Hello!!
So, which places will I be blogging today?
I guess the post title has revealed the answer out before I mentioned it.
Yup, today I will be blogging about my exploration of Oxford Circus, the most notable fashion district in the whole of England. (it will just be an exploration, there will be no shopping for me!)
So, which places will I be blogging today?
I guess the post title has revealed the answer out before I mentioned it.
Yup, today I will be blogging about my exploration of Oxford Circus, the most notable fashion district in the whole of England. (it will just be an exploration, there will be no shopping for me!)
However, this exploration will be a little different from the normal exploration. This exploration will be guided by a coin. You did not read wrongly. Yes, it will be guided by a coin.
Each direction of my exploration will be determined by the sides of the coin.
If it is head I will turn right, if it is tail I will turn left.
Each direction of my exploration will be determined by the sides of the coin.
If it is head I will turn right, if it is tail I will turn left.
The idea of letting the sides of the coin to determine the direction that I am going to take for my exploration is taken from the book - SideWalk (which you can find it on the side bar of this blog).
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In this exploration, I've set a starting point and ending point for myself, which both are located at the same place - Oxford Circus Station. Then, in each junction I come across, I will flip the coin and let the coin to determine which direction I should take and this will continue until I have reach back the same location where I started. In another word, if I am not taken back to the Oxford Circus station, my exploration will need to continue until it takes me back.
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Am I excited about this exploration? Yes, because I know it would be fun!
Am I nervous about this exploration? Yes, because I don't know where will it bring me.
Am I prepared? Yes, there is a pepper spray in my pocket for emergency purposes!
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Below is a short clip about this exploration.
(Please bare with me about the quality of the video as there is an error occur during the exportation of the clip)
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During this coin flipping trip, it guided me into some places that I have not been to in London, I would say the quieter and mundane side of London that not all travellers ( I am saying travellers because I consider myself as a traveller here in London) might visit or even walk pass as there are no tourist attractions around that area. Although I consider myself as a frequent visitor to Oxford Circus, however most of the time, I only spend it on the main streets such as Regent street or Oxford street and did not ever visit any of these places that the coin guided me to. I must thank this event to let me see and explore more about the this area.
While I am lost in the not-so-mainstream area, I discovered that this area is rather quiet and less hectic compared to the main streets (like Oxford street or Regent Street). It is amazing to find that how the city that we are in can have such a huge contrast in the human density by a simple separation in a row of buildings.
In the main streets, there are various kinds of attractions (eg. clothes, shoes, bags) displaying and catching your attention. However, in the not-so-mainstream area, I thought that there would be nothing displaying or anything that would attract me. But I was wrong! There are many hidden gems around these areas too. Although the hidden gems you may find in these areas will not be like the materialistic objects you find on the main streets, but they are one of those things that enrich you and enlighten you, which are mental gems. There are mini underground workshops and restaurants with nice ambience (probably this is the reason why I find there is only locals inside the restaurants and no tourists because travellers like me would rarely discover such an area).
Then as I continue my exploration, the coin brought me back into the main street. Such a huge relief that I am back into somewhere familiar, because it is not a pleasing feeling to get lost in a place you have not visited, especially that there are not much people around that area.
While I'm walking in the main streets, I realise that you not only find merchandise displaying around the streets, but you may also find people displaying themselves around the street. When I say people displaying I mean that the street has become a setting for the people exploration and expression of their identities through self-display, such as what they wear or how they wear their apparel. The public spaces (such as the streets, shop or shopping centres) has become a stage for social process of style creation, where people tend to use this as the performance stage of their appearance as well as observing the appearance of others. As this reflect back to myself, probably this is the reason why we tend to take the effort to dress up nicely when we go out, because the city is actually a space for us to display our identity (feminine or masculine) to others, let it be consciously or subconsciously.
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While I am lost in the not-so-mainstream area, I discovered that this area is rather quiet and less hectic compared to the main streets (like Oxford street or Regent Street). It is amazing to find that how the city that we are in can have such a huge contrast in the human density by a simple separation in a row of buildings.
In the main streets, there are various kinds of attractions (eg. clothes, shoes, bags) displaying and catching your attention. However, in the not-so-mainstream area, I thought that there would be nothing displaying or anything that would attract me. But I was wrong! There are many hidden gems around these areas too. Although the hidden gems you may find in these areas will not be like the materialistic objects you find on the main streets, but they are one of those things that enrich you and enlighten you, which are mental gems. There are mini underground workshops and restaurants with nice ambience (probably this is the reason why I find there is only locals inside the restaurants and no tourists because travellers like me would rarely discover such an area).
Then as I continue my exploration, the coin brought me back into the main street. Such a huge relief that I am back into somewhere familiar, because it is not a pleasing feeling to get lost in a place you have not visited, especially that there are not much people around that area.
While I'm walking in the main streets, I realise that you not only find merchandise displaying around the streets, but you may also find people displaying themselves around the street. When I say people displaying I mean that the street has become a setting for the people exploration and expression of their identities through self-display, such as what they wear or how they wear their apparel. The public spaces (such as the streets, shop or shopping centres) has become a stage for social process of style creation, where people tend to use this as the performance stage of their appearance as well as observing the appearance of others. As this reflect back to myself, probably this is the reason why we tend to take the effort to dress up nicely when we go out, because the city is actually a space for us to display our identity (feminine or masculine) to others, let it be consciously or subconsciously.
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This is the map of my exploration.
I don't know do I consider myself lucky that I manage to go back to the starting/ending point without much detouring. Lucky that I did not use my pepper spray, unlucky that I only discovered such little "not-so-mainstream" area.
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I guess that is all for today.
See you soon!
emilyccz
I don't know do I consider myself lucky that I manage to go back to the starting/ending point without much detouring. Lucky that I did not use my pepper spray, unlucky that I only discovered such little "not-so-mainstream" area.
*
I guess that is all for today.
See you soon!
emilyccz
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