When there are two or more perpetrators, an alibi of lies collapses.

The aging Casanova gets his just deserts.

She will be in danger of being liquidated by her alleged protectors.

Even if the surgeon alters his face, his voice and his fingerprints will give him away.

Actually the actor's son looks like Fanny Serrano, weak jaw for a man and all.

He will lie through his teeth until he can lie no more. Even his lawyer does not see the trap he is being led into.

Our antique, semi-glazed ceramic Kwan Yin, in our living area

Our antique, polychrome porcelain Kwan Yin. This one is also in our dining area.

When our precious figurines are small enough, we place them under glass cloches.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024):

1) Don't even bother to make a list of accomplished faculty members for your department, Very soon it will merely become a roster of dead people.

2) Offer more food and candy than usual on the last day of Hungry Ghosts Month.

3) Beware of extreme cold.

4) Envy is a seven-headed Hydra.

5) After someone says no, never ask him again.

6) It is important to keep in good, physical shape.

7) Never invite people you do not like to a gathering.

8) Always be mindful of what tomorrow may bring.

9) Do  not overextend your charity.

10) Favor vegetarian meals.

11) Urban animals cannot survive without human assistance.

12) It is not necessary to have a man Friday.

13) Treat all children, including non-relatives, equally.

14) Some friends are actually burdens.

15) Even candle residue should be disposed of in a dust bin at a crossroads.

16) Never allow others to control you by converting you to their religion.

17) Remember to treat yourself like a very special person.

18) Know and recognize everyone who is loyal to you.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2024):

1) Shiny coins make good offerings.

2) Shower after, not before, a haircut. Do nit try to impress your hairdresser.

3) Never go after a prospective lover who expects you to go after him.

4) Incense powder in itself drives off evil spirits.

5) Be still. Be calm. Be centered.

6) Where is downtown for you?

7) Avoid listening to sad songs for now.

8) Leftovers from offerings are best placed in a white plastic bag and disposed of in a dust bin at a crossroads.

9) It is useless to repair a broken heart.

10) Keep only a short wish list.

11) You are not required to treat friennds equally,

12) Many suspicions are usually unfounded.

13) Even the simplest event or activity should be well-planned.

14) A bucket list should contain only your top priorities and no whimsical entries.

15) Always give good closure to Hungry Ghosts Month.

16) Pay attention even to apparently insignificant dreams.

17) Stop buying junk.

18) Keep your temper in check.

Happy Birthday to my sister Alice!

Everybody home as of yesterday.

Today is a rest day.

August 24, 2024

Lighting Mike's second batch of emerald-green healing candles in our dining area candelabra

August 23, 2024

Aubrey is still with Roi's family on Coron Island, Angelique is mountain trekking with coworkers in Antipolo, and, for some strange reason, early Friday morning finds me, my sisters Remi and Alice, and Neil, at Estero in Lucky Chinatown.

TONT PEREZ';S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, AUGUST 25 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2024,:

1) He has a talisman in every wallet.

2) Fresh flowers and lit candles reenergize your altar.

3) The lucky number of the week is nine.

4) Wipe your feet on a doormat before entering your house.

5) In lieu of a litm candle, an electric light will do.

6) It is all right for mendicants to partake of offerings to the Hungry Ghosts.

7) Consider keeping a boveda below your altar.

8 ) A spirit horse will be seen galloping through the neighborhood.

9) Never invite chuldren into a non-childproof house.

10) Avoid spending money on things and on people you do,not like.

11) Know where everything is kept.

12) Fight back if you have to.

13) Be wary of thieves.

14) Unexpected visitors are a burden.

15) Do not lend out anything to neighbors.

16) It is noit yet safe to travel.

17) Shun potatoes for the time being.

18) Look forward to a cozy Halloween.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKENED (SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 25. 2024):

1) Do not leave lit candles unattended.

2) Is your room as cheaply decorated as a faculty room? 

3) The spirits of children like red candy and red soda.

4) He sleeps when you are awake, he is awake when you sleep.

5) Chili pepper can give you na coughing fit.

6) Hungry ghosts are able to fulfill fervent wishes.

7) A typical weekend should be relaxing rather than stressful.

8) Allow yourself to be used, but do not allow yourself to be abused.

9) The color of the week is white,.

10) Never disappoint a child.

11) Spirits prefer silence to sounds.

12) Umbrellas should always be handy on rainy days and nights.

13) Try a slow ride through a cemetery.

14) Wash your hands regularly and properly.

15) Offerings should always contain fresh drinking water and sweets.

16) Locate a pair of masks at the entrance to your house.

17) Check all bags and purses before disposing of them.

18) Hauntings will begin with thumping noises.

On Coron Island, Palawan

Photo by Aubrey Rose Miranda

Aubrey and Roi's family are now on Coron Island for a short vacation.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, AUGUST 19 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2024):

1) Continue celebrating the Festival of Hungry Ghosts.

2) Do not neglect your margins.

3) Work-wise, try to be three months ahead of yourself.

4) Remember to avoid making important commitments until the end of the month.

5) Favor fresh-fruit juice over juice in cans.

6) He whom the teachers oppressed comes back with a vengeance.

7) Be mindful of your daily and weekly expenses.

8 ) A lousy supervisor is never missed.

9) Keep your distance ftom authority figures.

10) Shun drinking parties.

11) Once in a while, do everything without the aid of a helper or assistant.

12) Ambitious officers are usually also pretentious ones.

13) Soup and bread can make a satisfying meal.

14) Always check whether the price is right.

15) Do not overlook yourself.

16) Encourage children to develop keen powers of observation.

17) Yesterday cannot be today all over again.

18) Seal food offerings, including drinks, in air-tight containers.

First service for six: white dinner plates and soup or rice bowls0 with gold-beaded rims

Mike sends more healing candles and joss sticks. The pink joss sticks on the right are mantra joss sticks, which, according to him, releases and sends mantras to the higher realms and even aids in the granting of wishes.

These were blessed at the monastery in San Beda.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2024):

1) Morning visitors are unholy.

2) Make regular improvements on your bedroom. 

3) Antique jars and vases can be used for seances.

4) Do not allow foreigners to intrude on your personal beliefs.

5) Relax to the creaking of bamboo trees.

6) Do not make your children vie for your affection.

7) Every procession must wend its way through a cemetery.

8) It is fine to be grateful, but you don't have to produce an extravaganza to showcase it.

9) Always check what you have in storage.

10) It is wise to think one meal ahead.

11) Do not lose yourself in the world of electronics.

12) Allow children and pets to get in the way.

13) Actually, if you don't like jazz, do not be afraid to say so.

14) Withholding food should never be a form of punishment.

15) Know that passages in every popular book contradict themselves.

16) The babbling of a water fountain heals.

17) Science fiction is a form of escapism.

18) Honor the deceased who supported you when they were living.

If you love your family, you will take continued interest in upgrading your dinnerware.

Keys to a simple life, peace, and happiness:

Would you rather be the person creating the show onstage or the person sitting in the audience, watching the show?
--I prefer to be the person sitting in the audience, watching the show.

Would you rather be the person writing the book or the person reading the book at home?
--I prefer to be the person reading the book at home.

Would you rather be the person exhibiting a painting or the person admiring the painting in a gallery?
--I prefer to be the person admiring the painting in a gallery.

Would you rather be the person making headlines or the person following the headlines?
--I prefer to be the person following the headlines. 

Prayers between meals.

We've been lighting Mike's healing candles not only at three altars but also in our dining table candle holders. The glass chimneys of the candle holders are champagne-colored.

In the background, Left, our Blitzway Bruce Lee action figure from _Game of Death_. Middle, our high relief image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Right, our blanc de chine Kwan Yin.

A cup for an artist's every mood

When I saw this set of cups months ago, a single phrase came to my mind: "red-hot coffee" from Edna Ferber's novel _Showboat_. After all these years, Edna Ferber remains, to me, a master of decription.

I have Mars black, carmine, hunter green, shell pink. and zinc white. 

I brought the wealth of all of my experiences to the classroom, and I hope my students benefited from it.

Good night, Cubao!

Sometimes your body will make you sleep before your actual bedtime.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Persons you expect much from are not perfect; they will cause you minor disappointments. This is normal. Sit back and relax. Know that you are not perfect either.

Good morning, Cubao!

Rest from work, and rest from rest.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, AUGUST 12 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024):

1) Avoid transactions involving money.

2) Glass coasters are useful in more ways than one.

3) Do not readmit inconsistent students to your fold.

4) The evangelist is always after a free meal.

5) Try a slice of spinach pie for lunch.

6) Always keep track of the day and time.

7) Explore new, state-of-the-art items.

8 ) The archer seeks to be heard.

9) Religion creates the heaviest chains and fetters that bind its followers.

10) A mage blessed by high-ranking spirits will never be able to fight off or suppress his abilities.

11) The school bully will have a tormented mind the rest of his life.

12) Insects reincarnate immediately.

13) Regrets and resentments are punishments in themselves.

14) When the missionaries came, did they destroy your indigenous culture?

15) Know how to enjoy work.

16) Dancing is a form of magic, for the goal of the dance is also the goal of magic.

17) Value breakfast.

18) Choose your footwear well.

Good  morning, Cubao!

Always listen to the dawn's lullaby.

"Do you love me still or do you just mean well?/"

Good night, Cubao!

We come and we go,.

Despite the accolades and the tributes, we are soon forgotten.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with six and you with eight syllables in your names: Set aside money for unforeseen house repairs.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND  (SATURDAY, AUGUSYT10 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2024):

1) Do not backslide or regress to old habits.

2) Always have a stock of green tea. 

3) Adolescence is normally awkward.

4) Never give a friend too much of anything.

5) A former classmate confesses his obsession,

6) After you say no, the same opportunity will never present itself again.

7) You will hear the voices of the gnomes, but, when you look, you will see nothing.

8 ) Do not allow a crush to impede your long-term plans for yourself.

9) Throw away what you cannot repurpose or recycle.

10) Your house will always need something to get done.

11) How do you get rid of unwanted visitors?

12) When you shop, buy only what you need, and be the richer for it.

13) Rediscover broccoli.

14) Someone will invite you to the theater.

15) Go easy on salt and shrimp paste.

16) Dispose of trash regularly.

17) Reward yourself for accomplishing difficult tasks.

18) Avoid the temptation to abuse a friendship.

|"What do we mean to each other am I friend ,am I lover, is it over now/

"Do you love me still or do you just mean well?/"

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a stainless-steel juicer.

Good night, Cubao!

Darkness falls, and them night begins to open its one thousand eyes.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with one syllable in your name: You are currently at a loss as to what to do next. Be patient and trust your spirit guides. All will be well.

Good  morning, Cubao!

Make the day an exceptional gift to yourself.

Good night, Cubao!

Do not allow your heart to hunt at night.

One Message For One Of 3,7-00 Friens, One Every Night Or The Year

You with five and you with six syllables in your names: Be vigilant. Someone is coveting something you possess, and is planning to take it from you.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is a parade marching under your window.

Good night, Cubao!

The scent of fragrant jasmine wafts in from a neighbor's house.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five and you with eight syllables in your names: Do not allow small expenses to pile up and become big expenses.

Good night, Cubao!

The night is always young before midnight, but ages rapidly thereafter.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends,. One Every Night Of The Year

 You with seven syllables in your name: Be forewarned. People are thinking of poking into your wallet.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, AUGUST 5 - FRIDAY,. AUGUST 9, 2024):

1) It is all right to take no for an answer. 

2) Be well-prepared for Hungry Ghosts Month.

3) Do not let feelings get in the way of work that needs to get done.

4) There are times when you should not compromise.

5) Do not allow anyone to fleece you of your money.

6) Well-fed workers arte the most loyal of all.

7) An old religion is not necessarily a right one.

8 ) Make this a month of commemoration for the deceased.

9) A former school teacher says goodbye.

10) Remember the trees of life: coconot, bamboo, and banana. They provide both food and shelter.

11) Never dangle a prize in front of the unwary.

12) Iced water is a good substitute for soda.

13) It is unwise to challenge fate.

14) A dark painting needs a strong spotlight to manifest its beauty.

15) Retirement is always to be enjoyed, not dreaded.

16) A whisper can be as loud as a scream.

17) Long-distance relationships seldom work.

18) Do you consider August to be a month of death?

Good morning, Cubao!

Rise and take in the scent of a brand-new day.

Good night, Cubao!

Many things flit by under cover of darkness.

One Message For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five and you with eleven syllables in your name:  Hydrate yourself even in rainy weather. Throat afflictions will become common.

Good night, Cubao!

The mind controls the body, and the body controls the mind.

One Mesasage For One Of 3,700 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five and you with nine syllables in your names: Avoid bathing or getting wet in the rain.

TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - SUNDAY, AUGUST 4, 2024)|

1) All wands should continue pointing to the ground.

2) Children will not forget your pledge to take them shopping.

3) Keep your poise even in unguarded moments.

4) A cheap ingredient ruins an entire dish.

5) A neighbor's wife is considering borrowing money from you.

6) Do not shuffle your Tarot cards like playing cards and casino cards. They will become irreparably damaged because they do not contain plastic or synthetic material for frequent use.

7_ Never beg a servant to come back.

8 ) Do not allow your past to dictate your present and your future.

9) Stock up on candles, tea lights, and joss sticks.

10) A friend unseen is easily and soon forgotten.

11) A satisfying meal will always make your day.

12) It is most enjoyable to read a good book on a rainy night.

13) Consider having a completely mirrored wall.

14) Cut down on soda and on sweets.

15) Does normal jewelry work for you as well as talismans do?

16) There are nights when the men will want to sing.

17) Make your bed as cozy a place to be in as possible.

18) A busy house is a blessed house.

Good night, Cubao!

Time is a dark river wending its way through the dawn.

One Message For One Of 3,600 Friends,. One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not keep others waiting if only to show them how important you are. They will resent it for a lifetime.