Making my decision!

Last night, i finally went to sleep at aruund 3AM, finishing sending my English report voice and I was confident enough to inform my colleagues that I will take my vacation. In the afternoon, though I was a little worried about how the protests the oppostion was twitting on their websites, but I just called Tokyo and infromed my boss about my decision. By now, no one was opposing my plan and happily I informed my family that I would meet them tomorrow far away from home. I finally started packing up late at night and I thanked God about how everything went as planned. This could be my only chance to make my family happy for a while and I don't want to lose it!


getting ready!

had an Iranian dessert... can't have these for a while!

The next mission...

It was supposed to be a crucial day today and I had to concentrate on getting ready for tomorrow. I would have to write a story right away after the inauguration ceremony and get ready for the live coverage in the evening, and then work on my report for the morning news in Japan. I also had a radio report!
But somehow, I couldn't get my mind moving and time just went by... very fast!

PS
We bought our tickets for our possible trip from Friday... It's a load of money I've paid and I pray everything will be all right tomorrow...

PPS
Yesterday's news...

tomorrow these two will not appear together, so it will be a very valuable pic for newsmakers!

One more day...

It was the last day till the voting, and officially the no-campaign day for the candidates. We had to work on our reports and live broadcasts for tomorrow. One of our guests were leaving today and I asked my wife to take her to a nice restaurant so she won't leave feeling sorry she hadn't seen the nice parts of this city! I think after seeing her and my wife's smile, I understood how nice the lunch was and I felt happy there are places that can satisfy ladies.

PS
I couldn't resist sleeping at 1AM... I had to wake up at 4AM to finish my work to send my script before morning time in Japan! I took a short nap around 9 to 10 in the morning... this really helped to get me through the day!


a late night dinner... my favorite dish! ramen! don't know about ladies, but satisfactory for me!

2 more days...

Time is really running out... I'm happy to be able to secure broadcasting time tomorrow morning and we already have a special on Friday morning...
It's the last day of campaigning today and it was now or never for many people to get the last soundbites. Sadly, I couldn't get any for the challenger and now I regret it dearly that I should have went to one of his provincial visits...
There was a large gathering for the incumbent, but we really have enough of his soundbites... he even appeared on TV from 10:45PM to counter the accusations his opponents gave on their TV debate broadcasts... I really wasn't listening to what he said, but I'm sure he just said all the numbers his opponents are using are false... oh, well... we have to go on with what we have!


energy!

PS
I worked until 5AM this morning... you can't imagine how sleepy I am! Two more days, but will my health bear with this crazy load of work!

3 more days...

The countdown is starting and from now on, I'm sure I have to stay inside my office to coordinate rather than cover. It's really not fun to be the one in charged when everybody is out there to cover this historical event. But I have no choice... I can't ask someone else to take my place!

PS
It's now a habit to stay up all night...

3:14AM in my room... should I get some sleep...

A mistake on strategy?

I concentrated on covering events and had been doing research to be ready for a program that will be broadcasted right after the election day and many of the information and pictures would be used in the program. For myself, I had to find a story that I could report on myself, but the research is not going well! I'm really scared that I won't be able to nail a story myself and would finish as a coordinator... that's not permissible for a correspondent stationed here so I better start thinking more about myself!

Last night I had to work until 4AM, and tonight I had to watch the first ever TV debate between candidates broadcasted on state television from 10:30PM to midnight... oh this is driving me nuts...

PS
I'm saved by...

my wife's food! at least I feel I'm alive when I'm eating!

PPS
Hello...

how are you!?

Starting the process...

I started working on the process of getting ready for the elections... There's two other big missions waiting, one being the trouble of talking to my staff about their salary and the other being another trip for a special coverage I have to do before the Election reaches its active stage. I'm really not a productive person and I don't have the ability to do many important things at once, so I'm starting to panic... It's really sad to see the sky all gray and again raining... It makes me very depressing which this dreadful weather... boo...

To cheer myself...

asking to get some cakes!

and some sunshine after the rain!

The next mission...

I had to work on our next mission right away... Of course we have the big event coming up in June, but there was also a request from Tokyo to make a report about something different which I have to participate in May. I'm happy I can be involved in a story I would gladly report on, but the big load of work waiting for me in June which I surely must start working hard from mid May makes everything a burden...
I know I have to think positive, but all of the bad things that has happened doesn't help me in any way to cheer me up...
Okay, I'm being paid by an organization and I'm just going to do my work. That's how I'm going to keep my promises and withstand any scoldings by any parties. If I endure the bad days, I believe some day I will find the good days. Inshallah!

PS

the rain doesn't cheer me up...

The next plane after 24 hours!

We arrived in Tehran at around 4AM... Getting back to our office at 5:30AM, I finally went to bed at around 6:30AM...

I was very sleepy and I wanted to sleep all day, but I couldn't... It was all because I took a vacation, so it was even inappropriate to, as it was just a regular weekday... It was also inappropriate that I only had today to get ready for a business trip to Europe and I had to make the major decisions for us to get us on the plane without any problems!

The day passed by so quickly and I only had time to sleep less than an hour and a half... I first thought of sleeping on the sofa, but I decided to take a nap on my bed...

PS
There were lots of people at the Imam Khomeini International Airport, presumably filled with people returning back home from Nowruz vacations!

Taking the risk!

As it was the last weekday of the a two day working week, we rushed to get ready for a trip to Europe in the end of the month. We still were not sure if my staff would get the necessary visas, but that's another Inshallah, so I just took the risk and bought the tickets for all of us... It's quite expensive and I don't know what could happen on our coverage trip, but yes... I'm going to take the risk!
Today, my wife successfully got her visa and permission to stay in this country, so I decided to take her to a trip to Dubai from tomorrow... I know it's risky to go on a trip just before an important business trip coming up, but if I don't take the risk, we'll never be able to go together on a trip... who knows when the next chance will come... so I'm going to take the risk!

PS
It was also risky...

as the papers printed in Dubai are saying that it's very stormy there now and it would be rainy for another four days... still... I'm going to take the risk!

Quietness after the festivals...

The festival was over. Still the Iranian news channels were filled with the stories about yesterday's ceremony showing thousands... perhaps millions of people marching in the streets all over the country. I've never seen such an event in Japan where all the people march and celebrate in the same day. Well, maybe on New Year's Day many people march to the temples but this enthusiasm is completely different.
It was a quiet day, but very rainy and I became very worried about tomorrow as we have to give out a live coverage from the central part of the city... I hope the weather would be fine... Inshallah...
It's almost midnight, but we have to give a live report for the morning news program in Tokyo in about 2 hours... Oh, tomorrow is going to be another, but hopefully the last, challenging day!

PS
It was raining quite strong today!

is the weather going to be okay tomorrow!?


checking every weather forecast site as possible!

PPS
While outside...I found a doll shop

filled with red dolls for Valentine's Day...

and teddy bears with a heart!
they say Valentine's Day is winning support here in a strictly Muslim country! interesting!

PPPS
The roses were...

so worn out... you've been through a tough period too...

and you too... you should bloom so you can show your beautiful face...

Reaching the peak...

Yes, tomorrow is the peak. Today, I did manage to send a report, but it was just a reedited version of the report I did on Sunday and it wasn't that much of a labor.
Tomorrow will not be uncomparable to what I had to do this last 6 months and I really have to pray everything will fit into place... I really do...
At night time everybody was shouting Allah Akbar and I heard the sounds of fireworks. It will be a day off for everyone tomorrow, but for us... it's one of the busiest days ever!

PS
We celebrated as yesterday's trouble was solved today in the morning...

with another cake! how many cakes have we had so far!

Finally I can concentrate!

Getting ready for live coverage and my trip to Dubai tomorrow.
The electricity problem seemed to have been resolved and I was finally able to concentrate on work. But I'm really running out of time for building up the proposal for a bigger project due later this month and this really makes me feel impatient!

We had a nice friend this evening...

where did you come from!?

don't like chips!?

I'm sure you're full of lice!

watching animals heals me quite a lot...

Quiet day before the storm!?

We all know the crucial day is tomorrow, though it will start today. We are also sure about what the outcome will be as I already did some of my job assuming the predicted outcome will be the ending tomorrow which will probably not be a finish closer than an inch.

Well let's see. I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow the conclusion will be giving prominent coverage of the speech by the historical new leader of a great nation!

having my pizza still working on my jot to get ready for tomorrow...

Making friends

Getting ready for my live broadcast tomorrow and the logistics matter was still an important factor but I decided to lay the priority on to reporting rather than the irritating management business.
Who cares!!
Oh, I surely would like to say those two words, but I tried to gulp down to keep my temper and act cool so I won't lose control, especially before my staff!

At nighttime, I went out to answer to an invitation for a get-together and it was great to have an opportunity to meet some people I'd gladly be friends with. I really hope they felt the same, as making friends would be the most effective medicine for all of the wounds I've developed in my heart!

PS

buying some candies for the bureau... some Iranian candies aren't that bad!

Breezing away!

Another day that breezed away... Not in the sense that I had an easy day... I'm actually facing trouble that time's just running out! I don't want to humiliate myself in front of the world next week, so I have to do my best in the preparing process!

Gathering information with limited time and sources is a stressful task and the more I concentrate, the stronger feeling I have of losing precious time. In my job, it's always a life and death situation at the scene, but it really counts whether you've been studying the backgrounds i.e. being ready for the haphazard events that take place at the scene.

Being in charged of a country that will never feed me with enough information, haphazard is more than a keyword, but rather an emblem for a state that can baffle the world. It maybe a chance for me to see how much I can take the stressful environment at the universal stage!

At night, I invited my staff to dinner, to reward them with the hard work we have done with the special mission early this month. It was also my first Iftar dinner outside and I really enjoyed it!

We walked through the Gandhi Street filled with shops...

getting a parking ticket first!

shops filled with high-class merchandise

oh, I won't see these worn...

a nice restaurant!

with a buffet targeting fasting customers

tasty Iranian favorites

and the almighty kababs!

finishing with Yazdi sweets

Set to go...

We were set to go... to take part in this mission... I hope everything goes well tomorrow... I really do...

Our friend was also set to go... leaving Tehran... I heard he is going to his owner's relatives' home somewhere near the Caspian Sea...

hey I came to say good-bye... but I guess you're not waking up!?

oh now you're up!

oh no... let me go!

see you Behruz!

yeah, you're so cute...


these are the last minutes I saw this lovely creature...

he was hiding... but from tomorrow he will gone forever...

another bento for the night after the sunset...

Start of Ramazan!

tIt was the starting day of fasting. I'm sure it's also about praying and feeling religious, but as I had some staff who will not even sip water, I wanted to see how tough it is not to even have a glass of water...
It was cruel... It's really a challenge when the climate here is so dry and the thirst attacks you with temptations...
Luckily, I endured the trial, and found out how happy I am to be able to eat!


are you going to fast too?

I guess not...

hey! where'd you get that funny clothes!
you're supposed to be a guy! why are you wearing a girly's clothes!?

can't get out!? you can stay there and reflect on yourself!

okay, okay... welcome back!

well... I guess you're comfortable with them on...

Okay... what time can I start eating today... on the left... ۱ yek, ۹ noh, ۴ chahar, ۷ haft...

after 19:47!!

but the sun ain't going down! it still like daytime at 7:30PM!

But they were starting the prayer... so I think it's okay!

let's eat!! I'll start with this glass of Coke!

And the dinner I had already ordered...

a Japanese bento! or much rather an imitated version of a bento...

It was another busy day to get ready for the biggest operation in a while. I really didn't like the way things were going, but I had no choice but to go on! Exchanging words with Tokyo and negotiating here in Tehran really is painstaking and hearing no words of reconciliation makes me pessimistic about my position. It was the first time I asked myself "why am I here?" Well, I have to try to keep my motivation going so I really would not lose my interest with the job...