Good night, Cubao!

Discovered four pairs of antique, gold earrings inside an old pill box!

J. was here the entire afternoon and is staying for dinner. Angelique is helping him enroll on-line.

Back home from a session at the dentist's and then shopping with Chito, Chevy, and Vinci.

Met Mark Angeles on our way from Ali Mall--didn't recognize him immediately and almost asked him if he is completely healed, then realized that I meant Karl de Mesa. They exude the same energy.

A quiet afternoon. Angelique went grocery shopping for Aubrey's slumber party while I fed and watered the birds.

The existence of envy is proof that, while we are all born equal, we do not grow up equal. Neither do we die equal.

Bright and sunny in Cubao.

She is dying to be the first female, but that honor may very well belong only to Eve.

Good morning, Cubao!

A day into a long night began at 11:00 AM.

There is another effective way to get rid of negativity, which is to point all ten fingers to a TV screen featuring a live show and to mentally direct all of your negativity into the screen.

When I was still in school and wanted to try original, new, experimental magical spells, I cast them on all of the teachers I did not like.

Taking my son Chito to the dentist tomorrow. Already in his thirties, he feels more comfortable and secure when I go with him.

Good night, Cubao!

Going to bed with ghost programs on Ci again.

Many good things come in pairs.

Whenever you get upset, your hair becomes frizzy and stands up round your head.

A house comes to life with a complete set of different electric lights:

--Fluorescents
--Incandescents
--Colored lights/dancing lights
--Decorative night lights

Pray alone, and speak as though you were having a casual talk with God.

You can have a garden in a dish.

You can have a pond in a bowl.

Buy yourself a soft, down pillow. It will make you sleep better.

There is nothing like the original.

Upon closer inspection they will see that something is wrong with the way it came off.

Thousands of years from now, if the world and Blogger still exist, all of my cyberspace books will be deemed ancient literature.

Your hair sheds so that it can grow anew every time the rainy season comes.

As a general rule people are afraid of psychics.

Good.

I like it that way.

Angelique and Aubrey just came back from the commercial center. I bought Aubrey an X-Box (whatever that is), which is what she finally wanted for her birthday, and three games to go on it, plus a pair of sports-safe contact lenses that she decided to have at the last minute.

I am poorer by P19,000.

Watched Taboo 7 on NatGeo while waiting for my granddaughters to arrive from the commercial center. Superman takes the cake, but, while I must say that plastic surgery really improved his looks, I am certain that it causes him great discomfort and inconvenience.

Cubao rain.

Craving hot chocolate, rice buns, and fresh mango--a snack that is available only in Lazi, Siquijor, because, for some reason, it all tastes just right only when you are there.

This combination is enjoyed after it has rained in the afternoon, and before it begins to shower again.

Claimed my renewed Rustan's Discount Card. They stopped issuing these 25 years ago, and I am one of the few who still have it. All holders are surely senior citizens like me.

Back home from buying bird seed at Arayat Market.

Life went on in the deepest recesses of Cubao. But, in a tricycle, we encountered heavy traffic on EDSA.

R.:

Thank you for sending me your photo. My reading follows:

Your innate sadness is rooted in the fact that, when you were young, you were treated like a cute, even precocious, kid, but, from the age of 13 onward, you suddenly lost that appeal. Know that such a time in the past can never be recaptured, and that you will have to cope in life not with a memory of what you were but with the reality of what you are now and what you can be.

I see from your photo that you were extremely close to females in your childhood--your mother and a sister or more than one sister. You still love them very much, and they provided you with a composite image of what your ideal woman is. I want you to realize that this is why you have compulsive fantasies of rape and violent sex: you subconsciously provide yourself with images of women as mere sex objects and playthings because you wish to believe that there are NO OTHER women in this world who will quite measure up to your mother and sister/s.

It is wonderful that the suggested activity I gave you works for you and gives you fulfillment. Keep on doing it even if you are not the best at it. No one is truly the best at anything, after all, and it is what an activity gives you, rather than what you can give it, that matters most.

I was able to see other things, of course, such as that you are a loyal friend to your peers, that you do not take kindly to betrayals, that you need to manage your anger, and that the dark side of magic fascinates you. However, I do not want this message to read as though I had a Tarot spread in front of me.

I focused on the most urgent thing that you consulted me about.

I wish you well.

Aubrey arrived home 1:30 PM due to early dismissal because of the city-wide earthquake drill.

One of my strong powers is the power to say no.

Since I retired six months ago and went in perpetual seclusion, not to be confused with perpetual reclusion, to do more art, more home improvements, and be 100% available to my family, many friends and acquaintances have been messaging me to ask how I am, if I am well, if I am happy, if I am content, and so on. I am all of that, though I am never really content--an artist never is.

I tell everyone to just read my cyberspace books and electronic diaries and look at my photos. All of them are true.

Other than that, I am delighted that people know nothing about me and create legends about me, for that is the point of it all.

My bedtime fare last night: Born to Kill?: Aileen Wuorner on Ci. That really put me to sleep.

No one can teach you a lesson but yourself. Others who try to do so incur bad karma by interfering with your karma. It is the self, not others, that is the ultimate instrument of judgment, retribution, and justice toward itself.

Good morning, Cubao!

We lit the rest of Aubrey's birthday cake candle at the family altar, to honor our ancestors.

Caught Killer Kids: A Scream & Banana Split on Ci. Both cases are completely revolting to me.

Good night, Cubao!

Today a frenzied search for a breakfast table, tomorrow bird-seed shopping at Arayat Market despite the scheduled earthquake drill. I don't think the market is included in the earthquake drill--or is it?

If I were younger, say, in my 30s, I would plunge right into the thick of the city-wide earthquake drill with my camera and take human interest photos for posting in a cyberspace book.

Alas, Garfield prefers to lie on the couch, after buying bird seed, and relax.

Very dark skies over Cubao.

Searched high and low for a really good kitchen table that Aubrey can knead dough on, so definitely not glass, but everything is made of flimsy aluminum or laminate "wood". Stainless steel is too morgue-like, and clay sculptors' modeling tables too chunky.

Finally bought the very table that Henry's been using as a work table for the past 15 years. It looks like it's been used for 15 years indeed, but it's good and strong.

Everybody feels good wearing good clothes.

I feel sad whenever I come upon an old notebook that someone began writing in and then abandoned.

My bedtime fare last night: Evil Twins: Twisted Sisters, truly stranger than fiction; an episode of MKR Australia on board Jetstar's JQ-7001 serving the contestants' meals; and Born to Kill?: The Clown Killer, featuring serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Despite my eccentric interests, I find that Ancient Aliens is too far-fetched for my comfort. They should hire me as a consultant.

The basic flaw of this program is that it makes tangible discoveries fit dubious speculations instead of the other way around. The program does more harm than good, because it creates an unintended but destructive halo effect on conclusions from other historical findings that have to do with religions, human traditions, and sheer art.

The best attitude I could ever have to this series is seeing it as nothing more than entertainment.

Good morning, Cubao!

I greet my granddaughter Aubrey a Happy 16th Birthday even if she never reads my electronic diary or visits my Google+ page.

Happy Birthday, sweetie! Grandpa loves you! You will always be my baby!

Craving Chinese black vinegar but not finding any in Cubao.

Good night, Cubao!

Aubrey is thinking of celebrating her birthday with her closest friends after all, on a day when they have no varsity volleyball training.

An antique object works for you if you believe that you can spend hours holding it in your hands or sitting down and contemplating it.

On my TV screen CTV shows up only in primary and secondary colors. Rather gaudy, but I enjoy it.

One of these days I am going to spend an entire afternoon walking slowly and leisurely through each and every aisle of a big grocery store.

I do that, after all, in big hardware stores. It is one of my forms of therapy, and it keeps me inspired to improve our home.

Caught Ancient Aliens on History and Beyond Scared Straight on Ci while waiting for Aubrey to arrive from varsity volleyball training.

It is commendable to set aside some money for the future, but it is also good, sometimes, to spend some money on making someone happy in the present.

When music plays in your mind, you hear all of the instruments, and the music plays passages beyond your memory and your knowledge.

It is therefore feasible to compose music with a snatch of melody in your mind, allow it to keep playing, and wait for it to play to completion.

When Customer Service Is Operated By Atchays After All

--When food service does not do FDS during a rainstorm
--When taxis refuse to take you on
--When laborers do not show up because they still have money in their pockets
--When Jollibee Apalit refuses to honor your senior citizen's card the second time you approach the counter, because you ordered something already the first time
--When Papemeleroti uses substandard paper bags that tear easily and seals them with unsafe staple wires
--When Fastcat ferry does not allow you to choose your own seat because you checked in early, and then leaves the best seats for those who come in late
--When Globe has a whole list of telephone numbers and none of them work--and, when one of them does, you are referred to yet another number
--When Globe issues you an upgrade phone and, when you get home, a con artist text-messages you offering to buy the unit and meet you somewhere alone
--When, upon buying a new mobile unit, you keep receiving text messages containing dubious promotional offers
--When SM has many cashier counters but most of them are closed and you are forced to walk all the way to the counter farthest from you
--When other Makati Med doctors try to pirate you from your existing Makati Med doctor
--When PLDT withdraws your daughter-in-law's wi-fi upgrade because she recently passed away, despite the fact that the application is to the same number and the same address, and despite the fact that it is you who are paying the bills
--When you take your Acer laptop to the Acer Service Center in MegaMall because its audio volume does not increase and, when the technician is unable to fix it, the manager comes out and interrogates you to make you feel that you stole the unit
--When Whirlpool keeps stalling and ultimately does not send you a repair person within the warranty period because the ref door came off and they know that will take a lot of work to get it fixed.
--When your computer service consistently offers you updates with the hidden agenda of gaining access to your data, history, files, and location
--When institutions open jobs that are merely contractual
--When disgruntled politicians wreak havoc by causing blackouts, water interruptions, road hazards, non-collection of garbage, an increase of mendicants, and a proliferation of crimes
--When stations and stores shut off their escalators to save money
--When public vehicles have "How's My Driving?" written on their backs and the number either doesn't work or is a wrong number
--When you check out the chapel of the "psychic" who claims that a spaceship is on top of Mount Arayat and he asks to read your palm to impress you--and he then sees the scar you obtained from a chisel wound during a sculpture project, goes into a "trance", and "sees", not knowing that you are actually a hedonist and a narcissist with an extraordinary lust for life, that you tried to "commit suicide" in the past
--When a school director hosts lunch for the entire staff and then keeps everyone waiting through 2:00 PM because she has to attend to an urgent matter first
--When local government officials come deliberately very late for appointments, pretending to have busy and hectic schedules
--When your dentist comes in late and, upon arrival, takes his sweet time "resting", washing up, flirting with his assistant who offers him green mango with shrimp paste and he partakes of it before seating you in the chair
--When a supposedly door-to-door parcel ends up in the post office, where the employees order you to open the package in front of them and then levy a tax for its contents
--When garbage collectors knock on your door and ask you for money
--When the sick and the hurt are not admitted into hospitals without giving a down payment first
--When classroom teachers insist on having the last word
--When parish priests are friendly only to donors

What the fact are you doing about it?

Tony Perez's Art of War: Engineer your life in such a way that you are set for life as early as possible. That way you can afford to relax while your enemies continue struggling for survival.

What is the point of "Edit History" on social media if it is nothing but pentimenti showing through oil paintings?

It is hard to be proud of a religion that frequently puts you down.

However, all you need is the intelligence to give it the same.

Did not clean and reorganize the studio, and instead cleaned and reorganized my electronic files.

Deleted all the photos I decided not to use to illustrate my cyberspace novels.

Darkness falls on Cubao.

U. arrived with two antique, Chinese jars: an embossed, Qin Dynasty dragon and phoenix (called a "Toh King" in the Philippines and characterized by the small handles round the jar); and another Qin Dynasty jar with lid that looks quite like the jar in TinTin and The Blue Lotus (quite tempting, considering that the fiberglass TinTin jar is no longer for sale despite the fact that it isn't exactly coveted in this country).

I opted for the albeit-more-expensive dragon and phoenix. U. showed me more photos and there is at least one other jar that will look fantastic in our house.

There is also an absolutely luscious jar with embossed lizards but I passed on that.

Despite the blue and white, these are fire dragons. The phoenix, of course, is also of the element fire.

Angelique is back home from enrolling at university. J. escorted her.

We will probably just have food delivered for supper.

I pay for everything in cash because, like my father, I want to pass away without leaving any debts in my wake.

For every parent, every child is a point of no return.

Every person is an ongoing educational experience unto death and after. You discover many things you never knew about a person while he is still alive, and you discover as many things you never knew about him after he has passed away.

If you look at the globe and observe the continents of Africa, Asia, and Australia in Gestalt perception, you will see the giant head or skull of a creature with the Philippines either as its tongue or what it is about to munch on!

The configuration also shows what a wonderful location the Philippines is in, and why many people choose to retire her: from Manila you can conveniently visit any other country in Asia.

Another antique dealer called. Two antique, Chinese porcelain vases--those that I REALLY like--are available. OMG decisions, decisions.

I have realized that, at my age, I don't have to impress others. It is others who need to impress me all the time.

The shadows are preparing to take advantage of the chaos to steal what they can from others.

The more house clothes you have, the less often you will need to do laundry. It should follow, however, that you have good storage space for these clothes and a good memory for everything that you have.

The more house clothes you have, especially of different kinds and colors, the less likely you will be bored with what you wear and how you look.

The more house clothes you have, the more you will be able to out on what suits your mood at a particular time.

Angelique is enrolling for her first semester as a junior at university today, and I am poorer by P46,000.

Good day, Cubao!

Slept eleven hours last night, and I feel very well rested.

Angelique needed a Band-Aid strip this evening. Thank God I still have a lot of TinTin Band-Aid strips. I bought all four tins after all, and gave the lavender one to Chevy.

I gave Angelique three "I Love Snowy" strips. Snowy sort of reminds me of Kichiro Mayuzumi anyway. He insists on sleeping inside Angelique's room, and nowhere else, at night.

Good night, Cubao!

Thinking of doing the studio tomorrow.

Had a deep-tissue massage while watching the SONA on TV.

Challenges Of Being A Single Grandparent

I don't know how Ivy managed to keep her daughters happy. I am learning as I go, and there are many challenges along the way. Angelique has the foresight to buy what she needs for school; Aubrey, like her father, suddenly remembers in the middle of the night, when all of the stores are closed, that she needs to buy things to bring to school the following day. Angelique likes vinegar, Aubrey does not. Angelique likes most fruits; Aubrey does not eat fruits with small seeds. Angelique, like me, is a shopper; Aubrey saves money in the thousands and puts it in her bank account. And so on.

When you have children and grandchildren, your life is on hold, but I'm not complaining. I still believe that I have time for myself and have time to be as creative as I want to be.

My art, however, is nothing compared to the love of all of my five grandchildren.

Shocking as it sounds to others, I think I need ten more lamps for our ground floor: two for the house office, formerly the studio office (not to be confused with my writing area), two for the living room, four for the dining room, and two for the library/lounge.

I haven't thought about the upper floor yet.

Paid the monthly fee for Aubrey's school service shuttle, and I am poorer by P3,300.

Noon rain with lightning and thunder in Cubao.

Waiting for E.

And, at 3:00 PM, for B.

Whenever I ask my smith to set a gemstone or a talisman in brass (a Solomonic metal) or copper (a magical conductor), he always misunderstands me.

The item is delivered to me set in gold or in silver.

I wonder if he does that to impress me, to please me, or to make more money.

Absolutely vodka.

Why You Often Forget That You Are In A Third-World Country

--Everyone has gadgets and regularly updates them.
--Food delivery to your house is only a phone call away.
--Malls are attractive and seemingly thriving.
--There are all kinds of restaurants to suit your fancy.
--There are art galleries, and art is alive.
--There are commercial theaters, although serious theater is always on the fringe.
--Carpenters, masons, and iron workers can produce exactly what you like.
--You can buy designer clothes, bags, and shoes because they are readily available.
--Almost everyone speaks English and pronounces words correctly. Even tricycle drivers will correct you if necessary.
--Almost everyone has a sense of fashion.

And yet, did you ever stop to think that all of it is a veneer, or an illusion? You create only what you think makes you look good--but what about the REAL mise-en-scene, what about the majority of adults and children who are hungry, homeless, unemployed, out of school, addicted to substance, and trampled on unjustly? Why do you not see them? Why do you run away from them? Why do you perceive them as low-life, as criminals, as maids and houseboys?

Whenever you run away, where do you think you are going?

Is it not you who is an atchay?

I was still residing in our old main house when my mother passed away in 1991. When that happened, it was as if all the lights at home suddenly went out.

When my daughter-in-law Ivy passed away this month, I forced myself to keep my spirits up for the sake of my granddaughters. I noted, however, that my granddaughters kept the spiritual lights in our home bright and burning.

I believe that I cannot go on living without women around me.

Last night's bedtime fare: Born to Kill?: The British Jeffrey Dahmer on Ci, two episodes of Taboo 8 on NatGeo, American Ninja Warrior on AXN.

Amulet (Agimat) = A power object MADE BY NATURE, such as a stone, a shell, a hardened secretion, part of a tree, bones, or teeth.

Talisman (Anting) = A power object that is MAN-MADE, typically carved of wood or struck in metal and usually inscribed with symbols and letters.

The terms are not interchangeable.

"Anting" is the proper name for talismans. "Anting-anting" is derogatory.

Upon death, it is the corporal body that comes to rest, not the soul or spirit. It is therefore not appropriate to say, "May his soul rest in peace," for the soul or the spirit live on and do not pause, or sleep, or feed, or "rest."

Good morning, Cubao!

Moved my Julie Lluch bust to the writing area. It seems like the height of vanity, I know, I know, but we are rearranging things and it would seem even more vain to place it elsewhere (foyers, living room, dining room). And, no, my small, captain's cabin bedroom cannot accommodate it.

In foreground: Raw ore from a mining company (featured in my book The Departed: Encounters of the Spirit Questors with Spirits of the Deceased).

Round the head is an antique, Maranao handong. Pink is, surprisingly, the color of one of the Maranao tribes, and it is considered by them to be a masculine, warrior's color. 

Round the neck is my GEATAO talisman, said to have been made by the late talisman maker Tomas Nazaire.

GEATAO... (Name of Spirit)

TE APELA... (I beseech you.) [Not, repeat, not, TIAPALA.]

RECANTAR ITE... (To once again sing your praises thus.) [Not, repeat, not, RECANTARITAS.]

Night classes 4:00 AM. Should give you one hour lead time before rising to go to work or school.

Topic: Living spirit guides

Granddaughters arrived 9:30 PM from visiting Ivy's grave with relatives.

Waited up for them. Tonight is their weekly allowance night.

I hope that tonight will not be a repeat of last night.

Last night I slept 2:00 AM, woke up 3:30 AM, rose to eat strawberry-flavored rock candy and Hershey's chocolate bars (I crave such things when I doing heavy psychic activity), went back to sleep 4:30 AM, woke up 9:00 AM, then went back to sleep and woke up 11:00 AM.

I woke up 3:30 AM because a group of young men gave me an astral visit to consult me about something urgent. I hope that I satisfied their curiosity. At the expense of my rest.

Drizzly evening in Cubao, and so I turned the incandescent lamps on again.

It is what children see that defines the world for them. And it is not only what you show that they see, but what you hide.

Inciting anger does not always move people to positive action. Most of the time they direct the anger toward themselves and turn into a black hole.

Anything that is based on a foundation of anger ultimately collapses.

Anything that is based on a foundation of love always stands strong.

Whenever I am with "psychics" and they strongly advise people to "keep the place clean" because "that is what the elementals want," I terribly disagree but I just keep quiet. Keeping a place clean, after all, instills discipline in people. Therefore, it is done for the good of the human beings, not for the good of the elementals.

In the beginning of time, when Nature was true queen, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS TRASH OR GARBAGE. Earth, air, fire, and water took care of clearing things away without brooms, rakes, mops, and dust bins. If you ask me, only people make it necessary for themselves to get rid of their own, unsightly refuse.

As far as I am concerned, what Nature and elementals really love is chaotic, un-manicured, untouched WILDERNESS.

B. text-messaged. I scheduled him to come and visit tomorrow, but he did not text back.

If bells come your way, hang them by your doorway.

Every master brings secrets to his grave.

It is impossible and unethical to force someone to go on a diet. The motivation should come from within the person himself, and the most that you can do is be quietly and patiently supportive..

"With laughing song and merry dance
With joyous shout and ringing cheer! 
Inaugurate this new career!"

--The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan

One cannot drape a masculine kerchief or scarf over a lampshade. It just doesn't work.

Good day, Cubao!

Home alone again--Angelique and Aubrey are with relatives visiting Ivy's grave in Pampanga.

After feeding and watering the birds I moseyed into the upper-floor walk-in closet, where a lot of things are stored and forgotten. Retrieved some items that can be immediately used. Discovered our expensive table linen, including the set that we used to lay out during Christmas and New Year's Eve parties.

Most probably going to bed with Ci again. My favorites are Killer Kids, Evil Twins, Fatal Vows, The First 48, and all of those grisly crime features set in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia (what, no grisly crimes in the Philippines?). I least like Mobsters (remember that I am in Cubao after all, half the world away from New York),  and Celebrity Ghost Stories and Ghostly Encounters (constant replays are annoying ghosts in themselves).

Good night, Cubao!

After supper this evening Angelique and I confessed to ourselves that our kitchen is too crowded to eat in, especially when we have guests for lunch and dinner (such as J.), what with our breakfast things and Aubrey's baking things (more complete than my painting and sculpture tools).

I've decided to hunt for a small table to place in the kitchen to use as a breakfast table, and move the dining table to the old, formal dining area.

Some time ago I thought that the old, formal dining area would be a good space for a guest bedroom, but, anyway...

Evening drizzle.

Aubrey home, Angelique not yet.

Believing that there should be wars between religions is a prime example of superstitious thinking.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Undertake at least one endeavor in which you know that only you and no one else will be successful.

Wishing that your country were something else is like wishing that your wife were someone else.

It is all right to love your country as long as it is a love that does not enslave you.

My John The Baptist triptych needs to hang inside the studio. I then have to buy a mirror to hang above the console table in the studio office. As a matter of fact, I saw such a mirror already.

I bought the ching pai vases because they really are gorgeous and I simply had to have them. However, they are nothing like the vase in Poirot's vestibule. Poirot's always had Easter and calla lilies in them, among other flowers, whereas my ching pais are not meant to hold anything.

L. gave me a tabletop plant for free.

Bought a lamp for the foyer table outside my captain's cabin bedroom.

Craved a banana split--it's the snack of psychics as Pepsi Max is the drink of psychics--but decided to just go home.

Home alone. Aubrey still at varsity volleyball training and Angelique at her marketing org meeting.

Peeked into the cafe space. According to the boys they will do vinyl flooring tomorrow.

It is really never enough merely to have lots of money. It is mandatory to have very good taste.

Gorgeous ching pai vases from E.

I had to relocate the antique, brass, Maranao fruit tray.

I feel a lot cleaner when I--and not a maid--do my own laundry.

The Catch-22 situation is that, if you devote your life to saving up money by depriving yourself of everything else, you do not enjoy life, and that, if you have the money to pay for your hospitalization and your funeral, you spend it enjoying not life but enjoying dying and death.

A volcanic eruption is Nature's act of reproduction, although not from the point of view of human beings.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Be a hard act to follow. It pays off in many ways.

A president is a reflection of his people. It is never the other way around because, when he steps down, he sheds off everything and becomes himself all over again.

How much longer will it take people to realize that the problem is not leadership but atchays in religion, in education, in entertainment, and in media?

Tony Perez's Art of War: Behave in a manner by which your enemies will think of you in a certain way and will spread word about it. Then, change your behavior to prove everyone wrong.

Good morning, Cubao!

A busy Saturday. Aubrey has varsity volleyball training, Angelique has a marketing org meeting, and I'm checking out furniture, garden stuff, and more lamps.

Good night, Cubao!

This morning Angelique cooked fried rice for us. This evening Aubrey cooked fusilli pasta with bacon bits and pesto.

E. called to remind me that he is coming to the house tomorrow. He sounded extremely elated. That always means that he has other interesting things to show me aside from the antique, porcelain vases.

After hanging around our pet birds, I can already tell when a bird is hysterically laughing at me. I am pretty sure that human beings seem extremely stupid to birds.

D.'s boys helped me unload the 30 sacks of garden soil into our concrete planters. I need at least 30 more, but am waiting for it to rain again before deciding how many more sacks to order--the rain compresses the soil and brings the soil level down.

I don't mind buying more soil than we need for the front planters because I still need lots and lots of it for the roof deck garden.

J. came to visit Angelique. Quite thoughtful of him. He'd learned that Angelique has fever.

You know that you love your grandchildren if you melt like butter in their hands.

I think that I was always an unsolvable puzzle to my four sisters, and that I still am.

Very strange, because I am no mystery to my four granddaughters and one grandson. Or so I think.

I want vases wherever they will look good on console, side, and occasional tables because I like fresh flowers, and lots and lots of them. We don't actually have to grow them on the roof deck, since we are but a few meters away from Farmers Market, where we can buy as many as we want, arranged or not, on whichever occasion.

By vases I mean real porcelain or crystal vases.

There is a stall in the Sitio Catacutan Food Court that always sells native delicacies. I buy malagkit, cassava, and biko from them whenever I pass by, which is everyday except Sunday since I discovered that it is cheaper and more convenient to buy food from the Ivatan cafeteria rather than cook our food ourselves. Starchy stuff, I know, but I have them for tea. I am the only one in the house who actually likes them.

E. is coming tomorrow to show me four antique, Chinese porcelain vases: two ching pai, a red-and-blue polychrome, and a blue-and-white. I hope they are good, and worth my time.

I still have the molds taken from the two Egyptian rings that Nonon Padilla bought at the museum shop of the Louvre. I gave him a set in silver and in gold, a second set to my sister Sylvia, and a third set to a female friend. One is the seal of either Akhenaten or Akhenaten's chief architect. The other, which is fancier, cannot be Googled or found in any book so far.

I asked my jeweler to strike me another set in sterling silver from the molds.

This is an otherwise slow-paced, relaxing Friday for me. When I am bored I either organize my things or go out shopping.

The former children's room on the upper floor, which is now a spare bedroom, has a lot of giant, stuffed toys on a table. My granddaughters want them to stay there. Perhaps it isn't what the toys are that matters, but who gave them.

Went through another BIG box of stuff today.

The only disorganized room on the ground floor now is the studio. Too many canvases, for one thing.

Attraction is determined by sexuality, not by love.

Otherwise we would be attracted to everyone.

The mere fact that someone is your "type" and that someone else is not your "type" indicates that your love is not unconditional.

Do not be concerned about the legacy you leave behind.

Be VERY concerned about who takes over the legacy.

The deceased more prominently exist.

My silver anklets have healed my lower extremities. I no longer have gout and night cramps.

Watched Celebrity Ghost Stories on Ci before drifting off to sleep last night. I am totally unconvinced that spirits "haunt" their graves, or the places where they lived, or the places where they died. It contradicts the fact that energy is in constant motion and is never stuck. All energy moves through time and space, in linear and non-linear directions simultaneously.

I believe that such "hauntings" are, at most, mere memory traces, or ethereal impressions. Unfortunately the living will have their good scares from time to time, which are most often products of unenlightened minds.

M.'s boys have begun playing music in the cafe space. It doesn't disturb me a bit. I am reminded of our Miranda's Cove days, when it was like hosting a party every day and every night.

It is so Cubao New Orleans.

Saw gorgeous rocking chairs in a shop yesterday afternoon but decided to pass on them.

I actually never buy rocking chairs because they rock all by themselves in my presence, and it frightens everyone.

On a more practical level, I also find that rocking chairs occupy so much space that it is impossible to place anything around them.

Good day, Cubao!

Slept ten hours last night. Benjie resumes work on Monday, and so I didn't have to unlock the door for him this morning.

If Jesus Himself were to descend from heaven and take over all of Christendom, all the Christian sects would surely resent His return, perceive Him as an impostor, rebel against Him, and crucify Him all over again.

Anyone who unexpectedly returns makes unexpected choices.

After a king dies things are never the same, even if a deserving prince inherits the crown.

It was actually a hot and sunny day. Very much unlike yesterday.

Good night, Cubao!

Angelique has fever--it's her once-a-year-fever (I have that too), and I'm glad this is happening before her classes begin in August.

Draped a Maranao tubao over the shade of the lamp under the stairs.

Two of M.'s boys, J. and A., asked for seven spare sacks to use as trash bags.

Ordered 30 more sacks of garden soil and 17 vertical planters from L., for delivery tomorrow.

Vernah dropped by the house at 2:45 PM. I donated six original sheets from The Spirit Questors Komiks for her office project on publication. Since the project is for children, she chose the "safer" ones.

It was Vernah who encoded Cubao Midnight Express: Mga Pusong Nadiskaril Sa Mahabang Riles Ng Pag-ibig for posting as a cyberspace book. Today I gave her another manuscript for encoding. As soon as she is done, I will post it as yet another cyberspace book.

Angelique is having her hair done for the first semester at her favorite salon, and I am poorer by P2,000.

In the meantime I bought a pair of medium-sized lamps, bulbs, and extension cords for the studio office.

Obsessed with lanterns and lamps. I just can't have enough of them.

All of the social criminals know which social medium to converge in.

So do the atchays.

It is a good idea to use three separate toothbrushes: a morning toothbrush, a noon toothbrush, and an evening toothbrush. You will note that the evening toothbrush wears out first.

Some movie and stage directors are sociopaths. Study their work very closely.

The problem with felt-tip pens is that you are never sure exactly when to dispose of them when they begin to fade.

Good morning, Cubao!

Thinking of buying more planters today.

Good night, Cubao!

We are doing all of the bathrooms and toilets tomorrow, on the ground and upper floors.

After everyone finally finished investing in yoga mats of solid colors, something else is now on the market: printed yoga mats in wonderful, photographic designs! I want all of those with sky shots!

Benjie gave us a big crab from a bunch that his cousin brought over, and cooked it this evening. Aubrey passed on this when she arrived--she and her varsity volleyball team mates had already had a bonding, steak dinner.

Cerefina and Kichiro Mayuzumi are howling. They don't like lightning.

A dark, rainy day in Cubao with the dwarves playing ninepins above the clouds, and I'm wondering what time the school service vehicle will take Aubrey home.

Lightning and thunder over Cubao.

And now, rain.

E. dropped off two antique, brass, Maranao items for my observation: a big fruit tray and a food cauldron that can now be used as a planter, whether on a table or hanging from the ceiling.

They are both gorgeous, but I might pass on them and take his antique, Chinese porcelain vases instead. They'll make my vestibule look more like Poirot's.

Clinched the deal with M. this afternoon for the rental of our front space. Angelique and Jay (M.'s cousin, not to be confused with Angelique's friend J.) were contract-signing witnesses. Now M. has all the keys. Still a lot of work to be done (lighting, signage, flooring, kitchen appliances, furniture) and more papers to be signed (everything is legal), but the cafe should be open before August 1, 2015. M. is calling it "Sa-Wrappd".

I am quite sad that Ivy did not live to see this day, but, I am certain that she is looking on for the sake of the granddaughters.

Treachery is always the bane of all kinds of leadership.

Make an effort to grow your own vegetables and herbs.

Finally got rid of everything in the HUGE toy box containing childhood discards from my sons and granddaughters. It was filled with stuff even after Chevy and Vinci took away what they wanted.

I salvaged an old Midnight Rider doll and an old Ken doll and placed them on my bedroom window sill two nights ago. Strangely, I dreamt about them.

We moved Cerefina from outside the rear kitchen door to below my bedroom window in the service passageway. She seems more content there. As for myself, I sleep more cozily, knowing that she is on the other side of the wall and that all I have to do when I want to see her is open the glass jalousies above my bed.

In restaurants, I have begun pronouncing "fillet" as "FILL-ett", as opposed to the pretentious, Frenchy ""fill-LAY" that they taught us in school.

My bedtime fare last night: MKR Australia. Another Sudden Death round.

Good day, Cubao!

House cleaning and rearrangement plod on.

Good night, Cubao!

So glad to have a long, relaxing night in slow motion!

Aubrey wants a new iPad with high memory for her birthday; Angelique wants a new iPhone for hers.

Watched the "Turning Point" Program on Beyond Scared Straight on Ci. I still say that my "Writing from The Heart" workshop is more effective.

Ground-floor cleaning and rearrangement are done.

Will begin doing the upper floor tomorrow.

A big anklet can be worn as a knee-let. It will rest snugly above your calf.

People who slaved too much to build their houses will refuse to add whimsical fixtures, paintings, fancy lighting, sconces, brackets, and hangings to it--and will be determined to live the rest of their lives staring at their bare walls.

Did You Throw Away Your Old Key Chains?

Don't.

Whenever you re-use them, the good fortune that came to you when you first used them will come back. You will even feel it.

Coming upon a lot of interesting objects that I inherited from my father, including brass bowls from Korea, a carved, camphor box, and an antique, Chinese chrysanthemum vase.

I miss the stuff my father brought home from Japan when I was five years old. I recall a humidor with a wooden stork that dipped into its wooden box to retrieve a cigarette in its beak, and paper pills that blossomed into fantasy flowers when dropped on water. I still have his collection of tinted slide transparencies of Japanese culture.

Last night's bedtime fare: Nowhere to Hide: The Prince of Austria on Ci and MKR Australia: Gardeners' Choice.

Urgent phone call from M., about P.

Good day, Cubao!

Benjie and I are rearranging stuff again.

Good night, Cubao!

Abstained from DVDs today, and will do the same tomorrow as well.

Overhauling the rosewood china cabinet and occasional table drawers tomorrow.

Watching an episode of Million Dollar Critic. The host is the most entertaining feature.

Angelique and J. are back from doing groceries. They're leaving again to eat out and watch a movie, though.

Life is neither long nor short. It is simply in proportion to the justice that you gave your previous lifetime.

Adult coloring books are so in. I wouldn't use crayons on them, though--perhaps color pencils, sharpened oil pastels, or acrylic.

M.--not to be confused either with M. of the cafe or M. of the three-part spirit quest--text-messaged. He no longer works in Olongapo. However, he is still in a place that is far away from where I am.

Angelique and J. are doing groceries for Aubrey's birthday party.

Discovered a lot of albums of photos of the granddaughters from when they were babies.

The compound dust bin is full of treasures again. The dust bin man and his little boy come everyday and on time, like clockwork. Sometimes the little boy sits and watches the birds inside the small loggia while his father rummages through the bins and segregates their contents. Whenever I have a spare toy that my grandchildren have outgrown, I give it to him. Otherwise he waits patiently for his father to retrieve a broken toy or an interesting doodad from the trash and hand it over to him.

Threw away all of my yearbooks, all the way from prep to senior college. I wonder why I kept them (and forgot their existence) in the first place. Perhaps my parents always faithfully responded to school campaigns and drives, and bought everything. At the time, it was a big deal to have a child in an exclusive school (thank God it no longer is). At any rate I am glad to have gotten rid of all those publications filled with very bad photography.

The best person to get married to is not a lover but your best friend.

The world was never meant to have only one religion, no more than it was meant to have only one nation, one language, one culture, one political system, and one history.

In every horror movie, screaming women (and screaming men) are nothing more than excess baggage.

Were I not a single grandparent who must stay home I would volunteer to spend a night on the haunted cock farm.

One of the most interesting features I saw on CCTV is the rigorous Shaolin and Kung Fu training of children.

Watched Diabolical Women: Dana Sue Gray on Ci three nights ago.

Never provide a child an unhappy childhood. It is worse than abortion.

Good day, Cubao!

Benjie and I are doing a major overhauling of the contents of all the ground-floor closets.

Your Hangout message:


"Hi good day I would like to have an interview with you this coming ________, 2015. For educational purpose and I had included here the letter regarding of the said interview. I hope that you can accept my invitation. Thank you and God bless.

"Dear Sir:

"Greetings!

"I am a student from ____________________________________-______, taking up Bachelor of Arts in ___________. Currently, I am studying ____________ Research, I am preparing for my research paper entitled Philippine Talisman (Agimat). I would like to ask you if I could conduct business with you on the ________, 2015 to accomplish the requirement. 

"I find this website in the internet (http://www.tonyperezphilippines.blogspot.com/) which gives me an overview about you and the fields you specialized with. The information that the website includes make me consider you to interview and share to my classmate the knowledge i will learn.

" The scope of interview will only cover topics about you, your specialization, and the collection of Talisman that you had for the past years. As early as now, we would stress out the need for the full video coverage of the interview and if possible, if you will allowed me, I would like to cover some part of your collection gallery. We cannot reach you by the phone number written in the website so we assume that the information might not be updated, with that we all decided to just send a letter to you. Please do call/ e-mail me if we have some things to clarify-____________@_________.com 0-9__-___-____. 

"Thank you you’re sincerely, 

"___________"


My reply:

Hello ___________!

Thank you for thinking about me. However, I do not encourage anyone to come to me with such requests. This is not how I want the world to know and remember me. I believe that to be associated with such things is essentially to be backward. 

The blog you are referring to is my artworks blog, which features my paintings. The photos of me that you saw on this blog are mere photo-ops. This is how I wish to be known and to be remembered: as a Filipino artist.

Please believe me when I say that I shun all forms of discussion of topics such as amulets and talismans. Believe me also when I say that, HAD I WANTED TO, I would be in as many interviews as I want. However, I do NOT WANT TO.

I wish you the best of luck on your academic requirements.

Men still working on the cafe. They plan to get everything done in ten days.

Good night, Cubao!

Time for bed.

Enough of the DVD overdose.

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Searched for and found my two authentic, antique, pieces of eight a.k.a. pesetas blancas, minted in 1600. They are made of sterling silver. I had them set by my smith also in sterling silver, so that they can worn as pendants. They serve as talismans.

I used to have two Tia Dalma lockets ordered from the Net, but one went to Karen Kunawicz, the other to Katkat de Castro. I couldn't wear them; they just didn't look right on me.

I still do have the Key to Davey Jones's locker.

"You have to be lost in order to find a place that cannot be found. Otherwise everyone else would know where it is."

--Captain Hector Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Heaven is having a little more than enough and loving to live with it.

Hell is to want to have much more than enough, and to either get it or not get it.

Men are not afraid of wearing sparkly stuff. Women are, because sparklies are typically associated with prostitution and entertainment.

Bought DVDs of Bangkok Haunted 1 and Bangkok Haunted 2. My granddaughters are monitoring the first, which I'd already seen on the big screen years ago, and I, the second. I believe that Thai horror movies are the best in Asia. Their directors and their writers have original ideas and cinematic imagination. I'm not saying they're perfect--they do have non-sequiturs.

Philippine horror movies will never come up to par with Thai horror movies because Philippine horror movies are usually derivative of other, foreign, movies. Local producers are afraid of taking the risk of investing their money in the original, in the untried, and in the untested.

Watching a horror movie on DVD.

Dear Ghosts,

It is time to revise the rules to ensure the intellectual, psychological, and spiritual progress of both the spirit world and humankind.

1) Why haunt the innocent and the clueless when it is feasible and sufficient to haunt the guilty? That way every ghost story doesn't have to be a detective story, with protagonists hunting down clues and having to piece things together.

2) Do not appear to humans looking like a low-budget, prosthetic, makeover. It distracts everyone from the real messages you should be conveying.

3) Go straight to the point. Appear and speak, in whatever language or method. Do not slam a door on Night 1, make your whispers heard on Night 2, rock the bed on Night 3, and so on. Life and death are not the same as multi-step applications for financing.

4) Avoid rattling doors, thunder and lightning, appearing in one corner and re-appearing in another, shadows, sudden blackouts, and other Halloween effects. They are corny.

5) If there is a criminal or culprit involved in your particular case, go directly to him. Do not allow him to dance round the frightened protagonists simply to provide physical tension to the plot. Everyone knows that you will kill him in the end anyway. Why beat around the bush?

6) Once your story is over, say goodbye for good. Do not continue to appear as a reflection, stare from behind a curtain, cross a lighted window, or shoot your hand through gravel. That is very rude. The least you can do is say "Thank you."

Soft music will calm the animals' nerves.

The old prison walls will topple like dominoes.

The enlightened struggle in an unenlightened world.

Good morning, Cubao!

Men working on the cafe today.

As soon as the cafe is done, I plan to install more electrical outlets in the house, at least two per wall.

Another Hacker Scam

Do not fall for the following:

Dao Hong Duc

To

Today at 4:21 AM

 

Facebook Corporate Office & Headquarters
INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD.
CATEGORY: 2ND

You have been approved to receive a ATM award of $150,000 from Facebook Corporate Office

Your winnings can be access by issuing an ATM card.

Award Reference code: FB/575061725
File number:77801209/N
ATM Code : ATM822

To collect Card ,contact and reconfirm your details to Lloyds Bank which has been mandated to give you cash outs with below details ASAP:
============================== ============================== ==
Customer Care
st93828@yahoo.com.hk ============================== ============================== ==
1  Your Full Names:
2  Your Tel/Mobile Number:
3  Your Nationality:
4  Current Country:
5  Your contact Address:
6  Occupation:
============================== ============================== ==

 

Once again: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Regards,

Promo Coordinator.
Facebook Management.

 

 

c  2015

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and couldn't help doing so with my Hector Barbossa pendant (which I ordered on-line years ago) and Aztec coin pendant (which my sister Sylvia bought for me during one of her trips to Disneyland).

Good night, Cubao!

I resolve to stay home the whole day tomorrow.

Too excited! Teow Li got me my old-age clothing from Singapore!

Watched Alexander (Director's Cut). Nice, but I can't recall any significant differences between the commercially shown cut and this one. The biggest asset of this film is Colin Farrell's performance.

Why do people add verandas to their houses and then feel too embarrassed to be seen on them?

The verandas then end up as storage and clothesline space.

Whenever I am traveling outside the city, there are times I wish the car would stop so that I could get down and do some painting.

Wearing Gucci Guilty.

Or is it Guilty Gucci?

It is impossible to explore beyond limits if one must follow rules.

The terror network is on a popular social medium.

Individuality rules.

Good day, Cubao!

Lunch out with the granddaughters; we went Chinese. Bought two new digital alarm clocks. Also bought a tabletop lamp for the studio office and three DVDs.

Aubrey finally has a new pair of volleyball team shoes. It would have cost me P5,600 had we bought them at the school, but there were none in size 7 of the style of her choice. We had to buy hers at MegaMall for P7,000. As it was, it was her second choice, metallic blue and fennel green, because there were none of the black, white, and teal that she wanted even at the store.

Good night, Cubao!

Evening delivery of laundered comforters.

Before jumping into bed, wondering why I can change my DVD system a maximum of only four times.

In the meantime Angelique and Aubrey went to MegaMall today to have keys duplicated and buy a new pair of shoes for Aubrey.

Riding in M.'s car to and from the venue of our spirit quest, I enjoyed, once again, the window view of fields of grass and trees between towns.

M. of this spirit quest is not to be confused with M. who rents our front space for a cozy cafe.

Photos of the third part of the July spirit quest are on my Google+ page.

Good evening, Cubao!

Just got back home from the third part of this July spirit quest. Was picked up 11:00 AM, swung by Katipunan Avenue, passed by Makati City, and then proceeded to a location outside Metro Manila.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Magnificent special effects, as usual, and spectacular fight scenes. I love parallax, but too much parallax is too much of a good thing. This production team definitely cannot handle endings: as the first part ended inadequately and abruptly, this, third, part had too many endings. Reminding me all too easily of similar ending problems in the LOTR trilogy.

If I am not connected to the Internet, why, then, are outside security and firewall vendors able to pop windows up on my computer screen?

Back from the second part of the spirit quest.

Rainy afternoon in Cubao.

A good director never teaches his or her performers how to act. Rather, he/she should guide the performers to discover their inner truth and express their roles according to their own conceptions.

Sometimes hard workers, by being hard workers, are able to manipulate their supervisors.

The traffic was predictably Third-World, matching the 1950s roads and gnarled electrical wiring, but M.'s driver brought me both ways. All I had to do was sit back and jot down notes in my notebook.

M.'s driver picked me up 11:00 AM for the second part of the spirit quest, this one involving a related occurrence in Makati,

Lunch with M. and her family members.

Things are getting to be very interesting.

Wearing Gucci Guilty for men.

Never perceive anything that happens to you as a punishment. Believing that people have misfortunes due to divine retribution is a sign of loss of faith.

What a group of people believe in and what the truth is are often two different things.

Buy a painting because of the painting, not because of the artist.

Last night's bedtime fare: Anatomy of a Crime: Hong Kong's Rogue Cop on Ci and MKR Australia (another Sudden Death showdown).

Good morning, Cubao!

Home alone--Aubrey in school and Angelique and J. off to attend ninth-day-after-burial prayer session for Ivy in Bulacan and in Pampanga.

M. gave us golden pears and fresh peaches today.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched Killer Profile: Bobby Joe Long on Ci. Such an arrogant perpetrator, if I may say so. He was probably in love with his last victim, a survivor, and had expected her to help him out.

Angelique and J. are attending ninth-day-from-burial prayers for Ivy in Bulacan and in Pampanga.

Every time I am practically done rearranging my house interior and feel that I can sit back and relax and enjoy serenity, someone suddenly calls me and urgently asks me to conduct a spirit quest.

Your Hangout message:

"Hi Tony, i just want to know if doppelgangers exist? Our house help said she saw me the other night entering our living room from the garage. She said she was sure it was me. It was wearing my clothes and perfume. Does this mean any thing? She didn't see my face, it was facing side ways. thank you very much. Greatly appreciate your help always."


My reply:

Hi _______:

Yes, they do. However, they are not necessarily human spirits or psychological projections. They are typically created by playful elementals who like interacting with human beings. Even if your residence is not surrounded by trees, remember that there are air elementals that are equally as playful as earth elementals. Since they are essentially harmless, it is best to simply ignore them.

Caught parts of Killer Kids: Poison Pal on Ci, one about two 14-year-old lesbians and another about three teenagers comprising a love triangle.

Back from a spirit quest outside Metro Manila. Checked out a residential compound with an inhabited banyan tree and a business compound owned by the same family.

Wearing Gucci Guilty for Men. Smells like a derivative of Platinum by Roberto Verino to me.

Another Example of an E-Mail Scam

Never fall for tricks like this:

aucruise510001.mail@sapo.pt

CC

Today at 1:00 PM

Disney Cruise Line Australia Office
BondBondi Junction Lindifield
Sydney 2070, NSW Australia
Tel free (61) 61740409999
Website: www.disneycruise.disney.go.com

JOB ID: DCL /AU/608/16/17

Mail your CV TO (disneyadminapplication@anaustralian.com)

The Disney  Cruise Line recruitment team has reviewed your CV / Resume posted, The management seek to your response on a Job opportunity, We are looking for new staffs to fill the available positions in our company.
It’s Disney Cruise Line policy not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE, DISABILITY, MARITAL OR VETERAN STATUS.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1. Accommodation                Provided by company
2. Ticket to Australia           Provided by company (Including during Vacation)
3. Medical                              provided by company.
4. Transportation                 provided by company.
5. Working hours                  8a.m----5p.m [Mon--Fri]
6. Vacation                            60 days every year
7. Salary                                 USD $25 per hour (USD $5500 Per Month)
8. Contract                             6 months, 1 year & 2 years. (All depends on you)
9. Extra time                         USD $31 per hour
10. Insurance and Pension   According to Australia Labour laws

the management will secure a visa/working permit for any qualified applicant. VISA FEE, ACCOMMODATION & FLIGHT TICKET will be paid by the company

Do you have a dream working in Australia? We have more than 720 different positions available, Junior Auditor, Accountant, Controller, Computerized Accounting, Staff Accountant, Salon Manager, Assistant Salon Manager, Beautician, Hair Stylist, Message Therapist, Aerobic and Fitness Instructors, Casino Manager, Assistant Casino Manager, Casino Dealer, Minister, Rabbi, Cruise Staff, Gentlemen Dance Host, Youth Activities Coordinator, Fitness Instructor, Hostess, Administrative Assistant, Safety Officer, Security Personnel, Radio Officer ,Deck Utility man, Deck Hand, Deck Cadet, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief Engineer, First Engineer, Second Engineer, Third Engineer, Junior Third Engineer, Hotel Service Engineer, Chief Electrical Engineer
Electrical Engineer, Electronic Engineer, Electronic Engineer Junior, Engine Storekeeper, (Engine Utility Man) Guest Entertainer, Production Manager, Food and Beverage, Assistant Food and Beverage Director, Restaurant Manager, Head Waiter Waitress, Jr. Waiter, Dining Room Manager, Dining room Waiter Waitress, Dining room Buffet Man, Restaurant Hostess, Bar Manager, Assistant Bar Manager, Bar Supervisor, Assistant Bar Supervisor, Bar Accountant, Bar Waiter Waitress, Bartender, Bar Steward & Stewardess, Snack Steward Stewardess, Bar Utility, Bar Boy, Buffet Steward & Stewardess, Gift Shop Manager, Assistant Shop Manager, Retail Sales Person, Florist Computer Technician, Junior Assistant Purser, Crew Purser, Assistance Crew Purser, Receptionist, Guest Service Coordinator, Guest Service Associate, Hotel Assistant, Housekeeper, Floor Supervisor, Head Room Steward, Cabin Steward Stewardess, Assistant Cabin Steward Stewardess, Bell Boy, Utility Cleaner, Human Resources Manager, Training and Development Manager, Crew Staff Administration, Crew Staff Administration Assistant, Shipboard information Systems Manager, Coordinator Computer Desktop Applications, Computer Accounting Applications, Computer Maintenance, Computer Applications, Computer System Hardware Technician, Computer System Administration Manager, Internet Manager, Chief Doctor, Crew Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Chief Nurse, Nurse Photo Manager, Assistant Photo Manager, Photographer, Junior Photographer, In other to be considered for any of the positions, we need the following from you:

1.     Cover letter (1 page maximum).

2.     Curriculum Vitae (Resume).

3.     Certificate and reference letters.

4.     Available date.

5.      Passport or National Id number.

6.      Position applying for.

Thanks & Regards

Management
 Disney Cruise Line Australia
Email: (disneyadminapplication@anaustralian.com)
Disney Cruise Line

You kiss the hand of God whenever you go out of your way to commune with Nature.

My bedtime fare last night was Killer Twins: Trust Fund Twins on Ci. At the rate I'm going, I'm surprised that I haven't been having nightmares.

You drop things whenever you assume that they can move on their own.

The biggest mistake of every explorer is to try to reconcile everything he finds with religion.

The gifts of joy, contentment, pleasure, and the lust for life are all too easily obliterated by sorrow, envy and want, pain, and the anticipation of sickness and death.

Unfortunately this is why it is also all too easy for people to resort to abuse.

Unable to do much rearrangement today because an Hercule Poirot client is picking me up and taking me to her house.

Watched My Kitchen Rules Australia last night. A wedding reception.

Eat a small, fresh onion with your supper every night.

Men working on the cafe.

Good morning, Cubao!

A bright and sunny day!

Last week we began using our expensive, red-and-white, Chinese porcelain plates, bowls, cups, saucers, and ladles for every meal. We used to save them only for special occasions. We decided to fully enjoy them without even worrying about anything breaking. Nothing lasts forever, after all.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched The Last Samurai on HBO while waiting for Aubrey to come home from volleyball training.

Thinking of buying Afghan carpets of different sizes from Ifram but worried about their maintenance. The threads are colored with vegetable dye and very difficult to restore when stained or discolored.

I wish I could stay home tomorrow for a change, but someone is in need of help and wants to consult me regarding a suspiciously paranormal incident in her house.

Yes, I am an Hercule Poirot in my own right. I wish I had his fabulous condominium office, though.

I've been following Good Witch since its premiere on DIVA and I must say that I am rather disappointed. Cassie, the protagonist, is not a witch at all. She is a New Age advocate--an alternative healer in particular.

Moreover, the characters go through the same old conflicts over and over again in every episode, albeit using different words in their dialogue. I often feel that I am watching an old episode that has merely been rewritten and re-shot.

Finally, I cannot stand the character of the Mayor, who looks talks, acts, and dresses like a Hogwarts faculty reject.

It is evident that the writers know nothing, or very little, about the subject matter.

Watched Ancient Aliens on History late this afternoon. About the Annunaki. Interesting. Reminded me that a friend gave me two books on the subject five years ago.

Caught an episode of My Kitchen Rules Australia last night. Sudden Death elimination round.

The living room is done. Will work on the old dining room tomorrow.

Threw out a lot of good stuff. The dust bin man and his little boy must have felt that it was Christmas Day.

Bought two kilos of bird seed.

Also bought two phone cards at P300 each because I discovered only last night that Ivy used to buy the granddaughters phone cards every month and then place them on their beds. Ah well--it's much better than what I've been doing, which is  walking through Planas I and purchasing load at G.'s store.

I am still learning how to be a single grandparent.

Finished watching all the DVDs that I have in the Poirot series. My favorite remains A Hallowe'en Party--strangely, the very first one that I viewed.

Clearing and reorganizing the storage room. Am only 1/8 done, but, as I mentioned before, I am savoring life in slow motion.

Your Hangout message:

"Good morning, Sir Tony! It's been so long. I always check your page whenever I needed some inspiration. Thank you for always keeping us posted. I always learn a lot from you through your posts. I am sending you a message to ask about something that I do not normally ask. But, I really just wanted to know if this guy on the picture is sincere about me. I hope you could help me see that. Thank you.

"____________"


My reply:

Hello ____________!

Yes, he is a fine man and worth a try at a serious relationship. Not everyone is perfect, of course, so keep that in mind.

The only problem I foresee is that he may want you to be very submissive. Knowing you and your personality, that will make you unhappy. And so, make your terms clear before anything else.