Happy New Year

Shenorhavor Nor Dari !!!

Feliz Año Nuevo

Holidays

(This will be an unorganized log--try to follow...)

Well, once again Christmas is back... didn't I JUSTTTTT put away the wreath and fake poinsettas? Time to drag 'em out again. The year passed rather quickly.... I leave for Armenia in a few days, and I find myself both excited and nervous. Excited that I'll be spending New Year's in Hayasdan again (great choice), and yet nervous about leaving Hayasdan in just 2 weeks... (I haven't even gotten there yet, and I'm worried about leaving). I finally got my Residency passport, so no more $3/day fees that would always end up KILLING my wallet at the end of my 2 month trips. Yay! :)

This week is a difficult one at work/school. Both the students and I don't really feel like doing much work, but we both know we have to be there, so atleast one of us (ME) make the best of it... on the other hand, the kids just work on making it EXTRA "memorable" for me (hell). I tried making Christmas ornaments (paper mache involved) with them, but cheghav. For some reason sticking newspaper to balloons with starch just wasn't working for them. I guess paper-macheing comes later in life. ????

Last week the AYF out here had a protest in front of the Consulate for the Netherlands. Almost a 100 AYF-ers stood on Wilshire Blvd at rush hour traffic with signs and flyers informing the public about Turkey's human rights violations. The response from the official of the Netherlands was quite positive... the response of the public was generally good too.

Now here are 2 random things that have really bothered me in the past week or so.

1) Have you ever realized that there are days when it's just a regular day for you, but for someone else around you (maybe even a close friend) it's like this life-altering, catastrophic, phenominal day? For example, someone's family member passes away. You go to the funeral to support a friend, and yet you go back to work and the next day you wake up and you're in your cycle once again. Is your friend in her/his cycle? They just lost a family member.. that was a monumental day for them, and for you it was just something you did at lunch break. I was asking a friend about this issue I was having... and he didn't see the problem in it. I mean, I know that for a fact I've had days like that... and I KNOW my friends probably did what I did. They came, supported me, and then went on with their business. My friend also suggested the idea of what it would be like if EVERY DAY I made everyone else's business as important to me as I would my own, I probably wouldn't survive too long. That's true.... but it just bothered me anyway. Does it make any sense?

2) I was at the said funeral when I saw the highest of all church clergy arrive for the burial. My mouth dropped to the floor. You might be thinking... WHY! Well, it seems that nowadays the holiest way to travel is in an S Class Mercedes Benz. I suppose it helps get him to all the weddings, funerals, christenings a lot faster and more "in peace". All joking aside, I was veryyyyy bothered by it. Why would he choose to drive such a car, when he could be driving something more modest and helping support some sort of program for the youth? I could go on and on about all the programs our Armenian community needs and how much the community would benefit from direct involvement of the church.... but I just remember seeing that car roll up at the cemetary, and I'm just struck by complete awe and disgust. Who is he kidding? In fact, I could think of a 100 things off the top of my head that our Armenian school would benefit from with that $80,000.

During the past few weeks I've really gotten to know a lot of my students better. This is both good and bad. Good, because it helps me have an insight as to where they are coming from... why they are the way they are. Bad, because I can't stand what I'm seeing. I see the future Armenian generation as a "me me me" generation. They are constantly thinking of "what is in it for me". They only listen when THEY choose to listen, and when it comes to learning new things... they are just not interested. Today we were doing a comparison of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, and here I am thinking of how I can teach the lesson subtly and not make it too graphic, etc. While we were talking about exterminations, they started getting excited, and they started telling me stories about games they play in which characters' heads get blown away with brain being scattered all over. COMPLETELY DE-SENSITIZED! Combine this generation, with the leaders of the community (see above).... wow - VERY SAD.

K, that's all for now...

TSUH! :)~

A delayed log, but still worthy. Last weekend, the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) had a conference in Washington, DC. Of course, some of us found this to be a perfect opportunity to protest! We took to the streets my friends. Last Friday night, we stood across the street from the Turkish Embassy where an event was being held. It was dark, wet and cold, but we toughed it out, and boy was it worth the pain. Throughout the night, there were Turks passing in and out of the gates, confronted with this:

I have never seen such an embarrassing display of behavior on the Turks' behalf. I had a video camera and I recommend everyone watch Yergir on Monday night in Armenia to catch the coverage on it. There was one woman pretending to strip dance (obviously mocking us), pleanty of middle fingers thrown our way, lots of yelling that I couldn't hear over our own, and then there was some nut who decided to drive up to the Embassy in his white SUV, get out of the driver's seat (facing us) and dance "Turkish" dances at us... dude, he was CRAZY. He did that for about a minute until our friends, the secret service, escorted him back to his car. Unfortunately I couldn't take photos from across the street because of bad lighting, but at least I got the video footage.

Anyway, a very successful event if you ask me. Now for future events, Armenian Network is having a Christmas party at the Embassy Saturday night, and for post-holidays, the Zulal A Cappella Folk Trio is coming to Washington, DC to perform at the Kennedy Center. Following the performance will be a reception at Soorp Khatch Church featuring a photo exhibit by your's truly. I have a lot of framing to do. Eep!

Otherwise, there are a lot of people coming and going in DC. Our Government Affairs Director is going back to Canada, one of our interns left, another one just arrived, another one will be arriving in January, another might be arriving in January, people are leaving for the holidays, coming home for the holidays. In some ways, December can be festive, but sad as well. I will miss some people more than I expected. And thus, the reality of the Armenian community dispersed across the world is the agony of distance.

Friends, it’s that time again!

I’ve started my own little Christmas tradition. As some of you may remember, last year I sent out an e-mail encouraging fellow Armenians to be smart shoppers for Christmas. I’m a strong believer that the best thing we could do as Armenians is buy our own products as gifts for people… it’s unique, it’s good for the Armenian businesses, and it is exposure to a market out there that some people may not know even exist. Instead of buying the same ol’ gifts for your friends and family, why not buy Armenian products and support the Armenian economy and business owners while being unique in your gift-giving.

You don’t even have to buy something Armenian and you can still support Armenians along the way. This is totally just a personal initiative of mine, though I hope you’ll forgive me for including my own products in the list this year. That wasn’t the original intent, but I figured it would be worth adding to the list.

Take a look below. I hope you find something you like, and if you don’t, let me know what it is, I’ll go start a business in Armenia to create that product. Just kidding.


GOOD LINKS TO VISIT

www.armenzone.com: For all you pessimists out there thinking, “Well, so n so really just wants electronics this year, books, Play Station, a computer, camera, a flight to LA, a flight out of LA, etc.,” EVEN YOU can support Armenians with these purchases… I have answers to everything. PLEASE go to this website. You don’t spend a penny more than you would by going straight to the following websites: Cheap Tickets, Dell, Macy’s, Office Depot, buy.com, Orbitz, Sharper Image, Petco, Target, EBAY, Best Buy, dude, the list keeps going, pretty much ANY store you might go to for Christmas gifts are listed here. All you do is go to this website, click on the link you want, and it takes you straight to the website. Just by doing that, a portion of your purchase (which does NOT change because of this) goes toward various Armenian schools and organizations. It’s a small amount, but it makes a difference when the masses use it. PLEASE use this

www.armeniantea.com: These teas are sooooooooo good and great gifts (well packaged, natural tea, tastes good too). Last year some people were confused about how to find the tea. There are a few retailers that carry it (Whole Foods, etc.) which you can find on the website. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine.

www.sardarabad.org: This is the West Coast AYF’s bookstore. They have a lot of great books, CDs, house stuff, etc.

www.narek.com: Narek is probably the one place you will find any Armenian CD out there. I’ve heard a couple complaints about receiving things late, but I’ve never had that problem. They also have books, videos, etc.

www.hairenik.com: This is the East Coast bookstore with many of the same things as sardarabad.org. Also great for CDs and books.

www.arpmusic.com: I unfortunately left this out of the initial email I sent around, but thought it was worthy to be added. It has a quality selection of Armenian music, books, crafts, as well as music from the region (Greece, the Middle East, etc.)

www.madeinarmeniadirect.com: This is for the pricier purchase. They have great crafts, but I would only consider buying from them if you have no plans to go to Armenia any time soon and have no family or friends who can get them for you while there. They are so much more expensive than what you can get in Armenia, but they are quality products.

www.buyarmenian.com: This one is new to me and I still haven't figured out what exactly they are selling, but they seem to have links that are helpful. It’s worth taking a look.

www.roslin.com: This is new to me too, but someone sent me the link so I had to check it out. What a great site. It is for artists to sell their work, posters, greeting cards, postcards, all that good stuff. If I didn’t do my own Christmas cards, I would definitely buy these instead.


NEW CD RELEASES
(You can probably find most or all of these at some of the links above)

Iakovos Kolanian – Shoror: This is for the classical guitar fans. It is very mellow and very relaxing. The guitarist is an Armenian from Greece and is a master oudist, but plays solo renditions of traditional Armenian songs with classical guitar in this case. The way he plays blows my mind. You can find this CD on www.pomegranatemusic.com, www.kolanian.com, or at any of the links above.

Hooshere – Provenance: The first time I heard Hooshere’s first recording, I was mezmorized. She has truly defined her own style of Armenian music and it’s very artistic in its approach. It’s mellow mood music and also has her own invented songs as well. Her soothing voice and fusion of modern and traditional sounds makes it sound like the style has been around for centuries and she is just perfecting it. This is a GREAT purchase for young and old, but the young might appreciate it more. You can buy her CD on her website at www.hooshere.com or at any of the links above

Zulal - Zulal: There has been a huge buzz about this a cappella group all year. With performances throughout the East Coast (that I know of) and a new CD release, they exploded almost immediately into the Armenian community. What a refreshing new sound. They are three extremely talented women singing a cappella renditions of traditional Armenian songs. Expect to be very pleasantly surprised. Visit their website at www.zulal.org or you can purchase a copy at www.cdbaby.com/zulal.

Gor Mkhitarian – Episodes: Gor Gor Gor, always out there playing. He is a true musician and never stops. This is Gor’s third release, and he keeps getting better. As he continues to develop his sound, which is truly unique to Gor, he discovers new elements to incorporate into his songs. Some describe it as the first Armenian blue grass, some say he’s an Armenian Dave Matthews. All I can say is if you buy it, it should be for an open minded individual, Armenian or not, who loves to discover new types of music… unless they are already a Gor fan in which case they should already have the CD. Go to Gor's website at www.gormusic.com or find all of his CDs at any of the links listed above

Artur Ispiryan – Asum En Te: The way Arthur talks about his music is so passionate and it comes through in his music. He has so many influences, but I know one of his favorites is Stevie Wonder. He’s got a great smooth jazzy sound and great vocals. If you like Armenian jazz, Arthur ranks as one of my favorites. I haven’t heard all of the CD yet (newly released) but the bit I heard tops his other CDs. You can find all his CDs at any of the websites above.

Nune – Me: What an Armenian Pop Diva. Only Nune could call her album “Me.” But I gotta give it to her, she does the “Pop Diva” so well. If I had to choose between her and Britney Spears, Nune blows her out of the competition. She still hangs onto the traditional vocals, some of the zurnas, duduks, etc. and sings her heart out. This may not be her best, but it’s decent for her genre. You can go to her website at www.nune.org or find all her CDs at any of the websites above.

Tata: Totally Pop Armenian Music with male vocals. Tata is always good for a kef. My understanding is that narek.com has a Special Holiday special on Tata. They are offering 6 Tata CDs for $69.94. Otherwise, you can find all his CDs at any of the websites above.

Datevik – Stage to Stage: Datevik has a real trained jazz voice. One might feel they are in the middle of an episode of the Cosby Show. But seriously, she is phenomenal and great, especially for the older crowd. Don’t expect too much Armenian since most of her songs vary, but she has a couple Armenian folk songs on there. Check out her website at www.datevik.com.

Armenian Navy Band – Sounds of our life – Part I: Natural Seeds: I can't even try to categorize this band, nor do I want to. Arto Tuncboyadjiyan has applying his musical genius to this experimental music adventure and this CD is just another masterpeice produced by these amazing musicians. I HIGHLY recommend this one for people who want Armenian, but NOT the in the traditional sense. The best place I found to buy this one is http://www.cdroots.com/he-14.html.

Lilit Pipoyan - One Day of the City: Unbelievable. Her voice is like an angel’s. The extremely soft string instruments that accompany her are a perfect combination. Again, very trained singer, great performer and lots of character. It’s very moody and soft. This CD among her others can be found at the website links above.

Taline - Let's Play Together: Need something for the kids? Taline performs children's music and I heard the kids love her. Also go to her website for more of her CDs and DVDs: shop.store.yahoo.com/talinemusic


COMING SOON

Fortress City - Armenian Songs from Nagorno Karabagh: Three choirs from Karabagh came together to record the first recording in Shushi with the help of the Tufenkian Foundation and Pomegranate Music. The CD will be available starting January 13, 2005 on www.pomegranatemusic.com or any of the links above.


OTHER MUSICIANS I RECOMMEND
(all these artists' CDs are available at the links listed above)

The Aravod Ensemble
Armenian Navy Band
Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble
Khatchadur Avedisian
Bambir
Cascade Folk Trio
Chookasian Ensemble
Rouben Hakhverdian
History: Volume I (Antranig Kzirian)
Hooshere
Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia
Nersik Ispirian
Arthur Ispiryan
Aram Khatchadourian
Komitas
Gor Mkhitarian
Nune
Harout Pamboukjian
Sayat Nova
Shoghaken Ensemble
Tata
Traditions (Mike Gostanian Ensemble)
Arto Tuncboyadjiyan


PHOTOGRAPHY

And finally, if you just feel like a nice Armenian photo says everything you need to say to someone, you can always go to my photography website (shameless self-promotion):

www.digitalrailroad.net/Arsineh

You can find a whole slew of photos that might make a nice gift. If you see something you like, just email me and I can send you the details on pricing, process, etc. But yes, I can deliver framed and ready-to-hang photos. But just to be fair, I will also list a few other photography websites I like:

www.callinet.com/hawk (Hrair “Hawk” Khatcherian)
www.kurkjianimages.com (Robert Kurkjian & Matthew Karanian)
www.armenianphotography.com (Robert Kurkjian & Matthew Karanian)
www.oneworld.am (Onnik Krikorian)
www.fiftycrows.org/photoessay/avagyan (German Avagyan)
www.araoshagan.com (Ara Oshagan)
www.patkerphoto.com (Ruben Mangasaryan)
www.studioduende.com/ZH (Zaven Khachikyan)
www.bu.edu/com/photo/faculty/glachinian (Garo Lachinian)
www.majart.com.au (Jacob Majarian)


And I’m going to cut myself off there and leave you with a final thought (I feel like Jerry Springer). The list above covers almost all areas of gift purchasing I can possibly think of, including the electronics people craze over at this time of year (I’m just as guilty… oh mama do I want an iPod photo… which ironically isn’t available anywhere above). If we all just make the little bit of extra effort of buying something Armenian to help our own economy, it’s just as good as sending a donation to an orphanage, if not better (don’t get me wrong, I love the little kiddies, but I mean better in the long-term stability of Armenia and our own communities.)

Happy shopping and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

Sirov,
Arsineh Khachikian

Happy December 1. The new PomegranateRadio broadcast of Armenian music is now on. Just head over to pomegranatemusic.com and click on "Listen Now". It is a free service. I plan on having fresh music every 1st of the month rotating around 45-50 songs. It gives a chance to lesser known or long forgotten artists to be heard. Also, you get to hear some of our upcoming Pomegranate releases before the CD's is out. Enjoy.