Visited my sisters next door.

Almond confections frommy sister Lourdes.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are tall, stainless-steel, barbecue grills.

11:00 PM. An entire office group descended on M.'s cafe to order food and hold a meeting. There were so many of them that there weren't enough chairs. I decided to oust myself and settle for having leftovers in the kitchen.

Caught this week's installment of Asia's Got Talent 3. Looking over the past few installements I note that the group dancers' moves are derivative of last season's DMX Comvalenos' moves, among them:

--using flips as emphases for long passages
--switching genders
--flopping on the floor like rag dolls and keeping still

I am always hoping that derivative acts never win.

Everyday, think of and act on:

--three things you can repair or fix yourself
--three things you can give a thorough cleaning
--three things you can sell or give away
--three pieces of junk you should throw away.

Aubrey and R. arrived from the Science Week fair at university.

Longinus is one of the most interesting Moriones characters. He is the principal figure in the Pinugutan, which is preceded by a chase. During the chase he climbs trees, runs into buildings, and goes through the marketplace. He uses the audience as a shield against the centurions who are out to get him, which is an art in itself and is always part of the spectacle. He normally gets banged about during the ritual chase, that is why his mask always gets damaged.

Visited my sisters next door.

The February leaf falls off my planner.

Always take back a prodigal son, but never take back a prodigal servant.

Intelligence may shine like the firmament of heaven, but we have yet to conquer all that outer space beyond it.

The lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, that is why they have a restricted wardrobe.

It is days when you think that the chips are against you that turn round and become superb days for you.

Tony Perez's Art of War: The sun shines on both you and your enemies, but whether you plant more, celebrate more, work more, achieve more, hold up a parasol, or lie in the shade is really your call.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are repositories of unrecorded dreams.

Always perceive your life as a series of accomplishments and joys, never as a series of regrets and losses.

Dropped by M.'s cafe for a light snack. There were lots of patrons even at this hour and on a Wednesday night, at that. Some people were unwinding from a hard day's work with bottles of beer.

Sat in my favorite corner and was able to write some.

Tomorrow is the last day of February. I can't believe that two months have already gone by since I Posted New Year messages on my Wall.

The month of March looks very promising. I hope that Dana's portrait will be completely dry soon, so that I can set up another canvas and commence work on yet another painting.

Your Messenger message:

"Good evening Sir. I would like to seek an advise. How can I talk to a person who refuse to understand and is power tripping? I know he is into magic or spells too. This person is a supervisor who thinks he knows everything. Our talk this morning was not good, but I remained calm. Tomorrow, I plan to talk to his supervisor and tell how our conversation went today. We are not friends, but we have to talk because of work. Is it a good decision to talk to his supervisor and tell what happened? We work in different offices. Ang galing lang talaga nya Gumawa ng story and to make it appear that he is the victim, innocent. At napakaamo kapag kaharap ang boss. Pero kapag Pinoy na kaharap bastos talaga. Thank you in advance sir."


My reply:

Hello _____________!

No, do not talk to his supervisor--that is an act called bypassing, and it will be taken against you. Instead, go to HR and seek counsel from someone there whom you trust. It should be on record that you went there to present your problem. The HR counselor will know what must be done next.

If you do not have access to the talisman called dilang-pagi, go to this blog and see what kind of arrangement you can set up to protect yourself:

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=tony+perez%27s+magic+for+squares+1&oq=tony+perez%27s+magic+for+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j35i39.4743j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Today was one of those days when the granddaughters came home early from school without my knowledge. Aubrey and R. arrived mid-afternoon from their Science Week fair, then Angelique from college soon after. I was napping all throughout and was surprised to discover, on a weekday evening, that I was not alone.

Ordered dinner for the three and we had exquisite chocolate bonbons from my sister Lourdes after.

I recall at least two instances in which I left home for a while, thinking that I was all alone, then coming home to read Messages such as "Grandpa, where are you?"

These are cases indicating that a single grandparent must stay home as often as is possible.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and R.

Retrieved three TinTin comic books to reread in bed later: The Seven Crystal Balls, Prisoners of the Sun, and The Shooting Star.

Found this lone, coral earring while clearing out stuff in the studio foyer. I'm certain, it belonged to Aubrey when she was but a toddler.

Spent an hour visiting my eldest sister next door, then went home and took a two-hour, afternoon nap.

Afternoon broadcasters are always cackling like the witches of Macbeth. Their open mouths and wrinkled noses are both annoying and disgusting. All they need is a boiling cauldron between them to convince us that they are hexing the news.

Back from lunch out with my sisters and a brother-in-law.

Went window shopping and had a belt repaired before going home.

In the Philippines, when it is election time, there is more ill will than nationalism.

Since the year 2000 these have been the requirements I set for the Spirit Questors:

--Must be a college graduate
--Must speak fluent English because of the voluminous readings I assign
--Must know the I-Ching and The Mah Jong Oracle
--Must attend regular, Thursday meetings
--Must be wearing one of my magical rings
--Must be a mature and responsible individual
--Must be mentally and psychologically healthy

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are white delivery vans.

I don't like MSG and we certainly don't use it at home. But, when I walk into a restaurant that serves food with MSG I don't make a fuss about it. What's a little MSG every now and then, anyway, considering that a lot of Asians have been taking it all their life and have lived to the hundreds? Unless you're already sick and dying of a lot of other things to begin with.

I find that people who raise their eyebrows at and are vociferously against MSG are some of the most pretentious people I've ever known.

Dinner at home with Angelique. Then Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Sent some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Old-style, twentieth-century songs always begin with a melody, lead to a yelling reprise, go back to the melody, then end with even louder yelling.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Three deliveries arrived.

Visited my sisters and brother-in-law next door.

A day of home admin duties.

Gradually changing our coil fluorescent ceiling lamps to LED bulbs in sockets, though our coil fluorescents have lasted as long as ten years each. My reasoning is that it is easier to switch to chandeliers and hanging lamps from LED bulbs in sockets.

Today, when you browse through an on-line shopping store, Click on an item, then exit after deciding you don't want it, you receive an eventual prompt reminding you to buy the item or Chat with the seller.

Now Ben is doing a general cleaning of the kitchen.

Boy arrived and changed the two-way light fixture on the studio foyer ceiling.

Roof work is complete. Ben painted also the roof gutters inside and out, the downspouts, and the extension pipes.

Ben and I cleared out a lot of stuff from the rear passage prior to giving the passage a good scrubbing.

Lunch at home with Ben; granddaughters in school. Was going to invite Jayjay to have lunch with us but he was already taking his lunch at the cafe.

Ben reported for work early this morning.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are trayfuls of white wafers.

11:45 PM. Everyone in bed and all's well.

Frankly, the best and the most effective dance numbers on Asia's Got Talent are those that do NOT use flips, somersaults, and other cheap, acrobatic tricks.

This is the fake account our former houseboy created:

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J. Sent some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Our former houseboy stole many things from me. He was into magic but I refused to teach him anything. Now he has been creating false accounts filled with all sorts of false and negative information.

He cloned my deceased daughter-in-law's account (with a List of Friends my daughter-in-law never knew) and is currently using that pretending to send messages from the dead.

What a pathetic loser.

Lunch at home with Angelique. Aubrey still resting upstairs.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are plastic storage bins for sky fairies' toys.

11:05 PM. Everyone in bed and all's well.

Finally caught the first episode of NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 last night on FOX. Am so glad I'll be following this series again. I even intend to buy the DVD sets of all five seasons. I like the stories, the performers, the performances, and the settings.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J. Angelique bought our food at Taco Bell after a study session at her favorite Starbucks branch.

Still a weekend night, because tomorrow is a holiday.

There is a lot of mediocre art in this world, not because there are mediocre artists but because that is what most people prefer.

Mediocre art makes people feel secure.

February 23, 2019

February 21, 2019

From my facebook Album titled Sunlight In Cubao.

Night classes

4:30 AM

Spent the afternoon visiting my sisters next door, then took a two-hour nap.

Back from  lunch with sisters, brother-in-law, Angelique and J., and Aubrey and R.

Light two YELLOW joss sticks for EACH person you know who recently passed away.

Next, year, two RED joss sticks.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a coil of yellow, sandalwood incense.

Moseyed over to M.'s cafe and had tuna sisig and a Pepsi for the night. Didn't stay long because there were a lot of patrons and I was actually hoping to sit in my favorite corner and enjoy some solitude.

It is loads of fun being psychic, watching political candidates being interviewed on TV, and knowing exactly who is dishing out platefuls of lies.

She was a female director's secretary in the past, but now she is a complete and miserable nobody.

Let your loved ones dream, for the act of dreaming is a joy, a blessing, and a grace in itself.

Every parent and grandparent will always be called upon to make sacrifices for his/her children, even at the expense of his/her pride.

Your body will rest only if your mind also will.

Everyone is beautiful, but not everyone knows how to make his/her unique beauty shine through.

Sent some food over to M.'s cafe staff.

Angelique and J. went out to have dinner.

Then Aubrey arrived from the family dentist's.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

A quiet Saturday night.

Took a one-hour, afternoon nap, then visited my sisters next door again.

Put yourself together. Then help others put themselves together.

Trust direct postings only. If you see an announcement online promising to reveal a great product, a great solution, or a great secret and then makes you go through several steps or several links and several ads before you come upon what you think you want, abandon it completely. It is never worth all the bother.

Look back and see that 2018 was The Year Of The Thief, and that most of the thieves in your life were those whom you trusted.

Find solace in the fact that 2019 is The Year The Thief Is Punished.

Visited my sisters next door.

Aubrey off to the family dentist's.

The sun alone will not destroy your house.

The rain alone will not destroy your house.

But the sun and the rain in steady alternation will.

Some of the many goodies from my sister Lourdes.

I love Elizabeth Taylor perfumes, especially _Passion for Men_ and _White Diamonds_, and am quite sad to hear that all of those are being phased out. Presumably since Elizabeth Tayor's demise.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey. They are looking forward to the extended weekend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden basket cart pulled by a white ox.

The head of a family should neither practice favoritism nor take sides. Instead, he should allow every family member to be himself/herself and be the best person that he/she can ever be.

A true artist should never tell a young artist, "It's your turn to shine"--for he himself never stops shining. Rather, a true artist should tell a young artist, "Also shine."

Three-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch with sisters, brother-in-law, and younger son Chito and family.

Angelique off to college and Aubrey off to university.

Home alone.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a necklace of yellow amber.

This year, come August and September, remember what I always say: Do NOT celebrate Christmas before All Souls Day.

The afternoon sun casts shadows like Chantilly lace on my sister Alice's front door.

From my facebook Album titled _Sunlight In Cubao_.

Spent some time with my sisters and my brother-in-law next door.

Lit afternoon joss sticks.

A late lunch alone. Granddaughters in school.

Did second batch of my laundry. Scheduled an electrician to come Sunday afternoon.

Punishment inflicts suffering, but suffering in itself is an intrinsic part both of life and of being. As such there is no one place where suffering does not exist, whether it be beneath the earth or in outer space.

There are men for whom, when they accomplish something big, their bodies make them lose a tooth.

The sun is a fancy menu folder in a cool, tropical restaurant.

Good day, Cubao!

Today I rose 12:30 NN. It just felt so good to sleep on and on.

Now Angelique arrived from college and dinner out.

Dinner at home alone.

Then Aubrey arrived from university and dinner out.

Sometimes, when you are in a group of friends and something unusual occurs such as a heavy cloudburst, the same thing will occur when you are together again. It has to do with the collective, magnetic field generated by your bodies.

Another old photo

February 2012

With Teow Li and Rosalind of Ikkan Art Gallery, Singapore. Photo taken in the lobby of the Carlton.

Sampaguita encouraged me to Google-search images similar to those of the antique box she gave me.

Sure enough, it's a 19th-century Indian damchiya, or bridal dowry box.

My sisters Lourdes and Remi visited. 

Lazy Wednesday. Woke up 10:00 AM and rose 10:30 AM.

Lunch alone. Angelique in college and Aubrey at university.

A good time to do my laundry. I usually can't get to the washing machine when the grandchildren are here.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is an antique armoire filled with golden treasures. 

Night of the Festival of Lanterns.

The brilliant moon taken through the trees in our driveway.