Is Italy really in Europe?

It has been a little over 7 months that I have come to Bologna, Italy. Let me start by saying that I am quite impressed with the food and gastronomic science local people have. The food is delicious and I can't deny that. The lunch with my colleagues is the highlights of the day. and on average people are warmer than Northern countries. However, there are many other aspects that it makes you wonder if you are really in Europe or not! paper work is tremendously harsh work here! I went to pension office of Bologna more than 5 times to tell them look can you make me a file!! This was something I have had never seen before! In one occasion, the lady who worked in INPS office when I got in the front of the queue and told her my problem, "I hate working with computer", she said. I asked excuse me?! Could you check if my file is already there. She just simply ignored me, said she doesn't feel to work. Other issues is pollution and buses! First of all the city center is quite polluted and unbelievably unclean. The buses smell exhaust and gasoline if you pass the mid of the bus. The bus appearance and cleanness is also quite low. It looks they have never been cleaned and washed! There are usually many secretary and office people who work duplicate jobs. But none can do the job! Things get complicated and out of order. The wall in Engineering department which was constructed perhaps during WWII has no covering and you can see bricks uncovered and there are walls covered with half cement. There is not enough space for students to sit in the class. I have seen them standing out side of class listening to the lectures. This is considering the number of professors and researchers in a small department of engineering is pretty large by their counterpart in North America. Today, I went to get an appointment for glaucoma specialist. I am given an appointment for mid of November 2012!! They say, if I wish to see a specialist momentarily, I simply can pay and get a private one! So, add to these interesting observations that I have to run around find my own place to live in! So much of work!

War? Sanction? Tehran people are worrying!

I just got a phone call from a friend of mine who lives in Tehran. He was telling me that people worry about the sanctions. Apparently, shops have been emptied from many items and foods. He said people shop like there is a war tomorrow! So, things do not look very calm in Iran as the government reflects. We shall see how things will progress.

I am Jealous, is there any problem!

I wished I could return to Iran and work there. There is this Arab guy who has studied and received a PhD from the University of Concordia. His title is assistant professor at the University of Amman, Jourdan! He has done a short post-doc there and now he travels in different laboratory to publish collaborative work. However, he is considered a prof. from the University of Amman! We have so many talented people across the globe and yet none of them can get cross appointment to any university in Iran since we might be considered the outsider or don't comply with theological rules in Iran. So, I am Jealous, Jealous of all those can do business with their homeland and enjoy many opportunities that may exist in their origin country or their new country! Hope I will see that day!

Simin and Nader Separation won Golden Globe 2012!

Perhaps, this is memorable time for Iranian cultural and theatrical people. I watched the movie about a few months ago on internet and I told myself, I shall watch the first half and an hour and get some sleep after that. However, I stayed up to watch the entire 2 hours movie. I was quite moved as I think the topic was quite tangible across human societies.
People have talked about Asghar Farhadi, director, and his great screen play. However, I think one of the best performer who has not be praised enough is Leila Hatami. She by her performance was leading the entire script to where it had to go. She was the leading actress and the best performer of the entire crew.
My hat off to her and of course Shahab Hosseini who plays a radical believer with mass of money and cultural problems, his performance should not be ignored, either.

A behind the scene of the movie:

Reviving my weblog!

It has been more than 10 month that I have shut down this weblog. Now, I am intending to write more. However, I am still busy as then, but I would like to update this weblog as far as 3 time of a week.
This weblog needs resuscitation, mouth to mouth resuscitation. Let's see how things will work out!

water sprinkling and water game by Iranian young and they get arrested for!!!

I have not been writing for a while as I am busy with many work related events in my life.
I just read and saw some of the photos of young boys and girls in Tehran, Iran who gather in one of the Tehran Parks to use water guns and water bottle to sprinkle and wet one another! Just an enjoyment event for young people. What happened next??! Iran moral police have arrested many young people for jeopardizing rule of law and Islamic moral code!!!!
I am quite sad:(((
more can be read here, in Persian
I feel sad to see in 21 century there are government that are suppressing young based on unfounded rules!
Sad

Working at Orthopaedic Injury Biomechanics Group

For the past three months, I have been working at OIBG at Vancouver General Hospital. It has been an invaluable experience for someone like me. Coming from computational dynamic modeling my knowledge was well in use in this research centre.
I have been working on Pro-Neck_Tor helmet which is a novel helmet designed to reduce neck injuries to lower neck due to head-first impact.
I have used MSC.ADAMS to develop a dynamic neck model. A hybrid III head and helmet with special slot to let the head follow a trajectory has been integrated to the model as shown in the video. The helmet allows the torso trajectory to continue along the path prescribed reducing torso momentum on the lower neck; therefore registering lower neck resultant forces. Here, I have uploaded the animation on the youtube.

Retinal detachment!

It has been a long time since I have written here. but then I may say I have an excuse.
About almost little longer than 5 weeks ago, I had sudden retinal detachment of my right eye.
I woke up on April 17 around 5:00 am noticing that 1/4 of my vision is gone. Similar to hanging the black curtain on that region. So, I went to to emergency department. It took them about an hour to call me in for an observation. The residence was an Iranian girl who was on rotation. I had to explain to her that is important to call upon an ophthalmologist on call. After explaining to her about 2 times telling her, I had surgery recently and intra-ocular implant, she called upon her emergency chief. The guy even didn't bother to talk to me. He picked up the phone and called uupon the specialist. The residence returned to the room and said that the specialist has said I go get some brakfast and she will come by 1:00 pm. I was startling and upset. I ran to the chief emergency resident telling him, look if I lose my vision by then, I take you responsible.
So, he called the ophthalmologist on call again and she replied, she will come around 10:00 am.
Exactly at 10:00 am, the resident arrived and we went together to eye care building (apparently since most eye surgeries are day-in based, there is no ophthalmologist department in the hospitals, there are separate clinics which most of the works are done there.). She did and ultra-sound and confirmed my suspicious, it was detachment. She quickly called the retinal specialist, who in one hour came in and send me to a ward to be waited for the immediate surgery. as my blindness was progressing, I asked what can be done, I was put on the clinic chair for 20 minutes upside down. Finally, I was taken to the surgery room and under general anesthesia, the surgery was performed.
I have to be thankful that my vision is not completely gone and could be saved. But I have tons of distortion in that eye. Things seems in an angle and many distortion.
I am told between 6 months to 2 years may take the recovers, but it may never be even cured.
The surgeons performed total vitrotoctomy inject a bubble instead of vitrious get. I have that get about 1 weeks and it was gone. I am still recoveing.
So, that has been the sotry for the time being.

Internet and Facebook are the revolution!!

I have been thinking what has changed our life since 20 years ago. Without any doubt it is internet. The most recently, I can say Facebook as made it even more interesting!
How Facebook has changed my life, I would like to indicate that.
I am back from Toronto and now I have been seen by my local ophthalmologist, however, I felt, I still have had some questions from the Drs who perform the surgery on my eye in Toronto. Therefore, I searched the google to see if I can find their e-mail. Surprisingly, one of them had Facebook account. I wrote him asking my question, in less than half an hour, I had a reply!
The nice thing is that I could also have him to ask his assistant to make an appointment for the time I am in Toronto. Isn't this great way of using the tools available to us.
There was the time that if you wanted to ask a simple question from your own Dr. you had to wait days and volia, now you can have that on your finger tips.
I appreciate all these tools on internet. Cheers!

An Iranian band that I really enjoyed listening to!

1. I finally have my sutures removed and I feel all right. My far distance vision, seems to be stabilized and I am happy as I don't have to wear soft contact lens any longer.

2. As a big fan of fusion music, I have come across this new band is called dang Show
These guys are fresh and are unique. I would love to buy their CD or whatever form of music they sell.
Just a sample:

What everyone has been waiting for!

1. Update after flooding: I have to change the entire carpet in my unit after the flood. So, tons of work. I think the good part is that the insurance must pay for everything!

2. I have been thinking; people have many dreams throughout their entire life (No kidding!). I have been thinking what has been my dream all along.
My dream seemed to be the one! I always wanted to get ride of the fact I was wearing contact lens in one eye (after my trauma at age of six) and wanted to get intraocular implant. So, I can't wait to have all these stitches removed from my eye and get on with my life!
Then if things stay stable, I will think what is my next for me in the dream world!

All the best for 2011!

In Persian there is this folk expression says, the fruitful year, can be seen from its spring. Iranian new year starts from first day of spring and this expression implies that the year with sounded successes and prosperity can be seen from its first day which is in spring. This usually said if the first day of spring coincides with luck-ful(if this word exists) occasion. Let's say, someone get his ever wanted job or gets healthy right at the start of the year.
So, in my case things are a little up-side-down! I should be watching out for year 2011!
Why? you may ask? because the night before start of 2011 about 4 floor higher than mine a gentlemen makes almost everyones's life like a hell!
How things started.
Dec. 30 at 11:45 pm. My mom walks off towards windows telling me, look there is water on the ground! I jump from my seat touching the ground, wondering what the heck has happened here!
I could not believe it, wondering does this water coming through the window and making all the carpets so wet. Thinking, damn, now I have to spend thousands of dollars fixing this problem; while busy with my thoughts, I hear someone is knocking on our door.
Running towards the door with confusion about who might be at the door in such late time. As soon as I open the door, I realized there are two fire men standing in front of me asking me if I had noticed any water leakage in my unit! Yes, I said. Before any further ado, they had just walked by me and went to every room trying to pin-point where were the wet area.
We shall be back, they said. before they live I asked what is going on.
One of them explained to me,
A guy who lives in an exact unit four floor higher than mine finds a piping problem in the risers going through the evaporators (Fan-Coil) unit to deliver water (cold and warm).
He had calld the management of the building about the problem asked whom he could contact to rectify the problem.
The management had explained to him that the problem is major and must be done by professionals while shouting down of entire facility of boiler and the water supply. He should call the plumber and HVAC specialist to fix the problem. He does so. Apparently, the specialist promises to coming the next morning and fix the problem.

However, in the evening of the day he called and made the appointment he decides to take things in his own hand!!! He had tried to fix the problem without shouting down the water. As he starts the plumbing, he couldn't stop the water. Making the long story short.
That night we were up until 3:30 in the morning as people of the relief disaster department, fire department have come in to stop the water.
According to the management until the next morning they had estimated about $30,000 properties damage!
I have got my carpeting damage and must replace them! My insurance perhaps should sue this guy as well!

So, az we say, SALI KEH Nekost az Baharash Peydast!!:)

Amir Tajik my encounter!

Somehow, today I recalled this song of Amir tajik, Adama (human), from the series of Zire Asemoon Shah (under blue sky). I tried to find it on the internet and found it.
But it worth mentioning my own encounter with Mr. Tajik. I was flying to Kish a few years ago during one of the holidays in Iran from Tehran. While in the transit area sitting, there was a TV showing a program with Amir Tajik. When I turn I notice there is guy sitting and he looks identical to him. Apparently, no one had recognized him. Then there was this guy with him, who come in and said, Mr. Tajik please follow me. He was taken to the plane with a car rather than a usual bus.
anyhow, here it goes the video.

Day 2 after surgery and the rest of story!

I came home from Drs. office. A few hours feeling fine, slowly as time passed by the end of the evening I felt little more pressure in my eye. I slept and the next day, woke up feeling more pressure in my eye. It was around 12:00 pm all of sudden I felt that I am starting to feel motion sickness once again. So, as soon as I felt this way, I called a Taxi heading towards Drs office. when I arrived there, I couldn't keep my eyes open as felt vomiting, continuously.
Funny enough as many time before I see the Drs, there are technicians who measure how does your see. So, he called me to his office. I thought I am going to see the one of Drs. With sever cramp in my stomach and feeling to vomit, the guy started to ask me to cover my left eye and tell him what do I see with the right eye. All of the sudden, I got angry. Are you not getting it??!! I am in disarray vomiting and feeling trouble. What the heck are you talking about? I can't see a thing everything is blurry!
The guy ask me to sit outside and soon Drs will see me!
after almost an hour wait despite the fact I am telling them I feel severe motion sickness and can't move.
I was seen by the fellow of main surgeon who measured my eye pressure stating it was 45 Hgmm! He quickly proceeded with the aspiration procedure by removing fluid from inside of my cornea. Right after the procedure, I felt comfort and the motion sickness was gone. I was told to sit outside and wait for next several hours as they wish to monitor me to see how the eye pressure will change.
While waited outside, the main surgeon Dr. I.A. comes out of the other room, asking me, how are you doing my friend! I am aware of your condition and must have been associated with the surgery. We shall take care of it and try to fix it. I was relieved with what he said, as he took responsibility of his work.
After 1 hour he once again measured my eye pressure and it was already gone from 12 to 21 mmHG! So, he did the aspiration one more time and removed some fluid from my eye. After that I was told to continue taking Acetazolamide 250 mg 4 per day or even more if needed and continue with the drops. I should also come in every day to the Drs. office, so they can monitor my eye until it seems stable.
So, after that I started to take Acetazolamide 250 mg 4 times a day. Acetazolamide removes fluid from the body parts and take them to the kidney. Therefore, I had to go frequently to the washroom.
So, the next day, early morning, once again, I went in and my eye pressure was about 22 mmHG. Once again aspiration procedure. I waited another hour and the Dr. measured the pressure. He said slightly has gone up, So, one more time poking needle in my eye. I think this time he was pissed off, as he reduce the eye pressure to as low as 7 mmHG.

After that, I visited him the next day early morning in the office. He said the pressure is now 18 mmHG. he stated, I want to stop poking needle to your eye. So, try to keep the pressure under control with the medications.

So, after almost 4 days the pressure seemed to be stable. the next day I reduced Acetazolamide amount to two and the next day to one pill and finally by Sunday I stopped taking it.
I have continued the drops and things seem normal.

The following procedure is shown has performed on my eye with the same type of Intraocular lens known as Phakic.

Day 1 After surgery!

I have an appointment at 9:30 am in the Drs office. After a night of totally feeling motion sickness, vomiting the entire night, and not being able to eat a bite except a few sip of water to keep my mouth moist.
I arrived in the Drs office after telling them I don't feel well.
Within a half an hour I was admitted by the associate of the Dr XX who performed the surgery.
Dr. N: how are you doing?
Me: Terrible, I feel I am in a plane in which there is continuous tubulance and I have been hanged from leg from top of the plane! I can't even keep my eye open for more than a seconds otherwise I vomit.
Dr: have a sit I measure intraocular pressure (IOP).
After using Tonometer to measure my eye pressure, he stated that the number is 45 mmHg (normal is between 6-20 mmHg). He states that he has to remove some of the fluid from my eye to reduce the pressure.
by poking a syringe into my cornea under slit lamps and telling me looking straight and not moving he does that.
while he was removing the fluid, I felt better and better by every cc fluid removed from my eye.
So, measuring eye pressure after that procedure, he states that is now 20 mmHg. He gave me two new drops (Combigan and Azopt 1%) besides 3 previous ones. He told me to use them twice daily.
I ask why this happened? what is going on that I develop such a high eye pressure.
He stated there are some gel we have injected between cornea and the interocular lens to create the required spacing in the anterior chamber of the eye. It seems the gel reduces the drainage of fluid produced inside the eye and therefore you develop higher eye pressure.
I told him, are you aware that I have not been able to eat anything since the night before the surgery. He said, you should be able to eat something now that the pressure is down and he is hoping with the drops the pressure is controlled. To his suggestion I made my second appointment for a week later and I thank him and left the office.