Sitting inside the small loggia this afternoon was like sitting inside a sauna bath.

Worked half an hour on eleventh glaze.

Silently scrutinize your coworkers and ask yourself, "Which of these will I really want to remain my friends after my retirement?"

It will usually be the most unlikely.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

"I couldn't care less" = I already have the greatest indifference toward it.

"I could care less" = I care for it, but could become indifferent toward it. 

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnome curio vendor makes his rounds in the neighborhood.

Good night, Cubao!

Do your plants sleep happily or in misery at night?

One Message For One Of 231 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Cover your feet with a blanket even on the hottest summer nights.

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 Nino to fry samgyupsal for us.

Brian resumed work on the archway.

Worked half an hour on tenth glaze.

Worked half an hour on ninth glaze.

The lilies of the field neither toil nor spin because they don't have children and grandchildren to care for.

A red flag should go up once you notice that your supervisor is competing with you or envies you for whatever reason.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

The lilies of the field neither toil nor spin because they have a short life span anyway.

Good morning, Cubao!

Every early disappointment cuts a path to great rewards later in the day.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes hold a formal dinner inside the dragon tree.

One Message To One Of 231 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with one syllable in your name: Magnifying lenses are most useful. One cannot have too many of them. 

Angelique and Jazz came down to dinner after Angelique's online make-up class.

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

Night chores.

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

Dinner at home with Aubrey; Angelique has an online make-up class.

Worked half an hour on eighth glaze.

In oil painting, chromes are most intense. They tend to dominate when mixed with other colors, and so should be mixed sparingly.

Worked half an hour on seventh glaze.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze.

Staggered lunchtimes,

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is covered with a sheet of white gelatin.

Good night, Cubao!

The god who plays the flute lulls poets to sleep.

One Message To One Of 231 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: It is all right to compromise once in a while, as long as you do not sacrifice being yourself in doing so.

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.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Angelique and Jazz arrived from an afternoon and dinner out.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.

Nino and David walked Keiko Kashigawa, Yukiko Taka, and Cloudy on the compound, then gave tyhem a lavender-scented, anti-flea shampoo.

Watered the ground floor plants.

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

Worked an hour on fourth glaze.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

A very early lunch at home alone; Angelique has online classes 8:00 AM - 12:00 NN and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

How strange. I know of particular persons who read my Wall faithfully but pretend they don't.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are clusters of origami cranes.

Good night, Cubao!

Rondallas play at the fairies' banquet in the flower garden.

One Message To One Of 231 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with seven syllables in your name: Do not assume that your companion is not thirsty just because you yourself are not thirsty.

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.

Staggered dinnertimes.

If you pronounce "Kiev" as "Ki-yev", that is the Russian pronunciation.

If you pronounce it as "Kiv", that is the Ukrainian pronunciation.

Brian and Nino installed a new ceiling lamp in the studio area.

Worked half an hour on third glaze of fourth painting in my next exhibit.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Brian escorted me. We bought 12 bonvilleas, then had a snack at the Cubao Leaky Cauldron.

A Great-Gatsby-summer hot afternoon.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnomes have a full slate of fun activities for a weekend.

Good night, Cubao!

Plunge into deep sleep without counting how many hours there are to daybreak.

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

You with four syllables in your name: At the end of each day, rate how happy or satisfactory the day was for each member of your family.

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 has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Meeting with an officer and a staff artist of the Philippine Language Commission. We discussed three cover studies for Cubao Ilalim: Ikalawang Aklat.

Worked an hour on second glaze of fourth painting for my next exhibit.

Your Messenger message:

"Good afternoon, Sir Tony.

"I would like to consult with you regarding a particular dream that I had this month. "In the dream, there were tons of books. Three specifically stood out: 2 what seem to be a photobook and a journal. "In the dream, people seem to admire me from different countries especially in Canada. There was also a newspaper that had my name on it. "My fiancé gave me a malong in exchange for my childhood tree (rimas or breadfruit) that was cut. Some laughed because it wasn't even his tree. But to me, it signified his love for me. "The tree was cut to build a room for my sister. A former landlady was there and almost fainted trying to cross the line. "Many were obsessed with those books as if charmed by it. A female celebrity was in it. The same famous celebrity that I keep having in my dreams. It has to do something with gender didn't matter. "There were two guys skimming through the books. The other one was particularly so drawn to me but I was busy looking for other things pretending both men were not there. They asked me if I had an exercise routine. I said none. They said that I really looked good when I was younger. I told them that's because I went to the gym and played badminton as my usual workout. "Also, I have been taking notes of messages in my dreams. I always get them before waking up. "Some of the messages were: "'You who hope for the future and persist, rewrite the stars.' "'Higher self of one particular guy said, "Sorry. It's my fault. We still have too many Shadow works, mostly me. Make a garden in your dream. I will do in mine, too. Let's meet there for now. I love you."' "'There was a message about a twin flame. One will die saving the other. That explains the unconditional love lesson.' "I also experienced flying up in the sky in our neighborhood but I was not in human form. It felt like I was a hawk or an eagle. I am not sure but I had wings while I was flying. "I have been taking your advice to heart and it has been a huge help, not only to me but also to my sister, in both of our spiritual journey. Thank you very much. God bless you and your family always."

My reply:

Hello ______! I hope you are well.

The books in your dream are the records not only of your childhood and younger days in this lifetime--they are also records of all your previous lifetimes, which you are now gathering to do a present assessment and summation.

The young man who said you really looked good when you were younger is referring to one of your past lives. It seems that you did excellently in the past, so that your good karma is now paying off.

Your fiancee, the malong, the rimas tree, and your sister indicate your current concerns and tools for further salvation: love, security, family, and cultural identity. 

The different messages you recorded are capsulized lessons from previous lifetimes: There were three, so that is as far back as your memory can take you. Try to explore each one, if you can.

Flying over the neighborhood simply means that you are now taking a macroscopic view of your life and your existence.

You have been developing in a most interesting way and I hope that you continue to do so.

Worked an hour on seventh glaze of third painting for my next exhibit. This painting is finished (February 15 - 24, 2022).

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sympathy is a cup of tea, kindness is a cup of coffee.

Good night, Cubao!

Sleep cozily through the night sounds of the city around you.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Be thankful for everything in life, even for boredom.

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.

Bought two kilos fresh mangoes, a kilo Indian mangoes with rock salt and chili on the side, and pork barbecue sticks with vinegar and chili on the side at the hawkers' stands.

Worked half an hour on first glaze of fourth painting for my next exhibit.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze of third painting for my next exhibit.

Worked half an hour on second layer of fourth painting for my next exhibit.

Staggered lunchtimes; Angelique preparing for online classes and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

The children are organizing a tea party for their pets, stuffed toys, with house gnomes in attendance.

M. arrived from Bicol this evening. He gave us a bag of basuso and ibos.

Good night, Cubao!

The trickster gnome gets a good spanking from his parents.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Do not ignore body aches and pains.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

Brian and I wrapped and stowed away the first painting for my next exhibit. Two paintings are now in storage.

Night chores.

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

A delivery arrived for Angelique.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze for the third painting for my next exhibit.

Worked an hour on first layer for the fourth painting for my next exhibit.

A soft drizzle on Cubao.

Staggered lunchtimes.

My Friends List has increased to 235, and I said that I would UnFriend five, non-interactive Friends. I am doing that now.

Watched all 18 episodes of Korea's 2017 Black, apparently inspired by a true to life tragedy. Detective Moo-gang Han teams up with his psychic, female girl friend Ha-ram Kang, who sees shadows on persons who are about to die, in order to save those persons and prevent them from dying. Because of an accident, a grim reaper with a mission steps in, launching the viewer into a series of life-and-death adventures.

This is a must-watch for lovers of supernatural movies, though the scenes in Episodes 1-7 are not smoothly woven together. The screenplay is based on an atypical concept of heaven and hell. The treatment of romance is adolescent rather than adult. Loose-ended scenes are set aside for too long. Shots taken with handheld cameras are unstable. In shoreline scenes, there is no continuity of cloud clusters and water vessels in the background. There are too many subplots, rendering the main plot convoluted. There is metaphysical use of time and space, but there also is too much backtracking, making the story hard to follow, especially when a lot of information is being withheld from the viewer. When an audience does not know what is going on for too long, it tends to get bored.   

Everything becomes interesting, exciting, and completely engrossing, however, from Episode 8 onward. Episode 14 is most enjoyable. 

In this 2017 movie too many characters talk aloud to themselves by way of exposition, and the cell phone frequently functions as deus ex machina. It is therefore amazing how, in a matter of five years, Korean drama has become absolutely world-class, as evidenced by its 2022 productions. Almost nothing quite matches Korean movies now in terms of screenplay writing, direction, characterization and acting, and technological advancement.

Good night, Cubao!

Stars that you see through the clusters of leaves of trees are wishing stars.

One Message To One Of 235 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: In order to sleep tight, merge your mind with the night.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

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.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on construction lines for the fourth painting in my next exhibit.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Here is the secret of success, which is to never do anything for those who never do anything for you.

Forty winks.

Worked half an hour on fourth glaze.

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

Torn between painting and napping. Wondering which one wins.

Be grateful for the ability to do simple household chores, for it is a sure indication that you are alive and well.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

An early lunch at home alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

The rivulets dream of expanding into rivers.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnome children always sleep with three pillows each.

One Message To One Of 234 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: It is never too early to gear up and prepare for the summer.

 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, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Forty winks.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Worked an hour on  construction lines for my fourth painting for my next exhibit.

This painting begins today, February 20, 2022.

Take breakables down from shelves and make sure that nothing topples over.

Aubrey came down to breakfast in the kitchen.

Angelique and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining rom.

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

Worked half an hour on third glaze.

Mike finally had the framed A.T.A.R.D.A.R. taladro picked up this morning. I included a huge block of dignum, advising him never to have it carved in any way and to wipe it only with extra virgin coconut oil. It's really to reciprocate for all the expensive gifts he's been giving me.

Good morning, Cubao!

It is early morning coffee that jumpstarts a productive day. 

Good night, Cubao!

Who do you dream of being with at night?

One Message To One Of 234 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with three syllables in your name: The key to guiltless living is to not respect those who do not respect you.

The grandchildren ordered pizza for their dinner.

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.

In the 70s it was fashionable for people to stymy a discussant by saying, "I've said everything I have to say" and conveniently shutting up.

The most sensible retorts to that, of course, would have been:

--"Well, I haven't, but it looks as though you've decided to stop listening."

--"I have as much right to say when this discussion is over or not."

--"I only wish that everything you said made sense."

--"So what? That doesn't make you right." 

--"Looks to me like you're dying to say more."

Staggered dinnertimes.

Brian and David install new ceiling lights.

Worked half an hour on second glaze.

Painted two more cradle sides black.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Jazz arrived.

Angelique and Jazz had lunch out.

Went jalan-jalan at the center with Nino. Paid our water bill, then bought six bonvilleas and art supplies.

More often than not, the better alternative to praying is not praying.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique has an online class and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Very often, when we see injustice and social anomalies all around us, we also fail to see that they can be traced back to our equally unjust and socially anomalous religious practices.

Good morning, Cubao!

The truth is, the sun rises and shines differently on the evil and on the good.

Good night, Cubao!

Whatever you lose to thieves, the universe will replace in your possession tenfold.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Make a list of people who tend to use you or take advantage of you. Avoid them whenever you can.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey resting upstairs before her night shift.

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.

Now more than halfway through Black.

Worked an hour on first glaze.

Worked half an hour on third layer.

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

Painted two more cradle sides black.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique resting upstairs and Aubrey working overtime after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

Vulcan hammers sunlight into golden swords.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes present a chest of black pearls to the fairy queen.

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

You with eight syllables in your name: Keep this in mind, that bright colors excite rather than relax.

Business meeting with M.

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; Angelique has online classes through 9:00 PM and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Divorce is a fire exit.

In the Philippines there are too many buildings without windows, un-padlocked doors, and fire exits.

That is why corruption steps in to enable a chosen few to purchase their freedom and salvation from suffering.

Worked an hour on second layer.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Painted two more cradle sides black.

A gentle rainfall in Cubao.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Could have slept on and on through the morning after that deep tissue massage, but there were morning rituals and chores to be done and, of course, another day of painting.

Good morning, Cubao!

Couriers ride to earth from their designated sun stations.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnome children are off to bed with their stuffed toys and robots.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Take things slowly. Do not rush through this month.

At night through late in the night, the balut/penoy/chicharon vendors set up their stand at our main gate, beside M.'s cafe kitchen. It's very convenient for all of us.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Brought some food over to M.'s cafe staff. Gave them one of our fish plates, which I no longer want.

Night chores.

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

It is quite dismaying that many of my pretentious colleagues who retired from their jobs have become absolute nobodies.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery to buy a half-gallon box of ice cream.

Worked half an hour on first layer.

Painted more cradle sides black.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun sparkles on white, porcelain tea services glazed with imari.

Good night, Cubao!

The elves bring the night scavengers food from their nocturnal banquet.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Every man is a hero in many ways.

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 Aubrey; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM.

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

Visit from an officer of the Commission on Filipino Language. Signed a second contract with them, this time for Cubao Ilalim: Ikalawang Aklat.

Both Cubao Ilalim: Unang Aklat and Cubao Ilalim: Ikalawang Aklat will be available in April or May this year.

M. bought a tube of paint and other stuff at the center for me.

Worked an hour on construction lines for the third painting in my next exhibit.

This painting begins today, February 15, 2022.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Fifteenth and last day of Chinese New Year celebrations: Today is the Festival of Lanterns.

Good morning, Cubao!

Astral ships cross the sky, all of them moving north.

Good night, Cubao!

When things didn't go your way during the day, be kind first and foremost to yourself.

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

You with six syllables in your name: If someone doesn't love you, he simply doesn't. Don't wish him ill, for it is really a displacement of anger directed at yourself.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes and Aubrey is resting before her night shift.

Your Messenger message:

"Good day Sir tony, Musta na kayo Sir, Sir minsan sa work ko nag papahinga ako kasi breaktime ko habang nakain ako ng snack bigla ka nalang pumasok sa isipan ko nakita kita malago buhok mo pero maigsi at yung bigote mo at balbas mahaba, kaya masabi ko sa sarili ko musta na kaya si Sir Tony, kaya kinamusta kita hehehe sensya na sir ngayon lang kita nakamusta"

My reply:

I'm okay, thank you. Pakiwari ko in-love ka lang sa akin kaya mo ako naisip nang gano'n. Joke!

I treat Jazz and Roi as my own grandsons, but I want my granddaughters to know that there will always be two men who will love them forever and ever and ever: their Grandpa and their Papa.

Glazing and scumbling are two different techniques.

Glazing consists of applying thin layers of paint mixed with a glazing medium over a surface, usually to achieve depth and three-dimensionality. One can glaze with light or dark colors. Glazes can also be worked wet-on-wet and made to blend on the canvas. One can glaze over the same surface as many times as one wishes.

Scumbling consists of applying a dry-brush method of skimming the surface of a painting with paint so that some parts are covered and some parts are not. It does not require the use of a glazing medium such as liquin. As a matter of fact it cannot be applied wet-on-wet. One has to wait for a surface to dry completely before applying scumbling. One can scumble with light or dark colors, but scumbling over a surface can be done only once, because over-scumbling creates unnecessary, heavy impasto.

A wrap-around canvas and a cradled canvas are not the same thing. 

Every canvas that is mounted on a stretcher is a wrap-around canvas. It may or may not be framed after painting. If framed, the fabric round the stretcher serves as the allowance for the framer to lay the canvas neatly under the frame. If unframed, painters usually extend their work to include and cover that allowance.

A cradled canvas is box-like and has sharp edges. It is meant to be unframed, has wooden panel backing and adequate bracing. The cradle sides are usually painted black (or any color, actually) and serve as the actual, albeit non-visible, frame for the painting.

Wrap-around canvases can be un-tacked and rolled for transport.

Cradled canvases cannot be un-tacked. The entire canvas is mounted flat on a wooden panel. If one attempts to do so, the entire canvas will disassemble and its purpose will be ruined.

Painted four cradle sides black.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Worked half an hour on ninth glaze.

This painting is finished (February 4 - 14, 2022). I now have two paintings for my next exhibit, whenever that will be.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Jazz are having a Valentine's Day lunch at Jazz's house and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Fourteenth day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

The day to decorate houses with lanterns.

Good morning, Cubao!

The neighborhood gnomes are spending the morning in their breakfast rooms.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairies loll on satin-sheeted beds with boxes of assorted confections.

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

You with six syllables in your name: Administering a household includes caring for everyone who lives there, not just your family.

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.

Back to Black.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz.

Aubrey and Roi ordered Japanese food out and are taking their dinner upstairs.

 Angelique places Jazz's Valentine's Eve flowers on our family altar.

Took more reference photos of my model for Saint Sebastian.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Aubrey and Roi ordered food out and took their lunch upstairs.

Angelique added two more subjects to her current load.

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

Worked half and hour on eighth glaze.

Worked an hour on seventh glaze.

Roi arrived.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Happy 25th Anniversary to the Spirit Questors!

I am raffling off a statuette in my Private Group The Spirit Questors. The raffle ends at midnight tonight.

Thirteenth day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

A day for cleansing.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day fairies record all your interrupted dreams.

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

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

Back to Black.

Ever since I graduated from college I had only two objectives: to be financially secure and to have fun the rest of my life. That is why I took graduate studies. That is why I worked 36 years in an embassy that would give me a monthly pension/annuity for a lifetime.

Now, at 70 going on 71, I live a stress-free life and do only what I like. I wonder what my fellow artists did wrong--they go hungry, they go into debt, they beg for help when they get sick, and they cannot afford to stop working. 

I think it's because they lived a carefree life early on and they thought that that would last forever.

Good night, Cubao!

Sometimes elves will come to you disguised as humans.

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

You with five syllables in your name: Life should be real, and, believe it or not, so should fantasy.

Writing never made me rich. It is painting that does--so much so that, after selling only a few paintings I can even afford to give away some to my closest friends.

If you decide to stick only to writing, prepare to make a lot of sacrifices in life.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

M. and Brian trimmed the claws of Keiko Kashigawa, Yukiko Taka, and Cloudy.

Now Angelique and Jazz are off to buy Angelique's textbooks for the semester and have dinner out.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique's first day of class for the semester and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

There are six kinds of persons who prefer to live alone:

--Those who cherish solitude.

--Those who are truly independent and can manage living pretty much on their own.

--Those who cannot tolerate imperfection in others.

--Those who will have only their ideal partner or no one else in this world.

--Those who wish to keep their blessings all to themselves.

--The depressive and the bipolar.

Good morning, Cubao!

The house gnomes oversleep on weekend mornings.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Good night, Cubao!

What is the farthest point of light on earth that you can see from your bedroom window?

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

You with two syllables in your name: The best time to shut your doors and windows to prevent insects from entering your house is 4:00 PM.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

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

Worked an hour on fourth glaze.

Worked half an hour on third glaze.

An early lunch at home alone.

Worked an hour on second glaze.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

I thought the feng shui ring my sister Remi gave me was a mere novelty, but it really works--not in the way I expected, but in a wonderful way, so wonderful that I am not going to share what it is with anyone.

Eleventh day of Chinese New Year celebrations.

A day to honor children.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are stainless steel bowls of ice chips.

Sometimes, when a man has a haircut, it's because he wants to start all over again.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Do not fear the knocks and tapping on your walls. Your elemental friends are merely saying hello.

Good night, Cubao!

The elves send electronic messages to humans after midnight.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Sent 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.

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

Worked an hour on first glaze.

Worked half an hour on sixth layer. Layering is done.

Glazing begins next.

Worked an hour on fifth layer.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey still asleep after her night shift.

If the pandemic restrictions go on for two more years, I know of at least four friends who will despair and go completely insane.

I never liked them, though, and it looks like they're paying karma in this lifetime.

Bought a ream of ziggurats.

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

Tenth day of Chinese New Year celebrations. On this day the heads of households are honored. In chauvinist China, though, that meant fathers only.

Good morning, Cubao!

The fairy prince walks through a garden of red and white carnations.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes send electronic messages to humans after 6:00 PM.

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

You with two syllables in your name: What is the future? The future is your retirement, not your career. To have a bright future, work for a secure retirement. That way you become a burden to no one, not even to yourself, by the time you hit 65.

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.

M. and Brian overhauled and cleaned the rear passage. We're converting half of it to Brian's and Nino's sleeping quarters, so that we have sentinels on the north end of our house.

Worked an hour on fourth layer.

If, as an artist, you detest teamwork and prefer working alone, your best options are painting and writing fiction. In painting and in writing fiction, no one but yourself controls you and your work.

An early lunch at home alone.

Worked half an hour on third layer.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Religion will always seek to destroy all forms of culture that do not conform to its teachings.

Ninth day of Chinese New year celebrations. Today celebrates the Jade Emperor's birthday.

Place an offering on your altar and make a wish.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are plastic packs of colored marshmallows.

Watched all 12 episodes of Korea's 2022 All of Us Are Dead. Based on the 2009 - 2011 Naver webtoon Now at Our School by Joo Dong-geun, it is about how South Korean Hyosan High School, and eventually its surrounding districts, is infested by a zombie virus. 

This is possibly the goriest zombie movie I have ever seen. It is an exciting screening because of the multiple situations presented. There are many, unexpected surprises, violent and otherwise. It is different because it shows not only strangers but relatives and friends turning into zombies, and the viewer is shown the stark before-and-after. At its very core, it is a high school deconstruction of Golding's Lord of the Flies. On the macroscopic level, this is a war movie possibly as epic as Tolstoy's War and Peace. It is about loss and dashed expectations, exceedingly timely because everyone lost someone or something during the three-year pandemic and, in the Philippines, due to Typhoon Odette. 

The cast is huge, certainly bigger than that of the 2016 Train to Busan, where only a few relationships are in focus, and the minimalist 2020 Alive, which is as slow and as quiet as Mel Ferrer's Wait Until Dark.  The plot development and action are swift, and each episode is comprised of several cliff-hangers. The only snag for me was the series of Blair Witch Project monologues in Episode 6, which verged on the mawkish. And, again, like Spain's Money Heist, the whole series is just too long and discourages thoughts of watching everything all over again.

In a previous review I mentioned that zombie movies are a natural product of pent-up anger and boredom in First World countries, as the Theater of the Absurd was a natural product of industrialization in Europe. Why is it, though, that bullying is the main source of tension and conflict in every high school movie?

It is quite impressive that an entire, four-story school building facade was built inside a sound set to make all of those exterior shots possible. As in Money Heist, other, detailed sets were constructed as well. That probably spells the difference between such productions and our country's own. As the late Mario O'Hara proudly declared, location hunting in the Philippines mostly consists of finding a single house where one can shoot the entire movie. In his own words, "Ang study room, puwede mong gawing opisina. Magtirik ka ng tatlong krus sa bakuran, sementeryo na iyon. Maglagay ka ng bangko sa garden, parke na iyon." And, recently, while working with Laurice Guillen on a screenplay I asked her how long it would take to shoot the entire movie. She said, "Fourteen days. Ten days out-of-town, four days sa Manila. Ganyan na ngayon." I found it sad that directors stick to the objective of helping their producers save money. Aren't producers supposed to spend money rather than save it? It seems that saving money affects an entire production--all the way from the writer's creativity to the director's exploitation of imagery to the cinematographer's set-ups for shots to the performers' not giving their best because they have to be rushed through scenes.        

In All of Us Are Dead the opening shot of each scene has something to do with the ending shot of the previous scene. Even the extras must have gone through extensive sessions of Eric Morris's Willy-Dilly exercises. I should mention that Episode 9 was most original and interesting. 

Finally, young people like this movie because it asks the the hypothetical question "What do we do if our parents ceased to exist?" All of us are dead because all of us have hidden agenda, most of them death-dealing rather than life-giving. All of us are dead because we are not spared from the machinations of government leaders and politicians.

What a poignant yet ominous ending--it was the best possible ending a writer could think of.

Good night, Cubao!

Night mice nap in your rubber flip-flops.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Always sterilize your feet and toes with alcohol before going to bed.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

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

A financially unstable artist experiences burnout ten times more than a financially stable artist, for anxiety over money always constipates one's creativity and imagination.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on second layer.

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

Alkaline water delivery, 45 gallons.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are clusters of white windsocks.

Good night, Cubao!

Gold, silver, and gemstones are the fairies' currency.

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

You with five syllables in your name: Never fan the flames of hope on something you know won't happen anyway, such as a romantic relationship--because, even if it does happen, you also know that it will go wrong in more ways than you ever imagined.

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

Night chores.

A light drizzle in Cubao.

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

Am currently on Episode 9 of All of Us Are Dead, which my granddaughters urged me to watch.

M. fried lumpia for us.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Crudely gothic, I know, but I recall that my father took me and my youngest sister, Sylvia, to watch this movie. I was in second grade and terrified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HzLRgZzI2A

Worked half an hour on first layer of second painting for my next exhibit.

Forty winks.

Angelique came back from paying tuition at the baqnk. Toto drove for her.

Worked half an hour on fourteenth glaze. This first painting for my next exhibit is finished (January 24 - February 6, 2022).

Worked half an hour on construction lines for the second painting for my next exhibit. Construction lines are done. Will commence layering next. 

An early lunch at home alone.

Seventh day of the Chinese New Year celebrations, known as renri, during which seven-vegetable soup is served. For many, the seventh day (instead of the fifteenth day) is the last day of the new year celebrations.

Good morning, Cubao!

The breezes bring news of other cities, other towns.

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnomes gather round the old scavenger to listen to his tales. 

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Ensure that no children are traumatized by upsetting events.

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.

Brian installed a gate valve under our kitchen sink, a new laundry faucet, a new bidet in Aubrey's toilet, and mended five, decorative items.

Angelique and Jazz arrived.

Asked Brian to buy more house hardware stuff at the center.

Worked an hour on construction lines of my second painting for my next exhibit.

An early lunch at home alone; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

 An old bridge crumbles.

Good morning, Cubao!

Spirit guides help you go through the checklist of the day.

Christian sends me a photo of copies of my books in his possession.

Good night, Cubao!

Night rain pours white diamonds onto rooftops.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Never blindly follow whatever authorities suggest.

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, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Brian installed two new gate valves on our water tank pipes and did repairs in Aubrey's bathroom.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Worked an hour on construction lines for second painting for my next exhibit.

Asked Brian to buy more house hardware at the center.

"I thought that I heard you laughing/

I thought that I heard you sing/

I think I thought I saw you try/"

Worked half an hour on thirteenth glaze.

Worked half an hour on construction lines for the second painting in my next exhibit, simply because the canvas was already there.

Angelique and Jazz are off to a weekend out; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Worked an hour on twelfth glaze.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The day gnomes paint sunscapes on their enchanted canvases.

What does not appear dangerous, will be dangerous.

Good night, Cubao!

Cabinet and closet doors open up to fantastic worlds.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Never take the money that you have on hand for granted.

Belgian chocolates for dessert.

Tried a pair of our new, Korean, stainless steel chopsticks at dinner this evening. My second choice was ceramic, but I decided that they were too breakable. My third choice was bamboo, but stainless steel is definitely more hygienic.

Looks like they can double up as wands.

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.

OMG I can eat one whole box of Rebisco's Chocolate Mallows. I can do the same to Kean's holiday chocolates, except that I don't see those anymore.

Brian replaced two bathroom faucets and repaired a toilet tank and a glass table. 

More handyman work scheduled tomorrow.

Replenished our soda supply.

Brian back from jalan-jalan at the center. Bought house hardware stuff.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on eleventh glaze.

Worked half an hour on tenth glaze.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunbeams swim like goldfish in the sky.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended past midnight.

Good night, Cubao!

Ride the astral kayak that glides through your neighborhood.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Go with the flow, but keep both hands on the boat's wheel.

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: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on ninth glaze.

Back home from jalan-jalan at the center with Angelique and Aubrey. Toto drove for us. Went to the bank, changed dollars to pesos, paid our electric and phone bills, sent some money to my younger son Chito, did major groceries, had lunch out, and bought two new extension cords for computers.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a bright orange coffee mug.

A good painting should hit your gut so right that you will want to go to the toilet and think about it.

If you cannot live for someone, live for something. It keeps you alive.

Watched all eight episodes of Spain's Feria: The Darkest Light. Twenty-three cadavers are discovered in a shallow lake outside an abandoned mine in a small village in Andalusia. They were members of the gnostic Cult of Light, led by the mother of young sisters Eva and Sofia. Now that their mother is dead, the living members expect Sofia to lift the five veils, which her mother failed to do, and open the portal that will bring hell into the world.  

The movie does not leave the audience second-guessing, for it unfolds in an unusually straightforward manner. We are shown everything, including naked bodies. As early as the first episode we are shown a supernatural creature inside the mine. A priest is murdered in the town church and we are shown, from the very beginning, who the murderer is. We see who the cult members are, what they do, and what they hope to achieve. All very unlike the furtive plots of Shyamalan's The Village and Flanagan's Midnight Mass, both also set in small villages. The difference is, while those other two movies have stereotype characters, this one has two-dimensional ones much lacking in biography and historicity, so that, ultimately, we don't really care about them.

_Feria_ has a lot of male and female nudity, frontal and otherwise, perhaps a little too perverse for comfort. But that could be its saving grace, because I was not too thrilled about the furless kitty cats, the creepy-crawly seaweed, and the diabolic reindeer, though I wish I had some of that orichalcum jewelry in my collection. How did those ever get mixed up with a gnostic group in the first place? In all, the Halloween and carnival horror tunnel images point to one and the same thing, that anything Satanic is decadent, derivative, unoriginal, and almost always the product of the illiterate.

I do like the ending--it is like the ending of Polanski's Rosemary's Baby.

Many questions are unanswered, though Most importantly, my question in relation to all four movies remains: Why do the most diabolic events happen only to Christians?

Brian arrived this evening.

Angelique arrived from dinner out with her former classmate.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairies invite you to the latest exhibit in their night gallery.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Follow a night routine, retiring to bed at a regular time. Control your night. Do not let the night control you.

Dinner at home with 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.

"Hazardous" should be pronounced  HA-zr-duhs, NOT ha-ZAHR-doos as pronounced by news broadcasters.

A delivery arrived for Aubrey.

Worked an hour and a half on eighth glaze.

M. and David watered the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens, then watched me paint for half an hour.

We are waiting for Brian to arrive from Nueva Ecija.

In the meantime Angelique is off to dinner with a former classmate.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on seventh glaze.

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

Three deliveries arrived.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze.

Good morning, Cubao!

Market day for gnomes.

Good night, Cubao!

Enjoy sleeping, for it is an art.

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

You with two syllables in your name: What mistakes last year are you determined not to repeat this year?

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 Aubrey, then Angelique and Jazz came down to dinner.

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.