Dereks’ blog

Ok, it's evening here, I'm having a class of ecological law tomorrow and I'm not liking it at all. Actually, I'm avoiding preparation for it by all means possible :) So writing a post here seems like effective way of procrastination :)
Frankly I was planning to write a post like two weeks ago, even started doing it, but vox wasn't nice to me and destroyed all I was writing after one accidental F5.
So, what I wanted to write about is my visit to a morgue. We have a course of forensic medicine and according to a syllabus one class has to be held at a morgue. Well, to be honest I myself didn't subscribe to this course, but this particular class looked like an opportunity, that shouldn't be missed and it was pretty easy to sneak into that class.

So one gloomy misty Saturday morning, exactly after Halloween (yeah, fits the picture completely), we went to one the one of two biggest morgues in Kyiv, situated on the outskirts of the sity. Yeah, by the way, just to finish the picture - the facility is located just next to a place, where nazi where conducting exectuion during WWII, now it's a memorial park, but still.
Than there was a small introduction, instruction how to behave, what to do in case someone gets dizzy, etc.
Then the was an autopsy. Well, I witnessed complete procedure, from the the very begining, till the end. Not the nicest thing in the world - that's for sure. Afterall, it was a valuable experience, I sure did get some practical stuff from it, but this isn't really that kind of thing that you can tell about your friends with a glass of beer, even if it might seems so.
I find the whole procedure extremely offensive and inhumane. And can't say, even as a lawyer, that it can be by any means justified. All organs are litterary slashed to slices - just like that. Maybe it's only me, but I can't refer to a body that went through an autopsy as a "once alive person" - only as a frame, an empty vessel. That's it - don't want to overhelm you by any other gruesome gory details. But if you dare - I've made several photos (yes, it was forbidden), so you can see how it looks IRL, not in trashy movies.
But the whole thing in general wasn't that gloomy and dark at all. There was one very funny thing. At the beginning, when we just came to the morgue, which is also The Faculty of Forensic Medecine of Kyiv National University, we went to a very soviet-like lectorium, with a cheap tv-set. And than we where shown an educational movie, showing an examination of a dead body on a crime scene. I actually filmed it with my camera.
 

Another short comic strip, featured at 2007 "Коммисия" festival (Russian Comicon). Really amusing :)

I've been reading old issues of Heave Metal recently and encountered very weird comic there. Seems to be like manga-esque short comic, obviously drawn by non-manga artist. Really weird. But at the same time, I like it. You can hardly find something that provoking nowadays...

Ok, so this is a second post about upcoming GTA4 and now I want to disclaim everything I'd said before! The video embedded there was a little culture shock to me, but it was nothing, comparing to what came out recently.

Fuck, it's just a time to stop being a dick and muttering some shit about "not cool" depiction of Eastern Europe by Western media. I can assure you, that basically all you're hearing in that promo, will be considered as a fail by "cool", advanced Slavic youngsters, who study in high schools, have access to the Internet and other modern cultural conveniences. And I could have been still sticking to that elitist point of view, but, hell, - this sucks.
There is big difference between all things concerning Eastern Europe, I've seen in western media before and what I'm hearing here. All this singers, all this songs they do really rotate on music charts in Kyiv or Moscow, they are really popular (even my pretentious personality sometimes doesn't want to accept it). And Russians in the trailers are really Russians, they speak Russian, not some shitty Arnold's mumbling in Read Heat. Unlike ordinary Hollywood producers or comic book authors, they didn't just take several stereotypical clichés of Russian guys, but actually receipted elements of this culture. And I know what I'm talking about.
Recently I've been reading Y: The Last Man comic book. Yes, I liked it, I've finished it all in one week. It has cool, thrilling plot, charming characters, I like all these pop-culture references, from The Godfather to The Superman. But Vaughan should be kicked into his bold scull several times (along with others, who produce same shit), for his Issue 55. Fuck, just what is this shit? It's fucking 20 years old!!!!! It ended even before my birth! And this was released in fucking 2007, just several months ago! No one, except old retired assholes care about communism. (it means even not all old people support them). But they still continue to release that outdated bullshit.
And thanks God there is Rockstar and thanks God there is GTA series. There is no such crap there. And that's what really matters. Someone might not be very much fond of Russian "gangsta rap", but  since it's part of the culture, it should be mentioned as it is. Italian mobsters weren't good people as well, but no one disgraces Sicily for The Godfather.
So no matter what I music I listen to and what I consider cool, GTA4 will rock because they do really create some new cultural objects, not just repeat old clichés.
PS: and to be fair, it's not just about Russian culture. Ruslana, the radio host - she is our Ukrainian singer, and in the demo she is really speaking Ukrainian. And I'm sure that when the game will be released I'll find a lot of unique references to Ukraine).

Soup, yesterday I finally saw Coverfield. Yes, I quite understand that everybody is talking about it, the movie is just another hot topic and so on, and so on. But, despite it, I just wanna say few words.
It was really cool experience. I'm not a big horror junkie and most of such movies I usually turn in on-going prank, but this one happened to be what I expect from frightening picture. Several moments will totally make you shit bricks.
And another thing is that we should really honor J. J. Abrams. Not much people today have guts to do experimental stuff, without concerning about profits. Technically it's "giant monster movie", like Godzilla or King Ghidorah, but the director has changed the perspective (I wonder, will it qualify as spoiler now - don't want to deliver one). I do not only mean the "found footage" technique, but also the scenario scope. Bu I should stop here - or it will really be a spoiler.
P.S: I wanna see flaming homeless!!!
P.P.S: If you heard there big bilingual problem here in Ukraine, so I'm a glad we got the Ukrainian-dubbed screening.

While this is Christmas time right now, for me this is much more like "endless weekend time". Finally finished with studying last 5 days I spent like a real hardcore geek: playing one video-game after another, watching cool movies and staying totally idle. Yeah, perhaps tomorrow it will end: I'll get a shave and go to F3s New Year Party.

Nevertheless, biggest event of this week is connected with games. Back in 2004, precisely also at Christmas time I've missed really epic game. Vampire: The Masquerade -  Bloodlines.  Just to justify  myself I can tell that there was tough time coming: end of school, collage entrance exams and so on.
And now I finally filling the gap. What can I say? Hell, yeah!!!!!!!! This game is awesome! Just take a look at the question I've got asked, while creating my character. How was I supposed to answer? Franky, in such situation I would have definitely watched all three movies, just one after another.
So, I'm totally impressed with the whole game setting, atmosphere, and all the stuff. I did know that the game was quite good, but this overcame all my expectations.
He-he, it appears to be second post about games in a row))))

First of all I should say that I myself am a very big fun of GTA series. But my altitude towards this game is a little bit different from average gamers perception.
As I can judge, starting from the age around 14-15, I was leaving life of a cultural escapist. That doesn't mean I'm a gloomy snobbish outcast, that hardly ever constrains himself to speak. No, I have never had any communicating or socializing troubles, those who know me in real life would confirm that. I only mean that somehow usual "hot topics", highly discussed over public, or in social groups I belong to, do not bother me much. I'm not interested in recent blockbuster, latest musical trends or recent scandalous bestseller. If I get on those things it happens occasionally, not because I'm going to movies, just to stay tuned.
At the same time, all the information I miss, is being replaced with something really interesting for me. And videogames are on that list. Now you can say "Haha, whatever - every teenager plays games, it's nothing unusual about it". You'll be right, but what I mean, is that games like GTA are such powerful informational providers, that hardly any other media can compete with them. The value of game experience in GTA for me was not simply to chill-out, pass that particular mission or make a stunt on bmx. From my view, while playing the game you get so much cultural references, that you should read at list 10 books and watch hours of videos to replace it. Information about US subcultures, modern slang, references on historical events, etc. If I didn't play GTA, I wouldn't know about US conspiracies, Mormons, Las Vegas, the 60s, Timothy Leary, most popular US cars, districts in NY, LA and SF, wouldn't watch The Scarface and The Goodfellas, etc, etc. Also my interest on new wave and other music trends was also originally inspired by in-game radio in GTA. And no need to say how much it helps to improve the knowledge of the language.
The main thing here is that information I got was always new, unknown to me before. And now GTA IV is coming.

When the first game trailer was released many people concluded - main hero will be Russian. Soon, developers refuted it and reported him to be a Serbian emigrant. Now, after 4th video is released, I can say definitely: though the main hero will be Russian and I don't like it. Well, technically he can be Serbian, but it changes nothing. The track you are hearing in background is performed by Belorussian rap (or should I say crap-rap) singer Serjoga. And that represent all, I've been avoiding, all the stuff, described in the beginning. Miami-Vice from GTA:Vice City was mine alternative for casual socializing and listening that crap-rap here, in Ukraine. And know no replacement is given: I'll be getting the same cultural information I have already experienced. I can easily hear aforementioned track just while I'm going through the street, it's nothing new or unusual for me.
Also, I should admit that no matter how someone denies it, but there is no much difference in Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, or even whole Eastern Europe culture in general. Serjoga can be heard at any street in Minsk, in Kyiv or in Moscow. I don't think that many of you would name distinctive differences in Ukrainian and Russian Cultures. It's like me, who can't tell exactly what is the difference between Japan and Korea (except some basic geographical information). Finally, I bet the game will contain references to such movies like Brat 2.
Summarizing, I don't think that the game will be bad and fails. It will be sold well, people will like it. But I have big doubts that it will tell us true story of Serbian emigrant. He will be just a simple Russian, maybe not even very stereotypical Russian, but Russkie anyway. And I know all that stuff already, because I live here, and I don't share opinion of kids from Kyiv or Moscow: "How cool, main hero is "nash" (ours). For me it's not cool at all.