Lovers' Park in Yerevan, night shots!

On the background of the disappearing parks (pressed by countless cafes) in the center of Yerevan, this is a big event !!! We have a brand-new park! On the place of the former "Pushkin park" located on top of the "Marshal Baghramyan" metro station (where my granny used to take us for carousels in my early childhood), a new one was built, with totally new landscape design. It was under construction since 2005 and the opening ceremony took place on October 17 with the participation of the president of Armenia and many foreign guests. Now it has a new name - "Lovers' park". As some people in one popular Armenian discussion boards were joking - "now there will be legal to make love" :D

As the official site states:

The Lovers’ Park Landscaping and Design Project is an initiative undertaken by the Boghossian Foundation in collaboration with the Armenia Fund. The project is not merely a reconstruction initiative; it is a renovation project which also insures the sustainable maintenance of the park.

Japanese traditional landscaping has been a major source of inspiration for the Lover’s Park Landscaping and Design Project.

The design for the reconstruction of the new Lovers’ Park has been created by Pierre Rambach, a well known landscape architect based in Switzerland and the author of many books and articles on Japanese and Eastern gardens.
...
The best lighting specialists have worked on the park. As well as general lighting throughout the park, there will be decorative lighting to highlight stone compositions and sculptures.

Some facts and figures.
The park has:

• 4 waterfalls
• 370 trees
• 16 felled trees (3 dried trees have been kept for decorative purposes)
• Amphitheater with 215 seats
• 26 stone compositions
• 214 lights
• 83 garbage bins
• 5 shaded pavilions
• A public toilet
• A small pool for kids
• The park has been designed with the needs of physically challenged people in mind. 

I was walking there with my friend, exploring the park, noticing details and trying to criticize. Both me and my friend have been to different parks in Europe and have been dreaming to have something similar in Yerevan too. One of the shortcomings is the restriction to step on the grass. We would like to be able to sit or lay there and read a book!

We were walking there around 7-8 in the evening and while it has been already quite dark for half an hour, the lights weren't still on, I was even wondering if they had the lights there at all, since they weren't noticeable. But when we were about to leave it, they turned them on! It was very beautiful, as you can see in the photos. Luckily I took my tripod so I was able to make these shots.

Also, we didn't like the fact that it was too much crowded and it was hard to walk there. Well, it's understandable - only the 2nd day, and the rumor had it. Hopefully the crowd will decrease in the upcoming weeks. One more thing is that, in my humble opinion, it wasn't that "green". I would like to see more trees there, bushes, flowers... as it has a lack of privacy for lovers :)

However, this is a very nice park to come sometime in Sunday mornings and have a small picnic with friends :) (at least)

I ♥ Yerevan !

B&W photo experiments (imitating retro)

I bought a new retro style jacket. I was inspired by Olga Kurylenko's shooting for Vogue :)
Photos were made in my office with the help of Masha and Emma.
Conditions: I was moody and they were trying to make me laugh, I started to pose :D

View the album "Inspired by '60s"

Olga Kurylenko for Vogue Italia - "Suggestions" inspired by 60s

I have an addiction to fashion photography and retro style.
For the several days I just can't get these photos out of my head. I've seen different Olga Kurylenko, but in these photos I just love her! Now she's more known as the new Bond girl ("Quantum of Solace").
Enjoy these "inspired by 60s" shoots!

Model: Olga Kurylenko
Photographer: Greg Williams
Vogue Italia, August 2008

Wim Wenders in Armenia

This summer, during Golden Apricot international film festival we had the pleasure to meet Wim Wenders and watch his "Don't come knocking" movie with author comments.

Today, while surfing the web, i found his and his wife's journal with notes about Armenia. It was very interesting to read their tours, impressions filled with photos :) I'm proud of my country and thankful to the festival organizers.



photo by Ara Aslanyan.

tracks vs. albums

What's the measure of music to you ? Do you listen to tracks or whole albums?

I've heard different points of view. Some of my friends are downloading entire albums only and refusing to copy single tracks. Well, if albums exist there might be a reason for it :D
However i still can't understand how the people who can say smth like "this song would better fit in that other album instead...". I agree that each album has something uniting the tracks, but i can't get why the song order is like that or why artists try to convince to buy albums only.

I've read somewhere that Bono of U2 was criticizing iTunes for allowing the download of single tracks from albums and not the way artist intended the it to be listened.

I personally prefer to download single tracks and listen to them, rather than have patience and listen to the tracks by their order in the album. I like shuffle mode, i like it like on the radio - when you don't know what's the next song coming... .
Though there are albums that i love as a whole, especially movie scores (for example, one of my favorites "The Holiday" movie score by Hans Zimmer)
I'm very much into the music and i listen to it most of the time of my day, but i still can't get used to albums, though i try... i guess this my habit of 'single songs' is the result of the unavailability of my preferred albums on cassettes, CDs to buy and the connection speed that made me download the songs i liked alone, not even knowing which album it is from. Also, there was a time i had a 40GB HD only, and with the lack of space, i was deleting songs i don't like and will never like, leaving my favorites only. Even now it's much more difficult to download entire albums.

I found an interesting opinion supporting the "album" listening mode:

"When you read a book, you just read some chapters? When you see a movie, you just look for a specific scene? It's not different for music, it's been intended like this."

by GravelessSouls on Last.fm forum discussions

...maybe to become a music guru, i need to get this point for albums :)

Another thing i'm picky concerning music, is the correct ID tags and filenames! Now even the artwork for the album must be on place! So in my music collection you won't find any 'unknown artists' or 'unknown tracks'.

Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari in Armenia!

One of my favorite Italian performers will be in Armenia soon !!!

Don't wanna provide rumors in our office as a source, cause it's already written on his official website ;)

I was about to have a heart attack when at first, the date of the concert was mentioned Nov. 14, which is absolutely not possible for me to attend, because of my cousin's wedding (rare thing i can't miss :D).. but i got relieved to see Nov. 11, 12 dates...

Tue 11	Armenia	Yerevan	Tribute Show Jivan Gasparian
Wed 12	Armenia	Yerevan	Concert & Sport Centre

If you are not familiar with Zucchero, I advise you to listen to Zu & Co. album.

there are collaborations with:

• Miles Davis
• Sting
• Vanessa Carlton
• Haylie Ecker
  
• Mousse T.
• Macy Gray
• Jeff Beck
• Maná
• John Lee Hooker
• Sheryl Crow
• Dolores O'Riordan
• Eric Clapton
• Tom Jones
• B.B.King
• Ronan Keating
• Cheb Mami
• Solomon Burke
• Paul Young
• Brian May
• Luciano Pavarotti
• Andrea Bocelli
  

My favorite songs of Zucchero are: "Menta e Rosmarino", "Il Volo", "Senza una Donna", "Cosi Celeste", "Muoio Per Te", "Puro Amore", "Baila Morena", "Occhi", "Wonderful life", "Indago dagli occhi del cielo".

He has performed also with Djivan Gasparyan and will be singing at the Tribute concert to the famous duduk player in Yerevan.

Hopefully i will get a ticket discount, however i'm ready to pay for it whatever it costs !!!

Memories from Italy

Out of all cities i have visited in Italy... i have no photos only from Rome - my absolute favorite daydream.
But i have something maybe more important and emotional, when i see these papers, i start to cry.

It was the August of 2006, I was in Italy with Masha for a voluntary camp. During that 20 day trip i visited Venice and its surroundings, Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Treviso, Trieste and Rome. I had 4 extra days after the camp, 2 of them i spent in Venice, wandering alone in narrow streets and trying not to get sick from overexcitement. The next 2 days i spent in Rome... I was hosted first by Riccardo (our camp leader's friend) whom i now miss so much... and who made me see the Colosseo by night and then by Rocco - my friend from HospitalityClub.
These notes were left by Riccardo. When i woke up in the morning and noticed that i'm alone, i found these notes in the kitchen. the 2nd one was in the Moka (espresso making pot) and you can still see marks of the coffee - the tasties espresso in my life... heh :)
Padova was remarked by my friends, Prato della Valle park...
Verona - by Juliet's statue and house,
Treviso - an open-air concert at the square and Benetton store.
Trieste - Illy cafe, Rivoltella gallery, Andy Warhol exhibition that we didn't visit at the end..., the coast...
Venice & Rome... unspeakable :) maybe later i will be able to describe my feelings.. now it's kind of painful :(

One photo from each city - Mestre, Padova, San Lazzaro island of Venice, Trieste, Venice, Vicenza, Verona. August 2006.


My 2nd trip to Italy was to Milano and Genova (i had only 4 days).

Genova & Milano, feb. 2008

I ♥ ITALY and I miss myself in Italy.