Oh, Behruz!

Our work was still in the middle of stagnation... I really didn't know if things will go on the right course, but we just had to wait, wait, wait... wait for the answer...
Today, we were happy to see our sag-e ba namak (cute dog)!

ruff ruff!

I heard that the owners of this cutie is trying to sell him... too bad I can't be the owner... we might have to say good-bye soon...

well have a chicken my friend!

I couldn't get the results again...
Japan will see the new working week shortly and I was hoping I could get enough answers by today!
Oh well... I have to sleep feeling quite insecure... it's will be like this mostly throughout my stay here so what can I expect!?

finishing off the hot dog I started eating at lunchtime... our friend outside was gone... Behrooz! hot dogs and dogs are different! I'm not going to eat you!

Starting the process!

It was time to attack and working with my staff, I had to pray for the best.
Fortunately it was a very peaceful day and Tokyo was in its "offtime" and I can concentrate in Tehran.
News came in that I had to make a difficult decision about how to do the operation but there were actually no choice but to continue on...
Oh well... let's see how things will go!

a nice lunch... rice with boiled chicken and... berries!

today our friend was gone... our staff named him Behruz, a popular name for Iranian boys meaning a bringing of good fortune... but no response from our sweet friend...

At night... my treat was this meal...

yes! the ochazuke!

A need for healing...

I had to try to work a little today, before the weekday ends in Tokyo, but once again I couldn't fight off the weariness and fell into the hands of the sandman.
I've been informed that I might face a difficult mission next week and I had to use every minute of my time... even my private time... but sleeping was a necessity and I couldn't resist it...

I tried eating some of the snacks I brought from Japan to fight the stress off...

they were empty in less than thirty minutes...

In the evening, I finally went to my office and found out my new friend was still around...

it's really healing to see you...

don't bite my fingers off...

and... please don't bite my leg off too!!

Finally after fighting for two hours...

I got 2GB of memory!
maybe I can smoothly update my blog now!

A sweet visitor...

Someone had brought their puppy, and he was running around like crazy in our garden next to my office...

he's so cute...

bowwow...

he really is curious about the camera...

hello!?

I have to go! please let me go...

Having some pizza for lunch...

but can't give this to that puppy...


good-bye... I'm going back to work! bowwow!

I had some important issues to clear up today... I had to work, but I was very curious about that fella outside...

oh you're still there... I got to work buddy... sorry...

In the night time I challenged to upgrade my desktop...

so where does this memory chip fit!?

A brief encounter...

After waking up at 6AM, I recorded a radio report and went back to sleep just briefly. I had a headache with too much beer last night and the short sleep did not ease the pain.

unlike the nighttime, it just looks like a city inside a desert!

In the morning I attended a large meeting with many Japanese participating from the Middle East area and more from Japan.

attending in the morning...

I also had another business affair to take care of and I finally had some free time to explore the area...

I walked along the creek just like I did with a young cameraman on February of 2004.

I didn't remember that much of this creek... I remember I took the water taxi to the other side to see the Gold Suq and walk in a large park looking for alcohol, but in vain...


many constuctions going on even in the central part of the city!

I thought it would not be walking 2 kilometers to a nearby shopping center was not that of a burden, but after walking about 30 minutes, the 40 degrees temperature made me quite weary... my hair was so wet, it looked like I just had a shower! Now I know this is not the best time to come to this city!

I finally made it to the shopping center...


I was here 4 years ago with my colleague! I remember!

a frappuccino saved my life!

You of course will know where I would go to when I get to a mall...

my favorite place of course...

one Whopper and that will enhance my life!

trying to leave... there were tons of people waiting for the taxi... I think I did the same thing 4 years ago!!

I landed on Imam Khomeini International Airport just before midnight... It was a really short stay, less than 24 hours, but I have to get there soon again, perhaps next month in the earliest!

A brief departure...

The story about a Japanese being kidnapped in the neighboring country was heating up as I was about to leave the country.
Since the Afghans speak Dari, a very close language to Farsi, it was an opportunity for us to gather some information about the news. We could even try to get a visa as it's not tha hard to get one, and I thought it was at least better for us to get ready.

Rushing to get ready for my trip... but I had enough time to eat lunch!

this time with minched meat... it was close to the Japanese "hambagu"

I had to go on with my mission to leave the country briefly to a prosperous city...

saying good-bye to the Grand Mosque... just for a while...

and taking the Iran Air for the first time!

After a two hour flight...

I was here in Dubai!

I had some things to straighten out here, but I had another pleasure waiting for me!

Beer! Beer!

I had two mugs of Belgium beer...
1 liter without anything to eat!

There were tons of people at the mall at nearly 10PM...

it was a beautiful mall with a small creek outside and a marina...

but it was too hot to stay outside!

First rain in Tehran!

Back to work...
After having a great night, it's always painful returning to work. But today we started out going to an event to see beautiful things...

a flower exhibiton!


nice!

beautiful! all made in Iran!

Lunch for the day...

rice with boiled chicken! this is tasty too!

In the afternoon,

suddenly the sky looked gloomy...

it started to rain! only breifly but it was the first time I saw rain here in Tehran!

in the evening, it rained a bit stronger! but only for 10 minutes...

It would a day to remember... when would I see some precipitation the next time!?

Time to start enjoying!

It's exactly a month from my arrival to Tehran! I have not done any satisfying work, but I might easily have 35 months to work on that! I always think seriously about my results with my job, but I think I have to relax and think more about enjoying this place and see more of everyday events that occur in this country.

It was birthday time for one of our staff!

and we had a cake!

one for me too!

And for lunch, I had another familiar dish for the first time...

a hot dog!

In the afternoon, I went to see the Iranian treasures!

the annual Persian carpet exhibition

I've never seen so many carpets in my life!

there were carpets that were worth more than a luxury car in Iran!

what a treasure!

one day I want to own at least a smaller silk one like this...

At night we went out for dinner. A birthday celebration for my staff and for me it was commemorating one month of stay here in Iran.

We chose one of the newest restaurants in the wealthy northern area of Tehran...

We ordered...

sushi!? the rice was cooked maybe without being washed!

futomaki!? hmm...

the fillet was great! maybe Continental is easier to present than the Japanese taste!

Today, I had to fight around with the news to make decisions I can have this dinner. I realized I have to make up many decisions that can change the course of our future... I hope it was the right decision I made tonight!