2009MAY032133
Big Trouble in Little China
"... This is Jack Burton in the Pork Chop Express, and I'm talkin' to whoever's listenin' out there ..."
Out and about in Box Hill today.
I'd rather be doing something else - I found out later in the day I'd missed the Puffing Billy run up the Hill. Maybe next year. I had to kill a couple of hours so I went for a walk to see how the place looks. I've spent quite a few years around Box Hill passing through for school and work. I know the layout of the streets. I know what to expect. It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon. Just walking around, checking out the sights.
Certainly Box Hill has changed since I was last walking around in say 2004, 2005. My favourite Manga shop has gone and every second shop now seems to be a hair dressing salon. Lots more posters around. Huge amount of posters. The great eateries are still there. I didn't go and check what food was really there. I just wanted to do an overall Rece'. Sample the place while I waited.
Busy.
Plenty of people on the streets, shoppers, people eating out and walking. This is where things get shady. This part of Box Hill is pretty seedy.
Why?
Location, location, location. No not Box Hill itself but the proximity to the transport. Box Hill is a transit point. A meeting place of buses, trains and roads. As such it's a magnet for undesirable people who want to move quickly from place to place cheaply and unnoticed. By undesirables I don't mean the locals. I like the influence the Chinese have in the area. The place has a nice vibe. People out on the streets, eating, shopping doing all the stuff you would expect normal people to do on a Sunday afternoon.
No, the undesirables are the blow-ins who are staking their claim on the streets. As I walk the corner I'm about to get into trouble but I don't know it yet.
Wrong place, wrong time
"... Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it' ..."
As I walk around the corner I take a shot, then another. Paused, turn left and take a shot of an alley. Then I hear in a broad Australian accent... "excuse me... I know what's coming next. I'd clocked the 2 blokes walking towards me. Something didn't seem right. They where not moving properly. They where skinny and giving off *street-wise-vibes* that said "trouble" at least for me. Skinny and out of place. Druggies or pushers. There is a study of how people walk called "Gait Analysis". It means you can analyse someones intent by looking at them. If your've been on the streets enough you can pick the "victims" from the "perp". The sheep from the wolves.
I think it was the flash that gave my position away. Though it could have been the body position shooting straight down the main street. Remember, we are talking sun past the yard-arm here on a major town street in daylight on a weekend. So the next I hear is "You with the camera". Maybe these blokes didn't want to be seen? One had a hoodie - code for "I can see you, you can't see me". The favourite of the minor hood who can walk around without having to worry about cameras taking happy snaps. That's where I walk in. Direct front face shot. But one bloke is quick. He's shielded his face on the second shot. In the first shot he is hidden.
First mover advantage
"... Like I told my last wife, I says, 'Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it's all in the reflexes.' ..."
You can do a number of things at this point but the first thing should be react. You could stop, think of something to say, let them come to you. Move forward (no). Or do what I did, recognise someone was out of place, recognise they are singling you out for something more that money, smokes. But instead of magic, Kung Foo and Chinese intruige what I get is a couple of local aussie thugs of the muppet variety. I'm not going to waste my time discussing the niceties of photography with these two. So I took Sun TZu's advice and won by "avoiding conflict".
Muppet Ambush
"... Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don't. ..."
I ran across the road, across the tram tracks and high tailed it down the main road towards the city. At least one gives chase... "come back here ... you flocker....". Well he picked the wrong person. I know what theses guys are thinking. They telegraphed their intentions. Like the new pup who jumps up and barks in plain sight while the old dog lies back in the bushes, waiting. Little did they know my first reaction was to see how far and fast these blokes wanted to go. I was carrying about 3Kg of kit in my jacket - water, food, camera, keys, wallet, comms in a sling inside my jacket, pens, paper. I tabbed about 1000m, waited. Then moved another couple of kilometers back to the car. I could go another 10Km at least. In these days of cheap communications you have to be careful. They could phone home for mates? So it's through a park I go back to the car. On foot. Waiting, watching. But what a PIA. I had to go back there in about an hour. Get to the car, change out my kit. Off goes the jacket, cap, sunnies - I know what they look like as I took some shots - they have a vauge discription of me from the back. Now I'm dressed totally different but still in shorts.
At the time I need to go to the PUP find a car park, murderous because I'm in the main street. Eventually find a spot. Go to the pickup only to find I have to wait another hour. Can't wait the cars in a 15min zone. Think I'll cut my loses and go to Doncaster for a bit.
Unlike Big Trouble in Little China this trip wasn't about "mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown". No kung-fu, ancient sorcerers or ruthless street gangs ("Wing Kong") this was a couple of short muppets looking for an excuse to make a point. My favourite quote from the film? ... "Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don't".
next >>>
2009MAY032133
Big Trouble in Little China
"... This is Jack Burton in the Pork Chop Express, and I'm talkin' to whoever's listenin' out there ..."
Out and about in Box Hill today.
I'd rather be doing something else - I found out later in the day I'd missed the Puffing Billy run up the Hill. Maybe next year. I had to kill a couple of hours so I went for a walk to see how the place looks. I've spent quite a few years around Box Hill passing through for school and work. I know the layout of the streets. I know what to expect. It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon. Just walking around, checking out the sights.
Certainly Box Hill has changed since I was last walking around in say 2004, 2005. My favourite Manga shop has gone and every second shop now seems to be a hair dressing salon. Lots more posters around. Huge amount of posters. The great eateries are still there. I didn't go and check what food was really there. I just wanted to do an overall Rece'. Sample the place while I waited.
Busy.
Plenty of people on the streets, shoppers, people eating out and walking. This is where things get shady. This part of Box Hill is pretty seedy.
Why?
Location, location, location. No not Box Hill itself but the proximity to the transport. Box Hill is a transit point. A meeting place of buses, trains and roads. As such it's a magnet for undesirable people who want to move quickly from place to place cheaply and unnoticed. By undesirables I don't mean the locals. I like the influence the Chinese have in the area. The place has a nice vibe. People out on the streets, eating, shopping doing all the stuff you would expect normal people to do on a Sunday afternoon.
No, the undesirables are the blow-ins who are staking their claim on the streets. As I walk the corner I'm about to get into trouble but I don't know it yet.
Wrong place, wrong time
"... Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, and the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big ol' storm right square in the eye and he says, "Give me your best shot, pal. I can take it' ..."
As I walk around the corner I take a shot, then another. Paused, turn left and take a shot of an alley. Then I hear in a broad Australian accent... "excuse me... I know what's coming next. I'd clocked the 2 blokes walking towards me. Something didn't seem right. They where not moving properly. They where skinny and giving off *street-wise-vibes* that said "trouble" at least for me. Skinny and out of place. Druggies or pushers. There is a study of how people walk called "Gait Analysis". It means you can analyse someones intent by looking at them. If your've been on the streets enough you can pick the "victims" from the "perp". The sheep from the wolves.
I think it was the flash that gave my position away. Though it could have been the body position shooting straight down the main street. Remember, we are talking sun past the yard-arm here on a major town street in daylight on a weekend. So the next I hear is "You with the camera". Maybe these blokes didn't want to be seen? One had a hoodie - code for "I can see you, you can't see me". The favourite of the minor hood who can walk around without having to worry about cameras taking happy snaps. That's where I walk in. Direct front face shot. But one bloke is quick. He's shielded his face on the second shot. In the first shot he is hidden.
First mover advantage
"... Like I told my last wife, I says, 'Honey, I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it's all in the reflexes.' ..."
You can do a number of things at this point but the first thing should be react. You could stop, think of something to say, let them come to you. Move forward (no). Or do what I did, recognise someone was out of place, recognise they are singling you out for something more that money, smokes. But instead of magic, Kung Foo and Chinese intruige what I get is a couple of local aussie thugs of the muppet variety. I'm not going to waste my time discussing the niceties of photography with these two. So I took Sun TZu's advice and won by "avoiding conflict".
Muppet Ambush
"... Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don't. ..."
I ran across the road, across the tram tracks and high tailed it down the main road towards the city. At least one gives chase... "come back here ... you flocker....". Well he picked the wrong person. I know what theses guys are thinking. They telegraphed their intentions. Like the new pup who jumps up and barks in plain sight while the old dog lies back in the bushes, waiting. Little did they know my first reaction was to see how far and fast these blokes wanted to go. I was carrying about 3Kg of kit in my jacket - water, food, camera, keys, wallet, comms in a sling inside my jacket, pens, paper. I tabbed about 1000m, waited. Then moved another couple of kilometers back to the car. I could go another 10Km at least. In these days of cheap communications you have to be careful. They could phone home for mates? So it's through a park I go back to the car. On foot. Waiting, watching. But what a PIA. I had to go back there in about an hour. Get to the car, change out my kit. Off goes the jacket, cap, sunnies - I know what they look like as I took some shots - they have a vauge discription of me from the back. Now I'm dressed totally different but still in shorts.
At the time I need to go to the PUP find a car park, murderous because I'm in the main street. Eventually find a spot. Go to the pickup only to find I have to wait another hour. Can't wait the cars in a 15min zone. Think I'll cut my loses and go to Doncaster for a bit.
Unlike Big Trouble in Little China this trip wasn't about "mysterious underworld beneath Chinatown". No kung-fu, ancient sorcerers or ruthless street gangs ("Wing Kong") this was a couple of short muppets looking for an excuse to make a point. My favourite quote from the film? ... "Tall guy, weird clothes. First you see him, then you don't".
next >>>