Are we really going to just let this happen?

"More and more, the Iranian judiciary is departing from any recognized form of due process, issuing arbitrary judgments based on vague, open-ended laws."

http://chrr.biz/spip.php?article12826
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/12/07/iran.christian.death.sentence/index.html?iref=allsearch

I'm still proud to be persian. Well.. Persican. Half persian, half american. Har har.

Liza Koski

Liza was the best lacrosse player I've ever played with.

She wore gauges in her ears, could get through any kind of defense set up, and was all around a straight up bad ass.

I remember her being hilarious too. Real frank. Real sarcastic.

One time during a game against this rich Scottsdale school, a snotty parent called out to the ref complaining about Liza's gauges (no jewelry allowed in lacrosse... that on top of a huge list of other no-no's) and started ragging on her overall appearance. Liza just turned to the mother and said "eff you woman," gave her the middle and stomped off the field.

I think we had to go looking for her that night.

I believe in a forgiving God. A merciful God. Suicide isn't pretty and it hurts.

"... Cause her, O Lord, to be overshadowed by the clouds of Thy bounty and favor, immerse her in the ocean of Thy forgiveness and pardon, and enable her to enter that sanctified abode, Thy heavenly Paradise..."

Why I want to learn French... next

1. So I can understand Coeru de Pirate's music.
Comme des enfants
2. So I can sound like Edith Paif as I sing her music while doing the dishes.
3. Because it's beaaaaautifully frank.

Today I ran into my high school student who was expelled earlier this semester. This is the same one who drew pictures of male parts on the first day of class... which I then confiscated and stashsed in my "Ecuador Memories Box" because I think it's hilarious. This boy's a heart breaker. He's guapo, cool, got the "I don't care" attitude, Cristian Ronaldo hair-do, and he rocks the bad boy look. But, I always teased him about it. I mean what else do you expect me to do when 7th grade girls drool over him through the windows, batting their little eye-lashes? And he loooooooved the attention. Both from the girls and from me :P

But, running into him today made my day. I didn't realize how much I really missed him. It's weird... every professor at the school talked him up to be the world's greatest trouble maker, in-compassionate, inconsiderate... but in my class he was really sweet. Even hilarious at times. I asked him if he missed English and looked straight at me and said "yeah, I liked it, I liked having you as my teacher"

Heart melt. Soul explode.

The Format Ukulele Style

I think this is my favorite cover I've ever done.
I meshed together Snails, The First Single, and Wait Wait Wait.
The Format was my first concert, my first favorite band, my first true love.
:)

Why I will go to New Zealand

1. Chantelle lives there.
2. Flight of the Conchords.
3. Why not?
4. Andrew Smith's photography. Found here.

Can I say something?

Loving yourself is just as important as loving those around you.
In a non-egotisical, selfless way...

Piano staircase

uhm.... yes.

http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase

Matthew Priestley

Some of the most stunningly simple portrait shots I've ever seen. Matthew Priestley

Rihanna - I Love the Way You Lie Pt. 2 Cover

Kinda emo, kinda slow, kinda awesome.

(headphones in, volume up otro vez)
I also need to learn how to strum and sing at the same time. Geezus I miss the piano.

I literally died from laughter reading this

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally

In other news, this song's got me doing the head bounce uncontrollably. I also went karaoke-ing with my fellow spanish speaking co-teachers and I sang Killing Me Softly with Valerie. They all knew the lyrics and sang along!! Well... I guess the words were shown on the screen, but still.. it was a hit.


On other music... I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Ruby at Bosch this past summer. She was a counselor two weeks in a row! One day, she performed with her cousin, Gia, a cover of Lady Gaga's Starstruck and she was amamamamaaazing. She sings, the dances, and she rocks. I mean, I'm not best friends with the girl - I barely know her! But from what I saw during those two weeks, she seems to be a honest-down-to-earth-music-rocking girl. She in a band with her sister, Summer, and together they form awesome-girl-power-beat-tapping music. And they're gorgeous. I'm a fan.

Coulda woulda shoulda

It's always a bummer when you realize something that you wished would happen, probably won't.

My imagination does more work than I think. Hopes rise sky high, ideas race by. And then I'm smacked out of it and I realize reality again (well... reality isn't really reality really. Read Paul Lample's Relevation and Social Reality) and I'm back to square one.
Square one is comfortable, boring, and annoying.
I'm ready for other squares. Heck, maybe even triangles. I don't want to keep landing on square ones over and over again.

So why does it keep happening?
Because I don't take any action with my hopes, with my ideas. They sit there in my head, useless without action.

I remember when I first decided last December to do my year of service, I was pretty much an unstoppable force. I felt so confident and sure about it that giving up wasn't even a thought. Not going wasn't an idea until the weeks before I actually left (cold feet).

My new recipe for leaving square one. Take my hopes/desires and make them facts, knowing in my mind that they will happen. After prayer and thought, tal vez Dios pensará diferente... que luego cambiaré mis hechos porque, despues de todo, mis pensamientos son mios y puedo hacer lo que quiera con ellos. Yeah!

The Layli Monster makes a comeback

***

Future boyfriend minus the cancer stick StockholmStreetStyle

Future outfit minus the weird scaly astronaut bag. StockholmStreetStyle

Future shoes. shopnastygal.com

Gone In the Morning - Newton Faulkner

Turn up the volume loud, grab some headphones.
I need a microphone.

Hairy happiness

So... I know I'm three months late and no, I don't mean that in the monthly womanly visitor late (although, I will have been here for 10 months when I leave... perfect chunk of time to dar la luz (give birth en español)). But I mean is with the whole whipping the hair back and forth. I will not deny it. I LOVE IT

Willow Smith - Whip My Hair

http://fuckyeahcutehair.tumblr.com/

 Which then got me thinking about how much I like well styled hair. And everyone wears braids here. When I say everyone, I mean everyone... men included. I love it.

Which got me thinking about things I like. Which got me thinking about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. But really, here's a list of things I like right now in my life because this week was sucky and I always have to be positive because that's just how it works in my world.

1. Right now I'm laying down on a bed with an actual mattress and my back feels 1158923598272597923847% better.
2. I have an older sister pioneering in Milagro who convinces me to buy my own mattress and emails me and makes me feel strong and is exactly what I would want in an older sister if I had one.
3. Mauro, Rosita, and Wlad are back. I love them so much and Rosita's cooking.
4. 3 year old Jhosue from Pre-School hugged me after a day of not participating in class, throwing crayons and sticking his tongue out at me. We had a talk afterwards about what happened and why he acted they way he did. He voluntarily hugged me.
5. Even though Miguel got suspended for doing drugs, he hugged me goodbye and told me he'd miss English.
6. Cristian actually asked me to clarify something he didn't understand in class today. He actually expressed that he didn't understand and gave me the chance to teach it.
7. I started giving private English lessons today to a junior youth from one of the Jr. Youth Groups going on. We went at it for two hours.
8. I walked home today alone.
9. Paolo explains everything to me at school in his broken English because he's so committed to becoming fluent. He's an amazing boss.
10. I have a mom who listens to me groan and complain and cry over stupid things like high schoolers not listening to me and being inadequate and not understanding how teaching works, who gives me amazing advice and could take on educating the world single-handedly.
11. I tutored Book 5 in Spanish to a handful of the high school senors. The level of discourse was high and I felt proud to be a part of their study circle.
12. Newton Faulkner's song in Matilda. It's not on iTunes though. Lame.
13. My best friend Marina. I love her too :P
14. Everyday when I walk into pre-kinder or kindergarden, they run up and give me hugs.
15. In 4th grade, I covered their virtues class where we talked about humility. When I asked them to tell me what they thought humility was, Martin said it was when there's water in the air which I then explained the difference between humility and humidity.
16. They chompa lady finally gave me back my chompa. Chompa means coat. She's had it for four weeks "fixing" the sleeves which weren't fixed when I received it but at least I have it.
17. Dr. Spencer sent me a miracle care package. I'm so so so so so so soooooo blessed. She sent me EXACTLY what I need. Including hand wipes. I'm so happy. And sanitized. And thankful. And loved.

So in the end Maryam, your life is great.  Get out of the dumps, smell the effing roses and be happy. And  live happily hairy after. The end.

Hang in there Tucson

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/us/politics/13obama-text.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

"We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame – but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others."

Sending love, thoughts, and prayers from a far.

Hi I'm in a bad mood, watch out blog

Days like these make me want to crawl into my Arizona bubble and sleep on my mattress wearing shorts and with the fan on and wake to my Dad's Sunday opera playlist and pancakes then stay in my pjs until three in the afternoon after a long run on the piano to go out to Target by driving my car and listening to 104.7 to visit Shannon and buy chocolate covered pretzels and sour gummy worms.

Serving is hard.

If you live, you die

I've seen more death recently than I'm used to.

Matias' mom died Monday - my 4 year old student in preschool.
The Perugachi's abuelito passed away last week.
An NSA of Ecuador's member passed away in Cuenca while I was in the coast.
A Baha'i member from my Gilbert community passed away before Christmas.
My friend's dad passed away 9 years ago, Jan 7th 2002.. their 13th birthday.
My other friend's dad passed away just three months ago.

Everyone says life is short. That death comes suddenly at any age and so, therefore, life is short. Well guess what world... life isn't short. It's short when you don't do anything with it. When you waste your life trapped living the expectations, in the bubbles, and following the conformities of society. When life is nothing but sleep, eat, work... yeah, life feels short.

But imagine if you filled every second of your life with thoughts of worth. Every second has a meaning, every minute has a purpose, every hour with a sense of your role in this world, every day spent acting on your beliefs, every year given to making your life the best it can be. Will life feel short then? Will you die feeling empty? Lifeless?

New life goal: to not die lifeless. Die with life.

e ese heh peh

ISGP
"If you're not part of it some time you are not going to be a whole human being"
I don't want to not be a whole human being anymore.
***
Have I mentioned how much I love pastelish-simple-girly-airy clothes?

Fabio Bartelt

I WENT ZIPLINING

Recently when I can't fall asleep, I imagine things that make me happy. Taking a nap on my bed at home, starring as Elphaba in a Wicked production, the moment I walk out of the Phoenix terminal to find my family waiting for me, my sister's face, living in a land of chocolate, playing lacrosse 24/7, showing my brother around in Otavalo... and now, the feeling of ziplining across a mountain.

Video soon.

I would be way ok if my closet consisted of the following tom-boyish, grungy-ness. Just minus the weird ghostly anorexic looks and messy hair.

http://honestlywtf.com/