The Lift

You walk towards the lift where another also awaits his upward journey. Impatiently tapping a pencil against a book you exchange a rye smile with this stranger. Ding. The lift doors open giving off a tired, rusty cry for help. You both enter. Silence. This 30 second journey could last a lifetime. Staring at the bubblegum stained base of this urine-infected prison you fidget uncomfortably. 1st floor. Time appears to have stopped still. Another awkward smile and shoulder shrug exchange takes place. 2nd floor. The silence screams out to us. It has to be broken. 3rd floor. Only one floor left. Your freedom from this imprisonment is closer than you imagine...


"Lifts so unsafe huh?"

"Yeah... I know it's crazy...

"In Iran..."

"You're Iranian?!"

"Yeah."

"Me too! How cool."

"Is that a Chomsky book?"

"Yeah."

"Wicked, I love him!"

"Me too!"

"So what..."


4th floor.

Rat Race

It's not a race guys just chill out!

Rat

Found a cheeky one living in my kitchen the other day...
Only had one question for him...
Where's your rent!!

Race

"Racist!"

"The only race I find funny is the egg and spoon race. Yet I am the best in the county."

On Your Bike

Picture a cyclist. Not a boy and his bike, but a kitted out cyclist who has become one with his high specification lightweight titanium bike. I see these cyclists on their way to work everyday. They are dressed in spandex from head to toe, with a sharp speed enhancing helmet on and those special plimsoll-style shoes that clip into their bikes. During their journey from A to B they are zen warriors, completely in their element. Together with their most trusted companion (le velo!) they feel empowered, efficient and.. well.. a little special. Having made every effort they could not feel more appropriate.

Now. When they reach their destination, unclip their shoes and re-enter the real world I wonder how appropriate they feel then? A cyclist standing out of context dressed in full spandex is quite a sight. This warrants the question; what are these cyclists doing before and after their cycling adventures? They couldn't possibly be meeting a friend for a drink (imagine a man in spandex and plimsolls holding a pint of Guiness... No I can't either). Even doing chores would be to some extent comic... popping into the bank, standing in line at the post-office, even waiting in the queue of an Ice Cream van!

These cyclists therefore dress in this 'appropriate' way just for the enjoyment of that short, sweet journey. Getting dressed just before they cycle and undressed when they reach their final destination (which appears to often be work). They enjoy that brief moment of freedom so much that I believe to them none of this matters. Why? Because a high-speed solo cycle beats all of the alternatives; a ride on the underground in the armpit of a grizzly man, standing on one of Ken's packed bendy buses or even sitting in your car, in solid traffic, on the edge of the ever-growing congestion zone.

For this reason.. cyclists.. I salute you. Both for treasuring your freedom and for not conforming and changing to please society and its concepts on 'fashion'.

Think Freely

This is the most inspiration I can find. Read it. Maybe it will inspre you, too.

Think freely. Practice patience. Smile often. Savour special moments. Make new friends. Rediscover old ones. Tell those that you love that you do. Feel deeply. Forget Trouble. Forgive an enemy. Hope. Grow. Be crazy. Count your blessings. Observe miracles. Make them happen. Discard worry. Give. Give in. Trust enough to take. Pick some flowers. Share them. Keep a promise. Look for rainbows. Gaze at stars. See beauty everywhere. Work hard. Be wise. Try to understand. Take time for people. Make time for yourself. Laugh heartily. Spread joy. Take a chance. Reach out. Let someone in. Try something new. Slow down. Be soft sometimes. Believe in yourself. Trust others. See a sunrise. Listen to rain. Reminisce. Cry when you need to. Trust life. Have faith. Enjoy wonder. Comfort a friend. Have good ideas. Make some mistakes. Learn from them. Have courage. Have strength. Become. Seek to become better. Be gentle. Explore. Be willing. Transend fear. Lose yourself.

(This is the full version of the extract at the top of the page)

Express Yourself

"Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a living breathing thing which belonged to everybody, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."

Banksy

Reading this made me think and I thought I'd share some quotes.

"Oppressive egalitarianism instead of the realisation of true equality through the elimination of oppression, is an essential element of the fascistic mindset."

Theodor Adorno

"I am not afraid that God will destroy the world, but I am afraid that he may abandon it to wander in the sophisticated wasteland of contemporary civilisation."

Carlo Carretto

Within all graffit activism, there tends to be both destructive and creative forces.

Vigilante Clamper

I live within the Shoreditch Triangle (which is made up of Old Street, Great Eastern Street and Shoreditch High Street) and for some bizarre reason the devious members of Hackney Borough Council have declared that the yellow lines in this one area must operate from 8:30am to 11:00pm mon-sat. In essence they have planted their own personal money tree and made the Shoreditch triangle more like the Bermuda Triangle. The poor uninformed victims park their cars outside my flat every week on the single yellow line (which only operates until 6:30pm anywhere else in London) and return to find a yellow monstrosity on their front tyre and a £180 fine slapped on their windscreen! The conformist law abiding citizen would argue that this is within the powers of the council and that these individuals who I glorify and call 'victims' should have read the signs before they parked their cars illegally. WRONG!! There are no signs. This has been designed to entrap. To make money by not making the parking laws clear!

This is a typical friday or saturday night outside my flat: It's 6:30 and I know that cars are going to start appearing outside on the yellow line. It's not my responsibility, but the hero in me keeps getting up and going to the window. A couple are getting out of their parked BMW, "Don't park there mate, the yellow runs 'til 11, you'll get clamped" I say. This is always greeted by "Nice one mate, thought yellows only ran 'til 6:30!? I owe you one." One victim saved. But I cant possibly do this all night. I go to get ready to go out for the evening. When I get out the shower I walk towards the window. Three cars parked on the yellow. A dark figure standing by them writing in his pad. Three victims caught and clamped. It was inevitable. I go and meet some mates for a drink and when I return the road is lined with clamped cars! Their tipsy (well, drunk) owners are standing outside, furious, on the phone shouting abuse at the clampers who always have the privilege of passing on the responsibility. At least 10 cars at £180 a clamp on just one road! Trump eat your heart out, this is business 'savvy' at its peak!

These guys have no compassion. This goes on week in and week out, and still no clear signs have been put up (I once wrote on an A4 piece of paper 'do not park here' and taped it on the yellow... no one listened). Now as my hate for these 'super' traffic warden/clampers has expodentially grown, I say 'so be it'. I am driven to see only one solution... We must all purchase clamps and go around clamping the clamping trucks that are taking away the freedom of our fellow man! We must all become vigilante clampers, fighting for justice in the name of all that is good in the world. So take up arms my friends and clamp the next red route car or traffic warden van. Even better go for gold and clamp the big tow trucks that carry the clamps and steal our cars!!

DVD v. VHS

The battle of all battles. The debate that takes the cake.

Ok you may think that theres actually no question to be answered here (if you're a DVD lover that is) but I beg to differ. Let me enlighten you with a story. I was watching a DVD last week with my girlfriend, you know the score, dominos pizza, comfy sofa, bottle of wine and Haagen Dazs waiting in the freezer... a perfect night in. We were about half-way through a good movie when I spotted the slightest jump in the picture. The frame changes, but continues to play. Now, I don't know if I just missed 5 seconds or 5 minutes!! I might have just jumped a key part of the film, and this thought continues to play on my mind. Already distressed, but trying to enjoy the film, I'm confronted by an even greater tragedy... the DVD begins to skip.. frantically! This is the final straw. I get up from my comfy warm spot on the couch, eject the DVD, clean (for some reason by breathing on and wiping the DVD), and put the DVD back in. At this point I have to find what scene we were on, forward it to the agreed spot (over which I typically argue with my girlfriend) and then finaly sit back down on the sofa from which my warm indentation has long disappeared.

The last thing I want to do now is watch the rest of this film! Give me a video any day!!

Regret

I've never been one for regret. You'd think by the name of my web page that i might have many. I don't.