Updates:

Nov 26

       This year's Black Friday hype was just that, hype. Without all the great deals of the previous year, and a snowstorm and terrible road conditions, it didn't seem worthwhile to partake. Fortunately there was a Best Buy grand opening occurring within minutes of my place. It would have been foolish not to get in on those deals, so I did. I was the first loser in line on Sunday morning and ended up making a friend while there.

Oct 8

       Its been a while but what better way to make a come back than with a really late picture post. Here are some photos from an incredible trip to Chicago. This one has to be rated at the top of my trips list.

Aug 29

       "When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content."

[‘Abdu’l-Bahá - Paris Talks]

       This quote is exactly what was going through my mind while I attended a recent trade show and these are the reasons why: picture 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Aug 12

       After a long hiatus here is a quick post from a recent work-related trip to Windsor.

July 3

       Last night I had the pleasure of attending the early showing of Transformers. Fans like me have been waiting 20 years for such an event and finally all our patience and anticipation came to fruition. In a theatre packed with nerds we witnessed good old fashioned car chases, eye popping robot smack downs and some of the most spectacular action and effects sequences of any movie of its kind!

Now that I've seen this movie my purpose for living is complete. Well I guess there is still that whole Most Great Peace thing that we have to achieve. :)

June 20

       A couple weeks have passed and I have finally gotten over the Ottawa Senator's devastating loss of the Stanley Cup final. As tragic as this is, it was still an unforgettable experience. The first round featured us against the Pittsburg Penguins (2.44 Megs), the second round against the Devils of New Jersey (2.44 Megs), third against the rival Buffalo Sabres (1.28 Megs) and last onto the final against the Anaheim Ducks (1.84 Megs).

The city was bursting with excitement for the first home game of the Stanley Cup final as tens of thousand of people headed to city hall to watch (1, 2). With the win Elgin Street exploded into celebration (2.09 Megs). Sadly things didn't go quite as planned. I was away for work and couldn't even watch the last game with my compatriots. There's always next year!

June 10

       With the weather becoming blisteringly hot what better way to cool off than with pictures of a work-related trip I took to Québec City this past winter. La Belle Province definitely ranks up there as one of the top Canadian destinations. Even though this trip was a while back "je me souviens".

May 25

       Over 7000 fans turned out yesterday at Ottawa's Festival Plaza during lunch hour for festivities held by the city as we prepare for the first game of the Stanley Cup finals between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks. Featured were Mayor Larry O'Brien, Senators alumni, and a performance by Belly.

GO SENS GO!

Apparently Senators Captain Daniel Alfredsson, Don Cheery and my good friend Stephen Harper were rumored to make an appearance but were no shows...

May 7

       As part of the City of Ottawa's Spring Cleaning the Capital campaign the Bahá'ís of sector 4/5 gathered this past weekend to clean up W. C. Bowes Park, our adopted park, located in everyone's favorite neighborhood Morgan's Grant. This occasion provided the perfect opportunity for our active and energetic junior youth class to not only get involved in some community service but to care for the environment.  As you can see the turnout was great, the day was beautiful and the park looks amazing.

April 28

        Recently I upgraded my freshwater aquarium into a saltwater reef. For those of you who've never seen one up close its quite fascinating. Its possible to stare at it for hours and be mesmerized by its beauty. There are literally hundreds of organisms living in it and every now and then I discover a new one. Along the way I've encountered some unpleasant things. Here are a couple of unwelcome guests that I had to remove from my tank over the weekend: a hitchhiker crab and bristleworms.

April 10

       If you are around my age it means you grew up in the era of console games. If you are a huge nerd it means you may have at one time waited in line in the middle of the night in the freezing cold to get your hands on a much coveted new game or system (see Nov 9, 2004 post).  The potential new champion of console systems is the Nintendo Wii. At a recent devotional gathering we were lucky enough to get treated to this phenomenon. In case you haven't seen one in action I always have a camera handy.  I'd like to call these two clips "You fight like a girl" (3.5 Megs) and "Mismatch" (1 Meg) - Opens with Quicktime or Real Player.

March 25

      Pictures are up from a work-related trip to Saskatchewan that I took a while back. Many kilometers were driven, the beautiful country side was seen and a personal record was broken.

March 4

       There is a man, who's antics are becoming known throughout the land as myth and legend. If you are lucky enough  you may have a chance encounter with this beloved creature. He goes by the name Danger and has recently been crowned Danimal. I was lucky enough to attend a hockey game with him and the videos I captured speak for themselves...(video 1, 2, 3 - opens with Quicktime or Real Player)

Feb 26

       Pictures from Sarah and Shameem's wedding have been posted. That memorable night was enjoyed by all and exhausting for one...

Feb 4

       I was lucky enough to be volun-told to be on the social committee at work. We were tasked with coming up with something for the holiday party just before the Xmas vacation. Being the funny and witty person that I am, I came up with a hilarious and management-grilling slideshow. Those of you who've seen it (and work for the government) know what I'm talking about.  After the slideshow, that was watched by about 50 co-workers, I came back to my desk and found a letter from my Director General (ie. boss's boss's boss). Lucky for me he has a sense of humor...

Jan 15

       While on a recent work-related trip I found myself at baggage claim in Toronto's Pearson International Airport. I looked to my right and could have sworn I recognized the guy standing beside me. Better judgment made me pass it off as just another look alike. Then his friend came up to him and they started talking and I knew this was no coincidence. Pulling boldness out of my reserve I went up to them, told them I loved their show and asked them if they each wouldn't mind taking a picture of me with the other. Some of you may recognize them as Ricky and Julian from the hit Canadian show The Trailer Park Boys.

Jan 7

       It was just over a year ago that construction began on our newly purchased Ottawa Bahá'í Centre. With a year behind us and lots of hard work, dedication, love and sacrifice by selfless volunteers the centre is open to the community. In case you missed it, here's the slideshow (53 MBs) that'll show you how we came to this great moment and that this community can do anything!

Dec 23

       I'm happy to have the honor and joy of announcing my good friends' Shameem and Sarah's engagement and impending wedding. This union was inevitable but now it will finally happen! All I'm waiting for now is to get the OK to create a roasting slideshow for them for their special night. :)

Dec 13

       With winter right around the corner I thought I would take this opportunity to remind everyone how amazing this past summer was. Warm weather, sunny days, being outdoors; we won't see any of that for at least another 6 months. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from our weekend at Andisheh's cottage this past summer. And yes, this is the most notoriously late picture post ever!

Dec 3

       Off to beautiful and barren Saskatchewan is where I'm headed for the next few days. Long days of driving in that harsh seasonal climate should get me well prepared for our comparably mild winters here in Ottawa. Most exciting for me will be the opportunity to sink my teeth into a regional delicacy called prairie oysters...

Nov 13

       Take a mild mannered young man, mix in the leader of a G8 nation, add a pinch of trying to stay in character on Halloween, and sprinkle sparingly with security exclaiming angrily "He did not just do that!" and this is what you get.

NOTE: This photo is 100% genuine. No Photoshopping done.

Nov 5

       With Halloween being one of my favorite times of the year I couldn't allow it to be just another ordinary work day. I got into the spirit of the day by dressing up and playing a little prank on the entire floor at lunch time.  More to come...

Oct 31

Oct 11

       After months of planning and cancelling and getting E and planning and postponing, I was finally able to head down to the fabled New York state outlet mall.  Leaving at just past 6 in the morning we were set for an entire day of shopping. The most glorious moment occurred when my family was able to purchase 22 articles of clothing (not socks or undies) for just under $155. I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the moment. After an exhausting day of shopping we headed back home at 7 pm only making it to the halfway point of the mall.

Oct 4

       With summer long gone and the official results in I'd like to present the winner and runner-up of the most brutal sunburn of the year. Our runner-up Daniel comes to us straight from the pot used to boil lobsters. The winner of the most brutal sunburn comes to us from the set of a recent zombie movie where he just finished gorging on some flesh. Congrats Andrew you had a freakin' brutal sunburn.

Sept 14

       Pictures are up from the devotional/pool party hosted by Andrea late in the summer.  It was highlighted with deliciously touching devotions, a deliciously-warm heated pool, delicious snacks and burgers and delicious rounds of wolf game. Who could ask for anything more.

Sept 5

       We recently had some relatives visiting from Australia. They stayed at our place while we showed them around town. The strangest thing was that throughout their entire visit I could have sworn I was seeing double. Maybe it was just me...

Aug 23

       Picture are up from a fantabulous day at Lac Philippe that was held on July 29th. I can't wait till the next such outing.

Aug 13

Here's a fun little quiz to test your knowledge of pop culture over the last few decades. If you haven't seen this before give it a try. Share your results. I'm only up to 46 correct. Realization: It is impossible for one person to get all 95 correct on their own without cheating.

Aug 8

       A big shout out goes to all the brave souls who came out to a day of fun and excitement at Mont Saint-Sauveur Water Park. The day was filled with amazing rides, brutal sunburns and who could ever forget the mighty Colorado! Until next year...

July 27

       It is the right time, if not long overdue, to have a youth picnic and games day at our beloved Lac Philippe in Gatineau. Everyone's invited to come for swimming, and all manner of sports. There will be a bring-your-own-meat BBQ available as well. Join me on Saturday July 29th at 10 am - 9 pm for a phat time (even better than last year). The temperature is expected to be a beautiful 30ºC!  PS: If I'm going to bring the boat I'll need some able bodied youth to meet me in the morning to help unload it.

July 23

       It was a sad day when I heard one of my favorite co-workers was leaving us. She successfully completed a competition and is now headed to work with a new director. This was great news but I was even more shocked when I realized which director she'd be working for. Congrats on the new job Jessie!

July 10

       What a great end to an incredible World Cup tournament. The final was complete with goals, saves, spectacular plays and even a head butt. Following the commemoration this afternoon, a few of us decided to get together to watch the game Sector 5 style.  To top it all off here are some incredible plays from this years World Cup: clip 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (4.13 MBs total).

July 7

       Continuing the trend of milestones for my family this summer I'd like to congratulate my sister Nika on successfully graduating from high school. She's now off to University to study law. I know she'll make us all proud.

July 3

       Canada Day was upon us only a couple days ago. There were a million things planned including my last minute BBQ. Making the incorrect assumption that at least one grocery store would be open at some point during the day I found myself resorting to walk down the path that all Persian males must embark on at some point in their lives. For a first attempt from start to finish I'd say the results were pretty good.

June 23

       My search has finally come to an end. Its very rare that you find something that was exactly what you were looking for and then some. That is what I can say happened with the purchase of my house that was finalized recently.  This single home features a finished basement and a nice backyard. I guess that leaves only one more thing...

June 18

       Pictures are up from my recent trip to Fredericton. Leave it to me to make the best of every situation and make a potentially dull trip into a fun extravaganza. Ok well I am grossly exaggerating but the trip was still fun and goofy.

June 11

       A big congratulations goes out to my brother Rama who successfully graduated and received his diploma. Watch out world because this guy is on the loose with a head full of knowledge, a heart full of passion and a keen sense of ambition.  

May 31

       Its always sad to see co-workers leave, but its always fun to send them on their way with a great picture. Here is my most recent creation that was presented to a high ranking co-worker at her goodbye lunch. Fortunately she took it well and I didn't end up looking for a new job. All the best out west!

May 24

       Pictures are up from the Trilogy Movie Devotional that was held late last month. Stay tuned for the summer installment of this fun series.

May 8

       I am off to Fredericton NB. for the next few days for a training course. From what I have heard from people who lived there, it can be a pretty boring place. I will try my best to find fun and interesting stuff to do with my free time. If all goes well you can expect to see a great picture post like the ones for the Yukon and Halifax.  If all goes poorly you can expect to see a couple of pictures like the ones for Goderich and Sault Ste Marie.

May 5

       Having easily dispatched the defending Stanley Cup champions the Ottawa Senators continue their march towards the NHL's crown.  They are the best offensive team, the best defensive team and their lineup is stacked with all-stars. To celebrate their road to the finals I'd like to share two songs, Rev Up The Red (1.81 MBs) and an interesting Outkast cover (1.41 MBs).

April 29

       Time is up and much to my dismay the Back to the Future Trilogy is the winner.  Which movie we watch out of the trilogy will be determined by a live vote.  The devotional starts tonight at 8:00 PM at my house. If you're not sure how to get there just send me an email.

April 26

       The finals of the Trilogy Movie Devotional are upon us featuring The Naked Gun and Back to the Future. What shocks me more than anything is how these two trilogies made it this far when their best movies couldn't even get past the first round in the 80s Movie Devotional. Anyways that doesn't matter. Vote now and determine which trilogy will be crowned champion!

April 23

       Upsets and close calls were the highlights of the second round of the Trilogy Devotional Playoffs. Four trilogies remain to battle it out. Vote now in round 3!

April 20

       Looks like the sci-fi and fantasy movies are reigning supreme thanks to a great voter turnout. With only one major upset, the Trilogy Movie Devotional Playoffs moves into round 2.  My hopeful trilogy is still alive and doing strong!

April 16

       After a long hiatus its once again time for one of my patented movie devotionals.  16 of the most popular, and appropriate, trilogies battle it out for 4 rounds using your votes. One movie from the winning trilogy will be watched following a live vote at the devotional. Each round lasts 3 days so stop by and vote again! Trilogy Movie Devotional!

April 6

       As a Bahá'í we work hard to promote the unity of mankind and world peace. Strife, bloodshed and discord must be stopped so that all men can be united as one. War is bad.  Violence is bad. Guns are bad. On that note, here are some pictures I took while sampling equipment at a recent trade show: picture 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I am a professional, don't try this at home.

March 28

       I'm sending an invitation to anyone who is interested in checking out our beloved, and under supported, Ottawa Lynx in their season opener against the Louisville Bats. The game is on Thursday April 6th at 6:05 PM with a phat projected temperature of 16°C. With the best seats in the house costing a mere $11 it would be sheer folly not to attend. Anyone interested in coming out with us send my brother Rama an email.

March 20

       Everyone waiting to hear news about a Naw-Rúz (New Year's) party need look no further. Tassnim and Basim, two brave souls, have volunteered to sacrifice their house for the festivities this year. Join them on March 25 starting at 7:30 pm on 1577 Montcerf Court, Orleans. For more information contact Tazz or Basim. They are predicting a phat party similar to the one pictured below.

(Please note it is highly improbable the party will resemble the above picture)

March 8

       Pictures are up from my recent trip to Halifax. With work quickly out of the way I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the this beautiful city.

March 1

       The Bahá'í fast is once again upon us. Lasting 19 days from the 2nd of March until the 20th; we are required to refrain from eating and drinking between sunrise and sunset. It is a period of meditation, prayer and spiritual reflection. Sunrise and sunset times for Ottawa that I've ripped off from Dan's website can be seen below.

Feb 20

       Getting together with friends over the weekend is great. Eating snacks and watching movies is even better. Watching the NBA All-Star game, with the the players as big as you, is Priceless!

Feb 17

       A great deal of time has elapsed since the passing of my fish Big Louie this summer and so I finally decided it was time to move on. I would like to introduce the latest editions to my aquatic family. They are nameless at the moment.  And yes I know, my aquarium is filthy. I need to clean it.

Feb 10

       At long last pictures are up from Elham and Ayafor's wedding. You guys are awesome! Thanks to Payam, Pej, Naysan, and Elaheh & Dave for sharing their pictures.

Feb 1

       Today I head off to beautiful Halifax for 5 days where I will visit some family and friends, and take in the sites and sounds that the east has to offer. I am most excited about getting a tour of the fish gutting factory and going seal clubbing. I may also try to get some work done...

Jan 24

       The Battle of Ontario. One of the fiercest rivalries in sports. Nothing is more fun than being able to share an evening with your friends in which the ultra-hated Toronto Maple Leafs come into Ottawa and get spanked by the Senators.  Bring on the Stanley Cup!

Jan 21

       Seems that I'm not the only celebrity in my family. My parents were recently featured in our local newspaper, The Kanata Kourier-Standard, for the Multicultural Nights they host.  Here's the article in case you missed it.

Jan 16

       The much anticipated and highly procrastinated pictures from Naysan and Michelle's wedding are finally up. Enjoy!

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