The Reel World

My name is Nicky Daez and I am currently living in Manila, Philippines. I am a 28 year old filmmaker and entrepreneur who loves films, books, food, art and travel. Life is short so seize every moment.

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Day 113 | Intricacies Sometimes we don't want to feel To cease to exist Then we look around Open our eyes a bit wider See the world beaming with radiance The music soaring through the air A great mystery entering your soul Melancholy blending with a blissful aftertaste Waking world blurring into poetic solitude We will never fully grasp it That heightened state of understanding Peace showering sporadically over you Never underestimate the raging beauty Bullets will graze you Almost put you out of your misery Recovery and healing peering through Embrace it Awaken to your new beginning Photograph taken in Anvaya Cove, Philippines

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Day 112 | Trickle

Inside may be a raging storm. But the mind can be tamed into a serene ocean. Emotions will wane and burst. But you are in control. The mediator between destruction and sensibility. Passion versus indifference. Seeking spiritual truth. Not succumbing to the artificial world. You will never be the same. Once that spark plants that seed. There's no turning back. You will evolve and endure. Relentless and courageous. With that pressing awareness of life's fragility. Swim through the blurry waters. Close your eyes and imagine the life you always wanted to live. Feel it coming alive with each passing second. Live in that moment. Until it gradually becomes reality. 

Photograph taken in Tortuguero River, Costa Rica

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Day 111 | New Beginnings

Here's to all those blissful moments. For embracing this ride called life. The pendulum swings upwards and downwards. Its fairness is absolute. Hard lessons are learned. You either accept or keep learning. Forgive and love unconditionally. Plunge into the great unknown. Bask in all the wonders life keeps giving. Know that it always gives. And when it takes, it's only to show something greater. Don't allow your vision to get muddled. Keep it open with clarity. Even if it's painful. The greatest challenges you will encounter will be the greatest gifts you will receive. Dig deep. Take comfort in solitude. Feel strong knowing you're never alone. There's something bigger happening in your world. In this universe. You just have to live. 

Photograph taken in Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

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Day 110 | Triumph

The days have been long and winding. Trials beyond comprehension. Finding the strength to keep going. New adventures await. Random moments of wow. Beautiful coincidences. Learnings from this journey. Life will never be the same. It can only get better. Magical moments happen within the darkness and turmoil. The challenge is to focus on those moments. Believe that everything will unfold and peace will arrive. 

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Day 109 | Sorrow

No words. No actions. Just this moment. An empty vessel. Weathering this great storm. Tumbling and falling. Hanging on with every ounce of effort. Gut wrenching pain. There's no knowing how long this will last. Only the hope that the sun will eventually shine again.

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Breakfast of champions: rice milk and vegetable buns. | Taipei, Taiwan

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The beginning of a new chapter | Tamsui River, Taiwan

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Day 108 | Ocean

We love it for all its glory. Its stillness and beauty. Deep hues of blue. Glistening under the sun and moon light. Refreshing and invigorating. It brings a sense of calm. In awe, we let the sound of the waves take us. To that place that doesn't require time and space. Emotions don't exist. Thoughts are non-existent. A great retreat into a realm that emanates transcendence. Where we can just be. Experience rebirth. Remain in a constant state of enlightenment. 

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Find the light amidst the darkness | Manila, Philippines

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Day 107 | Questions

Why do I do this? Write everyday. Do something meaningful. Finding that pursuit of something bigger than us. Trying to make people relate. Making them see a bit of me. To connect with someone. Empathy that runs deep. Nothing makes sense. This gnawing feeling all over. Why? I don't understand. It feels like dream. A bad dream that I want to just wake up from. Escape from this sick cycle. These words don't mean anything anymore. I am sputtering them out. Coated in meaning. Deep down there is nothing. Feeling that void. So deep I can't see the bottom of the abyss. 

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"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more." - Pico Iyer | Tamsui River, Taiwan

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We arrived past midnight in Jakarta and asked one of the locals where they liked to eat late at night. We ended up in this twenty-four Chinese-Indonesian joint called Bubur Kwang Tung. The crab porridge, steamed fish and fried shrimp were spot on!

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Day 106 | Strength

In times like this, it's easy to slip. To abandon oneself. Lost and bewildered. Hurting in a way that can't be expressed through words. That scene playing over and over. A moment so fleeting but undeniably forceful. Things will never be the same. Life goes on. I carry these wounds. Bittersweet memories. Love and burning merging together. Every ounce of me. A little too late. No words can be said. Mistakes that can't be erased. Where do we go? What do we do? We keep living. Carrying the scars like medals. The journey continues. 

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A man sharpening his knife by the faucet. | Taipei, Taiwan

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Day 105 | Wave

You feel it from a distance. The power making your knees tremble. That mighty sound roaring. Calling out to you with such authority. There's no running. You are right on its path. What do you do? Succumb to its wrath. Or stay still and calm. Accept the pounding and wait for the bubbles to clear. We have the choice. Mind or instinct. Whatever it is we choose. There is an immediate effect. We will learn from either one. There's no right or wrong. Just another way of being. Take your pick.

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Day 104 | Kundalini

Enter the oasis. Persian carpets sprawled all over the floor. Lush greenery right across you. Soothing music filling the air. An dim orange glow illuminating the room. Peaceful vibrations emanating from each kindred soul. Purposeful movement. Each deliberate stretch. Deep inhalation and exhalation. Awaken the energy within. Experience the tickling surge on your back. Feel the blissful vibrations on your skin. Listen to the chants blending and overlapping with one another. You feel the heat and the throbbing burn. The sense of belonging and unity making you endure a bit longer. Breathe deeper. Now let go and relax. Allow your body to melt into the ground. And in that moment, the world stands still. I am fully present. Engaged with my senses. My mind at rest. This is enough. Nothing else matters or exists. Just be.

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"Pillows of happiness" as Bourdain described them (xiao long bao) from Din Tai Fung. The two hour wait was worth it! | Taipei, Taiwan