i always go back

I'm sitting here for 5 minutes now just scrolling back and forth at these photos and wondering what to say. It's not that I don't have something to say ― I just don't know how to say them because things always lose their sense when I try to take them out of my head. You've heard me say this a million times.

What I'm basically trying to do here is do a throwback of this travel in Cambodia just like how I did last year. It will be two years, 14 days from now, and every time I think of it I always consider my photos from Cambodia as the best photos I have ever taken in my short time of documenting life. I deem them as the best not because of the technicalities it bring to photography like composition, proper exposure, etc., but because when I look at them, they consistently bring me pure, peaceful memories and sensory.

The perfect combination of cool breeze and warm light.
Rich, clay-pot–colored soil covered by a carpet of dry leaves that crackle as you walk on.
Striking rays of light and patches of patterned shades.
Hearing distant conversations in languages I'll never decipher.

So happy that I've convinced myself it's okay to take a selfie (s/o to the man at the end of ramp whoever, wherever you are)

Please ignore my poor sense in fashion.

I have not taken out my Superheadz UWS after using it in this travel because the rubbery finish has turned sticky already. No thanks to my poor storage and maintenance (or lack thereof). Anyone has the same laziness as I do who could give me a tip on how to wipe it off completely?

You can view my previous posts about Cambodia here.

friday's 10 happy things

Something doesn't quite add up to this week. I think my introversion has spiked up, because all I yearn for in my floating moments is to escape the daily routine: sit with a cup of tea/coffee or tuck myself in to a cave. Nevertheless, everything went on as they should, and so did the things that made me smile:

1. New journal and pens. I deliberately did so, to sort of break the fogginess of my mood this week. I just knew I needed something tangible.
2. CBTL talk with my bestfriend over some matcha. Heart-to-heart talks are the end of me.
3. Caffera. A tiny camera-themed coffee shop in Maginhawa :) Darn cute!



bodies #believeinfilm #35mm #film #VSCOcam

A photo posted by April (@grewlegs) on Aug 2, 2015 at 2:15am PDT



4. Books for Less' 20-peso book saaaaale! Braved the first day of sale, and it was a combination of sweat and trigger happiness. 17 books for only $8 :) :)



all for the price of 1 regular book 💘 #dugotpawis #booksforless #booksale #books #VSCOcam

A photo posted by April (@grewlegs) on Jul 31, 2015 at 8:58pm PDT



5. I volunteered to revamp Q's blog, and had a blast. The layout's super simple, but I enjoyed it so much, I swear I almost wished it was mine hahaha.
6. New small notebooks and a bookmark. Again. I think I'm taking jotting down stuff seriously. I now have a separate notebook just for this list. It's actually fun, you know.
7. Cappuccino Muscovado + Sansrival at Cafe Mary Grace. My newly discovered definition of perfection.
8. Polly's Iceland posts. The colors are so rich, I want to slurp it.
9. Lea was killing time and open to entertain some questions, so I took a shot, tweeted her and got an answer in 1 minute.
10. FLAWLESS.

Let's all dive in to this weekend, shall we? :)

ROOTS OF TA PROHM

These roots of trees in Ta Prohm are unbelievably huge. It is how exactly I imagined them to be when I was still researching for this trip, and I feel lucky to be able to see them, and touch them. Well, I touched every piece of marvelous thing when I was in Siem Reap actually -- the boulders, the carvings on sandstone walls, these roots especially -- because knowing they have stood all this time somehow makes me feel connected to the past that no one gets to get back again. Touching the history.

Seeing the roots sprawled in all directions is INCREDIBLE. Some of them have to be supported and protected by metals. It's really nice how they let nature take over because they would rather let the stones topple over than cut the trees.

Love how my Superheadz UWS did an amazing job here :)

Me, taken by our very kind guide, Kuya Wandy :)

WALKING AROUND ANGKOR WAT

As if there is no end, here are still some captures around Angkor Wat, this time taken by my super handy Superheadz UWS :)

JOURNEY AWAITS

Eight rolls arrived today, and still waiting for six more. Now that they're here, I seriously don't know where to start telling the story of this beautiful, probably once in a lifetime journey. Words won't even suffice.

TAOIST TEMPLE IN CEBU

This typical lazy Sunday got me browsing through folders of my film scans, and I coincidentally bumped into these photos of the Taoist Temple in Cebu City, October of last year. Thought they deserve to be shared since this long weekend that I lazily enjoyed was because of the Chinese New Year. Can't wait for my Eng Bee Tin delicacies tomorrow! :)

A BIT OF SOFTNESS

A little ashamed of myself for almost forgetting about these photos. I think I got too attached shooting with my SLR that I did not remember still having some shots in my Superheadz UWS folder. From two months ago at Baclaran..

I remember having these trees captured with Fuji Superia X-TRA 400 back in April. I like Superia for being sharp, but I also like how this batch taken with Lomography CN 400 has less contrast, almost touched with a bit of softness into it.

QUEEN