Well, I have been inactive on my Facebook accounts for almost two weeks now. Honestly, I felt overwhelmingly bothered over something that I just kept on having the urge to go post a rant on my timeline until the breaking point just hit me and lead to my deletion of my precious Facebook. My work in the media I guess also played a huge part in my paranoia. Being constantly in the loop in what's happening, spending your days constantly interacting with people in presscons and coverages just drains a lot of my energy. There are days when I do not really go home after work. I always go to Trinoma, at the basement, there's Toastbox there. I order Iced Mocha and then just sit there not talking to anyone.

I kinda missed this thing. Blogging. You know the mystery of wondering who might be reading your blog... Facebook is almost treated by many as their lifeline. And I hate it. There's not a minute that you can really just turn it off. But I really do not care as of this moment who reads this shit right now. I just need to get some things off my chest.

So far it's been really good.

A few weeks ago, I went with my mentor for his workshop on street photography in Baguio. It was always great to go there. And it's also nice to see what kind of pictures the new ones produce. Sometimes you need to feel like you're new to photography so that it becomes exciting. The enthusiasm of the newbies as well are contagious. The ugly thing about me really is that I easily get bored, photography isn't exempted to it. Sometimes I blame it on my work as a photo correspondent that's why I feel jaded. I just didn't realized that I have been working nonstop for almost a year. Going to Baguio was really nice.



Being out of Facebook made me focus more on other things. I still shoot. But I get to spend more time with my family... My mom. We have real conversations now. And after my Baguio trip, I was set up to go to Zamboanga City to fetch my grand father. But I made other plans as well, I made a quiet difficult itinerary for myself. I went back home to Pagadian. I was born there. And it's been 16 years since I got here in Manila, and it's been killing me so I grabbed the chance. After getting off the plane, I immediately headed for the bus station.



Nothing really changed back home. Although fastfood chains and grocery franchise are coming to the town it is still the small town I left. Some of the hotels that were built before became old and unmaintained. But I was also surprised by some sports complex that were built and it's facilities that are new there.


Pagadian still has that uniquely designed tricycles. Tricycles in Pagadian are inclined 25 to 40 degree angle for the hilly terrain of the city. Maybe this is why I love Baguio so much... They are both hilly and have a super diversed culture. I also can't believe that the minimum fare is 10 pesos. In 2000, as far as I can remember you can go around the city for 5pesos only.


I of course did not want to miss the beach so I went to Tukuran. It's just a 30 minute jeepney ride from Pagadian for 25 pesos. I can't believe that it is still as beautiful as it was in my memory. The cottages still look the same and it is still peaceful. And it is still clean.

I was also able to see the house where I was raised by my parents. And to my surprise, there was a neighbor who knew me back when I was a kid. She was peeping in their window when she saw me and went out. She called me by my nickname. Only close relatives call me by that nickname.. I almost cried. I went to Pagadian all myself for 2 days and there finally I was able talk to someone who knew me. She held my hand so tight and hugged me before I went back to my hotel.


I spent the last 2 days of my short break in Zamboanga. I was scared of going around but I told myself to just go and explore the city. Luckily, they have this leaflet on the lobby of the hotel. I went to all the places that were listed there. But I guess, the memorable of them were my trips to Sta Cruz Island, going to Rio Hondo and getting lost in trying to find another transitory site for Zamboanga seige victims, in Masepla.



My trip to Sta Cruz Island almost did not happened. All boats to the island were booked when I went to the port. It was a Saturday, they are closed on Sundays. I had no idea how to get there. I just asked the tricycle driver to get me to Paseo del Mar where the boats where stationed. Suddenly the bangkero arrived and told me that they can take me to the island but I have to pay for the whole boat by myself cause nobody else is with me. I said yes right away... 12 minutes later I found myself in the island. People were looking at me. I've always had this the whole trip. People in the province were not really not into the idea of going out of town alone. And because I was alone, I was not prepared for this whole trip. I have no food with me in the island. Approaching the old women I saw, I thought they were selling pica pica food, but all of them were souvenir items. I laughed at myself. And then I saw a group of photographers. I was very sure that they were bird photographers. I went talking to one of them. I was then overwhelm by their hospitality. They gave me lunch in the island. It was one of the nicest places I've ever been to. Too bad that I have only been there for 3 hrs.



The following day I decided to take pictures of Rio Hondo, one of the occupied barangays during the Zamboanga siege. It was a painful sight. One of the residents there joked about thanking for the terror attack, because after that they were given homes built on concrete. It was somehow also an enlighting experience. People from Zamboanga are from many different ethnicities. It amazing how people there interact with each other. One can learn many dialects by interacting with different groups of people. Thinking of a Muslim region with a label as the Asia's Latin City... Due to time constraints I just decided to shoot whatever I can. When I reach Masepla Transitory site I was not allowed to shoot by authorities due to some prior appointment by another media organization that was already shooting that day. Overall my vacation was a fun adventure and was a very good learning experience. I have always preferred being alone, and this one just also proved to me to try scary things to learn and be braver.