This pair of inseparable ducklings were roaming free in a friend's apartment. If you walk, they think you're their mother and follow you, but when you go to pet them, they run away! Duck recipes anyone?

Gas. Natural Gas. At your doorstep. Enough to last for 350 years. No wonder the government is pushing for a law that forces all Iranian auto-makers to produce dual fuel cars that run on both gasoline and CNG.

NP is one of my relatives who designs rings and necklaces for living. They're fantastic I must say.

A Xanadu-like apartment building in Fereshteh from Shariati Street.

How does an inanimate object such as this light fixture show that life allegedly goes on in Tehran you ask? It doesn't on it's own. But it does when you consider the thought that went into making it, purchasing it and installing it. I guess...

I often get asked if I really take all my photos using my camera phone. I do. But I do minor color correction in Photoshop to enhance the photos. Roll over this image to see it before color correction. I promise that I never violate the ethics of photo-journalism (i.e. I would never add a nuclear power plant to a photo just to mess with you).

A DJ at a house party playing the latest dance hits from Europe, US, LA-based Iranian pop stars and the homegrown "legals."

A classic example of something you walk by in the street, then you stop in your tracks, turn around and wonder "what the heck?!" Santa Clause with a goatie on... Viagra?!

The magic hour isn't so magical in terms of the quality of light and color.

Latest games of the gaming world at a store in Paytakht -- Tehran's largest computer and electronics mall. Each [hacked] game sells for about $2. Pick your games Giller!

I bought a new Kia Rio. Driving in Tehran is like playing a video game; you have to avoid getting hit by what appears to be a gang of cars trying to kill you. Only in this game, "Game Over" means death or a missing limb or two.

Another angle on Atisaz buildings from inside the complex.

Its refreshing to see someone wear a tie. As an element of Western influence, Iranian officials don't wear ties and they ban it in the service sector. But foreign companies such as Lufthansa can wear ties and as a result stand out as the cleaner and more polite folks with better service.

To control the traffic, a big chunk of central Tehran is closed off to regular drivers like me. So I go as far as I can go, park my car in a huge parking lot and take the metro to central Tehran.

A businessman on the metro. Unlike Paris and New York where the subway systems were super hot and smelly during the summer, Tehran's metro is very cold and not as stinky. This should continue until ACs start breaking down. Then no one will bother fixing them.

On Kaveh Blvd. in northern Tehran. I wonder how having a car will affect my photoblog from now on.

A well guarded car in Aghdasieh. I think LA probably has more car thieves. But since the insurance companies here don't replace a stolen car, people are more paranoid and equip their cars with alarms, wheel locks and chains, then park them in well-fenced garages. Wait, that still sounds like LA... Hmmm...

You can file this under "its so ugly its beautiful." A heater, topped with fake flowers and a crack on the wall in an old film office. Looks like a painting.

There's not much of a nightlife in Tehran. In fact, its non-existant; no bars, no night clubs and no social scenes. The only thing to do is to eat or have ice cream or fruit juice. Blame it on a regime that doesn't know the value of keeping its young population happy. Oh and everything closes at midnight. I miss late night diners in LA.

Ironically, the building for "Institute of Higher Education and Research for Public Planning and Management" is left unfinished! The country is in a great shape, who needs plans and managers and stuff?!

Tabasco Mary Mix, HP BBQ sauce, the Iranian flag, fake pomegranite and oranges. Random. At a juice shop where they sell non-alcoholic margaritas.

Sweet mangos, sold at the local pick up truck. They're imports straight from Pakistan. And you thought Pakistan only exports and sponsors Taliban fighters. No but seriously, they're hella sweet and juicy. I just don't know why this photo is so depressing.

A PHOTO NEGATIVE. Jameson, Johnie, Jose and their friends may have been present at a party that with its full bar resembled one in the Hollywood Hills. It was thrown by an Italian diplomat, so technically, no laws were broken. And I totally didn't have a lick of Contraue, because I am a good law-abiding citizen of this country.

I always get asked what camera phone I use. Well, here it is; my 1.3 megapixel Motorola RAZR V3i. A note on the biker; Bikers wear a helmet because they don't want to get ticketed, not because they want to be safer. I've seen bikers wear one themselves, but have their 4 year old sit in front of them without one!

A surreal photo of LM smoking a cigarette. She probably smokes two packs a day. I am starting to get used to cigarettes. But luckily I still have no desire to pick up the habit. I've come to realize that second hand smoke is good for population control.

Museum of Water in Yakhchal neighborhood. Weird fountains and mini pools were found at this random park.

I've grown to like Justin Timberlake's music. I find myself drawn more towards dancy pop hits than ever before. When repressed, you tend to gravitate towards the happier songs that make you want to shake your booty. Justin, Gwen and Beyonce are on heavy rotation on VH1e. I wonder what the summer hit is in the US?

At another film office, a bluish vase stands tall against the red wall behind it. There are no film studios in Tehran, just hundreds of film offices scattered around town. The more successful the filmmaker is abroad, the nicer his office.

An illegal Afghan worker washing the sidewalk outside a home in northern Tehran. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan workers have been expelled in the past few months. This gentleman works very hard for very low wages, and at least twice he has given all his money to crooked officers who have threatened to take him away.