I think I am going to like my new electric grill. It served me well to entertain a crowd of 8. It is light, up right, easy to clean and store. It even looks better than the big black BBQ which I dread to clean after use. Finally, I can get rid of it!

Through our international friends, I was so surprise to find we have so much in common. There are five nationalities, everybody like Jackie Chan, Korean soap opera, Iranian rice, Philippin mango, Canadian salmon. The ladies were crazy about flowers and anything that grows. The men huddles infront of the computer to watch Jared's helicopter movie.

On Sunday, H took me to the Iranian resturarnt in North Van - called Gazba, while John did his yearly climb on Mt. Seymour. We ordered lamb stew and chicken with pomergranite and walnut sauce. Both dish were under $10 each. They tasted superb especially with the Iranian rice. The amazing thing was the resturant is usually packed with long waiting line. Somehow we avoided the crowd. I guess Iranians eat their lunch late, like after
2 p.m. The good thing is, the resturant does not have a dinner menu which tends to cost twice as much. They serve the same manu the whole day. So we can go any time.

Afterwards, we strolled around the Iranian grocery shop. H explained to me everything in the jars, cans, bags and tubs. I even tried a fresh date for the first time in my life.

H. was so sad in her country even surrounded by her beloved family. For she had suffered so much under the regime. Now, after 6 months in Canada, she is so happy. The best thing she said that happens to her is to have
found and be found by Christ and his love for her. She feels so free and no longer have to live behind a mask.
After reading M. Nemat's biography. I can understand her situation more and be able to empathize with her.

One of my accomplishment of this summer is to read up on the books of present women activities and freedom fighters in the subverted countries.

The burden of the whole country was on her back starting the age of 15. An amazing life grew up from the ashes of war torn country which was invaded by foreign powers since the 70's and further rip apart by its own warlords and extremitists in the last 20 years.

She grew up in the refugee camp in Pakistan. Her parents managed to send her off to a good boarding school run by democratic activitists. There, she read many good books which shaped her ideas and life. (To this day, I regret I did not know how to introduce my children to them in a free world.)

She went back to her own country to start underground school for the girls at the age of 16 when she herself wanted to have more schooling. She opens up clinics and teaches women older than herself.
People flocked to her with their stories of suffering of injustice and violation. She saw good people who try to serve being slained and murdered. Eventually the suffering mass elected her to be the representative and spoke person of her province.

In the constitutional meeting of the national representatives, she had to manuver her way with sheer determination to get a speaking opportunity of 15 minutes. She condemned the international community of funding and supporting the warlords and extremitists who occupy most of the high positions of the country. They shut her down after 90 seconds and called her all kinds of evil names. But the broadcast has reached the country and the world. Though she has support from organizations of the freeworld to promote and uphold human and women's right in the sadistic style ruling of her country, she has to live like a fugitive to avoid the assination of the warlords. She vows to rather die than not to speak out against atrocities done in her country to the ordinary people. She is barely 30.

J ran into an old young friend who said his parents are retired and they are busy picking up after each other at home.





When J and I get retire, we will be looking for things for each other on top of picking up after each other :)

This morning, he helps me to locate the cell phone which I was looking for but he could not find the orange which he normally prepares for himself the night before. We looked throughout the house. Wonder where it will turn out!

He provides all my need - right down to 'earth'.

The scarlet runner bean plants are growing very well in my new vegetable garden. Except there is one problem.
The flowers just fall off and do not bear fruit. I suspect that there is not enough nutrient in the soil, even after many bags of Seal Soil I mixed in, or the dirt is not deep enough to sustain fruit. So I went to my 'compose' and dug out some to fill into the plot. I was amazed, after 15 years of composting, I do not have a lot in there. I have used it a few times, yet for some reason, they went down quickly. I guess with only the two of us, we do not make that much scrapes from our food. So I was thinking if I should give my neighbors a pail each, to save up their scrapes for my compose.

Usually on Saturday, there are fresh fruit and vegetable donated by a store for the students to take home. I never care to take any. Since I was there late to-day, I had a chance to see what was left while trying to clean up. I was overjoy to see I could take home a whole box of vegetable greens to recycle in my compose. Hmmmm......., that is what I will do in the future. My compose bin will be very happy! So will my garden!

To-day, I stayed around at the Centre after ESL class was over. Straightening up the shelves; eating an exotic meal (cow leg soup with pita bread); caught A when he was in a good mood to teach him reading. When we were about to close the Centre. In came a man who said his friend cancelled his wedding for having cold feet in the last minute. He wondered if we can use the food prepared for the banquet. So the few of us went into a frenzy to divided the food and I took home bags and bags of salad green, green beans, a box of rice, fruit and some salmon. I ended up calling my neighbors to come help themselves. They were very happy! We all felt sorry for the 'supposed bride'. But it was a lot of courage for the groom to recognize that he is not ready to give everything he could to his future spouse so it is much better to break her heart now than after. Hey, I think there is something good in him and I am for him. Hope they work things out to the better!

The best way to forget about one's own trouble is to read biographies of people who have thousands more hurdles to jump through in life.

Just finished the books- 'Letters to my daughters' and 'Prisioner of Tehran'. Two females from Muslim countries run by extremetists, become voices for the general population, particularly their own sex, who suffers so much
harrasement and injustice. A girl who carelessly expose a strand of her hair under her scarf can be taken to jail and be beaten. The victims of rape will get slashes, put in jail or be executed because she tempted the male.


If a man want a certain woman to be his wife, he does not even have to ask her. She would be kidnapped and forced to be converted to Islam. If a woman does not cook perfectly, she will be beaten by her husband because he loves her. Little girls are not supposed to go to school and on and on............let alone those who speak out against the regime.