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

Manila, 16 June—When I was younger and more protective of my summers, I dreaded June the most. For decades, June meant going back to school and waking up...

i am not a traveler

Manila, 8 June—It’s taken me all of these years, but for now I can safely say that I am not a traveler. There are people who enjoy the thrill of discovery...

championship heart

Manila, 1 June—I suppose anyone may rightly assume that my old high school alma mater, now called San Beda Alabang, has always been some sort of basketball...

borongan's best-kept secret

Manila, 26 May—We were in Eastern Visayas for a brief work trip earlier this week, and our main destination was Borongan City in Eastern Samar. To get there,...

Manila, 18 May—It’s been almost a week since the midterm elections, and I’m still heartbroken at the results, no matter how unsurprising. I mean, how could...

Manila, 12 May—When I was younger, way before easily accessible beaches were a thing, my mother used to take us to the hot springs in Pansol, Laguna. Every...

brief notes about endgame and winterfell

Manila, 5 May—How do weekends zip past us just like that? It remains a mystery. But here I am, back on a Sunday night, trying to gather thoughts before I...

Manila, 1 May—An old panic usually overtakes me whenever May comes around during an election year like this one. I thought this year, my first elections...

Manila, 21 April—Happy Easter greetings! How did your long-ish weekend go? Holy Week has always been a big vacation, even during my newspaper days—Good...

bikes and birthdays

Manila, 14 April—To mark C’s birthday this year, we went on a sunset bike tour around Intramuros with Bambike Ecotours and their fleet of bamboo bicycles....

Manila, 6 April—When she was still alive, our mother loved mangoes. I remember how, when we were younger, her business trips would take her to Cebu and she...

a little note about 'us'

Manila, 31 March—Marking the end of the first quarter with Jordan Peele’s thriller “Us”, which stars the phenomenal Lupita Nyong’o with Winston Duke, Shahadi...

billie & emma (& other stories)

Manila, 24 March—Finally caught the Glorietta screening of Samantha Lee’s “Billie & Emma”, which is currently being screened in Ayala Malls after last year’s...

Manila, 16 March—Halfway done with March already! Wow, how did your first couple of weeks go? It’s been a whirlwind at work, so we took it upon ourselves to...

women in power in the philippines

Hi-res infographic hereManila, 8 March—Happy International Women’s Day! Here’s to all the women who hold up half the sky. For IWD this year, we thought about...

secrets of countries happier than ours

Hi-res version here Manila, 1 March—We were so thrilled to find out that our entry to last month’s World Data Visualization Prize made it to this long list...

February 25, 2019

Manila, 25 February—Hello! How has your long weekend been? Mine has been a packed one, most notably because our father just turned 74! My siblings + C and I...

a problem like maria

February 16, 2019

Manila, 16 February—Where were you when Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was arrested earlier this week? Me, I was stuck in Bulacan traffic with my teammates when...

February 10, 2019

Manila, 10 February—People say it’s flu season, and I’ve been down with some form of it all week, and reading about the current measles outbreak has me all...

should i share that survey?: a handy chart

February 4, 2019

Manila, 4 February—Feeling a bit under the weather after a slew of hectic days, but this was just irresistible: Over the weekend, someone who really wants to...

February 1, 2019

Manila, 1 February—Oh wow, look at January go. How’s it looking so far on your end of the stream? I just ended January and started February with seniors from...

January 27, 2019

Manila, 27 January—And just like that, we’re down to our last January weekend! Surprisingly, this did not feel as long and drawn out as last year’s...

viva pit señor!

January 19, 2019

Cebu, 19 January—Taking advantage of my weekend work coverage to introduce a new dateline. I’m in Cebu City to cover the Sinulog, undoubtedly the country’s...

January 13, 2019

Manila, 13 January—Are any of us still making New Year’s resolutions? I suppose there’s no harm in having some. This year, I’m thinking about focusing on two...

#nerdweekend: visualizing transport data from grab

January 5, 2019

Manila, 4 January—Hello 2019! How’s the first weekend of 2019 shaping up so far? More importantly, how did the first work days of 2019 go for you?...

here's looking at you, 2018

December 31, 2018

Manila, 31 December—Happy New Year, friends! If you had a word for 2018, what would it be? Well, 2018 hasn't exactly been easy, but I don't hate it so much,...

TV we watched in 2018

December 27, 2018

Manila, 27 December—How did you unwind this year? For us, it was Netflix. People usually say there are a bajillion better things to do instead of binge-...

Movies we watched in 2018

December 22, 2018

Manila, 22 December—There was a time I didn't think my year amounted to something that was good enough for recaps; it was a rather dark time. Thankfully,...

it's beginning to feel a lot like

December 17, 2018

It's only eight days til Christmas! Can you believe it! Which means it's already Simbang Gabi season, if you're into that. If your company is into Christmas...

there is no saving what we love

December 13, 2018

Manila, 13 December—I read with a heavy heart Tavi Gevinson’s last Editor’s Letter announcing the end of Rookie Mag, an online magazine for young women that...

sandiganbayan acquits revilla of plunder

December 8, 2018

Manila, 8 December—Former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., one of the senators charged with plunder in connection with a multi-billion scam helmed by...

courage to hope

December 1, 2018

Manila, 1 December—Sending this out early because UP has done the impossible—after clinching its first Final Four spot in 21 years, it overcame Adamson's...

November 25, 2018

Manila, 25 November—I was out celebrating a girl friend's birthday when the news came: UP won against Adamson in its first playoffs game in TWENTY-ONE YEARS....

in the beginning, there was russia

November 20, 2018

Manila, 20 November—I’m over a week late to this, but the New York Times’ Opinion section made this amazing video series tracing the beginnings of Russian...

something to see: francisco v. coching at ayala museum

November 19, 2018

Manila, 19 November—Todd Henry says it’s always good to go on a “stimulus dive” on weekends as a means of recharging one’s creativity, so that’s what we did...

sugar, butter, flour

November 18, 2018

Manila, 18 November—We caught the staging of musical "Waitress" over the weekend and it was so damn amazing. The stellar Joanna Ampil plays Jenna, head baker...

on reading to children

November 17, 2018

Manila, 17 November—Visited the old HQ to help emcee yesterday’s opening session of this year’s Read-Along Festival, which is now on its 8th astounding run....

on the philippine corporate SOGIE diversity and inclusiveness index 2018

November 12, 2018

Manila, 12 November—I finally got my hands on a copy of this report by the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce, thanks to project coordinator Evan Tan....

November 11, 2018

Manila, 11 November—Oh man, this week has been such a crawl to the weekend—you ever have those? Weeks where Mondays stretch forever, and you're already in a...

talk third telco to me

November 9, 2018

Manila, 9 November—The government has named a group helmed by a Duterte campaign donor and China as the country’s provisional third telco player. The...

will imelda marcos really go to jail?

November 9, 2018

Manila, 9 November—I must admit that when I first saw that former First Lady Imelda Marcos, widow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was trending on Twitter, I...

November 4, 2018

Manila, 4 November—All Soul’s Day long weekend often meant going home to tend to our mother’s grave. Nothing looks as lonely as an unadorned grave on All...

October 29, 2018

Manila, 29 October—Halloween is just around the corner—if your feed is anything like mine, it is likely full of office halloween parties, dressed-up kids who...

October 22, 2018

Manila, 22 October—Whiplash this early? You bet. In a previous entry, I said That Former Spokesperson had already dropped his senatorial bid. Okay, I was...

October 21, 2018

Manila, 21 October—This has been a full weekend, spent well with loved ones and family. The week has been batshit, so the past couple of days were spent...

October 16, 2018

Manila, 16 October—The first elections I covered with Research were actually midterm ones, in 2007. At the time, my main assignment was to storify embargoed...

my mother's tongue

October 14, 2018

Manila, 14 October—My mother and her siblings were born and raised around the Visayas, jumping from island to island between my grandfather's hometown of...

October 11, 2018

Manila, 11 October—The Ultra Lotto 6/58 jackpot has hit a staggering P1 billion, and everybody has been in a betting frenzy. The odds of winning are 1 in...

stories my father told me

October 7, 2018

Manila, 7 October—Among my many ongoing personal projects is one I share with my dad, who is helping his batch from the Navy put together a class yearbook of...

illness & desperation

October 6, 2018

Manila, 6 October—This week’s announcement of the September inflation figure, which was the highest in 9 years at 6.7%, was heralded by desperate theatrics...