(c) Jena T.

(c) Jena T.

A blue wonderland.

Bukal Falls, Majayjay, Laguna / Kilangin Falls, Liliw - March 20, 2016

Tabula rasa.

- means a clean slate or a fresh start

I started this blog three years ago as a personal journal. It was supposed to challenge myself where my writing and photography are concerned. I aimed to memorialize then important events in my life and to showcase who Jena is, hence, the blog name. However, as I looked over my personal work during the past three years, I couldn’t help but be disappointed with myself. I feel that I didn’t do well enough in those said goals. There were so many things I could have talked about and shared here but didn’t. Posts became sporadic, their quality diminished, and most of them were only about the lowest and highest points of my life (but mostly the former). I feel that I could be making this blog so much more.

Before I became a photographer, I was really a writer. As I begin this blog again, I hope to get back to being that. I long to write about my philosophies in life and the many advocacies I support and believe in. I want to share my political voice. I want, as William Wordsworth exclaimed, to fill in posts with the breathings of my heart. This space is still going to be a place to share my life in but in a different and better way than before. I hope you all could follow along as I embark on this new journey.

(c) Jena T.

Spotted a random couple taking in the glorious sunset (by far the best I’ve seen in my lifetime) at one of the beaches in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Little did these two know, I was already sneakily snapping some shots with my camera. Haha.

Anyway, hello Tumblr! I’m still alive. :-)

(c) Jena T. 

“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” - Vincent Van Gogh

July 2015

Insights from Rizal Park

It felt, in the beginning, as if I wouldn’t be able to endure the stress of coming to and from a park because of public transportation and traffic issues here in Metro Manila. But time changes everything, as the saying goes. With each passing productive day spent there, NSTP ended with me not minding the stress so much anymore.

My many experiences in Rizal Park trained me to serve and serve well. Never did I imagine that the norm for at least three weeks would be for me to tour local and foreign tourists, bravely communicate with strangers, stay during opening and closing hours of a visitor’s center, memorize Rizal’s story by heart, watch and support cultural presentations, and to fully immerse myself in the daily on-goings of a park. All these experiences strengthened the impression that there is so much to explore within the city and that new adventures are around the corner, just waiting to be discovered. 

During the NSTP Common Module, I remember a Professor Ivan Henares saying that we should take the time to tour places that are found here in the Philippines and support local tourism because our country is filled with hidden gems and scenic spots. I must say Rizal Park is one of them. Natural aesthetic appeal isn’t the only criteria for great tourist destinations, anyway. Forget for a minute that the park is man-made. Forget that there is a photo-bombing building behind Rizal’s monument. Marvel instead at the historic and cultural value of the place. Rizal Park or Luneta was the spot where people died, only to be born again as heroes. It was the place where Jose Rizal was martyred in the name of love for our country. It is the place where people from all walks of life come together so that they could bask themselves under the tropical sunlight and remember what it means to be a Filipino, or for foreigner’s case, to be enlightened of the Filipino struggles. It is the place where symbols of friendship with other nationalities were made, such as the Germans, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. Rizal Park already became kind a of home to me, not because I spent a great number of hours there, but because for the first time in a long time, I was able to identify with my countrymen, work with people from different backgrounds, and revel at our national hero’s life and sacrifice. I truly love historical places because they remind me of where my countrymen have been and where else we could be going. Don’t you?

One of the challenges Rizal Park is experiencing at present is the weak promotional work and publicity of its recreational activities and facilities. However, I do believe that if people would just bear in mind the park’s value to our history, then the number of advertisements don’t need to matter. People would continue to visit and, hopefully like I did, gain a sense of a cultural home in Rizal Park too.

© Photos by CPAD Documentation Team, friends from NSTP (Pau & Ell), & me, Jena T.

(c) Jena T.

Rock in Focus - November 7, 2015

Went to UP IE Club’s event called Rock in Focus last night and finally got to watch one of my favorite artists sing live! Boy, does this man have heart and soul when he sings. Everyone should get to witness his vocal power in person at least once in their lives. Bullet Dumas, saludo ako sa’yo. 

If you don’t know Bullet Dumas yet, you could check out his soundcloud here!