WHY?
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Tuesday, 06 November 07 - 08:09 AM (GMT +12:00) By John Dierckx in The World through a Mobile Phone |
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It was Sunday morning and a glorious spring morning. All the reason to take the kids out for a day at one Orana Park, one of the two local wildlife parks. Quickly get some cash for some treats in the park and than of we would go. Alas, this was not going to be as easy as expected. Arriving at the money machine I had to find it to be trashed and unusable because of vandal actions.
Look at the picture below and I could not help but thinking WHY?
Am I getting old here? Or is this the type of stupid behavior I will most likely never understand. WHY?
And it was not just this money machine as it turns out the mailbox had, by the looks of it, been the center of attention for some fireworks activity.
The real sad part is that upon closer look I was able to identify highly confidential information of several members of the neighborhood, including IRD numbers, bank account and credit card details, an invoice with confidential data on it and even a contract.
I appreciate a good joke but this just makes me wonder:
WHY?
On the positive side: even my children asked themselves WHY? Now let's hope they remember this.
Autumn, Singpaore and Cheviot Through a Mobile Phone: Pictorial Update
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Monday, 04 June 07 - 09:45 PM (GMT +12:00) By John Dierckx in The World through a Mobile Phone |
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It has been a while and taken the emails you send me about what happened to this thread of articles, here a long due update. For those of you that asked: no my battery was not flat, no I didn't buy a new cellphone without a camera. I just didn't get to getting things on line.
A lot of pictures have been uploaded this weekend so I suggest you have a look in the gallery.
Autumn Leaves
The other weekend we went as a family to Hagley Park, one of my favorite spots in Christchurch and making you realise at once why Christchurch is called the 'garden city" I particularly like the Autumn and the Spring in the park, both transitional seasons, where the park is blooming up after the winter, with lots and lots of fresh young green and the autumn, with its beautiful autumn colors, the special light and
longer shades earlier in the day, making the place almost magical.
To enhance the experience, why not listen to the song Autumn Leaves as I recorded it some years ago, all by myself, just dreaming away on my guitar and keep on reading at the same time. A multimedia experience, my first how about that.
The falling of the leaves making room for sunshine such as on this tree here, which looked almost silver standing in the full light.There is a song called "Autumn Leaves" and walking through the park I realised just how beautiful 'autumn leaves' indeed can be. Being a sucker for textures I
just couldn't help but noticing the beauty of these randomly fallen leaves on the ground, the 
colors and shapes and the way it seemed to look like it was always meant to look like
that. If you open your eyes, there is so much to see.
The lower shining sun creating a beautiful play of lights and shades, incredible and so close to home.
It made me realise how beautiful
nature and yes also man made natural surroundings can be. It made me wonder, is this man making nature look good or is it actually nature making man look good. You tell me.
Whatever the answer is, this was once again an amazing walk through the park if only to enjoy the beauty that is there available for free , for everyone to enjoy, to relax in, meditate or just have a good time with the family.
It reminded me of another song. You Don't Know What Love Is which I will let you listen to as well. This recording I made with some students of the Jazz School in Christchurch. Another great experience, for which I am still thankful. Nothing beats working with young raw talents as you will hear in the recording. Arrangement of the song I did myself.
Back home, it had cooled down quickly time to get put the fire on and have a coffee. The boys all had a nice warm chocolate milk to get warm again.
What a great Sunday this had turned out to be. We had all enjoyed it in our own ways, the boys getting ready now for an inspection of their collection of autumn leaves that would be used to make their "art work" in the following days. It reminded me to be grateful of having such a beautiful family and life with these wonderful persons. Singapore Through a Mobile Phone
In April I had been traveling to Singapore to provide training for the Asia Business Forum.Luckily I had some time for myself and even though my mobile phone could not be used for any calling, I was glad to have it with me to make some pictures.
I was placed in a five star hotel, with great rooms and my what a view. The Grand Copthorne Waterfront in Singapore, twenty first floor and best of all smoking allowed! This promised to be a good trip already.
I told him that I had just been in a plane for ten ours and wanted to stretch my legs.
He advised to go for a walk along the Singapore river and enjoy some of the drinks and food and so I did. It turned out to be a magical walk. Even though this was all relatively new high rise there was a special atmosphere, if only because of the river along which there were so many places where people could have some food and a drink. I was amazed with how light was used to make the place look
If only they could utilise the Avon River going through the center of Christchurch like that.
It felt like walking through a painting on a warm night,
through an explosion of colors, sounds and aromas. At one point however I did start to get tired and it was time to head back. I
crossed one of the many bridges and would walk back on the other side of the river. Before arriving at the hotel I could not believe my eyes. Looking at my own hotel it looked almost royal on the banks of Singapore River.
It was time for a good sleep. I promised myself that notwithstanding I had to do some preparation I would free up some time to go for a good walk and look around.
Sleeping was easy, the warmth and the travel had made me tired. It was probably around two am I fell asleep in a huge bed after having one last beer in the hotel.
It had turned out to be a very nice start of the trip and for those considering Singapore and loving beer. Don't fall for the export bee trap, there are many very nice Singapore brands that can compete with the best in the world. My personal favorite "Tiger"
The next day I didn't go down to have breakfast, a quick shower and I was on my way. I managed to get a map in the hotel and I would just go for a long walk. China town was the first destination.
During the day I saw how modern Singapore really is. Very much like a modern city and I could fel the spirit of trade and enterprise humming around me even on a Sunday. What did strike me though is the relative ease of traffic. Roads are set up nice and wide making it look as though it is not too busy. A lot of people travel by public transport and taxis or like me just walk.
After about an hour, due to stops and food tastings, which I had many, I arrived at the area marked as China Town. Impossible to miss, if you just
follow your nose and taste buts. China town turned out to be a fiesta of impressions for all your senses, an area of contrasts, where modern and old meet oriental and western. Most of all it was a place where I could have all those tasty treats that I had been longing for on the way down: Peking Duck, dried meat, spare ribs and the list went on.
In the meantime and in between small meals, I had a good look around and visited both a Muslim mosque and a Buddhist Temple. Sorry no pictures. Even I, a visitor and 'tourist' myself, felt disturbed in the serenity of these places by the constant buzzing of other cameras. Not for me. And for those tourists that never thought about it. Perhaps you could imagine sitting in a church during mass and than having someone shooting pictures. It does not help the enjoyment and disturbes.
Here some more impressions: like this little shrine tucked away in a corner on the street. A little sport where people can come to their senses in the middle of this busy city. 
I felt like being surrounded by special corners and sights, I hope you see it the same way too.
This walk was a treat, and I loved every single moment. I have to admit that it took me some time to get used to the heat, but once you are passed that, Singapore is great to walk around and enjoy all the beautiful sights and parks.
I thoroughly enjoyed my walk through Fort Canning Park, beautifully designed and a place where many families appeared to gather for their Sunday activities.
It was in this park I started to think how great it was that my mobile could not send or receive anything. Who's wanna be disturbed by the sound of a ringing mobile in such great environments.
To end this paragraph some additional pictures that I took whilst walking around, of course all by suing my mobile phone. Quieter than ever.
fantastic. Lights in trees, lights on buildings, and off course the lights coming from all those restaurants and bars shining in the water.
Cheviot: Easter on the Farm
I started off walking along the driveway, for some reason that part I never walked along, you tend to go in the direction of the paddocks instead of out. It was a cloudy morning and I was struck by the beautiful scenery, most importantly the skies over the mountains.
It felt like walking through an illustrated bible story. All that needed to happen was the sky opening up and the creator reaching out or starting to talk to me. I was overwhelmed by all this beauty, a Dutch painter's dream almost.
I had great fun, upon coming back I had this story that I saw a dinosaur, it scared me so much that I ran away but I managed to take a picture in the run. Unfortunately I only caught his eye.Just imagine their surprise after looking around for the dinosaur and not finding it, I told them it was part of a tree trunk. And at the same time it is an example of how I started seeing those hidden beauties again after deciding 1 January this year that the mobile phone camera was actually quite a good thing if you learned how to utilise it and get used to the
Whilst having a great time with friends, this Easter weekend was one of rediscovering all those hidden stills and views that are around us every day but we many times stop seeing. They get normal, we forget about how special everything can look and be if we are only willing to search for it and be amazed. Just like this little still life on the right. It has been there always, some stuff on a barbeque, but actually when you look for it, it is a pretty nice still for you not to overlook and make into something special.
What I liked so much walking around was the silence being there under the creator's sky enjoying every moment with all my senses, from being amazed by the beauty of machineries out in the paddocks, to the deer and the sheep and of course trying to shoot a portrait of the pet pig, the love of all the children, a love that seems mutual.
I will stop talking now and let the pictures do the rest.
I hope you enjoyed, I certainly did in making these pictures. It does strike me time and time again, the simple beauties I have so often overlooked, and the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. What have I missed all these years, by not having my eyes open. For those that still didn't have enough, there is more in the image gallery.
Beauty Close to Home
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Monday, 02 April 07 - 10:43 AM (GMT +12:00) By John Dierckx in The World through a Mobile Phone |
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A coffee break at The Arts Centre. Always a nice place to stay on a warm day. The entrance to the interior ground makes you wonder whether you are walking straight into a Harry Potter movie. 
Once inside, you will be surprised by the atmosphere hanging in the air. Hearing and seeing people busy with their arts and crafts, musicians, ballet , painters, sculpters, crafts people. They al have found a studio in the Arts Centre.
The place breeds this still, Arts and scholarship. You could just imagine the students of wearlier times walking around the gardens to discuss their studies, their findigs and their questions.
These days it is a centre for the creatives to work and sell their works
Besides that a great place to sit down and relax after a day in town. Find yourself a nice spot under a tree, get some food and a drink and enjoy a lunch in this nice environment.
Always like hanging out there, there is always some life music.
More pictures in the Gallery
Flowers
Another subject of many of my pictures is flowers.
I can still be amazed about their beauty and with my mobile I had a chance to reappreciate that. Besides that it seems to me that using the mobile phine to shoot the pictures gives the beauty a somewhat impressionistic quality.
The picture above was taken on the day the idea was born. Perhaps you can now imagine why. Isn't this incredible and we all pass it every year, perhaps without even noticing it any longer, it gets normal.
Or what to think of this: the hortensia along the drive.
Each day I pass it with the car and it was not untill I bent over to pick up a lighter that I saw how incredible a scene I had been standing next to smoking every day.
That is probably the thing I like best about this whole World Through A Mobile Phone idea: it makes me realise that there is so much beauty right there around me every day that became "normal" that I stopped noticing.
Little miracles of nature that we overlook, that we stop seeing. Well not anymore.
The World Through A Mobile Phone, New Brighton Beach, Castle Hill, Cave Stream
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Sunday, 18 March 07 - 05:19 AM (GMT +12:00) By John Dierckx in The World through a Mobile Phone |
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A lot of new pictures were uploaded in the gallery again. Have a look and see what a mobiler phone can capture.
Some highlights in this blog.
New Brighton Beach Christchurch
Isn't it amazing a great summers day, a beach on the edge of the city and what a view. And what space.
We tended to go to Sumner, yet this changed our minds.
Who would not like to go to a beach like that. Hard to imagine that we were sitting right behind the library and that this is supposed to be the busy part of the beach.
Castle Hill
What an amzing experience this turned out to be . We had been passing castle hill several times on our way to the West Coast and on our way to Arthur's Pass. 
On this sunny day we decided to stop instead of drive on and have a look at what was so special. We were soon to find out that this amazing place, with great cultural value for the Moari people breathed a very special atmosphere.
Luckily enough I had my mobile phone with me and was not only able to capture some of the
fantastic scenes but also the incredible light on that day. The second picture shows you that, taken while wandering around in a landscape dominated by enormous boulders.
The place is fantastic is you want to sit down and think in a serene and spiritual environment. Especially when the sun lowers you will be amazed by the game of light and shadow that enfolds before your eyes it was a truly special experience. A place I would like to visit again.
More Pictures are available in the Image Gallery.
Cave Stream
Earlier the day we visited Castle Hill , we had a picnic at Cave Stream, a place where people go for shorter yet spectacular walks, and after the underground river that is part 
of one of the tracks. It is not often you can have lunch with a view like this.
An wasn't I lucky to have my Nokia with me to capture this all.
From this point where we made some short and incredible walks. Even the boys were speechless of the scenery. 
In the following pictures you will understand why. We had a fantastic walk as you can see and that was when we didn't know that the best was yet to come. The walk down to the entry or exit of the Cave Stream.
The walk towards that was quite a challenge: very steep when you are walking around with a heavy two year old on your arm. But when we arrived at the entry it was so worth it. 
It felt like entering an adventure movie.
It's this like stepping into the belly of the beast, being inside Jonah the Whale, the way to Middle Earth?
Very special.
And just around the corner here, a great stream and lots of ricks from our sons to throw. Personally I was again blown away by the beautiful views.
More pictures in the Gallery.
The World Through a Mobile Phone: Cats
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Thursday, 11 January 07 - 12:38 AM (GMT +12:00) By John Dierckx in The World through a Mobile Phone |
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The first Pictures have now been placed in the Gallery.
Here are a few of my favorites that were already on there before I got the idea of the World Through a Mobile Phone.
The Black Cat, a symbol for bad luck in many cultures, well can only say we had a lot of fun with this one. The eyes however show he's thinking of a joke to pull. He is one funny character which I guess already shows in his facial expression. Click on the pic to se it full size.
Ever thought what would happen if you put a lion and a tiger together in a cage? Nothing by the looks of it except for a nice and peaceful sleep together.
This photo was taken when "the Lion Man" was in town for a show. Craig Busch, the man behind Zion Wildlife Gardens where he dedicates his life to the preservation of big cats. One beautiful initiative and man indeed.
See the Image Gallery for all pictures
All pics taken with my Nokia
... More items are available in my News Archive
