Travel Story / Los Angeles / chapter 2

It has been four days; I have been stranded in the incubation period of Covid-19. Yes, I have been tested positive and as per the norm I have secluded myself from the world. Body temperature is normal, with a very little cough along with a blocked nose. But there is something that this virus brings in with itself. It causes you to have tasteless tongue and lack in sense of smell, and in my case, it is zero percent. I can only see what goes in my mouth. 

Can you image having all this time to me but then not being content with it. I guess its human nature; you are always complaining when you don't get a chance to focus on what you can do besides what you do every day, and you still whine when finally god gives you a chance to be a part of this historical pandemic and spend fourteen days in quarantine which is a perfect opportunity to know yourself... again. You always knew who you were, just forgot in chasing your dreams in this capitalist environment, so being member of the same family I was doing the same but all of sudden I am at a plot where I can write to finish the unfinished story that I started five years ago - my time in Los-Angeles, the 'city of angels' when I was in the US to attend my younger brother's marriage. 

Yeah! Yeah! A very long time has passed but still I would want to finish what I began... narrating my journey. A series of memories that I would want to save them here for my virtual readers, who I do not know, I might never even know but still god bless you all whoever you are, also the droids.

Now... starting from the point where I left in 'chapter 1':

My consciousness was hit with a surge of anxiety as we were heading towards our hotel that was a straight forward building, surrounded by Californian palm trees with a very shabby looking reception but with a huge pool in its patio. Bingo! At first I thought we had come to a wrong place, but then I didn't know LA and didn't even bother to push myself to search on it before traveling to this piece of land. The best part was when the receptionist told us that they didn't have a room for us and we would be shifted to a motel right next to their building for a night, which seemed very dodgy at first. Well to clear the notion, I had never been to a motel in my life and I didn't know what to expect. We occupied a huge room on the first floor, painted in blue with heavy texture and a evocative bathroom. Maybe the problem was not the room, but this stingy smell coming out of it. We tried to turn on the lights but it didn't seem enough. The blessing was this large window, which allowed us to look outside minding others businesses. Suddenly it so happened that I had to go downstairs to bring in the luggage from my car and I started hearing a woman screaming. Actually they were two, quarrelling over some matter between them. I am an Asian, and I am very much aware of the shit that happens among individuals who are a family and love one another a lot. In short, you try to sort out in one way or the other, at least that is how I was brought up, but I didn't expect of the situation I was about to get in. An African American woman, all naked with a piece of towel runs down from the stairs asking me to help her. At first I was like, wow, a naked woman! lol,  well again human nature, but then there was another cloth less black woman coming towards us with a knife in her hand. At first, it all seemed a scene from a Hollywood movie until she screamed, "I will kill you... I will kill you for having a baby with that bastard," and all started making sense to me…yes sir, I was about to be in the most obstinate situation that I could ever think of.

A baby! What baby? I just couldn't understand until I see this little head pop out of the towel. A new born, must be a week old was in the hands of this unclothed woman who had one of her hand all over me and crying for help. 

Pause: now try to understand my situation. A woman has entangled me shouting and desperate to seek for help, there is this woman screaming and oncoming to me with a knife, and then there was my wife, blaring to what I was doing with the women downstairs and should get my ass up in the room. Well, of course, she was worried.  Can you feel the sense of insecurity, different in nature, which all these women were shattering with on a poor guy like me who didn't even have a clue to what he was doing caught up in such a mess? I was scared, maybe, but to be honest my brain had lost all its abilities to register it. Suddenly I hear this mannish voice from the dark, “Why the fucks aren’t you not helping them.” It was loud, I remember. Suddenly I see this black guy dressed in shags, dangling around; probably hit a jackpot in the drinking pod that night, approaching me to throw a punch. At that moment, I could clearly hear this subdued voice; I suppose my conscience giving me a signal to run into shelter that would allow me to spend the rest of my night, but in an uncomfortable manner. So i bolted towards my room, shut the door hard, hid besides the bed. A not so warmed up signal that could calm my wife down. Yup that didn’t go well with her. The sirens could be heard now, a police car had reached to the occasion and after sometime the black woman with the huge body and with a knife, all clothed on was being escorted by the police men along with the black guy to their vehicle.

I couldn't sleep the whole night; I guess I had never thought of getting caught up in a position like this. Till that moment in my life, such situations only occurred in movies for me, but this shit was real.

Since time stops for no one, hence it was time to get up in the morning and move to our originally booked hotel, which seemed to be scattered with people looking like hippies. That was the moment when I happen to ask the concierge, "Where were we?" The answer was Inglewood and he kept repeating, as if I knew what he was trying to make me understand.

Conclusion: always know where you are going, the area you will be residing in, what type of hotel you would be staying at and lastly the crime rate in the area. Until and unless you are looking for an adventure, never opt for unusual places, stick to the areas that are tourist’s friendly, especially when traveling with family.

Travel Story / Los Angeles / chapter 1

We were driving on Interstate 15 towards south west. It was 10 pm and from a faraway point we could feel the warmth of light that shimmered in the sky, setting a sign of curiosity, attempting convincingly to enter the boundaries of a place unknown.

As we were charging on the roads of America, we were about to enter a city that we thought would be mesmerizing enough to hold us in its awe for some time. We were to enter a place that would give us the sincerest experience of all time.

But... after reaching this city, one could only feel a dis-relation, where you could only survive if you knew the norms of it, where infinite permutations raced around of dos and don'ts, where every second would make you feel regretful of that decision of coming to this place. Obviously, it was only me who was having these fits of rage. Maybe, only because I was so unaware of this place, it made me feel displaced.

As we proceeded further, we could witness the same shimmering light reflecting from the glass of the windows of the tall enough buildings scattered all around. Till now we were pretty much satisfied by the overwhelmed welcome of this place. Well! who wouldn't, we had traveled almost hundreds of miles from Las Vegas in the late hours of the day with no stay over in between, in search of this piece of land in the state of California.

However, the route we were heading on was ripping us apart from our connection with the city lights. It seemed as we were going to a different area now. We were following the 'global positioning system', which showed our journey did not end at this exhibition of lights. Our location appeared to show us crossing the downtown area of the famous city named 'Los Angeles'.

So where were we going? My heart kept sinking, my brain was unable to think due to exhaustion... and this was making me worry because we still had a journey of almost half an hour and we had crossed the great city. Its skyline was blurring out and the road started to get over crowded with cars of all shapes and sizes, honing at each other. The drivers seemed to be very impatient, the middle finger being the figure of expression for that whole journey.

... and we disengaged from LA. 

Now, this suburb we entered was a mystery in itself and it remains unsolved till date... for me at least. My consciousness was hit with a surge of anxiety as we were heading towards our hotel... to be continued.

"the disengagement" ~ art work (LA01) by Sameer Aftab                    
(Prints for sale - order now)

I thought that my words would not do justice to describe the place so I started drawing my experience of it, an art work that would exist in my memory forever. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, they say. Although an unfinished work, but it forms the bench mark for starting of my travel story. Some places that we drove through, some hotels that we had to stay in, some eateries where we had to buy food from, and who can forget the motel where we stayed for a night.

[Heart] of Sharjah

 

 

The day I got my offer letter... last year in the UAE.

At my friend's place in Sharjah, I received a call from Australia, early in the morning. The voice told me that I had been chosen to serve the firm that provided services in the healthcare sector.

Puzzled! haan...

0800 hrs___I felt like celebrating but then also crying as I was half asleep and the horrible ring tone of my phone had struck my ears like thunder bolts. However, there was only one thought going round and around my brain, and that was a place that I had been reading and researching since days.

" a visit to the Heart of Sharjah"

How did I come to know about it? It is simple if you are a freak at exploring places. Try using guide books that you can find at every forgettable corner of the airport. It will give you a very rough idea about the related city. The rest depends on yourself, how you want to explore its discovered or hidden gems.

If you ask me, I would always go for the places that are not touristic, the places where every traveler would not go. Such places make you more aware of the city's essence.

Somehow, this place reminded me of a city with which I have very strong connections named 'Jhang' back in my hometown, Pakistan. Therefore, a visit was quite necessary, I suppose.

A place that reminds you of home is worth thousand visits, I believe.

1100 hrs___ I should treat myself... right? A new job for a person who is new to the city deserved a special treatment on this particular day. And how was it supposed to happen. Not one of the most celebrated ways but I just grabbed a bus to reach this heritage site.

Travelling in Sharjah is comparatively easy and cheap, lets assume. I really did not know where to get down and somehow the maze of streets that the bus was running through made me more and more anxious, until I saw a park where I could see people running like ants. So I decided to make my first stop over.

This was not an ordinary place, it was the "Rolla Square Park" a memorial park built in remembrance of the plantation of the first banyan tree in Sharjah in 1800s. Locally this type of tree is called Rolla, hence the name for the landmark was kept to commemorate that moment.

History! history! history!

I had already started to enjoy the unorganized historical patterns of the city. This was the time where I felt the urge to use a city map that would take me to the place where I had planned to make my next stop.

It was a long walk and somehow my urge for seeking absurd architecture details made me detour. And then what I saw is right below...

On the outside___



As I walked through the back mid-rise residential areas, I could see a long endless wall.



 

Now this is pure vernacularism... the construction technique of the wall spoke of a technique used in a specific time without technology serving the basic need. What does a boundary wall do? It provides 'privacy'.

The are coral reefs used as building blocks for the walls.

The back entrance to the site and guess what! no ticket required... it is all for free.

At the inside___

Alright! now this is interesting. This is from the inside of the Sharjah National Theatre. They had hung hundreds of portraits of members from its first days till date. I managed to meet a couple of actors too, they were just spending some time as you can see the place is very cosy. I will say it was a 'Diwaniya' for people who did theatre.

At your right are the stables for horses that were kept in the past.

Observe!... the mystery of the architect's imagination.

This was the entrance to a small museum... the entrance fee is 5 dirhams as far as I remember. It is worth going inside and read a bit about the area.

On the roof___

 

1700 hrs___My visit to this forgettable piece of land was a feast for my brain. Vernacular, but from the time when this city started to build up. The architecture spoke of stories of people who once lived here and imagined a prosperous emirate for future.

...don't let Kuwait get you!!!

…. from Sameer Aftab on Vimeo.

As the title suggests " don't let Kuwait get you", one might think ... it is a conjuration of awe, an enchanted country that promises prosperity to every individual entering its boundaries for the first time; you do get rewarded... but, only for sometime.
The unemotional environment starts getting on you... 'Kuwait' starts getting on you.  

The Video -  I have explored frames of events in different times of the day in the video. It is a compilation of stop motions and time-lapses that narrates a story.

[spring] in q8

It is quite astonishing when you think of the time... 'spring' and Kuwait. I always read, on blogs, newspapers, travel magazines, etc. that the climate of the country was as hot as a fire ball. Almost throughout the year, the scorching sun and its rays settling upon the floors of fine sands in the deserts, making it shine like gold. However, I never heard of people dying of heat waves. So I always wondered how people carried on with their day to day lives in such an extreme weather.

So here I was… in Kuwait,

The time when everything seemed to blossom. 

The flowers in parks, the people's lives in their secluded dens, the cars roaring around on roads, the silence in the desert, the blue waters of the Persian Gulf, and last but not the least the 'Shurtaa's' (traffic police)… they all seemed to cherish the bloom of the spring time.

The only thing that did not blossom were the attitudes… the attitude of the community. 

Somebody once told me, the only thing consistent in the country will be their instincts towards non-natives.

© Sameer Aftab

burning [Liverpool]

This chapter of the blog revolves around an area that had a glorious past but now just another district that calls for regeneration. Mostly, residential but with empty terraced houses, some dilapidated churches and empty streets howling with gentle winds.

"It is just one of those days, when you feel like doing nothing, when you feel wasted, when you just feel to be all on your own… and then you decide to take a walk in wilderness."

But… I decided to go to Liverpool 8. I guess, one of the most silent walks that I ever did during my stay in Liverpool. The time was somewhere close to the sunset… yes, fortunately the sun did shine for the whole day.

Theme of photography 

[ Losing Glory ] 

Photography tip - the idea was to photograph the area in silhouettes. The lens of my camera faced the sun directly giving me some wonderful images showing outlines of houses, trees and some people.

If talking conceptually - I believe the sun is a symbol of 'hope' in all of these photographs, highlighting that the area can rise to its full potential one day if the authorities are considerate enough to invest in regenerating its past.

[scottish] highlands

Its been quite a while that I have not uploaded anything but here I am with a story from the very first day of the new year, 2014 when we were on our way to #Glasgow in #Scotland. Its a bit late though but its better late than never.

I always had a wish to travel to the highlands.
Why? Because of 'Loch-Ness' - when I was a child I had read about a monster, I had seen him in some documentaries as well and that was none other than the 'Loch-Ness monster'. A myth or maybe a reality, but this notion, the urge to see it with my own eyes was always there. However, this was just not the right time I guess.

These photos are from that journey.

in search of the [beacon]

... and it was the month of November here in England when I decided to go over the waters of River Mersey and search some 'beacons' and this was my very first time in a year and a half. All this time I was in #Liverpool but never got a chance to go on the #Wirral side.

[time-lapse]

... I made this time-lapse over the period of two days. I have tried to capture the environment - the beacons standing tall, once used as a source of invitation. Almost all of the beacons are not in use anymore.
I am borrowing a quotation from a book that I read sometime back, that said, "Every place has its history and symbolic connotation that merge into an event that obtained its meaning through the time of the day, illumination, weather and landscape.

Hmmmm! have a look at the video maybe you will be able to observe that connotation:

in search of the beacon from Sameer Aftab on Vimeo.

[Competition] Submission

I have submitted artworks for this particular competition.

The client's brief is:

Fantastic Opportunity to be Part of an Growing International Hotel Brand

The Client, Ashall Projects (NJS) Ltd; Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Balfour Beatty have opened up a fantastic opportunity for the

winner of this Artwork competition to design the new headboard artwork, which will not only be installed in the new Liverpool Aloft

Hotel, but the winner will also get the chance to visit the European flagship Aloft Hotel in Brussels on a weekend break.

Moreover, all the artists were supposed to submit their proposals according to the client's specified criteria and that was:

Criteria – Create two images, final and colour scheme below of the Iconic Liverpool City Scape, in a style similar to those depicted in the images in Photoshop PSD or JPEG files at 300 dpi (i have not displayed the sample images).

My entries for the competition...

I am hoping to win it. :)

[bidston]

12:52 hrs

Yellow: indicates the area that I covered by walking, 

while my visit to Bidston.

I had arrived in #Bidston. The most unattractive, smallest stations I had ever seen in England till now,  even the #Edgehill station did not seem to me so inadequate. I was a bit lost because there was nothing in between anything. I saw no houses around, no people, no cars, the only thing that I could see was the sign that said, "Temporary Ticket Office"and even that was closed.

Anyway I started walking towards a bridge that stood so lonely that I could even hear the whistling of air as it passed through the hollow bars. As I was standing on the bridge, I could see the lighthouse on a hill that was considered as the highest point on the Wirral Peninsula.
"It is going to take me ages to reach the lighthouse," this is all I could think of because in order to reach there I had to cross a highway and since I did not know anything about the place so had to find my way to it.

Why... always a lighthouse?? To me they symbolize 'hope'.

I decide to walk along the Hoylake road which met Worcester road on the right and lead me to Vyner road north. Yes, I was using the maps from my i-phone otherwise I would have been completely lost.

 The walk took me to the entrance of the Bidston Hill Park, a natural reserve.

The illustrated map at the entrance showed me a wind mill. 

"This brick built tower mill replaced a wooden 'peg' mill that was destroyed by fire in 1793, and was used to grind corn into flour for 75 years up until 1875. Although access was difficult for a horse and cart laden with sacks of grain or flour the top of the hill was the ideal place to catch the wind. In fact, it is believed that there has been a windmill on this site since 1596."

I knew I will not be able to find it on my own so I took help of a couple walking in the same direction. These locals of the place told me that a fifteen minute walk will take us to the mill. 

There it was, gorgeously standing in one of the remote areas in #England, I suppose. I was standing close to it in order to take the best shots from my camera. There was plenty of light but still I used long exposed techniques to take pictures using my tripod that I was carrying as well.

Ahhhh!!! there was some special essence in the moment that I was in, the smell of the bricks that were not adhered well with its surface, the texture of the mortar that I found extremely historic... seemed like I was not standing in 2013. 

This was not it... there was a walking track that led to an old observatory.

"The Observatory was built in 1866 when Liverpool Observatory had to relocate due to the expansion of Waterloo Docks. The building is made using the stone mined during the creation of the cellars, the deepest of which (36 feet or 10.97 meters) maintains a constant cool temperature.In 2004-5, the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory relocated to a new building at the University of Liverpool."

Behind the observatory was the Bidston lighthouse constructed in 1873. It is part of the observatory, not accessible at all.

"There has been a lighthouse on Bidston Hill since about 1771, when the first Bidston Lighthouse was built, further from the shore than any other lighthouse in Britain. The tower was octagonal, and the lamp room featured a massive parabolic reflector, 13’6″ in diameter, developed at the Bidston Signals Station. The present Bidston Lighthouse and Cottages were built by Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in 1873, after the original lighthouse was damaged by fire and demolished. The building is Grade-II listed and privately owned."

It was getting dark, so had to rush to the station.