Archive of news from MartinsQuest.com

November 29th. Where are the 350+ pictures from the DC conference? Coming! In the mean time check out this small sample, look at my other pictures.
I had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones ... the pics will tell the whole story.

November 24th. Wahooooooooooooooo!! We're heading off to Washington DC for the Thanksgiving Bahá'í Youth Conference. 4:00am Wed - 2:00am Monday. What will it be like? See the Florida Trip pictures! Will there be updates while I'm gone? That's a surprise :)
Please make good use of the shoutbox, and enjoy this hitherto unattributed misquote , "Haifa is in Iran right?" -family member.

November 23rd. I just saw a headline on the front page of CNN.com that puzzled me. It read, "Study: Nearly half of adults with HIV are women." What pray tell did they think the percentage was going to be?! See Home page and Article.

November 20th. Orleans just began another set of neighborhood children's classes. When the younger group's teacher couldn't make it I was asked 8 minutes before the starting time. The challenge was mine! I prepared a lil' somethin' somethin' and went off to meet a quartet of four-year olds.
It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced at the regional Bahá'í Schools—which is held in classrooms. The home atmosphere afforded joy, openness, and playfulness that was (gasp) vitalizing! In celebration, I present an anecdote that happened in class. Enjoy! (or huge version)

November 18th. Showing that I'm not above a little self-effacement, here are five pictures of me from back in the day that throw serious doubt on my claim that I have always been cool. Note: They were scanned by Afshun who incidentally is visiting Ottawa again from Dec 15-20.

November 17th. Not every one is as honest as I am so make sure to read the fine print! (Hint: under 'no refunds given')

November 15th. The pictures from the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh holy day celebration are now posted!

November 15th. Evidently some construction in the area cut phone service for my family and thousands of Orleans residents for almost 2 days. Since I use DSL which uses the phone lines, I was also without internet during this seemingly interminable period. I felt helpless, God bless technology.
On another front, I am excited about the upcoming DC Baha'i conference I'm going to. It should be wild.

November 13th. I decided to go ahead and post a provisional outline of my talk—realizing that understanding the essence of Truth will take much more study and that releasing a tentative version is better than waiting ad infinitum for absolute perfection. Notwithstanding, it is an excellent read. :) PDF, HTML, or DOC. (18 pages)

November 10th. Are you a youth in Ottawa in the mood for a 'lil get social hangout? This Saturday (13th) come to Leroy's place (722-0991) for a great time from 7-11pm at 878 Kingsmere Aven (map). I, and a few others, won't be attending because of concurrent obligations :(

November 9th. Sometimes dreams can come true. (with pictures)

November 7th. I was very happy with my fireside and in celebration decided to post it, in its entirety here. It weighs in at 20 pages but is well formatted and documented so it makes a good read. Available on a webpage, PDF, or DOC. (Coming within days...)
In the mean time see a picture of the room and the creative substitute I used for my forgotten dry erase board.

November 6th. I want to apologize to Delara and Tassnim whom I dragged to a scary movie that I implied was a Disney action film. Here is the last picture of them before they left 6 minutes into the movie to get a refund. :(

November 5th. a few updates

Do you have a Bell cell phone? Utopia is here: just pay what you think you owe. see article.
Don't forget about my talk tonight at 7:40pm on Finding Truth at the Mottahedi's: 190 Lees Ave, Apt. 1509, buzz number 259. Phone: 565-2736.
How much cookie dough is in cookie dough ice-cream?
I want to see 2 movies this weekend including the Incredibles. MSN me if interested in joining.
Our family just received a 300 piece poker set and will be inviting people over to take part in Texas No Limit Hold'em marathons. Stay tuned.
If I was a few years younger I'd move to China to take this job.

November 2nd. Finally, proof from WebMD (& another) that I'll live a long life, plus a few unlikely US voting results: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 (last one is for Vaf).

November 1st. This Friday I will be giving a fireside at Lees apartments entitled, "You want the truth?! Can you handle the truth? A simple talk about discovering truth." I will look at the various ways in which we seek truth in both science and religion and offer ideas to help us discover the ultimate 'Truth.' Details coming...

November 1st. Here are pics from Negar's recent move plus a few pictures and a whole 'lotta commentary from the Howden fireside.

October 30th. The reflection meeting was AMAZING!! INCREDIBLE!! OFF 'DA HOOK!! Carla's song, "Stand Up and Say Yes," was the crowd favorite as no less than a half dozen people asked to buy it afterward. So, until that is set up, here is the video (22MB) that started it all—Ottawa, you rock!

► Pictures (5): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

October 29th. I apologize for the dearth of recent posts—owing directly to me working 35 hours in the past 3 days. Some of you may be slightly angry and so I present this misattributed, yet poignant quote.

October 25th. A Few updates:

I asked Kamran why he doesn't have any old uncles in Iran and he sent me this picture.
Another reason not to drink. (see original reason)
In the spirit of Halloween I thought I'd look at Franken-pets. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
At the end of November there is a youth conference in DC that many people have been talking about. Consider it!
Youth and adults alike should consider coming to the Reflection Meeting on October 30th (details above). It is slated to be well-attended and rumored to be a turning point for the Ottawa Bahá'ís community--"Teach, Teach it baby!"

Negar Alibabaiy October 23rd. If you know Negar or Nagin and would like to help her move today (Saturday 10pm-4pm) just meet at her old house in Orleans in the morning or call me on the cell for details. Owing to the fact that her family runs a Pizza Pizza empire...

October 22nd. Yesterday marked the third full day I went with Dan and Milook to the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health to a wood carving class. We were taught to make paddles and I got to engrave a quote of my choosing. Here is the paddle, a zoomed picture, and an explanation of the symbol used. Here is the quote:

"O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold fast that which is good. Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind, and true reminders of the virtues of God amidst men. He that riseth to serve My Cause should manifest My wisdom, and bend every effort to banish ignorance from the earth. Be united in counsel, be one in thought. Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches ... Be generous in your days of plenty, and be patient in the hour of loss."

- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of Wisdom

October 22nd. Not sure what to do with your new 1GB Gmail accounts? Use this program to turn it into an external hard drive (screenshot) that seamlessly sends stores files as attachments. Read more about it here and you have my assurances (and Slashdot's) that this is not, to my knowledge, a 'trick' of any kind. I've used it and it is cool! Note: ~6MB file size limit

October 22nd. All signs point to me moving out in November, perhaps to a 1-bedroom apartment in Lees (see my view). I'm also leaning heavily toward getting a PhD in Business from a University in the Southern States (except Florida) next September and staying in Ottawa at least until April. Things will change but that's the latest.

October 19th. If you are able to attend today, you will surely not want to miss the city-wide Birth of the Báb Celebration at the Hellenic Banquet Center (1315 Prince of Wales Dr.) Doors open at 7:00pm Program starts at 7:30pm (Bus routes 3 and 175 will take you there.) Last time we had a blast and the youth chilled afterwards.

Pics are posted here! You may also be interested in this article from a newspaper in India regarding the significance of this Baha'i holy day.

Youth who last year went to the Birth of Baha'u'llah celebration.

October 18th. Brian and I decided to do something quaint and a little special for our good friend Delta on her birthday, so as a surprise she was accosted as she left work and brought unwittingly to Almonte.
In unrelated news, the Tamas' and the Scott's reported mysteriously finding my MartinsQuest.com cards at their door at the same time we were passing through. If anyone knows anything...

October 16th. Some updates:

After much delay here is the write-up of my latest prank. Now with name of victim!
TODAY Tazz, Will and Rama will be performing Baha'i spoken word poetry at the Peace Prayer Day: Jean Piggott Place, City Hall, 10:00am – 4:00pm. They are going on at 2:00pm and if you go you will see me there! For details call me (295-4565)
TODAY Ayafor will be giving a talk at the famous Howden fireside on "Why Religion? What's It Do for Me? And Why Would We Need Another One?”. It is at 7:15 on 172 Presland Road (Dave 842-7363). Details...

October16th. Last night Payam was dared to eat an ultra-hot pepper—a challenge to which he brazenly acquiesced. Needless to say that he was in serious pain afterward as it was nuclear hot. To celebrate, here are some peppers Photo-shopped in various instances.

October 12th. MartinsQuest.com exclusive free offer. Seventeen (17) free 1,000MB g-mail invites to people who e-mail me and ask for them.
Update: 8 out of 17 have been given out. As for the rest of you—don't be shy or modest! Or are you simply content with your 2MB Hotmail accounts? :)

October 7th. Here are the pictures of and some brief commentary on the talks given by the Nakhjavani's in Montreal last night. The room was packed and the audience was ensorcelled by the occasion. Fantastic.

October 5th. Regarding my close friend Nathan Miller, from Florida, how does the quote go, "mockery is the sincerest form of..." Good job with your new site bro!
In addition, I made a six much-needed updates to my friends page! If you are still not on it due to an oversight on my part please send me a suitable picture!

October 5th. It's Tuesday morning and what do I have for you? A new page dedicated to Misagh's galivanting in Africa. Why is this so special? Because it contains a 10-1 proportioned summary of his e-mail which, at over 11 pages, may be too daunting for the casual reader.

October 4th. It's Monday morning and what do I have for you? Lots of pictures and a new clue!!

Full Sequencer Meeting (collage)
Justin's dorm (6 pics)
Youth Book 4 with Sector One (13 pics)
Sector 1 Reflection Meeting (25)
Black and White Party (12 pics) (On my site)
Black and White Party (65 pics) (On Dan's site)

Details of, "A Evening with Ali & Violet Nakhjavani"

Thursday, October 7th, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
Louise Bourgeois Centre, Pierrefonds (Montreal)

Friends, this is a unique opportunity with two truly exemplary servants of the Faith. Expect insights, truths, perspectives, anecdotes, and experiences accumulated over a lifetime of service to the Cause. Both Mr. and Mrs. Nakhjavani were pioneers to Uganda in 1951, but went to live in Haifa when Mr. Nakhjavani was appointed a member of the International Bahá'í Council in 1961, and stayed when he was elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1963 which he then served for the next 40 years. His wife, Violet, is known to Bahá'ís around the world as the long-time personal companion of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanúm during her lifetime. They will both be speaking and answering written questions afterwards.

Setareh - Newest addition to friends page (although I knew her from WAY back) and mis-quotes page. October 2nd. What better way to join the friends page than with a mis-quote? If you aren't on the friends page and would like to be, take this time to e-mail me a becoming picture of yourself.

October 1st. Every so often I will add a piece to this image until someone solves it. The reward? A chance to put a plug or shout out on my site!

What gets wrapped around me?

After almost losing faith in humanity, Oliver correctly guessed what the object was. Click here for the answer.

(Round 1 Guesses: Hair Brush, Battery, Don't know, Knife, ME!, Towel, Zipper, The Writings)
(Some Round 2 Guesses: Laser Tag thinger, Belt Buckle, Brassiere, Space ship, Tape measure, Battery, Computer part, something on pavement, Tape measure <-same person who guessed 'tape measure' before but this time he was insistent)

September 30th. BIG Announcement! Check out my first video post! (7.5 MB - WMV)

September 30th. Will Felepchuk is setting up a trio to do Baha'i spoken word poetry at a multi-faith gathering in a few weeks. Shoot him an e-mail if you are interested in showing your skillz.

September 29th. Event: CABs Devotional: this Friday, October1st. It will take place on the U of O campus in Simard, Room 123 at 7:30pm. Delara promised me that this would be special so come out, even if you have never participated in CABs before or even been told what it is (Campus Association for Bahai Studies), to meet others and have a good time. (see old pics from last CABS potluck/devotional).

September 29th. The recent Black and White party of Anisa's was truly a memorable event. Tons of youth from around the city and indeed, as we had Montrealérs, from around the country showed up in style! Also, coincidentally, Ottawa's 4 webmasters found themselves together on the couch and decided to take a picture to capture the nerdfest.

September 29th. I'm not sure if I announced it on my site already or not, but I'm moving out of my house Nov 1st to a pad in Ottawa. Details are sketchy at the moment, although I am ostensibly doing it to regain my mojo and supplant laziness with coerced enthusiasm. Stay tuned...

September 27th. Ok, ok..here are the long-awaited Unofficial ROBSI Pictures. There are over 720 pics so please pace yourself! It was a fantastic year and I hope that this page can be an enduring testament to its greatness!

September 25th. For Baha'is especially, here is a very cool Flash animation produced by the Bahá'í Youth Committee for England. It really underscores the importance of our role in attending study circles. First made public on this site which promotes the 5YP.

September 23rd. Don't forget—and how could you—that this Saturday your presence is requested at Anisa's for Ottawa's first Black & White youth party. Don't forget to bring some food and snacks for the celebration. What colour will I be wearing? Hmmm....

September 21st. So how is Justin finding University? How does it compare with high school? Read his lucid comparison.

September 21st. If anyone would like to make a day trip to Montreal (and has a car) to see Dr. Akhavan speak about Human Rights this Thursday please let me know!

Delara getting a headache from all the drama. September 20th. It has come to the attention of MartinsQuest that certain e-mail invitations that some of you may have received from Delara on behalf of CABS were in fact not from her or that institution, but rather by someone who with good, albeit misguided intentions was endeavoring to 'increase CABS membership.' Please disregard this spoofed correspondence and note that legitimate e-mails will be sent exclusively from uottawacabs(at)yahoo.ca or delarazamani(at)hotmail.com. :)

September 18th. My fireside went very well. Here is an electronic version (Word - 50KB) of the handout. My 13-page notes need to be cleaned up before I feel comfortable sharing them. (My fear is that people will find out that I write down everything like, 'Hello my name is Martin, I'll be...')

September 17th. Owing chiefly to ethnic barriers and to the want of want for the sport, I have never taken up surfing, let alone extreme surfing. After seeing this video on the Billabong Odyssey however...

September 16th. I played an amazing prank on a close friend. Details coming!

September 16th. I'm giving a fireside on Saturday night which Jay entitled, “Use Your Powers for Good: Why Virtue is not only Its Own Reward But a Global Super-Hero’s Best Friend.” It will basically show how we need more than conventional wisdom and virtues to be a good person or even to be good at all. At the Howden's Vanier, details here.

September 16th. The splash page is up for Anisa Smith's upcoming youth party. The goal is to get everyone in Ottawa to come out and have a good time. Trust me, she'll be disappointed if you don't go so please do!

    September 15th. Announcement. Aerial photo of Florida I have decided alone and unaided that I can no longer return to live in Florida. I lived there for 10 years, age 11-21, and indeed it was where I was introduced to my heart's greatest yearning, but having come to Ottawa it has become abundantly clear that there can be no going back, professionally, socially, and spiritually.
     Not that I will remain in Ottawa (or Canada) forever as I deeply crave climatic warmth, but Florida has all but been removed as a potential settling down destination, :(. I will brave one more Canadian winter and if I can stand it I may be here for another few years, otherwise I'll leave next September for an A-Cluster in the States.
    Please post reactions, if any, in ShoutBox.

September 14th. Ok, so I have taken considerable time to put up the ROBSI pics. Well, they are still not ready. :( BUT, I did produce a second video—this one is longer (17 minutes) and more gritty. Here is the unofficial video that has already caused quite a stir! Note: Payam appears throughout with off-the-wall antics. Please ignore. :)

Download MQ.com Unofficial ROBSI Video
( Right click, then select "save target as" - 78.3 MB)
Download MQ.com Official ROBSI Video
( Right click, then select "save target as" - 26.1 MB)

September 14th. All of us here at MartinsQuest.com would like to wish Misagh a fond farewell from Ottawa as he embarks on a 6-month stint of service at the William Mmutle Masetlha Institute in Zambia. Most of us were able to attend a somber, surprise going-away party for him last night (surprise = couldn't advertise it online). The consensus of the guests was that Ottawa was going to lose a strong light—yet the blessings to a home community of a pioneer are enormous. Have fun Mees!
As a service, MQ.com will archive and make available to the public all of the e-mails and pictures of his travels that he sends home.

September 11th. I'm not sure how many of you use AOLIM as MSN is the dominant instant message client for my web audience but if you have friends that you want to mess with try this AI Bot. It pretends to be a real person and lures its victims into a useless 10- minute conversation. Here are some examples I perpetrated.

September 10th. This video falls squarely in the category of 'don't try this at home!' (2.8MB- mpeg video)

    September 9th. I couldn't stop laughing when my mom began chatting online and, entranced with the typical acronym jargon, began completely making up her own on the fly! Please take time to think of interesting/crazy/silly, family-friendly IM-style acronyms and post them in the shout box. ie.
       "c.u.l." : chuckling out loud.
       "nrbbsot" : not really busy but sick of talking.
       "wgagsc?" : wanna go and get some coffee?
       "dyswiomq?" : did you see what is on martinsquest?
       "lolbmoos" : laughing out loud but mostly out of sympathy.

notes: 1. Shoutbox length restrictions removed for three days for this occasion. 2. All entries will be moved/copied to a separate page for archival. 3. Feel free to begin using these in your instant messages--if anyone asks refer them to MartinsQuest.com for clarification!

September 7th. Raising the bar to unimaginably high heights, Mees has released his third contribution to Ottawa Baha'i rap to the beat of Gangsta Nation. Chastity has never been so phat.

September 5th. We successfully settled Justin into his new place. I'm still not sure if it was a hotel or his dorm. We all wish him the best and hope that he can be in contact with good influences. In that vein, if you are a good influence, and live in T-dot, please call him in the next few days on his new, unlimited, Fido phone: (416) 841-0709 and introduce yourself!

September 5th. The voting for the new G-mail account is in! 22 Votes were accepted and validated and the winner was....drum roll...Justin(#2)! However, in a bizarre twist, he procured a Gmail account in the interim which invalidated his entry.
Therefore the winner is Sarah L. (#7), with runners up being Dan J. (#1), Mahtab (#6), and Paymon (#5). Update: All above got Gmail accounts!

September 5th. Minor Updates/Reminders:

Kiri's Devotional/Go-Karting extravaganza will be incredible! If you have been too lazy to RSVP, do so now! Don't miss out! (details)
Ruhi Book 4 begins this Sunday (5th) at the Moradipour's 6-10pm. Bring $10 for the book.
Look in the coming days for a new rap from Ottawa's finest.
Also, I just picked up the finest phone, a Panasonic 5.8 Ghz, dual speakerphone, dialing pad, contraption with talking caller ID—it announces the caller in between rings! Bling, Bling. Also, by buying it on eBay and picking it up in Toronto I saved over 50%! Holla!

September 2nd. Some updates:

Three new mis-quotes have been added to the site. Welcome Delta and Delara for your overdue entries. :)
Kiri (Age 13) will be having a junior youth devotional/go-karting event this Sunday, 3pm, at her home. All are welcome to come and bring their friends. Her phone number is: 526-3975 and her address is: 1465 Mattagami st. (map)
I'll be gone from Thursday to Saturday to settle my brother into University of Toronto. Somebody pinch me. (See pic)
In what can only be described as a sad day for all of us, news has arrived that Subway will discontinue making its double chocolate chip cookies due to low demand. :( Words cannot fully describe my loss.
And finally!, vote on who will win the G-mail account! Here are the entries:

The spam I get
has made me E,
I'm hoping for
some mail that's G.
Burma Shave!
Martin, i need this gmail acccount! c'mon... DUDE
i'm your brother, please hook this up phat! How can
you offer this to others and not yer own brother
first?! what kinda world do we live in? heh
Roses are red, Violets are Blue
You a'int giving away squat, and you know it too!
Don't need much storage space
Banner ads don't affect me
Pop-ups may come & leave a trace
thru-out my mail of e.
so why should I get prime g-mail?
because I'm curious
a new perspective on email
a fun toy for us.
I think I deserve it because I use my e-mail more for family. (important) family from all over the world send me pictures to my e-mail. so when one person sends me a picture I receive no other e-mails.
If you wanna send me a picture, its just pure mayhem
Cause the rest of my emails, I've gotta delete them
On my hotmail account, I don't get enough space
For there are some emails I don't wish to erase.
I must confess that
My request is an excuse
To write two haikus.
G-mail is so "in",
I don't really want it though
I'd just like to win.
Martin,
the one who's chin hairs blow in the orchid wind,
is so kind as to bestow upon me a little sin,
take my beautiful cherry skin.
But now is the time to give me what is due.
Pass over the Gmail.
E-mail I hate it, get frustrated,
each time my mails deleted
these companies conceded
and leavin me with no memories
cuz my pics gotta be deleted in hurries
now i want a g-mail with no worries!
[Editor's note: last entry added late.]

Ruhi Book 4: The Twin Manifestations August 30th. Ruhi Book 4 will be happening in the Moradipour home (Orleans -east end) every Sunday from 6-10pm for 8 sessions and one Saturday session. It will be off 'da hook!

August 28th. Win a gmail e-mail account. Tell me in 200 characters or less, and in poetic form, why you deserve it. Best three entries will be voted on by web audience. Serious entries: 7.

August 28th. With the Stanley Cup having gone missing recently I decided to Photoshop some possible places it might have been.

August 28th. I will be starting a youth Ruhi Book 4 this Sunday at my house from 7-9pm. We will decide here where and how often to meet. If you are a youth and have done books 1-3 please consider joining this study circle. Please RSVP or contact me if you have any questions or do not meet the above criteria. This will be mad fun, I promise! See: Pics from previous book 4

August 26th. A few of us are going to Montreal for the day. If you'd like to join us, and have a ride, meet at my house at 8:00am.

Update: We had a great time, pictures will not be forthcoming on account of my lost camera. :( Don't worry however, Krispy Kreme more than compensated! As did the company of D, D, M, B, P, A, A, L, & L.

Can you have an event where not everyone is invited? Yes
Do you have some friends you like to do certain things with and other friends better suited for different activities? Yes
Can you physically contact all of your friends, about all events, at all times, and under all conditions? No
Does inviting more people create logistical logjams? ie. longer lines at restaurants, transportation headaches, communication difficulties, increased interpersonal considerations, and a larger administrative burden. Yes
Should you make every effort to be inclusive and reach out? Yes
Can you always do this? No :(
Will True friends understand this impossibility? Yes :)

August 23rd. For those of you still clinging to the hope that the ROBSI pictures will be up soon you may download the Official MartinsQuest.com ROBSI Video now! (26MB - WMV)
note: pictures coming in about a week :)

Khalil Greene - Baha'i August 23rd. Cool article about San Diego Padres shortstop Khalil Greene.

August 20th. Today I will be giving a talk (fireside) entitled, "Spiritual Education Workshop: From Virtues to Virtue." I will show why teaching virtues is not enough and why there must needs be more to cultivate spirituality. Everyone is welcome to attend and is guaranteed to benefit from it. Details: 7:30pm, Aug 20th, 190 Lees Ave, Apt. 1509, buzz number 259. Contact: Roxanna, 565-2 Venus Williams 73 Vanessa Williams 6.
MATERIAL COMING SOON!

August 20th. Misquote: "I know how to play tennis; I'm like Vanessa Williams." -A.Zam.

August 17th. I had the most incredible experience today. Nágin, her friend, my brothers, and I met for breakfast and then said dawn prayers (at noon) on the serene, rupellary banks of an Orleans waterfall. With water trickling in the background over verdant, mossy sedimentary rocks we intoned Divine verses and sent them soaring into the Abhá Paradise. Having youth, in this day, spontaneously connect to the Word of God attests to the grandeur and power of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh.

"Be not dismayed if your endeavors are dismissed as utopian by the voices that would oppose any suggestion of fundamental change. Trust in the capacity of this generation to disentangle itself from the embroilments of a divided society. To discharge your responsibilities, you will have to show forth courage, the courage of those who cling to standards of rectitude, whose lives are characterized by purity of thought and action, and whose purpose is directed by love and indomitable faith. As you dedicate yourselves to healing the wounds with which your peoples have been afflicted, you will become invincible champions of justice."

(The Universal House of Justice, 8 Jan 2000)

On that note, please don't forget about Delta and Delara's morning Devotional this Thursday.

August 14th. I wonder what my mom would say if I told her that I wanted to do this?

►Also, there is an amazing teaching campaign going on in the city for Jr. Youth. Check out Dan's website (Aug 13th) for details. [Dan is third head above]

August 13th. Pictures from my recent cruise are now available.

August 11th. In honour of Justin, who is coming back on the 17th, and who can do Flash animations to perfection, here is a little video that my friend Ross Bollinger made. Enjoy!

August 11th. Is it just me or does this movie look incredible? Hero comes out August 27th.

August 10th. Paymon was giving me props for my Photoshop skills in the shout box so I thought I would do another entry, this time looking at what would be the likely outcome if Microsoft had purchased Nintendo way back when.

August 10th. Somehow in the last few days I have managed to uncharacteristically offend at least 5 of my close friends. Five (5)!! So, I want to take this space to apologize to all of those who were affected by my shortsightedness and insensitivity. To restate my 'theory' on friendship, I would rather bring ruin on myself than jeopardize our most valuable friendships. (P, A, S, S, E)

August 9th. With every step back Ottawa takes two steps forward. MartinsQuest.com would like to welcome Tahirih to our wonderful community with pics of us helping her move into her downtown pad.

Is this Tahirih? You decide...

August. 9th. It is with great pleasure that I can remove another beautiful young lady from the grasp of singlehood. If you have not yet signed up, consider becoming Ottawa's newest Bachelorette!

August 5th. Owing that this is still a personal site, here are two pictures of my Montreal family visiting Holland. 1 | 2

August 4th. I like to think that my web audience is much smarter than the general public. Which box is darker 'A' or 'B' ?

click for answer

Batman logo August 1st. Let's start the month off with two MartinsQuest.com exclusive pictures of the upcoming Batmobile. Batman comes out summer 2005 but these pictures are available now! 1 | 2

August 1st. Never heard of beat boxing? Watch this 6 minute video of a young talent from <blushing> Florida—home of everything good. Toward the end he even does Rahzel's 'If your mother only knew!' (WMV - 21MB - 6mins) Yuri - beatboxer

: Due to popular demand, and help from Paymon, here is another beat boxing video, this time using a—get this—harmonica! Wanna see a close-up, click this.

July 31st. With Ottawa now an 'A' Cluster it is now propitious to initiate small-scale teaching projects. Recently, as an individual initiative by one of Ottawa's youth, a consultation was called that set the stage for Ottawa first Teaching Project aimed at youth and directed toward our focus sector (9). See the three pictures we took. 1, 2, 3 and stay tuned for a progress report.
In addition, the Vancouver youth got fresh and began their own project--creating a webpage and all! See their promo video (22MB)

July 29th. Pictures from Smith and Dragoman are at last here! Read my first interview on behalf of MartinsQuest.com and see the group that has Eastern Ontario in a buzz. Don't miss the ginormous group picture: 4796 x 2228 (equivalent of over 10 mega pixels)

Payam and Cory heyvooning it! July 24th. I am back in Ottawa for good now. I'd like to welcome all of my first time guests who heard about my site from ROBSI. All of the pictures from the last splendid week (>1,000!) will be posted in the next few days with commentary, captions, and even some multimedia. Stay tuned. In the mean time enjoy these 4 pictures. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

July 19th. Back in Ottawa for 4 hours before I'm off with Payam to ROBSI. Here are some pictures from the cruise (1.7MB - Zip) to satiate your hunger and reward your loyalty for visiting the site even in my absence.
Also along the cruise I had time to ponder and reflect and develop a nice 2-page theory on cliquishness - or the habit of forming tight social groups. I attempt to dismiss many specious arguments against it and demonstrate how it is essential for human interaction.