Another hectic day...

We headed to the central area of the city to cover the fervor of the people participating in a anti-Israeli protest supported by perhaps hundreds of thousands all over the world. As it was announced, it was not just being attended by conservatives and fundamentalists, but the opposition and I saw thousands of people against the Government marching. As they chanted anti-regime slogans, the supporters of the regime were swearing against them and everything was getting hectic in the streets. Once again I was able to witness the deep and grievous rift among the people and it seemed hopeless that this country will see the bright sun coming out sooner or perhaps never.


familiar slogans...

PS
It was a Friday today and as the Leader of this nation had a sermon before the worshipers, I had to work and watch his sermon. I really didn't want to write about it and though I was not confident, I decided to skip! After spending my time with my wife at home, we went outside to have dinner. Sadly the burger shop we targeted first was closed and the other was full, so we went to the familiar Thai restaurant farther away. I was satisfied, but the day went by so fast! It's already a new week! I hope my depression will ease a bit, but I really doubt it!


the burger shop was full!

to the Thai restaurant... cool enough to enjoy the meal outside!

and the usual "Islamic" beer...

and Thai food!

A busy day off...

It was a Friday, I could finally rest, but nothing is for granted in this job... Sadly, I had several calls from Tokyo, ruining my time off to spend with my wife, and had to go to my office to handle some paperwork... boo...
In the nighttime, I finally had some time to use for myself... Yes, I have to go back to work right away tomorrow, but I used my time to work on our option to go to a trip to Paris next week though my butt's really on fire with so many things coming up in May!

Pics...

roses that I thought were dead have revived!

happy to see you again!

snacks of Iran... the pistachios!

Alone Again... naturally...

It was a Friday... a Friday that I finally felt I was taking a rest... I was sleeping till 10AM which was perhaps the first time this year I was able to do so!
It was a very warm day but I stayed in my office to start cleaning up some mess, especially the accounting papers which I hadn't touched for nearly two weeks.
There were some tasks left for my collegues who had to leave the country today, but they handled them with no sweat and it was quickly the time for them to leave...
I was happy for them that they could leave this country without being to burned and I really felt that I was the one left behind. After seeing them off, as they were smiling saying good-bye, returning to my office alone, I really felt the pain.
Alone again, naturally...

PS
I was surely happy to be able to talk with my wife on Skype though! I'm alone now, but I surely would like to see that change soon!

Song by Gilbert O'Sullivan
A song that reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 a month after I was born! It's about suicide they say, but I remember it more as a sad song losing your parents... I surely do not want that to happen and I also do not want to commit suicide, but I think it's a beautiful ballad so why not I paste it here!

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again (Naturally)

http://www.mp3tube.net/musics/Gilbert-OSullivan-Alone-Again-Naturally/34022/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_P-v1BVQn8

DH!

DH stands for "Designated Hitter" who doesn't have to be in the field but can bat instead for the pitcher in baseball, but I'm going to use this term here in Iran for "Designated Holiday"!
In the calendar I bought last year, today's date is of course written with black numbers denoting it's just a regular weekday, but as I've written on Tuesday, it turned into a holiday just like a othello black tile turned over to white!
I've experienced enough of these that it would be wise just to believe it would become a day off when a weekday is surrounded by holidays. I already see in the future that February 24th (Tuesday) and 26th (Thursday) is a holiday and I bet the 25th will be announced a holiday probably on the 23th!
One of my staff came to work to help me out with the scripts for the filming we have done, but for him all the work will be "overtime" work giving him a chance to earn extra money. If it were a weekday, he would not get any overtime unless he works more than the regular hours.
I was wondering how much the economic loss of this haphazard holidays will cause, but sadly I hear there isn't much as it won't be that productive working anyways... Some even laugh saying what difference will it make when you're probably working only about 30 minutes each day while you are at work for 8 hours!
Oh well, I believe that my staff is working more than 30 minutes each day and are productive, and I hope many will disagree with that view!

I worked till around 9PM... but surely I won't get any extra money at all being paid with an annual salary!

Quite hungry at night...

oh I can't wait another minute!!

Officially a holiday...

The "announced" holiday today. One of my staff decided to work for a while today and came to the office around noon. For them it would be a nice to earn some extra money by working on a day that they would have worked anyways if the Government hadn't announced it was a day off, but for me, I don't get any extra money, of course... Oh, when I think about my salary divided by the hours I work, my hourly pay is probably cheaper than a high school student working at McDonald's in Tokyo!
I had some calls from Tokyo and I had to reply by calling some people, who I had hoped would pick up the phone, and who are in different countries that would not be taking their day off. I was tired already before the nighttime came and I took a nap from about 6PM. I couldn't wake up for three hours and the day seemed to have finished so quickly!

PS

it was intially a nice day...

but...

it started to snow again!

my dinner... Italian and Japanese!?

Three day weekend...

As the Government had announced suddenly that Thursday will be a day off, it was a start of a three day weekend. I had to do work, but I was too tired to wake up early and overslept till 11AM. I had several calls to take and after doing some work, I went to bed at around 4PM until 8PM.
Surely I was sleepy but as I had to record a radio report at around 10:45PM, I had to go to my office at night. It was like those days I had overnight duty, taking a nap in the evening and waking up to go to my office late at night. But everything's different when I realize that I'm not in a place where I can buy some tasty food at a nearby convenience store and spend the night feeling secure.
Outside the snow was falling down again and once again I was feeling sentimental...

PS
Challenging the boiled egg once again!

okay... let's see...


hmm... the yolk is always lopsided!

Facing the test of time

I woke up early just to see if there were any e-mails suggesting I should start early, but it seemed to be fine. But that was the trap and I had a call at around 9AM and I noticed again difficult it is to take a day off on Fridays.
Well honestly, I had no intention of taking today off, and I'm not that stupid to finally realize that it will be impossible to take a day off here in Iran, as the weekdays start on Saturdays and the only holiday of the week, Friday is the last weekday of my home country.
My health is deteriorating and I seriously have to find a way to rest my body. It's also crucial that my mental state is also in jeopardy with too many requests levying on me and I really don't have a clue if I can correctly reply to them.
My colleague and also a friend in Japan has voiced concern about my condition, but I'm sure I wouldn't want to have a nervous breakdown myself and I just have to see if things will improve. It's a long way to go, and I'm sure it will. I'm sure. I'm just facing the test of time and it's up to me if I'm going to fight it off or be defeated to the ground.

Well at least today, I'll try to sleep an hour or two earlier than usual!

PS
Having some "magical liquid" today which I can't show the picture of...
And I just can't stop...

eating these! I heard some of these candies were recalled in Japan, but it's not this type of packaged ones!

I'm a foreign correspondent!

I never can rest... I never can!
Being a correspondent, I realize that I have to give up hope about getting any days off as I'm the sole representative of my organization staying in this country!

I should have waken up when I had a call from Tokyo early in the morning, but after answering the questions I went back to sleep, only to have a busy afternoon answering to another request from a different department. I was sorry that I had to call one of my staff to the office making him give up his lunch with his friends. Oh am I the devil or am I just an obedient worker?

Well, still I'm a foreign correspondent that has to follow rules and not a maverick like the Conservative candidate was chanting... but to be sure, I'm not saying I want to be a freelance... but you know, anyone would surely want to have some time to rest!

having another pizza... ordering it with my staff who missed his lunch... of course it was my treat!

Usual day off, but plenty of work...

It was an usual day off, and as always, I couldn't wake up until noon...

I had a problem with the washing machine, which I later on found out that the dehydration process was hindered with a clog.

I had to eat quick a lunch with rice and...

miso! I can eat so much rice with only miso soup!

I devoted more than 12 hours to work as I had to get ready for my trip starting from early Sunday. I looked for information I would need for the reporting next week and sadly I had no information whatsoever about the activities of my target... I'm starting to think that I have to go without any insurance, and that will be very very stressful!

Slow start and slow night...

Eating soba at lunch was the first thing I did today, having a slow start.
I did go to my office after watching the Emperor's Cup (Spring) which was not exciting at all for me, as none of the horses I cheered for came on the top three...


Admire Jupiter wins his first GI race and the former champ Meisho Samson finished just shy of becoming a threepeat winner... the 4 year old colts, Asakusa Kings and Hokuto Sultan followed the first two 5 year olds... (pic from JRA HP)

I worked slowly at work as I also decided to do some data backup of my work PC. The night went on slowly, but surely reducing my time left before I leave Japan...

Troubled...

Taking my weekend off was not permitted... no, not with all the work piling up in just about 48 houra.

Yeah, I needed some time off...
Watching all these news about Flocke and Wilbaer it's time I get to see some from our country.
http://www.wilhelma.de/de/aktuelles-zu-wilbaer.html
http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/polarbear/


he's having fun... in JAPAN!

Before going to India, I had a head start...

watching these guys!

In the Satsuki Sho... another disaster for me... I had none of the top three colts in my ticket...


Captain Thule by Agnes Tachyon and Air Thule, a quite famous dam wins the first Classic race. Take Mikazuchi by Gold Allure, and the most favorite Meiner Charles finishes third... Rainbow Pegasus, Smile Black Shell, Smile Jack, Subject, Flotation that I had finished 4th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 11th respectively... not even close...

At night, I was at my office doing work, work, work! I know it's my fault, but I took the risk! ah...

Oh my butt's on fire again!

All right... I slept for a while... then it was all white out in the streets of Tokyo.

catching a Whopper at Burger King... no one would like to eat it outside!

I had to go buy a big suitcase as I must bring a lot of materials to our office in Iraq. A big one!

well, this new suitcase might do!

The snowfall didn't seem to stop... JMA announced it's 3cm deep in Tokyo, but in the west central area, it seems to be deeper!

can you read the sign!?

After getting a haircut, I had a tough time getting to my office to continue my preparation.

Back at home...

my last dinner! maybe I won't be able to eat these for a very very long time either!

No time to rest...

Sleeping a little more than usual in the morning as I was soaked with alcohol last night, my destination was little to the northeast today.

walking by Ueno Station in the afternoon...

After taking a rest, I headed to MOFA in Kasumigaseki and spent the rest of the night at my office, grappling with tons of work.
With many work left, I have to do my best tomorrow... oh boy, I'm not getting any rest for a while!

Back to basics...

It was supposed to be a day off for me, but I had an appointment at...

JMA!
it's been a long time since I've been here!
this is where I learned all the basics about disaster coverage!

After having lunch with a younger colleague, I went to my office to finish some of the work left and attend a meeting...
I need some rest...

Taking some time off...

It was raining on and off as a typhoon was heading this way.
I tried to stay home as it was another day off, but I had to go to my workplace to gather things I can only get there.

But in the evening, I scrambled away from my office, so I didn't have to get all stressed up and took the rest of the day off.
I had a pleasant dinner and fun at night! I have work to do in the weekend and this is the only night I can spend my time privately!

heavy rainfall heading this way... oh I hate the rain!

Sniffing around...

At a research institute, I was sniffing around about volcanoes.

haven't seen a pyroclastic flow like this one in years in Japan... but maybe we can soon abroad!

As I was told to pursue a new mission three weeks ago, I had to go to work and spoil my day off.
With so many things to do, there ain't any choice but to do so.
But my new mission is quite challenging, and hey, maybe it was something I wanted to do for years after I left the Middle East three and a half years ago!

Miscalculation...

I decided to work at home. It was a day off for me again, but I had to finish up an important job before I go on, and I also wanted take a nap intermittently, so my messed-up and sloppy but comfortable room was the best place to work without distractions and tough seniors.

I had it all controlled while I finished the job I assigned myself to do by today, but before going to a drinking party starting before 8PM, I had to return six library books due today. When I went to the nearest branch library I was shocked to find out it was closed by 7PM... I had no choice but to run to the Central Library to return the books and that cost me a cab ride of 1700 yen!

yeah... it's open till 8 here, but not the branches... miscalculation...

I was late for the drinking party, but I was lucky many of the others were late too! Another miscalculation!

Stove league's on the way

Officially, it was a day off for me , but unofficially I had to work to keep my challenges alive to file a news story no one would care to cover.
I can't make anything sensational and I know my organization will not grant me any freebees, and I'm already uncomfortable working in an environment where reporters and producers with concessions and veins of ore keep winning.
With a transfer, my multiple and various lodes that are quite valuable within my nation have not helped me and without their power it's tough to find the lodestones that could grant me an international plane ticket.
Well, I'm not planning to become a snob and I will not let go of my lodes that will surely help me in the future as a journalist and maybe not as some temporary international dandy.

While the Dragons capture the first game of the second stage of the climax series, and the Fighters clinch the Nippon Series berth for the Pacific League, my favorite team is starting their surgical operations.
Stove league has started already with the other teams, and they've already decided to cut this man of merit.

today he said he'll quit playing ball if he's cut...
thanx a lot Andy!
we're grateful you've been with the team!

Freely but wisely!

A nice day to wander around to gather information.

Started out with...

the JRC... I hope they're not too crossed up!

I snooped around freely, stopping by an institute to seek new research and finishing off in a library to look for informative books.

It was my day off, but I tried to use it freely but wisely, looking for hints to a new set of knowledge that are useful!