As a Religious Studies graduate I have always believed that the Good Thief and the Bad Thief--eventually named in texts as Dimas and Gestas--who flanked Jesus during the crucifixion were merely the product of a technique employed in apocalyptic literature to present the Messiah as being in the center of symbolic, dualistic good and evil, light and dark, positive and negative, yang and yin.

It is indeed possible that Jesus was crucified among criminals, probably more than two, and certainly not in the middle of a tableau with a "good" thief and a "bad" thief. 

A hundred years from now, people will base my social interactions not on the things I wrote but on the portraits I made of other people. They will debate how close I was to my subjects, and they will try to determine exactly what my relationship was to each one of them.

As a matter of fact they are doing that already.

People did not vote for him because, in all of his close-ups, he has the eyes of a cobra.

Switching to Channarong's backpack for the month of October.

Bar additions from Glenn's ground-floor grocery store.

Always have brandy/cognac in the house to calm people's nerves when necessary.

If you live on a farm, have a statue of Saint Isidore and devote processions to it annually. His shrine inside your house should contain a small model of an ox cart, a vessel of clean water, a basket of dried herbs, and a bundle of seven sticks from seven different trees.

My favorite hawker's stand in Sitio Catacutan is owned and operated by four lesbians. They cook so well that I intend to have them prepare the food for the next meetings of the Spirit Questors and The Wands.

My battery of oracles for October. This year mainly using the _Da Vinci Tarot_ deck and the  _Da Vinci Enigma Tarot_, two very masculine-energy decks, and so I am reading only for three, selected male Friends. My readings will be free of charge, including the coffee I am paying for at the coffee shop where we will be meeting.

Do NOT contact me to ask for a reading. I will go through my Friends List and determine myself whom I should read for, and I prefer persons I never met before and know nothing about.

I will get in touch with the three human beings no later than October 15.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

No one can ever penetrate Vincent van Gogh because his mind was on matters that are NOT mentioned in any of his letters or conversations.

This is the month my favorite 2019 planner goes on sale.

The September leaf falls off my planner.

Never come to an oracle reader and ask him to read for you.

It is the oracle reader who will come to you because there is something you don't know that you should.

If no oracle reader comes to you, you are on your own and are required to use your own intelligence and common sense to fend for yourself.

Into the month of Hallowe'en.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Hundreds of years from now it will not matter who I was and how I lived and what I did and what I thought. All that will matter are my paintings and my literary works, and, I know, they will always, most certainly, be there.

The sun is a tabletop, dinner grill.

Good noon, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Now Aubrey and R. arrived from their NSTP day and dinner out. Both are completely exhausted, since this was their first day on NSTP.

Everybody home.

Now I can lock up and relax alone inside my captain's cabin bedroom.

Gin night, perhaps? And I don't mean gin rummy.

Dinner at home alone. Then Angelique and J. arrived from watching the basketball game and having dinner out.

Everything is a matter of right timing. Make a list of how this has worked for you in your life.

Be conscious of and prevent changes in your voice whenever you are anxious, overexcited, and upset.

It is difficult and very complicated to pay back a debt to someone who has died, but YOU HAVE TO DO IT.

I am extremely thankful that I retired in an urban setting. The last thing I want for myself is to live the rest of my life with thousands of inconveniences.

When a person begins a statement with "Hindi ko kayo nilalahat", you can be sure that he/she actually does.

A genuine artist's works can never be deleted from history, from cyberspace, and from the collective subconscious of all human beings.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique and J. are now off to watch a basketball game.

Waiting for Aubrey to come home from NSTP.

Still rereading my secret book.

Lunch at home with Angelique and J.

Yesterday and today cleaned the backs of two paintings. Bubble-wrapped one yesterday, bubble-wrapping the other in a few.

Clearing the studio of clutter as much as is possible.

Wearing Kiehl's Original Musk Oil.

Spend your money on improving your house and your status. Do not spend it on magical trips and adventures. All you will manage to take home are memories, photos, and a lot of obscure junk, and you will only look like a misinformed fool in the eyes of your colleagues.

I always wait for an entire group of people to Poke me before rePoking.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

If your house has a lot of glass walls and sliding doors, keep them frosted. Should there be an earthquake and the glass breaks, the shards will simply stick to the frosted, adhesive sheet and prevent further damage.

Unfounded suspicions will always collapse like a tall house of cards.

Must go back to Lucky Chinatown sometime next week.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun warriors wield their flaming swords of vengeance.

Two shots of coffee-flavored gin. I like. Tastes, to me, like mocha ice cream.

Angelique and J. walked to Glenn's ground-floor grocery store to buy snacks and ice cream.

Mongolian barbecue dinner with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

Angelique and J. bought ingredients at a Korean restaurant and are cooking Mongolian barbecue for dinner. Aubrey is making kimchi fried rice.

So willing to try Fireball. Since it has enemies who try to tear it down, it must be EXCELLENT.

"Who run the world? Strong girls."

--Tiffany Soi

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Religion destroys cultures that do not conform to its teachings.

I do not accept into the Spirit Questors and into the Spirit Questors' regular meetings and classes people who are curious to know what I have, who head other groups they intend to pass on my knowledge to, and/or who hop from one group to another.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun visits its trophy room of golden laurels.

Back inside my captain's cabin bedroom after my nightly ritual of turning off the incandescent lamps one by one.

Value the talisman by which, when others accuse you of something, they become accused of the same thing a hundredfold.

The werewolf ate a double cheeseburger and a fresh, golden mango. His life is not complete without fresh, golden mangoes. Since the age of five he has remained a very close friend of the spirit of Mango.

Made cheese pimiento sandwiches for the compound security guard, as I did last night.

Aubrey and R. arrived from university and dinner out.

Dinner at home with Angelique.

Took forty winks, then resumed rereading my secret book.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Whenever you judge someone whom you know very little about, someone who knows very little about you will also judge you.

Watched The Rite, perhaps the most intelligent movie on exorcism I've seen thus far, on HBO last night. It will tend to be slow-paced and dragging to audiences accustomed to action-packed movies, but I appreciated and enjoyed all of it immensely. The most precious production element in this movie is that both Anthony Hopkins and Colin O'Donoghue underplayed their roles, resulting in brilliant performances.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

A lazy Thursday for me. I can't paint anything else as long as my current, nine-foot canvas is in the studio area, because it dominates all of the space.

Posting this based on a dream I had last night:

In life, as in theater, it is not enough to know the blocking and the stage business. One must have mastered the lines.

The sun is a dinner table laden with ten golden dishes.

Good day, Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

A skull-shaped-shot-glassful of tequila while watching an episode of Ancient Aliens on History. Since it's Mojitos, I'm doing this in honor of my Cuban, rather than my Mexican, spirit guides.

Rainy night in Cubao.

A bedtime snack. Now snuggling in bed and continuing my reread of my secret book.

One step forward and two steps backward means that what one leader builds, another leader destroys.

Paranoia is the single syndrome that causes men to wage battle. 

It is your habitual body posture that causes you muscle pains.

The problem I see with The Gifted is that it is merely an overdramatization of paranoia, and its potential damage is in making young psychics a lot more paranoid than they already are or should be.

Not all 20th-century science fiction will move on successfully into the 21st century.

Dinner at home with Angelique.

On a lazy Wednesday afternoon while waiting for my paint to dry, there is nothing to do but once again visit Glenn's ground-floor grocery store on P. Tuazon Boulevard.

Came back with tequila, vodka, and coffee-flavored gin.

It's been six years since the 2012 prediction inferred from the Aztec calendar. No one believed it then because people thought it meant that the world would end. The truth is, the world would not end, but it would begin to undergo drastic EARTH CHANGES. 

Streamlined the contents of my potions cabinet.

Then brought a lot of art books into my captain's cabin bedroom.

Found the perfect backpack for Tanet.

Now must look for a backpack for Niran.

A day of great blessings!

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Now placed in the other, empty, mooncake tin all my blacks and whites.

Among the talismans in my possession that I neither photographed nor showed to others is one that seems to cause misery and suffering to those who say or do things against its owner. It remains under observation, but this is one object I intend to pass on to my grandchildren.

Wearing some of my blue stones today: royal blue sapphires, aquamarine, and blue topaz.

When friends discourage you from acquiring talismans and even claim that they are no longer interested in talismans, you can BE SURE that very powerful talismans are being made available at high prices somewhere, and that your friends want to get there before you do.

The sun is a campsite with golden Dutch ovens.

Good day,Cubao!

Slept nine hours last night.

Things are hopping at M.'s cafe. It's Neil's 21st birthday and a celebration with relatives and friends is ongoing. Neil was but 17 when he first started working at M.'s cafe.

M. sent over a plate of carbonara.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Now Aubrey and R. arrived from university and dinner out.

Everybody home.

Our house is a small city, each floor is a neighborhood, and each room is an abode. I love it when we are all here.

Dinner at home alone.

Angelique and J. arrived while I was taking a nap. They ordered pizza for their dinner and are having it upstairs while watching TV.

Sent mooncakes over to my sisters Alice and Remi.

Your hands don't just write and paint and perform an entire range of everyday tasks, they propel all kinds of magic as well. Study the placement and positioning of hands and fingers in the ancient art and sculpture of Asia. Also study which hands are empowered by which objects and which fingers are endowed special abilities by jewelry.

I observed, and I still recall, that the most arrogant members of any diplomatic staff were not only the least successful in life, they were also the unhappiest.

Never be sarcastic with your children. They will remember your words the rest of their lives and long after you are gone. Long after you no longer mean what you said.

Freed up one mooncake tin and decided to place in it the basic tubes I use for creating flesh tones for portraits.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Angelique and J. went jalan-jalan this afternoon to go shopping and eat out later.

Someone please tell me why every Tom, Dick, and Harry is wearing those PHP175, cotton shorts with feathers embroidered all over them.

The person who is unpopular but continually denies it usually finds that his denial translates to physical maladies, due to the defense mechanism conversion reactions.

Tony Perez's Art of War: When you want to discard someone from your life, pretend to be naive. It convinces him that he is more intelligent than you are. You can then catch him off-guard and pounce on him. Then you will get rid of him forever.

Today is the day to consume your mooncakes. Tomorrow we all move on to the rest of the year.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Third and fourth cups very black, espresso blend.

Waiting for vernissage, which won't happen until two weeks from now, and so I am able to wear my rings again.

"Danny Boy" and "You Raise Me Up" can actually be sung simultaneously.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a yellow orchid plant.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Dinner at home alone. Later, Aubrey and J. arrived home from university and dinner out. Angelique is having dinner out with friends, after their last midterm exam.

Still reading the secret book while doing preliminary sketches for Portrait of Jacintha Abisheganaden. She has three possible poses and three possible gown colors, and I still can't make up my mind as to which to go with.

Finally bubble-wrapped and stowed away White Beer Stop, which was already completely dry under the cloth that it was covered with on its easel.

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

--Soren Kierkegaard

When members of M.'s cafe staff get locked out or forget to bring their keys, they knock on my door so that I can let them in through the secret passage.

A teacher is over-teaching when his students begin emulating him, whether consciously or subconsciously.

When a teacher stops teaching, it is to allow students to learn things on their own.

A small bottle of sparkling vino blanco.

Today, when a person ends his message with the sentence, "I hope that this is helpful to you", you can be sure that that peson is both hypocritical and insincere, and that, upon rereading his message, he was not being helpful at all.

This is most certainly the same person who always refuses to go out of his way for you by saying, "It doesn't work that way".

One-hour, afternoon nap.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Mid-Autumn Festival a.k.a. Moon Festival.

Remember to share stories about the moon with your family.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun descends to stroll in lush gardens.

Don't just step into the shower. First, center yourself.

Dinner at home with Aubrey and R.

Aubrey and R. are back from their late lunch out.

The werewolf crossed the street to buy two chocolate ice cream cones.

One of my spirit guides says that, barely 18 years after 2000, it should already be clear that the 21st century will be an era of the marginalized, of non-stars and anti-heroes rising to public acclaim.

Must buy a second mah jong table. We can use both for family game sessions.

Equally importantly, two mah jong tables covered with cloth make a perfect stand for laying huge paintings on, preparatory to varnishing.

1:30 PM. Finished painting the cradling on Christ Calming The Storm. It's a fine, sunny day, and perfect for doing that.

Lunch at home with Angelique. Aubrey having lunch out with R.'s family.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

A horde will never win a competition, for talent is not collective, it is individual.

Discovered new and upgraded tools for an old hobby. They set me on fire. At the same time, I'm regretting that I won't have time to devote to anything else, especially during my painting year. Placing it on the back burner for now.

PLDT Sales has been pestering us again with their offers despite my repeated messages to them to stop calling us. It is really quite distasteful for them to keep desperately peddling their cheap ware while their employees are undergoing a crisis. I took the ringer off our phone, as usual. That way they waste their time waiting for us to answer a phone that never rings, thereby making them lose money.

Atchay services are like prostitutes. They never stop until they contract venereal disease.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a yellow banner on the mast of a sailboat.

Dinner at home with Aubrey. Angelique had dinner out before coming home.

Tasted some of the mooncakes: ube, lotus seed, red bean, and yellow mung bean. All are good.

Whether you are alone or with others, always slice a mooncake into four quadrants, in honor of the four phases of the moon, the domain of goddess Chang'O and The Rabbit, who both live on the moon.

Jalan-jalan with the granddaughters. Angelique went to a coffee shop to study for her last midterm exam, Aubrey went to the family dentist's, and I paid our water bill and bought two new sets of brushes and more tubes of oil paint for Jacintha's portrait, which I am doing next.

Third and fourth cups very black, espresso blend.

Of course the magician won. He was the best investment: single, sexy, of legal age, plays the piano, and a treasure trove of new and refreshing tricks that his prospective employer and colleagues can't wait to steal and stash into their own repertoires.

Had first runner-up won, there would be problems with multiple salaries, accommodations, and having to deal with minors as talents.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are embroidered on the fine silk of sky.

Getting used to the new Google format.

Angelique arrived home from J.'s grandmother's funeral and dinner with J.'s family and relatives.

11:15 PM. Now a drinking party is ongoing at M.'s cafe.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Everyone has imagination, but not everyone uses it for literature and for art.

Did you ever stop and ask why the spirits of past heroes seem to be doing nothing about current events?

Frightened birds usually crash against glass window panes.

Do not walk near the edge if you do not have the power to cross boundaries.

Every genuine relationship begins with a sincere friendship.

It is the completely unexpected that stuns and amazes people.

Rainy evening in Cubao.

Must paint the cradling next, but not today. The humidity is making me feel very sleepy.

Even to paint just the cradling, I need to go up and down the scaffolding.

Cloudburst over Cubao. Just when I was about to go out and buy soda.

Lunch at home with Aubrey and R. Angelique at the funeral of J.'s grandmother.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a glass jar of rock candy.

Aubrey and R. arrived from university and dinner out.

As for myself, I am in bed with a small bottle of sparkling, vino blanco from Spain.

A brief rainfall in Cubao.

Dinner at home with Angelique.

Celebrating after finally finishing his painting?

The werewolf crossed the street to buy a purple yam ice cream cone and a strawberry ice cream cone.

And now to take a nap.

2:25 PM. Finished refinement and retouch of details on _Christ Calming The Storm_. The correct dates of completion should therefore be August 12 - September 20, 2018.

I can't be bothered to take photos all over again, though, especially with my superb lighting and photography. I'll just photograph it once it's on the lobby wall of Maryhill School of Theology.

Wearing Kiehl's Original Musk Oil.

Lunch at home alone. Aubrey at university and Angelique attending J.'s grandmother's funeral wake, after which she proceeds to a coffee shop to study for her midterms.

Down the scaffolding again after an hour of retouch.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Keep doing what you are doing. Whatever is awesome to your supporters is ouchsome to your detractors.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun sends showers of gold, astral dust through the dragon tree.

Once you are securely and happily retired, no one can tell you what to do and no one can tell you what to like or not like.

You don't know how hot the ceiling light is until you climb up the scaffolding and come close to it.

Forty winks in front of a TV news program.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

A dry, mid-week day. A fine day for shopping, but I'm still wavering between that and doing absolutely nothing for a change.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are a wistful child's building blocks.

If this was a day of sad events for you, cheer up and know that you were saved from bigger disasters.

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival a.k.a Moon Festival is on September 24 this year.

http://www.chineseamericanfamily.com/

Regina visited to give me a pouch of potent goofer dust. She also gave me a foot massage that made me really drowsy, I wanted to roll over and go to sleep, and performed Reiki on me. I gave her shamanic stuff I no longer use.

Co-workers who don't know you outside of work really don't know you at all.

Worked two hours on the roof deck with Ben. Looking good, but far from done.

When people do not get married, it is because they prefer to go through life alone.

Talented young rivals are never threats. Talented old rivals are, because they bring with them more knowledge, greater wisdom, and a wealth of experience.

Tony Perez's Art of War: A clumsy co-competitor always makes it easier for you to win.

It has never occurred to anyone to grow their own siling labuyo. Ben and I are planning to grow some on the roof deck.

Know that success brings shackles that prevent you from being truly free.

Before rehabilitating an old bridge, first build an alternative bridge. That way you will have two bridges.

Interesting that the English "ding" is the Tagalog "piing".

Seek to be beautiful, not desirable.

Your Messenger message:

"Dear Tony... I have hesitated for weeks about writing you because I honestly dont want to disturb your peace by my emotional issues.. but I am thirsty, for lack of a better word, for wise advice from someone who would understand. I know this because some of your posts on the matter resonated with me. Lakas loob lamang na nag message po ako sa iyo, because I still consider you as my teacher even long after our classes have ended. I am still learning from your life, examples and yes, your posts.
I spent many years of my life organizing people/groups or trying to help them in different ways. I used to think it would give more meaning to my life, I have always had the heart for sharing or giving and helping, sometimes to the point of sacrificing my own resources, including time and money. A series of recent events have hurt me as I found myself placed in a bad light, my intentions doubted by people I considered my friends. I dont know if I can find the words to express this uncommon pain I am feeling.. combined with the sense of having been betrayed. People are disappointing, I realize this at 45. Now I find myself on an uncertain path.. where can I find the inspiration to set out again, and towards which direction? Maybe it’s a rhetorical Q, but what’s in my heart right now.. sir Tony, is gratitude for any word you may want to share with me as I try to find my way again..."

My reply:

Hello _________!

After several years of devoting yourself to volunteer work and community work, it is time to be selfish through the end of your life. Note that I myself never desired to be a classroom teacher forever--in every class of 30 only five were worth passing on my knowledge and wisdom to. I do have the Spirit Questors, but we are now very selective as to whom to take in and whom to extend assistance to. My community work at present is making paintings for Maryhill School of Theology; yet, I am doing this not because I like giving but because I enjoy painting, and tremendously.

Even when I had not yet retired in 2015 I'd already made up my mind to share myself and my time only with those whom I love: my family and a tiny circle of really close friends. Jolting as it may sound, it is, for me, the only way for everyone to die peacefully and happy.

I leave you here with the following food for thought, still as your teacher:

1. Do not teach everything you know to everyone.

2. Stop helping others. Honestly, it does not give you joy--it merely distracts you from your personal issues.

3. Know at all times that volunteer work means that you are setting yourself up to be used, and so do it only for a limited time, after which you should just let others take over the insanity.

4. Enrich yourself. Despite the "positive values" other people may stress, being rich endows you with beauty and power. In this world, money buys you happiness, and money buys you love.

5. Do not feel obliged to extend assistance to others, especially persons you dislike. They have the right and the freedom to suffer. It is even, as a matter of fact, called democracy. When people run to me because their houses are haunted or because they are being hexed, the first thing I ask myself is, "So what?"

6. Work for security, not for fame. I have observed that fame always leaves people in the lurch.

7. Avoid people you disagree with, and who disagree with you. It is also called democracy.

8. Stop giving gifts to people other than your relatives and very good friends. Because, it does not make sense.

9. When others criticize you, never take it seriously. Rub it in their faces by continuing to do what you are doing as long as you believe that what you are doing is right.

10. Do not be afraid to be envied. It is the best form of revenge.

Ben working on the upper floor of the house. Will move to the roof deck after lunch.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky fairies are hanging glass bells on hooks under the clouds.

When someone asks you for help and you prescribe something he should do AND THEN he does NOT do it, be thankful that you didn't waste more time on him, because his need was never urgent to begin with.

When you say that someone's behavior is "not acceptable", that someone may not even care, especially if your behavior is equally "not acceptable" to him.

All vices are cleverly designed to prevent the world from being overpopulated.

Never take on a lover if:

--compromising will place you on the losing end
--you will only be burdened by your lover's financial, personal, and family problems
--you will be giving more than you will be receiving
--it gets in the way of caring for your own self
--it prevents you from devoting precious time to yourself.

Once you view your writing and your painting as work, you cease using your talent correctly.

Do not seek inspiration. Instead, seek insight.

If you are an artist and a friendship prevents you from writing or painting, drop the friendship.

It is sad news indeed when the healer falls ill.

Never paint for a deadline. Paint as though you have all the time in the world.

Retouched more portions and worked on more details on my painting. Yes, long after I declare a painting as finished I continue sitting in front of it for hours to see how I can make it better, and I don't stop until I find nothing more.

I never paint to finish a painting. I paint to continue painting what I am painting.

Sat with Angelique while she took a late lunch in the dining room; I brought home one of her favorite dishes from the restaurant that Chito and I ate in. Now she's off to college for her first midterm exam.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

Back from jalan-jalan with my younger son, Chito. Bought him a pair of pants and two pizzas to take home, and we had lunch out.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a magnificent, buffet spread.

November and December are the months I invite old and new friends to Seattle's Best Coffee and buy them drinks.

They cannot believe how generous I am during those months. Until I tell them that they were invited not for their company but for my stickers.

Been using the Tutankhamun backpack that my sister Sylvia sent me a year or two ago. Thought I'd buy other types to rotate in use and match them with our seven kuman thong.

The Tutankhamun backpack is Mongkut's; he is our eldest K.T. Channarong's backpack arrived today. It has a huge, golden skull printed on the front, like a tattooed, Dia de los muertos skull.

Toward Halloween Angelique, Aubrey and I will be saving up stickers for our 2019 planners, as we do every year. Two years ago Aubrey saved up for a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf planner and Angelique saved up for a Starbucks planner. Last year both granddaughters went Starbucks. As for myself, I've been going Seattle's Best Coffee ever since because I find that their planners are more expensively made and are more suitable to serious writing. As a matter of fact I liked last year's SBC planner so much that I bought all four of them--red, black, orange, and blue--in a material that could have been ingeniously-manufactured, automotive flooring. I might do the same if the new design appeals to me. Sometimes their designs are so lousy that the catches fall apart before the year is over.

Dinner at home alone. Angelique went directly to sleep after arriving from her study session at a coffee shop, and Aubrey and R. had dinner out with R.'s family.

A very quiet, post-storm night, as though everyone in the neighborhood were smoothing out their ruffled feathers.

Two-hour, afternoon nap.

Decided to lose myself in Criminal Minds and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on FOX last night. Needed a break from storm watch and damage assessment news.

The Sky Serpent is laying and hatching more eggs.

Destruction does not have a path, it always has a sequence.

The day after a storm is always a day of resurrection.

Still coughing from my second round of the flu. Took two cups of Tay Tong's oolong tea from Dalat, Vietnam, and that really made me feel better.

Alas, Ben is ill and unable to work in the house today.

Washed my brushes. Will eventually scrape my palettes clean. When the sun comes out again for days in succession I shall apply three layers of varnish to the painting.

Happy Birthday to my younger son, Chito!

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are newly-laundered picnic blankets.

_Christ Calming The Storm_

For Maryhill School of Theology

Christ Calming The Storm
Oil on cradled canvas
9' x 4.583'
August 12 - September 15, 2018

Worked an hour on 78th glaze.

The painting is finished.

Third and fourth cups very black, espresso blend.

Worked an hour on 77th glaze.

Worked an hour on 76th glaze in the studio area while Aubrey was taking a very late lunch in the dining room.

Washed 15 brushes.

In Cubao the storm left as quickly as it came, like a visitor you thought would stay longer but had other, urgent things to do.

Worked an hour on 75th glaze.

Continued working in the studio area while Angelique took a late lunch in the dining room.

A very rainy day in Cubao, but I know that it is so much worse in other places--in the Philippines and in other parts of the world.

I have no choice but to hole up and paint but, come to think of it, that's what I've been doing anyway, rain or shine.

Give him less and he will want more. Give him enough and he will still want more. Give him more and he will want even more.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is the Kingdom of the Water-Bearer.

Worked an hour on 74th glaze.

Finished the principal figure's face and hands yesterday and today.

Will commence work on the feet tomorrow.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Angelique and Cath off to a concert.

Worked an hour on 73rd glaze.

Storm watch.

Worked an hour on 72nd glaze.

Late lunch at home with Angelique. Aubrey skipping lunch because she's going to the family dentist's; her braces are in the final stages.

Good noon, Cubao!

The clouds are swarms of speckled, white butterflies.

The biggest tragedy of every citizen is to be unable to afford to live and die in his own country.

Settling for a two-finger measure of pink coconut liquor, on the rocks.

Thursday, Thursday

Two glazes, the death of Kichiro Mayuzumi, an antique dealer pressing four more baluds, a mother-of-pearl inlaid coffee table, and a mother-of-pearl inlaid telephone table on me, and an impending superstorm.

Will a lambanog night make me feel better?

I wonder if Cerefina actually knows that Kichiro Mayuzumi passed away. She's been quietly lying in watch at his coffin the whole afternoon and evening.

Worked an hour on 71st glaze.

Advised M. to stock up well over the typhoon period. I note that, in times of disaster, people binge. It's a desperate attempt to affirm the Eros principle. Even as I am encoding this a drinking party is ongoing in the cafe.

Angelique and two law schoolmates arrived from a study session in a coffee shop and dinner out.

Then Aubrey and R. arrived from university and dinner out.

I'd encoffined Kichiro Mayuzumi's cadaver in a box by then.

Angelique and one of her three law schoolmates who stayed over last night took a late lunch in the dining room.

Worked an hour on 70th glaze.

Drifted off to sleep during the second half of Deep Impact on HBO last night.

And as to my incorrigible Maranao antique dealer, he is on a roll. Or thinks that I am rolling in money. Or wishes to convey to me that people are desperately selling their stuff in order to survive.

He brought me a mother-of-pearl inlaid telephone table and a mother-of-pearl inlaid coffee table early this afternoon. I still don't know where to place the telephone table. I carefully wrapped Kichiro Mayuzumi's cadaver in cotton cloth and wrapped that in a huge sheet of bubble wrap, and the table is currently serving as his funerary stand.

The coffee table is now on top of an existing coffee table. (I've done tables on tables in the past.) No choice now but to temporarily have it serve as a Roald Dahl table.

Angelique is inconsolable. Kichiro Mayuzumi passed away this morning after a long bout with blood infection. We did everything we could to get him well.

Kichiro Mayuzumi Miranda (January 28, 2014 - September 13, 2018)

Four more irresistible baluds. One of them has a rare, overall pattern of anthropomorphic figures.

We were advised not to believe any tweets and "unauthorized" forebodings about the storm, perhaps because they preempted official news.

But all of those now seem to be coming TRUE.

The sky fairies light incense cones on the altars of the clouds.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept ten hours last night.

Couldn't resist these gorgeous, antique baluds (T'boli malongs) in tinalak designs that my Maranao antique dealer brought me this afternoon. He brought 18 pieces. I could afford to buy only four.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

Work In Progress For Maryhill School of Theology

_Christ Calming The Storm_

(August 12, 2018 - )

Oil on cradled canvas

9 feet x 4.583 feet

9th glaze, the principal figure is not yet finished.

But how I wish my painting could stop the storm.

Worked an hour on 68th glaze.

Two cups very black, espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is embellished with dancing water fountains.

Second bout of the flu in two months. Last month I got wet in the rain. Last weekend I overworked myself on the roof deck with Ben under the blazing sun.

Strangely, painting has been energizing rather than exhausting me.

Ate four, golden mangoes today.

In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Calpurnia dreams that her husband dies in her arms, but he does not heed her fear.

Watched the finals of Masterchef Australia 2018 on Lifestyle.

Have been pronouncing words their way: "fillet" (FILL-ett instead of Fee-LAY) and "gourmet" (GOUR-mett instead of Gour-MAY) and "latte" (LATT instead of LAH-teh).

The supervisor at the meat section of Shopwise kept correcting my pronunciation and I thought she was hopelessly behind the times. Australia, after all, is closer to the Philippines than France and Italy are.

Come to think of it, pretentious "Frenchification" and "Italianization" exist also in Philippine art and fashion.

Angelique and J. are back from dinner out and a screening of The Nun. They arrived home immediately after the cloudburst. They also ordered a sack of dog food for Kichiro Mayuzumi.

Wanting to watch that movie too but, at my age, I can't be bothered to get dressed just to watch a movie. Once inside the theater I begin thinking of everything else I have to do.

Worked an hour on 67th glaze. Calling it a day for painting now. Ready to take my evening shower and then hit the sack.

Watched the President's afternoon announcements and couldn't help gawking at those fabulous and exquisite Maranao, brass, gadors in the background. I wouldn't mind owning a pair.

In any house, gadors indicate that the head of household is a figure of authority.

Worked an hour on 66th glaze.

Paid the male model his fee for an hour.

Worked an hour on 65th glaze.

Worked an hour on 64th glaze.

Worked an hour on 63rd glaze, this time with a male model.

Worked an hour on 62nd glaze.

The clouds are stacks of white linen.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept ten hours last night.

Calling it a day for painting. Will commence 62nd glaze tomorrow.

Intermittent rain in Cubao.

Worked an hour on 61st glaze.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage. Napped. A wonderful feeling.

Worked an hour on 60th glaze.

Lunch at home with Angelique.

All Wands must now point 45 degrees upward toward the east.

Aubrey off to university.

Worked an hour on 59th glaze.

Worked an hour on 58th glaze.

September 9, 2018

End of Hungry Ghosts Month in Cubao

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a dish of blue gelatin.

Alpha werewolves are considered top of the pack insofar as their leadership and ferocity are concerned, but it is the gamma werewolf who can surf dreams and nightmares, propel magic, and access psychic abilities.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

J. brought Angelique home 10:00 PM from her weekend in Batangas with her law school classmates.

Retrieved a secret book to read in bed tonight.

Dinner at home alone. Then Aubrey and R. arrived from dinner out with R.'s family.

Worked an hour on 57th glaze. Aye, still on top of the scaffolding a la Billy Budd.

Calling it a day for painting, though. Must take my evening shower before our weekly business meeting with M.

Worked an hour on 56th glaze. Still on top of the scaffolding. (And, perhaps, enjoying feeling like a pirate.)

Worked an hour on 55th glaze. Am on top of the scaffolding once more.

Your Messenger message:

"Hello sorry If i will ask u..., my friend ko po kase binili nyang oracion gayuma with panyo and something pa. Tinry nya but hindi natapos yung 49 days. Pero bumalik sa kanya bf nya but di nya sure kung effecto ng orasyon yun or dahil binibigyan nya ng money. Then nung naging sila di ok yung bf nya pineperahan sya then iiniiwan iwan sya. Do you think epefto yun nung gayuma? Or just because dahil sa money. But now hiwalay sila. May bad effect pa din ba sa kanya yun? Kahit hiwalay na sila and di naman natapos yung 49 days?"


My reply:

Hello _______!

The relationship did not work out because it was a feudal relationship--one person provided money and the other person depended on receiving it. This is the kind of long-term relationship that develops between a client and a prostitute.

The inability to do a 49-day oracion has nothing to do with this doomed relationship.

Ask your friend to do a novena to Saint Anthony of Padua (patron of partnerships), and then a novena to Saint Jude Thaddeus (patron of the impossible), and then a novena to Saint Rita of Cascia (patroness of abused wives). Your friend will STILL be in a doomed relationship.

In cases like this, the persons concerned should desist from magic and prayer and should focus, instead, on developing their personalities.

The werewolf crossed the street to buy a chocolate ice cream cone.

Spent three hours working on the roof deck with Ben. To be continued next weekend.

My model dropped by briefly to say hello and see my work in progress in the studio area. I need him once again to refine the hands and feet of the principal figure in my painting. If he isn't available to sit through next weekend I'll just ask someone else to do so for the hands and feet.

Lunch at home with Aubrey and Ben.

Ben now off to the hardware store.

Worked an hour on 54th glaze.

Today is the last day of Hungry Ghost Month.

Photo sent me by my sister Sylvia.