Pinoy Boy in the City

I started this blog as a place to store and dump my pictures. And sometimes it still is, but that's beside the point. Along the way it became a place where I could post my pictures publicly, which, I thought, would then encourage me to take better pictures. And later, I found a blog format that allowed me to tell stories through the photos I took, a sort of extension of my creative writing days when I used to weave fiction.

Inevitably, this blog, without me noticing it, has transformed again. Inevitable because I've been moving through doors, phases and places this past couple of years and transformation comes with stepping through doors, whether we realize it or not. I want to say that this blog is changing because of all the growth that's been happening to me and in me but "growth" would be too presumptuous, and in many cases, plain lie. So let's stick to the word "change." I'm changing and so is this blog.

I moved to New York a couple of years back to study Economics and International Development. Back in the Philippines, I've worked in the non-profit sector for a long time, but I felt I needed to go back to school and equipped myself with skills and knowledge to actually be able to serve better. It's been a year since I finished my MA in Fordham and it looks like I'm going to be here in NYC for a couple more years to learn a little bit more about being in development.

And as I come to terms with being here - and yes, it's taken me this long to come to terms with it because I miss our ridiculously large and numerous malls, the smell of taho in the morning, the sound of the Selecta ice-cream bike in the afternoon - I've also learned to grow fond of this City. Don't get me wrong, Manila will always be number one for me, but New York can be very charming in the way that some  mannerless, rough, rugged but pretty people can be charming after you spend a few weeks with them trapped in an elevator with nothing but alcohol for drinks.

And knowing that I won't be here, surrounded by lights and subway grime, forever I want to capture this City in my own way. Whatever that means will unfold in the days to come.  This may also be a long way of me saying that I'm changing the name of this blog. Atleast for now.

And in keeping with the photo blog theme - here I am in Grand Central. Grand Central is probably my favorite spot in the City because I love people-watching and great architecture and GCT certainly has those.