Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I'm half Italian, with probably a lot of Hungarian Jewish in me, combined with British (northerner-cum-Scot). I've lived in France for 7 years and felt very much at home there. Yet I'm strangely and strongly drawn to Japanese culture, particularly the romantic Shogun/Samurai/Geisha traditions (although I know virtually nothing about them!! Isn't that blatantly self-contradictory?!?) and would live on Japanese food for ever, if I could.....
Ethnically Chinese (family is originally from a village near Guangzhou), but 3rd generation in Canada. I'm learning Mandarin Chinese on my own cuz I wasn't really raised speaking it (my parents speak English at home, although they are able to speak Cantonese which is far less useful and a bit uglier sounding IMHO).
In high school I used to begrudge my "in-between" culture - not fully Canadian (i.e. white) and not fully Chinese - but not I'm making up for it by trying to learn as much as I can about Chinese culture.
I mean, hell, we are one of the oldest civilizations, pretty much invented Chan/Zen/Seon, and have some of the largest Buddhist statues (both modern and pre-modern) in the world. Laozi, Zhuangzi, Kongzi (Confucius) are household names in philosophy. That's already pretty damn cool! :P
4th generation Czech/Lithuanian and a little German. About a quarter Polish too. I enjoy British culture and history the most, love Russian novels the best, and my favorite sort of music is the American musical. ; )
Sound of Music, Cinderella, or anything by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Fiorello is just amazing, especially the song Little Tin Box. 1776 is a treat as well.
@knightofbuddha You are such a guy-guy... after reading your post...collecting pipes, guns and ammo, and reading history...i pictured you like this western cowboy gun slinger...i love that you have such a sensitive side.
I have a friend that reminds me of you, add hunting to that. I wonder if he has a closet fascination for musicals, too. Damn, wish I could get husband to go see Phantom of the Opera.
Oh, and I like that one too. ; ) I don't do any hunting, not for any objection to it, but am not terribly interested by hunting with only a shotgun in Ohio.
And I love the Western styles, so I occasionally sport the cowboy boots, cowhide jacket, and my Colt Peacemaker.
Hehe, so far this has been a pretty good thread, kudos to all of you, you got what I was going for. Showing pride in where you came from while showing interest and acceptance towards other cultures.
I have found a couple of songs here. Both are technically supposed to be one track on the same album, but one of them is a "hidden" track and thus was separated into another video. The first video is a modern rendition of a traditional Kvaedi (Ballad) About the king Torstein and his sons, who led the resistance during a war against Denmark. A tiny island nation who fought against all odds to defend itself and it's beliefs, and they somehow managed to win. The melody and the lyrics are practically the same, though the melody has been added to and is done with modern instruments. The second song is more or less simply about a farmer who has a feud with a Dwarf. It was originally recorded in 1966 and is sung by two Elders, not by the band itself.
The first song though, the way it is sung and the simple yet almost primal drum beat makes my chest swell with pride and gets my blood going, not to mention I think the singer has quite a handsome voice.
As far as Chinese music goes... I can't get used to stuff like Beijing or Cantonese opera. It's a bit too... shrill... for my liking. I love the costumes and makeup though. And don't get me started on Chinese pop music - I love good pop songs (and Faye Wong is one of my favorite pop artists from anywhere), but Canto- and Mando-pop are sooo boring. Ballad after ballad after balled after terrible rap song. There are some good indie and punk groups, but they're hard to find online.
And although my family is Cantonese (from around Guangzhou), I've really been interested in Taiwanese history lately. Japanese occupation, Chinese Civil war, etc. It also helps that a really kick-ass metal band from Taiwan writes a lot of songs about Taiwanese history and Taoist mythology.
*WARNING: EXTREME MUSIC CONTENT - UNINITIATED WILL HAVE FACES MELTED*
This song is about the use of Taiwanese aboriginals by the Japanese occupiers as "volunteer" soldiers.
Comments
Yet I'm strangely and strongly drawn to Japanese culture, particularly the romantic Shogun/Samurai/Geisha traditions (although I know virtually nothing about them!! Isn't that blatantly self-contradictory?!?) and would live on Japanese food for ever, if I could.....
Actually, buy a kilt for yourself, you'll understand.....
In high school I used to begrudge my "in-between" culture - not fully Canadian (i.e. white) and not fully Chinese - but not I'm making up for it by trying to learn as much as I can about Chinese culture.
I mean, hell, we are one of the oldest civilizations, pretty much invented Chan/Zen/Seon, and have some of the largest Buddhist statues (both modern and pre-modern) in the world. Laozi, Zhuangzi, Kongzi (Confucius) are household names in philosophy. That's already pretty damn cool! :P
Oh, and don't get me wrong. I love Tschaikovsky.
I have a friend that reminds me of you, add hunting to that. I wonder if he has a closet fascination for musicals, too. Damn, wish I could get husband to go see Phantom of the Opera.
awesome!
And I love the Western styles, so I occasionally sport the cowboy boots, cowhide jacket, and my Colt Peacemaker.
I have found a couple of songs here. Both are technically supposed to be one track on the same album, but one of them is a "hidden" track and thus was separated into another video. The first video is a modern rendition of a traditional Kvaedi (Ballad) About the king Torstein and his sons, who led the resistance during a war against Denmark. A tiny island nation who fought against all odds to defend itself and it's beliefs, and they somehow managed to win. The melody and the lyrics are practically the same, though the melody has been added to and is done with modern instruments. The second song is more or less simply about a farmer who has a feud with a Dwarf. It was originally recorded in 1966 and is sung by two Elders, not by the band itself.
The first song though, the way it is sung and the simple yet almost primal drum beat makes my chest swell with pride and gets my blood going, not to mention I think the singer has quite a handsome voice.
and the second one...
As far as Chinese music goes... I can't get used to stuff like Beijing or Cantonese opera. It's a bit too... shrill... for my liking. I love the costumes and makeup though. And don't get me started on Chinese pop music - I love good pop songs (and Faye Wong is one of my favorite pop artists from anywhere), but Canto- and Mando-pop are sooo boring. Ballad after ballad after balled after terrible rap song. There are some good indie and punk groups, but they're hard to find online.
And although my family is Cantonese (from around Guangzhou), I've really been interested in Taiwanese history lately. Japanese occupation, Chinese Civil war, etc. It also helps that a really kick-ass metal band from Taiwan writes a lot of songs about Taiwanese history and Taoist mythology.
*WARNING: EXTREME MUSIC CONTENT - UNINITIATED WILL HAVE FACES MELTED*
This song is about the use of Taiwanese aboriginals by the Japanese occupiers as "volunteer" soldiers.