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This is the blog of Ian Rosales Casocot. Filipino writer. Sometime academic. Former backpacker. Twink bait. Hamster lover.

Email: icasocot(at)gmail.com

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Saturday, October 10, 2026

entry arrow12:00 PM | Investing in a Mic for Future Literary Tours!



Last week, when we did our eighth Dumaguete Literary Tour for 2026 alone — this one for the Department of Tourism NIR — DOT provided us with a lapel mic to help amplify our voices. Ladies and gentlemen, we have been doing this tour since 2017 without microphones, often to the detriment of our throats. Having a mic for the first time felt sooo freeing. Renz and I did not have to shout anymore! Immediately after that event, we went online shopping for exactly this brand. And we got it yesterday! Here's to investing to better literary tours in Dumaguete!

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Friday, October 09, 2026

entry arrow5:27 PM | Jeffrey Archer, 1940-2026



The books of Jeffrey Archer will always be special to me. I was very young, only in freshman high school, when I first discovered The Prodigal Daughter (1982), which I devoured because it was just very skillful prose that defined what we usually would call a "page-turner." I was only too happy to note that there were also other novels exploring the same characters, Kane and Abel (1979) and Shall We Tell the President? (1986). I adored Florentyna Kane. Later, I would soon discover Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1976), First Among Equals (1984), A Matter of Honour (1986), As the Crow Flies (1991), Honour Among Thieves (1993), The Fourth Estate (1996), and The Eleventh Commandment (1998) — but I admit I would grow out of the Archer prose style by the time I was graduating from college. But one will always treasure the books you came of age with. Rest in peace, Mr. Archer.

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Wednesday, October 07, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 312.



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Wednesday, September 30, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 311.



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Wednesday, September 23, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 310.



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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 309.



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Tuesday, September 15, 2026

entry arrow2:58 AM | After Monday

My flight back home yesterday was early, so my ADHD kicked in of course and I couldn't sleep all night. After arriving, I found that I had a bit of a temperature, not helped by the fact that I was incredibly sleepy. Rested for a few, then went to my afternoon classes — barreling through the hours, despite the sleepiness and the bit about not feeling well, because I really needed to complete this semester. Thank God I managed to get my suki masahista to come in the early evening, which did my body good, and afterwards I just dropped off to deep sleep. Now I'm fully awake at 3 AM. I should really go back to sleep.

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Sunday, September 13, 2026

entry arrow8:00 PM | After MIBF

I'm finally back in my hotel room away from the merry madness of MIBF. It was my first! And although I've been warned before that it could get very crowded and draining, I had to see for myself. And they were right! It was indeed draining but in a satisfying way. But my takeaway is actually an echo of what others have said before: if there were no readers of Philippine literature, who the heck were these people who thronged SMX every day since Wednesday? I hear one anomaly this year was the fact that Day 1 was already so very full of people unlike in previous years.



I had two books in this book fair: The Last Days of Magic from Anvil, and The Gentlest City Imagined from Vibal, for whom I represented at MIBF with its Manila launch. Thank you to my Vibal family for flying me in for MIBF! I'm very grateful.

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Wednesday, September 09, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 308.



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Wednesday, September 02, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 307.



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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 306.



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Wednesday, August 19, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 305.



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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 304.



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Friday, August 07, 2026

entry arrow1:04 PM | A Thought About Dumaguete

Because it lies resplendently next to sea, Dumaguete’s water spirit is something I will always cherish: it ebbs and flows, like its denizens do. People come, people go, and that’s fine, although that once vexed me as a native. I know now that most would call it a refuge, an incubator, a haven, then they go; many, however, would it call it home. Dumaguete is sometimes that space where we consider what it is we want in the world.

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Thursday, August 06, 2026

entry arrow7:39 AM | Looking for Lost Things



I was unpacking my bag last night, ready to charge my devices. Then I found out I could not find the small black bag that contained my laptop charger. Asked Renz if it's in his car. Not there. So I went to sleep, hoping to wake up early to retrace my steps late afternoon yesterday. In my head, I was already calculating the cost of buying a new Mac charger. [Not cheap.] Woke up very early, a miracle for a someone who is not a morning person. Emptied my bag one more time, hoping that the charger is just in some weird spot hiding. It's not there. Went out and went back to the last classroom I was in, hoping to catch the janitor who I was sure would be cleaning the premises for morning classes. Janitor was very helpful, but it's not there. Went back to the last restaurant I was in where I ate an early dinner before catching Spider-Man. [Is it in the theater?] Finally, it was there, in the resto! Apparently, the small black bag fell to the floor without me noticing. [Sigh of relief.]

Moral lesson: I was able to sleep well because my laptop was dead.

Also, I'm glad Dumaguete is small enough to allow this adventure of retracing our steps to find lost things.

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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

entry arrow9:00 PM | Today Was Surprisingly Fine

I dreaded today because I had to wake up early for my translation class where we were going to talk with a guest over a translation project; then segue to a judging stint over Zoom which I expected to be all bakbakan; then segue to a three-hour film class. I was wondering if I would even have the energy to do all that. I made sure I had at least seven hours of sleep, to wake up early without becoming groggy. Turns out, my translation class went well, and the conversation with our guest was fantastic, and bitin. Turns out, the judging stint was a breeze, and we were all unanimous with our choices. Turns out, my film class would also go well [despite an interruption], and I ended it with a screening of Spike Jonze's Adaptation, a great movie. I'm just grateful today turned out to be a really good day despite my expectations

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entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 303.



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Wednesday, July 29, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 302.



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Friday, July 24, 2026

entry arrow11:30 PM | Calm

I was feeling better at the end of the day after a week of battling the flu, so Renz and I finally got our much-needed and well-deserved body+foot massage combo. Later, going home in Renz’s car near midnight, I got this very unfamiliar feeling of utter calm.

And then I realized that it was so very nice not to feel the low hum of anxiety of having a big event looming in the horizon. It has been like that since the start of the year, and now I can finally just ... relax a little.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

entry arrow7:00 AM | Poetry Wednesday, No. 301.



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