Thoughts on Manila

I have to share... I read a lot. I have been studying aspects of The Philippines history, resources, travel sites etc...and if you will follow my cheesiness....This paragraph (in my opionion) spoke to the Identity of Manila which if stretched to a metaphor somehow makes me feel like I relate to the city. Metro Manila is 13 cities across 2 provinces that all have their own identities but all mesh to be Metro Manila.

"To understand Manila completely, to get under its skin, you need a grasp of its complex and sometimes tragi-burlesque history. It has been razed by an earthquake, bombed, occupied, bombed again and rebuilt. It has expanded inexorably, but public services have not kept pace. The result is a rakish megalopolis that lives on its wits and maintains a frenetic pace 24 hours a day just so it can get things done. The roads are always busy and the busses always full, but in Manila you learn to go with the flow, never worrying about whether you'll be late or whether your taxi is going the wrong way down a one-way street. The Filipino maxim bahala na (what will be will be) applies as much to Manila as it does to life...It doesn't matter who you are or what you are, you will have fun in Manila. All you have to do is take a dep breath and dive in."