Day of celebration!

I now have a brother-in-law. I'm very happy to have one so trustworthy and reliable. I'm of course happy that both are doing well in their career and even more, they have great friends around them. I've been away from my sister so long, that I never was there to help her in need and I witnessed all the love my sister and her husband has received from all of their companions.
The five hours we spent at the wedding venue made me realize once again that I hadn't given my wife this opportunity to celebrate among her friends and our family. I really felt guilty... but today it was a day to celebrate so I just pushed it back into my conscience. I'll think about it later!
So anyways, congrats to my lovely sister and our new compassionate friend who is the luckiest guy in the world! Congratulations!

Photos...

before everyone was seated... waiting for the great event!

while sunset... after the ceremony...

Taking a nap!

As we finished our coverage by 3PM, I finished working around 6PM! Quite early isn't it!? But on Thursdays, our staff could finish earlier than usual as in this country we only have a day off!
After dashing into my room, I went to bed and slept for more than two hours! It was such a nice opportunity to take a nap as there was no disturbance from Tokyo! I hope there wouldn't be any tomorrow either as I'm thinking of taking another day off!

For dessert...

our favorite cherry! I'm happy my wife never forgets to get the best!

Waiting for the new front...

It's getting obvious that tomorrow is the next day that could decide the near future for this country. Today, I wanted to finish working as early as possible and I told my staff to do the same. It could be a very long day tomorrow and I was sure nothing important would happen today. The day went by quickly and I spent some time with my wife in the nighttime. We even had a chance to play Wii Sports together for the first time in months! Would it be peaceful as it is tomorrow night, or would it not... let's see... it depends on what the people decide and it's my mission just to give the report out!

PS
For dinner...

having spaghetti my wife made using the leftovers from lunch!

Weekday but...

It was a start of the week and I was at work, but mostly like a dead body... I really didn't want to work, but I had to sit in my seat as the chief of my bureau. I just prayed nothing crazy will happen... it didn't and in the evening I went out with my wife to a party we were invited to. They celebrated my wife's birthday along with another younger, and I was glad that there was nothing to bother me tonight! I'm really sorry, I couldn't spend so much time with my wife, but I hope I can compensate a bit from today... I really do!

PS
In the afternoon, we also opened up a gift sent from the US a while ago...

the familiar See's Candies gift pack!

A unique experience...

I worked till 3AM and after a brief nap, it was time to leave. We reached the airport at 6:30AM and I was left speechless...

Only one line...

of the bulletin of departures said...

CANCELLED!

I couldn't understand what happened and I was standing in front of the bulletin with my wife open-mouthed and even dumbfounded... I tried to think how we can still go to Dubai while starting back to central Tehran. The next flight available would be too late to get me to Dubai to make it to an appointment and tomorrow is a day off so I won't be able to do anything tomorrow...

After returning to my office, it was nearly the time I had to leave for the next flight I found the solution! I asked our bureau chief in Dubai to help me out to be a proxy and it seemed to become the right solution to my case and everything would be fine if I could meet the bureau chief later on in the day...

After making the decision and going throught the formalities, we rushed to the airport and made it 35 minutes before the flight time. The agent sitting on the counter of the airline told us the ticketing was closed, but I pleaded for mercy and with a smile from an "innocent" customer being troubled with their cancelling, it somehow worked and we were inside the plane in 20 mintues. Everybody seemed to be on board already, but we did see some ladies boarding the flight after us... phew....


the plane we took...
be careful when you're taking this carrier!

After reaching Dubai, I dedicated my time to finish off an important task to meet the bureau chief and felt relieved that my decision was correct...

I had a bite with our bureau chief at...

Sumo Sushi!? hmm... a "mimicry" of Japanese!?

oh... the sushi's not bad... sorry! I'm sorry calling you a mimic!
it's something different but not bad!
I hope we can have one in Tehran... really...


view of Media City

one more beer!

After 7PM, we went out to shopping centers nearby the hotel and finally spent some time feeling relaxed...

Our target of the day...

a "thrifty" shop, very popular in Japan!

a variety of things...

many of the goods were just 6 Dilhams each and we bought 10 items!

Shopping around for other necessities...

we also got some nice shoes for my wife!

We moved on to a different shopping center walking for about half an hour from the hotel...

here in Egypt!?

not really!
it's the Wafi City Shopping Mall...

Here, many of the shops looked very expensive and there were not much people around compared to the first shopping center with many locals...

We hunted for a restaurant and settled in a restaurant near the roof of the hotel connected to the shopping center!

It was very nice to have dinner outside watching the night view of the city and we had a pleasant time... really...


view of the city in front of us...


nice appetizer with beer!

Asian taste!

It was nearly midnight when we finally finished eating our dessert... We have to return to Tehran tomorrow, but I hope the dream will not end now...

PS
Shots of the nightview of Dubai...


New downtown in the far left...


Wafi Mall below...

Some time to relax in Tehran...

For several days, before the real cruel days of work will start, I'm going to spend my time a bit relaxed. From next week I know of sure the next series of severe working days will begin...
Tonight, after work, I went out with my wife to have a chat with nice Japanese food with compatriots. I'm happy my wife has already made friends that will support her and I always want to be friends with Japanese residents who can share the hardships of staying here as we can exchange information together, encouraging each other saying how tough it is to stay here. Tomorrow, I will briefly leave the country but I hope nothing will happen here!


some nice flowers I saw near the press conference venue in the north...

Last day of the Nowruz holidays!?

People still seem to be off until today and many would have had 16 days off since March 19th if they were lucky! Sadly, with so many people without jobs, and also with many people who could be working in environments where the employers would encourage the workers to rest, this could be very likely! Not with our jobs though...

I wanted to use my time wisely, but after waking up after 11AM, time was running out! I also had to do some work and that made it worse! Finally in the nighttime, I decided to go out with my wife to eat dinner outside. We wanted to find the sushi bar that just opened near Vanak Square and wandered around the area, but we couldn't find it... So we went to the familiar restaurant inside the Homa Hotel...


beef time! it looks a little grotesque... but quite tasty!

Time flew by so quickly, and tomorrow it's time to return to reality!

To the south we go!

Waking up as usual, we got ready to go to a very short vacation less than 48 hours! We took the around noon flight from Tehran to Dubai.


enjoying the Emirates entertainment system on the way...
watching the latest James Bond film... finished minutes before we landed!

We wasted 30 minutes at the passport control of Dubai International as the computer being used suddenly had some malfunctions, and we also wasted perhaps another riding a taxi driven by a lady that could not find the way to our destination...

Finally arriving at the hotel, my request was to...

get a burger!

We also walked around the city and did some window shopping at malls... It's always nice just to see goods written in English!


walking through the clock square...

to the mall...

Just as we were walking for half an hour back to our hotel, it started to rain and while we were having a pleasant dinner, it was like hell outside with rain storming the people without umbrellas.

We had dinner at a gorgeous seafood restaurant!

choosing the recipes on your own!

fresh seafood!

of course with BEER!

oysters!

and lobsters!


heavy rain outside...

I ate too much and I had to gulp down some medicine to calm down my bursting stomach! It was a nice day though we had some small troubles... It's always nice to get away from home a while!


the view outside... can barely see the Burj Dubai...

No disturbance!

It was such a nice day... no, not the weather... because there was no disturbance from Tokyo! Well, maybe I should be ashamed of myself hoping I don't have to do my job as a foreign correspondent, but who cares!
Spending time at my home, I almost forgot that there was an one hour difference on the clock! On 12 o'clock midnight today, the clock jumped to 1AM having the Daylight Savings Time in effect from today.

adjusting the clock!

After setting the clocks, we left for a walk to the north, heading to a hotel to have a nice lunch.


there were quite a lot of people out in the streets!

We decided to have a Thai meal!

some spring rolls...

and green curry and beef with mushroom sauce!

finished with coffee!

and the Haft Sin on the table!

The weather seemed to turn to the bad, but thank God while we were having lunch, it became sunny again!

this is how it looked while we were having lunch...

but it seemed fine later on when we started back towards home!

We stopped by a supermarket on the way back...
You can find some Japanese imported food here...

curry package...

and soy sause... ones on the right are made in China...

but also Snapples!

Turning point?

With only three days left until my first live coverage and less than a week to go till the X-day, my worries and frustrations were mounting. Some things have started to fit into the puzzle and I feel I've hit the turning point. If today's achievements were good enough to convince the people in Tokyo, I might have a chance to make it through. If whatever I've done till now is not good enough, I'm really going to struggle... Let's see...
Going out to listen to the symphony orchestra soothed my worries just a bit and though I really didn't think there was nothing I've been able to achieve at the concert hall, I think I was able to shred off some of the stress during the hour and a half performance!

Pics...

lots of snow left from yesterday...


we had to take the snow off the dish!


Filming in the shopping center, I found...

a nice dress... oh I really to have my newly wedded wife to wear a nice one like this...

And the entertainment of the day...

the symphony orchestra!