Recent content on Kushaiah Felisilda
Every January, I notice the same thing: everything feels like it’s moving too fast. There’s this rush of energy everywhere. People sharing what they’re planning next, renovating their homes, redoing their systems, announcing resolutions, optimizing their routines. But I just want to slow down. So this year, I decided to try something different. I let January be quiet and private.…
So I finally figured out why my weeknotes weren’t showing up. Turns out my front matter was completely wrong, and I didn’t bother to double-check anything. Automation, my ass. I’m seriously thinking of going back to doing things manually. Slower, sure, but at least I’ll catch these mistakes. Anyway, there are a couple of things happening in the city this weekend. Actually,…
It’s been a rough couple of weeks. After Typhoon Tino hit Cebu, there’s been this weight I can’t shake. Like I’m not allowed to be happy when things have gotten so bad here. Every time it rains now, I feel this wave of anxiety. I’m sure my fellow Filipinos have seen the news. Or if you search for it online, you’ll see. My mind immediately goes to flooding, to…
I’ve felt this heartbreak before, during Yolanda. But what I’m feeling now after Typhoon Tino is something else entirely, a deeper kind of anger born from watching the same corrupt system fail us again and again. For months now, even before Typhoon Tino hit, we’ve been dealing with the flood control corruption scandal. There were Senate hearings , Blue Ribbon Committee…
It’s my partner’s birthday week! Treated her to a staycation in Mactan because she deserves a break and honestly, we both needed it after everything lately. The resort allows pets, so we brought Nooning along. She had the time of her life sniffing every plant and piece of grass, running around, and being the center of attention in her Halloween costume. Do Chihuahuas even need costumes…
I finally have my work portfolio set up. It’s built with Hugo since that’s the framework I’m most comfortable with. I was using Webflow before, but I knew I needed to switch eventually. I wanted more control over the code and the flexibility to tinker with things myself. Got some occasional help from Claude Code along the way. I spent way too much time hunting for the right…
Arc Browser has completely ruined me. Vertical tabs aren’t just a nice-to-have anymore. Now whenever I try a new browser, vertical tab support is the first thing I check. Helium Browser I’ve been testing out Helium , a new browser from imput , the makers of cobalt.tools , and it’s really fast. Search results load instantly, and the whole thing just feels snappy. It’s…
We bought mesh wifi to fix the dead zones in the house. Set them up as access points so our devices automatically connect to whichever point is closest when we’re downstairs or upstairs. I could’ve gone with bridge mode, but I’m lazy and it felt too technical to set up. If I had the budget for a new router, I’d probably do that instead. TP-Link makes everything so much…
We had a 6.9 magnitude earthquake last September 30 around 9:59 PM. The epicenter was in Bogo, Cebu, but we felt it strong here in the city and neighboring regions too. Everything was shaking. It was the fastest I’ve ever moved in my life. Grabbing the dog took 0 seconds, grabbing my phone took 1 second, and getting down the stairs and out the door took 2 seconds flat. I’ve been…
We’re still experiencing tremors here in Cebu Province and the city. I wouldn’t even call them aftershocks anymore since some hit 5.0 or higher. I keep my go bag within sight at all times and stay alert. I’m more aware of my surroundings than ever, but I also know that no amount of preparation can account for everything. What’s been really moving to see is how everyone here…
It’s our first night in the new house. We haven’t fully unpacked yet and we’re still missing furniture; just what we brought from our previous place for now. The first things we bought were a refrigerator and an electric stove. We ordered a proper mattress this week and I’m genuinely excited because my back is killing me from sleeping on this thin foam mattress we’ve…
It’s the 53rd anniversary of Martial Law being declared in this country, and here I am out on the streets again. The Philippines has had enough of these corrupt politicians and their endless bullshit. Just look at what’s happening right now. This massive flood control scandal , billions of pesos disappearing into thin air while our communities are drowning. They’re literally…
We’re moving. After three years in our current place, we decided we wanted a bigger space that could actually fit both our desks and our dog. We’ve looked at about eight places in the last two weeks — so many that I sometimes forget which agent belongs to which apartment or which house was in what barangay . All that driving around after work (my night shift schedule was perfect for…
I didn’t write anything for August at all. I figured I’d take the month off since it was my birthday month and I wanted to “treat myself” by not overthinking my blog — how it looks, what to add, fonts, accessibility, all that stuff. The creative break was brutally suffocating to be honest. I was already on a streak of writing regularly and had my links saved for The Week in…
I ended up being the point person this week, which somehow meant spending more time coordinating in Slack than actually working on my own projects. Everyone seemed to be operating on different wavelengths, and nothing was in sync. I was already feeling drained the week before, but this week pushed me over the edge. On the bright side, I managed to finish our itinerary for the birthday trip.…
I ended up in the ER last Wednesday around 3AM because of a food allergy I never knew I had. The culprit? Bangus — the fish practically every Filipino household eats. I had lunch before an afternoon meeting since I was swamped with video editing. Twenty minutes into the call, I felt like there was something off. When my manager asked me a question, I saw myself on screen and I was completely red.…
Some weeks ago I mentioned doing an audit of all the apps cluttering up my Mac. It got so ridiculous that I had to stop halfway through because I couldn’t figure out which ones to actually delete. Now I have this pile of unused apps staring at me. Most are completely untouched, some I opened once and never again. A bunch of them have been totally replaced by Raycast anyway. And there’s…
I’ve been looking for ways to stay busy that don’t involve being online or glued to screens. I’m not really a phone person, I live on my laptop but I still catch myself doom scrolling, even when I’m outside trying to enjoy some sunshine. Last week my partner and I were stuck in one of those endless mall checkout lines. Looking around for something to entertain ourselves, we…
June’s wrapping up and I’m happy to say I’ve been walking a lot more this month. Walking has become my favorite form of physical activity this past year and I think because I get to think (A LOT) and enjoy my music without the pressure of a gym routine. I’m lucky to live in an area that’s actually pedestrian-friendly, with decent sidewalks and a nearby park. Every…
I read about Jack Baty’s app deletion fiasco and yeah that kind of thing is never fun. I really hope it doesn’t happen to me especially since I’ve already had my fair share of files being deleted . But it got me thinking that it’s probably time I do my own cleanup, but in a more intentional way. I think I’m ready to start my own “Reduced & Simplified” journey. I have this habit of downloading…
After four days with my new Casio A158WEA-9JH, I finally found the right fit. There’s a sweet spot where the strap sits perfectly without those sharp metal edges digging into my wrist. I’m starting to think the A158’s strap is better than the A168’s. That’s surprising . The A168 has this annoying habit of snagging hair but the A158 doesn’t do that at all. It’s smoother and feels a bit…
My Casio A158WEA-9 just arrived, and I’m completely in awe with how delicate and beautiful this little thing is. The watch tools came in too - went with the budget options since I’m just starting out. (Pretty sure I said the exact same thing when I first got into coffee, and look how that turned out.) Casio A158WEA-9JH First wear. Still in the honeymoon phase with this piece, though…
Another brutal week. Honestly, the hermit life is looking more appealing by the day. Doesn’t help that it’s been raining nonstop, the gloomy weather is definitely not doing my mood any favors. Trying to shake things up with a new hobby though. Just ordered some tools off Shopee (think Amazon, but for Asia) and they should arrive soon. At least it’ll give me something to focus on…
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, MGA BAKLA! 🏳️🌈 I’m celebrating this year’s pride by bingeing queer cinema, of course. Got a whole list cooking, just need to get my them organized. But we’re slaying June 1 with Mickey 17 . Let the bayot-bayot begin! Finally cracked the code on my Links page RSS - it’s live and ready to share! If you spotted some chaotic activity on my blog recently, that…
Spent most of this week untangling the mess I made with my Links page. Originally threw everything into one giant index file because I thought using shortcodes would be clever. Turns out, not so much. The whole thing fell apart when I tried setting up RSS feeds. Now each section has its own file, which makes way more sense. RSS works, updates are easier, and I don’t have to scroll through a…
This week hit me hard mentally. Suddenly I was drowning in this constant anxiety about whether I’d ever accomplish what I want without messing up at every turn. It wasn’t triggered by anything specific. Just this overwhelming sense that I’m running out of capacity. Something inside me simply snapped. Not sick, not reacting to anything particular. Just my mind turning against me.…
It’s election season again in the Philippines. To every Filipino with the power to vote this May 12: Please, vote wisely . We’ve been through so much. We’ve seen how corruption, incompetence, and greed have held us back for generations. We’ve watched political dynasties exchange power, while ordinary people continue to struggle. We deserve leaders who actually care, who show up not…
The Philippines has suffered under leadership that prioritizes power and wealth over people’s needs. While “vote wisely” sounds hollow when families must choose between principles and putting food on the table, we need electoral choices that truly serve working people. We’ve been through so much. We’ve seen how corruption, incompetence, and greed have held us back for…
I finally got around to finishing the design of my links page . Spent a solid week tinkering with it, making sure it’s responsive, looks great and so on. And I can finally close down the 30 tabs I have in my browser from all the website that I had some inspiration from. Learning to “vibe-code” in Cursor was surprisingly enjoyable, though it definitely has a learning curve. You…
I spent most of my Friday, outside of work, watching and rewatching all of OK Go ’s music videos, especially the classic one with the treadmills . They recently released a new video for their song Love , and it’s absolutely beautiful. Every OK Go video is so out of the ordinary, it really makes you wonder how they even come up with these ideas. The Week in Links ✺ Website Manifesto …a…
It’s Holy Week here in the Philippines, and for some of us, it’s been a long weekend of sleeping and bedrotting. I didn’t do anything particularly productive, though we did manage a bit of cleaning — so at least there’s that. The Week in Links ✺ Jason Santa Maria has refreshed his home in the web ✺ Making Software - A reference manual for people who design and build software. Written and…
Been falling down a rabbit hole of personal blogs lately. With each new site I discover, that little voice in my head gets louder, maybe it’s time for a change . Pretty ambitious considering I have zero website design skills and wouldn’t know where to begin. Perhaps “redesign” is too grand a term — maybe I just want to add a few more pages, something to make visitors…
Just wrapped up Season 2 of Severance, and honestly, I’m not quite on board with the hype it’s been getting. I really enjoyed Season 1 and how it set a strong tone with its eerie minimalism and smart world-building, and it left me genuinely excited for what was next. But this season just didn’t land the same way for me. The storytelling felt unusually narrow, almost hesitant. There’s a fine line…
I’ve been sick since last week, and it’s been rough not being able to stick to the routine I’ve been following for months. It was working almost perfectly for me. I’ve never been a tea drinker, but I had to give in this time. The Week in Links ✺ The Age of the Double Sell-Out by Culture: An Owner’s Manuel (David Marx) ✺ Jay Graber. BDE. 100%. I want one . NOW! Please restock. World Without…
In Manila this week for a staycation with my work friends. These folks took me under their wing after everything went sideways, and it’s been surprisingly and weirdly therapeutic. Venting about frustrations and stress while actually having fun feels like exactly what I needed. Never expected to find my people in this particular bunch, but I guess we just clicked . The Week in Links ✺…
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court was something I’ve been waiting to see for years. After all his controversial drug war policies and those thousands of extrajudicial killings between 2016-2022, it feels like accountability and justice might finally be happening. Read more Further reading ✺ Philippines: Duterte Arrested on ICC…
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court was something I’ve been waiting to see for years. After all his controversial drug war policies and those thousands of extrajudicial killings between 2016-2022, it feels like accountability and justice might finally be happening. During college, I poured my heart into my research paper and thesis…
I’ve been going through my old college photos, and I actually miss it — my friends, the happenings inside and outside the campus, the panic of oversleeping for Math class, and the stress of sitting through it anyway with my misogynist professor. Lately, I’ve also been seriously missing my favorite professor, who, funnily enough, looked a lot like Michael Angelakos from Passion Pit.…
Work hit a new level of busy this week. This year, I’m making a conscious effort to push past my usual boundaries and step up more. Been saying yes to responsibilities that could strengthen both my skills and our team’s workflow. To be clear, I’m still not aiming for a leadership role. Managing a team is definitely outside my comfort zone, I even question how effective I’d…
Feb. 23, 1986, early afternoon: Thousands of citizens in the streets. Photo by Joey De Vera A recent encounter made me reflect on how we perceive historical events and social movements in our local context. During a gathering of film students and artists, someone remarked that Cebu doesn’t “really” celebrate the EDSA People Power Revolution because it’s “so far away”…
I enjoy cleaning and organizing, and if I had all the time in the world, I’d probably do it every day. But since I don’t, we booked a home cleaning service. We were shocked — our place always looks tidy when we clean, but somehow, this was the cleanest it’s been in months. It’s crazy how thorough they were to the T! The Week in Links ✺ Documenting the Divine by Chia Amisola ✺ Craig Mod’s…
Spent the weekend with some artists talking about the challenges of the creative scene in Cebu, especially the need for a third space or safe space. We used to have Kukuk’s, which was probably the best place to just be yourself, but sadly, it’s long gone. Waiting (and excited) for the group to come together and turn the organization into something meaningful. The Week in Links ✺ How to…
Back to (re)building those habits again. I’m sticking with last year’s goals — not because they failed, but because my consistency took a hit. This year’s all about showing up regularly. Running’s been complicated lately. Started back in 2012, but the running scene here has shifted in a way that doesn’t sit right with me. There’s this weird pressure now, like…
January felt like it lasted forever — typical of a month where everyone’s testing out their “new year, new me” plans. I do things a bit differently though. February is my real start to the year, since January is when I wrap up all my loose ends from the previous year. Call it odd, but it works for me. What’s really throwing me off is how 2025 has already packed so much into…
This week was about finding my footing again. The recent layoffs hit hard, especially losing the person I’ve looked up to as my mentor. The past few weeks have been rough, there’s this lingering heaviness that won’t quite shake off. Our virtual meetings feel different now with only fewer familiar faces. Work doesn’t feel quite the same, but I’m settling in, one day at…
7 DAMN YEARS Work has been stressful these past couple of weeks, and the urge to grab a drink hit me hard. But hey, I made it through. Giving myself a pat on the back for staying strong. Seven years alcohol-free and still holding on.
What a packed week in Manila! Started off with three days of pure couple time, which led to one of my biggest concert dreams finally coming true — seeing Cigarettes After Sex live. Been waiting for this moment since 2013, and let me tell you, Greg Gonzales delivered that ethereal and heavenly experience I’d always imagined. We caught Interstellar in IMAX for its 10th anniversary. First time…
First week back at work, and my brain feels like it’s running on Windows 95. Staring at my screen, second-guessing basic tasks I’ve done a thousand times before. It’s funny how a holiday break can make you forget your entire professional identity. Everyone talks about the post-vacation blues, but no one mentions the temporary professional amnesia that comes with it.
It’s 2025, and I’m determined to keep my Weeknotes alive! I just got back from my Hong Kong trip yesterday (January 4), and ending the year at Disneyland was the perfect way to wrap up 2024 and start 2025. I began the year with a happy heart and a clear mind, and I’m forever grateful to the Universe for giving me the chance to visit Disneyland and experience Momentous. I started crying as…
Happy Holidays, friends! As we wrap up 2024, I’d love to hear your stories. How did you celebrate Christmas? Any memorable meals? Looking back, what moments shaped your year? And what are you dreaming up for 2025? Share your reflections and plans! There’s something special about reading everyone’s year-end stories. Looking back, it still surprises me that I managed to document 52…