Lunch at home. Then must go jalan-jalan later.

It's that time of year when the dragon tree's ripe berries fall to the ground. The driveway in front of the house is almost completely covered with them. I placed some in a flower pot, hoping they'd take root and grow, but I know that they never do when they are deliberately planted by human hands. They like shooting up in the most unlikely places, such as in the crevices of walls and on rooftops.

I would very much like two potted dragon trees on our roof deck. I've tried using cuttings from the mother tree and replanting uprooted sprigs, to no avail. I hope that, somehow, I will eventually succeed.

The March leaf falls off my planner.

First quarter of the year is done.

https://tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook18.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-location-of-your-writing-table.html

Monday, Monday

Angelique off to college and Aubrey already at university.

Two cups very black, Moccona espresso.

Our April gnomes

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden peacock with yellow gemstones in its tail.

The Spirit Questors are comprised of six different groups. Members of each group do not mix and mingle with, and do not know about, the members of the other groups. The group I frequently meet with is composed of persons who live in Cubao, because it is easiest for them to be on call.

That is how it has been since 2011, and that is how it will always be.

I never celebrate my birthday, but tonight, my granddaughters insisted that I do.

Aubrey cooked Mongolian barbecue and garlic prawn, and the granddaughters bought cheesecake.

There are three kinds of artists that I know of: those who serve the world, those who expect the world to serve them, and those who couldn't care less about either one.

Summer Evenings On P. Tuazon Boulevard, Cubao: Bringing the outdoors in and the indoors out.

In the small loggia looking out onto the driveway, a venue for coffee or tea.

A small writing table on the porch leading to the studio

Captain's cabin bedroom looking out onto the small loggia

Back from jalan-jalan. Bought electrical stuff and some fat, fresh prawn for tonight's dinner.

There are many spiritual and supernatural kingdoms. The lowest is that of elemental spirits, for such beings have no souls.

Lunch at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

Going jalan-jalan in a few, and Angelique and J. are doing groceries.

One thing we have to accept in this world: There are people who have it all and there are people who have all It.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a gazillion-carat diamond.

Dinner at home alone.

Angelique and J. out to have dinner with J.'s family.

Aubrey and R. helping a friend with an indie film and then having dinner out.

It feels strange to be home alone at this hour.

E2 visits with the only candy in the world that exists for me--and a "Haring Bakal" T-shirt from Thailand.

We had green tea from Thailand and spicy peanuts with dilis.

We went to M.'s cafe afterward to have sizzling sisig, but the cafe wouldn't open until an hour later.

Friends, I am extending my Painting Year (March 31, 2018 - March 30, 2019) by ANOTHER year (March 31, 2019 - March 30, 2020). No magic and psychism all throughout this year, except for the regular Thursday meetings of the Spirit Questors--albeit devoted to research on Asian magic, minimal treasure hunting discussions, and the analysis of unsolved crimes.

No seances and no explorations in the world of elemental spirits this year. Those are not what the country needs at this time.

However, I am also considering making this year my Knitting Year, during which my fellow knitters are welcome to join me for weekly, afternoon sessions in my house. Please do NOT sign up if you don't know how to knit and merely want to learn how to. 

It was a Sweet 60
Then a Serene 61
A Solitary 62
A Stunning 63
A Superb 64
A Suave 65
A Soaring 66
A Spectacular 67
And now a Splendid 68!

Pain comes in cycles, for it, too, conforms to sacred geometry.

Carefully observe and analyze your cycle of pain.

Be kind to young people who consult you or ask for help. By some freak, flashforward phenomenon, you could be standing face-to-face with your great-great-grandchildren without all of you being aware of it. 

Sizzling hot Saturday.

I can probably fry eggs on the floor of our roof deck.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun irons his white tuxedo in the sky.

Dinner at in the dining room, downstairs.

Angelique arrived from college. Ordered a burger and doughnuts.

Aubrey and R. arrived from badminton. They bought a take-out dinner, which they are having upstairs later.

Watching the news before taking my dinner in the dining room.

Jerome and I picked up a cradled canvas piece measuring 4' x 4' from Glenn's condo. Will do one pre-scheduled portrait first, and then will do Glenn's portrait.

Now re-reading Chapter Ten of The Chinese Maze Murders. One of my favorite chapters. It is set in an artist's studio above an exquisite wine shop.

Aubrey and R. arrived from their P.E. class and lunch out, but they are leaving in a while to play badminton.

Called the frame installer. He might be available from Monday onward.

Lunch at home alone; granddaughters in school.

Two cups very black, Moccona espresso.

Started rearranging the three side porches for the long, hot summer.

It is possible to read the minds of persons in delayed telecasts, on videotape, and in still photographs--it is like Clicking on electronic files and accessing their marvelous contents.

The female judge complimented the boy on his singing and guitar playing but, in her mind, she was saying, "I really didn't like your performance and I know you're not going to make it, but I want to say something good to make you feel good."

Finally found a container for my complete _OH_ set. This antique, wood, herb drier is perfect.

A dragon does not have to look like a dragon in order to be a dragon.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun brushes rooftops with golden bristles.

And now you, too, ask me why your skin itches all over.

I scanned you. Your case is not the same as that of the person whose skin itch was due to cheap, red wine.

What I saw is that you ate canned tuna many times in a row. It was the tuna AND the preservative in the tuna.

Quite disappointed that Eleana Gabunada got eliminated from _Asia's Got Talent_, but what did everyone expect? People do NOT vote for artists who go Broadway, who go classical, who go operatic, who sing in Italian or some other foreign language, who dance ballet, and the like. People do NOT vote for art, they want to be ENTERTAINED. When it comes to actual voting, art is perceived as hoity-toity.

That should be a lesson for future Filipino contestants.

On the other extreme, contestants should also NOT inform the audience how poor they are, how much they've been having the raw deal in life, how tragic their family situations are, how they would very much like to reach their elusive dreams, and the like. It is, to me, distasteful.

After all, when I've written a novel or finished a painting, do I tell anyone how much I suffered in the process? (Not that I ever did, but you get the drift.)

Angelique arrived from college and is now taking her dinner in the dining room.

Then Aubrey and R. arrived from university and dinner out.

When you invite me to coffee at the center, unfortunately, I expect you to come ALONE, as I, too, will come ALONE. Do NOT tag along persons whom I never met and do not know, persons who are curious to meet me, or persons I know a little of but decidedly do not like.

I cannot understand why some men are exhibitionists, considering that everyone else can see photos of dicks and balls anytime and anywhere they want to. Could it be a form of performance art or Theater of Poverty a la Grotowski?

Rattles and shekeres, like rainmakers, always summon spirits, especially elementals.

The lilies of the field neither toil nor spin because their lives are so short that they have no need to change their raiment.

An efficient house or building admin always allows himself to be distracted from his pleasures.

A fashionable salakot is a good substitute for a parasol or for an umbrella in a drizzle.

The primitive instinct for survival will always dispel self-discipline.

If three babies are born every minute, how many people die every minute?

It is when you have children and grandchildren with a bright future ahead of them that you see, more and more, what is wrong with your country.

Electric power is the nation's circulatory system; water, its digestive system.

Never allow doctors' staff members to treat you like a specimen unless they are paying you to be one. Give information only to your doctor, not to trainees, interns, and students who interview you while pretending to be doctors.

In every good movie, the closing titles are designed to gently bring you back to reality.

The company has underlings whose objective is to undermine it. The company should conduct an investigation and identify those underlings.

Watch TV not only to be informed but also to laugh at the world.

Sometimes you have to let your body heal itself, because, also sometimes, doctors make things worse for your body due their personal biases, their restricted frames of reference, and their limited experience.

Your leader cleans dirty, old silver with silver polish. Your preference for cleaning dirty, old silver with vinegar, toothpaste, Coca-Cola, and baking soda makes you neither wrong nor right--merely different.

It was overpopulation, not the arrogance of its leaders, that led to the destruction of Atlantis.

Pets thrive only under the care of warm, affectionate guardians, not cold, detached ones.

Good parenting means stage-managing in the background, not performing like a star onstage.

Never forget that, in order to have a good family, you have to be a good parent. Too many people in this world wonder why they don't have good families yet never bother to analyze themselves.

Refilled the altar lamps with paraffin oil.

Lunch alone in the dining room. Angelique in college and Aubrey at university.

The sun is a golden luxury ship traversing the sky.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

The sun has already crossed its zenith in Cubao, but it is getting hotter and hotter and hotter.

I will repeat here that, in order for you to avoid being in vehicular accidents, do any one of the following:

--Nail an iron horseshoe above your front door. Allow it to rust.
--Place a small anvil at the entrance to your house.
--Place a short section of railroad track, about seven inches, at the entrance to your house--but only if the piece is an antique, because the acquisition of parts of railroad tracks today is illegal.
--Place an iron cauldron with tin, toy weapons at the entrance to your house.
--Place seven iron brads at the entrance to your house. Allow them to rust.

The god of iron is the same god who feeds on road accidents. Rust on iron is a metaphor for blood, i.e., a metaphor for a blood offering.

I am just Posting this here. You may or may not do it as you please.

Thinking of rearranging the small, side porch that functions as an entrance to the studio in a most unusual way for the hot summer, but I need to wait for a small delivery to make that happen.

As a general rule light three joss sticks together at your altar to honor the gods and goddesses, your ancestors, and/or your kuman thong.

If only two sticks light up, do not re-light the unlit stick. Go with the two sticks. It means that a relative, deceased or living, needs expiation, prayers, or spiritual strength.

If only one stick lights up, do not re-light the unlit sticks. Go with the one stick. You are entitled to make a special wish that the spirits will do their best to grant and make reality.

Lunch at home alone. Angelique in college and Aubrey at university.

Then had two cups of Elline's Loyaltea.

From my Album titled _Sunlight In Cubao_

Did some house cleaning.

Called E. to schedule installation of four paintings at Maryhill School of Theology.

Do not light your garden as though it were a public park.

If I run out of walls for installing paintings at Maryhill School of Theology, there are always the ceilings, and I can be very creative about it.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun opens wide its frosted glass windows.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi Sir.
"How are you pò? "Gusto ko lang mag-share kasi masama loob ko sa __________-friend ko...

"We were talking about my husband who just turned __ yrs old recently. By God's grace, ok naman pò ang husband ko despite being ____________ and elderly.

"Imagine my surprise pò when he said to my face - na sa estimate nya daw, mga ________ years na lang tatagal ang buhay ng asawa ko?! Kasi daw ____________ and all.

Who is he to say that??
God??

"I am afraid all of a sudden, Sir.

"I am leaving pa naman __________________ for a trip w/ my ________ & _________.

"Sorry pò - have no one lang talaga to share this with and strangely felt like 'opening' up to you.

"Very sincerely, "________________"

My reply:

Hello _________________!

I wouldn't worry about this if I were you. It is only additional mental and emotional baggage for you.

We die when we die, not because someone says so.

The important thing is that, while we are alive, we are well taken care of by the people we love, we medicate ourselves properly when we are sick, and we build only good memories for everyone.

Fretting over this incident will only generate negative energy. Counteract and deflect it with positive energy to turn events around and prove all ill-wishers wrong.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Lazy day, flustering evening.

I was having two pieces of pork steak grilled at the hawkers' center when my son Chito swung by on his way to work. Bought him a shawarma rice supper plus another packed supper for his night-shift break. We hung out at M.'s cafe with canned Pepsi while waiting for his time to leave for work.

Then my granddaughter Nielsen, my son Nelson's daughter, dropped by to say goodbye before leaving for her three-month, Tourism OJT in the U.S. She graduates in December this year. I gave her a sterling silver heirloom ring with her birthstone.

Now Father Rene Cabag, Father Richard Diaz, and Professor Manny De Guzman have been Messaging me to inquire about the installation of the four paintings sitting in my studio at Maryhill School of Theology, hopefully to be done before the Festival on Catholic Social Teaching at Maryhill.

Hoping I can hole up peacefully inside my captain's cabin bedroom the rest of the night.

Rereading more pages from The Chinese Maze Murders.

It is a lot more fun to bequeath your stuff to loved ones and special friends while you are alive rather than watch them being haphazardly distributed to others after your death.

Break away from making your house look like an office building, which has bright, ceiling lights all throughout. Save those for the kitchen, the bathrooms and toilets, and utility rooms. I have been to the most stunning houses that have absolutely no ceiling lights and are illuminated only by floor and table lamps. They preserve the beauty of their ceilings, crown moldings, and decorative ceiling paintings because they don't have to be torn down whenever electrical rewiring has to be done.

Ask yourself whether or not you are lighting your rooms like rest rooms.

In a sense, a prayer mat is a flying carpet, because it transports you to a higher, spiritual realm.

Charity seldom pays. That is why it is called charity.

From my Album titled _Sunlight In Cubao_.

Make drawings of your dreams. They bring them one step closer to reality.

Two cups very black, Moccona espresso.

What is a black sheep, after all, but a person who refuses to conform to the rules of authoritarian parents?

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a diamond ring on a wizard's forefinger.

Sat with Angelique and Aubrey while they had a late dinner in the dining room.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

Finally decided that I detest clip-on lamps. Gave one to D. this morning. Will give a second to Toto and a third to his sister Lelyn.

Glad to finally get rid of our three clip lamps. I prefer lamps with heavy bases, whether on tabletops or on floors.

A very early lunch 10:30 AM. Felt famished and I don't know why, since I almost always take my lunch 12:00 NN.

Creative casserole a.k.a. leftovers. Also bought rice, a meat omelette, and a serving of jackfruit cooked in coconut milk at the hawkers' stands.

Today wearing Elizabeth Taylor's Passion for Men.

And quite sad that her perfume line is being phased out.

It is awkward to sing in a foreign language if your enunciation and stresses are all wrong.

Angelique off to college and Aubrey at university.

Home alone.

Never fall in a love with a person who likes being alone. He will only seek to take frequent vacations away from you.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a colorful, fluvial festival float.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Afterward, moseyed over to the neighborhood grocery.

Angelique, Aubrey, and J. now having a late lunch at home.

Aubrey cooking more pancakes.

Lunch at home alone.

Angelique and J. went to the neighborhood grocery and are now cooking pancakes in the kitchen.

Aubrey still upstairs.

A hawker's stand owner delivered two orders crackling pork to our doorstep.

Then the flower man buzzed by and pressed two strands of white flowers on me.

Placed the flowers on our shivalingam and libated clean water on the lingam.

He who worked hard and did not party in his youth will always reap prosperity and happiness in his old age.

From my Album titled _Sunlight In Cubao_

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a vase filled with yellow-orange tiger lilies.

All of today was wearing Jovan Musk For Men by Coty of New York.

One-hour, late afternoon nap.

Angelique, Aubrey, and J. are now off to dinner out and a last full screening.

Rose hips tea is sour, very, very sour, like the juice of kamias, especially since I never take tea with cream or sugar.

Some people say they don't mind having no money as long as they're in good health, others that they don't mind being ill as long as they have the money to pay for their medication.

As for myself, I wouldn't mind having money all the time, BOTH when I'm in good health and when I'm ill.

Aubrey and R. are now taking a late lunch in the dining room.

I'm having two cups dried rose hips tea.

Lunch at home with Angelique and J.

Aubrey and R. had a late breakfast and are still upstairs.

Lit one aromatherapy lamp on the staircase landing and another in the studio area.

Varnish on Guardian Angel is not yet dry.

Passed on a weekend massage. I'd rather spend the afternoon with Judge Dee.

I have always preferred the ornate, precious, elven craftsmanship of Merlinesque implements to the crude, rustic implements of other practices.

I don't like recycled implements.

I don't like improvised implements.

I don't like implements made from roots or scrap metal.

I also don't like implements that are available in Quiapo, Baclaran, and Divisoria.

One must die because one must rot below the ground and not above it.

I think I will die at an age with digits that add up to ten. So, that might be 73, 82, or 91.

The best businesses of all are those that need absolutely no advertising.

When I was still in college and not yet a parent, one of my dreams was to set up a small, eccentric restaurant in the corner of our apartment and call it Table For Two. It would accommodate only two diners for a scheduled two hours per meal, or a total of 12 diners per day. At a cost of 1,000 PHP per diner that would earn me 12,000 PHP a day. It would have, of course, the works: fine cuisine, two waiters in attendance, a live guitarist or violinist, and a two-hour meal undisturbed by the outside world.

Years later our family set up Miranda's Cove, a neighborhood cafeteria. Even more years later, M. set up his cafe.

I've given up my vision of Table For Two in favor of writing, painting, and knitting, but it was such a pleasure to have dreamed of it.

From my Album titled _Sunlight In Cubao_

A person who makes it to the top is not necessarily a success.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are slices of honeydew melon.

Some persons are your salvation and others are your downfall, and so you might as well make a list of the former.

The first step to defying gravity is to lose weight.

Monchito sent me a photo of these two posters yesterday, and Jill sent me a photo of the first poster today. They are from a CCP exhibit featuring posters of previous productions, and these are quite valuable because they were designed by Ray Albano, head of the CCP Art Division and mentor of Robert Chabet, in the 70s.

I have copies of the "Gabun" poster but not the "K-31" poster. I've kind of stricken "K-31" off my creative roster because Paul Dumol, who edited my usap-usapan anthology Pagbabaguntao Sa Berbanya, advised me to do so.

I hope that the Filipino hip-hop group wins Asia's Got Talent. If they don't, then I've seen too many hip-hop groups announcing the life of poverty they're living, weeping shamelessly onstage, and pulling at the judges' and the audience's heartstrings. It would also prove, to me, at least, that that behavioral template does NOT  work and should be avoided by future participants at all costs.

Friday night in Cubao. The cicadas in the dragon tree are singing at their loudest. They love hot, summer nights.

I'm hoping to have a bahay kubo built on the roof deck to serve as a shelter for siestas and to sleep in on certain nights. That means that we have to eliminate certain planters, though, and that we would no longer have a venue to set up our absolutely decadent, Pablo Picasso lunches. Thinking of having a small bathroom and toilet built adjacent to the roof deck too.

Dinner at home alone. Bought food at the hawkers' stands. Bought brown tocino and rice at one stand. Bought sarsyadong tilapya from another. The dish was cooked by a middle-aged woman who I think has sort of a crush on me. When I said that I like the ginisa sauce because I haven't had it for the longest time, she gave me all of it. 

Actually, age is NOT just a number, but you should still be very proud of it.

Save and recycle paper that has been printed on only on one side. You can write a complete novel on their backs.

It has happened that the loudest accusers are the guiltiest perpetrators.

It is not everyone's duty to fight to the death.

Even in the summer, think of and prepare for the rain.

A family celebration without flowers is inconceivable.

True masculinity is always within, not without.

If you want to have gnomes around your house, set up gnomes houses in your garden. You will eventually see cozy lights glowing from within them on certain nights.

Sometimes, when your children and grandchildren ask you for things, it is because they need to be reassured that you care enough for them.

Reread one more chapter from The Chinese Maze Murders.

Back from the condo unit of playwright Glenn Sevilla Mas. Took reference photos of him for his oil portrait.

And this is the view of the north side of Cubao from his balcony.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Block of sunlight on compound driveway

Would paint "sundial" marks on the concrete if only I had the time.

Charity is highly selective. If it is not, you will very soon be in need of charity yourself.

Any average-income person who owns a car is bound to be a lot poorer than everyone else.

Your Messenger message:

"I need your help please sir"

My reply:


"I advise you not to ask for help from people you do not know personally. It is unethical. Go to institutions in your own country that are able to extend assistance to you. They exist in your country, as they do in mine. It is the most intelligent and logical step to take.

"What I still cannot figure out is why it is the Africans who do this all the time, and they have been doing this for at least 20 years now. You are the fourth African in my Friends List who's sent me such messages, and I've been receiving such calls for 'help' from them not only on facebook but via e-mail. So have many of my own friends.

"Between extending help to you, whom I've never met in my life, and extending help to my needy neighbor, I would rather extend help to my needy neighbor."

It is quite sad that other people have children not out of familial love but out of envy of others, out of the desire to increase their personal labor force, and out of the delusion that those who simply have children are a hundred times happier than those who don't.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a cake tray in a bake shop window.

Tips for making your children and grandchildren feel emotionally secure at home:

1) Always set the table for meals at regular hours.

2) Take meals with your children at the dining table or, at least, sit with them while they are taking their meals.

3) Until they come home in the evening or at night, keep the porch lights on, and at least one room inside the house brightly lighted.

4) Know what snacks and dessert food they really like.

5) Stay home when they are studying for and taking exams.

6) Take care of them when they are sick, but do not compel them to take care of you when you are sick.

7) Do not forget their birthdays and other important dates.

8) Treat their friends as though they were your children or grandchildren too.

9) Even if they clean their own rooms, hire someone to clean their rooms thoroughly from time to time.

10) Tell them that you love them, and mean it.

Dinner at home with Angelique. She will be studying in the dining room later.

I find that it is most convenient for me to wear necklaces and pendants rather than earrings, rings, bangles, and bracelets. I am able to work comfortably while wearing them, and any of the last four only when I am going out to meet someone.

Persons who are comfortable living alone resent compromising.

Elementals are loquacious, informative, and cooperative immediately after dusk.

Good health is possible because of the intervention of spirit guides.

Know how to erase past tragedies from the huge whiteboard of life.

Sauntered to the neighborhood grocery store and bought yoghurt for the granddaughters. And a gallon of ice cream.

Why are you so surprised at a water company's business plan for you to pay in advance for a new water plant?

Your very own universities do that to you, when they need to build a swimming pool or a gymnasium.

So do your condominiums.

And did it ever occur to you that your churches have similar business plans too?

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Alkaline water delivery arrived. During the first day of the water shortage I must have stocked up on six, additional, five-gallon water jugs and placed one in each of our bathrooms and the rest in the kitchen. Now I no longer know how many we have. Possibly twelve. Wishing we had a wine cellar. That's where I'd store all of them.

Actually, make a list of things you do that make you rich and make a list of things you do that make you poor, and simply go with the first list.

Lunch at home alone, then Aubrey and R. arrived from their last prelim exam and lunch out

Two deliveries then arrived: one for me and one for Angelique.

Checked the water stock at M.'s cafe--yes, I am the water manager.

Now Aubrey and R. are off to a classmate's apartment, where Aubrey is sleeping over with friends.

Home alone again.

Watching snatches of a punk-rock version of Jesus Christ Superstar on HBO. Interesting, especially the casting. I note that one problem with this musical has always been that, when a character is singing, everyone else on stage has no choice but to be part of a still tableaux or to dance.

The other problem is that, acting-wise, the transitions between emotions are awkward and often abrupt, and that is because the music is comprised of individual and varied songs strung together as though for a CD album.

Never install rolldown security shutters in your house. Your house will look like Farmers Plaza on a Good Friday.

D. wants the front of her convenience store covered with rolldown security shutters but I refused. The townhouse across the street remodeled their front to accommodate food vendors and every stall has rolldown security shutters. It now looks like a market strip in Quiapo. Or a series of garages.

I want our building to look residential, not commercial.

Two pieces of coffee bread and two cups of very black, Moccona espresso.

After the age of 50, every year onward is still a golden year.

The hawker's boy brought me two orders of deep-fried tawilis again, and I am giving one to my sister Alice.

We seem to be having deep-fried tawilis once a week.

Bubble-wrapped one varnished-and-completely-dry painting and hoping to do the same to another two days from now. Then maybe I can varnish Dana's four-feet-tall portrait.

They who enjoy and luxuriate in sleep will never fear death.

Angelique off to college.

Aubrey and J. at university for their fourth and last day of prelims.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a cake of light you can slice dazzling slivers from.

10:52 PM and feeling drowsy already.

Dinner at home alone. Aubrey and R. ordered food from outside and are taking their dinner upstairs. Angelique in college and having dinner out.

An eerily quiet night outside, like the calm before a storm.

Received a delivery advisory. I feel that it will arrive tomorrow.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center.

Aubrey arrived from her third day of prelims while I was out.

Sleep heals, but when you wake up, continue healing yourself.

Only a retired person knows what a glorious morning is, the sun shining in the sky and infusing the neighborhood with golden light, a cup of very black coffee on a side table, and one's vision alternating between the world on the computer screen and the world outside the window.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun peers into the depths of a water well and considers having a drink.

Tried Tsingtao Beer from China because it is available at our neighborhood grocery store--and because I was hoping for a beer that would really knock me out. But, this one is mild. Very, very mild. I don't think I'll ever have it again.

When a hermit's perception is so unique, he need not feel obliged to explain it to others.

The dry plant survives because of its memory of water, as the lonely person survives because of his memory of love.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

The Wands should continue pointing to the ground.

Never put yourself on the losing end to gain the approval of your superiors and your colleagues.

Lunch alone. Always a great opportunity to eat leftovers a.k.a casserole.

I've had many intuitive students in my lifetime, but only two out of ten were really psychic.

I take only the two on our Spirit Quests.

Calculate all the money and all the time you spent on useless people, and see that all of it could have been spent on remodeling your house.

The older I grow the less I desire to socialize, because growing older, to me, is growing younger backwards while realizing that I should have discarded all useless people from my life when I was younger.

Home alone. Aubrey on her second day of prelims at university and Angelique off to college.

Hoping that no workers arrive today. I think that I would like to spend this Tuesday quietly and undisturbed.

Many of my friends ask me why I bother to write and paint when I could very well engage in more profitable ventures. I am always faced with their question, "Why do you do that?"

My answer: Because it alleviates suffering.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun shoots golden arrows across the sky.

My favorite time of the night again. The granddaughters are in their rooms upstairs and I am all alone except for that rare instance in which M. or one of his staff members rings the brass bell outside my captain's cabin bedroom window because they need something. I do the rounds of the altars and thank our spirit guides, turn off all the lights on the ground floor, lock up inside my room, and get in bed to read a book or watch TV.

The night sleeps in my embrace, and only the night knows the thoughts that I whisper in its ear.

Angelique arrived from college.

The granddaughters are having yoghurt instead of dinner.

Always, after eating anything, pay attention to how your body reacts to it--from the simplest itch to the biggest ache.

Aubrey arrived from university.

Vernissage: _Guardian Angel_

Ran out of paint thinner. Must hie to the Sitio Catacutan hardware store in a bit.

A mug of milk green tea from Thailand.

Lunch at home alone. Angelique in college and Aubrey at university. Aubrey's prelims week.

Two-hour, morning nap.

Preparing Guardian Angel for varnishing.

My Friends from South America like Poking me 29 times in a row.

I always Poke back only once.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun unfurls its golden banners across the sky.

The duty of every intelligent mage is to de-atchayize magic for the benefit of future generations.

It is the parent who takes care of his children, rather than the parent who expects his children to take care of him, who goes to heaven.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Just keep on blogging and care nothing about statistics.

If you say that Hotel Delia is your favorite hotel in Paris, then it should still be your favorite hotel in Paris, Trivago or no Trivago.

Once in a while ask yourself whether they are broadcasters or laughing hyenas.

Nowhere else in the broadcasting industry in this world is such inappropriate and unethical behavior acceptable.

Angelique and J. went jalan-jalan at BGC.

As for myself, I am back from jalan-jalan. Paid our water bill. Bought vitamins. Also bought a small pot and a small pan with lids for cooking small portions. That way we don't have to use our big cooking vessels all the time. (I am the official dishwasher and I know what I'm talking about.)

Prevented myself, with much effort, from having a banana split.

Art is always someone's unique point of view.

Buy pocket sketchbooks not only to draw and doodle in but also to write notes in.

Magic is an attitude. It is not a lifestyle. 

The ignorant will always hate whomever they fear.

Classy and classic are not synonymous.

No one believes me when I say that I am a very shy person, and so I have stopped saying that I am one.

Go with and develop the talent that gives you the highest ceiling.

All traitors must pay.

A refreshing bath never fails to center the body and calm the mind.

What is the immediate solution?

What is the long-term solution?

Rather than pinning blame on others, troubleshoot, analyze, and look for solutions.

Children will dream of or choose a career not because of that career as an abstraction or concept but because of a practitioner whom they admire.

Do not live in an artificial milieu for too long. It is worse than living in a tiny village.

Laugh only when something i,s funny--but then again, even when something is funny, it is often inappropriate to laugh.

Never use envelopes your bills came in, no matter how crisp and clean they still are, to contain your money or your love notes.

Lunch at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

A person who lives in abundance or luxury lives in a form of heaven in itself and is twice blessed if, after his lifetime, he goes to heaven.

That is why everyone wants to be rich.

Sweltering day in Cubao, but must go jalan-jalan later.

Isn't it strange that you have friends who have no water but pretend that they do, and friends who have a lot of water in storage but pretend that they don't?

Both are examples of atchay "hiya" mentality.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a ring of topaz on his finger.

More carousing at M.'s cafe. They locked up at 6:00 this morning after last night's dinner party and drinking session, and may very well lock up at 6:00 in the morning again. I did warn M. that, in times of crisis such as a water shortage, neighbors will tend to eat out as a form of escape, out of the desire to be served food rather than serve food themselves, and to avoid having to wash their own dishes.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi Sir.
"Good evening pò. "Sorry hò sa distorbo - - - but I am really bothered by what my sister told me about my house when she visited with my Mom this afternoon. "Sir - she asked if we already had our house 'blessed'. I lied and said yes even if we did not. I then asked her why. She said she felt 'eerie' daw (does that mean she felt a presence in our home??)... I am really bothered, Sir. That's why I am humbly asking for your help. Should I have it blessed it right away? It's a new house - we built it from scratch and transferred ___.of 20__. May mga dapat pang tapusin, Sir, like the staircase plus the ceiling in the outer part of the house and we are planning to finish it this year sana. Hope you can give me your comment/advice on this, Sir. I will appreciate it very much. "Sincerely, "_____________" "P.S. "Sending you some pictures of my home pò taken earlier tonight."


My reply:

Hello ______________!

There is nothing wrong with your house. It is clean in every sense of the word. However, visitors will tend to feel uncomfortable and describe it as eerie because of the following:

1) You have too much varnished wood and too many earth colors. Because of this, the rooms are not uplifting. 2) Your antiques include items that no one would want to come near or touch. Some of them even look like funerary items.
3) You group all your antiques by type and put them on display together, making your house look like an antique shop (everything looks like they are for sale) or a domestic museum (all you need to add are price tags and captions).
4) Do not line up all your tall furniture along the walls. It makes your house look like a Freemasons' lodge or a school faculty room. Explore creative ways to make them break up the space.
5) All of your lighting is ceiling lighting. Use accent lighting such as lampshades, floor lamps, and desk lamps.

I suggest that you consult an interior designer and be open to her comments.