What’s there ?

Here the question is ” Is there or not there”  ” What’s there” in

a photo or behind the photography.

This is an obvious subject,  nobody would give any argument

what it is.   And even without photograph, it still exists = photo is

mere secondly image of the existence.  Photo didn’t make it exists.

This image has no significance = It’s just there, like a subject.

But you may puzzle what this is ?  

What photographed here is the whole possession of a homeless person.  

Still some would say “So, what” —– OR others may see the meaning in

social issue or even philosophical aspects “What’s the human existence”

yet, visually they are just a lots of plastic bags on a bicycle. Nothing else.

More than that is all in your mind.

It’s all depends on, whether you make a mountain out of this heap.

Some might be good deep insights otherwise just the delusions.

Before one photographic image,  we have to see what a person

who is photographing has seen or conceived,  let alone aimed.

But who can see it clear —– and, who knows how real what we’ve seen.   

What I’m seeing might be there —– is it ?  Where ? Here or there or behind. 

We may not able to define what we are seeing unless we intentionally

impose a preconception, what I want to see, and reconstruct

the image OR story.

And it depend what we can see or what we know. —– or believe to know.

And if we know, —– can we be any wiser ?   Really ? ? ?

Is there any use,  if I told you what it was ?

In reality, we may not seeing any, let alone knowing, are they

really there.  So, this is the real situation, and how and what they are.

(If you want to see the VOIDNESS in much more symbolic

elaborated image, it is your pretence and the arrogance !)

—– truth might be just empty space.

= Don’t struggle.  Let it be and see just as it is.  Don’t make-up the order.

(F&M’s Cherubs were in a mess of reflection = that was how they were.  :-D)

By nature, as it is empty from the beginning, see as it is, be with it, is Ichijo.

Be with emptiness mean the mind is not there = Mushin.

Don’t impose own order mean = no complaint. What’s wrong with it ?  😀

—– So, it’s nice to be in PEACE.

___/\___

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Season’s greeting 2014

How the 2013 has been for you ?  

I hope it was a pretty productive year for you.

For me while blogging, do something, see the friends etc etc

2013 has gone almost instant !

(Still in a hind sight there were so many things had happened ! ) 

So, it’s always the question —– have I done enough ?

—– May be.  —– In middle way.   Ha ha ha  😀

(Or, I might have done quite drastic.  🙂 )  

What so ever —– we have to see the next stage. = Let’s face it.

And I wish your best happiness in the coming new year. 

—– Hold the breath, listen !   —– You know, it’s coming.  

( —– —– Tap tap tap ! —- Ha ha ha.   I’m kidding)

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Fortnum and Mason’s Xmas Window Decoration 2013

Among the big shops in London which one got the most heavy Gothic

taste may be a point of argument though, in my view, a shop selling

exactly the same things 100 of years = Fortnum & Mason must stand out

in its stubborn position.  —– Started to sell the candles to the palace and

expanded to deal with the Tea and established over the years,

Tea is a Tea = no new model or fashion there.  (Herbal tea is not a Tea !)

So the same shop is standing on the same place, looks the same too.

The design of Xmas window decoration is also heavier than Selfridges,

such as against the children’s tale, Fortnum & Mason chose

Greek Mythology — kind of difference. 

So, their taste for ancient Greek leafy pattern is still continuing though,

this years concept is more casual. = story from the next door.

It seems, even the shop stuck to the old tradition, the north Arctic

frontier, where Santa is based on, having a technological advancement

—– now, Santa is using a cart, instead of sleigh.   (Photo Right )

Santa’s new cart !

Any how, —– it’s fun  😀

(Shot by Canon 5D Mk-III, 24~70 F2.8, Pentax 15mm F3.5)

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Selfridges’ Xmas Window Decoration 2013

When it is a Christmas time, there always the special window

decoration of Selfridges is. = It is a long established tradition.  

And what sort of theme the decoration this year has, was

the interest of the people. —– It’s always a kind of children’s

fantasy though, it’s attracts as many as grown-ups too.

But this year’s decoration is not from any book or story —– quite

products orientated design = snow scape around the product.

So, the girly doll to audio gizmo.

Fashion(?) shoes to sports shoes.

—– Sports wear or toys ?  —– and of cause, they sells pants too.  😀

So, the handbag ! —– I have no idea what is a connection

between expensive bag to a snowy mountain.

Neither I have an idea what the Selfridge to do with

glittering naked woman.  😀

So, I couldn’t find whether it was children’s dream or adult’s dream.

Or, executive’s speculation = effect of Xmas campaign ! ?  😀

(Shot by  Canon  5D  Mk-III,  Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm  F4)

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Pre-Christmas Street

Together with some shoppings I went up to the center and I saw

the town has been prepared for the coming Christmas.

Leicester square was having a Fair Ground.

I wouldn’t be impressed by the Swiss Center having colorful LED trick

or see a huge Snowman, still I dropped the jaw

to see the Stature of Eros was in a huge plastic dome  😀

Until decades ago, the drunken people in the Xmas to New-year’s Eve,  

were accustomed to climb up the stature and caused a damage, was an

annual ritual together with jumping into a fountain in Trafalgar square

though, as the England grown into a civilised country, Eros Stature has

been covered-up by ugly boarding —— and now, it’s in a plastic dome !

After some shopping in the China-town I went up to the Oxford Street.

Before, “after Xmas Sale” literally started after Xmas though, with

a rather harsh economical situation,

all the shops are having their Sale already started.

And it is in the season of Christmas Carol, I encountered a Steel-band

playing beautiful Xmas tune !  

I still couldn’t comprehend how and why the slight dent on a

steel-drum can be tonally tuned = What a beautiful invention ! 

They are almost a fixture in a Christmas time,

the Special Window Decoration of the Selfridge.

—————– (Photo right:  LED decoration on the South Molton Street )

————————————————————- ( Photo right: London Rikishow !)

——- (Piccadilly Circus again —– The plastic dome with it’s AD panels

——- seems to be a good business venture.  🙂 )

Same old Trafalgar Square and a Christmas Tree

= an annual gift from the Norway.

Northern side of Trafalgar square is the National Gallery.  

Western side is Canada House and east is South African House.

And there is a mountain of flowers for departed Madiva. 

After walk up Oxford Street to Selfridge and walk down from there ,

it was already the night —– still it wasn’t too dark for a photo or two.

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Party Time

On the London Underground I encountered very very colorful

bunch of the people.  They said they are on the way to “a kind of Party”

—– later, I found, they are in fact the Government officers !

(Do you noticed, they are wearing 007 type very special glove ?

It might be for Golfing Gold finger’s) 

I guess, it may not be a special disguise for a rather elaborated

intelligence operation but more like for a chemical-physiological  

assessment project to find a toxicity of the liquid substance.

—– anyhow, to avoid me to become a hacking subject of GCHQ,

I shouldn’t go into too much details. 

I wish them having had a very GOOD time

and safely returned to their home now.  🙂

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Winter Cherry again !

This is the third year for me watching this special Cherry tree !

Special because she blooms in the winter, and keep blooming until

their more usual blooming time of April.  (Continuously all through

6 months.  So that I even wrongly called her Perpetual Cherry !)

And, this is the first photo session for this season despite only

few flowers there yet.     (More would be added here later.  🙂 )

So, say hello to Cherry-san. 

(PS: Close-up was done by the same Fish-eye lens, while lens was 

held lifted from the body = held the lens not fully inserted to the

body (hence close focus) = and the lens was not fully engaged to

the body, there was no control to the lens = aperture was F4   🙂 )

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Autumn Color – (2)

Unlike the color of eggs from super-market which color was 

controlled by the coloring agent in their feed, the color of autumn

leaves are completely natural phenomenon. (You can’t dye them.  😀 ) 

If only the selection of plant may be artificial, such as Japanese Maple

was imported to the west only because of their blazing color in autumn.

When the plants was exposed to the air of sudden chill, their

Green colored  Chlorophyll noticed that their role to carry-out  

Photo-synthesis come to the end —– hence they disappeared.  

—–> Once the green has gone, another color underneath which

has been masked by the green, such as red Carotene become visible

= Voila’ glorious Autumn color on fire !  

Appreciate it while you can (if you like) !    🙂

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Last Remain of Flowers —– of this year ?

When I was a bit younger and in business, there was a phrase “4 o’clock irritation”.

= before closing time, something could still be done —– otherwise, became too late,  

so, what has been done, haven’t been done etc ETC ! —– You know what I mean  😀

—– And coming to the time 4 o’clock in my life, I have to do the stock-taking.

= And in the same context (Useless thinking in Buddhist’s term  😀 ) see the nature

and feel  “Oh, you still giving your effort” — but with sigh.

Don’t think.  Just see as they are.

Some might have done the work.  More than enough or just — what ever

it was a given opportunity and only an opportunity.

(What a bloody hell, Xmas is next month —- I thought,

Xmas was yesterday !)  😀  😀

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Parakeet

This Parakeet  is a bird originated from the centre of the Africa to Indian

Subcontinent, but said to be spread many area in the western Europe as well,

while adapting to live in the urbanized human environment. 

Someone said it started more than 50 years ago though, I heard the story

about 15~20 years ago as the birds increased its population enormously

and becoming a pest (in the west London ).  —– Yesterday, when me and

my friend who bought a DSLR (and more lens) having a shooting session

in a park, he pointed me this bird since they spread east of London as well.

(He is a guy who bought 800 mm lens to shoot birds photo though, he

didn’t bring it on this occasion = Too big and heavy !)

This morning (well nearly mid-day, still much earlier than yesterday) 

I went back the same place to shoot the bird with 500 mm lens though,

not many of them today.  (The park-keeper told me, that they are more

active when the sun is going to set. = after 4:00, like yesterday —– but

I wanted to have the direction of the sun-light from the side.    🙂 )

Anyhow, I have to comeback again and again to get one nice photo.  😀

(By the way, the photo above, a bird eating Acorn = Using just the beak,

still able to open an Acorn shell and eat only its carnal then drop

the empty shell —– What a skill !  = You may try to eat a packet of KitKat,

while holding it on your mouth (of cause without using your hand)

leaving only empty packaging. —– I’m not asking you to fly, but just eat

sweets = even a bird can do.  Why not a man.  😀  😀 ) 

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