It is hard to shut out cries of hunger in the neighborhood. It is like hearing the constant but dying mewls of kittens abandoned by their mother.

Sat in the studio while Angelique and Aubrey took a late lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a spangled, golden helmet.

Good night, Cubao!

The Metal Rabbit in the moon mixes another bottle of the elixir of immortality.

Chinese dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Lennoel to send some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Movie marathon continues in M.'s cafe.

The days and the nights in Cubao have become steady and predictable.

The March leaves fall off my bound and desktop planners.

Angelique is back from the neighborhood I Love Milk Tea fountain.

It is easy to identify the richest of the rich, but it is not easy to identify the poorest of the poor because there are many of them, and some of them even choose to be invisible.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Did groceries with Aubrey.

Angelique is now taking her lunch in the dining room.

I don't celebrate my birthday--stopped doing so since college--but my granddaughters want a token dinner with cake for just the three of us. We're thinking of ordering Chinese food.

Two-hour, morning nap.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

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
A Splendid 68

And now a Shining 69!

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun shimmers, the moon glimmers.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a brooch of white jade on the black tunic of the sky.

Off to bed with The Under Dog and Other Stories.

Finished reading Thirteen at Dinner a.k.a. Lord Edgware Dies. A good read, but too theatrical and too complex to be carried on in real life.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey. We had some bacon deep-fried at the cafe to add to our meal.

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

Yes, movie marathon continues in M.'s cafe.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage. In my bedroom, but I always fantasize it on our roof deck.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

I think I am prepared for an extended quarantine through June or July, but, by that time, there will be much wailing and much discontent. The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse, the Spirit of Inggit, will ride through the land. If he isn't already, that is.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden cactus in the desert of sky.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a slab of ocean limestone.

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

Movie marathon continues in M.'s cafe. As sure as the sun rises every morning, they never run out of movies to screen.

My evening shower.

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

If the canvas maker doesn't respond tomorrow, I'll do graphite sketches on paper and have them framed later.

Aubrey now rustling a heretofore untried kind of noodle dish in the kitchen.

Asked M.'s cook to deep-fry a bag of tuyong sapsap for us.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Now second batch of my laundry done.

Thinking I have all the time in the world to finally read the Ramayana in translation, but putting it off because I am sure to get lost in it, and no one will ever find me again.

Back to bed with Agatha Christie and hoping to take a nap.

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

Disrespect to elders, no matter who they are, will always redound on your own parents.

"We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors."

--African proverb

Been studying my finances. So far my savings have been tremendous because I've not been shopping for almost A MONTH. Now I can plan to become rich. My secret is to NOT SHOP.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

My masseur insists on coming again, which will really lop off the rest of my day.

Woke up just an hour ago.

Morning ablutions--no need to turn on the water heater. The water from our stainless steel tank is really hot!

A cup of very black, Kalinga robusta coffee from the sack that Mawil gave me before she left for the USA.

Value the Wand by which your enemies are punished with fire.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunbeams are golden escalators leading up to the sky.

Still rereading Thirteen at Dinner, actually a Dell paperback retitling of Lord Edgware Dies, which I also still have a copy of. My sister Sylvia sent me the DVD version a few years ago as well. I'm not sure that the twists are too clever, but I'm going on with the reread anyway.

Pizza dinner and brownie fudge ice cream for dessert with Angelique and Aubrey. They'd been craving pizza over the past two days but we couldn't get food delivery service all of yesterday.

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

Movie marathon in M.'s cafe continues.

Three weeks ago a lot of neighbors escaped to the province when they heard that Metro Manila would be on lockdown.

Now every place is on lockdown, and Metro Manila is STILL the best place to be in during a lockdown.

There is nothing left for me tonight but take an evening shower and go back to bed with Agatha Christie.

Waiting for 16 pieces of clothing to get spun-dry in the washing machine while listening to local news.

Into the third week of quarantine, I believe that hardware stores should also be open.

I will live only for my family through my dying day.

I love the heat of summer. It keeps me in its warm embrace and whispers many secrets in my ear.

Watch the shadows of the leaves of the trees and listen well to what they have to tell you.

It is quite wonderful to not have visitors knocking on my door.

Like water passing under a bridge, lost inspiration is never recovered.

Once into your retirement, never be at the beck and call of anyone.

Never favor reproductions over original art.

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

It was summer time all the time for many of my co-artists, and all they did was play the fiddle.

Now that the summer is gone, they find that they saved up nothing for themselves.

A very early lunch at home; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

I've been a hermit since I retired in 2015 and have been staying home and avoiding people ever since.

Now I'm waiting for everyone else to stop pretending that they're happy staying at home and drop their masks of false cheerfulness, because only I know that kind of happiness.

When people start reaching out to you in a week or two, it is because they will be desperately needing financial help.

Times of boredom and restlessness are also times of forced love and attraction.

Do not give in to persons who court you until everything is back to normal.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a slice of ice-blue pudding.

Don't unrealistically budget your finances to cover a one-month quarantine period. Instead, be very prepared in case it gets extended two months or more.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a circular pond of crystal-clear water.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Movie marathon continues in the cafe.

The neighborhood I Love Milk Tea fountain is open again--but dispenses take-out orders only.

Retrieved Thirteen at Table for rereading in bed.

Back from the money changer's.

Back from the neighborhood grocery.

It was a pleasant walk this time around. Few cars, fewer people in the streets--like a sunny day in West Virginia.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Going jalan-jalan to change money in a while, then swinging by the neighborhood grocery with my granddaughters' wish list.

Finished rereading Hallowe'en Party last night. The ending is quite abrupt and doesn't have the dramatic flourish of the DVD version.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunbeams are the golden oars of the great sun's galleon.

Back to bed with Agatha Christie, even if all I did the whole day today was luxuriate in sleep like a cat curled beside a fireplace.

Good night, Cubao!

The  moon is encircled with a crown of rainbow sapphires.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Movie marathon continues in M.'s cafe.

One-hour, late afternoon nap.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

Could have shamelessly slept on and on.

Your e-mail message:

"Dear Sir Tony,

"Hope you're fine in this lockdown period. I just want to relay again a dream that i had a few weeks ago.

"I was attending the mass in our municipal church when i decided to go to the church park. Then i noticed an egg in one side of the park which was about to hatch. I approach the egg, held it and it exposed 2 hatchlings. The first creature was a penguin (it was alive) then i check the other one and it was a duck. I immediately put the egg on the ground vecause i worry that when the duck awakens it will see me and confuse me as its parent. As i moved away from the area, i looked back and saw tje duck looking at me. So i quickly walked (almost running) but i noticed that both the penguin and duck were following me. I went inside the church relieved that both did not follow me inside.

"I decided to go out of the church together with most of the church goers so that the penguin and duck will not notice me. But, for some reason i decided to put on some perfume to mask my odor to the hatchlings. It was a success they weren't able to follow me although somehow i know that they recognize me its just that i am wearing a different odor. But before i traverse the gate of the church i looked back and mind read the duck saying to the penguin that they just need to remember the odor the first time they saw me and the second time that they notice me.

"I was terrified so i decided to buy several perfume. Everytime i go to church i always notice both creature but they were nit able to recognize me. 

"Before i woke up, in my dream i just realized that i don't need to wear different perfume. I just need to avoid the two odors that i was wearing the first day i meet the hatchlings.

"Thank yoy sir."

My reply:

Hello ______! 

Your dream is an an expression of your desire to escape from the consequences of two things you did in the past. As an extreme example--not necessarily true in your case--you may have had two affairs and fear that they may have resulted in illegitimate children. That is the template. How would you apply it to your present situation?

A very early lunch alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Another hot, sweltering day in Cubao.

The sun is a bright pincushion stuck with expensive, gold needles.

Good morning, Cubao!

Fell into really deep slumber from 11:30 PM last night through 7:00 AM this morning. I think it's because my latest painting is done and I no longer have to think about it.

Good night, Cubao!

The sky is a dark music sheet on which the stars mark a nocturnal melody.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

And back to bed with Agatha Christie.

Two-hour, late afternoon nap.

Bought a fresh watermelon from the fruit stand across the street and had it chopped into triangular pieces.

Now washing 45 brushes and three palette knives. A formidable task, but only I can wash my brushes to my satisfaction.

Momentarily in bed with Agatha Christie.

A one-hour, early afternoon nap while Angelique and Aubrey took their lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Into Chapter 9 of my reread of Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party. I love the setting and the complex plot. I also love its DVD version.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a snow globe filled with golden glitter.

Good night, Cubao!

Nocturnal fairies watch over those who sit up through the night.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. They're holding a movie marathon there.

Right Panel of Diptych: _Feast of Tabernacles_

DIPTYCH: FEAST OF TABERNACLES (RIGHT PANEL)

This painting was completed December 29 – 30, 2019 and February 25 – March 24, 2020.

FEAST OF TABERNACLES

Oil on cradled canvas

4.5’ x 6’

December 29 – 30, 2019 and February 24 – March 25, 2020 

A liberated Hebrew woman—she is wearing kohl and lip dye—invites the female viewer to join the company of women preparing to celebrate Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. While the Left Panel of the diptych depicts the first miracle of Jesus, the transformation of water to wine at a wedding reception in Cana, the Right Panel depicts technically Jesus’ last miracle, the transubstantiation of bread and wine to His Body and Blood, a miracle that is performed everyday by Catholic priests celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

There are thematic differences between the Left Panel and the Right Panel. In the Left Panel Mary is the only woman present; in the Right eleven women—a Hebrew woman and ten women from different ethnic groups and historical periods in Philippine history take her place. In the Left Panel the interior is enclosed by secure walls and windows; in the Right the exterior has open structures. In the Left Panel there are two men; in the Right Jesus is the only male in the group.

Other paintings featuring Jesus with His male disciples show us the disciples waiting to be served. In this painting the women are proactive: they bring offerings and take action to make their celebration a success. While this painting was completed within the month celebrating Women’s Day, it is also a statement that Christianity could not have survived without the devotion, loyalty, contributions, and support of women, though they have been consistently downplayed in New Testament stories.

The auditory stimulus I used while painting this is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPIobqA9shc. Do view the painting while listening to it.

Worked half an hour on seventy-ninth glaze.

This painting is finished and now awaits vernissage.

Worked half an hour on seventy-eighth glaze while Aubrey had a very late lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on seventy-seventh glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Worked an hour on seventy-sixth glaze.

In between lifetimes you choose to reincarnate, in order to expiate your karma, not only in a particular body, a particular lifestyle, and a particular karmic group, but also in a particular country.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are bowls of thick, breakfast soup.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a peeled water turnip in the sky.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique took an early dinner and Aubrey either had a heavy afternoon snack or will take a late dinner.

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

Worked an hour on seventy-fifth glaze.

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

A half-hour, afternoon nap.

Finished reading my last Charlie Bone book. Since the book store at the center is closed I'll have to switch to one of my Agatha Christies tonight.

Aubrey took a late lunch upstairs.

Worked half an hour on seventy-fourth glaze.

Worked half an hour on seventy-third glaze.

It is so hot outside that I could bake a pie on the driveway.

Painting #14 for Maryhill School of Theology in progress.

Seventy-two glazes and counting, but far from done.

Right Panel of Diptych: Feast of Tabernacles
4.5' x 6'
Oil on cradled canvas
December 29 - 30, 2019, February 25 - , 2020

The auditory stimulus I am using while painting this is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPIobqA9shc.

Hoping to finish up co-terminus with the quarantine period.

Angelique now taking her lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on seventy-second glaze.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Worked half an hour on seventy-first glaze.

Worked an hour on seventieth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunlight hangs like golden bunting on the trees.

Good night, Cubao!

It is the existence of stars in the sky that makes us desire to wear jewelry.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Worked half an hour on sixty-ninth glaze.

Calling it a day for painting. Just looking forward to my evening shower and then jumping into bed with Charlie Bone.

Worked half an hour on sixty-eighth glaze.

Chow King delivery for the granddaughters' dinner arrived. They ordered early because service also might stop early.

Shared from my sister Alice.

WARNING!

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

Worked an hour on sixty-seventh glaze.

My masseur arrived against all odds because he needs the money.

11. Taglibog

Mahapdi ang sikat ng araw

Nakamamanhid ang liwanag ng buwan

Umaambon nga kung minsan

Pero malayo ang malamig na ulan

Kayrami ng nais kong parausan

Mga mukha't hinuhubdang katawan

Mga barahang paulit-ulit binabalasa

Hanggang mapili ko ang iilan

Binubulungan ko kayo sa isipan

Ng mga salitang walang kahihiyan

Tangan ko kayo tungong sukdulan

Nanginginig ang ating kalamnan 

At bukas, sasabog ang mga bulkan

Lilindol, mayayanig ang lupa

Ang mga dagat ay raragasa

Walang makatatanda ng ating mga ngalan

May mga panahon nga ng libog at kabanalan

Mayamungmong na pagsibol at pagkatigang

Pagsira rin, pagkatapos, paglikha

Kamatayan, buhay, kamatayan

All of the entrances to Planas Site, in front of our house, are completely barricaded. One can go to the hawkers' stands only upon presenting an ID and being checked for fever.

Worked an hour on sixty-sixth glaze.

Angelique now taking her lunch in the dining room.

A cup of very black coffee.

An early lunch alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun shines even when it oversleeps.

Dinner at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Then worked an hour on sixty-fifth glaze while Angelique took her dinner in the dining room.

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

The barangay brigade sprayed the neighborhood and our compound with disinfectant this morning. The driveway was so wet I thought for a moment that it'd rained.

Worked an hour on sixty-fourth glaze.

Worked an hour on sixty-third glaze while Aubrey took a late lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on sixty-second glaze while Angelique took her lunch in the dining room.

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

Worked half an hour on sixty-first glaze.

The sun is a golden box of assorted chocolate confections.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

The light and dark sides of the moon are a pair of cosmic castanets.

Watched the news on TV.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique took her dinner upstairs.

Ordered a ham and lettuce sandwich for Aubrey from M.'s cafe.

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

Now just waiting for our water tank to fill up, and we are good for another night and another day.

Worked half an hour on sixtieth glaze.

Bought a supply of tinned spicy sardines and pork and beans at D.'s store; they'd just come back from the supermarket. A former CAO advised me to eat beans because they allegedly lower blood pressure.

Also bought a watermelon at the fruit stand and had it chopped to triangular chunks there. Quite sweet. But was it Huckleberry Finn who said, the sweetest watermelons are stolen watermelons?

Worked an hour on fifty-ninth glaze.

A brief, heat drizzle on Cubao.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

I know this sounds risible to others, but an impending disaster I see ahead for me is that I am running out of titanium white and burnt umber, and The Oil Paint Store will remain closed throughout the quarantine period!

"Basic needs" is indeed a relative term.

A light breakfast and a cup of very black coffee.

Walked to the center--it felt like a long walk because the streets and the sidewalks had few people. SM Cubao and Ali Mall are completely closed, but Shopwise and Puregold are open.

The sweetest thing I discovered is that the bank branch I have an account in is open, and will be open throughout the quarantine period. Went to a money changer's.

At Farmers Market, the Korean grocery stores are closed. A lot of fresh produce in stock, but I have to ask Aubrey first if she feels like cooking anything.

Stocked up on noodles at D.'s store. Will buy tinned food later.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden shopping cart.

How to pave the way to a mass uprising:

--Take away the people's freedom of movement.
--Take away their mobility.
--Take away their livelihood.
--Deprive them of their meals and make them rely on dole-outs.
--Frighten them out of their wits in the name of obedience.
--Deprive them of their favorite modes of escapism: cheap entertainment and liquor.

These are the same steps that led to the massacre of Company C in 1901, which was immediately followed by the Balangiga Massacre.

Good night, Cubao!

The sky is primed with ivory black.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

Worked an hour on fifty-eighth glaze.

We will soon all observe that all non-creative people go schizoid when quarantined for a long amount of time.

Painting #14 for Maryhill School of Theology in progress.

NOTHING in this painting is finished.

Right Panel of Diptych: Feast of Tabernacles
4.5' x 6'
Oil on cradled canvas
December 29 - 30, 2019, February 25 - , 2020

The auditory stimulus I am using while painting this is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPIobqA9shc.

Hoping to finish up co-terminus with the quarantine period.

Worked an hour on fifty-seventh glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

One-hour, morning nap.

Worked half an hour on fifty-sixth glaze.

Worked an hour on fifty-fifth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a pan of butterscotch pie surrounded by clouds of whipped cream.

End of second day of quarantine but it feels like it's been two months already.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon opens her jewelry box of stars.

Dinner at home alone.

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

Worked an hour on fifty-fourth glaze.

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

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

Worked half an hour on fifty-third glaze.

Worked an hour on fifty-second glaze.

Bought snack food for Aubrey at the snack hawker's stand.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery but missed it by a few minutes. Their quarantine-period hours are now 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Bought a pack of traditional Salinas tuyo, potato chips, and hair conditioner at D.'s store.

I am now wearing one of my skull-design masks.

I hope they waive our electric, water, and phone bills for now and just add the outstanding amounts to next month's bills.

During a crisis, it is the people on top who should make big sacrifices for the people at the bottom, no matter how thankless their acts will be.

Worked an hour on fifty-first glaze while Angelique, and then Aubrey, had lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on fiftieth glaze.

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

A cup of Thai green tea.

Employers should provide shuttle services for their employees to get to and from work.

Barring that, they could provide stay-in facilities for them.

A tall glass of taho with lots of sago and molasses.

Worked half an hour on forty-ninth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is comprised of gazillions of candle flames.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a lemon lozenge in the night sky.

Worked half an hour on forty-eighth glaze.

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

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on forty-seventh glaze.

Watched some of the news on TV in M.'s cafe.

https://www.facebook.com/happy.ongpaucotiu/videos/10156795604507477/UzpfSTEwMDAwMjMwMjA5MDg4NjoyODQ5MDIzMTcxODUxMDU4

Shared from my sister Remi.

Libay (Liberty Ilagan) was Philippine cinema's Julianne Moore. I first met her and her Auntie Laling when I was 12 years old (truly a long time ago) and played an extra in a Sampaguita Pictures movie that Ocha (Rosita Quintos a.k.a Rosa Mia) directed. Ocha herself passed away years ago.

I will of course not mention the name of that move here or anywhere lest someone dig it up and watch it. Kindly spare me that embarrassment.

Worked an hour on forty-sixth glaze.

Worked an hour on forty-fifth glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on forty-fourth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun glides through neighborhoods on a golden skateboard.

The biggest failure of our government is that, when it must inconvenience the people or require them to make sacrifices, it gives them no compensation or cause for happiness in return.

It is the same failure of broadcast companies when they do "outreach" to disaster victims. They apply mere Band-Aid strips to very large wounds, at the same time making sure that they have good photo-ops.

When victims' houses on the seaside and round erupting volcanoes and in blazing fires are completely destroyed, do NOT send them mosquito nets and clowns and art teachers and clothes that you yourselves would not wear. Help them relocate permanently in houses and lots that are safe and very far away from the disasters they experienced.

You can afford it but you don't want to do it, because there is still too much that you want for yourself. Permanent solutions also ensure that there will be no more victims, and it is quite evident that you like giving out temporary solutions so that the victims can be victims all over again and you will once more be seen extending "help" to them.

I have no intentions of fasting and abstaining this Easter, because I've never done so since I was in college.

Finished reading this Charlie Bone book, and I'm on to the next one. My last one. Unfortunately the book store I buy those volumes from might be closed for a month.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon cloaks green rice fields with shadowy veils.

Worked half an hour on forty-third glaze.

Watched the live-stream message from Malacanang. It was long because there were too many side remarks.

Dinner at home alone; ordered an egg mayo sandwich from M.'s cafe for Angelique because she is still poring over her law books in her room; Aubrey had a heavy afternoon snack and is skipping dinner.

Asked Jerome to send some food over to M.'s cafe.

We are passing off M.'s cafe as a carinderia, and so it's business as usual for M.

COVID-19 is changing the world, and its effect is a lot worse than that of 9/11.

Too many gloom and doom messages going round.

What do they want us to panic-buy next, after bananas?

Don't people realize that such messages actually drive more and more persons to depression and suicide?

Or is that the point?

Angelique and Aubrey swung by the neighborhood grocery.

Worked an hour on forty-second glaze.

Worked an hour on forty-first glaze.

Worked an hour on fortieth glaze.

Angelique and Aubrey took their lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on thirty-ninth glaze.

Lunch at home; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun visits the forge of Hephaestus.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon strews silver glitter on the ripples of river water.

I believe they're telling you to buy bananas because, due to the fact that they can't export them for now, there is a huge surplus in stock.

Bananas mainly fortify you with potassium.

Sat with Angelique and Aubrey while they took a late dinner in the dining room. Sweet, fresh pineapple for dessert.

Visited M. via the secret passage. They're closing for the night due to the Quezon City curfew.

Night chores: Washed the dishes and a frying pan; filled our ice box with ice cubes and refilled our ice trays with alkaline water; turned off all the ground floor lights; locked up for the night..

And so to bed with Charlie Bone.

Bought sweet pineapple at the fruit stand across the street. It has more vitamins than all other fruit.

Lots of military personnel at the fruit stand, in D.'s store, and in M.'s cafe. Actually several of them live on our compound; their headquarters, Police Precinct 7, is diagonally across our house. Asked two of them if a curfew is in effect in Quezon City, and they said yes.

Dinner at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

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

End of another workday on the ground floor laundry room and service passage.

Worked an hour on thirty-eighth glaze.

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz bought glasses of milk tea at the neighborhood I Love Milk Tea fountain.

Bought a snack for W.

A half-hour, late afternoon nap.

Prayers for our family friend Liberty Ilagan, who passed away this morning.

Worked an hour on thirty-seventh glaze.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz now taking a late lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on thirty-sixth glaze.

Lunch at home with W.; grandkids still resting upstairs.

W. repaired and cleaned one electric fan and assembled Aubrey's executive office chair for her study table. He is now replacing the bulbs in Angelique's bedroom globe chandeliers and one ceiling light each in  Angelique's and Aubrey's bathrooms.

A day of sundry chores and housekeeping expenses.

It is difficult to live in a condo unit during the lockdown of a metropolis, because condo living is always designed for its residents to live more outdoors than indoors.

A father does not have to be abusive in order to produce a rebellious son.

All he has to do is be poor and unable to provide his family with everything they need.

A cup of very black coffee.

W. reported for work this morning.

The sun lays golden carpets on honest persons' pathways.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

After panic-buying, where did your good money go, now that your children are begging you for a porterhouse steak dinner?

It is necessary for the military to expedite the prevention of entrances and exits to an area that is locked down, because many Filipinos are compulsively rebellious and detest being disciplined, possibly because of the way their fathers might have dealt with them in their childhood.

Behavior in traffic is one example of being undisciplined.

Panic-buying toilet paper, alcohol, and sanitizing liquid is another--quite ridiculous because all of those items are locally-produced and usually available under Best Buy, unlike in First World countries that have to import them. Go ahead and buy everything on the shelves. A few days later you will find that the shelves will be filled again. I believe you mistakenly thought that you were in Australia, or saw that video from Australia and fancied it would be cool to do the same.

Wastage of water is another example.

Wastage of electric power is another example.

Non-segregation of garbage is another example.

Littering in the streets is another example.

Noise pollution is another example.

Vandalism is another example.

Behavior on Facebook is yet another example.

Yes, true discipline begins with self-discipline.

Now that you have a chance to hole up at home for a long period of time:

--Go round your house and sit down and contemplate every single item you love in it, be it a wall, a door, a window, a painting, a piece of sculpture, an antique, or just a simple thing.

--Learn to enjoy what I've been enjoying since I retired--the slow, two-hour breakfast; the slow, two-hour lunch; the slow, two-hour dinner; and the slow shower. You will find that time will cooperate with your pace. You don't have to rush everything the way soldiers do in combat camp, or they way the stereotype New Yorker goes about his day. After all, you are not in New York.

--Take up needlework, such as knitting.

--Clean your house really well. It's a good form of physical exercise, and it centers you.

Go to bed not with electronics but with a book you love reading.

Electronics overstimulate your mind and prevent it from relaxing.

The purity of words on paper gently makes you drift off to sleep.

To sleep well and long, write everything you need to do the following day in your planner. That way you won't go to bed cogitating over everything you have to do next.

Self-quarantined at home?

Learn and enjoy and love the art of sleeping and napping. It keeps your body and your mind fully mended and healthy.

I've been doing that every day since I retired in 2015.

Calling it a day for painting. Must wait for these glazes to dry.

A goblet of red wine after my evening shower, and then back to bed with Charlie Bone.

Dinner at home alone; grandkids still resting upstairs.

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

Ordered a KFC dinner for Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz.

Worked an hour on thirty-fifth glaze.

Remembering the cholera epidemic in the Philippines during the time of Mary Helen Fee.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

Jazz arrived.

Two more cups green tea, and I keep dropping ice cubes in them.

Brought a plate of biscuits over to M.'s cafe staff.

Worked an hour on thirty-fourth glaze.

When President Duterte jokingly advised us to stay home and explore everything in it because "baka may mga lugar na hindi n'yo pa napupuntahan", I took it seriously because our house is too big for us. We seldom go to the roof deck, the front and side balconies, the upstairs dining area, and the future study room. I should do something about it and make better use of all that space.

Ordered 40 gallons alkaline drinking water. Our consumption will be bigger within the month that all of us are staying home.

Sat with the granddaughters while they took a late lunch in the dining room.

A cup of green tea.

Refilled our water tank.

Worked an hour on thirty-third glaze.

An early lunch at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Worked an hour on thirty-second glaze.

Exercise temperance. It is always the best option.

When you overstock on something, it means that you will have no money to buy other things--those that you really need, love, and like.

People who are stressed, who live lives conducive to stress, or who enjoy being stressed are the people most vulnerable to the virus.

The sun is a pineapple-flavored lollipop.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

My anak-anakan in literature and art lives in a city east of and outside Metro Manila, meaning that we won't have our monthly meetings during the MM lockdown.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes emerge in neighborhood homes at twilight.

Angelique and Aubrey stepped out before dusk to buy glasses of milk tea at the neighborhood I Love Milk Tea station.

After I watched the evening news, we had dinner together in the dining room.

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

Wanted so much to join that Cebu art competition commemorating the arrival of Magellan, the heroism of Lapulapu, and the Blood Compact, but can't because of the current project I'm working on.

Besides, I note that I can't join any competition I'm qualified for, because I'm a glazer and it takes ages for any one of my paintings to get done.

Back from unavoidable jalan-jalan. Changed money for the granddaughters' weekly allowance, bought Vitamin C tablets for everyone, and couldn't resist buying two Charlie Bone books. They test you for fever and compel you to use sanitizing liquid on your hands at the entrance to every mall; I must have sanitized my hands at least four times. Everyone but everyone was wearing a surgical mask. The bookstore saleslady asked me why I wasn't wearing one. I must keep up with the fashion and use one of my skull-design masks next time.

Upon arriving home I hired a tricycle to take me to and from Heat 'N' Puff in Open Kitchen, where I bought two boxes of dessert.

Glad to be home, and planning to stay home as long as possible.

Now back to my painting.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on thirty-first glaze.

Lunch at home alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Worked an hour on thirtieth glaze.

A cup of very black coffee.

Worked an hour on twenty-ninth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun always looks in through transom windows.

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

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a wheel of camembert.

Aubrey came down to dinner, then Angelique arrived from the supermarket and sat at dinner also.

Worked half an hour on twenty-eighth glaze while the granddaughters took their dinner in the dining room.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique at the supermarket and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Worked an hour on twenty-seventh glaze while Aubrey took a late lunch in the dining room.

In bed with Charlie Bone.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Worked an hour on twenty-sixth glaze while Angelique and Jazz had lunch in the dining room.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey attending her online classes.

Worked an hour on twenty-fifth glaze.

Worked an hour on twenty-fourth glaze.

Ordered a tocilog and a mug of brewed coffee at M.'s cafe.

Good morning, Cubao!

No one can hide successfully from the brilliance of the sun.

Brandy night.

Then back to bed with Charlie Bone.

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

Neighbors are still eating at M.'s cafe, especially those who don't want to go to the market, cook food, and wash dishes.

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnomes seek shelter under staircases.

Ordered buttered buffalo wings and saffron rice from M.'s cafe.

Also asked them to fry Mawil's sliced, Chinese ham. Whenever we have food that needs to be cooked, we send it over to M.'s cafe for cooking and just pay them a cooking fee.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz.

No cars on P. Tuazon Boulevard.

The district is fast becoming a ghost town.

Worked half an hour on twenty-third glaze.

The goddess of the storm and four of her sisters/court members/subpersonalities

The two latest arrivals are unexpected gifts from Bong, a student who lives in the USA.

Ordered a BLTC sandwich from M.'s cafe. Couldn't decide whether I was hungry or sleepy.

Worked an hour on twenty-second glaze.

Bought a snack for Aubrey at one of the hawkers' stands.

Worked half an hour on twenty-first glaze.

We think too highly of ourselves, that is why, when Nature decimates our population to ease life on Earth, we vociferously protest, insisting that only human beings have the right to live.

Worked an hour on twentieth glaze.

A very peaceful and serene Wednesday.

Worked half an hour on nineteenth glaze while the granddaughters had lunch in the dining room.

Morning chores.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey attending online classes in her room.

Replenished our soda supply.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery and bought two boxes of cereal and a bottle of tomato ketchup.

Aubrey's executive office chair for her study room arrived. I hope they quarantined it for a while.

Now the granddaughters are having lunch in the dining room.

Resting a bit before painting again.

Heat rain in Cubao.

The goddess of the storm is my mother.

Another day of online classes for Aubrey. She took a bowl of cereal and milk into her bedroom.

A cup of brewed coffee from M.'s cafe for me.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a writer's cottage retreat with bright yellow walls.

Unfortunately, when you rant against someone or something in social media, people Click on Like and Comment on your Posting--and then they will leave it at that, as though the ranting, the Liking, and the Commenting had already solved the problem.

You get sympathizers, but no real action is taken by anyone, including yourself.

It's filing cabinet mentality.

After I complete my 40 paintings for Maryhill School of Theology, I swear to paint lovely summer nights like this and make my viewers feel what I am feeling tonight.

Summer nights in Cubao. The trees as still as cardboard cut-outs, black against a violet sky. Cicadas chanting mantras behind the shadowy leaves. Mosquitoes humming like miniature Tinker Bells, impervious to insect spray. Cats basking on the concrete driveway baked by an afternoon sun long gone. Radio music floating in from even the farthest neighboring houses. Pitchers of lemonade with ice cubes tinkling like water chimes. Inside the cafe, waiters serving glasses of chilled, golden beer.

Writers contemplating their computer screens while the night holds them in her sweaty embrace.   

A cold, evening shower. In this summer heat it felt like stepping into a room wonderfully air-conditioned at 17.

Dinner at home alone. Angelique still at her study session and Aubrey had a very late lunch and a heavy afternoon snack.

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

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

Also calling it a day for painting. Will resume glazing tomorrow.

Worked half an hour on eighteenth glaze.

Aubrey had online classes the whole day. She took a very late lunch in the dining room.

Angelique and Jazz are off to a study session in one of Angelique's favorite coffee shops.

The neighborhood snack stand is selling halo-halo again. Bought one glass each for Aubrey and W. Angelique and Jazz didn't want any.

Worked an hour on seventeenth glaze.

Worked an hour on sixteenth glaze.

Worked an hour on fifteenth glaze while Angelique and Jazz had lunch in the dining room.

Lunch at home with W.; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Jazz arrived.

Worked an hour on fourteenth glaze.

W. reported for work this morning.

Ordered breakfast at M.'s cafe.

Considered being served my food "outdoors"--on one of the side porches, actually--a la Faye Dunaway in Chinatown, but I'm not wearing my white Spandex shorts today.

Had my food served in the dining room instead.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a daytime chandelier.

In bed with Charlie Bone.

Tried M.'s cafe's latest carbonara experiment for a bedtime snack. Last time it had mushrooms and a sunny-side up, fried egg. Tonight it had mushrooms and corn.

Calling it a day for painting because I need all of the glazes I previously applied to dry completely.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique still in college with friends and Aubrey had a heavy evening snack.

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

A piping hot shower that I switched to a bracing, cold shower.

Started reading the sixth Charlie Bone volume. I have to skip Volume 5 because I don't have it.

Worked half an hour on thirteenth glaze while Aubrey was taking a very late lunch in the dining room.

Your Messenger message:

"Hello, Sir.
"My apologies for messaging you.
"I'm feeling depressed, Sir.
"My husband's US-based niece sent me a very hurtful message maligning me and bullying me, accusing me of things I am not guilty of. Ang sakit sa dibdib, Sir. Naubos na yata ang luha ko.
"What can you advice pò?
"Is this part of my 'karma'?
"Sad "

My reply:

Hello ______________!

First, send her a message explaining why you are not guilty of her accusations.

Second, let such matters pass through you without affecting you. I've mentioned somewhere else that one of the exercises I give the Spirit Questors is to sit in front of a strong-blowing electric fan, visualize the wind blowing around their bodies, and then visualizing the wind blowing THROUGH their bodies. Doing this exercise frequently will allow you to let all negative things hurled your way to go through you rather than stay inside you and fester there.

Third, I myself am not new to being maligned. The more important and the more envied a person is, the more he is subject to such things. The perpetrators usually get a dose of their own medicine, and more.

Thus, the karma will be hers. It is not yours.

Saw Angelique off to college, but as soon as she got there they announced suspension of classes through March 15.

Aubrey bought a glass of milk tea at the neighborhood I Love Milk Tea fountain, then we went to the neighborhood grocery to buy all sorts of stuff. Including a bottle of red wine for me.

Worked half an hour on twelfth glaze.

Worked half an hour on eleventh glaze.

Aubrey arrived from university.

Another hot, sweltering day in Cubao.

Magic works where science no longer does, for magic operates on faith in oneself and not in a world that consistently lets everyone down.

Worked an hour on tenth glaze while Angelique took her lunch in the dining room. Today is the first day of her five-day midterm exams.

A cup of Thai green tea.

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

Everyone is a paradox, but not everyone has the intelligence and the courage to live and die accordingly.

Worked an hour on ninth glaze.

Finished reading The Secret of the Lost Necklace, an Enid Blyton trilogy, last night. A good read, actually, especially the third story, The Children of Killiden.

Your Messenger message:

"Magandang araw po, Sir Tony.
Kamamatay lang po ng biyenan kong lalaki. Pinagtirik ko po sya ng kandilang kulay asul nung unang araw, pagkatapos po ay nagtirik naman po ako ng puting kandila kinabukasan.. Ang nakapagtataka po ay nung nangangalahati na po yung kandilang puti ay bigla itong naglaho. Hindi ko po malaman kung saan napunta.. munting patak lang po ang naiwan. "ako, ang anak ko pati po ang nanay ko lang ang nasa bahay po nun at hindi naman po abot ng anak ko ang altar namin. "Hindi ko po malaman kung ano po ang pinapahiwatig sa akin ng pangyayaring yun. May gusto po kayang i-convey ang aking biyenang lalaki. Hindi po kasi kami nagkausap nung mga nakaraang araw bago siya mamahinga."

My reply:

Always look for a logical reason behind everything, before anything else. A rat could have taken away the candle and eaten it. Someone could also have taken it away while sleepwalking.

Do not read supernatural meaning in everything. If a spirit urgently needs to convey a message, it will do so WITH CLARITY and TO THE PERSON CONCERNED. It won't give you puzzles beyond your abilities to solve. And it certainly won't send you to consult psychics. Otherwise it would go directly to the psychics themselves, to save time rather than send you on a detecting adventure.

Finally, your candles are not well-tended and are too big for their glass vessels. I see a lot of residue-wax debris on your altar table. You should always keep your altar clean.

If ever you were remiss in anything, it is that yellow candles are lit for a person who has recently died, and then red candles two years later.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a gold mug filled with good prospects for the day.

Dinner at home with the granddaughters.

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

Evening shower. Switched from a hot shower to a cold shower in the middle of it all because it's Great-Gatsby-summer hot in Cubao. It felt like my body took an ice-cold drink of water, and it felt good. Wondering why everyone insists on drinking warm water only. Ice-cold water contracts one's muscles and then relaxes them as one's body goes back to its normal temperature, thus exercising those muscles. Constantly drinking warm water, to me, makes one's cells soft and vulnerable and non-adjustable to fluctuations.

As if the sky read this Posting, it drizzled briefly--a heat drizzle, though, rendering the earth hot and thirstier afterward.

Had a Milky Way candy bar and suddenly realized how much I've missed its distinct taste. I recall buying a bar at the Embassy kiosk whenever I felt the need for an energy upper.

Worked an hour on eighth glaze anyway.

End of another workday on the ground floor laundry room and the service passage.

Bought some sticks of barbecue while the granddaughters went to the neighborhood I Love Milk Tea fountain to buy glasses of milk tea to take home.

Now dusk has fallen, marking the end of this Sunday.

Why do many adult, Filipino men sport little boys' haircuts? It's as though they liked their K-12 graduation photos so much and still can't see themselves growing older.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage.

A cup of black oolong tea.

Must stop painting if my masseur shows up.

Lunch at home with W.; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey cleaning her room.

Visited M.'s cafe.

Worked an hour on seventh glaze.

Worked an hour on sixth glaze.

W. reported for work early this morning, and on a Sunday. He must be feeling antsy.

Once we are able to create a small bedroom with its own toilet and bathroom in the rear passage he can  stay there while work is ongoing, instead of commuting. I can also ask Spirit Questors who get stranded during flash floods or who have no relatives to go home to during Easter and Halloween to bunk in there temporarily.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is the centerpiece of a big, breakfast buffet.

Ordered deep-fried pork chop with cooked vegetables and saffron rice from M.'s cafe for Angelique's dinner.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon paints her fingernails a pearly white.

Didn't do much painting today because I was out most of the day, but will try to make up for it tomorrow.

Dinner at home alone; granddaughters resting upstairs.

Asked the new waiter to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Evening chores--a highly relaxing respite from painting. Filled our water tank. Washed dishes and cutlery. Scoured pans. Replenished alkaline water in the ice cube trays. Retrieved my second batch of laundry from the washing machine/spin dryer and hung everything to dry.

An evening shower later, and then to bed with Enid Blyton.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their study session in one of their favorite coffee shops. Aubrey is skipping dinner; Angelique will decide what she wants for dinner later.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.

Saturday, Saturday

To take a nap or to not take a nap, that is the question.

Saw Angelique and Aubrey off to a study session in one of their favorite coffee shops. Jazz drove them there.

My Former Coworkers Choose Four Sketches Each From My 2004, Art Workbooks