AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going out of my mind. Every day is different, but the one thing I can count on is that every minute will be filled with something. Spontinaity has taken on a new meaning. My days are filled the day or two prior, and it just keeps going. The one consistency is that my day will fill up somehow. ARG! I need a break already.

Some exciting things that have happened lately... I was commissioned to do photography at Nuné's concert, but I can't upload them right now because the internet has waged war on me. No matter, tomorrow I will have access to DSL and plan to use it wisely... and thoroughly. It seems like there's more demand here for photography coverage of events than anything else. Everyone wants a photographer to catch them in a moment. I'm not complaining.

Sonya Varoujian has been in Armenia for a while now recording a new CD. Apparently she was inspired for the first time in years to write when she visited last year. You can sense this in the music. I heard a little clip of her without the other instruments, but even her alone is absolutely amazing. She is writing all original music in Armenian (she's from NY/Now North of London) and will be accompanied by local musicians.

Another exciting event around the corner is the AIPRG Dual Citizenship conference to take place at the AUA Business Center. I'll be covering the event (photo and design) and will report on the topics as always.

And finally, my dear roommate Sam Samuelian has been hard at work for weeks with his partner Stepan and energetic staff to open a new branch of their very successful Diner "Square One" at Zvartnotz Airport. I visited yesterday as they were preparing the final touches, and it looks absolutely amazing. It truly removes you from that icky Zvartnotz feeling. It's modern, colorful and homey, so now I have a place to wait for all my visitors I have to pick up this summer... and I get to see my roommate once in a while since he's never home. :( Miss you, Sam!

Grave sites

So, it was the 28th of May on Sunday. Mayis kssanout! The day that the Armenian Nation, after hundreds of years of living under the tyrannical yoke of foreign powers... weelll, we kinda did invite the Russians in, but that's another story... FINALLY took matters into their own hands and declared themselves a SOVEREIGN people, willing and able to determine their own... weeeelll, quite frankly, there was this whole Trans-Caucasian Federation thing, the Sejm in Tbilisi, and the Georgians pulled out (with German support), and the Azeris pulled out (with Ottoman support) and we were... umm... "mechdeghe mnatsink", kind of stranded... :-D


History's funny. But don't let's dwell on it.


Back to the present, on Sunday, I took part in a little ceremony at the grave of Aram Manoukyan. He was a great leader, not just for the Tashnagtsoutiun, but for the Armenians and the Armenia at the time, which was really on the brink of destruction, no doubt about it. HOW we survived the late 1910s and early 1920s, the Lord alone knows, and that is TRULY a miracle, something to be proud about. Survive we did, and it was indeed in part thanks to some great leaders, such as Aram Manoukyan. He has a little grave, and there were just a handful of people honouring and remembering him that day. Maybe that will change in future.


It was an interesting excursion, but the major interesting bit for me was being in that graveyard. This is "Yerevani getronagan kerezmanadoun", near the "Tokhmakh" lake, in the Erebuni district. Oh my God, such graves, such tombstones, entire mausoleums...! I mean, the effort, time and money put into not just carving the pictures of the deceased onto marble slabs, but - this is not an exaggeration - whole life-size statues of the dead...! To say nothing of gorgeous khachkars, beautiful angels, even abstract designs... I mean, I'm all upset that we lost Hin Jugha and its khachkars. I'm glad Noraduz is still in Armenian territory, but the "Tokhmakh" graveyard might actually come in third...


Apparently, it pays to be dead. Well, they pay a lot for the dead, at any rate...


Onto more happier, livelier thoughts.


A new website was launched a couple of weeks ago. Based in Montréal, MediaScrape (www.mediascrape.com) takes local news stories from around the world, in video, and shows them with English sub-titles. It's all free, but you have to provide some personal information when registering, which will tailor advertisements suited to you. Right now, besides a few major news agencies, MediaScrape has local partners in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and, yes, Armenia, from where they show stuff from "Yerkir Media". Please do check it out. And tell your friends.


Wish you all faaaar away funerals and a sight at the website. ;-)

Eli HAYQi masin

Yesterday the city celebrated, not only the first Republic's anniversary, but also the long awaited opening of Northern Avenue. (Well actually, only the first quarter of the Avenue.) Hopefully one of us will take a shot from the finished end of the Avenue to post on here. Raffi's picture is from the other end of the Avenue which will probably be completed ... hmmm, God knows when.

Things have been crazy with this song/project I keep mentioning in my last few logs. Many are calling it the anthem of the year, parents hate it cause their kids overplay it, and the video has been the longest running #1 song on the state owned Nor Alik TV channel.

The director of the state TV station H1 was interviewed recently, and the subject of payola came up. Like most countries, artists (or labels) pay a lot of money to radio and TV stations to air their songs/videos. Just to give you an example of how expensive payola can be in Armenia, the local TV station Tar21 charges artists $500 US a month to show a music video once or twice a day. In the interview I mentioned, the director of the state TV station said, "It's possible for a song to be a hit without having to buy airtime, just look at the song Qami Pchi by HAYQ."

Funny story ... just over a month ago Tar21 had approached the group with interest in airing the video, but also emphasized their $500 fee. The group didn't show interest. Now, seeing that all the other stations are constantly airing the video, Tar21 has asked the group for a copy of the video, with no mention of their ridiculous fee.

In the meantime, all the members of the group and I have become extremely stressed over lack of finances. Since this song was stolen and included on numerous pirated albums before we could officially put it out and collect royalties, we're still trying to figure out what the next step should be.

We're actually waiting for a miracle to happen, for someone to offer just a bit of money for this project to continue. If anyone can think of any organization or person that would be interested in being a part of such a project please let me know.

If I could be sure a few hundred people will download the song through iTunes or other online stores I will have the song uploaded. This way we'll hopefully make a little bit of income for the guys. The group is also doing a few shows here and there to save up some money for the next song and video. The full length album will hopefully follow.

With that said, if anyone has any ideas or feedback please ...

Off-road and offline

After 8 days on the road (most of it off-roading), I'm back, only to find that the system I'd setup for comments to be okayed while I was away didn't work at all. No great harm though, I've gone through and added most of the comments, so we're back to normal. 8 days without electricity, let alone internet...

The trip was awesome, waaaay too much to tell in any great detail. One of the highlights was exploring Shikahogh - the nature reserve that the controverial road was being built through. It is an amazing gem, and I will definitely post some photos of it for you folks this week, but not now, I haven't even gone through all my pictures yet.

First ANCA Telethon Raises $2.7 Million

I'm a little sad that I couldn't participate or organize in the final stage of this telethon... the telethon itself. I couldn't even watch it. :( But I will express how happy I am that the Armenian-American community showed their commitment by putting their money where their mouths are. This is a great step for the ANCA and I know that every penny will be used VERY wisely.

Allow me to provide a quick commentary on the subject. This truly shows the level of commitment in the US towards genocide recognition in the US. Granted, ANCA advocates for many issues, but we all know genocide is at the forefront. I've seen a growing support for the issue in the last few years, and it only goes to show that a little momentum has the potential to tip the balance over enough to win us the battle. The US will soon recognize the genocide because they will have no choice. Increasing media attention, increasing pressure on elected officials, increasing speculation about their relationship with Turkey, increasing pressure in Turkey for freedom of speech, and decreasing motive to submit to Turkey's demands are all signs of a tipping balance.

PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=955

Northern Avenue mid-point, looking towards the Opera.

The Quiet Patriot

In America, there are regions where few people are fanatic American patriot, and then there are other regions where it’s risky to criticize a single aspect about America. You can easily learn the lines, they are often drawn geographically. I technically lived South of the Mason Dixon line, and therefore felt confined in expressing my critical views of the Bush Administration, even though I do love America for many reasons.

Armenia is a similar story, but still unique. The generalization many have is that the diaspora has maintained patriotism for Armenia, and those who have grown up in Armenia have been portrayed as the “self-haters.” I might refer you to one of the comments left on Raffi Meneshian’s log on the Diaspora page where someone claims they would not return to Armenia because they simply don’t want to be shaken down for bribes.

The common view in Armenia seems to be that people here want to leave, and people abroad want to be here, though locals do not understand why. While in Armenia, it’s hard to maintain pride in your culture because so much of what you see.

But Armenia is filled with quiet patriots who may surprise the masses. Since I have been back, I have been expressing whatever is on my mind as I wish, despite the audience. I have encountered the stereotypical local who could care less about who Sayat Nova or Khatchadourian is, they just want to make money and will do it even if some laws have to be broken. I have also met the locals who have never left their principles. The full spectrum exists in Armenia.

I recall a conversation I had with two very refined and educated gentlemen (locals) who have a different kind of love for Armenia. We discussed everything on the map, but when I began my over-patriotic rant of how people take forgranted the absolute beauty that exists in Armenia and how we should embrass our culture, I almost got a standing ovation from these two. Another time, I did a similar thing (geez, I can’t shut my mouth now) and another similar gentleman reacted the same way. I recall others in my past who have done the same. And most of all, when I tell people I have moved here to stay, the initial shock is followed by a grin of excitement.

Many people here love this country, but don’t dare announce it. Sadly, the vocal pessimists are the ones who get heard across the globe, and people listen because there’s nothing else to hear. There is a positive future for Armenia that exists in the optimists who have been left to redirect the path of Armenia. Corruption, hate, and misery still (and always will) exist, but who will lead this country? I’ve made it a personal mission to raise the voices of those quiet patriots to take back the heart of their country.

Hye Plan

In response to the discussion going on in the Diaspora logs, I have decided to put online a concept paper I drafted for "promoting Armenia and Armenianism worldwide". It includes ideas which would both promote Armenia proper, promote the and strengthen the Diaspora, and tie the two together more firmly. It is a compilation of ideas I've had over the years (many of which are of course not original), but which, if implemented in part or in whole could make a massive impact on our nation across the planet. To implement the whole thing would require massive resources, but bits of it could be done quite easily (and many of them rather profitably).

Some of the ideas include:

creating real "Little Armenia's", which are not just Armenian neighborhoods with a couple of bakeries, but offer a true taste of Armenia and a sort of cool neighborhood with a real flavor and tourist attraction, educational opportunities, shopping, and a tighter community. These would be also be implemented in cities where there used to be Armenian quarters centuries ago, but have disappeared (Lviv, Venice).

building a large-scale retirement community in Armenia, where every concern and reason why someone wouldn't want to retire in Armenia (except the colder winters) would be addressed.

creating a series of Armenian theme restaurants and bars to be franchised around the world... what better way into peoples hearts, than through their bellies?

Well, if the ideas interest you, check 'em out here...

Andre, Bins and HAYQ

Very cool news, Andre representing Armenia in Eurovision (one of the biggest pop music contests in Europe) has qualified to take part in the second pool.

Out of 23 countries that performed tonight, Armenia was chosen along with 9 other countries.

The final, which takes place this Saturday in Athens, includes 24 countries. The country that wins in that round will host next year's contest.

I keep forgetting to mention something I noticed in Yerevan after my return. It's actually a BIG accomplishment ... plastic garbage bins all over the city - well actually all over downtown Yerevan. I wonder if people are actually using them and if the city is emptying them when they get full.

Back to the subject of the group I've been working on - HAYQ. The guys are doing such a great job at publicizing themselves. Just a couple of days ago, within a period of 10 hours, they did two TV interviews, two radio interviews, and we had two meetings with potential investors. Sadly, most of these so-called potential investors seem like snakes. We'd love to do this independantly, but unfortunately lack of money plays a big issue.

If you are in Armenia early June, the group will be performing at Yerevan's Cascade at the Childrens Rights concert, as well as in Vanadzor and Gyumri.

All in a Week

The moment I landed, I fell back into my skin. The world started to make sense again, and all the quirky things about Yerevan welcomed me home. I love quirky Yerevan.

So, within the first week, I managed to have various interviews/meetings with possible employers and clients. I also was interviewed on Armenia TV's English talk show "Hot Line" with Paul Chaderjian which was kinda fun. I also saw a play about Charents with a friend who's brother played Charents. I saw the State Dance Ensemble peform at Opera, I saw a Wedding Fashion Show at the Marriott organized by Nina Hovnanian (taking photos) and went to a Bambir concert the same night (I will elaborate on the Bambir experience in another log as I believe the whole music scene in Armenia deserves another on its own), also taking photos. Somewhere inbetween I managed to see and find half of the people I know in Yerevan. The other half I have yet to contact. But this is all very typical Yerevan. I also have friends flying in every week from now on, which will also keep me on my toes, not to mention the very interesting business ventures I am considering right now. Yerevan is quite an active town, in that people are out and about this time of year. It seems as though they have come out of their shells after a long winter.

I have realized one thing in all this. My understanding of things here compared to things in DC are less. For example, I follow poilitics and world events in DC. Here, I have withdrawn into a social butterfly and businesswoman of sorts. I've made it a mission to stay on top of issues here similar to DC. For example, there was news of the Speaker resigning. I wish I understood the issue more to share my perspective of the situation, but the discomfort I have is that... I just don't know the intricate sensitivities of politics in Yerevan as compared to DC. At least I knew who I liked and disliked there. Anyway, there's my mission.

Otherwise, I'll make sure to keep following the cultural scene of Yerevan, from high fashion to underground rock and beyond.

Back home

Finally back home! I had never been this excited to return to Armenia before. Spending almost 3 months in Toronto was way too long for me. I missed living alone, I missed friends, I missed the studio, and most of all I didn't witness and enjoy the taking off of the first Armenian song I produced. It's still out there though. I hear people blasting it in their Nivas, I hear cell phones going off with the song as their ringtones, I hear kids out there singing it, and so on.

I've been back for 2 days, and I haven't even had a chance to unpack and get over jetlag. I've been constantly meeting the group HAYQ, potential investors, and acting as a volunteer manager for the guys while they are constantly being contacted to do shows and interviews. (I never thought the Armenian entertainment scene could actually be exciting.)

We've already started focussing on the next single, but it will definitely be difficult to top the success of Qami Pchi. We're hoping to get the album done by the time the third single comes out, but a lot depends on finding someone to invest in this group. The numerous mafiosos that are interested are not really the type of investors we are looking for.

Leaving Yerevan in the winter and returning three months later you feel as though you came to a totally different city. Swan Lake is no longer a skating rink but a "lake" again, the first Northern Avenue buildings are almost done and look nice (not outstanding in architecture, not an eyesore either), and a bunch of new stores/restaurants.

A nice big cd/dvd store has just opened up on Abovyan Street, just north of Sayat Nova, called Star City. Besides selling music and movies, the store also throws events for artists, such as album and website launches and autograph sessions, which are quite new to Armenia.

The first two floors of Astafyan Hotel, across from Hotel Yerevan, have been demolished, and will soon be transformed into the Italian clothing franchise TerraNova. Another Italian clothing franchise has also opened on Mashtots, Ermenegildo Zegna.

A new Shushi restaurant has opened up on Baghramyan close to Moskovyan, a so-called "In and Out" burger restaurant on Tumanyan Street across from the Shawarma place (not to be confused with THE American burger franchise "In-N-Out".)

I got news today that the social awareness clips I've been producing have been distributed to over 20 television stations throughout Armenia, and we now have all the regions covered. So far we've covered littering, language and the use of slang, and three clips dealing with respect for one another. The new ones will hopefully be done within a few weeks. I wonder if these clips are actually making a difference in people's behaviours.

Summer?

It's been shorts weather recently - last night, even in the middle of the night it was perfectly comfortable in shorts :-) Summer has begun - and the tourists have poured in to remind us as well. This really is becoming a bit of a destination.

There's a new website www.andreforarmenia.com for Andre's eurovision entry. Eurovision is absolutely huge in this part of the world, and Armenia's participation will give it some massive exposure. Tens of millions (perhaps hundreds of millions?) will now associate Armenia with Europe, will hear Armenian lyrics, will perhaps want to learn more about the people, the country... such a small thing, but so big. Each country has one entry - so there is equal exposure for countries large and small. If he wins it would be HUGE - not just for the PR exposure, but also because the next contest would be held in... Yerevan!

Haselem!

Ah, Yerevan! So I just repatriated. Where does one begin to describe all the things that go through your head. Well, for starters, it feels very normal. The culture shock has warn off after so much time spent in Armenia prior to this. So the overwhelming patriotic feeling, and the adjustment period of learning how to adapt to your surroundings just isn’t there. So I jumped right into it. I had several meetings with people this week to discuss business opportunities, and I’ve spent the rest of my time catching up with new and old friends.

The face of Yerevan has changed a bit. They have improved their advertising and design skills, they are a bit more business savvy, and overall, it seems as though the people are generally happier and more positive. There is always room for improvement, but it’s nice to see they are reeping the benefits of years of hard work.

As for the summer, let it begin. The lights are going up, the streets are being cleaned, the restaurants are filling up, Yerevan is open for the summer.

Happy Victory Day...

May 9th is victory day in Armenia to celebrate the Soviet victory over the Nazis, and the Armenian capture of Shushi... here are a couple of pics from today...

System is "taking a break"

After this summers Ozzfest, System of a Down is going on a hiatus. They will do their own things for a while... Read the MTV article for details.

Meanwhile, here the weather is nice and warm this past week, but raining every day. The construction mess in Yerevan makes that rather muddy in parts of town. But, the first section of the Northern Avenue is now practically done. The sidewalks are being finished (I'd give that another week), you can already walk around, the big barrier is down, and you can get a good feel of what the finished street will look like from Opera. I'll have to get some pics for you folks...

Contest for best new National Anthem

On a completely different note, Armenia is apparently choosing a new national anthem. I can't say I'll miss the old one much... perhaps Der Hova can make this his newest project, it pays MILLIONS! :-)

CONTEST FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM TO BE ANNOUNCED IN 20 DAYS

Panorama.am
18:07 04/05/06

By the decision of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan,
a contest committee is established for the selection of the text
and music of the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia, headed
by the Armenian Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs. A number of
prominent state and cultural figures are included in the committee.

According to government press services, the committee is assigned
to develop the standards for selection and the contest conditions
in 15-days time. It is also responsible to select the text and the
music in 2-months period.

The government decided today to set a prize of 700,000 dram for
the text and the music of the national anthem. 2 mln drams are
appropriated from the government reserve fund in order to ensure
information dissemination and other contest related issues, including
remuneration to the author of the anthem.

According to government press service, the decision was conditioned
by the changes made in the Armenian constitution.

Another Armavia Airbus destroyed...

Unbelievably, another Armavia Airbus has been completely destroyed today. It was undergoing routine maintenence in Brussels, when it, and 3 other Airbuses caught on fire and burned completely. One of the other Airbuses was also Armenian - but not Armavias.

Today was a day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash... many places were very quiet or even closed this evening.

Armenian plane from Yerevan crashes

Minutes after I wrote my last blog of excitement, I heard the news about the Armenian plane crash.

If I understood correctly, the Armavia plane, with about 113 people on board, was heading to Sochi from Yerevan, but due to bad weather the plane crashed into the Black Sea.

So far it looks like everyone on board was killed.

My heart is crushed. Let all their souls be in our prayers.

Qami Pchi

Great ... I'm in Canada, and the first Armenian track I arranged and produced has apparently become a huge hit in Armenia.

I'm constantly being emailed by people telling me that the song is playing all over Yerevan, in every internet cafe, in marshrutkas, and is being used as a ringtone for cellulars.

At first, someone stole the song and started copying and selling pirated cds. On top of that they credited the song to Hay Tgheq featuring Sirusho. Unfortunately all this happened after I left Armenia, and so I couldn't do much about it. But within a couple of weeks, the members of the group put together a video, which they directed themselves, and everyone now knows who the real artist is.

The group is called HAYQ and the song is called Qami Pchi. The members are all in their late teens.

Check it out on this site ... click on the link H.A.Y.Q "Քամի Փչի"

Miasnoutyan Dzaradoung!

Well, well, what a time was had yesterday!

So, I get invited by the good-old Armenian Volunteer Corps, with which I've had plenty of good times before, to go on Sunday to Gyumri and participate in the "Miasnoutyan Dzaradoung" (roughly, "the Tree-Planting of Unity").

This was being organised by the Nig-Aparan Patriotic Union (here's a report on it - http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/archive/45931.html), the very same organisation that put together the "Miasnoutyan Shourchbar" ("Dance of Unity") around Mt. Aragats on the 28th of May last year. It is headed by Aghvan Hovsepyan, who is the present Prosecutor-General of Armenia.


As usual, it was an eclectic, if all-Armenian group, with nine hayrenagitsner from Armenia, Syria, Bolis (Istanbul), France, the States and, well... me.

Going by regular marshrutka, we reached Gyumri's "Mayr Hayastan" statue before noon, but, most unfortunately, we were too late; all the trees had already been planted. It was a minor setback, because the participants were still around, and the celebration was in full swing, with a reasonable crowd and music blaring beyond full volume, of course.

After a short exploration of the surroundings, particularly the old, round, black Russian fort, we joined the group in their fancy bus and ended up at the real party. And WHAT a party...!!!

I mean, I've been to Armenian kefs, to be sure, but this one was either really the biggest one I've ever attended, or, after the long winter, with the onset of the tourist season and so on, this one was the first big one I'd seen in a while, so maybe that's why I'm impressed.

Anyway, it was at a fancy, almost-completed new big restaurant in town, maybe a hundred people, perhaps more. The area was large, and terraced, but indoors, with a stage, too. Plenty to eat, plenty to drink, and plenty of music.

The large central table was occupied by the big shots, including Mr. Hovsepyan, and this one character who kept getting up and making genatses (toasts) in a VERY loud voice. It reminded me of that crocodile character in Disney's "Robin Hood" cartoon; really, the guy did very well, most impressive, without having to resort to a microphone. He was like a TYPICAL local, though, albeit dressed in white, and with a cap that made him rather reminiscent of chauffeur. But he was loud, so very loud, and then he got up on stage and began to sing and sing and sing... Finally, I ask someone, "Who is this character, anyway ?". As I'm sure some of you reading may have already guessed, I forgot the chap's name, but he was the right honourable Mayor of Gyumri. :-)

What started as a day of ecological and patriotic activity, ended up as a day of partying and patriotic activity. There was dancing, and then there was "miasnoutyan shourchbar" dancing; the place was large, so there was room enough to bring together most of those gathered in a pinky-to-pinky small-scale rendition of last year's "dance of unity".

So, a Sunday keffing it up with Armenia's Prosecutor-General. Every time I think I've seen, know and done it all, a new surprise awaits... What more could this country and life in this country throw at me ? Keep 'em coming, that's all I can say...!