Eid Mobarek-e!

I had to wake up early to watch the Leader's Eid ul-Fitr sermon.


on TV... everybody's there!

It was not a surprising sermon and I was able to return home at around 10:30AM to go back to sleep. I finally woke up again nearly four hours later. I was full of energy and decided to go out for dinner!
It was another rainy day and it was the right choice to take our folding umbrellas with us!

having a steak for dinner...

nobody at the restaurant! all reserved just for the two of us!?

It was raining on our way back and my jeans and socks were wet... When will this rain stop!?

Summer's wrapping up!?

It seems like summer is wrapping up as it's getting cooler each day and I even feel a little chill in the morning looking for my blanket to warm myself up. It's September from tomorrow and many areas around the Middle East will start waking up. The days of going easy is numbered and I have to gear up for the coming crazy month. I already sense September will become another battlefield that I have to fight through. I better be ready!

PS
All the papers only had small articles about our historical election...

hey, we're importing a lot of oil from your country!

Summer heat exhaustion?

We call this fatigue and suffering "natsubate" in Japan. I'm not drinking liquid when I'm at my office, but I'm crazily drinking water and soft drinks when I'm at home and sweating it all out when I'm sleeping is one of the causes, but how can I wither away the thirst in this heat!? It's much better than living in Dubai, but much hotter than my native country... Of course, incomparable to the Bay Area!

I was very happy when I saw today's dish on the dinner table!

unagi don! a rice bowl with boiled eel!

I hope this will fight off the exhaustion!

Nowruz greeting cards!

Starting from yesterday, I used most of my time today to fill out the Nowruz greeting cards... I tried to "squeeze" down the number to under 200, but still it took me all day to write about 120 cards...
I wrote the address on the envelope and then wrote some comments inside the card, but without my wife's help putting the cards into the envelope and writing "AIR MAIL" it would have taken more time!
I'll finish the rest tomorrow...


the cards...


it's still quite visible with sun at 6:30PM...
It didn't get dark until well after 7PM!

First day of the Iranian year!

It's the first day of Farvardin, the first month of the Iranian year, and I was thinking I can take a rest without being bothered as there were supposed to be no activities in this country! I was wrong...
There was an activity in Mashad, the holy city in the northeast! The Supreme Leader did talk bitterly of their archrival which was taken as a reaction to Obama's Nowruz message to the Iranian nation...
Before noontime, I went to my office and started writing about the story... My staff also came to the office in the evening, and the day was over just by doing my job and spending around my office...
Three days of the six-day holidays are gone! Using two of them for work! There's only three more days left and I have to start working on my Nowruz cards!! Good night!


the Supreme Leader giving his speech... with sunglasses!

Sal-e No Mobarak!

Exactly at 3:13:39PM, Iran has entered officially the New Year! Today is Nowruz (Noruz), meaning the "new day". The first day of the year 1388 will officially start tomorrow, but we entered the New Year today which it is traditional to make it coincidental with the Vernal Equinox Day.

I'm sure the 1388 will be a very crucial one with the Presidential Elections coming up with the 20th Anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini and other 30th Anniversary of vaiours events that happened in the post Revolutionary frenzy, including the takeover of the US Embassy. I want to start being human rather than a robot, but with many elders having so much power in Tokyo, I have no way of causing a Revolution...

First thing in the afternoon, my wife and I took a walk around our residencial area. All the flower shops were selling the Haft Sin goods. Most of the other shops were closed and it was surprising to see how empty the streets were! They say most of the people of Tehran are out of the city, but wow... it's true! Anyway, that fact has nothing to do with me as after the short walk was over, it was time to write a story... no holidays for me!

A warm day outside...

all the flower shops were open!

selling the New Year Day necessities!

We also found...

the Nowruz messenger dolls!

Back in my office... watching the Nowruz special program on Channel 1...
And it reached the Vernal Equinox time...

the clock was ticking in the right lower corner...


the upshot! 3:13:39PM!

And the leaders appeared!


first, the Supreme Leader!

and then the President!

The day did not start a happy one for me... I had a call just after 7AM being informed that Obama has sent a video recorded message to Iran and I had to follow up on the reactions... I was sure there wouldn't be any concrete reactions as the Iranian Government was practically inactive, but there's always no limits on Tokyo's requests and as a servant I had to follow it up...

After saying Sal-e No Mobarak, meaning Happy New Year, it was time to go back to work... Tokyo gave no mercy as they called me right away after the Supreme Leader and the President broadcasted their Nowruz, and gave me no choice but to write about it right away. I was trying to see which parts might make a story, but as Tokyo gets their nice English written news stories from the agencies, they already know which parts would fit. Oh, then why the hell am I here for!? And I don't really think it's a story I have to urgently write! Well anyways, I'm only a part of a big machinery and I must follow the orders like a nice robot!

There were no firm reactions about the "Obama video message" and in the Nowruz speeches, there were no mentioning of the this unexpected and surprise message from the archrival... I'm sure both the Leader and the President had recorded the message well before Obama has announced to make his surprise move. Of course the Iranian side had all the time to replace the speech to a new one, but since they didn't, all I could do was honestly write that there were no quotes referring to Obama's message! Would that satisfy Tokyo's request? I'll give it a nah, but sorry... that's all I could do on New Year's Day!

PS
I received a gift from my staff today...

I was surprised and very happy!
what's inside...
oh! wow! xeily xeily xube!
can't paste the pic here though...
you know why, right!?

Last working day of the year!

Today was the last working day of the year 1387. Since this year is the leap year for Iran, there will be 30 days in the last month rather than the regular 29 days, and there is still two more days in this month including the 30th of Esfand which will coincide with Nowruz. Finishing off many work I had to by today, including the requests for necessary permissions, the day went by so quickly!

I was happy that my wife went out shopping with Japanese friends she has already made!
She bought home some sweets for my staff...


nice!

After the working hours, I also went out to get some Nowruz cards I would like to send to my friends and business related colleagues in Japan and other parts of the world. We went near the Haft-e Tir Square and got the cards that pictured the Haft Sin that is particular only to Nowruz. I already wrote 50 cards together with my staff to send to my collagues in Tokyo and the world, but this is more for my private use to send my message to those who had sent me New Year Greeting cards, Nengajos.


looking for cards... there's so many! which one seems fine!?

On the way back, we saw...

the "messengers of Nowruz" asking for money...
They were supposed to give money to the people, but now they're rather asking for money by performing with drums in the streets...

At nighttime, I asked my staff to join me for dinner at a restaurant in a hotel. Saying thanks and also asking them to spend time with my wife, I hoped they would be some reward to them working hard for me these 8 months. I've also handed out the year end bonus to them including a small amount of Eidi.

Dinnertime!

caviar!


steak!

And the Haft Sin on the table!

Ready for Nowruz!

Sadly I had a strong headache from the morning and being soaked with medicine, I tried to finish my recording of a radio report around 10:45PM, but made one mistake... I realize that health is the most important keeping the quality that is required, and from tomorrow, as we head into a 6 day holiday, I hope I can take care of myself a little more and be refreshed when we start our work in the Iranian New Year!

Back to the capital...

Leaving first thing in the morning...


good-bye Bam!

I reached my office in the afternoon after one stop. There was very heavy traffic, surely affected by the increase in the number of cars because of the year end activities.


back to the major traffic zone...

In the office I had to run around to selecting gifts we have to give to people we have to say "thank you" to and also take care of the Eidi, giving money to the messangers and workers who come to the office regularly, which is like a year end gift money to say we need their help next year too. It's a tradition in Iran, but handing out money to these people would surely not be permitted in my accounting papers, so I decided to pay from my pocket money, as the amount was not more than showing appreciation to them.
In the nighttime, we were following a news about the former President dropping out of the Presidential election, but could not get his official words on them. Meanwhile I was writing the Nowruz cards I wanted to send to many divisions in Tokyo and all of the bureaus in the world. It was my last night to be alone, but it went by so quickly that I had no time to enjoy it. Well, I'm already fed up with spending my nights alone so there's nothing to be sad about!

One week to go in 1387!

The last Friday of this year! I slept as long as I could and woke up in the afternoon. I wanted to start making the Nowruz (New Year) cards I wanted to send to my colleagues who have sent us the New Year Cards in December and January, but I had one problem... I wanted to paste a printed paper in the card so I wouldn't have to write everything by hand and so I could print a picture of my staff, but I couldn't find the right size, the ideal B5 size paper in my bureau! I soon found out that it is not a common size for this country and I realized I should have asked Tokyo to send a pack!
I decided to go to the city together with one of the staff who was working today to get some...


so many people in the city!


it was good I got to see how populous it is in the city at this time of year!

We couldn't find any B5 size papers, so in the last store we got to, we asked them to cut B4 size papers into half... Oh, if I were in Tokyo, I just could go to the closet and get these papers!

Summertime!?

It was a very nice day, a little smoggy than yesterday, but a fine enough to hang around the city and do some shopping...
In the afternoon, it was so hot that I wanted to wear half sleeves as the sunshine was strong enough like it was summertime! It's still more than a week before the vernal equinox, which coincides with the New Year for this nation, but the sun is at its work already. It seems like this year would be a hot one!

You can see the snow in the mountains are melting!

less white areas than before!

PS
In the morning we went to a meeting to see one of the candidates for the Presidential Election... but...

he didn't show up at the venue... oh well...

Change of phase...

It was the end of February, a really tight month in the beginning, but nothing particular here in Iran at the end. The world seems to be in lag and the economic downturn all over the world is making it worse. We had some visitors in the evening and it was crowded just for a while in the office... but soon I was alone again...
I'm still not able to enjoy my stay here as work is always looming behind me 24 hours a day, but my worries that I'm a stranger seems to have past away. Maybe it's a time of change in the phase where the chemistry has undergone a shift in my emotion staying here in Iran. The sad part is that my enthusiasm and expectations have also disappeared and it will be my honest intention to just to try finishing my job without any troubles, because I've learned these 7 months that even reaching the target without a problems is a very ambitious goal!


some cakes from our guest! yummy!

PS

last night I had a nice bite!

And...

I had to fight with mosquitos!!

The longest night...

They say today's night will be the longest of the year, called Yalda (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yalda), rooted from a Zoroastrian tradition. I didn't know that people celebrate this night, but coincidentally I asked my staff to get me some cakes as I wanted to munch on something sweet to heal my fatigue.
It was a busy day as expected and many things did not work out in my favor. It's really disappointing when you see everything is rolling to the worse and I really can't foresee a happy ending. Still, the day passes by, and I will be seeing a new day after this longest night of the year will pass...

PS

a souvenir from my staff who went to Turkey for vacation
quite tasty!

we also had some sweets!
I really need these when I'm quite sad...

duel between the samurais! meow!

A sharp fall

The temperature has sharply fell as it's under 10 degrees even in the afternoon with the sun. Of course, it's much better than Sapporo or the other bureaus in industrialized countries of European and American continents. Still, I can't stand a temperature that will make me shiver and I can only pray there wouldn't be any major earthquake for at least three months.

Today, I interviewed a person written in history books and known to many Americans of the older generation. It was a smooth interview as all the questions I asked seemed to have been answered with standardized replies as the interviewee has surely had been asked the same questions trillions of times. What can I get out of this? I don't know but I'll try to see if there's any implications that were informative!

PS
I'm starting to recieve seasonal greeting cards...
In Iran, it's only the season of the Eid celebrations but not the year end and new year season as the Iranian year ends in March in the Gregorian calendar...
Should I return seasonal cards??

well at least I can choose which cards I would like to send...

5S

Started early today to visit a factory of mass production. Here I found an interesting sign board. I did hear they had this kind of boards from the people at my embassy, but I was happy to really see it!

the 5S... note it also has the Farsi explanation on the right!

I would understand they could easily follow the first 4S's, but I wonder how they read the fifth one!

At night we went out to a continental restaurant for a farewell party to a Japanese colleague who stayed nearly a month with us. The soup and steak were pretty good! I'll try to be here more often!


the French soup

and the "medallion" steak

While taking a ride back home, I heard that this year it's a month earlier than usual getting this cold. Oh now you tell me!! I really was surprised how cold it could get so fast. It was still even hot in the afternoon just a week or so ago. It was quite warm in Urumiyeh too. So it is a little early that it's so cold... Anyways, it's the start of the hardest time of the season for me. I hope the weather won't plunge like the stock markets of the world!

Getting cold!

It was really getting cold as I assume it's under 10 degrees at night time and in the morning. I think I didn't catch a cold but I better be careful or I really will...

Today I went to the Japanese embassy to talk with fellow correspondents and the ambassador. We had some informative talks about many things that I had to do, but my mind was completely shifting to the Gulf countries in the south as I was strongly urged to make some business reports. I'm really not good at making business reports and it's really a pain in the neck when they'd obliged me to give something out. Well I'm a hired correspondent and I can't resist orders. I better start getting some results here!

PS
I found a clue to restoring my dead computer...
using the Vista upgrading DVD that I used for another computer...

it seems to work as a booting disc!

Challenge an important feat!

Working from the morning as any weekday, I couldn't resist it any more!
It was too annoying!
What am I talking about!?
My hair!!
I hadn't had a haircut for more than three months and since I had no way I can go to a barber without understanding Farsi, it made me reluctant to take the first step...

With the help of my staff, I took the challenge and went to a barber. I was relieve when I accidently found an English speaking customer waiting and I could take in English while I was waiting! While getting my hair cut, I sat silently watching the barber trim my hair with scissors and a comb he just washed with water. I realized sterilization is not an option here and rubber gloves were just fantasy! I think my hair was done fine... I think... paying 15 Khomeini, I didn't feel that bad... well, it's another step towards getting used to life here in Iran!

On the way back I saw the top of the mountains that soar in the north of Tehran were getting white! I rushed to the rooftop of our building to film the mountain!

it's covered with snow! and it's still October!
it's not the clouds...


see the upshot!

Fruitless, fruitless!

One of the most fruitless weeks of all time. No advances and no clear acheivements...


time is flying... the leaves are getting green... it's springtime!

My collegues gave me a welcome home party tonight. I'm happy I have somewhere to be welcomed back... but today I still had a throat ache and even a tooth ache... C'mon! I got to have some rest!

PS
I admit I should have slept earlier, but a Stephen King novel film "Dolores Claibone" was being broadcasted on satellite channel and I couldn't resist watching it... to get enough sleep, I stayed in bed till noon and took off to my office to work on my day off!

I have to work... not sleep...

They say there was a storm in the morning... but I had nothing to do with it... I was sleeping all day. Yes I'm tired and I know why. I had so much work to do... but that's not a problem for me now... Sleeping is the best way to tackle the problem, so I'm not hesitating to sleep... Zzz...

When I woke up it was baseball time. It was quite annoying I had to leave with Kyuji in the middle of turmoil with runners loading the bases giving up a 2 run lead...

I reached my office...

hey they won! how did Kyuji save the game!?


there were only a couple of flowers left in each branch of the cherry blossom trees... there they go...

Throat ache...

I'm quite exhausted and I feel a bit insecure that my throat still aches. In my childhood, when I was sick I always had swollen tonsils and even nowadays I have a throat ache when I'm really tired. I hope it's nothing bad, but I tried to skip any offers to go out tonight.

Almost all the cherry blossoms were on their way to the ground...

short-lived

but beautiful...

At my office I enjoyed some Indian tea leaves...

I bet I'll drink a lot of tea in the coming months!

In the baseball world, a pure-bred Okinawa ball player team won the Spring High School Baseball Tournament at Koushien. Winning is not easy as there are tons of losers behind the winner, but I think this team deserved to win!

Today, I heard a little rumor that is not wise to ignore... hmm...

Tired and stout?

I think eating two instant cup ramen was a mistake. I regret my eating habits these past week as it's getting tougher to fit myself into my pants and my digestion is not working well. I think the stress is the main factor that is making me eat, but I think the other factor is that my stomach enlarged while I was in Baghdad!

After sleeping longer than planned, I decided to go to my office though it was my day off.

this cafe should wake me up!

Late at night I couldn't resist an offer to go out to a party...

under the cherry blossoms! after 11PM!

I didn't take my coat today as it was quite warm in the daytime, but at night it was getting quite cold. But we started with beer and snacks...
Another mistake!?