March 15, 2015 by Michael Pung

Another day, another outing at Brick Lane.

I came across Nathan sitting outside of the 'Art of the Brick' exhibition enjoying a conversation with his partner Celu. I initially walked past him because I had a sudden case of nervousness when he caught my eye, but I told my friend who was with me that I wanted to go back and take his photo.

Nathan is a PE teacher who works at a school in East London. He has been teaching for 5 years.

What are you passionate about?

"I'm passionate about two things: sports and my heritage."

"I'm from Barbados on my mother's side and Mauritius on my father's side. He is also of Indian descent."

He seemed to be proud about his upbringing and of the people who brought him to the world.

I also found out that Nathan has been dating Celu for around a year now, someone who he met when he was in Belgium. I jokingly remarked that he doesn't have to play the Tinder game like so many Londoners and he said:

"I actually met her through Tinder when I was travelling in Belgium."

He went on saying that it did start off as a fling, but when he came back from his travels they kept in touch and things developed from there.

Thank you Nathan for taking part in the project and Celu for being patient during the photo session.

100 Strangers Project - 15/100 / March 9, 2015 by Michael Pung

So the month of March is upon us and the weather is finally becoming warmer! This is great because it's easier for me to stay out longer and devote more time to my strangers project.

Kim was on her way from work to meet up with her friend. I asked her the question and she inquisitively asked where I was from. As it turns out, she too is a fellow Australian and picked out my accent instantly.

Kim is a primary school teacher who is on her final 2 months of her Visa here in the UK and was vibrant in our interaction.

So I asked her: "Since you work with children, what is one piece of life advice you would give to them?"

"You've got to follow through with what you love."

Kim was the first stranger to invite me for drinks after our photoshoot. So thanks Kim, enjoyed the banter and wish you well on your return home.

First Post - A Day at Mudchute Farm / February 20, 2015 by Michael Pung

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

The day was Tuesday. My friends and I took the public transit to a farm located in one of the boroughs of east London. It was a cloudless day and there was a warmth in the air that was absent the day before. The scenery was lush, with wide green pastures - trees bountiful. Squirrels were cautiously watching families stroll throughout the farm, keeping their distance. Also, there was an assortment of sheep, llamas, chickens, horses, donkeys and an impossibly large pig spread out around this small farm. All of this was juxtaposed with the backdrop of the big city.

I've haven't been to a farm like this in a very long time. Perhaps it's because I've always lived in a big city and making the trip away to see a farm never crossed my mind. Yet when we arrived, I instantly felt like a child again and I saw excited looks on both adults and children alike. I savour moments like these, and always look forward to doing random things with my friends. The company really helped make the day - and pictured below are some of the coolest kids in London (+my friends).