Friday Favourites

I am happy to announce that my dissertation has been handed in (well, it was handed in two weeks ago but I needed some time to recover). I have decided to dedicate this post to three videos that have made my week - all of which hit close to home; taking me down memory lane. Throughout the past seven days, I have been hearing about the heavy amount of snow that has turned Iran's sky from the polluted black to a clean slate, covered in snowflakes. The heavy amount of snow has made me reminisce childhood memories. Although it has been difficult to be away from my home country during one of my favourite times of the year, the wonderful videos and photos shared from everyone back home has made being away more bearable.

The first video below which includes footage of an extremely talented young man playing the violin in the streets of Tehran has reminded me of all the times I have would hear such beautiful melodies from my living room window. From the freezing winter weather to the unbearable summer heat, Iranian's do not use excuses when it comes to sharing art and passion. No matter where you live in Iran, no matter what time of the day or night it is, you will hear a variety of songs such as the classical melody of 'Elaheye Naaz' played on the accordion and/or violin. I hope you guys enjoy this video, it has definitely inspired me for future projects...

                          

The second video in this post is a recent music video by a Venezuelan band shot in Tehran. Iran is now considered to be a tourism destination for 2014. With the variation of portrayal of Iran in the media, I thought it would be best to use this blog post to let you wonderful readers know what Iran is really like. From the scenes shot in Tehran's Grand Bazaar to Azadi Square, Iran offers a wide range of unique opportunities. I don't know about you, but I love collaborations. They are very inspirational to me, and this video not only offers an amazingly catchy song from one side of the world, but also provides scenic footages from the another side.

                    

The third video also portrays only a glimpse of Iran in the space of two minutes. It has been made and edited so beautifully that I could not resist to share. I hope all of the videos in this post will give you a better understanding of my country, its people and our culture. With me being such a news junkie, I have been made aware that Iran is facing an dramatic increase in the quantity of tourists entering the country with the majority of its hotels fully booked for the next five months. To those of you who are planning on visiting Iran, I hope you enjoy every minute of it... 

                    

I know this blog post is not fashion related which is what Pain Oh Chocolat's original aim and drive was. However, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have plans to take this blog to the next level and make it unique. So to all the fashionistas, I would like to say: be patient, London Fashion Week is only a week away. There will be upcoming posts in relation to that topic. Until then, happy Friday and have a great weekend.

Xo