Monday, April 20, 2009

Searching for Russia through plumbing YouTube, Apr 20 2009

Recently I'm getting addicted to the culture of Eastern Europe and Russia even though it is only through these exaggerated types of musical media. I used to get into know them a bit only through old literature like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy or Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. After the collapse of the wall in Berlin followed by ending of cold war, I had more chance to get exposed to their culture of the eastern bloc through cinemas, plays or books but this type of music video seems to be working much more powerful than any other means.

Under the cold war ideology, Russia and all other eastern bloc countries under Soviet influence were categorized as enemy countries for a long time in my country till the end of my youth. No modern novel under Soviet regime, no movie, no music, of course no travel.. By then I could reach the forbidden countries only through classic music or literature created by the geniuses in old imperial Russia. All the masterpieces were as grand in scale and profound in depth as the huge mother nature and Orthodox church of Russia.
Then in early 1980, I read a book of 'Children of Arbat' by Anatolii Rybakov and I realized the fact that there were people with similar sort of joy, anger and agony in the country as well... And Kundera's 'Unbearable Lightness of Being' was really superb. And 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' was absolutely greatly written one though it's from central asian country, Khazahstan. Now I see lots of people from eastern Europe everywhere in other countries as well as in Korea working hard in many areas particularly in science and engineering. And enjoying their up-to-date musical achievement through on-line is another joy living in the technically enabled webified world.







8 comments:

  1. so i have to find you some romanian ones as well :-)

    were you born in Canada, Peter? have you ever travelled to Eastern Europe?

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  2. lovely suggestion! I like to know more on Romania other than you are living in there.

    You know Roxana, Canada is my last country I visited to live. I am native Korean and were born in Korea.

    And I've never been travelling any city in Eastern Europe, unfortunately. I travelled a lot to the cities in plain Europe though for company meeting or conference. Geneva, Vienna, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Norwijik, London, Boeblingen, Oslo, Stockholm.. etc.

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  3. let see what i can do :-) i don't listen to romanian music much, but i will find something for you :-)

    why have you left corea, peter? how often do you go back?
    (you know i ask a lot of questions, it is ok if you don't want to answer them :-)

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  4. Roxana, always appreciate your kindness and the lovely curiosity. :-)

    My two kids and my wife have been living here for study and I just join them. Actually Canada wasn't in my list for living and this is first time to visit here though I've been visitied almost all the cities in US when I worked for hp. Anyway what I found is that the city of Toronto and rest of Canada has all the things I could appreciate for the rest of my life. Couldn't be larger space of mother nature, lovely snow in winter, beautiful maples in the fall, truely multi-culturalism, all kind of art I could try within my reach, cheep green fees for golf.. etc, etc.. I might visit Korea from time to time but not frequent at all cause I have still lots of countries I've never visiting yet as you know.

    Roxana, I am really happy to know you and keep talking to you over the net and someday we can talk & laugh over cup of tea and beer under the breeze of your hometown.. Am I right?

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  5. yeees - so very right!

    (another one of those fabulous concise comments of hers :-))

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  6. omr??? :-) WHY so surprised by what i said? :-)

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  7. What I expected was.. (plain)yes, you are not wrong(with a bit upset tone) .. But you said instead.. YEEEEEEES, You are VERY RIGHT!!!!!

    That makes me happy!! :p

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