Women in action

As I joined the solidarity march on November 25 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women only in the half, not much can say about it, especially when Onnik at Oneworld gives a detailed account, but the idea of uniting the youth and bringing them together is rather intriguing though. I wished such demonstrations gave more results and it’d be better to have them sooner than later. Wish this was not just an action to have fun or walk with friends, wish people sincerely fought for their goals overcoming all the difficulties.

Well, as I brought another saying earlier sometimes things just seem to be patriarchycal in Armenian families, аs Armenian men like to boast that “Man is the head of the family”, but in addition to that women secretly say: “And woman is the neck of the family, logically what side the neck turns that side the head will go”. Just women let their husbands vaunt a bit unless they have anything worthy to brag with. So, it was interesting to read on the leaflets they were distributing: “Women have their fingers on the pulse of the community”. Hmmm… let me think… Right!

Again, a question - why did God create the woman later? Answer – After the failure with the first experiment God needed something sublime, more ideal

Anyways, this is a good idea, let’s keep together girls, our power is in our united efforts!!! Not once we have proved that we are good in anything and everything, there’s not an arduous task for us, not a place where we can’t fit in pretty well and take the rule. And who said we are the weaker sex ???!!!

Silva Hakobyan at BBC’s Hunt

Very Interesting -The new born young star of the Armenian music Silva Hakobyan is one of the 20 semifinalists selected for BBC’s hunt for the world best young band/artists. How comes?

Although it will not pass omit to mention that Silva’s song “Gisher” has become the new anthem of Armenia, as I had posted about the tradition of changing anthems. Well, the girl has a good voice, much better than that of the most Armenian “Pop stars”, but the fact of being nominated itself is rather interesting, because her song is a typical melody that we are used to hear right from the point when the Armenian new pop music came into existence. I know she has had several failures as well as successes during competitions, also that her family members are musicians and that they help her a lot in her career making, also having Aram Avagyan as her producer (not a big deal though), well, let’s see what she will end up with.

So, what is needed to become famous? – An ordinary song and such a video – In any case, wish her success. Hope later she will not be obsessed with rabizmania.

RABIZMANIA

And why did I stay at home and watched TV today? What happened is not much, actually, just that I got once more assured that Armenian music has already become crappy then ever and it can’t be worse.

There’s a musical program called “7 song” and they show best seven songs the succession of which is decided by the number of the SMSes people are sending for this or that video clip. No, this is ok. The question is in quite another thing.

In one of my past posts I wrote about a rabiz song sang by Armenchik and Qristine Pepelyan, the latter being an ex pop singer. I say an “ex” because now she has decided to turn into a total rabiz singer. She shot an extremely tasteless and over-rabiz video clip where she performs her dancing abilities or rather proves that she cannot move her body, and sings her recurrent rabiz melody with her “always unchangeable” deafened voice. It was funny to read one of the smses stating: “Your video clip resembles a Persian waffle” (Persian waffles are considered the most cheap and of the inferior quality). “Hey, Barbie, so many years passed and you didn’t learn singing and shaking your bum, (in the screen I mean)” – I guess I will SMS something like this.

Teacher by nature or education?!

It is already a week that I’m spending my pedagogical practice at a school. Students are always afraid of the first days of their practice, especially when the teachers complain how naughty the present young generation has become. Of course there are always one or two disobedient or lazy pupils in every class, especially among boys, who soon lose all kind of interest in studying.

The first week is supposed to be a passive practice i.e. when the students observe how the teacher conducts the lesson. It is already after that when the students become teachers by themselves. But 10 minutes had hardly passed from the first lesson when the teacher asked me to explain the passive voice to the pupils. Two days later I was already teaching at the class where I chose to be the main teacher of English for a month - 8 th form, 13 years old children.

What I really don’t like is when teachers shout at pupils or slap them. Right, some of the pupils really can drive them crazy, but now on my own experience I may clearly declare that it depends a lot on the teacher and how they conduct the lesson. As the majority of teachers are women problems appear mainly with schoolboys. There is always a gang of boys who are considered the “Lav tgheq” (good guys), who sass back and wag their tongues and none of the teachers should ever rebuke them. But even here there’s a common tongue for getting respect and understanding.

“Hye Super Star” Enticement

I was in such a merry mood when I passed the first round of “Hye Super Star 2″ after my failure at the first one, that anything else wouldn’t matter for me, even if I was dismissed during the next 2 rounds. But unfortunately my cheerfulness lasted only a week, It went down as soon as I was presented with a contract, which I had to sign and hand in the next day in order to take part in the next rounds.

After having just a glance at all the points I already hesitated and was equivocal about my further participation. For two days the contract in my hand I was running from this person to another to get advice and with the hope that any of those people would calm me down saying that such contracts are normal in cases like this and I don’t lose anything. But, alas, nothing of such was heard.

Translating and quoting from the contract:
“The participants assure that they are aware that in case of participating as one of the 11 participants of the final round, at “Shant” TV’s demand in 10 days time they must sign a contract lasting 3 years”.

So by this contract they oblige them to sign another contract lasting 3 years on terms of which the participants don’t know anything. Besides during those 3 years, the participants don’t have any right to partner with others, use their names, bring any changes to their appearance and character and so on. They also want the participants to admit that their aim is to win at this competition and that the participants won’t get any kind of compensation, indemnity, or salary.
According to this contract the participants give to “Shant” TV their copyright, regarding everything they’d do during 3 years, and “Shant” TV has also the right to sell this contract to some other person. They don’t take any responsibility if the participants lose their jobs, or have problems with education or army service.

Some Poetry

No, I’m not a poet, never was and never intend to become. Just from time to time something strikes me and I try to jot down it down. When I manage, I like it. When I don’t, I just tear off the leaflets. Now, eventually, I decided to post some of those “poems”. Yet, this is a challenge for me. Don’t kill me!

Incidentally, some time ago I contacted and later met Lola Koundakjian who conducts the Armenian Poetry Project putting together all the works of Armenian poets all over the world. I sent her one of my writings. So she described it as something “without a light in the end of the tunnel”. Well, I confess, it was written after several disappointments, but all in all, sorry that I couldn’t depict the reality in brighter colors, though as I mentioned before, one always sees the light if they quite want it.

Anyways. I venture to present to your attention two of my writings, which are rather states of mind then poems. I would give the translations if needed, but I’m always of the idea that the literary work suffers a lot when translated.
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Դատարկ սենյակ`
Լի իրերով,
Իսկ մեջտեղում մի մեծ ճամպրուկ,
Վրան ձեռնոց, գլխարկ
Ու հարազատ մի վերարկու,
Կողքին էլ թերթ է գունավոր,
Միևնույն է,պետք չի գալու:

Դուռ կիսաբաց,
Շրջահայաց,
Ու սառը օդ ներս թափանցող,
Դեռ կան բառեր` ասված-չասցած,
Ու լռությունն է հոգնեցնող:
Կես ակնթարթ միասնության,
Ու կես վայրկյան ափսոսանքի,
Ու ողջ րոպե հանուն «Ես»-ի:
Ու ճանապարհ` դատարկ, սպիտակ,
Ու ամբողջ կյանք առանց կյանքի:
Հանուն ինչի~…

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Հագուստ չունեմ, մերկ եմ հիմա
Ու դողում եմ ամռան տապին,
Իսկ կաշիս էլ ծառից կախված
Օրորվում է` «Հագի~ր, հագի~ր».
Բայց թե ինչպես~:
Մրսած եմ ես,
Ու տաք թեյն էլ հազիվ օգնի,
Դրա դեղն էլ բնավ չկա.
Չէ~, առաջ կար, բայց դե հիմա…
Համակերպվել է հարկավոր:
Օրո~ր, օր~որ…
Իսկ ես քնել դեռ չեմ կարող:
(Մեկ գառնուկ, երկու գառնուկ, երեք գառնուկ…)
Սևագրություն…
Հագուստ չունեմ, մերկ եմ հիմա,
Ու զեփյուռն է միայն խաղում,
Իսկ ես վայրագ հողմապտույտ,
Փոթորիկ եմ միայն ուզում,
Որ ետ բերի հագուստս ինձ,
Չէ որ այն ինձ շատ է սազում:
Որ փաթաթվեմ ու տաքանամ,
Որ չմրսեն ձեռքերս էլ,
Ու ես քնեմ տաքու~կ-տաքու~կ,
Փափու~կ-փափու~կ…

Who to trust – Medical System or …? My brother’s story /Part 2/

As I wrote in my previous post my brothers health became worse a year later. I don’t want to comment much on the events but can’t hold me back from doing it completely. I give real facts leaving suppositions on your parts.

Soon in winter my brother caught a cold which evidently infected his lengths and he started coughing terribly. He stuck to his bed again as his whole body was in unbearable pain, but yet he could move. Again we were on search of someone who would tell us distinctly and properly what was happening to him. His temperature wouldn’t reduce again. We did all the necessary blood tests, x-rays, he gave even HIV/AIDS test. So with all these stuff my parents started knocking at the doors of different doctors and the best specialists and professors ever existing in Armenia. And outrageously each of them put different diagnosis. None of 12 opinions coincided with each other apart from 2 or 3 who where dubious that it might probably be ‘Bekhterev’. That is when all the muscles in the body become petrified. Especially after hearing these last diagnosis there was a moment that my mum wanted to give up struggling any more, particularly when they started explaining what kind of disease it is, the worst ever existing which turns a person into a disabled. We were being deluded into false diagnosis by the doctors.

But did we have any right to trust them after our bitter experience? We tried to turn to the homeopath again, but sooner realized that even he couldn’t help in this case. His state was getting worse and worse day by day. Some measures were to be taken, but what? After many quarrels, disagreements and tortures with him taking from this hospital to another when it was so hard for him to move leaned on our shoulders, they came to a conclusion: brucellosis had developed to quite something else- Reactive Arthritis.