'Tis the season for afternoon coffee and tea on the porch, light pastries, scented candles in bottles, agar coil incense, and warm white lamps.

A cup of tea.

Overcast skies and a soft drizzle on Cubao.

Worked half an hour on twenty-fourth layer.

Tea delivery.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Staggered lunchtimes.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is as white as spilt milk on porcelain tiles.

Watched all 42 episodes of China's The Glamorous Imperial Concubine (2011), based on the novel by Murong Yaner. A fallen princess of Chu swears to reclaim the throne and avenge her father's death. During the course of her journey two princes of Shu, the prince of Han, and two other men fall in love with her.  

The movie has a good point of attack: it opens with a princess about to be executed, quickly pushing the viewer down the zipline of palace intrigues and politics. All of the characters are well-rounded and fascinating; even the servants are three-dimensional. The dialogue is brilliant without verging on the pretentious. There is excellent handling of linear time without too many annoying and repetitious flashbacks. The production design is delicious. The snow effects are convincing; snowflakes are driven in the air and, when they land on human hair and costumes, they begin melting before the viewer's eyes. Tears are real and not a result of eye drops--you see them welling up in the performers' eyes, and they flow only in the middle of long passages of dialogue. There is really more than one concubine in the movie, and the term "glamorous imperial concubine" deliberately refers to at least four women in the story. Kara Wei as Du Feihong was the performer with the finest acting nuances, traversing the whole gamut of emotions with absolute truthfulness. 

The movie also showcases the elaborate preparations and rituals for ancient Chinese weddings, concubine weddings, funerals, and even the lighting of joss sticks for two people to become sworn friends. The cliff hangers are subtle, yet urge the viewer to eagerly anticipate each, succeeding episode. This is one, must-watch, Chinese movie that successfully raises melodrama to the level of heavy drama. 

Love the parallel drinking scenes in Episode 18. Love those red candles shaped like inverted cones.

Warning: It has many death scenes and is ten times more tragic than the most tragic Greek tragedy.

It is on social media that the hours are marked by the Posting of my thoughts.

Dinner at home with Angelique; Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on twenty-third layer.

Worked half an hour on twenty-second layer.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room. Aubrey cooked sardine pasta to add to their lunch food.

Hard rainfall on Cubao. The water poured not in big drops but in bucketsful.

Worked half an hour on twenty-first layer.

 Worked half an hour on twentieth layer.

A very early lunch alone; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

The May 2022 leaves fall off my hardbound planner.

Good morning, Cubao!

A secret conversation is being held behind the bougainvillea bushes.

Good night, Cubao!

A writer must always tidy and clean his desk before retiring to bed at the end of the day.

One Message For One Of 288 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with six syllables in your name: Memorialize the deceased, but remember to walk your own path and live your own life.

Staggered dinnertimes.

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

M. checked out my ninth exhibit painting in progress, because Noel modeled for it.

Night chores.

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on nineteenth layer.

Aubrey went out to hang loose with coworkers on a Sunday evening.

Worked half an hour on eighteenth layer.

Angelique arrived from oath-taking at Regional Trial Court for her law school practicum.

Worked half an hour on seventeenth layer.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

Three more deliveries arrived.

Another Great-Gatsby-summer hot day.

And now my absolutely HOT Turkish neighbor swung by on his motorbike to deliver a handcrafted, Turkish candleholder. Whenever I see him I feel that I am in the presence of Alexander the Great. Whew! Is it summer still? How do I get him to model for a painting?

Monday Surprise

Mike sends me four boxes of unusual joss sticks this morning, plus four statuettes: Saint Barbara (Chango), Saint Lazarus (Babaluaiye), Our Lady of the Rule (Yemaya) and Our Lady of Caridad del Cobre (Oshun).

I think I'll use the "Go Away, Evil" to cleanse my Friends List. Joke!

Staggered lunchtimes; Angelique off to fulfill a law school requirement and Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Facebook slaps your wrist once you Share someone else's Posting that's been proven false.

Why don't they take away the Share function from such Postings, in the first place? Keeping the Share function on a Posting means that anyone is ALLOWED to Share it.

Sadly, I know of artists whose works are so repetitious that, once you've seen one of his paintings, you've actually seen them all.

Blank, newly-arrived canvases are the most exciting things in my life right now. They make me feel like a little boy on Christmas morning.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Learn how to turn the tables on your enemies.

A tortured mind is more unbearable than a tortured body.

Good morning, Cubao!

Drawers contain reminders of an adventurous past.

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Remember that an ending can be a happy one or a sad one. It is up to you to engineer your day toward a happy one. 

Q took a break from work and is vacationing at M.'s cafe.

Brought 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 Netflix movie.

Asked Nino to fry calamares to add to our sashimi dinner.

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

Worked half an hour on sixteenth layer.

Back from jalan-jalan at Farmers Market. Bought three trays tuna and salmon sashimi from my favorite Japanese deli (there are three; one is expensive, the other sells only packaged food). Also bought two boxes kimchi, two bottles Korean mayonnaise, one box pickled radish, and one box pickled cucumber from the Korean grocery.

It was too hot outside--still Great-Gatsby-summer hot.

A lot of mediocre art is the result of the artists' refusal to let go of their old and decadent habits.

Angelique and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on fifteenth layer.

Aubrey came down to fix herself lunch in the kitchen.

Worked half an hour on fourteenth layer,

A delivery arrived for Aubrey.

Changed my bed linen, always a production number.

Staggered lunchtimes; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky fairies hang wind chimes made of sunbeams from the trees.

Good night, Cubao!

Royalty rest their heads on embroidered pillows.

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Always end your day with peace of mind and being in harmony with the universe.

Staggered dinnertimes.

Asked David 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 Netflix movie.

Worked half an hour on thirteenth layer.

Worked half an hour on twelfth layer.

Aubrey fixed herself lunch in the kitchen.

Worked an hour on eleventh layer.

Angelique and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining room.

An early lunch at home alone; grandchildren still resting upstairs.

He who owns less has less to lose.

Happy Birthday to my kuman thong Tanet, Niran, and Ukrit (2017)!

Morning drizzle on Cubao.

Good morning, Cubao!

The earth takes a refreshing, morning shower.

Good night, Cubao!

Night fairies hang colored lanterns round houses in the neighborhood. 

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with nine syllables in your name: The den should always have a table for midnight snacks.

Asked David 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 Netflix movie.

An evening drizzle on Cubao.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Jazz; Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on tenth layer.

Worked half an hour on ninth layer.

An  early lunch at home alone.

Jazz arrived.

Angelique and Jazz came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on eighth layer.

I find it extremely odd that many of my friends who have Fine arts degrees in Painting--one of them even has an MFA--have been producing the most derivative, mediocre works. They should stop painting for the next three years, garner experience from other areas, and come back to painting only after.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is the bottom of a white, silk hammock.

Good night, Cubao!

As the rain washes over your rooftops, visualize it washing away your sadness as well.

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Avoid getting wet in the rain at all costs. Rain combined with atmospheric heat causes illness.

Asked David 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 Netlfix movie.

Loss of physical beauty and loss of physical ability are forms of karma.

The non-conservative old man suffers memories of recklessness in his past.

The conservative old man suffers memories of missed opportunities in his past.

Cone incense burns only for a few minutes, but is very useful in propelling short prayers and short spells, and in dispelling unpleasant odors without a cloying, lingering scent, especially in air-conditioned rooms.

Do not fret too much over external injuries such as rashes, scratches, bruises, and the like. They are easier to control and to heal than internal injuries--and could very well actually prevent you from having them, by the law of compensation.

Cloudburst with lightning and thunder in Cubao.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked half an hour on seventh layer.

Swung by the neighborhood grocery with Bernard.

Worked half an hour on sixth layer.

Worked half an hour on fifth layer.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

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

Aubrey cooking in the kitchen.

Good morning, Cubao!

Gnome children fly dragon kites in the sky.

Good night, Cubao!

The efficient parent regularly checks out the pantry to see what needs to be replenished.

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not rush your work. Do things slowly, surely, thoroughly, and with determination.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to dinner in the dining room.

Asked David 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 Netflix movie.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 PM and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on fourth layer.

Worked half an hour on third layer.

Lunch at home with Angelique; Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

The sky fairies are steam-ironing sheets of clouds.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Good night, Cubao!

The judicious father keeps tabs on all of his accounts.

One Message For One Of 287 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with three syllables in your name: The pocket mirror will serve you well.

Angelique came down to dinner in the dining room.

Asked David 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 Netflix movie.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has online classes through 9:30 M and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Forty winks before the evening news.

Worked half an hour on second layer.

David watered the plants in our roof deck, side balcony, front balcony, and ground-floor gardens.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center with Bernard. Toto drove for us.

Also bought more Chinese sweetmeats, among them candied plums, candied melon, candied pineapple, candied persimmon, dikiam, special cherries, and more candied red cherries.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Angelique and Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

Worked half an hour on first layer.

Your Messenger message:

"Good morning, Sir Tony. I had a recurring dream which I intuitively think has an urgent message to tell me. I wanted to ask help to interpret these two particular dreams.

"The first dream was recorded from April 14. The dream narrative goes like this: "I took a nap at night (in waking life) and found myself dreaming about me, being in a car with a guy and a girl. I didn’t know who they were, at first. The guy was really really scary even if his face wasn't that clear to me. I was fussing about opening the car door but I can’t find the lock. When I finally found it, I immediately opened the door. The car was slowly moving forward so I just decided to jump out of it and went back home where my Mom is. "It was a dark alley. There were kids lurking around with their grandma. I didn’t mind the dark and just pushed through home. I reached home where my mom was calling my father. My dad was telling my mom that he can’t sleep at night alone. My mom was in another house. It was my first time seeing that house. It was too simple. It reminded me of our first house back when I was still 4years old. It did not look the same but it felt familiar and the same. It has two bedrooms- a Masters bedroom connected to the living room and another room. It has a back door and a total of three doors all in all. Our previous househelp was really scared of the guy (the one in the car that turned out to have followed me home as well) I finally figured out that it ws my sister who was holding onto that guy. She was chaining him. The guy looked like a Shadow for me. A weak one I guess. Regardless, the househelp was so scared that she didn’t even let my sister in and just locked all doors. My sister was able to still. She sat in the living room with the chained guy. "The second dream was recorded on May 24: "May 24 "One of the scenarios in the dream include me going past a lot of acquaintances in school. I only recognized one who studied to become a doctor. I walked past them, not looking back. When I finally arrived where there was a tricycle, two drivers asked me where I was going. I was doubtful because I thought the two conspired about something to take me in because they offered me the ride simultaneously. It ends up that only one driver takes me to where I was going when someone suddenly stopped the tricycle and forced their way in despite the rejection from the tricycle driver. I was relieved that I was with someone else in the vehicle. I know for sure now that I am safe except that the ones who tagged along were a policeman (who sat beside me), another male person who was guarding me (who sat in front of me) from another passenger who was handcuffed outside the tricycle while it was moving. It was a prisoner. It looked like a flowing energy that has no corporal body, much like those souls depicted in the Harry Potter deathly hollows movie. It felt like an energy vampire. The police noticed that I was uncomfortable that the soul might anytime suck onto my energy so he asked me if I was okay and was thanking me about not being afraid of them and having them travelled with me. He told me that I saved that soul and that I was a guiding light to it. He told me to face towards him so that he can protect me from it. I told him that if it is okay to switch seats with him. I wanted to sit in the inner seat, the one close to the driver, to further make a safe space between me and the handcuffed soul. The police agreed. He then provided a barrier, which is himself, and protected me while we were in transit. He looked uncomfortable sitting in between us but he told me that he felt comfortable and happy doing it. The other passenger who was previously in front of me moved outside to further pay close attention to the soul who was enjoying the sense of freedom it felt in the outside world after being locked in for so long. "Fast forward, I made it to the ship with my sister. I was buying tickets for four. Then, I bumped into one of the passengers of the tricycle (the other male passenger) He told me that the soul was there as well in the ship. I said that that was great. We were talking about how I had the choice to stop the tricycle and just rode another one but I chose not to. The passenger said that I was kind and polite enough to ride with them even if I was uncomfortable in the beginning. He was very thankful. "That is the end of the dream narrative. Thank you very much for always extending help in rendering your expertise in dream interpretations. I feel very lucky and honored to have known you in this lifetime, sir."

My reply:

Hello ___________!

The motif of your dream series is successful escape from your dark side. The Shadow indeed plays a role in both dreams,. but so does your Animus, or Masculine Self. In the past you have allowed your Shadow and your Animus to merge, which is detrimental to a healthy Ego, perhaps due to a recent aversion to the opposite sex or your exasperation with the imperfections of the opposite sex.

Nonetheless, the last part of your dream shows that you somehow managed to extricate both aspects from each other, and your psyche is telling you that you now have the freedom to board the ship that will traverse your emotions.

A very early lunch at home; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning Cubao!

The cicadas do their choir practice in the trees after a rainy night.

Good night, Cubao!

Be happy even in the darkness of the night.

One Message For One Of 286 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with eight syllables in your name: The mainstream becomes decadent and stereotype, while the offbeat rises.

Angelique came down to dinner.

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

My favorite time of the day has come again: an evening shower, and then snuggling in bed with a Netflix movie.

A light rainfall on Cubao.

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique has classes through 9:30 PM and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Worked half an hour on construction lines.

Angelique and Aubrey arrived from their day out.

Two deliveries arrived.

The water company replaced our water meter with a new one.