On Grande Island, I am the first person to have breakfast because the studio apprentices take theirs in the staff kitchen. I walk to the chalet, sometimes taking photos along the way, and, since it is I who holds the key card, unlock the entrance to the studio and the big, glass doors that open out into the sea. I change into my painting shirt and shorts--clothing that can get stained with oil and pigments without any regrets on my part.

Alone and absolutely surrounded with Nature, I often give in to the temptation of lingering, naked, on the open veranda, and merging with the environment. It is a most exhilarating experience, and something that I cannot do elsewhere, especially in urban Cubao. During these times I am saturated with the feeling of being powerful and being free.