One-hour, afternoon nap.

In the meantime Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz took their lunch in the dining room.

Off to jalan-jalan at the center.

Lunch at home alone; granddaughters still doing school work and resting upstairs.

Sunday, Sunday.

Need to begin layers on my painting, but also need to go jalan-jalan at the center in a while.

Adult writers and painters should not do what they are doing because they "wish to express themselves" or are "having fun". Those are grade-school statements they should have graduated from already. Instead, they should focus on technique, craft, and philosophical subject matter. Otherwise they will be merely doing what they are doing out of sheer habit and compulsion, thus remaining at a standstill rather than evolving.

Worked two hours on construction lines. All human figures now complete.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is an hourglass filled with golden sand.

Good night, Cubao!

 The moon is a sliced rice cake.

Angelique and Jazz arrived from college and dinner out.

Evening shower.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

We will never be Number One in the international arts community as long as our taste and our standards rest on a foundation of atchay entertainment.

Disaster always strikes the artistic integrity of a country when, instead of declaring no winners, judges award prizes to the best of an average lot. 

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery to buy breakfast cereal for the granddaughters.

Waiting for Angelique and Jazz to arrive from college.

The February leaves fall off my planners.

One-hour, early evening nap.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

A cup of tea while Angelique and Aubrey finished up with their lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on construction lines. One more human figure to go, but my masseur came and I have to stop painting for the day.

An early lunch at home alone; granddaughters still doing school work upstairs.

Avoid persons who are always telling people what to do.

No one has the right to educate you without your permission.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a vest studded with yellow diamonds.

Brandy night.

Good night, Cubao!

In all seasons, Santa Claus rides the sky and distributes pleasant dreams. The chimney is the conduit to your Unconscious.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Forty winks before my evening shower.

The party in M.'s cafe is finally over.

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique still in college.

Party going overtime in M.'s cafe.

Hired another tricycle to take me to and from Open Kitchen. Finally bought two orders of baked tahong at 1945, and another mango dessert and an Oreo pudding at Heat 'N' Puff (which I've mistakenly been calling Huff 'N' Puff until I took a good look at one of their tarpaulins this afternoon).

Back from jalan-jalan. Bought Aubrey's vitamins, a ceiling bulb, and two books.

Party ongoing at M.'s cafe.

A neighbor is renting M.'s cafe for the evening to celebrate her daughter's birthday.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Aubrey arrived from her group interview project.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Going to bed with Alexander the Great in a while. This version, by Nigel Cawthorne, actually depicts his adventures and conquests as fraught with assassinations, executions, abductions, torturing, and extrajudicial killings. It is amazing--and very sad--that history conveniently forgets everyone who was stepped on, stolen from, suffered, and died, and not only remembers the strategist who caused all of it but also calls him a hero.

I would rather that kings are peacefully left to their own kingdoms rather than have "heroes" wrest everything they have from them.

As a matter of fact the only pleasantly titillating passages in this book are those that deal with sexual exploits.

Worked another hour on construction lines.

Three more human figures to go.

Aiming to do at least one more human figure after lunch, but I need to go jalan-jalan and buy some things as well.

Shopping is the best respite from painting.

Saw Aubrey off to her group interview project for school.

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Four more human figures to go.

Still watching yet other Angry Auditions on YouTube.

Singing competitions are like writing programs. The aim is to produce more and more participants every year even if the country needs citizens in other, more important, careers.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun spins yellow cotton candy for everyone.

Aubrey arrived.

A goblet of red wine.

I can go to sleep now.

Good night, Cubao!

Sparrows snuggle in their cozy nests in front of their miniature computers.

Aubrey is having dinner out with friends and is coming home late tonight.

Jeffrey gave me another food source tip--baked tahong at the 1945 kitchenette, also in Open Kitchen. It's eight big mussels or ten small mussels per order. I MUST try it sometime.

Dinner alone.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique arrived from college.

Went to Huff 'N' Puff in Open Kitchen in a tricycle and bought their mango-Graham-crackers-leche flan-center dessert this time around. More expensive, but it' quite heavenly.

Worked another hour on construction lines.

Five more human figures to go.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Home alone.

I love watching Angry Auditions on YouTube. They remind me so much of some of my fellow writers and painters who think that they are God's most precious gifts to humanity, yet have no clue that they really have no talent.

Sat in the studio area while Angelique took her lunch in the dining room.

A cup of Buckingham breakfast tea.

Worked another hour on construction lines. Six more human figures to go.

Anyone who truly has faith need not practice his religion.

Last week Facebook told me that I had 5,001 Friends. Today it's telling me that I have 5,002 Friends.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs, Aubrey at university.

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Seven human figures to go.

There are daily rituals and routines, most of them small and simple, that actually keep you healthy and alive and that, when you cease doing them, you develop body pains and other conversion reactions. Know what they are.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Commit yourself only to those who commit themselves to you. To everyone else, simply be civil.

It is always the mediocre artist who fervently believes that he is a great artist, and speaks and acts accordingly.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun prances, the moon waltzes.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes hold nocturnal meetings in the moonlight.

Angelique arrived from college.

Ordered buttered buffalo wings and saffron rice from M.'s cafe for the granddaughters' dinner.

Sat with the granddaughters while they took their dinner.

A cup of green tea.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Considered resuming work on construction lines, then decided to hold off until tomorrow.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college, Aubrey doing school work in her room.

Picked up Angelique's bed linen at the compound laundry.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Your Messenger message:

"Sir what part should religion play in one's life?
"I was born into the Catholic faith, and there was even a time that I thought of joining the clergy...but as I grew older I grew disillusioned with the actions and priorities of the Church and eventually stopped going. I still try to live by the tenets and teachings such as loving others and helping others, but I would rather help others in other ways, not just through prayer and engagement through the church. "I'm sorry if I'm rambling sir. I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing, and the death of my ______ recently has put many doubts and fears in my mind. Thank you for your time."

My reply:

The role of religion is for practitioners to live a life of good morals, personal and social, minus the bribery of heaven and the threat of hell, which religious leaders use to control others, spiritually and economically.

Soft drizzle on Cubao.

Worked another half-hour on construction lines. Eight more human figures to go. I love painting tableaux!

Aubrey arrived from university.

Worked another half-hour on construction lines.

Sat with Angelique while she took her lunch in the dining room.

A cup of Buckingham breakfast tea.

Worked half an hour on construction lines. Second human figure for the day almost done.

That some people need extensive counseling and others need no counseling at all is proof that we are not and never will be equal.

Four more days till February ends, and I aim to add four more human figures to my painting.

Making up for lost time.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey at university.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Just because your foreign colonizers practiced a particular religion and imposed it on your ignorant ancestors hundreds of years ago does not mean that they were right--or that you should continue to do the same.

Everything turns to dust, not just human beings.

Tony Perez's Art of War: When your enemies feel threatened by your words and actions, they will expend their precious time, energy, and resources campaigning for public sympathy.

Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

Christianity is not a democracy and democracy is not Christianity.

As a matter of fact, all things considered, Christianity is an autocracy.

Good morning, Cubao!

Man was cursed by his own father to toil and labor under the sun.

But he was blessed by his mother to sleep and dream under the moon.

Dinner at home alone.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their study session with a take-home dinner. Sat with them while they ate in the dining room.

Worked another hour on construction lines.

Aubrey took a late lunch in the dining room after Angelique and Jazz took theirs.

Now everyone is off to a study session at one of their favorite coffee shops.

Home alone.

https://tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook18.blogspot.com/

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Live by the day to maintain your peace of mind, but always envision what you would like to be five years from now.

Lunch at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a spotlight filtered through gels of clouds.

Now back to bed with Alexander the Great.

Good night, Cubao!

The sky fairies light their lanterns and hang them on the trees.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique and Jazz arrived from college and dinner out.

Looks like it's Netflix night for the grandkids, because tomorrow's a holiday.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Waiting for Angelique and Jazz to arrive from college.

If you want someone to take care of you, never fall in love with someone who wants the same.

Saw Angelique off to college and Aubrey to the family dentist's.

Home alone.

Dropped off bed linen at the compound laundry.

Visited M.'s cafe.

Feeling like taking a long walk round the neighborhood for some reason.

Aubrey arrived from university and lunch out.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

Now Angelique and Aubrey are off to the new, milk tea spot in the neighborhood.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Now back to bed with Alexander the Great.

One-hour, morning nap.

A greasy, The Color Purple breakfast.

Saw Aubrey off to university.

Lit joss sticks at three altars.

Two cups very black coffee.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden galleon traversing the bright ocean of sky.

Angelique's college of law volleyball team won against University of the East's college of law volleyball team this afternoon.

Sometimes, when problems come your way, it is because, unbeknownst to you, your good health and your life are being extended in exchange.

Good night, Cubao!

Magic begins when the moon wears her star-shaped earrings.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their study session in one of their favorite coffee shops and dinner out.

Dinner at home alone.

Asked Lennoel to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. M.'s mother and some of their relatives are visiting there.

Been trippin' this evening on old, YouTube videos of The Three Degrees. I especially love that version of "When Will I See You Again" in which the camera does a slow, 360-degree turn and reveals all of those judgmental and bigoted-looking Caucasians in the audience. 

A lazy day for me.

We all had lunch at home, then Angelique went off to a volleyball game and Aubrey to a study session in one of their favorite coffee shops.

Went to Huff'N' Puff in Open Kitchen in a tricycle and bought two more leche flan ovals. Discovered that the man who sells them also sells two other kinds of dessert: mango-Graham crackers with a leche flan center and an Oreo-Cookies refrigerator pudding. Aubrey can make those, but I think I'll try them next time. I went after sundown because, yes, I was in my Spandex shorts. Again.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are geodes of druzy, crystal quartz.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon wears a long strand of champagne pearls.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Sent some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique arrived from volleyball practice at her college and ordered food via Grab food delivery for her dinner.

Jazz arrived from a party.

Now inside my room with a goblet of cabernet sauvignon.

Tanya sent me nine packs of Bailon's piaya through my next-door neighbor, Glenn Sevilla Mas, who recently arrived from Bacolod after the arts festivities.

Bailon's piaya is THE ONLY PIAYA that exists in the world for me. When I am eating it, I feel that I am eating the bread of the Essenes in the New Testament--unleavened and laced with wild honey. It really should be used for Holly Communion during private Masses.

Glenn watched The Negros Museum's production of "Sierra Lakes" a few nights ago and said that it was very successful. I'm so glad--I get quite anxious whenever someone tells me they're staging "Sierra Lakes". It takes an unusually sensitive director and four, unusually sensitive performers to pull the whole thing through.

Lunch at home alone.

Aubrey took a fresh-fruit lunch later.

Cherry visited.

Angelique and J. took a late lunch in the dining room.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage.

Lazy Saturday.

Something happened. My Facebook account shows up 5,001 Friends. I tried to see if I could Add one more, but I couldn't.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun transforms rainbows into colored gemstones.

Good night, Cubao!

The sky is a dormitory with lights out, and the clouds are double-deck beds.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college and Aubrey not feeling quite hungry yet.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

In the meantime, upon Jeffrey's recommendation, I took a taxi to Huff 'N' Puff in Open Kitchen on P. Tuazon Boulevard and purchased two leche flan ovals. The granddaughters love leche flan but can't be bothered to cook it themselves. Jeffrey says this is really good, and I'm hoping it is.

I had to take a taxi because there were no tricycles passing by. Yes, I went to Open Kitchen in my Spandex shorts, and everybody stared. Anyway, wherever I go, I feel most uncomfortable whenever no one stares at me.

Aubrey arrived from her group project and a visit to the family dentist's.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Home alone.

Now into Part IV of the Bran Hambric novel. The end of Part III is a convoluted showdown in which everyone can use magic but hardly does except to show off, and in which every character who matters were engineered by the author to converge and face one another. As in the Harry Potter books, magic is a mere deus ex machina that steps in to save characters at the last minute--rather than having the characters save themselves through their own, clever means.

The episode is also set in a confusion of backdrops--a warehouse, a bank, a ballroom, an office with computers, the top of the tallest building--as though the author were envisioning a movie climax dumped into as many production designs as he could imagine--all the way from James Bond to the Grimm TV series.

Ah well, am almost at the end.

A few months ago I overheard tenants on the driveway informing two other tenants that one of the rag pickers who frequent our trash bins passed away. I know of only three rag pickers in the neighborhood. It must be the man who is always accompanied by his wife and two, small children, because he is the one whom I never see again.

I had four packets of peanuts that my sister Alice gave me a few days ago. They were actually leftovers from our eldest sister's and brother-in-law's previous visit. I gave two to two little boys who live on the compound and who were playing outside our small loggia. They ran off happily with the packets. Two minutes later, while I was washing dishes, two little girls, one of them a mere toddler, came knocking on our door. I gave them the two, remaining packets.

I love little girls who demand equal rights and know how to assert themselves.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

A cup of Buckingham breakfast tea while Angelique took her lunch in the dining room.

Be eccentric and be unique, but never dress up to look like a new Batman villain recently released from Arkham Asylum.

Saw Aubrey off to work on a group project with her schoolmates.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs.

Go out of your way to celebrate Valentine's Day all over again on the 29th, the date that marks the leap year.

Good morning, Cubao!

The east wind brushes the long hair of the trees.

Brandy night.

Tried mixing my brandy two nights ago with a liquor mixer flavored apple tea but I prefer my brandy tasting as it is. Like gasoline.

Real wizards and witches always resurrect from the dead.

Good night, Cubao!

Midnight flowers bloom and release their fragrance to the sleepless.

Dinner at home alone.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique arrived from college. Ordered spicy buffalo wings and saffron rice from the cafe for her dinner.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Never entertain conflicting fantasies:

For example, fantasizing yourself as the richest man on earth and fantasizing yourself as a poor hero. Your reality will come close to the less advantageous of the two.

For example, fantasizing yourself as having a stable or harem of lovers and fantasizing yourself as a successful loner. Your reality will come close to the less advantageous of the two.

For example, fantasizing yourself as a savior and fantasizing yourself as a popular victim. Your reality will come close to the less advantageous of the two.

Had three cups of English breakfast tea today.

Visited M.'s cafe and D.'s store to check out the changes they made.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Making very slow progress with Bran Hambric. I'm already on page 320 but I can't sympathize with the protagonist because I still don't know what's going on--and neither does the protagonist himself. This novel is 100% exposition with 0% dramatic action.

Took a taxi from the Shopwise queue coming home. The driver was only too glad I lived on P. Tuazon Boulevard, since he was about to return his vehicle to the operator's garage on Cristobal Street. When I gave him my address he said he used to know a person on our compound, someone who went to school with a friend, but that that person died. I asked him how old he was, 48, and I wondered if the person he knew was my elder son, Nelson. It was.

It's not a small world. It's a tiny one.

Back from jalan-jalan. Missions accomplished.

Now to snuggle in bed with Bran Hambric and try to take a nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique. She is off to college in a while, and I on jalan-jalan to pay our water bill and buy a few things.

We come and we go, and that is about the long and the short of it.

It often happens that someone comes to me in urgent need of help, only for me to realize later that he was getting exactly what he deserved.

Inadequate people who live in big houses tend to grow big and fat to fill up the space with their chunkiness, while all others who live in tiny houses remain slim and svelte.

Real friends always make you feel confident and secure.

Saw Aubrey off to university.

Two cups very black coffee.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are geodes of crystal quartz.

Good night, Cubao!

The moonbeams are stainless steel oars paddling the ocean of sky.

Angelique arrived from college. Ordered buttered buffalo wings and saffron rice from M.'s cafe for her dinner.

Sat in the dining room with Angelique while she took her dinner and Aubrey her vitamins.

You need to understand that, for most children, their first visit to the sea is a terrifying experience, for they will feel as though they were being called to return to the universal, amniotic fluid.

When you have the time and the resources, go to the beach, spend a few days there, and bathe in the sea. The salt water will cleanse and heal you.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

M.'s cafe's new menu.

Doing absolutely nothing and LOVING it! I should have retired even earlier.

Two-hour, afternoon nap--as though my spirit guides wanted to do something to my body.

Angelique went off to college while I was sleeping.

Now Aubrey just arrived from university and a very early dinner out, and M.'s night cafe is already open.

Was planning to go jalan-jalan, pay our water bill, and check out new arrivals at a book store, but will have to do those tomorrow instead.

The sun is setting.

Where did this day go?

Sat with Angelique while she had lunch in the dining room.

A Halloween mug of green tea.

Woke up 4:30 AM, had a greasy, The Color Purple breakfast, saw Aubrey off to university, then took a three-hour, morning nap making for a total of nine sleeping hours.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

Clouds swirl like forest rivers without falling as rain.

Good night, Cubao!

Gemstones sparkle on airplanes that cross the sky.

Angelique arrived from college and is ordering her dinner via Grab food delivery.

Watched the local news, which, in this country, is always disheartening.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college.

Asked M. to bring some food over to his cafe staff.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Bought myself a snack at a hawker's stand, then read more Bran Hambric in bed and had another one-hour nap.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

The sun has now set over Cubao.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

My three sisters and brother-in-law had lunch out, and my eldest sister and brother-in-law are now off to the airport.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a yellow rubber ducky on a bathroom windowsill.

Good night, Cubao!

Blue fairies unwind skeins of silver clouds.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Even had I been straight I don't think I would have ever met any woman who could treat me better and love me more than my mother, my aunt, and my four sisters.

I'm hoping that my granddaughters will meet men who will treat them well and love them more than I do.

Aubrey arrived from university, then Angelique arrived from college.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

February 18, 2020. Said goodbye to my eldest sister and brother-in-law next door. They fly back to Sydney tomorrow. Six more candy bags!

Rested in bed with Bran Hambric. There's a lot of magic in this book, but I'm already on page 246, past halfway of the entire novel, and the secret of Bran Hambric hasn't been revealed yet--either to me or to Bran Hambric himself. As a result, the protagonist is unable to take any action whatsoever, and this makes very boring reading.

Also wondering why Harry Potter, Charlie Bone, and Bran Hambric have to share similar, if not identical, situations: living in a house with abusive relatives, dealing with bullies, experiencing terrible loneliness and alone-ness, and not understanding their magical abilities--as though they can't understand their own sexuality. Have their authors never met NORMAL mages before?

Visited my three sisters and my brother-in-law next door.

Lunch out with two sisters, a brother-in-law, and Angelique before Angelique leaves for college; Aubrey already at university.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky's vest pockets are filled with a million ideas.

A Cubao Cocktail.

Good night, Cubao!

The garden gnomes are hosting midnight tea.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their study session. Sat with them while they had their dinner in the dining room.

My eldest sister Lourdes and my brother-in-law Manny are off to attend my sister Remi's birthday celebration on Tomas Morato. I'm not going because it's too far from home and I'm not very comfortable mingling with Balik-Samahan movie stars.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still at a study session in one of their favorite coffee shops.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Visited my sister and my brother-in-law next door.

Wala Lang
(Awit ni Gina)

Sa iyo na lamang ang asawa ko
Alam ko kasi, pinagnanasaan mo

Guwapo nga ang mukha, pero kapag ika'y gutom
Hindi mo ito malalaga o mapipirito

Maganda nga ang katawan, pero kapag butas na ang bubong
Hindi mo ito mailalapat sa yero

Mabukol nga ang pantalon, pero kapag patag ang bulsa
Hindi mo siya maipambabayad sa anumang utang

Kunin mo na ngayundin
Agad-agad mong sunduin

Back from jalan-jalan and major groceries.

Lunch at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Lazy Sunday in the neighborhood.

When an apparently impossible problem suddenly presents itself, do not react immediately. Look beyond it, for its solution is standing right there and waiting for you to see it.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi Sir tony! If i may ask for advice. I attempted to create a being actually a wolf out of the condensed energy of physical universed but i added a twist in my operation i added and projected 4 higher worlds and condensed a total of 5 worlds into a condensed energy ball then i gave it a form of a wolf and placed the energy in my shungite bracelet. I feel an energy like gravity or a magnetic force in my bracelet everytime i used it. Where ever i go i imagine i have a pet wold with me. Anyhow this is just a visualization experiment and i dont do this often. I hope you can give me a feedback.thanks"


My reply:

Hello _____!

Hermetic magic actually works but is quite tedious to perform. You are about the right age, though. It is said that men over 50 should not perform ceremonial magic, high magic, and its other forms, probably due to its energy demands, that is why I no longer do it.

My advice has nothing to do with the act of magic itself but of your social context: such things are better kept to oneself rather than announced to others, even to one's best friends.

It is called, magical silence.

Good morning, Cubao!

They who cannot play by the sea, will play in the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

Elves work by lamplight in the inner rooms of  shoemakers' shops.

Jazz arrived.

Then Aubrey arrived from dinner out with Roi and his family.

Now Angelique and Jazz are off to a party.

As to M.'s cafe, the videoke is in full swing.

Everyone I know seems to be celebrating a belated Valentine's Day, and for all I know they will be doing so through the last weekend of the month.

Angelique arrived from her college celebration.

Dinner at home alone; Aubrey still out with Roi and his family.

Brought some snacks over to M.'s cafe staff.

I need another deep tissue massage next week. My muscles still feel gnarled due to the cold nights. Actually wishing we had a steam bath and a jacuzzi at home. And that hearth I can light fires and scry on flames in a la Charles Perrault's Cinderella. All I accomplished in 2015 thereabouts was insulate the house by wrapping it all around with glass sliding doors, and let it not be said that Filipinos' houses are completely exposed to the elements.

Your Messenger message:

"Hey Tony what is the remedy for a succubus demon? Almost every time I take a nap and project out of my body, theres this really sexy and attractive looking woman trying to seduce me. Moments ago she tried to have sex with me but since I felt something was off, I kicked her head and it flew off revealing her true identity. A dark monstrous blob. After which, It ran away and dissolved into the floorboards

"Its happened multiple times already. And its kinda annoying"


My reply:

Hello ____!

The last time we met I forgot to give you the ring you are to wear especially at night. I did give you a ________, though--take that to bed with you in the meantime.

The alternative is to take The Sun card, my card, from your Tarot deck, put it in a hard, protective, plastic case, and place it under your pillow.

W. dropped by to replace a bulb and pick up a piece of decor for mending.

Saw Angelique off to a college celebration.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage.

Saw Aubrey off to an afternoon and dinner out with Roi and his family.

Visited my sisters and my brother-in-law next door.

Home alone.

Remember that most of your problems are rooted not in your present or in your immediate past but in long-forgotten episodes of your childhood.

When you recycle old notebooks, you free their previous owners from negative fixations.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Was planning to go jalan-jalan later today, but I think I'll just do that tomorrow.

Good morning, Cubao!

The footprints of the elves and gnomes fade under sunlight.

Good night, Cubao!

Pantry floors transform to night markets for enchanted mice.

Valentine dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz.

Am quite relieved that my grandchildren decided to stay in and avoid the crowds.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. A family reunion is ongoing at the cafe.

Angelique arrived from college.

End of another workday on the downstairs laundry room and the rear service passage.

Provide for your children rather than spend your money on useless things.

W. reported for work today.

Ben is giving my brother-in-law Manny a massage next door.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Never allow something that should otherwise be enjoyable to cause you unnecessary stress.

The Lantern of the Love-Spell King

The base was designed as a rest for, and can accommodate six, medium-sized wands.

http://tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook1.blogspot.com/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUiWVITszb8

9. Maalinsangan kung tanghali
Maginaw ang mga gabi
Ganap lamang kasi ang pag-ibig
Nang dahil sa init-lamig

Minahal kita kahapon
Ngunit, hindi ngayon
Sa makalawa, baka, oo
At hindi na naman, pagkatapos noon

Gumising ka sa pag-ibig
Gayundin sa kawalang-pag-ibig
Mahimbing muli't muli
Ituloy ang pananaginip

Sa panaginip, pag-ibig ay lagi
Ang lahat, anong-tamis
Sa panagimpan, mundo ay langit
Sa pangarap, tapat ang kasi

Good morning, Cubao!

Lit lanterns in the daytime are always invitations extended to beneficent spirit guides.

And so to bed with Bran Hambric.

M.'s cafe is alive with videoke singing on this cold, Friday night. The neighbors must be trying to warm their bodies with liquor.

I recall that, in Judge Dee novels, men would order wine warmed on little stoves inside noodle shops. Since we really don't have winter time in the Philippines, most liquor here is taken with ice.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon wears a crown of rainbow gemstones.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Rolando Tinio used to tell me that, after all their years of alliance, the greatest tragedy in US-RP relations is that the Americans and the Filipinos never really understood each other. One such example I recall is the time when a certain US Ambassador could not accept why, during programs, Filipino guests came for the food and not for the programs. It even came to a point when two other Embassies would bar student guests away from the buffet tables during art exhibit openings, and, when that didn't work, served only wine and cheese.

Today, I see that the Chinese understand the Filipinos only too well, but that the Filipinos cannot or will not understand the Chinese.

I am still undecided as to which of the two relations is more dangerous.

Done reading The Wishing Chair Collection and currently reading Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse, conceived and written by Kaleb Nation between the ages of 14 and 19. He is possibly the youngest, published American writer I know.

The novel is, like the Charlie Bone series, derivative of Harry Potter, but this young author is more sardonic and has a very dark sense of humor.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Value the lover who shows his love for you every day of the year and not only on Valentine's Day.

Dinner at home alone.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

This chilly evening in Cubao began as soon as the sun went down, and I wonder if it will last through the night.

It will snow somewhere soon.

End of another workday on the downstairs laundry room and the rear service passage.

Looking good.

It is all right to spend money on or lose money to your children, but not on or to others.

Today, February 13, 2020, is the 24th Anniversary of The Spirit Questors.

Visited my three sisters next door.

Angelique off to college.

Lunch at home with Angelique and W.; Aubrey at university.

My eldest sister Lourdes sent me a third ream of my favorite cigarettes.

W. reported for work this morning.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are paint boxes filled with tubes of sky colors.

Good night, Cubao!

The extra stars in constellations are extraterrestrial spaceships.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

End of another workday on the downstairs laundry room and the rear passage.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Visited my three sisters next door.

Jazz arrived from a visit to City Hall.

W. reported for work this morning.

Lunch at home with Angelique, Jazz, and W.; Aubrey at university.

Keiko Kashigawa is taken for a walk round the compound.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a bowl of clear gelatin.

Message from Sean:

"Made this for you, Tony. A channelled transmission from the 7 rays of universal energy in the form of symbols and drawings. It provides wellness and heals any sickness. I think I may be a channeller"

Two fingers brandy. Need it after another workday.

Good night, Cubao!

The ocean is a black mirror that reflects the splendor of the night sky.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

End of another workday on the downstairs laundry room and rear service passage.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still on college.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

This photo, recently sent to me by my sister Alice, was taken at the Thomas Jefferson Cultural Center during the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Philippines. My family and I are standing behind a glass display case containing my father's military memorabilia--an Army colonel, he survived the Bataan Death March and fought in Korea.

The year was 1995, four years after our mother passed away.

Saw Angelique off to college.

Visited my three sisters next door.

W. reported for work this morning.

Lunch at home with W.; Aubrey at university and Angelique still resting upstairs.

February 11: Feast day of our Lady of Lourdes and our eldest aunt's birthday

Your Messenger message:

"Hi ___. Just woke up from a very vivid dream. And before I forget it. Here. I was in a room where you arranged a table for me with wands pointing outwards. It was a mandala like arrangement of wands. And like a page in a book turned. We were in your house where you are distributing Wanda made of different materials.you were holding a selenite wand. And I was hoping you will give it to me. But you said. No. And that I have 2 choices. The dragon wand and or a fairy wand (I think). Then Intruders went inside. And I have to fight them wand to wand. Ate ivy I think was there and broke the fight. There were other people in your house but they were blurry. They looked young but I know they are old na. I can particularly remember an Android young man with pointed ears and seems to be emanating a chime or bell like sound."


Hello _________!

On a purely psychological level, the mandala of wands is your psyche's visual summary of where you currently stand in your life. The selenite wand represents where I am and where you want to be, something unattainable to you because of the stark difference in our lifestyles. Your two feasible choices, the dragon wand and the fairy wand, represent success in your career and a satisfying, romantic life, respectively.

The intruders in your dream are the antagonists in your present situation. You are beset with others' envy. While you cannot fully comprehend why others want to put you down, the android is how you see them: robots without feelings.

On a psychic level, the selenite wand represents the king of the white cloth who has the authority and the mandate to organize the house of the spirits. The dragon wand is the goddess of the storm and the fairy wand is the goddess of pumpkins and of honey, both of whom continue to speak through you.

The men and the android are other students of psychism whom you perceive as competition.

Good morning, Cubao!

Tall buildings are bread sticks baking in the oven of the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is an oatmeal cookie on the indigo saucer of sky.

Angelique arrived from college.

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

Learned tonight that Angelique's college of law volleyball team won against Ateneo de Manila's college of law volleyball team last Sunday. That gives them three wins already: against the colleges of law of PLM, UP, and AdMU.

Lots of customers in M.'s cafe last night and tonight.

Cabernet sauvignon night for me.

Note that prudish people always have something wrong with their genitals.

Dinner at home alone; Aubrey studying upstairs.

We are waiting for Angelique to come home from college.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Aubrey arrived early from university and took an afternoon nap.

Saw Angelique off to college.

On their way to lunch at MegaMall, my sisters Lourdes, Remi, Alice, and my brother-in-law Manny dropped me off at Gateway for my lunch reunion with former Embassy coworkers. Wasn't expecting goodies from my coworkers, two of whom are balikbayans from the USA. Malou gave me a wallet with USD 10 inside it.

Wearing White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun signs his autograph with gold ink.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes gallop through dark, side streets on the backs of stray cats.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their study session.

Aubrey chose a Swarowski pendant and Angelique a Swarowski ring from a box of jewelry that my brother-in-law sent us.

Filled up our water tank for the night, and the house and M.'s cafe are good for the next 24 hours.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Went shopping with my sisters and brother-in law.

Then we met up with Angelique and Aubrey for dinner.

Angelique and Aubrey held a study session at one of their favorite coffee shops after.

Hosted lunch and tea at home for my sisters Lourdes and Remi.

We're all going to the center for dinner later.

Thinking of picking up Enid Blyton again and taking a nap.

OMG aside from the chocolates and goodies my sister Lourdes bought me a bottle of Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds!

Two cups very black coffee.

Saw Angelique and Jazz off to Angelique's volleyball game.

Spent the morning with my sisters Lourdes and Remi at my sister Alice's apartment.

Alkaline water delivery.

Good morning, Cubao!

The noontime sun goes into a reverie as half the day is done.

Good night, Cubao!

The cicadas hold choir practice behind the leaves of the trees.

Dinner at home alone.

Angelique and Jazz arrived from college.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz ordered pizza for their dinner,.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Done reading Book One and Book Two of The Wishing Chair Collection. Now into Book Three.

Mico visited.

Afternoon tea.

Belated Christmas holiday gifts from Mico: Almond Roca and my third dragon bracelet!

Saw Angelique off to college.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Bought breakfast food for Aubrey.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery with Aubrey to buy freezer and pantry stuffers.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

A warm and intermittently sunny day in Cubao.

Today is the Chinese Lantern Festival.

It is the day my youngest sister Sylvia and brother-in-law Rey fly back to Sydney after their vacation.

It is also the day my eldest sister Lourdes and brother-in-law Manny fly in from Sydney for their vacation.

What a time to travel, though.

Good morning, Cubao!

Dappled sunlight marks the train of the sun's daughter's bridal gown.

Metals that do not conduct electricity also do not conduct magical energy.

Such metals are called, in Tagalog, "pundido", and magnets do not cling to it.

Good night, Cubao!

The neighborhood is bathed in silver moonlight.

Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Videoke session ongoing at M.'s cafe.

Two fingers brandy.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Waiting for Angelique to arrive from college and dinner out.

Checked out the ongoing renovations in D.'s apartment. Their front porch will now accommodate Toto's Internet cafe.

Love those intertwining limbs, which summarize the relationships in the play.

Saw Angelique off to college.

The heavy drizzle stopped.

Did some writing on the side porch desk. Lit joss sticks, an oil lamp, and a tea light in a lantern.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

A heavy drizzle in Cubao.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunshine heals, though many choose to hide away from it.

A warm night in Cubao. So glad to get warm again. Cold makes me withdraw into myself; warmth makes me outgoing, friendly, and effusive.

Good night, Cubao!

Lit lanterns are stars on earth, and multiple lanterns form constellations.

Angelique arrived from college.

Asked Jerome to fry bacon from our freezer and a bag of salted fish that I bought, and serve those with fresh vegetables and saffron rice for her dinner.

Dinner at home alone.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

If you have children who go to school, always make their life at home as easy as possible.

Fear not what human beings say but what spirits say. The reason why many people do not and cannot hear what spirits say is that they would pass out on the floor if they did.

When Nature drives you away from a place, do not seek to come back, for she will drive you away from it again, and again and again.

Whenever you can, be at one with the sky as it transits from sunset to dusk.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Spent most of the afternoon in bed.

Now halfway through The Wishing Chair Collection.

Saw Angelique off to college.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey at university.

Winnie's mother gave us this bottle of instant coffee from Thailand two months ago. It must be their equivalent of Nescafe.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are slices of white alabaster.

"I had to let it happen, I had to change/

Couldn't stay all my life down at heel/

Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun/

So I chose freedom, running around trying everything new/

But nothing impressed me at all/

I never expected it to/"

Good night, Cubao!

Blessed is the house that lights the path for weary travelers.

Angelique arrived from college and is still deciding what to have for dinner.

At any rate both granddaughters are already home.

A piece of advice I gave my anak-anakan in literature today:

Be a serious writer. Do not be a pop culture writer whose truth is ephemeral--future generations will only laugh at you and devalue your works. Do not strive to reach as many readers as you can in the present. Those readers only seek to be entertained. If those readers are your fans right now, it isn't worth writing for them, for all they want is to clutter their shelves with as many books as they are able to. Remember that, as of today, THERE IS A WRITER IN EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THIS COUNTRY, and you should be the writer who withstands the test of time.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Saw Angelique off to college; Aubrey arrived from university and a very early dinner out.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Back from a two-hour meet-up with _________ at the center. 

Saw Aubrey off to university; Angelique leaving for college after lunch.

Meeting my anak-anakan for literature later at the center. If W. comes to resume renovation work I'll have to lock him inside the house until I come back.

Then a delivery is scheduled to arrive in the early evening.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sparrows are Nature's drones.

Two fingers of brandy should knock me out for the night.

Fire engines tearing through the streets. (Our house is diagonally across Camp Panopio Compound/QC Police District 7).

Wondering where the fire is.

One of the things I enjoy living in a democratic country is the freedom to go shopping. One can literally buy anything his heart desires as long as he has the money to do so. This is something other people cannot do in other countries, where certain products are restricted.

Ordered a BLTC sandwich for Angelique at M.s' cafe.

As my former supervisor Alan Holst always told me, every parent who has teenagers or young adults in the house seldom has cash in his wallet and must have a separate budget for a lot of food.

Yet, to me, it is an indescribable joy for every parent to spend all that money on his children and grandchildren.

Good night, Cubao!

The sleepless always wait for the shining of the morning star.

Angelique arrived from college and is still deliberating whether to order food from M.'s cafe or not.

Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Dinner at home alone.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Everyone's wondering why the movie Cats was such a disaster. The fact is, the original, theater piece was simply a series of "poems" set to music and strung together. It relied mainly on LIVE PERFORMANCE. Once converted to a movie and shown on screen, it became apparent that it has no real premise, no real conflict, no real rising action, and no real climax. In short, it was not dramatic material.

Back from jalan-jalan with loads of stuff.

Home alone; Angelique in college and Aubrey at university.

Lunch at home alone; Aubrey at university and Angelique still resting upstairs.

Had, among other dishes, papaitan, which I like taking whenever it's available.