No more suitcases. No more checking in to strange rooms. No more bland continental breakfasts. No more airport inspections, hectic plane and car rides. No more stream of people to meet, pose pictures with for the meantime. No more wondering what time it is in back Manila. No more impermanence (at least not in the pace that I had known for 73 days on tour). I am home.

The sounds of my neighborhood, the smell of my room, the warmth of my family’s embrace, their crazy stories and laughter during meals, and the mostly quiet but other times loud yet always charmingly breathtaking presence of The Princess. I speak of course of my apo Ananda. She is 18 days old today. It’s great to be home and enjoying all these. Especially Ananda.

Lolo’s pride and joy! The hearth of our home!

My Little Angel!

But I also came home to schedules that needed to be finalized and stuff that needed to be attended to—contracts to sign, letters to write. I am also planning a new run of my creative workshop soon. And APO has to start going back to the studio and do our next album. And I MUST get back to the gym!

I went through stuff I had lugged home and aside from pasalubongs and things I bought for myself, I saw a stack of plane boarding passes, calling cards, promo materials and other stuff which spoke of my brief life abroad. It was indeed a hectic tour. Super hectic in fact, but fun! And yes! I wouldn’t mind doing more of these!

An APO phone card! It actually works, too! A future collector’s item?

A nice souvenir flyer with Rex Navarette and Jon Santos.

Another flyer they give away as reminders.

APO bookmarks!

By end of the month, I should get an indication if we are indeed going back to the US soon and/or do a 6 city Middle East-European tour this November! Hmm… It will be hard recovering from my last trip when I am already excited about the next one!

Boarding passes. So many of them!

Touring can be so addicting!