Worked half an hour on twenty-third glaze.

A very hot afternoon in Cubao. I feel like a bun in a stainless steel steamer.

Every playwright is a poet, but not every poet ventures into writing plays.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

Golden showers fall once again from the dragon tree.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes enjoy slow, wagon rides through dark woods.

One Message For One Of 249 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five syllables in your name: Do not use art to escape from your personal problems. Both your art and your life will suffer.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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

Night chores.

Aubrey came down to dinner in the dining room.

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. In the meantime Angelique's friend Kate spent the early evening here while waiting for vehicular color coding to be lifted. 

Dusk falls. Compound tenants and next-door neighbors greet me a Happy Birthday as they pass the driveway. I once again feel like the protagonist in the ending of A un dios desconocido, minus the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca.

Worked half an hour on twenty-second glaze.

A box of pastries from Mico.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

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

Worked an hour on twenty-first glaze.

A sweltering hot afternoon.

Staggered lunchtimes; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center with Toto. Replenished utilitarian stuff for the kitchen.

It was a Sweet 60
Then a Serene 61
A Solitary 62
A Stunning 63
A Superb 64
A Suave 65
A Soaring 66
A Spectacular 67
A Splendid 68
A Shining 69
A Sleek 70

And now a Sparkling 71! 

Good morning, Cubao!

If you feel that your relationship does not set you free, you are in the wrong relationship.

If you feel that your religion does not set you free, you are practicing the wrong religion.

The hermit only grows stronger and more able after years of seclusion.

Good night, Cubao!

In the summer, gnomes hang night hammocks from the branches of trees.

One Message For One Of 244 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with seven syllables in your name: Do not wear expensive jewelry if you are frequently surrounded by envious people.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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

Asked Brian to fry squid rings in breading for us.

 Worked  half an hour on twentieth glaze.

Delivery of a bag of The Darkness Coffee--VERY STRONG coffee--arrived. This coffee is made in North Coburg, Victoria, Australia.

Time is the key to real happiness, because, when one has all the time to oneself, one is truly free.

Bought a glass of jalu-jalo at the neighborhood hawker's stand for Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on nineteenth glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnome caregiver encourages his ward to oversleep.

One Message For One Of 244 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Try asking help from the spirits of trees.

Good night, Cubao!

Sleep well in the astral company of your protector.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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.

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

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room; Aubrey then went to sleep after her night shift.

Worked an hour on eighteenth glaze.

Brian is now doing a thorough, general cleaning of our kitchen.

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

Your Messenger message:

"Magandang gabi po sir Tony. Pasensya na po sa pagme-message ng ganitong oras. May nais lang po sana akong ikonsulta sa inyo.

"Yung pinsan ko po kasi madalas po managinip lately. "Noong mga nakakaraan po linggo nanaginip po siya ng isang malaking octopus na umatake sa taong kasama ng pinsan ko. Sumunod na gabi po ay nanaginip naman siya ng pusa na hinahabol at kinakalkot po siya habang may bitbit siyang baby. Nakakapanaginip rin po siya ng ahad na kinakain ang kamyamg buong kamay. May panaginip rin po siyang dumi ng tao sa toilet bowl na kahit anong gawin niyang flush ay ayaw mawala at pilit bumabalik. "Nitong mga nakaraang araw po nananaginip na naman po siya ng ahas habang nasa classroom po siya at yung iba po ay nakapululot sa kanya at sa kanya mga kamay. "Ano po kaya ang nais ipahiwatig sa kanya ng kamyang mga panaginip? "Maraming salamat po sir."

My reply:

Hello _____!

All of these dream images are messages from the dreamer's psyche.

I hope I am wrong, but it seems to me that the dreamer has committed something unacceptable to himself and to his family. Some possibilities are:

--he has gotten himself deeply into debt

--he impregnated a woman but neither wants the baby nor the woman

--he did something terribly wrong at work and does not want others to know what he did

Just advise your cousin to keep doing good deeds to reap good karma. Karma--both bad and good--is usually IMMEDIATE and does not wait for another lifetime to be expiated. As long as he learns to be pure of heart once again, he wll attain peace and happiness.

Good morning, Cubao!

The box containing great treasures is a great treasure in itself.

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended midnight.

Your Messenger message:

"Good evening, Sir Tony. I hope you could help provide clarity about my dream.

"Last night, I dreamt of my deceased grandfather. I served vegetable soup to him in my dream. I couldn't remember what exactly he said to me in my dream, but I remember waking up crying because I missed him. It's going to be 2 years since his passing. Thank you, Sir."

My reply:

Hello _____!

Your grandfather wishes to be remembered. Place a framed photo of him on your family altar. If you neglected to light yellow joss sticks when he passed, do so now--two yellow joss sticks every night for a week, every other night for the following two weeks, and every week for the rest of the year. After the passage of a year, light three red joss sticks in his memory every week.

Good night, Cubao!

Even in the silence of the night, the heart sings.

One Message To One Of 244 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Remember only the good things in the past, and take them with you into the future.

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; Angelique and Aubrey bought a Japanese dinner out and are eating upstairs. Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique and Aubrey went to the center to shop for clothes.

Resumed work on fifth painting for my next exhibit. Half an hour on seventeenth glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is hung with silver fishing nets.

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.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes' household staff lay down extra bedding for a family that is staying overnight.

One Message For One Of 243 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Good meals bring back good memories, and make you glad to be alive.

Angelique and Jazz arrived.

Angelique and Jazz are back from La Union but are still having dinner out in Greenhills.

Dinner at home alone; Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Aubrey ordered milk tea.

Bought a glass of jalu-jalo from the neighborhood hawker's stall.

Worked half an hour on fourth glaze. This, sixth, painting in my next exhibit is finished (March 18 - 27, 2022).

Your Messenger message:

"I am hounded by anxiety and pamic attacks recently. I couldn't get work nor start a small palamig business. My friendship has been hounding me day and night as well. He was an angel all thoughout the pandemic to me but started slipping away late last year. He is making efforts to come back these past months and they are sincere. I just cannot get over my insecurities and what we fought over (him slipping away) last year and it has been hindering me from being positive not only in our friendship but also in all aspects pf my life. Please guide me on how to be better able to contain all these anxieties and pain. Thank you"

My reply:

Hello _______!

First of all, do NOT take anti-anxiety medication. You will be hopelessly hooked on it, it will drain you of your funds, and it will make you miserable, hot-headed, and cynical.

I scanned your Photo. Your friendship started slipping away because of your own shortcomings. Your panic attacks are a result of your guilt. They are the same panic attacks that newborn babies experience after being delivered from the womb--suddenly they must learn how to breathe and feel the sensations of heat, cold, and hunger in a completely different world.

Sounds like your partner was your pillar all along. Why not forgive yourself and give both of you another chance? After all, you are not perfect yourself, though you are impractically idealistic. Even if your partner took advantage of you at times, it was because your partner had to fulfill certain material needs. In the last analysis, such incidents are petty.

Go back to your friendship. Yes, it is as simple as that. Yet, remember that all partnerships have to be MAINTAINED and WORKED FOR. They won't run by themselves like a machine that doesn't require electricity or gasoline.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky fairies are organizing a colorful parade. 

Rose and her close relatives are en route to M.'s house in Cavite, where she will stay to give birth and wean her baby. Brian is escorting them.

My dear Friends, my List is now up to 241 from 230, and I will soon unFriend eleven, non-interactive Friends to go back down to 230.

Good night, Cubao!

The boys who fear the howling of the wolves lie close to their protector.

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

You with five syllables in your name: Do not shut out your brothers and sisters, for they will remain your close relatives in this lifetime.

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 alone; Aubrey still asleep before her night shift.

One-hour, early evening nap.

Aubrey back from her workplace with her new badge.

David watered the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, front balcony, and ground-floor gardens.

Worked half an hour on third glaze.

It has occurred to me that the word "pamangkin" ("niece/nephew") is a truncation of "pang-angkin" ("for claiming as one's own"), since, when parents die, aunts and uncles are assumed to be the persons responsible for taking care of the orphaned children. Otherwise the word would be "pamangkan" ("pang-angkan, or the addition of members to one's clan").

Another glass of jalu-jalo from the neighborhood hawker's stall.

Home alone! Aubrey is off to a meeting with coworkers.

Worked half an hour on second glaze.

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

It is the human cogwheel who becomes miserable upon retirement, for he is merely replaced by another cogwheel and he faces a life that gives no value to old cogwheels. 

Assess your career and your current job.

Are you merely a cogwheel?  

Good morning, Cubao!

The night's pleasant dream flows into the day.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes love eavesdropping on humans' conversations.

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

You with one syllable in your name: Look forward, if possible, to your old age. Work for providing financial security for yourself to make that time in your life a time of heaven.

Dinner at home with 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.

Vanilla syrup delivery arrived.

M. and David are now watering the plants in the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens.

Am giving this authentic, Tibetan sherpa's cap to one of the tenants on our compound. He's an avid mountain climber. I held on to this cap for some time, mainly because of TinTin in Tibet, but never got to use it.

Worked an hour on first glaze.

"I will take my life into my hands and I will use it/
I will win the worship in their eyes and I will lose it/
I will have the things that I desire/
And my passions flow like rivers through the sky/"

Technology has taken over my adopted family in Siquijor. They are now on Facebook and in my Friends List. Will most probably Add them to the Spirit Questors Private Group very soon.

Angelique and Jazz have arrived at the La Union resort.

Back from the neighborhood grocery. Bought a bag of frozen squid rings, a bar of soap, and candy on top what Aubrey wanted.

Now waiting for a vanilla syrup delivery.

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

Angelique and Jazz are now en route to a resort in La Union. Gave them emergency money. Hired David to feed and water Keiko Kashigawa for the next three days.

Aubrey wants fresh milk, black Samyang, and vanilla Cornetto. Must swing by the neighborhood grocery later.

I love playing the role of Beauty's father. It is always a pleasure hunting for roses to bring home to my grandchildren.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is a crystal dish filled with multicolored rock candy.

Watched all six episodes of Taiwan's 2019 Green Door.

Wei Sung-yen is the owner and practitioner of Green Door Studio in Ximending, an office offering counseling services. He trained in the States and is having difficulty maintaining Taiwanese clients. One day what seems to be a ghost goes to Green Door Studio for help. Thus begins a series of counseling sessions. And, of course, other spirits soon follow.

The movie was of interest to me because this is exactly what the Spirit Questors do: counsel not only the living but the deceased. At first there isn't enough tension to keep the viewer riveted to the story, especially since it fluctuates between light comedy and melodrama, but everything picks up quickly in Episode 4.

I must mention, however, that the movie has an O. Henry twist in the last episode.

Good night, Cubao!

It's the gnomes' brandy night.

Rose's mother is back from visiting relatives in Cabanatuan.

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.

Ordered honey-lemon buffalo wings from M.'s cafe to add to our dinner.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey is taking her dinner upstairs and preparing for her night shift.

Angelique and Jazz are watching Angelique's classmates' mock trial on laptop. I watched the first part--so amazing to me that these young students are already eloquent. I felt very old, which I am, anyway.

Angelique's mock trial with her group is scheduled next week.

Jazz arrived.

Replenished our soda supply.

Enchanted Physics

Whenever an MRT train passes along EDSA, the door in the service passage of the ground-floor bathroom and toilet gets sucked in briefly and makes a soft, banging sound against its jamb. There is an open-space bus station at the corner of EDSA and P. Tuazon Boulevard, across which, I suppose the sound and the energy traverse, but then there is a tall, adobe wall that separates the compound our house is in from the bus station. And so, I suppose, sound and energy are capable of hurdling over walls, entering our side entrance, and moving through our ground-floor service passage.

It is the body that is darkness. Upon its death, the spirit is released into light.

Handymen are some of the most creative people in this world. But they are truly superb when they have the additional attributes of artistic sense and good taste.

A glass of jalu-jalo from a hawker's stall.

Worked half an hour on sixth layer.

A delivery arrived for Aubrey.

Staggered lunchtimes; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Your Messenger message:

"Magandang umaga po Sir Tony, ishare ko po ang panaginip ng aking bespren baka po mabibigyan ng linaw niyo po ang kahulugan.

"Mag aaral daw po ako kaya need ko ng apartment/dorm. Nakakita na po ako tapos tsinek siya ng bespren ko tapos sabi niya sa akin may multo. Tapos Nakita ko din po. May binanggit po ako na pangalan para kuhanin ng espiritu ang mga gamit niya tapos may biglang kumatok. Hindi po ako nakaramdam ng takot habang nananaginip o habang nasa panaginip. "Biglang nag transform upang manakot sa isang form parang demonyo na may sungay (medyo nakaramdam ako ng bahagyang takot dahil naging aware ako na siya pala ay demonyo). "Nagtalukbong na sa kumot ang bespren ko pero ako ay na overcome na ang takot at nag utos sa demonyo na kunin na niya ang mga gamit (drawing books etc.) niya. Sinabihan ko ang siya na huwag kang manakot kasi kakaratehin ka nitong bespren ko. Tapos ang bespren ko ay nag position ng parang kay bruce lee na starting na stance. Pero light ang pakiramdam kasi nakangiti ang bespren ko. "Nang scratch ang demonyo sa braso ng bespren ko ng dahan dahan tapos tinapik ko siya at pinagsabihan ko na wag niyang gagawin yun (sa paraang parang isang guro na pinagsasabihan ang estudyante) para matahimik na siya. Sumagot ang demonyo na saka na lang daw kapag Nakita na niya ang pumatay sa kanya (parang hinahanap nya ang kanyang ama, hindi po ako sigurado). "Sinabi ko sa kanya na walang pumatay sayo, nagpakamatay ka. Pinatay ka ng depresyon. Tapos niyakap ko siya at Nawala na ang demonyong anyo at umalis na siya. "Nag alarm na po tapos nagising ako.'

"Maraming salamat po at ingat po kayo palagi!"

My reply:

Hello _______!

Una sa lahat, ang panaginip ay dapat itala sa mga salita ng mismong nanaginip at hindi ng ibang tao. Gayunpaman, naito ang mga nahinuha ko tungkol sa kaibigan mo:

Matagal na siyang miserable sa tahanang kinabibilangan niya. Maaaring di siya malayang makakilos at pakiramdam niya ay para siyang bilanggo. Ang kalagayan niya ay dahil sa isang ama na nasa tahanan ding iyon: ama, lolo, tiyo, kuya, o pinsan.

Sa panaginip na ito, ibinubulong ng Diwa sa nananaginip na panahon na upang harapin niya ang lahat ng kinatatatkutan niya sa buhay--sa pamamagitan ng pagmamahal, pag-unawa, at mga makatwirang desisyon. 

Sapagkat ikaw ang nagtala ng panaginip, may kinalaman din sa iyo at sa sariling buhay mo ang panaginip na ito.

Spirits linger not because of unfinished business but because of obsessive attachments.

Good morning, Cubao!

Pixies ride on leaves falling from the branches of the dragon tree.

Good night, Cubao!

Six gnome friends share a bedroom for a cozy night.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Always make a monthly inventory of your valuables.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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

Night chores.

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

A gentle rainfall on Cubao.

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

Worked half an hour on fifth layer.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Worked half an hour on fourth layer.

Avoid the bakya crowd of magic at all costs. You'll know them when you see them--they sign up to very mage in the country, hoping to learn from "everyone". Be selective with what you show them on your Wall. Show them only what you Customize as Public.

As to your real students, take them aside secretly and teach them everything you know. 

Good morning, Cubao!

When the sun penetrates the earth, golden flowers emerge from the ground.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes are camping out on the tin rooftops.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Always know what makes your family really happy.

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.

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

Your Messenger message:

"Hello sir Tony, good evening.. I hope you won't mind if I ask you a question about one of your posts, the one about the role of spirit guides to one's health. May I know how I can possibly ask their help for my healing and health? I've been quite sickly since the year started and I can't do my usual activities because it's just been one ailment after another. As a single mom, I need to hustle as much as I can so I'd like to ask my guides for help in this area, but I've no idea how to do that. Thank you very much... I hope this isn't too much of a bother"

My reply:

Hello ___________!

Although you can petition them for help, spirit guides intervene on their own to transform illnesses into other forms of karma if they deem it proper. The spirits of your ancestors are most helpful in this regard. Per the saying "We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors" they ensure your good health and your success because both of these are their good "health" and their success. Note that, whenever people give offensive remarks about their seniors, the cosmos redirects their ill will toward their own elders.

I scanned your latest photo and it looks like you need a long vacation--from work and from other people. If that is not possible, pamper yourself with a weekly massage, light salt lamps, go to the salon, buy yourself new clothes and accessories, surround yourself with your favorite things, go on dates with your closest friends, eat what you like, and such. Joy is good health. Good health is all about you. Live. Be happy. Free yourself from being a single mom and a coworker from time to time.

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

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Much later, Brian checked the electric wiring on the roof deck and fixed some plumbing under the kitchen sink. He is now doing a thorough cleaning of the dining room and kitchen.

Worked an hour on third layer.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is a gift waiting to be unwrapped.

Watched all eight episodes of Season 1 of Poland's 2022 _Cracow Monsters_. Professor Zawadzki gathers nine, psychic university students in a private dormitory a la X-Men and the Spirit Questors. They hold night classes, but their encounters are mostly with mythological creatures illustrated in ancient documents in the professor's possession, as in _Grimm_. The ninth recruit is Alex, a female freshman, who is the protagonist in this series. 

A good screening, but for the most part not very easy to follow. The movie hinges on keeping the viewer clueless as to what is going on, most of the scenes are dimly lighted, and I had no choice but to go with trickling exposition and just wait for the next monster to appear round the corner. There is not much character differentiation among the professor and the other eight psychic students--as though a single character was merely split up into nine performers for the sake of forming a group. In addition, those sparkly deity robes were quite laughable, for we can only wonder what kind of designer in the underworld fashioned them.

Interesting creatures in Polish mythology. Those body marks also reminded me of Afro-Caribbean ajitenas.

For the Spirit Questors only; others, do NOT read further:

Note that the key found in the leather bag, which the characters identified as an "axis mundi", is similar to the top portion of the A.T.A.R.D.A.R. Wand, which is a key in itself. 

The original A.T.A.R.D.A.R. Wand, a gift from the late mage Roy Alvarez. It is carved from dignum wood.

The A.T.A.R.D.A.R. Wand in my bust sculpted by Julie Lluch in 2012

While the term "axis mundi"  (when Google-searched defined as the "line or stem through the earth's center connecting its surface to the underworld and the heavens and around which the universe revolves") is typically applied to planet Earth, it can be applied to individual countries as well. It is said that the axis mundi of the Philippines is Mount Balatukan, in Misamis Oriental. Another source, again when Google-searched, pinpoints Marinduque as "the geographical center of the Philippine archipelago by the Luzon Datum of 1911, the mother of all Philippine geodetic surveys".

The district of Cubao itself has its own axis mundi. Using two rulers on the map you can locate its center--it is, strangely, a residence on 12th Avenue and very near the bend of 11th Avenue. (Why does 11th Avenue not go all the way to P. Tuazon Boulevard?): https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cubao,+Quezon+City,+Metro+Manila/@14.6186516,121.0484207,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x3397b7eadd63a1df:0xa6f6a02c480fc32c!8m2!3d14.6177663!4d121.0571541.

Your house has its own axis mundi. Are you able to find it yourself?

Good night, Cubao!

Children sleep to the lambent light of the moon lamp.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Think selfishly. Know the difference between a good deal and a bad deal.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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.

Night delivery. Thank God for no more curfew hours.

I am a sucker for marquetry boxes.

I now have four.

Worked half an hour on second layer.

Worked half an hour on first layer for Painting #6 for my next exhibit.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Aubrey cooked spaghetti.

Alkaline water delivery, 45 gallons.

Good morning, Cubao!

The garden birds break their fast with bread crumbs in a metal feeder.

Good night, Cubao!

Focus on making your bedroom as comfortable to be in as possible.

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

You with two syllables in your name: As you lie down to sleep, shut off your work and your neighbors from your mind, and have pleasant thoughts only of your family and yourself.

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

Night chores.

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

Paid David for the two days he fed and watered Keiko Kashigawa while Angelique was away.

Angelique arrived from her overnight trip with friends to Bataan.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

David is now watering the ground-floor, upper floor, and roof deck plants.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Worked an hour on construction lines for Painting #6 for my next exhibit.

Lunch at home with Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day begins like a newly-opened storybook.

Sometimes, when a person is ill and others take VERY good care of him or her, he/she will have very little incentive to get well.

Children like brushing their teeth with colorful toothbrushes. Avoid black, blue, and green.

It is not offensive to construction workers to say that you eat like a construction worker if you eat a lot, because construction workers DO eat a lot. Those in my employ certainly do, for their work is very laborious and physical.

It is TRUTH.

Unless you believe that it is wrong to eat a lot.

Good night, Cubao!

Cherish that special moment when you lay your head on your pillow and pull your blanket over your body.

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

You with two syllables in your name: There are things that need to get done first, so do not save those for later while attending to other, less important things.

Staggered dinnertimes; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

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 sixteenth glaze for Painting #5 for my next exhibit.

Worked half a hour on construction lines for Painting #6 for my next exhibit.

Bought jalu-jalo for Aubrey and M.'s crew.

Asked M. to go to the center and pay our water bill.

Worked an hour on construction lines for Painting #6 for my next exhibit. 

Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

David came in and fed and watered Keiko Kashigawa on the upper floor.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique with friends at a resort and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnomes are having a barbecue grill party.

Watched all 16 episodes of Korea's Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2022). We are presented the story of an immortal spirit--a Bulgasal--who apparently steals the soul of a man so that she can live as a human and keep reincarnating. The man, in turn, becomes a Bulgasal and swears to search for her in every reincarnation to kill her a total of eight times, thus regaining his soul, and then seal her forever in a well, The first two episodes are gothic, bloody, and violent, set in the ancient Joseon period 600 years ago; Episode 3 onward is set in the present time. It is in Episode 3, indeed, where things become very interesting all the way through Episode 16. Yet, as we plod through the succeeding episodes, the story of the Bulgasal keeps revising itself via revelations from different characters.

The series features karma, karmic groups, and characters reincarnating and revisiting their relationships to one another, and is engrossing because the performers play their different roles very well. Produced two years after Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020), it uses the same fantasy template and is just as engaging. There are, however, many non-sequiturs in dialogue and in characterization, particularly in protagonists' wanting to sacrifice themselves in some scenes and then not wanting to sacrifice themselves in later scenes, a pattern that keeps repeating itself ad nauseam. The key narrative, which is fully revealed in Episode 16, also seems too contrived, as though the writer had to write the story backward and could not make up his mind as to how it all began 1,000 years ago, and the final resolution convoluted and confusing. The subtitle "Immortal Souls" is yet another loophole, for the viewer is reminded again and again that Bulgasal have no souls. 

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended midnight.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes change their bed linen on Fridays for cozy weekend nights.

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

You with five syllables in your name: Always be mentally present and avoid the tendency to drop things.

 Aubrey arrived from her day and evening out with friends.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Asked David to  ring some food over to M.'s cafe.

Night chores.

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

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

This afternoon in Cubao the air is still and the heat unbearable. Not a leaf is stirring in the trees. Even the birds are hiding away within the depths of the dragon tree. The atmosphere is so thick that one can scoop it and slather it like paint on a canvas.

It's heat-stroke season and everyone should stay indoors and hydrate themselves.

Fantasy is reality that exists in a parallel realm, for your mind and your heart are in all your realities.

Angelique arrived from the center. Then it was my turn to go out, this time to the neighborhood grocery. Did minor groceries. Couldn't help throwing in a half gallon box of ice cream.

Angelique went to the center to do groceries for an overnight trip with her former college schoolmates.

Aubrey is off to a despedida for a friend with her former high school classmates.

Worked half an hour on fifteenth glaze. Now must wait for these glazes to dry completely.

Worked half an hour on Painting #6 for my next exhibit. This painting begins today, March 18, 2022.

A big breakfast, as in The Color Purple.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a long robe of embroidered silk.

Good night, Cubao!

It is fun for everyone to camp out in the family den.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Turn your back on the sadness of your past for good, for happiness always awaits you through honest work.

Angelique came  down to dinner in the dining room.

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 fourteenth glaze.

Creatures without souls not only have brains, they also have hearts, and it is their hearts that keep them attuned to one another and to the here and now.

A neighborhood hawker's stand is selling jalu-jalo again.

Worked half an hour on thirteenth glaze.

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

Brian is now cleaning the studio floor and organizing everything on the tabletops.

An efficient and trustworthy studio apprentice is always a great blessing.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on twelfth glaze.

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

Persons who yearn for love and romance never get what they want, because it is the very act of yearning that sates their neurosis.

I laugh whenever a card reader whips out a brand-new deck and shuffles it carefully, if not awkwardly, in front of me. 

It is always the old, worn-our deck with frayed edges that impresses me.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day proceeds like a boat across the river of sky.

Good night, Cubao!

Heed the nocturnal behavior of neighborhood animals.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Save your photos by sending them to yourself as e-mail attachments.

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.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

A political turnabout ensues; an actor comes out of the closet.

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

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Worked half an hour on eleventh glaze.

I see various depictions of heaven with multitudes of souls in long robes, as though they continue to be ashamed of the bodies they lived in, walking through clouds and surrounded by angels with white wings. None of them have writing equipment, oil painting paraphernalia, and knitting tools. All of them are mere bricks of the same mold being mortared into one, big wall--and I know that that is not the heaven I choose to be in.

I sincerely believe that every soul is an individual soul, and that heaven is custom-made to every individual.

Worked half an hour on tenth glaze.

Because I wake up to brewed coffee and a day of oil painting--and nothing more--I feel that I am already in heaven.

A bowl of ginataan from the cafe.

Staggered lunchtimes. Aubrey cooked breakfast and an early lunch before going to sleep after her night shift.

Yukiko Taka's and Cloudy's first car ride!

Brian, Nino, and a younger brother of Nino just arrived from Masbate brought them to the Barangay Health Center for free anti-rabies shots. Toto drove for them.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun alerts your psyche to wake you up when you have to.

Good night, Cubao!

Pixies bathe in lakes formed by night puddles.

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

You with seven syllables in your dream: Do not give up on your dream, but take only the most realistic steps to achieve it.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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.

Worked half an hour on ninth glaze.

M. and David watered the roof deck, side balcony, and front balcony gardens and cleared the rooftops and gutters of debris.

 Worked half an hour on eighth glaze,

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on seventh glaze.

Know this, that every detractor who spews hatred against you is a bright feather in your cap, for his very words kill him not only very slowly but also very surely.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep from her night shift.

Will sit in the small loggia with a cup of coffee for a while, and then face another painting day.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a yellow mug of strong, brewed coffee.

Good night, Cubao!

Spirits of the deceased do not like wandering through rain. They stay inside a house they are already in and do not venture forth to enter other houses.

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

You with six syllables in your name: Identify a night that is perfect for lighting scented candles. The candles will soothe your ruffled feathers and calm you down.

Aubrey's work hours are now on California daylight savings time.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Whenever you get very upset over politics, one year is taken away from you in this lifetime.

I remember a time when atchays connived with one another and campaigned to have plastic cups destroyed so that they could not be reused. They never heard of the term "recycling", and proceeded to add so much plastic waste to the country's refuse.

Worked half an hour on sixth glaze.

M. and Rose and entourage are back from their civil wedding at Quezon City Hall.

Brian assembled a small tellurion for us.

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

Worked half an hour on fifth glaze.

Your Messenger message:

"Good morning, sir Tony.

"I often dream about confronting or literally chasing after people who have done me wrong. In real life, I have already told them off and read them to filth. The odd thing is, these days, I don't think about them throughout the day but I have such dreams. I would fall asleep after watching somethig funny, completing my nightly prayer, and donning on my protective crystals, then.. there goes an angry dream. I would literally catch myself talking in my sleep..and this would wake me up.. between around 3am.. to 3:30 am. "Why do I still have these dreams sometimes? "Thank you."

My reply:

Hello _____!

Repression is one of your major defense mechanisms. What you repress--and suppress--in waking life emerges in your dream state via a psychological exhaust.

I suggest replacing this with the defense mechanism displacement. Try engaging in sports, perhaps contact sports, working out, or any activity or hobby that can physically exhaust you. An alternative is choosing a creative outlet like writing, painting, or needlework. Based on the latter suggestions you may infer that I, too, have a lot of pent-up anger--but I choose to channel the energy into producing things that are useful to everyone.

Don't follow your heart if it will only lead you to poverty.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes and the house mice always heed the chiming of the hours.

One Message To One Of 232 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Every act of kindness makes you sleep well at night.

M. and Brian arrived from Cavite.

M. and Rose's wedding will proceed as scheduled tomorrow. Rose's mother and relatives have been staying at the cafe quarters since yesterday.

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.

Worked half an hour on fourth glaze.

Lit candles and joss sticks at our family altar on the occasion of my father's birthday.

Worked half an hour on third glaze.

A delivery arrived.

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

Lunch at home alone; everyone else still asleep upstairs.

My father's birthday in his most recent lifetime.

Good morning, Cubao!

In mid-afternoon the sun shines his spotlights on the clouds, where the drama of your life is being staged.

Good night, Cubao!

Always monitor the wellbeing of everyone in your family.

One Message To One Of 232 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Do not expect to receive freebies from someone who hardly knows you.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Aubrey arrived home from dinner out with her coworkers, whom she met in person for the first time today after working her night shift from home since January.

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.

Evening rainfall in Cubao.

Worked half an hour on second glaze.

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

A cup of jasmine tea in the small loggia.

A nice, sunny afternoon.

Your Messenger message:

"Dear sir Tony,

Kamusta na po kayo? I dreamt of my mom last night. Asked her to do a reading for me. She drew four cards for me: nine of wands, two of wands, four of wands, and the sun card reverse. What does it mean po? Ingat po kayo at salamat."

My reply:

Hello ________!

Wands represent the element fire, therefore, action. That he sun card is in reverse means that you are taking action the wrong way, and your mother, as your spirit guide, is urging you to reassess your objectives and your plans of action.

This is the most I can tell you based on the information you gave me, since I also need to see the exact spread and the particular deck that was used. 

Worked an hour on first glaze.

Rose sent over a bowl of delicious ginataan. Her mother (she is also Nino's and David's mother and Michelle's aunt) arrived to attend M. and Rose's civil wedding on Monday. In the meantime M. and Brian are off to Cavite to repaint a room in M.'s mother's house, where Rose will be staying to give birth to and wean her baby.

Staggered lunchtimes. Aubrey is having lunch out with friends.

Good morning, Cubao!

Today the birds and the honeybees are assigned to watch over the children.

During the one and only class luncheon reunion I attended, I was told the story of a man who never got along with his father. One day the man had a big argument with his father and said something insulting to him. He turned his back on his father and, as soon as he did, his father collapsed and died.

Nonon Padilla said that the incident could have been a scene from one of my plays.

Actually, I would never write such a scene. No one in the audience would believe it.

But then again this kind of thing DOES happen in real life, not only to the man in the story. I recall that, many years ago, it happened to a transgender's father on the day--or was it the next day?--he arrived from the States. The father all the while believed that his son was in military training, and had no clue that his son would come back as a female fashion plate.

Good night Cubao!

Newborn puppies sleep and dream in their mother's warm embrace.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Always move forward from a bright present to an even brighter future.

Angelique and Jazz took an early dinner, then Aubrey and I had dinner in the dining room.

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.

Tell It Like It Is

1. When Angelique was three years old she indicated to her aunt CatCat and me that she wanted to see one of the children's books in her collection, the one with "Nam Boys". We couldn't figure out what she meant by that. Did she mean Vietnam Boys? If not, what kind of boys? It took us some time before we understood that she meant "Numbers". That went under my blind spot since I wasn't too enamored with numbers when I was her age.

2. One of our CAOs, Jim Callahan, was from Boston. He called up Rosie, the office secretary, one morning, and asked her to send an Embassy driver to pick him up at "Sannagasta". Rosie went to everyone in the office to inquire where "Sannagasta" was. It was the Embassy driver who figured it out. He was in San Agustin Church.

Took reference photos of a female model for Painting #6 for my next exhibit.

Ordered a ham salad with mayonnaise dressing from M.'s cafe. Wondering why I'm on a binge today.

Worked half an hour on seventh layer. 

Glazing commences tomorrow.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery to buy a dozen fresh eggs, then had a blueberry fruit tea with nata de coco at the neighborhood tea house.

Worked an hour on sixth layer.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is an inverted, ice skating rink.

Deep tissue massage  Ended 11:00 PM.

Good night, Cubao!

They who sleep well exercise more patience.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Reorganize your clothes and your belongings, and enjoy doing so.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique is at a friend's surprise birthday dinner and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on fifth layer.

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

Watched all ten episodes of Korea's 2021 Juvenile Justice, a legal drama featuring a female judge who takes on a series of crimes committed by minors. Seems to me that the springboard could have been the USA's Law & Order: SUV, the protagonist Shim Eun-seok a Korean Olivia Benson replete with a traumatic past and receiving flak not only from offenders but also from colleagues. Lee Jeong-eun plays the Presiding Judge Na Geun-hee in the second half of the series--I recognized her as the crazy landlady in the chilling drama Strangers from Hell a.k.a Hell Is Other People.  

The series gives us a look at how investigations of juvenile cases and trials are handled in South Korea. The stories presented were possibly based on actual cases (murder, domestic abuse, tensions and harmful dynamics in a girls' home, a high school group's involvement in exam leakage, bullying and an underage group figuring in a motor accident, and gang rape and underage pornography).

The performances by the adults are commendable, the roles of Shim Eun-seok (Kim Hye-soo) and associate judge Cha Tae-joo (Kim Mu-yeol) impressively underplayed. If the juvenile actors and actresses are the actual ages of the the roles they portray, however, they definitely outshine the adults in nuances, and they are one bunch of superb performers.

This was a nice change from all the Korean supernatural movies I've been watching. It was disturbing but not depressing. Most importantly, it was very insightful. Despite its subject matter, the movie's treatment was far from melodramatic (except, perhaps, for that mother-in-law scandal scene in Episode 9). I also kept thinking how sad it is that our very own DSWD is burdened with more cases than it can handle.

Much is always attributed to K-drama performers, writers, and directors. Of equal expertise and seldom mentioned, however, are their editors and their handling of transitions, flashbacks, superimpositions, and scene variations and interpolations--distinctively and consistently Korean, for I have never seen such editing in movies from other countries.

P.S. This is the second or third movie I've watched that somehow indicates that Koreans have a shoe fetish.

Worked an hour on fourth layer.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnomes harvest mushrooms from hay beds.

Good night, Cubao!

Sometimes you need to enjoy just sitting and resting inside a dark room.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Always have a secondary source of illumination in every room of your house.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

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.

A celebrity collapses, a perpetrator relapses.

Worked half an hour on third layer.

Unity is impossible in any democratic country. Its opposite is not division or disunity. Its opposite is equality in diversity.

A democratic country, therefore, has several voices and never speaks in collective unison.

Worked half an hour on second layer.

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

Atchays will Comment on your Posts. Then, after you've replied to their Comments, they Delete their Comments so that everyone else won't see how stupid they are.

This is the same modus of online scammers who sell bogus items online.

What I do is Comment on my Comment, "______________, why did you delete your Comment, '________________'? Did it make you ashamed of yourself?"

Nothing is ever the same after damage has been done.

Sometimes you have to liberate yourself from liberation itself.

Good morning, Cubao!

When the children rise from bed, it is time for the teddy bears to rest and go to sleep.

Good night, Cubao!

The stars speak, and so, listen.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Count your blessings, and expect more.

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.

Angelique's college friend Kate visited.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

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

Worked an hour on first layer.

Claimed Angelique's bed linen from the compound laundry.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Watered the ground-floor plants.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is a notebook half-filled with thoughts and memories.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes are holding a torchlight parade in the grassy field.

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

You with four syllables in your name: Do not go out of your way to meet someone who doesn't want to meet you.

Dinner at home with Angelique. Aubrey came down to dinner much later.

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.

M. and Rose are having their civil wedding March 24.

M. fried pepper steak for us.

M. and Brian helped me with a chore, then checked the water faucets on the roof deck and second-floor guest bathroom.

Ang Simula ay ang Tuldok, at ang Tuldok ay naging Mata.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery to buy milk and fruit soda, then bought three strips grilled liempo from a hawker's stand.

A group of high school students was shooting a movie, presumably a class project, on the compound.

Worked an hour on construction lines.

Someone--my neighbor Glenn?--dropped off this box of Bailon's Piaya--the only piaya that exists in this world for me--at the cafe while I was having forty winks. From Tanya? It came without messages--either physical or electronic.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Toto drove for me. Paid our electric bill. Resisted the temptation to browse through The Oil Paint Store.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Good morning, Cubao!

The enchanted folk hold a big breakfast buffet on the roof deck.

Good night, Cubao!

When no one is there to hug you, what are the ways in which you hug yourself?

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

You with two syllables in your name: Save your money. Do not buy whimsical items that have no real value.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Commenced construction lines for Painting #5 for my next exhibit.

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

Lunch at home with Aubrey; Angelique still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

Day fairies rest on cast iron sets in flower gardens.

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes are building additional chambers in the dragon tree.

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

You with seven syllables in your name: Take especial care of your hands and fingers.

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.

Porch lights fixed!

Took reference photos of a model for a future painting.

Brian still working on fixing our porch lights.

Worked half an hour on seventeenth glaze.

Painting #4 for my next exhibit is finished (February 20 - March 5, 2022).

Worked half an hour on sixteenth glaze.

Jazz arrived.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique has online classes through 12:00 NN and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

My elder son Nelson's death anniversary (1998).

Lit candles and joss sticks at our family altar and columbary.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a ball of yellow amber.

Watched all 16 episodes of Korea's Hotel Del Luna a.k.a. Guest House of the Moon (2019), which Angelique and Aubrey recommended. It's about an expensive, palatial hotel that takes in spirits of the dead as guests so that they can be consoled and be given the chance to do everything they wanted to but couldn't when they were living. It's also about grudges of the dead against the living, and many of the situations, though cloaked in fantasy, are real as I have observed over 26 years of Spirit Questing. A la Hotel Transylvania minus the comedy but just as bizarre. Episode 1 already shows us a Tim-Burtonesque production design, and the story jumpstarts as a deconstruction of Beauty and the Beast with reversed genders. It was a pleasant surprise to see the actor who played the support team leader in Black play the mayor here, albeit in merely a bit part. Love the owner of Pizza Alvolo; reminds me of M. and M.'s cafe.

The sets and props of this movie are fabulous and the story clearly told. Like most other Korean productions dealing with the supernatural it is, of course, really a love story disguised as a horror story. Jang Man-wol is a modern, Korean Scarlett O'Hara out of Gone With the Wind, and singer/actress IU plays the role well. The protagonists in this movie were so likable that, by the time I was on Episode 15, I knew that I would miss them terribly after my entire screening was over. Love that sword named Full Moon. Reminds me of my double-handed sword Tikbalang. And the Moon Tree, the dragon tree outside our house.

Seems like I should have built my own hotel years ago, but I think the dollhouse dojo in my bedroom can serve that purpose. It may have several guests already.

Couldn't resist Posting a shot of some of my moon jewelry. Rings, Left to Right: white jade, moonstone, labradorite, and labradorite in Gaia setting. Pendants, Left to Right: labradorite and moonstone. 

Good night, Cubao!

The gnomes are glamping on backyards tonight.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Normal people should keep their treasures to themselves, lest other people covet them.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Night chores.

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

Worked half an hour on fifteenth glaze.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on fourteenth glaze.

 Your Messenger message:

"Prof. Tony, with the digitalization of daily interactions, do elementals and deities also use the web and ICT in general? just a thought"

My reply:

No. Otherwise they would be building their own skyscrapers by now. Their natural means of communication is telepathy, which no man-made technology has ever replicated.

Elementals are concerned primarily with Nature and take very little interest in the ways and advancements of humans.

Lunch at home with Aubrey. She worked overtime and is now going to sleep after her night shift.

Angelique's air-conditioner is being serviced.

Good morning, Cubao!

In mid-afternoon, before sunset, the sun toasts the clouds a golden brown.

Good night, Cubao!

Darkness is a mattress covered with satin.

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

You with three syllables in your name: It costs nothing to smile, but it has the power to uplift tired and lonely hearts.

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.

Two campaign groups descended on our compound this afternoon.

The first was Bobby Andrews and his entourage. As he was walking away I read his mind. He was wishing that, someday, he could afford to be sitting on an open but secure porch surrounded by beautiful things.

The second was Ariel Inton and his entourage. I also read his mind. He was mentally exhausted and wishing he were somewhere else, like beside a swimming pool. He was also displeased with two or three members of his campaign group; I was unable to determine why because he walked by so quickly.

Forty winks.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center with Angelique and Aubrey. Toto drove for us. Went to the bank, changed dollars to pesos, paid our telephone bill, sent some money to my younger son Chito, did major groceries, and had lunch out at a new restaurant. Also managed to buy two Charlie Bone books.

A sweltering hot day.

Delivery of a bag of Starbucks coffee. We asked the vendor to grind the beans for us.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are white, paper lanterns hanging from the sky. 

Two-hour, deep tissue massage. Ended 11:45 PM.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes gather midnight dew in silver pails.

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

You with two syllables in your name: Remember to lock up before retiring to bed.

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.

Asked Nino to fry tocino to add to our dinner.

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

Worked half an hour on thirteenth glaze.

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

Delivery of Grinders' bold and rich, ground espresso.

Picked up the granddaughters' bed linen from the compound laundry.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery.

Good morning, Cubao!

The fairies are having mid-morning tea in the flower garden.

Good night, Cubao!

Sleep on pillows stuffed with moonbeams.

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

You with five syllables in your name: Never make religious people make you feel guilty. You have every right to be yourself.

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.

Your Messenger message:

"prof. Tony, what's an atchay?"

My reply:

Riff-raff, hoi-poloi, social scum, the rowdy peanut gallery, human trash, parasites, blackhearts, skunks, undesirables, pedestrian Machiavellians, pigheaded megalomaniacs, brain-injured politicians, cultural ignoramuses, opportunists, vagabonds, mercenaries, parasites, dirt bags, douche bags, sleaze bags, sleaze balls, dicks, pricks, assholes, ass-lickers, brown-nosers, bootlickers, blockheads, shitheads, cunt heads, pinheads, motherfuckers, narrow-minded sons of bitches, jerks and jerk-offs, lazy bums, slobs, good-for-nothings, moochers, users and abusers, delinquents, imitators, hypocrites, fakes, social climbers, pretentious intellectuals, poseurs, charlatans, uppity folks, la-de-das, schemers, devious people pretending to be friends, voyeurs, mediocre wannabes, inadequates, bunglers, sabotagers, the not-cute trying too hard to be cute, stalkers, religious cranks, maniacs, crooks, anti-environmentalists, litterers, sorry losers, nonentities, copycats, pranksters, absconders, thieves, pickpockets, burglars, hackers, scammers, hoaxers, overpricers, tricks, cheaters, bullies, manipulators, con artists, vandals, rock-throwers, impersonators, plagiarists, credit-grabbers, slanderers, tall-tale tellers, backbiters, gloom and doom predictors, liars, scandal mongers, rumor mongers, mudslingers, sensationalists, malingerers, morons, corrupt people, judgmental people, road hogs, road ragers, tantrum throwers, double crossers, double agents, double spies, traitors, snakes in the grass, heels, spouse snatchers, candy takers, gluttons, greedy-guts, desperate flirts, hookers, selfish people, people with a chip on their shoulder, people with an axe to grind, gluttons, rude and disrespectful people, people with hurt pride, well-wishers and envious people, people who borrow money and never pay it back, people who never apologize, bad sports, malicious competitors, sorry losers, nitpickers, the ill-intentioned, the insincere, gripers, and people who act above their station.

And in Captain Haddock's words: "Sea-gherkins! Freshwater swabs! Ectoplasms! Nitwits! Nincompoops! Bashi-bazouks!"

There are atchays in every country. The world is full of them. Use your gift of discernment to identify them.

The Mandarin "shi mei" means a young female apprentice, assistant, or student. It is the origin of the Filipino word "chimay", meaning maid or female household help. It is not to be confused with the term "ah chai" (derogatory), meaning "my girl/boy toy". It is derogatory because the nickname "Ah Chai" is akin to the nicknames "Ah Kang" (Stupid Man) and "Ah Huwei" (Stupid Woman). In the Philippines, the Hokkien term "Juan Ah Kang", usually applied to laborers, means "Stupid Filipino". Hence the derogatory term "atchay".

Forty winks.

Worked half an hour on twelfth glaze.