GIVE YOURSELF TIME || LOY KRATHONG, WAT ARUN, AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND – NOVEMBER 2018

How wonderfully you have grown since May of last year. – Morgan Harper Nichols

I believe it’s a fairly universal emotion for young adults to feel like we’re running out of time to accomplish our aspirations in life. Society glorifies the ‘30 under 30s’, painting these outliers are the vantage point for success.

Deadlines are important in keeping us accountable and productive. However, based on how I’ve planned my life (so far), everything has to be done by the time I’m 30… and that is where it stops.

If my recent encounter with a fairly serious injury (on my face) has taught me anything, it’s that time is the key to everything.

Time heals, and time is a great teacher.

Time heals

The deep wounds that a bacterial infection inflicted on my nose took three weeks to heal. Deep scars took the place of these wounds, and day by day I noticed they are getting smaller, slowly lifting up, and generally getting less ostentatious. I am still healing.

I was so incredibly stressed during these three weeks because I had an upcoming trip to Spain. In addition to reasons grounded in vanity, I was nervous because I might be considered a potential health hazard by the Spanish government. However, prayers and a week-long course of fairly strong antibiotics worked, and the final scab fell off on the plane ride from Dubai to Madrid.

This experience taught me that healing takes time. It simply cannot be expedited and this applies wounds both physical and emotional in nature.

Time is necessary for us to heal from the habits, and mindset that hinder us from being completely ready to step up to the demands of our goals and dreams.

Time is a teacher

Much like the week-long, pretty strong, antibiotic + regular cleaning, medicating, and gauzing course that I had to do for the infection, healing habits and mindsets require proactive intervention.

Forming new habits (physical and mental) takes effort and commitment which might take weeks, even months. And as we go through these processes, we learn not just new and better ways of doing things, but also new dimensions in our identities.

Our greatest stumbling blocks,

Our threshold for pain,

Our grit levels,

Our creativity,

Our why power,

How desperate we are for our goals,

What we really want out of life

Allow yourself some time to grow into the person needed by your dreams.

Time makes us worthy of the goals we’ve set out for ourselves.

Time makes us worthy of the person we aspire to be.

(Here are some photos from Thailand, taken on November 2018. Loy Krathong festival, Ayutthaya, and the incredible Wat Arun)

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, UncategorizedTags: adventure, ayutthaya, bangkok, exploration, loy krathong, nature, photography, thailand, travel, travel photography, wat arun Leave a comment

SALTWATER HEALS

They say saltwater heals, whether in the form of tears, sweat, or the sea.

It’s starting to become a tradition, a beach escape in March.

Escape is not being used lightly since it was technically an escape. There was no Wi-fi, nor phone signal and nobody heard anything from me for two days.

I began composing this at two in the morning. Apart from the sound of waves kissing the shore and the crickets chirping away, the world is quiet. My mind is quiet as well, an anomaly, but definitely a welcome change. In the quiet of the night, I let it all come, the truths I have been ignoring and forgetting amidst the vicissitudes of daily life.

Your superbrain is killing you, superbrain. 

Overthinking has been taking out the joy in everything lately. Overanalyzing and overplanning every task to ensure efficiency, assuming what another person is thinking instead of asking him/her directly, and diving straight into the worst case scenarios (in the guise of preparation in case things go wrong) has been incredibly draining. Tonight I am reminded of the fact that we need to live in the present, in the actual world, for this is how we determine what could be.

It’s okay not to know everything.

The beauty of Schrodinger’s cat. What is meant for us will always come and what is withheld from us is oftentimes for our own protection, and this includes information. Similar to the way spoilers work in movies and novels, life would be incredibly boring and pointless if everything is made known to us prematurely just because we wanted to know.

Communication isn’t always the key to a good relationship

Because sometimes, letting go is. I have always been the type to talk it out, but as life went on and my circle widened, I have come to meet people who don’t really prefer to discuss conflicts and its possible resolution. I made the mistake of pushing for the talking solution with a dear friend last February when we had a minor disagreement and it only made the conflict worse. What could’ve been resolved in a day (if only I had let it go) ended up lasting for a week and a half, and that week and a half could’ve been filled with happy memories. I did realize eventually that letting go is the only solution, and that if we are truly secure in our relationships and we know the heart of the other person, it’s okay to leave things unsaid.

Mental health breaks are a privilege

I realized this when I informed my mother of this trip. She wished me safety and that I get the equilibrium I am seeking. But I ended up thinking about her life which probably became overwhelming multiple times, being a single parent and all, when I was a child. She never once took a “mental health break”. Falling apart is a privilege. If you can afford to be broken down by difficulties, because it’s not a life or death situation, or there’s no child that will go hungry, or you can afford to go soul-searching, you are still better off than a large number of people.

Tomorrow I go on a boat ride and a snorkel trip with two of my best friends. Looking forward to being reinvigorated by nature so come Monday, I can face the world anew.

March 25, 2018March 28, 2018 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: corals, exploration, islands, landscape photography, late night thoughts, lobo batangas, marine life, nature, philippine beaches, philippine islands, philippines, photography, seascape, travel, travel philippines, travel photography, travelPH, underwater Leave a comment

SOMETHING TO ASPIRE FOR – TURIN 2017

“Travel, for me, is a little bit like being in love, because suddenly all your senses are at the setting marked “on.” Suddenly you’re alert to the secret patterns of the world.” – Pico Iyer

It was love at first sight. 

I never believed that it’s possible for a  moment of contact to be enough to make one fall head over heels, and be willing to do anything and everything to pursue the object of their immediate insanity.

Turin however, was unreal and otherworldly. Love at first sight, as it turns out, is possible when one travels. The entire city is a Baroque exhibit, remnants of the old Savoy-ian wealth and grandeur expertly preserved throughout the centuries. What I saw only through documentaries and mama’s collected National Geographic clippings on Italy was suddenly all before me and it was overwhelming.

I visited two palaces turned museums: Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama, former homes of Turin’s fallen monarchs, the Savoys. I was also able to see the Shroud of Turin, as well as the Egyptian Museum. The most fun I’ve had however, was at the National Museum of Cinema. It was nirvana for a lover of film and imagery, as Maria Adriana Prolo’s collection was extensive and authentic. As souvenir, I bought a postcard of Audrey Hepburn to remind me to live an elegant life. The museum was housed inside the Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s “La Tour Eiffel”, and whose panoramic lift allowed me to see the entirety of the old city as well as the surrounding Italian Alps.

The various piazzas were moving displays of the typical Italian life. Street performers playing and dancing to classical music could be found in every corner. Water fountains with steel busts of a Bull bring forth an endless stream of perfectly potable mountain spring water. The street graffiti were incredibly poetic, calling one’s amore “alleluiyah” like it’s nothing.

The locals were never in a hurry. There was always time for a stroll or a chat with a friend and an Apéritif. The only hurried thing I saw was the drinking of coffee, as “café” automatically means “espresso” and is consumed right at the bar in one to two gulps. I ate authentic pizza and lasagna, and had Sauvignon blanc with dinner followed by a shot of espresso, and then a shot of Amarre. Oh, and I also had Gelato every day.

This visit was a privilege afforded to me at work, and it was a game-changer. Turin gave me something to aspire for. I was reminded of the dream of working at the UN level I had since university. Those dreams could be translated in to a concrete plan now, with a specific UN Agency in mind, and motivated further by the desire to live in this beautiful city.

Turin cleansed me of the  distractions that have been sabotaging my goals for months. I was made to realize the importance of letting go (of people, activities) even if we might like them very much. I realized further the value of one’s mental energy, and how necessary it is to choose one’s battles in order to make sure that we are investing ourselves properly.

Most importantly however, I realized that maybe I am good enough for this dream and that someday (a foreseeable someday), maybe I could make it.

All photos were taken using an Oppo F1s+. My first full mobile photography set. 🙂 

October 9, 2017October 10, 2017 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: adventure, baroque, dreams, exploration, italia, italy, photography, piemonte, street photography, torino, travel, travel photography, turin Leave a comment

LOBO BATANGAS 2017

The second weekend of March was spent island hopping in Lobo, Batangas. One of my good friends from work grew up in the city and she kindly let me, and two other friends, explore the virgin beaches of her hometown. I’ll never forget the various shades of blue that the ocean had, the mountains that grow nothing but coconut trees, the limestone cliffs and boulders, and the fresh sea breeze that carried away all of the tension built up from staying in the city for far too long.

It was also a trip of many firsts. We slept on a tent by the beach the first night and caught the sunrise. We visited a mangrove forest and climbed up a tree house and also jumped into open ocean from a boulder for the very first time. It was trip that solidified friendships and built trust and openness.

Areas visited are:

• Malagundi Point – Beach is made up of medium to large pebbles. Two flip flops died in this beach.
• Simbahang Bato – Only accessible by boat. Beaches are lined with Limestone cliffs and rock formations that obviously used to be part of the seafloor centuries ago. The beach is a mixture of pebbles, broken corals, and sand.
• Malabrigo Lighthouse – Visited for the sole purpose of exploring the lighthouse. The lighthouse used to be an outpost for Japanese soldiers during the second world war. It is said that the decapitated heads of murdered prisoners were thrown down the wells (now sealed) and the bodies off the cliff. Also, you have to climb 100 steps to get to the lighthouse.
• Kastilyo – A shallow area full of large black boulders. This is where the mangrove rivers meet the ocean.

Below is a music video I made for the trip. The music used is CRED1X’s “Can’t Find You”. Footage was shot using the SJCAM SJ4000 and Oppo F1S+.

Gotta say, the SJCam is made for videos but definitely not for photos.

March 19, 2017March 19, 2017 by Daniella Reyes Categories: Adventures, travelTags: adventure, batangas, exploration, explore philippine, filipino, inspiration, islands, landscape photography, lobo batangas, nature, oceanscape, philippine, philippine islands, philippines, photography, seascape, sjcam, sjcam 4000, travel, travel philippines, travel photography, travel video Leave a comment

On Dreams – Bangkok 2016

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is one of my favorite books. My copy came from the trash as someone from my High School decided to throw it out on our locker-cleaning day in the final days of school. Indeed one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, ha!

The book follows the story of Santiago as he crosses the Desert to reach the Egyptian pyramids where treasure is supposedly buried. This was revealed to him through a dream, and he decided to follow this dream with burning passion. In his journey he discovers the Soul of the World and meets an Alchemist who teaches him how to understand and be one with this timeless truth. As expected, his journey was anything but smooth and there were moments where he lost sight of his dream (his personal legend). In the end, he achieved his personal legend but not in the way one would expect.

There are two truths I learned from the book, and these two will continue to guide me as I go about life.

There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.

When you’re on a journey to fulfill your Personal Legend, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it.

Ever since junior year of college I knew that I wanted to work on an international capacity. This desire stems from a mixture of loving travel, exploration, and photography, and also wanting to do good in the world. I wanted to join either the United Nations or National Geographic, and just travel and explore frequently. I envisioned myself getting lost in foreign lands whose language I don’t speak, and whose people look drastically different from me.

I was ready for it, and after graduation I was determined to get a job at an international NGO. I blindly applied for various positions even though I was aware that I’m incredibly unqualified for all of them; and as expected I never got a call back.

Life happened and I ended up in a soul-crushing job at a BPO.

At that time, I sincerely thought my dream was dead. Life was a hard teacher and I wasn’t prepared for all its lessons. I’ve always seen the world as very Disney. My innate optimism has made me naive and the heartbreak became overwhelming.

I had given up.

But Life has other plans, and it brought me to my current job which has strong ties to various UN agencies and other international governing bodies.

I remember my interview vividly, especially the part where my current boss asked me if I was okay with traveling. I remember answering YES with a gigantic grin on my face.

Last year I was given the opportunity to visit Bangkok twice to represent the country, and our organization, to two meetings. It’s a great honor as I’ve only been with the organization for a few months.

Here are some of the photographs I took when I explored during my free time.

February 26, 2017February 26, 2017 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: bangkok, dreams, mobile photography, ploenchit, pratunam, street photography, thailand, travel, travel photography, urban photography Leave a comment

Misadventures and a Wedding: Tagaytay 2016

Last October 8, 2016 I had the privilege of witnessing (and documenting) my boss/adoptive older sister marry her bestfriend in Tagaytay, surrounded by the people they love.

Their love isn’t a firework, there was no spark nor immediate chemical reaction that changed their lives in a snap. Their love is like a photo album that is built from each individual photograph of moments they lived and shared. Eventually the photographs changed its nature, and the love it contains demanded to be declared eternal.

The ceremony was a brilliant testament of God’s faithfulness, from the preparation up to its conclusion. I learned that those Mayad Studios SDE videos show only 0.008% of how weddings really go, and that there are a lot of things that can go wrong, but you really do have a choice in what you let ruin your day. A lot of preparation goes into weddings, it turns out, and a lot of money too. These things are definitely for full grown adults only.

However, I also learned that despite all the confusion at present, and all the confusion that is yet to come, indeed some of the best days of our lives have yet to come to pass.

Of course, Shiela and I were able to squeeze in a few misadventures before and after the ceremony. It includes, but not limited to, walking along the dark Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway with our heavy packs in the middle of the night, sharing Bulalo and a decrepit bed-and-breakfast room, meeting a monkey, and killing time (and money) at the Hippiest cafe we’ve been to so far.

Images taken using a Nikon D200, and an Oppo F1S+

December 13, 2016December 13, 2016 by Daniella Reyes Categories: journal, travelTags: landscape, landscape photography, nature, philippines, photography, tagaytay, travel, travel photography, travelPH 1 Comment

Three days in Kalinga

I had the privilege of attending the 29th Cordillera Day in Guinaang, Pasil in Kalinga last  April 2013. Kalinga is better known as the home of the last mambabatok tattoo artist Fang Od. However, I did not visit Kalinga to meet Fang Od (also, she lives in Buscalan, another town) but to spend three days learning about the plight and situation of Indigenous Peoples all over the world.

We lived in tents for three days, met activists and advocates from all over the world, and listened to sessions discussing the continued exclusion of Indigenous concerns in decision-making processes, how mining debilitates indigenous communities to their very core, and how collective action and awareness can effect change. The experience was a testament in the power of international solidarity and cooperation.

I will be back soon, this time to meet Fang Od, and get permanently marked with a piece of the Filipino culture.

Taken using the Nikon E8400

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016 by Daniella Reyes Categories: Adventures, travel, UncategorizedTags: cordillera, filipino, filipino culture, indigenous culture, kalinga, landscape, landscape photography, nikon, nikon e8400, philippines, photography, travel, travel photography, travelPH Leave a comment