sick the past few days - literally & figuratively

In Manila Philippines:

Sick, yes (I came down with a sore throat, body aches & a low grade fever last night) and it's 2:17am here in Manila - of all the internet cafes in town, this is the only one who would allow me to bring in my notebook, so it took me some time to find.

I tried walking down to Mercury Drug Store for an anti biotic, but found them closed past 10pm, so I'll get some medicine tomorrow - all else equal, I've been in a very positive mood.

Yesterday I went to Pasay City & found Rosa's squatters shack, I was feeling ill within an hour of arriving back at my place - that squatters area is one of the foulest places I've recently seen (human sewage everywhere, dirt & disease, etc) must be virus' everywhere and no wonder Philippine children get fevers so often.

Got her Family 25kg of good rice, and one of the males from her Family who accompanied me (it's a very rough area) ordered me a tricycle/pedicab instead of me walking back to the shack, "for my safety".

Rosa & Family, photographed inside their 6'x9' Pasay City quatters residence, where 6 Family members sleep on the floor; not much bigger than a closet.

Sick figuratively, as I was hearing rumors of Rosa & Edison being out out to work all night long by their biological Mother, who has custody of them now - along with Auntie Josie (split from Tito Willie, hence the move to the Pasay City squatters area)

I just found Rosa "selling" ('controled begging' I call it) flowers to foreign men in front of a notorious nightclub/girlie bar & her able-bodied-yet-does-not-work 35 yr. old Mother 'supervising' close by.

Needless to say I've been upset over this, and have very respectfully communicated this to her biological Mother, who I met for the first time 2 days ago.

An hour ago I saw Rosa and brought her over to the coffee shop by the nightclub and got her dinner - I then put P100 in her hands & told her to go home and sleep; she was finished 'selling' for the night.

Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES