Discovery

Allow yourself to wander aimlessly.

Explore adjacencies.

Lack judgment.

Postpone criticism.

- Bruce Mau

One of the best parts of being in a foreign city, country and continent is that I'm constantly amused by seeing things that are completely new to me. I'm used to walking the same route through Melbourne's CBD and seeing things as I expect them to be. I expect to walk out of the block arcade and be comforted by the warm heating vent that leaves you with a last breath of warm air. I am used to steeping out into that narrow café lined lane way, that brings you to Little Collins Street and steering through waiters juggling plates full of appetising dishes. I am now becoming to realise how these simplistic yet poetic moments are what matter when it comes to discovering a city.

I have now been in London for over a month and I've been attempting to immerse myself in the lifestyle of Londoners. This is what I will miss. I know that I'll miss the tube; the labyrinth of tunnels and passageways that can take you from one inspirational landscape to another in a matter of moments. I'll miss the manners that the public transport system has opposed to Melbourne's. It's the simple greetings such as "Please Mind The Doors" and "Mind The Gap" in quintessentially English accents that leave me with a smile as I jump upon and off trains ready to depart. One of my favourite phrases I've been saying lately is "You don't get shit like that in Australia!" And you really don't.

Yesterday I went and saw Youth In Revolt (so funny, 5 stars from me) and then I followed the lens of my camera around Soho and Covent Garden. I was taking photos of the lanterns suspended over the buzzing China Town when I stepped out onto an adjacent street to see the most glorious sunbeams falling upon the landscape. With the multicultural backdrop of the lanterns alongside the cabs and buses zooming past, I had no choice but to stand on this street for an extended period of time. I tried to capture the moment as best I could for when I stepped out onto that street the light took my breath away and I needed to save this forever.

After the sun moved behind the clouds I continued on, finding intricate compositions of alleyways like cut and paste collages of contrasting architecture- both old and new melded together. Before I knew it I was in Covent Garden and it was snowing. I chased the snow until it stopped. You could easily tell I wasn't a local from the smile on my face as more and more snow came down from above. At this same time I received a call and as you can imagine I was running about, shooting fanatically as I laughed and yelled "It's snowing! It's a Kodak moment! Oh my gosh! More!". That was the first time I have been caught out in the snow, at night, when sober, with my camera. A monumental moment.

Now I'm on a journey to discovering an appreciation for the little things that truly matter. It's that breath of hot air and the way the sun falls upon a building that now intrigues me. My photos from yesterday illustrate this very notion. Enjoy.