47. Amigos - PTY

Congrats guys! I'm so upset I couldn't make it!

Create your own visited countries map.

46. Winter weather, Charlie's Angels & Home

I'm not a fan of cold weather ... leaving a side working in it...
Ten years ago ... I would have not gone to work if it was raining and my brother had took the car (the luxury I could afford when my parents were paying the rent) ... but living in the Isle for couple of years and having the bike as main means of transport-unless F/M/E were around-made me used to the feeling of having soaked waterproofs on ... Nowadays that I am closer to the North Pole, the concept of cold has totally changed its definition in my tiny nutshell, especially after working for two weeks in open field at the centre of storm, while most of the people even didn't go to office those days as there was a weather alert …

Some of the lessons I have learned this winter are:
1. New weatherman terminologies: blowing snow, heavy snow and freezing rain
2. For an employee, it doesn't matter what the weather is, if you have to be on a job … you can only leave earlier to be there on time, so there is no point of following the weather network channel all the time … I think I have to reach my dad’s age to become a fan of that channel
3. Wind chill is a killer especially when humidity is so high … it's like ice needles pushed against your skin ... believe me it makes you cry ...
4. Keep mobile/cell (depending on your continent you might prefer one of these terms) phones close to your heart … and that’s not because you don’t want to miss phone calls from your sweethearts … but because the battery dies in cold in less than an hour … unfortunately that happened to me on Valentine’s day … and I’m still begging for the forgiveness
5. Sensitive teeth, hot coffee and chill weather don’t mix … now I understand why my uncle always asks me about brushing my teeth
6. The weather updates usually announce the guaranteed highs (temperature) of the day ... don’t be fooled by this because it could be much colder during the entire day
7. There is no point of leaving gloves in the car’s glove compartment (Oxford dictionary should change this term for its cross Atlantic editions) … because they would be as cold as the steering wheel
8. White winter ... every day your cloths and car are covered in brine and sand ... that's why its a white winter and it doesn't matter if its snowing or not
9. How to dress for -30oC:
-feet/hands: 3 winter socks + winter boots with insulation/woolen glove + plastic glove
-head/neck/eyes: hoodies + woollen hat + waterproof hat +hard hat+ woollen tube to protect neck/nose + protective glasses … the tears turn into ice on eyelashes as well as the running nose as it hits a surface
-legs: 2 thermal underwear + jean+ overall +waterproof
-torso: 2 thermal underwear + sweater + hoodies + overall + another sweater + insulated waterproof

Yes ... the mobility would be as limited as having a space suit on ... and still if you saw me jumping up and down or throwing punches in the air … it's not because I have won a lottery or I'm practicing for the fight club ... but it is because it's bloody cold. PS1: This photo was taken at 3:00pm ... compare it with earlier posts in February to see how bad was the visibility today. PS2: If one day, like all non-native residents, I wanted to pick a name, it would be Frozen ****s ,(C) belongs to F.

... Not a Charlie's fan or any of his angels (well maybe Cameron) ... and that's not because of his train collection or talking to plants ... But its ridicules that media mocks him about his justified comments about a junk-food chain.

And suddenly I miss home, couple of links: Faces of Iran, Inside Iran, Iranians, Throughout

45. VISTA & YA

VISTA is out ... so exciting ... oooo ... come on guys ... get a life ... there is nothing exciting about Billy getting richer ...

I haven't gone back to drinking wine from the bottle ... yet ... but ... again I'm in a period that I can only swallow my sorrows - no apparent reason - with a hard long drink ...

Ya ... subtitled: yes in Swedish ... What a crap add ... I guess its Herbal Essences ... maybe they assume people are so ignorant that need translation for sounds too

44. Brain, Killers & Valentine

I. Brain Left overs ...

I am a bit absent minded these days ... Pressing the level I'm at, rather than my stop, in the elevator ... Starring at the green light, waiting for it to become greener, on the traffic stop ...
Drinking a mug of hot water without any teabag in it, assuming that's how green tea tastes ...
I don't know ... maybe its the low temperature which has limited my brain's relatively normal functions.

II. Killers ...

Love Killers ... they well deserved all their BRIT awards

III. St Valentine ...

I am so happy & excited that I got my great Valentine's Day gift on time ... and I'm going to carry it with me all the time till I see SR again ... Thanks SR, you are the best ... And I feel sorry & guilty that she has not received hers yet.

43. Without music ...

Without music ... life would be a mistake-Nietzsche

42. Canadian WildLife Service in Ottawa ...

A year has passed ... I'm either on coffee or alcohol ... what are you on?

41. Telephone ...

I can prove that Graham Bell (who also immigrated to Canada) was single and unemployed at the time of his big invention ... cause he didn't have a clue ... how valuable it is to be detached/disconnected from everything/everyone once in a while and have moment of peace just for himself.

40. the WINTER ...

I know I have said this before ... but it seems the WINTER is finally here ... and is scary!

PS: Im giving the Blog a new look.

39. SOTON ...

I have spent a 4 good years of my life in Southampton ...

A town with many surprises ... where sharing a pint was such an easy task ...

I guess Southampton is still my home town in my unconscious thoughts ...

Last week that I was flying from Amsterdam to Toronto, in my dreams I was getting off the bus in the unilink stop on the Highfield campus ... good old days

38. OLD me ...

I leave my empty plastic bag on the drier machine ...

That's actually my mark for retrieving the dried cloths ... rather than trying to remember the number on the drier machine ...

I spent a good 30 minutes staring at someone else' cloths being dried last weekend ... as someone had moved the plastic bag ... I'm getting OLD