Selah

Despite not being the biggest fan of the beach, I recently found myself 3 hours away from Manila laying on a beach chair on the shores of Anvaya Cove. Coming out of an exhausting and demanding semester, I knew I needed to recharge. For the past few weeks, I've been sleeping in and binge-watching TV series which is the dream if I'm being completely honest. But for some reason, I felt quite adventurous and decided that a day trip to Bataan would help satisfy my unusual need to be at the beach. There was something about having sand underneath my feet and the salty sea breeze blowing in my face that felt inviting. 

Usually, I would have gone out of my way to take hundreds of photos of the beach. But after twenty minutes of trying to figure out which camera settings worked best under the scorching heat of the sun, I realized I wanted to reflect and let my stream of consciousness flow. While all my friends were swimming in the sea, I found myself enjoying the comfort of the beach chair and the company of my thoughts.

Here were some of my thoughts:

• Sleep is a beautiful gift from God that I should cherish more often.
• There exists a healthy balance between staying in our comfort zones and going out of it and I need to find that balance.
• There's nothing more relaxing than being with friends.
• My health is a priority and a non-negotiable when it comes to commitments.
• I need to be honest about my situation before I can improve it.
• Uncomfortable conversations are beautiful and important. I should value them more.
• The beach is not as bad as I thought.

Coming home to my bed, my body wanted to collapse and hibernate for the next five months. But I felt restored. Having had that time to reflect and meditate on life, I felt like I could finally breath again. With each exhale, I felt the weight of doubt and worry leave me. After months of feeling burnt out and empty, I finally began to enjoy living again. While there will definitely be some time before I find myself at the beach again, returning then will be much more exciting knowing the beach holds more than just sand and the sea.

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 

Psalm 116:7 (ESV)

Portraits Vol. 7

Sean and I have known each other for around six years now and since meeting him back in our first year of high school, our friendship has grown into something that has gone beyond timezones. He and I got to know each other in our third year of high school, talking about fitness and our support for each other's endeavors -- his racing and my blogging.

Since Sean began studying in the United Kingdom, meeting up whenever he came home became a tradition for us. Although he and I regularly talk online, there's nothing like seeing your friend face to face. Our conversations are always fun and interesting, but never without it being inspiring and encouraging. If you know Sean, you'll know how passionate and invested he can be with his hobbies. Talking to him about his passions has always been inspiring, reminding me that my passions are worth pursuing.

Thanks for letting me take your portraits, Sean. You were an absolute joy to shoot! I am beyond grateful for the incredible blessing of calling you a friend. Let's do this again some time!

Modeling by Sean Smith
Photography and Post-processing by Luis Abesamis

Collaborate with me! Drop me an email at: 📩 whatdoesluissay@gmail.com 📩

The Manila Adventures: Seaside Dampa

Welcome to The Manila Adventures!

Manila is diverse in its culture and history and I have been planning for awhile now on going on an adventure with the sole mission of discovering and truly experiencing the place I call home. Today, I share the first entry of this series.

Last week, my family and I went on a quick trip to the famous Seaside Dampa. At whatever time of the day, Seaside Dampa is alive bustling with customers waiting to get a taste of the fresh seafood available at the wet market within its premises. From the market straight to the kitchen, the seafood is  served by restaurants that serve seafood in a variety of ways. If you're looking for a place that serves amazing seafood, Seaside Dampa is the place to go!

Here are a couple of photographs I took during my quick trip there.

BehSciyad 2018

Last Friday, my university department hosted the annual showcase of Behavioral Sciences students called BehSciyad, named as such because "BehSci" the shortened word of our degree program and "Sciyad" is a play on the word sayad, which loosely means that something is wrong in the one's thinking.

The performances highlighted and promoted the different rights that so many of our countrymen are fighting for right now -- education, life, equality, and property. Through wit and skill and music and talent, the performances brought to light the plight of the Filipino people. Needless to say, the performances were incredible.

There were crowned champions, but the true champions in my opinion were the people whose stories were amplified and given a platform last Friday. Important messages were conveyed and pressing stories were told. To me, that is what is most fulfilling about the blur that was BehSciyad.

There's nothing like seeing people let go and be free. As a photographer, I am grateful I get to capture those moments when people, even for just a moment, are free from whatever is holding them back and become someone completely different from who they are. Today, I share some of my favorite moments captured in photographs from last Friday's event.

Portraits: Reunited

Nearly halfway through the semester, I am grateful that only now do I feel burnt out. Only by grace have I gone this far without fully breaking down into a confusing state of emotional distress. For awhile, I have wondered what has changed in my situation that has resulted in this unforeseen endurance for the challenging chapter in my life called college.

I am brought back to the beginning of this year. Only two days after the new year dawned on us, I found myself amongst high school friends. Our reunion brought back joy that my heart had not experienced in quite some time. But it is in the unexpected grace that followed our reunion that I might find the answer behind the changed in my situation.

Their presence in my life has always been a source of joy and strength. Though the chapter in our lives have made it difficult to be as involved in each others' lives as we were back in high school, I am grateful that there has been grace in my situation.

Since the reunion, there has not been a week that has passed that I had not spent a significant amount of time around any of my high school friends. On days where our responsibilities as students have kept us from seeing each other face to face, social media has allowed us to continue to cultivate our relationships with one another. Through them, God changed my situation and brought to life new hope and enduring courage to face each week and the challenges it had along with it. 

No amount of words can truly articulate the gratitude I have for the people I am blessed enough to call friends. Thankfully, I am a photographer who finds joy in taking portraits which is why today, I am sharing a few portraits I took during my batch's reunion.