The Philippines are a crazy place. Years ago I was asked by a friend of mine that owns a production company and serves as a freelance videographer asked me if I wanted to accompany him on a job that he was offered in the rather violent part of the south where there is some sort of terrorist organization. We were going to have an armed security detail but were warned that whit foreigners are a high-value target for abductions for ransom. The pay was going to be extremely good but in the end both of us decided to not take on this job.

As far as pharmaceuticals are concerned here in Vietnam: yeah man, it is a really strange system and is a really bad thing for a lot of people who seem to think that it is cool and fun to snort Ritalin or to be on Xanax all the time. I never really looked to drugs like this as something to be fun because I have seen it seriously ruin people's lives. I keep a couple of painkillers that would normally require a prescription but I only use them for genuine pain relief and never to catch a buzz. I do know a lot of people that basically zombify themselves on a regular basis because not only are these controlled substances very easy to get your hands on, they are also extremely cheap.