choices

It has been a while that I have not wrote anything. I feel changes inside... really deep!!!

I was thinking about my choices... I don't know about rest of you, but I have never made a personal choice with the intent to belittle someone else’s choices. No, strangely enough, I make choices to satisfy my own and my family needs. I’m pretty sure that most of us make choices with the same things in mind. So why, then, does it seem that we are so very often bothered by the choices of others?

I don’t think that all people have problems with differing choices, but I’m speaking about something that I have observed often enough to cause me to wonder about it.

I mean, No one should have to defend their life choices. And what’s up with people being so incredibly rude that they feel like they have the right to question other people’s life choices!!!

Iran election

Everything in Iran’s 10th presidential election is so new. Every event’s happening for the first time in the history of Islamic Republic. For the first time, women are involved thoroughly in the race and influence the votes. The changes also happened to be more visible on the national TV channels, ‘live debate’ between candidates... For the first time I feel people in Iran are really tired of the present situation. all of my Persian friends are gonna vote for Mousavi,Even here in the U.S.
Some additional data and analysis on Iran's election eve blogosphere is posted on Morningside Analytics Shifting the Debate blog. ...
check it out:http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/06/11/mapping-iran%E2%80%99s-blogosphere-on-election-eve/
I'm waiting for the result...

some thoughts

I went to the Stanford bookstore today. That's one of my favorite place... so many books...
I felt... Ohhh, Living in this country is giving me many experiences... yeah... experience
there is no experience you have had that you weren't at the absolute center of it.
The world as you experience it, maybe in front of you or behind you, to the left or right of you, on your TV, or your monitor, or whatever... That is YOU
Other people's thoughts and feelings have to be communicated to you somehow, but you are own are so immediate, urgent, real
Everything in my own experience supports my deep belief that I'm the center of the universe.
I should be aware enough to to choose what I pay attention to and to choose how I construct meaning from experience.

I used to

I'm living in a foregin country, but things don't seem foreign any more.
Confidence is on my side when I speak the language. I'm watching the news, Ahhh... It's a small world.
But I'm feeling the distance between my hands and my mom's hands. I can't tell how much I miss my mom. Her smiles, her eyes...
I just used to live here like my homeland, I used to watch the TV more than 2 hours a day. I used to love everything that I have. Yesss...
But I remember my teacher at the university" If you have ever lived or worked abroad, you probably went through culture shock"
In my case, It didn't take me a long time to get used to some of the customs.
I love this quote, It makes me think.

It is human life. We are blown upon the world; we float buoyantly upon the summer air a little while, complacently showing off our grace of form and our dainty iridescent colors; then we vanish with a little puff, leaving nothing behind but a memory--and sometimes not even that. I suppose that at those solemn times when we wake in the deeps of the night and reflect, there is not one of us who is not willing to confess that he is really only a soap-bubble, and as little worth the making. - Mark Twain's Own Autobiography (North American Review, May 3, 1907)

13 bedar

The tradition of leaving the house on the thirteenth (Sizdah) day of Farvardin, the last day of the Norooz period, and spending that day outside with joy, laughter and pleasure has been in practice since ancient times in Iran. This is the last phase of the celebrations of the New Year ( Norouz). This joyous celebration has its roots in the Zoroastrian belief that laughter and joy symbolize the throwing away of bad thoughts. According to Zoroastrianism, bad thoughts are the gift of Ahreeman (the devil) and his offspring and the festival of the New Year will cleanse all bad thoughts. The celebrations defeat the enemies and plant shoots of comradeship and peace. The custom of kissing each other on the cheeks also comes from a belief that it cleanses the individual.

On the last day of the New Year celebrations, the 13th of the first month Farvardin, it is the custom of Iranians to pass as many hours as possible outdoors. All people leave their homes to go to the parks or local plains for a very festive picnic. It is a must to spend this day in nature and the occasion is called Sizdah-Bedar. It is generally believed that if people stay home something bad can happen.
All kinds of food and delicacies are prepared with tea, local drinks, fruits, bread, cheese and fresh herbs, noodle soup called ‘ash-e reshteh’ and herbed rice with lamb (baqali polo and bareh) are favorites. The wealthy Iranians will spend the day in their country homes and estates, while the entire day will be spent in their gardens. The occasion is a communal one and all close relatives and friends will participate. Wheat or barley shoots (sabzeh) that are grown especially for New Year and are kept throughout the festivities are discarded in nature mainly in running waters and small rivers at the end of the day. Another tradition on the 13th, is the knotting of blades of grass by unmarried girls in the hope of finding a husband. The knotting of the grass represents the bondage of a man and a woman. The picnic ends with the setting of the sun. The occasion has no religious significance and is celebrated by all.

Nouroz

It was the first celebrating Nouroz without my family specially my mom.
I can say, I had a hard time without them and I felt it by my heart. But this is my life.
This new year I think I should become an extraordinary.
see the best in everyone and everything.
Accept that life has its ups and down.
Face my fears.
Live in the moment.
Be honest with myself.
Finish what I started.
Don't focus on negative thoughts.
Don't lose hope.
I don't know what tomorrow will bring.
I wish everyone a year full of love, happiness and peace.

spring is coming

I'm looking out my window, I can see the daffodils are blooming and the grass is changing from brown to green. I can smell the fragrance of fresh flowers.
All around town I can see the flowering cherry and plum trees have popped into bloom.
I can already smell the scent of spring in the air. I love the longer, warmer days.
Spring brings new life and It is my favorite time of the year. Also the first day of spring is Persian new year (Noroz).
It announces that spring is coming:)