A brief rainfall in Cubao.

Isn't it absurd that Filipino performers consistently get four yesses from judges only to finally end up being nowhere?

It is your spirit guides who tell you to add or subtract structures to your house.

High winds in Cubao.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a necklace of feldspar.

Good night, Cubao!

Garden gnomes cuddle up in nests of leaves on the branches of trees.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with M.R. James's ghosts.

It is really the availability of funds, not love, that carries a married couple and a family through. It is the same availability of funds that carries a single person through.

It is possible to fulfill more than one lifetime within one's present lifetime as long as one undergoes one or more involuntary and sometimes inexplicable, major changes within that lifetime.

To prevent yourself from overeating while on quarantine, take a little meal at 4:30 PM and nothing else between meals.

He fears sleep because he perceives sleep as a form of death.

When your wallet finally becomes tattered, upgrade it.

It is fun to celebrate one's birthday several times within one's birthday week: with family, with friends, and with no one else but yourself.

You reap what you sow. Reaping time is always from your retirement onward.

A good book in bed fertilizes your mind while you sleep.

Corner bedrooms protect your house.

Unbeknownst to them, when they use whitening soap their skin itches all over.

Your body will tell you what to eat and drink in order to get well.

Always listen to your body.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz.

The July leaves fall off my hardbound and desktop planners.

To view photo, go to https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3182067988546573&set=a.936008466485881.

Rainy afternoon in Cubao.

My camera can take extreme close-ups of flowers, but not of the rain.

Wishing I could fit a recliner on my bedroom's rear porch. It's a perfect place to lie down beside the rainfall while keeping dry.

A dry day under a completely cloudy sky. Then it drizzled later in the afternoon.

A cup of very black, Kalinga coffee on my bedroom's rear porch.

Spider webs are the day fairies' dream catchers.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

A late lunch at home alone.

Good night, Cubao!

Behind every garden bush is an entrance to a gnome village.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and ten off to bed with M.R. James's ghosts. More than halfway through the book.

An onion sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk for a bedtime snack.

Angelique and Jazz set up a Korean barbecue dinner for the family, celebrating Jazz's acceptance into a new job.

Jazz brought his family's portable grill over. I'm not sure now whether to buy us an electric one or a gas-fueled one, like this one.

Two-hour, afternoon nap. 

Woke up because a phone serviceman came.

It's drizzling in Cubao.

Lit tea lights in my bedroom's rear porch lanterns.

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

Finished painting two cradle sides.

Hoping to have The Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation wrapped soon and commence construction lines on Painting #17.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is festooned with blue and white organdy.

Being economically rich means you've earned a lot of money for yourself.

Being spiritually rich means you've earned a lot of good karma for yourself.

Either way, it looks like the poor are not blessed.

Other than death, mental torment is the worst damage the pandemic has dealt on the people.

Wet night in Cubao.

The night sky weeps for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who are in pain and in discomfort, and those whose hours are spent in anxiety for the present and the future.

Ensure that you accomplish more things for yourself than for others.

Know how to enjoy your bedroom and your bed not only at night but also in the daytime.

No matter how domesticated your cat is, it will always yearn to steal out of your house and explore the great outdoors.

Stray cats and dogs suffer most in the rainy season.

If a deceased Chinese is subjected to a Christian funeral service by his relatives, a Taoist funeral service by his other relatives, and a Buddhist funeral service by yet his other relatives, which of the three heavens would forgive him for everything and take him in?

You need to be extra patient with pets. They don't have your reasoning, your educational background, and your frames of reference.

Good night, Cubao!

Always bring a notebook and pen to paranormal night classes.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey and Roi will be taking their dinner upstairs.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with M.R. James's ghosts.

Our Lady of Candlemas, framed

An Afternoon Out With Boy Martin

Boy picked me up to take me to the framer's, where we finally claimed _Our Lady of Candlemas_. We visited Heritage Art Center across the street, then had coffee afterward at Pancake House Main Avenue, talking about our contemporaries, some of whom have passed away, one of them only yesterday. The last time I saw Boy was in 1971, but he looks the same as ever.

He now does volunteer work for Bulacan National High School, formerly M.H. Del Pilar High School, formerly Bulacan High School. He surprised me by showing me my father's name on a registrar's list in his cell phone. Apparently my father graduated there in 1932.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs; Aubrey and Roi are having their lunch upstairs later.

Cool, wet morning in Cubao.

Roi arrived. Aubrey and he are spending the whole day here at home. They're planning to have lunch and dinner upstairs rather than go out.

Happy 21st Birthday to my third granddaughter, Aubrey!

My baby! Grandpa loves you! It seems like only yesterday when I lifted you high up in the air.

Good morning, Cubao!

Precious seashells attract the treasures of the deep to your doorstep.

Night classes

4:30 AM

A guided tour of the dollhouse dojo and its special features. Not everyone will be admitted, only persons I have actually met and conversed with.

Good night, Cubao!

Your forearms and hands will glow like lanterns lit with golden fire from within, previous to commencing astral travel.

M.'s cafe had a buy one, take one promo today and tonight.

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

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with M.R. James's ghosts.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

In bed reading M.R. James's Collected Ghost Stories. Really creepy. I love this book. At last, ghost stories that are too erudite for the hoi-poloi!

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

A small space, if well-appointed, can take on the functions of a big room.

Even if you are rich and important, never live as though you are. Sweep the driveway. Scrub the floor. Only then will you be an object of admiration rather than envy.

Empty day!

It is sheer bliss to not be writing, not be painting, not be cleaning and rearranging rooms, not even be in bed and reading. Yet, it is sheer bliss not because you are doing nothing but because you know that you have more than enough money in your pocket.

Love not only every hour but also every minute and every second of your life. Do not stride from one day to another. Only then will you see that life is long.

Expand and maximize the corners of your house by cleaning and rearranging them without even spending money in the process.

Never say that life is unfair. Where you are now is a result of a career decision you made years ago.

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

My spirit guides said, this will be an empty day for me--time to do absolutely nothing. I think I'll just lounge in bed--and on the rear porch, with a cup of tea. 

He screams for democracy, but democracy does not exist in his parish, in his university, and in his family, where he always refers to "my house", "my family", "my property", and "my money".

Good morning, Cubao!

When it rains, the sky becomes a babbling brook.

Good night, Cubao!

The enchanted, pink reindeer appears in the sky once again.

Secrets of Our Dollhouse Dojo, Part 1

The staircase up front...

...pulls out to reveal a secret drawer that can be used to contain money, jewelry, keys, or letters.

_Our Lady of Candlemas_ Framed

Angelique and Aubrey are having a late night snack in the dining room.

Good night, Cubao!

The enchanted, pink reindeer appears in the sky once again.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then of to Bed with M.R. James's ghosts.

Bought two kilos fresh mango, two packs fresh strawberries, a jar of uraro, a pack of broas, a box of milk pastillas, and a pack of dinner rolls.

Evening rain in Cubao.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey. 

Finished reading The Seven Dials Mystery last night. The first murder is set in Chimneys, where, four years ago in that fictional world, The Secret of Chimneys was set. It has some of the same, wonderful characters who figure in the latter novel.

Started reading M.R. James's Collected Ghost Stories in bed this afternoon. Loving it so far.

Censorship is a function of fundamentalism. It will always exist in a country of religious cranks.

Wait until it is too late for the friendship to happen, for, should it happen, you will only regret it.

https://tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook18.blogspot.com/

Try infusing your room with patchouli in an oil lamp.

It is tragic when sadness leads to illness, and illness leads to death.

Brought _Our Lady of Candlemas_ to the framer's after lunch today.

Your Messenger message:

"Dear Tito Tony,

"May ask for your help again? I just moved back to ____________, having lived here twice before, and it seems that this time my re-entry has proven to be more challenging technology wise.

"In a span of a week, all three of my laptops have broken down on me.

"The first one was fried by the electrical surges caused by the lightning storms up here. I have bought a surge protector to address that.

"The second one had a severe hard drive error so I had to change the hard drive.

"The third one, a new one, would not turn reboot this morning. This is a brand new laptop po.

"Could it be the place I live in? What should I do, Tito? I feel like my enemies here are making me kulam huhu.

"Thank you again in advance, Tito. And I am sorry to bother you again.

"Love,

"_________________"

My reply:

Hello _____________!

There is nothing supernatural about your current problem. Alas, gadgets are not perfect, though we often think that they are--and that they have the power to make our lives perfect as well.

I suggest that you bring your new laptop to the place where you bought it and explain the difficulties you've been having with it.

Good morning, Cubao!

The warrior's helmet is crested with golden plumes.

Good night, Cubao!

Unused lanterns double up as gnome houses.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed wit Jimmy Thesiger.

Rainfall on Cubao.

Filipino English: "SONA to push through."

American English: "SONA to follow through."

In the 1960s, "push through" was used by Filipinos to refer to small business ventures.

Angelique came down to a late lunch in the dining room.

Enough cleaning for today. Might just lie in bed and read.

My Bedroom's Rear Porch, Rearranged

This location takes in the afternoon sun. A good place for a morning cup of coffee and an evening cup of tea while making doodles and writing notes in my Anything Notebook.

I love the way this rear porch is adjacent to my sister Alice's front porch. I can see her porch seats and table from where I am seated.

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

Finished cleaning side porch writing area.

Started cleaning and rearranging my bedroom's rear porch. I think, that's where I'll have a cup of tea this afternoon.

Big breakfast.

After five years of retirement the only distinct memory I have of my working days is the ham sui kok and the taro pie I used to have at Emerald Garden before walking through the Embassy gates. My day was never complete without them. I wish that someone in Cubao would cook and sell those exactly as I remember them. I could have those for breakfast everyday for the rest of my life.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are stainless steel water tanks in the sky.

Good night, Cubao!

Garden fairies lull the flower pixies to sleep.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Jimmy Thesiger.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

A long day for me. Started with a big breakfast, then varnished both The Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation and Our Lady of Candlemas. Continued cleaning the side porch writing area. Went to the center and bought a book. Back home now, lighting incandescent lamps while a light rain falls on Cubao.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a sheet of platinum.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairy folk and gnomes hold another banquet inside the dragon tree tonight.

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique took an early dinner, ahead of us.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Jimmy Thesiger.

Never make major decisions when there are strange phenomena in the sky.

In many places residents set out nine or more viands for the Hungry Ghosts. This is done in corridors outside unit doors or on street corners, to be disposed of by cleaners the following morning. This practice is inconvenient in Metro Manila due to dust, intermittent rain, stray cats and dogs, and even rats.

Just set up the following inside your gate or outside your front door:

--A glass canister with a lid containing nine pieces of candy

--A glass of drinking water covered with a saucer

--Two lit joss sticks in an incense burner

--A lit vigil candle in a secure, glass holder

--You may add fresh flowers in a vase

Pour the water onto the street the following morning.

It is safe to eat the candy or give it away to street children.

Traveling has become such a production number that I go shopping only at the center, which is accessible to us by walking or online. If online, I avail only of vendors who offer COD services. I will not part with my money before receiving a product.

In every crisis, customs and traditions are challenged to change.

Retrieved The Seven Dials Mystery to start rereading in bed later.

A cup of green tea.

Did more cleaning in the side porch writing area.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Washed 17 brushes and two palette knives and disposed of one no longer serviceable brush.

Started cleaning the side porch writing area.

Glowering skies above Cubao.

Finished rereading Treasure Island last night. A book I'll keep to enjoy rereading again in the future. One thing was quite confusing though, the name Captain Flint--which referred both to the dead pirate who buried the treasure AND to Long John Silver's parrot, also named Captain Flint. There were times when I initially couldn't place which was which, unless that was deliberate on the author's part.

Bought two kilos fresh mango.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Sky elves build a golden staircase to the castle of the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnomes are the keepers of the keys to the secret portals in your house.

When people ask me why I never had lovers--and I never will have any--I tell them that it is because my expectation of lovers is for them to spend their money on me, not the other way around.

I spend money only on my family and myself. Anything other than that does not make sense to me.

Aubrey took her dinner in her bedroom and came down later to fix herself a snack.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Jim Hawkins.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

_Our Lady of Candlemas_

Our Lady of Candlemas

Votive altar painting commissioned by Boy Martin

Oil on linen canvas

16" x 16"

June 27 - July 23, 2020

The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

Rainfall on Cubao.

In the meantime I finished Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Lunch at home alone, then Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

The blazing sun paints shimmering oases on parched sand.

More than halfway through Treasure Island. Read deep into the night last night. I'm amazed at how swift the action is. It's a page-turner, though that's not how I remembered it to be. Maybe because all the movie versions I'd seen were dragging, boring, and cast with unattractive performers.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is an enchanted, silver cairngorm brooch.

Aubrey came down to a late dinner.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Jim Hawkins.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Started rereading and re-savoring Treasure Island in bed this afternoon, and am enjoying it completely. I wish it would never end.

Wanting to buy more action figures for our dollhouse dojo. Wishing there were 1:12 Ong Bak action figures in the market as well.

I have learned that it is charitable to desist from arguing with bipolar persons, for they have enough mental torture to begin with.

Never be afraid to buy toys for yourself as long as you are certain that you will play with them.

Do not be fixated on what you used to be doing. If the writing on the wall says that you are engaged in the wrong business, change your business immediately.

A person who is truly content will simply wait for blessings to come rather than pray for them.

There is cause for lament when your favorite bird migrates to another tree.

Listen to the voice of the rain, for it brings you messages from those who love you but are far away from you.

Whatever is happening around, center yourself, look at it straight, and see how your life figures in it.

There is light at the end of the tunnel only because a tunnel is a tunnel and not because of anything else.

It is really very expensive to stalk someone.

Stop giving awards and endowments to artists and start creating permanent jobs with lifetime retirement pensions for them. Once and for all destroy the "medalist mentality" that wrong education is inculcating in schools.

For, what is an award-winning artist who eventually dies of starvation compared to a laid-back, unheard-of artist with a permanent job and annuity who is set for life?

If a workshop leader is not a great philosopher, his workshop will be nothing more than a group dynamics exercise.

Defects in your body, whether old or new, are urgent messages from your psyche to take action on an important issue in your life.

Children never stop wishing, and neither should you.

I note that persons who criticize how others look do so because they live unhappy lives.

Things don't necessarily get better after they get worse.

I think that both the flower vendor and the neighborhood cobbler are both homeless. They frequently saunter into our compound and spend a lot of time sitting between our side porches.

As long as you are happy, you will never get bored with routine.

Try sleeping with your back on a dry, hot towel laid on your bed. It shields you against pneumonia.

The best way to deal with an atchay brouhaha is to ignore it completely.

As we approach the Month of Hungry Ghosts, prepare to be more respectful and more caring in order to ensure a better year for everyone.

Evening rainfall on Cubao.

When in despair, think of one person who really loves you (whether you also love that person or not), and converse with that person in your mind.

Worked half an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting. Almost done, but this will need to get varnished and then framed afterward.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

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

Finished rereading Murder on the Orient Express last night. Really a good read, definitely well-structured, and lends itself to fine ensemble acting when dramatized, but the closing paragraphs were quite lame. It was a letdown to go through the entire novel and then read Poirot's last line without knowing what everyone else's reaction was. As such, the screen versions had more punch.

Loved Albert Finney in the big-screen version.

Will start revisiting a boyhood adventure and reread the complete and unabridged Treasure Island tonight. My memory is hazy, but I recall thinking how the comic-book and movie versions seemed wrong to depict Jim Hawkins as a LITTLE boy, and that it would have been more credible to depict the "lad" as at least 18 years old. It is difficult to imagine a little boy accomplishing all that he did in the novel, all the way from dealing with pirates to assisting naval officials.

I am uncertain as to which to trace my fondness for Treasure Island to: watching my first play (Treasure Island, when I was in Prep at Ateneo Grade School) or viewing for the first time Norman Rockwell's enchanted book illustrations. I even like thinking, at age 69, that M.'s cafe is the neighborhood tavern and that it is a Filipino version of the Admiral Benbow Inn.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a jacket of golden leather.

To improve your luck and good fortune, upgrade the things you use daily, one at a time, observing which ones are most active in your energy field. These include personal stuff such as flip-flops, toiletries, and personal accessories that you are constantly in contact with.

A tomato sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk.

Lighting tea lights inside the three lanterns on my north windowsill again.

Good night, Cubao!

The night sky invites the rain to dinner.

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

Night chores.

Night drizzle.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Despite initial technical glitches, the computer will be the classroom and the workplace of the future.

Proactive political leaders always prescribe change, that is why the comfortably ensconced dread and resist change.

Fresh bed sheets, pillowcases, and blankets always help you sleep well.

In a sense, one of the biggest failures of any religion is its inability to successfully shape the morals of people in countries where it is predominant.

Perhaps that is because that religion was most effective only when it was an oppressed minority.

A dollhouse can be set up as the equivalent of a Thai spirit house.

A torrent! Took this through my bedroom's rear porch.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Had money changed for the granddaughters' weekly allowance, paid our water bill, and bought two boxes Krispy Kreme originals.

Swung by a book store and hunted for a copy of Treasure Island but found only abridged and simplified children's and junior classics versions. Then the old man who was a shop assistant rummaged about and fetched two classic editions for me, to my great delight. I bought the Penguin edition.

A cup of green tea and leftover cake.

Then the rain fell.

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

Replenished our soda supply.

A big breakfast and a cup of very black, Kalinga coffee, then went back to bed and lay there for a few hours. Read a few more pages from Orient Express.

It is quite distasteful when people go out to beg in the streets to melodramatize their situation.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a basket of golden pineapples.

Monday is over, but I couldn't care less.

Everyday is Saturday to me.

Everyday is Christmas--yes!

And everyday is a special holiday.

Good night, Cubao!

Enchanted figurines come to life at the stroke of midnight.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot. At the moment the Orient Express is snowbound and at a standstill.

Ordered a plate of crispy, buttered buffalo wings from M.'s cafe. 

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Lanterns shaped like follies make excellent tabletop decor.

At last the beauty queen opens her eyes and sees that she is immersed in a universe of atchays.

A sated stomach gives you peace of mind and a night of restful sleep.

Rest and sleep are priceless luxuries. Avail of them.

The man who feels like a king cannot help but treat his children and grandchildren like princes and princesses.

It is the hand fan of crane feathers that endows one with wisdom and authority.

The shrewd businessman finally sees that no one owes him loyalty.

A person with employees cannot devote all of his time to his loved ones.

A dollhouse in every room for family prosperity.

But, they should be well-furnished and adequately populated with dolls.

Don't buy items made of resin, no matter how pretty you see them to be. They have no value whatsoever, and, when they get damaged, they end up as so much junk.

Your health is improving when you note that your fingernails and toenails are growing faster than usual.

Live and make money for your own family and for no one else.

The two birds in the bush are always more attractive than the one bird in the hand.

"The body--the cage--is everything of the most respectable--but through the bars, the wild animal looks out."

--Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express

Whenever you lose your fame, don't make the mistake of missing it and wanting it back.

"Method and order, they are everything."

--Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile

Too hot.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery and bought a box of brownie fudge ice cream.

One-hour, early afternoon nap.

Worked half an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Angelique came down to a late lunch in the dining room.

Strange how the pandemic wreaks vengeance on your enemies without your having to lift a finger.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Today the sun wears his gold signet ring.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a set of cut-crystal toiletry vessels on a white-tiled bathroom shelf.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to take their dinner soon after.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed to take a trip on the Orient Express.

Lazy Sunday evening.

Took an early dinner at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Our dollhouse dojo is now one of my favorite night lights. When I am in bed and gazing at it with its interior light on, it is like gazing at a tall building across the street.

It is life after retirement that counts, for it is literally the rest of your life.

Finished reading Death on the Nile in bed this afternoon, then watched the David Suchet DVD version all over again. (It eliminates Richetti altogether.) The Peter Ustinov movie is more cinematic, but I find that David Suchet is the perfect Hercule Poirot.

Retrieved Murder on the Orient Express, which was written and published before Death on the Nile, to start rereading in bed later. (Loved the Albert Finney movie, but, if Nile was too complicated to occur in real life, Orient Express is positively over-contrived.

I equally like both JJ Feild and Simon McCorkindale in the role of Simon Doyle.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Your stardom never fades as long as it does not rely on fans and audiences.

Wearing White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor.

And two antique necklaces from Afghanistan.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun weaves golden hammocks to hang between tropical palm trees.

Your spirit guides will always show you where, but you also always need to look at what is there.

Good night, Cubao!

Extraterrestrial ships hover above the clouds once again.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

It's Jerome's birthday. A small celebration is ongoing in the cafe, which is decorated this evening with black and white balloons.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot. Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is murdered only halfway through the book; the first half introduces characters, is devoted to exposition, and sets the stage for an incredibly complex and highly undoable crime.

Aubrey came down to a very late lunch.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Stop prescribing love when it begins to sound like so much posturing on your part. Love is either there or not there. It cannot be squeezed from other people's empty toothpaste tubes.

Love is not the seedling you proudly plant in your garden. It is the weeds that grow joyously round it, for God created weeds too. Alas, more often than not, true love is pulled apart or doused with weed killer.

We produce more trash than we produce fine art and noble acts, that is why the world is fast becoming a paradise for scavengers.

Stabilize your life before even attempting to stabilize your community. Otherwise it would be like running into battle without boots on.

Bought a roll of masking tape.

Replenished our soda supply.

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

You CAN take it with you. That is what memory and imagination are all about.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a brass bangle encrusted with carnelian.

Good night, Cubao!

The most interesting way to explore the night is in your dreams.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot.

The air outside is still and stale and hot.

Quite relieved that my younger son Chito has come back from four days and three nights with municipal officials trekking on a mountain to check out an area for infrastructure and potential livelihood. They trekked ten hours.

When alone in your room, dance your problems away to African music, for your movements will conform, at some point, to magical passes that heal the body, the mind, the heart, and the soul.

Never let your frustrations out on your children.

Let your troubles sweep themselves behind you like the wind blowing round your body. Stand tall and firm like the acacia. Bend like the bamboo if you will, but sway back to your normal stature afterward.

You may perform distant healing on a person who is ill, but it is a bad idea to visit him via astral travel in order to do so: you will come back to your body with vestiges of the illness in your auric shell.

I note that, no matter how hard people pray and no matter who they pray to, they often do not get what they pray for.

Bought two kilos fresh mango.

An early lunch alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

It's only a little past mid-month but I wish this wonderful month would NEVER end!

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun's golden blanket hangs on a clothesline in the sky.

Don't be a man for others if you can't be a man for your own family.

Good night, Cubao!

Dark chocolate is the confection of the night.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Afterward we asked Jerome to cook two bowls of french fries in the kitchen.

Christine sent an image of this artwork titled "Satyr and Son" by Georg Jahn (1907) to me because, she says, I look like the satyr.

I think I do! I must have posed for it in a previous lifetime.

All that glitters is not gold, and crises always expose what mere glitter is.

"(M)an was forced to invent work in order to escape the strain of having to think."

--Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile

The problem with business is always that you have to sell something in order to get paid.

In times of crisis, you know exactly who your real friends are.

It is most enjoyable to sleep and nap like a contented cat.

Spoiled brats will always insist on having their own way.

An artist without solitude produces no masterpieces.

Remember that, in any foreign country, very few people will really care about you.

Another Great-Gatsby-summer-hot day in Cubao.

Back home from jalan-jalan at the center. Changed money to cover the coming weekend's expenses, including the granddaughters' weekly allowance. Bought a loaf of white bread and a pack of crab sticks since I was there anyway.

It is quite distressing to see a lot of friends whose funds are petering out uncontrollably and trickling like water from their hands. They hang on to their last PHP 1,000 and it disappears within two days.

I observe that having no more money and being poor are two different things. The latter are inured, if not resigned, to a particular lifestyle. The former are in a state of denial and extreme panic because they refuse to have to practice that lifestyle.

My advice to everyone: Move on. Do not cling to a heaven you used to have but have already lost.

Only two cake makers satisfied us during the four months of this quarantine period: Cake Panda and Banapple. The rest were ho-hum.

Finished rereading The Man in the Brown Suit in bed this afternoon,. I see why, side by side with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, it is one of Agatha Christie's most popular novels. It has adventure, stolen diamonds, mysterious men, romance, an exciting ship journey, explorations in South Africa, exotic souvenirs, switches in identity, chases, and, of course, murder. Ackroyd seems to have been better crafted, though; it is positively airtight. Brown Suit seems to have been hastily and prematurely ended with a deliberate effort to tie up all possible loose ends.

Retrieved Death on the Nile to start rereading tonight. I remember all of the details, but I thought I'd revisit it and savor it all over again before drifting off to sleep. I completely enjoyed the Peter Ustinov movie in 1978 and the 2004 David Suchet DVD version which my youngest sister Sylvia sent me from Sydney years ago.

Coming to the end of my Agatha Christie collection, and will eventually switch back to Judge Dee and lose myself in ancient China once again.

These are the businesses that are doing very well in our neighborhood:

--hawkers' stands

--rice dealers

--fruit and vegetable dealers

--fish and meat dealers

--hardware stores

--bakeries

--drug stores

--delivery services

And to think that these are "local locals" serving a small community and occasional walk-ins.

Elsewhere in the city, malls are becoming losing propositions, and it is possible that some of them will have to be converted to residences or hospitals.

Capitalism very often leads us to have too much of a good thing.

The grandchildren cooked themselves an early breakfast and then went back to sleep.

Bought six fresh eggs.

Lunch at home alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

Ninety percent of the 5,000 Friends in my List are from Central Asia, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore. As such, no Filipinos come up in my Newsfeed. I do not visit other people's Walls, no more than I admit spontaneous and unexpected visitors to our house.

If there is anything urgent you wish to tell me, you need to send me a Messenger message.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun hangs a mirror framed with gold in his townhouse foyer.

Good night, Cubao!

Drift off to sleep while you think of the sea rippling under starlight.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Anne Beddington.

Aubrey took an early dinner.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz.

When the sun is out, birds ride on the wind. When it rains, they take shelter. When darkness falls, they tuck their heads under their wings and rest.

So must human beings adjust to the situations they are in, and continue to live. Without griping, without complaining.

Hired Jerome to grind more coffee beans to fill our glass coffee canister.

In bed with Anne Beddingfield on a lazy afternoon.

One of my spirit guides informs me that many of my friends are already going ga-ga over their quarantine situation. Amazing how allegedly intelligent people turn psychologically primitive when face-to-face with boredom, idleness, poverty, and hunger.

As to W., he will resume renovation work next week. The first thing we need to do is spend the entire day setting up his sleeping quarters next to M.'s staff's sleeping quarters.

Lunch at home alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

Above Cubao, the clouds are ripe with rain.

The day fairies replenish their paint supplies with the changing colors of the sky.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Before I retired I used to dread the night, knowing I'd have only a few hours sleep and rise early to get to work the following morning.

Now that I am retired I embrace the night, I relish my dreams, and I love rising at any time I like.

Good night, Cubao!

Always let your magical implements bathe in moonlight.

Aubrey came down to a late dinner.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Anne Beddingfield. The scenes are now familiar; I recall watching the DVD version my youngest sister Sylvia sent me from Sydney.

Jazz arrived in the afternoon.

Dinner with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Bought two kilos fresh mango and a box of fresh strawberries, and replenished our soda supply.

Lunch alone in the dining room, then Angelique came down to lunch; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

The sun is a motorbike rider's golden helmet.

Good night, Cubao!

Allow one of your spirit guides to tuck you in bed at night.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Anne Beddingfield.

More items for our dollhouse dojo

Lounge set on one of the side balconies

Framed mirror on table on another side balcony faces west to deflect negative energy.

Miniature abalone footlocker, part of a gift pack from a government official, unfortunately I've forgotten who it was.

Cast iron bed on third level

But I need more beds to make this a fighters' dormitory.

Occasional table silhouetted against an atrium railing

Chairs surrounding the atrium railing on another level

Outside the front doors. A wooden Chinese bench, and beside it a cypress tree made of the mineral corundum

Also outside the front doors. A miniature plant made of jade chips and copper wire, inserted in a miniature cluster of crystal quartz

Chinese table and benches. I've actually shown this in a previous Posting.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

The drizzle finally stopped this evening, and we're having a cool night ahead of us.

Don't forget to cleanse your dollhouse and/or your toy village with incense smoke in situ before activating it.

Retrieved The Man in the Brown Suit to start rereading in bed tonight.

I love going through my old books--I discover all sorts of exotic bookmarks I'd left and forgotten that I did in them!

Alkaline water delivery arrived. 

Considering an afternoon nap.

Been advised of a mid-year raise in pension. I'm enjoying this four-month holiday completely, though I know that it has dealt sleepless nights and suffering to others. Wondering what the month of July will be like.

Work on Angelique's air-conditioner is finished, and we have the house all to ourselves again. Will have to schedule a cleaning and declogging of the AC in my room next.

Angelique took a very late lunch in the dining room.

Finished reading The Wind in the Willows last night. Wordy and lush with description more than action, like Lord of the Rings. In those days before the computer age, readers savored language and imagery as much as they did the story. Things start hopping, as a matter of fact, only in the last two chapters. An interesting take, though, on four friends (Water Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad) and their adventures as narrated, presumably, by the wind, who becomes a fifth protagonist.

Will have to retrieve another Agatha Christie to start rereading tonight.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a brass candy scoop.

Served lunch to the repairmen. All service persons are astonished whenever we serve them lunch in the dining room and treat them as though they were guests.

Now ordered nine, five-gallon jugs of alkaline water for our dispenser.

It's been a cloudy, drizzly day in Cubao.

Took an early lunch; Angelique supervising repair work and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Another busy day; the air-conditioner repairmen are working again.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnome children roast late-night goodies round tiny campfires.

Angelique came down to dinner, and Aubrey came down to a late dinner.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. They're watching online movies again.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with The Wind in the Willows.

Bedtime snack: an onion sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk.

The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

Thunder and a rainfall on Cubao.

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

When you lose your job, look for another job.

You cannot step in the same river twice.

Our Ent comes back to our side porch entrance. Roi accidentally swiped this with his backpack a year ago, and it got smashed to pieces. W. restored it during the quarantine period, and here it is, this time secured with nylon twine.

I considered buying a replacement for the damaged item, but it would have cost me more than two hundred dollars including shipping. Rather than throw it away I had it restored because, whenever my youngest granddaughter Chevy sees it, she calls it "Grandpa".

If you ride to add life to your days, don't ride, to add days to your life.

Had lunch in the dining room. Angelique came down to lunch soon after. Aubrey still resting upstairs, but her sleeping cycle seems to have gone back to normal; for the past two mornings she's been fixing herself breakfast.

The sun is a golden hourglass.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours.

Actually woke up 5:30 AM because someone kept ringing the brass bell outside my bedroom window. It was W. He was able to hitch a ride in someone's private car to deliver something that he masterfully repaired for me since February.

Wondering when W. and I will be able to resume our renovation work. When he does so he might have to bunk in the studio, since he lives three cities away. 

Went back to sleep after W. left.

Good night, Cubao!

Fairies weave enchanted blankets to protect you from the cold.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the animal characters of The Wind in the Willows.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

And now to pick ourselves up not by weeping over the demise of the one broadcasting company that had countrywide reach--but to push other broadcasting companies to have countrywide reach AND to push even the remotest communities to strive to have technological access to all the media they need.

Only then can we call broadcasting an INDUSTRY rather than a monopoly.

There was nothing else to do on this rainy afternoon, and so Jerome and I moved the dollhouse dojo to my bedroom.

The dollhouse was designed like the dojo of Huo Yuanjia, the teacher of Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) in the 1972 movie _Fist of Fury_ (a.k.a. _The Chinese Connection_).

Am now using this as one of my night lights.

Sometimes we have to discern between what was done and the manner in which it was done.

Wet afternoon. The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

Went with Angelique to the neighborhood grocery store under umbrellas, ibn the rain. Did major groceries,.

M. and his staff look nice and warm and dry inside their lighted cafe.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

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

Pain lasts longer than pleasure, but pain and pleasure are equally unforgettable.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun showers the earth with gold and silver coins.

Good night, Cubao!

They have magical dreams who sleep in the light of the moon.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Loved how M.'s cafe's warm, lighted interior looked like from the street in the drizzle this evening. It reminded me, once again, of the Admiral Benbow Inn from Treasure Island. Indeed, it is our neighborhood's tavern.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the animal characters in The Wind in the Willows.

Gloomy evening with rolling thunder. The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

An unexpected gift from Rina.