also smart and well-used. The movie tells the story of a guy who falls for a girl that doesn't believe in relationships, and as cheesy as it may seem to you in text, I guarantee you'll enjoy it whether you're a guy or a girl. I don't think Zooey Deschanel is the prettiest of girls in her photos, but on screen she's just adorable!
... KCRW radio. A couple of my friends from the States told me about it and surprisingly you can listen to it in Canada, for now at least! it's just an online radio, not one of those databases that learns your taste in music. But I like their songs, mostly! and anyway, they've got a "today's top tune" feature which is basically a song they'll let you download for free. Just thought you might wanna give it a try at some point, especially if there is a big musical whole in your life after last.fm went all commercial!
by the way, it's official: my ipod is dead. A memorial service to follow shortly. :(
there's always a place to find happiness even when things are not going so great. So although things are looking ugly in Iran, I had a chance to celebrate a happy occasion: my best friend from high school got married today (hmmm, technically it was yesterday!). The whole ceremony was just beautiful and the partying was of course really serious since i'm sitting here blogging at 4:00 a.m.!!!
a few pointers for you bridesmaids though:
1) always bring an extra pair of shoes that don't make you wanna jump of a cliff just to get rid of the pain in your feet!
2) watch out for champagne over consumption!
3) do not lose the bride's purse at 3:30 a.m. and then call her to ask if she's in fact got it!
4) do not mention x-boyfriends in your speech!!! it's just awkward!
5) do not get too friendly with the groomsmen, they're all married already.
6)and last but not least: DO NOT, under any circumstance, think for a second that you can get a group of more than 4 Iranians to listen to you and follow a fixed plan!!
This was a great weekend at the movies for me! I watched two movies, very different but equally entertaining: UP and the Hangover.
UP was the sweetest animation ever about an old man in pursuit of a childhood dream. It wasn't all funny moments, especially in the beginning I found it even a little sad. It kind of made you think about what you thought you were "going to do" when you grew up, and if you ever really got around to doing it. But anyway, I loved every moment of it and it didn't hurt that the whole thing was in 3-D. I definitely recommend watching UP in theaters if you can.
-by the way, the short pixar animation before the movie (Partly Cloudy) was absolutely the best! they just come up with the best ideas.
The Hangover of course was a totally different story! I laughed through the whole movie, and I'm not exaggerating. The movie had cheap jokes, I know, and was very sexist and sometimes even racist and homophobic, so if I wanted to consider it from a social perspective there was absolutely nothing you learned from it and it was actually kind of anti-educational!!! However, as just a movie it was HILARIOUS! I had zero expectations when i went into the theater, looking forward to have a few laughs to cheer myself up and it turned out that I had a lot more fun than what i thought. No need to watch this in the theater though, you can wait and enjoy it on DVD with your close friends, no family and please no children!!!
when you have to email the person in the office next to you to get an appointment for a 10 minute conversation! (and yes, you have tried walking in to ask him in person and it didn't work!)[sigh]
Read the rest...
"It is astonishing just how much of what we are can be tied to the beds we wake up in in the morning, and it is astonishing how fragile that can be." - Neil Gaiman
I'm listening to "Coraline" audio book by Neil Gaiman these days and it's kind of creepy! I'm liking it though. Probably I'll watch the movie too. So far, it sounds like exactly the kind of story Tim Burton would wanna make into a movie!
I'm also reading "the book of vice" on the side. It's pretty interesting actually, although sometimes I forget the point of the book! maybe I'll figure things out in the last chapter. It's a book on "naughty" behavior of people and possible reasons behind it. There are chapters on lying, s e x, consumption, gambling, etc. Anyway, it's the kind of book that you never think of buying for yourself but is actually a very interesting and smooth read.
update - Ok, I finished Coraline and it was the most scary kids story I have ever read! and I can't believe that Tim Burton had nothing to do with the movie! It looks like exactly his kind of stuff!
I appreciate all the little things that have changed, you can be sure of that.
It's amazing how things feel different just by looking at them from a different angel.
it's like they say: "context is decisive".
well, you can say that again!
Have you ever paused to think, for a second only, that what you think may not be the whole "truth". That you may - as impossible as it seems - be wrong?! that I am much more than you think, and you are too. Have you?
Read the rest...another favorite thing ruined: Last.fm now charges you if you're outside the UK, Germany, or the US! Oh Canada, why should you always be on the lame side?!
Read the rest...
... Following Adam Lambert on American Idol. Ashamed of it, but still very much interested in the outcome!
... and knowing you're not gonna have it. One of those feelings I absolutely hate, and am powerless against. I can not look at the big picture, can not be grand and "learn from it"... I can only be mad as hell, and wish for a miracle I know won't happen.
Read the rest...It doesn't feel like spring in Vancouver right now: it's raining and I'm sick sitting at home writing these.
I went to see Joan Baez in concert last night and loved the whole vibe. She of course has grown really old and I felt her voice wasn't as strong either, but I still enjoyed the show. I was there with a couple of friends and we were literally the youngest people there. You would have mistaken the place with a senior house common room if it wasn't for the stage! It was funny when Joan Baez came on stage and said she was going to sing a song from her first album which came out in 1959!!! (I'll do the math for you: it was fifty years ago!!!!!) She performed some of my favorite songs including diamonds and rust, forever young, and the night they drove old Dixie down. And the last song was amazing grace when Baez was singing without playing any instruments and people were singing along with her. She also imitated Bob Dylan while singing one of his songs which was pretty funny. All on all, a great night with some great nostalgic music! :D
While many chores are piling up waiting for me to attend to them, I have been spending my nights reading some of the Asten novels I had previously ignored: Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. Reading Austen in English is exhausting for me. Having English as a second language and being used to more contemporary styles of writing, I have to read each sentence three times to understand the meaning (if I do understand, that is). While I personally don't find the writing amazing or anything, I find Jane Ausetn's morals very firm and clear. It seems as if she's got this image of a perfect person - how they should talk, think and act - and people who don't match this image are inevitably second-rate characters in her stories.
irrelevant note: it's snowing in Vancouver!
