Unravel the Mysteries

As always, the Unravel the Mysteries Young Adults Forum was a success. Check out the pictures, you might get a gist of what the entire conference was. Haha...just kidding.
Highlights:

• Informative plenary session talks, and good (most of them) workshops ;)
• Unbelievable artistic presentations (dance, music and...painting)
• Inspiring talks by Counsellor Rebequa Murphy and NSA member Gordon Naylor
• Beautiful devotions, especially at the Ascension of Baha'u'llah
• GO TO GUYANA!

See you all there next year!

Peter Jackson's King Kong

A little bit of mathematics

Zoomquilt

I have to admit, pretty cool. Whoever designed this is quite twisted, but in an extremely good way. Like most of my links, this will probably keep you interested for a good 2 minutes until you close it and say, "That Faran, always providing me with quirky, yet utterly useless 'webstuff'! God bless him!"

Soundboards

I owe the pleasure of having enjoyed Ebaum's World's soundboards to fellow internet-aficionado Mona Dehghan. My brother Erfan and I enjoyed ourselves for a good five minutes browsing through these HILARIOUS soundboards, reliving memorable TV moments and classic movie lines. Some of my favourites are Chris Farley (I'm a huge fan), Stewie from Family guy (can't go wrong), Oprah's Dr. Phil (Sooooo cheesy!) and our beloved Samuel L. Jackson (yes, he's a little profane). Enjoy them, and try to resist the temptation to make the prank calls!

How do some companies survive?

I think the most important component of a succesful company is it's service. It may seem that customer service is a hit or miss with companies, but over the past couple years I have realized that there is a direct relation between quality of service and cost of the product. I didn't want to use a real example, but good friends at Rogers have gracefully allowed me to bash them. I had a cell phone with Rogers three years ago, and the two years I was with them were the most miserable I had ever been. I was a prisoner to their horrible service; locked down by a never-ending contract (two years seemed like an eternity with Rogers). Everytime I had a problem (very often), I would call 'customer service', only to hang up even more irritated. I was so anxious to leave the company that I bailed out a couple months early for Telus. Now, Telus, wow...my friends were right. Customer service is top-notch, they seem to actually respect their customers. I have, to this day, not had a single problem with Telus.

Today, my mother's Rogers cell phone wasn't working, so she asked me to fix it. I called customer service, and after 5 minutes of an irritating man asking me to 'tell him what is the reason for my call', I was finally able to speak with a 'customer service representative'. I told her the problem, and she insisted that the options on the phone had been changed, and would have to be changed back. I was certain they weren't because my mom doesn't go fiddling around with the phone. So, I had to hang up with her to look at the options (which obviously hadn't been changed). I called back to tell her how incredibly stupid she was, and the 'voice recognition' automatic system (which drives me off the wall) sent me to a technician in the cable department. He then forwarded me back to wireless which was then closed at that time. So, the problem hasn't been fixed, I wasted 45 minutes of my time, and I popped a few blood vessels on my forehead.

Moral of the story? Rogers has poor customer service (and reception), and please, spend the extra few dollars and sign up with a company that is worth your time and money.

Wayback Playback

Have you ever wondered what the internet looked like before it became as popular as it is today? This website has archived, surprisingly, most websites all the way back to 1996. It's actually quite interesting. Want to see what Yahoo! looked like back in March of '97? How about CNN's coverage of 9/11? Check it out...I'm sure it'll keep you occupied for at least half a minute!

Stewie's take on rap music

I am a huge fan of Family Guy, and last Sunday was a momentous occasion. YES...the fourth season has begun! We were put on hold for a while, but they're back. As for most people, I would have to say Stewie is my favourite character, and I came upon this clip of Stewie giving us his opinion on rap music. Enjoy!

I Love This Game

I have a confession to make: I can sit at home all day, everyday and watch the NBA playoffs. After a game like tonight's Sixers/Pistons game, I feel like my emotions have climbed to the top of Mount Everest and taken a free fall dive down to the bottom. Those of you who do not watch sports, and who do not know my passion for sports (or at least watching them!) may not understand this post. Tonight, I really felt for Allen Iverson. He is one of the greatest players in the league, and deserves much more than what he gets. He is a true warrior and is the template for what all basketball players should be. I don't want to mention any names (such as Vince Carter), but one's love for a sport should drive him to play his heart out every single night. Iverson has gotten into bad arguments with coaches because he has wanted to play, but the medical staff says he is in no shape to play. A player like Iverson deserves a championship. It is so sad to see such great players in the league who may never win a championship. Another example is Chris Webber. He is an excellent player, but now due to health problems isn't able to play up to par. It was sad seeing the Sixers get eliminated (although I am a Pistons fan), but seeing the entire Pistons team, including former head coach Larry Brown show such warmth towards Iverson shows what a great player he is. Everyone loves him.

Many players have come and gone without having won a championship. Malone and Stockton are two of the most famous. Technically Malone still has a chance, but HAH! Anyway, the point of all my rambling is that, yes, so much importance is placed on winning. People's lives are completely changed when they are winners. This is how society has molded us. We need to breed champions, winners and heroes. Nobody wants a loser. Well, we have an all too common cliche, "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game". I like to add a twist to that. "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you handle it". Nobody wants a sore loser. A winner is never a winner for the rest of his life. We have to learn how to deal with that. And, some people may never win. Well, that's life. How can you deal with it? Back to Iverson, I love how he deals with it. He just comes back and fights for more. He does not give up, he does not whine and he always give it his all. Maybe we should all learn something from AI. We may not always accomplish our goals, but we must learn how to deal with failure. Props Allen, and better luck next time. Long post? Yes...but I had to get it off my chest. Ciao!

Burn 'em all and smack dem birds

Have you ever burned ants with a magnifiying glass? I know I definitely did, and still do! Well, if you have never experienced this satisfying activity, or would like to re-live it...check this out! I'm sure you'll enjoy this version much more (in a very twisted way). Or, if that's not your fancy, take a swing at some penguins in this Pingu'esque variation of the Homerun Derby!

Work

As much as most students try to minimize the amount of time in school, I think we all need to step back and look at the big picture. Since I got back from Guyana, I have been working full-time. Now, it's only been a few weeks, but I've worked this same job a few times before. I am realizing that being in the working world isn't all that it's cut out to be. The freedoms of a student, the luxuries of lack of responsibility and knowing that you have so much partying left to do before you're strapped down is just great! Why do we all stress ourselves to get out of school so quickly? Personally, I think the longer I stay in school, the more I'll get out my life. A career is something that I don't want to have to worry about for now. I'm going to enjoy life and make sure I can sleep in every once in a while!

PC vs. Mac

The debate that has lasted over a decade, is now receiving a brighter spotlight. It started between two good friends, who are now competing against one another for total world domination. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have created their own empires, one has become the richest man on the planet, while the other is probably the most innovative. Recently, I have looked into buying a laptop, and the iBook has drawn my attention. Here are my reasons:

1. Complete integration (Software is made by people who made the hardware)
2. Ease of use (All the programs feed off of each other)
3. Stability (Uses the tried-tested-and-true Unix operating system)
4. No more "Blue Screen of Death"
5. iLife
6. Computer does not deteriorate a few months after purchase
7. Looks GOOD

There are many more, but I don't want to get into the boring details. Basically, for those of us who are fed up with our clunky, unorganized PCs, the 'upgrade' to Apple is well worth our time. I will be sporting mine quite soon!