Don't cry for me Argentina

These days I feel things are different. Somehow this lyrics from
The Andrew Lloyd Webber collection of Sarah Brightman describes me well. This is from Evita broadway show.

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
That I still need your love after all that I've done
You won't believe me
All you will see is a girl you once knew
Although she's dressed up to the nines
At sixes and sevens with you

I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
So I chose freedom
Running around, trying everything new
But nothing impressed me at all
I never expected it to


Don't cry for me Argentina
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my promise
Don't keep your distance


And as for fortune, and as for fame
I never invited them in
Though it seems to the world they were all I desired
They are illusions
They're not the solutions they promised to be
The answer was here all the time
I love you and hope you love me


Don't cry for me Argentina


Don't cry for me Argentina
The truth is I never left you
All through my wild days
My mad existence
I kept my promise
Don't keep your distance


Have I said too much?
There's nothing more I can think of to say to you
But all you have to do is look at me
To know that every word is true


Don't cry for me Argentina

Moving to a New virtual home?

becasue of the blogger lack of support I am trying to move to motime. Please for now see some of my old writing or new ones in stated site.

Something to write about....

I wonder everytime I am away from weblog, I have tons to write about. However, as soon as I get behind the computer screen, volia, nothing can be remembered!...
Last night I saw one of old friends who currently works in Bombardier . We used to go to university together. Now he lives in Toronto, Canada with his partener as a common law. It is so amazing to see how time flies! We used to study together, go Skiing, go Horse back riding and etc. It was fun time!!
....
I have just checked my archive and realized that I can't retrive my old writtings. I am quite pissed off at blogger.com.
I am thinking about setting up my own server!

lack of update and new development:-)

I am told that I rarely update my weblog. This is true but if you update you weblog everyday I would conclude that you have nothing better to do than updating your weblog!!
on the serious side, I am busy and that is the reason I hardly get a chance to update my weblog. but stay tunned and I will at last prevail:)
... just recently Iranian. com published one of my writings, please read it here

Nobel Peace Prize Goes To Iranian Female Lawyer Ebadi

wowowow, I was away for couple of days and now I am back I see that Ms. Ebadi has won the Nobel Peace Price! I would like to take this opportunity and congratulate her on this achievement. As an Iranian I am so excited and honored. I congratulate to all my fellow Iranian around the world specially Women.
read here the news!

Iran first hand Observation

About while ago I published first part of my journey when I first arrived in Iran about a year ago. So, now a little more of it...:)

Day 7
Tonight my Aunt (Khaleh) and her husband and two children visited me. My aunt’s husband suggested that I file an application to the company that he is working. I had to show up at his work place around 9:00 am.

Day 8
Woke up early around 6:00 am. Try to get ready for the interview. I arrived at the company site around 9:00 am. First went to see my aunt’s husband who was busy and directed me to human resources (Karkozini) department. There she was a woman who gave me an application to fill out. Apparently, I was told the application form was newly issued and needless to say many question were like what did you sibling do last night and most import of all what is your religion and what group do you belong to!!

I first saw a chief of Human resources who was big time bureaucrat. He was overlooking at my application without saying much or looking at me. He then expressed that there is no job in the company available. He went to the next page and noticed that I have written Canada in my application. All of the sudden things become about him and how he tried to get out of country in 1997. He started by explaining his life story and how he went to Spain to go to Canada but unfortunately authorities arrested the smuggler and so they decided not to proceed!!! And then he started talking about his son who is very much in love with robotics and mecharonics and is in fight with his father who say: “you should finish you industrial engineering degree then switch to mechanical engineering”. However, he wants to do this change without his permission!
Moving on, after a long day of interview and when they said they don’t need anyone. Around 3:30 pm they hired me! This was one of the longest job interviews I ever had in my entire lifetime in one day!!
Moving from different conversations that I had with a few engineers I found that these people use technology that belong to at least 25 years ago and try to do jobs that are considered modern and advanced in some extend.


Day 11
I went for another interview. This one was a friend of my father just want to evaluate my knowledge for job opening that may be available in the near future.
On my way back to house I got in on a taxi. Another woman passenger got on the taxi as well. The girl introduced herself as a student who is seeking money to pay off his rent debt for the time being. She stated that she is looking for about 45 thousand Toman. I was quite sad to see such scenery. She pulled out her student card and showed it to both of us, the driver and I. Finally when the driver told her he does not have the money and I couldn’t truly not speak! She offered herself for compensation of the money!!!! This moment was tremendously sad. I was speechless! I wasn’t there to judge her or say anything and I couldn’t say a word. She asked if we can’t do anything, diver should stop the car. And he did. It was one of the saddest moment of my life.

Tonight is 11 of September, anniversary of collapse of the twin buildings in NY City. I was passing from Mohseni (Mother’s) Square where people last year lit candle. The square was full of Police, Nirouhaye Entezami and plain cloths officer with walk-in-talky. They were standing everywhere trying to spread people from any such gatherings!
Tomorrow I am going to Mohammad Esfahani Concert. I got tickets via this person in German embassy.

Couple of observations:

Traffic in Tehran is terrible. Pollution is at a constant rate and is killing people without doubt! People are eager to blame someone. I went to ministry of research and science and development. Whomever I met was complaining about the government and how the higher level of government are stealing from Iran. There is big belief that this government is Arab driven. Many people believe that these people are Arabs who are making Iranians to suffer! (This is after talking to a few people on the streets and different ministries. Please do not criticize me because this is what I am told and I am only conveying it!)
People are quite angry at government at any level. There are two problems that people don’t do much, first people don’t see there is any alternative or a leader that they can trust. Second, people feel they have already paid so much for this revolution, so they are hardly ready to pay any other price(s).

The foot steps of water

Sohrab Sepehri is one of my favorite poet of all time. He passed a way in 1359 (1980) In Iran.
This is a one of his poems and its title is The foot steps of water.

Life's a pleasant tradition.
Life's wing is as vast as death.

Life's a jump the size of love.
Life's not something,
we put on the mantel of habit
and forget.

It does not matter where I am.
The sky is always mine.
Windows, ideas, air, love,
earth, all mine.
Why does it matter if sometimes,
the mushrooms of nostalgia grow?

Let's take off our clothes.
Water is just a foot away.
Let's have a basket and
fill it up with all the greens
and all the reds.

We are not to comprehend;
the secret of roses, but maybe
swimming in the incantation of roses.
Or may be looking for
the song of truth
between the morning glory,
and the century.

Car free day in Europe

Past Monday 22. of September was Car free day in Europe. Hopefully we would have a similar day in Iran, soon! otherwise...
Car free day in Europe
and Mobility week in Europe

IEEE President writes an open letter to its members Concerning about serving members in embargoed countries

Letter in pdf format

Change it or get changed!!

I enjoyed this story so much that I highly recommend it!...
I was taught this lesson in my early twenties when, working for a tour company in the Canadian Rockies, a woman called to book a sightseeing tour. I explained in great detail the different day trips available to her and together we picked one out for her to take. She then asked me a question that took me off guard, “Do you offer discounts to the blind?”
read it here @ Alexthe girl Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Congratulations on Raha's new virtual home town :-)

A good fellow of mine Ms. Raha has moved to a new home. enjoy her work here

Pain and Suffering; how to distinguish them!

I really liked this story. Hope everyone reads it...read it here at Alex the girl weblog
Saturday, September 20, 2003
One of the most common criticisms I receive is that somehow I must lead this perfectly charming, easy little life without worry and that if, in fact, I had ever suffered even the slightest, I would be more patient and understanding to those who like to live in a pitiful, complaining and negative world full-time. I would write less "good" stories because in the real world where there’s real problems, it’s not so easy to be kind.

Bride from Iran

Dear Mom and Dad,
I am writing you to thank you again for sending me a wife from Iran. Maryam, oh no I mean Marjan, has fulfilled all my desires. The short, ugly and bald Iranian that I am, there is no way anyone in their right mind here in America would want to live with me....read the rest at
Iranian.com

Traffic, Traffic and more traffic Jam

Wednesday, birthday of Hazarat-e Ali was a national holiday in Iran and father’s day (finally a day in Iran for men with all due respect for our hardworking women:). It was around 7:00 am we (my parents and I) decided to take a trip to North of Iran heading to Namak_abrood, to visit couple of family friends. We got ready and left our home heading for Chaloos road. The route to Chaloos was clear and plain up to the exit from Kardj to Chaloos. Then as soon as we arrived we faced a packed jam traffic. A traffic that prevented us from either returning to Tehran or going forward to our destination! We spent about 3 hours in queue of cars bumper to bumper. If I had estimated correctly we only moved forward about 2 km in entire 3 hours! Then, we decided not to go further and return! (So, we decided to take a trip to cheloo-Kababi in the city:). While we were in traffic jam, a police car passed by who announced that Chaloos road has reached its capacity and the entire road to Chaloos is completely jammed! I should mention with so much traffic there was one bright side. People were celebrating the traffic by playing loud music and dance!
While in traffic observing all this sceneries, I kept thinking traffic is an integral part of large cities. From New York City to Tehran they all have their own typical traffic jam. However, Tehran has different characteristic when it comes to traffic and its corresponding rush hours. Contrary to other big cities that the rush hours starts during the time that people commute between work and home, in Tehran however, we don’t usually follow the same pattern! No matter what time of day it is we may encounter traffic and to someone’s surprise during rush hours you may see no traffic at all!! This unpredictability of our system is something that makes Tehrani’s life not monotonic (I suppose this is again a bright side of this whole story)! However, I believe this is the main factor preventing us from any proper planning in for any work we do or follow certain forecasting blueprint as other counties tend to do.

In my humble opinion reasons behind the traffic jam in Tehran are many. Though, I will discuss those that I feel have the most impact on the entire system.

1. Cultural values: apparently it is so hard for us to give a yield to right! We usually move in from Side Street to the main street with tremendous force and no mercy to the driver on the main street! Image someone wishes to turn. You will hear the nonstop sound of horns coming from everywhere. We have come to this conclusion that no one has right more than us. Therefore, we should block her/his way and continue our path forward no sympathy considered! Kill or get killed!

2. Staying in a queue of street lane that is backed up all the way to kilometers is against our character and religion!! We should go from the most right to the most left, try to force in our car while blocking other side of road lane…(ok, ok, I know someone wishes to say that is because we don’t have enough roads, though).

3. Dilemma known as Timing of red lights on the intersections in Tehran: I never understood why it takes less than a second for a green light to change the color to the red and all this changing happens, simultaneously. Right at the same instant the other side of intersection goes from red to green! May be it is because of this fact that Tehranis are so quick in reacting during driving! The entire process takes less than a second!! I personally don’t understand why not giving about 3 to 5 seconds between green and red, so, the intersection would get cleared up before the cars from other side of intersection speed into the opposite path and a big time traffic would take place!

4. Many fellow drivers have no idea of what is proper driving or can’t recall anything they did when performed the driving test: have you ever noticed no person pre-decides his/her destination before gets to an exit or intersection! This is a last minute job for a drive. Right when s/he is completely on left side of the street, all of the sudden by the time the driver is by the intersection s/he wants to turn right.

Having said that, I have to admit once again by start of new school year we should expect to see huge parking by the name of Tehran has once again established!!!!

Check out the proper meaning of the F-Word

I don't usually use the fault language or profanity ...though, this one worth seeing!
FuCk meanings!