Agape...

I only could freeze with my mouth open wide... agape with surprise and after shutting my mouth I returned to reality and only could decide the inevitable.
I was planning to go on a vacation with my wife using the three days off from April 1st, but the almighty secretary of a great nation just announced that they will be having a conference about supporting a war-stricken nation inviting their archrival which happens to be the proud country where I reside in...

ON MARCH 31ST!

Why on that day? Why? By this time, it was frustration that took control over my mind, but there's no one to blame... always there's no one...
It's too late to know my job is full of these incidents where I have to give up my pleasure for things happening haphazardly and unexpectedly. That's my job, I know.

So am I too sinful to blame God is the one controlling how these events are compiled as a part of a long story? I'd like to believe in agape from the Almighty, but how can I when I can't feel it?
In the evening, I told my plans that we had to cancel our trip to my wife through chatting, but it's a relief she understands the situation... perhaps more than me... Is the real agape that I'm feeling in the real world?

Me too...


I wanna sit in the garden and rest... sulkily!

White winter...

It started to snow... it was not powdered snow at first, but as the day proceeded, it was turning into fluffy white puffs that gradually turned all of the greenery into white decorated masterpieces.
It was significantly cold from the morning and the season which I loathe seemed to have started and I only hope the scenary with snow will heal my soul.


it started to snow from the morning, but with puffy snow after 1PM!


everything's turning white...


in the highway...
a white winter is starting!

My office is at the northern side of the city, and when we went to the downtown area further south, I saw no snow was bothering the people. How interesting that the weather can change so significantly!

In the city park located near the Tehran Municipality...

no snow!

In the park there was a

peace monument...

with messages written in five languages...


including Japanese!

After the meeting...

it's still snowing...
getting harder as the night goes...

Gotta warm up!

how about some coffee! "Americafe'" I snatched from the meeting...
this Singapore product (not American!) is too sweet...

And to warm up further...

you need a warm bath with a nice color!

PS
First thing in the morning, I went to a police station located in Azadi to see what happened to the decision about my traffic violation...
They still tell me I have to pay 200,000 rials! Hey, I didn't commit the violation! I'm so angry about the conclusion! My staff told me I can still fight, but now I realize it's a waste of time... What a crazy world I'm living in!
By the way if I had just paid about 530,000 rials in the beginning admitting the violations, I wouldn't have to waste about a total of 7 hours for everything and I'm sure many people just would do so to avoid the complications... What a crazy world...

PPS

the man was finally convicted with the crime!
not everything, but it was finally concluded he had something to do with the English girl's death!

PPPS
In the morning at the garden...

another rivalry! foo...

Not worth it...

It's so frustrating that I have to be so apologetic!

In the recent years, I did have times of suffering, that even led to writing a letter of resignation. But that was when I was confronting myself that I would be unable to continue working losing my confidence in my skills and it would be wise to look for another way of living while I could still change my profession. But the lack of self-confidence I face now is not about my skills as a reporter or writer, but rather as a employer asking my Farsi speaking staff to get information and fighting to get permission while Tokyo attacks me for my inefficiency. It's not even worth it to write a letter of resignation!

Why do I have to be so apologetic at this stage in my career. Why...

PS
Today, I went to court to object to the traffic fines that were imposed on me that I had no idea of getting. I had to waste more than an hour to go to at least five rooms just get some judgement. I was lucky I didn't get fined for parking on the street as it would be stupid to go complain about a fine and get a different fine in this city where there's not enough space to park at all with uncontrolable number of cars. I will know what happened to the fine when we go to a police station where they will open the envelope in which the decision is enclosed...

PPS
The match-up in the garden...

rivals!

Unacceptable!

In the morning I had to go to an office nearby that mediates for police work. I received a ticket that had two traffic violations I'm sure I have no hand in! One was a violation entering a place without a permit, and the other was speeding in a small town near the Caspian Sea in August. I'm sure I can easily plead not guilty to the first one as I surely have a permit being a journalist, but the second one is so ridiculous I don't even want to talk about it. I can't go anywhere farther than 50km from the capital either privately or for business unless I get a permission from the authorities and that day I was penalized for speeding in this town which is at least 3 or 4 hours drive from Tehran, I was actually getting the extention of my press card at the authorities. How can I commit such violation!?

Still the penalty was not dismissed today and I was told that I have to go to a summary court on another day. I hear that many people just pay the penalty fee so they don't have to waste their time to go through the procedures. I was too angry that I decided to fight through the process. It's quite rude to penalize me in this way and unacceptable!

PS

a gift from Tokyo... love to have some Japanese made sweets once in a while...
I had a hard time explaining about marrons=kuris=chestnuts to my staff...

Modifications...

It took about 6 hours to update my diary as I had to revise and paste the photos I carefully picked not to raise any security concerns about our crew in Baghdad.

I went to bed at around 5:30AM and slept until 11:30AM. I hurried to my workplace to eat lunch with my elder colleague temporarily returning to Japan from abroad. I quickly went back to sleep at around 3:30PM after returning home and slept till 7:30PM. That's about a net 10 hours of sleep, so I think I can make it through overnight duty!

I realized there's so many changes in the streets...

these median barriers popped up from no where!

I bet a bunch of drivers will break their headlights and have dents in their car bodies hitting these rails!

and I couldn't pass through the usual path to my office...
boo to constructions...

Hiking prices...

I was so tired and as I was almost late for work, I jumped onto a taxi. I felt something wrong... something different...

the first fare price! it was 710 yen! a price hike at the end of the year! 90 yen was tacked on after the first fare 10 yen more than it was before...

At my office, I also noticed that snack breads were 110 yen each at the vending machine... a 10% hike from a 100 yen price!