Good night, Cubao!

My love affair with Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot resumed more than an hour ago with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I still do so admire British decor: dishes, shop signs, flowering shrubs, well-tended vines, and topiary. This one is mostly set in a gorgeous Art Deco house with black-and-white animal skins on the floors, lamps, giant tabletop plates, and a desk-top chromium panther.

My favorite time of the evening is immediately after supper, when the pet birds have begun to slumber inside the the small loggia and I have the option of reading passages from a book in the silence of the studio lounge, or write passages with my dragon pen at my writing desk, or watch a DVD in my captain's cabin bedroom, or go up to the roof deck to sit on a park bench and watch the moon, the stars, and the dark, scudding clouds. Whichever the option--I will mention it here--I enjoy smoking cigarettes.

When I was but a little boy my father, then an army colonel, would take my youngest sister and me for a ride on evenings like this and have a chocolate drink at a place called V-Milk, on Quezon Avenue. There is something about little children that fathers hopelessly enjoy, as though they were trying to recapture their own childhood, a bond that suddenly changes when the children are no longer little and become adolescents.

During those evening rides I used to look out the car window and gaze with awe at the black clouds in the sky, moving and roiling like giant drops of ink dropped into water. They terrified me. I had this irrational notion that they would descend and take me. For many years they were the Shadow in my dreams. My father and my sister had no idea that I was mesmerized by those clouds at the time, and that they had such a terrible effect on me.

I no longer dream of giant clouds now. I guess, after the age of 40, one successfully confronts one's Shadow, though I cannot remember exactly how I did this, because every man's psyche is certain to repress that memory.

Finished watching "Emily Lake" and "Stand", the last two episodes of the third season of Warehouse 13. A wonderful ending that brings the TV series up to the level of big-screen film.

But, by the way, whatever happened to the dog?

Living in Cubao is a phenomenological experience that can be confusing to the uninformed. It is living in a metropolis of the anonymous yet living within a small village at the same time.

Angelique and J. are back from doing groceries but were unable to find an item I want.

Finished watching "Insatiable" from Warehouse 13. I felt like I was watching a prototype of Grimm.

Drizzly afternoon in Cubao.

Had a poster backed and framed. It was one of my elder son's, Nelson's. I found it stashed away while organizing things, still encased in its original plastic tube.

It will be delivered to me on Thursday. I'm hanging it in my captain's cabin bedroom, replacing a framed taladro.

Finished watching "Shadows" from Warehouse 13, a sad excuse for a TV script in which most of the characters behave like spoiled brats and think they look cute in the process. Whenever they do that,the story just stops.

Angelique doing groceries with J. soon.

Once I am home alone, will resume my secret Warehouse 13 love affair.

In the Philippines, gay rights will advance only if it graduates from pedestrian street rallies and from classrooms of students led by pretentious intellectuals whose ideas are derived from foreign sources.

Gay rights should be brought to the level of the billionaires and millionaires, the CEOs, the bank presidents, and the holders of corporations that all give hefty donations to religious institutions. Unfortunately these are gays who can afford to be gay without having to say anything.

I have nothing to do with it, but I note that all of my "enemies" are vanquished by fire.

Never say that marriage is all about children, because:

--I know of many married couples who do NOT want children and make it a point not to have children.
--It is a statement most offensive to single parents.
--It is reproductive sex, not marriage, that produces children.
--Married sociopaths should be prevented from having and taking care of children.
--Not everyone is a nun or a priest (or both), and, as matter of fact, they are a mere minority
--Marriage is not an excuse for overpopulation.

The husband who was second choice will soon declare that he has always been gay, and will leave to seek his true happiness.

So why has no one documented how the Christians destroyed all the pagan heritage sites since olden times? Many cathedrals, as a matter of fact, were erected on pagans' ancient, sacred locations.

When we say that we value culture, what do we mean? WHOSE culture?

Good morning, Cubao!

Four cute little children were sweeping the driveway this morning. Perhaps their parents asked them to? I gave them the toys that I set aside long ago from our cereal boxes, and they were delighted.

Good night, Cubao!

Finished watching "The 40th Floor" from Warehouse 13.

There's an artifact I asked my sisters to buy in Sydney, but, as it turns out, it isn't available there and can be obtained only on-line at $180, not including shipping.

Angelique doesn't like peanut butter, and so Aubrey and I--especially I--are currently hooked on the 56-ounce sack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that my sister Sylvia sent us from Australia. Second to Almond Roca, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They have a distinctive aftertaste, as though I just swallowed a pat of rich, creamy, salty, Brun.

Finished watching "Queen for A Day", "3...2...1", and "Don't Hate The Player" from Warehouse 13.

We picked up Aubrey from school, then Angelique went to a bank to pay for something she bought on-line.

Trying to solve our cooking situation without hiring a cook or a maid when Angelique goes to school for the first semester of her junior year. We eat out on Saturdays, we are close to the commercial center and can have free delivery service at any time, and we are also across the street from a neighborhood food junction. Trying out the last for this week--so far so good. The food is excellent, clean, well-prepared and well-presented, and tasty. This way we don't have to go to the market, put ingredients together, cook, and wash cooking equipment. Problem solved.

Always respect people who would rather die than go to an alternative healer.

1) They will be reincarnated anyway, whatever their religion and whether they like it or not.

2) They will have karma to pay, most probably with the same ailments, because they committed a form of suicide.

At the age of 40, it is better to stop writing than to produce the kind of material that publishers and producers demand.

Truly blessed is the writer who, like me, ensured firm arrangements that would finance him well for life, regardless of everything else.

There is something terribly wrong with any religion that has conflicting sects.

It is most possible that martyrs died because they were obnoxious cranks who insisted on having the last word.

It is also possible that no martyr has ever had a Liberal Arts degree.

A compound tenant bought five items from our driveway sales display yesterday morning.

Actually he wanted to buy one of my paintings, but those are beyond his budget. He seems to be a fan of my blogs, one of which features my artworks.

Strange how, when I post something and hope to reach someone halfway round the world, a next-door neighbor gets the message--and vice-versa.

Knitting serves me well whenever I am waiting for my granddaughters to get dressed and ready to go out with me.

Good day, Cubao!

Gardening day.

To cap off the task, I hung a plant above my writing desk in the studio lounge.

Good night, Cubao!

Finished watching "Trials" and "Love Sick" from Warehouse 13.

Finished watching "Reset" from Season 2 of Warehouse 13 (an episode of goodbyes) and "The New Guy" from Season 3 (an episode of hellos).

Did a Shopping Swoop this afternoon, something that one can do only when one is alone, stopping by places strategically and conveniently located along a circular path:

--Paid 50% for a new oil painting that I commissioned an artist friend to do.
--Bought six, colored glass lanterns and two packs of scented tea lights for the front balcony
--Bought four packets of iron hooks.
--Bought four chains for talismans.
--Bought a decorative grass, desktop, plant.
--Ordered 100 sacks of garden soil.

This other news station, on the other hand, retains its ageing broadcasters the way a trustworthy airline retains its ageing stewards and stewardesses. The message is, "No one here is contractual. Everyone is a serious, career journalist on a payroll."

Every photographer needs powers of observation that no camera can ever have.

This news channel has female broadcasters who look like Miss America rejects. Sometimes they are featured together and behave like hens clucking in a poultry, especially when a rooster is planted in their midst.

One of them has such a bad cosmetic surgery job that will deteriorate and look horrible in a few years' time.

It is difficult for me to appreciate their D.C. hooker dresses. All they need are the obligatory, fake fur coats to go on street corners.

Especially when they happen to interview females who are dressed in contrasting, Maid-of-Cotton outfits.

Caught the penultimate episode of this segment of My Kitchen Rules Australia last night, and I hope to accidentally catch the final episode when it shows.

It will happen in the Philippines, because it is the time when the young will assert their values against those of the old, and many of the young have so far only been pretending to please the old.

Good morning, Cubao!

Aubrey went to parish duty--a school requirement--today, and Angelique is visiting Ivy after lunch.

Good night, Cubao!

Benjie had a motorbike accident and can't work for us the entire week.

Finished watching "Buried" from Warehouse 13. Just when I was getting to like Helena.

Will most probably tune in to CNN Absolutely again the whole night, to keep up with world news.

Saw Crime Investigation Asia on Ci. The evening's episode was "Spellbound: Crimes of The Mind". Set in Malaysia, it is about pukau, a form of budul-budul. Pukau is a combination  of hypnosis and mind control in which the perpetrator makes his victims willingly give him their money and their jewelry, withdraw their savings from the bank, and other things.

Note that in Bahasa Philippines, pukaw means "to stimulate, to arouse."

They did it to spite all people who believe otherwise.

Was tuned to CNN Absolutely the whole night. Dozed off as broadcasters reported on the three separate terrorist incidents.

At sunrise I dreamt that I was in my boy's bedroom in the old main house, and that I was in high school once again. Heavy rain was pouring outside. A male American came in through the door and discussed politics with Rene de C., a  DLSU professor. I knelt on the floor in front of my antique, wooden dresser (something I acquired 25 years ago) and attempted to recite my morning oracion, but (due to its left-brain hemisphere requirements) could not get the sequence right.

Finished watching "When and Where" from Warehouse 13. Nice. Again, has metaphysical qualities. But I'm not too sure I like the 1960s Batman time machine.

It is difficult to shop for dust bins. They fall under the following categories:

--Motel room
--Doctor's clinic
--Beauty salon
--Waste segregation units
--Government office
--Janitor's corridor

Whatever happened to those gorgeous dust bins made of faience and toile?

The bad news is that the new Rustan's Gateway is phasing out its Authentic Models collection. Thank God I've had my fill of compasses, magnifying glasses, sundials, quill pens, wooden solitaire boards, paperweights, and globes from the previous years.

Back from lunch out and shopping with the granddaughters. We are upgrading our kitchen stuff. Added a small-size dish drainer to augment our big-size dish drainer, bought new salt and pepper cellars, water bottles for the ref, and scads of baking gadgets.

Bought more magnets for our whiteboard while they are on sale, plus an iPad cover for Aubrey.

Going back alone for the hampers and dust bins tomorrow or within the week. At least we checked them out already, and we already know what we want.

Looking back over the past decade, I see that my material assets have always come from, in the following order, my salary/pension (I sent two sons and am sending two granddaughters to school from this fund), my antiques (I have regular clients), my paintings (sales from them made my house renovation possible), and my tenants.

Writing for publication brought me a mere pittance, perhaps because most of publication profits really go to the publishers. I cannot remember anything that I ever bought or invested in from my writing, and it was most irritating whenever publishers behaved toward me as though they "owned" me. I am now more fulfilled posting my works in cyberspace, where no one censors me and I seem to reach an even wider audience.

Good morning, Cubao!

A day with my granddaughters in the commercial center.

Here is one thing I learned from past jaunts with my children and my grandchildren: When you are shopping with them and for them, focus on their needs, not yours. If there is anything that you want to window-shop for yourself, do it at another time, and alone.

Abstaining from Warehouse 13 tonight.

My dear Y., if same-sex marriage means that all of your property goes to your spouse after you die, please don't.

Good night, Cubao!

Going to the commercial center with the granddaughters tomorrow. Lunch out and a hunt for nice dust bins and hampers.

Dear R.,

I deactivated from facebook ten months ago, leaving thousands of friends behind, and I realized only now that you were among them. I hope that you somehow come upon this message. I hope that you did not feel abandoned. I am still here for you, should you be able to reach me.

There are many things I want to know about you at this time. Are you making progress in obtaining a college degree? Do you have a good job? Do you still have the same girlfriend--are you engaged or married? Do you still practice magic?

It was very difficult for me to continuously reach out to you, especially whenever you were feeling so lost. You were confused and you were burdened by your love-hate relationship with your father. As we all know your father and I share many similarities. I know that this always made you feel uncomfortable. I was always afraid that, at some point, I would merely become an object of transference.

Before I retired, on one of my work-related travels, I buried your ____ in a woody glen near a river. I decided that it might be more auspicious for you if I turned it over to Nature. We can make another one, after all, should we meet again and should we have to.

Please inform me beforehand if you intend to come back to the Philippines. You are always welcome here.You will always be my son and I will always be your second father, but only if you need me that way.

Actually what showed on Killer Kids this afternoon was "Satan's Disciples", two back-to-back episodes featuring teen Satanists.

I have always wondered why anyone wants to become a Satanist (except, perhaps, for the goth costumes and props).

If you pray to God for good health (yours or someone else's), for wealth, for success, and to have a good job, for example, and you do NOT get them, what makes you think that, by turning to Satan, you will?

I learned early on in life that, when you really want something very badly, the only way to get it is to work hard for it YOURSELF.

After I turned 18 my father enrolled me in a summer floating university that brought participants to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. All classroom sessions were held on the ship, of course.

In Hong Kong I met a young man, then 16, named David Mok Chow Shing, who was born in Hong Kong and grew up there, yet dreamed of returning to mainland China someday in order to serve. This was in 1971, when Mao fever raged not only in China but in other parts of Southeast Asia as well, including the Philippines.

David must also be in his sixties now. I wonder where he is, what he has turned out to be, and whether he is happy.

I always accidentally tune in to Ancient Aliens on History and Killer Kids on Ci. Killer Kids is a little perplexing--I wonder if such things happen only to young people in First World countries.

Last night I caught The Bourne Supremacy on DIVA. I sat through it not only because of Matt Damon but also because a segment of it was shot in Tangier, Morocco, where my idols Claudio Bravo and Paul Bowles used to live.

I didn't mind watching this movie again. It has very good atmospheric sound.

Finished watching "Vendetta" from Warehouse 13. Nice. All of the artifacts in the series are well thought-out.

On my cover photo I know everyone but the man on the extreme left. I wonder who he is, though he looks vaguely familiar. Uma's house companion?















.

Feeling sleepy is like feeling hungry--sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.

The reason you cannot sleep at the same time as the previous night is due to one or more of the following:

1) You ate something heavy.
2) You did something to upset your nocturnal routine.
3) You are mentally haunted by an annoying memory.
4) There is something that you want very much that you cannot have.

Suggested solutions:

1) Sip warm water.
2) Clear your mind and keep it that way.
3) Turn the TV on to cartoons, with subliminal sound, and drift off to sleep while the TV is on.
4) Change the smell of your surroundings by spraying a little cologne on your pillow.

Ridiculous as it may sound, I would like to upgrade our dust bins and hampers.

A person embittered by his/her spouse will tend to be bitter toward other persons and develop poor public relations.

If you happen to be a mouse caught on flypaper, urinate. The piss will loosen up the adhesive that entraps your body.

My antique dealer has finally found one of the rare items I've been wanting for the past 20 years. It costs P120,000.

Personal relationships are not as discrete as mathematical formulae.

The Hindu gods and goddesses now travel through the rest of Southeast Asia.

Kali is not venerated in Singapore. I have always believed that she is best revered by individuals, and in private, rather than by entire communities.

Kali is a counterpart of the goddess of the storm, who is my mother.

I buy my reams of cigarettes from a stall that is owned and operated by two lesbians who seem to like me very much.

The last DVD I finished watching last night was "Merge With Caution" from Warehouse 13. Interesting.

Two cups of Earl Grey tea.

Good day, Cubao!

Back from the commercial center.

My sisters Remi and Alice are already on a flight to Sydney, Australia, to attend my niece's, Katrina's, wedding. They arrive Sydney tomorrow morning, I believe.

Good night, Cubao!

I don't know why, but today I took a Warehouse 13 overdose. Finished watching "For The Team". I like the way the writers worked in double-entendres in their scripts.

M. has finally obtained a yellow card from MERALCO, and I am hoping that work on electrical wiring on our front space will commence soon.

Finished watching "Around The Bend" from Warehouse 13. Pete's episode. Nice. Partially about "a walking stick that causes earthquakes."

I used to collect walking sticks, and then subconsciously developed arthritis and gout. That was 25 years ago. After I sold off all of the walking sticks but three, I became arthritis-free and gout-free again.

Finished watching "13.1" from Warehouse 13. Rather corny, with a Star Trek veneer. Ending is quite downbeat too.

Finished watching "Age Before Beauty" from Warehouse 13. Entertaining, but too much like an episode from Charlie's Angels.

Finished watching "Beyond Our Control" from Warehouse 13. From comic-book superhero to macho movies.

I like Pete's witty dialogue. Unlike characters in other TV series, the characters in this one do not talk like one another. They have distinct verbal characteristics and are not mere mouthpieces for a written script.

A retired man owns all of time and its concomitant powers.

One of the worst things religion does to people is to make them live their lives with many regrets.

Dreamt of a Chinese woman named AYLUAN, but I know of no one with such a name in waking life.

As soon as ALL of my books are off the book store shelves and have become collectibles, I will wait one year for royalty reports to peter out and close completely, and then post new and improved editions in cyberspace.

Thursday, Thursday

Whenever Western TV features exotic Asian locales, they cannot resist the temptation to use extremely low-angle shots in shooting buildings, as though their cameras were mounted on old crab dollies.

I find this very strange, unnatural, and almost nightmarish, actually, because that is NOT how we see those buildings when we are walking down the streets.

Good morning, Cubao!

The morning is never complete without the taho vendor sailing in promptly at 9:00 AM, and then at 11:45 AM everyday, as accurately as clockwork. It is from him that we buy taho and tofu cakes, which he makes himself. He is a very hard-working man. He is always cheerful, and knows all of us by name.

These days I love having tofu mixed with our food. I love the way it absorbs different flavors and spices.

The not so happy news is that, while waiting for the man to finish serving me, I suddenly saw in my mind that he will soon fall very ill.

One of the tenants who live on the compound is a 12-year-old boy who always inquires about the stuff in our driveway sales display. I just give him things I no longer like, such as a tiny toy airplane that my granddaughters have no interest in and that is too small for Vinci, who is not yet two. This evening he asked if I had a bookmark for sale that he could use for school, and I gave him one of mine.

Good night, Cubao!

Staying home the whole day tomorrow. Really must resume rearranging the studio lounge, but, yes, I love being in slow-motion mode.

Finished watching "Mild Mannered" from Warehouse 13. Interesting.

I'm glad my sister Sylvia sent me the series from Australia. I could never wait up for TV programs when I was still working in an office--I would get home half-dead, sup, shower, and drop in bed.

Now I feel that it is the world that waits for me.

Back from the commercial center.

I am probably the only person in Cubao who set out to buy a chandelier and came back with a marble, lazy-susan top for a dining table instead. We have always wanted and needed one.

None of the chandeliers appealed to me after I visited them for the third time. I am very finicky about ceiling lights, and would rather install an expensive but bare LED bulb pending my purchase of the right fixture.

The chandeliers I saw were either under-embellished or over-embellished. I also didn't like their shapes--chandelier makers should never attempt to append parts that look like water fountains.

I will buy chandeliers only if they remind me of Madeleine Castaing.

I have more than enough art, antiques, books, chandeliers, jewelry, DVDs, writing paraphernalia, painting equipment and supplies, and knitting stuff to last the rest of my life. Most important, of course, are my family and friends.

I believe I invested well when I was young.  Now the only necessary consumables I need worry about for myself are food and medication.

Good day, Cubao!

Knitted mostly this morning. Still working on Aubrey's top. The needles and thread are so fine that I can only do several rows at a time.

Leaving in a few for the commercial center.

Finished watching "Time Will Tell" from the second season of Warehouse 13. The MacPherson saga, continued. Loved that Escher set.

I'm not sorry I'm watching the episodes out of sequence. It's a test of whether the individual episodes can hold up independently of the others.

Good night, Cubao!

Will check out the chandelier again tomorrow, and I will buy it only if it takes in regular-size screw bulbs, not the small-size ones.

Aubrey is in varsity volleyball training again this year, meaning that she will come home late on certain evenings, but, I want her to follow her heart.

I didn't allow Angelique to join college varsity volleyball, though. It would have entailed her coming home to Cubao from UST at 11:00 PM, and that would certainly drive me insane.

To maximize the use of your candles, ensure that they remain upright, that they are away from breezes that will make the flames burn irregularly, and that they are not moved, causing the melted wax to drip along their sides.

Yes, the drippy candles that you see in Halloween haunted houses and on sorcerers' desks are all lit wrong.

Aubrey now has an iPad for school.

Finished watching "Elements" from Warehouse 13. Liked this one too.

P.'s messenger, D., finally came.

In the meantime, finished watching "Claudia" from Warehouse 13. A wonderful introduction of an additional, regular character. Liked the play on parallelisms.

Finished watching "Magnetism" from Warehouse 13. Not as imaginative as the ones I really liked.

Ten disposable lighters and two packs of joss sticks from my sister Remi.

Fire engines on EDSA.

Still waiting for the two people I'm expecting to arrive today.

The boy who is courting Angelique came to pick her up. He is a DLSU Marketing major, and I finally met him. The two are off to purchase Aubrey's iPad at Saint Paul Pasig.

Suddenly thinking forward in time to when someone will be courting Aubrey as well.

I feel like the old man in the Junior Classics Illustrated comic book "The Japanese Lantern". Before he consented to marry off his daughters Suki and Yuki, he instructed them to search far and wide for paper than contains fire and for paper that contains wind.

They came back with a lantern and a fan.

After you sweep bird seed husks and bird dung off the floor, do not throw them away. Place them in your plant pots or plant boxes. They will function well not only as fertilizer but as moisture retainers.

In your bedroom, the COs should be at your head, the Gs, or Ws, at your right-hand side.

Your Hangout message:

"Good evening sir! I'd like to share about my dream and hoping that you could give me your interpretation on it. In my dream,me, my sister and another person( whom I can't remember the face) were climbing an uphill road. It's so hard to climb because its slope is almost like in 130 degrees angle. In that scene, we've met motorcycles going down the road. My sister was pregnant in my dream but in real life she can no  longer bear a child because of ligation. There's an energy which almost pulls us down and we're almost crawling, dragging our bodies to the top. My sister and the other girl/woman reached the top following the road while I chose another path which is cracked road, gripping my hands to the road as though I'm climbing a wall till I reached the edge.While doing that, my sister and the other one called my attention guiding me and told me to follow what they did,still I chose the cracked road. Thank you for reading sir." 


My reply:

Hello ____________!

My radical interpretation:

In order to protect you from being hurt, your psyche splits yourself into three characters in this dream, but they are one and the same person: you. You might have given yourself to a man and you might be pregnant, which you project to your sister who has had a ligation, as though your psyche must remind you, "This is you because it really can't be your sister." In your dream you choose a separate, "cracked" path--an abortion? You choose this despite the advice of the other two women.

You do not see the face of the third woman because her face is yours. She represents all the familial values that you still truly cherish, but that you deny yourself whenever you are overcome with rebellious attitudes and feelings.


My conservative interpretation:

You are constantly frustrated with the discrimination and injustices you have been experiencing, blaming these on the fact that you are a woman. Life, career, and love are a struggle--an uphill, "130 degree" climb. These experiences have made you desire being different from the rest, so that you would not hesitate to choose a path that no other women take, no matter how "cracked" it is.

Always be cautious. Always be aware of your welfare and your safety, for the present and for the future.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny!

So late in the day I have become a Matt Damon fan, and I wish that I could see more of him.

Saw the premiere telecast of Good Witch on DIVA. Nice. I wish I had a shop like Bell, Book & Candle though I wouldn't call it that.

I could have sworn that Bailee Madison was that adopted little girl in Law & Order years ago, but it looks like I am wrong.

Shouldn't the title of the series really be Hedge Witch?

Good night, Cubao!

People coming to the house tomorrow. I have to stay in.

Finished watching "Resonance" on Warehouse 13. Another nice one.

Never go with a magical system that attracts bums and people with low IQs.

Religion is the most structured and disguised form of human slavery.

I love taking the day slowly. I now question why I couldn't when I was young, and what the rush was all about.

Whenever I take the day slowly, everything I think and do is a prayer of praise to God's Creation.

Passed on acrylic stand. Will check out chandelier tomorrow.

Finished watching the pilot episode of Warehouse 13. Loved it. A hi-tech Friday the 13th, which was one of my favorite series when I was young.

Leena's Bed & Breakfast already makes an appearance here, and, of course, so does the Farnsworth.

When Fox broadcasters agree with what their interviewees are saying, they nod their heads, smile, and let them talk without interruption.

When they do not agree with what their interviewees are saying, they interject, whip out unrelated questions, superimpose their own voices, and try to stop the interviewees from saying what they are saying. One of them even abruptly ended an interview with a renowned psychiatrist by saying, "The truth isn't as simple as that"--completely oblivious of the fact that what the psychiatrist said was highly complex rather than simple, yet, perhaps, above her level of comprehension.

These are clear examples of bias in broadcasting, and, sometimes, of national paranoia.

Always be alert to the possibility that broadcasters are leading you to think what you do not actually think. They have no right to do that.

You love and relate to a person in your fantasies. In reality he never thinks about you.

A clock must be decorative as well as functional.

Every successful person has an excellent sense of timing.

Your e-mail message:

"Good morning po sir! Ako po si _______ mula sa palabas na _____________ ng ______________. Para po kasi sa linggong ito ang topic po namin sa _________  ay isang spirit questor. Gusto po namin magbigay ng isang __________ treat sa isang deserving po na spirit questor.

"Pwede niyo po ba ako matulungan makahanap ng isa? Hihingi po sana ako ng referral mula sa group niyo po kung sino ang pwede? Maraming salamat po! Ito po pala ang contact number ko: _____________."

My reply:

Hello _______!

The Spirit Questors are on an on-call basis. Those whom I retained are very private persons and have no interest in appearing on TV.

We believe that featuring these things actually prevent audiences from developing true spirituality. I suggest that you relegate such topics to your fictional tele-melodramas designed for sheer entertainment.

I used to think that I would frequent Chinatown after my retirement, but now, everything outside Cubao seems terribly and inconveniently too far away from home.

Good morning, Cubao!

For me, a day of many, wonderful options.

Finished watching "MacPherson" from Warehouse 13. Interesting.

Good night, Cubao!

I need an additional stand for our driveway sales display.

That or the chandelier for now.

It is possible to vanquish bully students and teachers with a brass talisman, but it will make them sad failures in life.

The mug shots of the escaped prisoners make me think of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, for possible portraits.

Finished watching "Nevermore" from Warehouse 13. I like. Very imaginative, with an Edgar Allan Poe motif.

I wish I had something like Arthur Bering's Bering & Sons Bookstore, with living quarters on the upper floor.

The only disturbing elements I find are Mrs Frederic's business suits, which always look like they were sewn out of couch upholstery material.

No one will be able to enter or exit the ______ for two days and three nights. The avenue will be riven in several parts, and nobody will be able to traverse it by vehicle or by foot. The undaunted will attempt to leave through the rear, only to be stymied by rising floods that will form a minor tributary. The multilevel habitation of the old men will be ravaged, and many of them therein will be trapped and will despair. Communication by mobile will be impossible. The steel tower will fall.

The building where puppet shows were held will crumble.

The movement will be toward the east, toward the ocean. Most walls in that direction will collapse.

When people begrudge you something, it is because you have so much more than they do.

Back from the commercial center. Bought a really strong working light for the studio lounge.

Saw a chandelier that I really must have.

Bought two kilos of bird seed.

Anyone who works hard for his freedom deserves to have it forever.

Good morning, Cubao!

I need to buy a new lighting fixture for the studio lounge ceiling today.

Finished watching "Breakdown" from Warehouse 13. I like this best so far. There is no substantial "case" being worked on in this episode, but it is the clearest episode of all. I like the warehouse set, which, since I am still rearranging, reminds me of the ground floor of my house, on an infinitely bigger scale.

This episode was a three-dimensional Escher, showing how the warehouse operates and showing some of the warehouse's contents while delineating the regular characters and their relationships to one another.

I wish that our front space would be like the regents' venue, Ted's Restaurant, a cafe in disguise for my meetings with the Spirit Questors.

Because of his haircut, the shooter reminds me of Alfalfa from Our Gang.

It is most relaxing to walk through a supermarket and a hardware store. You see many things that stimulate your imagination and that give you ideas for future projects.

People live in crowded cities in order to lose themselves.

Good night, Cubao!

To watch Warehouse 13 or not watch Warehouse 13, that is the question.

The point of working is retiring as early as possible, especially if your monthly pension is equivalent to your monthly salary. You then get paid the same amount for doing nothing--and suddenly realize that, had you retired earlier, you would have more years enjoying your retirement.

I worked in an office 36 years. I wish that I could live another 36 to make up for time, but, I know that is not a realistic time frame.

Watched "Sorcerer From Hell" with footage from the Indonesian movie Dukun AS on Ci, about Ahmad Suaraji of Medan, North Sumatra. He was a village healer whose target was to kill 70 women and suck their saliva while they were dying in order for him to obtain power.

This isn't the first crime feature set in Indonesia on Ci. I note, once again, the similarities between Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Philippines. Among the words I recognized were apat, lima, takot, lagi, taon, niya, asawa, and dapat.

It is quite disconcerting that, all the way from grade school through college, none of my Pilipino teachers ever mentioned any influences on Tagalog by Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malay. I wish that someone would finally correct that. I know that, during my time, there was such a frenzy over establishing national pride, but our children should not grow up, as I did, thinking that Tagalog was such a unique and incomparable language.

Nothing is impervious to fire and water.

In the last analysis your house, the food you eat everyday, and the bed you sleep in every night count a lot more than the art you seek to produce.

What you enjoy in your privacy is ten thousand times more important than what you create for the public to enjoy.

Rain crosses the city, a loud parade
Come to the windows and watch
Men marching in their silver boots
The band music calls to you

Drizzly evening in Cubao.

Looking forward to a cool night, and to sleeping through mid-morning.

Overcast skies in Cubao. Rolling thunder.

Even with the lights from inside the studio lounge spilllng out onto the small loggia, the birds know that the sun has set and that all other sources of illumination are artificial.

Slept last night with the TV tuned to world news.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Back from the commercial center with the granddaughters. Breakfast and lunch out, shopping, groceries.

Good night, Cubao!

The boy who is courting Angelique wants to meet me.

Aubrey was so thrilled to receive the baking items from Australia!

As though to match the day's leitmotif, watched Cookie Mobster on DIVA while having a muscle-wrenching massage.

My neighbors know my pet birds more than I do. They take their children to the grilles every morning and say, "Birds! Birds!"

This morning I discovered that one of the African lovebirds died during the night, and I quickly disposed of it, wrapping its body reverently in plastic sheeting. Some hours later, while I was seated at my writing desk, I overheard neighbors passing by, sadly informing their companions that one of the African lovebirds had died. One of them said, "It was the blue one." Another corrected her and said, "No, it was the white one."

I smile with amusement whenever I meet someone who owns a souvenir Tibetan singing bowl and a souvenir Tibetan prayer wheel with a fake prayer roll inside and think it so cool.

Remember this if you are a powerful mage, that whenever you sell a magical item to someone, it will always retain a part of your energy.

Angelique and I went to the commercial center this afternoon.

My sister Sylvia sent me the rest of the DVDs in the Hercule Poirot collection from Sydney. I intend to spend the rest of my life watching them over and over again.

Never attempt to prettify your shop by placing attractive items that are not for sale. It conveys to the market that you are keeping the best things for yourself and disposing of everything that you consider to be superfluous junk.

Always make your customers feel that they are buying the best of what you have.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Life is good when you see your enemies suffer--not by your own design but by their own.

A destructive person's primary obligation is to construct.

The older they get, the more people should take a keen interest in their clothes.

Switch to warm, incandescent bulbs in preparation for cold, rainy days and nights.

Good day, Cubao!

Need to go out and buy a few things myself.

Can't wait for M. to have his cafe up and running. We shan't have to cook breakfast, lunch, and supper whenever we don't feel like it. All we have to do is eat in the cafe. And pay for our food, of course.

Good night, Cubao!

Thinking of having a poster framed.

The last candle you should blow out is the altar candle.

A long day. M. and his workperson just left an hour ago. Transom work is done.

Like yesterday, I didn't do any work today. I simply wallowed in the luxury of allowing time to go by.

Will probably resume reorganizing the studio lounge tomorrow.

MERALCO has finally inspected our front area, and we are working on the installation of an independent light meter for the prospective cafe. M. and one of his workpersons are now covering the transoms, per MERALCO's recommendation. M. has shown me a draft of our contract, which looks good.

In all, I screened four applicants over the past four months for our front space:

--An Arab and his Filipina wife who wanted to open "any business" I wanted. I ruled them out because, psychically, I saw that the Arab was planning to abandon his wife as soon as the business was established, after which the wife and her relatives would all move in.

--A middle-aged woman who operates an Internet cafe and a digital printing shop in Market! Market!, who seemed okay except that I wasn't sure that she had good taste.

--Two young women who wanted to put up a beauty salon but didn't have enough capital to launch it.

--And, at last, M., a young entrepreneur from the Visayas who I felt would be very successful with his venture.

My dream was to have a jazz cafe with a bar, music, and dim lighting for an art crowd, which, of course, would not make money. M. wants his market mass-based, offering all-day breakfast, hot and cold drinks, lunchtime and suppertime meals, and free delivery to surrounding offices. His cafe will be open 9:00 AM through 3:00 AM everyday.

However, with M., I know that I am not dealing with an atchay.

Also watched Scents and Sensibility on DIVA. Nice. I love flowers.

Watched "The Haunting of Fairuza Balk" on Ci last night, only because I watched The Craft more than 20 years ago, when both of us were younger.

I have used the photos of a certain deceased celebrity as my Google+ scrapbook photos more than once, and I will finally post here, at the risk of being misunderstood, that that celebrity is a powerful and effective spirit guide--as long as you know how to approach him correctly.

As we face the rainy season, we brace ourselves for cold water in the tank, clothes not drying quickly, and puddles in the driveway. Still, I haven't seen my favorite jackets in a long time, and I would like to do so.

I am going to miss the Philippine summer and will always wistfully remember that the water in the tank would give us pleasantly warm water to shower with, without our having to turn on the heaters.

A hangover is an indication that you did not drink to relax but to put off fulfilling an urgent responsibility.

My spirit guides saved me from disaster again.

I was attracted to a pair of faux Syrian lanterns and was all set to buy them, but something told me to take a closer look--sure enough, the panes were made not of glass but of colored spotlight gels, the casing panels were made of tooled copper sheets flimsily spot-welded together, and everything would fall apart and end up as junk after a few months. Not to mention the plastic beads, which looked like they were salvaged from cheap chandeliers in the trash bin--every bead even had two holes for connectors to go through!

I pity the people who fell for this visually artificial ruse.

Saw the final episode of Amazing Race Australia 2 last night. The team I was rooting for came in second. I rooted for that team simply because one of them looks like Sam, a former student whom I was and still am fond of.

Good day, Cubao!

Back from Makati after a morning appointment. Took the bus for the first time in six months. One must apparently take the bus two hours before an appointment, in order to arrive only a few minutes late! The only saving grace in taking the bus is that I am able to observe different people once again in order to create characters for future stories.

At some point Monchito got on the bus on his way to work on Ayala. We talked of other people. The hermit caught up with the latest on mutual friends.

Finished watching "Regrets" from Warehouse 13. Regained my interest in the series. I like the metaphysical twists. No regrets.

Good night, Cubao!

I thoroughly enjoyed this day.

It is reincarnation that affirms the perfect structure of Creation.

Resurrected an antique reading lamp from storage and located it in the studio lounge.

How do the pretentious pronounce Palau? Poll-lau?

Is it pretentiousness or ineptness in linguistics?

Poverty becomes rampant when many people play pranks on other people. The typical karma package for people who play pranks is comprised of loss of employment, bankruptcy, failure in business, and inferiority.

Playing pranks on other people is an indication of deep-seated arrogance, and the lesson to be learned from it is humility.

Thunder and rain in Cubao.

Finished watching "Duped" from Warehouse 13 and felt duped. Sexiness and seductiveness creep in. An insubstantial script results in a low-budget Ocean's 11 episode.

Do performers actually beg writers to create scenes that will show how sexy and seductive they can be?

Sex and seduction, unfortunately, do not work on TV, because they are too grounding and too heavy, whereas TV audiences seek escape by flight.

Sex and seductiveness on TV also gets extremely boring because of the restrictions and parameters of the medium.

Finished watching "Implosion" from Warehouse 13. Enjoyed it. When adequately researched and executed well, the formula "Western perception vs. Oriental mythology" works.

I have decided on a luxurious choice that I have, which is to do nothing but enjoy existing today.

Atchays always gravitate toward bubble wrap and start popping the bubbles with their atchay fingers, trying to look cute and saying, "I can't resist doing this." They have no clue that, in doing so, they render the bubble wrap useless.

I always tell them to pay for the bubble wrap.

Your e-mail message: "Good. Day sir I am writing this in hopes that you could enlighten me. I have been having these moments when I Do t he thing is that I have been always having these sexual thoughts wherein I dominate or rape interests me. Maybe because I want to have control because in real life I a m like a mirror, a person who is undecided. These thoughts have been affecting my life and that when I think of a relationship most of what o think now is sex and that disturbs me a lot. I am hoping sir na you could advice for I believe that you are full of wisdom in these things. Sir these rape thoughts are normal or not ? And please how could I curb it." My reply: Hello ____________! Those thoughts are normal. Lust and the sexual urge involve power, control, and domination--which you can see not only in the actual physical position of human bodies engaged in the sexual act but in those of animals as well. Even when sexuality is expressed in an art form, such as dance, it depicts attitudes of power, control, and domination. Self-sex is the safest solution that functions as a safety gauge for the average person. Sports and martial arts are also good, albeit indirect, channels. The best solution, however, is the defense mechanism called sublimation. Recall that, in medieval times, philosophers thought that they could turn base materials, such as lead, into gold, which Carl Jung later saw to be an allusion to the refinement of the soul. Other examples of sublimation (using base materials and putting them through a process that elevates them to something higher): culinary arts, sculpture, and, yes, painting. Many Renaissance painters were thrown into prison for picking up boy prostitutes or having young lovers called bardassas--yet, later on in life, they abandoned this practice and produced some of the greatest art the world has known. A lustful person has a great artist within him. That is why I have always believed that all criminals in prison could have been great artists, except that they did not meet the right teacher at the right time.

Home alone again.

Aubrey in school and Angelique at a Marketing Org meeting.

Morning Becomes Electric

Good day, Cubao!

Angelique woke me up early this morning because all of the kitchen outlets suddenly conked out. Annoying because of our meat stock in the freezer and the prospect of not being able to use the microwave, hot water dispenser, and rice cooker.

The electrician, fortunately available at such short notice, was able to trace the problem to the principal outlet, which we promptly replaced. I paid him well for his trouble, Now all is right.

The electrician, who is from OMECO, which my father directed when he was still alive, has an unusual name, Romilon. His son is due for a hernia operation today. I gave the boy a Bart Simpson action figure.

Good night, Cubao.

Resuming rearrangement of the studio lounge tomorrow, but I know it will take me more than a day to finish.

Finished watching "Burnout" from Warehouse 13. Very interesting--creative mythology. Performers performing, not trying to look sexy or cute.

The advantage to living in Cubao is that, when we neither have the time nor the inclination to cook, all we have to do is order food to be delivered to our doorstep.

Converted an iron chandelier to a hanging planter for my sister Alice's front porch.

People will allow you to change your name, your clothes, your citizenship, your gender, your occupation, your neighborhood, your house, your civil status, and your religion.

They won't allow you to change your race because they need at least one thing to discriminate against you with.

Democracy gives one the freedom to be whatever one wants to be.

Trace back every misfortune you've ever had, and it will lead you to an act of injustice that you did to someone.

After an earthquake in Neh-poll, an earthquake in Kohl-ifornia?

We are terrified of foreign cultures not because of their architecture, their art, their clothing, their food, and their language but because of the different way their people relate to one another.

To remember your ancestors, have an altar with their photos or relics. Place a glass of fresh water on it and light a candle for at least an hour every evening.

So how do the pretentious pronounce Bali? Boh-lee?

Eager to go shopping, lazy to get dressed, unwilling to scandalize people by going out in my house shorts.

Screening the grilles on my sister Alice's front porch.

Appalled by the way you insist on pronouncing Neh-poll.

One thing is proven: The pretentious cannot be corrected.

Good morning, Cubao!

We are done relocating the Brother Cadfael planters on the front balcony grilles.

Still organizing the studio lounge--a bigger task than I thought.

Finished watching "The Lost Webisodes: Part 2" from Sanctuary. A lot of sequences were edited out for the final version. Too bad--this one was more Freudian and had more verbal and visual humor, better exposition, and used lighter and more natural facial make-up. The only downside was the irregular fashion sense of Dr. Magnus.

Good night, Cubao!

Benjie resumes work tomorrow.

There is only one basic requirement in order for you to achieve complete happiness and success in life. It is to honor and remain spiritually connected to your ancestors.

The mind is willing but the heart is not.

Please, don't ask me to teach inside a classroom ever again. I don't want to work anymore.

If some people are happily married, I am happily retired.

Besides, the last thing I want to do is die as a classroom teacher.

As with shoes and clothes, one cannot buy school supplies for one's child. They have to be there and choose the school supplies themselves, while you wait at the cashier to pay for everything.

Aubrey just came back from her first day in eleventh grade.

We are buying school supplies for her later this evening.

The good news is that we don't have to buy any books, hardbound or softbound.

The bad news is that every student is required to purchase an iPad from the school. I think I'll pay in cash to avoid being beset by monthly payments.

Finished watching the original, 2007, pilot episode of Sanctuary. More questions are answered in this version and there are passages of crisper dialogue omitted in the final version, but the final version has more interesting sets--especially Dr. Magnus's office--and I am certain that the trial audience gave feedback against the kidnapping of Will (versus his willful visit to the Sanctuary), encouraging a minor to commit murder and be a witness to adult violence, hints of father-daughter incest, a lot of cleavage shots, and an inexplicable gaping wound in the boy's body.

The teleplay writer's main problem was introducing too many issues in one episode, resulting in disjointed sequences.
.

Finished watching "Revelations: Part 2" from Sanctuary. Nice. I must say, the worst parts of the series were the action and the derivative hi-tech sequences. The strongest were the relationships between characters.

Screening of side balcony was completed yesterday. Tomorrow we relocate all of the Brother Cadfael planters on the front balcony grilles.

Good day, Cubao!

Aubrey's first day in eleventh grade.

"The more I see you/
The more I want you/"

Good night, Cubao!

I look forward to an interesting week.

Finished watching "Revelations: Part 1" from Sanctuary. Like most series, this one gets better just as the season comes to an end. The first few episodes are usually awkward, with cast and crew still unfamiliar with one another and groping about as a pencil artist gropes for the exact figure of his model on paper.

Watching the first few episodes of any series, therefore, is like buying tickets to watch the drop-books rehearsal, the technical rehearsal, and the dress rehearsal of a play. Everyone is better off walking into the fourth episode, and, by then, the end of the series is almost visible on the horizon.

Will watch Part 2 tomorrow.

Finished watching "Instinct" from Sanctuary. Another good one. I note that the production was also relatively minimalist, which brings the viewer to focus on the actors, their characters, and their performances more than anything else.

Finished watching "Warriors" from Sanctuary. Quite engaging. Everyone knows, of course, that I like the set in the opening scene.

Brother Moon

It has been more than a year, and I think it is distant enough in time for me to post this anecdote.

One of the last "Writing from The Heart" workshops I conducted for the office was as an outreach program in ____________, well-known to be the most indigent district in Metro Manila. Poverty and drug addiction were rife there. The barangay chairperson was overjoyed to host the workshop and chose the participants himself--wayward youths whom we all hoped would benefit from their awakened creativity. The venue for the workshop was ____________, allegedly a model establishment for educating the poor. It was headed by a Brother ____________, a man in his fifties who had devoted many years of his life to his vocation.

During the workshop there was a to-do behind the library. The female staff were alarmed because a band of addicts had taken off their clothes and were hanging out behind the building, next to the river. One of the staff members approached me and asked if there was anything I could do. Since I was working for the office I replied that the parameters of my duties were restricted to conducting the workshop and being responsible only for the participants of the workshop. I wasn't, after all, representing the Police Department. The following day Brother ____________ promptly added three more participants to the group. I suspected that they were the addicts who were by the riverside the previous day; they certainly seemed spaced out and unable to focus.

At the end of the workshop some of the boys proposed to keep in touch with me electronically, and they remained so until I switched to another social medium. One of them was Z, a public high school student who wanted to come to my house every Saturday not only for more lessons but to learn drawing and painting as well. I said that we could do that if his parents would allow it and if he could be accompanied by an elder relative. Z was the last boy to leave the venue at the end of the workshop. Brother ____________ came and asked me if everything went well. I told him of Z's proposal.

Quite unexpectedly, Brother ____________ quickly transformed into a flamboyant queen, gushing over Z, confessing how much he wanted Z to be with him, and offering him a part-time, Saturday job in a small, resin production factory that he operated out of his home. Z and I were shocked speechless by his sudden change in character. As soon as the office driver arrived I left Z with Brother ____________, wishing them the best of luck.

I wonder, now, whether Brother ____________ is still there, and whether he is a truly happy man. I know that criminals-at-heart are attracted to jobs that have to do with the rehabilitation of criminals, drug-addicts-at-heart are attracted to jobs that have to do with the rehabilitation of drug addicts, prostitutes-at-heart are attracted to jobs that have to do with the rehabilitation of prostitutes, and so on. Unless you're working in an office and simply do what is in your job description, of course.

P.S. in a private message to me a week later, Z later disclosed to me that he never took up Brother ____________ on his offer.

You need to already be self-sufficient and content by yourself before entering a prospective relationship. Otherwise you will make unrealistic and unfair demands on your partner. This is the root of all conflict and separation.

Foregoing a love affair is like foregoing an expensive item that you can afford but decide not to buy. In the end, you not only are happier for passing up on it, but you also remain richer.

The psychology we use is based on a reality of the primitive age--that people needed to belong to a community for survival. Yet, we are quick to forget that technology and time are being designed for the individual to exist alone and independently of others.

It is all right to wear fancy jewelry as long as it is beautiful and becoming.

Turning off people is an art that automatically and effectively eliminates useless players from your life.

When I was 18 I already knew that it is far better to be obsessed with hobbies and material things rather than with persons, because no one is really what you think they are.

I can't cast the protection spell until July.

Good day, Cubao!

We are still screening the front balcony.

Managed to re-strand three antique, Ifugao bead necklaces today.

Tuned to Ci, another of my default, bedtime channels. I hope that one murder after another does not make me ultimately indifferent to death.

Chocolate powder makes a good, strong, indelible wash for sepia backgrounds or for tinting pen-and-ink drawings, but the completed work should be sprayed with fixative and then should be framed behind glass.

Good night, Cubao!

Hoping to finish the screening of the side balcony tomorrow.

Now I've a definite idea of how my writing space in the studio lounge should look like, but it may take some time before I achieve it.

Napped an hour this afternoon once again. I always do so while tuned to world news.

Napping is a luxury I never had when I was still working in an office. I always wake up refreshed from a nap, and it seems to expand a single day into two separate days.

Finished viewing "Requiem" from Sanctuary. Another good one. Like "Kush", its minimalism compelled the actors to go within themselves and deliver gripping performances.

Finished viewing "Edward" from Sanctuary. The best of the lot so far. It was truly spectacular without relying on hi-tech equipment.

Screening of front balcony is done.

We are now screening the side balcony.

Now Kichiro Mayuzumi's toys won't fall onto the driveway or the street.

Never send off your kids to an event or activity without giving them an emergency fund. It will make them feel terribly insecure.

It is having lots of time to spend that makes me feel like a king.

Continue giving your children their allowance even during summer breaks and holidays. It teaches them the value of money, the value of having purchasing power, and the value of saving up for something.

If you give them their allowance only on school days, they will grow up to become employees who will not complain or fight for their rights when their employers cease paying them or cut down on their salaries.

"Laser Wand": Night of Friday, June 12, 2015

Events of The Day:

Assembled two new 3D puzzles for a change of pace. Located them in the upper floor hallway, under bell jars.

Visited my sister Alice in her apartment.

Paid for an on-line bag that Angelique wants to have for the first semester.

Made a list of things that I want to buy for myself. There seems to be no correlation between retirement and shopping. And, to think that my excuse for shopping when I was younger was to have things I could use and enjoy upon retiring.


The Dream:

I am with a woman who is a cross between Pat K. and Kristin K. She has invited me to lunch, and we are seated at a table with a white tablecloth inside a restaurant. For some reason Vic A. and Boyet V. are also seated with us. A window is to my left, and the bright sunlight streams in.

The woman tells me all about her trip to Australia, where she happened to purchase a crystal quartz laser wand. She is not a crystal person but was particularly attracted to the laser wand. She takes it out from her purse and shows it to us. It is an impressive piece, and seems to have clear, rectangular inclusions--I sense that they contain important memory data.

I take the laser wand in my hands and ask the woman if she would mind my reading the information from the laser wand. I close my eyes, go back into the past, and relay what I see. The woman was a man in a previous lifetime. His greatest dream was to be a writer. He wrote his first poem, an attempt which was not a success and was for the most part unappreciated by the people who mattered to him. This devastated him. I also see the loss of a special person, a child.

I open my eyes once again and see that the woman is profusely weeping,  I feel that she still aims to be a writer, and wishes to succeed but does not quite know how. I advise her to place the laser wand under her pillow before sleeping and pay attention to her dreams. Boyet chimes in and talks about his own experiences with crystals.

I think about Brisbane and Adelaide.


My Interpretation:

The dream has allusions to Australia because I am unable to attend my niece Katrina's wedding in Sydney. Two of my sisters, however, will be there. On one level, the "loss of a child" may refer to my sister Sylvia's "losing" her daughter, who is getting married.

On a deeper level, a man or a woman with the initial K. is experiencing a loss and wishes to consult me about it. A crystal quartz laser wand--his/hers or one of mine plays a part in the issue.

Good morning, Cubao!

Benjie has recovered from the flu and is resuming the screening of the front balcony.

My sister Alice recently obtained her visa to Australia. My sisters Remi and Alice are going to Sydney to attend my niece Katrina's wedding. I have only one niece, but am unable to join them because I cannot leave the granddaughters at home: school is opening.

Also, no one will feed and water the birds--don't ask me how many, I've lost count.

But I did promise my sister Sylvia that I would paint an oil portrait of Katrina and James.

Looking back to my days at work, I review the people who thought that they could use me and believed that they did, and the people who thought that they could use me and believed that they did not. I cherish my memories of the latter.

Insubordination was the first sin.

Envy not, no matter how inferior you think you are.

I have always believed that an excessive concern for propriety is a detriment to progress.

Aubrey's recent bakes include beef and ham and cheese empanadas, and cookies with M&Ms and crushed almonds. She also made caramelized and salted popcorn.

Good night, Cubao!

Dreaming of an antique, ivory bangle that someone recently showed me.

Watched "The Five" from Sanctuary. Interesting structure. Four plots equally intertwined.

An application or update that offers itself without giving you the option to decline it should never be accepted.

My secret crush has probably left the Embassy and has been reassigned to another post.

Set up a writing desk in the studio lounge, which is between the small loggia and my captain's cabin bedroom. Now all I have to do is walk a few steps whenever I want to write at night. The lounge has begun to look somewhat like a small office. It is where I can receive guests rather than take them all the way into the living room.

Good morning, Cubao!

We seem to be moving forward on the rental of our front space.

In every movie and TV show, romance--just like a musical number when everyone suddenly stops to sing and dance--prevents the story from moving forward.

Good night, Cubao!

After watching the news, I go to sleep completely convinced that it is the world that is crazy and not I.

Bobohizan in Malay, babaylan in Tagalog/Visayan.

If Asia has Bahasa Malay and Bahasa Indonesia, would it not also have--if Spain did not linger too long in the Philippines--Bahasa Philippines?

We hunted everywhere for a nut chopper--the kind my aunt used when she was baking petit fortunes in San Fernando, Pampanga. It was a glass vessel with a four-blade mechanism that one manually moved up and down to dice the nuts within into hundreds of small pieces.

After I described it to Aubrey, she said, "Why should we have to do that, Grandpa? All we have to do is put the nuts in the blender."

Before I retired I thought that, after I retired, I would organize monthly book club meetings for the poor in our neighborhood, tying up with the library of the nearest university. The objective would be to raise the intellectual level of the community. Our neighborhood already has an art gallery, after all--why not a book club on top of it, and, to be even more ambitious, a theater group?

Unfortunately I now I see this as too much work and as a distraction from my writing, painting, and knitting.

Finished watching "Nubbins" from Sanctuary. Werewolf and muppets. In this episode the creators' repressed sexuality comes to the fore--the same trap that The Librarians fell into.

I have always wondered why the female protagonists bother to wear make-up, jewelry, and seductive clothing when the only company they are with is comprised of their co-workers.

Last night, before drifting off to sleep, I watched Mr. Fiction on TV. DIVA is one of my default, pre-bedtime, stations.

Hung a Philippine flag on our side balcony in preparation for tomorrow, Philippine Independence Day. It goes with the Cubao New Orleans French Quarter motif. In the New Orleans French Quarter, most of the flags are on short, slanted, steel poles, but I feel that that would be a little too much for our house.

The Mysterious Tocino Stall

In 1979 I discovered a stall that sold tocino in Arayat Market. An elderly woman was selling them, among other meat items. I bought half a kilo and took it home--it wasn't prepared commercially, and so, it was some of the best tocino we'd ever had. Years later, when Nelson was in college and Chito in high school, I sent them on different occasions to the same stall, describing it and even sketching a ground plan of the market and the stall's location, but neither of them could find it. In 2002, when Miranda's Cove opened, I remembered the tocino again and asked my daughter-in-law Ivy and her cousin CatCat to check out the stall. Like Nelson and Chito, they could not find it. I decided that, after the passage of time, the stall must have shut down and transferred ownership.

It is 2015. Ivy is in their house in Cavite while recuperating from hospitalization. Angelique and Aubrey prefer to buy our food in groceries, and only I go to market. Last week, finding myself in Arayat Market again, I thought I'd search for the tocino stall, buy I wasn't optimistic about it. It was there, though the wet market had been reconfigured since 1979.

Same elderly woman, same tocino.

I've been buying from the stall ever since.My granddaughters agree that the tocino is excellent. And to think that the woman who processes and sells them isn't even from Pampanga!

Went shopping for items that I saw when I was with my granddaughters the other day. I just had to go back for them.

Norbert stood by my bed at 3:45 AM last night. He was silent and simply gazing at me. I wonder what he wanted to say to me. Perhaps he wanted some financial help extended to his bereaved family. I asked him to go and visit my nephew Bill.

Good morning, Cubao!

Thinking of doing something not usual today.

Good night, Cubao!

It was actually tiring to go shopping today, but necessary. We spent most of the day outside.

The Enchanted Aviary: The Little-Boy Shrike Goes To A Foster Home

And so it was that, one fine morning, the Department of Social Wingfare sent two social wingers to The Eavian to bundle up the little-boy shrike and deliver it to the hermitage. The little-girl shrike watched from a corner of the ward, her tiny heart beating with anxiety, saying prayers of thanksgiving and sending many good wishes toward her baby brother as he was taken from his nest. She wept silently, knowing that, with all the trillions of shrikes in this world, she might never see her brother again. Or, worse, that even should they meet, he would no longer know who she was.

After seeing the little-boy shrike to the enchanted aviary inside the small loggia, the nurse returned to the ward. She suggested that the little-girl shrike be transferred to the hospice, beneath the water tank of the hermitage. For, indeed, the empty nest that the little-boy shrike had left behind was a sad, lonely sight that only crushed the little-girl shrike's heart whenever she passed the corridor and saw it. The little-girl shrike was only too glad to be transferred. She could not bear to see the empty nest and remember the most painful memories of their ruined family: their father's departure, their mother's insanity and abuse, and the physical beatings from their mother that her baby brother endured.

Things were more pleasant at the hospice, at any rate. The orphan birds there were fond of playing bird-board games such as chirp checkers, chirp chess, downy dominoes, Cuckoo Clue-Do, Loonopoly, and the like. The nurse promised the little-girl shrike that the priest and priestess would try to persuade the old hermit to adopt her as well, after a passage of six months. The little-girl shrike smiled and slept in peace with a glimmer of hope, though having known, early on in life, that most promises never become reality.

At the aviary, the hermit placed the little-boy shrike under the care of the attentive Divinatory Birds, who agreed among themselves that it would be such fun to have a baby bird to care for. The sparrows taught the little-boy shrike everything they ever knew about divination, and then introduced the little-boy shrike to the other inhabitants of the small loggia.

The Dreamer Birds held a particular fondness for the little-boy shrike, and requested that he be present during their weekly lunches. The shrike, of course, would not eat striped sunflower seeds and mixed bird seeds, and so the house lizards made sure that they always had a dish of millet for him. The days and the nights passed, and very soon the sparrows took the little-boy shrike on flying lessons round the compound. When he was strong enough to fly alone and on his own, the female Dreamer Bird asked him to be her special courier for her notes to her beloved eye-ring, who lived on an upper unit of the condominium building behind the compound.

When it is clear to you that someone is merely playing a game, call everyone's attention to it immediately.

Your message:

"Good day sir! I've been meaning to message you for a while now (since this happened). 

"I had a dream about 2 weeks ago where in you were in it. The setting seemed like a large upper floor living room of an old house and the weather cool and sunny. 

"I was seated together with a few other people, the number of which I cannot remember, but I do remember one female. It seemed that you were lecturing something to us. 

"The next thing I remember is that you gave me paper which contained an oracion for me to memorize. As I started to do so, you left me inside the room. 

"I found it a little difficult to memorize the oracion since some children (who seemed familiar to me ) kept coming into the room to play. I asked them to leave and kind of escorted them to the door. As I did, you came in and asked if I was ready. I replied 'almost'.

"As I ran throught the oracion again, one of my current co-workers came in to have me sign something. I beckoned him to come back later since I was busy. 

"After a few minutes I told you that I was ready. You told me something to the effect of 'okay, let's get started'. At this time I noticed you were wearing loose shorts and a red shirt. in your right hand was a short stave that had what looked like a claw on the tip. 

"We went to a spacious part of the living room where in you had me stand with my back facing you as you sat. you then held two wands (which looked like bamboo) and ran them on either side of my body (I felt this physically) while also vibrating an oracion (I heard you say the oracion but could not make out the words except for one - ' katapatan').

"As the ritual continued, I felt my body get warm and tingle and I just wallowed in the feeling. After some time, you then whispered into my ear something like 'Gumising ka sa sarili mo'. After this I felt myself slowly awakening. Then I opened my eyes. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I wrote all that I could remember of the dream. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I hope to see you soon, sir. Take care and God bless you and your family! :)"


My reply:

Hi ________!

Your progress in magic is hampered by the "children" in your dream, representing the desires and objectives of Your Other Self, and by your co-workers, who represent the people around you who do not share your interest in magic.

Be on the lookout for a stave that comes close to the one in the dream;that is your special stave and, when it comes to you, it will signal your being ready to move to a higher level of learning.

Now re-read your third to the last and second to the last paragraphs, containing the words "katapatan" and "Gumising ka sa sarili mo" respectively. Your Higher Self is asking you whether you have already reached a point of no return or whether you have time to turn back and pursue being Your Other Self.

Recall that there are two bamboo wands, one for each side of your body: You are being made to choose between being One Self and being Another Self.

Then ask yourself whether it is magic, indeed, that you want, or a person who practices magic. The two are totally different. 

Finished watching "Kush" from Sanctuary. The most interesting episode so far. Minimalist production, set on the fringe of the Himalayas with one Tibetan supporting actor and a mystical medallion albeit not clearly shown.

Finished watching "Folding Man" from Sanctuary.

The Waterloo of the director of the series is BLOCKING that is not based on natural movement and common sense. The Waterloo of the writer of the series is EXPOSITION, because anything unbelievable is ultimately boring, especially if it has to be explained at length.

Watching "Fata Morgana" from Sanctuary. The creators seem undetermined as to whether they wanted a Star Wars, a Planet of The Apes, a Blade, or a Harry Potter. As a result even the cast is derivative: of Sabrina from Charlie's Angels/Julianne Moore/Jodie Foster, a Tina Turner/Jennifer Lopez, a Chewbacca, and, most certainly, a Daniel Radcliffe INCLUDING his glasses.

Most disturbing is that the women go to bed and wake up with foundation, eye shadow, and lipstick on.

Lunch with the granddaughters at the commercial center, followed by shopping for Aubrey: a Bratpack bag, shoes, and new frames for her distance glasses. Now all I have to pay for are her school service, school supplies, and books, pending the opening of school. We also bought a set of knives for the kitchen and a big, Philippine flag to hang on our Cubao New Orleans French Quarter front balcony on Independence Day.

Perplexed about something: We went to EVERY place to buy boxers for Aubrey, but she liked none of them and insisted that she shop for them at some other time alone. I have no idea why. Someone, please explain.

Red flag: Walking behind my granddaughters, I noted that men, especially foreigners, have begun looking at Angelique.

It is not easy to be a protective grandparent.

The persons concerned are not my Followers, but the spirit of this girl appeared to me last night and said, "Please warn my father." He was a former politician--maybe he still is.

I saw a scene of treachery involving people who are close to him.

Strangely, even with this grain-of-sand-on-the-shore post, I know that the message will reach him.

Aubrey's school service driver is making the rounds of students today.

Popularity is not the equivalent of fame, for the former is always purchased, the latter never is.

It is the earth, not the heavens, that tells us when summer is ended and the rains have come.

Insects retreat into their subterranean chambers, bugs into their shelters in trees.

Good morning, Cubao!

Bright and sunny!

Colorful birds are the precious gemstones of Air.

There is something I am very proud of having done consistently all throughout school and throughout employment: I SPOKE MY MIND. If ever I happened to offend my classmates, teachers, co-workers, and supervisors, rest assured that it was very much my intention to have done so, and I do not regret having done it.

Memory is an intrinsic part of magic, because it is memory that gives you the power to banish your true fears.

Night classes, 4:00 AM.

Topic: The Management of Spiritual Pain.

A day of war seems like forever, a day of peace like but a second.

My Followers in war-ravaged countries, my mind and my heart are with you tonight. We may not actually, physically meet in this lifetime, but we have already touched each other electronically through the Internet, and we are no longer the same because of that.

Good night, Cubao!

Napped an hour yesterday afternoon, but was unable to do so today.

Sleep is a lush, enormous, cake, but a nap is a sliver of sweet pie.

To live comfortably without having to slave for it is a human right.

God of the night, lead me
To the center of the roads
I choose to go where no one else will
For only in darkness can we ever meet

Magic is an activity of the mind and the will, both of which should be stronger than the mouth and the body.

We work so that we can rest, not so that we can work some more.

Finished watching "Sanctuary For All" from Sanctuary, which my sister Sylvia also sent me several seasons' worth of from Australia. Too punky for me, but interesting. And, at least, it isn't inane.

Still blessedly drizzly, and so I did light that scented candle on my desk.

Some helpful tips:

--If you don't like a candle being lit more than half an hour, buy a SMALL candle. It is not advisable to buy a big candle, light it for a few, blow out the flame, light it again afterward, and so on. It will result in a WASTE of wax. Somewhere down the middle, the candle will be utterly useless and you will have no other choice but to throw it away.

--A single, lit candle produces A LOT of heat. You'll be sweating like a pig if you light several inside a room, thinking it romantic. Remember that multiple candles are typically lit in fireplaces as a substitute for a wood fire--the fumes are toxic, you see, and you need a chimney to get rid of them. Lighting them on the floor, on plates, on side tables, on coffee tables, credenzas, and against windows is just a cheap art director's idea. Candles are not substitutes for joss sticks or for incense.

--Taper candles and pillar candles melt out of shape in a tropical country. They are also messy; you will end up cleaning not only the candle holder but your tablecloth as well.

--Vigil candles in glass bottles are best.

--The best sources of candles are religious supplies stores, because they are careful to provide only candles and candle bottles they make sure their regular and frequent customers (staff members of churches and such) won't complain about.

--Never leave a lit candle unattended. Blow out a candle flame if you have to leave the room.

--The smallest, functional candle is a birthday candle, which I use for casting spells, especially quick spells.

--Red, sculptured, Chinese candles embellished with gold paint are merely DECORATIVE and should NOT be lit at all. If you do, they will look horrid as they burn down.

--It is wise to buy a single Easter candle and have that on your altar, lighting it several minutes a day or a week the entire year. However, since these do not come in bottles, they should be on a stable stand, away from breezes, and regularly wiped clean and wick-trimmed. It is most pleasing to see the candle slowly and prodigiously being consumed until the next Easter, and you won't have to bother with replenishing your candle supply from time to time.

--We have four antique chandeliers with prism pendants that my younger son de-wired and converted to candle-iers by gluing vigil candle bottles on them. They are very useful during power outages. Don't make the mistake of throwing away old chandeliers--you will discover that they actually traveled from faraway places such as Italy and Spain.