On the Road

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” -Jack Kerouac

A beautiful little girl inside a Manobo Hut, Butuan City 

A kid who went up a tree and came down with a bird, Leyte

And Forward, We Roll...

And forward, we roll.


I remember the times my dad and I would watch travel shows, admiring Ian Wright, Denise Keller, Asha Gill when I was young. We didn't have enough money to travel so it was only through collated images and stories from shows, books, and magazines that I had a glimpse of this wide, wild world. 

I remember my dad telling me, "Jen, someday you, too, will travel extensively. And someday, you'll get to make your own shows too." His words felt weightless and heavy at the same time. I practically had no idea how that would ever happen, but that moment was frozen and kept safe in a little box in my head. It would play on loop, someday. 

Forward, we roll- to the present. I am now packing my things like a mad man, preparing my shot lists, reviewing the route, semi-panicking... I should be asleep by now. We'll start shooting Day 1 of History Channel's Ride N' Seek: Season 4 in a few hours. But I can't help but pause for a while and make time to be really and genuinely grateful. 

Never in my wildest dreams have I ever imagined doing this. But the world is kind, and it has its weird ways. When I was in college, I was shit-scared of directing. I've always thought I'd tread a different path, away from production. But somewhere between then and now, an overwhelming string of events has led me to this moment.

Have you ever been obsessed with the things you're scared of? My fears and dreams have formed this interesting relationship where they've decided that they simply can't live without each other. And I know that I can never forgive myself for not doing something just because I'm scared. It should never be an excuse.

So nevermind if my knees are trembling or if my stomach feels like there's a thunderstorm brewing, when I remember my dad telling me "Jen, someday...", I swallow my fears and inhibitions so I could tell him that "someday" has arrived. Thank you for always believing.


**This quick photo diary is a compilation of photos I took last year during our shoot for Ride N' Seek, Season 3. We traveled from Puerto Galera all the way North to Kalinga to meet Apo Fang-Od. Traveling while shooting for a month is a completely different way of learning and re-learning about our roots. This experience is irreplaceable.

The Mystery of the Shrunken Clothes

When I was young, I had a favorite top that I liked wearing. One day, my mom said that it was already small and it doesn't fit me anymore. In my 4 year-old mind, I honestly thought that clothes shrink and shrink until they disappear. I wanted to know where clothes went when they're no longer visible to the naked eye. Could they be in the same place where all the lost things are- the items never to be found again?

I turned a year older a few weeks ago. I am now 25.

I suddenly remembered my weird childhood theories and the mystery of the shrunken clothes. Of course I now know that clothes don't get smaller, instead we grow bigger.

But my now 25-year old mind still has a lot of questions. I wonder, what about memories? Where do memories go- those never to be remembered again? 

Through the years, I've learned to really put value in moments. Moments that eventually turn into compiled short stories that define us. 

So for fear of forgetting, I'm stitching together 25 photos from my 2015 into new narratives that somehow make more sense to me. They've come to evolve into these humble crumbs of "wisdom", that I've picked up along the way.

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)

Hang Loose

Days... and Confused (Series #1)

As a magnet to random and frenzied experiences- both intended and impromptu, it's nice (and sometimes confusing) to find oneself in varied settings. From strangers' homes, to barber shops, to film sets lit by kino flo's and 2K lights, to the middle of the sea- sometimes all in just 1 week. There's this small yet tugging voice that begs me to document these days. And so I heed.

Every once in a while I meet up with my friend, Kel, to have our usual Life Update. When our personalities combine, the weird-o-meter just goes way up and it explodes into many possibilities.

Our go-to spot is a sidewalk curb, hands both clasping on a 5-peso cup of coffee from a vendo machine. Thank god for these things, we do not have to pay for a hundred and fifty just to sit down and talk. Although I appreciate a "good cup", most of the time it's not so much the coffee as the company.

Last "session", we threw a dart at our imaginary map and it landed on the hand-painted sign of Ailynn's Beauty Salon. If you've found yourself (drunk or sober) in Cubao X, you've surely noticed the quaint parlor at the back corner. Or maybe you haven't. It's just there, minding its own business and doing a great job at it. 

An Ode to My Kit Lens

Because I am talkative in person, pen, and (hopefully) in photograph- and since I feel guilty flooding Facebook feed with my essay-like posts, I might as well put this into better use. 

I just turned a year older several days ago and I've decided that this year, given my abnormally high tolerance for awkward and bizarre situations, I'm subjecting myself to some personal as well as social experiments. I guess this blog is one of them.

What the Human Body Can

It has always been interesting... what the human body can do. 
I've always wondered to what extent will it bend, flex, break, endure.

I've recently attended this wonderful performance. 
Bodies bending in impossible degrees, twisting in ways I can't imagine, enduring pressure. 

Above all it's amazing, the amount of weight it can hold. Weight that it shouldn't, but through will, it suddenly could.

It's beautiful. And we just keep on surpassing our perceived limits. 

Kamusta Ka?

Kamusta ka?

It has been a while since I last saw you, but I still remember how beautiful you are. 

Bohol, this view of yours is breathtaking.

Where the Sky is Upside Down

We stopped in the middle of the sea. The four of us in a boat knew each other in different degrees. It didn't matter. 

At that moment, 'freedom' was risk- abandoning life vests and boat, along with my father's template words I never heed- "wag masyadong malakas ang loob at malaki ang tiwala, Jen" ("not too brave, nor trusting, Jen"). 

Bantay at Tambay (Series #1)

Bantay at Tambay is a series of photos 

of people at work, people with free time, 

people at work together with people with free time, 

and people at work with free time.

The first of this experimental series was taken in the world's oldest Chinatown, Binondo.