Just before the weekend, Scott Kelby—photo guru, Photoshop whiz extraordinaire, and all-around swell fella—posed a photo challenge: spend the weekend shooting like it was 1999. In a nutshell, go out and shoot with your digital camera like it was a film camera: no reviewing shots on the LCD, no more than 24 or 36 shots for the whole weekend, no looking at any of the shots until the day after you “finish the roll.”

It’s funny how the brain, out of its need for order and structure, “compartmentalizes” our lives. You can spend five weeks in a place, working, sleeping, socializing, and otherwise maintaining the semblance of a normal life, then the second you leave that place, it all disappears into the ether. One minute you’re on a plane and still in that sort of “limbo” between lives; and then as soon as you step off the plane, everything that came before feels like it was in another life, almost as though it never really happened.

On the home stretch of the trip. Hard to believe I’ve been here almost five (!) weeks already. Despite spending most of my time here either working during the night, sleeping during the day, or running around in-between, I managed to snag a fair number of photos. Just under six thousand at last count, though of them maybe only a quarter made the cut. Still, I’m happy with those numbers.

The main reason for my return to the Philippines was to pick up my grandmother, who has been living in Cebu for the last year or so. We had sent her back from the States to escape the Winter, and illness had prevented us from bringing her home sooner. Said picking up has hit a bit of a snag, as apparently her being in the Philippines for over a year (due to aforementioned illness) resulted in her Green Card being invalidated.

Being back these past few weeks has been a bit of an experience for me. Some of the things, I expected; the thrill of seeing old friends again, the nostalgia of revisiting my old haunts, the surprise to see how much everything had changed. What I hadn’t expected, however, was how much I’d realized I’ve missed this place.

In all the years I lived in the Philippines, I’d never been to Boracay—considered by many to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines. Between the airfare to get there and the cost of lodging and food for your stay (plus other things), I never really had the money for it.

As though in testament to just how small Manila really is and how bizarrely interconnected Manileños tend to be, the brother-in-law of my good friend and stalwart traveling companion, Iñigo, is running for president.

Of the Philippines.

One thing I’d forgotten about the Philippines is that many people—especially the masa, those below the poverty line—aren’t self-conscious about staring. In fact many will continue to do it even after you meet their gaze (which is usually the point where even the most brazen starer will turn away).

I found myself with some downtime earlier today and took the opportunity to visit Quiapo, known for its sprawling markets and back-alley bazaars, and explore Hidalgo street, itself known for having a ton of camera stores and bargains galore.

Day One of my trip is officially over, and I think I’m no less thrown for a loop for it. Partly because, as expected, the landscape has changed so dramatically in the last decade, but more because I have. I’ve been gone so long, I’ve forgotten all about what it’s like to live here.