Just-talking-out-loud

Foretell better days ahead

2012-01-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

It feels as if there is nothing but a dark cloud above my head.
I am craving the sunlight.
I need some good news to brighten my day?
Where is the day that they promised me?
When the better days will come?

p.s. This is my first-time attempt in poetry writing.

2012-01-18T23:24:00.002-05:00

2012-01-11T00:21:00.002-05:00

2012-01-05T01:09:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how one person can make you life a living hell but you need many kind people to help you to get back on your feet.

2012-01-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

I am so small I can barely be seen.
How can this great love be inside me?
Look at your eyes, they are small but they see enormous things.
- by Rumi

2012-01-01T16:59:00.000-05:00

"May your coming year be filled with magics and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you are wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - draw, or build, or sing, or write, or live as only you can. May Your coming year be a wonderful thing in which you dream both dangerously and outrageously. I hope you make something that didn't exist before you..., that you will be loved and you will be liked and you will have people that you love and you like in return. And most importantly, because I think there should be more kindness and wisdom in the world right now - I hope you will, when you need to be, be wise and you will always be kind. And I hope that somewhere in next year you surprise yourself." - Guy Nielman

2011-12-21T11:26:00.002-05:00

Last night, I prayed to God. I have not done that for a long time, embarrassed to confess. However, when you see yourself completely helpless, that is what you do. You reach to something bigger than you, bigger than life itself. It is another very stressful time. But life has shown me that this shall pass too. Let’s hope for the best and brighter days. The fact that you are afraid of doing something should not stop you from doing it. You need to take some risk if you want to see change in your situation. Things are going to a right direction even though it is not ideal. You need to put your brave mask on, be determined more than ever in your life, and go for it.

They called it "Population Control"

2011-12-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

Now that U.S. troops are saying goodbye to Iraq, I hope everyone spends sometime and think about the very stupid concept of war. According to an article by the New York Times, the 3 deadliest wars in history are the World War II (66 million deaths), Genghis Kahn (40 million deaths), and Mao Zedong (40 million deaths). If you consider the percentage of population that got killed in those brutal wars, Genghis Kahn ranks first (11.1%) and World War II ranks 6 (2.6%). Their main source is the book by Matthew White, "The Great Big Book of Horrible Things". If we know the end results of the war, why some people still thing it is the only solution or it is the best solution. 2011 is almost coming to the end. I wish a safer year for all people in the world specially people in Iran. Amen!

p.s. Iran-Iraq war ranks 61/100 with 0.7 million deaths.

2011-12-18T20:55:00.000-05:00

I so need to become a better writer. It took me almost half a day to write a freaking professional letter :(

Early New Year’s resolution= practice happiness

2011-12-14T20:40:00.001-05:00

I came across this great blog post, 12 Things Happy People Do Differently. I wrote up a summary for myself below.

Express gratitude: “that’s without having to go out and buy anything.” You already have what makes you happy.
Cultivate optimism: “People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.”
Avoid over thinking and social comparison: these are actually too different things!
- I am the queen of over thinkers, sadly. So I spend countless hours, wasting my time, thinking about something that might not be right or might never happen.
- You don’t want to be Kanya West and indeed you are noting less that anyone around you. No one’s life is prefect even if it seems prefect. “Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous.”
Practice acts of kindness: I say practice acts of kindness as long as you are kind to yourself . If in order to say YES to someone, you have to say NO to yourself.... DO NOT DO IT! If Kindness is Serotonin, you do not want to rude its affect by cortisol or norepinephrine.
Nurture social relationships: Have “an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with.”
Develop strategies for coping: “ crap happens – it’s inevitable.”
Learn to forgive: “your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion.” Avoid negative emotions which can be brought up by hating others.
Increase flow experience: focus
Savour life’s joys: if you cannot enjoy it now, you cannot enjoy it ever. So why bother try reaching happiness in life. “smell the roses while you can.”
Commit to your goals: it makes you happy when you reach them
Practice spirituality: “When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us.”
Take care of your body: it is all you got and you only have one of it. Also, it helps with other elements.

All things mentioned above is to help us improve our:

Physical energy
Mental energy (our focus)
Emotional energy (our feelings)
Spiritual energy (our purpose)

2011-12-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

I like this singer. I love her voice.

2011-12-07T14:24:00.002-05:00

It is almost 2:30 in the afternoon and I just realized that the pair of socks I am wearing do not match. I am losing it!

2011-12-06T16:12:00.002-05:00

I never tried to be judgmental. I was trying to be honest and said my own opinion. I feel really bad now because I feel I heard a friend. I don’t know how to fix it now.

2011-12-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

― Winston S. Churchill

Brinicle Ice Finger!

2011-12-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

Is that for real?!

"Christmas" with Michael Bublé

2011-12-01T12:41:00.000-05:00

Just For Laughs

2011-11-30T15:09:00.000-05:00

From: I'm in science Facabook group

2011-11-14T10:59:00.002-05:00

The path is long, the road is dark, and I am tried. There is a stroke of light coming out from time to time but it is not enough to see anything.

Red poppies

2011-11-11T09:53:00.000-05:00

Photo from here

-Do you get the day off on Remembrance Day?
--No. We only will be having 2 mins of silence at 11 am.
-Is that because you talk too much?
-- :D

I have a very different feeling toward the Remembrance Day! My whole philosophy about military, arm forces, war, and patriotism is not only different but can even be offensive to some. I am against all of them. I grew up in the war and I am still remembering the time we had to go to shelters because of Iraq bombings. There are always two sides of stories in a given war; both sides are the victims of some stupid politicians. If we have lost people, it was because we have also killed people from the other side. This is a conversation I will never have with my Canadian friends and colleagues who are strongly wearing the red poppies. I don’t think they will ever understand me.

My problem!

2011-11-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

Photo from here.

“The bed is a bundle of paradoxes: we go to it with reluctance, yet we quit it with regret; we make up our minds every night to leave it early, but we make up our bodies every morning to keep it late.”

Either by Ogden Nash or Charles Caleb Colton (I am not sure)

"Be a rainbow in someone’s cloud"

2011-11-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

Photo from here. “God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us- in the dreariest and most dreaded moments- can see a possibility of hope.” Maya Angelou

Some time ago, I had the pleasure of attending one of Maya Angelou’s talks. I was very excited about listing to her. When I bought the ticket, I told to myself that was an early birthday present for me. I went for the talk to be inspired and to figure out why this woman was so successful as she was. Although I never regret going to that talk (since I learned one or two things), the talk was not as inspiring as I hoped. I had heard better talks before. She is not one of those people that I call gifted public speakers. She was witty and smart but didn’t really do it for me.

However, what I learned was that I can be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. When she was talking about a rainbow, she was talking about her cripple poor uncle who not only changed her life but had an impact on other kids in the neighbourhood. When she was talking about a rainbow, she was talking about kindness and hope and how you can help someone get through their lives.

:)

2011-11-07T15:10:00.001-05:00

Source: I have no idea! I got it from facebook.

New month, new deals

2011-11-02T07:14:00.001-04:00

I think I am ready to try that 30 days practice. The one that is saying if you do something persistently for 30 days, it will stick with you. I sort of believe in that and also I came across this article which inspired me to do this right now.

Therefore, for the next 30 days, I would like to polish my French a bit and review those grammar and vocabularies that are long forgotten. I have started with 30 minutes French study since yesterday.

I also need to go back to gym regularly. My body and soul needs it badly. But I cannot committee to the gym every day. First, because I don’t have time for it; second, it is not really healthy. I am hoping for 3 to 4 days per week.

I also would like to add writing to the list but for now I think it is better to add regular reading, at least one article per day and bed time reading.

2011-10-31T16:45:00.000-04:00

No one really knows I am a blogger. I know it is something normal nowadays and most people do it. However, I just want to be by myself when I am writing. I don’t mean that I am not myself other times but I don't want to feel worry or consider other peoples’ feelings in my blog. This is my space... Having said that I think I over reacted when a very good friend of mine found out about my blog.

How Science Should Be!

2011-10-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

Today, I came across this article, How to choose a good scientific problem. It is a bit old but there are some intersting messages in it. It is only three pages long and if you have your own research lab or if you are thinking of doing graduate studies, I recommend you reading this article.

2011-10-25T10:10:00.002-04:00

I don’t have time to elaborate more on this. I will come back later to write more but sometimes my heart breaks for all the suffering in the world. Some people deserve better, much better.

2011-10-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

Some of the coolest scientists and cleanest labs I have ever seen.
Every hit on this video sends money to cancer research.

My dream room

2011-10-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

From here.

A reminder

2011-10-16T22:43:00.000-04:00

هر كجا هستم ، باشم‌،

آسمان مال من است‌.

پنجره‌، فكر ، هوا ، عشق ، زمين مال من است‌.

چه اهميت دارد

گاه اگر مي رويند

قارچهاي غربت؟

Wherever I am, let me be!
The Sky is mine.
The windows, the mind, the air, love, earth, are all mine.
What does it matter
if mushrooms of nostalgia
grow from time to time? (Sepehri 58)"

Hello!

2011-10-14T10:46:00.000-04:00

Hello! Is it me you're looking for?

Moments

2011-10-12T23:25:00.000-04:00

The smile of bus driver while being careful not to splash me on a rainy day.. ...priceless

2011-10-11T23:33:00.001-04:00

I am mentally and physically tired. That is the only reason I am posting this here. It is interesting that it does not make me emotional. It is more calming than anything else.

2011-10-05T22:45:00.003-04:00

I guess it is a good thing that I am very busy but don't have time to check out my favourite blogs!

5K, Run for the Cure... DONE!

2011-10-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

Talking about the colour of my bra was fun but I decided to do something different. Inspired by my boss and for personal fulfilment, yesterday, I ran 5K alongside many other people who were running for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. I was a bit concerned that I couldn’t do it since I didn’t have time to train for it. This morning, I felt it in my legs but it feels great; the same great feeling when I reached the finish line.

All the runners/walkers will be given a piece of paper on which is written “I am running for...” and you are supposed to fill in the blank. I became quite overwhelmed as I was reading what everyone wrote. They were couple that were inspiring too. Among those this one stayed with me ~~For~~ because I can, so others can too.

2011-09-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

2011-09-14T00:08:00.000-04:00

I didn’t know stress reduces the iron blood level. I went for my appointment to the blood clinic for another donation and they didn’t take me. The nurse gave me a list of recommended food and nutrition for me to have more, one week before my next appointment. I was thinking too much about the sucky situation at work and other sucky aspects of my life. However, things changed and I feel better now but I am just worried that this is a temporarily solution.

Feeling better

2011-09-06T10:02:00.000-04:00

I was craving for hearning this song this morning. This is very strange but I am feeling 'better' after hearning it :)

La foule

2011-08-30T10:21:00.000-04:00

"The Unsettling Truth About Life"

2011-08-29T12:40:00.000-04:00

Girl meets boy I

2011-08-26T10:05:00.000-04:00

Last night, I was told 2-3 stories that I will share here (pending if I remember one of them!) for people who are looking for something positive or simply like to hear fun stories.

She told me about this friend of her that was a very accomplished, smart woman. She was single and didn’t go out much either. Every time one of the friends called her to invite her for a social event, she would come up with an excuse to not leave home. They started telling her “if you don’t go out how you do expect to meet someone? The prince charming will not come knocking on your door, you know.” Years passed and she moved to a new place. One day, a guy knocked on her door asking for the previous residents. The two of them are engaged now.

Although I do not believe in prince charmings, I do believe in destiny.

The Sunshine in a glass

2011-08-25T09:39:00.001-04:00

Cognac Monnet by Leonetto Cappiello (1875 – 1942)

A short break

2011-08-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

The picture is from here

I am very stressed today because I am so unorganized and have a lot to do. So I need something fun to take the pressure off. This picture made me smaile. I hope it does the same to you.

2011-08-22T14:24:00.001-04:00

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." - Jack Layton

Dropbox - Simplify your life

2011-08-22T11:21:00.001-04:00

I have discovered this tool recently. Send invitation to your friends to get more storage space.

"Time to grab life by the balls."

2011-08-15T21:09:00.001-04:00

I came across this TV series called “The Big C”. I have only watched couple of episodes so far but I like what I have watched. It is a story of a woman who has diagnosed with terminal cancer and trying to shake up her life and change what she can change. So far, her compulsive behaviour and her wild attitude has made this series very entertaining and at the same time makes you realize to not take your life for granted; don’t let time/life pass you by; and enjoy while there's more grains of sand left in your hourglass.

In the Mood for Love (2000)

2011-08-14T17:40:00.000-04:00

I am not very impressed with the movie but the soundtracks were so good.

This is culture shock!

2011-08-13T09:50:00.002-04:00

There are two aspect in this story; It is interesting how they feel about their new environment and how other people think of them. Is it right to contaminate the simple lives of some people with something that we call life? I am wondering if they will ever be happy when they go back home or if they will be happy to stay and adapt to their new lives.

I am wondering if some Americans have sacrificed a quality of life for something that they think is freedom. What freedom really is? Do they really have freedom?

I should come back and write more about this video but now I am not in the mood.

This is my 500th post :)

2011-08-09T16:03:00.000-04:00

مثل تو پیدا نمیشه دلبری =

You are such a coquetry

Dreamy!

2011-08-09T09:17:00.000-04:00

Source from here.

I wish there was a coffee shop like this aroundand I could spend Saturday/Sunday morning there.

My zucchinis casserole

2011-08-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

I love Iranian cuisine. We know how to turn eggplants to the most delicious dishes, how to combine pomegranate paste with walnut to create some of the most toothsome meals, but let’s face it. When it comes to zucchinis, we are hopeless or at least my mom only knows one dish with zucchinis which I am not particularly a fan of. I made this over the weekend and it turned out great. I made up the recipe but looked up couple of recipes at simply recipes for inspiration.

• 3 zucchinis (sliced)
• 3 eggs
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon any hot chili sauce or chili peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dry rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon dry bay leaves
• 1 cups cubed day-old bread (from about 2 slices or a baguette)
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add all other ingredients except the bread, ½ cheese, and butter. Then mix everything to combine well.

Coat the bottom and the walls of your casserole dish with a layer of butter. Add the remaining of the butter to your mixture. Now add the bread. If your bread is not dry, toast it slightly before adding that to the mixture. Combine everything and pour into the casserole dish. Cover with the remaining of the cheese.

Place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy at 350°F. There should not be any liquid left at the bottom of the dish when you remove it from the oven.

Makes 3-4 portions. Enjoy!

2011-08-02T09:25:00.000-04:00

To all my lovely Iranian fellows who are planning to apply for any Canadian Universities, please consider that you are putting me in a very awkward situation by asking specific questions, which I do not know the answer to.

There is this old high school friend who has decided to come to Canada. Now she is applying for the winter term and she has less than a month before the deadline. I am sorry if I can’t recommend whether you should apply for a master degree or ph.d because you want to know which one has a better job market after graduation. Even if I knew your chances of finding a job with a master or ph.d now, who knows how the economy would be like by the time you graduate.

Also, I don’t know which university is better in Environmental Engineering, Waste Management. This is too specific and you should ask someone who is already in this field.

If I don’t give you specific answers is not because I don’t want to help you but it is because I don’t know. I am sorry if I can’t pretend that I am an expert in everything that goes on in Canada.

2011-07-27T10:37:00.000-04:00

Although I am pretty content about my current profession; and cooking has been my passion and dream of being a chief has been always and will be with me; and love of jewellery makes me envy and admire jewellery designers, if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would become a psychologist.

Today's goal

2011-07-25T08:13:00.001-04:00

Treat yourself the way you treat your best friends. That means be gentle, be honest, and be kind.

My aunt’s visit

2011-07-24T13:12:00.001-04:00

Some relatives are as precious as family members. One of those people is one of my mom’s aunts. I love her and her whole family dearly. She is only couple of years older than my mom and her daughter is my age. We almost grew up together. Couple of months ago a relative called my mom from Iran and told her she wants to come to Canada for a visit. This news made my mom very happy particularly when she came up with the idea of calling her aunt and ask her to take advantage of this opportunity and come to Canada with that relative. My mom’s aunt has never travelled by herself, she doesn’t speak English, and the idea of coming to Canada was just terrifying. After my mom and her kids insisted on her visit, she finally agreed to apply for Canadian visa along with that relative. After couple of months, she called my mom to tell her that she was the only one who got the visa.

Moving time ll

2011-07-21T22:35:00.001-04:00

One of the most valuable aspect of moving is the fact that you find some of your old hidden treasures. I have a very good moving record!! I was 4 or 5 years old when we moved to Tehran from Esfahan. Then years later, I moved to Montreal. Since then, I have lived in 5 different cities. Some of my stuff moved with me everywhere I went but the rest stayed in my parents’ basement for convenience. Now that they have moved, I am discovering some of the old stuff that we took with us from Iran. One of those things was a notebook that I circulated among my high school friends the last year of high school. It was pretty common for friends to write something for you on your diary or journal before you say good-bye to each other. I was reading them and laughing my heads off. I had very witty friends and we were very close.

One of them wrote this: (I tried to translate it into English but I will also leave the original version here because it is just too cute not to share) .“You know what one sees at first glance at your notebook? Yeah, one can guess your Esfahani nature just by a look at your small tiny notebook. This is not fair. There is not enough room to write. Do you expect us to not write you anything but leave a finger print? Yeh!!” by S.N.

می دانی با اولین نگاه به دفتر تو آدم متوجه چه میشه ؟! آره، ذات اصفهانی تو را به یک نگاه میشه از این دفتر کوچولو و لاغر مردنی دریافت. آخه یک ذره انصاف هم خوب چزیه. برای هر کدام ممان یک ذره جا گذاشتی که لابد فقط انگشت بزنیم و برویم ! هان !

نویسنده: س. ن.

Moving time again

2011-07-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

My parents are moving after 11 years. This might not be that long for some people who live all their lives in one home but for my parents that is a long time. While they were in Iran, the average time they stayed in the same house was 2 years, the longest was 5 years. But things are different on the other side of the pond. They do not know as many people as they used to back in Iran. Just by one phone call, we had many helpers who would come over to move our stuff to the new place with pleasure. Here, you have to call in advance, book movers, and then everything is a lot more costly.

I am visiting my family and sort of helping them with the move (I am not sure how helpful I am thought). However, it has not been the smoothest move ever since they have been renovating the new house and it is not finished! The kitchen is half done. The new bathroom was not functioning at the beginning. Thank God it was nothing serious, things are still in boxes and you can’t really find anything around here. Before I came, my brother warned me that it was a big mess. And I responded; Well! It just gonna be like your bedroom... He laughed and now I know it is nothing like his bedroom :)

Tips for traveling!

2011-07-15T11:41:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting read. Tips for traveling by Paulo Coelho. I got the Alchemist from the library yesterday. I have read it while ago in Farsi when I was in Iran. I think it is time to read it again. This book will be a very nice companion for me during my trip.

A place to hangout !

2011-07-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

Is it goning to be the end for Facebook? Too bad they couldn't come up with a better name.

I need to vent !!

2011-07-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

It is not cool to use someone else’s hair comb with or without their permission. When I think our future doctors might not understand simple rules for personal hygiene, I feel a cold shiver running through my body. How can I deal with this now? How do I put positive spin to this experience? I mean having annoying person around me.

No title!!!

2011-07-12T13:22:00.000-04:00

I just read this post. It breaks my hearth everytime I get to know more about other people's reality. I do believe in God. I am just wondering how long people have to wait to see justice.

Nostalgic

2011-07-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

I have a wonderful granduncle, who I adore, from my mother side. He has one of those sweet Esfahani accent and very good voice. Without having any formal training, he sang when we used to get together or go out for a picnic. This song, mikham beram kooh, always reminds me of him.

Bookshelf

2011-07-11T10:15:00.000-04:00

My future living room is something like this :)

Rethinking what I call enjoyable

2011-07-09T09:26:00.001-04:00

Couple of weeks ago OpenCulture posted an entry about a six-part series titled “How TV Ruined Your Life”. While I found it very ironic that there is a TV series talking about how bad TV is for our society and for individual growth, I couldn’t help but agreeing with Charlie Brooke, the program host. For someone who does not own a TV and has no plan to get one, but still follows her favourite programs online, I can see his point. He has a very sarcastic tone, somewhat depressing, throughout the series. However, I recommend everyone watching this series.

So far, I have watched couple of them and my intent is to watch them all. The one that stood out for me was the one on the topic of LOVE. Aside from being very creative and having the element of wittiness all throughout the program, I thought this is food for thoughts. I asked myself how I define the concept of LOVE. To be honest I do not know. I know I don’t believe in “love at first sight”. I do not believe in soulmate and I do not believe love is enough to keep two people together for their rest of their lives. What I believe is that human is not meant to live alone. We all need someone to grow old with. Then I started to evaluate my own love life. Should I stop watching those chick flick movies that I enjoy the most? I have no idea if unconsciously those movies affect me and change my expectation about what I want to know as love.

"Warning: How TV Ruined Your Life contains harsh language that would not be appropriate for work. "

The Great Gatsby

2011-07-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

"They were careless people... they smashed up things and creatures and retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made... " from The Great Gatsby , p182.

and with this, I finally finished the book. It was a nice read but I don't know why it took me forever to finish it. Also, I just realized that they are remaking the movie. It is coming next year. That is exciting and makes me happier to read the book.

Canada Day!

2011-07-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

It is Canada Day today and the highlight of my day was 1hr skype conversation with a dear friend. Only if i could have my dearest friends and love ones close to me.

Clueless-II !!!

2011-06-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

With everything that‘s been happening and not settled yet, I had a lot of time to have negative thoughts and no time for reflection. As the result my blog entries look poorer and poorer and I feel lost more than ever. I need to spend some time just for myself and for this blog. It has proven to me that in many occasions writing here helped me to keep my sanity.

One of my biggest flaws is that I take in almost everything. I avoid expressing my feelings. I establish relationships (professional or personal) based on false expectations. People think treating me this way or that way is all right and does not bother me. They think their certain behaviour is approved by me. Then, there is one day that I realize that I can’t stand that person anymore and ...

Another problem is that I expect certain people to have the same level of common sense as I do. Is it too much to expect a 22 years old to not leave half of her apple on the kitchen countertop for couple of days because it attracts fruit flies? Or if you see there are many fruit flies around, find the source and get rid of your apple.

2011-06-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

"Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness."

I found this on Paulo Coelho's Blog. I should pick up one of his books again and read it.

Clueless!!!

2011-06-27T09:54:00.000-04:00

Have this ever happened to you? You want something badly; you wait for it for a long time to get it but when you have it, it doesn’t seem like what you imagined it would be.

=O=

2011-06-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

I am going through a very bad phase for the past few days. Every little thing annoys me. For example, I can’t stand receiving these messages on Facebook in Spanish. There is this group of Spanish speaking friends who are too insensitive to other people in the group. They carry a discussion on facebook in Spanish. I never asked to be part of your stupid discussion but if you see my name among others who are receiving your messages, be courteous and write in freaking English.

So what I did this morning, I wrote in Farsi to the whole group and I am the only one who understands Farsi. The sad part is, so far there was only one person who got it. Someone wants to know what I wrote and there was another person who continues writing in Spanish!!!

I need to keep my distance from people before I say stuff that hurt others.

Splendor in the Grass

2011-06-21T08:44:00.000-04:00

I can see you're thinking baby

I've been thinking too

about the way we used to be

and how to star a new

Maybe I'm a hopeless dreamer

maybe I've got it wrong

but i'm going where the grass is green

if you like to come along

Back when i was starting out

I always wanted more

but every time I got it

I still felt just like before

Fortune is a fickle friend

I'm tired of chasing fate

and when I look into your eyes

I know you feel the same

All these years of living large

are starting to do a sin

I wont say it wasn't fun

but now it has to end

Life is moving oh so fast

I think we should take it slow

rest our heads upon the grass

and listen to it grow

Going where the hills are green

and the cars are few and far

days are full of splendor

and at night you can see the stars

Life's been moving oh so fast

I think we should take it slow

rest our heads upon the grass

and listen to it grow

Pink Martini

2011-06-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

“Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided.” Paulo Coelho

I always believe that we need our love ones' support during tough time but we also need them during happy moments.
I am back from a short but a memorable trip. After being disconnected from the world (the Internet) for three days, I am trying to catch up with my emails and messages.

My spice shelf

2011-06-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

One needs to organize one’s spice shelf. Cleaning has become a sort of meditation for me. I feel so great after I am done organizing and tidying up the place.

On Love

2011-05-21T09:05:00.004-04:00

“Love is when you are thinking … “how can I make you happy?” Attachment is when you are thinking … “why aren’t you making me happy?” -by Dzogchen Ponlop

I realize that this is debatable specially if you are opposed to the philosophy of Buddhism, over acceptance and true lack of selfishness. However, at this moment this is the only thing that calms me down and helps me keep my sanity. I just realized that maybe my definition for philosophy of Buddhism is not that accurate.

Au café du canal

2011-05-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

Chez la jolie Rosette au café du canal
Sur le tronc du tilleul qui ombrageait le bal
On pouvait lire sous deux cœurs entrelacés
Ici on peut apporter ses baisers
Moi, mes baisers je les avais perdus
Et je croyais déjà avoir tout embrassé
Mais je ne savais pas que tu étais venue
Et que ta bouche neuve en était tapissée

La chance jusqu'ici ne m'avait pas souri
Sur mon berceau les fées se penchaient pas beaucoup
Et chaque fois que je tombais dans un carré d'orties
Y avait une guêpe qui me piquait dans le cou
Pourtant ma chance aujourd'hui elle est là
Sous la tonnelle verte de tes cils courbés
Quand tu m'as regardé pour la première fois
Ma vieille liberté s'est mise à tituber

On était seul au monde dans ce bal populeux
Et dans une seule main j'emprisonnais ta taille
Tes seins poussaient les plis de ton corsage bleu
Ils ont bien failli gagner le bataille
J'aime le ciel parce qu'il est dans tes yeux
J'aime l'oiseau parce qu'il sait ton nom
J'aime ton rire et tous ces mots curieux
Que tu viens murmurer au col de mon veston

Et je revois tes mains croisées sur ta poitrine
Tes habits jetés sur une chaise au pied du lit
Ton petit cœur faisait des petits bonds de sardine
Quand j'ai posé ma tête contre lui

Dieu, tu remercies Dieu ça c'est de toi
Mais mon amour pour toi est autrement plus fort
Est-ce que Dieu aurait pu dormir auprès de toi
Pendant toute une nuit sans toucher à ton corps

Chez la jolie Rosette au café du canal
Sur le tronc du tilleul qui ombrageait le bal
On pouvait lire sous deux cœurs entrelacés
Ici on peut apporter ses baisers

The Last Sonnet Of Rumi

2011-05-14T00:04:00.000-04:00

life lessens by Maya Angelou

2011-05-13T15:20:00.000-04:00

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things:

a rainy day,
lost luggage, and
tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

— Maya Angelou

Bad blogger

2011-05-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

Whoop, whoop, whoop ... over those posts that I published here and blogger destroyed them...

2011-05-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

I have strated another of my so called D-tox diet. It is day 4 and I have 8 more days to go but I am already fed up. This never happened before. I always liked this diet. Besides my gum hurts and the earliest I can see a dentist will be next Wed. So even if I could eat whatever, I couldn't eat them.

Up On The Roof

2011-05-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

When this old world starts a getting me down,

and people are just too much for me to face.

I'll climb way up to the top of the stairs

and all my cares just drift right into space.

On the roof, it's peaceful as can be

and there the world below don't bother me, no, no.

So when I come home feeling tired and beat,

I'll go up where the air is fresh and sweet.

I'll get far away from the hustling crowd

and all the rat-race noise down in the street.

On the roof, that's the only place I know,

Where you just have to wish to make it so,

let's go up on the roof.

And at night the stars, they put on a show for free.

And, darling, you can share it all with me,

keep on telling you.

That right smack dab in the middle of town ,

I found a paradise that's trouble-proof.

And if this old world starts a getting you down,

there's room enough for two

up on the roof, up on the roof, up on the roof.

2011-05-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Last night, surrounded by some friends, enjoying the sweet taste of proudness, I celebrated in silence without anyone knowing what was going on in that mind of mine. I just listened to what others had to say about him. He has changed for better and all is because of me. Only if he knew how good I was for him since I am not going to try convincing him of this fact.

Hello my blog

2011-05-07T17:54:00.001-04:00

I have been totally ignoring you. I miss you and I miss writing on you. I am back to write again.

2011-05-04T22:52:00.001-04:00

"Tomorrow is Another Day."

Land of love

2011-04-26T09:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Souls

2011-04-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

Make sure your soul is happy.

"One fine day

I was enjoying with my family, having a good meal

They commented on my singing the same song all the time

But it's my feel good song, my song of love

Because my soul is happy and my life like a bouquet of flowers

My life is changing

I don't know where it's headed

But as long as I'm singing

I can toss aside all that is bad."

Annoying conversations

2011-04-18T15:22:00.002-04:00

-Bijan died.
--Who is Bijan?
-You don’t know Bijan, the famous menswear designer! He was one of the most famous designers of all time. His designs are so expensive that only the politician and celebrities can afford it.
--Do I look like someone who can afford his designs? Or someone who cares about brand names?
-No, I just brought it up because he was an Iranian and I am proud to see if an Iranian is successful.

Every time, I have conversations about stuff like this or those chain emails about successful Iranians stop by my inbox, I can’t help wondering, are those people actually proud to be Iranian?!

A reminder

2011-04-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Attitude

Awareness

Authenticity

By Neil Pasricha: The 3 A’s of awesome. Thanks Lotus for posting it. I needed to hear it again.

2011-04-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

It seems that I have started a new youtube series.

2011-04-05T00:31:00.000-04:00

2011-04-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

Back to square one with a broken heart! But I always do what is right. That is my problem.

2011-04-01T13:09:00.000-04:00

A: Life sucks!
B: Life doesn't suck becuase we have each other.
A: mmm.. you are right and I guess as long as you and your love ones are healthy everything else will be all right.

Things I can’t wait for

2011-03-31T10:15:00.000-04:00

A list of things I can’t wait for ... My summer trip to Europe, Spring, my hair cut appointment this afternoon, the weekend (this week has been long already), next time I go to gym (I am in the mood to workout), Saturday Farmers Market, cleaning my room (it is a disaster), upgrading my wardrobe (even a little bit), ...

Whether you are in a bad mood or not, I suggest coming up with your own list. It makes you feel better.

Die Slowly by Pablo Neruda

2011-03-29T09:58:00.001-04:00

"He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day,
who never changes pace,
who does not risk and change the color of his clothes,
who does not speak and does not experience, dies slowly.

He or she who shuns passion,
who prefers black on white,
dotting ones "is" rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound in the face of mistakes and feelings, dies slowly.

He or she who does not turn things topsy-turvy,
who is unhappy at work, who does not risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice at least once in their lives, die slowly.

He who does not travel,
who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself, dies slowly.

He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck,
about the rain that never stops, dies slowly.

He or she who abandon a project before starting it,
who fail to ask questions on subjects he doesn't know,
he or she who don't reply when they are asked something they do know,
die slowly.

Let's try and avoid death in small doses,
always reminding oneself that being alive requires an effort by far greater than the simple fact of breathing.
Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment of a splendid happiness."

Written by The Enchanted Soul in April 2010.

I miss her blog!

Expressions!

2011-03-28T14:39:00.000-04:00

I always feel more comfortable among a multicultural group of people. If all are Iranian, I feel something is missing. If everyone is from Canada, again, I don’t feel at home. I guess it is because most of the time I spend discussing how everything works in different cultures; talking about interesting expressions and slangs other culture might use; and what costumes are appropriate. One of my favourites is having an angle’s stomach. This is a Tunisian expression meaning someone who does not eat much. I always imagine angles to be those huge white creatures but apparently they can be small too.

2011-03-23T20:21:00.002-04:00

Different wells in your heart

2011-03-23T15:37:00.002-04:00

There are different wells within your heart.

Some fill with each good rain,

Others are far too deep for that.

In one well

You have just a few precious cups of water,

That “love” is literally something of yourself,

It can grow as slow as a diamond

If it is lost.

Your love

Should never be offered to the mouth of a stranger,

Only to someone

Who has the valor and daring

To cut pieces of their soul off with a knife

Then weave them into a blanket to protect you.

From : Paulo Coelho's Blog

Does anyone know the Farsi version of this poem?

Happy Nowruz 1390!!!

2011-03-20T18:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Persian New Year, Sal-e noe mobarak!

I set my 7-seen table finally this morning. I want everyone to notice my happy mug which contains some wheat cat grass. The one I try to make from lentil, didn't turn out very well since I remembered to start doing it 10 days ago. The weather today was surprisingly amazing. I received some chocolate as eidi (which was a nice surprise too and from someone whom I was trying to be mad at), played squashed with some friends, then went swimming. As I was swimming in the quiet pool, I started thinking that I should be very grateful for this nice facility on campus and should take more advantage of it. I was happy but by the end of the day, I couldn't help it wonder about some stuff in my life. More thinking and analyzing does not help either; Some cry does though. At least I feel better now. I am just worried that I am on the wrong track. I wish everyone a wonderful year ahead. I usually don't right anything here in Farsi but I really want to write the New Year prayer and I wish it for all of you. I hope your days and situation turn to be the best.

یا مقلب القلوب والابصار

یا مدبر اللیل و النهار

یا محول الحول و الاحوال

حول حالنا الی احسن الحال

این شعر فارسی ترجمه آن است

ای آنکه به تدبیر تو گردد ایام

ای دیده و دل از تو دگرگون مادام

ای آنکه به دست توست احوال جهان

حکمی بنما که گردد ایام به کام

Smell the roses while you can or while they last

2011-03-16T23:42:00.001-04:00

Srikumar Rao talks about what it takes to be happy. Everything is a journey. So focus on the process not the outcome and take only those journeys that take you to where you want to go.

2011-03-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

You are and always will be the number ONE guy in my life. Happy Birthday baba!!

I wanted to right this here only but then I thought my dad will never read it since he doesn't know anything about this blog. I decided to send an email to him. I don't know what is wrong with me with expressing my feelings. I have never said anything like this to either him or to my mom. I know they know I love them but I have never told them.

To Great Women

2011-03-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

Who are those great women out there?

Great women to me are those who raised/are raising responsible, kind-hearted men; the men who stand by their women, respect them, and love them; the men who see far more important traits in women than just physical beauty. Those women value gender equality and compassion and they pass that on to the next generation. I believe it is the most dreadful thing for a mother to learn that her son is a womaniser, abusive, or simply he left his family for another woman. What I can’t understand are those women who actually encourage that behaviour.

So, Happy International Women’s Day to those truly great women who are the foundation of humanity!

2011-03-08T04:12:00.000-05:00

Can anyone explains to me why the nicer you are to people, there is more likely that they will take advantage of you, specially guys?!!