Questions · Power outage
Things to talk about when the power goes out
The Wi-Fi is down, the TV is dark and everyone has drifted to the one room with a flashlight. A power outage is annoying, and it is also the most screen-free hour many households get all year.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.
The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.
Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.
The questions
16 questions for a power outage
Save your battery: one phone on low brightness is enough. Kumustahan works offline, so the cards still deal without Wi-Fi or signal.
While someone finds the flashlight
5 questions
Questions about everything you suddenly miss.
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Describe your ideal electric fan or aircon setting.
I-describe yung ideal electric fan o aircon setting mo.
Back of the card
Temperature preferences can become a whole personality. Comfort has settings, and everyone defends theirs a little.
Yung temperature preference, minsan personality na rin. May settings ang comfort, at may kanya-kanya tayong ipinaglalaban.
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Name the household item that becomes an issue when it goes missing.
Sabihin yung gamit sa bahay na nagiging issue kapag nawawala.
Back of the card
Some objects are only appreciated when they disappear. Their absence somehow turns the whole house into a search party.
May gamit na napapansin lang kapag nawawala. Bigla na lang buong bahay, search party na.
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Give one household chore the power to finish itself. Which chore disappears?
Kung may isang gawaing-bahay na kusang matatapos, alin ang pipiliin mo?
Back of the card
The chore is already done. Finish: "Now I can..."
Tapos na ang gawaing iyon. Ituloy: "Ngayon, puwede na akong..."
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If you could remove one tiny daily inconvenience forever, what would you remove?
Kung kaya mong tanggalin forever ang isang tiny daily inconvenience, ano ang tatanggalin mo?
Back of the card
Tiny inconveniences can be louder than they deserve. Removing one forever would feel like a quiet luxury.
Minsan ang ingay ng tiny inconveniences. Kapag natanggal forever yung isa, quiet luxury na agad.
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With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?
Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?
Back of the card
If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?
Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?
Stories by candlelight
6 questions
The dark makes everyone a better storyteller.
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Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?
Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?
Back of the card
Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.
May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.
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Tell us about a small childhood memory you still remember clearly.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na childhood memory na malinaw pa rin sa'yo.
Back of the card
The memories that stay are not always the biggest ones. Sometimes one small scene keeps its color for years.
Hindi laging pinakamalaki ang memories na naiiwan. Minsan isang maliit na scene ang malinaw pa rin kahit ang tagal na.
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Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.
Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.
Back of the card
Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.
May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.
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Tell a funny story about overreacting to a tiny problem.
Kailan ka napasobra ng reaction sa simpleng problema na natatawanan mo na ngayon?
Back of the card
How would you tell it if the tiny problem were the villain in the story?
Paano mo ito ikukuwento kung ang maliit na problema ang kontrabida sa kuwento?
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Recall a harmless mistake that became a good story later.
Anong pagkakamali ang nakakatawa nang balikan ngayon, na wala namang nasaktan?
Back of the card
What would the title of this story be?
Ano ang magiging pamagat ng kuwentong ito?
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Tell about a ride home with friends that you still remember.
Magkuwento ng pag-uwi kasama ang friends na naaalala mo pa.
Back of the card
You could remember just the last thing someone said before you parted.
Puwedeng balikan ang huling sinabi bago kayo naghiwa-hiwalay.
In the quiet
5 questions
Without the hum of the house, people notice more.
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Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?
Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?
Back of the card
Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.
Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.
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Who is a friend you can sit quietly with without it feeling awkward?
Sino yung friend na kaya mong samahan nang tahimik without it feeling awkward?
Back of the card
Comfortable quiet is its own kind of closeness. It means the friendship does not always need talking, joking, or trying hard.
May closeness din sa tahimik na hindi awkward. Ibig sabihin, hindi laging kailangang magsalita, magpatawa, o mag-effort nang todo.
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When do you usually feel fully present in the moment, like during rest, work, prayer, conversation, or play?
Kailan mo usually nararamdaman na fully present ka sa moment, like kapag nagpapahinga, nagwo-work, nagpe-pray, may kausap, o naglalaro?
Back of the card
Presence often has a pattern. The moments when you feel fully there can point toward what helps you feel whole.
May pattern din ang pagiging present. Yung moments na nandun ka talaga, puwedeng magturo kung ano ang nagpapabuong muli sa'yo.
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What day from the past would you like to watch?
Anong araw sa nakaraan ang gusto mong mapanood?
Back of the card
Pause on one scene from that day. Which detail would you want to look at longer?
Huminto muna sa isang eksena ng araw na iyon. Anong detalye ang gusto mong tingnan nang mas matagal?
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When and where do you feel safe enough to be yourself?
Kailan at saan mo nararamdaman na safe kang maging ikaw?
Back of the card
A place like that matters. It lets people meet the version of you that is not busy performing.
Mahalaga ang ganung lugar. Doon nakikilala ng tao yung ikaw na hindi abala sa pagpapanggap.
How to use them
Before you ask
A power outage is a ready-made conversation night: no screens, everyone in one room and nothing to do but talk, so a few good questions turn an annoying evening into a memorable one.
The first half hour is usually complaints and battery checks. Then the quiet sets in and people don’t quite know what to do with it. Start by laughing about what everyone misses (the fan, the fridge, the one appliance that would finish a chore for you). Then move to childhood games and old stories. Dark rooms make storytellers of shy people.
Kids often love outages if the adults treat them like an adventure. Let them hold the flashlight and read the cards. If the outage lasts for hours, take breaks. You don’t need to fill every minute of quiet.
Good for
Tips
- Use one phone on low brightness for the cards and save the others’ batteries.
- Give the youngest the flashlight and the job of reading.
- Start with jokes about what you miss; it turns frustration into fun.
- Tell stories about the last big outage or storm you remember.
- Safety first: candles away from curtains, and a battery radio on for updates.
Decks for this
Power outage
Frequently asked questions
What can you do during a power outage?
Gather in one room and talk: share what you miss most, tell childhood stories and old memories, and enjoy the quiet. Conversation questions make it feel like an event instead of a wait.
Does the Kumustahan app work without internet?
Yes. Kumustahan is a conversation card app that works fully offline, so it runs during an outage as long as the phone has battery.
How do I keep kids entertained in a blackout?
Treat it like an adventure: flashlight in hand, silly questions, stories in the dark. Let them read the cards out loud.
Bring a better question to the table.
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