Dreamy

Dreaming...
Of so many little insignificant unnecessary things i can't sort them out in my head
Of a white sand beach, and deep blue sea
Of a flower garden, with vivid colors surrounding you from everywhere
Of a sunny warm day where you can wear light clothes and get worried about getting sunburned!
Of a fast car and an empty road and this music i have on the previous post playing loud
Of a new pair of comfortable shoes and a lane next to a lake
Of a glass full of carrot juice and vanilla icecream
Of cool feeling 400 thread egyption cotton sheets, down comforters and a super duper mattress
Of this, and of that
All these unsorted dreams send me off to bed... dreamy
(Or greedy... )

127- Perfect Esfahan Blues

I so much enjoyed this clip, i couldn't let go of it unless i posted it here. Besides the interesting music and lyrics, the video reminds me of all those road trips i had in my days in Iran. The music is composed by a rock band in Tehran, called 127.

P.S. The credit of introducing this clip of course goes to the grand Mr. Bayramali.
P.S.2. This update is dedicated to the dear old friend who asked for it!

Kronos Quartet

Tonight, Kronos Quartet came to U of I. The performance was "different" and i liked it. I knew that they have a modern/minimalistic approach to music, but i was pleasantly surprised to see the theatrical edge they had incorporated in their performance. In one piece for example, the four were playing some music and when they turned their note pages in front of them (which was a pronounced theatrical act), the music would change drastically to another totally different genre! Or in another piece they were using the non-instrumental components they had set on the 4 corners of the stage to create a new twist, that included an old iron stove, pipes and metal pieces David Harrington was hammering, something like a chain saw the young guy was using, some pots and pans and something like a vacuume cleaner at the back! The set design and the light effects added a real "different" taste to the performance . In the second half of the program they performed some pieces inspired by middle eastern traditional music, Iran, Iraq, India and Balkans. That was good too.

Jeer's Picture Chronicle of New York

New York's photo chronicle

My first photo of New York, in route to the hotel from La Guardia airport.

From the observation deck at the top of the Rockefler Center (Top of the Rock). You see the Empire State building on the back.

From the observation deck at the top of the Rockefler Center (Top of the Rock). You see the view of the Cental Park.

The crystal star they put on top of the New York's Christmas tree each year. The tree is set in the plaza of the Rockefeller Center.

In front of the United Nations, Visitors Center.

Iran's gift to the United Nations. The portrait of the secratary generals of the UN woven in silk carpets.

UN, "Do unto others what you would have them do onto you."

Iran's section in the Metropolitan meuseum. It's not recognized by the name"Iran" there, it is "Near Eastern" section.

The writting on the wall towards the left reads:

"By the grce of Ahura Mazda, I built this palace... And i built it secure and beautiful and adequate."

Darius I 522-486 B.C.

Cup with a frieze of gazelles, Gold. Northwestern Iran, Caspian region, Early 1st millenium B.C.
Look how beautifully the gazelles' head is tilted out of the cup.

This staute used to be inside (?) World Trade Center towers. They have temporarily put it here and after they reconstruct the towers, it is going to be placed in front of the new buildings as is.

View of the city from top of the rocks in the Central Park. Manhattan is standing on top of big rocks. They need to explode these rocks whenever they want to make foundations for a building.

Times Square, past midnight. This is where the magic of New York overwhelms you. I stood there in the cold windy night, amazed for quite a while.

Chocolate is better in color, or in the robe! M&M store in Times square.
I didn't get a chance to see the statue of liberty. It was too cold and rainy and i was short of time.

Trees on the walls of the Trump building in Manhattan.

The first woman wearing a chador-meshki!!!;)

Do you know what "Amazon" mean? Amazons were the female warriors in ancient Greek army.


NYC is expensive! We paid 15 bucks for this tiny piece of cake.

I have to admit, in Manhattan you can find cheap food too. I had a very tasty lamb gyro with saffron rice and for $3:50. It was halal meat!

Beautiful Hyacinth flower, in my good friend's Haftsin. Also in Manhattan:)

Norooz Pirooz

It's New Year's Eve, and i'm on a trip to New York. Sitting at the 44th floor of a big hotel in the big city, I am looking to the wet skyscrapers wrapped in a layers of cloud, and the street lights sparkling down low . Spring hasn't touched this city yet, but my heart is pounding with each minute that we get closer to the Newest days of the new year. Tonight at 1:47 past midnight, I'll have my heart open to the graceful Spring. May it touch my life and yours with its colorful warmth. Happy New day to you my friend from close and far.


As a New Year treat, i give you the photo i took a few hours ago in the New York's Metropolitan museum. It is lion shape vessel made of gold, belonging to Darius the king. The top part of the drinking jar is made up of 160 feet of extremely fine gold strings, wrapped around the jar. It was a glamorous piece of Art.

and we're packing...

"If in my whole life,
I spend only a moment with you,
That one moment is all my life,
The rest has proven vain."
Does earworm include poetry too? This Saadi's verse is repeatedly recited in my head since afternoon.

I have to pack to go on a field trip very early tomorrow morning, that's the very reason i am sitting here blogging instead of filling up that purple suitcase:(
Anybody has a magic wand handy?

Frozen Grand Central

From http://www.ImprovEverywhere.com , over 200 people freeze in place on cue in Grand Central Station in New York.
This is one of over 70 different missions Improv Everywhere has executed over the past six years in New York City. Others include the Shirtless Men in Abercombie and Fitch, the Best Buy uniform prank, and the famous U2 Rooftop Hoax, to name a few.

Thanks to the friend who sent me the video.

Chocolate

I once wrote here about a Japaneses brand of chocolate i had come to like. Tonight i'll talk about my recent addictive sin. My kind bittersweet melty companion who's been there for me, in my times of high and low! Lady's and gentlemen, may i introduce, Ritter Sport's, a la Mousse au Chocolat:

Broken...

"You oughta let your mother know where you are," said Jem. " you oughta let her know you're here..."
Dill's eyes fickered at Jem, and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. "Atticus," his voice was distant, "can you come here a minute, sir?"

-To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.

The Total Lunar Eclipse

The song Total Eclipse of the Heart for the musicality of the post:) Photo Credit: Doug Murray
Tonight, in the brutal cold weather of 1 below, i witnessed my third lunar eclipse here in US. My first was in 2004, in those days that i was studying hard to pass my core in the PhD track. I along with 3 friends in mt study group has stayed late on campus. We walked down to the University observatory and watched the moon up close. I watched the second one on my brother's amateur telescope in our apartment's open stairways. And this third one with naked eyes, with a blanket on my head, shivering from cold in the balcony!
. "Forever is going to start tonight."

My Carrot-Non-Cake!

.
It refused to rise, and i refused to frost it in return! We ate it nonetheless!

Oops

Don't drown!

We are under a flood watch from National Weather Service. The banner on the local TV channels reads: "If flood conditions are encountered, be prepared to seek higher ground. If traveling, turn around, don't drown." I am not the only one who finds this serious message funny!

Mistified

Sitting in my windowless office, my friend came and suggested we go out for a short walk. It was such a beautiful dense fog out there. The weather was chilly but not freezing. I accompanied her to the parking lot across the campus and walked back alone. Walking down that road was like you were stepping into a black and white photograph. It was like with each step that i took i was getting closer to a gigantic snow white ocean that was all around me. i could feel it caressing my cheeks, holding my fingers, hugging me tight. It was a walk to remember. I was alone, but i could hear the heavy breathing of the sleeping snow covered grass and could feel the acknowledging look of the bare branched trees witnessing me passing by. You wouldn't see where you were headed, but i didn't care, the pleasure was it was me, walking in that beautiful mighty mist, and nothing else mattered. I was "Mistified".

Giving vs. Needing

-I need someone i can matter to.
-You matter to me, completely.
-It's hard to be around someone who gives so much and needs so little in return.
-I have enormous needs.
-Well, i can't see them, neither can Lee or Holly.
Quoting from "Hannah and her sisters".

I watched Woody Allen's film tonight. For some reason this conversation made its way deep into me. Hannah is being blamed for being too giving...

Disconnected jottings, on a birthday midnight

-I feel pretty, i feel pretty and witty and gay(not really!) and i pity anyone who isn't me today!
-Is it necessary to have a birthday post? not really. but i've had it before and am just following the pattern. I guess i also like to have a post dated January 27th:)
-I had my birthday blues- a phenomenon that happens to you in the days before your birthday comes up- a few weeks ago. This week i was over it and actually looking forward to the day.
-Good food (Lebanese), okay cake (i bake better ones!), and good company is what makes your day special. Let me add to it, the influx of sweet love from your family and warm words from your friends from all over the world.
-Black and Purple!
-Happy birthday to Mozart too!
-Lebanese appetizers rock!
-What's a good movies to see today? I have not seen any of the 5 Oscar nominees, wayee!
-Partial credits for the titles goes to my good friend Emilof.
-Good night!

... and even more jottings!
-Speaking of superiority of homemade cake... i take my word back! I went to this expensive local specialty pastry shop in town and got one slice of a heavenly chocolate cake filled with chocolate raspberry fudge. yammmmm.
-the only disadvantage of a birthday morning is your long distance friends calling you 9 a.m. in the morning! It's a tiny one though, the goodness of chatting with old buddies evens that out:)
-i didn't get to see any movies today after all!

Haircut Talks, or Gender Gap...

Two women talking:

Woman 1: Oh! You got a haircut! That's so cute!
Woman 2: Do you think so? I wasn't sure when she gave me the mirror. I mean, you don't think it's too fluffy looking?
Woman 1: No, it's perfect. I'd love to get my hair cut like that, but I think my face is too wide. I'm pretty much stuck with this stuff I think.
Woman 2: Are you serious? I think your face is adorable. And you could easily get one of those layer cuts - that would look so cute I think. I was actually going to do that except that I was afraid it would accent
my long neck.
Woman 1: Oh - that's funny! I would love to have your neck! Anything to take attention away from these football player shoulders of mine.
Woman 2: Are you kidding? I know girls that would love to have your shoulders. Everything drapes so well on you. I mean, look at my arms, see how short they are? If I had your shoulders I could get clothes to fit me so much easier.
...

...
...

Now two men talking:
Man 1: Haircut?
Man 2: Yeah
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. 1. Reading that "yeah", i burst into laughter. This is sooooo true! at least with the guys i got to know!
P.S.2. Speaking of haircuts... Being extremely bored last night, i cut my hair myself! Now my right layer is shorter than the left. i actually did try to cut evenly, i guess i have bigger curls on the right!

Gustavo Santaolla's Score for The Motorcycle Diaries

The music Santaolla composed for this film is just wonderful. Also The main theme score of the film sounded very homey to my ears, listen to it here.

.
I enjoyed the gloominess of the peaceful rainy day that passed.
This song is the mood i'm in today.
I'm looking forward to having my roomie back tomorrow...

Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah

This is such a beautiful song. The music and tune soak into you, the lyrics is so romantic and Tom Higgenson's voice is so touching. I wanted to save this for my valentine's day post, and title it the most romantic song of the year, but i've been listening to this nonstop since afternoon, and i can't wait till then!

P.S. watch it here if you can't open youtube.
P.S.2. If you'd like to learn to play it check here.

SandFantasy - Love 2008

Happy 2008

It doesn't much feel like the "New Year" to me, but it is a new figure in my calender: 08. I favor number seven in general so i'm gonna miss dating oh-seven this year.
Tonight i was thinking i wouldn't mind being a bartender on the NYE. This way i could have sent one kid who really cherish being with family and friends for his/her new year, home.
Happy 2008 to y'all. I hope you had the chance to enjoy your NYE. I did. I danced:)

A winter morning tale

The weather here was been unseasonably sunny and bright for the past couple of days. You might say good for you, but i had a hard time sleeping in the morning. The shinny daylight would come in through my bedroom curtains and wake me up early in the morning. Yesterday i was glad to wake up to a cloady gloomy day around noon:) Everything has its own place.

Painting: Camille PISSARRO, French 1831–1903 , Boulevard Montmartre, morning, cloudy weather 1897

Joy of Cooking

I spent hours in the kitchen today cooking for a small party i'm having tomorrow. It's been a while for me since i cooked, real cooking. It's almost a year that i have adaopted a healthy eating diet, preparing low fat meals, whole grains, ... . And you know that style, although good for you, doesn't much go inline with a real Persian kitchen. So today i cut myself a break, i cooked the old style, using Kermanshahi butter and fried onions in my stew. I made Mirzaghasemi the authentic Rashti style, frying the barbecued eggplants... . My friend came over and made hummus, not cutting back on tahini and olive oil. We poured exactly the amount of oil required for the cake into the batter. I frosted it with real good melted chocolate. I enjoyed my time in the kitchen.

P.S. Can somebody come and help me clean up now?:)

A Musical Christmas of '07

It's Christmas eve. I'm home alone, still recovering from my cold. PBS is having the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on, and next is the Boston Pops (photo above). Christmas to me means music, and lot and lots of it, it's a happy season:)

P.S. If you're home alone tonight too, here's my present to you, the old good cartoon of my childhood years.
P.S.2. PBS continued with Christmas at Belmont, which was quite good too. Thanks god for pbs!

Happy Yalda

It is the longest night of the year, Yalda night. Yalda to me means family. The special noodle-rice dish that my mom insists we have to have at Yalda to master our lives in the months to follow. It means the big crystal bowl of pomegranates, which was my job to prepare when i grow older. It means my dad bringing home the last watermelon of the season. It means Yalda nuts with Basloghs that i used to love, and many other tastes and smells. It means playing backgammon on the beautifully hand crafted family piece. It means bibliomancy from Hafez collection of poems. I miss my family in this Yalda night, maybe more than before cause i'm down with a cold.

Happy Yalda to you all. I wish for you and me the strength to endure the longest of the dark in our lives to wake up to the dawn of a bright Sun.

P.S.1. Thanks for your comments on the last post. I'll get back to them as soon as i feel physically better.
P.S.2. I so much crave Baslogh. I'm gonna experiment and make some when i get better. Here's the recipe i've found on the web.

Where is our social manner?

Yesterday someone sent me a video showing a naked man walking in the middle of a crowded street in Tehran. He shouts and hits himself and it is visible that the poor man is mentally sick. After a while the police comes and takes him into custody.

Now the video is recorded by what seems to be a young man and his friend on a cell phone camera device. So what is most audible in the video is the comments and laughs between these two boys. And that is what made me really upset. They laugh and make fun of the naked retard man, like they are the audience of a comic show, and boast about how this video they're shooting is gonna be a hit on the internet. It was truly so painful to listen to those comments, and i spare you from the experiance. It makes me sad to witness how socially indecent the young generation of my fellow iranians has become. Isn't treating a sick person with compassion part of social codes to be honored in any society, let alone a so called religious one ? Those type of behaviors used to bother me immensely, and God knows that was so frequent in everyday life in iran.

It could as well be that i've lived in academia for the past few years and am only exposed to an above normal environmet, but since i came to US i have not witnessed a single thing like that here. Where is the problem? Why is that we have failed to teach our youngsters the very basic social codes?

Sundays with Rain and Icicles*

Freezing rain in the city for a couple of days and now the trees are all ice covered. In the dim light of the cloudy days they look like beautifully made crystals. I look at them with the peace of mind knowing the bare branches are in their winter sleep and probably wouldn't feel the cold ice all over their skin. The same ice that has been a feast to my eyes past few days. The grass however is still green, but that too is covered in a layer of thin ice. It's like somebody has carefully laid a sheer fragile throw over them to protect them from the cold. This icy green is something i had never seen before.

Cold can be beautiful too.
*-The title is inspired by Leva's Sunday pictures.

Handel's Messiah

Listen Here.

"Yet once, a little while
and i will shake
the heavens and the earth
the sea and the dry land.
and I will shake all nations;
and the desire of all nations shall come."

As i sat there and listened to the orchestra playing, and the chorus singing these biblical verses, i made a wish. That God would shake me the same way too.

Some interesting facts about Handel's Messiah

1. It was interesting to find the similarity between the above verses and the Muslim Iranians' new year prayer.
2. Handel wrote this in English; it was Mozart who later on translated the verses to German and rearranged the oratorio to make it possible to be played in a more classic (no organ) orchestra. The performance i went to tonight was Mozart's arrangement of Handel's Messiah, and it was thus in German. We were given bilingual pamphlets.
3. It used to be performed by an all male (men and boys) choir. I suppose they didn't like the idea of women singing the bible!
4. When it came to the famous Halleluja part, everybody in the audience stood up. You could call it national anthem of heavens i suppose:) They say that King George II rose to his feet at this point, and so the tradition was rooted.
5. German always sounded rough to my ears. If you share that opinion wait till you hear a choir sing Messiah. You'll look at German differently.

My worried STATA!

Okay this is one of those things you might find funny only if you're worked with the statistical software STATA. But i find it pretty amusing so there we go:
When you need to increase the memory assigned to the software- and that occasionally happens when you're working with big datasets, if you give the command while you already have some variables out there, the STATA will comment "no; data in memory would be lost". This "no" in the beginning of the error comment is so funny. I picture a worried mom on the other side of the monitor telling a caring "no" to his kid when he comes to the table with unwashed hands!

P.S. Another interesting comment I received from the software today: "STATA needs attention!" who doesn't, buddy?:)

I am Iran; Do Not Bomb Me!

My dear friends Tameshk and Nazy made this beautiful slide show of Iran. The work is inspired by anti-war protests in San Francisco and Berkeley in October and November.
Please share the video.

If you can't access Youtube, watch it here:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/11/30/1617352/Nazy-2-utube.mov

Lamingtons!

I can't believe how much work it was!
Lamingtons are some kind of Australian treats. They are cake cubes, coated in a layer of chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. It took me 2 days and a totally wrecked kitchen and a back pain to make these, but it was worthed. I MADE Lamingtons :D
I also successfully made Tameshk's turkey meatloaf, plus some Magic cookie bars. I've had my share of cooking this thanksgiving weekend, from now on, i'll just sit back and eat:) Btw, this video teaches you how to cut the turkey, in case you need to perform the task tomorrow, i'll again sit back and eat the cut turkey!

Wishes do not wash the dishes* !

Or equivalently, wishes do not pack your stuff:) I have nagged here about how i hate packing before, i remember. And I always end up un-packed, behind my laptop late at night (it's 12:35) when i have to wake up early and hit the road the next morning.
I'm going hiking in Tennessee. I'll post a photo here when i come back. Have a good weekend everyone.

*I heard this sentence from one of my English teachers years ago, and it stuck in my mind. I use it from time to time, but i googled it now and apparently it is not a common expression.

Katie Melua - I Cried for you

(Try this link if you can't open youtube.)

La Boheme

I went to the opera of La Boheme in our Krannert Center today. I don't have a classical music education, but there is something about opera that gets me. The direct exposure to the music that comes not from a man-made instrument, but from flesh and blood. This was actually my second experience of a live opera. The other one was Oedipus a couple of years ago. Although the performers of Oedipus were well known, and La Boheme was produced by the theather department in UIUC, but I liked it better.

The pick of the show for me was in the first act when Rodolfo was telling Mimi of his love for her and she would reply back, all happening under the gentle mist of the moonlight. As their voices went higher and higher I could feel something building in me, like a fire ball of passion that would expands till the point that it wanted to burst out of me, like a crazy flow in my blood vessels that would rise up each second with the music.
What an amazing feeling. What a wonderful performance.

-An economic footnote: Did you know that in 18-19th century the word "Consumption" was used to refer to Tuberculosis!
-A technical footnote: The opera had real time English super-titles. It was much more convinient than looking into booklets as we had to do in Oedipus.

Do you backup?

I went on a trip past couple of day, came back to find my fitness blog is lost. Yes, lost, it says no posts available. I still hopeful that the host fixes this, cause it's not only my blog with this problem, many of my friends there also lost their blog content.

But it would be a tragedy to me if i were to lose my posts here. Does any of you know of an "easy" way to backup a blogger weblog?

Reverse Speech

This  video is really interesting. I ran into it in a
friend's gmail status. It's a part of a TED talk.
You might think the song is tailored to work that
way... it could have, but the idea of Reverse Speech
is that even in the statements we make, there
are words and phrases spoken unconsciously that are
revealed only when our recorded speech is played in
reverse.

A famouse example is Neil Armstrong's "That's one
small step for man" , which in reverse would sound
like "Man will space walk." Read more about it here
and here.I remember in one episode of The Simpsons,
they showed a popular teenagers rock band playing a song
which in reverse would read "Join the Army"!

Post Script: by writing this post i didn't mean that i totally believe or support
this Reverse Speech theory. It was a new thing to me and i found it interesting.
Now whether we speak words unconscionably, is something i look skeptical to as well.

Halloween dream costume

It's Halloween again.
Let's assume, and i emphasize "assume", you could get "any" costume you wish for, and lets assume you have an occasion to wear it to. What would be your choice? Something like your dream costume for this year...

I would opt for a traditional Spanish dancer. You know, those red and black dresses with the big layered skirts, the thread shawl and the pulled back hair with a big red flower pin. Have you seen Carmen? Something like that :)

Meeting your cyber-friends... priceless!

Can you recall when you were just a kid in your birthday party (or the new year's day whichever applies) , facing your beautifully wrapped presents. The joy to unwrap each gift and discover what's inside is so splendid. This does not quite describe my excitement to have met a number of my cyber friends this past weekend, but it kinda resembles the feeling.
Tonight although i am under-the-weather, i feel so good to have this blog that made it possible to get to know a new family of good friends.

Georgian State Dance Company

I went to the Georgian State Dance Company performance tonight. It was amazing, period. The music, the colors, the costume, and the dances... oh, those dances. I can't even begin to describe those unbelievable steps and moves.
They used to be on Broadway and now they are on tour. Don't miss them if they come along your town.

P.S. Although i am a bit intimidated and discouraged now: if that is dancing, then what i've been trying to learn this past year is kids play:)

Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman

Myths are public Dreams,
And Dreams are private Myths

It is such pleasure to go to a play and enjoy every minute of it. I went to a performance of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses in our university tonight. I had been to her adaptation of Haft-Peykar (Mirror of the invisible worlds) in Chicago this summer and quite liked it. But this one tonight cast a spell on me. You know I am a sucker for stories and this play is an adaptation of nine of the stories in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the tales of ancient gods and heroes. A celebration of love and life, connecting the lives of these mythical characters to our contemporary experiences. She pronounces the Power of love in healing, restoration and survival. Stories so wonderfully told and played,

• The story of Midas and his golden touch,
• Alcyone and Ceyx and the secret of those seven calm days of the oceans,
• Erysichthon whose insatiable hunger had him ate himself,
• Orpheus who went to the underworld to bring back his love Eurydic
• Myrrha who refused to take a lover and thus brought Aphrodite's fury upon her
• Phaeton who asked for his dad's car keys(!)
• Eros and his forbidden love for the the beautiful Psyche
• And of Baucis and Philemon and their wish to die together.

Wow what an amazing night it was. A night of so many myths.

The set was also very impressive with a real big pool full of water in the middle and the gods passage on the top. During the play, the sounds of water and the reflections on the pool surface added much to the magic of the play. If you are around, don't miss this wonderful performance.

Fantasies

Except for in reality i'm too scared of insects, too worried to catch a cold, too afraid of being out alone in dark... So all together it adds up to a no no. But hey, it's a fantasy; you don't need to get real! And now that we're fantasizing can i please have this song played on the background too?:)

Friends

Having a good friend in this bad world, is like having a cup of hot coffee in a cold day. It wouldn't make the weather any warmer, but it will warm up your heart.

P.S. I watched El Laberinto del Fauno tonight. Great film.

Are you anyone's favorite person?

Two types of people...
Those with stars in their eyes when being asked this question,
And those whose eyes seek a refuge from the answer.

Sweet as Aspartame*

Wierd Al Yankovic was in Champaign yesterday. His concert was quit fun. I specifically liked his parody of James Blunt titled "you're pitiful!", it was so funny. Read a bout the debate about the song here and you can download it from there too. Well he did many parodies that didn't get me much because i didn't know the original versions. But the american kids there were quite enjoying themselves. Here's some of his songs i liked: His White and Nerdy is my brother's all time favorite! Amish Paradise is good too! Look at this Trapped in Drive through cartoon clip, it's looong but very funny. His We all have Cellphones is quite hilarious too, and everybody were pulling out their cellphones and waiving them, quite a view in the dark assembly hall. His stage performance of the song Albauerque is quite exciting, in the part where he is in the doughnout shop asking for different doughnots (look at minute 4:50), he included all the different possible berry doughnots: strawberry, rasberry, blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, gooseberry , loganberry, and... Halle Berry!!!

* "Sweet as Aspartame" is directly from one of Wierd Al's lyrics. He referred to his girl being sweet as aspartame! And so was his concert yesterday, not a real one, but a sweet substitute.

Mist and the Moonlight

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie that's amore..."
It was a full moon tonight, and such a beautiful one. I went out earlier in the evening, and the moon was in a wonderful bloom in the clear night sky. Now a few minutes ago i went out again to rent a movie, and the city is covered in a thick white mist. I walked literally in the clouds to the blockbuster.

P.S. Thanks for your comments on the previous post. I guess i'll keep it open for a while before i count the votes:)

What do you think?

What do you think the baby in the picture feels like? A friend of mine who shared the photo believes that the baby is suffering. I on the contrary say that he is amazed and quite happy. So we said I post the picture here and see what you guys think? Is the blue eye baby gonna laugh or cry after the kissing is over?:)
Please comment!

Motherland

I went out to buy some bread. The weather outside was delightful. I didn't want to drive back home. It was one of those nights that you like to just take a long walk with a friend and let the calm of the dark velvety sky and the singing of jeerjeeraks(!) soak into you. I thought if i were in Iran i would call up this and that friend and we would go to Park-Jamshidiye... And thus the thoughts came back to me again. The homeland. Where your school buddies whom you can call up late in the evening are.

My dear friend Nazy has asked me to write about "Vatan". For a person like me, who is hanging in between two countries, this is a sensitive topic to write about. I now can't name either of these two counties as a land i belong to. I was born and raised in Iran. If I like it or not, my mindset has formed there. My values, my insights, my way of living.

However there were many things about Iran that made me feel like a cast away there. Things that don't happen to you in US. In Iran, your daily encounters are often tough and hurtful. People are often harsh to you, the doorman, the taxi drivers, the bank clerk, the secratary, the sales associate, ... . You have no space there, any minutes you should expect anybody to come and confront you for how you walk, how you talk, how you are. In Iran you grow up to learn how to hide your thoughts, how to fade into the crowd, how to suppress your opinion. In Iran you're robbed out of excitements, out of laughs, out of colors, out of music and out of silly small things that make a package called youth.

Perhaps these feelings are personal, perhaps now the kids in iran experience a happier life. Perhaps iran is "nice"r since the gloomy day i left it. But i can't let go of the feeling that the people i see around me here, are more like me. I feel less of a cast aways in this country that is not my homeland.

Family

Family... you don't often realize what a huge source of constant care and love they are to you till for any reason you're robbed out of it. My parents left for Iran today. My mom stayed here for almost 5 months. I turned on the tv to kill the silence, Emmy's red carpet interviews are on, and i'm thinking how much my mom would like watching this...
Tonight my small apartment looks and feels cold and blue.

Haale

Oh my adored,
you set me on fire.
Now come,
see the smoke
rising high off me.


I'm not sure if it was solely the magic of the powerful lyrics of Rumi and Hafez in their original words, or her music also had a say, but i very much enjoyed Haale's performance at Highdive tonight. I actually had been to her concert in the World Bank for the Iranian New Year last March. But tonight, in the cozy nightclub of our small town, her music touched me deep.

Haale's upcoming performances in Midwest:
FRI SEP 14 MADISON WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL Memorial Theater at Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison WI
SAT SEP 15 CHICAGO WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL Venue TBA, Chicago IL
SUN SEP 16 GLOBAL UNION FESTIVAL Alverno Presents/Alverno College, Milwaukee WI

A Musical Babel

I went to a concert in our university today. It was a duet for Tar (a classic persian instrument) and Piano . Somehow the music to me felt like a troubled relationship. The Tar was talking in its own language and the Piano was sincerely trying to sing along, but sounded dull and irrelevant. Listening to the Piano's desperate struggle was kinda heartbreaking.

Those were the days, my friend*

Morning. I open my eyes. Look at the radio clock in the bookshelf in front of my bed. Reach for my laptop. Adjust my pillows. Stay beneath the sheets, checking my emails, blogs, and feed reader. And the news hit me. Pavarotti is dead. Sad, sad way to start a day.

* I looked to find his performance of "Those were the days". I had it on tape in my car in Iran, and used to shout along with his heavenly voice while driving...:)

Who will wipe your tears?

I've never been much into Iranian pop music. Not that I have anything against it, but since I was a kid i had this passion for the "foreign" songs my mom listened to, and so my musical path kinda went in a different direction. But still there are a couple of Iranian pop singers that I like alot. One is Ebi. He is a very popular singer, with lots of popular songs. He also is a very nice and easygoing person. In his concerts he mixes with the crowd, approaches them and uses them as his chorus. Ebi was in concert in Chicago last night.

What a concert! What a night! My vocal cords are scratched. My ears are clogged. My calf muscles cramped from standing and dancing for hours on high heels! My eyes are red from the long night drive back home. But yet my mind still feels the content from its last night climax.

He has a unique voice. Strong and manly, but yet soft. Having him in in flesh and blood, singing the high notes that would have my heart beat was at first unbelievable, and then wonderful. I had never been to a concert where i could sing along most of the songs. And it is an amazing experience, the lyrics march through your brain like a movies subtitles, your lips pronounce the words, but your ears only hear them in the singers voice.

And then there is the magic of your mother tongue. No matter how fond of foreign music you are, still the words in your own language bear a heavier weight. You hear the words and they get you back to a journey in your mind. Old and new memories. You remember speaking these words to a person yourself. Hearing them from someone. Having laughed with some. Sheding tears with others. Unless most your memories are also in another language, no foreign song could have this big of an impact on you. Another aspect of the Power of the lyrics.

One of Ebi's songs has such impact on me, more on the rainy part i'm afraid. When the concert was almost finished and i was thinking I got away with it, he sang it. Our song. I found my knees shaking. I had to sit down. Sat down I did, as far from my friends as i could. And i looked at him bringing the words back to life in high notes:

Who will wipe your tears,
in your nights of sorrow
Whose fingers will brush your hair,
when you don't have me anylonger
Whose shoulders will host your sobs yet again
whom will you blame
when stars don't shine in the sky
Who will stand by you,
even in the lonegst of the long nights
till the smile is back on your lips,
at the rise of the new dawn

To my own surprise I hold back my tears. I rejoiced the song and i cherished the memory of a lost friend, the one who named me Jeerjeerak:)

--------------------------------
P.S. to the previous post:
Ebi has a song called پشت ديوار شب Reading something like this: On the other side of the dark night wall is a path to his heart, where among the all good things he counts to happen there, is the lady-sun doing her eyebrows;)

P.S. to this one(!):
This was such a looooong post. I guess i'm off the hook of updating here for quite a while:)))

A big change

A big change in me. Really BIG:) You'll be surprised the next time you see me in person! Mysterious post, i agree, but I don't want to give it away in my weblog. Just wanted to put this date down somewhere for the record!!!

The educated sandwich!

If you happen to pass by downtown Indianapolis, go and get an educated sandwich from Indianapolis Teachers Association coffeeshop!!! They are closed on Sundays though:)

Nice downtown btw, the streets were red, the sky was blue and the rhythm was in the air (or in my feet for that matter!)

Car Talk!

I so much enjoy driving on Saturday mornings in the boring midwest roads! Guess why? Well, i've gave it out already:))) In case you didn't know, -seriously is there anyone who doesn't know?;) - Car Talk is a radio talk show on NPR broadcasted on Saturdays. There are two brothers hosting the show, taking questions about car problems from callers. And they are soooooooooooooooooooo funny. I have absolutely zero knowledge and inerest in car mechanics, but i love their show. And it specially is even more enjoyable when you're driving while listening. If you have not listened to their program, do it once for me:) You're missing some good fun. Okay here's a taste: At the end of their show they introduce their crew. The complete list can be found here. Pick up a few names and try reading it aloud for a couple of times, you're going to laugh. Who do you think "Haywood Jabuzoff" could be?..... Customer Car Care Representative!!!

Everchanging life

Oh my life is changing everyday
Every possible way
Though my dreams,
it’s never quite as it seems
Did you ever stop to think what a great thing this everchagingness* of life is? Lets you dream big and bigger...

*Making nouns out of long adjective used to be the hobby of me and my buddy when i was a kid taking English classes in Simin Institute:)

The 08/08

Today is the anniversary of my arrival to US. Four years have passed. I look back at the girl who arrived in O'hare with two big suitcases and a bigger spirit to explore the brave new world. She saw new things, made new friends, tasted new tastes, learned new customs, fell in love, had her heart broken, played a fool, acted wisely, stood up, struggled, learned, cried, laughed, and still keeps looking forward.

What would my life be like had i not left my home country? It's always hard to see the counter-factuals, but one thing is for sure. This country gives you more chances to grow, the opportunities that you had to fight hard to get back home. And I'm grateful to be exposed to that.

Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam's Dance

Dancing is my new obsession. This summer I have done no work on my thesis, and I've learnt 4 new dances! While blog-browsing today I came across this clip, and it took my breath away. See for yourself. (It's well worth the 8 minutes of your time, trust me!)

I had seen the Turkish version of Sufi Whirling before, but this is way beyond that. Unbelievably beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes watching it the first time. I never could have imagined someone could dance this beautifully to an Iranian traditional music piece. His name is Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, an Iranian artist living in France. Here's his website in French (For me it might as well be in Chinese! ). And for those of you lucky people who live in California or Canada, he apparently has a tour coming up.

P.S. More info here.

Lyrics and Melody

A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physican attraction. Sex. But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that makes it magical.

-Quote from Music and Lyrics (2007)

Picture frames

A particular photo, in a frame on a particular wall...
I'm gealous of a figure in a photograph.

The most delicious movie of my life...... so far!

Oh, I don't even know where to start. The Simpsons Movie was incredible. From its first second with Fox's logo, till the very last with the Springfield national anthem (yes, they have an anthem now!). It was as delicious as a scoop of your most favorite icecream, good till the last drop:D

At first it was a bit weird to me to see the characters so BIG in their shinny colors on the screen. Well, you could say from this that i have a crappy small screen tv at home! And... they played "So happy together" which is one of my favorite songs, (and apparently The Simposons' producers' favorites too, as i had heard it in some past episodes before.

Something else: if you went to see the movie, stay for the end titles, you'll thank me later to have saved you Maggi's first word and so much more!

When I stepped out of the theater, i felt like walking on the clouds! Well, seriously, the weather was so foggy i could hardly drive back home!

Red Light Sicko

Yesterday evening I decided to go and watch Michael Moore's Sicko. It would start at 9:45 and by the time I got ready and got into the car, it was 9:40. It's a small town, where I live and you could get to the theater in like 10 minutes. But the problem was the film was on an art theater downtown that doesn't show commercials before the movie. A luxury indeed, but not when you're running late!

In my way i needed to make a left somewhere. When i got to the intersection, the light was already yellow and there was a car waiting at the left lane to turn. Generally, I should have made a stop and waited for the next light, but you would understand that I was in a hurry:-) So, i followed that other car and turned as the light turned red. Ten feet onto the new road and i heard the loud siren. A police car turned right behind me and started to angrily blinking its lights at me. My heartbeat literally stopped for a second and then started beating like crazy. I though oh my goodness, the first time in my years to break the law and getting caught right at the moment. In constant sorrow(!) I pulled over. And guess what? The police car, just passed over me and speeded ahead:D You can't imagine my relief:-)

P.S. Sicko was good. Though this is the biased opinion of someone who likes Michael Moore. But even if you are not a big fan, go and see the movie for its absolutely charming footage of Paris and London.
Here's the NPR program on The Sicko.
P.S.2. Hey, Simposons Movie is coming out tomorrow. Isn't it exciting? :-)
P.S.3. Since yesterday I read the first 14 chapters of Harry Potter. Today I went to wikipedia and read the whole plot summery and put an end to it! Does this mean that the kid inside me has grown old?
Funny thing that i had a dream last night that someone has cut out my ear! Does everybody get these immediate fiction-fueled dreams?

Take a sad song and make it better

...

Aside from its lyrics, I like the melody of this song alot. A couple of months ago i went to a jazz concert and they played a plain jazz version of Hey Jude. I wish I could post that here instead. It was a great performance.

Ohrwurm

I'm not that good with html coding, otherwise i would have put up a section here dedicated to my recent earworms.

Do you think it's wicked to spread around earworms? Well, they're often case-spesific and might not stick into your head:)
So here we go: Whole Wide World

P.S. that link is broken, look here for the song, the clip is alas, gone.

Home is where...

There is a new wave among some Iranian bloggers to post a picture of their childhood in their blogs. I realized that I don't have a single picture of myself as a kid with me here, darn. Days like this, you realize that this place, nomatter how comfy, is not your home.


P.S. It just started out of nowhere. With a bad sore throat. I know when i wake up tomorrow morning it will develop into a complete cold package. I'm childishly fighting the sleep now.

In Memoriam: Beverly Sills

Watch Charlie Rose's program about Beverly Sills. She was a big American opera singer, who passed away last week. Just listen to her sing, the first 12 minutes of the video below. It's so incredibly beautiful. No man-made instrument can ever produce such a magnificant sound.

Crying rain

Water is pouring down the sky. I picture myself standing in the middle of the lawn, opening my arms and letting the raging raindrops wash over me, melting me into the ground. Just that I don't find the strength in me to get out of the balcony.

7-7-7

An all 7 day today. What were you doing at 7 o'clock?

The story of Sisyphus

I often find myself sympathising with Sisyphus. He was condemned by the gods to carry a stone up a mount in the underworld. A few steps to the summit where he could put his load down, the stone would fall down the hill and he would have to go back and carry it up again, and again, and again...

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Illusion!

O' my goodness, I watched the entire movie, the illusionist, with the illusion that its main actress was Scarlet Johansen, and kept wondering howcome she looked so different in this movie!!!

From an offline message

Life is short,
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that made you smile.

Music of the rain

Sleeping to the music of the rain,
yet one more of the life's simple pleasures.