Watched The Underdog. Again, not my milieu.

Men working on the cafe again.

If you stare long enough at the Gucci logo, the chiaroscuro will show you the sign of Batman.

Met a man at the Sitio Catacutan Food Court (the junction of P. Tuazon and Planas I). He was hawking snakeskin oil, crystals, and dried snake parts.

Passed, even if the blackened snake's heart looked quite intriguing.

Watched Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Not very engrossing for me, but I liked the artist's studio. Also, wrong use of the word "surrealism" for the kind of painting they were looking at in the gallery.

Those four lamps on Poirot's office console are fine. When they are lighted, though, Poirot looks as though he is seated in front of a coffin.

Wearing Silver Rain, a French cologne by La Prairie. Quite heavenly.

Good morning, Cubao!

Wanting to make this a restful day.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched The Yellow Iris. Most enjoyable. While watching, I did recall reading the book.

What the book doesn't have, of course, is the restaurant song (sung twice by two different women) that is nothing like, but reminded me so much of, "I Will Survive"--bwahahahahahaha!

Angelique and J. arrived before sunset.

Visited the progress in M.'s cafe. It's looking good. His men work from 1:00 PM through 9:00 PM. Electric wiring is about to be done, and the interior is now completely sealed with glass and acrylic. The projected opening is no later than August 1.

The good news is, the cafe will be open 24/7. We plan to order big breakfasts every night so that they can be ready for us the following morning.

Watched Double Sin. Like this one too.

I love it when Poirot's adventures occur when he is on holiday. They always remind me of my own travels, during which many things aside from the actual agenda transpire, giving me material for future works.

We also bought two dozen small hooks at the hardware store to suspend the antique, Maranao likos from the studio office ceiling.

Shelled out P2,100 more for two copies each of Angelique's and Aubrey's NSO birth certificates and two copies of Chito's and Ivy's marriage contract.

Life is a series of expenses.

O., who works on the compound, uses a Cherry, a mobile phone manufactured in the Philippines. It is possibly the cheapest available cell phone in this country. It can do a lot of things, and O. takes care of it very well.

Watched The Chocolate Box. When Poirot was but a policeman--and how he acquired his silver lapel pin.

Watched The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly. A very mild detective story. There was no crime at all.

Any promotion that says it has limited availability but ultimately means that you will pay more money anyway has got to be a scam.

Still organizing all the bunches of keys that Ivy kept and identifying the locks that they open.

Early this morning I gave a country-style wood-and-glass cabinet and a wooden table to D. I recall that Ivy never wanted them and had asked me at some point to get rid of them.

Last night four of M.'s men helped us bring all our sacks of loam up to the roof deck.

Cigar and cigarette ashes mixed with soil are good for your potted plants.

If I could live this lifetime all over again I would give up 70% of my talents and devote more of my time to my family.

You have to take a back seat in favor of your children and grandchildren because, let us face it, life is never all about yourself.

I bought a pair of varsity volleyball team shoes for Aubrey and am poorer by P5,600.

There is always something detached about a photographer, or the person with the camera who, to everyone else's perception, is at the scene of an occasion but not part of it.

It is for this very reason that some photographers choose to become photographers. They prefer to be recorders rather than players because, they are really afraid of expressing their emotions.

No amount of color or line can ever fool a designer who has an eye for good quality.

My bedtime fare last night was Born to Kill? The Night Stalker on Ci, about Richard Ramirez, one of the most notorious serial killers that I recall from the 80s. Authorities cannot understand, to this day, what made him what he was. They should have autopsied his brain.

A bright and sunny day.

Benjie came to work today.

Good morning, Cubao!

Aubrey is back to school today, now that the rainstorms have gone.

Watched How Does Your Garden Grow? Nice. Another example of fine ensemble acting.

Watched Dead Man's Mirror. An auction, antiques, art, an art dealer, Egyptian jewelry, and an unusual sound track that sounds like the howling wind.

It is most disconcerting, however, when the murderer turns out to be someone you actually like.

They still make her feel like a big star, not knowing that this apparent act of charity is most cruel to her and detrimental to her true feelings.

Watched The Cornish Mystery, set, of course, in Cornwall.

Interesting sequence in which Hastings and Miss Lemon consult the I-Ching about Poirot's future.

I note that, in the entire series, no effort was made to color Poirot's eyes or make them turn "green, like a cat's," whenever he is mentally aroused.

Ifram came to extend condolences. He just arrived from his house in Bicutan, where they are observing Holy Ramadan. He declined tea, of course. Ivy and he were good friends. I asked the granddaughters, who we watching a DVD inside Angelique's bedroom, to come down and talk with Ifram for a while.

Thinking of ordering Persian carpets, a brass something, and two statues from Ifram, who owns a shop in Manila. One of his associates is traveling to the Middle East and Africa soon.

I cannot understand why many people prefer to wear the same jewelry everyday without ever getting tired of it.

Watched The Case of the Missing Will. This one's really nice and heartwarming.

Watched My Kitchen Rules Australia last night. People's choice of winners. Everyone was hopping,

Although it is not one of my five favorite colognes, Aramis is wonderful. I used to wear it in college. It never goes stale on your body or on your clothes, and it does not mutate into other smells when it mixes with sweat or other body fluids.

Watched The Adventure of the Cheap Flat. Not much action and too many unanswered questions during the first half of the episode. My attention flagged,

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

I wanted so much to swing by the plant shop, but that is best done when I am alone.

Good day, Cubao!

Warm but windy outside.

Watched Triangle at Rhodes. Enjoyed it. Possibly in my shortlist.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge. Alas, not my milieu.

I need 17 more Brother Cadfael planters for the front balcony. Quite tedious.

We are slowly fixing and cleaning the entire ground floor. Aubrey simply must have her birthday celebration.

Exciting! Teow Li sent me photos of my prospective, old-age apparel: a traditional, Chinese shirt and pants!

Watched The Lost Mine. A Monopoly game board, a gorgeous italic pen nib, an opium den. Love the Chinatown sequences.

I observed, however, that Poirot does not use his pince-nez when he ought to, such as in scrutinizing a passport.

Watched The Veiled Lady. When shooting outdoors and in the sunshine, it is unfortunately necessary to use reflectors, which throw the viewers off in the same way that a bad painting shifts its source of lighting.

Moreover, this episode has the WRONG closing titles.

Windy day in Cubao.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Never be blinded by stardom, its offer, or anyone associated with it.

The moth must never fly to the flame.

It is the flame that must come to the moth only close enough to light it, and, even so, the moth must know when to fly farther away.

J. is here to pick up Angelique. They are going to an event in BGC.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister is a Hercule Poirot episode I will most likely never watch again because, while I was in the middle of it last Sunday, a week ago, Angelique suddenly ran into my room, sobbing her heart out. She'd received the news that Ivy had passed away in hospital. I rose and hugged her. I could hear Aubrey also sobbing upstairs, in Ivy's bedroom, I think.

Also watched Diabolical Women: Tracy Richter on Ci because the featured woman reminds me, and even looks like, someone who is still on facebook.

Last night I watched The Getaway 2 because the episode was set in New Orleans. Too much eating and drinking, though.

I stopped watching Clean House because, after the houses are cleaned, I note that everything will look shabby and deteriorate in a few months' time. The rooms are shot and photographed as though for glossy-magazine interiors, yet one just knows that the quality of the materials used are not really up to par. How about sequels titled Clean House Two Years Later?

A clean--and beautiful--house, to me, is a lived-in house where things are not neatly aligned and folded, where clothes are discarded and draped over furniture, where glasses have left rings on the surfaces of tables, where the dog's litter can be seen, where the laundry is hung to dry, and where dustbins are stored in the back area.

Men build cities because they fear raw and primitive Nature, and subconsciously wish to conquer it.

Like you and me, everyone has dreams that are not attained, simply because we are all constantly distracted by the people who surround us, and they happen to be people whom we love.

Your e-mail message:

"Dear Tony,  "If you're not too busy, i just want to know your thoughts about my friend. I'm not sure if I'm being taken advantaged. Sending you her photo. Thank you, as always.  "______" My reply: Hello ______! I am sorry to confirm that this woman is a user of the first degree. Her typical weapons are flattery and the sharing of "secrets". These are the same weapons she wields on men, when she wishes to win and control them.

Good morning, Cubao!

Benjie and I are rearranging and hanging more Brother Cadfael planters on our front balcony.

Gave a country-style etagere to D., who always gives me reams of my favorite cigarettes. One of her daughters is offering to clean our house for extra money.

After watching the entire series I shall write down the titles of the episodes I wouldn't mind watching again.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched Wasps' Nest. Enjoyed it. A "precognitive" murder, a fete, an avant-garde sculptor, a fashion show with models and gowns that reminded me of Erte, and a darkroom for developing old-style photographs.

Watched The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman. Like Poirot I will never buy a "motorcar". I observe that all of my friends who own cars have very little else to spend on themselves, because most of their money goes to their cars.

Watched The Plymouth Express, the third story set in a train. This is so far the only episode with a technical glitch in the series due to high-hung, gold-plated wall sconces in the Carringtons' receiving room. The cameraman and his camera are reflected on their shiny surfaces!

Rain.

Bought two clothes racks and 30 hangers for the laundry room.

Always buy good chairs. It is futile to buy Monobloc chairs even if you dress them up with expensive damask.

Whenever you feel that others have abused or oppressed you, do not waste your time thinking of revenge. Rather, work on becoming a big success in life.

1. Get a good job.
2. Save money.
3. Buy yourself a beautiful house.
4. Ensure that you receive a good and regular income for life.
5. Develop your talents.

Charity does not begin only at home. It begins with YOURSELF.

M.'s men are purchasing more construction materials today.

Watching the Poirot series has taught me how the British properly arrange things on their tea carts. Now I now which things go on the top layer and which on the bottom layer!

Aubrey has no classes today. She made us pancakes with chocolate chips and confectioner's sugar for breakfast.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Allow your enemies to erroneously believe that you have more misfortunes than they do. They will even help you to become a success.

You owe nothing to someone you are not committed to.

Locate a power object beneath your bed.

Not knowing everything makes it much more difficult to forgive.

Insects make their last hurrah as the weather turns.

Spirit guides keep silent for long stretches of time, but they are always there.

Impatience is the downfall of every broadcaster because, once a social problem is solved by natural means, all their rantings and ravings then seem like useless theatricality.

The granddaughters arrived 10:30 PM last night. I thought that they and Ivy's relatives would hold a prayer session in Bulacan. Apparently they traveled all the way to visit Ivy's grave in the Masantol cemetery.

Watched a part of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on HBO last night because I am a Johnny Depp fan, but I felt like I was watching Alice in Wonderland.

Good noon, Cubao!

A drizzly day, but I have to go to the commercial center later today.

Good night, Cubao!

Watched The Theft of the Royal Ruby. Loved it.

Your e-mail message:

"Dear Tony,

"Hi! I dreamt of you yesterday. In the dream, Dream-You gave me a hug.
Very nice! :)

"Irrespective of the dream interpretation, it made me think of
real-life-you and I just felt like giving you a cyber hug.

"So, hugggs!

"(>^_^)><(^o^<)

"M____"


My reply:

Hi M____!

The interpretation is literal. It was a hug.

Thank you for the cyber hug.

Watched The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim. Interesting, but I was thrown off my seat by Miss Lemon's Betty Boop curls.

Watched The Million Dollar Bond Robbery, the second story set on a ship that I can remember.

I like the music theme for the Hercule Poirot series, except that you can actually sing "Tomorrow" from Annie! along with it.

When I am home alone and it is raining, I REALLY get bored.

Went out to the plant garden, Rustan's gift pavilion, and an optical shop.

A very rainy day in Cubao.

Ivy's aunt picked up the granddaughters for a prayer session in Bulacan.

Watched The Third Floor Flat, set mostly in Hercule Poirot's apartment building, the Westhaven Mansions. Interesting.

Two cups of strong oolong tea.

If there were true compassion in this world--whatever anyone's religion--there would be FREE wi-fi EVERYWHERE.

Thus, there is no true compassion in this world.

All of M.'s construction materials have finally arrived, but I wonder if his men are able to work in this weather.

Wearing White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor, which my sister Lourdes sent me from Sydney. Musky and mysterious, like the 1940s Shalimar, but a trifle too feminine--even more feminine than Chanel No. 5. I asked Aubrey if she likes the scent. She does, and so, I gave her the bottle.

Not all waters converge in the sea. Some of it is imbibed by humans. Some of it is absorbed by the earth. Some of it evaporates.

Life is a river that branches out into many streams. It is wrong to believe that there is only one river in this world.

Watched The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. Nice props, including Miss Lemon's Tarot cards and a fabulous automatic-writing planchette.

I love the casting director of this series. The viewers are exposed to a wide range of British facial types.

Ninth-day prayers will be held in the granddaughters' house in Cavite.

We are planning our annual visit to the cemetery in Pampanga. I suggested that we go a week before All Souls Day, but the granddaughters want to go on Ivy's birthday, December 16, instead.

Watched The Tragedy of Marsdon Manor last night. A nice "ghost" story partially set in a wax museum, but I thought that it was too short for a feature film.

Good morning, Cubao!

Two men cleaned our ground floor early today.

M.'s electrician is now working in our front space.

Good night, Cubao!

When I have fever I read my TinTin comic books.

When I feel down and blue I watch Hercule Poirot DVDs.

Your e-mail message:

"Hello Mr. Perez,

"My name is ______________ and I was wondering if I can contact your group? My family and I need a consultation. I may be reached at ______________.

"To give an idea of what we need help with - we have an old family compound filled with a lot of old trees (_____________ City). We were in contact with the Spirit Questors several years ago (through _______) and we were told not to cut down any of the trees there. Recently my dad decided to have all the __________ trees cut down. Now he has been having health problems left and right and is currently confined in the hospital. We were told that maybe he angered the spirits that were living in those trees since we were already warned before not to cut down any of them. Please help. Thank you!"

My reply:

Hello _______________!

Before anything else, please send me photos of your compound. It should be possible to solve problems without having to do physical visits.

From Sunday through Monday I was able to watch, during the times I was alone or was waiting for something, The Kidnapped Prime Minister, The King of Clubs (nice sets), Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan (nice sets), and Problem at Sea (nice locale).

Two cups of pure green tea.

Has no else noticed that his slice of pie looks vulgar and obscene?