Saturday, September 26, 2026
Friday, September 25, 2026
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Monday, September 21, 2026
Light House Diary Entry #92: On the 54th Anniversary of Martial Law and the Role of Libraries
One of our teachers borrowed “The Conjugal Dictatorship” from our library a few months back and I remembered He noticed that we have two copies. One is considerably thicker than the other. I explained that the thicker one is the revised and annotated edition, with annotations, references, and updates added decades after the original publication. It reminded me that sometimes, the most interesting thing about a book is not simply what it tells us, but how later readers and scholars continue the conversation around it.
An annotation does not erase an author’s perspective, bias, or authorial intent. Instead, it gives the reader another layer through which to examine the original text.
We can ask:
What was written?
Who wrote it?
When and why was it written?
What evidence was available then? What has since been added, clarified, challenged, or contextualized?
In this sense, having two editions side by side becomes an exercise in historical literacy: we learn to read not just the text, but also the history surrounding the text.
This is one of the most important things libraries can offer, especially when we encounter difficult or contested histories. We don’t have to tell readers what to think. We can give them the books, the context, the questions, and the space to think critically for themselves. History deserves readers who can look beyond a single narrative and not by pretending that bias can be completely removed, but by learning to recognize perspectives, examine evidence, encounter other sources, and keep asking questions.
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Bangtan Hermana Notes: Little Pockets of Light
I must have caught something viral last weekend and now I’m nursing a bad cold, allergies and back pain. I’m not new to this so I pulled out my meds; took a leave off work; and slept as much as I can. Willing myself to feel better even more, I turned to my cyanotype kit and allowed the sun, water and time to heal me.
I have been waiting for the perfect sunlight, and a clear blue sky. There should be no wind at all.
Yesterday morning, all three converged. The time was just right! Thank you, Nature!
ARMY Daughter gave me flowers last Mother’s Day. I left some violet ones to dry in room temperature and they still look lovely. I’ve been meaning to catch them in light and in shadow. The moment arrived and the prints were beautiful.
And somewhere between arranging the flowers, waiting for the sun, watching the images slowly emerge in water, and simply being present with the process, I realized something: healing is not only found in medicine and rest. Sometimes, healing also happens when we make something with our hands. When we slow down enough to notice light, shadow, water, time, and the small transformations happening in front of us.
This is another gift of making art. It gives the mind somewhere quiet to go.
So, for Namjoon’s birthday month, I’m celebrating this little practice that began because of ARMY Glow Up and has grown into something much more personal: a way of pausing, breathing, making, and finding my way back to myself.
To make art is to pay attention. To pay attention is to be present. And sometimes, being present is its own kind of healing.
Thank you, Joon, for reminding us, in so many ways, to love ourselves, keep growing, and live well in this one beautiful life. May we all keep making little pockets of light.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
Thursday, September 10, 2026
2026 MIBF Moment: Ang Batang Marunong Magbasa
Kahapon, sa aming book signing sa Lampara Books (booths 424-444) sa MIBF, SMX Convention Center, may mag-aama na napadaan sa sulok kung saan kami nakaupo. Sa mga naka-display na aklat namin sila nakatingin. Hindi sa manunulat o sa illustrador. Napansin ko ang kilos ng mata at ulo ng batang babae: kaliwa-kanan; kaliwa-kanan.
“Go ahead! You can read my book.” sabi ko sa kanya.
“I can?!” Tanong niya.
“Yes! Go read!”
At sa loob ng lima-pitong minuto, nagbasa siya ng kuwento ni Talia at Cara. Nagsabay pa silang mag-kuya sa bandang gitna ng kuwento, habang nakingiti naman ang ang kanilang tatay. Ang sarap pakingan ng batang nagbabasa!
“Let’s buy the book now.” sabi ni Tatay.
Binili din nila ang aklat ni Leo Kempis Ang dahil mahilig silang kumain ng balut!
Nagpapirma sa amin ang mga bata sabay pa-picture. Nalaman ko na grade 2 na ang magkapatid at kambal pala sila! Isang MIBF moment ito na hindi ko malilimutan.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Monday, September 7, 2026
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Book Review: Stray Cats
For me, this is what makes the novel’s fantasy so powerful. Sarmiento does not use fantasy to escape reality. She uses fantasy to make reality harder to ignore.
The tikbalang, kapre, and other creatures of Philippine folklore invite us into a world that feels strange and magical, but as Elisa moves deeper into that world, the difference between the fantastic and the real begins to blur. The creatures become a way of seeing what might otherwise remain unseen: the inequalities, vulnerabilities, violence, and suffering that exist alongside the ordinary lives we inhabit.
Stray Cats becomes a story not only about finding someone who is missing, but about learning to see. It is there where the strands of the twine come together: friendship leads to care; care leads to curiosity; curiosity leads to encounter; encounter leads to awakening; and awakening demands a response.
Growing up, then, is painful because it means discovering that the world is not the world we thought it was. Realizing that once we have seen it, we cannot simply become unseen again.
P.S I missed my cats while reading the novel. I rest in the knowledge that Ohren and Golden are being cared for by someone who knows better than I can.
Friday, September 4, 2026
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