Yet Another Trip To The States

My 14 day trip to the States is coming to an end. Once again I am in San Jose, just back from the Airport after dropping Ehsan who had an 11 o’clock flight to Boston. I’m currently sitting in Ehsan’s room stealing wireless from the neighbors before I go to sleep to wake up for my morning flight back to Canada. During the past week I toured San Jose, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Although I found all of these cities to be nice and amusing, Vegas stood out as an awesome destination. During our 3 day stay in Vegas, Saeed and Saman did a great thing by joining us from Toronto and each night we stayed at a different hotel. Barbary Coast Hotel was only okay but the Venitian and New York-New York with it’s large roller coaster were beautiful. The liveliness of the crowd in Vegas was unbelievable. The casinos were never empty and the buffets were mouthwatering. The clubs of Vegas were awesome. Amazing music, fantastic crowd. Truly Vegas is the city that never sleeps.

I always thought that Dubai was the most luxurious and amazing place to visit but Vegas is just somethin’ else. Vegas is better than Dubai in many ways. Vegas is no Barbie land, it’s the real deal. Unlike the architecture you see in Dubai, the hotel buildings in Vegas are less fake and way way larger and greater; People in Vegas are way livelier than those in Dubai; and if I thought that Dubai was the biggest car show with the most exotic cars then Vegas definitely proved me wrong.

In LA we visited Beverly Hills, Hollywood and UCLA. Ehsan and I also went to an Arabic type café called The Gypsy which according to Ehsan is being run by a Jewish guy. It had great food and great Shisha which by the way is called Hooka everywhere in California.

In San Francisco we visited Pier 39 and the Golden Gate Bridge. We also wanted to visit the Alcatraz prison, but they said that they are out of tickets for the next couple of days. That night Ali, Leyli and Farbod joined us to go to a club which with all our efforts failed as we ended up in a club which only played boring 80s retro music.

In San Jose we went to Intel’s museum which was an okay place considering its free admission. We also went to a street whose name I can’t remember and it had lots of nice boutiques. In there we dined at the Cheese Factory where we had some delicious food.

Throughout our trip which ended up costing about 800 U.S. dollars including my plane ticket from Denver, and throughout the 2000 kilometers that we drove around California and Vegas, we used a navigation system powered by Microsoft. This package which we purchased at San Jose cost us about 90 bucks and basically was a software which included all the road maps and tourist destinations of North America along with a GPS receiver. This helped us so much in finding roads as well as gas stations, restaurants, clubs and hotels. It also gave us up to date driving distance and time. So we had my laptop in the car with the GPS and our favorite MP3s hooked up to an FM transmitter being played from the car’s stereo. The car we drove was a 2005 6 cylinder Hyundai Sonata which was a great drive but also sucked up a lot of fuel; about 270 liters for the whole trip.

All in all this was a great trip. Along with my trip to Turkey this was one of the greatest trips I’ve ever had. Thanks to Ehsan who made this trip happen and a blast. Also many thanks to my mom and dad who have always given me the moral as well as the financial support to go on these exciting trips. With every new place I visit, only one desire is strengthened within me: the desire to travel even more to see other equally great places on this beautiful planet.

Yet Another Landing

San Jose, California. I finally set foot on this famous land. So much I had heard about it's weather, I must say that it is all true. As I descended from the plane's stairs to the city's not so neat airport the cool breeze of this Californian weather touched my skin, brought joy to my soul and sent more blood to my cells so that they could feel it even more! (Maybe I should write sex stories!)

Arrived here at 10:08 AM Pacific Time and quickly found my way to baggage claim. For ONCE in my entire life my baggage was among the first 10 to get on the thingy! (No matter how hard I think I can't remember its name). I quickly picked it up and went to the place where I was supposed to be picked up by the hotel's airport shuttle.

It's now 11:25 AM and here I am in my room all checked in and waiting for Ehsan to arrive so we can start our trip by first EATING at some restaurant with elaborate meals that could feed my extreme hunger which you're all familiar with.

I will leave you all with this beautiful picture which I have just take from our room by the pool, wishing that you could be here to share it with us.

Google Released Its Instant Messenger

Google Talk is the name of Google's instant messenger which was released this evening. I just downloaded it and the looks of it isn't all that interesting. It offers text messaging as well as voice conversations but I would say that it has a long way to go until it can compete with MSN and Yahoo.

Here's an article by CNET News on this new release.

Here's the link to Google Talk itself.

And this is my ID in case you wanted to give it a go and you wanted someone to test it with: pooya.f

Note: A Gmail account is required.

Denver

Cherry Creek Mall, Downtown Denver. Here I am sitting in a lovely loung in the middle of this mall enjoying the free wireless Internet that I got with my $4 ice mocha at "Peaberry Coffee". Hated the mocha to be honest. Not being a coffee fan, I didn't even know what mocha tastes like until I took a sip out of this awful mix of ice, cream and coffee byproduct. But the free* internet makes it well worthwhile.

So I drove here by myself, enjoying the ride with the Dodge Caravan that is being payed off by 'daddy' for the day. A smooth ride man. Loved it. I might as well be honest with you all; it was the first time that I rented a car on my own. Avis was the only car rental that had a minivan, rented to 21 and above and allowed one-ways to Pueblo. It's 2:55 Denver time and it's 4:56 back in Waterloo. I should go back to the airport and pick up my parents in 2-3 hours. I'm sleepy. I should probably put the laptop down and take short nap here on these nice leather couches. I wonder how embaressing would this be.

* Ehsan khan! you told me that I won't find free wireless anywhere in the States? That's because you live in California and they're all cheap people. Colorado rulesss mannnn! ;) :D Free Internet baby! Actually this is just Denver. I'd be lucky to find even a dial-up down in Pueblo! Now that's an exaggeration.

Aviophobia

Recently I am growing a fear of airplane crashes. I was never afraid of heights and I still can’t wait to get that window seat so I can enjoy the view while the plane makes turns and the ground comes by my side. However, ever since I got on that stupid Drop Zone ride (1) in Wonderland last year I have grasped a better feeling of how free fall actually feels like and to be very honest I am not fond of it at all. The thought of me along with 200 other passengers going through a long-ass fall in the sky while screaming our heads off with no engine and people’s luggage being stuck to the ceiling and hands shaking in the air keeps crossing my mind. Turbulence drives me insane. “I hate turbulence” I said to the lady sitting beside me who told me about her daughter doing her undergrad in University of Waterloo and now doing Satellite Imagery for large (and probably governmental) companies in the States.

Air Canada makes butterflies in my belly throw a rave party and when I found out that my United Airlines flight is being operated by Air Canada I said to myself “Well isn’t this nice!”. As I am already two hours through this flight, turbulence has become my loving partner, embracing me tight and not letting go even for a second. “Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking…I want to apologize for all the turbulence, I am sure it’s keeping you from your sleep. We’re going to descend a little bit now to find you some ‘sweet air’ so we can smoothly cruise for the rest of our trip”. –“I don’t want no sweet air goddammit! 2 minutes down the path we’ll dive into another plane trying to find sweet love!”

Two planes have crashed in the past week and you know that they always say that the third is a charm. A little bit before that, some freakin’ French jet “slipped” off the runway due to rain in Toronto’s International Airport. Toronto’s for God’s sake. These people get 5 billion mega tons of precipitation every year and some plane lands and just “slips” off the runways due to summer rain?! As we’re in freakin’ rain-is-a-blessing-year-round-sunny Equator Desertland. If you ever land in Pearson Airport and not see rain or snow through the window, you should buy yourself a lottery ticket.

The engine is making this roaring noise. EEEEEEAAAEEEEE. I’m not joking. It translates to: “Sweet air is making me sick. I’m suffocating. Keep this going and I’ll shake your asses down on the Rockies”. Why pay 40 dollars for a Wonderland pass when you can pay 500 to ride Air Canada? With turbulence being so rough there’s a much higher chance that you actually die and you know that it is that fear of death that brings all the fun.

(1) Drop Zone is a ride that takes you so many meters up the sky and then just drops you like a weightless bastard. If you were a little kid and suddenly cried your ass off while your mom tried to explain to you that it’s ok and is called a “del horri” when you’re in a car and daddy drives down\ the bridge quickly, then you definitely don’t want to get on this ride.

• My apologies for the slightly off the norm language. I’m 30000 feet up in the sky and fear has wiped out my morals. And I’m saving the F word in case I was about to crash.

«مرشد نق نقو رو حوضی می خواند»

Nuclear Energy, It is Our Obvious Right

I really love the statement that Iran just made regarding its right to having nuclear energy and its fuel production:

"...It is the most absurd manifestation of irony that the single state who caused this single nuclear catastrophe in a twin attack on our earth now has assumed the role of the prime preacher in the nuclear field while ever expanding its nuclear weapons capability."

Very well said!

We have the right and the capability to produce our own fuel, and we will.

Read the full article here.

The New Look: Version 3.0

Finally after long periods of putting the work off and changing my mind about the design several times I managed to put everything together to compose yet another look for Barobax.net. This time I decided to work neater and pay more attention to the details and pages that are in the lower levels of view.

There hasn't been much of a structural change in the website. However, you might notice that now there is a login module on the site. I have done some of the coding to support user-based logins. I have added this in the hope that using logins I can later bring back the all-time-favorite Barobax Profiles to the website where members would have a small intro along with a photo.

So go ahead, look around and let me know what you think. All comments/bug reports are welcome and appreciated. Hope you like the new look. ChaX.

God isn't like you and me!

Why is there extremism in the world? Why are there people who think that the 9/11 attacks are glorious? Do these people find satisfaction in other people's death? I don't support the violent actions of many countries including Iran and the United States but never ever I would think that killing civilians would do me any good. For God's sake, 9/11 attacks brought 10 times more misery on Islamic nations than ever before. Who are these sick people bombing cities around the world? Honestly, when such things happen, I "want" a judgment day to exist. I want to see the day that these sick leaders are brought in fair courts of justice and crushed down for attacks they have plotted against the people of this planet. Most of all I hate those dark minds who use religion and "God's will" to reach their goals. I really would like to know whether they have faith in their means, or just that they abuse God's name in order to kill. Why would God want to kill?!

But along the same lines, why would God want to punish? I leave you with this contradictory paradox:
ناکرده گناه، در جهان کيست بگو
آن کس که گنه نکرد، چون زيست بگو
من بد کنم و تو بد مکافات دهی
پس فرق ميان من و تو چيست؟ بگو

Bliss

Dance nervously in the darkness of night those yellow and red flames of my thought. Turn, twirl and swirl those chemical substances of sensation. A small particle cried in the night. A ray of light shone through the hole in the wall; that thick, tall, long standing wall. A feather slowly flew home. A cloud leisurely uncovered the sun. A bird lovingly composed a song. A leaf hopingly nurtured along. Wind softly touched the skin. Eyes willingly shut wide. Hands subconsciously rose high. Water harmonically shivered around. A good feeling came upon. A good smell was sensed under the sun. A soft dream comforted my day. A loving touch triggered the sense of play.

A prophet conveyed he is not forged. An angel swam in a realistic pond. Miracle moved a thousand hearts. Faith colored a painting all blue. God confessed that he is lonely. Gabriel made love to Lucifer. Sense played with nonsense. Logic played with love. He said the pomegranate went to war with the teeth, I say that tears made peace with the eyes. Silence quit from her job. Noise was rain throughout the sky. A mix of objects stared at me from the floor. A mix of thoughts went in and out the door. A galaxy got crushed once upon a time, and I have the tendency to make all of this rhyme.

Shame On Us

Akbar Ganji, the imprisoned Iranian journalist who is now entering the 53rd day of his hunger strike will soon die if government officials fail to respond to his requests as they have done so in the past. Ganji has been promised a death in the hospital by Saeed Mortazavi.

Personally, I feel ashamed for wanting democracy in Iran when I am sitting behind my desk and not doing jack sh** in support of Ganji. I honestly feel ashamed.

Summer Has Not Ended Yet!

I'm back in the loo. Back from my two and a half month trip to the other half of the globe. 17 days in here and I'll go to the States as my parents will start to settle in Pueblo, Colorado. After one week of staying with them, I shall fly to San Jose, California to join Ehsan on a one week trip around California and to Vegas. I will return to Canada on August 31 and start moving to the new house where my roommmates are expected to be Farid T., Ameen TJ and Sobhan S.

4A is on the way. 2 more terms and finally after 6 years of studying I shall get my stupid bachelor's degree. This year's gonna be the year of sucking up to profs as I will "try" to make my way into grad school.

Open Enrollment for Fall 2005 began today. If you missed your enrollment appointment, act now.

For those of barobax writing final exams: I wish the best of luck. There are also some who are still on vacation: have fun.