Shirley's Studio

"Security forces opens fire at protesters" - Tehran, Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:10:00 +0000

A friend who sent me the following email hoped I could tell more people what he witenessed on the streets of Tehran today. But for his own safety, I couldn't not publish his name.

"I am just coming back from Palestine Street in Tehran and its cross-road with Enghelab Ave. where Art University is located.

I was there in the pedestrian when university students came out of university chanting 'death to dictator' and pouring into street. Some 500 had come out when sound of bullets shot by small pistols heard. Everyone was shocked. I was wondering were these bullets are coming from.

Opposite to this university, there is a government building belonging to Ministry of Higher Education, and from rooftop sound of machine guns was heard while there was some individual bullet shots. I myself had 20-30 meters distance from them when they were hit by some bullets. I can not confirm how many but some people were injured and I myself saw a young man on shoulders of his friends who was bleeding and shot in the head. I followed them to the Palestine Street when they took the injured students into the campus. (And I am not a student so I couldn't follow them inside.)

Police did not even use teargas first or trying to stop students by making a dam in front of them. As soon as they came out of university, police immediately opened fire at the students. Isn't it Crime Against Humanity!"

God's Grace Garden - an organic farm in Beijing

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:54:00 +0000

Gods Grace Garden, or GGG, is one of the first totally organic farms in China. Established in 2001 by Terese Zhang, GGG covers 150mu (about 25 acres or 10 hectares) and not an inch is wasted! And not an ounce of artificial fertilizer or pesticide intrudes through the walled farm that is home to a dozen cows, numerous dogs, and countless geese, chickens and ducks.

Produced by Chris Gelken & Shirley Han Ying

如何在Mac系统下msn群聊时看到发言人用户名

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:48:00 +0000

很久以前可以在Adium中输入／showname 来显示群聊用户名，但后来也不管用了，无奈之下找到了此下策，大家谁需要的不妨试一下。咱们Mac人还是很不屈不挠的找解决方案的，呵呵。。。

1. 访问 http://happy.xiaoi.com/

2. 在打开页面中输入msn帐号和密码，点击登陆

3. 登陆后为“我的首页”，在窗口右下方有“我的群”和“在线好友”，点击“我的群”然后选择要发言的群，点击后会在旁边出现一对话窗口，在此窗口中群聊可已看到每个发言人的用户名。整体网页界面设计类似于Facebook里的聊天功能

注1：在对话窗口输入 /nn 你的昵称 可以修改自己在群内的用户名，比如我想修改自己的昵称，就输入 /nn Shirley Han - XX公司

注2：对话窗口中的6个按钮有查阅聊天纪录、群成员、关灯等功能。

Into the "Nest of Spies"

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:00 +0000

A tour to the former United States Embassy in Tehran which was taken over by Islamist students and militants on November 4, 1979 in support of the Iranian Revolution. During the diplomatic crisis, 53 Amercians were held hostage for 444 days. The compound later was transformed into mini galleries displaying anti-US and anti-Israeli murals, sculptures, and installation art.

Photos by Shirley Han Ying in Tehran

YouTube - Raid on Satellite Dishes in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Courtesy to Decebal83 for the video above.

According to sources in Iran, the head of Iranian Judiciary system has ordered the police to raid all satellite dishes across the country, a move to confront tv networks critical of the current regime.

Iran's ongoing political turmoil

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:04:00 +0000

From a friend in Iran: On June 29, protesters in northern Tehran took to the streets holding the Quran over heads to protect themselves from police batons. According to Islamic laws it's a major sin to kill anyone with a Quran in hands. After the demonstration, electricity and land phones in the region were cut off by Iranian authorities.

YouTube- 28 June 2009 Tehran - Iranians protest against election results

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:19:00 +0000

Courtesy to irandoost09

YouTube -24 JUNE 2009 Protests in TEHRAN, IRAN 3 Tir 1388

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Crackdowns on protests in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:52:00 +0000

Pictures were taken by friends in Tehran who would like to remain anonymous for their own safety.

Iranians cry for freedom

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:38:00 +0000

From friends in Tehran: "Mousavi has asked supporters and those angry about the election result to go to the rooftops of their own home and shout "Allah O Akbar!" which means "God is great!". People in Tehran have been doing this everyday at 10pm, which has become a cry for freedom."

Korean Wave spreads to Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:04:00 +0000

By Shirley Han Ying

(TEHRAN, March 12, 2008) From clothes to hairstyle, pop music to TV dramas, Korea has been affecting the life of many Asians in recent years, now even in Iran.

Mohammad Fazaeli turned on TV and started watching the tele-drama at home with his whole family. It was the latest hit series on Iranian State Television - a Korean blockbuster.

"Jewel in the Palace," a soap opera about a cook who overcame hardships to become a royal palace physician in ancient Korea, was known as Yangom in Iran.

This drama along with "Emperor of the Sea (Haesin)" was among Fazaeli's favorites.

"My family and I watch most of the Korean dramas aired on TV, and also the latest Korean and Asian movies popular in the world," said Fazaeli.

Iran was unclaimed ground until about a year ago, when MBC hit soap "Jewel in the Palace" was first aired there. The response was explosive. Since then, three out of Iran's seven channels have broadcast a Korean TV series. Two to three dramas were aired throughout the year and in the case of movies, there were even more.

The 27-year-old journalist explained that television was a family entertainment in Iran, and people looked at it as a chance to spend some valuable time with their families. He said that was why most Iranians prefer Korean dramas, which are less violent and contain less sexual content than Hollywood or western productions.

He added that Korean dramas had both action and emotion in them. The actions were attractive and the emotional aspect was not very sloppy.

Alireza Abazari, a 38-year-old expert in political and international relations, has also been a long-time fan of the Korean TV series.

"Their approach toward traditions in the modern day, and they pay attention to socio-humanitarian values," said Abazari.

Anoushirvan Akhlaghi, 43, a TV news producer, said he found the Korean dramas had very interesting plots, good story lines and unique pictures. He also enjoyed the pace very much.

Maryam Ebrahimi, a 26-year-old computer engineer, considered one of the reasons that made Korean productions popular in Iran was because they fit the conservative values of the Islamic nation.

Iran is a non-secular country dominated by restrictive Islamic rules.

Foreign films are not commonly shown in movie theaters as part of a ban on films originating from the West. Except for Iranian domestic productions, some classic and contemporary Hollywood productions are also available on state television, but are normally heavily censored.

Korean dramas and movies on the other hand act as a filter for Western values, making them more palatable to Iranian people. Korean TV dramas typically deal with family issues, love, and filial piety in an age of changing technology and values. The shows tend to reinforce traditional values of Confucianism that Iranians find more closely aligned to Islamic culture.

"Jewel in the Palace" is just one of the Korean imports turning on many generations of Iranians and influencing them to buy Korean products.

Fazaeli said Korean brands, such as LG, Samsung and Daewoo, are very common in Iran. These electronic Korean imports have become a part of many Iranian families' daily life. Abazari on the other hand said his main interests in Korean products are shoes and clothes.

Culturally, Fazaeli told me that "Korean music has become popular through the TV dramas. Many people even use the music as their mobile phones' ringtone."

The overwhelming success of Korean dramas, movies, and music served as a major tourist magnet since 2005, attracting millions of tourists each year from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, the Marshall Islands and China.

As the Korean wave carries on in Iran, people are expected to see another surge among the Iranian tourists to join the nonstop heat.

"After watching the 'Jewel in the Palace,' the natural sceneries of Korea shown in the dramas along with historical monuments have interested me so much that I really want to visit the country," said Abazari.

Not only in Iran, the Korean Wave is also the latest trend sweeping the Middle East. More than three hundred Egyptians launched a fan club and opened a "Winter Sonata" website. A growing number of Egyptians have been requesting a rerun of the KBS soap.

"Emperor of the Sea" was broadcast by Turkish Radio and Television for an hour every Sunday night. The drama received rankings of top 30 out of 100 shows aired. KBS also agreed with Jordan to air the show in the country, and could take "Winter Sonata" to Tunisia and Iraq.

Other Korean broadcasters are also looking into a plan to distribute the drama for free in more Middle Eastern countries. Within the next a few years, the Korean Wave in the Middle East would grow stronger and stronger, maybe even more wide-spread than in the South and East Asia.

The author of the article is a journalist with Press TV, the first Iranian international news network that broadcasts in English on a round-the-clock basis. - Ed.

The biggest stories in 2008 - to be continued

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:32:00 +0000

As 2007 comes to an end, what will attract your eyes in the year ahead?

1. The U.S. Presidential election
Who will be the new president of the most powerful country in the world?

2. Climate change
2008 will be a year of global campaigns to fight the global warming. Increasing natural disasters will force countries to act more urgently. We don't want to see the "Perfect Disaster" on Discovery happens in the real world.

3. Global economy
The world economy will slow down as experts estimated, and the house prices will continue to fall.

4. Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
Will the US troops pull out of Iraq? Five years after the US-led invasion, we hope to see an end to the widespread violence in the country. So is Afghanistan.

5. Olympics in China
Hosted by the nation with the largest population in the world, the event will be the biggest Olympics ever.

6. Pakistan's uncertain future
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a blow to international hopes that the country might emerge into a state of stability. It was also a further setback to America's "war on terror". Will the elections be held as planned in January? How far are Pakistanis from their democracy?

My Celebrity Look-alikes

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:00:00 +0000

Please don't spit on me....^^'

How to kill time in an airport

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:58:00 +0000

Choice 1
Dissolve stress and revive your body by a good massage at the airport. Many airports now contain at least one massage bar.

Choice 2
Surf the Internet and check e-mail at a Wifi spot to make the time fly. But keep in mind that most of the internet service at the airport are not free of charge.

Choice 3
Souvenir and Duty Free shopping at the airport's gift shops and retail stores.

Choice 4
Enjoy a drink in the airport bar if there is one.

Choice 5
Browse the airport bookstore to find some new publications. You may experience some of the most peaceful reading time you will ever get. But don't miss the flight.

Choice 6
If you have your iPod or PSP with you, why not enjoy some of your favorite movies, songs and games.

My poor Macbook

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:20:00 +0000

Though the newly released iPhone has caught many people's eye, I still think the Sony ericsson M608C matches my Macbook the best. The M608C looks much more Apple than Apple's own iPhone. The M608C was unveiled in 2006. I hope the model is still available in the Chinese market.

Only one thing to confess, I killed my Macbook by spilling coffee all over it. It was tragic. After the Iranian technician opened the keyboard, and pointed out that the only part still functional was the screen, I decided to heartbreakingly bid farewell to my old fellow and purchase a new one. After a couple of hours research on the online Apple shop through my Iranian 56K dial-up, I discovered many useful features of the new Mac system "Leopard", especially the "spaces" and enhanced "Automator".

The latter one under "Tiger" system had been a great assistant to me in terms of photo editing. Now with the newly released "Leopard", it has even more capabilities to my workflows. A new action called Watch Me Do was added. The new function lets you record a user action and replay as an action in a workflow. So now all the editing work is getting simpler. I show the Automator the steps I need to do to finish a project, and then it will remember all the steps and re-perform them. It's a must have.

Since there is no Apple's official store in Iran, I have to wait to buy a new Mac until I'm out of here, which means I'll suffer two months without a personal computer, no picture editing, or other things I used to do. Sigh! Just hope the time before my vacation in Beijing will fly fast. Life without a Mac suddenly turned so old fashioned. Since there isn't much entertainment in Tehran and I've been working night shift almost permanently, my social life is basically zero (no one will hang out with you in the bloody early morning). My main activities have been kept between reading books and magazines and shopping. I've finished two books recently - "The Devil Wears Prada" and Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress". Both are very interesting in different aspects.

Anyway, can't wait to go back to my digital life.

Does it have to be so difficult!?

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:08:00 +0000

It seems things are getting worse here every week. Now if anyone want to ask me that have I finally got a faster internet than the 56K dial-up, I have to say that we even lost the telephone line, the bloody dial-up.

It's been so frustrating. I found for lots of issues we kept walking in circuits. Lots of problems have never been solved and we had to keep going back. Hardly any progress so far. For a foreigner, life is so tough in Iran. We've been fighting every inch to try to get some basic services. Plus the language barrier, things got even tougher.

Tehran, further disconnected

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:31:00 +0000

A development of my previous post Tehran, disconnected

Our only hope of getting a wireless ADSL service in Tehran was gone. Two months after our colleagues' promise of checking the service for us, we haven't heard of anything from them. So I thought I'd better try on my own. After a while struggling with the Farsi automatic answering machine of the major internet service provider, I finally got connected to some English speaker. I told her that the telephone line in my apartment was a so-called shared line (the bloody painful new technology in Tehran), which was not capable of regular ADSL, but only the wireless type. Then she told me the wireless was a little more expensive. I thought, de.... how expensive it could be, just a household internet service...until the moment she actually announced the prices to me...

For the device, the customer has to actually buy it at the price of four million Tomans, which is more than 4,000 dollars. The monthly charge for a speed of 128kbps (not sure if she said 256 or 128 because I was in such a shock) is 250,000 Tomans, which is more than 250 dollars. And she even told me that since it was so pricey that almost none of their customers chose the wireless. Great, then your company probably should think of providing some reasonable charged service.

The conversation really reminded me the time when I was in Ghana. I was on an assignment to with a Korean delegation. The manager booked this beach hotel in a very remote coastal area surrounded by fishermen's villages for us to stay. The slums was absolutely great photo opportunities for my camera, but certainly doesn't benefit me filing stories to my newspaper in Korea.

The hotel only has an 56K dial-up in the manager's office. After a while trying to convince them how urgent I need the internet to file my story, they finally gave me the green light. It was a truly nightmare using this connection, I couldn't log on my msn so I couldn't talk to my boss. My yahoo emails almost took ten minutes to upload just the front page. I had to call my boss on landline while trying to do some research on internet as well. The whole process lasted about three hours with enormous frustration. But the nightmare wasn't over, the staff charged me almost 60 dollars for the dial-up in the end. A bloody rip-off!!

Latest photos at Picasa Web Albums

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:41:00 +0000

Tehran

Beijing Tian'anmen

Beijing Houhai

Beijing Forbidden City

Hijab chic styles

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 03:03:00 +0000

I've found a very interesting drawing on akramsrazor showing hijab styles on Damascus streets in Syria. However, I think it probably missed out a few more conservative hijab interpretations. Maybe I should use my little artistic talent to create a full range to share with everyone. ^^!
(I dress more like the Iranian tourist in the drawing, recently also bought a very cool nomad bag pack from Esfahan. I'll post a picture of it soon on my blog ^^)

Tehran, disconnected

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 13:25:00 +0000

I have to say sorry to everyone that I haven't been putting on new photo albums recently. It is simply because I only have a 56K dial-up internet connection at my apartment in Tehran. I've requested the ADSL service to the telephone and internet company, but they told me that there were no line available in the area where I live (the legendary most educated and rich "north"), and I have to wait for at least two and half months. BLOODY TWO AND HALF MONTHS! I was expecting two and half weeks at the most!

Anyway, then the Admin department in my company got involved, declaring they could manage to get the ADSL installed. I was of course very happy about the help. But after almost one month frustration, only found out that the telephone line in my apartment is a shared line (another legendary "new technology" in the city of surprises), and is not capable of installing the ADSL.

The Admin brought another solution, the wireless ADSL, which can be installed upon my existing telephone line. But they haven't got back to me since they raised it about a month ago. Finally about three weeks ago, I was reaching the very edge of tolerating the 1K/second downloading speed, and so sick of the endless process of getting some essential services here. I managed to get an Iranian to call the wireless ADSL provider and ask if they can arrange the service. You know what they told me, "we don't have any modems available now. You have to wait." "How long? I don't know."

Guess what, until now, I'm still using the 56K, and there is absolutely no sign of getting any type of ADSL.

One of my senior colleagues kindly suggested me to come to the office to surf the internet. It was nice, but impracticable. First, I'd rather being relaxed at home. Second, you cannot plug USB devices to the company computers or either install software, so there is absolutely no way to upload things I edited from my laptop or transfer downloads to my laptop. Third, the only two computers that could encode Asian languages, the technicians disconnected them from the internet permanently. How difficult does it have to be!

So here I am, almost three months away from the fast Internet and even further from the civilization.

Photos from Esfahan

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:24:00 +0000

More pictures to come!

New life in Iran

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:20:00 +0000

View out of my apartment, Tehran

Tehran Bazaar

Golestan Palace, Tehran

My Indonesia Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:13:00 +0000

Sitting straight is bad for backs

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:59:00 +0000

Most of the people would imagine sitting straight was good for backs. Scottish and Canadian researchers, however, have discovered that the best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning slightly back at about 135 degrees. Well, it's time to abandon your old habit and enjoy the new work-style.

Greece rising as tourist hub

noreply@blogger.com (Shirley Han Ying) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 12:06:00 +0000

Article and photos by Shirley Han Ying (The Korea Herald - Weekender - June 23)

(Greece, June 8-10) As part of elaborate celebrations to mark the second Kerasma International Conference on Greek Gastronomy and Partenariat of the Food, Wine, Beverages industry, some 220 guests from all over the world were invited to Greece to discover its beauty in the second week of June. The focus was not only the delicious local food and wine -- or the beaches and sunshine -- but the Greek Mediterranean way of life.

Hosted by the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board, the event took place on two of the most famous and scenic islands in Greece -- Crete and Santorini -- from June 8-10.

Crete is an idyllic island with small beaches and low mountains. The pace of life there is slow and quiet, and seems to bless everyone with an aura of peace.

In the morning, people will sit on their wrought-iron balconies and enjoy a cup of coffee with a breakfast consisting of a piece of bread with feta cheese and olive oil. Above and around the balconies of these traditional village homes are lush growths of red flowers, contrasting with dazzling whitewashed walls.

Later in the day, people will bask on beaches overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, have a sip of the local ouzo in their favorite tavernas, and drive along the winding valleys to enjoy scenic surprises. You can leave here with the impression that almost nobody ever actually works on this leisurely island.

After the conference on the first day, the delegates had the opportunity to visit traditional homes in one of the local villages -- Avdou, which was probably one of the most memorable experiences for the group of journalists on the visit to Greece.

Avdou lies deep in the middle of the Lagada valley, about 39 kilometers from Heraklion, the capital of Crete. The village has some 600 inhabitants. The local residents welcomed their guests with open arms and invited them into their homes to share secrets of Greek authentic cooking. A traditional Cretan feast to welcome the guests was prepared by local women in the Byzantine Church Courtyard. Greek traditional dancing and folk music accompanied the sumptuous feast.

In Avdou the visitors really tasted and witnessed the concept of "Kerasma" -- treat and share with expansive Greek hospitality.

Some other interesting events were invitations to participate in all of the cooking demonstrations held by famous chefs from Greece, Australia, the United States and Japan, and a wine and spirit tasting workshop hosted by world famous wine experts.

Gordon Ramsay, one of the world's top chefs, who is also a television personality, restaurateur, and cookbook author, joined one of the cooking demos as a judge.

Modern Greece is known as a heaven for vacations, while the ancient one is better known for its civilization in terms of philosophy, science, architecture and mathematics.

The incredible Acropolis remains the symbol of ancient classical Greece after surviving scores of wars and earthquakes. In the ancient Greek language, the term Acropolis means "upper city" that occupies the hill in central Athens. Though lots other palaces in the world are as equally as beautiful as the Acropolis, none of them leaves visitors feeling that this structure couldn't possibly have been built by humans alone.

The only disappointment for the visitors was that the Acropolis is currently under restoration. The Parthenon and the monumental gateway Propylaea were dominated by scaffoldings, which partly reduced the aura of these ancient architectures.

In the afternoon, the delegates relaxed in a garden restaurant down the Acropolis Hill where you can still enjoy the view of the sacred site, surrounding by the Ancient Agora, the Tower of Winds, and some ancient churches. A glass of Greek island wine Xerolithia will chill out anyone after a sweaty and tiresome afternoon.

When you walk around downtown Athens, visitors will see that even the modern buildings still follow some of the stereotypical characters of the ancient architecture. Many visitors marvel at the spectacle of unbelievably high doors that make one feel so little.

The university, academy, observatory and the Royal Palace -- (now the parliament) build in 1830's by King Otho to revive Greece's classical heritage -- are also a good visit to witness the history of this ancient country.

Turning south from Omonia Square, Athinas Street began looking a little grim since all the stores were closed on the Sunday the delegation were in the city.

As more and more Korean tourists become interested in Greece, a direct flight between Seoul and Athens is expected to commence in the not too distant future. According to the office of the Greek National Tourism Organization in Japan, there are several tour packages to Greece designed for Koreans and organized by tour agencies such as Hana Tour and Freedom Tour. According to the commercial office of the Greek Embassy to Seoul, Greece will also consider providing language assistance to Korean tourists in the future.

As Greece increases its promotion of its gastronomy, products and lifestyle, the world begins to re-recognize another modern Greece along with its timeless national treasures. As Percy Bysshe Shelley, an English romantic poet said in 1822, "Another Athens shall arise and to remoter time bequeath, like sunset to the skies, the splendor of its prime."

Photo 1 - The chapel in the Lychnostatis Museum in Limin Hersonisou in Crete. The museum offers visitors an authentic view of traditional living in Crete.
Photo 2 - Local women at Avdou Village in Crete
Photo 3 - Gordon Ramsay, British Chef
Photo 4 - The northern side of the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, currently is under restoration.
Photo 5 - The most substantial surviving part of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens.
Photo 6 - A windmill in Lychnostatis Museum in Crete.