Good morning, Cubao!

Crystal prisms dangle from the silver clouds

Your Messenger message:

"Goodevening Pai.Can i ask you about something? This is not about magic, Santeria or the paranormal things.

"Do you have an idea how much and how difficult will it take for someone if he wants to make/produce a book? A photobook, picture storytelling book or most they called a coffee table book?Thank you"

"*or what most"

My reply:

Hello ________!

Almost everyone has dreamed of publishing his own book without realizing that an entire staff is needed to make the project succeed:

--an editor

--a proofreader

--perhaps an illustrator

--a layout artist

--a book designer

--a marketing manager

The safest option is to write the manuscript and submit it to a publisher. The publisher will even determine whether you have the talent to be a writer or not. Sometimes what the publisher tells you will make you feel you are in heaven. Sometimes it will feel like a slap in the face.

Good night, Cubao!

Watch out for the tiny, lighted windows round the trunks of trees.

One Message For One Of 476 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not splurge in your times of crisis. It will only make your situation worse.

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

Night chores.

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

Staggered dinnertimes; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Vernissage: Saint Sebastian

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

A quiet, serene day.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunbeams streak the sky like golden banners.

Good night, Cubao!

Fairies scent themselves with the old perfume Shalimar.

One Message For One Of 474 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with seven syllables in your name: Your interests and strategies remain fixated in that period of your life when you were still in school. Shake them off and step into the world as an adult with new interests and new startegies.

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

Asked Bertod 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; granddaughters still resting upstairs.

Angelique borrowed my Iwahig Penal Colony T-shirt, because she is playing the accused in their group's next mock trial.

Allan dropped by to pick up all the stuff I set aside for him.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are bottles of pickled cucumber.

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

Good night, Cubao!

In their dormitory at the top of the dragon tree, the cicadas tuck themselves in.

One Message For One Of 473 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Even in dire situations, always be cheerful and hope for the best.

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

Night chores.

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

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Meeting with Jimmy at the Cubao Leaky Cauldron. Coffee and pastries. Gave him the Afghan ring and was surprised that he'd bought me a coffee mug that keeps liquid hot for two hours. He showed me his coin apports, and they were very intriguing.

Also brought a hematite pendulum/pendant for Emily, but, since she didn't show up, gave it to Jimmy instead.

An early lunch at home alone, but not quite ready for vernissage.

Good morning, Cubao!

Rain clouds are basins of fresh-water pearls.

Good night, Cubao!

The lullaby of the stars heals the infirm while they sleep.

One Message For One Of 473 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Do not plod only with a generally good outlook. You need specific objectives. That is the only way you will really get somewhere. 

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

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.

A delivery arrived,

Then went jalan-jalan at the center with Bernard. Yes, in the rain. Bought man stuff, checked out some books, bought a bag of pita bread, a bag of ube pandesal, and a bag of chocolate chip muffins, then had a snack. The rain stopped exactly when we got home.

The granddaughters arrived before we did.

Just because you don't believe something doesn't mean that it isn't true.

Very often the winner in life is he who has the most money in his pocket.

Tony Perez's Art of War: If someone does not like you, all you have to do is not like him in return.

Angelique and Aubrey are off to apply for pre-travel documents.

An early lunch at home alone.

Stay tuned and stay attuned.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a library of translucent books.

Good night, Cubao!

The clouds are glass bowls filled with ripe plums.

One Message For One Of 472 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with six syllables in your name: Cherish the past, but know that your future now hinges on the present.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz arrived.

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.

Dinner at home alone; Jazz drove for the granddaughters to have their nails done and they are all taking their dinner outside.

When a man falls in love with you, consider first whether he will merely become excess baggage in your life.

Tetchie sends me beef jerky and salmon terrine she made herself, for old times' sake. She starred in one of the teleplays I wrote for Lino Brocka Presents years ago.

We should meet up for coffee some time soon.

Never paint on impulse. You will only end up with work as scraggly as automatic writing.

Only when kindness is consistent does it become true kindness, for inconsistent kindness is actually a form of cruelty.

One good way to get rid of clutter is to throw out every small item below PHP 1,5000 and every big item below PHP 5,000.

A flirt is never faithful to anyone.

Took an early lunch today; considering vernissage for Saint Sebastian.

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is an unopened pack of goodies.

Good night, Cubao!

Proper digestion hinges on the intake of good and healthful food.

One Message For One Of 470 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with six syllables in your name: Derive inspiration from those you admire, but neither copy nor plagiarize their works.

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

Night chores.

Angelique and Jazz took a late dinner in the dining room; Aubrey still resting upstairs.

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

Your Messenger message:

"Good afternoon, Sir Tony. I wanted to consult with you regarding my dreams relating to animals.

"This one is the last part of the dream that I had last April: "There was a retreat happening in the body of water (falls that is somehow connected to the ocean). The retreat was about getting back the life force. There was a small circle that looked like a pearl. It symbolizes that there are no more blockages and that one is in the state of flow. Everyone was finishing rather quickly. It is worth to mention that although mine took its time (last one to perform the ritual), it did not mean that I cannot make it. Instead, it will make the impossible possible. 'When have you ever seen a giant turtle and the otter together? Never. But it will happen. It will be powerful', the narrative says. "This next dream narrative is what I dreamed about just last night. "I was in a room with a little child and a grandmother. That room was filled with college students, at first, before I entered in. They were playing some kind of horror board game. I happened to go inside that room while searching for each rooms along the hallways to shop for a nice dress. When I looked through the hallways, there were rooms for hair coloring, for wardrobe, for food, restroom, etc. Then, I came across the room where a delivery guy and a hotel receptionist brought a case of soft drinks in front of that room. The girl receptionist told the guy that the girl who ordered for the soft drinks will have their empty bottles taken by 10:20pm which the delivery guy got upset about as he was to drive again late at night to pick it up. The receptionist suggested that he picks it up earlier instead. The profit wasn’t that much anyway. "I went into that room after the gathering of the college students. I was cautious in laying down because I knew that others have used those linens before. As I was about to wrap myself in blanket in the dark, a guy suddenly barged in the opposite direction (back/exit door). He seemed to have gotten wet from the storm outside. He looked for shelter and randomly opened the exit door that was not locked at that time. He went outside in the rain again when he realized that there were people inside the room. I called him back to enter the room and exit through the main door so that he will be safe from the storm. He did what I said. He looked grateful but didn’t say anything when he left. "I checked out the door where he came from. I was so surprised. A huge old tree fell from the storm along with an elephant and another animal (perhaps, frog?) I can’t remember. I was really disheartened by the sight of it that I can’t even take to see what happened. Ironically, I was munching on the meat of frog out of nowhere. I spat it out. "I, then, found myself hiking on top of a tall mountain. I was alone yet unafraid. There was someone else whom I was with but I wasn’t physically with him during the hike. I just felt his presence. I was scarred somewhere but I felt, free, strong, and independent. "Next dream part that I can remember was I was crossing hanging bridges over a river that was cut from time to time. That made my knees weak as I rest and sat on one of it next to a girl and other people who were crossing the same bridge. A girl was really flirtatious with one guy even if she was married to another. I was disgusted by the innocent act that the married woman played as I rest on the bridge. Then, I suddenly got a very important letter from a well-known higher authority, there were two parts in the letter. I cannot remember what it said but I can remember the feeling of comfort through the letter. It was full of wisdom and seemed to tell me that everything is happening for the highest good. It also tells me that someone is looking for me out there somewhere. When I looked around, Brad Pitt, the hollywood celebrity, gave a letter. It was for someone. He gave it to a messenger through a riddle. But it felt like it was for me. That concluded the dream. "Thank you for reading my dream narrative as I continuously learn to understand and make sense of it. God bless."

My reply:

Hello ______!

1) The dream you had last April was all about pain and the desire to change one's life. A precious pearl comes into being when a grain of sand lodges in a clam's flesh. It causes the clam pain and discomfort, that is why the clam's flesh must layer it with nacre for the irritation to go away. Beauty and preciousness come from pain and discomfort--apparently paradoxical, as paradoxical as an otter lying beside a turtle.

What is the grain of sand that causes you pain in your life? Are you able to see where you are going with this pain?

Sand and pearl, otter and turtle--two apparently unrelated things will spell INSIGHT, for insight is nothing more than seeing a connection between the unconnected.

2) The dream you had last night is in three parts: the first is set in a room, the second on top of a mountain, and the third on a hanging bridge above water.

As I explained to you before, whenever a dream has two or more parts, each part means exactly the same thing--as though your psyche were relaying the message to you in different languages to ensure that you get the message correctly.

2A) In the first part of the dream you search indoor shops to buy a nice dress and come upon items for hair coloring and wardrobe stuff, reflecting the same desire for change that you had in your dream last April. In the April dream there was the ocean, representing overwhelming emotions. In your dream last night the ocean is replaced with another kind of liquid--soft drinks--that are to be consumed at a certain time.

You lie down under a blanket in the room, waiting for--yes, change. What happens next is that your Masculine Self comes in from a rainstorm and then seeks exit BECAUSE IT SEES YOU waiting for change. Your Masculine Self disapproves of it--and you even help him leave the right way. In this dream he represents your resistance, resistance to change, in the way that the clam's flesh resists pain and discomfort. When you look outside an elephant and a frog have fallen along with a tree. Know that in both dreams the animals (otter, turtle, elephant, frog) represent your base instincts. Your psyche is trying to tell you that they need to coexist (as in the April dream) or that they need to die (as in last night's dream). The soft drinks become rain, still representing overwhelming emotion.    

2B) In the second part of the dream you are alone hiking, yet you feel confident and unafraid because your Masculine Self (albeit unseen) is with you and watching over you. At this point, then, ask yourself: What is the gift your Masculine Self gives you? Do you seek to please him? Are you concerned with what he approves and disapproves of?

2C) You are on a hanging bridge, an iffy and precarious situation. The water beneath the bridge that you could potentially fall into still represents overwhelming emotion. You see your Feminine Self--a flirtatious, immoral character because she is a woman attempting to seduce a married man. There are no animals in this dream because your Feminine Self IS the animal. You are disgusted. You DISAPPROVE, hence you IDENTIFY with your MASCULINE SELF, who even sends you a letter of consolation and is even personified by Brad Pitt.

To summarize: You desire and seek change, perhaps in the name of independence and feminine liberation. What does this change entail? Does it entail a forbidden love or a forbidden relationship? Whom do you listen to in this situation: your Masculine Self or your Feminine Self?

Know that change is exciting, but it is not always good and should always be ONLY for the better. 

Watched all 50 episodes of China's The Legend of Bruce Lee (2008). It opens, in black-and-white, with the aftermath of Bruce Lee's death in 1973 and speculations about the cause of his death, then segues in color to the beginning of his life story as a young man about to enter a school cha-cha competition. The entire series is in Mandarin, including the dialogue of the foreign performers. The dubbing is excellent, including the utterances of babies and children. Despite grammatical errors the subtitles are also commendable. They thoroughly convey not only the depths of Bruce Lee's mind but also the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

Most of the cast members are real martial artists and only actors second, but they deliver both martial arts and acting very well. There is no melodrama in this movie, only genuine drama. The longer you watch Danny Chan as Bruce Lee, the more he looks like Bruce Lee, and you end up believing that he IS Bruce Lee. The only discombobulating factor to me was that, aside from the names of Bruce Lee's family members and close circle of friends, all other names have been changed--and casting deliberately avoided selecting performers who looked like the actual persons they were playing. It took me several episodes, for example, to figure out that the character Hoffman in the movie was Chuck Norris.

The movie excludes Bruce Lee's boyhood as a child actor and begins with his high school years as a bullied teen and his struggle to excel as a martial artist. Approximately THREE-FOURTHS of the movie is devoted to this, with very detailed martial arts instructions, exercises, and great fight scenes. If you aren't into either martial arts or into Bruce Lee, you might tend to grow impatient with the progress of the movie. If you stick through it, you will have to agree that this is the definitive Bruce Lee biography to watch. You will fall in love with Bruce Lee--and he isn't even acting in it! The series contains the origins of many of the elements of Bruce Lee's future movies: the jade pendant that later on figures in The Big Boss, the phrase "Sick Man of East Asia" that is later used in Fist of Fury, Bruce Lee's  sense of humor and Seattle's Ruby Chinese Restaurant that becomes the setting of Way of the Dragon, and the origins of "Be Water, My Friend". It is one of the best projects that Shannon Lee, as executive producer, ever undertook. 

There is, however, the intentional effort to romanticize and glamorize Bruce Lee, as there has always been in the biographies of all national heroes, religious leaders, and saints. Many of the facts and details mentioned in Matthew Polly's Bruce Lee: A Life are glossed over, and I suspect that a lot of tweaking was made in the service of premise, conflict, and cinematic art. There are glitches, such as a lot of tea being spilled in close-ups and some costume concessions--in Episode 11 A Ming, Wang Linshao's right-hand man, is wearing a Justin Timberlake (born 1981) T-shirt, and this was set in the 1960s! In Episode 45 there is a chair cushion that moves all by itself and was extremely disturbing to me

While there is an effort to reconstruct Bruce Lee's life as that of a Chinese national hero's, the movie is really about a human being with dreams and frustrations. The production appears laid-back but is actually lavish in its own way, especially in terms of setting and crowd scenes. Written by Qian Linsen and Zhang Jianguang and directed by Lee Moon-ki, it is an epic revolving around an individual created by persons who not only know quality drama but also have a deep knowledge of and passion for martial arts.

Only in the middle of Episode 36 do we see Bruce Lee offered by producer "George" (Stirling Silliphant) to be filmed and be in a movie. In Episode 41, nine episodes away from the end of the series, we see Kato of The Green Hornet , the beginnings of Golden Harvest's The Big Boss, and the aborted Silent Flute. In Episode 43 Silent Flute falls through, The Big Boss begins shooting in Thailand, and Bruce' s wife,  Linda, gives birth to their second child, Shannon. In Episode 45 Fist of Fury begins shooting and Bruce's Uncle Shao passes away. In Episode 45, Way of the Dragon is shot by Golden Harvest's Concord Production, Inc. In Episode 48 are the beginnings of The Game of Death and Enter the Dragon. Episode 49 is about Ip Man's funeral. Episode 50, the last episode, is magnificent. The death scene is beautifully handled.

This movie screens like the reading of a thick, juicy novel. It is a journey through the life of arrogant, impatient, ambitious Bruce Lee, whose efforts pay off in the end. At the very least it was fascinating to me to visually travel through the streets and houses that Bruce Lee actually walked in. Other biographical movies about Bruce Lee pale beside this one, for they all tried too hard to be metaphysical and ended up being pretentious. One such movie even attempted to analyze Bruce Lee's personality in the light of Jungian psychology!

This is a beautifully told story about the greatest warrior of the 20th century.

Staggered lunchtimes; Angelique still resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are stainless steel soup ladles.

Good night, Cubao!

Even the neighbors' pets are invited to the ball inside the dragon tree.

One Message For One of 467 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with five syllables in your name: You were a Filipino in a previous lifetime. I am glad that you have found in this country your home.

Asked Bertod 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.

Dinner at home alone; Angelique is out with friends celebrating a friend's birthday, and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

One-hour, late afternoon nap.

Passing these on to Allan to thank him for the last Spirit Quest he conducted.

Old and battered lantern used for magic (use this as is, do not have it repaired or restored), stack of literary books, voodoo doll, Tibetan llama, measuring scale for stones and herbs (in grams), Egyptian-design tin, horror board game that we set up once but never played, blown glass inkwell.

As usual, the offer is good for only a week.

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

An early lunch at home alone, but I can't commence a new painting yet because both of my easels still bear finished paintings waiting to be varnished.

Considering putting my third, steel, easel to use. It's been decorative for the longest time.

Good morning. Cubao!

Every day begins with three, hopeful expectations.

Good night, Cubao!

The travelers' inn is open even on rainy nights.

One Message For One Of 466 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with four syllables in your name: Never compare what you have with what others have, for they do not have many of the good things that you have.

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.

Aubrey came down to lunch in the dining room.

Doing mental sketches for my next painting, which I plan to do on an atypical support.

An early lunch at home alone, though I'm still resting from painting and my second booster shot.

Good morning, Cubao!

The gnomes lay out a big, breakfast buffet on the roof deck.

Good night, Cubao!

The view from your bedroom window tells a different story every night.

One Message For One Of 462 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Do not be overconfident regarding health concerns. Continue taking safety measures.

Asked Bertod 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 ordered take-out food and is having her dinner upstairs and Aubrey preparing for her night shift.

Creative writing and painting are talents. No academy can ever produce a successful writer and painter if that writer and that painter have only interest but no talent to begin with.

Man's intelligence overtakes him and deludes him to believe that his intelligence is greater than the intelligence of the cosmos.

One-hour, early afternoon nap.

Angelique came down to lunch in the dining room.

A delivery arrived.

The ice cream man buzzed by the compound driveway, and so I had avocado ice cream in a cone.

An early lunch at home alone; Angelique resting upstairs and Aubrey asleep after her night shift,

Slept nine hours last night.

Good morning, Cubao!

Time trickles like laundry on a clothesline.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Your Messenger message:

"Sir Tony I was sitting at my table taking apart some herbs when one of the flashlights I had on my table wobbled and almost fell over but righted itself. I stopped to make sure that I had ko contact with the table as this happened. I checked with a flashlight to see if there was any animal or insect which may have jostled it but there was none.

"I stopped what I was doing when I heard what sounded like a coin or metal hitting the table. Again I check but there's nothing which may have caused the movement. "I'm a bit rattled that this is happening in my home that we built. I find myself sometimes frightened in my own sanctuary."

My reply:

Hello ________!

1. Offhand I would say that playful elementals are trying to get your attention and acknowledgement of their presence. Are there big trees surrounding your house?

2. There is also the possibility that you are capable of psychokinesis--rather, that your subconscious is. The activity you wer engrossed in could have lulled you into the state of alpha, and this ability may have been activated.

3. I would wait for this isolated incident to be repeated. I can go and visit your house, if necessary.

Good night, Cubao!

Have a thin jacket that can protect you from the slightest chill.

One Message For One Of 462 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with two syllables in your name: Watch your diet. Unhealthy food creeps up and will suddenly make you ill.

Asked Bertod 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.

Asked Bertod to cook two dishes for us in the kitchen.

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

Back at home from receiving my second booster shot, with my sisters Remi and Alice. Angelique and Aubrey have to wait until a schedule opens for their age group 

Good morning, Cubao!

The day is a kitchen shelf of assorted condiments.

Good night, Cubao!

A good night's sleep is always a fitting reward for a hard day's work.

One Message For One Of 462 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with seven syllables in your name: Love does not just happen. You have to work to maintain it continuously.

Sent some food over to the compound security guard.

Asked Bertod 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.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Back from jalan-jalan at the center. Toto drove for me. Paid our water bill. Then, since I'd finished the ninth painting for my next exhibit, wallowed in some "me" time. Browsed through a bookstore, bought a bag of flat bread and a bag of all-in bagels for the granddaughters, and had a snack at the Cubao Leaky Cauldron: a mushroom and spinach omelet with cinnamon toast and a bottle of sparkling, Bundaberg guava juice.

Your Messenger message:

"Sir Tony good morning!

"Can you enlighten my mind on being a Christian and a witch at the same time, is it good or bad? "Thank you..!"

My reply:

Whether anything is good or bad depends on what you do with your life, what you do to yourself, and what you do to others, and has nothing to do with the religion you practice. Any religion--for all religions are mere structures that men created to control others in the name of law and order.

Good morning, Cubao!

The cicadas sing in memory of the rain.

An effective spell begins in the earth, in the ground beneath your feet, traveling up your legs, your testicles, your abdomen, and your chest, into your arm, your hand, and into your wand--if you are holding a wand.

The power that passes through must expand and billow, but all of this must be done with a relaxed body and a relaxed mind, for tension constricts the circulation of energy within you.

Good night, Cubao!

The enchanted night crew makes everything ready for the succeeding day.

One Message For One Of 460 Friends, One Every Night Of The Year

You with nine syllables in your name: Rise with the sun and rest with the moon, and live a good life in between.

Asked Bertod 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.

Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz are off to check out a neighborhood gym they are interested in.

Chinese take-out dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Jazz, celebrating Aubrey's graduation from university and incidentally celebrating Fathers Day.

Worked half an hour on fiftieth glaze.

This, ninth, painting for my next exhibit is finished (May 22 - June 19, 2022). Five more paintings to go!