It dawned on me the other day that since I started carrying my Aqua Pix around with me all the time, I've been unwittingly uncovering a love for this city I grew up in.
This rediscovered hobby has documented the recurring themes in my life (loneliness included) and, in my effort to look for subjects worth keeping in picture form, has led me to really stop and look at Metro Manila from a new perspective. And for every exposure, I keep finding new favorite things about it.
It's taught me to say, "Fuck it," and bring my camera out at a busy intersection to capture a moment, a person, an object I find too interesting for words. It's taught me to stay alert and to get off my phone and to remember why I love long bus rides and window seats. Sometimes, when I'm trying to finish a roll of film, I would take a detour on my way home and walk around somewhere in search of anything that sticks out—like this game I would play with myself on car rides, where I try to look for something I think is beautiful every ten seconds. Turns out it's not hard at all, and I'm never disappointed.
I feel like I've known how to define something—being a part of Manila—for years, but it's only now that I'm understanding it.
So, here, again, is a glimpse into my own personal Metro Manila.
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| I don't know if you can tell, but that's a cat. |
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