Absolute Relativity

Docklands, London, UK

It has been almost three decades since Mohammad arrived in the UK from Bangladesh. Starting to work in the lowest level of food chain crawling up. He has now managed to open his own family business, a fish and chips store in London’s Docklands area. His restaurant generates good money but he still feels the crippling effect of a slowing economy. The sales dipped a little bit but he can still stand up on both feet. “At least my money is not in Iceland”, he adds.

House of the Horses, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Akram is a Pakistani immigrant in Dubai, an Emirate in UAE in which immigrants takes a huge 80 % chunk of total population. He came to Dubai for the Emirati Dream with his wife and baby daughter in 1996, and things have been going well until a few years ago. A massive influx of recent immigrants means he is replaceable. A steady living cost increase also forces the man to send his wife and daughter home. “I miss them sometimes, that’s why I want to work in Duty Free shops in the airport so I can get a free round trip ticket home every a couple of years”, he says.

It was intersting to see her on the street of Shigatse. I thought she was selling cheese made from MaoNiu milk but apparently I was wrong. It was sugar block and she was selling it for 1 RMB for 4 pieces. A good deal I might say.

A Tibetan shepherd taking a cigarette break. Picture taken on the way to Mt Everest.

A boat rower in Xi Tang (西塘), a town located on Jiashan County in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province.
The town is famous because of the filming of the movie Mission Impossible 3. Ironically, the movie was banned (or severely delayed?) in Chinese theaters because the some of the scenes in Shanghai are “tarnishing the image” of the city. The authorities were not happy with the scenes of underwear and clothings hung out on a bamboo poles, and the portrayal of Shanghai’s police as incompetent.

Drying clothes on a bamboo poles is not embarrassing, I call it one step further to a greener economy!

The boat costs RMB 100 for about half an hour ride and can be shared with 10-12 people.

A bing tang hu lu (冰糖葫芦) seller in front of a Fujian elementary school. RMB 1 for the delicious sugar coated crab apple.