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

Good morning, Cubao!

Today the sun wears his gold signet ring.

Good night, Cubao!

The moon is a set of cut-crystal toiletry vessels on a white-tiled bathroom shelf.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to take their dinner soon after.

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 to take a trip on the Orient Express.

Lazy Sunday evening.

Took an early dinner at home alone; Angelique and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Our dollhouse dojo is now one of my favorite night lights. When I am in bed and gazing at it with its interior light on, it is like gazing at a tall building across the street.

It is life after retirement that counts, for it is literally the rest of your life.

Finished reading Death on the Nile in bed this afternoon, then watched the David Suchet DVD version all over again. (It eliminates Richetti altogether.) The Peter Ustinov movie is more cinematic, but I find that David Suchet is the perfect Hercule Poirot.

Retrieved Murder on the Orient Express, which was written and published before Death on the Nile, to start rereading in bed later. (Loved the Albert Finney movie, but, if Nile was too complicated to occur in real life, Orient Express is positively over-contrived.

I equally like both JJ Feild and Simon McCorkindale in the role of Simon Doyle.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Your stardom never fades as long as it does not rely on fans and audiences.

Wearing White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor.

And two antique necklaces from Afghanistan.

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

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun weaves golden hammocks to hang between tropical palm trees.

Your spirit guides will always show you where, but you also always need to look at what is there.

Good night, Cubao!

Extraterrestrial ships hover above the clouds once again.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

It's Jerome's birthday. A small celebration is ongoing in the cafe, which is decorated this evening with black and white balloons.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then off to bed with Hercule Poirot. Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle is murdered only halfway through the book; the first half introduces characters, is devoted to exposition, and sets the stage for an incredibly complex and highly undoable crime.

Aubrey came down to a very late lunch.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on Boy Martin's commissioned altar painting.

Stop prescribing love when it begins to sound like so much posturing on your part. Love is either there or not there. It cannot be squeezed from other people's empty toothpaste tubes.

Love is not the seedling you proudly plant in your garden. It is the weeds that grow joyously round it, for God created weeds too. Alas, more often than not, true love is pulled apart or doused with weed killer.

We produce more trash than we produce fine art and noble acts, that is why the world is fast becoming a paradise for scavengers.

Stabilize your life before even attempting to stabilize your community. Otherwise it would be like running into battle without boots on.

Bought a roll of masking tape.

Replenished our soda supply.

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

You CAN take it with you. That is what memory and imagination are all about.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun wears a brass bangle encrusted with carnelian.

Good night, Cubao!

The most interesting way to explore the night is in your dreams.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

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.

The air outside is still and stale and hot.

Quite relieved that my younger son Chito has come back from four days and three nights with municipal officials trekking on a mountain to check out an area for infrastructure and potential livelihood. They trekked ten hours.

When alone in your room, dance your problems away to African music, for your movements will conform, at some point, to magical passes that heal the body, the mind, the heart, and the soul.

Never let your frustrations out on your children.

Let your troubles sweep themselves behind you like the wind blowing round your body. Stand tall and firm like the acacia. Bend like the bamboo if you will, but sway back to your normal stature afterward.

You may perform distant healing on a person who is ill, but it is a bad idea to visit him via astral travel in order to do so: you will come back to your body with vestiges of the illness in your auric shell.

I note that, no matter how hard people pray and no matter who they pray to, they often do not get what they pray for.

Bought two kilos fresh mango.

An early lunch alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

It's only a little past mid-month but I wish this wonderful month would NEVER end!

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun's golden blanket hangs on a clothesline in the sky.

Don't be a man for others if you can't be a man for your own family.

Good night, Cubao!

Dark chocolate is the confection of the night.

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.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Afterward we asked Jerome to cook two bowls of french fries in the kitchen.

Christine sent an image of this artwork titled "Satyr and Son" by Georg Jahn (1907) to me because, she says, I look like the satyr.

I think I do! I must have posed for it in a previous lifetime.

All that glitters is not gold, and crises always expose what mere glitter is.

"(M)an was forced to invent work in order to escape the strain of having to think."

--Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile

The problem with business is always that you have to sell something in order to get paid.

In times of crisis, you know exactly who your real friends are.

It is most enjoyable to sleep and nap like a contented cat.

Spoiled brats will always insist on having their own way.

An artist without solitude produces no masterpieces.

Remember that, in any foreign country, very few people will really care about you.

Another Great-Gatsby-summer-hot day in Cubao.

Back home from jalan-jalan at the center. Changed money to cover the coming weekend's expenses, including the granddaughters' weekly allowance. Bought a loaf of white bread and a pack of crab sticks since I was there anyway.

It is quite distressing to see a lot of friends whose funds are petering out uncontrollably and trickling like water from their hands. They hang on to their last PHP 1,000 and it disappears within two days.

I observe that having no more money and being poor are two different things. The latter are inured, if not resigned, to a particular lifestyle. The former are in a state of denial and extreme panic because they refuse to have to practice that lifestyle.

My advice to everyone: Move on. Do not cling to a heaven you used to have but have already lost.

Only two cake makers satisfied us during the four months of this quarantine period: Cake Panda and Banapple. The rest were ho-hum.

Finished rereading The Man in the Brown Suit in bed this afternoon,. I see why, side by side with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, it is one of Agatha Christie's most popular novels. It has adventure, stolen diamonds, mysterious men, romance, an exciting ship journey, explorations in South Africa, exotic souvenirs, switches in identity, chases, and, of course, murder. Ackroyd seems to have been better crafted, though; it is positively airtight. Brown Suit seems to have been hastily and prematurely ended with a deliberate effort to tie up all possible loose ends.

Retrieved Death on the Nile to start rereading tonight. I remember all of the details, but I thought I'd revisit it and savor it all over again before drifting off to sleep. I completely enjoyed the Peter Ustinov movie in 1978 and the 2004 David Suchet DVD version which my youngest sister Sylvia sent me from Sydney years ago.

Coming to the end of my Agatha Christie collection, and will eventually switch back to Judge Dee and lose myself in ancient China once again.

These are the businesses that are doing very well in our neighborhood:

--hawkers' stands

--rice dealers

--fruit and vegetable dealers

--fish and meat dealers

--hardware stores

--bakeries

--drug stores

--delivery services

And to think that these are "local locals" serving a small community and occasional walk-ins.

Elsewhere in the city, malls are becoming losing propositions, and it is possible that some of them will have to be converted to residences or hospitals.

Capitalism very often leads us to have too much of a good thing.

The grandchildren cooked themselves an early breakfast and then went back to sleep.

Bought six fresh eggs.

Lunch at home alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

Ninety percent of the 5,000 Friends in my List are from Central Asia, the United States, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore. As such, no Filipinos come up in my Newsfeed. I do not visit other people's Walls, no more than I admit spontaneous and unexpected visitors to our house.

If there is anything urgent you wish to tell me, you need to send me a Messenger message.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun hangs a mirror framed with gold in his townhouse foyer.

Good night, Cubao!

Drift off to sleep while you think of the sea rippling under starlight.

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 Anne Beddington.

Aubrey took an early dinner.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz.

When the sun is out, birds ride on the wind. When it rains, they take shelter. When darkness falls, they tuck their heads under their wings and rest.

So must human beings adjust to the situations they are in, and continue to live. Without griping, without complaining.

Hired Jerome to grind more coffee beans to fill our glass coffee canister.

In bed with Anne Beddingfield on a lazy afternoon.

One of my spirit guides informs me that many of my friends are already going ga-ga over their quarantine situation. Amazing how allegedly intelligent people turn psychologically primitive when face-to-face with boredom, idleness, poverty, and hunger.

As to W., he will resume renovation work next week. The first thing we need to do is spend the entire day setting up his sleeping quarters next to M.'s staff's sleeping quarters.

Lunch at home alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

Above Cubao, the clouds are ripe with rain.

The day fairies replenish their paint supplies with the changing colors of the sky.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Before I retired I used to dread the night, knowing I'd have only a few hours sleep and rise early to get to work the following morning.

Now that I am retired I embrace the night, I relish my dreams, and I love rising at any time I like.

Good night, Cubao!

Always let your magical implements bathe in moonlight.

Aubrey came down to a late dinner.

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 Anne Beddingfield. The scenes are now familiar; I recall watching the DVD version my youngest sister Sylvia sent me from Sydney.

Jazz arrived in the afternoon.

Dinner with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Bought two kilos fresh mango and a box of fresh strawberries, and replenished our soda supply.

Lunch alone in the dining room, then Angelique came down to lunch; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

The sun is a motorbike rider's golden helmet.

Good night, Cubao!

Allow one of your spirit guides to tuck you in bed at night.

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 Anne Beddingfield.

More items for our dollhouse dojo

Lounge set on one of the side balconies

Framed mirror on table on another side balcony faces west to deflect negative energy.

Miniature abalone footlocker, part of a gift pack from a government official, unfortunately I've forgotten who it was.

Cast iron bed on third level

But I need more beds to make this a fighters' dormitory.

Occasional table silhouetted against an atrium railing

Chairs surrounding the atrium railing on another level

Outside the front doors. A wooden Chinese bench, and beside it a cypress tree made of the mineral corundum

Also outside the front doors. A miniature plant made of jade chips and copper wire, inserted in a miniature cluster of crystal quartz

Chinese table and benches. I've actually shown this in a previous Posting.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

The drizzle finally stopped this evening, and we're having a cool night ahead of us.

Don't forget to cleanse your dollhouse and/or your toy village with incense smoke in situ before activating it.

Retrieved The Man in the Brown Suit to start rereading in bed tonight.

I love going through my old books--I discover all sorts of exotic bookmarks I'd left and forgotten that I did in them!

Alkaline water delivery arrived. 

Considering an afternoon nap.

Been advised of a mid-year raise in pension. I'm enjoying this four-month holiday completely, though I know that it has dealt sleepless nights and suffering to others. Wondering what the month of July will be like.

Work on Angelique's air-conditioner is finished, and we have the house all to ourselves again. Will have to schedule a cleaning and declogging of the AC in my room next.

Angelique took a very late lunch in the dining room.

Finished reading The Wind in the Willows last night. Wordy and lush with description more than action, like Lord of the Rings. In those days before the computer age, readers savored language and imagery as much as they did the story. Things start hopping, as a matter of fact, only in the last two chapters. An interesting take, though, on four friends (Water Rat, Mole, Badger, and Toad) and their adventures as narrated, presumably, by the wind, who becomes a fifth protagonist.

Will have to retrieve another Agatha Christie to start rereading tonight.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a brass candy scoop.

Served lunch to the repairmen. All service persons are astonished whenever we serve them lunch in the dining room and treat them as though they were guests.

Now ordered nine, five-gallon jugs of alkaline water for our dispenser.

It's been a cloudy, drizzly day in Cubao.

Took an early lunch; Angelique supervising repair work and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Another busy day; the air-conditioner repairmen are working again.

Good night, Cubao!

Gnome children roast late-night goodies round tiny campfires.

Angelique came down to dinner, and Aubrey came down to a late dinner.

Asked Jerome to bring some food over to M.'s cafe staff. They're watching online movies again.

Night chores.

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

Bedtime snack: an onion sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk.

The dwarves are playing ninepins on the Cubao Catskills again.

Thunder and a rainfall on Cubao.

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

When you lose your job, look for another job.

You cannot step in the same river twice.

Our Ent comes back to our side porch entrance. Roi accidentally swiped this with his backpack a year ago, and it got smashed to pieces. W. restored it during the quarantine period, and here it is, this time secured with nylon twine.

I considered buying a replacement for the damaged item, but it would have cost me more than two hundred dollars including shipping. Rather than throw it away I had it restored because, whenever my youngest granddaughter Chevy sees it, she calls it "Grandpa".

If you ride to add life to your days, don't ride, to add days to your life.

Had lunch in the dining room. Angelique came down to lunch soon after. Aubrey still resting upstairs, but her sleeping cycle seems to have gone back to normal; for the past two mornings she's been fixing herself breakfast.

The sun is a golden hourglass.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours.

Actually woke up 5:30 AM because someone kept ringing the brass bell outside my bedroom window. It was W. He was able to hitch a ride in someone's private car to deliver something that he masterfully repaired for me since February.

Wondering when W. and I will be able to resume our renovation work. When he does so he might have to bunk in the studio, since he lives three cities away. 

Went back to sleep after W. left.

Good night, Cubao!

Fairies weave enchanted blankets to protect you from the cold.

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 animal characters of The Wind in the Willows.