Captured Moments

Just Incredible.

Up Way Too Late

I enjoy sleeping very much. Especially since I got my new bed sheets, I can hardly leave my bed in the morning. But not only is it the comfort of my bed that confines me. NO. It is the simple fact that I just can't get myself to bed early.... After all the excitement of today (not to mention the RockStar I had earlier (I know, terrible)), it's just not happening.

I guess I should try to lay down. But it doesn't seem promising.

Ebb and Flow

My show is two weeks away! I am so excited to show everyone I know what I have been working so hard on.

Here's the link!
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/239843

OFFICIALLY A DANCER!

Throughout the years, I have learned to let things just take their course. Because Heaven knows I have tried to force and maneuver in a way where I could move forward. And the hardest pill I have had to swallow was that: If something isn't meant to be, it won't be. Countless hours have been spent trying to digest events and coincidences that have left me dumbfounded. But now! I understand.

For YEARS I have pursued my singing in schools and enrichment programs. I sing my tail off in church and have been bumped to lead soprano; but when it came to everywhere else, it just WOULD  NOT HAPPEN. In my opinion, I am very good. I have a large, loud, operatic voice, and the flair I add when I sing is a plus for showmanship. But I have gotten only a fraction of time in solos or in the spotlight compared to the tons of work I have put in.

So back at Valley, I started to take dance class to reignite the flame that had been dormant for years. And now, two years into it, I have gotten a piece in the Spring Production and, as of an hour ago, have been hired to be in an official dance company!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My joy right now has sent me into a high. This strengths my belief in myself and my abilities.

So, I conclude: If something wasn't meant to be, then it won't. But  if something is meant to be, then the road will pave itself. You just must be willing to walk down it's divine path.

<3

Oh Boy.

Do I have a lot of blogging to do! I have been MIA from the blog world for a while, and have deprived my reader (singular haha) from the interesting things taking place in my life!

WELL!
Because this is unacceptable, I will begin to catch you up. :)

Living in Italy

My dad always says that when he retires, he wants to have a house in Europe (either France or Italy). He basically wants to travel between the two continents during the year. And I hope God blesses him to where all his dreams are realized!

BUT! I told him he can't get a place unless it has this kind of a view ...

Aliens!

They are among us!

Disneyland!

I went to Disneyland for the first time in a long time with some new dance friends I've made at Valley. It was a blast! The only drag, of course, was that 8 different people wanted to do 8 different things... So after much compromise and expert coordinating, we got through both California Adventure and Disneyland in one day, squeezing in some time as well to catch the shows and dance our butts off in ElecTRONica. AND, I still had time to grab some popcorn, put my feet up and sit in front of the castle for the last hour until the park closed. :)

Too Early For Tomtom

No matter the time of day. No matter how long of a nap. No matter how many hours have pasted him by, it is always too early for Tomtom.

Ridiculously Amazing

Ridiculous is becoming a key word for me lately...

But, seriously, this picture is AMAZING!! As it says at the bottom, it is a picture of Northern Europe from space and the green aura around the Earth is the Aurora Borealis! Incredible.

In bed a little early tonight

It has been QUITE the week! All sorts of events, rehearsals, preparations, emotions, etc. have been exploding in all areas of my life. Finally today, after a grueling workout, I am in bed early. My usual (unhealthy) bed time is 1ish.

Homework and blogs are behind. Laundry is behind. Rest is at empty, but, health wise, I'm ok. It's what counts in the end. Catch up time begins tomorrow!

For now, it's good night.

Dance

Dance (as defined by me): the physically manifestation of music. That's it.

Here is a video of a prominent ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri and Sting. One of my favorite parts of this video is the time that is spent in the beginning just filming them warming up. It is the CRUCIAL step needed by every performer to get your body, hands, feet, voice, mouth, etc. warmed up and ready to be expressed in their full potential.

This really is poetry.

Quote of my Life!

"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers." - Voltaire

Cloudy days

This weather casts a spell on Los Angeles people. Everyone seems like they have LOST THEIR MINDS. This cloud of grog hangs over the people and I think brings out their worst attitudes. And quite frankly, like rapid squirrels, the infected run around all day infecting others around them. I was bitten early this morning....

How was your day?

Out Loud is often Unnecessary

It's one thing to talk out loud about your thoughts. It's completely another thing when someone is patiently listening and the talker rambles on and on without direction or cause about a subject they have repeat countless times. I have time I wish not to waste. I am willing to listen to someone who needs to take a great load off their shoulders, but I wish my time was respected.

I don't know; maybe I'm just in a bad mood today because of how my day began but it has caused me to become aware of how much time I just sit there and let others talk as I patiently listen. And I can't help but ask myself, "Why don't I talk this much?" or, more importantly, "Will anyone be willing to listen to me this long?"

Days like this sometimes makes you question why you do the things you do and offer so freely.

Disappointment

All in just one image. I still haven't stop laughing at the irony and the look on this kids face!

PMS

Defined.

The Reality Stick

Keeps smacking me in the face. I like living in a positive mind set, full of hope, enchantment and expectation. And I am a firm believer in the magic of life itself. But today is tough. I am finding that a lot of things that lurk in my past are still here to haunt me. Sometimes, what I think is simple human error is really just carelessness on my part. I suppose just have to keep trying harder to move my life forward and let the lessons of life keep chopping at the trunk of the hypocrisy tree.

I just can't spell things out for people anymore. I hurts too much; and I have been yelled at enough to just let them trip over themselves. It is the hardest thing for me to watch, but I guess that's just what I need to do... Watch.

Sometime I wonder if I think too much. And if I do, how much does the average person these days think? From all the way over here, it doesn't seem like much.

Tired.... Of Waiting.

I am not as physically tired as I am emotionally tired. Long, premature engagements are hard. I have absolutely no bad things to say about my relationship or fiance, and I really wouldn't have anything be different. However, waiting for the ability to get married is straining. What are we waiting for? Who else but Money.

We are young, neither of us have our degrees yet, and we are trying desperately to fill the hole our parents' money problems have left. Both of us are very traditional and aren't living together. I am bound to my parent's house(s) until my wonderful fiance is able to support me. It's hard being apart from someone you love and not being able to be with them every moment that you want them to be there.

Again, I wouldn't want it any other way. I thank God for every moment and every year we grow up together; but I just wish I could see the end of the tunnel of engagement and have the bright valley of marriage open before us. We want to be together and to have our own space where we build and grow together.

Like a fool (yes, please laugh if you wish), I had put a lot of hope in that stupid sweepstakes HGTV hosts every year. The Dream House give away. You get a gorgeous house, $500,000 and a new GMC SUV. I had entered twice a day for a month and half in the hopes that the simple selection of my name would put a lot of our troubles behind us. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. The show will air tomorrow as they ambush the winner, and drag you the viewer through a tour of this spectacular house as you sit there, sobbing and wringing your heart, cursing the lucky bastard who won. I figured they had to have filmed the winner earlier that day or in the week, and after checking the website, the winner was contacted on Monday. Needless to say, I was not contacted.

I could sit here and believe that 'No one really wins those things.' I could also believe and accept that some one did... and it wasn't me. So, whoever you are, Congratulations. I hope that all those prizes will help you in your life as much as it would have helped in mine. :(

BEWARE

The ides of March!

IT IS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE!

Yay! Now, off to English! ;)

My mentor for the dance production saw my rehearsal videos and thought the beginning was great! So I leave with a renewed sense of pride in my work and a giant dose of encouragement!

Another Must See

I need to see a lot of things in this life, but this event in particular is on the top of my list, right under the Northern Lights (the aurora borealis).

A 1000 Words

This was a BEAUTIFUL movie! It was hilarious (as everything that Eddie Murphy is in is), inspirational, and surprisingly, had a deep and profound meaning. It is a MUST SEE. I loved it! I laughed, cried, and enjoyed the story line very much.

Corner Candle

Flickering, and setting the mood for sleep.

What a Beautiful Morning!

Today is one of the most beautiful mornings so far this year! It is bright and warm with a slight chill in the breeze. My favorite time of the year is spring because of these kinds of mornings. I do like all the other seasons, too; summer for the long sizzling days, fall for the colors, and winter for the cold, rain and snow (that falls other places). But spring is different. Everything is new and being reborn again. It is just beautiful!

Dance Production Class

Today, for Dance Production class, we talked about costuming and touched on light design. Wow, 4 credits for doing something that I LOVE? Almost seems too good to be true. I loved every minute of it and every word that came from my teacher's mouth. And later, I was able to meet up with my dance group and go over some of the material for my dance.

I am going to REALLY relish in this for as long as I can. This will most definitely be my future.

There is nothing like

an amazing shower. 'nough said.

Sometimes the worst thing that can happen on a vacation or trip somewhere is a crappy shower! But if the shower is really nice, you have to admit, it makes the whole experience a little better. :)

Good night.

Devastated over Bees

It is no coincidence that the subject of the disappearance of bees came up in class today. I have been wondering that all day long.

As I walked down the staircase of my apartment building this morning, I came upon with a strange sight: an unusually large amount of dead bees on the floor. I paused and remembered a conversation my dad and I were having about the recent decline of bees. I made note of how sad the situation was getting and moved on, got into my car and drove to work. Later on, in class, we brought up the subject again and I quickly looked up why the bees were dying. In less than five minutes, I became disgusted with the people leading our food industry, and I became angry with the fact that all I had to do was Google it and the answer was right there!! Which means, we know WHY, so WHY is it not being stopped immediately.

Just in case the devastation is not clear, let me show you what I later came home to find. I decided that it would be a good idea to take pictures and post it onto Facebook so people who didn't know could see for themselves:

This is the terrible sight I saw in the morning. This shocked me at first because I just hadn't seen so many dead bees randomly laying there all at once:

Later, when I had just come home from class, I began to wonder where they came from.If they were on the ground floor, they must have fallen from the top of the staircase. So I decided to climb up. My building has three floors of condos, and there are five levels, including the garage and the rooftop. This is what I found on the third floor, fourth flight of stairs:

I could clearly see that the amount of bees were getting more concentrated, and something inside kept telling me to keep going up. And then I finally reached the top floor with the door to the roof. I instantly became filled with tears and my jaw dropped to the floor.

Some were still alive, squirming about. Others were completely dead. None of them had the yellow color on there backsides like I had remembered. There were no better word than utter devastation.

My feelings are tired and my mouth has been shut for a long time, but now I am going to spill it all because this is simply inexcusable. Through a simple Google search and one article, I got a glimpse into what is causing this epidemic. This is just one source: http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/honeybees.htm.
Bees are an essential part of our ecosystem. Without bees, we have no crops, not to mention other vegetation the planet needs. Without crops, we have no food, Without food, HUMANS AND ANIMALS DIE. Plain and simple. No bees, no humans. I don't care how much science will claim to stretch itself to make up for bees later, it's the 'science' that is killing them. Don't get me wrong, I am all for understanding this planet with science, but there is no need to try to make natural processes that have worked for millenia 'better.' Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that when humans mess with nature, the outcome isn't that great? With all the genetically modified crops, the pollen that the bees are collecting don't have enough nutrients for the bees to survive. If the bee cannot survive from merely the pollen, what do we expect to gain from the fruit?! Not to mention the pesticides we end up consuming. If it is killing the bees, what happening to us, the unconscious eaters of the world (aka Americans)?

It's like our government is some spoiled child that will not learn from it's mistakes. Just as long as the pockets of the politicians and corporate leaders are full, anything can be 'overlooked.' It seems the blind have increased. Some people actually suffer the horrible reality of never being able to see this glorious world, and then we have the people who close their eyes and turn away based on how much you have paid them. Then they wonder why they can't sleep at night. Then we wonder how the pharmaceutical companies are making their ill-gotten fortunes; they help mask peoples problems instead of treat them. You hardly see anyone put in the effort to dig deep anymore. This is why we have relationship problems and all time high divorce rates. No one puts in the effort to find out where their foods come from and who is growing them. No one wants to look at the socially unattractive person who might have a lot more to offer than others they have met. All they see is; the redder and larger the tomato, the better. And only aesthetics are looked at: nice face, small waist, big boobs, big lips and short skirts means quality woman. It is like no one can control their hormones long enough to contemplate how this woman will be with children, at home, around friends or in a tempting situation outside of the relationship. Our life here is so fast paced, no one has any time for anything anymore. They are too busy being brainwashed by commercials and reality TV, then spending most of their time after trying to justify their similar behavior because it is portrayed as socially acceptable on the TV or internet.

So my next statement will blame everything on the root of all evil, right? Greed, right? YES. Is it not? Is it not selfish to do unethical, hurtful, dirty and deceitful for personal gain and profit? This society and culture is breeding self centered people. It is encouraging solitary, 'care-free,' reckless, immoral lives. In fact, it is fashionable. So let's be fashionable, and let us talk selfish now. What about me! What about the quality of my life and my health? Tell me how I am suppose to see a healthy old age someday. Tell me how I am suppose to get a good paying job and support a family and qualify for anything without starting off with $100,000+ loans from school. Explain to me why people do not want kids anymore, and why the people that do are too scared to bring them into this world. Additionally, why are the people who do have kids having an unusually hard time raising them? Why must I, as a girl, worry day in and day out about how much I weigh, what I wear and how sexually attractive I am to a man who won't look at me otherwise? Explain to me how well this Melting Pot it working to your advantage.

There are already a lot of people who are asking questions and it is becoming contagious. I had never counted my self among them before, but in the past few years, my eyes have been opened to a lot. Soon, more and more people will become so demanding and selfish that they will revolt in utter rage to get answers. I hope They have some good answers to give for compromising health for profit.

Lesson of the Day

Someone I know was accused of not being strong anymore. That they had become weak. Well that brings me to just one simple fact I have learned (and yes, quote me):

The weakest people build the highest walls. It is only the strong who are brave enough to bare their emotions and hearts unconditionally. The cracks and gaps of the walls of the weak reveal them and their bellowing voices don't scare anyone. They just show how terrified they are to let anyone near.

My Favorite Armenian Song

Ms. Oberman, I would like to share with you one of my favorite Armenian songs. It is a slow song called Patker which translates to face, except not just one's face. It's more like the way someone's face looks; the individual behind the beautiful face. I really can't describe it. I am translating it for you on the bottom because it is so beautiful. You can listen and follow right along.
Just thought I'd share. :) Who doesn't like a good love song? Enjoy.

Patker
My paint brush is asking me who's face (patker) am I painting.
The painting's flower is silently smiling at me.
Taking the picture in my hand, I can tell him,
And, overcome (choked up) with emotion, I begin to speak without end.

Chorus:
"You are my light. You are my hope,
The symbol of my love.
Whenever I see you, I become filled with Pride;
I am able to feel your warm embrace.
You are the key (secret) to my  heart.
You are the sunlight of my life.
I am forever Painting you, and your face (patker) unlike any other,
is like a blossom, breathing in,
everlasting and without wilt,
and the colors brilliantly glitter on your face."

And only the paint brush feels the sorrow I live in from missing her;
Pushing me forward and giving me strength (the paintbrush) pours out color. (I'm not quite sure the exact translation of this line. Something like that. )
Your face suddenly becomes alive, and my torture is lifted,
and, again, I enter my Dream and begin to Live.


Chorus:
"You are my light. You are my hope,
The symbol of my love.
Whenever I see you, I become filled with Pride;
I am able to feel your warm embrace.
You are the key (secret) to my  heart.
You are the sunlight of my life.
I am forever Painting you, and your face (patker) unlike any other,
is like a blossom, breathing in,
everlasting and without wilt,
and the colors brilliantly glitters on your face."

Boots and Cats

BOOTS AND CATS!
This is so clever and hilarious. It has stuck in my head ever since I first heard it.

ANIMALS ON MY BLOG!

Ever since our cat Tomtom came into our lives, we have become animal fanatics! I love our cat dearly and he looks just like the little kitty I've added as a gadget on the right -->

And I love my fishes at the top that you can feed :) ^

Life is good with animals. They teach us an important lesson of unconditional love and undying loyalty.

First Progress Showing

Today, all the student choreographers for the spring dance production had to show how their pieces were coming along. Mine went well. It wasn't as advanced as some of the others but it portrayed my message very clearly. That was encouraging. But it is definitely time to bust out the big guns!

NEW LAYOUT!

This is a first for me: girly. I always try to stand out some way or another, and I usually do what people don't expect of me, so I guess I am sticking to it then!

Ms. Oberman, if you have trouble seeing or reading the font I have chosen, please let me know so I can change it. :)

By The Way

Typing while listening to piano music makes my feel like I'm actually playing the piano as I type. It's quite fun!

I wonder if pianists are actually better typists than most people?

Truly laughing out loud......!

Awesome Weekend!

My Friday began with my best friend's 23rd birthday. It followed us through the morning at work until her family surprised her with a birthday party at her house. We ate, laughed, and told stories as the night continued to get longer. Every toast became sweeter and every drink was the 'last one.' Finally the hour grew late and the birthday girl was escorted to the bathroom by her entourage, then tucked neatly into bed. I dotn think anyone will ever forget their first drunk experience.

I don't really remember Saturday which probably means I didn't do much....

Sunday was AMAZING! After church, we returned home to a full house. My grandparents and my uncle's family were over because we were having xash! Xash is an Armenian soup that cannot be eaten alone. When someone wants to have it, they usually gather close family and friends so they can eat it altogether. This ancient communal feeding gathering is still deeply embedded in the culture of Armenian people. And of course, no one arrives emtpy handed; people bring lots of vodka because that's what you drink with xash (I both know and don't know how this became the official drink to have with this peasant style soup). I guess there is no occasion too small to drink! The weather was ideal (cold and cloudy) and the soup was so yummy! We had such a great time that my father's and uncle's spontaneity  got the best of them. They winked at each other, and with the consent of my grandfather, stuck everyone in the car and we drove to San Manual Casino. We lost at the casino but being there wasn't the best part at all: it was the drive to the casino. My dad has this amazing CD filled with a collection of famous Armenian songs recorded at a concert. OH MAN! We put that on, and for an hour and a half, we had a party in the car! Dancing, singing, crying and laughing all the way there! Not to mention the jammed exit where my uncle got out of the car and started dancing with people in other cars!

Last Sunday will be one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life!

From Dragging My Feet to Kicking Them HIGH!

Second day of Lent was TOUGH. You see, my family owns a little cafe in Beverly Hills called BeverLiz Cafe. Needless to day, just like every good Armenian girl, I work there too. I am not bragging when I say we have the best food in town; it is a fact. No where around our little neck of the woods could you find the variety, the quality, the taste and the affordability as our little humble operation. But this is my problem! During work, all sorts of yummy orders are made and I have to carry them out to the customer who wants to eat them and will later give us money for it... but I want to eat it too at that very moment, so you could imagine my situation. It was a good thing we were busy because if I had just been standing around, my boredom eating would have gotten the best of me. I finally got to my lunch break starving and in a grumpy mood.

Everything changed when I got to school though! For the dance production students, our guest choreographer was holding a master class. She specializes in all sorts of hip hop dance but today, we focused on house. It was so much fun! It brought my mood up, my spirit went soaring through the roof and I felt so great! I was so thankful I hadn't binged and felt light as a feather. I moved just like all the people who have made hip hop their life, and I even got called up by her to do a solo because I was doing so well! OH MAN! There was no better feeling than that! 

This experience will definitely keep me motivated.

Good night.

Ash Wednesday

The beginning of Lent is here and I am very excited for this years fasting cycle!

You see, I am ADDICTED to food. YES, there. I said it. I have an unhealthy want for it and it has lately gotten COMPLETELY out of hand. I found myself always thinking about food and always eating something without any regimen, control or regard to what, when, and how much.

What bothers me the most is that I know better. I have been trying, hearing (voluntarily or involuntarily), and studying about the way one should eat. I decided that Enough is Enough and that my uncontrollable slavery to food is truly standing in my way. It all started with knee pain in my dance classes. I LOVE TO DANCE! And sing. And do pretty much anything requiring full use to my creativity mind. If boundaries arose, I'd simple bulldoze my way through them because I'd love what I was doing too much to have anything in my way. So all it took was a simple visit to the doctors. He told me I could continue dancing at this weight and not get very far past certain knee and ankle injuries, reproductive issues, and premature health deterioration; or I could simply lose the weight and avoid these issues all together.

So the perfect opportunity came after the holidays... LENT! What better time could I ask for to get control over my physical addictions and really refocus my energy towards my spiritual well being. I need to shift all my concentration OFF of food and ONTO other important matters.

My process began this weekend where I really overdid my eating for the simple purpose of remembering how awful I felt after eating a bunch of crap. It utter disgust by the time Tuesday evening rolled around, I began my fast with the strength of your story. I read your story, Ms. Oberman, and was truly inspired!It couldn't  have come at a better time!  I took the simple food guide you gave and ran with that, making a few adjustments of my own. I have stopped all consumption of red meat. I am sticking to chicken and turkey (white and dark meat), and a whole lot of seafood. Absolutely no processed anything. If I cannot recognize what exactly I am eating, I will not eat it. Lots of veggies, fruit and nuts in their whole form (not fried or cooked to death). Olive oil and vinegar will still be in my diet. Only whole fruit drinks and water to drink. I think that's it. Maybe some whole grain toast every now and again. But this is already huge for me, and I intend to stick to it! Not only because I have to, but I truly want to!

Day 1 was a success! Can't wait to post more of my journey over the next 40 some days :)

The BEST Cat Toy

Gift wrapping string. The thinner the better. The longer, the more you are loved.

Simple as that.

Coresting

I have always had this crazy attraction to corseting. I loved how it was a part of many eras of woman's clothing, and how they are still at large today! Lately, I have been watching the YouTube channel of this girl who is practically an expert in corseting and she posts great videos on how to make them, how to move and do daily things in them and reviews a few of them as she goes. She is extremely knowledgeable and I learn so much just by watching. And honestly, I am thinking of investing in one just to try it out!

I've always liked them, I figure 'Why not?!'

Here's is the channel if you are interested :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/bishonenrancher?feature=watch

My favorites are some of the Steam Punk styles!

 Along with some of the classic looks as well.

Here we are again!

This time will be different. This time, I want my writing strengths to really shine through.
Why?
Because I really am ready to put the laziness behind me and move forward, in every aspect of my life.

Thank You Ms. Oberman, for letting me have this second chance.
Thank you so very much.