Forgive me. I don't find memes funny.

My friend introduced me to the concept of memes a year ago, maybe two. Then, between then and now another friend told me about memes. Both times I had no interest. I came across them for the third time in my life today, and forgive me, I don't find memes funny.

I used this as an exercise in practicing my pseudo-photoshop skills. This is my meme.

..........

because I have jet lag, and can't think of anything else to do at 7am in the morning.

Cafe les Deux Moulins, Paris
on a plane
Do I leave a piece of myself in every city, or do I take a piece with me?

I love Paris

Back to LA

I feel the need to share this. I've now become accustomed to living in two cities, and the idea of walking out of one world and walking into another is getting easier and easier for me to do. But still. As time goes by, every time I come to LA I feel more like I'm walking back into 1995 or even 2005... I was shocked at how quickly I remembered the alarm code at my house, not realizing that I created it. Small things... like the half bottle of the old face wash I used to use left in my bathroom... My house is like a vintage store containing what used to be my life-and what still is my life. It's like a museum. I don't like the feeling. Not. at. all. But I'm so thankful that I felt the freedom to move around the world. I realized this when yesterday I saw a girl I used to work with at the Topanga Mall in 1995. It was my first job, and I was working at the juniors section at a department store for 3 months. I met her, the another Armenian girl who was working there. She was beautiful. smart. sweet. and had an Amelie quality about her.... Her sister worked there too.... Flash forward to 2011. I just got back to LA and went into the mall to buy a new face wash. For me the mall has become an out-of-body experience once you're used to old flea markets, swap meets, and overpriced small boutiques--and once you don't see things as a teenager. I walked into the department store, and after I adjusted to the over-odorized odor in the air I noticed a familiar beautiful Armenian face and realized it was the same girl who I used to work with back at the Topanga Mall. (She, in fact, was already working there when I had my 3 month stint.) Shocked. Since 1995 she's been staring at the bright department store walls and smelling that strong artificial odor.... every day every year sans a 2 week holiday since 1995.... a paycheck every two weeks since 1995..... Same hair, same smile, same cash register. That was an out-of-body experience... No wait, my "Sliding Doors" experience... I realize that it takes a lot of guts to make sure your life is full of growth and exploration. It could have been so safe to stay behind that cash register... I only lasted 12 weeks.....

Since the days when I wore my dad’s bell bottom jeans to “free-dress day” at my high school I’ve been in love with vintage. I’ve dug through my parents’ closets, my aunts’ closets, and every vintage flea market in every city I’ve ever visited. Now it’s Yerevan’s turn. The only thing I have to say is that this isn’t Covent Garden or NYC on a Sunday, but there’s a lot of interesting unique pieces that really put a smile on my face. Whether it’s GDR porcelain coffee sets or factory made jewelry, once you dig deep (and most of the fun is in the digging) you find amazing pieces. This blog and subsequent entries will also unsurface what the travel guides won't show you: vintage shopping in Armenia.

#1:

There are lots of cool home furnishing pieces created during the CCCP era. Including, but not restricted to, Indian bowls, post-modern GDR porcelain, and brass monkeys holding salt and pepper shakers.

#2:

Clothing is harder to find, but there are second hand stores and you have to dig. Communist suits make for great Yoshi Yamamoto inspired looks. 60s-70s cotton dresses are very fun after alterations.

#3:

Jewelry designed by the now defunct souvenir factory blows my mind. Pieces are handmade or designed by arts. You'll find lots of filigree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filigree), silver, and mercur (I don't know what metal this is).

My favorite thing to do is go to Vernisage and visit Suzy. Beside being one of my favorite people in Yerevan, she finds amazing vintage jewelry and is great at restoring. She's a third generation antique button collector and frequently incorporates them in the pieces she restores.

Here are a few of my favorite new rings:

-Purple stone is 60s Opera stage costume jewelry

-Dangling cuffing is silver and topaz attached to old band (both have factory stamp). One of Suzy's creations.

-Snakes symbolize wisdom. Factory made.

-I met the lady below at Suzy's stand. She was a school teacher.

(Nails are all mine and I do my own manicures.)

June 17, 2011

This next entry came sooner than I expected. It's 3:11am on a Friday morning. Where most people would be far along in their slumber, I, a Yerevan dweller, have just come home from a night of mixed emotions and experiences… just another typical day-you never know where it will take you. Today I learned some good news, some terrible news, and had to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends (his fate is to be determined by Armenia's army). I'll leave the good news at bay until further notice, but I'd like to reflect on the bad news: my friend passed away from unexpected health complications. He was an amazing person who emitted positivity like no other. I suppose the shock hasn't withered away yet, I still can't contemplate the loss, his mortality, and other such questions about life….

All this amidst a night a music and friends (some old + some new + some visiting), there were birthdays, goodbyes, hellos, DSLRs capturing it all, and way too much second hand smoke. Armenian reggae, blues, Beatles, a few shots of vodka, and much more… all on a Thursday night.

Having traveled a good sum, I've never experienced a city where you can walk into any given bar on any given night and see friends in one corner and a group of musicians jamming in another. Everyone in perfect harmony with each other, enjoying each other's company, breathing life into Armenia's capital city.

Throughout the night we remembered our dear friend and his exceptional peaceful outlook on life. It is within this context that I met him three years ago…

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Yerevans-Dolphins-In-Memoriam-Dibar-Tcholakian/218786371475320?ref=ts

A Lifetime in a Single Day

I miss the days of letter writing. I remember in the 1900s and early 2000s I had pen pals in different cities around the world. We would exchange long letters then e-mails and engage in the most incredible dialogue (chronicling the philosophies and inner workings of a traveling youth pre-blogging days)…. The difference between letter writing and blogging is quite simple: in the former you're not sharing your private life on a public platform. But alas I am conceding, within limitations, to extend my experience living in Armenia (and traveling around the region) to everyone out there who cares to know and for those who can't (for whatever reason) be here to see this all for themselves. It becomes more clear to me everyday that this experience is once in a lifetime and deserves to be shared with a wider interested audience. Especially when highlighting some of the thinkers of our generation who are defining the "contemporary" culture of this region.

There are pluses and minuses to being a foreigner in a country where you have spent almost your entire adult life, but there are benefits to both sides. Benefit 1: You are always an outsider observing the natural habitats of new circles. Benefit 2: You actually know more than they think you do, and that comes in handy when you have to tell someone off. Benefit 3: You tend to meet amazing people and with amazing talents on a daily basis. One such hub where these types congregate is "The Club" or "Agump" restaurant at my favorite location, Tumanyan 40.

http://theclub.am

Come see for yourself. Wait, my friend just walked in...

Okay, I'm back. If my procrastination habit doesn't get the best of me, I plan on talking about people, places, and events that are transforming this region and shaping into something new.

I always try to explain to people that it's an amazing time to be in a place where everything is in its nascency.

Wait, another friend just walked in...

When you're in a small city, which is going through such drastic transition with powerful forces working against it, it's a magical time to see how the new generation will brake through barriers and create what is new, what is theirs--even though many talented bright youths are leaving (or would leave if they could), many more than the country (and the region) can afford.

No single day is like the other when you live in a city where you see your friends, your enemies, the mounting problems, and the breathtaking mountain on a daily basis….

What will historians write about when they look back at this period? Until then I'll try to reflect on what I see today.