The World is a Mirror

(For a more recent, better quality version of this video, see On a Lighter Note) 14 October 2008

I was part of this little upside down scene on the tube late one night when I came to a realisation. Before I came to London I read a lot of books, articles and websites about the place and spoke to friends, travel agents and strangers that's been here. They all painted their own pictures, but the general idea I got was of a rather unfriendly, grey, depressing, highly developed place where you could make a lot of money and occasionally have a lot of fun if you don't mind losing yourself. I can see how people might see it that way, but my impression so far is very different. I'm experiencing something I think is rather accurately captured in this video: a friendly, diverse, entertaining, crowded, highly developed, sometimes a bit disorientating, vibrant place with a lot of strangers interacting with each other more than you would expect and a lot of dogs. You really do see a lot of dogs around here, watch the video till the end if you don't know what I'm talking about. What is important though, is not the question of what London is really like, but rather the fact that we all see it differently. The fact that when we look at the city (and actually everything else, for that matter) we not so much see London and the way it really is, but we see ourselves and the way we really are reflected in it. So whether you see something as threatening or inviting, a blessing or a curse, fate or coincidence, something to smile at or loose your temper over, depends more on you than on the actual situation you are experiencing. And once you realise that, everything changes. So when you read my blog, watch my videos and look at my pictures, don't expect to see an objective picture of London, but rather to see bits of me reflected in London. Or if that's too deep, you can just have fun looking at the pretty pictures if you want! By the way, if anybody can help me turn these videos the right way up, please let me know.

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