eeeehhh...raise your hand if the last post wasn't clear...:O

Ok, so a non-virtual friend saw me online today and asked me why I haven't updated my blog in a long time.


Have you ever seen that episode of FRIENDS were Chandelier does his best to hold back his sarcastic remarks? Well, I actually managed to do so :D

I did NOT tell her, "Good ya reminded me, I'll write a post in ENGLISH 2nite to let you know I have moved to wordpress."

Nor did I tell her, "So how short should I write my posts so you wud actually read them till the end?"

Nor did I say, "I stopped blogging coz my evil twin started her own blog. Go and visit her blog, she writes the EXACT same things I think about."


Nope, I didn't tell her any of the above. I just told her to read the post I'll write tonight. So here's the post:


BABA JOON, YA AMMY, WALEEK...I HAVE MOOOOOVED TO WORDPRESS??!!! NEW BLOG:

WWW.MYMAGICALDROPLETS.WORDPRESS.COM

:D...oh and the capitalized letters are just to get your attention sweety...i'm not yelling :)

Darya it is :D

Till 6 this evening I still hadn’t come to any final decision on what to call this new baby. For me to choose something I have to ‘feel’ that it’s right; I need to get a sign—nooooo I haven’t read one Paulo Coelho book too many :D

So I’d added some new songs to my ipod—some old albums that I hadn’t listened to for a long time—when Moein’s song Pialeh came on. Oh god this song!!!It must have been at least 10 years since I last heard this song. I love the message of the song. So merry old me tried to sing along, trying to remember the lyrics when the following words were sang out loud:

Bi Neyaz o

Tanha baash;

Teshneh bash o

Darya bash

Translation:

Be detached (from worldly possessions)

Be solitary

Be thirsty

Be the sea

Can a sign get any clearer than this??!! It says be the sea—be darya.

And so Darya (the sea) I become

The ebb and flow of my sea will be marked here: www.mymagicaldroplets.wordpress.com

I had created that blog when I wanted to export the posts on Magical Droplets before deleting it. I just exported all the posts on Mirror Polisher to it as well.

PS. I forgot to credit the two images in this post (edited) and the one preceding it--opps-- they are both from this site

The importance of being Earnest

How do parents do it????? Not the raising the kid up properly part…that’s easily done…they should just invest in a good international satellite dish and let the kid be brought up by the old box in the corner.

No I’m talking about the hardest part of having kids—choosing a name.

I’m trying to pick a new name for my new blog and I'm stuck.

Scratched and scratched and scratched my head all day yesterday and came up with no name that ‘felt’ right.

Then a Youtube buddy of mine emails me that a friend of theirs has just given birth and they are looking for a suitable Persian name. So I gave him my fav Persian names…then a lightbulb came on…hmmmm how about a Persian name for my new username? I can’t use my own coz well of that eerie feeling… so why not another one?

See as a kid I never actually really liked my name coz it rhymed with my brother’s. I felt that the only reason my parents gave me this name was so it would fit in nicely after my brother’s name on some kind of list —hey I’m a Cancerian…we are weird.

So first name that came to my mind was Delaram. It means a peaceful heart or a quiet heart. I used to have a colleague in Iran with this name and she really was calm and peaceful.

Other names I have short-listed are:

1. Shabnam: I like the ring to it …oh and the meaning? Well it means dew …which is what I meant by magical droplets. Oh and I also have a very sweet friend called Shabnam so there’s good aura attached to the name :D

2. Darya=sea. Me lova da sea :D

3. Kimiya=Alchemy. I like the way it sounds and the meaning.

I’m gonna sleep on it tonight :D

No longer a Mirror Polisher

Today marks the 18 month-and- 20 day anniversary of when I wrote my first post (don’t look at me like that, I’m sure there's some tribe some where in the world that actually celebrates an 18 month and 20 day anniversary).

I was in the middle of writing a post on “The Five people I will meet in Heaven” when I realize that the phase of being a “Mirror Polisher” is completed. Here’s an excerpt from the post I explain the story behind the name:

Why Mirror Polisher? Coz I used to dread mirrors. I would only look into one in the mornings when brushing my hair, and even then only at my hair, never into my eyes. For some reason, staring straight into my own eyes wasn’t too comfortable for me. Maybe it was because our eyes are mirrors of our souls; if you look deep enough you can see the essence of one’s soul. For me a Mirror Polisher is a person who is not afraid of seeking self-awareness, who polishes the mirror to get a clear reflection of their soul.

Well, people, I am done polishing. I now know who I am. I am now happy with who I am. I now love having mirrors all over the house…and these mirrors are so well polished that the eyes that stare back at me no longer intimidate me.

So, it’s time I left this blog.

Just like I left Magical Droplets.

But who am I going to be now?

……

……

……

……

……

Hmmmmmmm…..

I’ll be me.

No nicknames, no words that best describe me, no symbols of what defines me, just me…

Actually scratch what I just said…I can't use my real real name!!! Not that I write anything I wouldn't want anyone who knows me in real life to read, but still...it would be creepy knowing that they know about my blog but I don't know they know

Hmmmmm, give me time to think of a new nickname.

*goes to think*

Tagged by Intlxpatr: The 7 things tag

7 things I plan to do:

1. Allow my heart to be in the driver’s seat for a change (not that it asked anyone for permission; it just shoved my head out of the way and took over)

2. Go to Malaysia in mid-May :D

3. Learn what all those buttons on my camera do :O

4. Learn to play at least a couple of guitar chords

5. Start reading Rumi in Persian (thanks A.N for the motivation)

6. Motivate my mom to start painting (I already taught her how to surf the net :D)

7. Re-lose that 5 kg I have re-gained and lose an additional 5 kg… and then decide if I need to lose more weight :D

7 things I can do:

1. Just like Intlxpatr, speak in public…don’t get nervous at all…an NO I don’t not imagine everyone sitting naked. I honestly want to know if that tip has ever worked for anyone!!!

2. Talk and talk and talk endlessly for hours and hours on end

3. Forgive and forget (of course the forgetting part is coz of my terrible, terrible, terrible memory)

4. Lie and get away with it (a skill I have recently mastered…at least I think I have)

5. Procrastinate effectively (I work a lot better when I am under stress…yep that’s my excuse

6. Speak my mind (another skill I have acquired recently)

7. A.N says I am an expert at coming up with a 1000 excuses for not-doing something

7 things I can’t do:

1. Bake!!! (it just never turns out right; but then again I don’t need to, my bro makes excellent cakes)

2. Not cry when watching most movies (it’s embarrassing watching a movie with someone, they always go, now why are you crying at this scene???

3. Give up easily

4. Sing (except in the car and bathroom…and when I want to clear the room)

5. Anything artistic, e.g. paint, draw, music

6. Dance…heck even my 10 month old niece dances better than me…actually I should add this to the list of things I plan on doing…learn Persian dancing

7. Remember where I have parked my car

7 things I say a lot

1. Magical (my favorite word)

2. Lovely ass (as in “I’m too tired to drag my lovely ass out of bed”; or when messaging friends to let them know I have arrived “my lovely ass is here, where are you?”

3. ‘Baba joon’ when talking with Persians; ‘ya ammy’ here in Kuwait

4. Extremely (instead of very)

5. What the hell!!!!!

6. Serious??!!

7. No way!!!!

(Based on my last 3 catch phrases I can see that I’m surprised quite a lot, hmmmm)

Wanna peaceful state of mind—throw away all your beliefs :D

Quick question: How do you know you are right?

I’m not talking about anything in particular; just in general. How do you know you are right about anything—your religious beliefs, political stands, causes you believe in, or whether chocolate cake truly is much better than vanilla cake.

I used to be a person who thought that my beliefs are strongly rooted in logic and common sense and anyone who didn’t agree with them was a blind stubborn imbecile with a rat’s $hit for brains stuck in the dark ages :D

Now I say, the only problem with common sense is that there’s nothing common about it!!

As for logic, well logic all depends on how far you tilt your head, your mood, or whether you are pmsing or not.

Logic is an illusion.

Have you guys seen that Facebook Right-Brain vs Left-Brain application that asks you to say which way the girl is dancing? When I first saw it, I thought WTH, of course it's clockwise; there’s nothing illusionary about it. It’s clear as day. Boy did I get the shock of my life when I saw how many people have said she is twirling counter-clockwise.

What, are these people blind??!!! This is NOT an illusion; she is clearly twirling clockwise; why couldn't they see it???

Ok, maybe a possible explanation is that it keeps changing directions. But no EVERY time I saw it, it was clockwise. SO WHY COULDN’T PEOPLE SEE IT THE WAY I SAW IT.

Again, I repeat this image is not an optical illusion. See with other optical illusion pictures nothing is clear; the pictures are always half way between something; so I can accept why some see a frog, some a horse; some and old woman, some young; BUT THIS PICTURE WAS CLEAR.

Then it hit me; if I just tilt my head to the left a little bit, I would see her twirling counter-clockwise!!! I practiced till I got her to turn the other way. :D

But then two days later, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t “see” her turning counter-clockwise. Apparently my mood also affects my perception.

Hmmm, so how often had I been so sure of my beliefs before, how often was I 100% what I was seeing is crystal clear and how often was I shocked that others didn’t see what I saw.

So if all those time I would have just tilted my head, I could have seen what they saw.

Are all our strong held beliefs just like this dancing girl?

PS. If you cannot see her turning in the picture above go here

PPS Also go there to get the interpretation of your test result.

PPPS. Baba, ya ammy, ya amu, ya walek...just go there :D

UPDATE: A non-virtual friend just sent me this video related to the above topic. Check it out:

Quick question: Which is worse/better?

Fork in the road-Melat Park-Tehran-April 2008

To grow old completely alone or to be stuck in a loveless marriage.


I don’t mean an abusive marriage, just one that there’s no passion; no spark, nothing to make your heart skip a beat.

Jack Handey Quotes

On my old blog, I used to regularly publish quotes I liked. And since tonight, well heck I bored, I thought I’ll reinitiate that tradition. Here are a couple of quotes from Jack Handey:

"When you die, if you go somewhere where they ask you a bunch of questions about your life and what you learned and all, I think a good way to get out of it is just to say, 'No speaka English.'"

"Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room, talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books."

"I wish I would have a real tragic love affair, and get so bummed out that I just quit my job, and become a bum for a few years, because I was thinking about doing that anyway.

"One day one of my little nephews came up to me and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. Laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me."

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is, "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is, "Probably because of something you did."

"Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny."

"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other."

"I think a pillow should be the peace symbol, not the dove. The pillow has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn’t have a beak to peck you with.

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."

"If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at some guys, throw one of those little baby-type pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think of how crazy war is, and while they're thinking, you can throw a real grenade."

"Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis."

Man Carves Wife a 6,000 Stair Path in Mountain

I just stumbled on this story and all i can say is aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, sniff, sniff, sniff:

A weird love story has come out of China recently and managed to touch the world. It is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half century.

Over 50 years ago, Liu, was a 19 years-old boy, fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu. At the time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman.

To avoid the market gossips, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing area.

In the beginning, they had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to lighten up their lives.

Started the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began, and continue for over 50 years, to hand carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

A half century later in 2001, a group of adventures were exploring the forest, they surprisingly found the elderly couple and the over 6,000 stairs of hand carved ladder.

“My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day.” Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, “He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother’s convenience, although she doesn’t go down the mountain that much.”

The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years-old, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms.

So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife’s hand even after he had passed away.

“You promised me you’ll take care of me, you’ll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?” … …

Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband’s black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.

In 2006, their story had became one of the top 10 love stories from China, collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the “love ladder” and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.

Video showing the real couple:

More Pictures:

(QQ)

Day in Review

Already accomplished:

Case 1: Finally called friends and let them know I’m back in Kuwait.

Case 2: Finally started yoga…OUCH my back!!!

Case 3: Finally mom had her talk with me on WHEN THE HELL I plan to go back to work.

Case 4: Finally fixed my yahoo messenger

Case 5: Finally changed my template…again

Case 7: Booked 2 tickets for the new KLT show: www.theklt.com

Case 8: Read a great translation of Googoosh’s song: Mordab HERE on Abadany dar Holland's Blog

Still need to do

Case: 1: Install that “Intro to Guitar” CD; and that “Guide to Persian Literature” CD

Case 2: Check out all those bookmarked sites that were blocked in Iran

Case 3: Finish reading “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter”

Case 4: Reply to 2 personal emails

Car Boot Sale this Saturday April 26

How come usually whenever I sigh, ‘hmmm I wish so and so would happen’ my wish is granted except when it comes to winning the lottery!!!! :D :D

So today I tell a friend, I haven’t been to a car boot sale/yard sale/street bazaar in a long time and just now I got an email from Operation Hope that there’s a yard sale this Saturday:

Huge selection of new and used items including furniture, clothing, books, toys, appliances, brick-a-brack, decorative items, linens, DVDs, and much more. Proceeds benefit Operation Hope. Be sure to get there early for best selection!

PS. I LOOOOOOVE CAR BOOT SALE
PPS. But I think I would love winning the lottery more :D

Shoo, shoo be gone you pesky conscience!!

I need a new conscience; I’m fed up with the one I currently have; it’s way too loud, obnoxious and never ever shuts up…oh and the stupid thing never takes my side!!! Seriously, anyone knows where I can get a new ‘inner voice’ or better yet interested in exchanging yours with mine :D

[Background to my plea]

So around 7:00 pm I logged onto Facebook and I see that there’s a lecture by DADI JANKI on “Secrets For True Wealth” at Salwa Al Sabah Hall at 8:00.

Me: Mom get dressed; we’re going go to a lecture on spirituality

Mom: Ahhhhh what’s the point? They don’t say anything I don’t already know. If you are in the mood to be lectured I can go on the mambar for ya. Here we go: Be good, be nice, be honest, let go of the past, be forgiving, be satisfied, be…

Me: Hahahaha very funny…come on… it starts in an hour.

[Blank look from my mom]

Me: Well, Dadi kinda looks like Lata Mangeshkar

So 30 minutes later we walk into the Hall, and who do I see sitting right on a couch as I enter—the only person I have ever treated not so nicely in my whole life and never apologized to. The same dude I was talking about in this post.

Me: Why, oh why God? Why do I have to see him here..and tonight of all nights.? Is this a sign?

Inner Voice: Yep, come on, this is your chance to be good again.

Me: I ain’t walking over to him…no way!!...and you have been seeing “The Kite Runner” way too many times!! WTH is with “you can be good again”?!!

Inner Voice: Fine, have it your way.

[A few minutes later]

Dadi: Honesty…I myself have never lied…why should I? What’s the point of lying? What are you afraid of?

Inner Voice: See? What are you afraid of?

Me: Shh…I’m trying to listen…hey hold on. I NEVER lied to him.

Inner Voice: Nope you didn’t lie; but you weren’t completely honest with him either.

Me: Huh? Look what I did wasn’t all that bad. Besides I don’t owe him any explanation for my action.

Dadi: Parents have to spend time with their kids to teach them morals

Inner Voice: See, your parents taught you better than this.

Me: Would you please Shhhhhhh. Seriously get off my back. Look this story goes back to my ‘dark’ days, and anything I did during those months cannot be held against me now.

Inner Voice: Do you think you ran into him here by accident? Why of all the nights, do you think you saw him tonight?

Me: Seriously, bug off….I'm trying to listen...ok fine…I’ll talk to him later.

Inner Voice: No you are not. At least be honest with your own inner voice. You never do the things you say you will do later.

Dadi: We have 3 enemies: carelessness, procrastination, and…

Me: ok, that’s it. I am out of here.

Inner Voice: Hehehehe…see I told ya so.

Here a video clip of Dadi...not the lecture she gave in Kuwait though

UPDATE: Thank you Grey for pointing out that I misspelled "conscience" :D :D ...opps

Review of 21 films

Bootlegged films are VERY cheap in Iran—about 300 fils—so I brought smuggled in about 70 to Kuwait, hehehehehehehe....Here’s a one line review of 21 films

Non-English Films

Hindi:

1. Jodha Akbar: Recommended by Amu. Great cinematography. Loved the sword fighing scene between Ash and Hrithik :D The film got me to google Akbar the Great. Found out there were some historical inaccuracies but not enought to distort the truth too much. BTW, did you know that Akbar was the grandfather of Shah Jahan of Taj Mahal?

French:

1. Persepolis: This film could be a page out the book of ANY Iranian who lived in Iran during the 80s and early 90s

Iranian Films

1. Ali Santuri (English title: The Musician): Only reason I watched it is coz it’s banned in Iran. If you wanna put yourself through more than an hour of torture then watch this film.
2. Nesf Maleh Maan, Nesf Maleh Tow (English title: Half mine, Half yours): A fun family film.

Half English/Half Farsi film

1. The Kite Runner: The book was MUCH more poignant.

English Films

1. Rendition: Thought pace was too slow but liked the way the two timelines interlocked. Reese Witherspoon’s role was way too trivial.
2. A Might Heart: Pace too slow, film a bit weak, could have focused more on the emotional side of it; liked Jolie’s new hairdo though.
3. The Night Listener: not a lot of suspense for a suspenseful film
4. The Kingdom: Got to see it again to comment
5. The Bourne Ultimatum: Matt Damon was HOT :P
6. National Treasure 2: Liked part 1 much better; learned some interesting tidbits, like there are two Eiffel Towers :D
   
7. No Country for Old Man: I am now convinced that members of the Oscars academy are officially blind, deaf and with no sense of artistic taste!!
8. Lions for Lambs: A loooooooooong lecture. You might as well just watch a political debate on CNN. Tom Cruise was his annoying self.
9. Jesse James: Was never a fan of Brad Pitt; this film proved why.
10. I am Legend: Will Smith is HOT!!
11. The Golden Compass: Nicole Kidman is forcing me to cross her off my list of fav actresses
    
12. Atonement: The only reason I watched it till the end was coz I was too lazy to reach for the remote to switch off the TV.
13. Juno: Loved her character, especially her wit. Screenplay was excellent. Though I did think they toned down the trials of teenage pregnancy.
14. Meet the Spartans: LOL..much more realistic than 300
15. Elizabeth: Made me google it; the film has some historical inaccuracies. Thought the real Queen Elizabeth would have been much more interesting than the one depicted in this film.

The Tour Guide

This post was written a week ago when I was still in Iran

Ever had a feeling like…well like…like you are walking with…yourself. Several times during this trip to Iran I felt this way. Those times that I floated through familiar streets, streets whose walls were like a photo album …with each brick bringing back memories…memories that though you created no longer feel like yours…not the new you anyway. Ever heard your old self talking to you while going down these streets?

Today I went to Payetakht—a mall in northern Tehran that is the center of computers. I used to come here at least twice a week years ago. It had somehow changed now. Those days it was mostly bootlegged CDs, now it’s laptops, digital cameras, plasma TVs, iphones, mobiles, macs, etc. Just like those days I stopped at each shop studying the variety of models. Before I knew it I slipped into a conversation with myself.

“Now that’s a beautiful Sony Vaio…hey I haven’t seen that model in Kuwait…why do some companies export certain models to only certain countries…oh look there is the official agency of Panasonic…let me check out their camera….”

“Hey remember this shop? This was the shop that you got that SPSS CD, remember? Remember you needed that statistics application CD for your thesis but it was difficult to get hold of the latest version? This shop promised to bring it for you? Remember?”

The memory was mine, but this wasn’t me talking to myself anymore… I almost felt her presence walking next to me…like a guide, a tour guide, guiding me through ‘my’ memories…distance memories. She also stopped with me at each shop, with each shop she painted a vision in me of the shop as it was years ago…just like a tour guide.

Ever felt this way?

More random pictures from Tehran

1. Picture of two mosques in Tehran for Intlxpatr

2. Is it too polluted for ya? :D Keep track of the amount of gases in the air in Shahrakeh Ghaarb

3. Love this idea. Tehran’s city Hall has placed book baskets on buses. This particular book is called, “Short stories from Pakistan”

4. Wall painting in Vanak Square

Close up of the same house

5. My ice cream :D

I FEEL ALIVE

Ahhhh my good old friend has wrapped itself around me again. This time though it doesn’t come alone, Who are these friends? If I remember correctly that’s the sweet smell of a wild berry tree drenched in spring rain, and aahh there’s the cool air that’s bouncing off that brick wall, just listen to that music our pure stream is playing…yeah of course a canary has to be whistling amidst this ‘earthy’ aroma. Thank you dear breeze, thanks my old friend for bringing new friends with you this time.

I FEEL ALIVE

Ahhhh yeah, today (Tuesday) was Sizeh Bedar (Thirteen gone out); it’s basically the last day of Norooz and as part of our tradition, it’s a day where THE WHOLE nation goes out to have a picnic. In every single park, river bank, meadow, gardens, or anywhere there’s a patch of greenery you would see families barbequing, playing badminton or volleyball, swinging on makeshift swings, smoking hookah, and dancing…yes even dancing but not in parks (too many prying eyes there :D)

I FEEL ALIVE

So mom and I are back in Tehran. During the past two weeks we went to Masouleh, Shomal (northern cirites of Iran near the Caspian sea), Abyaneh and Kashan. We still have to go to Isfahan, possibly next week. During this trip I have come to understand that:

1. Iranians are very sociable/talkative :D

2. Iranians favorite past time seems to be fighting and dancing :D :D

3. Iranians are neither leaders nor blind followers.

4. Iranians don’t appreciate their cultural heritage or historical sites

In separate posts I would elaborate on each. Till then here are some pix from around Tehran and places we visited.

Swing in Abasabad Jungle (shomal)



Historical House in Kashan (Borejerdi House)



Pic taken from a moving vehicle enroute to Masouleh (shomal)



A window in a Tradtional House in Kashan (Tabatabaee House)




Shop in Tajresh-Tehran selling Nowrooz stuff

Melat Park-Tehran


Abasabad Jungle-shomal




Ceiling in Tabatabee House-Kashan


Abyaneh woman wearing tradtional clothes (will post more details about Abyaneh soon)


Abasabad Jungle--shomal

Back Home from Home :D :D :D

Mom and I are on a plane back to Kuwait. A family emergency has forced us to cut our trip short.

“So, what were you dreaming about?”

Still dazed, I could barely make out the face that asked me that question…it took the daze a few minutes to settle…moments later I could make out my mom’s bright big eyes.

“Huh?”

“You were smiling in your asleep…so..tell, tell?”

Tell, tell I will. In the next posts, but in the meantime here are some posts I wrote in Iran but couldn’t publish them coz blogspot was blocked:

Half the world celebrated something on Friday :D :D :D :D

Mom and I will hit the road in about an hour. I couldn't sleep, got up to surf and came across this article. Brought a smile to my face, thought of sharing it:

"...on this particular Friday, March 21, it seems almost no believer of any sort will be left without his or her own holiday. In what is statistically, at least, a once-in-a-millennium combination, the following will all occur on the 21st:

Good Friday

Purim, a Jewish festival celebrating the biblical book of Esther

Narouz, the Persian New Year, which is observed with Islamic elaboration in Iran and all the "stan" countries, as well as by Zoroastrians and Baha'is.

Eid Milad an Nabi, the Birth of the Prophet, which is celebrated by some but not all Sunni Muslims and, though officially beginning on Thursday, is often marked on Friday.

Small Holi, Hindu, an Indian festival of bonfires, to be followed on Saturday by Holi, a kind of Mardi Gras.

Magha Puja, a celebration of the Buddha's first group of followers, marked primarily in Thailand.

"Half the world's population is going to be celebrating something," says Raymond Clothey, Professor Emeritus of Religious studies at the University of Pittsburgh. "My goodness," says Delton Krueger, owner of www.interfaithcalendar.org, who follows "14 major religions and six others." He counts 20 holidays altogether (including some religious double-dips, like Maundy Thursday and Good Friday) between the 20th (which is also quite crowded) and the 21st.

You can read the whole article here: Good Friday! Happy Purim, Eid, etc...


UPDATE: I just realized that Mother's Day in the Arab world was also this Friday :D :D

Hey maybe this is a sign that 2008 is the year of world peace :P :P

Our portable 7 Seens :D

Since mom and I are going to be on the road most of the time, I got ourselves a portable Haft Seen as well...love the design :D

Goodbye 1386

Twelve hours ago

It came, the morning breeze, the first breeze of spring. It whirled in, into my room, into my solitude, it twirled around, around my being, around my aura,, it surfed in, surfed careless into my being, into my soul. I am light, I am happy, I smile.

Only a couple of hours of 1386 is left. I close my eyes, tilt my head back, drop to my knees and the sigh lets itself out. A sigh that means…that simply means…thank you.

Thank you 1386. Thank you for 365 blissful days.

Remember the day I said hello to you? The day I wrote this post: “Happy Nowrooz 1386: My personal 7 seens”. Little did I know that my ‘inner’ journey started when I published that post. Little did I know that when the year 2007 ended I would publish this: Goodbye 2007.

And now, at exactly 9:18 and 19 seconds, I would be bidding farewell to 1386. My ‘inner’ journey will end with a physical one. I came to Iran to take a long overdue trip with my mom. A trip that I KNOW will be uplifting for my mom after a difficult year.

The goldfish on our 7 seen table smiles back at me; it winks, it says: Noroozetan Pirooz

Goodbye 2007

I just realized that I never published this on this blog. So before publishing my next post, gotta go with this one first:






Most people fall in love with their soul mates, children, pets, jobs, hobbies, or countries. Moi? What did I fall in love with this year? Here it is: This was my beloved:
The year 2007

Yep, the whole year itself. I LOVED 2007. This was the year of rude awakening for me. The year “I” became “me”.


What did I learn this year:

1. Being happy is easy. If you want to be happy, you will be.
2. Most people are good at heart. True once in while everyone will say or do something that ‘hurts’ but one wrong deed doesn’t make the whole world a hurtful place.
3. Life is all about striving to achieve inner peace. We are emotional beings, if we can take care of our emotions, we would be happy. The way to inner peace is to create the person you want to be.
4. There are no problems in life, only challenges and lessons to be learnt.
5. Clear communication not only solves problems, it also prevents misunderstandings.
6. Blood is thicker than water.
7. Savior the moment: When eating close your eyes and feel the ‘heaven’ with every taste bud in you, when listening to music, close your eyes and ‘feel’ the beat with every dancing muscle in you
8. From time to time compliment people to their faces not just behind their backs. I was shocked that the other day a co-worker came up to me and thanked me for the good word I had put in for her 2 years ago. She had just heard it!!! I used to believe that real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody is going to know whether you did it or not--true, but not all the time.
9. Stop living on autopilot. Life is all about creating memories. Don’t let a month go by in which you could tell yourself, hmmm I wish I had done so and so. If you are not truly happy with your life make that change TODAY. Never say, “Soon, I’ll do it.” If you really want to get up and DO IT NOW.
10. True friends and dear ones are the ones who bring out the best in you.
11. Not all relationships are supposed to last. Some people step into your life to teach you something about yourself.
12. Get a daily dose of dark chocolate
13. Karma does exist (scares me how many times I have seen proof of this)
14. Pampering yourself is essential for your spiritual growth.
15. Get out of your comfort zone and try on that dress, dye your hair that color, dance in public, sing in public; DO IT

What else I learnt
16. I love the Baby Blues comic strips
17. I love Subway
18. I love Sudoku
19. I love Jeff Dunham
20. I love Maz Jobrani

What I did do for the first time in 2007 (or after a long time)
21. Smoked
22. Quit smoking
23. [hehehe, tell ya later about this one]
24. Listened to a rock and roll song (‘Radio Nowhere’ by Springsteen) and actually liked it (thanks to Sh.M)
25. Treated a nice dude in a mean bitchy way [stoneface]
26. Went fishing (didn’t enjoy it, way too boring and the dude I went with kept telling me to stop talking I’m scaring the fish away )
27. Walked under the rain (hadn’t done that in 6 years)
28. Jumped in puddles and splash water around (hadn’t done that in ohhhh ages)
29. Resigned (I did that 5 times this year :D)
30. Fixed my most diabolic vice
31. Believed that true love could exist
32. Joined a gym and actually lost 5 KG …in the right places *evil grin*
33. Started reading again (after what I think was a ten year hiatus)
34. Became a believer of the effect of positive energy, ESP, supernatural phenomena. Like a friend put it: I stopped being a “Sculy” and started to be a little bit of “Mulder”
35. Accepted a compliment with grace and patted myself on the back several times
36. Threw away some memorabilia I had been clinging on for over 20 years
37. Made a decision without thinking it over 200 hundred times
38. Got one of my pictures published in a French book about the Safavid period
39. Found inner peace



That's all i can think of for now. Goodbye 2007 and thank you

Guess where I am :D

So I managed to get a KD 14 ticket (including tax) from Jazzera Airlines to this country and flew in a couple of days ago. Let’s play a game of where I am. Here we go:

Clue number 1:

Ten minutes after landing I witness a scene that brought a smile to my face :)

40-year-old-angry-man #1: Eeey mister. The end of the line is there.

50-year-old -don’t give a damn-man: I was here. Just left for a while.

40-year-old-angry-man #1: How’s that possible? Your flight came after ours.

At least 3 other angry passengers joining in: Yeah, how’s that possible? Get to the back of the line.

50-year-old -don’t give a damn-who is now getting a bit irritated-man: Listen, I said….[insert some angry words here]

30-year-old angry woman talking out loud to herself: Some people have a lot of nerve. They just cut and don’t seem to care.

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmm, so in this country people seem to argue over cutting in line a lot, hmmmmm so which country could it be, hmmm?

Clue number 2:

Me over hearing a conversation between a mother and a daughter

Daughter: That was a bumpy flight

Mom [looking exhausted]: I seriously got very scared. I thought we were going to crash

Daughter: Why don’t you go and sit down, I’ll wait in line

Mom now way too tired to reply

Daughter: mom you don’t look good. Take an anti-stress pill and go and sit over there

Mom: I took the last one on the plane. I don’t have any left.

Four other passengers at the same time: Here you go, I have one

What you should have concluded: Hmmmm, so in this country most people are a walking pharmacy

Clue number 3:

Passport control officer: So is this your first trip to [name of mysterious country you are suppose to guess name of]with this passport.

Me: Yeah

Passport control officer: So you were born in Kuwait, huh?

Me: Yeah

Passport control officer: And is your mister from [name of country]? [SIDENOTE: Ok, I’m not sure of the exact translation of the word he used, so let’s just assume ‘mister’ is what he said]

Me: yeah both my parents are from [name of mysterious country you are suppose to guess the name of]

Passport control officer: No, your mister!

Me: My what? Ahhhhhh, [realizing he means husband not father]Actually, I’m single.

Passport control officer: Why? [checks my date of birth] You were born in ???. So it’s time. Even guys your age should get married by now, let alone a woman. [insert another 3 minutes of a well-thought out and well structured lecture and definitely ideas I for one have never heard of before on the social, religious, national, civil, economical and well just humane benefits of marriage.

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmm, so in this country people seem to ask strangers lots of personal questions and seem to love lecturing people, now where could it be, hmmmmmmmmm?

Clue number 4:

In the taxi ride from airport

Me talking to myself: Is he speeding? Ahhhh, who cares, I’ll get home faster…wooooo…how come no one is driving within the lanes…damn that truck is emitting a lot black smoke…wooooo that car got way too close to us!!!!.....wooooo so did this car….damn that was close…woo that car is driving only 1 cm away from us…hey he’s not going to try to squeeze into that little space between the two trucks is he?..aaahhhh…he did…you know what, maybe I should just close my eyes till we get there.

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmmm, so traffic in this country is pretty scary.

Clue number 5:

When we got to my neighborhood

ME talking to myself: Wooooo, where did all this highways come from. They weren’t here last time I visited…and check out the traffic…and the people…and the shops…what happened to all those houses, why are they now apartment blocks?

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmm, so this city is basically unrecognizable if you go away for only a couple of years.

Clue number 6:

Taxi driver listening to the radio about an upcoming election

Taxi driver talking to me…or maybe just out loud: These [insert any foul word here]. Did you know [insert 10 minutes of latest political news with his well-thought out and well structured commentary and definitely ideas that I for one have never heard of on how the current regime has destroyed the country]

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmm, so in this country you will have a political discussion every time you are in a cab.

Clue number 7:

When I tried to log onto my Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr account I saw this:

What you should have concluded: Hmmmmm, so most sites in this country are blocked….oh…wait I think I got the name of the country mirrorpolisher is there now…It’s Iran…how did I guess, well elementary my dear Watson, I used a series of elimination techniques from the 7 clues and cleverly managed to deduce that the only country in the world that it could be is Iran…oh that and that it’s actually written in clue 7.

NOTE: Until 5 minutes ago, blogspot was also blocked, that's why I couldn't post anything till now.

What do Da Vinci and I have in common? Polyphasic sleep

Ever heard of Polyphasic sleep? Basically it’s sleeping in ‘multiple short phases’, i.e., you sleep for 2 hours, stay awake for 4, then sleep again for 2, stay awake for 4 and so on. Apparently this is the sleeping habits of some quite a number of world geniuses, namely Da Vinci, Lord Byron, Einstein (though not all the time)…and …well the mother of all inventors--Kramer (remember that episode from Seinfeld)…oh and apparently Batman.

Ok, not that I was trying to be Mrs Batman, but it seems I have joined the Exclusive Polyphasic Sleep Club of Geniuses (hereafter EPSCF). My membership started 3 nights ago when I stopped going to work. I slept in late, then got up, ran a few errands, had nothing else to do so went back to sleep, then got up again, slept again, got up again and then I couldn’t sleep all night!!! Before I knew it, I had developed the pattern of polyphasic sleep.

Oh and on the first night I couldn't sleep, I was surfing the net looking for a good Happy Norooz video, but couldn’t find any. So being a member of the EPSCF I go, Hey gurl, see if u can make your own video using windows video maker.

And voila, here’s my masterpiece:

Are you a Goodman Brown?

As she was talking to me, and I was conversing with her an old story started roaming somewhere in my head. I couldn't quite place the title, character, plot, but I felt I this story was what first installed a certain belief in me.

SHE: I trusted her, she was my role model. How could she do this?

ME: Come on, you two have been friends for 10 years now. Don’t let a little dispute ruin a great friendship.

SHE: What she did affects my work reputation. The thing is that I always wanted to be like her. I looked up to her. She was the perfect example of a great manager.

ME: See that’s why you shouldn't be friends with your manager

As that last sentence rolled off my tongue I knew there was some other point I had to make, some more important point.

SHE: No one is to be trusted anymore. Everything was a lie. Our friendship was a lie. What she taught me was a lie. I’m tired of……

ME: Hold on!! Why was it a lie? The message wasn’t wrong, the lesson she taught you wasn’t a lie; the messenger or teacher may have made a mistake. So what? We are humans, we make mistakes; but that doesn’t erase the good things we did in our past.

SHE: You don’t understand. What she did to me was the exact opposite of what she taught me.

Ahaaaa…I remember the story, I remember the plot…it was about a man who had a dream that his wife who he thought of as innocent and sinless was actually involved in satanic rituals...and...and he found out all his town folks who he also considered as puritan weren’t so pure either, as a result he loses his faith and lives miserably ever after…what was the name now...aaahhaa...I got it…the name of the short story was ‘Young Goodman Brown’. Now I remember, I read it about 12 years ago. I remember thinking to myself at that time, why would anyone put faith in a person, the message they are preaching is important, not how they live it out themselves. If the messenger errs, that doesn’t mean the message was wrong. That’s why I have never actually had a role model; I have never put my faith in any person

[5 minutes later]

…which could also explain why I have never been in love…or even close to it…but now I am going off topic…ok…back to my conversation with her…actually forget that conversation…you got the point…I told her about the story, she was still hurtand upset with her friend/manager, didn’t pay much attention to what I was saying…I wonder if she is going to end up being another Young Goodman Brown, hmmmmmmm?

If you are interested, you can read YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN here…or you can read the summary here… now I have to go and contemplate if I was right all these years in never trusting or looking up to anyone…hmmmmmmm

I 'heart' Dust

Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
Before we too into the Dust descend;
Dust into Dust, and under Dust, to lie,
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, and---sans End

Omar Khayam

Thank you Mr. Sand Storm. See I was sitting on my @$$ scratching my head wondering how I’m going to fill up the 20 min rest time I have tomorrow, when in you come and splash dust all over my room. Get up and dust you say with a smile. So thank you for being so concerned with my productiveness.

[10 minutes later]

Ok, so that was sarcastic… scratch everything I said above…me so sorry Mr Dust…didn’t mean to be sarcastic.

[10 more minutes later]

Ok, here’s the thing--on my last birthday I made a promise to myself that from now on I would always see the bright side of things, the good intention of others, the positive long term outcome of things. And I had successfully kept this promise till now that is...now that I offended Mr. Dust.

So to reprimand things, here’s my Top 10 Reasons Why Dust is a GOOD Thing:

1. When I dust, I have a lot of hand movements which means I burn a lot of calories, so basically dusting actually helps me stay in shape.

2. Dusting also helps me save money on gym membership fees.

3. When I dust I have to listen to music, so dusting helps me brush up on my dancing skills.

4. They say that dust is composed primarily of dead skin cells. So I guess this includes deceased people, which I guess includes my deceased ancestors. So basically I connect with my ancestors every time I dust.

5. I also build a close relationship with my household appliance every time I dust. I mean I’m touching them all over and touching always leads to intimacy.

6. I don’t know why every time I dust or vacuum I find lots of lost items...hmmm

7. Dusty days kinda look romantic. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether it’s dusty or foggy. I love foggy days :D

8. Dusty days help mask manufacturing companies increase their sales.


And the number one reason why I like dust:


9. Add a sprinkle of water onto dust and you are in an aroma therapy session

Ok, that was nice…now I feel better…life is beautiful again now that I have made my peace with dust.

*goes to smell a rose*