Roozi ke raft bar bad, roozi ke mand dar yaad

It's exactly one year since I went to Kiosk's concert last year in Toronto. I had an amazing time, and heard some original persian music in an amazing crowd :) This year, I went to Mohsen Namjoo's much-anticipated concert in San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. It was an amazing performance, an unforgettable experience, and again, a wonderful crowd :) I wish all my friends were there with me to share this!

It's amazing how creative Iranian musicians have become, each in their own genre, to produce such amazing and touching pieces of art. I love how the Iranian music is getting out of the ordinary, allowing new thoughts and new trends to be injected in our veins, to feed our hearts and our soul. You just have to open up your ears, your mind, and your heart :)

In Kiosk's concert, I went with a group of friends and we sang all the songs from the beginning to the end! The crowd was crazy for Kiosk, and they were amazing. We all sang out the "Bitarbiat" song, so loud that we couldn't even hear ourselves anymore. After the concert, we headed to the Distillery District with a larger group of friends, but the few of us knew that the rest were not excited enough about the music, and were not at all interested in meeting the band! So later we decided to chase the actors to the milestone's restaurant in North York, and we spent around an hour walking around the milstone's patio, discussing whether we should join the reception or avoid the embarrassment! And of course in the end we just decided to leave ;) Nevertheless, we had an amazing time :)

I went to 127's concert in March in Berkeley with a couple of my friends who were highly excited about the concert. I had an amazing night there as well. It was a much smaller concert in an underground bar, but the crowd energy level was extremely high, and the artists interacted with the audience at a more personal level. The trombone player was the best! Again, I sang all their songs out loud, and loved their performance :) I also got their autograph on my CD, as well as a photo with the band :)

Only a few days ago I went to Namjoo's concert in San Francisco with my family, who are extremely excited about Namjoo as well. I also met a lot of my friends there. The concert couldn't be better! Namjoo was perfect! His performance touched my heart and soul so deep that I wanted to cry. Though he appeared to be a bit nervous and shy in the beginning, he finally connected with the audience, and gave the most wonderful performance I have EVER seen in my ENTIRE life! You would be right to think that a two and a half hour SOLO concert would be boring, but not when Namjoo is on stage. He played setar, dotar and guitar! And of course his own voice is a complete musical instrument. He uses all these tools in such unimaginable ways to awaken all possible senses and feelings in you: awe, surprise, laughter, sadness, and love. You just have to be open and ready to be surprised by his magic, by the sounds he makes with his voice, and with his setar. You have to allow his poems to show you their own world. The world of pain, tragedies, love, and life. It's much more than a concert, it's a life-altering experience.

And of course the crowd was amazingly energetic! Though this time the concert was much larger than Kiosk and 127's concerts. However, there were some people in the crowd that were not exactly aware of his work, and did not understand his poems. I found it highly absurd when people laughed during the performance of "Diazpam". Though his words are intended to convey a dark humor, the tragedy strikes with such heavy hand that leaves no room for a mockery. Nevertheless, I think it was at least an opportunity for other people to learn about Namjoo's work, and maybe later, they would give a second thought to realize the true meaning of his poems.

After the concert, I had a chance to attend the reception. So I got a photo with him, and his signature on my CD. I wish him the best, he is an incredible person, and a wonderful artist.

I hope this pattern repeats next year :) I love being exposed to the kind of music that penetrates to the depth of my soul.

1 + 1 = 1 + 1

Here we are,
Just going through the motions one more time,
You looked in my eyes but you don't see me,
Here I am, feeling like a stranger in your arms,
I touch you, I hold you, but lately I don't know you...
Something is wrong but we go on from day-to-day,
And we just pretend it all away,
We act like nothing's changed,
But in our hearts we know it's not the same...

Cause we're not makin love anymore,
Baby we're not makin love like before,
We may hold each other tight,
Say that everything's all right,
But we're not makin love...

Remember when you couldn't wait to run into my arms,
When the love inside my heart was all you needed,
Remember when you made me wish the night would never end,
The fire, the thunder, we lived to love each other,
If ever two hearts were one, then it was yours and mine,
But that was another place in time,
Now all we have to show,
Are memories of a dream we used to know...

Cause we're not makin love anymore,
Baby we're not makin love like before,
We may hold each other tight,
Say that everything's all right,
But we're not makin love...

When did we lose our way, we had it all,
Don't know how it all just slipped away,
But oh, can we get it back again,
Is it too late, can we try,
Just one time, cause darling...

Cause we're not makin love anymore,
Baby we're not makin love like before,
We may hold each other tight,
Say that everything's all right,
But we're not makin love...

Nostalgia!

The days where I used to feel sharp... the days where I had the most inner excitement about learning that is possibly imaginable!
The days where I would skip my classes to study what I want to study! Self-motivation, and pure love for learning, and for playing... playing the games of brain, challenging the ordinary, proving to be extraordinary...

Alas, those days are gone with the wind, the wind that was blowing on the same day I entered a new type of classroom, where everything was given, and...

And now... oh how I miss those days, how I regret missing out on learning, all this time, six years! Six years have gone by, and I was always content! I was successful, but never challenged what was given... motivation is somehow gone with the wind, and now that I feel it coming from around the corner, will I ever be able to fully become what I was once trying to become? To learn, and love to learn? ...

Oh and one last question: Could you ever lose your mental abilities? My answer: It may well be possible... if you don't want to be exciting anymore, why should your brain care?

Now, Come on! Who are you fooling?! You've slided down the warm rabbit hole, where comfortable rules define ordinary days and nights...

A transient lightness, and yet, more melancholy...

Do you even remember, when we were so happy, when we were so alive? Singing out loud the joyous songs through the open moon-roof, and yes, the breeze caressing us ever so softly ... We got excited with the sight of the slightest beauty, and yes, that was exactly when we actually noticed the details: nature's surprises, and the subtleties of our world. Did you record those moments forever in your heart, just like I did? Do you pay attention to details? I mean, there are details that make things what they are!

A postcard from a friend shares something very personal about his/her character! A postcard should not be ignored, it should be opened, and read out loud... its being should be celebrated! Its message should be proclaimed to emphasize its existence. Simply looking at the postcard from a distance rids the postcard of its own being! You merely look at it, from a distance, and don't you see that you are suffocating it? The details! It's all about the details!

And by the way, I am not holding a magnifying class! I'm just constantly trying my best to celebrate life, celebrate everything that is worth celebration... trying so hard to avoid dailiness... or so I think...

چهارشنبه سوری

دلم برای چهارشنبه سوری بد جوری تنگ شده... برای رنگ آتش... بوی چوب سوخته... اون بوی همیشه آشنا و دلنشین
بوی درخت های تازه جوونه زده
دلم برای رمز و رازهای آتش تنگ شده
که تو سرمای زمستون دستتو بگیری بالاش و گرمت کنه
گاهی هم یه حس ناگهانی بهت می گه که نکنه زیادی بهش نزدیک شدی
ولی رمز و رازها و گرمای لطیف آتش عمراٌ تورو پس بزنه
پاش بیفته می خوای تا فردا صبح هم که شده همون جا وایستی
و وای می ایستی
این قدر تا آخر سر یکی اعتراضش بلند شه که بابا! بسه دیگه! پاشو بریم به کار و زندگیمون برسیم

بوی عید....

بوی عیدی
بوی توپ
بوی کاغذ رنگی
بوی تند ماهی دودی وسط سفره نو
بوی یاس جانماز ترمه مادربزرگ
با اینا زمستون و سر می کنم
با اینا خستگیمو سر می کنم

23!

feels weird, 22 feels like a much better number! دو تا دو!
23 has a lot of weight, it shatters the harmony! Am I entering a new part of my life? I mean, what was wrong with 22? Well... maybe it's time to try something new, this time without the repetition!