if you don't know where you're going any road will take you there
I got the first replies on the Sofa project – many thanks. To keep track on it I added the link in the header. I will keep updating the original post with the participants list. Many thanks, waiting for more!
[Nalesnik’s sofa]
(English version below)
Niniejszym ogłaszam nowy projekt fotograficzny, do którego chciałbym Ciebie zaprosić. Pomysł jest następujący – zapraszasz mnie na swoją kanapę na kilka dni (wymagań nie mam dużych, podłoga też ujdzie). W tym czasie dokumentuję Miejsce w Którym Żyjesz i Ciebie w Nim. To takie proste. To jak? Zgłoszenia/zaproszenia na maila albo w komentarzach.
(English version)
Hereby I announce a new photographic project and invite you to participate in it. The idea is as follows: you invite me to your sleep on your sofa for a couple of days (I don’t have big needs, floor is also ok). At that time I would document You And The Place You Live In. It’s that simple. So how would it be? Please submit your registrations/invitations via email or comments.
[Tomski’s “sofa” – December 2007]
update:
Participants:
1. Tomski – Warsaw, Poland [some pics made, waiting for more]
2. Naleśnik – Warsaw, Poland [done: 1]
3. Noriko & Coskun – Bursa, Turkey [to be done]
4. Imper – location unknown [to be done]
5. Wejdi – Bursa, Turkey [to be done]
6. Nat – London, UK [in 2009]
7. Domka – Warsaw, Poland [soon]
8. Elizabeth – Shanghai, China or Madison, USA or who knows [hmmmm]
9. Sandra Ch.- Winterthur, Switzerland [to be done]
10. Mat – Seattle, USA [to be done]
11. Justa & Geoffrey – Paris, France [to be done]
12. Ewa Kamila – somewhere, somehow [to be done]
13. Gosia M.-Cz. – Canada [to be done]
14. Ewa Iskierka – Sydney, Australia [to be done]
15. Ola B – Gdynia, Poland [to be done]
16. Walt Balenovich – Toronto, Canada [to be done]
17. Roma Piotrowska – Birmingham, UK [to be done]
18. kozica – Warszawa (Bielany), Poland [to be done]
19. Anita Damas – Florianopolis, Brazylia [to be done]
[2008-10-20, T99B, Shanghai – Hong Kong]
Prysznic, pakowanie, check-out, przechowalnia bagażu, śniadanie, laptop, internet, ładowarki, sprite. Pożegnanie z nowym przyjacielem, którego pewnie nieprędko (jeśli w ogóle) zobaczę. Ale nigdy nie wiadomo, w końcu nie raz tak zawiązane znajomości miały ciąg dalszy.
Plecak, metro. Chichoczące Chinki (w Szanghaju ładne i fajnie ubrane). 3 stacje. Przepychanie się przy wysiadaniu. Korek z ludzi przy schodach, by zejść z peronu. Przejście podziemne, tłok, facet, który nad śmietnikiem “czyści gardło” i soczyście spluwa (bo w metrze wiszą zakazy “No spitting”). Bramka metra, która połyka bilet. Prześwietlanie bagażu przy wejściu na stację kolejową. Kontrola paszportu. “Sir, you will need another visa if you want to come back to China”. “I know, thank you.” Droga na stacji oznaczona jest znakami “Exit from the country”. Pięknie powiedziane. Wsiadam w pociąg. Hard sleeper, top berth – tak jak lubię. Maksimum intymności, najmniej ciekawskich oczu, blisko półki z bagażem. Książka.
Kolacja w warsie. I wtedy mnie uderza. Że to się dzieje po raz ostatni. Głośne rozmowy Chińczyków przy sąsiednich stolikach, kucharze, personel i goście palący szlugi pod nic nie znaczącymi zakazami palenia, kelnerka, która stawia przed tobą talerz nie patrząc na ciebie i zapomina przynieść pałeczek. To wszystko z czym na codzień musiałem się ścierać, aż w końcu zaakceptowałem i przywykłem, nagle wzrusza i rozwala na kawałeczki. Opuszczcam to miejsce, którego się nauczyłem, częściowo zrozumiałem, polubiłem.
Podróż na pewno odniosła skutek. Trochę czasu zajmuje uświadomienie sobie, że świat naprawdę kręci się i bez ciebie. Wyjście poza ramy pozwala ujrzeć obraz z innej perspektywy. Nagle dostrzegasz więcej możliwości, nabierasz przekonania, że jest milion sposobów, żeby sobie poradzić, milion rzeczy, którymi można się zająć. Przetasowują się priorytety.
Wracam – wznoszę toast ciepławym Tsingtao w miękko mknącym przez noc wagonie restauracyjnym. Czuję się tak jak wtedy w samolocie, wracając z Nicei z ostatniej podróży służbowej, z kieliszkiem szampana w ręku, już po wypowiedzeniu umowy o pracę, to samo poczucie, że oto zostawiam za sobą coś far behind.
Got out from China just before my visa expired. The last days I will spend in Hongkong. Luckily I will be hanging out with the newly-met friends (from this trip) – tiny B and V. Happy to be seing them again, cause the chances for that were pretty low. But you know… life is full of surprises. ;-)
[Shanghai, China]
(english version below)
Wyjechał Tomek i znowu zostałem sam. Dni razem spędziliśmy raczej leniwie. Późne śniadania i wczesne piwka, potem double-cheese i sprite z lodami, zakupy, spacery bez celu, knajpy z widokiem, jazdy metrem z muzyką w uszach. I wyjechał z poczuciem, że mimo, że widział niewiele, to widział wystarczająco dużo. I dosyć miał już zarówno chińskiego żarcia, jak i słynnego Tsingtao. A co ja mam powiedzieć? :-)
Ja też niedługo wracam. Pomarzyć o czymś innym. Doświadczyć ciągu dalszego historii opowiedzianej tysiąc razy.
(english version)
I am coming back soon. To dream another dream. :-)
For four days I was travelling with Vanessa and Bessie, two girls from Hong Kong. I met them when I took a trip to Snow Mountain nearby Lijiang. The trip was a total disaster for me – waking up early, being stuck with stupid Chinese tourists, wasting time waiting, then being forced to hurry up, hearing them shouting, etc. With the girls We travelled to the Lugu Lake and Shangrila. We quickly found out that even though we don’t have common backgrounds, culture, physical apperance (tiny people), but we share one thing – the level of craziness. So we had lots of fun, joking all the time about Chinese tourists (Checkie Chan clones – remember the famous scene from the Family Guy?), we disputed which is more important love or chicken (“chicken is very impotant” – repeated over and over with an Indian accent), I called them “tiny” (160 cms), they called me “giant”. My gosh, I had such a good time!
[2008-08-31 – 2008-09-01 – Kunming, China]
Dziwny jest ten chiński modern-komunizm. W tym kraju wszechobecnych podróbek w centrum miasta stoją kolorowe butiki: Armani, Louis Vuitton, itp., gdzie sprzedawców jest więcej niż klientów, gdzie parkingowych jest więcej niż miejsc do parkowania, gdzie ochroniarze noszą białe rękawiczki. Ale wsiadasz w jeden autobus, jedziesz do końca linii, wsiadasz w drugi autobus i już jesteś w innym szarym świecie. Szare drogi, budynki, ludzie. Na szczęscie kawałek dalej zaczyna się zieleń.
W parku dzieją się rzeczy zaiste magiczne. Ludzie przynoszą instrumenty, grają, śpiewają, tańczą z wahlarzami. Albo grupki tańczące wspólnie, starzy i młodzi, do muzyki puszczanej z magnetofonów, tańce bardziej wyrafinowane lub w wężyka.
– Is Poland a public country?
– Well… No, it used to be, but it’s not anymore.
[Koh Chang, Thailand]
Age: 85. Living alone in a house by the sea. He used to be a captain (got his title from the King). Smoked too many cigarettes in his life, so now he has breathing problems. He shared with me the best things he had – coconuts, fruits… In excachange I visited him again with two beers. Amazing person, amazing experience, amazing moments.
Live long, Captain!
[2008-08-15 – Mae Hong Son, Thailand]
Welcome to the University of Life.
Please take your seat
and fasten your seatbelts.
Please switch off your expectations.
You will not need them anymore.
The travel will take long
and it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
But you will like it.
So just relax.
And take it easy.
[2008-08-12, Pai, Thailand]
There is this guy who came to Pai and stayed for six months. I asked him “how did you end up doing that?”. He said “well, I came here for a day, and then I decided to stay for another day, so I stayed for a week and then I decided to stay for another week. After a month I decided to stay for one more. So… that’s how it happened.” This laid-back, chilled-out atmosphere sucks in. At the first day you get to know some people, then you get to know more people, then you go out for breakfast to your favourite place and you know most of the people on a street, then you start to recognize dogs, then you start to know dogs by name… This is Pai. You want to leave, but you end up in a bar till early morning, and when your alarm clock goes off, you just think “well, I will go tomorrow, there is no rush, I can stay one more day here”. That’s Pai.
Nico – born in Kazakhstan, living in Germany for 5 years.
Favourite music: techno/electro.
Beliefs: good karma/bad karma.
His way of living: music festivals animal.
One of his dreams: to organize a music festival for 1.000.000 people.
One of my drivers during hitch-hiking from Poland to Frankfurt.
This post is a part of my miniproject “dreamers“.
June 30th is my last day at work. I have decided to take some time off (as much as needed) to rest, travel, make some pics… Do whatever I feel like doing. I have no fixed plan, no arrangements, no plane tickets, no route. “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there” – I will try to put these words into action. I hope to see again some of my old friends and make some new friends. I am planning to taste some new flavours and maybe get some suntan. I have no goal, like travel around the world or something. Whatever the future brings.
So… be ready, cause soon you might see me knocking at your door, willing to use your couch. :-)
See you around.
i want to be a ghost
taking the longest rides
jumping from one place to another
catching overnight flights
being a day-time illusion
in places that i don’t like
carrying with me in a suitcase
same thoughts same wonder-whys
What can I say? I can just smile and keep the confusing emotions inside me or I can go for another pointless war with this nonsense.
Knowing the direction is too much commitment for me. In new cities the question that confuses me most is “For how many nights, sir?”. How should I know? Will anything good happen to me here? “Three perhaps, maybe more.” Yeah, three sounds good.
So what should I say?
Good luck and goodbye. And maybe see you around.
Or not.
My photoreport on the Tomek Niewiadomski’s vernissage – “Nihon” in Galeria65 in Warsaw. Links: pl/en.
forget about your dreams
choose the unimportant
sell your soul
buy a new watch
Why don’t we go there again and stop every time we cross the bridge? Or fly away to somewhere new. Cause there are bridges almost everywhere. ;-)
I need a weekend already!
Today I made a new page on this blog – “Inspirations“. These are some random links which enable me travel around a world or walk in somebody else’s shoes without even moving my lazy ass out of home (or office). Enjoy.
PS. I had to do some programming for that… so let me know if something doesn’t work right… You know, I am not so good with computers and this stuff.
This city is like a volcano. Paris, Paris…
Świat wg Tomskiego part 2:
i ja:
6.12-6.01. 5 countries. Not more than 4 nights in a row in the same bed. Go for it.
i’ll take a flight to you girl
or maybe i should drive
i’ll call a cab and wait
to get into your arms
we have to talk it over
but don’t know where you are
which number i should use
which cross which roundabout
half-a-way is never close
and there’s no such a bus
it’s just a few days off
some hours in my car
i should take the shortest route
but sometimes i just can’t
i almost missed your stop there
you saw me you pulled me out
it’s so difficult to follow
living this fast-moving life
tonight it took just 1725,41 kilometers
to say to you good night
it’s worth it if you try it
just sixteen hours drive
it’s just another airport
just one more traffic lights
this is the way i’m going
this is another try
this is a new experience
globalized private life
My visit to Lausanne started with an earthquake. And then the emotions consequently went up. Mr Bigmess facing Straightforward. Being straightforward (frank, candid; sincere; honest; simple, uncomplicated) – this is the thing to learn. But not on my blog of course. :D
Seems like my New Year’s Eve plans are fixed now. France. Oh my… that’s soon.
WDF19
Tomorrow going to Switzerland to visit dr Elise whom I met in India. Fun or weird? We’ll see. ;-)
