Freaky Friday

Let me warn you right now: Manila is not for the faint of heart. This city brings cognitive dissonance to an entirely new level, not least because after you've come to grips with the incomprehensibility of it all, it grows on you and you start thinking, this is alright, this isn't too bad. It's a little too much, this love-hate continuum. Proceed with caution.

It's Friday! We made it! Let's take a breather from the craziness of the week and ponder the lunacy that is Manila. You know you want to, because crazy Manila is the reason why you keep coming back to this city a lot of us call home. It's freaky, but it's home.

First on our list of crazies is this mess of electrical wiring at the corner of Makati Avenue and Jupiter Street. Fire hazard? You don't say!

If, like me, you're born and bred in this city -- or even if you're not -- you soon realize that public transportation is a joke. But we get by, and we laugh at the joke even knowing it's on us. See, in this particular public transport from Kalayaan to Ayala Avenue, persons with disabilities sit on the dashboard. Seriously.

Hats off to this peddler on Burgos Street who sells everything under the sun, from basins to brooms to mirrors to, well, hats!

Food delivery? Sure! Stuck on Kalayaan Avenue though.

And finally, the winner....

Coat racks for sale until the traffic light turns green on the corner of Buendia and Paseo de Roxas Avenues . Hey, life is hard. Do what needs to be done.

Manila doesn't make it easy. The wide disparities in society are heartbreaking, but it's that people thrive no matter their circumstances that makes me say, we're okay, we're alright. We need a miracle, but until then, we got this.

Happy weekend, everyone! #TGIF

Posts will resume on Monday.

#manila #travel #life