I only thought British people discussed the weather, an American friend of mine expressed complete disbelief at the seriousness of conversation about the weather. But really, there's nothing much to talk about here - it's cold, grey and murky and maybe for one minute of the day, the sun manages to make its appearance!

It was Holocaust Memorial Day in Britain last Sunday 27th, this is the second ever Holocaust Memorial Day. Last year there seemed a greater emphasis on Genocide in the last century, and as one can imagine political wrangling ensued, predominantly trying to get the Home Office to include the Armenian genocide into the picture for the day. It seems that the emphasis of the day this year was changed quite dramatically, when viewing the website front page it placed 95% emphasis on the actual Holocaust and mentioned other genocides in one of the paragraphs. There was a service in Manchester to remember this, to which a number of Armenians were invited, but over all the whole day went VERY unrecognised, not only in its attempt to change the emphasis of the day, but also in terms of the general public having an awareness of the day. At University I saw one poster, and no events organised.

First off..... Welcome Gagik! How long have you been in Chicago? I went to Chicago for the first time in 1998.... I really liked the city. But then again, a lot of places are "likable" to visitors.... :) K, well, I didn't quite make it to Earth Science tonight like I was supposed to....but it's ok, I think I probably just missed the boring speech about the syllabus and class rules/etc. K, so after a long night of trying to sleep while I tried to breath...I ended up at the doctor's office at 10am. After 3 hours of waiting....I finally got in through that big door! Diagnosis = I shall live! Turns out I didn't do myself a favor by putting off going to the doctor. I have nasty stuff, involving ears and throat and lungs, etc..... Let's just say, 10 minutes after the nice big 3 SHOTS the Big Dr. gave me, I started breathing again! (And no I'm not talking about shots of tooti oghi like how they did in Artsakh.. hehehe).

So now that I feel better, I cooked, I cleaned, and now I'm reading..oh by the way... I'm ALMOSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTT done with "Zabelle". Had it not been for the interesting old-folk in the waiting room, I'd be done with it.....but....what happens when you put Shooshig in a waiting room full of interesting Armenian oldtimers? You get very heated conversation! :) We talked about everything from why I should never get married (hahaha) to Armenian politics. It made time pass faster, but it was VERY intersting to hear what these people had to say. One man who I really liked in particular was originally from Iran, and he had been an Armenian teacher for 25 yrs there, currently living here with his second wife (and they were so cute together). He knew everything about everything, and of course had an opinion about each..... so you can imagine why he and I were doing most of the talking. On top of it....he had a sense of humor! LoL....ok just to give u a taste of his humor... He just turned around and told me... "You need to give me $20" I said, "Why?". He said, "Well, I just told you something very important." I said, "No you didn't" (he hadn't). He said "Oh ya....I'm gonna tell you now...." (hahaha) He said, "So 6 months ago I had an open heart surgery for the second time, and let me tell you....I went to hell and heaven too.... they both suck!".... I said, "how could they both suck?" ... and he said, "Well, in hell, all people did is cry and go crazy and party and stuff, but then in heaven it was sooo quiet and no one talked, and they just sat there with their faces all blank---so I decided, I don't want to go to either place...I'm fine right here! And I came back...and two lovely nurses woke me up.... " (this is where he winked at his wife) hahahahha

Ok, in conclusion....the day started off YUKHKY, and ended on a good note. I'm ready for my FULL DAY at school tomorrow...yayyyyy! :) And I decided..... I like old people! I can't wait to become a "shadakhos" gramma! Young ears BEWARE!
TSUH :)
p.s. - if you still haven't ordered Gor's CD....you don't know what you're missing.... I practically know em all by heart! :)

ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

I can honestly say... I LOVE SCHOOL!!! Going back to school was the exact thing I needed to help me have the energy to try and win over this nasty nasty horrible disgusting flu-like thing in me! I sound like such a NERD! But, truthfully, I enjoy my classes. Today being my "light" day, I only had 2 classes - "Music for Children" and "Chicano Literature". Needless to say both classes seem to be VERY interesting! Tomorrow I'll tackle "Earth Science" and on Thursday in addition to tuesday's schedule I'll have "The Changing Roles of Armenian Women" and "Dance for Children". Then on Saturday I will enjoy a morning of "PE for Children". They seem to have left the best for last! So how come we can't take these "fun" classes in the beginning so we'd actually be motivated to move on? Hmmmmm....

I survived today a bit better than I had expected, though I know I'm just fooling myself.... yes Ara, I'm seriously going to go to the doctor this time. He promised to try and fit me in tomorrow afternoon... keyword = TRY. I don't like the sound of that. Well, I did get further into "Zabelle" today, and Raffi, ya--I'm pretty sure I'll be done with it tomorrow or possibly even tonight. It's actually not a choice, cause I already have a book to read by Tuesday for the Chicano Lit. class.... let's see what it's all about! I thought it was interesting that Juan said in his log how you will find similarities between the Armenian and Incan cultures. Last semester I took a Chicano Arts and Humanities class, and having learned about the ancient or actually indeginous cultures, I saw A LOT of similarities and even wrote about them in my essay on the exam. One example.... is their "New Fire Ceremony" and our "Diyaruntarach". Although Diyaruntarach is left over to us from our pagan days, it is still practiced today. It turns out that the main idea of taking a part of that fire home which will bring a piece of the positive "light" to each home is the same in both these ceremonies. Two cultures existing so far from one another share something like this.... I found it VERY interesting!

Alright, enough with the babbling... I'm going to go read! :)
(After I blow my nose yet one MORE time...) hehehe
TSUH!

ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

It’s been a while since I last reported on my status in squash… I won 2 games last week! I am getting better. I tried racquetball but, really preferred squash.
I decided to return to my dance group as we were invited by the Toronto Armenian Community to perform our last show that dealt with the 17 centuries of Christianity in Armenia… I’ve talked about this show, where King Drtad’s dream of sleeping with Hripsime.
I am swamped with work, school, Amassia (my one and half year old gorgeous daughter) and # 2 that’s on its way. I practically have very little time to spend with family and friends…lol.
I read Zabelle, it’s pretty cool. Quite an easy read, I’m sure you’ll finish it Shooshig.
Gagik Mikaelian, are you new on this log? If so, welcome. If not… where have I been?
Nothing really exciting is happening in Canada right now. Besides the Churches going into war over who covers what territory. I’ll leave this for another log. For now, I will enjoy my evening… maybe rent a movie. That’s if I finish my readings for school…
OK, enough complaning, I’ll leave now.
Yalla, bye-bye.

More than a week, and no log from me..... Well, winter session is over, and I'm proud to say it was a lot of work, but I am very proud of my drawings and especially my ceramics! :) This week I'm still trying to feel better, but it looks like that nasty cold I had a while back was only hiding, waiting for the absolute worst time to come out again ---- and here it is....back -- the DAY before school starts! I guess I'm more annoyed than anything, but the constant coughing isn't helping either. I guess this one is just going to have to be faced with the Big Dr.

There's really not much else to write about, except that I'm finishing up a book I started to read at the very beginning of the break... "Zabelle" by Nancy Kricorian. I started reading this book at least 12 times, but THIS time, I am determined to finished. So far, I've really enjoyed it. It's funny, yet sad all together. I guess it's also pretty cool cause I could imagine myself as Zabelle since she is close to my age in the story. I guess I'll write about my impressions when i'm done....

As for right now.... I should hit the sack.... I feel like a little kid who's anxious for the first day of school! :)
p.s. - WEIRD WEIRD weather in LA.....they say it's actually going to snow tomorrow, and we just had 12 earthquakes in a row! What's REALLYYYY going on???? Quake Update Krazy-Weather

ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

SUDAMERICA

Cuzco, Perú 10:18 p.m.
Well, i am here. Alive at the moment. January 18th i started a trip to Perú. In three days i crossed BOLIVIA and two days ago i climbed to MACHU PICCHU. If you are armenian and, of course, a mountain lover, you must visit this countries. I am writting this log from CUZCO, Perú. Cuzco is a peruvian city whit a mixture between spanish times of conquest and ancient times of the INKAS. Studing the inka culture you could find many similar things with our urartian/armenian culture. January 31st i´ll be back in Buenos Aires, if god wants but until then ill try to keep enjoying the views of a nearer armenia...

TGIF?.......or not! So much to do, so little time.....

Last night I went to that educational forum where Professors Payaslian, Marashlian and Moumdjian spoke about issues that all Armenians (not just Armenian-Americans) should be concerned with. Most of the information they presented was from the news that you and I read everyday on Groong....but the reason why this forum was different than sitting here and reading it, was because as professors (actually doctors) they presented what we read in the "larger scheme of things". So I was not just being informed about a certain thing that has happened, I actually understood why it happened, and the greater consequences of it. It was very interesting to say the least.

Needless to say that all three professors agreed that TARC was definitely "avelort" (extra) and did more harm than good. Professor Marashlian even showed us (on video) exactly why the people who were on TARC representing Armenians shouldn't have been on it. For example, not even touching upon how the Exec. Director of Arm. Assembly was directly involved in it....let's take a look at the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. HAH!! We watched a video where he had an interview on Armenian TV, and they were discussing the Genocide Resolution which ALMOST passed. The former Foreign Affairs minister ... the man who DEALT with different countries (among them US) was passionately arguing with the host that the Resolution was completely meaningless (he used the word "vochinch") because come elections, the entire Congress was going to change... Ummmmmmmmmm...... I know that maybe an Armenian living in Armenia need not know about how the Congress or House of Rep.-s works.... but when you're the foreign minister of a country, I should HOPE that you atleast read up on it before you make comments like that on TV! lol.... all the reps will change..... 4th grade Civics my dear....4th grade..... Ok, and as if THAT comment wasn't enough, he furthers himself down that pit of ignorance by saying that the only thing we would get out of the Resolution passing is....Moral Victory. WOW. I still cannot even comment on that remark..... once again, if a foreign affairs minister doesn't get how a Resolution recognizing the Genocide would affect Armenians everywhere ..... I'll leave it at that.... Even if what he said was correct, he's the one living in Armenia.... Moral Victory has a great deal to do with MORALE...which is a key element in our success or decline.
The other professors presented a lot of interesting information too.... they talked about how Section 907 is practically non-existant...how the Armenian lobby has weakened....they expressed their opinion that if (asdvadz chuneh) Armenia was faced with the same situation as they were faced with in 1990-91 regarding Artsakh, the professors felt that it would be difficult for the Armenian people to take the same stand as they did a decade ago. They also talked about "ardakaght". They talked about the psyche of the Armenian living in Armenia today, and also discussed how, now Armenians from Armenia will be able to go to Turkey without a visa requirement. (hmmmmm) That's kind of like having a "get out of jail FREE card" (monopoly). Sure, there will be some Armenians (whom I've met) who will say.....NO WAY! But I've also sat in Hrabarag and watched as the bus from Turkey arrives empty to the Erepuni parking lot...and departs FULL.

When I read Lena's log about the ill girl and letter translation story, one thing totally stuck out in my mind. How she said that she is sick of hearing and seeing those things. I , too, wish that those things didn't exist.... it is only human nature. But Lena does not take the next flight back....she stays. We need more like HER there. See, last night, Prof. Marashlian said how for years Armenians have been playing with the wrong cards.... meaning, they've been saying to all these other countries "You are either going to choose PROFIT (oil, trade, etc) or you're going to choose to help Armenia." Ok, it doesn't takie a doctorate to understand that no country is going to say, "Aman, let's help this little country--they have such a good history, and they're doing so bad now... It's ok that there's nothing in it for us...we will be doing something good." NOT HAPPENING! Soooooo, the solution is.... Armenians need to find a way to put our national gains into some the whole "there's something in it for them". Ok, last time I checked, there aren't any oil wells in Armenia, and we don't have much in it for anyone! Just about the only thing we have is... 1) Our location....and 2) Diaspora (which is what Prof. Moumdjian said).

Uffff....there is still so much to say...but I need to go start getting ready to head off to work and start this friday..... geeez....what a weekend! One last thing.... I hope that the 200 people there last night understood as much as I did.... because when I got home, like Lena...I was kind of tired of facing all these realities. What could have NOT happened in our history....when was this BIG turning point afterwhich everything went downhill? Was it REALLY the genocide? I personally think it was way before that.... if there was nothing wrong....then our writers would not have started the Romantic period in Arm. Literature, and we wouldn't have "Verk Hayasdani" or "Khentuh", etc. And then.....beyond that..... how far down are we going to go before realizing our potential and bouncing back? I really can't imagine raising children, teaching them about a country that "WAS"....no longer is. How come that doesn't bother a lot of other people????

Alright, I hope everyone has a wonderful day....and a great weekend! Raffi N......thanks for the weather man! lol Today it's very sunny but quite chilly....low 60's. Funny how my friend just returned from Armenia yesterday and he also talked about the frozen sidewalks... hehehe.... Raffi M.... ya, I bought the CD - I still didn't get it, but I'm very impatient to hear the rest of the songs. I heard it on demkradio.....it caught my attention... i looked it up...and lo-and-behold it was Gor.... how could i NOT buy one? :) Lena....big hugs - keep it up. Juan....lol taparagan! And Madlen....I saw the engagement pics----there's a GREAT shot of you rippin' it up on the dancefloor! :)~ --I feel like I just wrote in a yearbook! lol TSUH! :)

ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

Parev, Verat dzaki arev...
i am transmiting this log from a nasty discoteque of Mar del Plata. Its 5 am...and i want to go to bed. tomorrow ill be back to buenos aires. Then i have another trip...
Armenians in mar del plata are a lot...let it for another log...
bye bye

Boston, MA USA: Since the end of my exams in mid-December, I've had a lot of down time to think about things that I didn't have the chance to reflect on during the busy school year. I start back up on January 29th and I find myself really drawn to being in Armenia. It's definately in the plans, but there are times when the urges get strong. I just received word that my 10-year Armenia "Special Residency" status Visa is now ready in Washington, D.C. I just sent the $350 check and should be receiving it shortly. The 10-year Visa is open for application to all Diasporan Armenian. It takes about 4 months to get it on average and is a great investment if you pln on being in Armenia for any real length of time for the next 10 years.

The pangs of being in Armenia only got stronger as I spent time over the Winter Break with Diasporan Armenian friends who have moved to Armenia over the last year or two. I accompanied one of my friends to Washington, D.C. to help support his project in a Development Marketplace World Bank sponsored competion on reviving the arts and crafts industry in Armenia. Although, the project was chosen as a finalist, it did not win. Yet, it was a great networking experience for me in pushing my music label project (www.pomegranatemusic.com) to see where I would be eligilble of World Bank funding. I came away with the impression that there is a lot of money to be distributed for worthwhile projects related to job creation in economically challenged countries. If you have a project you want to get off of the ground in Armenia and are looking for funding, try www.worldbank.org on how to get the ball rolling.

The Armenian Network of Boston had an Armenian Christmas party this past Saturday at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, MA where I was given the opportunity to sell the current Armenian CD I have produced, "Yeraz" It was nice to see the positive reception in the number of sales that were generated throughout the evening. I brought about 50 CD's, a CD Walkman with headphones, and a very positive pitch in that I am promoting talented musicians from Armenia. It worked and the word is starting to spread about the CD, the label, the musicians, and my mission. It was a very satisfying evening. It's nice to know that people- once presented with the project- are on board to support job creation in the arts via these recording. If you are interested in support my music project, click on the banner (Gor Mkhitarian- Yeraz) above, listen to the tunes, and if you like it, graciously purchase your very own copy. The company that handles it ships ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD and is internationally recognized as a leader in customer service for indie music. Hey, Shooshig bought one!

I know, I know… it’s been ages. But what can I say, it’s all that squash! By the way, I suck at this game. I am however, very determined to improve within the next months. It’s a cool game and I think I am starting to get the hang of it.
Weather for Shooshig… it’s a beautiful winter with not enough snow, in my view. It’s not as cold as we are used to, but most Canadians seem to enjoy this!

OK, here’s something different that happened this week. I was invited along with another 30 youth members of the community centre for an open forum to discuss 3 issues of concern. The first was Armenia (very vast topic), the second the recognition of the Genocide (another very large topic) the third was about the community centres and youth, its present situation and the future of the Montreal communities. I really appreciated this honest approach of actually giving the youth time and a place to voice their opinions. Although I must admit, the youth were not as outspoken as I wished they were. There are many who still think like their fathers and their grandfather for that matter. There were a few who had clairvoyance and could see the bigger picture. Some were completely oblivious to the issues, which gave the meeting a certain flavor.
One of the issues that seemed to stir a lot of S--t was the issue of the Genocide. I won’t get into all the details but I want to share some of the comments made and the reactions by some of the youth. One person talked about moving on. Trying to put the issue at another level, one where we publicly forgive the Turkish government and by that act, insist that the act happened and they are the perpetrators. This person insisted that there were other issues, current ones that needed as much if not more attention. This person was referring mostly to the current socio-economic situation in today’s Armenia. Another participant asked if anyone of the participants, their families or friends were ready to move back to Western Armenia if the issue was resolved and if the Turks acknowledged the Genocide. How would we populate this vast land if we can’t keep today’s relatively smaller Armenia populated with its own citizens? Some youth were very adamant about the issue and the fact that we should never forget the dream of a united free Armenia. Needless to say, there was lots of melodrama in the room. It seems that even after 86 years, this issue still excites people and makes them think more with their emotions than their heads. Don’t get me wrong, I think PASSION is an important ingredient in our community affairs. If we don’t have that we will gradually lose interest and quickly move on to other things.
My thoughts? Well, it’s quite difficult to talk about the Genocide as a separate issue. For me, all of the issues relating to “Armenia” and “Armenianness” are intertwined. We need to talk about institutions like the Church, the Schools we need to reflect about the culture and what has influenced it during the past century. We need to talk about Diaspora-Armenia relationship, investment (both resource and personal) in Armenia. We need to completely re-evaluate the mandates of the organisations (Shooshig can enumerate them all).
I think about this everyday. I’ve even laid out various solutions and alternative approaches… but I’m not sure the community leaders are ready to listen to my outlandish ideas.

PS: have you had a chance to read some of Ara Baliozian’s thoughts?
"Armenian by ancestry, Canadian writer Ara Baliozian was born in Athens, Greece, and educated in Venice, Italy. Widely published in English and Armenian, he has been awarded many prizes and grants for his literary work. He is a regular to many publications in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. His best-selling study THE ARMENIANS: THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE. He has been translated into French, German, Greek, Spanish, and Armenian."
Visit here for more http://www.narek.com/arabaliozian.htm

Wow....will you look at the time? So why am I not in bed? I don't know. Do you ever feel like you're sooooo tired that sleeping seems like a chore too? Well I guess that's kinda how I feel right now. :) Today in my Children's Art class, we started our Clay Projects. After thinking about what I want to make for my architectural clay project, I decided on making Noravank. Yes, I know....leave it to shooshig to pick the one vank with a million details on it. But it's absolutely beautiful, and a challenge....which helps classtime pass a lot faster. Now, I'm debating with the professor whether I'm actually going to "cook" my clay thingy or not..... there is a risk of it breaking in the oven.... and anyone who knows me, KNOWS my luck.... so I think I might toss a coin to help me decide .. hahahhaa (I'm an indecisive gal).

So, tonight I was searching the internet for a reasonably priced ticket to go somewhere during Spring Break (March). I have a voucher from a particular airline which will expire if I don't use it...and it's not like I don't need the time-out. So we'll see where I end up. I'm thinking Seattle...I could visit my cousin up there, and see a new place! Nayink....

Thursday night I'll be going to an educational forum, at which 3 professors from different colleges and universities will be talking about Section 907 and TARC, etc. So I will definitely have something to write about Friday :)

Well, happy Wednesday to you all.....
TSUH!

ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

Hellooooooooooo
Sorry about my lack of writtings...
Ok...
I am in Mar del Plata with my friends AREAN and LEVON, next week i`ll be in Machu Pichu.
So, i`ll write later...
bacheeks
Juan

It seems as though I haven’t posted a REAL log in almost FOREVER! Well, here i am....i am back!!! :) I know you guys are all very excited that I have some time to write my thoughts down in here so that the rest of the world can read it...but please, control the enthusiasm! :)
Let me first say that my winter session Art class is going GREAT! I AM AN ARTIST!!! It turns out that I do have SOME talent and well, you’d just have to see and judge for yourself. :) Other than that, things are still hectic... trying to juggle class everyday, work everyday, and other responsibilities I’ve managed to get myself into..but "I will survive!" :)

Alright, one thing I’ve wanted to talk about here....which is REALLY important to me (as it should be for everyone)... is how UN-United we are as Armenians. It just so happened that I had to type up a list of all Armenian Organizations in the area, and OHMIGOD...you’d be amazed at how many exist. Every 5 Armenians coming together form an organization with a different mission...actually their missions seem to have a common denominator which someone needs to highlight with a BIG yellow marker for them. You know that William Saroyan quote that says, "For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia" ....should be changed. The new one should say, "....see if they will not create a new organization". I know I make it sound a little funny, but in all honesty it’s SOOOO not! Ok, let’s forget for a second about all the different organizations we’ve managed to come up with. Let’s look at one of the reasons for the above problem.....

After the Genocide, Armenians were scattered all over the world. Sure, even before the Genocide, there were Armenians going to different parts of the world (Europe, America, etc.), but now it was on a much larger scale. This was the beginning of DIASPORA (spyoork). All of us are in different parts of the world, and NOT in Hayasdan...where we belong. We're all in the wrong place. And yet....with that in mind, some of us seem to think we are MUCH better than other people. Ok...REALITY CHECK!!!!!.... you're not any more armenian than someone just because you are born in a particular place, speak a particular dialect, look a certain way - etc. I just don't understand how someone, ANYONE, can come to the conclusion that they are better than someone else. I am absolutely disgusted with the reality that Armenians constantly have these misconceptions about each other.

Sometimes I visit voice-chat rooms on a program called "Paltalk". Of course there are A LOT of Armenians on there, and tonight, I turned it on and entered a room to listen to conversation or music they play while I finish up my drawing for tomorrow. What I heard in that room was absolutely SAD. Armenians were arguing with each other about issues like "I'm more Armenian than you because I'm from Armenia" .... or "I'm more Armenian than you because I know this this this"..... And instead of these people discussing ways in which they - the 28 people present there - could do something to CHANGE something for Armenia...they were sitting there arguing about an issue that should not even exist!!! All someone had to do is visit www.groong.usc.edu and pick an article at random and discuss the issue presented in the article. All they had to do is open a newspaper and discuss how that particular current event affects us as Armenians. .... I could probably name a 100 different more productive things they could have been discussing. But no....they were telling each other how this person is a sorry excuse of an Armenian because ---blahblahbalbhalbhalbahlblahblahblahblah ....

Come on guys! When are people going to just stop and look at what they are actually doing!? As Armenians living in all these different countries, we have SUCH potential to become something SO big and healthy! Why aren't we learning from our current environments, and implementing what we learn in our OWN corner of the world? How come we're not learning from OTHER people's mistakes - instead of making our OWN...and not learning at all!!? I know that it is easier said than done....but to tell you the truth, just SAYING it alone would make a huge difference.

Well, there's something to think about.... The solution is easy - but UNLIKELY... "Miasnaganootyoon" - Unity!
The generation before me wondered if they'd live to see an Independent Armenia..... IIIII'MMMMMMM just wondering, "Will I live to see a United Armenian People?"

Tsuh!
p.s. - Ara....i'm copying you .... ShooshigAvakian@hotmail.com

So, I learn through mistakes.....apologies Ara you didn't really state that you wanted Armenia to be more like America. So forgive my ramblings, but then I suppose I don't want it to be like America either. Too much revision can do really bad things to the brain.....only a few days to go, and maybe after that the fog will clear.....

Yes, I’m here. Did they cut down the 24 hour day to about HALF that? I don’t quite understand it. Well, my Winter Session class is going GREAT! Aside from the fact that I have to sit in one classroom for 5 hours Monday through Thursday for 3 and a half weeks, it’s a wonderful class! I’m taking "Art for Children" (teachers-to-be must take this) and guess what I discovered! I’m actually VERY good in art! I amaze myself after my drawings are complete! And, it’s actually quite relaxing, to sit there and think about THAT paper, THAT pencil and THAT drawing ONLY! I’d never done anything like that before.

Aside from that, I’m still working and still picking up my brother and little cousin from school everyday. I’ve been getting home VERY late, and I’m generally very tired. On top of it, seems like I have a cold that just does not want to leave me. I mean, I know I’m a cool person and all, but come on.....this cold has overstayed its welcome! :) Now I can surely say... I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEMESTER TO START!

So it’s snowing in Hayasdan and Artsakh? How cute! The weather in LA, is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!!! We’ve been getting these winds in the evenings, and in the morning, it’s SUNNY and cool. Yesterday I parked my car especially far from my class, and took a nice walk there.

Well, I have to go get ready for work.... I’ll log a "real" log this weekend...i promise.

Oh and ARA......it’s ShooshiGGGGGGGG (with a G) lol :)~~ TSUH!

I agree with some aspects of Ara's last post - but one thing I contend with - I don't want Hayastan to ever be like America.....you know the best quality about Armenia is it's ability to live life at it's most basic. The fact that people matter more than money and power.

Yes, I agree that Armenia and its political structure and authority may be very distorted and warped, but the one sound thing about Hayastan is that despite all the adversity and the lack of employment or future for much of the population - they LIVE their life. Depression has enveloped life in the west in a very BIG way, and people do tend to generally think about themselves, what THEY do, how much money THEY have, who THEY know who as contacts. I have immense respect for the Hayastansis and their hospitality and enthusiasm for their family and friends. If one really looked at the cause of most people's angst - is it really money? No, I think it's a lack of contact with people, people feel alone - why on earth would they want to chat to strangers in random chat rooms on the internet - why aren't they with friends and family, living their life? We can earn money, albeit the job may not be the best or have 'career' prospects - but the money is there - in Hayastan that it's not there - but they're still there laughing, enjoying life, inviting people to join in with their Khash eating tradition despite not having money.....Hey, isn't that how Armenians have survived through the centuries - a genuine love for life and people - overcoming all, and hence making them distinctly aimiable and then equally a reason why they've done well all over the world. I don't believe that America lives up to all that......but then, people may disagree with me!!

Anyway, there is always something lacking with every country, and there's a lot lacking here in the UK, just as in a different way there's a lot lacking in Armenia - but it all adds to the huge variety of life and experiences!

Dear all,

Happy New Year - and now for my second ever log.......I'm currently in the middle of revising for exams (and have been over Christmas)....and unlike certain loggers, I can't seem to muster any more energy to write a log (plus, I don't have anything to write about......or maybe some quantum physics, Linear Algebra and Control systems could be discussed....I think not!).

I didn't celebrate Armenian Christmas last Sunday, my parents did for me....although......I don't seem to have received a second lot of Christmas presents.

There's no-one around here (outside of term time) at the moment, so instead of talking to the wall, I've been confined to computer chatting (via ICQ and Yahoo)...and so that means I mainly talk to my Hayastantsi friends during revision- It's quite bizarre.

So after all this work for the year, I'm taking a holiday and am planning to go overland, from Venice onwards, up through Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine via rail and then meet up with a friend from Yerevan for a short holiday on the Black Sea, after which we're going to try and get a ferry across the Black Sea to Batumi and then a bus to Yerevan........should be brilliant fun and quite an interesting trip - hopefully I'm going to stay with friends and friends of friends along the way. So that's what my motivation is at the moment..too much quantum physics can do strange things. And then dependent upon whether I start a career straightaway, or start a PhD....I may be tempted to stay in Hayastan for maximum of a year, so then I'll definitely improve my Hayeren!

Anyway, I think Ashod (Nakashian) needs to write a log........he's written even less than me ;-)

AÑO NUEVO, ¿VIDA NUEVA?

(New Year, New Life?)

So...it´s 2002. As a number we call this year as CAPICUA year (Palindrome year) It is said that the palindrome years are the lucky ones. What´s new, is that this will be the last palindrome year of our lives.(next Capicúa year will be the year 2112...faaar away!)
Today i asked to an armenian guy the typical "Inch ga, chi ga?" (What´s new?) and he cleverly answered me "Inch ga? Kogh! , Inch chi ga? Tram...Well, in fact Argentina cried a lot. But now started to clean up their tears to look around to start a new era. We had five different president on the last fiveteen days!. One Argentinian Peso is no longer equal to One US Dollar. Something is changing. We have the opportunite as a country to make a huge jump or to sunk forever.
On the other Tserk (hand), the Diario Armenia´s (Armenia TERT) birthday has been celebrated. 70 years of journalism in the diaspora. It is the main Tert in Argentina and maybe in whole South America. (There other Terts and Magazines in Buenos Aires, leave it for another Log) If you want to visit or if you can read in spanish you can try this adress http://www.diarioarmenia.com.ar
In a slow way the armenian clubs start to receive people. The Club of San Isidro on the north area of Buenos Aires is smaller but charmer to pass a great day playing soccer or eating a nice Shish Kebab. The other club, is the huge Club of HOMENETMEN in Ramos Mejía a bit far on the West of Buenos Aires. It´s the biggest armenian club but it is in a crisis as all the armenian institutions. There is a lack of people everywhere at the kaghut.
I want to tell you something about the sunny sundays on the clubs. I think is related to the picnic old style of passing the day and the Anatolian celebrations of our grand parents. I read this verse of the panasdeghdzuhi Helene Pilibosian of Watertown, US.: "The smoke from shish kebab cooking floats toward the dancers, as a graceful as a soloist". Then i tought about the mystical smell of shish kebab cooking. That smell means JOY, HAPPINESS, CELEBRATION, it is s total symbol of the Anatolian and Cilician Armenian celebration and a symbol of the whole Diaspora. The smell of shish kebab it doesn´t mean a vigil it means that the day is sunny, that our muscles are ready to dance or run behind a soccer ball or just that for at least that moment our raped armenia is being recreated. So start cooking... ;-)
Hey! i forget to tell you...Last week at night i was staring at the LONELY PLANET programme of the channel people and arts. That TV programme is about a guy called IAN WRIGHT that travel everywhere around the world. I put to record the programe because it was about Armenia and Georgia. The Armenian part was short but they told to whole South America about the Dzidzernagapert and the Armenian Genocide.
O.K. (0 killed), i saw the news that the armenian employment is growing, good for that! I hope the number of population will grow soon as well.
On the next log i´ll tell you about one of the new methods to catch the armenian young to become nearer to Armenia has the community here: the Woodstockian.

SALUDOS AMIGOS. A big hug to my partner-loggers in this site and to my diasporan fellows at Erevan (Raffí, Zabel, Mousalertsi Hajian and Lena)

Boston, MA USA: Bari Nor Dari to everyone. My New Year consisted of gathering some old friends together at my place, watching a Twilight Zone marathon, playing an outdated game of Trivial Pursuit, and having a few drinks. For the past five years, I have been a DJ at various local Boston clubs or private functions and decided to take a break from that this year. I also was able to see some very good Diasporan Armenian friends who have flown back from Armenia for the holidays who are on their way back to Armenia this week. In the past year or two, these friends have decided to pack their bags and finally move to Armenia. I was supposed to go this September, but decided to finish my MBA and get my record label, Pomegranate Music off the ground. I'll probably be going to visit "the Stan" soon to check up on some CD projects I am producing. Some of the discussions I had with my Diasporan friends were fascinating in that they now consider Armenia their home and visit the States sparingly during the year just to take care of bills, go to the dentist, and visit family. Why is it fascinating? I'll tell 'ya...

I think some of us believe that going to Armenia and living there is a "heroic" thing. That we are somehow sacrificing something. After listening to people living in Armenia, that is not the case. They are enjoying life, taking advantage of a low cost of living, and working on different projects with the goal of bettering Armenia in some small way. Along the way, they take vacations, see the country, and generally have a great quality of life. The money they spend directly helps the economy. For some, it is a respite from their dull and uneventful lives. For others, it's simply a change of scenery. Then there are those who have a plan or project to work on. These discussions had a tremendous effect on me.

The bottom line is that we can spend all day pontificating on things that need to be done for the Nation. All theory, all talk. I believe that the simple solution is to pick a personal pet project and run with it and just do it. Get more connected with Hayastan. Use the networks of people that are in Hayastan now and build your project. Invest in a company, sponsor workers there, whatever. Simply talking about issues won't solve them. Getting a group together and starting a business over there may float your boat. Give it a try...

Hello all… HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Lets do this right. Shnorhavor Nor Dari yev Sourp Dzenount.
I had a great 2 weeks. I spent Christmas in Quebec City with my family and Lara’s (my wife) family. This is where we announced that we were pregnant for three months and that the baby was due for July. Needless to say, lots of emotions and surprise. It was nice and snowy out. We had a great BBQ in the snow (which was quite original). New years was as much fun. We had lots and lots to eat and even more to drink (nothing to do with Shushan’s problematic drinking). Anyhow, It’s now back to the routine. Work, school, family… and squash. Yes, I have finally decided to move to another sport then dancing. I will be playing squash for a couple of months and update you with my progression. I must tell you that I have never played this game.
Of course I had a chance to visit some of the community centres in Montreal and go to church and so on. What I saw though was not very moving either spiritually or emotionally. The AGBU centre was/is undergoing massive renovations, The Sourp Hagop Church (Giligian Sea) and the Tashnag Centre had also completed its renovation and more buildings have been bought by the armenian communities. WHY? Why spend so much money on buildings that are half empty and on a community who is losing interest in their centres. In Montreal we have about 30 000 Armenians. For this population there are 3 full time schools, one Saturday School; 2 (Ejmiadzin) churches; 2 (Cilicia) churches; one Catholic Church and 3 Protestant churches. There is the AGBU centre, the Tekeyan Cultural centre (Ramgavar), the Sourp Hagop centre (Tashnag) with another affiliate in the city of Laval, the Bolsahay centre, the Yekibdahay centre, the church halls… but who uses them? Most of these centres and churches are empty. They are beautifully decorated but empty of people, its members are all gone away. Where have they gone? Why have they gone? My theory is that the centres are being led by a group of elderly elite mostly male members, who had a vision and dream when they took over the communities. They were very successful in fulfilling their dreams and building these centres and churches and halls and schools. They were able to preserve the culture and keep the community alive. But, now that their job is done, they are working against themselves by keeping the power of decision making tightly within a small circle of friends. They bring on a youth once in a while to show that they are open to the idea of succession planning. But they are wrong! You don’t develop a succession planning by closing off rooms to the youth by making the gym and the library accessible to the only a few hours a week. You don’t build ownership by having “barahantess” after “barahantess” (ball).
There are lots of young professional able bodies willing to put in time and participate in their communities, but they have all been pushed away, literally, by the leaders of the community. We just need to have a common objective and work on that.
Raffi M. had an interesting view on donating money for causes. I share the same views. Why build more buildings and spend millions of dollars when our brothers, sisters and cousins can’t even find food to eat in Armenia. Maybe the churches and organisations need to re-evaluate their mission and put their eggs in the right basket.

By the way happy belated birthday Lena (in Armenia).
And Juan, what can I say… patience buddy.

I am not dead!!! Just preparing a long log...
Shenorhavor Nor Dari isg Surp Dznount...

Don´t cry for me Argentina!!!

Well, I haven't written in quite a while! First of all, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year!!! I hope that this year brings enormous change (towards the better) to all Armenian communities around the world.....especially in Hayasdan and Artsakh. I hope that every Armenian puts in their 2 cents.....whether it be literally 2 cents, or their ideas and efforts towards making our nation (our common denominator) a better place for all. There is so much going on for Armenians now.....let's all be aware and active.

So what have I been up to these days? It's funny how "vacation" time rolls around, and it's everything BUT a vacation. It's true when they say that no matter how much you have of something, it may seem like it's never enough.....TIME. Look at all the time I was supposed to have during winter break...but somehow it seems like I have LESS time... hehehe kinda funny. Tomorrow morning my Winter-Session course starts. I guess you could say it's like summer school, but during the winter break. Let's see how I will surivive 5 hours in one classroom....but this time it won't be so bad. The class I'm taking is "Children's Art" ..... I'm assuming it'll be fun (i hope).

One of my cousins bought me something for Christmas that I needed a lot. She got me a CD case....so I was organizing all my Cd's (which were all over the place) into the case, and I came across a CD I hadn't listened to in a while - so ofcourse I popped it in. Armen Movsisyan-Unplugged. If you're unfamiliar with him, I guess you could say his style is Rouben Hakh./Arthur Mesch.---like. In one of his songs, he was talking to all the people who are leaving Hayasdan to find better lives - and of course to all those with those "better" lives already. And he was saying in the end, how the sun in the rest of the world is still a sun, but not an Armenian sun. There are still mountains everywhere we go.....but they are not Keghama Mountains. For me, that was exactly what I was feeling. Sure, the rest of the world has all these conveniences that maybe our homeland doesn't have, but there is more there, it's up to you to make something of them - and they are all Haygagan. And when we all go after the little conveniences of life....there will be no Hayrenik. ..... "A tree, without its tree trunk ceases from being a tree." (me)

So this year, I hope that every Armenian makes it her/his personal mission to in SOME way, shape or form make a difference not just in the world as a human, but as an Armenian. Armenians everywhere.....make ur voices heard wherever you may be living. Know your history and roots.... work towards a future. It's not enough that you know and participate, the point is to continue that with the younger generations around you. Ara is right...... give "Proud to be Armenian" a NEW meaning. TSUH! :)