Same feeling

I was reading the book I bought just a few months after I came to Canada and haven't finished it yet (The book has 589 pages and I just finished 114!): It Doesn't Take A Hero by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and noticed that I, now, have almost the same feeling as he had when he was turning thirty and was about to start a Master degree in a L. A. School. he says:

... We strolled up to the entrance, looked through the glass, and spotted three coeds about to come out who looked exactly like the missed cheerleaders of my dreams. I straightened up, sucked in my stomach a little and gallantly help open the door. They looked at me, then at each other, and said, " Thank you, sir. " I suddenly saw myself as they did - a grown-up, obviously pushing thirty - and realized with sarrow that my fantasies of coed college life would remain forever unfulfilled. ...

I usu. don't feel that bad but there have been times that I knew I should stay away from the girls I wanted to have relationship with. Although many girls that I've seen here (And have lost them all unfortunately!) are much younger than me. Kelly, Jennice and Tina were all Canadian sweet girls, regardless the others from other ethnic backgrounds, that could have been my gf and were much younger than me, may be even 10 years younger but I lost them all. I'll write more about that book later.
(Photo: Young Schwarzkopf, prob. when he graduated from West Point as second lieutenant in the US Army Infantry)

Better on road

Edmonton and one other NHL team, which is not important here, were the only teams in this regular season who were better on road. Today the Oilers proved it again: They won over the Red Wings in Detroit 3-2. The second goal of the Red Wings was scored in less than 15 sec. to the end of the game. That doesn't take any credit off the great goalie of Edmonton, Dwayne Roloson, who had 32 saves in the game. The next game will be played in Edmonton the coming Mon. while the Oilers leads the series 3-2.
(Photo: Dwayne Roloson, from Simcoe, Ontario stops a shot in todays game against the Red Wings in Detroit)

Leftover

I post the second part of my trip to Sabalan Mountain here and I'm waiting for the results of the contest which will be announced at the end of Sep.! I don't think I send any other story as I don't find 'em as attractive as the ones I've sent. But nothing is determined.

There was no phone line in Ghotoor-Sooei and I had to make it to Ardabil as soon as possible. Finally after about one hour I and one of the Azeri climbers left the shelter together. I was lucky finding him because if he was not there it might have been really hard or even impossible to finish that trip safely! But I kind of helped him as well! He was very afraid of the dogs and when we faced them in our way down, few times, I was the one who told him what to do! He was extremely scared and I still wonder why someone so coward would go to wild remote mountains?! Once we saw a flock from few meters away and the sheep dog ran to us. That made the guy jump back and yells! The shepherd called the dog back and the beautiful animal just stood ready beside us. When I tried to tap the dog, it moved his head away form me and did not let me to get even close! The Ardabili guy looked very agitated and said something in Azeri to the shepherd. The guy only smiled and said something back. I asked him what had happened and he said the shepherd did that intentionally to scare us. He ordered the dog to rush at us! I do not know if he was right, not even today but if he did that I do not blame him because in that remote mountainous area where there is no one to talk to and nothing exist but pure beautiful nature, frightening two tired hikers seems like a lot of fun!
Local villagers usually do not trust strangers and also as most of them only speak Azeri it is hard to communicate with them. When we got to Ghotoor-Sooei it was completely dark and cold. On old truck parked in front of a cottage got our attention: A family was loading the vehicle. The guy started talking to them in Azeri. Those moments were really hard for me because I did not know what would happen. The conversation took more than what usually takes when you ask for a lift! Finally the Ardabili guy said that the driver had agreed to give us a ride to the main road which goes to Ardabil. We all had to sit in front of the single-cabin truck because his family was sitting in the back! So four of us, the driver, and family member of him, the Ardabili guy and me sat in! I could not even move and had to hold my backpack to me too! Imagine having a ride in a mountainous, gravel road with holes, rocks and other obstacles in absolute dark with no light and traffic sign! I do not know how long it took but I knew when the driver dropped us off the road, I was really happy while felt like someone who has been beaten up for few minutes and was aching all over! The other thing that bothered me is I noticed what I did to my friend when I got off the truck: He had some of his belongings including his wallet in my backpack!
He found a ride to Ardabil shortly after we stood beside the road and we exchanged phone numbers and addresses after we got to the city. I tried to call my family after we said goodbye. As it was late, there was no communication office open and you could not make long distance call trough public phones. I was thinking what to do and suddenly saw a cab was approaching me. I raised my hand and he stopped. I walked to the cab and the driver said something in Azeri. I explained to him in Persian that I do not speak Azeri and he immediately asked me where I was going in Persian. I asked him if he would drive me to the closest bus depot on his way home and he accepted. Obviously at about 11:00 PM there was no office open and no bus waiting but I was hopping to catch one of the buses which were not full and looking for passengers. Bus drivers usually do that in there. But even that idea did not help me. I did not go back to the city and decided to spend the night in the there. So I took out my sleeping bag and slept on the floor in front of one of the offices!
Tomorrow morning I tried to get a ticket. When I purchased a ticket to Tehran I noticed that people who were talking very load in Azeri. I had no clue what was going on. Finally I asked one of the guys whom his face looked a little friendlier compare to the others. He explained that the time indicated on the ticket was different from the time the bus leaves and that caused an argument between the passengers and the company man. I do not know how they figure that out but the bus finally got there and we all boarded and headed to Tehran. My friend later told me what happened to him: He has been lost in the mountain and was climbing down to the south while Ghotoor-Sooei and the shelter are located at east. He did not know where he was going and just was walking until he encountered nomad people. They gave him food and accommodation. He also added that when he was there they faced a flock of dogs and he thought his trick would work there as well as the time we performed it the other day but the nomad guys told him that they are wild dogs and gave him a thick stick and asked him to fight for his life! He mentioned that fortunately he did not have to use the stick and nomad guys dealt with the animals and made them ran away! After spending a night in their tent, he, the next morning got to another hot spring called Sareyn and got a free ride to Ardabil. He went to a distant relative’s place to ask for help and from there he went to Ghotoor-Sooei to find me! Obviously he did not find me there and after spending a few hours there and asking the residents and passengers, got back to Ardabil and headed home.

Second OT again in the third game

Calgary beat Anehiem in the third game and now leads the series 2-1. That was a tremendous game which I was watching live through Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. But the other game, Detroit at Edmonton went to the second OT and I'm too tired to follow that as it's almost 11:53 PM now.
In the last minutes of the first OT the Red Wings scored a goal and they cheered and jumped up and down. The Oilers fans started leaving the Rexall Place and the goalie was skating off the ice slowly while his face looked like someone who's shocked through his mask. Then the judge announced that the goal doesn't count! This time the Oilers' fans cheered and got back to their seats! The puck went down beneath the net and got in. It was shown through the net camera a few times.
(Photo: McCarty scores a beautiful goal for the Flames in the third period of the game)

All tied up 1-1

Edmonton was the only Canadian team who won the game today. They blasted Red Wings in their home. But both Ottawa and Calgary lost in their home. Now all eight teams which played today have one win and one loss.
I watched the last period of Calgary-Anaheim game and the teams were fighting toe to toe but that was the Ducks who won the game. I think Kiprusoff has disappointed the Flames. He has a muliti-million dollar contract for three years but accepted 4 goals tonight. The last one was a one-timer and very beautiful.
(Photo: Official logo of Stanley Cup Playoffs)

Ticket, transfer and passes

I was riding LRT on my way to Talisman today and inspectors got in. I showed my monthly pass and the lady thanked. Then a man asked a teen couple. The guy started searching his pockets and then went to his socks! He again started searching his pockets and the man was standing in front of him and saying nothing! Obviously he and gf didn't have anything to present and that was just a play but it's interesting how patient, nice and calm the inspector was. If that was me, I would slap that motherfucker for teasing me and yell: Why the fuck don't you fucking say that you don't have anything to present! But obviously none of those three inspectors did that. They just made them get off at Chinook Station.
I remember same thing happened to me just about 2 weeks after my arrival. I was caught by two inspectors, a man and a woman. The young lady took out her booklet and was about to start writing me a ticket which I later learnt that it's something around $150! But I explained to them that I'm new and just came to Canada and showed them my passport. The man took a look and they forgave me. They even showed me how ticket vending machine and transfer papers works and let me go. I knew all that on that time! Just didn't wanna pay for transit. But that was it and I always have a valid ticket, transfer or pass. Calgary Transit has a very good and dependable service.
(Photo: LRT [stands for Light Rail Transit] or C-Train [probably Calgary Train!] is seen here at Olympic Plaza Station at Downtown)

Ugly piece of crap!

I usually try not to write unplesant things I see here, in this side of the globe but at times I feel I should. There's an ugly Hispanic woman from Chile that I've known her for a while. A few weeks ago I talked to her about a little problem I have with my 2005 income tax refund. She told me that she would help me. Then once I saw that ugly piece of shit messing with a nigger. I soon found out what it means. She's so ugly that I'm sure no one would ever sleep with her unless he gets paid. Look at this: Very short, huge ass and ugly face that reminds you of a mule or at the best a monkey. I have had seen her with another nigger last year and that guy is from Montreal. I guess he used to stay at her place for free and in return she gave her blow jobs and got fucked in every hole. Now she's trying to get this one. I don't understand people like this. They go and beg for a cock as they know no one ever fuck them unless they are paid. I, myself a few times told her that we would be going for a coffee and that was not serious and she smiled. But I think if she thought that I have a huge dick, she would definitely accept that and drive me herself! I would never fuck a piece of shit like that though. I'd rather masturbate. She's so miserable. These kind of people are worst than animals. They make me sick.

Real mighty ducks

I only watched the third period and OT of the Flames-Ducks game tonight but I'd say those guys are really tough. Most of the time the puck was in Calgary's zone and the Ducks had more shots on goal. Only it was the few last min. of the first OT that the Calgary guys were able to make some pressure on the Ducks and finally gain the winning goal. The final score is 2-1.
If this is how they are playing every game, it will be really hard for them to make it to the next round and eventually the finals. The next game is on Sun. in Saddledome again.
(Photo: Anaheim Mighty Ducks Hockey Club logo)

Clash

Native people came into conflict with OPP today in the community of Caledonia, south of Hamilton. The reason is a land which is claimed by Six Nations people and is said has been given to them 200 years ago. The Federal Government and some provincial government are still in negotiation with aboriginal people over several land disputes. A few months ago a deal was reached with a group of oboriginal people over a land which a dam is going to be constructed in near future. Oboriginal people say police used force to take them out from a land which is going to be constructed by white people.
(Photo: One of the aboriginal people who has covered his faced is talking on a radio. The logo on his cap is a native logo. The map shows where Caledonia is located in province of Ontario)

The second trip

I received confirmation e-mail today that my second story is accepeted by Travel and Transitions. This is about the time me and Haj Mehdi (I gave him this pseudonym!) traveled to Sabalan Mountain 11 years ago! I think I still am able to make a journey like that. The interesting thing is I almost remember everything and wrote the story. That's one of the most exciting trips that I've ever had. I'm thinking of sending another one. That could be our cycling trip to Roodbar or hiking through Alborz Mountains to get to Caspian Sea. Here's the part one of that amazing trip:

In a September day I and a friend planned to go to Sabalan Mountain in North West Iran. In order to reach Sabalan, you go to the city of Ardabil, first. So agreed to meet in a busy circle of Tehran at 08:30 PM and go to the bus depot for our tickets. But what happened is my friend was almost one hour late and we missed all of the departures to Ardabil that night! Luckily we found a bus going to Tabriz. We asked the driver to drop us in the first town that we can go to Ardabil. Therefore we found ourselves in the small town of Bastan-Abad the next morning. As the mountain is accessible from different routes, we decided to take the one which starts from a hot spring called Ghotor-Sooei. That is located at the east side of the mountain.
Although Persian is the official language of Iran but other languages are spoken in the country too. West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Ardabil, the North Western Provinces of Iran are the provinces which Azeri, a modified of Turkish, is spoken wildly and basically is people’s mother tongue. As a result of that one of the issues we faced over there was communication! But it was not a big problem because the people, who attend the school, are able to speak and write in Persian as well. But Persian is not spoken in public places like tea houses, bus depots, restaurants, etc.
We also tried Yogurt Broth, an Azeri cuisine in a small restaurant of bus depot before we take off. The mini-bus started shortly after we had our lunch and the people on board were either heading to nearby villages or the hot spring and mountain. When we reached Ghotor-Sooei late in the afternoon, we stayed in an inn to get some rest and start our hiking trip the next morning.
We got up early next morning and headed to the mountain but not very far from the inn, we confronted a big sheep dog. Sabalan area is the home of nomad people who live with their sheep flock and in order to keep their animals safe from wolves, bears and possibly thieves, every family or tribe keeps several sheep dogs. I am not familiar with the breeds but those dogs are very beautiful, strong and smart. The dog ran to us so fast that we could not believe our eyes! It stopped in less than 2 feet away from us and started showing its big teeth, barking and circling around us! The only thing you must do in a situation like that, according to what my friend taught me, is to be completely frozen! We did so and were waiting for a miracle! I was thinking how long I am able to stand like that in the cold morning. And finally after a little more than a minute the miracle happened: A girl came out from a tent at the other side of the road and called the dog back. We sighed and continued.
There was no route seen after a few miles and we only knew that we must go up! We, several times, asked the local people about the way but never got a clear answer because none of them understood Persian! Although we made it to Sabalan shelter finally not much after 06:30 PM. The shelter is comprised of a few rooms and a public washroom. We ate, relaxed and talked about tomorrow. Later a small group of three joined us and we shared the room with them. We were actually lucky because there were not many climbers on that time of the year as the climbing season in that area usually closes in mid. August; otherwise it would be hard to share a small room with a large group of people. We simply put our sleeping bags on the floor and tried to get some sleep.
The next morning we headed to the pick. Sabalan is not a hard mountain to climb technically. All you have to do is to keep your continues pace and have your break off and on. We got to the pick before noon. Sabalan is the third highest mountain of Iran which is 4811 m. (15784 ft). The pick is different from the usual ones I was to before: Unlike most of the mountains it is vast in a way that a large pond has been shaped at the top of the inactive volcano. We walked around the pond, took a few photos and rested for a while. As I wanted to return to Ardabil before night, I climbed down fast while had my friend behind me. After a few meters I turned back and saw him up the rocks, coming down slowly. I shouted his name and asked him to be faster. I kept that pace until I got to the shelter. I waited for almost 20 minutes but there was no sign of my friend. Many other climbers came down. I asked every one but no one said he had been seen. Then I began to worry. It was getting late and I did not want to spend my night in that shelter again. I took out my binocular and started searching for him in the people who were climbing down. The time a group of Azeri climbers came down, I started being worried about my family too because I had promised I would call them as soon as I am back to the city.

Bigger is not always better

Both Vancouver and Toronto are eliminated and can't make it to 2005-06 playoffs. But Calgary is the third in the overal Eastern Conference and will wait for the Ducks this Fri. at the Saddledome. They lost to the said team in Anaheim in their last game which didn't affect their leadership. Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa are other Canadian teams which have made it to the playoffs.
(Photo: Brian Boucher was guarding the the net in the last game of Calgary in Anaheim which the Ducks won 4-3. Kiprusoff was resting to get ready for playoffs)

The Roadhouse

Lazlo asked me if I want to join him and Levi in the same bar we were last time for a drink last Thu. I said sure and we went to The Roadhouse for a drink. Roadhouse is also the title of a movie which I watched years ago. It has been a mystry for me what roadhouse means for years when I was in the early years of post secondary school! I know what it means today.
Anyway we went there and Lazlo said that he was talking to a lady and she's coming to the bar and shortly after the old lady showed up. We talked about everything and I saw she's interested in making a relationship although she insisted that she's married. When I told her that I have a plan to go to Mexico she mentioned that she has been there and showed her jugging suit she had on with the word Cancun on the sleeves. Then I said may be we go this time together and she was interested. She is old and just average-looking but very fuckable and I bet his husband, if there's any, doesn't satisfy her.
Shortly after we found out that the chuuby and finance ladies are there as well. I joined them and asked where Michele is and the chubby chick said: You like her! I was gonna tell her why the hell not. But didn't. Those two ladies were with two guys but here you never know who's really with who. People come and go and the gal picks the best one she thinks she fucks him better. Michele joined us in a few min. and the first thing she said was: Don't be all over me! But she really didn't mean that. Then Levi, Lazlo and Pam, the new lady, joined us but she left shortly after. Before she leaves I gave her a big hug and she was, I think, in need of a kiss on the lips because I didn't do anything and she said: Not on my lips because I'm married! So I just gave her a kiss on her cheek and she left. I don't think she would say anything if I did kiss her on the lips. Even when I grapped her ass gently, first time I was hugging her she didn't say anything. I'm gonna save her because she got a beautiful body and I guess is horny. (I don't know why I got hard while I'm writing this!)
Michele was friendly and complained why I ever go to her office to say hi to her during the week. Although when I asked her out she said she would be busy all long weekend with her 2 boys. May be later. Then The chubby chick and Lazlo started kissing on the mouth and God! that was awful! Lazlo is married with three kids and that girl, My God, I rather jerk off all night long instead of sleepping with her. The girls were talking dirty and she was inviting Lazlo to the washroom but he didn't go. Then the finance lady and his picked guy left without paying a big, more than $70 bill! Those two girls were so horny that couldn't wait. Only Michele was calm. Lucky me! We sat, drank and talked for a few more min. and then left. I was so drunk and was feeling so sick. A hot shower helped a bit.

Answer to anger

A fellow reader has gone through my recent post regarding a nice pretty young Canadian girl who I met last Sun. and is so mad and has commented on that post. Here's my short answer to him or her although s/he has mentioned that s/he would never read my blog:
First of all don't you think it would be better if you introduce yourself and not to hide?
Second of all sex is a need and I, like everyone else, am in need of that. I liked what I saw in that girl and I'd like to sleep with her. Is there anything wrong with that?
If she doesn't want the others to see her boobs and ass, she simply can cover them up. Right? So she basically wants to get attention becuase she as a woman needs sex and companionship as well. Right? So think about it before calling the other people sick or looser. That's not nice. Try to understand the simple facts of life. It's not really hard, I guess.

Alamut castle trip: This is how it ended

... Countinued from that last post

My situation was a little bit better than my friend’s because at least I had something to protect me from the cold but although he had everything on, he still was suffering. I finally slept for a short period of time and had a terrible nightmare! I remember that Indians were chasing me in the dream, pointing their bows toward me, aiming and firing! I suddenly woke up because of a noise at dawn and noticed there is something behind us. I woke my friend up and turned my flash light on to find what it is. We both were a little scared. Then we saw a jackal or may be a fox in about 50 meters away from us trying to get close. I think it was hungry but also was not sure if we are big bites for it or not. We got more frightened and did not know what to do to. I had an Ak-47 bayonet in my backpack but I didn’t even think of using it. I just took it out and hold it tight and waited. Then we decided to throw stones to the poor animal. It struggled with us for a few minutes and then left. It was almost the time that sun was about to shine so we packed and left but did not continue climbing the mountain. We climbed down and took the rood!
The guys got surprised when they saw us down there. We were asked what we were doing there and it was hard for them to believe that we failed climbing the mountain to reach the other side. They did not even believe that we spent the night up there.
We still were far from the castle and tired because of last night’s sleepless. So it looked to us that it would be longer than usual to get to the closest village to the castle, Ghazer Khan. After a considerable time of walking we reached Mo’alem Kelayeh which is the biggest town in that area and is kind of capital. We again encountered demonstrators there but there were easier than the ones we saw in Qazvin. May be because there were no police forces there to be clashed with or no major government building to be attacked! When we went to a grocery store to get refreshments, the owner asked us to go with him to the back of the store and hide there! He thought our lives would be in jeopardy if those demonstrators who were shouting slogans, demanding their autonomous province saw us! I have no idea what made him think like that! We came out from our shelter (!) after they passed by and decided to have a ride. We got in one of the old noisy mini-busses like the one which we rode the day before and it took us all the way to Ghazer Khan.
We found a room to rent easily as that was the second time my friend visited the castle. He knew someone there from his previous trip and that made the last part of the journey a bit easier. We then headed toward our final destination after a short break.
Alamut means “The Nest of Eagle” and that is really what it is. The castle is built in 840 at the elevation of 2100 m (6890 ft).You can see everything around in a wide radius of tens of kilometers without being seen because the castle is built or better to say that is carved in the rocks. So even when the troops get close enough to be able to rush, they actually can not tell the castle from a big rock and just continue watching around. But that did not happened at the beginning when they were in the area because they were easily seen by the guards from tens of kilometers away and got killed before noticing where the castle is. Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghiz Khan was the Mongolian conqueror that discovered surrounded and then occupied Alamut in 1256.
There is no way to the inside but a very narrow hidden path which only one person can walk on and that is at the west flank of the castle. That takes you from the rear to the castle but if you are not careful enough, you will slip and fell down all the way to a wide deep valley-like hole, probably more than 100 meters. There are mountains and mountains behind the castle so there is no way in from behind as well. The residents of the castle which were all loyalist of Ismaili leader, Hassan Sabah were used to use tunnels to go to nearby villages and farms to supply food and ammunition while the castle was surrounded by Mongolian Empire troops from every direction. Fresh water was used to be received from springs and stored in huge stone bowls. The siege happened of course after years of searching, chasing and spying around.
I myself walked on that narrow path I mentioned earlier but did not dare to go all the way and enter the castle that day as I was extremely exhausted and did not want to fell down and get killed! I regret that today! My friend got in and then we took few photos and spent the night in the village. Tomorrow morning we got a ride and return to Qazvin.
(Photo: An AK-47 Bayonet. AK-47 assult rifle is the most popular rifle in the world, originally designed and manufactured in former USSR. Mostafa was a good friend of mine in the early years of Polytechnic. One of his brothers used to fight against Iraqis and that's where he took the bayonet. Mostafa gave it to me once I was invited to their house. He mentioned that it's better to keep this away from him because whenever he gets angry and fights with someone, tries to take the bayonet and use it!)

Included: Alamut Castle trip

I received an e-mail from a lady regarding the travel story I sent them. That was the story of me and a friend traveling to Alamut Castle. Here's what she says:

Thank you for entering our Travel Story Contest. Your entry has been included in our contest and will be submitted to our jury after the contest closes. Feel free to send us additional stories as each contest entry will be judged on its own merit.

So I might send another one to them. I have different choises:

1. Sabalan Mountain trip
2. Siah-Lan Mountain and Caspain Sea trip
3. Damavand Mountain trip (My 1st)
4. Birjand solar eclipse trip
5. Roodbar cycling trip
6. Alam-Kuh Mountain trip

These are actually amongst many others and could be catchy. I will pick one and send in this week.And as I mentioned earlier, I post my travel story. That might be interesting to some. I add the story in two posts. Here is part one:

I and a friend decided to go and see Alamut Castle in Alborz Mountains, in a hot summer day. The castle is located in a remote area and is hard to be reached. The idea behind choosing such a distant mountainous location to build a castle is resistance. Alamut used to be an opposition resident when Mongolian Empire troops invaded Iran in 1227.
So we packed our backpacks and got a bus toward the city of Qazvin, an industrial and agricultural centre and also a historical city some 150 Km (94 miles) west of Tehran, the capital of Iran. Qazvin used to be the capital for years itself. When we arrived there, we found ourselves in the middle of a city riot! Smashed glasses and burnt tires were seen in the streets and we saw people were running away from police forces! People of Qazvin were demanding a new, independent and autonomous province of their own. That did not surprise us much as we already knew through the news in Tehran and were still determined to see the old castle. Thus we went to a bus depot in that chaotic situation and started looking for the mini-buses which usually commute between Rudbar Alamut, the mountainous area which comprises small villages and Qazvin.
We easily found one because the nearby bus depot was specifically assigned for that destination only as we found out later. Any commuter you get in, takes you to the area and you are on your on to the castle after that unless you find a ride from the mountaineers. We chose one and got in but had to wait until the mini-bus is full of passengers. Peasants usually take almost everything to the vehicle: from bundles of cloths to live chicken and sheep! Shortly after we started our trip on that uncomfortable mini-bus, we learnt that it would be a very long, boring and exhausting drive through the mountains. We continuously were going up and down and it was hot. Then we reached a bridge over Shah Rud River and decided to get off but had know idea how far we are from the castle. That was close to Zar Abad, a small mountainous village which is far from the castle.
Lake Evan which is a unique and beautiful lake and is fed through underground waters is one of the tourist attractions of Rudbar Alamut area and was close. So we continued our journey toward the lake. We asked the villagers about the lake and they guided us. We reached there in a few minutes and rested for a while. Lake Evan looks like a big pond at the bottom of a small valley and is surrounded by threes, small orchards and fields and further, high mountains circle it. We roamed around the lake, snacked and took a few photos and then encountered a group of young people who were there just like us to enjoy the beautiful nature. The guys had alcoholic beverages with them and wanted to party. We both were doubtful to join them or not as they invited us to join and finally decided not to. Then we determined to cross a high mountain at the east side of the lake and get ourselves to the other side and camp. That looked like a shortcut to us.
The mountain was so hard to climb and the rocks mostly scattered while we were stepping on them trying to go up. It was almost the time sun was hiding behind the mountains by the time we reached to a flat-like part. We had only one flash light and we were tired so decided to spend the night there. Although it was a day of July but in mountainous area of Alborz and in that altitude everything gets cold fast. We tried to set fire while there was nothing to be burnt but few small bushes around us. They get fire easily and burnt without making much heat quickly. I had my sleeping bag but my friend did not have anything like that There was only his cloths and one extra windbreaker. He put everything on and we tried to sleep for a few hours. The rocks and planets beneath us and the slope were other barriers to sleep. But that was not only it. Shortly after we lay down and it became completely dark, we noticed that there is an air corridor right above us! Planes were passing by almost every 20 minutes, going to Europe! And in that silent mountain that was only engines’ roar and wind’s howl we were hearing which was enough to prevent us from a deep, relaxed sleep.
... to be continued

Cultural discrepancies (3): friendliness

It has been a long time since I posted something about the Canadian culture and how things are different here from what I used to deal with back home. Today I faced a nice young girl and that visit encourages me to write about the kindness and friendliness of Canadian people. This is not the first time I see such a thing though. Here's what happened today:
I took C-train after I left Chinook Mall and got off at Anderson station to get the bus and go home. I went to the bus stop and saw a young girl sitting on the bench. I asked her if she knows what time the bus comes. She said 07:20 which was almost 15 min. to go. Then we started talking. She, a young girl with extremely beautiful blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and fair complexion told me that she works in a women apparel store in Southcentre Mall, she's graduated and lives with her Mom. I saw that she feels cold and asked if she's cold she said yes and I noticed that she haven't had anything for her lunch. The girl was so cute that I would eat every inch of her body with no delay. She got gorgeous boobs that I could see half of them easily. She was so friendly and nice that you can't believe it. I introduced myself and we shook hands. When the bus came there, I sat beside her but as I always try to be very polite I asked her: Would you mind I sit here? She replied: Not at all. We talked about jobs and business and life and I told her that we would be delivered another rebate check prob. in Sep. She said that she had spent the entire rebate cheque to get tattoos! It's $400! Then I asked where they are and and she said that there are two on her back, right below her neck and one on her lower back, right above her ass. And that was the one I saw! She pulled up her shirt and I touched her tattoo. A large 2.0 in dark blue on her white, smooth skin right above where I would love to kiss! She was going to show me the others but I said it's OK. I asked her what 2.0 means. She answered that she got that tattoo when she felt that she's a new person. So basically that her version 2.0 of Leigh. That's her name. She told me her name and that was when we shook hands. I told her that reminds me of Monster, the movie. I added: No offence to you. She said she knew the movie. Then I got off in front of Co-op and said good bye to her. I might not see her again but all I'm saying is a 19-year-old girl was so friendly and sociable while she's years younger than me. I wish I gave my number to her. I kind of felt that she doesn't want it. May be I'm wrong. She, during the time we were in the bus and talking, asked if I'm going home. I answered yes. And then I asked if she wanted to go for a coffee. She said she was so tired. And she was right. That's another opportunity I missed.

Flashback (7): Imari

When I moved out from Delwar's house, I was in touch with him for a short period of time until we had a verbal fight. The reason we had that face-off which ended to exchanging nasty e-mails and finally staying away from each other for more than 3 year was an American girl called Imari. But how that Saudi-French-American(!) girl came in between us is interesting:
Delwar was unemployed at the time I was his tenant and fighting with his wife over the kids and a divorce deal. I really don't know if he had any other source of income but regardless a few tenants he had, he used to go to another East Indian guy's house, called Dr. Khan to accompany him and get paid. Also he used to get paid by kind of organizations which are founded to help poor people, I guess. Or if that was not it, he had kind of government help. So he used to spend most of his time behind the desk, talking to people through net. The people who he was talking to, were mostly anti-Muslims which mostly the chat used to end to exchanging coarse languge or girls and young women who were desperate finding someone to fuck for any reason!
Imari (Meaning tw0 moons in French)was obviously one of them. A chubby dark-skinned young girl, prob. 18 or 19 and little cute from Nevada. Once I called Delwar to see if he's home or not and go to see him and she picked up. Then when I got there a mid-aged woman opened the door and I noticed that I'm facing one of the women I just described them earlier. A blue-eyed who was wearing a head scarf. The funny thing is I later noticed that the woman is Jewish and Delwar hated Jewish people! But the thing is when you're in need of something (here a pussy!) no matter where the piece is from or what faith she follows, esp. here in Canada where you see people from every background and ethnicity.
Anyway I got in and Imari was there too. We talked for a while and she showed interest but I never thought of something even close to what later happened. Then Delwar showed up, I stayed for a few more hours and then left while got a green light from Imari.
The other day I got there to take Imari to a coffee shop. I rented Delwar's small truck and we drove away. We were not too far from the house and while I was driving she touched my leg around groin. I thought she wants to grab my hand as a sign of friendship or something but she grabbed my dick! That was the time I noticed where we were going!
I didn't waste time by going to a coffee shop. I drove directly home and we started experimenting! I had, on that night, one of the best positions that I've ever tried: She on top of me. She was really good. She took a nice pace which was so plaseing to me and satisfactory to her. I, in that position, had the chance to grab, kiss and suck her big boobs and nipples and finally coming inside her.
Then I wanted to try anal and she welcomed me. So I asked her to put a condom on me and she did it but don't remember why we didn't do that. I also tried missionary position and that was not bad on her but I felt that I'm not strong enough for her as a lower back appeared shortly after. The ideal position for us was she on top of me and also I guess doggy. She asked me to do her while we are both standing but she's as tall as me and I needed something to step on so we left this one as well.
When I took her back that night to Delwar's house she asked me to join her in her room to do more. You imagine we got home at about may be 4 or 5 AM. The door was open and everyone was sleep, we got in! We undressed and she started stroking my cock and I started forplay but there was nothing left. So I said goodby and left. Then the other night a Kashmiri guy drove her to my place. He is married and I was in touch with him for a few months after Imari left. A guy from a Persian mother from Shiraz and a Kashmiri father. She slept with her as well. Imari spent one night at my suite and the new thing we tried was she stimulated me and asked me to come on her tits. And I did and felt very good. She immediately ran to wash room to see how it likes! Finally after a few phone calls she made, I got a cab for her and she flew to the east to see another guy. She gave me a hug before she got in the cab.
Then a few weeks later I received a phone call from her. We talked and she then asked me: Can I sleep with you? I don't know why I was so stupid at that time and didn't give her a strong OK. We exchanged a few more e-mails and some offline messages and I never heard of her again. The Kashmiri guy once told me that he's in touch with her and has her number and also told me that she was back to Calgary once again. May be the time she called me.
But how she ruined our the friendship between me and Delwar is when she moved out of his house she told me what was going on in there. She told me Delwar slept with both of them at once, having a threesome (I really wanna try that one day!) and we talked about what's happening between Delwar and that Jewish lady from Ontario and that drove Delwar crazy! Once he called me and asked if Imari is there. And that was the day after she flew away and I said no she just dopped by and left shortly after. He teased me by saying that she's a good match for me. And I counterattacked him by saying that he have a better match, the Jewish lady! I knew he learnt that Imari had told everything and that made him so pissed and upset.

The meltdown

I watched Ice Age : The Meltdown today in Chinook. That's incredibly funny and entertaining although the story is just good for kids. I haven't watched the first part but might get that through the net and take a look. It's amazing that the crew could make a movie out of a simple story of migration of group of animals from a valley to another place and lengthen it for 90 min.!
During the movie I noticed that one of the voices are very familiar to me and that was the voice of the male mammoth. I couldn't figure it out and then I checked YAHOO Movies when I got home and found out it's Ray Romano, the guy in the hilarious TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond. That's one of the best shows I've ever seen and it was when we and Resurrect used to live together and had cable TV. Not anymore!
Anyhow the movie is good and not boring. But worth watching only once and in a movie theatre only. Even me who watches most of the movies more than 10 times, am not interested to watch this again. I'm not saying it's bad. Simply put it's a kids movie and very amusing for them.
The destination was, in the movie, somewhere not really far to protect them from a flood which would happen as a result of meltdown and global warming. And as the male mammoth was trying to learn if he's the last of his species, I thought may be the director wants to kind of tell the story of Noah and his Ark. But the rest of the movie didn't go that way especially when they found theselves on the ground shorty after the flood and a flock of mammoths appeared.
(Photo: Ray Romano the star of TV series Everybody loves Raymond, the very interesting and funny TV Show which I like very much, voices a giant mammoth in the movie)

Message trade

Nicole called me after month and half regarding the Quality Engineer position I applied in Tri Ocean Engineering and the interview I attended in Feb.21. She left a message asking if I'm available or not. That was last Mon. I called her 3 times in the afternoon of that day but couldn't get her on the phone. Then I consulted my friend, Kamix and he indicated that I should not beg for the job. That three rings are enough.
So I didn't call her yesterday untill I got home and found her message saying she was busy and couldn't return my call! I left a message as well saying that I would be available the coming Mon. or Tue. but that was it. I didn't get anything from her today. I only got tomorrow and the day after. If I receive a call from them, it means there's a chance. If not, it's gone.

Flashback (6): Brother Moe

When I decided to move out from the townhouse I used to share with Resurrect, the king of idiots, he tried to help me finding a new place. But as he’s a complete asshole he messed up like everything else he does. He told me that he knew somewhere nice in the neighborhood which is close to everything. Then one day he drove me there: An old filthy place where an old Egyptian guy named Brother Moe (Moe for Mohammed) lives.
The house was a mess and the guy was a mess, a drunkard in his early 50s. Cans of beer were all over the place and you could smell poverty in the house. There was also an Oldsmobile parked in front of the house lacking driver’s side window. The window was covered by a plastic sheet.
I didn’t say anything ‘cause I knew Resurrect. He told me that Brother Moe used to live in a luxury house with his family and then when day his son got killed by the cops and his wife filed divorce and got the house from him! He turned to an alcoholic after that. Resurrect told him that he had to find a job. He said: Brother Moe you gotta find a job. Go to people’s house and tell you do everything: You mow their lawn, you clean their yard, you suck their dick! You … The old guy then jumped in: No! I don’t suck their dick!
The neighborhood is where poor street whores hang out usually. I didn’t say a thing and we left after a few minutes. Obviously Resurrect had sympathy for that guy and trying to help. But as he doesn’t know how to behave in almost every situation, he screws up! Why the hell he took me to that shithouse? Only because he’s an asshole, without a shadow of doubt.

Depressing trade

I sold my car today and that made me so depressed and sad. I have it only until the coming Wed. and have to leave it at buyer's yard. I sold it to the same dealer I bought it from in 2.5 years ago. The car has less than 20,000 Km on it which is phenomenal in Canada and I've never been involved in an accident. I guess the guy was very happy but didn't show it. He makes at least $3000 from it. I financed it in Sep. of 03 and have still 21 months to go. I and Hojam went there and after that I was so down that didn't even go for my regular work out. It's a downgrade for me and have to buy a very cheep used car as soon as I can 'cause it would be difficult having no car here. Selling it will save me about $450 every month.
Also Alfa called me today from MA. His situation is not good either. His visa is expired and he's in debt and has no job. His story is a bit long but I know his main problem is he's very bad at English after doing a Masters degree and spending 3 years down in the US! He has a deadline for himself and is going back if that doesn't work for him.
(Photo: I took this photo from my Echo in the winter of 04 when I used to share a townhouse with Resurrect)

Otto

I went to my neighbourhood's Safeway for weekly grocery shopping and in the meat department I saw Otto, the Vietnamese guy. He has been born here. He wore an earing and had a punkish-blonde hair style! He used to be my supervisor for a period of time. A nice guy but to run his department, he had to be an asshole like most of the supervisors, sometimes. But I did the least amount of hard job under his supervision mostly because I was on light duty. But he lied to me a few times and I did something to him which led to his terination. That was not the only cause but did help. Here's the story which I think I should put here:
Once I didn't see him for a few days at work and asked the guys where he is. I was told that he has got injured and is resting at home. One Mon. I saw Bev in the corridor and I asked her: Do you have any idea what happened to Otto? She answered: He's sick and at home. I said: I saw him in Canada Olympic Park last Sat., skiing and he waved at me! She looked like she didn't believe me but we talked for a few more seconds and we left.
Shortly after that they called me upstairs in the office and asked me to write my statement. I did that and signed the paper. I didn't see him until today. But last week I was talking to a Lao pretty, petite girl and I asked her if she's Otto's ex-gf and she said no and mentioned that she's married. Then I asked if she knows where Otto is. She said that he owned a nail shop in NW quartile of the city and is married and got two kids. Otto himself said today that he manages that meat department and does a computer-related job. I don't know why he's there 'cause Mark once told me he lives in Forest Lawn and the young Lao lady said he lives in AppleWood which is not very far from the said neighbourhood and that's where usually Oriental people from South East Asia live. That's too far from my neighbourhood and I wonder if he has moved or travels that long for money. Lazlo once told me that company hired a private investigator to finds out his story. The guy learnt that he's fine, reported to the company and they dismissed him. That's what he said but he's not a very trustworthy guy in my view. Although I don't see any reason for him to make up such a story.

Drains

Here are the 10 most common money leaks in North America that it's said everyone can plug them in and save bucks. The way(s) I deal with the issue is offered beneath them:

1- Paying bills by snail mail.
Using online banking system or any other electronic media.

2- Annual payments for cridet cards.
All my 6 credit cards have no annual fee.

3- Using cash to pay tolls.
Not applicable to me. It's regarding the roads, bridges and highways which the driver should pay before s/he gets in.

4- Subscribing for cable TV, Internet service and phone from three different companies.
There was no time that I have all the said three services together. Even when I used to share a townhouse with Resurrect I didn't pay for the phone and used to use only my mobile phone but he had a good deal from a company which I don't remember the name. (I guess it's Telus) He had a considerable amount of time calling inside Canada for only $20 as he used to call his brother-in-law in North Vacouver and let me to use that service for free. So I used that to call my friends in Toronto and Edmonton! But I believe that you'll be qualified for some sort of discount when you get different services from only a company and you'll save bucks.

5- Letting the water run.
As clear as crystal. Never happened to me even with a guy like Resurrect!

6- Keeping six months’ worth of salary in a savings account as an emergency fund.
I've no idea about this one but know if anyones leaves his or her account inactive in Canada (At least with RBC) they'll withdrawal bucks as a charge! It happened to my US account and thay've charged me $15! I called them and explained the reason I left that much money untouched and they promised me to be retrieved!

7- A cell-phone plan that doesn’t match your needs.
That's very true and has happened to me several times so far! I've changed my plan at least 4 times in past year! But my situation is a bit different. I sometimes need to talk a lot and sometimes don't!

8- Taking your time to redeem gift cards.
Have no experience regarding this one

9- Eating out on vacations.
That's definitely true. Happens to me every week even when I'm not on vacation! Damn Safeway charges you $3.99 for a bagel sandwich! But sometimes I doubt they make good money and afford paying their employees though! That huge building has gigantic bills: electricity for numerous lights, coolers, fidges and freezes, employees salaries, security expenses, transportation, gas for 10 months of year which is really cold and you have to warm up the whole building and many other possible expenses that I'm not aware of!

10- Thinking that “all-inclusive” means “all-inclusive.”
This one applies to vacation packages and I haven't tried them. Never. But sounds to be true. When I read their add, I hardly believe them.