Tower of Dougie

Franco

It is said that mankind's hubris led to the creation of the Tower of Babel in an effort to reach the heavens. In an effort to divide and conquer the Gods came down from the clouds to confound their speech rendering them unable to communicate their love for one another. All is not lost however. Mankind's redemption is near through the teachings of what can only be described as miraculous. Using the universal language known as "The Dougie" multitudes across the globe are once again reconnecting. It started in a distant outpost known only to a few as Inglewood. All records of the first "Dougie" are lost to civilization but it has since spread like wild fire in the region as can be seen in the following historical document:

Messengers on horse back spread the word to the far off lands south of the Rio Grande. Study it carefully to reap the benefits of the subtle nuances brought upon by the cross-cultural synergy.

For years it was believed that the dance of the "Dougie" was a regional phenomenon doomed to languish in isolation on the shores of the New World. In what could only be described as providence, traces of the language have been spotted halfway around the world unifying Gods' children near the cradle of civilization.

It is evident that mankind's long journey home is nearing its final leg as more and more cultures assimilate to the teaching of the "Dougie." However, the true test is yet to be administered. Winter is coming and the last stretch to cross is the dreaded "Techno Dance" that has grown in popularity among the hedonistic pagans.

Does redemption lie in humanity's future? Will "Techno Dance" be its doom? Or something more sinister?  Only time will tell.

All right stop, collaborate, and listen!

Hi all!

We want to take a moment to share about a great non-profit organization: Omeid International. One of our cousins helped establish this organization in 2005. Since 2009 it has been running an orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan. This past Sunday we attended the organization's fundraiser and learned about what they are doing.

Omeid means "hope" in Farsi and the organization is trying to inspire a new Afghan generation. Omeid International currently houses, educates, and nourishes 17 boys that would otherwise be child-laborers or living on the streets. As many of us know, Afghanistan has a long history of conflict and instability. Omeid International hopes to transform these young men into the leaders of tomorrow.

We encourage you to check out the Omeid International web site for more information and consider donating to the organization. It costs $2,000 a month to run the orphanage and it is funded mostly by individuals such as yourself. A monthly contribution of $25 keeps one child fed, or alternatively you can make a one time donation. Anything is appreciated. The organization is run by volunteers so 100% of your donation goes to the children in need. 

At the fundraiser on Sunday one of the speakers said, "Afghanistan is no longer in the news." The United States plans to withdraw troops from the nation by 2014 and headlines about Afghanistan are becoming fewer. Along with the decline of US involvement comes a decline in awareness and activism. Please help ensure that the boys at Omeid International's orphanage are not forgotten by contributing to this cause. 

Thank you.

Pink Saturday!

We live in San Francisco and it was just the big Pride celebration weekend, but this post isn't about THAT Pink Saturday. It's about my sister-in-law's engagement party.

Last Saturday Franco's family hosted an engagement party for his sister and her future in-laws. The usual Afghan party traditions were turned up a notch as this was an all-out affair. Fancier than the Afghan weddings I've attended, walking in the room transported you to a pink-themed fantasy land. It was a beautiful way to start a marriage. So, congratulations Barine and Habib! We wish you happiness (and can't imagine what's in store for the wedding :) ).


Photos
Bottom left: Barine and Habib's entrance.
Center: Franco and his dad.
Top right, in one photo: Our niece, excited to grab money from the dance floor (adults will make it rain dollar bills for the little ones).
Bottom right: The Yari clan. (Top row: Franco's sister Shida, Franco. Bottom row: Franco's sister-in-law Sarah, Franco's dad, Franco's brother Ali, his niece.)

All Things Shining

Franco:

Check out my final project for my basic cinema production class. I wanted it to have a Terrance Malick vibe since going a little experimental was an available option to us this time around. I shot the whole thing on Super 8MM as opposed to using a digital camera. It was pretty nerve-wracking since I had no idea what my shots looked like until over a week after shooting since I had to wait for the film to be processed at a lab in southern California. What made it even more precarious was the fact that I chose to shoot the whole thing at the golden hour with an unreliable amount of dwindling light source. The film could've turned out to be very underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (due to opening up the aperture, or iris, of the lens in an effort to overcompensate for lack of light). It turns our most shots were okay and some were too underexposed which I didn't use. A couple were overexposed and you can easily tell which are which but given that the film exists mostly in a non-narrative dreamscape it doesn't seem too out of place. Unfortunately, the film came out grainy as all hell. This was due to the 100 ISO film speed which is, apparently, the only available speed on the market for Super 8MM nowadays. Crash photography course: ISO (aka ASA, EI, or film speed) measures the sensitivity to light of the film. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it is to light. For shooting at sunset I should've used at least 200 ISO but couldn't get my hands on any. Oh well, again, the grain could seem alright since the film could've taken place at a different time in the past.

Thanks to everyone who helped along the way and to CoCo for putting up with my expensive time-consuming hobby. A special thanks to Willow and Ray for letting me shoot your sweet baby.