The spring I turned 22, I returned to the Philippines for the first time in six years:
this time, with my parents and brother, marking our first visit as a family
since we had lived there in 2001. My cousin was set to get married,
and I brought along with me my camcorder, although
I wasn’t sure why, as it wasn’t really my style at the time to shoot
without a clear purpose in mind.

What emerged was perhaps one of my sweeter films, a meditation on love,
family, and my relationship with my homeland. It also marked the beginning
of an approach to documentation that wasn’t familiar to me at the time,
but that I’ve since come to embrace, which essentially boils down to
filming without an aim, but filming what you find beautiful,
trusting that meaning will reveal itself in time.