coron: banana island

Banana Island -- our second one to step into on our second day in Coron. Our boat docked at the side of the island, and upon getting my feet into the ground, I immediately liked it the moment I saw the green grass sprawled ahead of me.

When we turned to meet the rest of it, I secretly crumbled inside, with so much awe. Hammocks tied up into the coconut trees facing the deepest of the blue I can imagine. We were given a lot of time to enjoy this home-y island, and of course I cannot miss the luxury of lying down into one of those precious hammocks.

While waiting for lunch, we walked further along, and saw a couple of nipa houses. One of them was empty, so we sat on the porch, talked whatever that came to mind, mindlessly watched people passing by, totally detached from the concept of time.

Maybe next time, I would book another flight to Coron and just spent the whole stay in this island (even though I don't know if there are houses for rent in here haha).

Another hour passed by doing nothing, the kind of nothing that still has actual meaning: staring at the sea, watching a couple set up their picnic mat on the beach, hunting chickens to take photos of, attempting to take a nap. And then it was time again for another tummy-filling lunch! :)

Lunch was very good and had me wanting to attach another set of intestine in my stomach just so I could eat more of the fresh seafood and liempo. We found an empty tree house and spent the rest of our food coma in it while listening to music. I like moments like these when you don't feel the need to talk and you feel everyone knows it and does the same. Nature has its own way of silencing us in a beautiful way.

coron: bulog island

the sunday currently vol. 1

Been wanting to do The Sunday Currently series since November, but decided to just start it appropriately at the beginning of the year.

Currently...

Reading Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham. Still picking up the humor, but some parts do make me chuckle.

Writing an application form for National Bookstore's Loyalty Card :D I seriously don't know why I don't have one yet.

Listening to a lot of jazz piano music lately. Makes me feel I'm in a romcom movie haha! I have zero knowledge with the genre, but I have two Keith Jarrett albums so far, so if you know more, please do recommend! :)

Thinking how to lose this holiday weight gain without exerting any major efforts :D :D :D

Smelling nothing.

Wishing for a Ricoh GR1.

Hoping to have enough resilience for this year.

Wearing a sando and my seven year-old P.E. shorts.

Loving the shots I get to take with my Leila :)

Wanting to go North. Ilocos, La Union or Batanes. But Batanes, mostly!

Needing to update and sort my music library, and finish the rest of the calendars.

Feeling clingy to the holidays. I will miss waking up at 10 AM :( and having the time to update this blog almost everyday.

Clicking torrent links, PostSecret, The Phoblographer, Tumblr

The Sunday Currently blog link-up

coron: kayangan lake

The first time I went to Coron, the one spot that stuck with me long after the trip was over was the luminous Kayangan Lake. I was so enamored by it that I considered it the most beautiful place I have ever been to, in the Philippines. Four years later, it still got a hold of me, and I am amazed how it did not change one bit.

One thing to be noted though, the path to the lake is tricky. Her beauty needs to be earned, you know, by climbing up a hundred plus steps, and then descending to a hundred plus more of uneven stones. By the time you reach the wooden platform to catch your breath, it is going to be taken away again by the sight of the clearest waters surrounded by the rocky mountains and trees. Welcome to a pocket of paradise! :)

The best part: we had the lake all to ourselves until dusk. I carry with me a wonderful, peaceful moment lying down on the raft, softly paddling through the waters with my hands, and just being still and afloat. It was the perfect moment to cue in that Louis Armstrong song: And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Hahaha, it really calls for being highly dramatic.

2015: the cherry on top

I don't usually admit it to myself, but I have lived life with the saying: Go with the flow. I don't put things back to their proper places. I don't make lists. I have no urge or whatsoever to make a mental note of things (or if I do, consider it forgotten). I have woken up to many mornings thinking that things will fall into their proper places just as they should, because of wrong interpretation of if something is bound to happen, it will. Obviously, things will only happen if you actually make a move for it.

2014 has given me a chance to know myself better, which I am grateful for, and one simple thing I realized and I will easily succumb to on being at fault: I don't make new year goals. It is so laughable, I know. Having known and accepted this, I learned that it is not enough to just have goals, they also have to be smart. And by smart, this means: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals. 

New year means fresh start. This could be exciting at first, but also prone to quickly fade out after a few months in to the new year. So here are my 2015 (hopefully) smart goals, which I will look into again in July to check each progress (I tried to be realistic haha):

• Wake up 75 minutes before going to work to make time for stretching, at least three times a week
• Shoot more people, at least six shots in a roll
• Draw (no matter how mundane) once a week
• Join Carlos Celdran's Barter Tour before the rainy season begins
• Complete the 52-week money challenge (in reverse)
• Blog at least three times a week
• Finish a book once a month
• Take photos in my neighborhood/city once a month
• Participate in two photowalks
• Join Alessa Lanot's Watercolor Workshop
• Print at least five photos for every roll of film
• Take Kimi out for a walk every Sunday morning
• Spend only ten minutes in social media before sleeping
• Write in my journal every day
• Visit the National Museum

Some of the things I cannot quantify, but still want to achieve:

• Resist participation in gossips (haha)
• Compliment people more
• Give thanks upon waking up instead of looking for my phone immediately (hehehe)
• Be receptive in small talks
• Choose my words and speak more kindly
• Own up to my photography (and also to this blog :D)

I tracked all of my films, and discovered that I shot 59 rolls this year! 59! I would love to include a goal that involves a direct output from my photography, but I guess this one has to be derived from the more specific photography-related goals I have mentioned above. Printing postcards or bookmarks, perhaps? Doing last year's calendar opened up more ideas on what to do next.

2015 is going to be the cherry on top :) May this year be our most productive one yet!