Archive • Notes on a Nation • Buttondown

october round-up

November 15, 2022

hey there friends, here's your october wrap-up, expectedly nearly fifteen days late haha. an entire half-month—much apologies! it's been a whirl. hope you're...

huwag muna tayong umuwi

October 15, 2022

Hey there, thanks for opening! How is it already MID-October! How are you hanging in there? As for us, like most people, here we stand: Terrified of Q4 and...

& i can see us lost in the memory

September 10, 2022

hey friend, merry christmas! practice lang. haha. the ber months are finally upon us—ridiculous, i know! where did that year go! it's been a rather busy...

hi, bye, july! :)

Hello friend, thanks for opening! Some thoughts on how that month went--just like that, we're more than halfway through this year! Insanity. Hope you find...

everything, everywhere, all at once

hello friend, long time no email. it's been a rough month and a half, sort of, between the elections and the inauguration of the President-who-will-not-be-...

the exciting part

hey friend. i think this week definitely deserves a check-in. how are you? this week has been batshit, to say the least, so i'm starting this off with a...

Hey friend, thanks for opening! How was your April?? I can’t believe we’re really heading into the super final final stretch of the election season. Are you...

hey friend, thanks for opening! greetings from the end of march/start MIDDLE of april! time flies, wtf. -K Hi, so yeah, March happened. It was so batshit I...

the question of edsa

February 25, 2022

Hey friend, thanks for opening! How was your February? Just checking in for this month + talking a bit about the 36th Edsa anniversary, because it's that...

February 1, 2022

hey friend, thanks for opening! long time no hear. just checking in. how are you? :) -k January passed in a blur - like many of you, the first month was...

2021 in 15 memes

January 15, 2022

Hey friend, thanks for opening! And yes, this is exactly what it says on the tin. Last year I tried including a meme I enjoyed that week, in hopes of being...

12 Things we watched in 2021 (a belated round-up)

January 10, 2022

Hey friend, thanks for opening! I’ve been remiss in making wrap-ups, so I offer you this very late listing of things we watched last year, in somewhat...

do what you love

January 1, 2022

hey friend, thanks for opening! this technically started as a birthday note, but now it’s also a new year’s note, so i’m not sure if it would be as useful...

joan didion is dead; long live, joan didion!

December 24, 2021

hey friend - i actually wished to write a merrier letter in time for christmas, but here we are. it's what it says on the tin. hope something is useful here....

no plot, just vibes

December 6, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! Happy first week of December! Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? NEITHER HAVE I!!! bless. Pls rec your strongest...

the final stretch

November 30, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! This newsletter comes late, much apologies. Yearender season is coming! Oh god, how is it already 2022 in a few??? Kaloka. -K....

November 21, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! Some personal updates and a bit considerable helping (lol) of a TWICE meltdown, so I hope you're into that! Q4 is nuts so far,...

formula of love

November 14, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! The title of this weekend’s newsletter is from TWICE’s new album, which also dropped yesterday. I say also, because we all...

November 7, 2021

Hello friend, how was your week? This week was both long and short, in that it was a four-day work-week because of All Soul’s Day BUT it was still kinda long...

"kemback to da young and byutipul u"

October 31, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! Happy Halloween weekend! Some personal updates, boyfriend soft launches, etc. Hope you find something useful here! -K Some...

people's movement

October 24, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! Just like that, we’re approaching the last week of October already–any plans for Halloween? Heads up: Just like last year,...

a hundred percent

October 17, 2021

Hey friends, thanks for opening! Our favorite K-drama of late, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, is ending this weekend and we’re half-excited, half-unprepared. What’s...

October 10, 2021

Hey there friend, thanks for opening! This week has been extra giddy and I think you know why! So some on thoughts on VP Leni’s announcement and some...

her prerogative

October 3, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! Welcome to Q4! Inside: Some cool music videos, a shameless self-promo, and some thoughts about COC filing, because OF COURSE....

September 26, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! Just like that, we’re at the end of September. Where did that year go, amirite? While Q4 has always made me naturally anxious,...

September 19, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! It’s that time of the year again–this year, we’re marking 49 years since the imposition of Martial Law. Some resources for...

2001 is 20 years ago, can you believe?

September 11, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! How are you this week? Time flies so fast, we're now almost in mid-September--which is crazy! You know what else is crazy?...

your one wild and precious life

September 5, 2021

hello friends! thanks for opening--how are you? apologies for the delay in this letter--as expected, the return of MPL has (rightfully) taken over our...

'There is no she but you'

August 29, 2021

Hey friend, thanks for opening! Big week this week for fans of esports–yes, MPL is back for Season 8 and this serves as a warning haha. But more on that in...

'is this where it happened?'

August 22, 2021

Hello hello, hey there–thanks for opening! It took me a while to get to a writing space, and like many creatives out there I am so damn beat lol. But here we...

August 14, 2021

Hey there, thanks for opening! How are you holding up so far in the nth incarnation of this lockdown/surge? Hope you're staying safe. Just some run of the...

Hi friend, how are you? Thanks for opening! This week, I’m reading a book about burned libraries! How exciting–no, really! You have been warned, hehe. A bit...

Hello friend, how are you? Thank you opening! What an EPIC WEEK this has been! You know what they say–you gotta write it down so you won’t forget. :) A bit...

if not you, then who?

Hello friend, thanks for opening! Hope you’re staying warm and safe! This week has been jampacked–here’s my best attempt at a summary. Hope you find...

the stories we tell ourselves

Hello friends! How are you? Thanks for opening! This week--wala lang, kwentuhan lang. Hehe. Hope you find something enjoyable here. -K I haven't joined a...

permission to dance 💃🏽

Hey friends, how are you? Thanks for opening! Some exciting updates from this past week--bear with me as I write them down, plus some other things, in this...

Hello friend, thanks for opening! Welcome to the second half of the year, I guess! As such, doing a bit of taking stock. I hope you find something worthwhile...

Hey friends, thanks for opening! What a week this has been, no? For the first half of it, I was actually quite excited to share some book news with you, but...

pride & pandemics

Hello friend, thanks for opening! This week’s letter is about dads, Pride, fandoms–all my favorite things! Hope you find them useful. An interesting thing...

Hey friend, how goes? Thanks for opening! This week’s letter has a bit of everything here and there: existential crisis, Pride, Mobile Legends tournaments,...

one day, the internet will forget us (but that day is not today)

Howdy friend, thanks for opening! This week’s entry is about an internet that does not forget, former journalists, and a couple of gay things. Hope you find...

Howdy friends, thanks for opening! Here be this week's obsessions. A day late, because I wanted to include the final results of this weekend's biggest event...

Hey friends, how’s your weekend going? This letter is a bit about a summer more than two decades ago, a bit about village witches. Hope you enjoy and find...

building it so they will come

Hey friends, thanks for opening! This week, we’re talking about the heat, gay commercials, and geriatric millennials. Hope you find something useful here. -K...

work it / worth it

Hey friend, thanks for opening! In this letter we're talking about questioning productivity, how to do nothing, and working with the pandemic's newest...

Hey there, thanks for opening! This week we're talking about being proud of your wins, spotting narcissists, and leadership. Hope you find something useful...

change the world

Hello friend, thanks for opening! In this letter, we're talking about community pantries, journalism, and that magical space where you think you could change...

birthday interlude

Hello friend, thanks for opening! Got a bit busy this weekend because of C's birthday celeb, so this letter is coming to you after all that. Hope your...

Hello friend, thanks for opening! This whole Buttondown interface takes some getting used to, so I hope you forgive the lapses :) This week we're talking...

Manila, 4 April - There’s an Easter pun to be made somewhere, about a common thing that Jesus and the country’s COVID-19 case count share, but it gets less...