Archive (Page 5) • Notes on a Nation • Buttondown

smoke & mirrors

October 3, 2018

Manila, 3 October—My favorite Journalism professor, Luis Teodoro, has this to say to media covering the aftermath of Presidential Communications Operations...

October 1, 2018

Manila, 1 October—Whatever happened to the Binays? As we enter the 2019 election season, it’s time to check up again on the Binays, who have more or less...

the final stretch

September 30, 2018

Manila, 30 September—I'd like to recommend two things we watched on Netflix: animated movie Next Genand limited series Maniac. I'm a sucker for media where...

going to the dogs

September 29, 2018

Manila, 29 September—Senator Trillanes, who was ordered arrested on Tuesday after the government voided his amnesty, is now home. With his dog, a cute Chow...

a theory of broken things

September 23, 2018

Manila, 23 September—I was gathering links to old stuff we did for Martial Law remembrances past when I stumbled upon a 1987 longread written by veteran...

#neveragain #neverforget

September 21, 2018

Manila, 21 September—Forty-six years since the imposition of Martial Law in 1972, and the Marcoses are still at it, still trying their best to hold onto...

September 17, 2018

Manila, 17 September—It may have taken all of 12 years, but finally justice has caught up with former Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who was sentenced today to...

September 16, 2018

Manila, 16 September—I was talking with friends from high school about the fall of Harry Roque. One of our former batchmates was a lawyer who used to view...

September 13, 2018

Manila, 13 September—It used to be that Septembers were a big deal in the Old Newsroom because it was LJM and MRP’s birth month, and this meant lots of free...

September 11, 2018

Manila, 10 September—When a President announces beforehand that he’s calling a press conference at a specific date and time, it’s natural to assume that...

September 9, 2018

Manila, 9 September—Just like that, we're wrapping up the third quarter of the year with the first -ber month now in motion. So far, September has not pulled...

endings & resignations

September 3, 2018

Manila, 3 September—This is the first letter I’m writing through Substack’s native interface, and I must say I miss the simplicity. Mailchimp is an awesome...

September 2, 2018

Manila, 2 September—This week was a good week for catching up with friends! One of my friends who is pregnant with their second kid had a gender reveal baby...

August 26, 2018

Manila, 26 August—This week was a good week for watching Asian things! I hope you've had the chance to catch Crazy Rich Asians at the cinemas—what a fun...

maintenance meds & other stories

August 19, 2018

Manila, 19 August—Every August or thereabouts, I sit down and have a talk with the company doctor, who then tells me, predictably, that my uric levels are...

while we were angry

August 12, 2018

Manila, 12 August—Finally got around to watching Erik Matti's "BuyBust" at the cinemas. Headlined by Anne Curtis as a recently transferred PDEA agent, it's...

the age of despair

Manila, 5 August—On this day eighteen years ago, I took an exam that changed my life. At the time, the idea of living away from home and amid a sea full of...

gone to the dogs

Manila, 30 July—What a week this has been, hasn't it? Gotta love it when the week starts off with a sound-less power grab at the House of Representatives....

state of the nation

Manila, 23 July—All this time, I have only been able to make sense of the present by piecing it together as a creature built from the past. Whenever I have...

Manila, 15 July—When I sent out Wednesday's letter, my girlfriend-slash-proofreader, who checks for grammar errors, misspellings and dead links the best she...

Manila, 11 July—Perhaps our most important watch for this year is Nanette by Australian writer and comedian Hannah Gadsby. Now showing on Netflix, the much-...

Manila, 1 July—Today we mark the end of many things: The month of June, the second quarter, the first half of the year. June is also Pride Month, and I had...

Manila, 24 June—There are no words for how much we loved Incredibles 2! I can't believe it's been over a decade since the last one—I distinctly remember...

Manila, 16 June—Browsing through Facebook one night, I came across a run-of-the-mill profile photo update from my favorite creative writing professor from...

Manila, 12 June—The past week has been brutal. In the end, we're all just fighting off our own demons, no? And in some cases, hard as it may seem to accept,...

Manila, 2 June—And just like that, we're down to the last month of the first half of the year. The rains have started and yet it's still so hot out, it's...

how to age well

Manila, 27 May—Earlier this week, I had a dream. It had Sarah Michelle Gellar on it, and she was supposedly starring in a Netflix reboot of her iconic Buffy...

Manila, 22 May—First off, I would like to apologize because this week's letter is late. This is because I spent most of the weekend catching up with friends...

Manila, 14 May—Well, that was a tiring week, wasn't it? I know. What were we expecting, right? I wasn't surprised, not really, when the Supreme Court ousted...

what if it hurts like hell

Manila, 6 May—On this day eleven years ago, my former boss and a handful of workmates started a program that hugely defined my path as a media worker,...

does it also feel this way to you

Manila, 30 April—And so we come again to the end of the month. April felt like I was catching my breath throughout, hitting the ground running from Easter to...

Manila, 22 April—When was the last time you took a hike?If you’re an adventurer, it’s probably fairly recent, but for me, the Great Outdoors has been a...

Manila, 15 April—People on my feeds have been talking about two movies: Tonet Jadaone's JaDine starrer Never Not Love You and John Krasinski and Emily...

Manila, 9 April—We were at LANY's sold-out second night at the Araneta Coliseum and it was such a good one. It was my first time to attend a concert at the...

Manila, 1 April—Happy Easter, if you celebrate! Hope your vacation is going well. Mine has been restful so far—thanks greatly to time spent away from my...

long weekend coming

Manila, 25 March—There's a pretty long-ish weekend coming up with Maundy Thursday/Good Friday upon us—also known as the holiest of holy days in the newsroom,...

a question of truthmaking

Manila, 17 March—Not too long ago, I sat in a room full of youngsters and thought that the best thing our team could contribute to their summer was to teach...

Manila, 10 March—When news broke that the UP Shopping Center had caught fire, I was filled with equal parts sadness and resignation. When I first laid my...

here comes the sun

Manila, 4 March—I have a theory that January takes forever to start—we are all still shrouded with the post-holiday haze, hence it takes a bit longer for...

who were you 32 years ago?

February 25, 2018

Manila, 25 February—Cannot help but comment briefly on the anniversary of the Edsa revolution in 1986, which ended the 20-year reign of strongman Ferdinand...

the year of the dog

February 17, 2018

Manila, 17 February—Happy Chinese New Year weekend! Hope this week has been kind. Attended the Democracy and Disinformation forum at Ateneo in Rockwell on...

be my valentine

February 11, 2018

Manila, 11 February—Happy Sunday! I was thinking about this week, and how hectic it was—we attended the MVP Rewards Launch on Tuesday, then headed to...

call me by your name

February 4, 2018

Manila, 4 February—Ah, February. Either you hate it or you love it. :) This week has been a sort of feast for me—I finally got to watch Call Me By Your Name...

mnemonics & other stories

January 31, 2018

Manila, 31 January—And just like that we're done with the first month of the year! On a scale of Wow where did January Go? to Wow, this January has been the...

January 28, 2018

Manila, 28 January—Hello folks, happy Sunday! This week I watched a movie, an ugly awards brouhaha unfold on social media, and of course, Mayon's move from...

January 21, 2018

Manila, 21 January—Sunday again, and I hope the weekend has been going well for you. I think it's a well-deserved break for many of us, after this exhausting...

January 14, 2018

Manila, 14 January—Happy Sunday, friends. This week I read a lot of good things, mostly online, and I want to share them with you. 'Harbor Lights': I loved...

January 8, 2018

Manila, 8 January—You've probably seen that viral twin 'Best 9' break-up post making the rounds during the first few days of the new year. (If you haven't,...