iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

This site in Germany is where they found the bones of a Neanderthal, three years before Charles Darwin wrote “The Origin of the Species” 📍Neander, Germany #timelinecleanse

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Hello! So you’re on Substack and you’re wondering where all the Filipinos are. Many of them are in this starter pack. We write about Filipino politics, art, culture, and tsismis! Starter packs are a handy way in growing your reach here in Bluesky, and also a way to find excellent people! Follow na!

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

There used to be a website called Shelfari, and you would post your books there. It was bragging for nerds. And even though this is not my complete collection of Philippine Literature in English, I am compelled to share it, haha. How many have you read, and which ones did you like?

Books. The Boxer Codex. Sa Atong Dila. Hoard of Thunder 1. Manalang Gloria: A Literary Biography. Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology. Filipino Women Writers in English: Their Story 1905-2002. Underground Spirit: Vol 1. The Likhaan Book of Philippine Criticism. The Achievement of, The Mastery. On the Subject of the Nation. The Likhaan Book of Philippine Drama. Hispano Filipino Literary Culture and the Challenge of Modernity. Hoard of Thunder 2. Fantasy-Productions. Things Fall Away. Waiting for Mariang Makiling.

Unrequited Love. Maximum Volume. Philippine Postcolonial Studies. Knife’s Edge: Selected Essays. Mapping New Stars. Some People Need Killing. Carlos Bulosan and His Poetry. Affidavit of Loss. The Experiment of the Tropics. The Highest Hiding Place. Patron Saints of Nothing. Monstress. A Professional Lola. Lugar Lang. America Is In the Heart. Dogeaters. Manila Noir. Kung Baga sa Bigas. Locust Girl. Banana Heart Summer.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Wholesome stuff to be happy about: Got my PhD, got family from the US vacationing in the Philippines, and my son graduated from university. Whew. That’s a lot in one month! It’s been busy.

Photo of my husband, me, and Dr. Wendell Capili at the College of Arts and Letters graduation

Photo of family in the Philippines celebrating my PhD graduation

Photo of more family from the USA in the Philippines

Photo of my son, Noah, and husband, Arnell, at the UP College of Fine Arts, UP Diliman, Philippines, Bachelor of Arts in Studio Painting.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

This is so important Filipina female jiujitsu practitioners, who have won international awards and some of whom have become World Champions, being recognized by the Philippine Government! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🥋🤼‍♀️

Photo of female jiujitsu athletes. “the Philippine Sports Commission recognizes the best Filipina athletes across all sports. This year, Jiu-Jitsu athletes took center stage for their world-class performances!”

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

It’s funny because I feel shy telling people in my other socmed platforms that I won a special prize for writing a critical essay. But because I feel safe here, I’ll say it. I am happy to say that I won an award for “The Brown Pacific: Mythographies from the Philippine Diaspora”. Yay! 🥳

Gemino Awards for Poetry and Literary Criticism

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Broke my personal record today! Deadlifted 100 kilos! Not bad for a 47 year old hahaha. That’s my coach watching from behind haha. Cheers to all the strong women out there. The first step is you have to BELIEVE 🐝

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

“It’s a little bit funny This feeling inside I’m not one of those Who can easily hide…” My feelings with almost 7,000 followers after 3 months here! “I hope you don’t mind I hope you don’t mind That I put into words, How wonderful life is That you’re in the world!” Thanks BlueSky 🦋

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Here’s hoping you find islands of rest and recovery from the madness of the world. Cheers.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

We have to create our own happiness now.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

show me 4 pictures in your phone that have your energy but aren’t selfies

Rumi quote, “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love”

Painting by Filipino artist Fernando Amorsolo with Filipino farmers and their harvest

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

This is too real. I did not anticipate this when I started writing my Substack two years ago.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

In other news, I got the results of my health tests, and they’re not as bad as I thought. We celebrated by going out and having some seriously good sushi. Remembering BTS and their song, “Permission to Dance,” singing even in the midst of the pandemic. I’m finding joy wherever I can 🍣

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

In sports news in the Philippines, our jiujitsu team got three players to represent the Philippine National Team. Spots of joy are few and fleeting nowadays, so I just wanted to share news that sparked joy. May we share as much joy as we can. Life is short and the world is going sideways.

An 18 year old boys sits on a podium with his team mates wearing a silver medal

A couple of jiujitsu practitioners wear a gold medal and a bronze medal. They sit on the podium with the rest of their team.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

So my youngest son showed me his finished project from school that he labored many hours on, which is embroidery of characters from his favorite video game, “Hollow Knight”. He was telling me it was so strange that he was the only one who embroidered video game characters and everyone else 1/2 🧵

Boy holds up a project he did for school, which is to embroider characters from a video game on a square piece of cloth.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

The quiet joy of taking a much needed nap

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Cats remind us that rest is part of the circle of life haha

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I used to teach this to university students, but this lesson is now for high school students in my country. Obviously they don’t know logical fallacies anymore, because flawed thinking is now the norm in Philippine politics, ads, and daily conversations! I wonder if it’s the same in other places?1/2

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

I had to tell this to a teacher, as one of her mentors, because she was afraid to teach what she was taught.

“Have the courage to use your own intelligence” - Immanuel Kant

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

I used to think Mary Oliver only wrote about the natural world. Now I know she writes about it because she rejects the modern one. This poem seems to have seen everything: the past, the present, and the future.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

What’s up, 2025? We living on the edge haha 🐈‍⬛

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

I let this poem slide several times on my feed before I finally read it. It turns out it was a gem. “Joy is not made to be a crumb”. By Mary Oliver, in her book, “Devotions”.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

Another poem by Mary Oliver. From her book, “Devotions”.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

A new poem for the new year. By Mary Oliver.

With thanks to the field sparrow, whose voice is so delicate and humble

I do not live happily or comfortably
With the cleverness of our times.
The talk is all about computers,
The news is all about business bombs and blood.
This morning, in the fresh field,
I came upon a hidden nest.
It held four warm, speckled eggs.
I touched them.
Then went away softly,
Having felt something more wonderful
Than all the electricity of New York City.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

🍽️ first time to roast baby back ribs! Happy New Year! It’s a beauty! And tasted great too!

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

“What a beautiful Pussy you are!” From The Owl and the Pussycat.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Today’s #art shows a classic Filipino Christmas. Maligayang pasko po! At manigong bagong taon! Merry Christmas everyone!

Three Filipino kids caroling and wearing crowns.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Today’s #art, a poster from the US Army of US infantry killing Moros in the Philippine-American War, a war most Americans haven’t heard about, a war whitewashed in the fear that Americans would disapprove of imperialism. Mark Twain disapproved, seen in his anti-imperialist writing 🇺🇸🇵🇭

An article entitled “The Ugly Origins of America’s Involvement in the Philippines” with a US Army poster with US infantry fighting Moros in the Philippine-American War.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Post a picture of yourself being cute for no reason.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Read this just now and I was reminded of two things: of the murderous, abusive, and rape-filled language of Rodrigo Duterte and his crimes against humanity… and Trump.

“Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge” Toni Morrison

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

This is something I had to learn. Sometimes, you can’t have the answer to the burning question in your mind. Sometimes, you just have to live with not knowing and make peace with that. We are not meant to understand everything. We are only here to live through it. Your moment of zen, haha.

“For your peace of mind, do not try to understand everything”. With a stone Buddha in the forest.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Hello new followers! What’s up! Here’s our little Snow saying “Hi” ❄️🐱🥱 happy holidays! Or at least, happy checking days without having to go to school days (for me) haha 📝📝📝

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Your #art for today is one of the giant tapestries of the lady and the unicorn in Paris, France. One can just sit and stare at these tapestries for hours, imagining how the medieval ages were. And then you suddenly feel glad that we’re at a time with modern plumbing and women’s rights.

Tapestry of the lady with a unicorn and a lion.

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Blessing your feed with two of my loves 💜💜

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

#art from our National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo. In this painting, the couple dances the tinikling, which is a traditional dance done with the thrill of dancing amidst the clack of bamboo sticks. Every Filipino child can dance the tinikling haha

Philippine scene of a couple dancing with people watching in a clearing against a field

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Your #art for today is Fernando Amorsolo’s “Mango gatherers,” an 88 year old painting recently stolen by tourists and retrieved. Amorsolo always worked with light and showed how beautiful Filipinas were. Still one of my favorite Filipino artists 🧑‍🎨

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Photo from lockdown. Days of supporting the opposition in Philippine politics, pink was the color of the opposition 💘 we lost, but I was committed 💯

Woman sporting hair and wearing pink heart glasses

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Marikit 🇵🇭💜 @mataraykween.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Your #art for today is “Defend Thy Honor” by Fernando Amorsolo. The setting is when the Japanese colonized the Philippines. I love this painting because you don’t often see art where the man is protecting the woman. And the woman here looks fierce and ready to fight, as well #heforshe

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