Archive (Page 4) • Notes on a Nation • Buttondown

for the hope of it all

January 25, 2021

Manila, 25 January—This is belated, because I’ve been watching Marie Poulin videos about goal-tracking on Notion, so maybe it’s not too late to layout some...

the great lesbian movie marathon of end-2020

January 20, 2021

Manila, 20 January—As is customary for the holidays, C and I marathoned some really good movies with women-loving-women characters. Such a good way to spend...

some notes on pearl next door (2020)

January 17, 2021

Manila, 17 January—Pearl Next Door, one of the first (if not the first) Filipino YouTube series centering women loving women, recently ended its eight-...

the first week or so

January 9, 2021

Manila, 9 January—Happy New Year, friends! I was going to open this year with a relatively benign yearopener—say, about all the lesbian movies we binged...

yearender: what if we could do 2020 over?

December 31, 2020

Manila, 31 December—There’s an essay from the New Yorker that asks this provocative question: What if you could do it all over? Writer Joshua Rothman opens...

yearender: things we read in 2020

December 27, 2020

Note: Share your best reads in the Yearend survey—still open! Thank you in advance. :) Answer the Yearend Survey Manila, 27 December—One of the few bright...

quick note: fan girl (2020)

December 27, 2020

Note: The yearend survey is still open for responses! Thank you in advance for participating. Answer the Yearend Survey Manila, 27 December—This year’s Metro...

yearender: things we watched in 2020

December 24, 2020

Manila, 24 December—Merry Christmas Eve guys! Wishing you a safe celebration above all. Because we probably have lots of time for binge-watching, I figured...

the year we lost

December 19, 2020

Manila, 19 December—The Atlantic calls 2020 "The Year we Lost" and it's something I've been thinking a lot about these days, as we enter the 'yearender...

the prom (2020)

December 13, 2020

Manila, 13 December—Sure, it’s Ryan Murphy, but The Prom on Netflix is pretty enjoyable, with a few catchy tunes and a hella talented power cast, which...

back to december

December 6, 2020

Manila, 6 December—How did you feel about reaching the first Friday of the last month of the year? I don’t know how to feel either. The general stress of the...

the happiest 🌟

November 29, 2020

Manila, 29 November—It feels almost obscene to headline something with ‘happy’ these days, but I hope you can indulge me. This year has been called a lot of...

some notes on gaya sa pelikula (2020)

November 22, 2020

Manila, 22 November—Juan Miguel Severo’s web series “Gaya Sa Pelikula” (dir. JP Habac) just aired its finale—a fitting ending to its fantastic eight-episode...

a question about poetry

November 21, 2020

Manila, 21 November—What was your first encounter with Lang Leav? I think mine was on Tumblr. I thought her writing was… relatable. Plus I admired, without...

twenty-three

November 15, 2020

Manila, 15 November—Also this week, we marked 23 years since our mother’s passing. Traditionally, we would spend the closest weekend swinging by her grave,...

live through this

November 14, 2020

Manila, 14 November—Oh wow, where do we start with this week? Far too many things happened between today and the last time I sat down to write a letter. Like...

near & queer to your heart

November 7, 2020

Manila, 7 November—I have written about this before. It’s been such a week, and I haven’t been able to catch up properly with the renewed round of LGBTQ hate...

the obliterated place

November 1, 2020

Manila, 1 November—In her book “Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on love and life from Dear Sugar”, Cheryl Strayed writes letters to strangers. One of my...

light up the sky

October 25, 2020

Still open: Canva Manila is hiring! Check out available positions here: bit.ly/canvajobs2020 Manila, 25 October—Where did October go, no? I wonder myself....

this year's haunting

October 18, 2020

Public service first: Canva Manila is hiring! Check out available positions below or click on this link: bit.ly/canvajobs2020 Manila, 18 October—The Haunting...