Had an early lunch, then granddaughters had a late lunch.

They are going to the airport soon to pick up CatCat, who arrives from Lebanon.

Worked one hour on twenty-ninth glaze on my paintings.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

Will face the canvases after lunch.

Good morning, Cubao!

Sunshine is a shower of golden coins.

Worked an hour on twenty-eighth glaze on my paintings.

Worked an hour on twenty-seventh glaze on my paintings.

My birthday wish to the cosmos is for everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday to make a simple wish for themselves that will come true before this day is over.

Aubrey's block-mate is here for the day. They are working on a Theology project for university.

Worked an hour on twenty-sixth glaze on my paintings.

Atchays killed Jesus.

For all we know, they continue to do so.

Chito, Chevy, Vinci, and in-laws are still in Baguio City having fun.

X, a brilliant, well-published, but relatively obscure writer, lived in the same foreign city as Y, a magnificent painter I have always admired. They were friends.

When X passed away about ten years ago, he visited me in my bedroom while I was leafing through a book of Y's paintings. He said that he could help me with my painting, since I admired Y so much.

More years passed, and even Y passed away. I thought no more of X's visit.

Some time after, I noticed a major change in my painting style and technique. It happened without my taking additional lessons and without any conscious decisions on my part. Today I feel that a different person painted my early works, and that a different person is painting my current ones.

I remembered X, and I thanked him for whatever help he extended me, and I actually believe that he did.

Attune to your spirit guides. They are usually the most unlikely: some will be relatives, some, friends, and even some, complete strangers. They gravitate toward living persons whose problems in life are similar to the ones they had, and their objective is to increase those persons' knowledge and wisdom in addressing those problems.

We are all interconnected and interrelated. And we truly stand on the shoulders of our ancestors.

A marriage is an agreement between two adults. As a general rule it is no one else's business.

A divorce is also an agreement between two adults. As a general rule it is also no one else's business.

Should there be children in the picture:

--The matter of divorce should be discussed with them.
--It is most practical to wait until the youngest child has reached 18.
--Clarify that divorce is not equivalent to loss of love.
--Avoid all melodrama and hysterics.
--Do not deprive the children of their security and their inheritance.

Atchays believe that once divorce is approved, EVERYONE will get a divorce. They have no clue that it will merely be an option for the chosen few.

Worked an hour on twenty-fifth glaze on my paintings.

What we know as the archetypal "descent into hell" is really the descent of the Ego into the Collective Unconscious, for one cannot rise in full triumph without familiarizing oneself with the depths of one's greatest fears.

One never sells his soul to the Devil.

He merely builds an alliance with his Shadow.

A day of painting, a year of painting.

Lunch at home with Aubrey. Angelique still in bed.

The neighborhood woke up briefly, turned to the other side, and went back to sleep again.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a polished rock diamond.

A night of Pepsi and vodka.

A time to celebrate. The Good Thief, after, all, immediately reincarnated.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

It was Sweet 60
And then Serene 61
Then Solitary 62
Then Stunning 63
Then Superb 64
Then Suave 65
Then Soaring 66

Now a Spectacular 67!

Spectacular because this will be a year that I will be producing paintings as I have never done before!

"I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors."
--African proverb

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Worked an hour on twenty-fourth glaze on my paintings.

Calling it a day for painting. Not because I am tired, but because this particular glaze needs to dry completely before I proceed any further.

Life, as it is, is full of suffering.

Do not go out of your way to seek more of it for yourself. Or for others.

Worked an hour on twenty-third glaze on my paintings.

Washed 20 brushes (I work with 20 - 30 on a single painting at the same time) preparatory to introducing a change in color, including its concomitant nuances.

Consumed an entire bag of Paning's butong pakwan in two days. I could hardly call it fasting because I relished every second of it.

Worked an hour on twenty-second glaze on my paintings.

Worked an hour on twenty-first glaze on my paintings.

One of the paintings is near completion, and I can barely rein in my excitement.

Happy Birthday, Cherry!

Your birthday messages:

1) As long as you remain alert to opportunities, this year will be much better than the previous one.
2) Celebrate with three different birthday cakes.
3) Primary colors bring good fortune.
4) Ignore the idiosyncrasies of your loved ones. Allow them to be themselves.
5) Plant a tree for every member of the family.

Discovering the unique properties and the myriad of possible effects of zinc white. Now I must always have it in my paint box. 

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a golden signboard on a tourist bus.

Last night watched The Jesus Code on History. Tonight watched a documentary on Jesus' brother James. Both very interesting.

Safe travels to Chito, Chevy, Vinci, and in-laws, who are leaving for Baguio City tonight.

Dinner with Angelique and Aubrey.

We cooked stuff in our freezer (also tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday) so that we can buy other stuff on Monday.

Worked an hour on twentieth glaze on my paintings.

Worked an hour on nineteenth glaze on my paintings.

They went to the church because they were terrified by the silence in their neighborhood. They preferred the tittering of crowds to the whispering of the dead.

Two years now without a mobile, and loving it!

Your writing and your painting are reflections of your holistic perception, your insight, your outlook on life, and your worldview. They are directly correlated with each other. One cannot be inferior, the other superior. If one is, you need to further develop the corresponding hemisphere of your brain.

Your writing should be as superb as your painting and your painting should be as superb as your writing, for both talents and abilities come from the same infinite well within you.

Worked an hour on eighteenth glaze on my paintings.

Tony Perez's Art of War: No army can successfully attack without a brilliant general.

The best time for prayer and contemplation is always your own and never the time that people tell or give you.

Tony Perez's Art of War: Do not like, in return, everyone who does not like you, especially if you do it ten times better than they do.

Go round your house and determine which places exude masculine energy and which, feminine energy. Do certain spaces need to be counterbalanced?

You can do so at the very least with colors and with shapes.

Never be quick to reject someone you will have much need of in the future.

A quiet day in the neighborhood.

A painting day for me.

A stupid supervisor will go out of his way to make you look stupid, and in public, to save his own face.

When buying something, do not trust photos. You have to see for yourself what it is that you are buying.

The sky ties a white blindfold round the sun.

Everybody home.

Dinner with Aubrey.

Later, Angelique and J. rustled up their own dinner in the kitchen.

Didn't paint tonight. The heat got to me when I went to the market. I'll just snuggle up in bed with The Cat Who Said Cheese.

The werewolf crossed the street and ate a dark chocolate ice cream cone.

Went to Farmers Market. Bought two and a half kilos of Lukban sausages, two packs of shrimp siomai, and two packs of Paning's butong pakwan (my addiction).

Angelique and Aubrey take a very late lunch with J.

Looked into our freezer and determined what to buy for our meals over the days when the Sitio Catacutan Hawkers' Alley might be closed.

Worked an hour on seventeenth glaze on my paintings.

Worked an hour on sixteenth glaze on my paintings.

There are only two kinds of people who do not Comment on your postings: those who love you intensely but are afraid to get hurt by you, and those who envy you so much that they wish you don't exist.

Lunch alone; grandchildren still in bed.

Missed the buko vendor. Wanted to fill up an entire, glass pitcher with buko juice.

Had some more of that dark chocolate Easter bunny for dessert. Quite sad seeing it slowly disappear. Last night, its ears. This noon, parts of its head.

Horns blaring on EDSA. Devils' traffic does not cease for Holy Wednesday.

Chito swung by to pick up his food supplement and Chevy's and Vinci's chocolate Easter bunnies. Placed a few other goodies in the bag as well.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a gleam on a motorbike rider's helmet.

Moving on is always a choice, it is never an obligation. Yet, one who does not move on is said to be at a standstill.

Almost nothing is ever a tragedy to a person with excellent coping skills.

Evening and night chores, and so I did no painting after 6:00 PM.

Caught _Deadly Deed: A Fixer-Upper Mystery 3_ on DIVA. One of my favorite TV mystery series, because I love old houses and restorations.

So happy for the upgrade in my OH collection. My youngest sister Sylvia sent me a new set of original cards for my coming birthday. The Manual, the companion Saga cards, and the companion Cope cards were given to me by my eldest sister Lourdes years ago.

I use the cards like Tarot cards. More importantly, I also use them in counseling depressive and suicidal young people. The Saga cards are employed to tell life stories, including obstacles and successes. The Cope cards are employed to help victims of parental abuse or young people with severe emotional disturbance.

The cards keep growing. I have a special box for these treasures.

Whenever you take something that is not rightfully yours, the universe ensures that you lose more than what you took away.

In order for a person to change, his surroundings and his life circumstances must completely change.

Movies have endings, life has none.

I now have two Grimm sets, a Blu-Ray set and a DVD set, both from my sister Sylvia. I encountered many problems with the Blu-Ray version. We couldn't find a Blu-Ray player--I ordered one from Lazada and what they sent me was a DVD player--and my IT friends could not download any application that could play the discs.

Now that I have the DVD version, I'm wishing to check into a hotel with a Spirit Questor for a Grimm marathon. 

The werewolf crossed the street to eat a strawberry ice cream cone.

Worked an hour on fifteenth glaze on my paintings.

Tips on getting a painting done:

--Begin with thoughtful composition. If it isn't right, change it. Composition will not happen on its own; it needs to be engineered.

--Focus on what you are painting. Do not think of what you are going to be painting NEXT.

--When dissatisfied with brush strokes, correct them immediately. Do not leave them to come back to at another time; they will dry quickly and be difficult to revise.

--Do not imagine your painting as someone else's painting. Imagine it only as your own.

--Avoid experimentation. Your paintings should be consistent and identifiable. If you must experiment, keep it as a study. Do not photograph it and show it to other people.

--Remember at all times that your entire oeuvre must stand up on a very strong philosophical spine or foundation.

--After composition, be mindful of tone.

--After tone, be mindful of light and shadow.

--Do not have "a favorite painter". It will make your work derivative and mediocre.

--Paint only after you are well rested and well fed, and when you are emotionally calm and have peace of mind.

How to keep a clean studio:

--Use an apron.

--As soon as a painting is completely dry, wrap and stow it away.

--Use a rag for wiping brushes on during painting and another rag for wiping brushes on after washing.

--When your painting rag needs to be replaced, replace it immediately. Old, cotton T-shirts make the best painting rags.

--Use a separate rag for wiping your hands on after washing.

--Wipe your body clean as soon as paint gets on it.

--Wash your brushes and palette knives after every session.

--Your taboret should contain only the items you need during a session.

--Whenever a brush or a palette knife drops on the floor, clean the floor immediately.

--Do not get paint on the handles of your brushes or palette knives.

--Use only one chair for painting. Move it around as necessary rather than have more than one chair.

--Keep solvent bottles not on tables or shelves but on the floor for minimal breakage.

--If your studio does not have a sink, keep a basin of water in a convenient location.

--Do not eat inside your studio. Eat in the kitchen or in the dining room.

--Do not expose useless props or decor around you. Your studio is not a movie set.

--Do not keep books inside your studio. Transfer them to your study or to an adjoining room with a table for reading.

--Do not keep pieces of used bubble wrap for later use. They will accumulate dust that you can never successfully wipe off. Throw them away immediately.

--Your paintings should move. If you are unable to sell or give them away after a certain time, you should keep them in storage in a place other than your studio.

Worked an hour on fourteenth glaze on my paintings.

Star Wars on HBO. I like.

The first episode is the most crude, but remains the best of them all.

Everything else that followed, to me, seemed the height of cinematic pretension.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

I can't seem to get enough sleep. My body must be mending something.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Lazy Tuesday. My mind knows the exact sequence of colors to glaze on my paintings, but my body wants to do kera-kera.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Easter goodies from Australia, from my youngest sister, Sylvia

Five candle holders with bird figurals  for the king of the white cloth.

Chocolate Easter bunnies for Angelique, Aubrey and J.

Chocolate Easter bunnies for Chevy and Vinci.

A dark chocolate Easter bunny for me!

A new deck of OH cards, replacing the deck I lost in Singapore.

The most unexpected surprise of all, a second Grimm set! The first one my sister sent me was in Blu-Ray, which I had difficulty playing. This one's in DVD.

Good morning, Cubao!

The clouds are flat baskets of winnowed rice.

Worked an hour in the studio: stripped a wooden palette clean and washed brushes in preparation for laying on the fourteenth glaze tomorrow.

Couldn't resume painting because it was a jalan-jalan day and I had to give priority this evening to washing the dishes, sending some food over to the staff members of M.'s cafe, attending a brief business meeting with M., and taking care of Cerefina.

Will just read another chapter from The Cat Who Said Cheese to complete my day.

The biggest deterrents to a student's success are insecurity and the absence of peace of mind.

Attend to your altar, and that can be good enough.

Avoid reconnecting with old friends who used to consider you a rival, an object of envy, or an enemy, because they most probably still do.

Drums shake dark, elemental spirits from their hiding places.

Nostalgia is food for your mind and for your heart, but it should not necessarily be served to others.

The best are not always the friendliest, because they know that they have no need of others in order to succeed.

The vision of a castle begins with a cardboard shoe box.

Back from jalan-jalan with roses from the garden of the Beast.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

And now Beauty's father must go out into the wild garden of the Beast in search of roses for his son and granddaughters: Chito wants to try a new food supplement, Angelique wants Toblerone, macadamia nuts, and Oreos, and Aubrey wants pancake mix and chips.

Good morning, Cubao!

Slept eleven hours last night.

Ready to face another day of painting, but I think I'll also do some writing inside the small loggia.

Lambanog expands my mind the way wind expands a galleon's sails.

She said "buko", but she really meant "niyog".

I can sleep to my mind's content through the morning, since I don't have to wake up early to let Benjie or Ben in.

Three shots of lambanog in 400 ml of Pepsi and lots of ice should knock me out.

Now watching "Russia's Secret Files" on Ancient Aliens, about UFO research.

The werewolf crossed the street to the burger stand.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Then worked two hours on thirteenth glaze on my paintings.

The people who joyously waved palm fronds were the same people who cried out for the release of Barabbas. Yet another illustration of a rabble being comprised of a majority of atchays.

Cherry sends me a Dumbledore wand for my birthday.

It's my third Dumbledore wand. Okay, okay, I get the hint.

Read another chapter from The Cat Who Said Cheese, then took a one-hour, afternoon nap.

Only diamonds will sparkle like diamonds. No other stone, real or synthetic, can do the same.

"Can you feel the love tonight/
The peace the evening brings/
The world for once in perfect harmony/
With all its living things/"

Worked an hour on twelfth glaze on my paintings.

I was asked to submit new works for a group exhibit my high school class was organizing in celebration of its 50th year and benefiting the Philippine Jesuit Aid Association (PJAA). Received word last week, though, that the exhibit won't happen due to venue and financing issues. I'm going to complete the paintings anyway and just sell them off.

Now that I don't have a deadline, I can take my time and go way past Easter.

Whenever you take out the trash, your house goes to the toilet and cleanses itself.

I cannot believe that it's Sunday all over again.

A quiet Sunday, now that Benjie and Ben are done, but it looks like a day of painting for me.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is an artist's golden palette.

Worked an hour on eleventh glaze on my paintings.

Washed my brushes. Calling it a day for painting.

Home alone again, exactly on the 24th of March!

But I can't recall what I was painting last year.

Worked two hours on ninth and tenth glazes on my paintings.

Aubrey off to a friend's debut.

Dinner at home with Angelique and J.

Now Angelique and J. off to a college event.

Benjie is now off to visit a relative in Cavite.

Our next project is to convert an upstairs bedroom to a study room.

Read another chapter from The Cat Who Said Cheese in bed.

One-hour, afternoon nap.

If you want to know how a facebook Friend really looks like, search for his worst shot among his Photos, usually a Photo that was taken by someone else. That is how he really looks like.

Ask yourself if everything you do is not really an act of vengeance against a cruel world.

Back from jalan-jalan. Saw something that I really like, but already spent a fortune on our roof and can buy it only within the first week of April. If it's still there when I come for it, then it was meant to be mine.

Kismet.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

Lunch at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and Benjie.

Benjie welds the iron gate outside the rear entrance to my captain's cabin bedroom.

The Sitio Catacutan hawkers' center will be closed Thursday through Sunday, not because they are religious but because most of their patrons will be on vacation for the Easter holidays.

The best place to pray is at home, where no one can see you praying.

Never agree to meet up with someone who is merely curious about you. He is essentially invading your privacy.

Micromanagement does more harm than good. You might as well do everything yourself.

The fountain of youth is nothing more than the fountain of immortality.

Some people are afraid to sleep without lights on because the darkness stifles them.

The more choices a person has in his/her life's journey, the more intelligent and insightful of his/her life experiences he/she will be.

Divorce is one such choice.

I am neither for nor against divorce since I have never been married, but I wish to point out that institutions will always limit individuals' choices so that they can have more control over them.

Benjie cleans the house today.

Ordered six, five-gallon jugs of alkaline water to stock up on drinking water for the holidays.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is the yolk of a cosmic egg.

Wearing Charlie Gold by Revlon of London.

He was saved to the greatest extent possible by the Cross of Alitagtag.

The goddess of the storm is my mother.

Fix your roof.

In the last analysis and at its simplest, a house is but a roof over your head. Never let it deteriorate.

Our roof is completely fixed. All it needs now is a good repaint.

One-hour afternoon nap.

Our four sets of stainless steel drinking straws arrived.

Worked an hour on eighth glaze on my paintings.

But now I have to stop and wait for the glazes to dry.

Might as well pick up The Cat Who Said Cheese again and have an afternoon nap.

Worked an hour on seventh glaze on my paintings.

Lunch with Benjie.

Angelique still asleep because all of her classes are in the evening.

Aubrey having lunch out with friends.

Worked an hour on sixth glaze on my paintings.

In the meantime Benjie continued work on the roof swaddled from head to foot like a rice planter, to protect himself from the heat.

Never go around telling people the right thing to do. They will resent it and deliberately not do the right thing, and, in the end, the lessons you tried so hard to impart will merely be trampled on like strewn candy wrappers.

There are people who are motivated to reach great heights, and who do reach great heights, only when they experience severe criticism or being torn down.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun naps on the galvanized-iron rooftops.

Value your windows They let in light and air. They let in the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Magic Works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Vx_oTBPr8

Hoping to resume painting tomorrow. Need to do sixth glaze on my paintings.

Early dinner at home with Aubrey. She is now studying for her last midterm exam for this week.

Some people can read auras, but I can also read thought clouds. They have shapes instead of colors.

Men's sexual thoughts are round, with dome-shaped knobs all over them.

Elementals love secret rituals and prayer sessions, that is why they are always in attendance, whether you do these alone or in groups.

If every garden gnome lit a tiny lantern every night, the trees would sparkle with thousands of enchanted lights.

Every successful dream begins with a child's fervent wish.

Thursday, Thursday

No meetings with the Spirit Questors whenever I am busy painting.

Back from jalan-jalan. Did minor groceries and bought a pack of joss sticks.

All of the roofing sheets are now on top of our house and being laid out, nailed, and sealed. We need to wait for the film of oil on the new sheets to dry out or evaporate before applying the first coat of paint.

If the majority of fires occurs within Fire Prevention Month:

--Cancel Fire Prevention Month altogether.
--Rotate Fire Prevention month along different months. If the majority of fires continues to occur within those months, then some kind of political sabotage is going on.

On the days you feel that nobody loves you, remember that I do.

Roofing sheets arrived before lunch and are to be hoisted onto the roof later.

If your morning began with a disappointment or a loss, cheer up. You will gain many good things, much more than what you lost, before the day is over.

Work on two other portions of the roof has begun. Now Benjie is off to purchase roofing sheets.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is a bonfire, the clouds, camper beds.

Caught the nth replay of Silence of the Lambs on HBO. Love that elevator scene!

You cannot impose professional standards on people who are, by nature, unprofessional. You scoff at their education, but they also scoff at yours.

Tonight fire victims will visit you in your dreams and ask you for help.

Look at the moon when they don't tell you to look at the moon.

The daredevils lose.

Know when to dilute with water.

Shun people who like making noise to gain attention.

If you are consistently unable to care for plants, give up altogether.

Measured four walls at Maryhill School of Theology for prospective, future, paintings.

Installation Of My _John The Baptist Triptych_ at Maryhill School of Theology

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Father Richard and three seminarians

Two photos by Godofredo Dampilag, Jr.

Back from successful installation of the _Saint John Triptych_ at Maryhill School of Theology. Father Richard and three seminarians picked us up at 2:00 PM. The installation went well. I retouched the angels' wings afterward. Father Richard prepared coffee and doughnuts for everyone.

Now waiting for the photos I took on one of the seminarians' mobile to be sent to me, since I forgot to bring my camera.

Thinking of having three electrical outlets installed at the foot of the staircase and in the laundry room area. That way I can add unusual lighting sources.

Benjie is now repairing a water pipe with a leak on an outer wall.

Two men are working in the house today: Benjie and Ben. Benjie is installing brackets on my paintings and will install the paintings at Maryhill School of Theology this afternoon; Ben is cleaning.

Need to order those roofing materials.

To me, summer is not vacation time. It is the time to reinforce the house against all other forms of weather. Sometimes that is more expensive than going on vacation.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is the golden heart of our universe.

I now have the blessing of CICM Provincial and Reverend President of Maryhill School of Theology (MST) Ramon Caluza, Reverend Dean Richard Diaz, the MST Administration, and the (currently inactive) MST alumni association to install my John The Baptist Triptych on the west wall of the MST library. We will be picked up at 2:00 PM. I am taking Benjie with me to do the installation with brackets.

So inspired to do more works for MST Quezon City. I hope to fill the building with art. I may not live long enough to complete this. But, at least, I thought of doing it.

These photos were hastily taken in my living room with fluorescent ceiling lighting and using (albeit unreliable) auto-correct.

Left Panel:

Center Panel:

Right Panel:

Twilight glows like an ember, and it is time to rest from the day's work.

Looking forward to another night of sleep.

A week of multitasking.

Tomorrow we lay out ten big panels of galvanized-iron sheets on the roof.

Worked an hour on fifth glaze on my paintings.

Benjie drilling, grinding, and spray-painting the brackets for my John The Baptist triptych.

Worked an hour on fourth glaze on my paintings.

Aubrey back home from a midterm exam.

We retrieved my John The Baptist triptych yesterday afternoon, and I wiped the panels clean this morning. Benjie is spray-painting the brackets today. If things go right, they should be ready for pick-up and installation in the library of Maryhill School of Theology tomorrow.

I laugh when the works of others are praised to high heaven by people who know absolutely nothing about what they are praising.

Benjie's second day on the roof.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a blue rice field.

An atypical day for a retiree.

Benjie worked on the roof, gutter, and downspout above the laundry room, I worked on glazes on my paintings, we set up my Saint John The Baptist triptych so that I can clean them tomorrow, and I had a business meeting with D.

Stalkers are your biggest fans.

Your Messenger message:

"Good night, sir. I would like to consult with you with a series of dreams that I have had that I could not explain, myself. First dream that I had from several weeks ago, my dad got shot and bled.

"Second dream from only a few nights ago, I was at home when I woke up to the sound of a rooster. It's finally morning, I thought. So, I opened the main door and was puzzled seeing my dad spending the night by the porch. He was sleeping then when an unknown guy jumped from the roof and over the gate of our house. That's when I shouted that "There's a thief!" My parents woke from the loud noise that I made. My dad went after the thief but the thief was holding a scythe with him. The thief was bold enough to face my father and cut his head off. I did not know what to do. I shut the main door because I was trembling so bad that I did not want to go through the pain watching my dad suffer. I managed to muster enough courage and look out the door but my mom was already crying. I saw my dad's neck heavily bleeding.

"Last night, I dreamt of the same thing again. I woke up and by routine, I opened the main door. I saw my dad by our porch again and instinctively remembered what would transpire. By then, the thief has already jumped over the roof and stared at me for a long time before jumping over the gate. He has a devilish stare that it made me unintentionally shut the main door again because I was too afraid to look into his eyes. By the time I opened it to see if he's gone, he attacked my Dad with a scythe. Again, I had to relive the memory of seeing my dad spill his blood all over the floor. I was helpless, shaking. I saw my mom asking for help, running around to call an ambulance. As I went closer to my Dad, he was trying to tell me something but I could not hear anything. I woke up.

I've had similar nightmares before involving murder attacks. But this one, it was above all of those because it involved my family. I hope you could shed light on me. I tried to figure out what these dreams meant in my waking life but it only lead to the only one scenario in each dream- the part where a thief jumps over the roof. It happened several times before, in real life, that a thief always tried to rob our house. But fortunately, it happened during those times that I am there. I sleep later in the night, as if a guard on a night watch, I get very sensitive to even the littlest of noise that I could hear. Also, many times we were saved because everytime the thief/ves manage to enter our house, something scares them and runs frightfully out on their own. The scythe part is the difficult part to explain.

"Thank you very much for taking the time to read this."

My reply:

Hello _____________!

Your dreams indicate to me that you have made certain decisions that are contrary to the expectations of your father. It could be choice of a career or choice of a man whom you are in a relationship with or wish to have a relationship with. While the scythe is a symbol of finality, there is a part of you that still desires to please your father. In that sense, you remain undecided as to what you really want.

As long as you have indecision, you will never find true happiness.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

It seems that the objective is to make the people rebel against the rebels.

The earth quakes when the goddess of the mountain cracks salted watermelon seeds. 

If you did not honor your mother while she was alive, you will spend the rest of your life making up for it.

Worked an hour on third glaze on my paintings.

Organized the utility rack inside my captain's cabin bedroom.

Lunch, then worked an hour on second glaze on my paintings.

Benjie doing work on roof and rain gutter and spouts above the laundry room.

Worked an hour on first glaze on my paintings.

Benjie working here today and the next few days. We are checking the roof for whatever needs to be repaired in preparation for the rainy season.

Stop whining about your problems. Just get up and fix them.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is a stainless-steel sieve.

"I love you in a place/
Where there's no space or time/"

Washed my brushes. Calling it a day for painting.

Dinner at home with Aubrey, after which she resumed studying for her midterms.

Angelique at a dinner party with J.

Worked an hour on fifteenth and final layer on my paintings.

Glazing begins tomorrow on some dry parts.

Three-hour, deep tissue massage.

Worked two hours on fourteenth layer on my paintings.

Lunch with Angelique and Aubrey.

Aubrey still studying for her midterms.

I touch five exquisite things before breakfast.

Sorry, but at 66 going on 67 I have no intentions of making new friends and acquaintances--or of renewing old friendships that have gone stale over the years.

I prefer to go with the selected few that I have.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is the bottom of a golden basin.

Dinner at home with Angelique, Aubrey, and J.

Everybody home.

The sun is the tip of a red-hot soldering iron.

Good afternoon, Cubao!

Back from Margie Logarta's Gertrude Stein lunch party with Jim and Elline. It was an intimate affair. Took reference photos for Margie's portrait and Elline read for Margie in her bedroom.

Coffee at the Cubao Hogwarts Espresso Station after.

It's been years and I'm thinking of doing a retraining session on psychic abilities with completely new exercises, but we need a venue that's convenient for all.

Tony Perez's Art of War: When someone tells you about a place he's been to or tasted something new or saw something unusual and spent money to do so, then says, "I thought of you immediately!", consider that it was an unpleasant expense and experience for him, and that misery loves company.

Dinner at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Watched another replayed episode of Ghost Whisperer on Sony last night. So thankful that the series is back to "normal". Love that exquisite dollhouse that lights up. I want to build one myself.

I appreciate this series for having many upbeat, happy endings, but the ending of this one seems contrived, after the audience is misled through a possible multiple murder and a Voodoo spell that doesn't work anyway.

Back from jalan-jalan.

Your Messenger message:

"I want to ask ___..i just wacthed stories and vidoes from tha last conflict that happened in Marawi.I feel very depress.Felt angry,bothered,almost having cold sweat and did have a tears on it.

"Is there any karmic relation of it to me?If have,what would be the effective way to release it? Kung wala,pasensya na po sa ka dramahan at abala.Ito'y papalipasin ko na lamang. Thank you ___. "


My reply:

Hello _______!

The issue is depressing to most people, whether it is part of their karma or not.

Know also that a news feature or documentary can be moving or not moving depending on the treatment of the writer and the director.

Be objective at all times. Do not be swept off your feet by the media.

Wearing Charlie Gold by Revlon of London.

Yes, Daisy Fay Buchanan, it's so Great-Gatsby-summer hot and I'm going to town.

Jalan-jalan for minor groceries and to pick up a few things at one of my favorite stores.

Lunch at home with Angelique and Aubrey.

Two cups very black espresso blend.

"But it's so hot," insisted Daisy, on the verge of tears, "and everything's so confused. Let's all go to town!"

--The Great Gatsby

Good morning, Cubao!

The sky is the lens of a giant microscope.

Sat in front of the paintings and contemplated them for half an hour.

Saw, in my mind, the work sequence I need to follow tomorrow.

Dinner at home with Aubrey.

Angelique and J. are having dinner out.

The only Posts open to the public on my facebook Wall are from April - September 2016.

Been Customizing them ten a day so that they will be visible to Friends only.

The only pages that will remain open to the public are those of my electronic diaries and my Google+ account.

Worked an hour on the thirteenth layer on my paintings.

Aubrey home. Bought her a jalu-jalo and myself a strawberry fruit shake.

My second, two-shelf storage rack arrived, which I placed in a corner of my bedroom so that I could get a miscellany of things off the floor. The first one, which arrived a little more than a week ago, is already being used as a phone table behind my writing desk.

These are furniture pieces that have no value, unless you're into painting figures on them as you would on canvases. They assemble like 3D jigsaw puzzles but are quite sturdy and very useful.

If you own a school, all operating costs, improvements, and repairs should be out of YOUR net profit or out of YOUR pocket.

Don't pad tuition fees to cover all of those.

That would be equivalent to running a cafe and making your patrons pay for more than the food that they order.

There is no such thing as a perfect crime, because there is no such thing as a perfect anything.

He was the type of classmate who cheered for you but gave you the wrong prompts so that you would lose.

People like him exist not only in schools but also in offices, organizations, and institutions.

Home alone. Angelique at her college, Aubrey at her university.

Worked two hours on the twelfth layer on my paintings.

Just by peeking into a resident's door or windows, you can immediately estimate his level of intelligence. 

Like all nymphomaniacs, all bullies are bored.

Good morning, Cubao!

The sun is an orange delivery van.

Do not place the bird in the bowl and the fish in the cage.

Your magic increases in power only when you use it for the good of all.

When he balks at danger and backs off like a coward, you wonder why you bothered to watch him at all.

The talent for hosting a show in public is discovered as early as when one is in school.

When you lose something, pause and reflect on the possibility that it was payment for a wrong you did in the past.

He built his retirement home in a tourist destination in a remote part of the country. Little did he know that, years later, he would have to contend with the disadvantages of small-town living. Now he can't have fun without everyone talking about him.

He drowns in fire and burns in water.

Your Messenger message:

"...

"I keep on dreaming of a spirit in the old house we lived in just beside the house we are now staying in. In my dream it is a bad spirit and I am casting it away and fighting it verbally with prayers then I wake up..

"I dreamt of this same dream for around 4 times already. Same location on the old house.

"The house is now being used as a stock room.. the location is the ajoining bathroom of my room and the guest room.

"The identity of the spirit is vague in the previous dreams.. all i can remember is it is dark.. but around 3 days ago i dreamt of it again and what i can remember is it is a female and it was grabbing my arms then i woke up then that same arm in the dream felt painful like the feeling of cramps.

"Then 2 days ago i dreamt of the dark spirit again same location and i was fighting it and driving it away. Then my wife woke me up because she heard me moaning...

"Bottomline po more or less what i can remember po is i am driving away the evil spirit. Palaging ganun then nagigising po ako..

"Pero lagi po ganun and same location.. ung hinawakan po ako ung parang same location tapos parang nagjump ung dream na hinawakan ako while am sleeping in my bed here in the new house po. Nung hinawakan ako parang totoong totoo pakiramdam ko po.

"Tapos parang pumapasok ngayon sa isip ko na parang may nangyari masama sa girl na ito."

My reply:

Hello _____!

These dreams are not about an actual spirit--the spirit in your dreams is metaphorical.

Whenever a dream recurs, it is because you have not yet taken the correct action on the issue that your psyche is presenting.

These dreams are about responsibilities in the past, and old promises you may have broken that now affect your wife (and your children, if you have children). It indicates that there is some guilt that must be resolved.

Have you hurt your wife (or children) in any way?

Have you done anything in the past that upsets your happiness and security today?

The stock room represents your past, and the adjoining bathrooms represent your need for cleansing in the present. Your bedroom and bed symbolize your marriage and your peace of mind.

Assess your current situation and ask yourself:

--In what ways are you selfish and unwilling to give to others?
--Can you be satisfied with your present status and desist from wanting more and more?
--Have you had relationships that threaten your family life?

If, after all of this, you continue to have these dreams, and if what you really want is for me to visit you, check out your stock room, and give you some kind of protection, I am willing to go there with one or two Spirit Questors to do a scanning and channel whatever spirits we encounter. This will have to be done in the daytime, such as 2:00 PM. I now never do these things at night because I now consider that a tacky situation that does nothing but add a "horror" aspect to the activity.

I am available, however, only via door-to-door shipment.