Whenever I leave my house and walk down the dirt path to the road, there’s a bevy of small girl children who chase after me. “NataLEE! NataLEE!” they love to call out, as though the name itself has some magical power. One small girl in particular will throw her arms...

I met up with a pal today. He was shopping for a loo. “I’ve never shopped for a toilet before,” he said, as we looked at the options. “Me neither,” I said.

There’s more to Angeles City than what most people see. It’s a shithole, sure, but I like that no matter how hard you scrub, this city will never be clean.

The random manicness of the Philippines has meant a change of pace. The only way to survive is to slow down.