Homage to...

My Best Friend



Most women are hard on themselves – my best friend is no exception; and since she would never show off her accomplishments, I would like to honor her with this profile. In my eyes she is a true role model when it comes to women who dare. I am proud of my best friend, who is about to pursue her career as a doctor with her residency coming up, and who, as she puts it, aims to "live love along the way."

Although the odds are against her, when she has to leave her home in Teheran, Arghavan Sadeghi-Seragi becomes a success story. At 8-years-old she is playing the main character in “Sidonie” an Austrian feature film. Speaking of talent, around the same age, she discovers her love for playing the piano, and doesn’t stop playing until she gets denied studying music at a university. Luckily she finds another passion. At only 28-years-old, Arghavan has become a doctor. In a male dominated practice, Arghavan has to constantly prove herself, but she is ready to embrace her womanhood and prove that she is well capable of pursuing her goals.

But let's go back to the beginning: At 4-years-old Arghavan Sadeghi-Seragi has to leave Teheran – a war stricken country – with her family, especially, as she explains, since the opera house is completely destroyed, meaning, her dad – an opera singer – will not be able to perform anymore. In Vienna, the small family begins a new life. Arghavan adjusts quickly, but feels a little foreign in her new home, “people, I must confess, did view us differently, xenophobia existed back then, although we were just trying our best to become honorable members of society.” Tragically, Arghavan’s young life has similarities to a very important role she is going to play a few years later.

When Argahavan is 8-years-old, a family friend hears about a casting for a movie by Karin Brandauer, a well-known Austrian filmmaker. After auditioning twice, Arghavan is picked for the main role, Sidonie Adlersburg, a dark skinned, gypsy, orphanage girl who is being raised by an Austrian couple. At only 10-years old, Sidonie gets deported and becomes a victim of Hitler’s regime. “I looked so similar to Sidonie, that when her real brother visited the film-set, he started crying when he saw me, and wasn’t able to stop while reminiscing on painful childhood memories of his sister.”



Although the movie receives great reviews, Arghavan does not continue her acting career. After all, she is only a little girl. More importantly, she likes spending time with her younger sister, Pardis. When the family moves to Germany, Arghavan feels like she has been accepted. “Here [in Germany] I was not a foreigner, I was a citizen just like everybody else.” And while her dad is performing at the theater in Bremerhaven – which becomes their new hometown – Arghavan is playing her piano. After obtaining her General Entrance Certification in Germany, with superb grades, Arghavan wants to study the piano [music] at university level. When she does not get accepted, she enrolls at a university in Düsseldorf majoring in Romanistic studies, but drops out later to study medicine.

“I have always been interested in medicine but never dared to go for it.” Just like Sidonie, who is being mocked for her dark skin and tries to wash off her skin color with soap, Arghavan felt like she has been living in a shell that hasn’t really been herself up until that point; after all she was not allowed to pursue musical studies and tried substituting music with literature and language, before finally finding herself in medicine. Women who want to have a career should trust their abilities and not let anyone bring them down, says Arghavan. “As a woman it is very important to me, that I embrace my femininity, especially in the field of gynecology [in which Arghavan specializes] in order to pay respect to my patients and their privacy, I have to stand by my womanhood and nurture it.”

Some day, Arghavan wants to have children. She thinks that only both, a career and children, can make a balanced self. Arghavan is now looking forward to her residency, while practicing gynecology and working in a team and help keep people healthy. I believe I can learn something from patients, colleagues, people on the street, or anyone I will encounter in the future. Arghavan’s most important message is “one has to remain authentic and be oneself,” and while Arghavan is looking forward to pursuing her career, she is happy she will keep moving, “as long as I know I am moving, I am happy.”

Homage to... Women

Shout out to Rihanna and Ciara!

Do I really have to explain why I am shouting out to these women? If you don't think so just go ahead, skip the text and watch these incredible videos! (Not without thanking directors Anthony Mandler - director Te Amo and Diane Marte - director(in) Ridin.) Btw, in German we add 'in to titles and job descriptions for females, so an extra shout out to a female director!

Women in leading positions are still rare, women do get paid less than men for the same kind of work. Because of that, I am extra proud of women that really accomplish things in life, are true to themselves, and project confidence. Those women can be women that are close to me like my mom, my sisters, or friends. Those women can also be women that I never even met. Michelle Obama is one of them, Madonna or Meryl Streep, too, to name a few.

Why? Women are confronted with body images on the daily. When walking through the city, watching TV or reading a magazine, women are portrayed with perfect features, which we all know are faked, thanks to photoshop. Women are expected to look perfect be a good wife, a great mother, an impeccable sister.

Women have it hard, but women in public have it extra hard. Imagine being watched and commented on all the time. Therefore, I wanted to shout out to Rihanna. We all know what her ex has done to her, the image of her bruised face went around the world. One can only imagine how humiliated she must have been. These things break woman but she went on and spoke out. Now, she is stronger and more successful than ever. Her latest music video "Te Amo" is a beautiful caption of the songs lyrics. Rihanna is a great performer and pairing her talent with supermodel Laetitia Casta makes an awesome piece of music video. Rihanna is just beautiful inside and out, and I hope she continues to be confident in herself - I have no doubt she will.

Another public figure I have always looked up to is Ciara. I can't get enough of her latest video "Ridin" feat. Ludacris. She is just beautiful and I can't believe how well she dances. It is so refreshing seeing a woman with that kind of confidence, when was the last time a female (hip hop) singer has wowed us like that? The video does portray her skills so well, and it shows her strength as well as love to music and dance.

Ciara and Rihanna truly are role models for young women today. They are successful, not only in a male dominated genre, but a male dominated world. You girls inspire all of us. You portray talent, interest, confidence and beauty.

Thank you Rihanna and Ciara,

Keep inspiring us!

Brain Stimulation

Homage to... MUSIC




Sometimes I need music to get by, usually when I’m feeling blue. Other times I am trying to distract myself from my surroundings with music--usually happens on public transportation when involuntarily sharing public sphere with people I otherwise would try to avoid. Or I am feeling a certain mood that I want to be complemented by it's musical match. Music is an all round tool for different scenarios I once in a while face. It is a carrier through my inner journeys, good and bad, and without it, I know I wouldn’t find life as pleasurable. In fact, I do not think I would have been the person I am without music in my life, which I once felt like I needed daily.

When I was in my teens, I was able to fall asleep to trash metal. Not because I did not care about what I was listening to, but because I was listening so intensely, focusing on the different components of a song, such as the double bass, or the guitar riffs and strumming, the lyrics, or the way it’s been sung that at some point I would get tired and fall asleep.

Those were times, where everyday I would shuffle through songs from every genre my ipod provided me with. I would wake up to music by my radio alarm clock, then commute to college with music accompanying me, often fading out people’s early morning conversations which I was allergic to, and continued listening to my songs until I got to my lectures and finally settled down to reconnect to the world outside of me by removing the earbuds and opening up to the world outside again.

Until my early teens I would even listen to music while working on homework assignments. Throughout college I noticed it changed, probably because my assignments required a bit more attention. And gradually, I began listening to music less. Nowadays, at the end of my twenties, the way I consume music has drastically changed.

I do not listen to music everyday anymore. Sometimes there can be a whole week without listening to it. I mean, yes, there would be the radio playing in the background, but that has little to do with really listening to music. Today, I need a good sound system to enjoy music. I can lose myself listening over headphones for hours, or play it at home over my speakers. I hate flat sounding systems, and when I visit friends and family who do not own somewhat decent speakers, I almost want to pity them and tell them to turn the music off. After all the artist and producers created their music in a certain way, therefore if you are not listening to it in the proper way, which means a decent sound systems that allows you to hear the depths of the song, it is not the same anymore.

When I was younger I could have never imagined to not listen to music everyday.
Now, I need my quiet more. Now, I need to listen more intensely, and now, it has an even greater effect on me then it ever had. Music you are a great friend, and I would never want to be without you!

Right now, I am listening to Jimi Hendrix’ “Watchtower” on Youtube. That video was last commented with “Chewing Gum Stimulates the Brain”--which I first thought was hinting to Hendrix’ drug addiction, and was more of an appeal (I thought that would have been kind of funny)--turns out the comment means exactly what it says, no ambiguity, no hinting to long gone Hendrix and his addiction, just someone who wanted to add something random. On that note, let me just add the following: I find that music stimulates my brain, and the best thing about it is, I can choose when I want to be stimulated. Music to me, IS THE GREATEST DRUG I NEVER WANT TO CURE MY ADDICTION TO!

Looking for Inspiration

So here I am thinking about life. And thinking sometimes works better with music playing. So I put on my gigantic headphones and positioned myself in front of my computer to 'youtube' music. Sometimes I watch clips, or just listen to them while I'm doing something else. I put in the names of bands and artists I just recently discovered, or re-discover the ones I already know. This weekend I decided to search for the following...

So, back when I used to watch MTV, in the days when MTV actually played music videos, I saw this video of Björk (probably about almost 10 years ago). I couldn't remember the song title, but I had images stuck in my head. Pictures of landscapes; wide, beautiful, and breathtaking imagery. One scene I specifically remember is a winding river, the camera is moving over it quickly exposing different angles--either close ups or aerial shots. I think what stuck with me wasn't only the magnificence I saw, reminding me of earth's beauty, but also the way the camera exposed the scenery. I found some information on the video on Wikipedia. Here is what it says: "The video for "Jóga" is a departure from her other videos as it focuses primarily on different Icelandic terrains with Björk's presence only in the beginning and towards the end. With the aid of computer animation, earthquakes begin to separate and shift the chunks of land along fault lines. The video ends with a computerized image of an island floating inside Björk's chest."

The video was directed by Michel Gondry. I didn't even realize Gondry did so many music videos, but he truly is one of the best one of his kind. And I can't decide what touches me more, the song itself (lyrics, voice, performance), or the video (imagery, scenery, cinematography)--probably a combination of every single detail. Here is an excerpt of the lyrics:

All these accidents,
That happen,
Follow the dot,
Coincidence,
Makes sense,
Only with you,
You don't have to speak,
I feel.

Emotional landscapes,
They puzzle me,
Then the riddle gets solved,
And you push me up to this

State of emergency,
How beautiful to be,
State of emergency,
Is where I want to be.

All that no-one sees,
You see,
What's inside of me,
Every nerve that hurts,
You heal,
Deep inside of me, oo-oohh,
You don't have to speak,
I feel.


I 'youtubed', 'googled', and 'wikipediad' this amazing piece of art, and if anyone is interested, watch the video, as well as a breathtaking live performance of the song. I am glad I re-discovered this song and video. Art should always be kept alive, and from time to time we need to resurrect our memory to truly find inspiration. Thank you Björk and Gondry for this collaboration making it one of a kind...