School Librarian in Action

I will be conducting a Reading for Care/Bibliotherapy workshop at the Philippine Readers and Writers Festival 2026. This workshop is for parents, teachers, librarians and professionals working with children. We will read children’s books and design engaging activities that foster belonging and empathy building.

Every Story Holds a Hand: Reading for Care and Belonging

5PM - 7PM Prologue Room

National Bookstore, Araneta City

Cubao, Quezon City

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by National Book Store (@nationalbookstore)

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Ahjumma Reviews: East Palace

Having rewatched East Palace, I realized how beautifully the romance between Gucheon and Saeng-gang was rendered. Their love story was simmering, bubbling on the surface and sometimes flowing through the undercurrent of a raging river.

While they grappled and fought forces bigger than themselves, in the spirit world and back in their reality, their romance was like smoke from an eternal incense, wafting through and about them.

It was there, even when everything else seemed to demand their attention. Their love didn’t need to be proclaimed. It was in the spaces between the battles, the conflicts, the choices, the moments when they were simply there with and for each other. And this is what makes it so delicious.

The romance is not separate from the larger story. It moves with it. It is simmering in their exchange of glances and looking at each other a few seconds longer. Nam Joohyuk’s eyes speak volumes: yearning, care, the need to protect. And Roh Yoonseo takes it all in by staring back fiercely but with tenderness. How many times did I wish they must kiss already?!

But no physical intimacy can outdo nor trump down this connection. The restraint is the romance. Sometimes bubbling to the surface. Sometimes almost disappearing beneath the raging river of everything they have to face. It never really goes away.

That kind of romance gets me. And on a rewatch, when you already know where their story is going, you notice the undercurrents even more.

Delicious. Absolutely delicious.

In the end, as Gucheon and Saeng-gang walk away from the palace, I was wishing for a second season.