shot entirely using Fujifilm Simpleace 35 mm camera
☾
“Some of the earliest memories I can recall are of my mother instructing me to always “save ten percent of yourself.” What she meant was that, no matter how much you thought you loved someone or thought they loved you, you never gave all of yourself. Save 10 percent, always, so there was something to fall back on. “Even from Daddy, I save,” she would add. Stop crying! Save your tears for when your mother dies.”
- Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
This was a part of my 10%. To be able to disconnect. To breathe. To try to heal and maybe, that would be the last thing that can save me.
So happy to finally go back to the majestic islands of Palawan for the third time after a year, this time specifically in El Nido (and a side trip in Puerto Princesa). The last time I’ve been to El Nido was 5 years ago when I flew back to Manila with a copy of my leg X-ray and prescription meds after my first vehicular accident. But this time, amidst the Betty super typhoon, I and my friends were still able to pull it off safely and enjoyed wandering from one island to another, relaxing on the beach for hours, and having lots of mango shakes! This trip I also finished which I feared to be my Book of the Year which is that quote from above. Michelle Zauner literally took me on a surprisingly, meaningful journey which was a great accompaniment for my 6-day vacation trip. Also, I’m planning to compile my “recent book list” of the year just to break the usual “travel beach photos” trend on this page (I know 😅). I still have a lot to post from this trip but this dump of photos captured on a Fujifilm summarizes the beauty of nature and the summer season that’s so real, quaint, and frozen in time, but will always hit me with a wave of comfort and familiarity.
Goodbye, summer. See you next year ☀️
J.
🎥 watch the short mood film here:
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(Music by GIVEON. All rights belong to him and his publishers. For personal and non-commercial use only. Stream his great music on Spotify and Apple Music.)
Also known as the Palawan Bearcat, it is neither a bear, or a cat! They are more closely related to civets, and can be found in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines they can only be found in Palawan (though one was found in Sulu) (G Veron 2019). They spend most of their lives in the trees (aka they are arboreal), and eat small insects and fruits.
In a study by Myka Allam et al in 2022, Binturong in a certain area in Palawan seemed to love figs. Since Binturongs are also known to speed up germination of fig seeds after pooping them, Palawan Binturong might also be important to fig or ficus seed dispersal!
Follow the groups below to learn more about them!
Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (Facebook)
Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (Facebook)
ABConservation - Arctictis binturong Conservation (Facebook)