White Balloon

Daily Journal of Mahaan, an Iranian-American student residing in USA.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Walking into 2009

As the world is observing the sad tragedy of Gaza with mainly indifferent and apathetic attitude, we walk into 2009. As Robert Fisk puts it, human's ignorance about history stays pretty much the same.

However we have to be happy for the new year! For a new beginning, even though many of dark things will stay intact. That's how any progress has worked in humankind's history and we are not an exception.

2008 was a year for me to move on from the past, open new doors and plant new trees in my life. Great people walked into my life and helped me to learn, fight and love.

Ode to humanity and peace! And happy 2009!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Film: The Reader

Independent of their repetitive theme and high frequency, holocaust films are generally done well. Some like Schindler's List or Life is beautiful are very well done and most others stand at the level of acceptable, well done cinema.

The Reader, a new holocaust related film is a poor melodrama with awful actings (except Cate Winslet that does an OK job)! 80% of the movie is covered by dramatic soundtrack that is not able to cover director's terrible story telling and direction. Cinematography is mediocre, filled with an obssesed usage of close ups that never adds to the dramatic effect. The film tries to benefit from the literary narration, but it doesn't go beyond a simple Disney channel movie.
Only if you like Kate Winslet, you might get a bit of treat by checking the romance and fairly graphic sex scenes of her!

Long story short, Reader is a waste of time and money!

PS: It's good that I didn't complain while watching the film, otherwise ....

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Costa Rica Notes (1)

Random and Quick observations in a small town at the middle of small town
1. People are extremely nice and trustworthy here. Some level of honesty that I had not seen before.
2. Infrastructure is strong here, specially tourist related stuff. Above what I had seen in Peru...
3. Bus exploration of Costa Rica is great. With $5 you can travel between two distant cities in fairly clean and efficient buses with ordinary kind Ticans...
4. US culture and economic influence is very strong. You can even find the US based GNC vitamin stores here....
5. Wearing shorts and tshirt in Christmas time is certainly a treat!
6. My Spanish notebook from the class that I took 4 years ago have come so handy here....I am in a super small town that I had only found 2-3 people who barely speak English.... and the communication comes down to that small notebook or pantomim!! But surprisingly in such a small town, there are Internet cafes with very fast connections.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Iraq: The Moment of Truth

It is reported that an Iraqi journalist has thrown both of his shoes towards George Bush during his news conference. Yet symbolic, it is an incredible moment of truth.

In a country that Bush practically applied his liberation and democracy bullshit doctrine, he was hit by a journalist (a symbol of freedom of speech). The pleasure of this symbolic moment never offsets the pains of human and capital losses that the world have seen under the Bush's presidency. However we can still be happy that truth never disappears. Human intelligence is able to surpass all sorts of security measures and create that moment of truth with the most simple actions!

A few years ago, I watched The Pinochet Case, a documentary about Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and the house arrest that he went through in late 90s in London. In that case, Pinochet was able to get away from a trial via British right wing's influence. However at some point in the film, in order to get him out of the London villa, the security team had to pull a bag on his face and push him down in the car that no protester sees him. One of the protesters later said that although the justice is never performed perfectly for these criminals, but the humiliation that they go through these symbolic moment is enough to show that truth doesn't die.

I just can't wait to see the day that Cheney and the rest of the criminals who ran this country in the past decade face their moment of truth.

Heading to the end

I look at the webpage and read the requirements and look at forms. The language is frank, bitter and maybe a bit scary: You file for the divorce, 90 days wait and that's it...
I'm finally there, heading to the End.
It's ironic that I had to face and do the marriage on my own and now ....
 
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