Loose notes here. Email: FarshadJaberzade@tutamail.com Moments: Farshad's Archive Letterboxd: Farshadj79...
One of my favorite hobbies in China is attending job interviews from time to time. Not like I am actually searching for a full-time position, as I am highly respectful of Chinese government rules regarding foreign students' work permits. Still, I enjoy talking about politics and art with working adults who already put their shit together after a certain age, something that I have not been very…
Being a TA was perhaps one of the more interesting and enjoyable adventures of the last 6 months. I had to grade presentations and essays written for the Chinese Culture class by international students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University / 上海交通大学 , and assist my two lovely friends, Ari and Niamh, during their classes. While I have my arguments regarding the course's weird influence on academic…
As I mentioned before , sometime in July, my dear classmate and friend, Sofia, sent me a link and asked me to participate in a program with her that will be held on three weekends. I did not read the description and just filled in the questions, as I believe my friends are fairly trustworthy and they will not try to scam me (I hope). I thought the program was associated with our university, and I…
Last week, I added the short documentary my classmates and I made for our class last semester to Letterboxd's database. Subsequently, my friends asked me to send them the video. The general reaction was very positive; however, one comment truly stood out to me. Cait, my beloved Welsh friend, mentioned that " it doesn't feel exploitative at all; it feels so genuine and has integrity ." This remark…
I am still baffled by the number of people who want to become influencers and share their " life " with 8 billion people on Instagram. You might think I am also sharing my life on this blog, writing my views and exposing my incredible soul to the world. While you might be right with my inclination towards " sharing " my opinions, I do not consider myself an influencer, and I have no plans to…
" Ceasefire " is by far one of the most meaningless words in the dictionary of the Middle East. Since the alleged ceasefire between Iran and the USA/Israel, the war has not really stopped. While the capital and bigger cities such as Tabriz and Isfahan have not been a target, as they were all bombed during both the 12-day war and the conflict this year, towns in the southern parts of Iran have been…
I have been using Gmail since I got my first electronic device. To be fair, I barely had any problems with it, as it was the only email I used and I did not really feel the need to switch to another app. However, things have changed a lot since then, and recently I was looking for a replacement. Considering I do not own a card linked to UnionPay and my Chinese bank only operates in China, I had to…
After 7 years of being a consistent user, the highest for any platform I have ever used, I am really unhappy about the recent news that Netflix, Sony Pictures, and Paramount are all bidding to acquire Letterboxd. While my love for that app is undeniable, as it helped me a lot with discovering films that perhaps I could not find anywhere else, and I met truly interesting people with great taste in…
I've been a huge football fan since 2010, and it all started with falling in love with Joachim Löw's Germany in the World Cup. I remember how watching Manuel Neuer made me so interested in the sport that, as a person who was so afraid of football, basketball, and any other sport that includes kicking or throwing a ball, I became a goalkeeper after that, pursuing a childhood fantasy to start as…
As an Iranian, I normally have to give a lecture about “ why I'm not muslim ” and “ the reasons I don't support many actions of the regime ” after meeting a new foreigner. With Chinese people, it doesn't happen quite often. They usually react with “ you have a very ancient and rich history ,” and “ Iran and China are brothers ” comments that I assume are flattering enough to skip the urge to…