there must be a way…

I am these days less motivated! Don’t know why. May be because there has been more or less raining for past 4 weeks! As they say the weather is depressing! May be …
Yesterday, in one of the meeting I was seating listening for almost 3 hours to our department chief, and other people of our group, I started to think… what is our job as professionals? I came with this answer: simply conveying ideas, classify and categorize them and represent them to people. To add the impact of work on the society in whole.
While in Germany for the conference I noticed how boring it is to sit in a lecture hall the entire day and listen to different presenters. I discuss that with my colleagues, I am told if the topic is interesting and I am interested (as an audience) I will listen to it! Otherwise you would lose the interest!
But I don’t think that was the case, in many cases I was getting bored simply by listening to these soulless and unenthusiastic presenters although I was so interested to the topic.
I started to think there must be a way to make a presentation more interactive and nicer to your audience! Something that people can relate and get interested in. Not just talking for 15 minutes, like it is responsibility that must be done and go home!
I started to think what makes my job more interesting? What is my aim? How can I relate to my audience? I couldn’t find answer to my last question. What can be done to put yourself to some else’s shoes.
There must be a way, to get people interest and not letting them fall in sleep after 5 minutes presenting. In an ordinary conversation what happens if we get interested or lose interest.
One could be attraction, if the person who is presenting, is good looking and has nice dress may has an impact. But that may be 20% to us professionals. But what are remaining 80%?
How can we say what we do is good for you? Through marketing guys? Look for problems and telling them how we solve them! In research that is usually good but can not be possible in may places.
Still trying to understand the fact of what makes us going and get enthusiastic. If you know write me!
I wish to hear your comment, if any!

Lost in translation...

1. HUMMM, AOOO, I am asking my Chinese apartment-mate. what doesn these sounds you are making of yourself mean?! why when I say Helllo, you say HUUUUMMM, OHHHsh!?
him: hummma means hello in Chinese! and AOOOA means yes!
thanks for clirifying! as they say in Chinese thank you=SHEE SHEE!!

2. I feel depressed when I think I have no internet at home and doesn't seem I will get one any time soon!

3. Listing to Mike Wallace interview with Mr. Ahmadi Nedajad I realized how important it is to tranlate and convey your meaning properly.
If you get a chance please read the text and then listen to the video on the right hand side.
you will hear what President Ahamdinedjad has said, and what the translator (with huge Iranian accent) has translated! The obvious point is the "make up of President Bush admistration..." I think it is last page of the interview. compare and you will amazed!

you can also read the entire interview in Persian for exact comparision.here in Persian! I hope link works!

ezat ziad!:)

Some news from me and funny story of mine!

1. Since Monday I am here in Bern conducting in vivo motion analysis on spine. THe first day we arrived, I was told one of the the two sets of camera is not working! and we can only use one set! My own supervisor said this process may take 4 weeks! unbelievable, these guys are super slow! There is this research/technician assitant who suppose to help, he gets sometimes on nerve, with this French/swiss accent repeating: Forget it, impossible, too compicated, I mean, no way!!! saying it 20 times! getting red on the face! The first day he was going nuts I had to send him out to work on something else!!! No very pleasant experience! I should stay here at least until Friday, if not longer!

2. Some of you what I do and what was my conferece paper about. I do computer modeling of spine in whole at dynamic motion. purpose is to have a quick and ready-to-test facility to test spine implants.

3. why I started to write about I get worry about Iran and Iranian: I was reading a paper about spine and realizing a cycling and continues motion will hurt your discs and spine (vertebrae). So, I recalled so many Paykan and other cars in Iran which are so un-standard and create lower back pain! what are statistics of that! none, zero! there are days I feel, I should go back in Iran and start a orthopaedic facility to help people. Then, I remember how I was treated, it makes me to think twice!

4. Before I get to Bern, on Friday morning the following event took place with my chinese apartment-mate:

Time: 6:55 am
Location: Mr. Doug and Alireza's apartment (Doung: 40 years of age, married and has a doughter of 10, his wife and doughter in China, though)

Ring ring ring, the phone keeps ringing for 2 mintues! I try to ignore it. While I am sleeping or almost sleeping! The second and third time. Finally, I decide to pick up the phone.

Me: Hello!
Person on the other side: Aouaaa
Me: pardon me?!
POS: chin chong doung?!
Me: sorry, I can't understand Chinese!
POS: chin me talk Mr. Doung?
Me: Do you want to talk to Mr. Doung?
POS: ya, chayouaaa
Me: He is asleep!
POS: I cho have to talk to him. I talk him!!!
Me: sorry but I suppose he is sleeping and I wish not to wake him up!!
POS: ching chang dong, me must talk to him…
Me: sorry, may I take a message?!
POS: tell Mr. Doung, Ms. Sohn is calling!!!
Me: ok, I will. Are you calling from China?
POS: Me Chinese!
Me: I know but are you in Switzerland or China?
POS: I Switzerland!
And she hangs up!
...
I finish with my early routine of preparation to go to work.
Mr. Doung opens his door and comes out!
Me: good morning
DOung: ya ya morning
Me: did you hear the ring around 7:00 am?!
Doung: no n n n (with Chinese accent)
Me: somebody wanted to talk to you, her name was Ms. Sohn!
Doung: I don't chao know anybody with that name!!
2 minutes passes:
Doung: oh, I may be know, she is old lady! …
Ching doung dang and some none senses, my wife she found a job. Very old lady!!
Doung: Did you tell her that I am asleep?! or did you tell him I am not at home!!! (with anxiety in his voice and face!)
Me: I told him you are sleeping in your room!
Doung: sigh of relaxation! Ok, that is good, I know her, thanks!!!!

evening comes and I comeback home from work. My chinese apartment-mate sees me:

Doung: oh oh, do you know the women called?!
Me: no, what should I know about her!!
Doung: I will go to her house tomorrow, ahooa, yo ya!
me: good for you!
doung: sigh for a few seconds! oh, may be I stay there, over night...!
me: ok, I don't want to know more....thanks...

I worry for Iran and Iranians...

I am worrying for Iran! For Iran coming under attack for nothing!

I am worry for Iranian people for those teenagers who get simply executed for having a sex before mar-riage.

I am worry for those who die in the prisons of Iran for thinking and promoting thinking.

I am worry for such huge non-standard cars which are causing paralization of those who getting on them, by exceeding vibration; those cars which are assembled in Iran and sold on price of blood to the ordinary people.

I am worrying for increasing level of pollution in Tehran and other big cities of Iran, for which everyday thou-sands die of taxication or related syndromes because of ignorance of officials.

I am worry because Price of Oil is at the highest level and still there are millions of Iranians under poverity line or have to work 3 shifts to ends meet.

I am worry for so many monuments part of ancient heritage left from our ancestors and today no one have time to preserve them.

I am worry for every young person in Iran, who are thirsty for learning and developing, but they get no development, no opportunity.

I am worry for those women who wish to live free of any veil what so ever but forcefully have been veiled on!

I am worry for those human rights advocates whose voices are silent.

All and all, these things brings me to tears and makes me to profoundly worry....

After the conference

The title of this blog seems like after the shock!
...
I am back in one piece and trying to organize myself to further continue of my work.

The presentation was quite good considering I was presenting in front of full audience (about 80 people) and there were even people standing in the corridor. The door was also kept open during my presentation, while people were standing by door! Almost most of the big names in area of Spine biomechanics (Shirazi Adl, Pearcy, Wilke, Rohmann, Bergmann, Wolf, etc.) were in the room!
The chair of the session was Prof. Pearcy who I thought has already passed away!! Funny enough, after the session I asked him, are the famous Prof. Pearcy who has so many publication in regard of kinematics of Spine? He was quite humble to say; yes, but people are nice enough to consider me one of the pioneers!! I have not done so much.
I asked about one about the only missing person from the Spine research gathering, Prof. Panjabi. He said apparently he is retired and I am also semi-retired! According to him, he was only doing some managing in regard of research groups.

I tried to get close to Prof. Shirazi Adl who works in Montreal, Canada. My god, why we, Iranians, become so snobby when we get to a well-known position?! No chance talking to him, he sounded too stiff for my taste!
all and all it was quite great experience. There were about 2800 people in this conference. I have not ever attended any conference with such a huge number of participants.

Now, I am back, I have tons of work. For a day I attended a workshop. Now, I have to get ready to do some in vivo testing.
...
This student of mine who is from US really sometimes pisses me off. Becasue he acts like I have to guide him on every single moment and occasion, otherwise he gets lost! I have much more regards for our own students which I think show higher initiation and enthusiasm.

As soon as I get chance I put up some of the photos.
I still don't have internet at home, so bear with me:D

2. This photo was taken at the receiption of the first day of conferece.
1. One day my boss told me that let's go to new Bayern Muenchen Stadium called Allianz arena. So, there was a friendly game between FCB munchen and Schalke 04.
and the winner was FC Bayern.