Day 088: Texture

Day 088:

Before I went into medschool, during the time when most of my world revolved around Quezon City, Pasig and Makati, my dad said, "Alam mo, kaiba ang Manila... May iba siyang texture na sa Manila mo lang makikita." (You know, Manila is different. There is a different texture that you will only see in Manila.)

He was right. I went to divisoria today. I had the balls to bring my precious camera with me, wrapped in a towel, hidden in my old, falling-apart bag. After a short shopping spree, I took out the camera. Snapped the first scene in front of me. BAM. This was it.

This photo is genre. It is the normal everyday look of Manila, Divisoria. I took the camera out. Snap. there is no more normal-er than this. But, even here, there is a distinct feel to it. Urban. Dirty. Gritty. Rough. Tight. It's as if the texture is something that jumps out to you, and captivates you. It rubs itself across your face, such that you can't ignore its presence.

I find the feel of Manila, tremendously draining to be in. Walking along the streets is a constant sensory overload. everyone is moving. every car and bus is honking. you must be vigilant against thieves. you must move quickly. But the feel is also immensely rich, in its own sense. After less than 5 minutes of taking my camera out, I realized that I will not run out of subjects. There will always be some story to tell, or some image to be seen. Kaiba talaga.

I should arrange a photowalk sometime.