December 1, 2022
Look, Dick, look!
The cradled canvas for Painting #14 for my next exhibit arrives. It is now on an easel inside the studio area, waiting for me to commence construction lines.
I'm going to need six models for this tableau.
Wondering whether I'll be done before midnight strikes December 31.
You with four syllables in your name: Continue exploring your areas of interest, but be able to separate the mediocre from the truly brilliant.
Watched Australia's 2018 Hotel Mumbai (2:01:52), based on the large-scale terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. The action focuses on the Taj Hotel and the persons inside it at the time: the chef, the staff members, and the hotel guests.
The movie is suspenseful and comprises a satisfying screening, though the structure of the narrative is reminiscent of that of The Towering Inferno, dwelling on specific characters and relationships, only a few of which are shown with happy endings.
As with all terrorist stories, the root of everything is religious fundamentalism. All religious fundamentalists, to me, are terrorists at heart, even if most of them attack their non-believers not with weapons but with their words and attitudes and narrow worldviews.
You with three syllables in your name: Know and acknowledge your gifts. Allow them to shine with your pride.
Watched all eight episodes in the U.S.A.'s 2022 Wednesday by Tim Burton. First , we need to remind ourselves that not all of the episodes were directed by Tim Burton, and, second, that the entire series is a deliberate spoof on Nancy and Sluggo's Oona Goosepimple, the Harry Potter characters and series, Scooby-Doo, Carrie, Grimm, Nancy Drew, perhaps even Horror of Dracula, and other vulgarly commercial--or commercially vulgar--series that teens are currently into.
The series suffers from postured-intellectual, sophomoric dialogue, as though it were written by a student who just graduated from K-12. It tries too hard to be witty and ends up being stilted and artificial-sounding. Examples: "That thing was a fashion emergency not even lightning could resuscitate." "We're original thinkers, intrepid outliers in this vast cesspool of adolescence."
And then there are too many special effects, which are favored over production design, and which is, of course, totally un-Tom Burton. Special effects and production design are two completely different things, and one cannot ever substitute for the other. To begin with, Nevermore Academy is no Hogwarts; it looks like a Lemax Christmas village house. Its architecture and chambers are unclear, and the viewer cannot tell how the rooms are related to other rooms and how far they are from one another.
I recognized a shadowy Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Madame Pomfrey, and Sirius Black. The performers, though, are no help. Wednesday Addams's consistently deadpan expression gets boring after a while and Principal Larissa Weems is too Meryl Streepy. Morticia's gown is not cut on the bias, so that it does not flow. In Episode 8, it is evident that Eugene, lying in hospital, can actually see without his glasses.
Like all Netflix movies, things get exciting only after half of the entire series has been screened. But, that isn't the only flaw in the screenplay. If, in the beginning, Wednesday is making an effort to not be an Addams like her parents, why doesn't she make an effort to adjust to the normie schools she was initially sent to? During the entire series she is writing a novel, but her narration sounds more like a journal than a novel. And the problem with having a protagonist who experiences psychic flashes is that the flashes are too convenient and too corny a technique for exposition.
I was expecting this series to be about a girl's serious, albeit macabre, struggle for survival in a world of normalcy, but instead saw an Addams Family Halloween special minus the laugh track.
.
You with six syllables in your name: They took away your December bout, but worry not Had it remained in the slate, you would suffer a concussion.
You with five syllables in your name: You trained to be sent abroad, but your lack of finances threatens to dash your dreams. Have a reality check, and then go with reality.
Whenever I'm doing nothing, I have all the time in the world to observe other people--compound tenants, neighbors, and people who happen to be online. They are fodder for characters for my succeeding novels, and, yes, I've begun writing another one a week ago, though very leisurely because I never set deadlines for myself.
Been fluctuating between that and window-shopping online. Was tempted at some point to purchase a wall hanging of the head of Apollo--calipered from the original--but prevented myself from doing so because a) my granddaughters won't like it, and b) it is made of plaster of Paris, a material that is always a bad investment.
Still waiting for the new cradled canvas to arrive. I was informed that the framers took a one-week vacation and have just come back. In the meantime Painting #13 has already been wrapped and is in storage with Paintings #1 - 12. I'm considering this a break period from work on my next exhibit, and I'm actually loving it.
I love doing nothing--and having the options of doing something or everything.
I'm back to oversleeping through mid-morning, having tall coffees and special teas, two-hour lunches, one-hour snacks, two-hour dinners, and long, leisurely showers, napping, shopping online, and messing around inside my bedroom.
You with five syllables in your name: Continue to raise your family with love, with common sense, and with whatever is good for them. Your simplicity and your attitude to life are blessings they always count on.
Your Messenger message:
"Magandang gabi po sir tony, pasensya napo sa abala.
My reply:
Hello ________!
Nagkataon lamang na tatlong beses kang nakasalubong ng ahas. Huwag mong hanapan ng malaking kahulugan ang lahat ng bagay.
Nagdaan na ang mahabang tag-ulan at malakas ang sikat ng araw. Umiinit ang lupa, at natural lamang na magsilabasan ang mga ahas, iba pang hayop, at mga insekto mula sa kani-kanilang lungga, lalo na sa madadamong lugar.
Your Messenger message:
"Hi, sir Tony. I hope you are having a restful weekend.
"When I reached out to you for help, you mentioned that my ancestors saved me from dying.
"I just wanted to be sure because from then on, I was thanking them. Lighting joss sticks like you recommended.
"However, one night, I overthought something.
"You see, I am an adopted child.
"An unwanted child.
"My biological mother was forced to give me away to a distant relative because my biological father and his powerful family/clan (Davao and CDO) can’t bear to mar their name.
They were college students back then.
"My adoptive parents and their clan accepted and loved me. I grew up not knowing that I was adopted.
"My question is, who’s ancestry will I ask for help and guidance? My flesh and blood or the clan who loved and took me in?
"Thank you for your generosity in helping us spiritually. 
"
My reply:
Hello _____!
BOTH sides (your biological parents and your adoptive parents) are to be honored and asked for help and guidance. Both continue to love you and guide you despite all appearances, and both are major players in your karmic group.
You with four syllables in your name: Magic opens the door for those who least expect it, and then they are no longer the same persons they used to be.
Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique and Jazz are having dinner out after Angelique's three-day workshop, Aubrey preparing for her night shift.
Asked Bertod to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.
Night chores.
My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a book I am still trying to finish reading.
You with five syllables in your name: Scan the landscape from your residence while the sun begins to set. Do you see a golden bull lit by the sun-fire charging through the trees?
Dinner at home alone; Aubrey resting upstairs. She has no work tonight because of U.S. Thanksgiving Day.
Asked Bertod to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.
Night chores.
My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in a bed with a book I am still trying to finish reading.
Your Messenger message:
"Good afternoon, sir.
"I recently dreamed of a black eagle. "It all started when I had a scrawny chick in my hand in what seems to be a parrot since its feathers were colored green and its beak was colored red. "Somebody told me at my back that it was an eagle. I then sought to turn it over to the government for proper care. I separately approached two government employees, but both rejected it. "I had no recourse but to take care of it. I then went home. "At the next scene of my dream, I peered through a window and saw that the chick had grown big like a brown chicken. It was just there on the ground. "I told her to fly away because she had grown big and that she could take care of herself. "As it flew away, it turned into a majestic, black eagle with shiny feathers. And that was it."Thank you"
My reply.
Hello ________!
I hope you are well, and that this dream was not triggered by an illness of any sort.
The black eagle in your dream is your perception of mortality. It is a parrot at first, a stereotype image of what mortality is, as handed down to you by tradition and popular notion. Your psyche tells you that it is not what it seems. You hand it over to higher authorities but discover that they, too, have no definite ideas about death and life after death.
The bird grows into a brown chicken (life). You shoo it away, allowing it to exist on its own outside your care. It then transforms into a black (death) eagle (life after death) and flies away.
Your dream ego rests content in no longer seeking answers to the unknown.
Bought lunch food at the hawkers' stands. Among other stuff, fried chicken, menudo, and two orders kinilaw na Dagupan bangus, one of my favorites. Considered buying labong (bamboo shoots) cooked in coconut milk, then changed my mind because I found something I'd never tried before: takway (taro roots cooked adobo-style) from the Ilongga cook. I hope I like it. Now I can pretend to be Scarlett O'Hara unearthing taro immediately before the Intermission of Gone with the Wind and say, "As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again!"
You with six syllables in your name: Carve a name for yourself, and with integrity. Do not rest on your parent's laurels.
Above: Old photo of my sister Alice and two of my granddaughters, Angelique and Aubrey, from their childhood playmate Honey's photo collection. Taken at some restaurant when the grandkids were still in grade school. Nobody remembers when and where this was taken.
Below: Angelique and Aubrey, now mature and responsible young women, during their vacation this year in Boracay. Angelique is 27, the same age I was when I started working as a Cultural Affairs Specialist at the Embassy of the U.S.A.
You with five syllables in your name: Celebrate modestly. Do not splurge.
You with five syllables in your name: Sleep as snugly as an enchanted fox in its cubbyhole.
You with seven syllables in your name: Everyone changes over time, and so do you,. Keep this in mind when getting in touch with friencs from the past.
You with five syllables in your name: If you still live in the place where I first visited you, your dead friend lives there with you and calls your attention to his presence from time to time.
You with three syllables in your name: Don't just fervently wish for something. Go get it within legitimate means.
Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique ordered food from outside after her online class and Aubr4ey preparing for her night shift.
Asked Bertod to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff.
Night chores.
My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a book I am still trying to finish reading.
Your Messenger message:
"Good morning, Sir Tony. I would like to consult with you a dream that is so random and weird yet felt important and meaningful at the same time.
"Nov 16, 10pm "It started with a conversation about getting in a ship for my grand uncle’s wake. I told my parents that the diamonds where there when he told his wife to kiss the huge rock as he was saying his final message. But the wife refused to believe. I know how the rock looked like specifically. I can’t imagine why they would refuse such big treasure. There was a woman who was behind us who almost caught our conversation so we had to really talk cryptically. The next thing I know is that my brother is the one lying in front of a crowd, not feeling well. I was at the backstage with my sister. We were singing Lupang Hinirang. Our mother joined us but she was out of tune. The three of us were laughing as we hear her sing. Prior to that, we started the song even before the one who is supposed to lead it started singing. We were really chuckling. "I had to pay something on the table for a 10aed pitch in with previous college-mates. I had several coins in a cup, on my table, so I gave 3 coins. I am not sure if it was 30 in total value. I had a full cup of those coins. I could have given more but decided not to since that will be an enough share for my part. It turned out that I contributed the most. I pitched in more than my part and larger than the majority. I was happy to know about that. I went about my way. "While in the crowd, there was a very stylish guy. I instantly judged that he wasn't doing well in his studies because he had so much of his focus on his clothing. I knew because he looked really fine and posh all the time. He really cared about his looks the most. I liked his style, though. "I saw another college-mate from the crowd. But the face was of another friend. He was a chef apparently busy cooking all that time. It just happened that people before him created a mess on his path and he wanted me to clear it up for him. I didn’t mind. I picked the food up and put it on the side as it wasn't my trash. It looked like a siomai. I had a pair of knife. I just had to move it to the side with it. I moved on. He, then, asked me for another favor to ask someone about being abroad. I asked the person the specific question (which I cannot remember). I told him that it wasn’t me who was asking but someone else. I told him to tell the answers directly to that same person. He refused and said that he will only tell his answers to me. I said okay then. I moved on. "Then, after this, I can’t remember the transition but I was in a ship again where I was helping someone organize some stuff for a guy on a shelf. Next thing I know, another guy was torridly kissing my neck and wanted me. There was a particular song that was playing making this scene go by in slow motion. I refused the guy, firmly stating that I am not that kind of person. He felt humiliated but made it look like he was the one rejecting me and it was my loss because he wasn’t mine, in the first place. I never looked back and just went forward saying bye and I don’t care. I don’t associate myself with his likes, I thought to myself. He moved on to another ship for another girl. I shrugged it off as if already expecting it to happen. "Moving in the opposite direction. Now, I see a very huge current in the ocean. I had two choices. It is either that I jumped to another ship (which is relatively safer since I won’t get wet in the process and it looked like a really smooth path) or worked through my way up to the stairs with raging waters. I did the latter. I was really careful with each step that I make because the stairs were made of bamboo and the water gushed in between each step. I took one step at a time until I saw a poor guy (who looked homeless) who was helping me through the process. I was hesitant, at first, as I could well do it by myself. But I still chose to grab his helping hand to show that I am grateful of his offer (besides, I do not want him to think that I refuse to hold him for the reason that he looked filthy because that was not the reason at all). "After that, it got so much easier for me to climb up. Another guy helped me again to move up to another set of stairs. As I reach the concrete ones, I felt truly grateful for choosing that path. I reached the peak. I saw two familiar looking girls who were best friends in their young age. I asked where their Ate’s where. It seems that we were friends. There, I reached a barangay which had chaotic characters in the scene (the typical chismosang kapitbahay, the teenage girl who has a fight with another teenage girl, children playing on the streets) It felt like a typical Filipino barangay. I woke up to this dream feeling inspired. The dream wasn’t anything fancy or close to fairytale but it felt magical. "As I was listening to the song after the dream, I cried as I realize that my highest self is the one conversing with me through the song. "This is the lyrics of the song "Oceans by Kenna Childs "You call me out upon the waters The great unknown Where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep My faith will stand And I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours And You are mine Your grace abounds in deepest waters Your sovereign hand Will be my guide Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me You've never failed And You won't start now So I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours And You are mine, ooh, ooh, ooh You are mine, ooh, ooh, ooh Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior And I will call upon Your name And keep my eyes above the waves My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours And You are mine "I write to you to see perspective that I may have missed in interpreting this dream. Thank you very much for sharing your precious time."My reply:
Hello _____!
This is another summary dream that capsulizes where you are at the moment, where you want to go, and what obstacles you need to overcome.
The dream must have been triggered by an event in your waking life, most probably within the day, and aroused your frustration about your limitations--who you are, where you are, what you are allowed to do, and what you are not allowed to do.
The sea represents your emotions, the ships or boats your traversing them. All of the male characters in your dream are personifications of your Masculine Self; I recall a few of your dreams in the past that indicated your subconscious desire to be male and have powers usually exercised by males.
Those characters are:
--a deceased granduncle, the legacy he left behind in diamonds, and the dismissal of the diamonds by fragments of your Feminine Self, who are reminding you to favor the spiritual over the material. Your Masculine Self protests; he reminds you, on the contrary, that you must always have coins in your cup.
--the stylish guy, who again emphasizes a conflict in values: he is well-dressed (materialism) but you know he is poor in his studies (spirituality).
--the chef, who has the power to feed others (material and spiritual), whom you assist, and who represents your past yearning to go abroad and make a name for yourself.
The message of the chef becomes most disturbing to you because he contains polar choices, and, it seems, you have really not made a deliberate choice. You continue to question where you are and what you have become. This brings you back to the sea of emotions and to ships or boats. The next male character who makes an entrance places yet another obstacle from making a rational choice; he is physical passion. In the dream, you reject him, for physical passion is yet another factor that brings you farther from spirituality. This creates an anxiety situation, and you are presented with two paths: to take the safe path or to take the path with risks. You choose to take the path with risks, and two more characters representing your Masculine Self emerge: a poor young man who extends his hand to assist you, and the second finally bringing you to concrete steps and to the reality of your context in your community.
My advice is to never look back at the past and its broken dreams. All of those were simply part of your lifetime journey. You chose to get married rather than be a career woman. That is where you are, but where you are is also where you can be the best of what you can be. Value that role and know that it is not only good enough--it is where true spirituality is, and that is what the song is telling you, for Allah is neither here nor abroad. He is in your heart.
You with four syllables in your name: You will reinvent yourself three more times in your lifetime. Ensure that each one is thorough and complete.
You with five syllables in your name: You had fun in graduate school, for life then seemed to be a lot of fun. Afterward the reality of life hit you in the face, and you were suddenly constrained to find a better job and make money. Assess where you are now and how much farther you need to go.
Watched all eight episodes of the U.S.A.'s 2022 Ancient Apocalypse, hosted by journalist Graham Hancock, who seeks evidence that a culture more advanced than the hunter-gatherers existed at the end of the last Ice Age, contrary to the traditional canon of human civilization according to trained archaeologists. The series warns us that a great cataclysm like that known as the Younger Dryas that occurred 12,800 years ago could occur once again and that we should not ignore its possibility.
The series gives us a tour around the world--above ground, underwater, below ground, even into the skies--as Hancock inspects ancient sites in Indonesia, Peru, Mexico, Malta, Egypt, the Bahamas,. Turkey, and the U.S.A. It is impressive and convincing because Hancock is methodical, insightful, and eloquent, and he forwards his speculations minus extraterrestrial brouhaha. In its attempt to be thorough, however, there are times when the series is redundant.
Hancock includes in his presentation Plato's description of Atlantis in 260 "B.C.", universal stories of the Great Flood, and the ancient gods Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl, Viracocha, Sansuna, Horus, Prometheus, Maui, Zoroaster, the Seven Sages, Oannes, and Ahura Mazda, whom he believes to have passed on the knowledge of astronomy, agriculture, and architecture to the survivors of the cataclysm. He gives emphasis to the universal symbol of serpents, frequently found in stone carvings, maintaining that they represented comets falling from the sky.
It is somewhat a relief to be aware that modern science continues developing mechanisms to deflect or shatter comets and meteors into fragments, but then again everything that is state-of-the-art can also be inadequate or have a very brief shelf life, so that we can never say that we are out of danger. That and, of course, our irresponsible treatment of Earth. Many times in the series, Hancock and his co-researchers ask aloud why archaeologists, historians, and scientists stick to their guns about the timeline they've established and remain close-minded regarding the revision of the history of human civilization. This question is never answered in the series.
My answer is that archaeologists, historians, and scientists are essentially fundamentalists. They fear that any change in history will change their religion, their faith, and whatever they believe to be their salvation. Indeed, religion is probably the worst invention of civilization. It always gets in the way of true progress, including spiritual progress, and it could very well be religion that will ultimately destroy this planet. Fundamentalists always practice their religion in isolation from everything else, and are always prepared to go to war for it.
By the way, I found it disturbing that the series used "B.C." and "A.D." rather than "B.C.E." and "C.E."
You with five syllables in your name: Take your art seriously and shine, at a time when there is an artist in every square inch of this country.
Had a Vigan empanada for merienda. While eating it, I was reminded of the group of Marines at the U.S. Embassy the year I retired. They were young, friendly, and enterprising. Every week they set up a food stall in the lobby and sold two varieties of Irish pasties (pronounced PASS-tees), which originally were miners' brownbag meals.
Those Marines must have been reassigned elsewhere now, and I envy the people who are currently enjoying their pasties.
You with five syllables in your name: Know who envies you. They are people who frequently criticize you, lead you to make the wrong decisions, and laugh at your mistakes. Give them a dose of their own medicine.
Moseyed over to the Christmas bazaar at Araneta Center. Bought food for our dinner tonight: pork barbecue, bagnet, Vigan empanada, bibingka with fresh coconut shavings, and puto bumbong. Had a tall, fresh dalandan drink while waiting for the food to be cooked.
The bazaar is open 24/7. Prevented myself from looking at more garden gnomes.
You with five syllables in your name: Do not enter into a romantic relationship with someone just because you are lonely. A man is often best and is strongest when he stands alone.
Watched all seven episodes of Seasons 1 and 2 of the U.S.A.'s 2021 Catching Killers
Season 1 is comprised of "Body Count: The Green River Killer," about trucker Gary Ridgway, who sexually abused and killed a total of 49 women, most of them prostitutes, including a 14-year-old runaway, beginning 1988 in Seattle, Washington; "Manhunt: Aileen Wuornos," a lesbian hooker who killed seven middle-aged men beginning 1990 in Marion County, Florida; "Truth Lies: The Happy Face Killer" (over two episodes), about three suspects who all own up to killing a woman yet contradict one another, in Portland, Oregon; "Bind, Torture, Kill," about serial killer BTK, Christ Lutheran Church president Dennis Rader, who massacred a family and killed women from 1974 - 1991 in Wichita City, Kansas; "The Phoenix Serial Shooter," about Samuel Dieteman and Dale Hausner, who participated in drive-by shootings in 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona; and "The Toronto Village Killer" (over two episodes) about real-life cannibal Bruce McArthur, who picked up, killed, and processed as meat men, mostly from the Gay Village, 2012 - 2017 in Toronto, Canada.
You with seven syllables in your name: Venture forth to meet your brothers, but respect their varied backgrounds.
Your messenger message:
"Dear sir Tony, good evening po. I hope this isn't too much of a bother. I decided to write because I saw something this afternoon and I would like to ask you about it. Do you think there is someone/something in between me and my friend in this picture? This gathering happened some years ago, around 2016, but I only saw this photo today because one of our companions here posted it on Facebook. Is it my imagination? I thought at first it was an object but when I zoomed in... Thank you for your time. Good evening, sir Tony
"
"My reply:
Hello_____!
Yes, though the figure was apparently formed by your head's shadow and the .light's refl4ectins on the couch's backrest, spirits and astral travelers take advantage of such situations to convey messages. The first thing that came to my mind was a rejected lover or someone you may have hurt--he may not have passed away but may have been sending you intense thought-forms at the time. He looks to me, for some strange reason, like Tim Dacanay, but I am certainly not suggesting that it is he.
Watched all five episodes of the U.S.A.'s 2022 Worst Roommate Ever. Four cases are presented: "Call Me Grandma," about Dorothea Puente, a former prostitute and madam who committed six murders, all of them to obtain money, valuables, and Social Security checks from her victims; "Be Careful of the Quiet Ones," about Asian-American K.C. Joy, who murdered his landlady Maribel Ramos because she kept rejecting his love for her; Youssef Khater, a Danish-Lebanese who lied and conned his way to Chile to pretend he was a marathon runner only to milk people of their money; and, over the last two episodes, "Roommate Wanted," about serial squatter Jamison Bachman, who made life miserable not only for the apartment owners he stayed with but also for his family.
The documentary reveals how the most apparently decent and impressive tenants turn out to be monsters. It also informs us of the U.S.A.'s flawed tenancy laws, which make it difficult for home owners to evict unpleasant tenants. Thank God, there are different tenancy laws in the Philippines, perhaps due to awareness of the proliferation of unpleasant tenants and their wily ways.
"Roommate Wanted" must have been sequenced last because it had the happiest ending.
You with five syllables in your name: Do not entertain acquaitances who claim to be friends of your deceased relatives.
You with three syllables in your name: Do not be too forward with your social media Friends. Some of them are predators, and you will rue the day you ever met them.
Watched all four episodes of the U.S.A.'s 2021 The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, about alleged serial killer "Son of Sam" David Berkowitz, a.k.a "the .44 Caliber Killer", who confessed to shooting 13 and murdering six in persons in New York, most of them lovers in parking lots, under the stoops of their own houses, and in the streets. The real protagonist in this documentary, however, is Maury Terry, a former reporter for IBM's in-house magazine, who conducted, on his own, a thorough investigation into Berkowitz's occult family and uncovered a network of Satanic groups responsible for a variety of heinous crimes. Terry eventually wrote his best-selling book The Ultimate Evil: An Investigation Into A Dangerous Satanic Cult.
The documentary spans approximately 20 years, from 1976 onward. It includes interviews with district attorneys, reporters, detectives, a psychologist, neighbors, victims' relatives, news editors, Air Force base investigators, a volunteer, and a producer. It is set against two of the worst decades of New York City, when murder, rape, robberies, pornography, and child abduction were rife.
Sometimes we must pause and reflect on how First-World countries give their citizens everything they need yet how dysfunctional their families turn out to be, and how, despite democracy, the worst crimes always occur closest to their homes.
You with seven syllables in your name: Do not let your passion prevent you from giving full attention to your family.
You with six syllables in your name: Because of the career you have chosen, continue improving yourself, and have photos taken of you to document the process.
Watched all three episodes of the U.S.A.'s 2022 I Just Killed My Dad, about 17-year-old Anthony Joseph Templet, who shot his father in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2019. The documentary includes interviews with the District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney of Baton Rouge, Anthony's defense lawyer Jarrett Ambeau, Anthony's grandmother, mother, stepmother, and brother, a clinical and forensic psychologist, a police sergeant, an investigator, and a reporter.
The crucial question in the beginning is whether or not to charge Anthony with murder, for which he would be in prison for life. The documentary then proceeds to unravel Anthony's father's history, his relationship with Anthony, and his relationship with his wives, family, and coworkers.
We are made to pause and reflect on family dysfunctions and how modern living calls forth the Shadow within us. Yet, this documentary is also about compassion--how those who genuinely care extend their compassion to us and how it eventually enables us to be compassionate to ourselves.
A must-watch in a world besieged with depressing current events.
