The Wands must continue pointing to the ground.

During my funeral wake, I will listen to everything you say and read everything you think over my cremation urn, and I will give you my reply later in the night, when you are alone inside your bathroom. I find that it is easier to communicate to a living person who is naked, because clothing is too much a manifestation of defense mechanisms.

Back from the center. Withdrew money to pay for Aubrey's first semester at university, and bought some stuff for Angelique.

It is wonderful to be 66 and able to continue producing works! I feel that, at this age, no one can really pass judgment on one without projecting their own shortcomings, and it is the works one produces and leaves behind that are of utmost importance--works that one's critics cannot even produce for themselves.

Maybe, at 66, it is my time to be judgmental of others.

Two cups black, brewed, espresso blend coffee.

Saint Joseph the Worker's Day in Barangay Kaunlaran. An Ati-Atihan drum band passed by.

In literature and in art there is no such thing as passing the baton. You are as brilliant a writer and an artist as you can be, and you will remain so through the rest of your life--and even long, long after.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are unmade camping beds.

Still rereading The Red Pavilion. Relationships between guests and courtesans are now being exposed. Three murders are being investigated. A blind music tutor, a former courtesan, makes an appearance.

Another hot, sweltering night in Cubao.

The April leaf falls off my planner.

Hedwig visited this afternoon. We had M.'s cafe's jalu-jalo delivered to the dining room.

Angelique and J. arrived from university. Angelique's team won the volleyball game.

Now dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

Lunch with Aubrey.

Angelique left early this morning to play in a volleyball game at university.

Good noon, Cubao!

The sun is a troop of archers with golden arrows.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Back from the center. Angelique and J. arrived from university before I did.

Never cover your head with a cap or any kind of cloth while reading, writing, painting, or knitting. The alpha waves from your brain release intense heat during this kind of activity, and, when hindered by head covering, will give you headaches and eye aches.

That is why Joya's drawings of women in bandannas doing embroidery never made sense to me.

It is easy to tell whether someone really loves you. All you have to do is clear your mind completely and then let images of them come in.

I think I'll have a late lunch alone at John's townhouse hawker's stand, then I have to go jalan-jalan and buy a light bulb, bath soap, and two red sodas for the KTs.

Gifts From A Former Co-Worker

These SHFiguarts drawing models (I can't call them ecorches because they do not show the skeletal and muscular systems) are really tiny (my regular ecorches are two feet tall) and are used mainly for comic-book illustration. They come in three colors ("wood" color for line drawing, gray for shadows, and black for silhouettes) but I opted for the wood because I have observed that gray plastic discolors over time.

Look--they fit inside two of my glass cloches. A bit creepy. Maybe that's how people look like in labs after aliens abduct them.

Home alone. Angelique at university for her last, final exam and Aubrey at a friend's birthday celebration.

This is Angelique's last, official day as a senior. After this there will be their Hollywood-motif prom, graduation rehearsals, and graduation!

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a basket of white rocks.

Only an artist with keen powers of observation might know this already, but my experience with ice cream is that there is "cold" ice cream and there is "hot" ice cream. Ube and chocolate, for example, are "cold", "cooling cold", to me, while mango and strawberry are "hot".

It is somewhat like detecting coolness or warmth in a painting.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

They ran out of foot-long chili dogs (which I like but which the KTs don't), and so I had a double cheeseburger order instead (which the KTs like).

The KTs and I ate the burgers in the kitchen with hot, pickled mangoes (which my granddaughters don't like), an Indian relish from Assad.

Then had a bowl of ube-caramelized sugar ice cream.

Caught an episode of The Amazing Race on AXN. Set in Italy. Love those plaster pleurants!

The broadcaster's wardrobe is comprised of 1950s zoot suits, and he always looks like a caricature of that era.

Watched Exit replays on AXN two nights in a row.

Expensive productions.

After she passed away the causes she campaigned for unraveled, because they were not significant enough to begin with.

Like a Grimm, I can tell at a glance whether a person practices magic or not.

Wall-to-wall carpeting is a maintenance problem in the tropics, but area rugs and throw rugs are convenient and beautiful.

If the sea is salt, what is the sky?

Arrange some or all of the following, in the order you resort to, in your times of illness or crisis:

--You go to a doctor.
--You explore the Internet for solutions.
--You self-medicate.
--You consult someone with a similar illness or situation.
--You keep everything to yourself and pretend that you are well.
--You deny the illness, hoping it will go away.
--You go to an alternative healer.
--You convert the pain to a creative work.
--You travel as a form of literal escape.
--You get drunk.
--You increase your life-force activities.
--You pray.

No single work of art is truly ugly, because ugliness, like The Devil, is in the eye of the beholder.

The worst artist of all is not the artist who produces nothing but the artist who repeats himself in every painting.

I do not like to, and so I will never, meet new people who want to be my friends because their conversation always ends up like an interview or consultation.

On some of the planets, especially the planet of the Grays, there is only one gender.

I live my life the way I believe I should, not the way others believe I should.

I am very happy that Christians DO learn major lessons from Muslims. One of them is blurring the genitals and private parts on paintings and photographs on the TV screen. Exposure of skin is called 'awrat. They now do this even on Renaissance paintings.

Preparing a syllabus for a new, week-long workshop on creative writing. Changing a lot of things for an audience that might be comprised of old-fashioned employees, devout Muslims, and born-again Christians.

Am especially conscious that the workshop will be held during the fasting period.

Tony Perez's Art of War: They try to teach you to forgive because they are terrified of your vengeance.

He who lives and works in silence suddenly emerges as triumphant and as dazzling as the sun.

Has anyone else ever noticed that when a broadcaster makes small talk because he has no substantial news to report, it is an extravagant waste of air time?

The dying can bequeath their possessions to the living.

How I wish that they could also bequeath their intelligence, wisdom, and talents by some kind of astral siphoning from one brain to the other.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are bamboo lantern frames pasted over with rice paper.

The mountain dwarves are playing ninepins over the Cubao Catskills.

Today John asked me why I've been painting. My answer was the truth, but it disappointed him: I've been painting because I finally want to get rid of the voluminous stock of canvases in the studio lounge. Once I get that done, I can buy a mah jongg table and locate it there.

The world would be a happier place if everyone took it as his duty to make life better for at least ten other people.

The Oracle of Kung Ming/Chuoko Liong is to be consulted at the beginning of each year and in the middle of the year.

http://tonyperezphilippinescyberspacebook4.blogspot.com/

Still rereading The Red Pavilion. Judge Dee's lieutenant meets two farmers who speculate about the possible murder of the young scholar and poet, then picks up Judge Dee after the banquet at the Crane Bower.

The Queen Flower of Paradise Island is found murdered inside the Red Pavilion.

Werewolves will always prefer walking to riding.

First come to terms with yourself. Only then can you begin to come to terms with others.

Live in every moment. It improves your memory and recollection of everything.

Where there are gaps, one must build bridges.

Never laugh at another's language or speech, for it is how well one lives, not how well one speaks, that makes one a success.

Red flags go up when a supervisor envies a subordinate, but not when vice-versa.

You cannot teach an unwilling person a lesson.

Hot air breathes, and inhales tornadoes.

Love and money do not grow on trees.

Less crimes would be committed if all trash bags were translucent rather than an opaque black.

Staircases retain memories of footsteps going up and going down.

A single knock is likely to be missed, two a probable cancellation of communication, and that is why we knock three times.

John visited. Served him mango-dark chocolate ice cream.

Bought six more big, plastic tubs for our garden soil.

I feel like I am buying out the store.

The bird that builds its nest quietly in the snow is the very same bird that sings loudest in the summer.

One of my prohibitions is repeating what I've already said. Some people think that it is fun to have me repeat what I've just said and even force me to do so, not knowing that, when I do do so, it causes bad luck not to me but to THE PERSON I AM TALKING TO.

Your Messenger message:

"Hello sir Tony, "Do you ever mentor people on how to read Tarot cards? By chance, I was gifted with a set, at a time when I was actively seeking to learn. After I got the Tarot cards, I also bought some books about it which, incidentally, kept popping up whenever I went to bookstores. But I feel I need to be guided in my readings. I was wondering if I could join any of your workshops, if you conduct it. Salamat sir."


My reply:

I used to conduct an entire, no-nonsense workshop series equivalent to one semester on this. If you can get together three companions who are also interested, I could do a one-day session with you.

Two cups black, espresso blend coffee.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a brightly-colored parade float.

One of the most important things I learned from Taoist temple priests is that being psychic is an outcome of being spiritual, not of having chemical imbalances in one's body.

Here are some atypical but effective ways to wear a talisman without anyone even knowing that you have one on:

--Hanging at your upper back instead of at your chest (defensive).
--Tied to your belt and inserted into your crotch area (aggressive).
--Tied to your belt and inserted into your lower back area (defensive).
--Tied to the left side of your belt and inserted into your pelvis area (defensive).
--Tied to the right side of your belt and inserted into your pelvis area (aggressive).
--In your left shoe (defensive).
--In your right shoe (aggressive).

Poking is sexy because I can feel it in specific parts of my body.

And so can the person I am poking in return.

It is the person who inures himself to noise who sleeps the soundest, pun intended.

In the last analysis war and politics are pointless, because we are all fragments of One and will all reunite at the end of all journeys.

It is best to save money not only for a rainy day but also for every hot, summer's day.

When men are defeated by physical strength, they rest and recover.

When they are defeated by lack of money, they despair and go into depression.

The best and the most practical cutlery to use in this era is made of stainless steel.

He was totally cheeky when he was still alive--and totally a success.

Bought three more boxes of ice cream at the Sitio Catacutan Magnolia depot yesterday: mangoes and cream, mango and dark chocolate, and ube-caramelized sugar.

The big rat may shake off the sticky flypaper, but his fur will be matted the rest of his life.

Bow only to gods and goddesses, and not to human beings.

Know and accept that life is full of disruptions, for no one can ever be a proprietor of time.

I consumed the last of our coffee this morning, and I was climbing walls until I was able to replenish our stock this afternoon.

If you may already be living in heaven, then you may already be living in hell.

One of my co-alumni placed me in the closed group _Living Theologies_, managed by a former professor at Maryhill School of Theology. I warned them that I may not be the graduate they used to know, but our professor replied that he remembers me VERY well.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Since your enemies  will always believe that you are wrong, always have available the many reasons why you are right.

Angelique back from university, Aubrey off to gym.

Back from the center. Paid our wi-fi bill, bought two small sacks of espresso blend coffee, and bought six more big, plastic tubs for the storage of our garden soil.

When a person accepts your Friend Request, he really is not accepting your friendship. He is GIVING you HIS.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are drinking water dispensers in the sky.

Still rereading The Red Pavilion. Judge Dee meets Paradise Island's officials at a lavish banquet. The dining hall is cooled with blocks of ice in huge brass bowls.

In the meantime Judge Dee's lieutenant mingles with the hoi-poloi in the busy streets, hunting for clues to the apparent suicide of a young poet and scholar.

The morning was spent with one of my antique dealers, the afternoon with Lara.

Hoping that I have tomorrow all to myself. Benjie begins another series of cleaning days, though.

Jalan-Jalan With Lara At Assad

Jalan-Jalan With Lara At Assad.

Haven't been to Assad in ages. What used to be a tiny market stall is now a modern, air-conditioned grocery. Bought a box of the usual Seven African Powers joss sticks, a joss stick holder, a bottle of castor oil for hair, a pack of henna (wait for my purple moustache), a bottle of pickled mangoes, a pack of naan flatbread, four paratha cakes with ghee (clarified butter), and a dozen samosas with sauce.

And of course it was wonderful to be with Lara again!

Blessed By The Art of Writing

One of my gold pens now has two siblings: a silver one and a copper one.

Your Messenger message:

"sir magandang hapon po. may kasamahan po akong nais magpa interpret po ng panaginip. ito po ang kanyang panaginip.

"bago ako matulog sinabi kay Lord na ipakita sa akin ang mangyayari sa aking dalahin sa buhay. .at ito ang panaginip ko... PUMUNTA DAW AKO SA BAHAY NG ISANG TAO NA MAY NAGAWA AKONG PAGKAKAMLAI..PUMUNTA DAW AKO DUN PARA HUMINGI NG TAWAD.. PINATULOY NAMAN KAMI AT YUN TAO NA PINUNTAHAN KO AY KINAON SA ITAAS NG BAHAY ANG KANYANG LOLO DAW, KINAKABAHAN AKO NA BAKA MAGALIT PERO NARINIG KO LANG NA MASAYA AT NAGTATAWANAN SILA SA TAAS. ..BAGAMAT KINAKABAHAN AY NTUWA AKO NG KAUNTI. .TAPOS HABANG HINIHINTAY KO ANG PAGBABA NILA SA SALAS KAHARAP AT KASAMA KO PALA YUN ISA KONG KAPATID NA BABAE NA MAS MATANDA SA AKIN NAKAUPO LANG SIYA NA RELAX AT NAKANGITI SA AKIN. . TAPOS MAMAYA PUMASOK NA LAMNG ANG SA KO PANG MATANDANG LALAKI NA KAMAG ANAK NA MAY DALANG ASO AT IBINIGAY SA AKIN. .NATUWA AKO SA ASO PERO ON MY MIND KINABAHAN AKO DAHIL BAKA MAGALIT YUN KAKAUSAPIN KONG TAO. . yun natapos na dun e. . .

"maraming salamat po."

My reply:

Hello ______!

This dream is about disrespect. The dreamer has yet to learn to be respectful to others because, in the past, he has always been disrespectful and has gotten away with it, usually rationalizing it with his equally disrespectful sense of humor.

Even his opening sentence is disrespectful. One cannot demand that God give one a dream. At the most, he could demand it of his higher self or higher consciousness, though it would still be disrespectful.

The dog in this dream is a symbol of the dreamer's primitive self.

My reply:

Hello ______!

This dream is about disrespect

Lunch at home with the granddaughters.

Angelique is taking Kichiro Mayuzumi to the pet parlor to be shorn.

Waiting for someone to pick me up to go jalan-jalan.

The sun glimmers through walls of rain clouds.

Good morning, Cubao!

Felt like I could have slept an hour more.

Drinking party with music ongoing at M.'s cafe.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

It has come to the point that I place an exact amount of money on the counter, the cook looks at it, and then prepares my order without a word passing between us.

Watched the final episodes of Team Ninja Warrior. I was prepared for a non-psychic viewing, then noted that one of the participants was emotionally confused. Reading him more closely, I saw that a co-participant expressed "interest" in him, and he was fighting off the feeling of mutuality. I also saw that this was the second proposition he received from a co-participant, but that he didn't like the first one.

Hunger brings out the worst even in the most educated person.

Some people retire and immediately search for other jobs that can take them. I believe that it is, more than the need for money, the need to feel important.

I am not one of those people. The luxury of not doing any work makes me feel like a king. I can be whatever I want, do whatever I want, and see or not see other people as I please.

Never decorate your home with anything you bought at a discount store or in a mall.

All home and ready for dinner.

Still rereading The Red Pavilion. Judge Dee discovers that a leper has been crouching beneath the wisteria vines and spying on him.

Angelique arrived from university. Aubrey off to gym; I asked her to pay our water bill instead of my having to go jalan-jalan in order to do so.

Still rereading The Red Pavilion. The Queen Flower of Paradise Island meets Judge Dee while he is having his tea on the veranda of his suite.

Your Messenger message:

"Hi, Sir. Someone has been stealing from me fairly regularly. My gut instincts tell me it's someone nearby. A well meaning friend taught me to write this spell on 2 pieces of paper and paste one at the back of the door and the other under the door. Question: I'm want to know that the spell means before I do it. Would you be able to translate this for me?
_____+___________ ______+_____________________ _____+__________________ ______________________ ______________________________ +++

My reply:

Translation follows:

"Whoever is guilty/
By Isaac [(or In the name of Isaac) sic, should be Esau]/
Who was the savior of Jacob and carried their house/
The guilty will be (punished with) short steel (i.e., a dagger)/
And metal chains will be their shackles/"


By Isaac [sic, should be Esau], who saved Jacob and carried the house, The guilty will be (punished with) short steel (i.e., a dagger), and metal chains will be his shackles.

When the heart sings, the mind dances.

The heart has a more powerful memory than the mind.

The artist who loses his lifestyle also loses his art.

Fate often makes it so that the person you abhorred and shunned in the past is the very person whom you now need, yet who has the right to abhor and shun you in return.

One of my antique dealers just arrived from Malaysia. He is threatening to bring me a lot of silver and two, big items that I've always wanted. This is not the same antique dealer who is bringing me a tall item.

When it rains, it pours.

When it shines, it blazes.

He who becomes rare has the right to be expensive.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a stainless steel kite with tin-can tails.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

M.'s cafe is still open at this time.

Watched two successive episodes of May The Best House Win on etc, one on Halloween houses, the other on Christmas houses. Both were too extreme for me. I couldn't imagine my children, my grandchildren, and myself living in any of those houses. The most I have for Halloween are three Barbie-size witches on broomsticks that my youngest sister sent me from Sydney years ago and a lighted parking sign for witches that I bought, also years ago. As for Christmas, we hang huge, fancy stockings on the divider between the dining room and the studio den; I bought them at Rustan's when Chito was only 16. Both episodes reminded me that I should never spend any more money on holiday decor--because most of them are really gaudy and because I do not want to increase my storage problems.

Never make your employees proactively vie for your favor. They will continue to resent you long after you have gone.

Tony Perez's Art of War: When someone has been ruthless with you, wait one year and then be twice as ruthless with him, allowing his bad karma to earn interest.

A hot night in Cubao. As hot as the night in The Shooting Star (The Adventures of TinTin).

I feel as though the earth is in high fever.

Started rereading _The Red Pavilion_. It is the Festival of Hungry Ghosts, and all inns are fully booked. Before moving on to their district after official travel, Judge Dee and one of his lieutenants are compelled to stay overnight on Paradise Island, a small resort of gambling dens and houses of assignation. Judge Dee is staying in the only unoccupied suite, the Red Pavilion, where a murder occurred some time ago...

If it is at all possible for you, set aside some time to watch the day break and the dusk fall. You will feel better and more stable for experiencing the transitions between night and day. Sometimes there is nothing more disconcerting than looking at your window and seeing that it is suddenly light or suddenly dark.

From the age of 50 onward, buy only things that your children and grandchildren will want to have after you pass away.

There are extraterrestrials with four pairs of arms and hands, that is why some Hindu gods and goddesses are depicted as such.

Walking in balance means not only keeping the right to your right and the left to your left. It also means ascending while you descend and descending while you ascend.

After reality is recorded it may still or no longer be reality.

She has become too inebriated with her albeit modest successes.

One of my antique dealers is bringing a tall thing, taller than I, to my house at the end of the month. I hope I like it.

Took _The Red Pavilion_, a Judge Dee mystery, from our Chinese book case to reread later in bed.

Third layer of varnish on Tay Tong's portrait.

The cross-section of an onion is the cross-section of sound waves.

Nothing lasts forever because it is exactly what you paid for.

Striations on our fingernails are like striations on seashells, reminding us that we are children of the sea.

The mathematician and the pianist are more capable of writing poetry than you are.

Democracy asks you not only who can take care of you, but also who can take care of the person who can take care of you.

The richer he tries to be, the more miserable and hot-headed he becomes.

Like that of my rosewood fountain pen, the casing of this fountain pen is made of carved wood, but with a natural finish.

Finished reading _The Athenian Murders_ last night. Cleverly written, it is about how a translator merges with an ancient text and ultimately becomes one of its characters--or is it the other way around?

The subliminal message is that the primitive, Dionysian rites in which one of the congregation gets devoured is an archetype of modern, urban pornography.

Lazy Sunday, but the sun is still as hot as a horse's bone in the Ilocos sand dunes, and so I might do the last layer of varnish on Tay Tong's portrait today.

Old, no longer used, and unappreciated clothes, like sad memories, should always be disposed of. They free up your closets for the storage of better possessions.

Good morning, Cubao!

Now the clouds form silver dragons in the sky.

Everything on TV tonight is a replay, but I watched Team Ninja Warrior and Ancient Aliens anyway.

Angelique, Aubrey, J., and Kian are back from the coliseum and from dinner out.

Watched Nightmare Nurse. The usual DIVA melodrama. This one has a twist near the end, but the message is, like the message in all the other melodramas, that the world is full of handsome and beautiful psychos.

And maybe it is.

Varnished the Sphinx (Portrait of Sarah C. Peck) painting. The weather has been most cooperative, if not too hot. Was able to do one layer of varnish on Portrait of Tay Tong.

The best thing that ever happened to me was my retirement. I became able to focus more on my writing, my painting, and on magic, and I became a lot more prolific in all three fields. As an additional bonus, I retired not only from work but also from atchays. I now converse and am only with people whom I like, and I have no intentions of meeting new people or satisfying others' curiosity about me.

I never take people I do not like into my confidence and into my house.

The setting sun is as constant as the rising sun.

It is the sun that mixes the cerulean blue and the titanium white that colors the sky.

I don't take on walk-ins. To me, they are pathetic flounderers.

I trust ONLY people I have known for the past ten years.

Deliberate whether a kitchenette might not serve you better than a full kitchen would.

Know that the "housewife's" dream of having "a big kitchen" is a phenomenon of the 1950s, when the world was picking itself up from the war and when the subconscious idea of being able to "feed an army" was everyone's idea of contentment.

Kian has arrived and is having a late lunch with Aubrey in the dining room. As for myself, I earlier sauntered to the Ilonggo hawker's stand and had jackfruit in coconut milk and a cup of white rice.

Like carriages on a train, the events of the day roll by.

Extraterrestrials will always outdo and outlive you.

Angelique at university, Aubrey preparing for the arrival of her friend Kian.

Alone at home later. Angelique, Aubrey, J., and Kian are watching a volleyball game at the coliseum.

Good noon, Cubao!

The clouds are plates of sweet rice cakes.

You are unable to sleep because you always forget to ask the night itself to lull you to sleep.

After you are done fighting your battle, relax and finally focus on improving your life.

Never encourage sibling rivalry among your children.

Never encourage co-student rivalry among your students.

What you may believe to be healthy competition is really the dredging of birth trauma and separation anxiety.

No matter what the time of night, I need to take a hot shower before going to bed. Otherwise I feel like the day swaddled me in heavy shawls of tired sunshine that I can't shake off, and that prevents me from going to sleep.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J. Then we ordered four glasses of jalu-jalo overload at M.'s cafe, which one of the waiters served us through the secret passage between the cafe kitchen and the studio foyer.

When I schedule those tea parties with the new Spirit Questors and the members of The Wands, I think I will pay M. to have one of his waiters serve us. That way I won't have to be attending to the guests the entire time.

Angelique and J. arrived from university.

We are all at home.

Distant thunder southeast of Cubao.

Wearing Elizabeth Taylor's Passion for Men.

JR visited. We had soda at the cafe and then went to the house. He brought me something that we both like, and which we partook of. Talked of old times, but we are both happier and in better places in life now.

Anything you misspell, coin, or misuse immediately is not translated by Google Translate. It is thus the cause of communication infidelity.

There is no such thing as a willing victim. If a "victim" is willing, he is the perpetrator.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a pavilion of golden bricks.

Watched Milwaukeee Blacksmith. Half of the crew was working on a metal dinosaur, the other half on scrolled balconies.

I was more interested in the balconies.

The champion became more and more undesirable as his hair receded and as he aged.

You saw only one. I said there would be more than one.

Nature does not punish human wrongdoers because their fellow humans do that already.

You cannot make the general public behave correctly by scaring them into doing so.

She sided with the wrong people, that is why misfortune befell her, and why she did not see it coming.

Anything open to the public will undergo great wear and tear.

Unless you undergo major life changes, your sense of fashion at the age of 50 will most likely be your sense of fashion the rest of your life.

There is mature literature, and there is immature literature.

There is mature art, and there is immature art.

Never encourage the latter in both, for their creators neither learn from masters nor base their works on strong, philosophical foundations.

After thousands of years, no one has still drawn a centaur right.

Everything created has a spirit, and has a counterpart on the astral plane.

Your life halts when you lose interest in being well-dressed.

Someone on the compound is making a crude checkerboard with a marker on old plywood, It looks quite quaint. It actually looks like a relic of ancient civilization.

Life is a predictable cycle.

I never give in to group pressure. I never did so ever since I was a child. It was always a pleasure to watch the facial expressions of people frustrated by my obstinacy. In a sense it was one of my ways of telling others that no one can tell me what to do. Indeed, to this very day, I say no, more than I say yes.

I learned, much later that the person who does not give in to group pressure is an individualist, and that, ironically, individualists become the unique models that groups pattern their values, thinking, and behavior after.

It is easy to change your mind but not as easy to change the consequences of changing your mind.

The plainest looking Wand can be the most potent. Since it has often absorbed rejection, it will manifest very strong projection.

Work not only to pay your bills and eat three meals a day. Work to buy everything that you like as well.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Two more murders have occurred: that of another boy and that of his pedagogue. The bodies are found side by side.

In the meantime the story in the footnotes has already merged with the story in the main text.

A person commits suicide when he can no longer think of a single person who truly loves him and who is willing to pick him up and give him a hug.

Red flags go up in my mind whenever completely strange young men come up to me and ask to be my students.

All the negative things you experienced were part of your journey. The story of your life would not have been complete without them.

Now that Tay Tong's portrait is done, I'm thinking of doing nothing today, if I can help it. The next painting is constantly nagging me, though. It longs to be created.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a folding couch on the edge of the sea.

When it happens again three bridges will go down.

You see when you want to see.

So late in the night, I threw out three boxes of books, mostly the grandchildren's storybooks and schoolbooks.

Now I'm having mixed nuts...and a very tall RC and vodka.

Watching The Curse of Oak Island.

A brief cloudburst in Cubao. Cerefina is afraid of thunder. I can tell when it's really hot because Cerefina sleeps and stays the whole day in the rear passage, where we still have garden soil in sacks. The stored earth keeps the rear passage cool.

Angelique had classes at university today. Aubrey went to university and submitted requirements for her first semester in B.S. Psychology.

They came home together, and we had dinner.

Unbearable heat in Cubao.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Heracles Pontor and Diagoras visited the Academy where the murdered boys were students, and are now having dinner with Plato.

http://tonyperezphilippines.blogspot.com/2017/04/portrait-of-tay-tong.html

I need to varnish _Sphinx (Portrait of Sarah C. Peck)_ and then rest before commencing a new painting.

Sixth glaze

New cutlery completes the month of April for me.

The set on the right has a gold, grapevine pattern that I love because it reminds me so much of Dionysos/Bacchus.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Heracles Pontor and Diagoras visit the studio of the sculptor and playwright Menaechmus. As it turns out, the murdered boys Tramachus and Euneos and the still living Antisus secretly performed in the choruses of his plays, posed as models for his statues of gods and goddesses, and vied for his favor.

Am not including the secondary plot developing in the footnotes, of course.

To the new Spirit Questors and the members of The Wands: I am scheduling two separate tea parties despite the fact that my studio is still a mess due to my current painting projects. I will group-message you or post messages in the secret groups.

Please do NOT tag along non-members and persons I do not know.

Also be forewarned that I will be in Spandex shorts.

It is useless to deprive cats of their territories by reclaiming them. They will simply stalk off and find other territories for themselves.

So it is when you try to do the same to your employees.

Whenever you heal people, do not be so rude and so crude as to convert them to your religion.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun flexes a thousand golden wings.

Watched a fascinating episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders set in Tijuana.  It involved a cult of Santa Muerte, but I felt that the script was based on many misconceptions. That father-son scene at the very end was also a sad one.

A peaceful Tuesday night, but the week isn't half over yet.

M.'s regular waiters are back from their Easter holiday. I must say, the substitute waiters did a good job while they were gone.

Dinner at home with Angelique, who goes back to university tomorrow.

Aubrey went to our family dentist's to have her braces tightened, then had a session at the gym. She had a late dinner upon her arrival.

Watched a TV feature on the ten most extreme bridges in the world.

Watched another live video by one of my Russian Friends.

I love the interiors of middle-class, Russian houses. There is a certain look to them. Most of the walls are usually papered, and there are obligatory bric-a-brac wall shelves. The residents have a certain way of hanging paintings. I pay special attention to types of fabric, furniture, and drapery.

Which is why I almost never go live on video. I am so finicky that I have to create an entire set for it, which is really just too tedious.

Received an invitation to the two-day fiesta of Barangay Kaunlaran April 30 - May 1. Am reminded of some of the characters in my novel Cubao Ilalim. Thinking of going and perhaps adding details to the second volume of Cubao Ilalim.

The activities include basketball games, parlor games, native family games, a Mass, a feeding, a videoke challenge, a zumbarobics challenge, an Ati-Atihan exhibition, an ukay-ukay, a live band and jamming, a group dance contest, and a "Like Mother, Like Child" contest.

So NOT me, but must remind myself that, many years ago when I was young and already crazy, I signed up to be a waiter at Via Mare just to write my novel Bata, Sinaksak, Sinilid Sa Baul.

A layer is an opaque application of paint.

A glaze is a transparent application of paint.

Fifth glaze.

Fourth glaze.

Another hour painting.

Third glaze.

Another hour painting.

Second glaze.

My new fountain pen. The casing is made of oiled, carved rosewood. Am photographing it here with my unoiled rosewood figurine of the Tao boy-saint No Tze, a birthday gift from my former students Constantine and Dominic many years ago.

An hour painting.

Applied first glaze already.

All of your children are irreversible blessings.

The sky is an ocean filled with astral fish.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night, and could have slept three more.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Young Euneos, friend and co-student of the murdered ephebe/boy Tramachus, is himself found murdered by the ancient Greek detective Heracles Pontor and his assistant Diagoras, However, his cadaver is, strangely, dressed in the robes of a courtesan.

Ninja Warrior Marathon.

Portrait of Tay Tong
Oil on unstretched canvas

Another hour painting. Tenth layer.

Portrait of Tay Tong
Oil on unstretched canvas

Ninth layer. Not yet done.

Own a globe and own the world.

Painted an hour.

Hands are now done.

Still need to work on the face to my personal satisfaction.

Bought four boxes of ice cream at the Sitio Catacutan Magnolia Depot: ube-caramelized sugar, ube-keso, banoffee pie, and strawberry crumble pie.

And then the saleslady gave me a free umbrella.

Good noon, Cubao!

The doodles in the sky are roller-coaster tracks.

I am NOT on LinkedIn and will never be, so please stop trying to connect with me there.

I used to collect supplies for watercolor, pen and ink, chalk pastel, oil pastel, and acrylic. In 2010 I resolved to paint only in oil. It is more expensive but the results are more indelible. After ten years oil paint transforms into a hard resin and outlives not only the artist but generations after him as well.

Hoping to finish Tay Tong's portrait within the week.

Will then commence another painting with multiple characters.

Wish I could meet real life counterparts of Steve and Snot.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Darkness contains more than what light contains.

Frustration is always an outcome of self, not of others.

Every farmer knows the value of patience and of waiting.

The dry plant survives because it dreams of rivers miles away.

When unable to work on a specific task properly, do something else for an hour, and then go back to it.

What your neighbors think of you really matters.

It is now time to delete inactives and stalkers from the year 2016.

Thinking of locating a coffee station on the studio porch for the security guards--and, of course, for myself.

Children on the compound playing in the rain.

A cool afternoon. I am glad that the light rain did not stop. Had it done so, the earth would have emitted moist heat. As it turns out the earth was able to slake its thirst with more than enough rainwater, and it is now as chilly as a day in July, a perfect time for two cups of hot tea.

Ten years younger than I am, he already looks older than I do.

Ink is the lifeblood of the writer persona.

Not every teacher is a parent, but every parent is a teacher.

J. and Angelique arrived.

Bought jalu-jalo for us at the Sitio Catacutan Hawkers Alley.

An hour painting.

Still a long way to go.

Light drizzle on Cubao.

Abstinence and fasting should have been done not only from food but from social media, and very few people did that.

Be careful when cleaning out your back yard or you will inadvertently throw away forgotten treasures.

It is really too hot to go hunting for Easter eggs.

Today, Easter Sunday, I thank God that my life is exactly what I always wanted it to be--one of secure retirement, serenity, and creativity, one that allows me to write books as I please and post them in cyberspace, paint whatever I want for my family and my friends, remodel and rearrange the house in novel, exciting ways, continue boosting my favorite collections, and go shopping. I work for no one but, when I need to hire or subcontract people, others work for me. My current hobbies are sleeping, lounging, reading, staying home, avoiding people, going jalan-jalan, drinking coffee and tea, eating, and reinventing myself as often as I wish to.

I have only one remaining prayer for myself, which is to never be hospitalized or have a lingering illness. I prefer to die quickly and suddenly, preferably in my sleep.

Yes, it's all about me.

It's about time.

The clouds are silver Easter eggs.

Good day, Cubao!

Lunch with Aubrey.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Sixth layer.Not yet done. Working some more on the face and hands tomorrow.

Students who betrayed you will eventually be betrayed by their own students.

Yet another hour painting.

Fourth layer, but far from done.

Another hour painting.

Having a love affair with black, but, if I am able to take photos of Keng Sen, will do his portrait in white.

An hour painting.

Second layer, but still very far from done.

The clouds are bouquets of calla lilies.

Good morning, Cubao!

Black Saturday.

I no longer collect reference photos for my painting. I tend to forget that I have them. Like my diaries, they also take up storage space.

The moon is full tonight but the werewolf did not cross the street to the burger stand. (Yes, the burger stand was open the whole day and will be open the whole night and, like M.'s cafe, has been having good business.)

Now I'm craving a fresh onion, tomato, and cheese salad.

A beer and a root beer at M.'s cafe. Sat at the far end and wrote in my notebook. A Sheaffer fountain pen and gold ink tonight. Some neighbors were having dinner and jalu-jalo. A fantasy DVD was playing on the flat screen. No crowds, no devils' traffic in the street.

Sometimes, when I am having a beer at M.'s cafe on a quiet night, I feel that I can sit there forever.

Caught only one episode of The Amazing Race on AXN. A stressful viewing. The participants were very aggressive. And quite unpleasant.

Just realized that I'd bought a lot of 3D puzzles before I retired to work on at my leisure after retirement. It's been two and a half years now and I haven't done a single puzzle.

Ordered dinner at M.'s cafe and had one of the waiters serve it to us in the dining room through the secret passage in the wall between the cafe and the studio foyer.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Let people fear you and hesitate to approach you, thereby giving you time for yourself, for only the people you like, and for you to do only the things that are beneficial to yourself.

Spent another hour painting.

Aubrey and I ordered jalu-jalo overload from M.'s cafe.

Spent an hour painting.

When the power went out briefly, all the religious hypocrites cursed out loud.

Our altar lamps will remain lit through 6:00 PM.

He keeps bragging about how high he charges for honorarium, but why is he always so hard up?

Three more portraits scheduled so far, but I shan't be rushing them. I like taking my time and enjoying a myriad other things.

Lunch ordered from M.'s cafe.

It is baking hot up here and rainy in the south, I wouldn't be surprised should tornadoes rear their heads and belly-dance on the horizon.

The sun is a steak flambe.

Good morning, Cubao!

Intermittent passage of vehicles on P. Tuazon Boulevard, like that in Freeport, Illinois on a normal day. The traffic devils are either out of town or staying home.

"Strategy will come with talent, but talent will not come with strategy."

--Chef Marco, Masterchef Australia

Still enjoying Forged in Fire on History. Sometimes I wish I had my own forge.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

An extra quiet night on P. Tuazon Boulevard. Tomorrow night, I suspect, even more so. Thinking of having a beer tomorrow night at M.'s cafe. And just sitting there writing in one of my notebooks.

Portrait of Tay Tong

April 12, 2017 -

Black on terre verte underpainting in progress. A far cry from what it will look like when it's done.

Like everyone else, I will die.

Unlike most other people, I will not stop.

A student of magic who has multiple teachers will soon enough be abandoned to flounder by all.

Do not bequeath your magical stuff to a seeker or to a researcher, for they will certainly be doomed to misuse.

Do not give healing to someone who does not ask you for healing.

A werewolf bears grudges through the end of his life. He drops them only when he is fully vindicated.

An artist thinks not only with his mind but with his entire body.

You will hear a dog howling in the night.

A mage's arsenal without a collection of salves and unguents is inconceivable.

Always keep in mind that minorities tend to be defensive.

Never render services for free. It sets you back more than you could ever imagine.

There are times when the prince turns into the beast rather than the other way around.

Never be a slave to what other people think.

On some talismans:

AC
ACDO
ACDUM
ACDUDUM


Translation:

I
AND GOD
ARE ONE GOD
AND SO TWO GODS

The sky is tented with yellow gossamer.

Good morning, Cubao!

Stayed on History channel the whole night.

To every creative and observant person, each day brings at least three pleasant surprises--and most especially to every artist, for an artist is not an artist if nothing surprises him any longer.

At the end of each day, recall and reflect on your three pleasant surprises.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Heracles (not the demigod but the name of the detective a.k.a. "Decipherer of Enigmas") and his assistant Diagoras are interviewing the murdered boy Tramachus's friends while the festival of Dionysus is being held, like a Mardi Gras, in the entire city.

Nostalgia is not nostalgia if you weren't there the first time around.

"Tony Perez's Come"

Red for attracting women, blue for attracting men.

Sold out as early as this month for the second quarter at P1,500 per bottle.

I can produce only four bottles a quarter.

Elizabeth Taylor has her White Diamonds; I have my Come.

The granddaughters and I had one jalu-jalo overload each from M.'s cafe. They were delivered to our dining room via the secret passage in the wall between the cafe and our studio foyer.

Waiting for Sarah's portrait to dry before vernissage.

In the meantime I spent an hour working on the next portrait in line.

_Sphinx (Portrait of Sarah C. Peck)_
Oil on canvas
24" x 20"
April 1 - 12, 2017

Wednesday, Wednesday.

The Wands must continue pointing to the ground.

Hot afternoon in Cubao. Have ideas to make it spicy as well, but I think I'll just lie in bed reading _The Athenian Murders_ and take a nap.

Finally found translucent Bingo chips for sale. Now we can schedule weekend afternoon sessions for the family, friends, and selected neighbors.

The application that allegedly protects you from being tracked is itself a tracking device operated by others.

Our new, 24-piece cutlery set arrived. Now waiting for the 84-piece set that matches it and that has all the service accessories we need.

Giving our old set to my son Chito and our extra, broken sets to a neighbor.

Two cups black, Barako Batangas.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a camera's flash frozen in time.

What a refreshing change it is that I no longer see DC men wearing blue shirts and yellow ties.

Tony Perez's Art of War: It is all right when people do not like you. All you have to do is shine like the sun and flourish like a fire tree behind their backs.

Watched Killer Assistant on DIVA. The usual melodrama featuring a beautiful woman stalked and terrorized by a handsome psycho. Nice bedtime fare, but I sure wish that producers and writers would finally wean themselves away from the Tony Perkins archetype in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Even Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders is hopelessly fixated on it.

This production is cheaper than most. The locations are office-house plus one bar scene, two or three quiet street scenes, and a final scene set on a rocky beach.

And how DID the villain manage to apply for the job and get accepted for it?

Tried John's sno-cone at his townhouse canteen but wasn't impressed. At the very most it brought me back to my grade school days.

Had 300 gallons of alkaline drinking water delivered to our house this afternoon.

Whenever you feel down and out it is because you feel not that you have nothing to receive but because you have nothing to give. Know, however, that when the sun rises each morning, so does your spirit, and that you rise endowed with enough blessings for yourself and for you to share with others.

When you write and when you paint, ask yourself if your work has value not only to yourself and to your country but also to the rest of the world.

Know that "self-expression" is a grade-school and high-school rationale that artistic maturity and evolution always leave that behind.

The fat writer nearly escaped being killed.

If there is anything fundamentalists cannot stand, it is the success and fame of everyone who does not practice their religion.

A competition is sheer fun, and that should be all.

I need six more tubs for garden soil, and I think that will be the end of it.

Pending a lot of things I still need to do, this triptych is shipping to Paris, hopefully before the year is over.

Your e-mail message:

"Sir Tony, 

"Since last year, every March/April, I get atopic dermatitis. It was horrible last year, I couldn't sleep and it was all over my body. My body also took a toll from taking antibiotics and steroids. This year, I told myself that I will not take oral antibiotics and oral steroids--I was able to heal the weeping rashes on my arm but now that it's on my face, I have no choice but to take the medicine because the rashes near my eyes are dangerous if not taken care of immediately. 

"I'm also doing my best to convert to healthy living--eating organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible, taking supplements and probiotics. I also take glutamine and consume a lot of oily fish, avocado, coconut oil so I can heal the gut damage that I get from my unhealthy eating and from the medicines. If I can suck it up, I don't take pain-relievers, I don't drink, I don't smoke. I still eat junk foods sometimes. 

"I get moody and depressed sometimes but doing my best to correct my chemical imbalances and listens to a lot of Dr. John Bergman, Bob Proctor and binaural beats to imbibe positive vibes. 

"I'm getting back to exercising, meditating (but lately, I always fall asleep whenever I try to). I'm going to meditate later, sitting down on the floor so I don't fall asleep. I just started doing Cryotherapy Sessions and Float Spa (floating in a big tub of epsom salt). Tomorrow, I will get a Reiki, Ion Detox, and Float Spa Sessions. I'm still embarrassed to go to the gym but I will do some situps and stretching at home.

"I also had my second car accident last year, I don't know if it's related but I'm tempted to get a full spinal x-ray, just in case there are other parts that are not aligned besides my c4 and c5 that might be affecting some nerves that I don't know of.

"My question is, did I unknowingly hex myself? What is wrong with me? What can I do to heal myself? The doctors and specialists don't know the root cause of my dermatitis and all they can do is prescribe antibiotics and steroids. I want to stop having this 'yearly' disease. 

"Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to answer my questions (if you decide to reply). I know you're not obligated to reply and I'm hoping that I'm not disturbing your retirement. Someday, I also want to retire and still be active with satisfying hobbies as well. 

"I also want to thank you for being an inspiration, whenever I feel down, I would just read your Google+ posts. "

My reply:

Hello ______!

No, you most certainly did not hex yourself. The car accidents are unrelated. Small accidents, however, will occur because your affliction has already affected your self-confidence.

If you are in Metro Manila, I can perform a tuob on you. We can schedule it. I will also call on one of the new Spirit Questors to assist.

Lunch with the granddaughters and Benjie.

Then sent Benjie to do groceries. I've been out the past few days and want to stay home the whole day today.

The most productive kind of work is work that one does in order to dispel frustration and heartbreak.

The sky is a catalogue of goodies.

Good morning, Cubao!

Every day is a day to make wonderful choices.

One of the judges of Masterchef Australia looks--to me, anyway--as though he could be a reincarnation of Oscar Wilde.

Benjie found my dad's 1940s, WWII army trench coat in one of our glass hangers upstairs. My dad fought in Korea, and he used the trench coat in the snow. I hadn't seen it for some time and thought it'd gotten lost.

Hoping that Voltaire can shoot all of my trench coats, jackets, coats, and cloaks. If I can't wear them as often as I like I might as well have them photographed.

Still reading The Athenian Murders. Getting interesting. The language, though, is flowery and peppered with Greek words.

Ninja Warrior marathon. With caramel popcorn.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

Men wear earrings because it is the only kind of jewelry that does not encumber moving parts of their bodies.

Energize dead space with a plant, a pet bird in a cage, or an aquarium.

Having a small or medium-size, stand-alone fountain in your bathroom will prevent you from keeping the faucet water turned on.

He is a flash in the pan. Unfortunately, many people thought of him as real gold.

As a general rule, intelligent people will always look intelligent.

Never be untrue to yourself. It isn't worth it.

Both M.'s cafe and the Sitio Catacutan Hawkers Alley ran out of jalu-jalo at 4:00 PM today.

They made ready to protect themselves against fire, but the rain and the floods came.

Tore up a diary from the year 2000. This one contained a rose from my son Nelson's birthday, a Thank You card from a young Ime Morales, records of Spirit Quests, and rune spread readings that I gave other people.

Bought six more big tubs for garden soil.

Hot and sultry Monday.

Angelique and J. off to the center for an afternoon out.

Aubrey off to her high school alma mater to claim her report card.

Benjie still cleaning the house.

And I am most probably going out to buy six more tubs for our garden soil.

Telling me that I should not drink iced water is like telling me that I should not eat ice cream.

A historical record of any kind always functions as the foundation for future superstitions.

Chaos ensues whenever everyone believes that he is right and that everyone else is wrong.

Things happen because they happen.

Yes, I have two. One was sent to me by my sister from Sydney, the other brought to me by a former student for my birthday.

I know that I should have BOTH. One has a female ghost, the other a male ghost. I always keep both of them together.

The diary I just tore up covered an entire month in the year 2005. At that time Ivy was still alive, my son Chito was sending me records of our managed finances, we recently acquired our Saint Dominic candle holders, I recorded all of the messages Tim Dacanay sent me while his wife was in hospital ("Nasa ICU na si Gamay. Makina lang ang bumubuhay sa kaniya.") and, as usual, the pages were filled with drawings and hand-made greeting cards that my little granddaughters gave me. All of those moments flashed before me while I was tearing up the pages.

So why was I writing all those diaries all of those years? I ask myself.

And I myself came upon the answer, To destroy them past the age of 65.

I cannot imagine people retiring and growing old with absolutely no talent.