A long weekend?

Couple of quick notes:
Weather report: weather is getting warm here in Tehran. It seems that an Indian summer has arrived!
1.This Saturday is a national Holiday. Emam Jafar is passed a way and therefore, we have got a long weekend per say.
I think we should start increasing our holidays! or just simply stop working! Ph, we are tired!!!:-)
2.I am not sure if I have had a chance to talk about one of my favorite fields. That is Biomechanics and biomedical engineering.
Mr. Marco Viceconti is a biomechanicst in Europe. He has started to publish a
biomechanic weblog. He has also created a true virtual
community, the Biomechanics European Lab
3. I like this song of Bee Gees, it is knownas I started a joke:

I started a joke which started the whole world crying
But I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no
I started to cry which started the whole world laughing
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me

I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finaly died which started the whole world living
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me

I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finaly died which started the whole world living
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me
Oh no that the joke was on me

Two quick news

Weather report: quite cold, however, sunny!

I am a little busy today, so, two news captured my eyes:
1. Andre Agassi "regrets" speaking no Farsi: German weekly
Andre Agassi
2. It has been a few feww that Mr. Abtahi has started his weblog. I congratualte him with couple of weeks of delay. I should tell you that I have meet him once in a book store and find him quite charming! he was with suite, no traditional clergies cloths! Mr. Mohammad Ali Abtahi

Can you provide a solution…?

1. Weather Report: Snow flicks bombarded us for the beginning of the day. In the afternoon, we have got this cold front, which has taken us to –4 to 0 degrees.

2. This goes back about 4 years ago when I was a teaching assistant and lecturing for an industrial robotic class. I used to supervise the students for a chosen project in that class. I used to drop by robotics laboratory and look at the development of the projects and direct them with better possibilities to continue their projects.
I used to get into room go over each project and look for problems and bringing them to the group’s attention. For instance, telling them this beam is too small to be used here, do not use this type of sensor here and so on.
Once there was this great student of mine who was definitely older and wiser than me, told me: Ali, I know that our projects have lots of problems however, you have always told us the problems and dilemmas that we have encountered; though, you have hardly provided a solution to these existing problems!
This was a big bang in my head for this kind of approach! From then after, I had learned to not bring up the problems without providing a working solution! I truly learned a lesson where I was lacking before. I believe I am a different person, now. Whenever I see a problem I try to provide a solution while overlooking for different aspects of the problem. Not just seeing the dark side of the problem, which is mostly known to us.

Late night Bubbling!

Snow has started in Tehran. White flicks are slowly coming down. It is so nice to go for a walk, though, it is windy and quite cold!
I am going to write about couple of restaurants that I have gone in Tehran since my arrival.
Apache: A fast food restaurant quite similar to burger King, though it is not a chain fast food, it is just sole store; they actually have happy meals!).
The white tower (Borjeh Sefid) restaurant & coffee shop: it is probably the first rotating restaurant in Tehran that I know of. You get 360 degrees view of Tehran. Quality of the food is all right, i.e. satisfactory. The café shop you can sit there for more than hours and nobody will bother you. If you wish to talk with someone, a good place to go.
Jame Jam Food Court :You can find Chinese, Mexican, Italian, French, BBQ and many other cuisines there, it is food court, da!... the coffee shop has a great Tiramisu for chocolate lovers!
I’d better get some sleep, now!

Smoke Free Environment, Official Apologies!

Weather report: today morning we had some snow at the beginning of the day. Later sun came out and it is getting quite cold around Tehran. It is the forecast to have rain and snow until Monday. Temperature is around 0 to 5 degrees.

2. Smoke free environment: Something has been constantly bothering me in Tehran: People who smoke right beside you in indoor environments. I have been exposed to cigarette smoke in many places to name a few houses, taxi, hospitals and many other public areas. The funny thing is when the smokers see that smoke is bothering me, they would ask: Do you get bothered by the smoke? When I reply: yes! They say, don’t worry, Tehran air is more polluted than the smoke you receive from this cigarette and they usually continue smoking!!! I really miss North America in this respect. Almost all public areas were smoke free environment!! This afternoon, I had been invited to Iranplast convention in Iran international Exhibition Place. If you wonder what is Iranplast. It is a convention related to all industries involved with plastic materials and manufacture. I went to one of the booths that a friend who had invited me. A cool dude was right there beside me who started to smoke. I showed my uncomforted face to him however; he just smiled and continued to smoke. The good part was that he took off and left about a few seconds!

3. I am not sure how many have seen the movie called Devil's advocate. There is a scene in it that Al Pacino tells: Vanity is definitely my favourite sin.
This was an introduction to tell something about myself. I took a long walk in this chilly day to reflect my journey in past few months. A while ago a good friend asked me a question. I had two choices: tell the truth; do not tell anything and move on! However, I took the question and twisted it and then answer it the way I wished to be heard!! I know this is called telling lie! Volia. This is, of course, an inhonorable act!! I never did such an act before and people who know me know this fact (perhaps telling this is worst than not saying it). Now the truth is revealed, I know you would say now: I feel regret. So, I feel I owe her an official apology. So, here I offer my deepest regret about this issue and officially apologize for anything I did. Perhaps, putting it up in public may help to clear the air.
and I dedicate this song of michael Jackson to all and specially to myself:

There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways
To Get There
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And
Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers
Create A World With
No Fear
Together We Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

You And For Me
You And For Me

Love vs hate ; Win vs Lost,

1. Weather report: Tehran was quite polluted today! A cold front has approached Tehran and the temperature has dropped about 8 dgrees. I heard that tonight we may get some frost or perhaps snow.

2. This is an interesting expression from Moliere I read it today: Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for the love of it, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money.

3. I am not an expert in love issues. I have read a little and heard about being in love. As far as I know love is not something that we are able to describe it or define it. There is no proper definition to my knowledge for the love word. As many people said being in love is something that you tend to know! You’d feel special! If a mutual relationship arises, it is important to develop four ingredient of great happiness; Love, Trust, Indulgence, and Hope. It is mandatory to develop all these four all along in your relationship. As I said if the trust is dismissed, love will not last long and hope will get lost in no time. However, a trusted relationship requires that both parties, during many ups and downs of their life, have indulgence even if they are correct in what they say and mistakes are her/his partner's fault. . A relationship is mutual expression. As we hear in mathematics, it is an expression with necessary and sufficient (if and only if) condition. You tend to give and receive. A one-way love cannot continue for long. One-way relationship usually goes to a break up mood. Having said that this is where we stay broken hearted. It is no cure for loving someone except time. Time usually is the only remedy to heal the pain.

4. A young person saw a heart of an old man. The young person asked: "I see broken pieces and empty spaces in your heart, what has happened to your heart?" The old man said: "all along your life you meet people, during these relationships you usually give a way part of your heart. The empty spaces belong to those people who took a part of my heart and never returned a similar piece. As a result, the parts I gave them a way never got filled with their similar heart pieces, So that is why you see as a empty spaces in my heart."

5. This is a great story of a man who believed in a work to benefit all, I quite loved it. It is about a man who worked hard and keep saying: In a land of free, plant a tree!
...Around 1971 a brush fire burned a substantial portion of the chaparral in the hills above the golf course and just behind the Los Angeles Zoo. Amir was saddened by the damage the fire inflicted. One day he approached Griffith Park authorities and, to their amazement, asked whether he could get permission to create a garden on top of the hill behind the golf course. He was not taken very seriously at first but when he discussed his plan they told Amir that the ranger station could grant him a permit but that was it. No water, no shovel no plants and no help. Amir accepted with delight... read the rest her. Amir's Garden. Thanks to Iranian.com.

The grass on the other side is always greener or!!

Another sunny day in Tehran. I wish to say hi to all who read these pages either those one I know and those I don't know!
...
Today, I read the following story at Alex blog. I beg you to read this story. It is a great one.
.....
That night, I slept in her guest bed, under a canopy of pink and I thought how shabby my home was next to this. How unspecial it was and how I couldn’t provide such hospitality because I wouldn’t know how to put a home together like this one. Although I adore pink more than any girl I know, I’m not so good at being girly, especially when it comes to decorating and matching pastel colours, flowers and cushions. I started to think less of my home because I knew it couldn’t be like hers.
Read the rest here on Dec. 8/2003
.....
In one of the comments I was asked to explain more about the web and internet convention. I think by browsing this link you can find more information Internet fest

Sunny day arrived!

With one day of delay. After seven straight days of rain, Tehran is visited by sun Lady:-). The air is still clean and fresh and mountains on North of Tehran are covered by snow illustrates a pleasant scenery.
...
My Best wishes and congrtulations goes to Ms. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, an Iranian born, who was representing Canada in Miss World 2003 contest. She become the first runner up of this contest, good for her:-) Read the rest here
Interesting enough that Miss Ireland the world crown holder is nobody than daughter of Chris De Burgh the famous singer. Good for her, too!:-)

Rain: Seventh day!

It seems that we are quite blessed in Tehran. This is seventh consecutive day that we received rain! Seven days we have not seen sun shine! It is a record I suppose in Tehran. At least to my knowledge! Right now it is still raining!
*****************
This was send to me by a good friend of mine:
Do not marry a person that you know that you can live with, only marry someone that you cannot live without!
*****************
This is one of the strangest news I have recently heard: German confessed to killing and eating a willing victim in a case that could make legal history, telling a shocked courtroom the experience was "like taking communion" in a religious service. Human-eatting tragedy staged in Germany.

Dead Poets Society

Today I went to Mahak-charity food fair for kids with cancer. What a crowd! It was nice to see so many enthusiastic people who care. From young to old they all were amazing and friendly. I spend more than 3 hours there. I think I will go to every event they may have from now on!

While thinking about such events I recalled this part from dead poets society movie and the fact that we should seize every possible moment in our life before we regert it:

Every day opportunities await us
and we must decide whether to take the chance or play it safe
I encourage you to take the risks
for nothing is gained without them
...It is this "Carpe Diem*" spirit
---------------------------------------
*Seize the day
See a picture of the crowed here

Rain keeps coming…Tehran sees rain for six consecutive days!

Amazing, not that I complain, this is for six consecutive days and rain keeps coming in Tehran! The air quality is pleasant, clean, and fresh. Temperature is about 5 to 8 degrees centigrade:), in a case you wish to know about the weather!
I remember this poem from second grade, it goes:

Rain again, rain again, with the sound of music
With drops similar to pearl
The impact of drops on the roof
Sweet and good; I was just a little 7 years old kid, fast and agile…

The Persian version is:
Baz Baran, baz baran, ba taraneh, ba goharhaye faravan
Mikhord bar bam-e khaneh, khobo o shirin
Kodako 7 saleh bodam, josto chabok…

Ok, I can’t recall the rest, anyone can?
An great news:
The first ski resort in Tochal is solely opened for snowboarders. And apparently, Yesterday, Tochal has re-opened its resort for ski lovers. Yopi, hopfully, this year I can go more skiing!:-)

Food festival-82: A charity fair

I have been notified about a charity fair in this coming friday by Mahak organization. Thanks goes to a friend who kindly send me this poster.

Second consecutive day in Tehran Convention Centre :-)

Ok, Ok, I did go to Tehran International Convention Center for two consecutive days! But this time was not for the Internet and web convention. It was for Air-conditioning convention and no, the purpose was not for the Chocolate and pastry convention, I just had this half opened eye on that convention and it just happened that I went there!! (Ya, you right!!) In any case, I once again learn a lot! After visiting all air conditioning booths and changing lots of productive ideas, I, of course, learned how companies try to extend their technology brain storming to women! I learned the true meaning of "Instrumental usage = Estefadeh Abzare (Thanks goes to a friend who reminded me of the word instrument for translation!)" of women!! To my surprise, many of these companies had hired women a few weeks before the convention takes place and if you would ask them a question, they kindly would reply: Dr. or Engineer X knows about technical details! So, I let you to talk to him!! Of course, after so much enjoyment (do not think personal, by enjoyment I refer to air conditioning equipment, nothing more:-)!!) we decided to pay a visit to the Chocolate and pastry booths! (It just happened, no planing what so ever!!)
This one was a different experience! Besides the simple and of course better instrumental usage of women, the aisles were overwhelmed from visitors! It was quite difficult to move around!
There was this scenery that made me to be shameful and of course a little entertaining! One of chocolate companies booth started to open up the chocolate containers in front of their booth!! All of the sudden, I saw a crowd of 100s start running, similar to how football players run for the ball in American football, and almost killing one another for just a few chocolates bars!! My god, it took only less than a minute before the entire area was up side down! And I am not sure but perhaps couple of people got injured!! What the experience it was!
********
For fourth consecutive days Tehran sees rain. It is quite nice, though. I recalled this song of Everly brothers (A-ha has sang it, too) called Crying in the rain!
Crying In The Rain - Everly Brothers
I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurting me
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All my sorrow and pain
I'll do my crying in the rain

If I wait for cloudy skies
You won't know the rain
From the tears in my eyes
You'll never know
That I still love you so
Though the heartaches remain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Raindrops falling from Heaven
Could never wash away my misery
But since we're not together
I look for stormy weather
To hide these tears
I hope you'll never see

Some day when my crying's done
I'm gonna wear a smile
And walk in the sun
I may be a fool but til then darling
You'll never see me complain

I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain
I'll do my crying in the rain

Web Convention in Tehran cont's.

I went to this web convention. I got amazed with so many enthusiastic people I met! I could tell the weblog booth was one of the most crowded booths there. I had opportunity to meet couple of fellow of webloggers:
1. Vaheed A nice fellow who has been in editorial board of a book called: Veblag-estan-e shishi! I bought it, though!
2. Two energatic and enthusiast fellows Sara Darvish and Neda
3. A cool dude who I had seen his website: Dizi
4. You can see photos of the convention here at Rootoosh bashi
Over all, a geart experience. However, I have to talk about something that I felt the entire system was lacking.
1. There was no internet connection what so ever based on booths I talked to!
2. Many of the jobs these people did was like virtual university or training centre requires High Speed internet access!
Realistically, we have no high speed access, So, many of them were useless for Iran per say!!
****************
moving on, a good friend sent me a joke from US:

An Italian, French and Iranian went for a
job interview in England.
Before the interview, they were told that
they must compose a sentence in English with three
main words: green,
pink
and yellow...
The Italian was first: "I wake up in the
morning. I see the yellow sun. I see the green grass
and I think to myself,
I hope it will be a pink day..."
The French was next: " I wake up in the
morning, I eat a yellow banana, a green pepper and in
the evening I watch the pink panther on TV...
Last was the Iranian, "I wake up in the
morning, I hear the phone "green green", I "pink" up
the phone and I say "Yellow"

Web convention in Tehran

Today, I am hoping to go and see web convention in Milad building in Tehran International Convention center.
hopfully this afternoon I can do this...
By the way, I would like to thank all those who e-mailed me in past couple of weeks and commented me on my blog! I haven't seen many of you in person, however, thanks for comments and e-mails. I respect your opinions.
So, enjoy this rainy day in Tehran.
This is voice of Alireza (oppss sorry I meant writing), I am in Tehran reporting!:-)