The OC

Well....what can i say about the notorious OC. I have a friend that loves it because he thinks Laguna Beach (MTV) is an icredible escape from the real world he is knee deep in. My girl thinks it needs to be blown up and hope the shards are strewn out to the poorer areas of los angeles salvagable enough to be used. I see it as a very ritzy gated community that do not need to lock the front door of their houses whatsoever. THis is like SUV central over here! Why join 24 hours fitness when they have one on their own in each of their gated communities?

So the question is...would I live in the OC if I inhereted a house there? Hell NO! I'd take the house and sell it to some lame shmuck who finds it important to establish his social standing amongst his friends and run off with the money and live in SF.

So how is the ley's family? GReat! Her parents are very persian in the sense that they really believe in what america is about: opportunity, capitalism, consumerism, credit cards and did i mention freedom?!?!!? They are two of the most loving parents you could ever have. I think that is the only reason why leyla would ever come down here. Anyways, I got gifts from her mom, that just recently arrived from Iran....yes that the same Iran that we are demonizing in the press. They are really cheesy....and I don't think she ever really thought about what to get me. i think she is just trying to be nice to me. You know....a loving mother trying to make daughter feel comfortable by making me comfortable.
GIFTS:
A cheesy wooden, model sailboat named the "cutty sark"?!?!?!!? (Made in China!!!!!) Not even iranian....! But I hear that very little that is handcrafted is genuinely Iranian anymore. They too are so encapsulated with everything from the first world....or better yet....everything american made in china! And this is a fundamentalist country!

The other gift is a flourescent green pair of shorts that is made to look authentically american. you know...the iranian version of abercrombie....or american eagle....but its called something else....i already forgot what its called but i just remember the words are spelled correctly at the least....hehehehehehe i am going to play it off like this is the cool look of spring! and no one will be able to copy the look because no one will ever buy this crap in this part of the world. Although I may have some doubts. It is after all, "made in china"....which means i probably will stumble into it in chinatown in a couple of weeks......oh how wonderful globalization has become!

Another gift is a necklace. Her mom said that the figure is made of ivory. Well at lest that was the only i could make out when she was speaking farsi. i think whe was trying to explain to leyla that i probably would believe it anyway. The only problem is that it is black and it is so badly stained that I can still see the grain of the wood....heheheheheehh We still haven't figurre out what the figure meant. Leyle didn't know and we were too scared to ask. once i figure out how to add pictures in my blog, you will see how ridiculous it looks!

I can't wait to see what she will give me tomorrow!

Really Interesting Movies

Just saw two really quality films this past few days! One is called Syriana. It really sparked interesting conversation between myself and my girlfriend. Topics of discussion: (1) Humans are inherently selfish, or we think of our self-interest first; (2) scarce resources in our world, nations struggle to attain those resources, and we have to think of ourselves at the expense of other people; (3) if our self-interest is to genuinely help those that are marginalized, especially the poor third-world countries are we willing to give up our standard of living or lifestyle to help other countries realize their dreams of becoming a sovereign nation; (4) is USA really allowing other poor countries reach their goals of becoming independent, democratic, competitive in theworld market; (5) and deep down in our conciousness, do we know that this is really happening and what do we think of ourselves......
So check out the film and tell me what you think of it...

The other film is called Munich. Let me tell you a little secret....my girl (Ley) sleeps in the middle of watching films! I guess its her way of telling you that the film is uninteresting and boring. There are many days slaving after school intervention knowing that i may have to use this money to pay for a movie that she'll sleep on. But what can you do....I'm a SOLDIER!...heheheheh

Anyways, we saw the last viewing and it carried on past midnight. She was wide awake! I guess its a testament on how good Spielberg films are. This film is no different from his other fims except that there wasn't a tear-jerker moment for me. When ET touched the little boy with his flashlight finger....i sobbed not so much for ET leaving but knowing that I'm the oldest and my brother and sisters are laughing at my sensibilites.....
When the little girl in RED in Shindler's List was found dead and when they made a ring for SHindler at the end....I couldn't hold my tears. This time the fam was used to it and they had to explain to my friends why I;m like this....
Actually, other than The Color Purple, I didn't cry in the other movies he made. But he gave you an emotional ride and kept you captive....what more do you want. Which brings me to Munich again. What do you think the ending meant? Like to know your thoughts after you watch the film.
By the way, I hope you don't think I think Spielberg directs great films all the time. I mean Hook sucks! Does Dustin Hoffman really need a fake nose for the part? Robin Williams as Peter Pan? Imagine if you were the guy that had to hold that rope up when he swung from end of the ship to the other.....?!?! hehehe
Anyways, off to the OC (that's orange county for you non-viewing-cheesy-one-hour-dramas) to visit my girl's fam......Things to do: (1) say hi to the fam and eat
(2) actually catch up with work that i said i was going to do this past week
(3) experience authentic persian party
(4) and/or experience new years with friends
(5) try to get the Ley to watch college football...almost impossible....wish me luck!

Christmas Eve

I really like this time of the year. My family and I don't really see each other much...I mean together. This year is especially nice because my sister from New York came home....with gifts! And my girlfriend spent Christmas Eve with the fam! Of course, I am in danger of exposure. My family loves to have significant others around so the fam can bring up strange stories about them. I guess its my turn this year! They let me off easy this year. They just talked about my silly quirks and neurosis. The fam had their thoughts on the gift giving more than the roasting of alex in front of his girlfriend. My family is getting too soft...! However, there is still the Christmas Day feast for more opportunities to crush big brotha in front of significant other. When i think about it...this is the only time for Payback!!!

Anyways, the gift giving was special. The older we get the more we enjoy giving gifts than receiving it. Even when I am picky...I rarely ever return their gifts anymore. One, I can't stand after Christmas shopping. Two, I can't stand looking for parking before the shopping! The funny thing is that I relatively get the same gifts every year....you know...sweaters, pants, underwear, socks, whatever.....and even though I don't need them, I like them lots because they're NEW! There is something about NEW things that everyone likes. It connotes opportunity and a feeling of freshness. It also gives us another set of clothing in the rotation...heehhehe I think that's why a lot of people love to shop. Its a way of dealing with the monotony of the everyday everyday....

This year I got a digital camera!!!!!! Its over....all the silliness, boredom, controversies in my life will be in pics...hehehehhe

Merry Christmas, Alex!

Put this to good use. Readers, encourage Uncle Alex to post.

Leyla