Fresh New Things

 The account of today's festivities is to be enriched by the first of today's new discoveries, so forgive me if the prose appears reckless or the grammar ghastly. Woodpecker Cider grinned at me from it's humble home (read: supermarket shelf) and, being the ornithologist I am, I simply could not resist. I thought I might take one, just to try, but there were two on the shelf and the last thirst-quencher just looked so lonely without his friend, so I did the only polite thing possible and took them together. They sat side by side in the door of the fridge patiently chilling themselves for a couple of hours, and when the time came, twas a sweet cider song I heard playing in my heart. Apparently these birds are born of Bulmers, so if you can find them wherever you are - tuck in. The flavour is subtle, and even as a beer kid, I did not find them too sweet. The artwork is simple, but endearing, and the drink itself is not too heavy, but (warning you now) nor is it light. Hence the apology.

The next new thing was a store that I absolutely just stumbled upon when I was in the middle of one of the three 'lost' phases of today. Lomography is the name of this store, and you can only guess what it specialises in. Currently plagued by hipsters, however, Lomography (lomo, as it is affectionately known) has garnered itself a reputation amongst dickheads see right. As an avid analogue film fan and user, it pains me to see that 8/10 people using these beautiful instruments are tools, and that 9/10 people posing in front of them are also tools.

If you can shove this horrendous stigma aside, the creative possibilities of lomo are actually endless. I like to think of it as an art form where the technology really does rule the artist. Until you become really familiar with your camera (because each one is a little different) the results are based on luck. The camera has features which just give you cool looking pictures no matter what the subject, but a true lomo expert knows how to truly bend the rules of analogue film and that is when the work is not simply 'different' as all lomography appears, but more importantly the work will be 'original'. That (I believe) is the trick with lomo.

A fisheye camera, for example, gives you a really cool looking image every single time and you don't have to do a lot for it, but the images are instantly recognisable as fisheye because the camera is so distinct in style and set in its ways. This means that people using fisheye cameras focus on the subject of the image, not the technicalities of the art of photography itself, but when I see a fisheye exhibit and it does not look completely like a fisheye camera - then I am truly impressed. I hope this makes sense - and I hope (if you haven't already) get into lomo.

Together, we can be the revolution that takes the lomo turf back from the hipsters.


The last fresh new thing I found today was perspective. The aforementioned "lost" phases took me to places I would not have normally seen and I found it - for want of a better expression - educational. I will now try and serve you a small slice of my perspective pie.

Trees like this remind you of what was on Hong Kong island before taxis and people were. It is so old, and so resilient to be growing in such a way. The old brick wall underneath it is original too, but there are few of these beautiful sights left.

This is where this man works, and to the back and upwards, is where he lives,
and on the right hand side (out of frame) is where he eats.

All the white shapes on that back wall are shark fins. A shark died an incredibly slow and painful, agonising death for each single one of those fins. They are cooked into Shark Fin Soup - a status symbol to the Chinese.

 Constantly, I find it incredible how humans can be so similar, and yet so different.

Now I'm going to eat two chocolate bars and go to bed. Goodnight!
Also, it has been less than a month and there have been a thousand views! Thanks everyone. xoxo