Khepeleh

12773 Caswell Ave., #104, Los Angeles, CA | Powered by Postlets

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:08:00 +0000

12773 Caswell Ave., #104, Los Angeles, CA | Powered by Postlets

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Pootin e Sarbazi Maghz ro Aab Mikone va Mooha ro Kachal...

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Yadam miad hamisheh az checkmeh hai e arteshi badam mioomad. Be nazarm hamisheh kheili bad rikht boodan. Meshki va bad gheiafeh. Fekr mikardam ke paha che beicharee ee hastan ke bayad oon too bemoonan va bepoosan. Enghad ke band e kafsh lazem dasht va saghesh boland bood! Oon joorab e araghoo ke az toosh darmioomad.. pif pif...

Yeki az familamoon ke sarbaz bood yadame ke chand bar oomad shab pish e ma bemoone. Yadame oon mogh be baradarm ke az man koochiktar bood va hamdast e kharabkari ham goftam ke ein pesar e az bas ein chekmeh ha ro pooshideh, maghzesh aab shodeh va moohash kachal shodeh. Oon ham harf e man ro bavar kard va gharar shod oon pesar e sarbaz e bad bakht ro nejabt bedim. Baray e ein kar ham sangai e tazeeni too kooze gol e nakhl e khoone ro var dashtim va checkmeh ro barash por kardim....

Vaghti oon beichareh mikhast bere padegan, yadam e ma khaab boodim vali dafe baadesh ke oomad khoone ma digeh chakmeh hash ro napooshid. Lebas e sarbazi tanesh bood vali kafshash mamooli bood...

Ye modat baad ke moohash ham daroomad, man be baradarm goftam ke ma nejatesh dadim az kachali.

Hala ke ein pootinhai e bad rikht e sarbaza ro didam ke too ein tazahorat ha jeloo mardom e ma vaimisan, yad e ein dastan oftdam... kashki mifahmidan ke pootin e sarbazi maghz ro aab mikone ve mooha ro kachal....

Where Are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:11:00 +0000

I am addressing all the human right activists, humanitarians, freedom fighters, politicians, decision makers, all people that say they support movements for freedom in the world, that they care about human rights, and democracy for all.

Where are you now?

Haven't you been watching the news on CNN? Iran has been headline of news for the past couple of days. It feels it has been going on forever. But still you are silent.

Don't you believe it? That's all I can think of it as with the advent of these new phones, I doubt that important people like you have not heard of this big news yet.

Mr. Chris De Burgh ... you traveled to Iran and mentioned how you liked Iranian people. Don't you think it is appropriate to voice your concerns over violence in Iran? Mr. Sean Penn, perhaps you can educate your fellow Hollywood stars about Iran and what is going on right now. If you raise your voice against violence in Iran, it will attract the attention of non -Iranians. It will make more and more people aware of torture in Iran and perhaps the international crowd can help.

As you all may remember, Iranians held a candle light vigil in Tehran in memory of all people who lost their lives in the tragic event of September 11th. Don't you think it is time to reciprocate the favor?

If in your heart, you consider yourself an advocate for human rights, we need your help. Right now. All we ask for now is to raise your voice in our support. To notify people around you. People in Iran need to see this action. To see that world supports them. It is at times of hardship and despair that support matters most.

Thanks for reading this piece.

To Neda's Killer

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Each of us have a life to live. There is no one but us that decides how to live that life. At points there are critical actions that can alter one's life forever. Actions that can haunt a person for a man's life...actions that can make them live the hell in life. Does anyone want to be a criminal? Even the thought of it is frightening but...

I know at least one person who has decided to be a criminal. To kill an innocent young woman by choice. The moment you raised that gun, the moment you pulled that trigger, did you ever ponder for a second that you are killing an innocent person? Did you think that you are becoming GHATEL? Did you think that everyone will be afraid of you as if you are infected by plague? Did you know that you have to carry the burdeon of that scene for ever in front of your eyes? Sleep will no longer be the solution to your pain. Her face, her neck bleeding, her body in her father's arms will be your nightmare for the rest of your life.

They thaught us at school some principles. I guess you know them too. Do not steal. Do not take what is not yours. How did you dare to take Neda's life? Were you the one who gave her life? Weren't you afraid of God or whoever you beleive that created her life, your life, my life?

I know that street"Khosravi" very very well. I grew up there and I've passed by that place many times in my life, enough to know that you; such a coward , could not have shot her from inside the crowd. You would have been shred into pieces in no time by people who are way braver than you are. Were you standing on the roof? Were you thinking you are safe? This is what was going through your head: " No one can see me. I just kill them from here and I can escape easily".

Escape to where? to who? Do you think there is ever an escape for you or the ones like you? Think about all the eyes that turned towards the direction of bullet. You were fleeing and saving your timid life. Running with all your power. But , those eyes will chase you. All of them every single minute and there is no refuge.... EVER.

You know how we have Nefrin - curse(making ill wishes for some one else) in Farsi? You are cursed by her mom. Her sobbing mother. Her faher carrying her lifeless body. All people who saw this, who got to know about this all over the world. Can your tiny brain understand this? I repeart: ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!!

Rest in Hell while she rests in peace in Heaven. If you are a person who can be in his shoes and read this, make your choice. Reconsider before raising that club, before shooting that bullet, before being violent, do not create a hell for yourself, the kind of Hell that even doom's day can not bring an end to it.

Burning in fire of regret evry day and sleeping through nightmare of chasing eyes....

Roohash Shad.

Bye Bye Cockroach!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:03:00 +0000

I am having one of those moments. I am not hurt, wounded, stabbed or for that matter nothing bad has happened to me but I feel pain. It is a sharp pain. It starts somewhere in the middle of my body and it radiates to my head. I guess it is my heart since it is an emotional pain I feel. Nothing physical.

Today, corporate America announced that they are laying off 50,000 people. As this gloomy day progressed, this number got even bigger. By the end of the day it hit 68,000 jobs being cut. That could easily be translated to 200,000 people, considering an average family of 3 members.

And I close my eyes, trying to see those families got impacted....

A couple who is expecting their first baby and so much need that valuable insurance plan to ensure mom gets proper care during her pregnancy and later for delivery....

The family with three little daughters where Mummy is a homemaker and Daddy is the main bread earner...

That sixty year old engineer who has served his company for thirty years and was just about ready to retire...

My list goes on and on. It makes my head spin.

It is sad. Trust me. Been there. Done that.

When I got laid off, it left a sour taste in my mouth forever. Plus I learned one big lesson:" The word: loyalty does not exist in Corporate America's Dictionary".

It took me a long while to digest my layoff. Not even sure if I ever did despite all my counseling and therapy sessions.

After apprehending the news which took 72 hours in my case back then, my first thought was: Where do I start again?

And that simple question...is so complicated. It is like having the history of my professional experience marching live in front of me. And I need to remember the moments, the details, the achievements, and find ways to market myself.

Market myself? Oh yeah... That is huge stuff... Job search needs a marketing plan and a sales pitch and a good sales man who knows how to network and reach out...

And if you are not a sales man, no worries. In the job search, you will turn into one.

You go on so much interviews and so many times you have to repeat the same phrases to recruiters that you become well-versed in your sales pitch. Beyond professionalism. I remember I could even see behind the phone when someones eyes glaze over while I was talking. It made me cut the crap and get to the point faster.

Although losing my job was hard, tough, emotionally as well as financially, I can't deny the big positive impact it had on me. It made me think about myself. What I've been doing?...Where do I stand?...Is this what I wanted? How far am I from where I want to be?

And that was fabulous.

To stop. To take a break from the life of a mechanical cockroach that I was. To observe this mechanical cockroach and wonder why it was programmed the way it was. Was it me or was it corporate America that made a cockroach out of me? Did the cockroach feel any joy or even sadness or may be disappointment?

At the beginning of job search, I remembered all the disappointments. All the negative stuff at my work that made me swear I'd never go back to the office again. And sure enough I did....at least for some , rather long time.

Now, that I had a chance for a fresh start over, I started thinking of what I needed to have in my new job to add some element of joy to the cockroach manner of life. Even put together a list, not very extensive but knew what I wanted exactly.

As the job search went on and I met more and more decision makers and I learned how bumpy this road can be, then the old workplace started looking shiny.

And I should say that every sunrise in my life, made that old office seem brighter and brighter. Especially when I started to realise it is not about what you know or your capabilities. It is about who you know and how you present that little mechanical cockroach: stylish, obedient, or a rebel, or may be a forward thinker?

I decided to let the cockroach be a passionate one. Get out of the shell of a mechanical one and may be not even be a cockroach anymore. Let it show some passion, pour enthusiasm and go for what really excites her. Unfortunately the outcome was not that promising. A stable cockroach with the dominant characteristics of a reliable, ever obedient servant is much better suited in the world of Corporate America.

The result was natural, I shifted gears and decided to hide the bright feathers I had put on this cockroach. Let it be the same rusty, brownish looking creature with hypnotized eyes.

The miracle worked and I got job offers.

It is all about marketing, about mesmerizing a decision maker enough with the fact that you are the mechanical cockroach in metamorphosis. And that they need you.

My heart goes to anyone who got laid off and their families. Best of luck in job search. If I can be of any help through my LinkedIn network or in any other way, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Law-Enforcement Agents in Recession Time

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:46:00 +0000

The heart of rabbit is pounding hard as she cruises along the bushes to get home. With every single step, she knows that any moment she can be trapped. This forest is full of wolves. Hungry, angry, devastated wolves waiting for her tender flesh. Wolves already salivating at the thought of jumping at her and seeing the extreme of fright in her eyes. But despite all this, all this fear and paralyzing ansgt, she has to go on. Simply because life goes on...and she has to live right here in forest.

The story is a simple metaphor for police cars cruising the streets of Los Angeles nowadays. I am not sure if it is the state deficit or the global recession that has put the pressure on them. Turning them into non-human predators scanning every single movement of cars to find a reason to turn on their blinding roof lights and chase the poor captive.

And they are never short of excuses, reasons to stop you and give you a ticket. Whatever you say, however you try is like talking to a wall. Sometimes I feel talking to a wall makes more sense as you do not expect the least of intelligence that you would be anticipating from these so-called human police force.

Yesterday, it was a gorgeous day with the sun shining in a clear sky after a rainy night. A beautiful day to spend at Farmer's market with a friend to chit chat and buy some fresh veggies. As I strap the seat belt of my little baby girl, I feel excited for the fresh weather and the fine morning. Saturday was kind of a gloomy day with some rain. Although I love rain but nowadays that I work full time and have 48 hours of fun limit with my baby, I do hope for a better weather on weekend.

Anyhow, as I started, I figured it would be a nice idea to double check where we meet with my friend. So, with my lovely headset on, I make a quick phone call and we confirm where to meet around 11 AM. I hang up and a few minutes later I arrive behind the red light. I think to myself let's check the time and I look at my cell phone which shows 11:58... Surpisedly I take a look at my car clock which shows a 10:55. I am wondering in my head what is going on, when I notice the light has turned green and I need to go. I move on and just a second later I notice a police car beside me that suddenly shifts lanes and places itself right behind me. Next thing I know are the bright lights sending threatening signals my way.

I stop and a bulky white guy created just to ruin my day and perhaps the day of a few hundred other people in his life time comes to my window.

Officer: Insurance and driver license, M'me.

I pull my stuff together asking:
I: Why have you stopped me?

Officer: You were talking on the phone.
I: I was not...

His words are so shocking that I forget that I am wearing my beautiful headset and it is none of his business even if I was talking on my cell phone!

He gets my stuff and disappears... My little girl starts crying. As I see no action from him but standing by the wall, I turn to his side and open the window...Then I see his partner busy scibbling...what could be a potential, aweful ticket for no reason!

I: Officer, are you writing me a ticket?
Trying my best to control my voice and making it sound normal not annoyed!
Officer: Close the window, M'me.

I: But I did not do anything wrong!!!!!!

He looks away. The person who is supposed to be enforcing the law in the city is giving me a ticket for merely looking at my phone!!!!

I: Officer, here is my phone; you can see that I was not talking.
Officer: You were looking at it, impeding the traffic...

I am like big deal! Since when looking at your phone is a crime? Plus haven't you experienced a dozen times people who are distracted at the turn of the light and you need to honk your horn not to miss the light? Another plus: there was no traffic...it was a Sunday and street was clear by all means...

Partner officer who I guess might be in training comes forward with the ticket. My baby is crying so frantically and I am so frustrated by this unfairness that my heart is pounding... it's a rabbit trapped by the wolves...

I shake my Smart Phone in his face.
I: Officer, this is a smart phone( stressing the word smart by all means!), it has a log of all my calls, texts, activities, etc. You can see I was not using my phone; I was just looking at it as I was wondering about the correct time...

He simply ignores me and my request for him to look at my phone. Perhaps he thinks that my phone might bite him? Or may be he is afraid that he can not make his quota of the day for giving tickets and make the government richer? I don't know...All I know is that he hands me the pen to sign.

Officer: M'me I could have given you a ticket for moving violation but I did not.

I: I just moved on when it was green.

Officer: But you had a delay...

My baby screams. I sign the freaking ticket.

I get out of my car to unbuckle my baby and hold her and calm her down. She has had a good doze of fear on our day off. I look straight at the two so-called officers as they pull away. The one who gave me the ticket diverts his gaze, trying to avoid my offended, piercing look.

They leave and I am left with the thought of how unfair they were. To add salt to my wound as I resume driving to farmer's market, there is a jeep in front of me with the driver holding his bulky phone to his ear, talking. He talks and talks as we pass through 3-4-5 lights and no body stops him.

Now, I know why he and so many law breakers get away with it because the law-enforcement is after giving tickets for nonsense reasons to elevate the government financial gap not really enforcing the law...

I left home without...

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:32:00 +0000

even seeing my daughter wake up today....
It was dark
the room was dark
and I could only see her precious butt pointing upwards...
in the amazingly funny position that she sleeps...
And it's me hovering over the bed...
thinking I need to leave
And I'll be away for straight 8-9 hours before
I can see her again...
touch her soft skin...
Emrge in her big, brownish eyes...
And let my heart go light as she smiles and giggles
Showing off the gap between her front teeth...

It's hard being a mom

But then thinking about the paycheck
It releives me that it's there
for us...
for her...

And today is a Friday...
Happy Friday....

After a long long time

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:38:00 +0000

I am writing here after an awefully long time...actually I miss you Khepeleh Jaan! The reason was simple...
It was corportae america lack of respect for human being..
Plus the fact that we live in an everchanging world of unceratinities
And if you are wondering what I mean by this bold statement read on
I was LAID OFF while on maternity leave...
Scary... ha?
Yeah...when Ava Goli was only a weak old and I could hardly walk after that killer C-section, I got calls from a recruiter at K-Force..
I told her that I am on maternity leave and by law I can not seek another employment opportunity
God... I am naive..so naive
Let me go back
I need to write this as a novel...
May be I will sell it and get rich to be able to spend more time with my baby and write and write...
So get ready you are about to read the first pass at
The Miserable Chronicles of a Job Hunter
It's a ride...
Get ready and stay tuned.

And now we want a baby, what happens next? Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:12:00 +0000

My nails have gone into a shock. This is the unbelievable fact that the Doctors agreed upon. There are some weird looking lines and dents on my nails due to a trauma. And guess what. That trauma was my delivery.

I have such a dramatic, unique delivery experience that I finally decided to write about it. It would be hard to do a full spiel version of it for every single one of my friends over the phone.

I don't want to bore you with details of how I, we decided to have a baby. All I can say is that the biggest trigger was after I got sick in a Southern America country. It was then and there that I felt the power of having someone/people to care for as a family. The other thing that I experienced painfully was the ugliness of selfishness and being egocentric.

Anyhow, after my flight landed in LA in September 2006, the next big call I made after calling my hubby to pick me up from the airport was to call my OB.

Now, this one was a new OB for me due to the fact that my former OB would not accept any type of insurance anymore! And that would be kind of , sort of expensive especially if planning for a pregnancy.

So, one fine day @ 8: 00 AM I show up in her office in which the daylight pours in and I tell her we have decided to have a baby but not so fast, but in a way that the baby is born before I turn 35 and now I am 34. And being the lovely, logical, American Doctor that she is, she understands that what I need is to start right away trying. Of course, I haven't understood yet that the moment that you decide to have a baby, it does not happen next day or next month. The reason I say this is because many of my friends who will read this think like me. We always think that it is a matter of our decision. And especially for us, immigrant ones that never everything seems to be fitting perfectly to have a baby, we have an extra bunch of reasons/ excuses to deal with. So, summary: Friends, Foes, Folks...getting pregnant might take time, so plan accordingly!

And the I want to get pregnant journey begins. And by a journey I mean it. You really have to prepare for it. When the ovulation happens, when you should have an intercourse, when you should test. God, that 's a hell of lot planning at least for me.

The ovulation test sticks were the funniest part. You pay 20 bucks for a 2 of these test thingees and you pee on them and boom they are gone! So, I decided to try the 7 day one and sometimes that sounded such a waste. One pal re commanded buying it from 99 cent stores. I never went for it since I had realized I don't want to waste any time! So, the first time was kind of fun, we were still experimenting. But then when I realised that we have to schedule our busy lives around GOD knows when to have sex, there came the funny part.

That having planned sex in the middle of the week nights...now, if you are married for a couple of years and you come home tired, forcing yourself to have sex is not exactly like watching Lakers game. Any fun thing when you need to plan for it and do it this way and that way , the fun flies right out of the window.

And even the best part is when one is travelling and you don't want to miss that precious moment that happens once in month. After all, a year has no more than 12 months and so you have no more chances than that ! 1 out of 12 that is pretty a big chunk!

So, we slowly planned our lives around it. Once even my hubby had to drive 200 miles overnight to save the precious moments when the eggs inside me were boiling hot to meet cool, sexy sperms in him. And guess what, the result was that single line in pregnancy kit which means none !

So, after like three/four months I was like : This is tough! A game that you have to play carefully but you have no idea for how long?! Any game like that gets boring even if it's playing a slot machine in Vegas when you have endless number of coins and each time you play , you know you have a chance of winning that big, juicy, red BMW convertible spinning around !

Anyhow, one fine day in January when experimenting with different brands of these pregnancy kits just for keep it fun sake, I came up with two sticks instead of one! And since I was born a always double check it before announce it type of a person, next thing I did was running all the way to Savon to indulge and buy one of those more expensive but dummy proof ones that shows the words pregnant/not pregnant!

So, I have the test , I came back home and with my crime partner we test and guess what it shows the precious words : pregnant! And after the first jumps up and down, I am like what if this is not working right, I have to check with my OB.

And here we have brave me in OB's office telling them what I had seen in test sticks. I have test sticks neatly wrapped in tissues in my bag just in case. After all in such cases you need OB/nurse to still believe that you are not hallucinating.

And the big news is confirmed! I am a prego! And then I am like OK, how am I supposed to feel? I am not talking about morning sickness or anything of that physical nature, I am thinking feeling wise. It's like they say there's a baby somewhere inside me, but where, what, what am I supposed to be feeling? Is that all right to be wondering like that?

And technology, God bless it has an answer to all these confusions in my head struggling with my happy part of the brain. Doctor sends me to sonography and it was there and then that I felt in love with... no there was no baby there...with a point. There was a point the size of a walnut may be and Susan kindly told me that it's my baby. The point was not even moving which but I could feel it was live. There was another life in me ! It was superb, yet strange! Hey I am not that kind of a person that feels all the time : oh, sweet, great, cute. Sorry to disappoint you but hey that's who I am so bear with my logical, wanting to make sense out of everything nature as you read along. I can promise you if you are in the same boat, you will have a fun ride. And if you are not, hey just read on, what have you got to lose? Just adding another 5-10 minutes to that bunch of God, I wasted my time.

So, here I am out the door with a Black and White print of my so called tummy with a black point in it called our baby. I could not walk. There were too much stuff going in my head. I rush to the restroom, unzip my pants and let my belly out. I stare at it and ask: baby are you there? There is no movement inside me but there is a new vibe in my heart. It pounds faster as I am handling my new emotions. And then I discovered a big fact. All these years that I talked about abortion so easily, what a bull shit, none sense speaker I was. Don't get me wrong. I was/am/will be 100% pro abortion right, but now I understand that it is a huge, huge decision to make, that indeed from even the very early on, there is life growing inside the woman. I just hope that no woman ever faces that situation and I hope if they do, they don't get a chance to do a sonography. To me , that can make it a lot harder.

So, we celebrate the Life inside me! The Life that is growing because of us! Some sort of pleasure neither of us could experience without the other, without our love.

And as the initial excitement settles in me, my brain switches to baby delivery mood. And my quest starts for facts, figures, methods, right and wrongs.

And now I am tired, I'll tell you the rest in my next episode! :)

Yek eshgh va sadha esm

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:11:00 +0000

Khosh daram ke har rooz nami novin naham bar koodakam
Ava sultan e azizam, madarat gorbeh sultan havashai e gharib dard
Nokhst tu ra sultan munchkin e aval namidam
Va na chandan dirtar soli goli
Va angah Mash baghar vaghti faryadha mizani
Va gol bagher angah ke chon gol mishekofi
Gah ham mash soleiman va gol soleiman
Va dar roozi khosh be Tooba andishidam
Be yade beheshti ke az an ghadam bar sarzamine zendegani e ma nahadi
Va einchenin bood ke boobie
Har chand ke madare tajdaram hamchenan tu ra Bibi naz mikhanad
Va baray e man avay e shirini hasti ke didanat zendegi ra rangi sabztar mibakhshad.

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:49:00 +0000

Another day went by and I am getting close to date I need to go back to work. While there are exciting things to think about but the thought of being away from my little Boobie makes me v. sad. The thought of missing all these wonderful first time moments. The chance of seeing her smile first thing in the morning. The chance of washing her tooshi in the morning and get how excited she gets when I open her diaper! OMG... this is sad... I wish there was a law and some enough money that I could stay with you Boobie for like 6 more months...Boobie I know we need each other like flower needing sun...you are my sunshine boobie..your presence cheers me up every single day and your smile brighten my heart...How can I survive? I am just hoping for a miracle my boobie...God, I trust you....may be you can make it happen...may be a Neiman Marcus fashion manager falls in love with my designs and I get rich...may be more people love my stuff enough to buy them...I don't know boobie...All I know is that I love u...

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:35:00 +0000

This is the most amazing creature I have met...She changes every day and sometimes I feel like she changes several times a day. While her outside appearance changes so rapidly, her evolution is constant but not as fast. May be she takes her time to digest us, the envioronment and the mindset of people that surround her.
Her focus in life is getting milk and for that she kills. Not that she takes a weapon and attacks us but she cries so bitterly, so hard that you melt. You just leave the task at hand, that unfinished meal and rush to feed her.
She loves to move her little legs in the air when we undress her...may be that's how we all are but we decide to hide those less than perfect bodies and that's how we come up with dresses. Well, apart from winter and cold weather stuff or may be fashion thinees...I love this creature...it just takes one smile to get me into doing what she desires!:)

Transformation

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:07:00 +0000

And with the baby comes some sort of an alert implemented in your nervous system. It is the most powerful of all sensors as it works with the slightest change in breathing of that lovely creature lying next to you. In a way that you forget you were so deeply sleeping and you roll over to take her into breastaraunt! You forget about your own sleep and while she's is hungrily devouring the breast, you just open your eyes and get mesmerized by the beauty of this creature having a fiesta on your nipple...accompanied by the melody of her greedy sucking noises, you have the opportunity of watching the most perfect show of all times. The continuos show of creation and nurturing. And that is indeed the greatest show of all times. As without this show, the mankind was doomed to diminish many many moons ago.

Imagine what you want

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Wed, 30 May 2007 18:36:00 +0000

They say try to visualize what you want to happen to you and it will come true.

What do I want?

I want the mortgage of our house paid so no fret over it all the time which is scary.
I want to write regulaly and be more confident about it and that I am going the right direction. I have to finish up my current story and polish the old one and try 2 get them somewhere. I have a great imagination and coming up with stories is not a problem for me. Also, I need to keep my friends and pals around me. I have met some v. cool people that can help me with this goal. I need 2 be more dilligent in keeping contact with them.

Ultimately I want to spend more time with Ojel. Unless I find a way 2 make more money and make ends meet..that is just a dream , a utopia and I will spend more of my shiny days behind the computer in this corner office

This can be my ideal day:

Wake up
Shower
Write for 2 hours... it's like 10 AM
Go with Ojel 2 Yoga or beach for 2 hrs 12 PM
Come home - have lunch 2PM
Nap time for Ojeli and Mummy 4 PM
Storytime for Ojel and Reading time for mummy 6 PM
Meet with friends/ Watch Movies/ Have fun with Ojel / Just leave her 2 Farbod after 6 PM
Dinner @ 9-10 PM

OOF!!! That sounds great....I'll include working on my cafepress shop and more reading and excercise somewhere in this lovely schedule as well

Baby Names

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 21 May 2007 17:41:00 +0000

Nika
Yassmina

ABC Bingo

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:36:00 +0000

What people can notice about me quite easily is my love for colors. I live a life of brightest colors!!! My paintings are as colorful as nature and my wardrobe definitely competes with it. The cheerful colors speed up the circulation of my blood and make me think better! And that is the secret to my creativity!

I come up with imaginary characters that only a few selected know about them. The creatures that each have their own personalities, ups and downs . Interestingly enough this amusing characters come from different parts of the world. Having explored enough cultures in this global village, I can claim that their personalities are quite genuine.

The ensemble of these qualities makes my life exceptional! As a passionate writer who works at Corporate America in capacity of an Engineering Manager to pay the bills, I have a tough time chaining myself to my office desk from down to dusk. But I keep the brightest smile ever and let my presence shine over the gloom of a pay check to pay check life of engineers/people surrounding me. All these could not have been made possible without my being so lucky as to have such strong imagination and passion for life. Viva la vida!

That's why I think you should put me on the show :)

Povrecito

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:56:00 +0000

How do u know how the little pea in the pod doing?

That's my concern... I'm all the time thinking if Jooni is doing OK esp. that jooni is so quiet so far,,,povrecito jooni :)

1386

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:24:00 +0000

در اين سالي كه در پيش است
نمي دانم چه تقديري مرا فرموده اي،
ليكندر آغاز طلوع روشن سالي كه مي آيد
كمك كن تا رها سازم ز خودمن
كوله بار يك هزار و سيصد و افسوس
هزار و سيصد و اندوه
تو لبخند رضايت را عطايم كن
بفهمان زندگي زيباست
كريما، دستهاي گرم و لبخندي، عطايم كن
خداوندانمي دانم چه تقديري مرا فرموده اي
امابراي مردمان خوب اين وادي
عطا فرماهزار اميدهزار و سيصد آگاهي
هزار و سيصد و هشتاد بهروزي
هزار و سيصد و هشتاد وشش لبخند زيبا را

Maaaman Babaam... Khoone por az nooreh...

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 22:30:00 +0000

Vaghti az rah miresi, vaghti dar ro baaz mikoni, too khooneh noor hast, seda hast, khoone hamisheh khali hala por az garmi va mohabateh.

Mohabati ke jaari misheh va adam roo too khodesh ye joori zoub mikoneh...
OOnjoori ke chizaee ke biroon montazretan digeh kheili barat mohem nistan..

Too damagham jashne..oon ham che jashni, basaat e soor va saat ...
Kheili sadeh ast ...roo ojagh por az ghablemeh haee ke atri midan ke ooo.. adam faghat mast nasheh, shans oovordeh

Vaghti forood miam roo mobl, dastam naz misheh , patoo room mindazan va aab az aab too delam tekoon nemikhoreh...

Khodaya hamisheh hamin joor bood?
OOn moghe ha ham ke man khoone boodam, iran boodam zendegi hamin bood?

Be cheshasoon ke negah mikonam, mibinam are hamoon adaman , chizi taghir nakardeh.... hamoon garmi , hamoon safa...

Va ein manam ke hamisheh mahroomam!!!

Manam ke har char sal ye bar ein garmi be soragham miad

Manam ke tazeh oonam ba 100 ta ena va anzalna giram miad...

Nemidoonam... man tanham ke ein hes ro daram ya baghieh adamai e dor az pedar madareshoon haminjoor poosteshoon ghelghelak misheh vaghti mibinaneshoon? :)

Sundance Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:02:00 +0000

DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE NOT MY OPINION. I'M JUST RECITING A ROUND UP OF FILMS I RECEIVED IN CASE ANYONE WANTS TO READ IT.

THE FILMS:

PREMIERES:

CHICAGO TEN

I did not understand much of this movie but it was an intense and well-made one... the only problem for me personally was that I did not care for the subject matter that much...these are things that happen when u are foreigner 2 a country's hostiory!

Bret Morgen's Chicago 10 is an engaging and timely film that does a great job of combining historical footage and newly created rotoscoped animation into a seamless documentary/narrative that not only recounts an important event in American history, but reflects the emotionally charged atmosphere of the time. It looks at the events building up to the highly publicized protest of the 1968 Democratic Convention, and the following trial in which activists Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Black Panther Bobby Seale, and 5 others were tried for inciting to riot. At the time, the nation was divided against the backdrop of the Vietnam war - and hippies and activists such as Hoffman organized public protests of the war itself, of capitalism, and for a change in the country's direction. Hoffman's offshoot of the hippie movement, known as the "Yippies," came to the media forefront with their protest at the Democratic Convention - the film gives a bit of history on the formation of the movement, and, more importantly, has a distinct point of view - it doesn't try to be a newscast or impartial documentary, and that's what I liked about it. Too many films today lack a clear direction and viewpoint, so kudos to Morgen for taking a stance. The film's timeliness is exemplified by Lyndon Johnson's announcing the troop escalation in Vietnam, and a number of other events which harken ever so close to the situation in Iraq today. While I would have liked to have seen this point driven home a bit more, the film stands on it's own, and was indeed one of the standouts of the festival.

SON OF RAMBOW
Got distribution!!!!!!

A truly delightful film written and directed by Garth Jennings (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Son of Rambow takes us on a nostalgic journey to the 80's as seen through the eyes Will, a young boy, constrained and sheltered by his strict Christian upbringing, who finds an unlikely friend with the school troublemaker Carter. Inspired by a copy of the film Rambo: First Blood - they each push their boundaries and tap into their creativity to go where only their dreams can lead them. Inspired, uplifting, and heartwarming, this film takes us back to the sense of joy, dreams, and unlimited possibility of youth, and at the same time reminds that all our dreams are possible if we simply reach for them. A tribute to Jennings' direction are the incredible performances delivered by the two young lead actors, Will Poulter and Bill Milner. Among the high proliferation of dark, edgy, and otherwise disturbing films that are usual festival fare, this film's joie de vivre was refreshing and wonderful, and a must see for anyone who likes to feel good.

GRACE IS GONE

Sad Sad SaD....don't forget tissues... After the movie feels like leaving a funeral!

Written and directed by Sundance veteran James C. Strouse, Grace is Gone is a poignant and touching film about a man's inability to deal with the death of his wife - or more accurately, his inability to tell his two daughters that their mother is gone, which results in a road trip to an amusement park with numerous stops at chain restaurants, malls, and any other detour that will forestall the inevitable. While it is pointed out that she lost her life on the battlefield in Iraq, this film is much less an anti-war statement than a character piece - and the characters are brought to life with John Cusack's moving portayal of Stanley, the father, whose great performance is even outshined by newcomer child actors Gracie Bednarczyk and Shelan O'Keefe who play the daughters Dawn and Heidi, respectively. Not only is this some of the most realistic writing of child roles I've seen in awhile, but the touching performances bring an even higher level of believability and sensitivity to the film. Not to be left out is Alessandro Nivola's standout performance as Stanley's loafing anti-war brother, who brilliantly offsets the drama of the film with his upbeat yet multi-dimensional performance. Strouse chose not to open the film with the typical and formulaic "happy family" setup - and I applaud his decision to think out of the box and create a more realistic and deeply dramatic scenario. From a writing standpoint, I would have liked to see a bit more or an arc for Stanley's character - some back and forth on whether to tell the girls, and a few obstacles and difficulties to propel him through his arc. Completely annoying was the way-too-obvious product placement with a close-up of every store sign they happened to drive past. Also to be noted (no pun intended) is the touching, articulate, and dramatically appropriate music score by composer Max Richter. It's no big surprise that this film won the Dramatic Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

SNOW ANGELS

Writer/director David Gordon Green brings this small town drama to life with impeccably crafted dialogue and top notch performances that convey the warmth and cruelty, levity and pathos, and the fairness and injustices that pervade everyday life. The multi-faceted plot and characters ring true and are at once simple in their purpose but complex in their unfolding, as an origami. There are several stories here which are brilliantly connected. Sam Rockwell's superb and multi-dimensional performance as Glen, disconnected and separated from his wife Annie, who tries to find some semblance of meaning through their daughter Tara, and an interesting mix of religion and alcohol, gives an honest portrayal of his good intentions which are executed with poor judgement. His almost-happy-but-slightly awkward relationship with his daughter is exceptionally written, and is reflective of the many other complex but realistic relationships in the film. Kate Beckinsale gives a great performance as Annie, caring but overwhelmed with her life - and although I think she may have been slightly miscast in this role (just too beautiful to be completely believable as the wife of goofball Glen in this small town setting) - she brings a high level of depth to her character. The story of Glen and Annie is intertwined with Annie's affair with Nate (dynamic performance by Nicky Katt), the slightly simple-minded husband of one of Annie's co-workers (heartfelt performance by Amy Sedaris). Subplots emerge with angst-ridden teen Arthur (Michael Angarano), who fantasizes about Annie, who is flattered by the attention and slightly flirts with the idea of a fling with him; but the decision to leave this completely unresolved was brilliant - just as in real life there are so many possibilities (romantically and otherwise) that don't end some tragic definitive fate, but hang as possibilities that just haven't happened yet, and were simply never followed up on. Realism to the nth degree. The young-love subplot between Arthur and awkward-but-cute schoolmate Lila (wonderfully played by the adorable Olivia Thirlby), while a bit underdeveloped, still has you rooting for them, and gives you that much wanted warm fuzzy feeling. Further subplots between the parents of several of the characters add the little touches that give the characters depth and humanity. It's truly refreshing to see writing where all the subplots and stories actually tie in and relate on a deep level, and it's this very quality that gives this film the high level of emotional impact that makes it one of the true standouts of the Sundance festival.

JOSHUA

If you like Omen, wtach this!

Directed and co-written by George Ratliff, Joshua is a film that gets outside of the box and transcends genres. It is the story of an upwardly mobile New York family, their newborn daughter, and their son, Joshua. Joshua is a child prodigy who happens to be jealous of the newborn daughter, and of course decides to use his intelligence for evil, doing bad things to his little sister and purposely sending his mother into a maniacal post-partem depression, and doing everything in his power to break up their happy little family. Hauntingly played by Jacob Kogan, Joshua is a hybrid of Damian from the Omen and the Bad Seed - a blazer and tie wearing, maladjusted, emotionally stiff child…with a cold, calculating demeanor, and a complete disregard for, uhm, human life. The script's brilliance lies in its ability to continuously cross the thriller/dark comedy line - you're laughing out loud one moment, and feeling shivers up your spine the next. This is no easy feat to accomplish, and the exceptional dialogue in this film has a lot to do with it. Sam Rockwell gives his usual great performance as the loving but suspicious father, and Vera Farmiga unfortunately give a very one-dimensional, overwrought performance, and while the script didn't give her much else to work with, that seems to be her only mode in her other film at Sundance (Never Forever) as well. The choice to keep the scenes mostly during daylight bring home the fact that terror doesn't have to exist only in the darkness of night, which makes it all the more frightening, and this was a superb decision on Ratliff's part. The weak points of the film were that Sam Rockwell's character seemed to change motivation on a dime, suddenly going from caring father to openly hostile without any real basis, and also Vera Farmiga's completely underdeveloped character and one-dimensional performance. The twist at the end could have been set up and emphasized a bit better as well. Luckily, the film's fresh outlook, incredible dialogue, and genre-bending viewpoint made this an extremely enjoyable watch - a must see for fans of psychological thrillers, horror, dark comedy, or anyone with an extreme dislike of little baby sisters.

NEVER FOREVER

Written and Directed by Gina Kim, this film had an interesting plot line that was rich with possibility: Sophie's ideal life being the perfect wife for her successful Korean husband is in jeopardy when he is unable to get her pregnant - so she secretly initiates a series of encounters with an illegal immigrant that has all the physical features of her husband - so she can get pregnant and have her husband believe it is his, and therefore save their marriage. All goes along as planned, until the arrangement begins to unravel and threatens to destroy the very relationship she was trying to save. While this scenario is rich with possibility, the execution was so one dimensional and lacking in any sort of emotional engagement that I could barely make it through the film. Sophie was played by Vera Farmiga, who had one tone throughout the entire film - tortured. Okay, in all fairness, she actually had three tones - from tortured, to morose, and back to tortured again, with a slight stop at sullen. The film seemed to be one long scene of Sophie looking tortured and angst-ridden after another. There was no emotional connection to her character whatsoever, or any of the other characters, for that matter. Her character was disconnected from both her husband and her immigrant lover, who were also both disconnected. While we are repeatedly told on a very surface level that Sophie and her husband Andrew (played by David McInnis) have the "perfect life," we're not only never shown this, but we're shown the exact opposite on a continual basis - that they're completely disconnected and unhappy, so it's impossible to believe this wonderful scenario that we keep being told is the case. McInnis does a good job with his extremely limited role, and the standout of the film is Ha Jung-Woo, who plays Jihah, the illegal immigrant. With regard to the costume design, the bizarre choice to put Sophie in antiquated ruffled and ribboned outfits made her look more like a 19th century schoolteacher than any sort of "perfect wife" - at least not a perfect wife from this century. I think the reason I liked the love scenes in this movie was not so much that you get to see naked beautiful bodies doing a beautiful thing, but more because it was a break from having to look at Farminga's ridiculous costuming. But come to think of it, the sex scenes all had a tortured, disconnected, and dispassionate vibe to them, making them unenjoyable to watch as well. As to the music score, composer Michael Nyman's usually brilliant work in films like "The Piano" make me really wonder if he actually wrote the frequently off-the-mark, dramatically inappropriate music for this film. It actually hurts me to give this negative of a review, but there truly was very little I actually liked about this film. In the film's defense, however, I heard there were a number of people who actually did like it - so if you like emotionally disconnected one-toned films with a bad score and worse costume design, then you should rush out and see this one right away.

ROCKET SCIENCE

Written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, this was also one of the gems of the festival, and garnered the Sundance Dramatic Directing Award. While on the surface, this is one of the typical "maladjusted teen with limited social skills come of age" type of films, its clever dialogue, great casting, and large amounts of heart make it a very enjoyable watch. Reece Thompson plays the shy, stuttering Hal Hefner, is likeable and believable, and has good screen chemistry with his unlikely love interest Ginny Ryerson (adorably played by Anna Kendrick), who recruits him to be her partner on the debate team, even though he has a major stuttering problem. There are lots of great little moments, including the parents whose couples' therapy consists of playing a hilarious version of a Violent Femmes song on a cello and piano. Definitely worth the watch, Rocket Science is scheduled be released by Picturehouse on August 10th.

PADRE NUESTRO

Directed by Christopher Zalla, Padre Nuestro was the winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. As usual, my tastes seem to run quite a bit different than the Jury members at Sundance - while the film had some good performances, and an interesting scenario, and was well directed - the script fell quite a bit flat for me. Not a character arc to be found, no "set up and payoffs" - none of the details that make for tight writing, or a truly emotionally engaging script. The story centers around Pedro (Jorge Adrian Espindola), who illegally crosses the border from Mexico to find his father Diego in New York - only to have his belongings, and identity, stolen by his new "friend" Juan (Armando Hernandez). While Pedro is lost and wandering the streets of New York, Juan then searches out Diego and poses as Pedro to attempt to steal supposed riches. In Spanish and English, this film had one of the worst subtitling jobs I have seen, leaving out huge gaps of dialogue. While all three leads were completely believable in their roles (with the standout being Jesus Ochoa as Diego the father), this film could have been a true standout if as much attention had been paid to the character development as other aspects of the directing, art direction, and cinematography. Kudos also to Paola Mendoza in her role as Magda.

ADRIFT IN MANHATTAN

Directed and co-written by Alfredo de Villa, Adrift in Manhattan interweaves three stories about adapting to loss, kinship, and reliance on others, with a well-shot New York City as the backdrop. The stories center around Rose (Heather Graham, in a type of role we haven't seen her in before), an optometrist dealing with the pain of losing a child and her inability to relate to her estranged husband; and Simon (Victor Rasuk), a withdrawn teenager with a more than slightly unnerving relationship with his obsessive mother that borders on incest, whose creative outlet seems to be stalking Rose and surreptitiously photographing her; and Tommaso (wonderfully played by Dominic Chianese), an aging artist who is going blind, but hopefully can win the affections of his somewhat younger co-worker Isabel (heartfelt performance by Elizabeth Pena). For my tastes, the Tommaso/Isabel storyline had the most engaging characters, but unfortunately the least amount of screen time. As with any "multiple storyline" films such as Adrift, I like to see a level of interactivity between the stories - where the actions in one story have ramifications and effect in the other(s), which makes for truly tight, cohesive writing. While de Villa did a nice job of setting that scenario up, I would have liked to see it kicked up one more notch. That aside, if you're into the dark/angst/tormented fare that is typical of most film festivals, this could be the film for you.

TEETH

Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, Teeth is about a teenage girl who just happens to have teeth in her private parts (aka the "Vagina Dentata" myth). Not sure what to say after that, other than the film relies on the obvious shock value to make its point with overly lengthy shots that show the outcome of her vengeful actions that would leave even the heartiest of males cringing. And while I'll admit there is more intelligence to the writing here than the Troma-esque film that I was expecting, without the aforementioned "obvious shock value" this would be a mediocre film at best. Whether the "OSV" takes it down the drain, or makes it the hilarious and empowering social statement of the decade, I'll leave up to you. Audiences were highly polarized on this film, as might be expected. The main character (wonderfully played by Jess Wexler, who received the Jury Prize for Acting) goes through a somewhat predictable arc - starting as a prim, proper, and pure high school girl that is one of the leaders of her "chastity group" that has pledged to remain virgins until marriage, and then changing from the sexual victim to the sexual avenger, as she learns and soon becomes accustomed to the fact that she now needs a dentist where the rest of don't. I guess this brings a whole new use for the "floss bikini"…

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:EVERYTHING'S COOL

irected by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand, Everything's Cool could be described as a kind of Michael Moore meets Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Upbeat and whimsical at times, but with a dead serious message - we're all in deep doodoo if we don't address the issue of Global Warming soon. While an Inconvenient Truth uses hard hitting facts to make it's point, Everything's Cool attempts to connect with the people who couldn't relate to the earnestness of Al Gore's approach by the use of humor, colorful animation, and zany characters. It makes it point well, and indeed serves it's purpose - while the folks who are a fan of AIT might not take this film seriously, that's okay, because they've got Al Gore's earnestness to win them over. This film serves its purpose precisely because it will relate to all the people that Al can't reach. And if you're still not even slightly concerned about Global Warming after watching both of these films, well then I guess you think everything's cool.

PROTAGONIST

Written and directed by Jessica Wu, Protagonist started off as a documentary on Euripides and classic dramatic structure, but ultimately became the chronicling of the sagas four real life contemporary men, and the parallels of their journeys to Euripedes' principles and ideas. Entertaining and visually fascinating, Progatonist makes use of puppetry to re-enact scenes from Euripides plays - that also reflects the lives of her subjects - a bold approach that is both timeless and refreshing. Making reference to all the ways in which we are surrounded by story, Wu makes use of everything from home movies, drawings, flip-book animations, and the passages from the Bible that not only bring the classic traditions of the past into the present, but show the timelessness of the plights and ultimate redemption of the four modern day men. I had no idea what to expect when walking into this movie, but by the time I walked out, I was thoroughly entertained, engaged, and even learned a thing or two about classic story structure, not to mention being a new fan of up and coming filmmaker Jessica Wu.

MANDA BALA (SEND A BULLET)

Directed by Jason Kohn, Manda Bala explores the less glamorous side of Brazil - not the beaches, Carnivale, or samba dancers, but political corruption, kidnapping, and the side industries which they spawn - which have literally changed the face of the nation in recent years. Opening with a frog farm used as a front for money laundering, the film starts at the bizarre and paints an offbeat, but never trivialized, picture of the state of affairs in Brazil. One of the central figures in the film is Jader Barbalho, a corrupt tycoon who has used his political positions to evade prosecution for embezzlement and money laundering. Kohn also interviews both kidnappers and kidnapees in examination of the thriving kidnapping trade, which seems to have spawned a number of side industries including a plastic surgeon whose specialty is reconstructing ears that have been sliced off, bullet-proof automobiles, and private helicopters which seem to have become standard issue for wealthy Brazilians. The prevailing system seems to be that of the rich stealing from the poor and then the poor steal back from the rich, in a continuous cycle. A big kudos to the filmmakers, who literally put their lives on the line to make this film, and received death threats if the identities of some of their interviewees are revealed.

OTHER FILMS - OUT OF COMPETITION:YEAR OF THE FISH

Writer/director David Kaplan has put together a fresh take on an old Chinese folktale (more commonly known as "Cinderella" to western audiences), set against the backdrop of a massage parlor in New York's Chinatown. Ye Xian, the "Cinderella" of this story (a heartfelt performance by newcomer An Nguyen, who already has several more films in the works), is sent by her father to America to work in a massage parlor run by the cruel Ms. Su, the "wicked stepmother" character (brilliant performance from Asian star Tsai Chin of Memoirs of a Geisha, The Joy Luck Club, etc.). Being strong of spirit and unwilling to resort to prostitution to pay off her debts, she is forced to perform all the cleaning, cooking, and other menial labor. Corrine Wu's performance as the "not-so-evil stepsister" is noteworthy as well, adeptly traversing the range from evil to compassionate, as she ultimately comes to the aid of Ye Xian. I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of Wu's work in the near future. Hettienne Park plays the evil stepsister to the hilt - you love to hate her. Randall Duk Kim (Memoirs of a Geisha) plays several roles in the film, including the mysterious Auntie Yaga, who introduces Ye Xian to her Fairy Godmother, in the form of a goldfish, and Ken Leung provides a handsome and likeable "Prince Charming" character in this tale.Kaplan has made very tasteful use of rotoscoped animation (animating over live action film) - using a new technology has not only allowed him to complete the film in a fraction of the time (and at a fraction of the cost), but more importantly gave him more creative control over the final effect. Sometimes rotoscoping can be highly stylized, but Kaplan made a great choice to use a more subtle effect, which allowed more details of the actors' actual performances to come through - I believe ultimately this made for a more emotionally engaging film.Kudos also to a wonderful music score from composer Paul Cantelon - I was humming the themes in my head throughout the rest of the festival.From a writing standpoint, the well-defined characters and tightly knit structure kept you engaged from start to finish. While the Ye Xian character was strong in that she preserved her spirit by not allowing herself to be subjugated into prostitution, I would have liked to see her take a more active role in freeing herself, rather than passively awaiting her Prince Charming. Also, once Johnny (the Prince Charming character) finds Ye Xian, I would liked to have seen a bit more dramatic tension, and push and pull, such as "I've found her, but now I can't have her," etc. Kaplan had actually set this up beautifully, when Johnny found Ye Xian, only to learn (mistakenly) that she was a prostitute. Instead of simply loving her anyway and riding off into the sunset, much more drama could have been added by him going away based on thinking she was a prostitute, and Ye Xian's character could then have become active, rather than passive, in finding him again and making things right. As it was, it all resolved a bit too quickly and easily for my tastes.Even with my nit-picking, this was a well done film that is sure to win your heart, as will the talented cast.

SMILEY FACE

Written by Dylan Haggerty and directed by Gregg Araki, Smiley Face is one of those films that you just can't help but like. Anna Faris turns in an absolutely hysterical performance as the loveable, if not misguided, Jane - who also happens to be quite the pothead. One thing leads to another, and what should have been a relatively simple day of going to an audition spins wildly out of control, with a series of madcap adventures that get her from point A, stoned at 9:17am, to point Z, sitting on a ferris wheel having a conversation with a disembodied voice about corn chips and orange juice, while about to be arrested for stealing a highly valuable and rare historical document. While on one level this film could have been a brainless sort of a one-joke-wonder: "I'm a pothead and therefore I'm slightly clueless and say and do one stupid thing after another" - Faris' uncanny ability to add novelty to each variation makes this film ultimately a wonderful, fun, zany ride in the day of your not-so-average pothead. The writing is adequate, but it's truly Faris' top notch performance that saves this film from being a campy collection of repetitive stoner jokes relegated to B level obscurity, as she makes every scene a treat to watch. As mentioned in the Sundance guide, "Araki deftly pokes fun at pot culture while affectionately embracing it" - and one thing is for sure, that pot smokers and non-smokers alike will laugh their funnybone off during this film.

WAITRESS

It is a tragedy and true loss to the filmmaking community that writer/director/actress Adrienne Shelly was not here to witness the praise and success of her film Waitress - she was tragically murdered last November, even before hearing that the film was accepted to Sundance, or that it has since been picked up by Fox Searchlight. The film's broad appeal is due to the smart, tight writing of the script, which makes you laugh as well as feel for all the characters in the story, as well as heartwarming and believable performances from a top-notch cast. The beautiful Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress who can't stand her jerk-of-a-husband Earl, doesn't want his baby (that she just happens to be pregnant with), and simply wants to make pies at the diner where she works. She happens to have a great talent for making pies, and an even greater talent for coming up with interesting names for them, such as "I Hate My Husband Pie," "I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie," and a number of other names that, while they give you no clue as to the ingredients, certainly clue you in to the frame of mind of the baker. Jenna's regular pre-natal doctor is replaced by the handsome but insecure - and also married - Dr. Pommater (Nathan Fillion), whose charm, intelligence, kindness, and success is a welcomed change from Earl's stupidity, selfishness and overall jerkhood. Without giving away too much of the plot, let's just say that the jerk becomes an even bigger jerk, gets dumped, and something wonderful happens regarding the pies. The supporting roles were all wonderfully cast with great and endearing performances from Jeremy Sisto, who plays a delightfully idiotic Earl, Andy Griffith as the old, wise, kind, and sex-crazed owner of the diner, Cheryl Hines as the sexy co-worker, Eddie Jamieson as Ogie, the awkward suitor of Dawn's affections, and last but certainly not least Adrienne Shelly, as lovable as ever in her role as Dawn.This film is fun, funny, and quirky, yet touching and endearing, and has all the qualities necessary for a breakout film and big success at the box office. How wonderful it would have been for Adrienne Shelly if this had been her launching pad instead of her legacy, although a fine legacy it is.

BUGMASTER

Adapted from Yuki Urushibara's well known graphic novel (or "manga") Bugmaster (aka Mushishi), this film is poetic and beautifully shot (in Japanese with English subtitles), and tells the story of Ginko (Jo Odagiri), the healer who expertly manipulates bugs (mushi), small creatures which effect, both negatively and positively, life and its essence - they are "the phantom soul of nature breathing inside every living thing…and the dead." Ginko meanders the Japanese countryside (as does the plotline), and encounters various people with ailments that he is able to diagnose and cure with the appropriate use of various bugs - it would have been great to tie these various stories together, or tie them into the ultimate resolution between Ginko and Tokoyami, but instead they are unconnected and many subplots seem to be left hanging. While the overall feel of the picture is a wonderful combination of magical and mystical, and dark and menacing - the film is hampered by the fact that the over-complicated and frequently rambling plot is difficult to follow, and further exaggerated by having to read the subtitles - in other words, you really have to pay attention to understand what the heck is going on. The CGI, however, is top notch - the effects are subtle and tasteful, rather than over the top - i.e., they support the story, rather than vying to be the center of attention. The music score is interesting and compelling, and makes featured use of the didgeridoo - musical purists may wonder what an aboriginal Australian instrument is doing in a turn of the century Japanese story, but for me, the haunting sound it creates was apropos to the dramatic feel nonetheless - I'm more of an absolutist: if it works, it works. Even with the film's shortcomings, if you're a fan of manga, fantasy, or beautiful filmmaking, this film is definitely worth a watch.

SLIPSTREAM

Written and directed by the revered Anthony Hopkins, Slipstream is, well, one whackjob of a movie - and I mean that in the best possible sense. By his own confession, Hopkins' intent was to "break every rule of conventional filmmaking." Using top-notch production and post production personnel, as well as some of the most talented actors in the biz, what Hopkins has created is an experimental film of the highest order; however, without the extra bit of "oomph" from said top talent, this could have easily become no more than something akin to what a film student might have created as an experimental class project, and a bad one at that. But having a cast full of actors such as John Turturro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Christian Slater, Camryn Manheim, Jeffrey Tambor, Kevin McCarthy, and of course Anthony Hopkins, not to mention technical talent such as cinematographer Dante Spinotti (X-Men 3, L.A. Confidential, etc.) certainly has its advantages. Using (or over-using) numerous editing and other devices such as frequent jump cuts, quick reverse/forward transitions, small repeated snippets, etc., Hopkins' intent was to portray a dream state - to see a story in the non-linear timeframe of a dream, complete with non-sensical transitions, non-sequiturs and just plain random events. In that sense, he succeeded tremendously. The film is at once the story of a screenwriter who is losing his mind, and at the same time a movie about the making of the movie where the reality and the meta-reality co-exist and collide all at the same time. While I don't see much in the way of a theatrical run, this film may indeed develop a significant cult following on DVD, judging from the hugely positive audience response (especially if they include some significant additional content, and the much needed director's commentary). Run of the mill? Definitely not. Self indulgent? Maybe. Breaks all the rules? Definitely yes. I'm still not sure, but I think I actually liked this movie, but I couldn't begin to tell you why.MISS NAVAJODirected by Billy Luther, whose own mother was crowned Miss Navajo Nation in 1966, this film gives insight into the Navajo culture, and the high level of prestige and responsibility associated with being crowned Miss Navajo, but even more so the hard work, determination, and perseverance required to even be in the running. The pageant's focus is on honoring and strengthening the Navajo culture and internal beauty, rather than focusing on more superficial qualities such as swimsuit competitions or even talent. As the winner will become an ambassador for the entire Navajo nation as well as a role model for other young Navajos, the young women are required to have a degree of fluency in the Navajo language (in danger of dying out), as well as significant and detailed knowledge of Navajo history, culture, and religion, and even practical knowledge such as being able to single handedly butcher and prepare an entire sheep - definitely something you won't see in the Miss USA pageant! While a bit slow in pace, the sincere and heartfelt delivery makes this an enjoyable watch for anyone interested in learning about the Navajo culture.

DARK MATTER

As the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Award, I had tickets to see this film on the final day of the festival, and was quite dismayed that Sundance had cancelled the screening simply because it was also part of a regular public screening at the tiny little theater at the Sundance Resort, close to an hour's drive away from the main festival in Park City. I can't for the life of me see the purpose of shortchanging all the people who worked so hard on this film for such a completely non-relevant reason. Having heard absolutely rave reviews from numerous people, I was quite looking forward to seeing it - so even though I'm not able to write a review, I thought I'd help make up for the lack of respect Sundance showed this film, and let you all know that, judging from the overwhelming response I heard, it's definitely worth a watch.

SHORTS:THE FIGHTING CHOLITAS

This short, directed by Mariam Jobrani, was given an Honorable Mention by the Sundance Shorts Jury and tells the tale of a group of Bolivian women who push the limits of their culture by performing acrobatic wresting stunts in full cultural dress for sold out audiences every week. Well told story, nicely shot and edited. I'll also add that I had the pleasure of eating dinner at La Casitas at the table next to the filmmakers one evening, who were some of the most fun, friendly, and lively people I've met - I lost count of how many tequila shots passed from their table to ours, and to the rest of the restaurant… :)ANIMATION SPOTLIGHTThis collection of animated shorts ran the gamut in terms of both animation styles, and storytelling ability:One Rat Short - top notch professional level 3D animation, and a well told, tender but surreal love story between two rats. Directed by Alex Weil.Duct Tape and Cover - I believe this used the original (but craftily edited) audio from the US government's ludicrous safety campaign from the fifties "Duck and Cover" (in the event of a nuclear attack, simply hide under your desk!) in a satire about what Homeland Security would have us do in a current state of emergency. Funny idea, but very run of the mill animation and illustration - I suppose they were going for a retro look. Directed by Yong-Jin Park.Phantom Canyon - A young woman randomly wanders around and encounters strange creatures - not much here in the way of interesting storyline, but some interesting animation. Directed by Stacey Steers.Destiny Manifesto - Apparently this was an exploration of the visual and psychological parallels between the American western frontier and the conflict in the Middle East, but I don't think I would have figured that out without having read it in the program - using a "Monty Python" style of animated oil paintings and several other animation techniques, director Martha Colburn created a unique look for this film. I found the music score to be inappropriate and almost annoying.Paulina Hollers - Very unique and interesting animation style, going back and forth from animated wood carvings to hand drawn animation. Directed by Brent Green.Dreams and Desires-Family Ties - About a woman who becomes overly obsessed with her new digital video camera, but not much of an interesting story. Animation was purposely sloppy, but nicely stylized. Directed by Joanna Quinn.Everything Will Be OK - Light in tone, with fun, sarcastic, goofy humor, the voice-over is the star of this film - for a short in the animation spotlight, however, the animation was crude, minimalistic, and completely uninteresting at best. Close your eyes, and just listen, and you'll be entertained by this piece. Directed by Don Hertzfeldt.SHORTS PROGRAM 2Overall, I was sorely disappointed with the quality of filmmaking in this collection of shorts. As I mentioned in last year's roundup: "For my tastes, there are no excuses just because a film is a short film – it still needs a beginning, middle, and end – the characters still need to go through some type of arc, or at least there needs to be a point. Pretty much all the films in this collection failed on that end (as do sooooo many other short films in general), which is too bad, because some of them did a very good job at either creating a unique and interesting palette of characters or an interesting world. A great start - now do something with it! Just my thoughts.Dad - if you like the visual of long, extended shots of gratuitously naked geriatrics dancing, this one will knock your socks off. There was almost a character arc for the son, but it was rather forced with no real impetus driving him to his resolution. Thumbs down. Directed by Daniel Mulloy.Magnetic Poles - Supposedly this is the story of a girl in a bad relationship who finally has had enough. The relationship is implausible, as the boyfriend has no redeeming qualities whatsoever to qualify that any girl would even be with him to begin with, and rather than a character arc or story, we just see one example after another of the boyfriend continuing to be the same jerk, and her continuing to put up with it, until the end, when she finally leaves. The opening scene where a cockroach crawls up her nose was certainly a unique device, but I didn't really see its relevance to the story. There were, however, gratuitous naked scenes for your viewing enjoyment. Thumbs down. Directed by Maria Rosenbum.Doorman - This short explores the line between perpetrator and victim in a story dealing with a homosexual affair between a doorman and tenant in a NY apartment building. This one comes closer to hitting the mark, and has some powerfully emotional moments, but no real resolution or arcs make it slip a few notches. Again, plenty of gratuitous nakedness, which still does not make up for holes in the writing. Notably good performance from the lead actor, however.Death to the Tinman - This short truly stood out among this collection, and actually won an Honorable Mention from the Sundance Short Jury. Director Ray Tintori took the original story of "The Tin Woodsman of Oz" and completely tweaked it, making it entirely funny, yet still tragic. Goofy fun, with a good music score.Graceland - About an Elvis impersonator who travels the countryside from Bangkok with an impersonator of another type - this film seemed to have no point whatsoever. Directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong.Happiness - with an underlying sadness, this film explores the line between what we think will make us happy, and what will actually make us happy, and what we're willing to do to achieve it. This film makes a nice point at the end, but if it weren't for a few nice moments in the middle, this film could almost be one of those "ten-minute-setup for-a-single-punchline" type of shorts, which also fall short (no pun intended), in my opinion. Directed by Sophie Barthes.SHORTS PROGRAM 5This collection of shorts was far and away better than Shorts Program 2, but still apparent (but to a significantly lesser degree) was the recurring theme of incomplete writing, underdeveloped ideas, or lack or character development. There is a distinct difference between shooting a "scene" as something to put on your demo reel, and creating an actual "Short Film" - a scene or demo doesn't require character development, arcs, or resolutions, but once you call something a "film," you really should consider having something at least resembling a completely developed idea.Family Reunion - A New York Lesbian has trouble coming out to her family - no real arcs or resolution here, and no obstacles or revelations that add anything new to this overly re-hashed theme, which stopped being edgy for it's own sake a long time ago. Good performances from the actors made this bearable to watch. Directed by Isold Uggadottir.Der Ostwind - A German World War I flying ace accepts a challenge from a mysterious American pilot, possibly at the cost of his life - and learns something about himself, and the true meaning of honor. Top notch writing - at last! A unique and interesting story, complete with character arcs and a resolution - yes it can be done, even in only 11 minutes. Add to this incredible and top notch effects and animation, and solid performances. This is everything a short film should be, and then some. Kudos to director Kohl Glass.Conversion - This film explores (on a very surface level) the effect that Missions have on Navajo tribe life, when a little Navajo girl finds a picture of Jesus. Great production value, but rather lacking in story and development. Directed by Nanobah Becker.The Oates' Valor - A piece about personal pride and forgiveness between a father and son. A fair directing job by Tim Cahill makes this quite watchable, but not quite outstanding.

Zarin - Wonderfully shot - if the writing were nearly as stunningly beautiful as the cinematography in this short, this would be an incredible film. About an Iranian prostitute seeking to escape her life, the plot, character development, and resolution are virtually non-existent. Lots of overly long, drawn out scenes - this film could have accomplished in two minutes what it did in twenty. Directed by Shirin Neshat.Salt Kiss - this Brazilian film (in Portuguese with English subtitles) is an engaging, funny, dramatic, and at times subtle film with a heart. The storyline centers around the carefree Rogerio, who attempts to bring his recently engage best friend back to the single life. Based on real people, the person who played Rogerio was not an actor, but the actual person - no wonder his performance was so believable (and entertaining!). The ending fell a little short, but a worthwhile watch nonetheless. Directed by Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa.Songbird - aptly screened before the feature Teeth, this film is a different sort of short, about an overbearing husband, wifely revenge (Janet Chiarabaglio as the wife), and very strange eating habits. Very original and stylized production values, and a unique story make this worth a watch - maybe not during mealtime, however.

Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:58:00 +0000

Az oon rooza bood ke be kheili ha fekr kardam va delam vase kheilia tang shod...dast be ghalam bordam va oomad...vay ke cheghad Farsi khoobe chon hamishe toosh asoon chiza meiad va sari minevisam... baray e har kalameh ham mooham ro nemikanam....

Va az oon 50 ta email shayad ye 10-12 ta javab oomad vali hamoonaee ke oomad made my day... baazi vaghta adam fekr mikone ke ghalbe arzesh tapidan dare

Sundance 07 Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 23:47:00 +0000

Big sellers

— “Crazy Love,” Magnolia.

— “Grace Is Gone,” Weinsteins.

— “King of California,” First Look.

— “La Misma Luna,” Fox Searchlight/Weinsteins.

— “Teeth,” Lions Gate/Weinsteins.

— “Dedication,” First Look/Weinsteins.

— “Joshua,” Fox Searchlight.

— “In the Shadow of the Moon,” THINKFilm.

— “My Kid Could Paint That,” Sony Classics (with A&E keeping some TV rights).

— “The King of Kong,” Picturehouse.

— “The Signal,” Magnolia.

— “Over the GW,” Seventh Art.

— “Son of Rambow,” Paramount Vantage.

— “Waitress,” Fox Searchlight.

— “How She Move,” Paramount Vantage.

— “Weapons,” After Dark Films.

Oscar time!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:39:00 +0000

Khepel Joonam namir baabaa!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:26:00 +0000

Maahi e khepele azizam dare marg baazi mikone...
Marg baazi ye baazi e khatarnaki e ke e maahi nazi ke kheili ham azize he aday e mordan dar meiare
Va
Sahebesh ham ke e khar e ashegh e
Dastmal be dast
Abghoore mirize oon ham koja?!

Saaf too acquarium!

Angel Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Kathy) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 23:30:00 +0000

A fantastic movie...actually my type of movie...

Opening scene... cats and dogs fight from a distance in a creepy alley.. it's cold, steam rising from sewage, night, snow everywhere... the animals find the corpse of a man that blood has covereed his face..So it totally make us pose the question- who is this guy? Why is he dead? Who killed him? It provokes our curiosity 2 go further.

It starts off with Mr. Angel who seems to be a rather clumsy, mediocre detective... chewing gum, walking, it's a cold place...

Phone rings..an old phone... Angel in his messy office...He talks on the phone... jots down some notes and open his drawer...we see that he has a gun....He finishes his talk saying asshole 2 the phone- We get to know his name through this phone conversation.. writes down some foreign name

We see him walking down the same street again..some black lady having some trouble.. they talk about Lucifer kingdom...He comes across a group with what seems 2 be a motivational speaker

It is a church like place where he meets another formal guy(6) and he takes him inside... we see a hand with a cane... it's his client.. they are intriduced..Client checks his gun permit. We see a glimpse of an old fan in the cold weather

Angel: How did u know about me? 7:44 Just through the phone book?

They ask him if he knows a person called Johny Favorite

Deniro drinks sth and plays with his cane....we see his nails... long and polished

Page 10- We know that he is set to find sb for the client!

11-12 Finds a clue in a hospital..
12-Finds the name he hears in hospital in a phone back and goes 2 the place... dark, derserted and cold.... breaks the lock of an old bldgfull of hanging clothes like military ones...
We get more data visually about the person he's searching for like he's used 2 morphine..
16- old guy comes home...more info about who Micky searches for

Again a fan starts working ... when he puts the old guy in room we see the shadow of the fan...

10-20 His first round of efforts 2 find the guy in 2 locations

Micky goes by and passes by a church when 2 black num girls are reading Bible but a mirage like thing... I love the symbolics

22- In a diner...coffee, cigars and old key that belongs 2 the the door of Dr house
He's sitting in a diner, thinking plays with the keys

23- Grabs a amorphine and goes back 2 Dr 2 find he's dead holding the pic of a woman..Bible beside him... Micky makes it look like a suicide

25- Day- st- meets a girl who seems 2 know bried=f and then enters a place whree again we see one of those fans working.... He fills D with info...we see Robert's nails that plays with the egg and then what he says about eating soul - he has a ring with star on it... Micky wants be out as he is a murder suspect but then End of First Act