Update for the week ending Fri, 16 Jan, 2026
Unexpectedly shortened week due to family loss: traveled to Manila, delivered a eulogy, one client interview win via AI, and three blog posts published.
Chiara Cokieng
He Just Took Care of Us: A Eulogy for My Uncle Harry Dy, Tua Yi Tiu
Delivered at his funeral on Friday, January 16, 2026.
For those who don’t know me, my name is Chiara. My family calls me Chi Chi. Harry Dy is my uncle, I call him Tua Yi Tiu.
I now live in Germany. On Tuesday, I woke up and saw the
Thinking Like a Player in a Job Market (Not Just a Job Seeker)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really means to be a “player” in a job market — not just someone applying to jobs, optimizing their CV, and hoping for the best, but someone who understands that they’re operating inside a market with supply, demand, competition, and
Torturous Chaos, Until It Isn’t
Jason Cohen is talking about bootstrapping startups here, but it might as well be about job searching in this market.
These things mean you haven’t yet succeeded, but neither do they prove that you’re failing. It’s always like this until it isn’t.
It’s like this
Is building a business supposed to consume your life - even when you do everything right?
I’ve been thinking about why work still consumes founders even when they prioritize well, automate, and build great systems. This post explores whether that pattern is inevitable.
Letter to Josh Doody: On Building a Luxury Business and Learning the Business and the Craft
Hi Josh,
I originally started writing this as an email reply to your email newsletter. But I’ve been enjoying writing public letters lately, so I thought: why not make this one public too.
I also want to share your 2025 Year in Review with a few friends who are
Update for the week ending Fri, 9 Jan, 2026
First week back after the holidays: first client interview, onboarding reset, one new client, and outcome goals met despite missed KPIs.
On love as a competitive advantage and making profit the right way (after reading Jason Cohen)
Typical advice in business and negotiation is to charge as much as you can. Don’t leave money on the table. Some even say it’s your moral imperative to do so. This never sat well with me. I’ve always valued the long-term relationship over short-term profits.
I always
The kind of product I want to build (and why I’m not pursuing a sensible opportunity)
One thing I want to write more of is how I actually make decisions as a founder. Not just the outcomes, but the tradeoffs, doubts, and reasoning behind them.
This question about Jobcenter vouchers and AZAV certification comes up repeatedly in my business.
What if I partner with the Jobcenter
Control is caffeine for your relationship with reality
I was researching how to fix my circadian rhythm.
One of the main levers is to have your last coffee by 2pm. Not because caffeine makes it impossible to fall asleep, but because of how it works: even when you can fall asleep, drinking coffee too late quietly degrades sleep