'Tis the season for afternoon coffee and tea on the porch, light pastries, scented candles in bottles, agar coil incense, and warm white lamps.
Photo by JR Dalisay / April 21, 2017
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Watched all 42 episodes of China's The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011), based on the novel by Murong Yaner. A fallen princess of Chu swears to reclaim the throne and avenge her father's death. During the course of her journey two princes of Shu, the prince of Han, and two other men fall in love with her.
The movie has a good point of attack: it opens with a princess about to be executed, quickly pushing the viewer down the zipline of palace intrigues and politics. All of the characters are well-rounded and fascinating; even the servants are three-dimensional. The dialogue is brilliant without verging on the pretentious. There is excellent handling of linear time without too many annoying and repetitious flashbacks. The production design is delicious. The snow effects are convincing; snowflakes are driven in the air and, when they land on human hair and costumes, they begin melting before the viewer's eyes. Tears are real and not a result of eye drops--you see them welling up in the performers' eyes, and they flow only in the middle of long passages of dialogue. There is really more than one concubine in the movie, and the term "glamorous imperial concubine" deliberately refers to at least four women in the story. Kara Wei as Du Feihong was the performer with the finest acting nuances, traversing the whole gamut of emotions with absolute truthfulness.
The movie also showcases the elaborate preparations and rituals for ancient Chinese weddings, concubine weddings, funerals, and even the lighting of joss sticks for two people to become sworn friends. The cliff hangers are subtle, yet urge the viewer to eagerly anticipate each, succeeding episode. This is one, must-watch, Chinese movie that successfully raises melodrama to the level of heavy drama.
Love the parallel drinking scenes in Episode 18. Love those red candles shaped like inverted cones.
Warning: It has many death scenes and is ten times more tragic than the most tragic Greek tragedy.
Monday, May 30, 2022
One Message For One Of 288 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with six syllables in your name: Memorialize the deceased, but remember to walk your own path and live your own life.
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Monday Surprise
Mike sends me four boxes of unusual joss sticks this morning, plus four statuettes: Saint Barbara (Chango), Saint Lazarus (Babaluaiye), Our Lady of the Rule (Yemaya) and Our Lady of Caridad del Cobre (Oshun).
I think I'll use the "Go Away, Evil" to cleanse my Friends List. Joke!
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Remember that an ending can be a happy one or a sad one. It is up to you to engineer your day toward a happy one.
Back from jalan-jalan at Farmers Market. Bought three trays tuna and salmon sashimi from my favorite Japanese deli (there are three; one is expensive, the other sells only packaged food). Also bought two boxes kimchi, two bottles Korean mayonnaise, one box pickled radish, and one box pickled cucumber from the Korean grocery.
It was too hot outside--still Great-Gatsby-summer hot.
Saturday, May 28, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Always end your day with peace of mind and being in harmony with the universe.
Friday, May 27, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with nine syllables in your name: The den should always have a table for midnight snacks.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Avoid getting wet in the rain at all costs. Rain combined with atmospheric heat causes illness.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Do not rush your work. Do things slowly, surely, thoroughly, and with determination.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with three syllables in your name: The pocket mirror will serve you well.
Monday, May 23, 2022
Your Messenger message:
"Good morning, Sir Tony. I had a recurring dream which I intuitively think has an urgent message to tell me. I wanted to ask help to interpret these two particular dreams.
"The first dream was recorded from April 14. The dream narrative goes like this: "I took a nap at night (in waking life) and found myself dreaming about me, being in a car with a guy and a girl. I didn’t know who they were, at first. The guy was really really scary even if his face wasn't that clear to me. I was fussing about opening the car door but I can’t find the lock. When I finally found it, I immediately opened the door. The car was slowly moving forward so I just decided to jump out of it and went back home where my Mom is. "It was a dark alley. There were kids lurking around with their grandma. I didn’t mind the dark and just pushed through home. I reached home where my mom was calling my father. My dad was telling my mom that he can’t sleep at night alone. My mom was in another house. It was my first time seeing that house. It was too simple. It reminded me of our first house back when I was still 4years old. It did not look the same but it felt familiar and the same. It has two bedrooms- a Masters bedroom connected to the living room and another room. It has a back door and a total of three doors all in all. Our previous househelp was really scared of the guy (the one in the car that turned out to have followed me home as well) I finally figured out that it ws my sister who was holding onto that guy. She was chaining him. The guy looked like a Shadow for me. A weak one I guess. Regardless, the househelp was so scared that she didn’t even let my sister in and just locked all doors. My sister was able to still. She sat in the living room with the chained guy. "The second dream was recorded on May 24: "May 24 "One of the scenarios in the dream include me going past a lot of acquaintances in school. I only recognized one who studied to become a doctor. I walked past them, not looking back. When I finally arrived where there was a tricycle, two drivers asked me where I was going. I was doubtful because I thought the two conspired about something to take me in because they offered me the ride simultaneously. It ends up that only one driver takes me to where I was going when someone suddenly stopped the tricycle and forced their way in despite the rejection from the tricycle driver. I was relieved that I was with someone else in the vehicle. I know for sure now that I am safe except that the ones who tagged along were a policeman (who sat beside me), another male person who was guarding me (who sat in front of me) from another passenger who was handcuffed outside the tricycle while it was moving. It was a prisoner. It looked like a flowing energy that has no corporal body, much like those souls depicted in the Harry Potter deathly hollows movie. It felt like an energy vampire. The police noticed that I was uncomfortable that the soul might anytime suck onto my energy so he asked me if I was okay and was thanking me about not being afraid of them and having them travelled with me. He told me that I saved that soul and that I was a guiding light to it. He told me to face towards him so that he can protect me from it. I told him that if it is okay to switch seats with him. I wanted to sit in the inner seat, the one close to the driver, to further make a safe space between me and the handcuffed soul. The police agreed. He then provided a barrier, which is himself, and protected me while we were in transit. He looked uncomfortable sitting in between us but he told me that he felt comfortable and happy doing it. The other passenger who was previously in front of me moved outside to further pay close attention to the soul who was enjoying the sense of freedom it felt in the outside world after being locked in for so long. "Fast forward, I made it to the ship with my sister. I was buying tickets for four. Then, I bumped into one of the passengers of the tricycle (the other male passenger) He told me that the soul was there as well in the ship. I said that that was great. We were talking about how I had the choice to stop the tricycle and just rode another one but I chose not to. The passenger said that I was kind and polite enough to ride with them even if I was uncomfortable in the beginning. He was very thankful. "That is the end of the dream narrative. Thank you very much for always extending help in rendering your expertise in dream interpretations. I feel very lucky and honored to have known you in this lifetime, sir."My reply:
Hello ___________!
The motif of your dream series is successful escape from your dark side. The Shadow indeed plays a role in both dreams,. but so does your Animus, or Masculine Self. In the past you have allowed your Shadow and your Animus to merge, which is detrimental to a healthy Ego, perhaps due to a recent aversion to the opposite sex or your exasperation with the imperfections of the opposite sex.
Nonetheless, the last part of your dream shows that you somehow managed to extricate both aspects from each other, and your psyche is telling you that you now have the freedom to board the ship that will traverse your emotions.
One Message For One Of 286 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with eight syllables in your name: The mainstream becomes decadent and stereotype, while the offbeat rises.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
One Message For One Of 284 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Do not stop too often to have fun, in order to be way ahead of everyone else.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Done with Saint Sebastian. Thought I'd rest a day or two, but I've just been twiddling my thumbs and watching a Chinese drama on Netlix, and I can't stand not doing anything constructive.
Switched to the canvas that M. and David set up on the higher easel yesterday. Worked half an hour on construction lines. This one's for Painting #9 for my next exhibit. I think I'll do two or three of those before switching back to painting for Maryhill School of Theology again.
This painting begins today, May 22, 2022.
Sorry, no visitors allowed.
_SAINT SEBASTIAN_
SAINT SEBASTIAN
Oil on
cradled canvas
6’ x 4’
April 15 –
May 22, 2022
I
envisioned Saint Sebastian against a Nature setting, specifically the outskirts
of Marawi City, beside Lake Lanao, and then deconstructed the martyrdom episode.
If Christians were martyred for their faith, could not non-Christians have been
killed for their own faith too? Christians did do that to non-Christians in the
past, and continue to do so. Most Christians today may no longer actually murder
heathen by race, color, and creed, but they consistently practice
discrimination against them—in their recruitment for jobs, in their preference
for neighbors and friends, and in extending help and charity only to their own
kind.
This
painting commenced during Ramadan of 2022. In this painting there is a
reference to the lumad who were massacred by Christian soldiers in the south. I
made Sebastian one such lumad from Mindanao. A sacred torogan is in the
distance, and a mosque in the far distance. Sebastian is tied to a ficus tree
in full bloom with golden-yellow berries at the peak of summer. This is the
same tree that grows outside M.’s café, before we had it trimmed in preparation for the onset of the rainy season. The mayana
plants in the foreground, typically roadside plants, are those in our roof deck
garden.
The
auditory stimulus I used while making this painting is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPX7NDsKQks.
Do listen to it while viewing the work.
One Message For One Of 284 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: It is a great blessing to have caring and generous friends.
Friday, May 20, 2022
One Message For One Of 284 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Leave your problems and concerns outside your bedroom door before getting into bed to sleep.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Your Messenger message:
"Hello Sir Tony,
"It’s been a while since I’ve messaged. Hope you are well. I’m hoping to have this dream I just had analyzed if you’re not too busy. "I’m in a type of massive cruise ship somewhere. It seems docked but swaying with the tide. The weather was sunny and warm but the moisture from the sea breeze made it feel cool. I go down to a lower floor towards a private room where my grandmother (father’s mother) was said to have spent her last moments before she passed away. Before I go in the room, my aunt (mother’s sister) and my mother were outside. My mother hasn’t gone in, saying she wasn’t ready yet. But my aunt already has, she was giving me a warning of some sort about my grandmother. "I go in the room which was left preserved. Much of the furniture and room had that vintage varnished wood feel that might’ve been popular during the 60’s or 70’s. Light was coming in through the window blinds. Two TV’s were left on, still playing since my grandmother died. "At the far end of the room, behind the bed, I see my grandmother’s collapsed body on the floor. Her face was silver like in an old black and white movie. I stare at her until I notice her face starting to move. I wasn’t sure of what I saw so I keep looking, and then she does it again. She looked like she was waking up. I felt scared and confused but I hold her hand and try to talk to her. First, she gives out these ghostly moans. Then she asks angrily 'Who are you??' She yells 'Get out of here!!' to which I promptly run out of the room and do. "Outside, my aunt gives me an 'I told you so.' while my mother was even more resolute in not wanting to go in. This is where I wake up. "Thank you, have a good day sir."
My reply:
Hello ______!
Dreaming of being in a boat or ship indicates that one is in a state of emotional transition. The cruise ship, however, is docked, indicating to me that you are unable or unwilling to move on and forward.
You recently committed an act that your grandmother--a.k.a psyche or superego--disapproves of. My initial thought is that it had something to do with sex--a kinky quirk? a violent fantasy?
Your mother and aunt are manifestations of your anima, or Female Self, in this dream. Try to listen to them more often. They not only help you understand yourself, they also offer you personal and social salvation. They also help you understand women.
Watched Korea's 2022 Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror (1:45), a documentary on The Nth Room, a cyberporn chat room that was established in 2007 and victimized Korean women, many of them minors, by promising them jobs as models, pressuring them to send nude photos and videos, and then blackmailing them. The chat room had thousands of male subscribers who paid for membership and enriched two perpetrators--young men with the aliases Baksa and Godgod--by millions of won.
The documentary was conducted by investigative journalists and TV broadcasters. The unfolding of the narrative during the first half is slow. There are too many screen shots, too much animation, and too much symbolic imagery. The interview sets are drab. The exciting sequences are all toward the end, in which we are shown how Baksa and Godgod are tracked down and finally arrested. We are informed in a postscript that thousands of the chat room members were also eventually arrested, and that at least 200 of them were imprisoned.
The Philippines is fortunate to have an anti-cyberporn mechanism that easily tracks down perpetrators, but unfortunate that the perpetrators are usually the parents and relatives of the victims themselves, unlike the young men Baksa and Godgod, who were strangers to their victims. While the Philippines' market for cyberporn is typically comprised of foreigners, the patrons of The Nth Room are the perpetrators' and the victims' fellow Koreans.
The lesson, of course, is that, when one uses technology to commit a crime, the same technology leads to one's capture.
P.S. That kinetic toy globe jumping from the left to the right of the table was quite perplexing to me
One Message For One Of 283 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with ten syllables in your name: There are times when you must choose between a thriving business and a romantic life. Choose wisely.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Your Messenger message:
"good morning po sir tony, pwede po i consult ang dream ng kakilala ko po:
"nasa jeep ate . lahat ng patay sa atin.. kasama ko sa byahe
"una ko nakita si lolo iton tawa ng tawa . sabi ko.. aba.. ehh patay na kayo ahh. saan kayo pupunta...
"pagdating dw po nya ng ofis may nakita cxa butterfly sa tabble nya
"pero 2 dw po sila na buhay pa sa ngaun n nkasakay sa jeep sa dream, ung isa tita nya"
My reply:
Hello ___!
The dreamer's ancestors wish to be remembered. This message is reinforced by finding ab utterfly on her office table. She should place a glass of clean, drinking water and light bottled candles and yellow joss sticks at her family altar for nine days.
Her living aunt is in the dream as a protector-companion her psyche provided so that she would not feel too afraid and alone.
Watched all 13 episodes of Mystic Whispers (2014), a Chinese production set in Singapore with a Singaporean cast. Xiao-yun reports for her first day of work at an architect's office and immediately encounters the spirit of an employee who just died. The office manager hires Ji-en, a mortician who claims to be an exorcist. Xiao-yun and Ji-en eventually team up to assist other spirits.
The movie is a Sino-Singaporean version of U.S.A.'s Ghost Whisperer, even as its title suggests, but with many comic elements, an understated production design, and most refreshing fashion coordination. Among the spirits the duo encounters are an overweight victim of unrequited love, a teen-ager whose parents are on the verge of a divorce, an Indonesian maid who refuses to abandon her ward, an old man who cannot bear to leave his ancestral house to his two sons, ghosts at a crossroads, and--Ji-en's former girlfriend. Approximately two episodes are devoted to each ghostly adventure.
Loved Flapper the dog. Also loved those tourist tugboats floating along the Singapore River. They reminded me so much of the playwriting workshops I held in Singapore, because the theatre was right on that river and I would see all of those tugboats passing by during breaks.
A pleasant screening, but I felt that the ending had too much comic irony.
One Message For One Of 283 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Keep calm when solving your problems, and trust your spirit guides.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
One Message For One Of 282 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with six syllables in your name: Petty thrills may make you feel good, but do they actually improve your status in life?
Monday, May 16, 2022
Watched all three episodes of The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea (2021), a documentary about serial killer Yoo Young Chul. The first crimes occurred in 2003. The documentary is told from the points of view of the police, criminal profilers, detectives, journalists, historians, and victims' relatives.
Yoo Young Chul is the Korean counterpart of the USA's Richard Ramirez, minus the Satanism.
One Message For One Of 280 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with eight syllables in your name: Do not be too quick to turn away a group of prospective clients from your restaurant. Two of them will be blessings to your business in the future.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Watched all 59 episodes of China's 2020 Love and Redemption, about several pairs of lovers on missions and adventures through the Heavenly, Mortal, and Demon Realms--a xianxia version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, especially with the eventual revelation of secret identities as the plots unraveled. The main protagonists are 16-year-old Chu Xuanji of the Shaoyang Sect and Yu Sifeng of Lize Palace. The overall backdrop of the narrative is that the members of the Demon Realm are attempting to revive the Mosha Star to rule over all three realms, while members of the Heavenly Realm and the Mortal Realm are out to prevent this from happening. There are four mortal sects on earth that keep spirit keys for that purpose: Fuyu Island in the east sea (the moon blade), Lize Palace in the west sea (the dragon seal), Dianjing Valley in the north barren lands (the seven-star plate), and Shangyao sect in the mainland (the crystal lamp).
I enjoyed the succession of reincarnation through nine lifetimes in Episodes 27 and 28, and the albeit bizarre transformation of Chu Xuanji into Rahu Ketu and then back to Chu Xuanji in Episode 55. The earlier episodes feature a lot of split-screen scenes. As in The Untamed, fade-to-black lap dissolves are used, and an innovation I've never previously encountered in other xianxia: extreme close-ups of hands and of fists, usually clenching fabric, to convey emotion rather than the usual reaction shots of characters' faces.
There are continuity glitches. In Episode 12 Chu Xuanji is shown toying with an ink brush over a clear table, then in succeeding shots she is shown eating with chopsticks, the table suddenly filled with dishes. Head angles and eye directions do not match in some cut-to-cut shots. Many of the the landscapes are painted for matting, which was charming in its own way because it made me feel like I was virtually inside Chinese paintings. There were times, however, when concrete slabs looked like they were made of styrofoam or Urathane.
Because of the age bracket of the main protagonists, many of the scenes are mawkish and filled with adolescent misunderstandings. Some of the tender moments seem contrived, and the many grammatical errors in subtitling do not help any. Moreover, 59 episodes were really too long, so that there were unnecessarily repetitious flashback and protracted sentimental scenes that obviously served as padding. The real excitement begins in Episode 33--more than halfway through the entire series. That the Heavenly, Mortal, and Demon Realms are equal and coexistent was very interesting. And, thankfully, in the end, there was both love and redemption for everyone.
One Message For One Of 280 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with seven syllables in your name: Make a serious effort to solve your problems before going to others to ask for help.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
One Message For One Of 279 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Things are not and do not look completely bad, so search for everything that gives you hope in your present situation.
Friday, May 13, 2022
After an absence of eight years, the bird man from Nueva Ecija passed through P. Tuazon Boulevard again. He brought his ware to the small loggia as soon as he saw me sitting there. Such gorgeous birds! Unfortunately all of our bird cages are now on our roof deck and contain plants in small pots. I should ask David to bring down one of them soon.
One Message For One Of 278 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Stay where you are happiest, but make sure you always have the best for yourself.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
One Message For One Of 277 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with seven syllables in your name: Do not fall into the abyss of self-righteousness.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
One Message For One Of 276 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Rest adequately, then get on with your own life.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
One Message For One Of 276 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Every day is the beginning of a new life. Shed the troubles of the previous days and move forward.
Monday, May 9, 2022
In the last analysis, the masses are sick and tired of religious leaders and university professors telling them what to think, what to say, and what to do.
You cannot impose your own heaven on those who have a different concept of heaven, no more than you can dictate what they should wear and what they should eat.
One Message For One Of 283 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with nine syllables in your name: Whatever the outcome of anything, the future is STILL in your hands.
Sunday, May 8, 2022
One Message For One Of 280 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Always be aware of the amount of time you are spending on evening activities in order to make it to bed at a regular hour.
Saturday, May 7, 2022
One Message For One Of 291 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with two syllables in your name: Keep safe--not only from viruses but also from human beings.
Friday, May 6, 2022
One Message To One Of 290 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with six syllables in your name: Embrace aging. It is a great blessing, especially if you prepared for it financially.
Retirement is the time to relax and do nothing for the rest of your life.
Dinner at home alone, then Angelique and Aubrey came down to dinner in the dining room and organized the day's major groceries.
Aubrey now preparing for her night shift.
Brought some food over to the 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.
Thursday, May 5, 2022
One Message For One Of 289 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with four syllables in your name: Do not dwell on your past joys. Take pleasure in the current ones to the fullest, and look forward to those in the future.
Yes, there will always be joys.
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
The Spiritum Wacsim Pectorals
Left: The 2015 Brass Prototype; Right: The Final, Stainless Steel, Pectoral, of which several copies were struck 2016 - 2017. There are at least three interesting differences in text between that on the Prototype and that on the Final Pectoral. Note that these are not only talismans, they are also taladros in themselves. Only the Front (Masculine) panels of the pectorals are shown here; the Back (Feminine) panels were not and will not be photographed.
I have observed, over the years, that Spiritum Wacsim is responsive to males only, and so I have stopped recommending him to my female students.
There are many interpretations of Spiritum Wacsim. Mine is that he represents dark (yin) energy from the Seven Archangels On The Left:
W - Waraquiel
A - Ariel
C - Cabriel
S - Seatiel
I - Iudiel
M - Mikael
As to the figure of Wacsim himself, he is, to me, an embodiment of Archangel Raphael, since he is depicted as being in the sea with the fish Venena at his feet.
Last but not least, I believe that Spiritum Wacsim is also the red-haired, hairy man in the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale "Iron John", a story that masculinist Robert Bly used to illustrate the dynamics of the Wild Man and the Shadow in every boy. Because of this, it is possible that Spiritum Wacsim is especially connected with men born under the horoscope sign Aries (The Ram/Mars/Red/Haring Bakal/Iron/Rust).
I am considering passing on both pectorals to my youngest male student, since he belongs only to my group and to no one else's. (I detest magical cross-fertilization and shun meetings with persons who have their own groups or octopus tentacles in groups other than my own.) The only constraint so far is that his first language is American English, and he is not very proficient in Filipino.
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with six syllables in your name: Always be careful on the road. Keep to well-lighted areas. Change your route from time to time.
Monday, May 2, 2022
One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with five syllables in your name: Sometimes it helps you sleep quickly and well by imagining that you are in bed with high fever, but do this cautiously lest your body slip into an actual fever.
Sunday, May 1, 2022
One Message For One Of 286 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year
You with four syllables in your name: Learn how to maximize every weekend and every holiday from sunrise to sunset. Most importantly, never think of the work you need to resume afterward.
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