The passage of four hours is really the passage of half your day.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery. Did minor groceries: a carton of fresh eggs, a carton of salted eggs, a carton of quail eggs, and two bundles black trash bags.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a giant, incandescent light bulb.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended 12:30 AM.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes celebrate the arrival of midnight with a goblet of dark wine.

One Message To One Of 206 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a G in your name: Center your life around your children rather than your husband. They will always need you to be there for them--your husband will not.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

Fascinating how Adam Ryan's modern Dublin is so different from Brother Cadfael's medieval Dublin.

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique still has an online final exam.

The Law Of Attraction

maganda = beautiful

makisig = masculine

mabikas = has a good physique

matipuno = well-built

guwapo = handsome

kaakit-akit = attractive

maalindog = sexy

marikit = charming

simpatiko = good-looking

artistahin (coined word) = passes for a movie star

kaiga-igaya = pleasant

nakatatawag-pansin = head-turning

nakababalani = attractive

nakabibighani = mesmerizing, enchanting

nakahahalina = seductive

nakagogoyo = tempting

nakapanggigigil = makes one jump out of his skin

masarap kurutin = "pinchable", said of a chubby baby

presentable = presentable

kyut =cute (slang)

seksi = sexy (slang)

M.'s cafe sends us a plastic tub of fragrant jasmine tea.

Angelique's third day of online final exams.

Jalan-jalan at Farmers Garden with Q. Toto drove for us. Bought ten pots for the roof deck, six pots and planter plates for the front balcony.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The heralds of the sun wear gold pendants on their chests.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi Sir Tony, I hope you are doing great during these trying times. . .

"I have been trying to suppress my 'sensing' radar since I was assigned in the mountains of _____________, _________. And I think OKE (wand) helped in stabilizing that strong aura in our 13-hectare facility. "But tonight, I want to share something unusual that happened earlier at around 7:30 pm. "I got my 1st vaccine dose today. Some colleagues went to a nearby coffee shop to catch up. At around 7:30 pm, I dropped by the office to get my bike (bike to work). Since I left my helmet on the 6th floor of the building, I went up to get it. While I was packing some things inside my bag, I noticed a big BANGAW lying on top of my 1.5L nature's spring water bottle. I shooed it away and filled up the water bottle. While refilling, I then started to feel something but decided to shake the feeling away. "Now that I am in my room and came across your post in the Spirit Questor group, I also had a chance to analyze scientifically the situation earlier. "How could a big fly got inside the locked door when: 1. Every floor of the bldg. Is sanitized every week. Nagpapa usok talaga each floor 2. The glass door can only be accessed by a key card 3. Trashes are picked up every morning. 4. The room is always air-conditioned daily 5. For almost two months of working back in the company, that's the first time I noticed a fly on that particular floor. 6. There was no food or anything that could attract a fly to be on that table also 7. The water bottle is located near the rims of bond papers. 8. The trash bin is located approximately 5 meters away 9. The only lighted area when I came in was near the trash bin. "Do you think I imagine things, Sir Ton? Or does the big fly means anything? "Thank you for reading."

My reply:

Hello _____!

As a general rule the presence of a fly or flies indicates that someone is thinking ill of you and is trying to entrap you and get you into trouble. I strongly advise you to be extra careful in dealing with others, especially those who potentially envy your position and your lifestyle.

Kill the fly.

On Second Thought...

naisip = thought of

napaisip = brought one's mental gears into motion

naglaro sa isip = considered

masusing pag-iisip = carefully thought

malalim ang isip= in deep thought

malawak ang isip = broad-minded

malikot ang isip = imaginative

malikhain = creative

malinaw ang isip = clear-minded

malabo ang isip =  fuddle-minded

magulo ang isip = mentally disturbed

matalas ang isip = analytical-minded, sharp-minded

mapurol ang isip = dim-witted

mababaw ang isip = shallow-minded

magaslaw ang isip = green-/horny-minded

marumi ang isip = dirty-minded, also evil

makitid ang isip = narrow-minded

sarado ang isip = closed-minded

nagdilim ang isip = lost one's senses

isip-matanda = mature

bungang-isip = idea

nagbagong-isip = changed one's mind

naguluhan = got muddled

nalito = got distracted

natuliro = got frazzled 

sira ang ulo = crazy

may toyo/may baltik sa utak = perverted 

naalaala = brought to mind with nostalgia

natandaan = remembered

naisaulo = memorized

nagunita = reminisced

nanumbalik = recalled

nanariwa = remembered clearly and vividly 

sumagi sa isip = crossed one's mind

nabasa ang isip = read another's mind

nalirip = conceived

nahinuha = inferred

nag-akala = mistakenly thought

nagkamali =  mistook

naghinala = suspected

narating = concluded

natunton = ended up with

nagpasiya = decided

naghusga = judged

kinilatis = assessed the value of something

nagdalawang-isip = on the verge of changing one's mind

nagpantasya = fantasized

isip-bata = mentally challenged, also innocent

utak-biya = idiotic

nakalimutan = forgot

malimutin = forgetful

nalingatan = overlooked

ulyanin = senile

matalino = intelligent

madunong = wise

Good night, Cubao!

Go to bed with three fantasies in rotation, and determine which one makes you feel most restful and gives you peace of mind.

Then, allow the night fairies' sweet songs to lull you to sleep.

One Message To One Of 205 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: It is time to reinvent yourself and have a second blossoming. Your past triumphs will always be there, but your audiences are waiting for you to emerge as someone new. 

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey and Roi ordered food from outside and are taking their dinner upstairs.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French. Her protagonist never went to college, but he thinks, talks, and writes like a Literature professor.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Oswin, and Brother Mark visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony vegetable and flower gardens. 

Gave Firs two grocery bags full of used, children's clothes from the old nursery room. He has many grandchildren in his living quarters.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Roi arrived.

_Tai Toh Kung, God of Healing_

Tai Toh Kung, God of Healing

Acrylic on canvas

2004

Collection of Ryan Valera and Peachie Deoquino Valera
Photo by Peachie Deoquino Valera

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a glass jar of candied citrus.

Ordered a vegetable salad with ham, cheese, and red wine vinaigrette dressing from M.'s cafe.

Good night, Cubao!

Own a pen that glows like the silver moon.

One Message To One Of 205 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an S in your name: Know the rules of living in a married state--rules that did not exist when you were single. It is always true that you have to keep working at your marriage, for no marriages are made in heaven and neither do they have fairy-tale endings.

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique ordered food from outside and is taking her dinner upstairs.

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

This novel began sailing smoothly in Chapter Three. The Prologue and first two chapters were written in a style that was absolutely lost in its own language and was screaming, "Yoo-hoo! I'm a literary novel!" Am now in Chapter 6 and enjoying the murder/detective story.

Never assume that unmarried persons are lonely persons. Many of them are happier and more fulfilled than married persons are.

There is a direct correlation between technology and paranoia.

Too much melodrama surrounds death and dying, and so, when my time comes, I desire to simply burst like a bubble and vanish into thin air.

When a message has been marked as unread, you can be certain it was read, and carefully.

A beautiful house is achieved by the cleverness not of a professional designer but of its residents.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery. Did minor groceries: two packs hash browns, a pack of jumbo hot dogs, two 1.5-liter bottles dalandan soda and root beer, a carton of four seasons juice, and two bottles pink Domex.

Aubrey's bedroom plants

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Angelique was reviewing a tablet textbook during lunch. Today is her second day of online final exams.

_Batman_ (2004)

Batman
Oil pastels on canvas
2004

Collection of Mico Marasigan
Photo by Mico Marasigan

This still life was part of my exhibit at mag:net gallery on Pasong Tamo, also in 2004. It features a clutter of items in my old bedroom: a Batman doll a co-worker's husband bought for me in Hong Kong; a Michael Keaton Batman mug that a student from De La Salle University gave me; a dip pen; a Bat Signal sticker; a brown, leather journal my sister Lourdes sent me from Sydney; a black, leather journal also sent by my eldest sister Lourdes from Sydney; my Bat Signal tie; a white, aromatherapy lamp and a giant Batman War comic book purchased from National Book Store Superbranch; a cloissone ashtray that I bought in Hong Kong en route home from training in DC; a gold fountain pen; reading glasses in a gold case; money bills; a drinking glass; a mobile phone (yes, once upon a time I used mobiles!); an empty carton of cigarettes; an antique, sterling silver key holder; a leather cigarette case and a lighter in a silver case I purchased in San Diego, California; a yellow, long-sleeved shirt; a foot roller; an antique tin; and a porcelain box, among other things.

This painting is small in comparison with my other works. I consider its triumph to be a triumph of detail, a difficult thing to achieve with oil pastels on canvas.

However, as I always tell others, "I never wanted to be Batman, but I always wanted to be Bruce Wayne."

Good morning, Cubao!

Day fairies play badminton on well-tended lawns.

It is the quiet artist with quiet, inner strength who lives a blissful, stress-free life.

Good night, Cubao!

Plant pot miniatures come alive at night.

One Message To One Of 205 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an S in your name: Never be ashamed to make a fool of yourself, for it is a form of humility. Continue learning, especially about the things you love most. It is a pleasant way toward happiness.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand. The stand closes 2:00 AM to service the police personnel of Precinct 7, but I thought I'd go early, buy my bedtime snack, and get it done. As usual, will snack while watching episodes of Snapped.

Bought a musk melon, a honeydew melon, and half a kilo of Indian mango and had the fruit boy peel and dice them into bite-size pieces.

_Young Bacchus_

Young Bacchus

Oil on canvas
1993

I learned to paint in oil from ages ten through 12 (fifth through seventh grades) at Ateneo Grade School's Arts Club under the guidance of Araceli Limcaco-Dans. From high school onward I made forays into graphite, charcoal, watercolor, chalk pastels, oil pastels, and acrylic, in that order.

In 1993 I decided to go back to oil painting for good, and this was the very first painting I made that year, a truly early work, of my younger son Chito as Young Bacchus.

In 1998 I gave this painting to Bambi Gamban, a student at De La Salle University and a member of the Spirit Questors, for safekeeping, and for the longest time it hung in her mother's lanai. I reclaimed it only a few years ago, giving Bambi my painting titled Batman in exchange. Both Young Bacchus and Batman were returned to me, however, and Batman ended up being given as a gift to Mico Marasigan.

This painting hangs in our studio foyer. I am glad to have it back.

Note that my definitive signature had not yet been developed at the time.

How Far Does Our Language Reach Into Outer Space?

araw = sun

buwan = moon

kabilugan = full moon

eklipse (coined word) = eclipse

bituin = star

tumaeng bituin = falling star 

tala = big star

planeta = planet

bulalakaw = comet

meteorita (coined word) = meteorite

galaksiya (coined word) = galaxy

Sorry, guys, everything else is in English.

Two-hour, afternoon nap while it was raining outside. When I woke up I thought it was morning and I'd gone to sleep for the night.

A wonderful dream.

Rolling thunder above Cubao.

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

Rainy afternoon. A perfect time for tea and scented candles.

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

PLDT Sales has resurrected through yet another call center comprised of what sound like desperate atchays. How much longer will it take for everyone to realize that this country is not progressing precisely because of atchays, rich and poor?

It's time to take the ringers off your phones again. 

There is only one way to improve your digestion and your metabolism, and that is to imbibe a lot of drinking water.

Good morning, Cubao!

Pixies ride leaf rafts on garden ponds.

Rolling thunder above Cubao.

Good night, Cubao!

Friday night! House pets don themselves in fancy dress before attending the elfin mound celebration. They have fun the whole night, that is why they seem to be deep asleep in their basket beds--and then sleep in exhaustion the following day.

One Message To One Of 205 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an H in your name: It is all right to be a dreamer as long as you inch your way toward realizing your dream. In fact that is how the greatest and most impossible dreams are achieved.

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

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

Happy Birthday, Kat Asdaho!

Your birthday messages:

1) Do not burn your candles at both ends.

2) The best celebration is the one you organize yourself.

3) Romance is always a distraction from business.

4) Spend special occasions only with people you really love.

5) Less is never more.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has an online final exam.

A field is not an industry. It is merely a field.

The idea of having a piano sounds wonderful, but, if you're not a concert pianist or a composer, it will soon become a white elephant in your house.

Dreaming of a heavy sack of rice may portend prosperity, but it may likewise portend poverty.

Religious people are the most sentimental people in this world.

The more you are cooped up, the more you travel in your dreams.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Oswin, and Brother Mark visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony vegetable and flower gardens. The relocated plants are doing very well.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center to buy my multivitamins. Toto drove for me.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Light Up My Life

sindi = to light up something with a match or a switch

ilaw = light

nakasisilaw = intense brightness

tulos = to illuminate someone or something with a lit candle or torch

tanglaw = torch

panglaw = depressing dimness

liwanag = brightness

sinag = ray

sikat = shine, as in sunshine

lamlam = half-darkness

anag-ag = glimmer

aninag = near-sighted vision

andap = mellow glow, as the light of a firefly 

kisap = momentary flash of brightness

kislap = sparkle

kutitap = twinkle

banaag = daybreak

luwalhati = spiritual brightness; literally, glory

The secret to becoming rich is this: When you receive money, don't get rid of it.

Good morning, Cubao!

Brown sparrows especially love nesting on the secretive branches of mango trees.

Angelique's final exams begin today.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended 12:45 AM.

One Message To One Of 205 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a Z in your name: Always be neat and well-groomed even if you're staying home most of the time. Never give others the impression that you're not taking care of yourself.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairy king wears his jewelry all night long.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

It is all right to fall in love, but never with the intention of rescuing the person you love--nor with the intention of being rescued by that person.

2:00 PM

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

Allan arrived. I passed on all of my shamanic healing materials to him. At 70 I am no longer interested in healing others.

Angelique and I did our laundry in turns in the washing machine.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Down to 205.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends, including close friends and relatives.

5 more to go, but will stop for now.

Exercise In Oil: Copy Of _The Old Gladiator_

An exercise in oil, a copy of Diego de Velazquez's The Old Gladiator, made under the tutelage of Fernando B. Sena at Saturday Art Gallery, Ali Mall, in 2000.

Most of my classmates were indigent. The cheapest student brands were used. Watercolor was done on odd sheets such as manila paper and newspapers. For the exercise in oil we were instructed to use Canola cooking oil instead of linseed oil and lacquer thinner instead of turpentine.

It's been 21 years but this painting has held up very well.

Good morning, Cubao!

Your reading matter in the daytime should be different from  your reading matter at night.

Down to 210.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends, including close friends and relatives.

10 more to go.

Down to 222.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

22 more to go.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnome sentinels always look forward to daybreak and taking their turn to rest and sleep.

One Message To One Of 226 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: You've been taking things for granted, believing that everyone who loves you will come after you and cosset you. What about their own, private lives, which they also need to look after? Isn't it about time you cared for yourself without help from anyone?

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique still has an online class.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Tana French.

Finished reading The Summer of the Danes last night, It had a swift, spectacular ending that successfully tied all loose ends and swept me off my feet.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Oswin, and Brother Mark visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony vegetable and flower gardens.

They moved some of the coleus (mayana) plants to the side balcony and replanted Wandering Jew cuttings in the window boxes.

When performing healing with your hands, always keep in mind that clockwise movements generate good energy and encourage mending, while counterclockwise movements flush away negative energy and sickness and discard pain.

Don't just Stay Safe.

Stay Secure, Stay Sated, and Stay Sexy.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery and did minor groceries, including a loaf of white bread, a carton of full cream milk for the granddaughters' coffee, and a sack of frozen fries.

Good morning, Cubao!

The creative homebuilder knows how to take advantage of sunlight in a house.

Good night, Cubao!

Pixie princesses live inside the magic chambers of music boxes.

One Message To One Of 226 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a G in your name: Stop hanging medals on your chest and Posting them on Public. No one but yourself is impressed. A few years from now those medals will be but meaningless pieces of tin and discolored snips of ribbon. In the end, you will realize that the truly great artists are those who are never acknowledged in their own time.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Bertod to bring some food over t6o M.'s cafe staff.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Otir has Cadwaladr captured and brought to the camp of the Danes. Handsome Gwion's treachery is discovered.

Been watching too many Snapped videos. They're all beginning to seem like one and the same episode. Switched to Killer Kids videos (too depressing). Will try Devil Among Us later tonight.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

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

If your magic doesn't work, it's because you're not a mage.

Good morning, Cubao!

Daytime candles exude the sweet scents of garden flowers.

It's Only Skin-Deep

balat = skin

kinis = smoothness of skin

gaspang = roughness os skin

puti = whiteness of skin

itim = darkness of skin

mistisuhin/mistisahin = fair-skinned

kayumanggi = brown-skinned

kape at gatas = mulatto

maputim = between white-skinned and dark-skinned, but usually jokingly referring to a dark-skinned person  

banat = taut

malangis = oily

malagkit = sticky

kalisag = chicken-skinned or having one's hairs stand on end

pawisan = sweaty

luhaan = tear-stained

kulubot = wrinkle

baku-bako = pitted

kalbo = bald

panot = balding in patches

kati = itch

balakubak = dandruff

kulitiw = stye

an-an = vitiligo

batik-batik = splotchy

buni = ringworn

hadhad = abrasion

tagihawat = pimple

balat = birthmark

nunal = mole

kulugo =wart

kulani = swollen lymph gland

pekas = blemish

bakekang/bakukang = embarrassing, big scar or discoloration

kalyo = callus, corn

pamumula = reddening

pagtatalop = peeling

kalmot = nail, talon, or claw mark

latay = whip or cane mark

kagat = bite or sting

tibo = splinter 

galos = scratch

hiwa = slice, as by a bladed object

saksak = stab wound

pasa = discoloration due to ruptured blood vessels, such as a black eye

lamog = massive discoloration to ruptured blood vessels, e.g. the entire side of one's face

bugbog = bruised all over, as though beaten up

sugat = wound

langib = scab 

lapnos = peeling of the skin due to scalding or burning

tungkab = an entire section of skin and flesh torn off, such as a shark bite

pilat = scar

peklat = embarrassing scar 

maga = swelling

manas = puffiness

bukol = bump or node

galis = skin disease

bungang-araw = prickly heat

pigsa = boil

bulutong = chickenpox 

tigdas = smallpox

niknik = hicky

maugat = pronounced veins

lambi = skin tag or uncut portion of foreskin after circumcision

tato = tattoo

butas = piercing

The minds of fundamentalists do not evolve. All other minds do.

Politicians never approve anything that does not benefit them.

Good night, Cubao!

House mice and cockroaches break their fast at 10:00 PM.

One Message To One Of 226 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a Y in your name: It is evident to almost everyone that your favorite defense is to make people guilty about the things they Post on their Walls. They will only pretend to be sorry, and you will end up being the fool. No one really changes, for neither do you.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Mark, and Heledd await Otir's reaction to Cadwaladr's renege.

We attribute mystic meanings to 12:00 midnight and 12:00 noon because there are 12 months in the year, and those months are gathered like shirred fabric during those two times.

The candidate they have currently identified will not win.

Tony Perez's Art of War: An enemy's karma occurs when his pistol backfires.

Those who have very little for themselves tend to be very critical of others.

Something is always lost when the person who gleans the news and the person who delivers the news are two different persons.

Never assume that people will render service for free.

In wanting to celebrate life, do not allow life itself to consume you.

Extreme heat and extreme cold cause headaches.

Passed on to M. a wall tapestry rug the granddaughters no longer want and a set of steel-frame dividers.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Oswin, Brother Mark, and Rose visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony. Rose admonished Brother Oswin for the missing disco-lights pepper plant from Masbate, which he must have thrown away, thinking it a weed.

We planted ferns and Wandering Jew in two white pots that Aubrey provided for her bedroom.

All the pepper plants were moved up to the roof deck, all the dumb cane moved to the side balcony, and all the "twelve o'clock" plants in rectangular nursery boxes moved to the front balcony.

Down to 226.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

26 more to go.

Aubrey rose early to bake a batch of crinkles.

Roi arrived.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Build a miniature kingdom inside an empty, glass aquarium.

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnome hunters always carry night vision binoculars.

One Message To One Of 231 Friends (I Accepted The Request Of A Friend In Singapore), One Every Night Of The Year

You with a Z in your name: Keep your distance from the older woman who is verging on becoming your Sugar Mommy. That way your experience will not leave a bitter aftertaste. You are employed by her, so know the right boundaries. Do your job well. This is not the time to pretend to be in love.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Cadwaladr attempts to send the mercenary Danes back to Dublin and flee back to Prince Owain's camp.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey. We had some of the gambas and paella that Ramy sent us.

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

Night chores.

The fine drizzle hasn't let up.

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

Still clearing out rooms and throwing a lot of junk. Gave two, huge balikbayan boxes to M.

"I see a red door/

And I want to paint it black/"

A fine, morning drizzle in Cubao.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The day fairies deliver a pound of colored sugar cubes.

Good night, Cubao!

Moonlight shows up the rainbows in everyone's aura.

One Message To One Of 230 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a T in your name: You did not tell him how much you really love him while he was there with you. Now he is miles away, and you wonder what would have happened had you done so. You cannot draw another card from the deck because you still have the maximum number in your hands. 

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Brother Cadfael and Heledd have been captured by the Danes. Brother Mark seeks help from Prince Owain and his men, and acts as emissary to Cadwaladr for a meeting between the two brothers.

A simple, Father's Day dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Evening rain in Cubao. The sparrows came out of the trees and frolicked on the driveway.

Work on M.'s cafe's food truck window proceeds.

Two-hour, morning nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Father's Day 2021 In The Philippines

When their mother died in 2015, Angelique and Aubrey matured overnight. It was their first experience of death in the immediate family, and they were, suddenly, no longer the little girls I used to know. Angelique was in junior year at university at the time, Aubrey in tenth grade and soon celebrating her birthday. Their world suddenly changed, and so did mine, for I took sole custody of them, which was the best possible arrangement. I never imagined that my daughter-in-law Ivy would leave us long before her prime.

I took over the reins of our household. I made no plans of taking in any outsider, male or female, to help me. I taught Angelique and Aubrey to be strong-willed and to never depend on others, especially men. Despite all the women's movements since the 70s I still perceived everything around us as a man's world. They applied for passports on their own, traveled abroad unescorted, and repainted and redecorated their own bedrooms, among other things. Through the assistance of City Hall I had my Last Will And Testament drawn and executed, leaving my estate and all of my possessions in their names.  

I thought that being a single grandparent and parent would be difficult, but I soon discovered that I was only too glad to shun visitors and cease going out with friends. It gave me more time to write and to paint. Angelique graduated with a BS degree in Marketing Administration and is currently enrolled in law school. Aubrey graduated with a BS degree in Psychology this month. I was at that time in my life and my retirement when I needed nothing more and no one else for myself, and my true joy was seeing my grandchildren happy.

I am a single parent to my younger son Chito too. I feel, in addition, that, where he is, outside the main island of Luzon, he has three spirit guides, among them my father and his elder brother Nelson. Sales from my antiques, collections, and paintings that Angelique and Aubrey decide to dispose of are to be transferred to Chito, where he lives, after my demise.

As to my books on magic, wands, talismans, shamanic implements, card decks, and the like, I already began passing them on to selected members of the Spirit Questors since the day I turned 70.

Yes, I turned 70 this year and know that I may have only a few more years to live. My only projects now are the completion of my 40-painting project and my 40 volumes of collected works in cyberspace. It matters little to me, though, whether I complete them or not. I am already one, absolutely fulfilled man. Because, in the last analysis, the successful artist is he who provided well for his family. 

Good night, Cubao!

Fairy carriages always float outside, past bedroom windows.

One Message To One Of 230 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a Z in your name: There are days when you are neither here nor there, for you moved to a foreign land and now wake up wishing you were back home. The life you have, however, is the life you chose. Mull over the many reasons why you made that choice--are those reasons still valid? Keep in touch with true friends in both places. Cherish memories but not impossible fantasies.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Woke up a quarter after 12 noon today, and the day sped by. I'm not yet ready for the night, but I might as well have a full night's sleep and wake up earlier tomorrow.

Brother Cadfael and Brother Oswin visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balconies.

The decorative plants from Masbate are doing very well.

Aubrey bought a white, plastic pot and wants to have one of our survivor ferns for her bedroom.

One of the branches from the peepal tree that Brian trimmed some months ago is growing. 

We forgot to harvest this dwarf bitter melon.

Gave two, small, stuffed toys from the clearing out of the old nursery room and two toy cars from the kuman thongs' toy stash to children on the compound.

Saturday, June 19, 2021: Keiko Kashigawa And Yukiko Taka Take An Afternoon Walk

The compound kitten that likes lounging in the space between our side porches looks on, unfazed. I wish someone would adopt her.

Some compound neighbors out on a Saturday afternoon

Venturing closer, wanting to be friendly.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery to do minor groceries: a dozen eggs in a plastic box, a bottle of mayonnaise, a box of fruit juice, and two boxes of ice cream on promo.

Garden gnomes paint pebbles in enchanted colors and patterns.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Jazz arrived.

Good night, Cubao!

There is a gnome theme park on the topmost branches of every mango tree.

It is easier for two people simultaneously online to psychically read and send thought-messages to each other than when one person is online and the other is not.

One Message To One Of 230 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: Know that a major change in interest also entails a major change in orientation. Have you been wanting something different? Have you been desiring to try out a new experience? If so, what are these? Are they the result of being influenced by another person, having obtained a new piece of learning, or sheer boredom?

Look before you leap. Many choices in life are irreversible.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Three-hour, morning nap.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Down to 230.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

30 more to go.

"Viva forever, I'll be waiting/

Everlasting, like the sun/

Live forever, for the moment/

Ever searching for the one/"

Good morning, Cubao!

Seashells and coral bring treasures of the deep to your house.

Good, night, Cubao!

Night gnomes hold town hall meetings on the crests of rooftops.

One Message To One Of 233 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an F in your name: Pay your guest resources with commensurate fees, not with your family heirlooms. They know you can be overgenerous with your gifts and have been taking advantage of you.

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Brother Cadfael and Brother Mark espy a boatful of Dane mercenaries.

Ordered beef with broccoli at M.'s cafe for Angelique's dinner, to be served after her online class.

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique has an electronic class.

Now that she has graduated from university, Aubrey refers to me as retired and to herself as unemployed. Mainly because we both did nothing the whole day.

I didn't even go jalan-jalan. I asked M. to pay our water bill at the center, and my day was comprised of watching Snapped videos online.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The fairies of the north are partial to white sapphires.

Good night, Cubao!

House mice play rollerblade sports under overturned kitchen sieves.

One Message To One Of 233 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a W in your name: You assert yourself with rebelliousness, forgetting that, in raising your defenses, you categorize even your friends and sympathizers as your enemies. Step back, pause, and take a good look at everyone. You have more people on your side than against it. 

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey. Aubrey cooked pesto pasta with bacon bits, flaked chili, shelled shrimp, garlic, and parmesan cheese. She used my favorite pasta--fusilli--which is the only pasta in the world for me.

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

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Brother Cadfael and Brother Mark have proceeded to Bangor, and Prince Owain and his men to Carnarvon to defend the coastline from the Danes.

Water delivery.

Cleaning of the living area.

Morning nap. Slept through 12:30 NN.

A genuine artist is never led by current events but by his inner vision. 

A very early lunch at home alone.

Down to 233.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

33 more to go.

Let me say it again to my real friends, Facebook Friendship has nothing to do with actual friendship.

Good morning, Cubao!

Ornate, gold picture frames are tributes to the life-giving power of the sun.

What is right to one man is not necessarily also right to another. Let no man impose his mindset on you.

Good night, Cubao!

Darkness settles on the tin rooftops in neighborhoods.

One Message To One Of 238 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an S in your name: You have a loving friend who could very well soon be your fiancee. Why do you feel that something is terribly lacking?

First make a list of everything you are afraid of, and be honest with yourself.

Read the list carefully, and the answer will look you in the face. 

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

A dinner and drinking party for eight is ongoing at the cafe.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Conceptual art best hangs only on the walls of your mind.

Fall in love with a giver rather than a taker.

The mid-afternoon snack enables you to take dinner later than usual.

Sometimes decluttering is like chipping away at a block of marble, a little at a time, until the sculpture beneath is revealed in al its glory.

The head of household should go out of his way to pamper himself from time to time, because no one else will do that for him.

For a language that tends to be quite graphic, the only Tagalog word for "torture" is "pahirapan", a mild word that also means "to give someone a hard time" or "to make things difficult for someone", as applied to work or a school exam. There are no precise words that imply any overt sadism, excruciating pain, or bloodshed.

They who envied you in college, envy you to this very day.

Brother Cadfael and Brother Oswin visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter vegetable and flower gardens.

A harvest of fresh okra from our roof deck vegetable garden, for my sister Alice.

Down to 238.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

38 more to go.

Loving raspberry Tim Tam. They have a great aftertaste.

Made two children happier on our compound.

Gave Klein our Ultimate Batman and Ultimate Robin, and Elijah our Way of the Dragon Bruce Lee, action figures. 

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Bay windows are pockets of sunshine.

Good night, Cubao!

White calla lilies grow in the gardens of the moon.

One Message To One Of 241 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: The man you love is not the man who is with you now, and you wonder if some other man, who is interested in you, will fill the gap and fulfill your needs. 

He will not.

Love is not something that has to be immediately replaced--such an attitude only leads to disaster. Enjoy life alone for now. You may have lost someone you were hoping to be your lover, but it is certainly not the end of the world.

Cement work on the archway resumed this afternoon.

One-hour, late afternoon nap.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Night chores.

May favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

As I have only 41 more Friends to unFriend, please be informed that I will unFriend from among those who are already in my other Groups (_The Spirit Questors_, _The 36 Wands_, _The Oracle of Cubao_, and _Tony Perez's Gamma Werewolf Pack_), since we remain in touch in those Groups.

Down to 241.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

41 more to go.

Never settle for the make-do and the makeshift.

The Hermit comes, but The Hermit also goes.

Irreverence is a sign of inner change.

When a bipolar marries another bipolar, expect them to hide their misery and pretend to be a happy couple to everyone else.

As the sun shines on both yourself and your enemies, so does the Holy Spirit descend on everyone.

When you witness someone's karma and have unusual compassion for him it is because you suffered the same karma in a previous lifetime.

Someone should develop a complete language using words that are always misspelt and that are always results of typing errors.

Always search for a new path in an old direction.

Some of the best portrait artists have terrible penmanship.

Perception and interpretation are always subjective.

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

Brian is now working on the exterior of Aubrey's bedroom window.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Golden, spiral staircases lead from the clouds to the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

Moonbeams shine on sun-bleached seashells.

One Message To One Of 250 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a W in your name: When too finicky, one loses out on everything, including romantic love. How much longer will you be desirable to others? Are you able to give back to those who offer to give to you, or are you for the most part unwilling?

If, upon evaluating your situation, you decide that you will be happiest alone, well and good. It is a much-trodden road and not a dead-end road, but it is often a road of no return.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Bledri ap Rhys is dead and Heledd is missing.

Down to 250.

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

50 more to go.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Atchays always need to be told, "Go, the Mass is over," the way they need to be told everything else.

One-hour, mid-afternoon nap.

Staggered lunchtimes for the grandchildren.

Washed 19 brushes.

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

Ah, the joys of living diagonally across Camp Panopio Compound/Police Precinct 7! An officer is lecturing on a microphone to citizens arrested for violating health protocols, and the sound is projecting all the way into my bedroom window.

I would never be a police officer, even in succeeding lifetimes. I do not have the patience to mingle and deal with atchays.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi pai. I had a dream. You came. We sat together on the floor. We covered ourselves with a thin blanket. You told me a certain AL had telling you about me. You said. That you will do your best to help me. That you came so we can do yuwipi together since you forgot to do it to me. We held hands. Closed our eyes. The you started humming and chanting. I ioened my eyes and I was alone floating. But i saw the world differently. It iw filled with spirits and angels and beings, almost filling the whole ether. The world is crowded with beings of different kind. After that I observed a war being fought by magickal beings and people who are half bred. They hide under the earth. The entrance to jt is agate where you have to crawl under. Then i held a white baby who talks like an adult and I was told I adopted him. Then I woke up with the sun hitting my face. Decided to message you before i forget. And i used you then as a cyber ichabod crane. Love you pai. Miss uou"

My reply:

Hello ____________!

Your dream indicates a need to undergo another rite of passage in your life. This need not be a formal ritual of any kind; it could simply entail a paradigm shift, a change in attitude, or a different worldview.

The white baby, of course, is Tommy, the antique doll you purchased when we still had Elvencraft. It seems to be inhabited by some kind of spirit. Both the baby and the sunlight represent rebirth, like the rising of the phoenix from ashes.

Good morning, Cubao!

It is time to revisit your pleasant memories of the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

There are thirteen princes of the moon.

One Message To One Of 252 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a U in your name: The best comeback is not as someone you were in the past but as someone completely new.

Angelique and Jazz are back from shopping and dinner out.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Despite the fine drizzle, Brother Cadfael and Brother Oswin visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony vegetable and flower gardens. As usual, we added our coffee grits and used tea leaves to the watering pails. The plants seem to love them.

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

Lazy Saturday. I refuse to do anything today.

Morning delivery of the granddaughters' caramel and vanilla syrup bottles.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The prince of the sun rests on a golden couch.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a flat basket of harvested, white flowers.

One Message To One of 252 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a B in your name: You love your current job away from home because it gives you a sense of complete freedom and independence, which are new to you, since you never had them when you were still at home. Do not turn your back on your family with finality. Always keep in touch. They remain your closest relatives, and there will be many times when you will be drawn to come home and see them again.

There is always something furtive about people who Post in Stories.

Dozed off during the evening news.

Dinner t home with Angelique nd Aubrey.

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Friday Afternoon Bustle

Work resumes on  the living room archway.

The foyer, writing area, and staircase are being cleaned.

Some plumbing work is being done in the laundry area.

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

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

You don't need to be humble. All you need is to believe that life is not all about you. And only then does success take your hand to elevate you.

Good morning, Cubao!

Plants grow happily even in indirect sunlight and under the shade of trees.

Good night, Cubao!

The night sky is a pan of black gelatin.

One Message To One of 252 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a G in your name: Yes, it is all right for a woman to take the lead in a relationship, especially when the man is unsure of himself and of what he wants. You need, however, the tenacity, the steadfastness, and the patience to make the relationship work. Here's hoping your enthusiasm never flags.

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, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Staggered dinnertimes.

It is when you are attracted to no one that you become attractive to everyone.

Develop the habit of getting rid of cheap gifts.

I recall that, many years before I retired, a group of officers were invited to dinner at a mayor's house. The living room of the house had a couch and chairs covered with Ifugao fabric. Back at work, the officers laughed at and made fun of what they called "Navajo upholstery".

In defense of the officers, though, I have always believed that native fabric pieces should always be used as they were originally intended, typically as table runners, place mats, and blankets, and should function in one's home as such. They should not be repurposed as upholstery, dresses, pillowcases, and wall hangings in the name of creativity or of cleverness. Whenever they are I call them the "department chairperson look".

It was a frazzling morning. Angelique's highlighter package arrived, W. came to measure Aubrey's glass bedroom walls and doors for curtains, W. and I took an early lunch and corn tea, Aubrey's shoe rack arrived and needed to be assembled, the Maryhill School of Theology crew arrived to pick up four paintings, we went to the school to install the paintings, and Angelique is having her friend Cath over for a visit. Great coffee from Father Rene. I also saw more walls to make paintings for.

June 10, 2021: Installation Of Four Paintings At Maryhill School of Theology

Fundamentalists shun astronomy for fear of discovering the existence of other worlds with other religions. And other gods in whose image they were not made.

Good morning, Cubao!

Never look directly at the sun. Like Medusa, it will turn your eyes to gray stones.

I already miss stepping into my shower and turning on the refreshing, lukewarm water, after simmering down from a hot, summer day, from our tank. Now the water is as cold as the night sky, and I have to turn the heater on.

Good night, Cubao!

Many of them who are arrogant by day, agonize at night.

One Message To One of 252 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an H in your name: You are constantly surrounded with artists, yet, in your position, you cannot allow yourself to fall in love or have an affair with any of them. How is this, now that you are head over heels and passionate over one of them? The choices are to keep your job and your reputation or to live the unpredictable life of a groupie. 

Night drizzle.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Currently hooked on M.'s cafe's red iced tea. I have a large glass every night. It seems to improve my digestion and, strangely, seems to dissolve the sugar crystals in my body. It is mildly sweet and reminds me of cherry syrup---the kind they use on ice cream sundaes, not the cough-syrup flavor of Coke Cherry. It also brings me back to the nights I spent in Figueroa Hotel in downtown LA, where my DC training program officer Mary White booked me (she kept pronouncing "Figueroa" as "Feeg-WAY-row"). On those nights, before going to bed, I'd sip cherry or watermelon or strawberry Kool-Aid while watching Mexican teenagers gather on the street below my window.

It is that time of the year to stock up on scented candles and tealights.

The objective of poetry is to uplift your spirit, not bog it down.

The anonymous never have true power.

Brother Cadfael, Brother Oswin, and Brother John visited the roof deck, side balcony, and Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony vegetable and flower gardens. The plants that Rose brought home from Masbate are doing well.

The sky was overcast and ripe with rain after the morning's drizzle. The birds in the dragon tree were all astir and chirping joyfully. Most humans were indoors, and so everything else was quiet and still. All we could hear was the motor pump that fills the water tanks above my nephew's tenement housing.

I need to buy more clay pots and have to get down to it.

Back in the cafe, I saw a table full of patrons glad to be indoors, away from the gloomy weather and into warm lighting and a cozy atmosphere. The kitchen was bustling, steam rising from cooking pots and the cooks and waiters preparing food on plates.

Like the upper branches of the dragon tree, the cafe was alive and busy.  

This is my third year working on my 40-painting project for Maryhill School of Theology. Not bad for three years, considering that I'm more than halfway through. Wondering how much longer it will take me to complete this without distractions, another three years?

Took a three-hour nap (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM) and missed sitting with the granddaughters while they took their lunch. I would have slept on and on, but my sister Alice's house help rang the brass, chapel bell inside the small loggia, outside my bedroom window.

Down to 252. 

UnFriended the least interactive Friends.

52 more to go.

Morning drizzle in Cubao.

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

It's the 21st century and they still are unable to produce colorfast red and blue briefs.

Good morning, Cubao!

A million multicolored, open parasols descend from the sky.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended 12:45 AM.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a white pancake topped with whipped cream.

One Message To One of 255 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: You are doing well, keeping your Inner Child alive within you. You will find that your Inner Child will endow you with the patience and the sense of humor you have long been needing. The Inner Child also prolongs one's life.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

Brother Cadfael and Brother Mark have already reached the castle of Prince Owain.

Cement work resumes on the living room archway.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Every morning, the goddess rises from the sea.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

When a criminal is seen at trial, observers usually remark, "He has no remorse." They are often wrong about that. Remorse set in when the criminal was alone and unable to sleep at night. What they see in court is the mere aftermath: emptiness of mind and completely-spent feeling.

Good night, Cubao!

Night fairies hang silver hammocks from the stars.

One Message To One Of 255 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with a J in your name: Widen your breadth in order to reach great heights and depths. As your country may be too small for you, your condo unit may also be too small to contain your mind and your art.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with brother Cadfael.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center with Angelique and Aubrey; Toto drove for us. Went to the bank, did major groceries, and had lunch out.

An overcast, windy afternoon in Cubao.

Good morning, Cubao!

Own a pen that sparkles like the golden sun.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a ball of intricately carved white jade.

One Message To One Of 255 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with an S in your name: Your zeal in furnishing your new house in the south is commendable but, in order to avoid plunging into financial and psychological depression, alternate your expenses as follows: House - Self - House - Self - House - Self. You will find that developing your house into something brand new and exciting will also result in a brand new and exciting YOU.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Nog to bring some food over to D.'s store crew.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, spending some time watching online videos, and then snuggling in bed with Brother Cadfael.

When things do not go as planned, take a break and rest.

Actually, don't be a writer unless your writing makes you more than enough money OR if you have a source of income that allows you to live well without your having to be a writer in the first place.

Offering discounts can be a form of bribery.

Drop traditionalism and look to outer space.

Everything takes place in its own time, not necessarily when you scheduled it to take place.

Pain killers effectively kill pain, but they also eventually kill your body.

Two-hour, early afternoon nap.

An early lunch at home alone.

M., Rose, and the crew are attending a wedding in Cavite. The cafe will open 3:00 PM.

Done doing housework for the morning. 

Sunday morning in Cubao. Early risers leave beds unmade, contemplating whether they should go back to sleep after their first cup of coffee; the sweet dreams they had at dawn still linger in their minds. The streets are quiet, stalls open shop late. Even the pets raise their heads briefly and then lower them to their blankets once again. Everyone is thinking of repasting at lunch rather than breakfast. Only the sun is raring to cross the sky and get the day going.