Ups and downs

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Life’s got a lot of ups and downs and I learned to deal with them. There has been a lot of pressure on me lately, lots of disappointments. I tried my best to keep my spirits up, show strength, and act strong but sometimes you just need to decompress.

I’d like to listen to my favorite music, watch some National Geographic documentaries, eat food, and read some interesting articles. This fuels me to be able to battle my problems head-on.

I’ve faced setbacks in my life before but I’ve learned that it’s not the end of the world. I always say that everything happens in its own time and I truly believe in it. I don’t sit and upset myself over something I have no control over. I try my best to turn the situation, if I succeed I’ll be happy and if I fail, I know I’ve tried my best.

I don’t worry about the future I’m unaware of. I’ll try my best to plan for upcoming situations but that won’t make me live in constant distress. I want to live, not just be alive. I won’t ruin the moments I can enjoy because I don’t know what will happen to me.

Right now I’m listening to “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust, drinking green tea, and getting ready to take a training course on a computer program that I use in my job. I won’t let these ups and downs knock me off my path.

Gilan Province 2

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A slightly low-angle photograph of an empty park bench nestled on a small, grassy mound under a large, bare-trunked tree. The bench has a black metal frame and worn wooden slats painted in bright orange and reddish-brown. Fallen autumn leaves litter the ground around the base, and a dirt path leads off to the right. In the blurred background, other trees and an open, rolling field can be seen.
After a ride up the Lahijan Gondola lift in Gilan Province, we found this colorful bench to enjoy a moment of peace and the mountain air.
A stunning panoramic view of a mountain landscape above a thick layer of clouds. The sky is a clear, bright blue near the top, fading to a pale blue-white at the horizon. The slopes in the foreground are covered in deciduous trees, many with bare branches or muted autumn colors like deep gold and brown. A patch of the distant hillside is brightly lit by the sun, contrasting with the shadowed foreground. The vast, flat layer of white clouds fills the valley below, looking like a serene, endless sea.
After an hour of driving to Deylaman.
Passing through clouds and jungles.
A moody, wide shot of a dense, dark green forested hill rising steeply up to meet an overcast, cloudy sky. In the foreground, below the main forest line, there is a distinct band of cultivated tea bushes or low shrubs growing on the slope. The light is diffused, giving the scene a soft, slightly mysterious atmosphere.
My lunch view: The perfect scene of lush tea fields and dense jungle on Lahijan’s Devil Mountain (Sheytan Kuh).

Vank Cathedral, Isfahan

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Intricately painted dome ceiling of Vank Cathedral in Isfahan, decorated with biblical scenes, golden floral patterns, and angelic faces around a central chandelier.
Intricately painted dome ceiling of Vank Cathedral in Isfahan, decorated with biblical scenes, golden floral patterns, and angelic faces around a central chandelier.
Quiet courtyard of Vank Cathedral in Isfahan with adobe-colored walls, a wooden door, a small tree, and clear blue sky overhead.
Black and white, low-angle shot of a narrow alleyway or courtyard leading toward the base of a clock tower, likely Vank Cathedral's bell tower, framed by two tall, plain, untextured walls on the left and right.

Visited the Armenian Holy Savior Cathedral, also known as Church of the Saintly Sisters, and it was awesome. So much history, beauty, and amusement.

It’s also known as Vank Cathedral, which means “monastery” or “convent” in the Armenian language.

Great experience. I’m currently in the city of Rasht, Gilan Province, north of Iran. Getting some peace of mind and rest.

Taking advantage

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Tweet by user @your_nutt replying to @TheDamaniFelder. The original tweet shows a comic titled “How to liberal” with two panels: in the first, a bearded man with glasses holds a sign that says “DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM!” and a button reading “The system is exploitative and unsustainable!”; in the second, the same man panics in front of a falling stock chart, shouting “NOOO NOT THE SYSTEM!”. The quote tweet text reads: “if I’m locked in a cage, and I repeatedly say I don’t want to be in the cage because the cage is bad, it is not hypocritical for me to panic if the cage catches on fire with me inside.”

I used to feel guilty about taking advantage of opportunities I have. In an unstable economy, such as one I live in, you try anything you possibly can to survive. Most of you probably have no idea how it’s like to sleep at night and wake up in the morning to see your money is now worth half.

In this kind of economy you try your best to invest wisely. You won’t keep cash, you buy gold. You won’t buy something that can lose value by using, you buy something that keeps it. Everything you have is an investment. Even your phone. A phone you buy for a thousand dollars will probably worth the same, if not more, one year from now.

We even invest for short terms, such as weeks. If I want to buy a laptop, I won’t keep cash, I’ll try to buy some gold so a month from now I won’t pay twice the cash I saved. That’s how it is to live in sanctioned and collapsing economies.

Gold is one of the most famous investments all around the world, but it’s even more popular here. Since it’s valuable everywhere in the world, so you’re no limited to local market, and it doesn’t rely on your state’s economy, it’s rising everywhere so if your economy collapses, you don’t lose everything.

Now when you invest in short terms, sometimes you feel guilty. If I buy ten grams of gold today so I can save for a new laptop, say for a month, and the price of that gold decreases in the month, so I actually lose a little, I’d probably be sad. But should I? Doesn’t that mean I’m actually sad because the economy is getting better?

Isn’t it wrong to feel happy when the price of gold increases (as a matter of local economy improving)? Well for people who experienced this for decades, no. I know the economy won’t improve in long term, because of the political situation, and the improvements we see are most-probably some trick to take away what I have.

I used to feel guilty about feeling happy when some prices go up, because I had investments in that area, but no more. I’m in a cage and I don’t like it, nevertheless I won’t like it if the cage catches fire with me inside. Let me be free, and then do whatever you want with the cage.

Discord breach and our personal data

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One of Discord’s third-party service providers was breached, exposing people’s personal information including parts of credit card numbers, driver’s license, and passports.

It’s kinda funny, isn’t it? Who could’ve imagined the same people who wanted to collect our personal information for “safety” and “trust” end up violating our safety and trust? Well, us. Us privacy advocates shouted about this from the very beginning of it yet nobody listened. Nobody stopped it.

This didn’t have to happen. People’s personal information should’ve never been collected or uploaded anywhere in the first place. Privacy isn’t a feature, it’s not a luxury, it’s a fundamental human right. It’s a prerequisite of freedom and civilization. Once our privacy is gone, freedom follows, and everything else will collapse just like a dominoes.

I wasn’t affected by this because I’m careful to only use privacy-respecting free (as in freedom) sites, programs, and services. I deeply care about my rights, specially when it comes to privacy and freedom.

It’s time to stop using anything that demands our personal information. It isn’t about some “terms” you “agree” with, it’s about what they take away from you, and how they violate your basic rights.

Whether they claim it’s for children’s safety or to verify if we’re human enough for them, we must stop this madness. They still collect our personal data and it’s still a violation of our rights. It’s not normal, never has been, never will be, and we have to put an end to it.


I won’t stop defending our rights. You can join me by deleting your accounts on platforms that don’t respect you and your freedom enough. You could stop using dis-services that treat your freedom and privacy like a joke and switch to services that actually value your freedom. There are countless alternatives that do what you need without demanding your firstborn in return.

You can make a difference, and there are many people and communities that will help you go through your privacy journey. Privacy Guides’ Forum is one of them. I’m also open to anyone who needs help, and I’ll do whatever I can to help.

Do it for yourself, and for all of us.

Nothing is right

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I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure lately, both in my personal life and at work. Nothing feels right anymore. It seems like everything is off balance.

It’s not just me. The situation in the country keeps getting worse. The economy is declining quickly, the political news is always negative, and there’s a constant tension in the air. Every day, there are more rumors about war starting again. It’s exhausting.

We’re losing hope bit by bit, and the future feels unclear and uncertain. There’s no guarantee of a safe future right now. I hardly get any sleep at night. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing I’m surrounded by the people I love.

Sometimes I feel jealous. I see my friends overseas talking about starting new jobs, attending seminars, or taking trips to cities they love. Their biggest worry is choosing between good options or pursuing their passions. I’m genuinely happy for them, but deep down, I can’t help but think this should have been our life here too.

I tell my friends here that everything will be fine, that the future is bright and we’ll get through these tough times. But even I have doubts. I’m not sure about anything, but I try to stay calm, be kind, and keep hoping and working for a better future.

I really do my best. I want to make things right. I want to contribute to projects that matter to me, be active in the communities I love, be productive, help others, and share what I can. But what can I do when I’m feeling desperate myself? It can be terrifying at times.

Just to be clear, I’m not looking for anyone’s pity. I’ve written and deleted this post many times, but I need to get things off my chest. I remembered why I kept this blog up and running: to write what I can’t say out loud. I apologize if this caught you off guard, and I’m sorry if you’ve been a victim of my poor social skills.

Funny cat meme showing a close-up of a wide-eyed orange cat with text that says, “I apologise to everyone who has been a victim of my poor social skills,” humorously expressing social awkwardness.

Carrying the weight and passing challenges

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This past week has been one of the busiest I’ve had in a long time. Things changed suddenly at work and I had to take on extra responsibilities. It wasn’t part of the plan, but when someone on the team has to step away, you do what’s needed.

The truth is, it wasn’t easy. There were ups and downs every day. Some moments I felt completely drained, wondering how to keep up with everything. Other times, I felt proud of figuring things out and keeping things moving. These situations really test your patience and your ability to stay focused when everything seems to be happening at once.

On top of the extra workload, I also had to support a co-worker who was going through a difficult time. It wasn’t just about covering his tasks—it was about being there for him, guiding him through some things, and making sure he didn’t feel alone in all of this. That part mattered as much as the work itself.

There was also a moment where things got heated in a discussion, and I had to step in to bring some balance and calm the situation down. It reminded me how important it is to keep the team together, especially when stress levels are high. Sometimes, the real challenge isn’t just finishing the work—it’s keeping people grounded and working together.

One thing I noticed is how much we can adapt when we have no choice. At first, it feels impossible, but then you start to find a rhythm. You learn new things, take on tasks you’ve never done before, and somehow manage to make it work. I think that’s one of the hidden benefits of challenges—they force you to grow in ways you wouldn’t if everything stayed comfortable.

Next week is going to be the same, so the marathon isn’t over yet. It’s going to be tough, and I know I’ll be tired, but I’m trying to see it as an opportunity. These moments can either break you or make you better. I’d rather take the second option. If nothing else, this whole experience is teaching me that I can handle more than I thought I could. And that’s something valuable to take forward.

In the end, it’s about perspective. Work will always have its hard days, but if we can use them to learn, they’re not wasted. That’s what I’m holding on to right now.