Been lying around the house since I got in from Toronto early yesterday morning. The ride home was long, but thanks to the wonderful Filipino hospitality of PAL, it was pleasant. It’s always hard adjusting to jetlag. I forced myself to stay awake all day yesterday so I could get into Manila time quickly.

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Toronto was a bit of a letdown as far as the APO show attendance was concerned. Or maybe the venue was simply too big. Promotions were rather limp and short. But we made up for it by giving the audience two and a half hours of new material. We promised a different show and we delivered, much to the audience’s delight if we may proudly say so! It was a lot of fun for us as well singing songs we had not sang for a while, some since we recorded them--Princesa, Hangang May Pag-ibig, Lumang Tugtugin. It’s always an honor to be instrumental in bringing the Philippine experience to our kababayans. I love meeting people after the show and talking to them.

Picture by Ricky Tanpoco. Thanks! See more of his shots at http://apohikingsociety.org

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Canada is a great country. It’s policy of promoting cultural diversity is an enlightened one. While we were there, Filipinos, Chinese and Greeks were all having their festivals which included parades, exhibits, fairs and stuff. Two weeks before, it was the Cariba festival for people from the Carribean. And all these with funding from the Toronto Arts Council! Everywhere you go, you can hear accents and languages from everywhere. And the whole scene seems one of not just tolerance but respect and even amity towards all people!

A sharp contrast to its southern neighbor indeed! The US, ever on paranoid alert for terrorists, was screening every visitor like he was Osama Bin Laden! To cross the border by car to the US last weekend took two hours or more. On the other hand, it took minutes to drive to Canada. When leaving Canada, one does not even have to go through immigration. Apparently, they don’t seem worried if visitors overstay!

Canada, like Australia is definitely more laid back than the US. It’s a country with all the goodies of the US but without the cruelty of its hard-core capitalism. Maybe it’s the small population and so there’s less stress on the social safety nets. Its pro-people policies, from medical, employment to educational benefits are truly enviable. I noticed that people on the street are still friendly enough to help strangers with directions. I hope that it remains like this. (Okay, I’m sure my left-wing bias is showing!).

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On a lighter note, I forgot to pay attention to a rule I live by when traveling and that is, NEVER to trust weather forecasts. With August supposedly being a hot summer month, I did not even bother to bring a light jacket, much to my discomfort. Sure enough, temperatures dropped to unexpected Baguio-like lows and I had to buy a sleeveless sweatshirt to keep warm. I can only imagine what Europe this wintry November will be like! Brrr!!

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When the US and Canada decided on their borders, Canada got the better side of Niagara Falls. It's truly one of nature's breathtaking wonders. I can stay there all day and just stare at the water!

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Lastly, every blue-blooded Atenean cannot miss having a deja vu experience when listening to the Canadian national anthem! We first discovered this in 1975 when we had to learn the Canadian anthem for a series of concerts there. The Ateneo grad song, the same anthem sang in every basketball game is unmistakably a rip-off from the Canadian original. After the first two lines,

"We stand on the hill
Between the earth and sky",

it's the Canadian anthem melody all the way--- to a tee! Akala siguro nung gumawa ng Ateneo song na hindi siya mabibisto! ha ha!

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