Go GREEN. Read from

THE SCREEN.


This electronic diary is continued from tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook31.blogspot.com.

September 20167

September 20167
Photo by Jefferson Solayao

Monday, October 31, 2016

All Saints Day Phat Doog after a bath and on an afternoon run.

Phat Doog S̄unạk̄h Sạkdi̒s̄ithṭhi̒










It is always our arrogance that prevents us from being good friends with others who are as intelligent as, or more intelligent than, we are.
Your Messenger message:

"Dear Sir Tony, Good morning. A friend told me a few days ago the beads could be responsible for my illness(es). I was sick for a month (flu, asthma, aches and pains, etc). Do you think that is possible? How can I shield myself, sir?"

My reply:

The beads were not responsible. You caused yourself stress. After stranding one necklace, relax and do other things. Don't go into overdrive and strand three or four more. You end up not enjoying your work. When you don't enjoy your work, you get sick.

It might also be a good idea to wash the beads or soak them in soapy water after arriving from the bead market. Those beads were handled by hundreds of hands.

If what your friend meant was something supernatural, he or she is wrong. Because, if that were so, no one would be making bead necklaces--or wearing them--any longer.
Good noon, Cubao!

The sky is the topmost layer of chiffon cake.
Now on Chapter 7 of my novel.

I am quite satisfied that Jaymark has been working slowly but surely. Three rooms are thoroughly cleaned, and we have four more rooms to do on the ground floor.

I send Jaymark home to his family every night and he reports every morning at 11:00 AM. He is only 16, and I believe that he should spend time with his family. The first day he reported for work, his two-year-old sister cried, thinking that she would never see him again.

I require Jaymark to eat with us at table and take an afternoon nap everyday. Whatever excess food we have, I ask him to take home to his family. Tonight he received his first salary.

I recall when my godson and nephew Raymond was in grade school in Sydney, Australia. He took on a summer job installing feathers in arrows at an archery shop. We thank God that his supervisor was most kind to him.

Maybe that is why I try to be most kind to Jaymark.

And I thank God also that I have the ground floor all to myself at night, enabling me to make progress on my novel.
Tony Perez's Art of War: Giving your enemies the benefit of the doubt is one sure way to earn merits for yourself.
Meeko visited. Definitely treat.

We had sodas at M.'s cafe, then went to the living room, where the space ship above us made us stay until sundown, even if I wasn't very entertaining because I was still spaced out from writing my novel. Pun intended.




Sunday, October 30, 2016

An Encounter In The Past Remembered Anew

http://www.quezon.ph/2005/10/29/paranormal-and-historical/

This photo courtesy of William Manuel Ronquillo:




Bought two of these for Chevy and Vinci two or three weeks ago. This one I'll give to Jaymark, because he has a little sister, instead of to the children on our compound.



Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is the bezel, the sky the magical ring.
I always tell the Spirit Questors: NEVER take a person's narrative of a supernatural experience literally. It has probably been edited profusely in his or her unconscious, especially to impress you.

ALWAYS:

--Read between the lines. What is the person really saying? What does the person want from you?
--Is the person bipolar or schizoid?
--Is the person under some kind of medication?
--What are the person's family problems or dysfunctions?
--What is the person's lifestyle?
--What are the person's ambitions and frustrations?
--Is the person lonely?

--Is the person searching for a father/mother figure?
--How derivative is the person's story of similar elements in horror movies or horror stories?

REMEMBER that such narratives are taken by TV programs and are HYPED. You are to do the exact OPPOSITE.

This is the reason why I always ask such persons to send me an e-mail message describing their situation. In composing the message the person is COMPELLED to organize his or her thoughts and translate the experience to a rational description, and most of the time ends up deciding that there wasn't any problem after all. This saves me a lot of trouble and gives me the time to do other, constructive things, such as creative writing and painting.

God bless Farmers Plaza. Children in costume are allowed to go from shop to shop for trick-or-treating.

Such a far cry from what Rustan's Superstore did years ago, when Angelique was but a little girl. We dressed her up in a costume and had her registered for participation, and what was it all about? The children were made to parade through the store, and that was it. No candy, no snacks, no toys. We swore never to participate in Rustan's Superstore activities since then.
Their mothers will screech and scream like the Israelite mothers the night the Angel of Death passed through.
Great intelligence is sometimes ensconced in the most unattractive visages, as the most precious pearls are ensconced in the roughest oyster shells.
Olive Oyl lies low because she now has attacks of doubt inflicted by Bluto.
When Halloween TV programs run out of everything they have to frighten you with, they will begin featuring The Devil himself, and they will maintain that.
Though you might have your fill of Halloween witches tomorrow, October 31, the real witch hunt will begin November 3.
A glass of iced tea at M.'s cafe.
While going jalan-jalan at the center, I noted that, while thousands have already gone to their hometowns for All Souls Day, even more thousands stayed behind. I was swept away by the crowds and felt as I did when I was in school and did walkabout, going nowhere in particular.
Politics will always cause stress, insomnia, discomfort, illness, and insecurity. No amount of money derived from it is ever worth it.
I observe that college-age girls frequent the smoking areas of coffee shops (where I usually go) and go from table to table trying to solicit money from people. I know that, whatever reason they give, it is to augment expenses for their schooling. I thank God that none of my grandchildren are like that, and I pity grandparents who have grandchildren like that.
Thank you for the invitation, but, sorry, I refuse to appear on shows designed to scare, or pretend to scare, audiences. It confuses people, it gives them the wrong ideas about spirituality, and, frankly, it is against every religion I know.
Slow. Time has been so slow.
Back from the center before sundown. Did some groceries and checked out the Christmas bazaar outside the Coliseum. A good place to shop for decor instead of at Divisoria. Someone bought a really big Santa Claus. There were puto bumbong ovens too.

I saw a few charming creches in little houses made of pinewood, with roofs, pillars, back walling, and floors, but decided to pass on them because, like all Christmas decor, everything will just end up as so much junk. Christmas decor is the primary evidence that the Christmas season is ephemeral.

Also passed on the fat black cats at Clipper because I know that they will eventually get misshapen and look horrid.

Bought three bottles of paraffin oil at the hardware store. When I went to the cashier I saw Aldrin, a Sitio Catacutan neighbor and visual artist, there. He was about to pay for carpenter's measuring tape and then saw me as his salvation. He begged and pleaded with me to pay for his measuring tape. It didn't cost much, and so I did. How much does it cost anyway to make one person happy for an afternoon?
Halloween Phat Dog

Phat Doog S̄unạk̄h ṣ̄ạkdi̒s̄ithṭhi̒


Jaymark is off today, because his family visited his father's grave.

J. is going with Angelique to the salon.

Home alone soon until Aubrey comes back from her classmate's.

Might go jalan-jalan at the center and do groceries later.
Be proud of yourself, and that is good enough.

Do not wait for others to be proud of you, or to tell you that they are.
Lunch with Angelique and J. at M.'s cafe.

After eating I sat outside the cafe to smoke. A bag man passed by and stopped at Dadic's sari-sari store. Dadic usually gives bag men and bag ladies something to eat.

Come to think of it, M.'s cafe does that also.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Feeling guilty.

Promised Tina a Tony-Perez-guided-tour of Siquijor and Dumaguete but now can't go because I can't leave Jaymark all alone in the house, among other things.

Then Tina asked me to go to Alitagtag, Batangas to visit her cousin and have lunch tomorrow but I can't go either because it's Halloween and the Spirit Questors are coming over for a renewal ritual.

Tina, if you're reading this, those are rain checks.
Angelique and J. just arrived. Angelique stayed overnight at Cath's to work on their thesis. Now Aubrey has gone to her classmate's house to work on their group project but will be back for dinner tonight.

The week and the weekend have been slow for me.
Two cups black Moccona. I have a supply of real coffee beans, but I do need those containers, right?
Good noon, Cubao!

The sky is a shore of blue sand, and the winds are the waves that wash over it.
When M. talked about the 144,000 who will be chosen to go to heaven, I wondered whether his elders really meant the selected population that will eventually be transported to live on the planet Mars. Everyone else, presumably, will be left behind on Earth.
A beer and a root beer at M.'s cafe. M. is a Jehovah's Witness. I listened to his very interesting interpretations of Bible passages.
More Moccona from Sydney, Australia. I reuse the bottles.


My Halloween Interview On livph

http://www.livph.com/single-post/2016/10/29/Tony-Perez
Fast becoming the most overused sentences of 2016:

--"You got this/I got this."
--"It's all good."
"Wala lang" = "I'm just sayin'".
Last month also finished watching "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" from Stranger Things. This episode should have been the point of attack, and I had to wait three episodes to find it. It is also when the audience finally gets hooked.

Love the crisp photography. The chapter titles are odd, though. They are neither helpful nor appropriate.
Last month I watched "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" from Stranger Things. Getting interesting, but my least favorite character is that teenage girl who keeps playing hooky and giving in to her lust.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Finished encoding one scene in my novel. Will write the succeeding scene in cursive.
Happy Diwali!

In the Philippines we celebrate "Tiwali".
Actually, you can tear down the bureaucracy without antagonizing everyone.
If you are an artist, don't just say that your favorite color is "purple". There are shades of purple that, when seen side by side, are specifically different: red-violet, cranberry, plum, mauve, lilac, and so on.

"Purple" is a tertiary color and is mixed in varying degrees.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sun casts a shadow puppet play on our driveway.
People need to solve their personal problems, their family problems, and their work problems here on earth.

Only then will they be able to think of and focus on extraterrestrial life.
Your e-mail message:

"Dear Prof. Tony Perez,

"Greetings!

"I'd like to know if you conduct 'house cleansing'? You see, a month ago, we bought an old house in ___________, __________. However, there are times when I feel something's off, and I get goosebumps.

"If yes, I'd like to know how we'd get about this, your requirements, and fee. I'd appreciate a response from you soon. Thank you very much.

"Best regards,
____"


My reply:

Hello ____!

I am able to help you. However, you need to pick me up from my house and then bring me home afterward.

You also need to answer the following questions:

1) Have you consulted other psychics who have already checked out your home? If you have done that, I do not wish to have to go there and undo what they have done.

2) Are the other residents of your house experiencing the same things that you are experiencing? If you are the only one, why do you think that this is so?

3) Since there are other residents in your house, have you asked their permission to ask me to visit you, or is this one of those instances in which, when I arrive, your husband will be completely surprised at my presence?

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Seek to be an artist, not a star.

Stars burn out and fade.

Artists are immortal.
Two cups black, Artisans coffee.

House cleaning proceeds at a relaxed pace, lest 16-year-old Jaymark be overwhelmed. He seems unfazed by tasks, however.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a billowing sail, and the earth its ship.
My weekly bottles of beer and soda at M.'s cafe. Penned a scene for my novel while I was there.
The Japanese are prim and proper. They have always been so, and they will always be so.

All you have to do is look at the obsession-compulsion in their art.
Had a root beer at M.'s cafe and sat with Mike, who had sisig, two servings of rice, extra chili peppers, a root beer, and a Coke. It was his late lunch and his early dinner after hectic duty in ER.

Mike brought a bottled candle to be lit for Ivy on All Souls Day.
The Truth Is Not Out There.

It Is Within You.
Mike Luy sent me this ceramic jack-o'-lantern this afternoon. Love it!


Went with Jaymark to the center. A visit to the family dentist's and the pharmacist's.

Wearing Charlie Blue, which my sister Lourdes sent me from Australia. A feminine scent.
Your ten-hour, porch jack-o'-lantern candles should be lit 6:00 PM October 31, November 1, and November 2.

The candles should be in glass vessels and carefully located in safe places.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are a queue of white taxis.
Your Messenger message:

"Aside from lighting candles, what's a good way to pray for the deceased and wandering spirits. Thank you"


My reply:

Hello _____!

Offer on your altar any, some, or all of the following:

1) Fresh flowers
2) A glass of drinking water, preferably with a lid. If no lid, cover the top with cling-wrap as you would food in bowls and drinks in glasses offered during the Festival of Hungry Ghosts.
3) Colored lights
4) Framed photographs of the deceased
5) Joss sticks or frankincense (can be tedious or messy)

All of the above are symbolic forms of prayer.
Some people fear not the night but darkness, yet it has never occurred to them to bejewel their rooms with a variety of lights.
"The werewolf bit you, and you are mine forever."
--Tony Perez

Congratulations to Pamela Tham (_Waiting for Marimekko_), who won First Prize under the Open Category in the recent 24-Hour Playwriting Competition sponsored by TheatreWorks Singapore! Congratulations also to Clara Chow (_Birth Days_) and Jason Montes (_Gigantocmachy_), who won Merit awards under the same category!
Pamela, Clara, and Jason were my students in the _Writing from The Heart_ workshops I conducted in Singapore.





The oracle battery I am using over the weekend, October 2016:

--The whimsical The Halloween Tarot deck, a gift from Anthony M. Juan, Jr. many years ago and a definite favorite
--The Leonardo da Vinci Tarot, to counterbalance the whimsy with its serious art and symbolism
--The Decameron Tarot, a pornographic deck that channels excess sex energy
--Madame Lenormand Oracle Cards_, to ground me because of its strict guidelines, and
--Oracolo di Marsiglia, as a backstop and as validation.

Every reading takes one full hour. My readings are invitational only. And, sorry, I am fully booked this year. No exceptions.




It is out of sheer habit, of course, but, every year, as the Halloween week approaches, I find myself organizing my collection of oracles and taking into my bedroom whichever I should be using October 30 - November 3.
The week may slump, but be patient and continue to have faith in yourself.
Your pet comes near you whenever your energy needs to be amplified.
The older you get, the more you want to make other people happy. The key is to always see them as wistful children who nurse simple desires in their little hearts.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

How much time do you spend improving your life rather than tearing down other people, who have their own lives that seem to be improving whether you exist or not?
Lighting incense and joss sticks is safer, more pleasant, and infinitely more effective than lighting fireworks on New Year's Eve.
Watched The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption on Universal last night. As the series evolves, the performers become more and more obscure. I like some of the props and, believe it or not, the atypical extras, but not the production design, which seems to be a fusion of the West's ideas of what different exotic cultures are. And why is it that, in most movies about magic, there is much ado about a book and a medallion, when true magic is actually in the psyche of every mage?
Not decorating for Halloween and Christmas. There are no little children in the house anyway, and the mere thought of dusting and taking down decor on our stepladder is exhausting.
There are three kinds of anxiety: personal anxiety rooted in birth trauma, imagined anxiety, and collective anxiety. All three can be alleviated without medication.
Be capable of defining yourself independently of people other than your family, and live without depending on others.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a lake of crushed ice.
Resumed work on my novel, and it feels so good.
Been watching Teen Wolf on Sony, and I am probably one of the few Filipinos who do so because it airs here past midnight. I like the adventures in the series, the well-planned production design, and the special effects. The two, young, male leads (Scott and Stiles), however, sometimes come across to me as Frodo and Sam in the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy because of the way they talk and the way they behave toward each other. Other times they could just as well be the Hardy boys with a werewolf twist.  As in other series, the finest performances are by the supports. The leads are too hung up on their self-developed mannerisms--especially their predictable facial expressions.
When the sky does come tumbling down, none of your accomplishments will matter.
Children's random drawings of human figures in their notebooks are reflections of their self-image at the time they were made.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Happiness neither comes nor goes. It is always within you. It is the treasure you must learn to unearth from within your heart. Once you have done so, you discover that there is no other treasure out there.
Watched an episode of American Dad which indirectly asked the question: Why do adult Filipino men have boys' hairstyles?
The biggest misconception of every employee is that there are better jobs that do not require menial work.
Always attune to the people you are with, never to the people you wish you were with instead.
We are richer in our personal fantasies than in our personal reality, because we have no idea how insurmountable our problems would be if we were really rich, and have no clue that the truly happy are those who are not-rich but not-poor.
There are two instances when darkness can engulf you--when the candle burns itself out and when someone deliberately snuffs the flame.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a bowl of angel fish.
The werewolf had a root beer at M.'s cafe.
Jaymark has a toothache. Must bring him to the dentist tomorrow.
In the Philippines, many people dread getting sick and being hospitalized not because of possible physical pain and the probability of death, but because of the steep costs of medication and hospitalization. Some of them would even rather just roll over and die.
It is your stomach that will tell you whether you are ready to take a shower or not.
People are becoming exclusive, like Peter, rather than inclusive, like Paul.
"But there's one thing I know/
The blues they send to meet me/
Won't defeat me/
It won't be long till happiness/
Comes up to greet me/"

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Rice delivery. I love house admin!
Congratulations to Pamela Tham (_Waiting for Marimekko_), who won First Prize under the Open Category in the recent 24-Hour Playwriting Competition sponsored by TheatreWorks Singapore! Congratulations also to Clara Chow (_Birth Days_) and Jason Montes (_Gigantocmachy_), who won Merit awards under the same category!

Pamela, Clara, and Jason were my students in the _Writing from The Heart_ workshops I conducted in Singapore.


Cloudburst in Cubao.

Stopped watching TV. Bedroom silence is bliss. Got sick and tired of the same old news, the same old faces, the same old voices. I decided that all of these were bogging down my life and my personal evolution.
Aubrey back from her last exam, but she went out with a classmate. They are having lunch at Gateway.

Lunch at home with Jaymark.
Two cups black, Artisans coffee.
Had a full meal alone in the kitchen 2:00 AM last night. The werewolf was suddenly ravenous.

Finished reading The Chinese Maze Murders. Loved it, and was quite sad to have closed the last Judge Dee book in my possession. But then again it's back to writing my novel, and I hope I can do that today.
Good noon, Cubao!

The sun is a brightly-lighted popcorn machine.
Your Messenger message:

"magandang gabi po sir. medyo weird ang panaginip ko. nanaginip po kasi ako na nananaginip po ako tapos po sa panaginip ko haharap ako sa may reflection (salamin) tapos sinasabi ko nananaginip ka.. tapos itinutuloy ko ... after na parang magigising ako sa panaginip ko tapos mananaginip ulit tapos pag nakakachance na makita ko sarili ko sa reflection sa location ngbpanaginip ko sinasabi ko nanaginip ako tapos tinutuloy ko ulit. tapos po nagising ako sa panaginip ko (pero tulog pa rin ako) kaya kinuha ko phone ko para magising ako sa (ilaw) .. pagkakuha nagising na ko ngbtuluyan."

My reply:

Hi ______!

Maybe you read one of my poems on the end papers of my book _Cubao-Kalaw Kalaw-Cubao_. Whether you did or not, however, my analyses are:

--You are ready to practice lucid dreaming. Google-search the topic if you do not know what this is.
--In your waking life, you are unable to face your problems head on. You have become too accustomed to resolving conflicts indirectly.

Phat Doog


Angelique and J. are back from the Coliseum.

As for myself, at last I have a night of solitude. Back to Judge Dee. But I am poorer by almost a thousand because Aubrey has to pay for her grad pictures tomorrow.
Your Messenger message:

"Hi sir, I just wanted to ask for some advice. I'm currently in my second year in ____________, and I've been struggling and questioning myself. I don't want to throw it all away because this is all that I've ever wanted, but I'm afraid of failing the semester. So far, it's been okay, but I've been disheartened the last few weeks and I don't know how to cope. I'm really sorry for bothering you, I just need some advice. Thank you."


My reply:

Hi ____!

Remember college? Second year was also the worst year. Graduate school has that crunch year too.

Don't drop out. Be tenacious. See yourself in an overall picture. You can always repeat subjects if you have to, or ask your professors how you can make up for low grades.

After everything, it is what you do as a professional, not how high your grades were, that will really count.


Back from the market at the center. Teaching Jaymark one dish now.

Tomorrow he will go to the market alone and then replicate the dish all by himself.
Tony Perez's Art of War: Do not be perturbed by your enemies. Years from now, no one will remember their names and no one will remember where they are buried.
Now three-fourths through The Chinese Maze Murders.
"Weak men will often have an exaggerated veneration for physical strength."

--Robert van Gulik in The Chinese Maze Murders.
Watched Popfan on Lifetime last night because there was nothing else on TV. Reminded me of my teleplay "Masugid Na Tagahanga", starring Eric Quizon, for Lino Brocka Presents many years ago.

This one would have been more effective as a stage play, like Wait Until Dark.
Please, not another horror movie with children's drawings in them. It was the corniest mechanism of the past decade.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Actually, the person who will win is he or she whom the Freemasons deem most suitable.
I enrolled for an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at a time when communication was a commodity and an instrument of power-tripping. Everything cost something and nothing was for free. I recall that all departments had access to a telephone outside line only via a secret switch near the telephone that only the secretaries knew. The secretaries turned on the switch only for themselves and those whom they favored.

I wonder what they are power-tripping on now that everyone has wi-fi and can read this posting in cyberspace.
It is hot in Cubao, so hot, so Great-Gatsby-summer hot!
Your Messenger message:

"I've been having feelings that my home back in _________ might be in danger.... Though my family is very prayerful. However I had a dream that a snake might coil up to my niece and it already happened this year that a snake jumped to my mother's back after she swam and was on her way to the bathroom. I'm afraid that one of these days another snake might enter our house and it might be because some one wanted it to harm my family.

"Here's some picture of my family's house in __________... Should it be cleansed immediately?"


My reply:

Hello ________!

1. Dreams are usually symbolic rather than literal. It is possible that what happened to your mother has psychologically grafted itself to your niece. Explore what your psyche perceives your mother and your niece to have in common. Also explore what a snake really means to you.

Although, as you say, you have psychic abilities, there are many instances in which common sense must rule. What do home owners in _________ do, for instance, to prevent snakes from entering their compounds?

2. "...it might be because someone wanted it to harm my family": You need to be specific. I want to know who did what, if any, to warrant such an action.
Technology invented war.

Having difficulty switching between Google+ and facebook.

Why can't I have both Pepsi and Coke if both are available?

True freedom is being able to make one's own choices, and only war prevents that.
Jaymark's first day. I was hoping he'd come November 1, 2, or 3, but he came today anyway. Gave him an orientation.

Now J. is here. Angelique and he are watching the UST-DLSU game at Araneta Center this afternoon.

Cerefina isn't ruffled by all this morning activity. She likes company.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a red-hot, welding rod.
Been wanting to enroll in that perfumery course being offered in Cubao.

Will eventually produce magical philtres.
Jeff has, at long last, found a regular job, and so he has gone home to his family. He is the eldest and needs to help his parents provide for his siblings.

This afternoon Grace, who used to work for my father in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, brought me her 16-year-old grandson, Jaymark, to help me clean the house, help me cook our meals, and sort of take care of me. He will be treated, of course, like part of the family.

He might be Merlin, and I Uther Pendragon.
Dipped out to buy a length of chain at the Sitio Catacutan Hardware Store.

The antique, brass, Lumad bell is now hanging outside my captain's cabin bedroom window, inside the small loggia.


Friday, October 21, 2016

Visualize the diagram of a daisy. Home is the core. Your journey traces every petal, from the core round the petal and back to the core, and so on.

Home is your loved one.

Home is your art.

Home is everything you have ever believed in.
The search for treasure is not so much a reflection of the desire to acquire what you do not have, as much as it is a reflection of the desire to reacquire what you lost.
Two cups black, Artisans coffee.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a block of white chocolate.
11:23 PM. And now solitude. Spending hours reading The Chinese Maze Murders. Savoring every word.
A notebook I could not resist.

So tempted to use the brass bookmark as a money clip. (Maybe it IS a money clip.)


Tony Perez's Art of War: Go into the mind of your enemy before planning your revenge.
Back from the center. Paid a utility bill and bought two leather-bound notebooks, two packs of ten-hour tea lights for bedrooms, a chicken for dinner, rock salt, and other stuff.

Not a day of solitude. When I arrived home my antique dealer from Mindanao was there waiting for me. He brought me an antique, brass, Lumad bell. I think I'll hang it in the small loggia, since our foyer is decorated with other items from Mindanao. D., if you're reading this, I know that I promised to buy your bell and I haven't forgotten! The problem is that you are so far away from me.

Chito, Chevy, and Vinci arrived. A late lunch. Gave them old Halloween costumes stashed away in my elder son Nelson's walk-in closet. Bought Chevy and Vinci chips and candy.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

When extraterrestrials finally make full and complete contact with everyone, our vocabulary will have the word "meganatural" on top of the word "supernatural".
Today, Friday, is my jalan-jalan day. I think I'll go after lunch.
Two cups black, Artisans coffee.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a basket of woven, brass wires.
Watched Magic's Greatest Secrets Finally Revealed on Sony channel.

I have yet to see a gay illusionist or party magician whose assistants are sexy young men.
Finished e-mailing my interview answers to Teng Ongpin, whose husband was my student at De La Salle University long ago. The interview will be in her new lifestyle site called Liv, featuring travel, food, interesting people, animal friends, and other topics. Teng asked if she could feature me for her Halloween issue.

Her site is at www.livph.com and my feature will be available for viewing Saturday, October 29.
Slaking my thirst with cold, drinking water. Like swallowing a mountain river. Like rising to the sky and ingesting the clouds.
If the painting makes your heart flutter, buy it.
Bogart is currently "on vacation". A man and a woman, cafe clients who are vets, took him to their place and are giving him medical treatment. We are all pretending that he is in a hospital suite and would like flowers. It sounds impressive.
Still enjoying The Chinese Maze Murders. There is an oppressive character who is the antagonist in this novel. Actually I dread reading about such characters because I know too many people like them.
Back from the Sitio Catacutan Market. Bought meat stock.

I love going to the marketplace as much as I love going to mall shops. I meet people who tell me interesting stories with equally interesting speech patterns. I also see a lot of tempting stuff. Couldn't resist buying these jack-o'-lanterns which would have cost a lot in department stores. I can always use them as paper baskets later.

The goddess also resides in the marketplace.



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Lunch at home with the granddaughters. School is off today.

Feels like a weekend.
Soon going to be poorer by thousands. Aubrey is buying an Apple laptop.
Set yourself free from other people's problems. You will then have the power to solve your own.
Don't get hung up on being a best friend or having one.

Be the best to everyone: a best supervisor, a best employee, a best neighbor, a best teacher, a best student, a best everything.
Every true artist knows how to reinvent himself.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a slice of sweet tangerine.
11:00 PM supertyphoon landfall in the north.
The night of a potential typhoon hit, worse than the night of a full moon. Many men will be taken over by Eros, as they are during a volcanic eruption. They will behave as though this were the last night of their lives. Many will take to drink. Many will splurge. Many will tear up their masterpieces in their subconscious desire to create more works.

As for the werewolf, he will curl up in bed in his cozy, captain's cabin bedroom and continue reading Judge Dee to his heart's content.

He has seen it all, and he laughs at the world.
Dinner at M.'s cafe. Angelique and Aubrey are waiting to know whether they have no classes tomorrow.
It is more convenient to be a lone werewolf than to be the leader of a pack.
For Adults Only:

Before having sex, whether with someone or by yourself, ask all spirits to leave the room and give you privacy. They will always do as you ask.

Actually you can always ask them the same whenever you are in the bathroom or toilet.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Men who have never practiced freedom with wild abandon are most prone to Alzheimer's Disease.

Metaphorically, AD is the Wild Man trapped within every man's heart and mind, constantly seeking release.
It is the person who anonymously stalks you on your Walls and Pages who learns the most from you, because every stalker is diligent with his homework.
The goddess of the storm is my mother.

The sky is a blueberry cheesecake iced with whipped cream.
Home but not alone. FDS lunch with Aubrey, who had exams yesterday, a free day today, and more exams tomorrow and Friday.
Good day, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.
Reading The Chinese Maze Murders. Yes, reading, not rereading. I am devouring this novel for the very first time, and so I am enjoying it immensely.
I could not comprehend my feeling at the TV station this afternoon. Something was significantly different, but I could not pinpoint exactly what it was until I got home. Then it dawned on me--it was a feeling of complete freedom.

This time I could say anything that I wanted on TV, without worrying about what my supervisors would think.

I love the feeling!

It's been years since my last public appearance. In 2011 I decided to be a hermit and be seen and heard only in cyberspace.

Today I broke that for a friend, a colleague, and a former co-worker, Agnes. She is consultant to a GMA-7 talk show Mars. I couldn't say no to her.

The episode will air Tuesday, All Saints Day, November 1, 2016. The show is hosted by Suzi Abrera and Camille Pratts. Guests with me were Mayton Eugenio and TJ Trinidad. Our topic was "Deathbed Visions".

























When I was a little boy, some of the most magical moments I recall were the evenings when my parents dressed up for formal events. My mother would be in a gown with sparkly accents. Her hair would be coiffed and she would have make-up on. My father was in his Army colonel's gala uniform. They were engrossed in trying to look as perfect as possible in front of the mirror. During those times they were also engrossed only in each other. They were no longer my mother and my father. I did not exist. The years turned back swiftly and they were newlyweds once again.

They would kiss me and my younger sister good night, and they even smelled different then. My mother had perfume, my father cologne.

On evenings like those there was nothing else for me to do but sleep because I knew that my parents would be coming home very late.

The magic was always broken the next day, when my mother and my father would be the same persons I knew them to be all over again.

I wonder if, when I had to dress for a formal event, my sons and my grandchildren ever looked at me that way.
I always think of Aubrey as Sunny in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I must have bought at least ten volumes then.

I also thought of Angelique as Violet and of my younger son Chito as Klaus.
Robert van Gulik had his first Judge Dee novel published 1951.That was the year I was born, and I wonder if that is why I am so fond of the series.
Cath is sleeping over, Aubrey is at her classmate's, Jeff is visiting his family.

Cath and Angelique decided to have a Jollibee dinner.

Dinner alone at M's cafe.
"(T)he Ancients said that he who strives after possessing perfect beauty thereby excites the ire of the gods."

--Robert van Gulik in The Emperor's Pearl.
I flinch whenever broadcasters pronounce "burial" as "byooryal" or "booryal", and they do that a lot.
When I was in graduate school for Clinical Psychology, I observed that the Group Dynamics program had the least transparency and the most pretensions, delusions of grandeur, power-tripping, and inappropriate exclusivity.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Finished reading _The Emperor's Pearl_ last night. Will commence reading _The Chinese Maze Murders_, a formidably thicker volume, tonight.
Should you happen to have dollhouse-dolls or miniature figurines and you are leaving the house for an important event, arrange the dolls/figurines on your magic altar in a tableau symbolic of what you want to happen.

If you don't have dolls/figurines, you can easily cut paper dolls from magazines and fold them in position.
The sky is the world theater's cyclorama.
Good morning, Cubao!

The granddaughters are at school and Jeff is assisting Hedwig on a photo shoot.
Now a third through _The Emperor's Pearl_.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Finished rereading The Phantom of the Temple.

Now rereading The Emperor's Pearl.
He revealed his being an atchay when he exclaimed, "Lo-HOT!"
If you don't want the public to see your postings and your photos, all you have to do is CUSTOMIZE.
When a posting says, "DO NOT SHARE. JUST COPY AND PASTE", it is because the cybercriminal does not want his original posting to be traced to his own account.
Family altars should always be located where family members frequently are. This ensures the family's prosperity and progress.
Monday, Monday

My idea of a restful afternoon today is to continue reading The Phantom of the Temple while sipping a cup of hot, oolong tea.

Thought of wearing my satin, Chinese robes and cap while reading Judge Dee but decided that it would be a trifle too delusional.
Whenever I am half-asleep or half-napping in my bedroom I love to hear the sound of a stick broom sweeping the driveway outside. It makes me feel that life is simple, that there is nothing as soothing as the thought of a person joyfully performing an everyday task like sweeping, that there is also something truly centering about the Japanese artists' acts of sweeping sand in deliberate patterns--both for the artists and for the beholders of their art.
I believe that I do have social media privacy. When someone Clicks on Like or Comments on a posting that I made, it doesn't mean that they went on my Wall. It means that the posting randomly popped up on Newsfeed and that they happened to see it as they were Scrolling through.

That is why my accounts continue to be my electronic diaries.
Bought another 1.5 liter Zest-O Dalandan fruit soda yesterday. Also bought 1.5 liters each Juicy Lemon fruit soda and RC Free (as in sugar-free) just to try them.

I am still biased toward Dalandan.

I still like Pepsi Max, the drink of psychics.
Two cups black, Artisans coffee.
Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is an orange, festival kite.
Had Bruce Lee not passed away, he would be alive as 75. He is ten years older than I am.
Back from groceries at the center. The lines were long even at the cashier for senior citizens. Jeff and I were there a good two hours. A baby slept in its mother's arms the entire time, completely oblivious to its surroundings.

Managed to fill up a promo coupon with five stamps and bought a stainless steel chopper for crackling pork at a discount.

Bought a novelty rubber stamp set. And, of course, two more Spandex shorts.
The TV set in M's cafe is already up and running.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

"Someday I'll wish upon a star/
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me./
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,/
High above the chimney tops,/
That's where you'll find me./"

On happier planets in other galaxies, there is only one gender.
Until about the age of nine, boys believe that the world is theirs for the taking. After that they go through a prepubescent crisis during which they learn that other men, including their own brothers, are out to compete with them and even kill them in order to win. Some of these boys subconsciously submit to the domination of those other men and end up as weaklings who no longer value leadership and heroism.

Sometimes I feel that the only solution is for them never to trust their fellow men.