Seven Lives, Many Faces

ENIGMA, the electronic musical project started by Michael Cretu (composer+producer] is back with a seventh studio album called "Seven Lives, many faces". For those who've never heard of "Enigma," in my opinion it is one of the most soothing sounds in music I have ever encountered. It stirs passion and different emotions inside me that I find way too profound to articulate. Everything you hear from Enigma, is obviously a mystery and is up to you to figure out and interpret the meaning behind every song. The lyrics and songs are like flashlight beams, they don't show you everything, you have to look at what's between the lines. It does contain some sexual overtones, but this is not sexual music, it is sensual music, and there is a big difference.

Enigma's music is surreal and spiritual. It combines sensuality with spirituality and balances these two in the most amazing way. Haunting, evocative, dark, moody and magnificent, Enigma's music offers vast musical explorations of sound and sensation that dazzle and amaze, explorations in estoteric, spacey keyboard music, mixed with samples, slamming beats, ethereal vocals, and tribal chants. This is an extraordinary piece of work that introduces questions of virtue and vice, religion, faith, lust and universal love.

Enigma inspires me because it has the potential to take my mind and spirit into another world, as if I'm flying across the universe to reach another planet. It connects me to the divine and distracts me from reality. This may sound Extreme but you have to listen to believe it, but of course everyone is different. Music affects us as individuals and our reactions are never the same. I listen to Enigma, so I can liberate my spirit whenever I feel trapped...to remove my mask and be in my true nature... or to just simply relax and feel sane. It's great music to play during meditation or to listen at night before you fall sleep. It sets the mood and captures your soul.

P.S. My moms finds it humorous to know that I listen to Enigma, because I'm only 17 and people my age dont quite grasp or appreciate this kind of music until they're older. I don't know, that's just who I am...and age is just a number. Although, I must thank her for introducing me to Enigma!

"Released in December 1990, ENIGMA 1 immediately captivated fans and critics worldwide with its innovative sound collage. The breakthrough single Sadeness Part 1 topped the charts in 23 countries, while MCMXC a.D. hit #1 in 41 countries and garnered 57 platinum awards - including triple platinum certification in America, where it has reigned the Billboard Top 200 album chart for over five years."

Enigma Discography

1990: MCMXC a.D.
1993: The Cross of Changes
1996: Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
2000: The Screen Behind the Mirror
2003: Voyageur
2006: A Posteriori
2008: Seven Lives Many Faces

for more information on Enigma go to: http://www.enigmamusic.com/index.shtml

The "Xander" DC Sneakers

I'll be sure to be getting my pair this week, since I'm a huge Mike Shinoda Fan, also known as the MC from the band Linkin park. His father is Japanese, so he's half-Japanese. Growing up in California he enjoyed drawing graffiti and animation designs, but he was also surrounded by Japanese culture as well, which became part of his professional artwork.

The Xander (high-top) shoe is part of the Mike Shinoda DC Remix Series™ Collection, in conjunction with his Glorious Excess (Born) art show on display at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown LA.
Mike chose traditional Japanese patterns and koi scale textures for his shoe and packaging; the sole features custom fish scale tooling created just for this project and artwork sublimated underneath. Mike's art, renditions of his latest work, is found on the upper, the insole, and the outsole; his signature is on the heel; and 'limited edition' is embroidered in Japanese on the tongue.


for more info go to http://www.mikeshinoda.com/

Shirley UnMasked

unmasked? What do you mean?

The definiton of "unmasked" according to the Dictionary is
1. to put off one's mask; reveal the true nature.

How does the word "Mask" relate to my life. The mask is a symbol that I use to represents how I feel and what I am experiencing. There are moments when I feel trapped in my own world...I feel masked in appearance and I am unable to show my true nature.
I've been through so many dramatic changes in my life, like all of a sudden dealing with sickness at a young age, to facing challenges I never thought I would confront. It's transformed me in so many ways and I'm probably not same girl you've probably seen in my disturbia video below. Sometimes it gets to a point where it's diffcult to show my real self, and I don't know why. I'm not bragging, on the contrary, I feel fortunate to be living a life that's been both a blessing and a curse, but I've learned to take the negative things and bring them out in a positve light. Life has been inspiring and has taken me to many depths. but I feel it is time let loose and embrace who I am without fear. I think everyone feels masked once in a while and wants to be accepted for who they are.

I want to get to the very essence of my being, in all the ways I can think of, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. I want to Connect and be honest with myself and to those I care about around me.... and also to the world, which I hope will connect with me as well.

I found this article in a website called Bella online and it truely describes how the "mask" has an influential impact on my life. This article talks about it's symbolic meaning and what it means when you see it in your dreams. I personally haven't dreamt with a mask but it's stil reflects the concept and meaning I've been looking for.


"Our "mask" is the face we show to the world. We have a wardrobe of different masks for different people and situations. Your closet may include masks for job interviews, masks to wear at work, at parties or with family and friends. Some people may be worthy of seeing you without your mask, and some people may never earn that privilege.

Psychology calls this mask the "persona." The mask is a method we use to avoid revealing our true feelings for real or imagined reasons. We may use our masks for personal gain or for protection. We may also use our mask to avoid hurting or offending others.

Merging with our masks can be positive or negative. When the person wearing the confident professional mask actually becomes that person, this is positive. But identifying with a masks that hides true feelings that need an outlet can be negative and harmful to the true self.

Masks appearing in dreams as artificial beings such as aliens or cartoon characters may symbolize that you are pretending to be someone you are not. Ask yourself why and with whom you are wearing the mask. What does the mask say about the message you are sending about yourself to the world?

Are you forcing emotions or pretending to feel something that you no longer feel in a relationship? Are you hiding your feelings? Why? Are you dealing with the feeling that if you revealed your true self, people would turn away from you?

If someone else is wearing the mask, they likewise are hiding their true feelings from you or may be deceiving you in other ways. Take a look at the other symbols in the dream to identify the issue.

Your dream may be telling you to take a look at why you fear revealing your true self or feelings. Perhaps you have outgrown a relationship or career. If you are having difficulty connecting with who you really are, you may want to consider consulting some of the excellent books or tapes currently available. Debbie Ford's "The Secret of the Shadow - The Power of Owning Your Own Story" is one of many excellent tools and is highly recommmended."

WELCOME!

Welcome to my brand new site
My name is Shirley Alvarez. I'm Just an average teenage girl, with a whirlwhind of thoughts living inside my head.
This is a place where I'll be expressing my thoughts, ideas, images and anything interesting I think is worth sharing.
In the meantime, I want to share a video that I made this past july with footage over 10 years ago. I was quite a performer at the age of six and I had tremendous passion for dancing. Unfortunately, these days are not how they use to be. Life has been surprising and unpredictable, but I go along with it and try to keep a postive attitude.
This is my first time making a video and I hope to pursue a career in editing music videos one day. Right now I'm in the process of making another video, so stay tuned =]