Absence and Literature

For the n-th time, I am back in a Terminator-like fashion. There’s been a lot of exciting developments and changes; as always! In my modest experience, people stop writing in blogs when life becomes a whirlwind of excitement or enchanting and intimate events that are better kept secret. Or they stop writing when life gets so rough and tough that the only modes of expression are profanities in a personal diary or one’s mind. Maybe Twitter.

Point is, there are several new things that are on my mind. For example, I’ve become seriously obsessed with Vladimir Nabokov and am on a mission to read all of his books, in English or Russian. The love affair started with one of those bluesy days courtesy of my sprained ankle (I enthusiastically jumped up and down the stairs in my house, and slipped), when, after having finished dinner with Vaneska, I wandered into a BMV Bookstore in the Annex. There lay Pnin. The Literary Encyclopedia considers Pnin to be the most accessible of Nabokov’s works. “It is a campus novel that concerns the misadventures of Timofey Pavlovich Pnin, a Russian émigré whose struggles with America and its language make him a figure of fun at Waindell, the (fictitious) university were he teaches Russian.”

As a Russian myself, I was very curious to read about the professor; and then there is an issue of memory, and language barriers, and foreigner’s view on the American life. Basically, everything about Pninian adventures breathed excitement, humour, sadness and vibrant imagery. Not once but at least a dozen times have I burst out laughing in public places while reading Pnin. Nabokov’s descriptions of professor’s English pronunciation, his excellent memory, phenomenal knowledge of literature and history, and the grouchy relations with some of his university colleagues all contribute to an engrossing read. Do yourself a favor, GO GET THE BOOK!

And now I’m reading Lolita. I find that, among those who read, this book signifies some rite of passage, coming of age type of a thing, on par with having a puppy, participating in beer gardens in university, backpacking across Europe, having a long distance relationship and possibly failing your first university midterm. The novel evokes the “Aaah, hehe” response from those who are familiar with it. But more on Lolita in the next installment of my blog saga

Update: Wow, I totally made a spelling mistake in the blog title. I wrote “abscence”, not absence. Yikes! Fixed now.

Filed under: art , books, literature, lolita, nabokov, russia

Six Things That Make Me Happy

Below is my happy 6 in alphabetical order, as I wouldn’t be to assign numbers anyway:

• Baths: When I was a child, living back in Russia, I used to love two things the most – books and water. Combining the two led to Fridays and Saturdays spent in the bath tub, reading. Those were the epic nights: 4-hour bath marathons, sometimes with bubbles, but usually without (dealing with foamy things is so burdensome when you have a good book to worry about), snacks, tea, whatnot. I’m starting to revive the tradition, but alas, the bath tub at my Toronto abode is not the best, so I resort to bathing in my Vancouver home or at friend’s (yes, I know…)

• Bugs Tomato: He’s three years old, and I still call him a puppy. I wrote a post about this wonderful, smart, handsome and loving chihuahua here.

• Good conversations: I value a great debate, or an emotional discussion, confessions, dramatic monologues, lively dialogues, and really, any conversation that does the intelligence of my fellow debaters justice. I feel rejuvenated after a really good talk, be that a discussion of the latest scientific discovery, the welfare of silverback gorrillas in the Virunga valley, the next hotshot DJ, Martin Margiela SS 09  or the economic environment of Mauritius. As you can tell, I like to learn a thing or two when talking to others.

• Style: this encompasses doing activities in style, to living in style, to keeping it real, to dressing oneself well, to being the person one truly wants to be. That’s what style really is. It’s not just about the latest clothing item or the pink Juicy Couture jumpsuit (eek), it’s how one carries him/herself. It makes me really happy to see people expressing themselves in whatever fashion that would be. Just do express yourself tastefully.

• Seafood: I’m the master devourer of oysters, sashimi (particularly fatty tuna and west coast salmon). I adore octopi, including their effects on my tastebuds as well as on my mind – those cephalopods are smarty pants, too. Some of you know my endless love affair with caviar (another post of mine) – my nickname is Behemoth is for the same reason. Mussels are never a no, and so is swordfish, and even red snapper brightens my day. I’ve written about lobsters, too, and would delightfully consume them all day, every day, followed by a great dose of niacin to battle the cholesterol.

• Travel: New places, new people, discoveries of the self and of the culture of others. I thrive on being someplace new, getting out of my comfort zone and jumping into the unknown. I travel well alone as I don’t have to adjust my own schedule to anyone else’s and can maintain my ‘get up early, do cultural things, eat local foods, snap lots of pictures, go out and be social till the wee hours’, then rinse and repeat.  As for the airports: given the weather is not ruining the flights and angry fliers aren’t in my face, I am always excited to be in these shrines of constant departure and arrival. Flying is the best for me, driving – the least exciting.

I would be interested to see what the following people would include in their lists:  Tara, Kevin, Vaneska, Slava, Kat, Danielle.

Filed under: moving up , bugstomato, caviar, chihuahua, fashion, food, friends, fun, joy, memories, obsessions, penchant, russia, seafood, travels

Literary Escapades

“Equal parts biting satire on neo-Russian consumerism, drug-fuelled muckabout, sci-fi adventure, love story, literary in-joke and mystico-shamanic treatise on the nature of enlightenment. Disruptive, transporting and very funny, it’s one of his best.” – The Daily Telegraph

I started reading Victor Pelevin’s (more about the author) “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf” (NY Times review, read if you don’t speak Russian). I wolfed down 330 pages in two days, and I am sad to say that the book will be over today by 1pm PST. Not only is the main character a red-haired fox-woman (who looks like me on the cover of my edition), there is also an irresistible wolf, and myriad other crazy events all over Moscow and the north, from ketamine-taking guards to howling at the skull of a cow to discover oil, from thousand year old foxes hunting occult-loving English aristocrats to silver bullets. I suppose by an apt stretch of imagination, I can say it’s the 21st century Bulgakov on LSD. Something like that. The book is engrossing not only because of its characters, but also because of a healthy dose of political discussions, social issues in Russia and in the capitalist pigsty, as well as a handful of Eastern influences. Pelevin at Amazon, take a look please.

The next book I will be tackling is Dostoevsky’s “Demons”. I cannot wait. Reading Russian literature, as well as reading anything in Russian, makes me so much more susceptible to learning and taking the work seriously. It’s funny, whenever I read something in English, I take it half-heartedly, as if it was a comical thing, reading in English. To me, English is such a technical language that I cannot believe I can enjoy Jane Eyre in the original (I read it in Russian). Hence reading marketing texts and Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy is very educational, but only in English.

Russian language is so poetic. I find the best poetry is written in that language, as well as the most obscure linguistic acrobatics are possible in that language. Love it. Reading Russian literature makes me feel so much more alive, much more… thinking. I think I understood that this April when I was reading Dostoevsky’s Humiliated and Insulted and really felt the author’s love for the less fortunate people in this world, as well as his healtfelt kindness for them. Same way with reading Pelevin these past couple of days, I felt sadder for my mother land, for my fellow Russians trapped in there, for this dirty world in general. Sigh.

Filed under: Quotable , books, dostoevsky, learning, literature, pelevin, review, russia

Моя Семья

I absolutely love my family: my parents plus Bugs Tomato. Mom and dad are some of the coolest out there, with so many stories to tell, so many places to have seen. They always took me with them no matter where they went (except that one time when they went to Thailand alone), always kept me in the loop and always made sure I had maximum fun.

When I was a kid mom always made me do puzzles, complete various projects and whatnot. Now I think it had something to do with her developing my problem-solving, spatial skills and what not. Thanks! Dad was focused on me developing my memory – he’d make me memorize words from the dictionary and other stuff before I go out and play in the yard with other kids. Pretty smart, too, dad. And if my mom hadn’t forced me to read White Bim Black Ear, I would have never really gotten into books!

The above photo is from the night my parents and my uncle went to a new restaurant opening in the city, and some psycho tried to stab my dad. Thank god for sporty bodyguards. And this photo is from a day on my parents’ friend’s yacht somewhere in the Far East. Pacific Ocean on the other side from LA.

Filed under: memories , family, love, memories, photos, polaroid, russia

Master & Margarita

“One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka. The visitors quickly wreak havoc in a city that refuses to believe in either God or Satan. But they also bring peace to two unhappy Muscovites: one is the Master, a writer pilloried for daring to write a novel about Christ and Pontius Pilate; the other is Margarita, who loves the Master so deeply that she is willing literally to go to hell for him. What ensues is a novel of inexhaustible energy, humor, and philosophical depth.

The novel’’s vision of Soviet life in the 1930s is so ferociously accurate that it could not be published during its author’’s lifetime and appeared only in a censored edition in the 1960s. Its truths are so enduring that its language has become part of the common Russian speech.”

Get it at Amazon or Chapters Indigo

Filed under: Quotable , hot, imaginings, joy, literature, memories, recommendation, russia

Penchant for Caviar

Originally uploaded by Tatters

I love caviar, what can I say. Caviar is important. Caviar is good for you. Caviar should be eaten all the time. With almost anything. Preferably by itself. When I was a kid, back in Russia, I’d always eat it by the tablespoonfuls. I’m the Behemoth from Master and Margarita.

I also enjoy it with bliny. Don’t like the beluga caviar so much. I mean, it’s all right, but I prefer the red one better. I can also consume much more red caviar than black. Hence my red hair.

My two most memorable instances of consuming caviar are from 1997 and 2007. In 1997 I remember celebrating the Day of Fishermen back when we lived in Magadan. My dad and I went with his boss and friends on this massive boat and for lunch I consumed a whole bowl of caviar. I remember just sitting there with a big spoon in my hands and taking my time with the product. Yum Yum. Later on that night I got to control the ship since everyone except me, my dad and the dog were drunk. (Someone woke up eventually ) In 2007, I went home to Vancouver for Xmas holidays and my parents managed to get half a pound of red and black caviar for my visit. That was the first time I ate so much caviar since we moved to Canada.

You can buy it in bulk in Russia (and that’s the way it should be!) for $50kg in Sakhalin. Sigh.

Filed under: memories , caviar, food, memories, obsessions, penchant, russia