Photo by Neil de Leon
Photo by JR Dalisay / April 21, 2017
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Thursday, September 26, 2024
TONY PER3Z'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2024):
1) A new week, a new beginning.
2) Never repeat unsuccessful dishes.
3) The religion teacher no longer sees a bright future for herself.
4) A vindictive professor never wins against an institution.
5) Ride the night coach in your dreams.
6) For a change, do not have an orange Halloween.
7) Persist.
8 ) He no longer enjoys going to the movies.
9) Know what you are up against.
10) Then pursuit of happiness is everyone's premium.
11) Sometimes you have to sit up and listen to the illogical.
12) Everyone in the family must have an area of responsibility.
13) It is blissful to sleep in 0a newly-cleaned bedroom.
14) Know who is allergic to what.
15) Keep your workplace well-organized.
16) Never compliment anyone insincerely.
17) Cookies and hot chocolate are welcome on rainy days.
18) Once ssen, never unseen; once tasted, never untasted.
TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2024):
1) Know how to hibernate.
2) A kitchenette with electric appliances is always useful space.
3) Every night, an enchanted procession goes round your house.
4) The best way to watch the local news is with popcorn.
5) It is most dismaying to an old crush that you don't even remember him or her.
6) He seldom gave. Now he seldom receives.
7) Toward the end of your life you will be given many opportunities to forgive.
8 ) Avoid getting caught in a drizzle.
9) Go salad.
10) Be opej to new sleeping positions.
11) Hold off on sweet drinks.
12) That bipolar nun will always try to strike back.
13) Fidelity is a valuable trait.
14) A teardrop can lead to a flood.
15) Know how to enjoy the non-enjoyable.
16) He still thinks of himself as a young boy.
17) Get well naturally.
18) Choose your tub of happiness.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
I've been ordering three tubs of Chef Tony's popcorn a flavor at a time: one for Angelique, one for Aubrey, and one for myself. I've ordered original caramel and white chocolate so far, and seem partial to original caramel. I share my tub with the cafe kids. They partake of it seriously and with much reverence. They sincerely believe that I AM Chef Tony..
This is easily one of my favorite blanc de chine images of Kwan Yin in our collection. It melds the old with the new: the traditional figure of Kwan Yin on the right and, on the left, a boy representing PROC propaganda art like the paintings and sculpture produced at the height of the Communist regime. The image is only 13" tall but looks a lot bigger in all photos.
Photo by Neil de Leon
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Our latest set of charger plates. We now have three sets: gold beads, gold embossing, and, in this photo, gold vines.
We love the way our charger plates shine gold light on our faces.
Several decades ago, charger plates were typically made of iron, and eventually of brass. They were meant to "charge" or heat, over low fires, dinner plates laden with food--especially at a time when microwave ovens were not yet in use.
Today, charger plates are made of lightweight materials and function exclusively like placemats.
Photo by Neil de Leon
Friday, September 20, 2024
Your Messenger message:
"Hello good evening Sir. May I know what is the meaninh if there is any at all if figures appear or are formed in a wall or anything at all like in a smoke... Like this figure on my left side. I didn't notice it at first until someone pointed out jokingly that theres a lady at my back which to me looks like a nun."
My reply:
Hello _____ _____!
We should never be too quick to interpret such images as signals from the supernatural. A myriad of similar images are formed by shadows, light refractions, and the like.
The image of the lady at your back is too vague and unclear, especially because of the rough texture of the wall in the background.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Quilted Kwan Yin by fabric artist Lilo Gutierrez, a gift she gave me during the opening of my exhibit titled Making John the Baptist at Sining Kamalig Art Gallery in Ali Mall in 2002. To this day I am in touch with Lilo, who remains a very good friend. She is the Selena Kyle to my Bruce Wayne. But, no, the Catwoman still hasn't managed to climb into my windows and burgle any of my precious necklaces. Joke!
Photo by Neil de Leon
Your Messenger message:
"Hello sir, thank you for posting your dream interpretation last time. I appreciate the point of view about the 'old woman' and pondered on it.
|"
"Last week, I had another weird dream that I still remember up to today, and was wondering that maybe you will have another insight on it.
"In my dream, I was living a totally different life (single, inside a condo, no companion). I was visited by a friend who came from the province.
"In the dream, she keeps on inviting me to go out with her group and she wanted me to eat and drink something that she brought, but for some reason I wasn't consuming them.
"Later, there was already her group of friends outside of my condo wanting to go inside. So I told my friend that I don't want to go with them. I ran outside of the door, onto the hallways, onto the car, and kept on driving.
"It turned out that she and her friends were 'aswangs' and wanted to eat me and my brain for some reason.
"When they caught me, they kept on saying that my death will not be painful because my brain will produce hormones and chemicals that will only make my brain felt like in ecstasy while they are eating my brain and body.
"Then I woke up.
"Thank you very much "My reply:
Hello ____________!
Your dream life and your waking life are coexistent. There is a side of you that abhors other people--you simply have been tolerating them in order to function properly at the workplace and in other social situations. It is possible that you subconsciously view others as "asuwangs": users, abusers, manipulators, et cetera.
Could it not be that others, especially those who are/were important to you, let you down too often or made important promises that they never delivered?
My advice is for you to never rely on the kindness of others. Be self-sufficient. Be independent. Both your dream life and your waking life will then merge into one.
TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024):
1) Rise like the resplendent sun.
2) How many persons do you owe apologies to?
3) Eat well, but do not overeat.
4) Never dance in a room full of breakables.
5) Things are almost always never the same again.
6) Pay attention to aftertaste.
7) A cheerful person brightens other people's days.
8 ) It is too late for the envious to catch up with you.
9) A couple will reunite to win their admirers back, but the magic will have gone and their efforts will be useless.
10) Be adaptable to odd hours.
11) That he is no longer in a position to compensaste is punishment enough for him.
12) Do not impose your personal morals on others.
13) The lazy marketing manager gets her just deserts.
14) Do not take risks.
15) The diva is especially sensitive about her weight.
16) Gourmet is not always good.
17) There will always be insects in the crevices.
18) The designer is losing his foothold among his business contacts.
TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024):
1) Stay home and be safe.
2) Take especial care of your back.
3) You cannot go wrong with good cheese.
4) Be patient with finicky children.
5) Chicken is safer than pork.
6) She found no favor abroad.
7) Avoid people who don't treat you well.
8 ) Old flames should never be rekindled.
9) Be hospitable to real friends.
10) Let fresh, drinking water cleanse your body.
11) Serve yourself.
12) Good bakeries give home bakeries low incentives.
13) Clean on a regular basis.
14) Always take time out to breathe.
15) He will come back from abroad only to discover that all plans have changed.
16) Old-fashioned candy is the best.
17) Reorganize your bedroom.
18) See to it that all errands get done.
Your Messenger message:
"Good afternoon, Sir. There is a spot by our dirty kitchen door that smells like urine. We’ve cleaned all floors but that particular spot by the door before you go in the main house gives off that scent and only I can smell this. Lately, I noticed that I smell vomit now, usually when I am alone, at my left side, like there is a sick person beside me. And just yesterday, when I called out to my husband who was downstairs giving our pet dog a bath, I heard him acknowledge me. But when he didn’t answer my follow up question, I went to look for him and found out he was outside the whole time I heard him answer me and wasn’t aware of what was going on. All of these started happening after the flooding and after we cleaned our house and surroundings. May I kindly ask for your help on how I can make this go away because these smells are new for me. It’s usually just visions and dreams or being aware of presences that I am comfortable or at least something I am used to experiencing.
"Thank you for your time."My reply:
Hello ____________!
As for the smells of urine and vomit, try the ceiling--that is where animals seek refuge after a flood.
The other incidents you mention indicate that a trickster elemental is in your house. Cleanse the inside and the outside of yoiur house with incense three times a day for one week.
If this fails, you will need to make an offering of five kinds of grain at the base of the largest tree nearest your house.
Monday, September 16, 2024
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Saddened to have heard at dinner last night that Chad, Toto's computer shop assistant, resigned from his job. He is the only young man in the neighborhood who has his third eye open. He frequently saw a wraithlike woman on the balconies of Artery Art Space across the street, and saw spirits of all kinds scuttling across the floor of D.'s store.
We were actually planning to invite Chad to a ghost storytelling session during our columbary vigil on on All Souls Day. Now we shall have to spend that night without him.
Your Messenger message:
"Hi, Tony. I hope this finds you and the family well. I’m writing because you were in my dream last night and when I woke up this morning and opened FB, BAM! your post was the first one I saw.
"The dream: We, together with another person, went to a building. The purpose was to use it as a short cut to get to the side where our car was parked. It was not as bad as an actual maze, but maze-like with all the turns, hallway-type passages, some full of people, some empty. There was a point in our conversation where I told you that my mother said she liked some of your antique pieces (real life, my mother knows of you from our Embassy days but has not seen any of your posts and she passed away last May 23). "We finally reached the exit. You and the other person went through with no incident but then, the female gatekeeper noticed a sudden influx of people exiting and stopped me. She asked if I paid the fee. I said no and “detained” me - not like a prisoner but wouldn’t let me pass without paying the 1,500 fee. She was kind about it, I tried to explain that I didn’t even use the facilities (it turned out to be a Veterans hospital), did not see a doctor, just passed through. I also explained that I was not from the area, was there just visiting a friend (you). "I refused to pay the 1,500. She said they can write my employer (company insignia was on my shirt and it was not an employer but an actual client of my current employer) even saying that she believes they (my employer) would be happy to pay it on my behalf. But since I don’t really work for them, and not wanting to jeopardize the client-employer relationship, I said I don’t work there anymore and the reason why I’m visiting their city is I am in between jobs and my friend invited me to take things off my mind. "Next thing I knew, there were a number of people around me, consulting each other on what to do with me. I wanted to call you but I didn’t have my cell phone. I was worried that you guys left without me. We were outside the building but in a spot where the public can’t see us. The members of the “consulting body” were actually nice, not confrontational. Some were elderly, some middle aged, some young. "I asked them for permission to stand up and stretch my legs and that’s when I saw you sitting with the other person, waiting for me. You gasped as you saw me because you weren’t sure where I was. I explained the situation and as we tried to figure out why you got through and I didn’t, you said, “mukha ka raw kasing mayaman” and we both laughed. "They continued to deliberate, this time there was another mid-40s guy who was there who wanted to consult the panel on another matter, a child, who turned out to be your granddaughter, curly-haired, eating crinkled potato chips on a plate. "They still have not resolved the matter - how to get the 1,500 from me or just let me go. "(Real life) my alarm went off and as I grabbed my phone, I saw a picture message from Patti (my eldest daughter). I decided to take a quick look at FB and the first post I saw was a picture of your family. "I know I’ve consulted you about my dreams in the past. I just feel this is “special” because you were in it and then the post, first thing in the morning… "Please excuse typos, if any. I did this on my phone while fresh in my aging brain, lol! Thanks!"My reply:
Hello ___________!
Your psyche sent you a work-related dream.
The basic message is that you might have become impatient as to where your career aspirations are taking you However, as indicated in the beginning of your dream, you are being told that there are no shortcuts to success.
There also seems to be an underlying message about conforming to rules and regulations and how you should value this more than trying to heroically swim upstream. Conformity goes with patience, and neither of the two can be rushed.
Note that your mother and your daughter figure in your dream for you to compare yourself with. How did your mother's life affect your current efforts to improve yourself? Are you satisfied with the current enthusiasm your daughter is manifesting in her own life today?
Continue to dream and live your dreams with patience and conformity. It will never be too late to obtain your heart's desires.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Retirement and After: Life in Slow Motion
Having all the time in the world to discover and appreciate beauty in the most ordinary things.
This very heavy, cast-iron statuette was shellacked in yellow gold with touches of rose gold. The only hints that she could be the Hindu version of Kwan Yin are her crown, necklace, and sash. The influence is definitely Indian, though there are traces of ancient Greek art in the dress and face.
Round my head and shoulders is an exquisite, antique Indian sari speckled and shot with gold thread.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
TONY PEREZ\S GUJIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2024):
1) Never lie for others in a trial,
2) Her husband spends too much money.
3) Keep away from high-anxiety situations.
4) Always do proper research on food and drinks.
5) It is a good udea to start stocking up on candles, incense, and joss sticks.
6) Do not forget to rest adequately after meals.
7) What continues to stress you out?
8) Petty theft leads to grand theft.
9) Avoid being overly critical of others, especially of persons you dislike.
10) Favor panini over flat bread.
11) The old portrait artist is in despair.
12) Remember that not all fruits are good for you.
13) Proper diet makes your day right.
14) Prepare yourself for possible disasters, even if they are likely to occur far away from your home.
15) Help comes from unexcpected sources.
16) Always have good towels and blankets on hand.
17) The helpful neighbor is in love with you.
18) A priest should never feel too entitled.
TONY PERE4Z'S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2024):
1) Always have a complete guest list.
2) Make this one a weekend of extreme safety.
3) Almost everything comes in clusters.
4) Is the night always visible from everywhere in your house?
5) Pamper yourself. You deserve it.
6) Know how to allot your time.
7) Avoid useless food waste.
8) Sunday is not a day of rest.
9) Always give your loved ones the benefit of the doubt.
10) Do noit neglect regular check-ups.
11) What is your favorite flower?
12) Discover hydrogen water.
13) Know when to decongest your junk items.
14) Do you know how to eat the head of a fish?
15) Be aware of what especially delights your family members.
16) She thought she was her mother's favorite, but she did not inherit their family house.
17) Favor sugar-free.
18) Do not tip the undeserving.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Second service set of six, this one with gold bands. When we have seven to 12 guests at dinner we merge this with the first set for visual variety, on a larger table. If we have only a seventh guest, either he or the host is given the second service set; if we have more, the sets are alternated on the table or one set allotted to female guests and the other to male guests.
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Hidden behind the entrance to our house is this four-feet-high Kwan Yin handcarved of solid rosewood. It bears the original A.T.A.R.D.A.R. wand carved of dignum wood and its accompanying, goldplated "decoding" talisman, gifts from the late mage Roy Alvarez. At the feet of Kwan Yin is the prototype brass medallion of Spiritum Wacsim, a design and execution product of Philippine magic practitioners Jeffrey Limuco and Ramona Singian. The prototype and its consequent, stainless-steel version were actually developed specifically for the students of the last group I organized and led. As what happens with most groups, a mediocre handful desired elusive stardom for themselves, others tried to bring the group to unwarranted places, and yet others merely wanted to have fun. I didn't have to do anything--the medallion drove them all away for me. Today the Private Group called The 36 Wands is comprised of three subgroups who have no contact with one another. All communication is done directly through me.
This image of Kwan Yin is syncretized with Oya, the goddess of the storm.
The prototype medallion rests on a heavy chunk of chromite, a gift from a major mining company in the north in remembrance of an unforgettable Spirit Quest we held there many years ago.
Thursday, September 5, 2024
TONY PEREZ''S GUIDELINES FOR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE COMING WEEK (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024):
1) We are always at the beginning, facing a middle and an end.
2) Make an honest living and do not dream of anything more.
3) Hold on to your savings.
4) Order items only from reliable sources.
5) When in doubt, do nothing.
6) Keep asking yourself, "Is it too expensive?"
7) Check your waterproofing.
8 ) Life is a race only if you make it so.
9) Cleanse the interior of your house with smudging sticks or incense.
10) Always check the insides of old purses, wallets, and bags.
11) Do not fear the cycle of time.
12) Dream, if it helps your children ascend.
13) Neither borrow money nor lend it.
14) Relaxation is the perfect antibiotic.
15) Sometimes the greatest thing a teacher can give his student is self-esteem.
16) After the producer died, her favored aides started sliding into poverty.
17) Clean as you go.,
`8) Laborers need to rest.
TONY PEREZ'S GUIDELINES FOIR HIS FACEBOOK FRIENDS FOR THE WEEKEND (SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2024):
1) Change your front porch decor and rearrange your foyer furniture.
2) It is not coinvenient to have too many plants inside the house.
3) Intersperse your schedule with pleasurable activities.
4) Liven up dark and dead spaces.
5) Introduce a healthful variety in your snacks.
6)It is all right to immediately transit to Halloween.
7) He is dying to visit you, but he will only annoy you.
8 ) If the assistant is not efficient, give up on him.
9) It is really not worth it to write books for publishers with lousy royalty systems.
10) Keep your favorite books together, and there should only be a few.
11) Recognize your pets' rights.
12) You will encounter many images of the sea, including mermaids.
13) Giving a husband children does not ensure a long-term relationship.
14) Sugar-free sour balls are safer than chocolate.
15) Are you able to pay your bills comfortably?
16) Contemplate mortality from time to time.
17)Your body mends as you sleep.
18) Hungry Ghosts Month has ended. Give your house a thorough cleaning.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Temporarily ensconced in a corner of our breakfast room is our biggest Kwan Yin. It is made of porcelain and has a body one meter tall (standard processional size). That measurement does not include her crown, the dragon at her feet, and the ocean waves at the statue's base. This Kwan Yin traveled all the way from a temple in China to an antique shop in Puerto Galera; from there it traveled further to another antique shop in Ermita and then on to our house. It incurred some damage during transit due to its size and its fragile material. Two attempts have been made to have the damage repaired by a porcelain restorer.
This statue has two smaller versions, one with my sister Remi and the other with my sister Alice. Mike and my sisters refer to her as Apo Reyna. She has granted many wishes, especially the healing of the sick.
Round the neck of the statue is an antique, silver Chinese necklace, a gift from a previous co-worker, Agnes Caballa. On her right forefinger is an antique, silver ring with a cabochon of yellow crystal quartz, a gift from Mike. We also gave her five, brass bangles and draped her with a long strand of amber beads to syncretize her with the goddess of love and prosperity, Oshun.
Kwan Yin is associated with dragons because, according to legend, she once rescued the children of the Dragon King from certain death.
Photo by Neil de Leon
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