Joker ...

They are as good as the world around them allows them to be.

Color

Color is drunk ...
Color is not always a socially responsible citizen.

Taboo

And he had to hide it because one man's choice is the other one's taboo.

No Comments ...

[click to enlarge ... taken from zigzagmag.com]

And I Can't Sleep ...

... But inside the ashes burns an endless fire
And every night I can't help reaching out for more

And I can't sleep ... And I can't sleep

4:30AM, I am awake again
Singing to the dark through open eyes ...

Deep enough ...

It is deep enough to realize you are shallow.

-Niles Crane!

Like it is possible!

Never explain yourself to anyone.
Those who like you never need it,
Those who dislike you won't believe it.

I picked up this text from a poster,

Well I like it but for some unknown reason

I think there is something wrong about it!

Mother's day

ای مادر عزیز من ای غمگسار من

ای اختر سعادت من ای بهار من

آری تو دیده بسته و آرام خفته ای

آسوده ای ز محنت و شور و شرار من

فریاد من به گوش تو هرگز نمی رسد

خوش فارغی ز درد دل بیقرار من

جان تو شاد و روح تو مرغ بهشت باد

همواره باد حافظ تو کردگار من

ژاله اصفهانی -

Things you don't know ...

گر به تو افتدم نظر چهره به چهره رو به رو

شرح دهم غم تو را نکته به نکته مو به مو

We ...

We make them cry who care for us.

We cry for those who never care for us.

And we care for those who will never cry for us.

Advice

نگران نباش، نگران نباش ... همه چیز درست می شه. البته منم چرت وپرت زیاد می گم

New Year - Black and Red

[click on the picture to enlarge]

New year gift to all who love red and black together!

سعدی به روزگاران مهری نشسته بر دل
بیرون نمی توان کرد الا به روزگاران

Oscar

A while ago I read somewhere that many people believe the moment Charlie Chaplin received his honorary Oscar is the best (or at least one of the best) Oscar moments ever. It is said that this is the longest standing ovation in the history of Oscars. I searched for it in YouTube and couldn't find it at the time but guess what, it was added a few days ago ...



if you can't see the above clip, follow this link to watch it in YouTube.

Zazen ...

The moment is where our life takes place.
If we miss the moment we miss our life.

from the book:
Finding the Still Point

Dream

Have you ever dreamt in a non-native language? A friend was telling me that he dreamed of a fight with Tom Cruise over Scientology. Aside from the fact that solely a fight with Tom Cruise is fascinating enough, unfortunately he couldn't remember if he was cursing in English or Persian!
Since then I was digging my mind to remember if I have ever had a dream in English. Anyway, to cut the story short, I had a dream a couple of nights ago in which I was speaking English for sometime ... the only strange part was the German subtitle!

Self-sacrifice

...When he sacrifices himself man for a moment is greater than God, for how can God, infinite and omnipotent, sacrifice himself? At best he can only sacrifice his only begotten son.

-Razor's Edge

A perfect homeless

The other day, I saw a homeless on an aged bike pulling an old cart with his stuff in it. There was also a broken cone hanging on a side of the cart.
What happens if somebody buy him a very good bike, a sleeping bag, a good radio, a warm brand new jacket, a big cart with enough space and all other necessary things to make him a perfect homeless? Would that make him happy?

Secret

[click for larger image]
Sketched and photographed on Sept. 2007

Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do.

-Voltaire

There is only one Lord of the Rings and he does not share power.

Gandalf to Saruman
Lord of the Rings

خنک آن قمار بازی که بباخت هر چه بودش
بنمانده هیچش الا هوس قمار دیگر

مولوی

Sacrifice

Every big wish comes with a big sacrifice. Sometimes you know what it is and sometimes you don't. What keeps me worried all the time is that constant fear of not being ready for the sacrifice.

Quit

Quiting while you're hit is not necessarily quiting.

Refrigerator door note!

There is only one YOU.

- Written on a friend's
refrigerator door

Light the Skies

And if you only knew
Just how much the sun needs you
to help him light the skies
You would be surprised
You would be surprised

-lyrics: Light the Skies

Story

Just because I told you my story,
does not invite you to be part of it.

- from the movie: The Bucket List

مکن به نامه سیاهی ملامت من مست
که آگهست که تقدیر بر سرش چه نوشت

قدم دریغ مدار از جنازه حافظ
که گر چه غرق گناهست میرود به بهشت

[click to enlarge]

Cats

Do all the cats in the world talk the same language? Can an Italian born cat understand a German born one? Is it a good idea to take your cat with you from one country to another?

After concentrating on my research for more than a couple of hours now, this is the question that is bothering me which believe me it has nothing to do with my research whatsoever. I guess I seriously need some sleep!

Good night and good luck.

یکی نغز بازی کند روزگار
که بنشاندت پیش آموزگار

فردوسی

Argument

Joseph Joubert - the French philosopher - says the aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. Joseph Joubert didn't win many arguments in his life!

speech by S. Arthur
How to win any argument!

Minibar

I remember when I was going to stay in a hotel in Dubai, the only advice everybody was giving me was not to use the water bottles or juices in the Minibar! Kind of a creepy thing, I was trying to keep a certain distance from that scary Minibar all the time!
Last night, I was watching a movie and a guy was about to commit suicide because he had betrayed his country. He was sitting alone in a hotel room, sweating, trembling, a gun in his one hand and a glass of Whisky (I guess) in the other . Very sad moment ... everybody was shocked by the turn of events and I was thinking to myself had he used the Minibar or not? Then I realized even if he was worried before, he didn't have to worry anymore because nobody can charge him anymore.

Old memories ...

تنت به ناز طبیبان نیازمند مباد
وجود نازکت آزرده گزند مباد

شفا ز گفته شِکّرفشان حافظ جوی
که حاجتت به علاج گلاب و قند مباد

Bourne ...

Director Paul Greengrass hasn't manufactured a sequel -- he's written code for a template all future Bonds, Ryans and whoever-the-hell-else will have to match or stumble and die trying.

- Kevin Williamson
Jam! Movies

scenario #3

All that happened was a miracle,
All you had to do was nothing,
All you know about it is nothing.

Scenario #2

All you need is a Miracle,
All it takes is a God,
The only missing part is a wish.

Scenario #1

All you need is a Miracle,
All it takes is a wish,
The only missing part is a God.

Serenity

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

- The Serenity Prayer

Voice Box

I don't get the point! When you call a number and you reach the voice box, it starts repeating the number you've dialed if there is no personal voice message. Does it expect me to check the number or what? I know what number I've dialed! what I don't know is whether I've reached the correct voice box or not!

Barriers

Your task is not to seek for love, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it...

Unknown...
from: www.yully.com

Swimming

Swimming is a tricky course, you fail you die.

Hypothetical question!

Assume that you have only one hour left in this world. Interestingly enough, you have a couple of missed calls on your cell phone. If you had to choose, would you spend that one hour to do your research at school or return those phone calls?

تار و پود هستیم بر باد رفت اما نرفت
عاشقی ها از دلم، دیوانگی ها از سرم

رهی معیری

Kite

Remember ... a kite only rises against the wind.

P. D. Cummings

Opinion

When you ask someone for his/her opinion ... it is a complement.

P. D. Cummings

مهم نیست، مهم نیست ...
مهم انیشتین بود که اونم مرد

Idiocrocy !!

Stupidity is contagious.

Father!

That insecurity will never go away, but it is that insecurity which drives you forward in life.
Learn to come in peace with it.

گوی توفیق و کرامت در میان افکنده اند
کس به میدان در نمی آید، سواران را چه شد

First Step

The first step is to forgive yourself ...

Storm

Life is a storm ... you will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look in that storm and shout ... 'Do your worst ... for I will do mine '

Count of Monte Christo

The memory ...

That impossible anger strangling the grief, until the memory of your loved one is just poison in your veins. And one day, you catch yourself wishing the person you loved had never existed so you'd be spared your pain.

Henry Ducard!

طرح مبارزه با بد حجابی در روسیه

photo: BBCPersian.com

When the stupid question trick didn't work ...

When it is just 5 minutes left and the professor is about to start a new topic, somebody should make a sacrifice, ruin his reputation and do the stupid question trick because otherwise you have to sit there for another 15 minutes before the professor realizes that he has gone 10 minutes overtime.
How does it work? ... Simple, just make a complete fool of yourself and ask a very stupid question. The professor will be busy answering your question for the remaining time of the class.
But when the trick doesn't work, it really hurts ...

The Namesake

Everything that happens since that day has been a gift.

Einstein

The Orthodox Jewish leader in New York, Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, sent a very direct telegraph to Einstein: "Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer Paid. 50 words."
Einstein used only about half his allotted number of words:

I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind.

For more on this subject refer to TIME.com

تکیه بر تقوی و دانش در طریقت کافریست
راهرو گر صد هنر دارد توکّل بایدش

حافظ

The Caterpillar Effect

These days walking around campus is not as easy as it used to be. You have to watch out not to step over the caterpillars and at the same time you have to look up so that they don't end up in your mouth or eyes.
Wondering why I am worried about stepping over them? In my opinion, the way we look at the caterpillars is the same way God looks at us. All these little creatures like to do is to climb up something, as we like to climb up in the course of our life.
I am not stepping over them, so that the next time God is passing by to see how is everything here down on the earth, he doesn't step over me. I have had enough already!

The non-delivered gift

Old Story

Once again, God is singing the same old song, telling the same old story. The same old story that I hate.
Every moment is like a deja vu, and I can't stop it again.
I can't stop it again.

Vibration!

There is no point in putting your cell phone on the vibration mode and then leave it on the table in a meeting. The noise that it makes is even more horrible.

Hummingbird ...

When I see a hummingbird, I just stop and look at it as long as it is flying there. They fly so smoothly that I feel happy. The other day, I was walking down the street and bumped into one of them. It was flying and I was looking. But the exciting thing was that it started flying literally in front of my eyes for like fifteen seconds, standing still in the air and staring at me. Just beautiful …
Next time you see one of them, stop for a second and enjoy the maneuver.

Something ... Someone ...

Do something great for someone everyday and don't get caught.

G. W. Cummings Sr.
Lessons at the Fence Post

Things happen ...

We live and learn ...

Dr. Milani

Yourself

Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

50 life lessons

The color of Love

Love is red, although sometimes it appears a little blueish. But one thing is for sure, it is not green and never will be green.

دل خویش را بگفتم چو تو دوست میگرفتم
نه عجب که خوبرویان بکنند بی وفایی

سخنی که با تو دارم به نسیم صبح گفتم
دگری نمی شناسم تو ببر که آشنایی

سعدی

The boy who cried wolf

I am sure all of you have read or heard the story of the boy who cried wolf because he was bored. When the real wolf came, he cried wolf again but nobody helped him since he was a liar. The point that I don't understand is the moral of the story. When villagers didn't help the boy, their sheep were scattered and slaughtered. So the moral of the story should be if somebody is lying, listen to him/her every single time or you might be the looser at the end of the day.

اگر ژاله هر قطره ای در شدی
چو خر مهره بازار از او پر شدی

سعدی

What are you doing when you are not doing anything?

You may say "nothing". But according to an article in TIME we are traveling in time when we are doing nothing. When our mind is not involved in any task, it travels in time. Either reviewing the past memories or foreseeing the future. The thing is that if you have some distracting memory in your head or some not very pleasant event coming in the near future, you may get even more anxious when you are idle because your mind starts exploring them.

Whip Cream

I am starting to believe that whip cream is a complicated thing, not necessarily the most complicated concept in the world but one of those that our little brain needs some time to process. I was in the Starbucks the other day and two girls entered the Starbucks talking to each other. The guy ask them about their orders and one of them without any hesitation started ordering:
Can I get a Triple Grande 140 degree no foam cinnamon dolce latte with caramel ...

The guy asked:
Do you want whip cream on it?

And the girl was thinking for like 10-15 seconds to decide whether she liked whip cream on it or not. Anyway, the funny part was that the answer was no and the order came with whip cream.

Automatic Doors

I think the automatic doors are the most polite and respectful things in the world. They open when you're close enough regardless of who you are. They don't care if you're black or white, tall or short, smart or idiot. They respect you being there.
Whenever you're sad, just pass by one of them. They will notice you, they will open for you and they will make your day.

Lessons not necessarily from a trip, No.1

بعد از این تنگ کنم دایره خلوت خویش
تا بدانجا که نهم دل به دل صحبت خویش

دوری و دوستی و حرف کم و رنجش کم
به چنین شیوه توان داشت نگه عزت خویش

زود رنجیدن اگر جرم من ساده دل است
جمع یاران ابدی باد و مرا عذلت خویش

Lessons from a trip, No. 5 - Tea

People have their own ideas on how to boil water, you trust your own or you won't have any tea for the night.

Lessons from a trip, No. 4 - The KitKat incident

If your socks got wet because of walking on a wet floor, don't accept any KitKat offers unless you exactly know what was on the floor!

I know it is a little bit tricky and hard to get the logics behind it. But believe me it is a very crucial lesson to hear and remember.

To move on ...

We never heal or recover inside, we just learn how to cope.

Lessons from a trip, No. 3 - Check list

When going to the bathroom, make sure to go through the well-known, universally acclaimed and internationally admired checklist:

• No multi paragraph announcement is hanging anywhere near the bathroom
• The door should have a lock
• Siphon should be working
• There should be enough toilet-papers

Lessons from a trip, No. 2 - Don't bother reading it

If you want to use the restroom and there is a multi paragraph announcement hanging on the door. Don't bother reading it, it basically means "Not Working".

Lessons from a trip, No. 1 - To slip away first

If something dropped on your head while standing in the kitchen and chitchatting with your friends. Do not look up first because the next one will drop on your face. But if you can't help it since you have a very very curious nature, make sure the curiosity does not open your mouth.

Attachment

I got an email from a TA today with several reading materials attached to it including a zero KB PDF file. Then I got another email from her, explaining that the PDF file had not been attached properly and we had to download it from a web page. Now that I am trying to download it I see that it is a 48MB file. It is a strange feeling to know that your TA expects a 48 MB file to be attached to an email. I am either gonna fail the course no matter how hard I try or will get an A+ without handing a single homework.

To hide a few ...

Skill is not to make people happy while you are happy. Skill is to make them laugh and laugh along with them and don't let them know how crashed and burned you are inside.

کی شعر تر انگیزد خاطر که حزین باشد

یک نکته از این معنی گفتیم و همین باشد

life ...

You know what is harder than catching on fire?
... Putting it out with your bare hands.

تا بهار دلنشین آمده سوی چمن
ای بهار آرزو بر سرم سایه فکن

چون نسیم نو بهار بر آشیانم کن گذر
تا که گلباران شود کلبه ویران من

Please, Don't walk for a second ...

Please, Please ... Don't walk for a second. That bird needs to rest. She is scared of you.

Clown

Somebody told me once that clowns have a pitiful life. They have to laugh even when they don't want to. I am not a clown. I can opt not to laugh anymore even when I am making jokes. The strange thing is that nobody even notices ...

Complicated things ...

Love should never be a secret. If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it could make you sick.

Dr. Otto Octavius!
Spider-man II script

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

این پیمان عزیز دل انگیز، طی یک پیغام سیسیلی، من رو به بازی شب یلدا دعوت کرده. من اصلا نمی دونم این بازی کی در اومد. ولی دیگه نمیشه کاریش کرد ... این هم اعترافات بنده، هرچند همش هم اعتراف نیست

- من تا ۱۴، ۱۵ سالگی توی خونه با توپ تنیس فوتبال بازی می کردم. دیگه برگردون و قیچی و هر چیزی که فکرش رو بکنین. با اون توپ فقط یه دونه قاب عکس شکستم که ربطی به فوتبال نداشت. همینجوری اومدم هنرنمایی کنم که گند زدم

- تا ۱۱ سالگی می رقصیدم (اونم فقط خارجی، نه ایرانی ... یعنی ایرانی بلد نبودم برقصم) بعد دیگه نرقصیدم تا ۲ سال پیش. الان فقط ایرانی ... هرچند هنوزم بلد نیستم

- من تا ۳-۴ سالگی فارسی حرف نمی زدم ... اصلا زبونی که حرف می زدم ربطی به ایران نداشت هرچند همونجا بزرگ شدم

- سوال های امتحان جغرافی یکی از ثلث های سال سوم دبیرستان رو می دونستم، بازم گند زدم

- من بلد نیستم فارسی تایپ بکنم، این رو همین امروز فهمیدم

One Word ...

One Word breaks the code of silence,
Silence tells me all I need to know.
One Word,
One Word, tells me all I need to know.

It is not the way that I want it,
It is just the way that I need it.
Day after day.

One lie tells a thousand stories,
The greatest stories that were ever told.
One Lie,
One Lie, tells the greatest stories that ever told.

Kelly Osbourne Lyrics

They may or may not know ...

آنانکه که محیط فضل و آداب شدند
در جمع کمال شمع اصحاب شدند
ره زین شب تاریک نبردند به روز
گفتند فسانه ای و در خواب شدند

خیام

When more is less

Dragonflies have six legs but can not walk ...

Little did he know ...

Little did he know, but this simple, seemingly innocent act would lead to his imminent death.

Part of the movie script:
Stranger than fiction

Be like water

Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water.

Bruce Lee

Kiosk

Iran suspended by FIFA

Iran have been suspended from all international football activity because of government interference in running the game in the country.
In a statement, Fifa said it had decided to "suspend the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) from all international activity due to government interference in football matters and violation of Article 17 of the Fifa Statutes."
For more detail refer to BBC Sport News.

Loneliness

We might be very happy because we have a lot of friends or family with us, or we may feel insecure since we have nobody to lean on. Either way, when it comes full circle, nobody can help us even if they want to. In fact, on some level we are all alone; we just don't know it yet.

Survey!

Ello, my name a Borat! I come from Kazakhstan! I like sex!

- Oh my God! It was disgusting! I hardly could watch it.
-(me) So what were you doing then?
- I was laughing.
-(me) How come you were laughing? you said it was disgusting.
- Yeah, I know! I couldn't do anything else.

Part of my discussion with almost everyone who has watched "Borat".

Triskaidekaphobia

Don't bother yourself if you can't read the title. I just did it once and won't do it ever again. But if you're wondering what it is, it is the fear of number 13. In most cultures 13 is assumed to be a bad number. (perhaps I have to change all the 13's to 12+1)
A reason that people consider it a bad number is that it is more than 12 which is a number commonly used and sometimes a sacred number. Besides, if you divide 13 objects into many groups, there is always one left alone which should be kind of scary!! Actually, I am a little suspicious about all prime numbers.
Some people consider the failure of Apollo 13's mission as an example that 13 is a cursed number. Even in Formula 1 there is no car with the number 13. The number has been removed after two drivers were killed in crashes both having the number 13.
Anyway, the fear of the Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia which is so hard to read that makes it less scary.

Question

Somebody told me once that whenever you ask God for something and he doesn't give you that, most probably that request is no good for you and you just don't know it yet. Someday you'll understand. Like a mother who won't give her child poison, no matter how hard the child cries for it. Someday, though not necessarily very soon, the child will understand.
Believe me I've been there many many times. Looking back in my life and wondering what the hell was I thinking? and of course thanking God for not giving me what I wanted.
But here is the thing that I don't understand. Isn't God the mighty of all? So he should be able to provide our request without any bad consequences. I mean after all, he is GOD!