Chris, Princess Street

(Contains some strong language)

How do you come to be here?

“The answer is, through choices. I had my own business. It's a mad, mad story. I had two houses and two restaurants in Aberdeen. Then I went in search of happiness. I landed in Cambodia and in Vietnam and in Thailand for a year and a half. I had friends over there. Yeah, I went in search of happiness, and it led me to live with people who had nothing. Literally had nothing. They had food, which is the global currency, and they were just the happiest people in the world.

I came back two years ago and I just can't settle.”

Did you sell up in Aberdeen?

“I gave most of the stuff I owned away. When I was in Glasgow, three days before I flew to Thailand, I had a seven grand watch on my wrist. A guy on the street asked me the time and I gave him my watch.”

How did that make you feel?

“I felt great. Random acts of kindness are what make the world go round I think.”

So how do you live now day-to-day?

“At the moment it’s just day-to-day. I live in this tent with my friend and a dog. I sit out here asking for money for food and clothes. I’m not taking drugs, I’m not drinking. It’s just helping others out.”

Do you feel happy now that you're free of all you owned in Aberdeen?

“Well, that raises the whole question of happiness. What is it? I'm a positive person, but at the moment I just feel blessed that I'm breathing. That's what I go back to. I pulled a dead body out of a tent here last week. I gave her CPR in the street, but it became a crime scene. I've lost people over the years, close people. So, I feel blessed that I'm still breathing every day. People miss the little things. They walk by and they're arguing. They're so set up on getting the next biggest TV or whatever it is.”

And you don’t have to worry about any of that?

“In a way I feel selfish. I feel bad for what I'm putting my family through. I have two kids. I don't want this to be the legacy that I leave, but I don't know the next move. I've had a couple of flats in Aberdeen and I came down here, but I've not been able to keep them on. I’m just … I’m just unsettled. Whatever I do next, I want it to work. I can get a job. I know I can get a job.”

What’s the biggest obstacle for you moving forward?

“Making decisions. Making choices. Consciously working out that I need to make a decision. My life has always been very fast, just living in the moment. You know, you've got the past, the present and the future. It’s the present I struggle with. It's like I just don't know what to do day-to-day. It’s all about conforming, isn't it? Like getting a job, getting a TV, getting a Netflix subscription. “

You're obviously a talented guy. But I guess it's about finding where you can use those talents in a way that satisfies yourself?

“I'm a chef. I had restaurants. I cooked every day. And that was a passion and what I loved. You were collaborating with different brands and learning something new every day. But I’ve given up.  I'm in the habit of doing nothing at the moment and I accept that, and I understand it and I know it and I realise it. And I speak to all these other people that don't. They're so focused on getting money or getting drugs or drink, or whatever it is.”

So you've managed to stay away from drugs.

“Well, I did drugs years ago but it's just a waste of money. I managed to battle that when I came back from Thailand two years ago.”

Do you have friends in the city?

“Yeah. But I feel lonely every day.”

Do you ever wonder what people who walk past you here think of you? Does it bother you?

“Nah. It doesn’t bother me. People are people aren't they. You get one in every 200 that does stop and gives you the time of day, like yourself. Everybody’s just doing their own thing, which is fine. But life would be so much better if more people just gave a fuck. I was actually going to put up a sign, ‘Please Give a F*ck’. That's what it comes down to, isn't it?”

Is there anybody in your life who is an influencer?

“Yes. My dad.”

Does he understand?

“Nah. He can’t get his head around why I’ve done what I’ve done. And my brother’s angry. He's angry because my father's angry.

In the last few weeks, it's been really bothering me that this is not the kind of life I want to live. Especially I don't want my dad and my kids to think, this is my son and this is my dad. I don't know if it's kind of like I've done it and I've lived it … got too many T-shirts, you know what I mean? And I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know how to combat that or what to do. I believe in fate and that the energy you put out comes back to you, and I believe that what’s for you won’t go past you. But if you try too hard to make that happen it just fucks your head up. But I think there is a degree to which you can alter that.

And thanks for stopping man. I feel more energised just after talking with you.”