Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

And now to pick ourselves up not by weeping over the demise of the one broadcasting company that had countrywide reach--but to push other broadcasting companies to have countrywide reach AND to push even the remotest communities to strive to have technological access to all the media they need.

Only then can we call broadcasting an INDUSTRY rather than a monopoly.

There was nothing else to do on this rainy afternoon, and so Jerome and I moved the dollhouse dojo to my bedroom.

The dollhouse was designed like the dojo of Huo Yuanjia, the teacher of Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) in the 1972 movie _Fist of Fury_ (a.k.a. _The Chinese Connection_).

Am now using this as one of my night lights.

Sometimes we have to discern between what was done and the manner in which it was done.

Wet afternoon. The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

Went with Angelique to the neighborhood grocery store under umbrellas, ibn the rain. Did major groceries,.

M. and his staff look nice and warm and dry inside their lighted cafe.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

A very early lunch alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Pain lasts longer than pleasure, but pain and pleasure are equally unforgettable.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun showers the earth with gold and silver coins.

Good night, Cubao!

They have magical dreams who sleep in the light of the moon.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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

Loved how M.'s cafe's warm, lighted interior looked like from the street in the drizzle this evening. It reminded me, once again, of the Admiral Benbow Inn from Treasure Island. Indeed, it is our neighborhood's tavern.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the animal characters in The Wind in the Willows.

Gloomy evening with rolling thunder. The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

An unexpected gift from Rina.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

The spirit said, "I loved you deeply when I was still alive, but I never had the courage to let you know."

One sure way to identify people most economically hit by the pandemic but pretending not to be is to look at their Walls and see the useless trivia they've been Posting.

Busy morning, busy day. The air-conditioner repairmen are back and will be working here at least five hours.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun hitches his golden rucksack on his back.

Good night, Cubao!

Wise old gnomes write novels on enchanted scrolls and present them on your desk.

Asked Jerome 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 off to bed with the Water Rat, the Mole, the Badger, and the Toad. A new character is introduced past halfway through the book--a Sea Rat.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

We all had milk chocolate ice cream with almonds for dessert.

Drizzly afternoon. Overcast skies with dwarves playing ninepins in the Cubao Catskills.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Angelique now on her laptop in the dining room. As for myself, moved some heavy stuff from one of the corners of my bedroom.

It can be all right to cause others sadness, but it is never all right to cause them physical pain.

Good morning, Cubao!

The planets attend the masquerade ball of the sun.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes love rappelling up staircase risers and sliding down bannisters.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Asked Jerome to cook two bowls of french fries in our kitchen for Angelique and Aubrey.

Bought some stuff across the street, including a pack of bread buns.

Asked Jerome 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 off to bed with the Rat, the Mole, the Badger, and the Toad.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

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

Had a bowl of milk chocolate ice cream with almonds and fresh strawberries. Now still debating whether to take a nap or not.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Still working on a commissioned, altar painting.

An early lunch alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a crystal bowl of yellow, agate marbles.

From my retirement in 2015 I placed my family before myself, and that is how it will be through the day I die.

Aubrey came down to the kitchen and fixed herself a late night snack.

Had a late night snack too.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon illuminates the workplaces of night shift workers.

Angelique and Aubrey fixed themselves an early dinner,.

Watched the local news before taking dinner.

Asked M. to bring some food over to his cafe staff.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the Rat and the Mole.

Always think of the people who depend on you as baby bears playing house and hoping for wonderful things to happen.

Anything frequently used should always be within reach.

Never use entertainment as your reason for living.

Never be dependent on a business that can collapse at any time.

"Take what you want--and pay for it, says God."

--Spanish proverb, quoted in "The Apples of the Hesperides". in Agatha Christie's The Labours of Hercules

Always take note of the bias behind every news item.

This is the best time to make significant improvements to your bedroom.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery. Bought another bag of french fries, a big box of milk chocolate and almonds ice cream, and four chocolate candy bars.

Never wallow in temporary glory, for tomorrow you will be only a river stone among thousands of other river stones on the shore.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Sent some money to my younger son Chito to augment his salary; they're all saving money where he is due to their annual, four-month drought called "tag-kirewe". Swung by the Japanese store and bought the fourth, last, item to complete our set. Walked under the blazing sun.

The skies are now overcast and we might have a rainfall soon.

Bought a kilo of fresh mango and three packs fresh strawberries.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good noon, Cubao!

The sun travels across the sky with a gold walking stick.

More tea lights galore. We decided to keep the image of the Holy Family. It is a product of UST and is made of lahar from the Mount Pinatubo eruption.

Ordered a tapsilog from M.'s cafe for Angelique.

Asked Jerome to cook two bowls of french fries for Angelique and Aubrey.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Still working on the commissioned altar piece.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Whenever you are hard up, make do with what you have. It is a most enjoyable and creative activity.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden tea service.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairies, the gnomes, your household pets, and your stuffed toys are attending the last run of a marionette play tonight.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. The cafe closed 9:30 PM tonight.

Night chores.

Night rainfall on Cubao.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the Rat and the Mole.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey asleep in her room.

We lit tea lights in our novelty, Chinese teacups on our family altar and in our glass, dining table centerpiece as well.

Poorer by thousands. Paid for a check-up of Angelique's and Aubrey's air-conditioners. Aubrey's unit's capacitor will have to be replaced today.

Bought a kilo of fresh mango and a pack of fresh strawberries.

An early lunch at home alone, then Angelique came down and took her lunch too; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

The granddaughters' laptop stands for working in bed arrived.

Your Messenger message:

"Magandang umaga po Sir Tony,

"Nanaginip po ako before na naka export field work ako tapos in na hostage ako. Then nagising na ako nakalimutan ang panaginip na iyon. After a few weeks napaniginipan ko po na nasa export field work po ako ulit pero hindi ko po alam kung anong bansa tapos, biglang sabi ng local authorities sa bansa na iyon na may pending case ako kasi sinabi daw po ng HR manager namin. Ang reason po ni HR manager is as per instruction siya ni Boss. Tapos dahil po dun hindi ako makauwi ng bansa. Ano po kaya ang ibig sabihin nun?

Salamat po and ingat po kayo palagi!"

My reply:

Hello _____!

You've been having work-related anxiety dreams.

Think hard about your current situation. Are you being harassed in your workplace? Do you have a coworker you don't like but who insists on wooing you?

Are you being asked by a supervisor to do something dishonest in your workplace? If so, don't do it--all of the blame will eventually fall on you.

My daughter-in-law Ivy's fifth death anniversary. Candles lit on our family altar the whole day.

The sun is always grinning in ancient drawings.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Ran out of tomato and ran out of white onion, and the British tea sandwich I like least is cucumber, so went through the secret passage to M.'s cafe and ordered a Very Veggie half-sub sandwich. Took that with a glass of chocolate milk for a bedtime snack.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnomes always travel along the corners between walls and floors.

Aubrey came down to a late dinner; Angelique is already sleeping in her room.

Asked Neil to bring some food over to M.s' cafe staff. The cafe closed 9:30 PM.

Finished rereading The Labours of Hercules last night, and started reading The Wind in the Willows. Interesting, but very wordy!

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with the Rat and the Mole.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

For some reason I just can't wait to get into bed and go to sleep.

Something About Me That I Seldom Tell Others But You Might Be Interested To Know

During my 36-year employment at the Embassy of the U.S.A. in Manila I took on, among other roles, that of program officer for the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. This position brought me to many odd locations in the country. Some of the projects I handled were the restoration of the baptistery and pillars of the San Vicente Ferrer Church, in Nueva Vizcaya; an ICOMOS conference on the conservation of the Banaue Rice terraces in Ifugao; the documentation of the Tabon Caves in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan; the conservation of the Kabayan Mummy Caves, in Benguet; the restoration of the altar and pulpit of Lazi Church, in Siquijor; and the documentation of the oral traditions hudhud and alim of the Ifugao. I also had the singular experience of traveling with our Public Affairs Officer to attend a conference commemorating the seizure of the Balangiga bells in Samar: it was here that I learned of the rebel group Pulajanes, later known as Tadtad when they expanded to Mindanao, and then as Haring Bakal when they established their presence in Manila. I was attracted to Haring Bakal after studying the more than 50 systems of Philippine magic, because it was the most difficult to be initiated into, since it involved intense, physical pain, and I knew that very few of my Friends and Followers would have the guts to follow suit. (I have a Facebook Friend who always claims to have joined a "Haring Bakal" group somewhere in Luzon; he took a video of his initiation and it wasn't a real one at all.)

Before my retirement in 2015 I met a man in one of the places I visited in the Visayas. We quickly became close friends. He introduced me to Utol J. and Utol L., who became my blessers and initiators.

Here is what I had to go through:

1) First, a pandong, before which the blesser lights a candle on his altar filled with Catholic images and studies the flame to determine whether we should proceed or not. He then places his hands on top of my head, while I am seated, and recites certain oraciones.

2) An assistant, also a Haring Bakal member, asks me to rise and then pins my arms firmly behind my back, and I am instructed to tense up my stomach and leg muscles.

3) The blesser takes a bare-blade katana from the altar and strikes me--really hard--with the bladed edge three times on my stomach and twice on each leg, for a total of seven strikes. (It is the custom to come back every year to obtain more strikes until one amasses a total of 49 strikes.) Each blow was very painful. I yelled at every blow (this seemed to diminish the pain). We were in a house beside the water and no one could hear us after all, except for the blesser's wife, who was in the kitchen and evidently inured to such goings-on. My stomach and thighs turn black and blue, and then purple and yellow, over the next two weeks. To this day, though, I am perplexed as to why the blade never so much as sliced my skin.

4) I am given a one-eyed coconut, which represents my head, and I am to place it in a safe place in my bedroom where no one else can touch it. I am encouraged to polish and varnish it, which I do not do because I like its rough appearance, but I place it on a brass tripod.

5) I am given a bakus, or belt, this one made by the blesser himself, for my protection.

6) I am also given a pair of tuay-tuay, a pair of knee bones from a little boy's cadaver. Legend has it that Haring Bakal members take these from cemeteries. I am instructed to pray for the owner of the knee bones and to treat the knee bones with much respect. I place them inside security wallets that are meant to be strapped round my knees or shins; the bones are supposed to endow me with speed and invisibility.

7) The second blesser slices my forearms and inserts two mutya ng _____ (sorry, I am not allowed to identify them) inside each forearm. He does this with a rusty Gillette blade, pushing the mutyas in with used matchsticks. I obtain other items from him: a head kerchief and a red vest that are supposed to make me impervious to bullets (I take this only figuratively). He instructs me to abstain from bakal (steel) for 49 days. When I go back to the hotel that evening, however, I forget this last precaution, and I take a heavy dinner using steel flatware. Beginning that night I manifest the symptoms of tetanus: I have continuous diarrhea and continuous vomiting. I am down for about three days, and my forearms, where the mutyas were inserted, bloat as though they contained pong-pong balls.

8) I return to Manila with other items: three kinds of lana, or oil, in separate bottles, known as Round 7, used for diagnosis, for healing, and for shielding against black spells, and two hardbound volumes of Haring Bakal oraciones, among them the Round 7 incantations.

9) For the next two weeks at home I see shadows out of the corner of my eye, and I feel as though a spirit has followed me to my house, from the Visayas. Once I see the image of a young man through a mirror--the little boy whose tuay-tuay I own, now, possibly, a young man in the astral realm after a few years. I name him Diego. I do not fail to pray for him and to promise to permanently place the tuay-tuay in a church columbarium as soon as we transfer our family members' ashes there. I have never worn the tuay-tuay, as a matter of fact they are still securely placed inside our family columbarium.

Later I learned that the Bahasa name for "the sun" is "hari", because "king" is "rajah". "Haring Bakal" probably means "the sun that is made of steel", a very masculine image. Indeed, whenever I am with Haring Bakal members, they are like Essenes, to which, it is said, John the Baptist belonged. There is never any mention of women.

My first blesser suggested that I establish a Haring Bakal group in Cubao, which I never did due to my many other priorities and activities. I must say, though, that I seem to have had many narrow escapes ever since that time in 2015--whether it was because of my Haring Bakal initiation or because I am a Rabbit, I do not know. I even feel that the mutyas embedded in my forearms are protecting me against the current pandemic.

Just a narrative I thought I'd share with you this evening, for what it's worth.

Evening drizzle in Cubao.

Keeping a candle lit on our family altar the whole day today and tomorrow. It's my daughter-in-law Ivy's fifth death anniversary tomorrow.

Never vociferously complain or shout out for change and then sit back passively and watch what will happen next. You will only end up an embittered person.

If you want change, take action.

Because, no one else will do it for you.

Another day of errands, errands, and more errands.

Back from minor groceries and glad to know that the neighborhood grocery now shuts down 8:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM. Replenished our soda supply. Then went to the Sitio Catacutan hardware store to buy something I need for the studio.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Must do minor groceries in a while and stock up, among other things, on feminine toilet paper. Yes, guys, there's such a thing as masculine toilet paper and feminine toilet paper, and my granddaughters will use only the latter.

Good morning, Cubao!

The fire dragon can fly to the sun; the eagle never can.

Good night, Cubao!

The fairy apothecary prepares all kinds of healing unguents.

Asked M. to bring some food over to his cafe staff. He stopped by the studio area to admire The Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation, which is awaiting varnishing, and the current altar piece of the Blessed Virgin that I'm working on for Boy Martin. Quite amusing because M. is a Jehovah's Witness.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Where did this day go for me? All I did was lie down, nap, and watch Facebook videos.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Bought a big box of chocolate brownie ice cream at the neighborhood grocery. Had a bowlful with fresh strawberries.

And now to lie in bed with Hercule Poirot.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Since I had only one small errand I confess to exploring some of the shops a bit. Thought I'd have an omelette and a fruit drink at the Cubao Leaky Cauldron too, but decided to just go home and lie in bed.

Lunch at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Must go jalan-jalan at the center in a while to pay a straggling utility bill.

Your Messenger message:

"Sir Tony, mayroon po kasing sumisitsit dito sa kuwarto namin kapag gabi. Minsan sa kabilang kuwarto ng mga kasama ko sa trabaho, minsan naman daw dito sa higaan ko nagmumula. Pero di ko na alam 'yon dahil tulog na tulog po ako may nakapagsabi lang sa akin. Pero narinig ko na rin po yung sumisitsit na di namin nakikita. Ano po ang dapat na sabihin sa sumisitsit na iyon para tumigil na o dapat wag nang pansinin? Isang uri po ba ito engkanto?"

My reply:

Hello _______!

I read your message last night and promised to reply this morning; in the meantime I advised you, in case you were apprehensive, to place something red on your bed, and I said that I would engulf you in protective light. I hope you slept well.

I am scanning all of you now. The hissing sound is from a female elemental that resides in a tree otherwise termed by the ignorant as a "white lady". There is nothing to worry about as it is merely being playful and facetious. It is probably attracted to one of you. I predict that, in a few nights' time, it will appear to one of you or to more than one of you as the wispy image of a woman.

My advice now: Ignore it.

Do not make offerings to it, as it will establish a relationship with you.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a yellow cap and orange sunglasses.

Good night, Cubao!

Fairies love floating candles on artificial ponds.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

We asked Jerome to cook french fries in our kitchen, because he does them so well.

Asked Jerome 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 off to bed with Hercule Poirot.

If you follow your heart, know that your happiness will be unstable, because, when crises descend upon the world, it is what you would have had, had you followed your head instead, that would have kept you afloat, surviving, content--and happy.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Went to the bank, then had money changed and paid our electric, water, and phone bills. Bought a copy of The Wind in the Willows; I may have read this in grade school but can't recall any of it. Also bought a glass centerpiece for our dining table.

Bought a loaf of white bread and flypaper at the neighborhood grocery.

"Who will buy this wonderful morning/

Such a sky you never did see/

Who will tie it up with a ribbon/

And put it in a box for me?/"

A very early lunch alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

Only the sun can enter your secret sanctuary without your permission.

Good night, Cubao!

Night gnomes love residing in dollhouses after everyone at home has gone to sleep.

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

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poitot.

Looking forward to reading myself to sleep and lighting the lanterns on the north window sill of my bedroom.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey. Angelique electronically ordered two things that Aubrey and she need, and we hope the delivery will be quick.

"New lamps for old" makes a lot of sense especially if your old lamps never had djinns to begin with.

Everyone is called upon to adjust to the present situation.

Be aware of the ways in which you've had to adjust.

Be aware also of people who are unwilling to adjust. They blame everyone but themselves for the plight they are in.

Ironically governments, churches, and broadcasting companies benefit greatly from keeping the masses as ignorant as possible.

Earth has spoken. It is time for air to speak again.

In your journal, make a list of frills in the Philippines that are stable in First World countries but are mere illusions and flimsy mise-en-scene in developing countries.

The pandemic calls upon us to make this reality check.

Finished rereading The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding last night. Two stories in the anthology, "The Under Dog" and "Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds", are also in _The Underdog and Other Stories_, and so I skipped rereading those.

Retrieved The Labours of Hercules to start rereading in bed tonight.

Been working on a commissioned altar painting for a college classmate since June 27. It's tiny by my standards and I'm having a difficult time adjusting to canvas of such a small scale.