The grandchildren came down to a very late lunch in the dining room.

A cup of jasmine tea for me.

During 364 days of the year the electric clock in my bedroom plays different tunes every hour. On New Year's Day it plays only "Happy Birthday to You" every hour on the hour.

Worked half an hour on forty-ninth glaze.

A late lunch alone; grandchildren still oversleeping upstairs.

Finished up laundering my T-shirts in the washing machine.

Good morning, Cubao!

The elf child sits on a toadstool and watches humans go about their day.

At 12:20 AM there was already complete silence in the neighborhood.

The grandchildren are having a midnight snack in the dining room.

A very prosperous 2022 to you and to your loved ones.

We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors.

Good night, Cubao!

Night lizards love riding on swinging door panels.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with six syllables in your name: Make someone happy rather than make someone sad.

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

Night chores.

The grandchildren are playing card games in the dining room.

M.'s cafe will be open through midnight or until the last customer leaves.

As for myself, I am already in my bedroom.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

A quiet New Year's Eve dinner at home with family.

The grandchildren canceled their hotel rooftop reservation for tonight because of the sudden rise to 2,000+ of reported COVID patients.

Forty winks.

For some reason the compound children chose the platform between our side porches to play and blow their cardboard horns. Lit the holiday lights and our side porch light for them.

Worked half an hour on forty-eighth glaze.

Yakult delivery.

Angelique and Jazz picked up our Chinese, New Year's Eve dinner at the restaurant.

My former co-worker Erwin, who modeled for my _Saint John the Baptist_ triptych, sent us kare-kare he cooked himself.

Worked an hour on forty-seventh glaze.

Cake delivery arrived.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi Sir Tony.

"'Happy Holidays' to you pò! "Sir, if I may, I need your advice pò... "A family friend's 90+ mother recently passed. "The friend's daughter sent a lot of adult diapers from the U.S. "She wants to sell them to me because she knows I have a senior family member using adult diapers, too. "My question pò: "Is it alright to buy them, considering it was originally intended for a now-dead person? "Is it not 'bad chi' kumbaga, as in feng shui lingo? "Hope to get your thoughts/ advice on this. "Salamat gid, Sir. "

My reply:

Hello ________!

Go ahead and buy them if you need them. As a general rule, fabric, paper, and soft plastic do not retain energy and memory. Only metal and wood usually do.

How sad. No pies for sale even at the topnotch bakeries. I think it's because atchays really don't know and cannot appreciate what pies are, and that their narrow-minded idea of a festive pastry is always a cake. The closest they ever go to pies, perhaps, are empanadas, that is why they cannot conceive of pies as dessert. 

Worked an hour on forty-sixth glaze.

Angelique and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

I have completely lost interest in fireworks, firecrackers, and other transitory, ephemeral joys.

Learn the hard lesson from the life of the lamb. It is meek and humble but it does nothing to improve the welfare of its fellow lambs. It places complete trust in the shepherd only to realize in the end that it is being prepared to be slaughtered, cooked, and eaten. 

Took an early lunch alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

If every cloud could sing a song, the earth would be filled with music.

Good night, Cubao!

Watch out for the glow of enchanted light under the roots of the bamboo grove.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Always look on the bright side, especially when negativity surrounds you.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on forty-fifth glaze.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Worked half an hour on forty-fourth glaze.

Had a slice of Tanya's/The Negros Museum's Felicia's fruitcake. Loved it. The rum almost knocked me out. It's one of the most potent fruitcakes I've ever had in my entire life.

To prevent ill-wishers and other forms of negativity from entering your house, pour Baygon insect killer on the ground in front of your front door where outsiders usually step over.

Worked half an hour on forty-third glaze.

M. and David walked Keiko Kashigawa, Yukiko Taka, and Cloudy on the compound, gave them a strawberry-scented shampoo, and then watered the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

The day matures, and it will be sunset in a few hours.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Worked an hour on forty-second glaze.

Always evaluate your friends. A friend who puts you down to others more than he speaks highly of you is not a friend at all. He is, rather, secretly afraid that others will like you more than they like him.

Every former classmate's chagrin is the realization that he never knew you at all.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun spreads daylight across the sky like mayonnaise on white bread.

The arrogance of believing that he is intelligent and highly in demand, that he has the best job in the world, and that he is beyond criticism is the downfall of every university professor.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes decorate their houses with old, holiday tree lights.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five syllables in your name: First taker appropriat4e action. Only when that doesn't work should you resort to prayer.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Parents, always remember this, that you and only you are your children's and your grandchildren's primary source of affirmation. Their teachers, elders, and friends are only secondary.

The gas and water merchants in our district have been employing a very inexpensive but effective method of announcing their services, which is to tape slips of paper, as tiny as Post-It slips, on every door and gate in the neighborhood. You could actually take down the slips and place them in your Rolodex.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz came down to a late lunch.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

Worked half an hour on forty-first glaze.

Took an early lunch alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky fairies spin a dozen rainbows in the sunlight.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Worked half an hour on fortieth glaze.

Delivery for Angelique arrived.

Worked an hour on thirty-ninth glaze.

A delivery arrived for me, now waiting for a delivery for Angelique.

Angelique and Jazz are off to their badminton game and lunch out.

Lunch at home with Aubrey.

A cup of jasmine tea before resuming glazing.

Good morning, Cubao!

The loudest voice in Nature is the voice of the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnome house cleaners do the rounds of their miniature neighborhoods.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: A true friend is always someone you can feel completely comfortable with.

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

Gave money to M.'s crew members for the New Year.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Roi arrived.

Worked half an hour on thirty-eighth glaze.

Worked half an hour on thirty-seventh glaze.

Bought five tubes of paint at The Oil Paint Store. Toto drove for me.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Not-so-lazy Monday. The hawkers' stands are open again, and I am facing another day of glazing.

Still working on the fishing boat's lower planking.

M. and his crew are back from their Christmas holiday in Cavite.

M. and David visited the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens and watered the plants.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun takes his golden chariot for an early drive. 

Aubrey begins work-from-home 12:00 midnight.

Good night, Cubao!

Enchanted beetles nap on lotus pads.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Never compare your status with that of others. Instead, improve your state a day at a time--and you will be surprised at how far ahead you already are.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on thirty-sixth glaze.

An early lunch alone, then Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining room. Jazz's parents are in the U.S.A., and so he is our house guest for the holidays. I'm pretending we live in a British country house, minus the butler and other servants.

Worked an hour on thirty-fifth glaze.

Looking high and low for a model for Saint Sebastian, but, so far, no one passes. I don't want a model who looks too handsome and too soft, neither do I want him to look like a cheap male prostitute.

The problem with every search for a model for this saint is that he has to look unquestionably like a member of the aristocracy.

As to the tenants on our compound, they're good-looking but come across as "boys next door". 

Good morning, Cubao!

Gnome children tend tadpoles in garden puddles.

Good night, Cubao!

Oil lamps glow inside the heart's secret caverns.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with one syllable in your name: Good projects cannot be completed overnight. Nothing is ever effortless, though others' work might seem to be.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Went to the Christmas bazaar at Araneta Center and bought bagnet and pork barbecue for our dinner. There were many center promenaders in the streets but I was the only customer at the bazaar. The stalls are now being vacated of Santas, elves, gingerbread houses, angels, trees, and lanterns, and are being stocked with truckloads of fireworks and firecrackers. I was informed that the bazaar has a permit for doing this.

Replenished our soda supply.

Dinner with Angelique and Jazz. Aubrey is having Christmas dinner out with Roi and his family.

Worked half an hour on thirty-fourth glaze.

Worked half an hour on thirty-third glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz.

M.'s cafe will be closed today and tomorrow; M. and his crew will be spending the weekend at relatives'.

Good morning, Cubao!

House mice harvest weeds for a green salad.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz are now playing card games.

Thought of resuming work on painting but decided to let the glazes dry.

Worked half an hour thirty-second glaze.

Christmas Eve dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz. Our default celebration dinner is usually Korean samgyupsal, our fault dessert, mango torte. 

Tessa and Margot's butterscotch cake

Aubrey's mango tapioca

 "Was he thinking aloud/

And he fell out of touch?/"

Worked half an hour on thirty-first glaze.

Angelique and Jazz arrived from afternoon groceries. They are now preparing our Christmas Eve dinner in the kitchen.

Margot and her mother dropped by to give us a butterscotch pie they baked.

Discovering the unique magic of umber.

Worked half an hour on thirtieth glaze.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Gnomes cultivate gardens of miniature succulents.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

The hawkers' stands are open today but will be closed tomorrow.

As for me, this will be another painting day--as it usually is for each of the 365 days of my year.

Good night, Cubao!

Nessus weaves cloaks of fire under cover of darkness.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with one syllable in your name: Make a list of what you accomplished each month of this year. Then make a list of all of your objectives for the coming year.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Nino 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on twenty-ninth glaze.

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

Cake delivery.

Worked an hour on twenty-eighth glaze.

Alkaline water delivery. We still have two, full, five-gallon jugs, but I ordered eight more in case we run out during the holidays. The men picked up the dispenser to give it a general cleaning as well.

Took an early lunch alone.

Bought fresh mangoes.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi, Sir. Merry Christmas!! I hope you don’t mind if I’ll share with you my dream regarding my brother who just passed away. In my dream, I was mentioning to ________________ about my elder brother who gets so much acting bookings in Hollywood and he’s not even an actor. Then I looked at myself in a mirror, it was sort of a concave mirror where your face gets distorted depending on the angle. As I looked at myself it became the face of my dead brother and when I realized it, I cried. Eventually it turned to my face. But I can’t stopped feeling his presence. Then I made sure to accompany my mother to a get together with _______________. I wonder what that meant. Thanks so much.

"Wishing you the best this Christmas season. Sending love and good will."

My reply:

Hello ____!

In a way, this was a wish-fulfillment dream. Looking into the mirror can signify the desire to communicate with the dead--in your dream you were able to, but you were not expecting it to actually happen. Your mother and _____________ represent opposite sides of your character. Ask yourself what they symbolize within you. Offhand I would say that they are your roads not taken--you could have chosen a life like your mother's or a life like ____________'s but, even if you chose neither, they are values that remain contained within you.

I wish your brother all the best on his journey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The content find rest even in the daytime.

Good night, Cubao!

Moon couriers leave parcels of silver jewelry on bedroom windowsills.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with more than five syllables in your name: Even house mice celebrate holidays. Be kind to animals.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Night chores.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand to buy himself a bedtime snack for later.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snugging in bed with a Netflix movie.

A brief drizzle in Cubao.

Worked half an hour on twenty-seventh glaze.

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

Worked half an hour on twenty-sixth glaze.

An early lunch at home alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

Dust motes sculpt shafts of sunlight in the atmosphere.

Good night, Cubao!

Cozy is the bedroom that has a soft, warm bed to sleep in, a cushioned basket for one's pet, and a dollhouse with bedroom furniture for gnomes.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with more than five syllables in your name: The fountain of youth is nothing more than the fountain of wealth. Seek it, but only through honest means.

Worked half an hour on twenty-fifth glaze.

Angelique went out to dinner with a college friend.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked NIno 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on twenty-fourth glaze.

The compound children seem to be rehearsing to do some caroling. I can hear them all the way from the studio area. Either that or they're holding a singing party.

Worked half an hour on twenty-third glaze.

Mawil swung by to give me a pack of barako coffee.

An early morning breakfast, heavy as in The Color Purple.

Two-hour, morning nap.

Then lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sometimes, in life, all you have to do is say, "Let there be light."

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnomes hang outdoor string lights on the branches of the dragon tree.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five syllables in your name: Learn to be appreciative rather than critical. For one thing, it makes everyone happy and makes everything go smoothly.

Asked Nino 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery. Bought two kinds of bread, and then a dozen fresh eggs at D.'s store.

Worked half an hour on twenty-second glaze.

Afternoon rain in Cubao.

Took an early lunch, then Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

A day of household chores.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Sent Christmas money to my younger son Chito, and bought a set of brushes, plus a few items at the Korean grocery.

Angelique is now on holiday break.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunbeams ride on the crests of mirthful brooks.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Age slows you down, but it also makes you more astute.

Good night, Cubao!

Mountain giants walk the ranges in the darkness of night.

10:30 PM. The grandchildren arrived home after an evening through heavy traffic.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Work in progress: Glazing has begun on Peter Is Called to Ministry and Martyrdom; I am on my twenty-first glaze in this photo.

Glazing is the third and final step in my painting process.

I usually work from far to near (background to foreground) or from top to bottom (as in this case). In this painting the sky, the shoreline, and the medieval papal crown are already fully glazed and embellished. I embellish and work in details wet-on-wet--I love the sensation of doing so, and I also love how the slapdash strokes and apparently random blobs of paint synergize into sharp focus as the viewer moves four feet away from the work.

There's still a lot to get done, and I'm glad my hands will be full through the end of the holidays.

Note: The throat and blade of the oar are not Galilean. It's an oar I saw at Pagsanjan Falls many years ago.

Worked half an hour on twenty-first glaze.

Worked half an hour on twentieth glaze.

Asked M. to go to the center to pay our water bill and then buy a bottle of linseed oil and tubes of oil paint for me.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz left early this morning to go out of town and visit my daughter-in-law Ivy's tomb at the cemetery.

Home alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunlight pours like honey onto the earth.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Never feel the need to explain yourself to your detractors. Let them figure you out on their own. If they cannot do so, let their ignorance be their karma.

Good night, Cubao!

On Saturdays the night is a dusty purple.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

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

Worked half an hour on nineteenth glaze.

Forty winks.

Jazz arrived.

Worked half an hour on eighteenth glaze.

Worked half an hour on seventeenth glaze.

Took an early lunch alone.

Worked half an hour on sixteenth glaze.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

On Saturdays the sky is a deep lilac.

Good night, Cubao!

Moonbeams are gentle, magical lasers.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not make the days leading to holidays a succession of daily expenses.

Swung by D.'s store.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time o the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

As it turns out, there's another ongoing Christmas party across the street--Indian Motorcycles U.S.A.'s office party.

Angelique arrived from a study session at a coffee shop at the center.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Singing on a microphone drifting into my bedroom window. Must be an ongoing Christmas party on the Camp Panopio/PNP Precinct 7 Compound. I love such ambient sounds. They make me feel safe, warm, and cozy.

Worked an hour on fifteenth glaze.

Worked half an hour on fourteenth glaze.

2:00 PM. Buyer picks up The Cubao By Moonlight Trilogy from my studio area. These are the last paintings from my Thomas-Hart-Benton-influenced period; I have no more. Whenever my paintings leave the house I know that I shall never see them again, and I can only hope than the owner will love them as much as I did.

Took an early lunch alone, then Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room. 

Retrieved _The Cubao Moonlight Trilogy_ from storage. It's to be picked up in a while. Can't resume glazing on my current work until that happens.

Good morning, Cubao!

When at home, always find time for an afternoon nap.

Good night, Cubao!

Fairy ballroom floors are sprinkled with enchanted moon dust.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five syllables in your name: Deviate from your regular routine from time to time, as long as it does not make you feel insecure and awkward.

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

Night chores.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand to buy himself a bedtime snack.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM.

Worked half an hour on thirteenth glaze.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Bought a ream of ziggurats.

Picked up the granddaughters' bedroom laundry from the compound laundry. The woman who operates it knows, for some reason, that I am a painter, and informed me that her cousin, also a painter, recently died of COVID. They decided to keep two of his works, which she showed me, in one of their bedrooms. The works are stunning! What a waste when someone with talent just suddenly departs like a snuffed candle! 

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

Worked an hour on twelfth glaze.

Took an early lunch alone.

Happy Birthday to my daughter-in-law Ivy!

Will be lighting candles and special joss sticks at our family altar.

Good morning, Cubao!

Red ants build their castles on the branches of ficus trees.

Business meeting with M.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a buoy in the sea of night.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Every night, make a checklist of things you need to do the following day. Stick to the list as best you can, and you will soon always be ahead of yourself.

Took forty more winks.

Angelique and Jazz arrived. 

Staggered dinnertimes.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Took forty winks.

Worked half an hour on eleventh glaze.

M. and David worked on the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

Worked half an hour on tenth glaze.

Worked half an hour on ninth glaze.

Angelique left early this morning to do personal errands. Toto drove for her

Roi arrived.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a bowl of sugar-dusted lemon drops.

Good night, Cubao!

Sleep in the embrace of a silent night.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with more than five syllables in your name: Loneliness is a peaceful coastline. 

Asked Nino 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on eighth glaze.

Every gift must be more delightful than its reception and unwrapping.

Dreams don't just cost money.

They cost a lot of money.

Over the decades Philippine society has been adulating young achievers and honor students, yet the nation remains what it is today because 80 percent of those young achievers and honor students were never trained in nation-building from childhood, and therefore care only for themselves.

Worked half an hour on seventh glaze.

And now a cup of tea on the side porch.

Took an early lunch alone, then Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room,.

Aubrey cooked Korean samgyupsal.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

The museum of immortal heroes is on the planet Mars.

Good night, Cubao!

Watch for the gnome procession wending its way through the tall grass.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: There will always be cause for sadness, for sadness is a part of life, but there should never be cause for despair.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on fourth glaze.

Worked half an hour on third glaze.

Worked half an hour on second glaze.

Nino watered the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

Watered the ground-floor plants.

Worked half an hour on first glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Washed an apple and two oranges and gave them to the rag-picker's little girl, who was sitting like a cute doll in their pushcart across the compound dustbin.

Someone you know puts an end to it all.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sky fairies gather children's wishes and lift them up to the cosmos.

Good night, Cubao!

Make a wish, and then look at the sky. If the moon is out, uncovered with clouds, your wish will be granted.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Be especially cautious when the pretentious pledge you something with no intentions of delivering.

Asked Nino 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Watching Money Heist because my granddaughters urged me to.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Worked half an hour on eleventh layer.

Layering is done.

Hoping to commence glazing tomorrow.

Worked half an hour on tenth layer.

Yet another delivery arrived for Angelique.

Nino and David walked Keiko Kashigawa, Yukiko Taka, and Cloudy on the compound, then gave each of them a strawberry-scented shampoo.

December 10, 2021

A baby moth expired on the floor of our small loggia. Amazing how moths have been manifesting inside the small loggia for three years in a row now.

Another delivery arrived for Angelique.

Worked half an hour on eighth layer while Aubrey took her lunch in the dining room.

Delivery of the granddaughters' vitamins.

Replenished our soda supply.

Took an early lunch alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

Day gnomes go shopping to upgrade their crockery.

Finished watching all 16 episodes of Korea's Possessed on Netflix. A detective with a traumatic past and a psychic who works in a dress shop team up to track down the ghost of a serial killer executed 20 years ago but whose spirit now possesses someone to continue his grisly murders. The problem with this formula, of course, is that the villain never undergoes any kind of dramatic change (they either just die or get punished), so that one wonders why many actors consider villain roles as juicy ones. 

Suspenseful, but there are many moments of comic relief due to the idiosyncrasies of the characters and, as in other Korean movies, the romantic scenes have the best treatment and dialogue. Having said that, I couldn't watch more than two episodes in one sitting because of the multiple murder scenes. As a matter of fact a disclaimer at the beginning of Episodes 5, 12, 15. and 16 even assures the viewers that the child actor's role did not affect his mental health and that he continues to receive monitoring and support. Episodes 11 and 14, to me, were especially sadistic.

Not for the faint-hearted, but Strangers from Hell still takes the cake for me. The ending of Possessed,  however, is diffused, anticlimactic, and, after all those deaths, wanting for proper catharsis. Finally, one cannot help but question the overall morality of the movie, since its premise includes the dissipation of souls and the possibility that even the gods have no control over evil.  

By the way, the reason you cannot learn Korean by watching Korean movies is this: the subtitles are never literal translations. The upside always is, when we are watching Korean thrillers, we realize with great gratitude that we are living safe and simple lives compared to all those characters.

Good night, Cubao!

Always count the coins in your purse by the light of the moon.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do everything within reason. For example, why use organic trash bags if the kinds trash they contain are not organic at all?

Staggered dinnertimes at home. 

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and ten snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Jazz arrived and brought us candy bars (he works for a chocolate company).

Angelique and Jazz went to a mall and are having dinner out.

Layering in progress for Peter Is Called to Ministry and Martyrdom.

After my construction lines are done, the next step in my painting process is layering. To me this is nothing more than color blocking. It helps me:

--find the right tones and contrasts

--see where the shadows and highlights will fall

--set the painting's color sense, and

--ensure color distribution over the entire canvas.

I am only on my seventh layer in this photo; the figure's and the fishing poles' medium tones remain undone. 

I never layer with unmixed colors. For example, the sky is a mixture of alizarin, carmine, and Payne's gray, while the sea water is a mixture of ivory black and terre verte. Mixing at this stage allows me to see where the work is going. I also eliminate the need for under-painting--the layers serve as THE under-painting. Having said all that, I should also point out that the objective of layering is not to cover the entire canvas with paint. There are times when I allow the bare canvas to shine through. In my portrait of Ambeth Ocampo, for instance, the bitten apple is not painted white. It is the bare, primed canvas that I merely painted around. In The Pauline Letters, the companion piece to this painting, the highlights of the sash round Paul's waist are also portions of unpainted, bare, primed canvas.  

Note that layering still renders the painting flat. It is only during the third and last step, glazing, that everything magically takes on three dimensions.

Yes, my painting process is comprised of only three, simple steps: construction lines, layering, and glazing.

Worked half an hour on seventh layer.

Talent without skill will remain latent talent.

Worked half an hour on sixth layer.

Bought two kilos fresh mango.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

December 9, 2021

Dappled sunlight steps up to our side entrance.

Good morning, Cubao!

Garden gnomes plant ferns to shade mushroom beds from the blazing sun.

A well-stocked refrigerator and pantry always make family members feel secure.

Good night, Cubao!

On Fridays the night is a dark alizarin.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with three syllables in your name: Remember this, that a plant will not grow bigger than the pot it is in.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day as come again: an evening shower, and the snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on fifth layer.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery. Did minor groceries.

Worked an hour on fourth layer,

Worked an hour on third layer.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

A belated autumn in December in Cubao. Our dragon tree is evergreen but insists on carpeting the compound driveway with leaves.

Good morning, Cubao!

On Fridays the sky is a deep orange.

Good night, Cubao!

According to Western psychologists bright pink prevents you from having a good night's sleep.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with more than six syllables in your name:  Do not sell yourself without knowing what your true worth is.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time o the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Asked Nino to fry pepper beef for us.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM.

A parent always loves his children by default, even if he never shows it.

Worked half an hour on second layer.

Nino watered the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

Watered the ground-floor plants.

Worked another half-hour on construction lines.

Construction lines done.

Worked half an hour on first layer.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Angelique and Aubrey took their lunch in the dining room.

Construction lines in progress for Peter Is Called to Ministry and Martyrdom, the companion painting to The Pauline Letters (see this in my Cover Photos). Both paintings have the same dimensions, 6' x 4.5'.

As you can see, I do not use pencils/graphite. I always sketch with a brush and paint dilute, since it is easier to wipe off lines with a rag and turpentine.

Am working in a Galilean fishing boat, much smaller than the one in Christ Calming The Storm. Fishermen in that era worked in the sea butt-naked, but I couldn't paint it that way, since this will hang on the second floor of the library of Maryhll School of Theology.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Took a very early lunch alone. Must get back to my construction lines.

Take breakfast in your garden, under dappled sunlight.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

Roam through your dollhouse in your mind before drifting off to sleep.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Never show interest in another person if you know that it will only lead nowhere.

Instead, take interest only in yourself.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked another half-hour on construction lines.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Beware. Thursday and Friday will be days of stolen laptops.

Worked another half-hour on construction lines.

Now must do kera-kera.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

This painting begins today, December 8, 2021.

Sorry, no visitors allowed.

The singer is nothing without the composer. The composer is nothing without the arranger. The arranger is nothing without the sound engineer.

Still wondering why Murillo's painting of the Assumption is being used as the image of the Immaculate Conception. Those are from two different and separate moments in the Blessed Virgin's life.

Screen off your balcony from time to time with exotic fabric.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept eleven hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

Persons prone to having a cold should wear light, comfortable head covers to bed.

One Message To One Of 225 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: This is the 21st century. Work hard for the money if for nothing else.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked M. to do an errand at the center for me.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

Took a very early lunch alone.

Every painting I make is a magical, psychological, and emotional adventure. It changes me, so that, after the painting is done, I am never the same again. And, of course, my objective is for everyone who sees it to undergo inner change.

Good morning, Cubao!

Every study desk must have a candy jar.

Your Messenger message:

"Good evening, Sir Tony.

"I remember how you told me about how I should try to explore the meaning of the ocean in my dreams since it has always been ever present in it. I still do not know exactly what it means but lately, I am very much gravitated towards the ocean. It, sometimes, feels like it is calling me. When I think of it, I could feel, smell, and even hear the sea breeze just by thinking of it.

"That is when I remembered that there were two occasions that I could partially recall from my childhood memory: the first one, I could remember myself looking through a hole from our stilt house when I was three years old. When I asked my parents about it, they told me that that was the first incident that I fell into the sea (which my parents were puzzled about since the hole was too narrow for my body to fit into).

"A neighbor nearby saw me and asked for help. (It was a huge river that is connected to the open sea.) They were confused since I was found just floating in the sea with no signs of drowning. Just merely floating but conscious. My father recalled that I told him that an old woman saved me that day. He further explained that there was no old woman on that particular day who could have saved me. That incident still confuses him to this day.

"A year after that, the last incident was when my cousin and brother were told to buy something from a sari-sari store. I was upset because I wanted to tag along but they had to run so fast that I couldn't catch up with them. In attempting to do so, I slipped by the makeshift bridge.

"This one is still fresh in my memory, I could still feel how I battled to have my head stay up in the air since I did not know how to swim. Fortunately, I wore my new slippers that day, a pair that I really adore and would have hated to lose.

"Since I was in the sea, the slippers were slowly carried away by the small waves. I remember struggling to want to get a strong grip on it. By wanting to save those slippers, a passerby saw me drowning and hurriedly reached out a stick for me to hold on to. I still feel grateful for having those slippers and, ultimately, for the kind people who saved my life twice in a row.

"(I still suffer from panic attacks, every now and then, when I am out in the deep ocean. I couldn't breathe even just by staying afloat. I still love swimming, nonetheless. My love for the ocean is greater than the fear.)

I was born in that stilt house until I was 4. Because of what happened, my father worked hard for us to finally have a house away from possible drowning again.

"Perhaps these are the reasons that I keep dreaming about it. I still am not sure about the specifics but my intuition tells me it is related to those two events.

"Thank you for taking the time to read my message. God bless you and your family always."

My reply:

Hello _____!

The goddess of the sea is your mother and continues to be your strongest spirit guide. Always keep symbols of the sea around you: shells, South Sea pearls, coral, a bowl of sand, part of a fishing net draped at the back of your house that you can hang decorative items from, sea agates, even pictures of the sea.

More importantly, do this once a year: Buy two watermelons and slice them in half so that you have four pieces. Hire a small boat to take you far out into the sea and drop the pieces into the water as an offering. Your panic attacks will cease, for your psyche will finally tell you that the sea is life rather than death, and that you must give it this yearly ritual as a gesture of gratitude.

You will continue to dream of the ocean whenever you feel that the world is oppressive. Know that many women have such dreams, for the world is still chauvinist and will often not give women their due. Seek help from the goddess whenever you have such feelings.  

Good night, Cubao!

Silver jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, and rings amplify psychic abilities but are best worn on one's left side.

One Message To One Of 224 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with one syllable in your name: Make a list of the people who try to control you. How do you successfully manage to foil them?

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Nino and David watered the plants on the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center with Angelique and Aubrey. Toto drove for us. Bought oil paint tubes at The Oil Paint Store, did major groceries, bought a leash for Cloudy, then had a Chinese lunch out.

Good morning, Cubao!

Gnome children skateboard on tin rooftops.

Good night, Cubao!

If you rush through your day, do not rush through your night.

One Message To One Of 222 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Beware. December will always be the month of freeloaders pretending to be friends.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Staggered dinnertimes,

There was such a huge chill all of yesterday afternoon and this afternoon that the only way I could keep it out was to shut all the glass sliding doors wrapped around the house.

Swung by the neighborhood groceries. Did minor groceries.

Vernissage: _Portrait of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard_

Took an early lunch alone.

Look, Dick, look!

Another piece of cradled canvas arrives this morning for my next painting for Maryhill School of Theology.

Gosh--I've never seen black bubble wrap before. Does it come in other colors too?

Good morning, Cubao!

On the lunch table, fresh flowers.

On the dinner table, taper candles.

Good night, Cubao!

The writer's room looks out onto a dark, back alley.

One Message To One Of 220 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: When it rains, shine like the sun. When the sun is unbearable, keep cool and collected.

Be the yang in the face of yin. Be the yin in the face of yang.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Jazz arrived.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Yakult delivery.

Replenished our soda supply.

The Pauline Letters is wrapped and ready for delivery to Maryhill School of Theology.

Tomorrow I am varnishing Portrait of Cecilia Manguerra Brainard.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Let the daylight cleanse your mind of negative thoughts.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept ten hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon covers her face with her cowl of darkness.

One Message To One Of 220 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Just get down to every task and they will promptly get down in no time at all.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: a evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Finally was able to buy a hardbound 2022 planner. Ready for the coming year!

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Toto drove for me. Went to the bank, changed dollars to pesos, paid our electric and phone bills, bought 10 meters bubble wrap, and sent some money to my younger son Chito.

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnomes' traveling circus comes to town.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Good night, Cubao!

Trust the moon, for you can gaze upon it without damaging your eyes.

One Message To One Of 220 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not think of the twelfth month as the climax of your year. Instead, analyze the climax and denouement in every month of the year, and find a pattern.

Asked David 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 snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

When the fish multiplied, were they already cooked?

Nino watered the plants on the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

Took an early lunch alone, then Angelique and Aubrey took their lunch in the dining room.

Continued painting cradle sides black.

Good morning, Cubao!

The fairies host high tea in flower gardens.

Good night, Cubao!

A throw cloth, such as a prayer cloth, under your body induces astral travel.

One Message To One Of 220 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Disappointments and disillusionments are part of life. They are fine as long as they do not drag you down to depression.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Asked Nino's brother 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 snuggling bed with a Netflix movie.