Be Brave With Your Life

I look back to check if the trail I left behind somehow still leads to where I came from. I make sure not to confuse them with someone else's. I then continue moving forward, trying to chase light.

It's a vital practice, I believe, especially for those who've been lost countless times, but have somehow managed to create a home wherever they ended up finding themselves in.

Right now, looking at where I'm standing, with feet firm to the ground, something tells me I've been feeling my way to the right direction all along. "My dear", 
I convince myself, "there is really nothing to be scared of."  
I could no longer count how many times I've told myself, 
"You are strong, Jen". And every time, I believe.
I guess I have no choice but to be. Anyway, this should be fun :)

New Year has this funny, ritualistic nature. I've picked out 23 photos as part of my personal ceremony in tracing the constellation of events that somehow form an image of my 2014.  

Deciding to develop a set of habits and workflow to eliminate "not having enough time" as an excuse for not doing things I've always wanted to do.

Being given the chance to present/showcase our documentary at the Visual Documentary Festival in Kyoto University. 

And finding greater honor in being given the trust and the chance to share a story about the Agta-Dumagat-Remontados indigenous group of General Nakar, Quezon.

That surreal feeling of being in another country and experiencing a whole new landscape and culture. Also, realizing that gloves, scarves, and thermal wear exist for a very good reason. (Kyoto, Japan, March 2014)

Weekend Project Meets Japan!

A lot of things are happening, and I'd like to see this as a good sign. I'm writing this in between packing my bags for another trip, running errands, in between shoots, coffee breaks, and catching up with good friends.

As with everything and everyone I want to remember, let me at least give this a shot so I could make sense and sew together seemingly disparate stories. There are moments that you just want to pause and live in, to capture as they happen in order to believe they actually did. 

I look at the calendar and it's been a month since this happened- just an exhibit of how this "time" thing has a funny way of somewhat making us feel guilty.