The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the 2nd largest Filipino population in the United States.  Soma Pilipinas, the Filipino cultural district recently designated by the City of San Francisco, is the heart of Filipino America in the Bay.  Last month, TFAL paid a visit to Soma Pilipinas to talk to some of the movers and shakers in the community.

In this first installment of interviews, we talk to Lily Prijoles, one of the co-owners of Arkipelago Bookstore.  We then interview Allan Manalo, a long-time community activist and co-founder of Bindlestiff Studio, the “epicenter of Filipino American performing arts.”  Listen as we discuss the history of these great institutions in the Bay Area, the future of SoMa Pilipinas in this age of gentrification, and of course, some NorCal-SoCal sports rivalry banter.

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Once upon a time…we started a podcast. 

Storytelling is one of the most fun ways we communicate in our podcast – sometimes through deep reflection and other times through funny interpretations of our past.  More importantly, it was a way our parents, grandparents, or teachers were able to communicate important lessons and morals to us as we grew up.  It was a way to engage young minds, and perhaps a vehicle for inspiration.

On this mini episode, TFAL Crew is joined by Roger Habon and Rhean Fajardo, members of our TFAL family, as we share fables, stories, and legends that some of us grew up hearing.  We look at Filipino folk tales that our parents and grandparents have passed on to us.  Discover with us the legend of the pineapple, who is afraid of the “white lady” and why you shouldn’t be eating red meat with tea!

Plus, listen to our fans who have left us voicemails asking important questions about Filipino American food and identity.

In honor of Filipino American History Month, we record from Arkipelago Books, a Filipino bookstore in the SoMa Pilipinas district in San Francisco.  They have been a great pillar to the Filipino American community in the Bay and our gracious hosts for this episode.

Whether written or told, share our stories, pass on your own, and discuss. Let’s learn together and not be Juan Tamad about it.

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On this episode of This Filipino American Life the TFAL crew talks about video games and Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). We talk about who used video games as an escape, who did not really play as much as a kid, and who thought video games reinforced Eurocentric mythology.

Earl’s Character Stat Sheets

Dungeon Master Edren

While we start the conversation around video games, the conversation pivots to Dungeons and Dragons when we talk to our guests Earl Baylon (Elaine’s semi-cousin, Jonah Maiava from the Tomb Raider series, and Artistic Director of Room to Improv) and Edren Sumagaysay (writer, The Park’s Finest expediter, and Dungeon Master extraordinaire). Earl and Edren go into how they got into Dungeons and Dragons and explain to the TFAL crew how D&D works. We even begin to brainstorm a Filipino American D&D campaign!

What are your thoughts about gaming and D&D? What were/are your favorite video games? If you played D&D what character would you play as? Orc? Rogue? Wizard? Would you play a Filipino American D&D campaign if we put one out? Let us know! Tweet at us @TFALpodcast. Email us thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com. Leave us a voicemail 805-394-TFAL.

This episode is brought to you by Brown Baked Homemade Desserts. Thank you to Jason Lustina for providing TFAL with delicious cookies while we recorded this episode! Want more cookies and waffles and other delicious Filipino Food treats? Follow Brown Baked in Facebook and Instagram

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“Welcome to the Induction Ball of the Filipino Association of Sorsogueno Americans of Greater Las Vegas and Vicinity, Inc. (FASAGLVI).”

For many Filipino Americans, hometown associations and other organizations gave recent immigrants a home away from home. In these associations, Filipinos found fellow kababayan, built networks, developed a sense of community, and found power in a country where they faced constant marginalization. On the other hand, these associations also served as battlegrounds for community leadership, venues to reinforce heteronormative and gender norms, and distractions for pertinent political issues affecting the Filipino American community.

In this mini-episode, the TFAL crew discusses our 2^nd generation experiences with hometown associations and try to make sense of the multiple functions of these unique institutions. Find out why “incorporating” is so important, who went to high school dance with a beauty queen, and who served as an “escort” for a hometown association.  And, of course, at the end, we:

SAYAW  –  SAYAW  –  SAYAW

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Basketball has a special place in the hearts of many Filipinos and Filipino Americans alike. One cannot visit the Philippines and not notice Filipinos playing on the millions of makeshift basketball hoops, barangay courts, and gymnasiums throughout the country. Likewise, one would be hard-pressed to know a Filipino American (particularly male) who does not follow the NBA.

Basketball was first introduced to Filipinos by YMCA clubs established in the Philippines during the early American colonial period. Institutionalized by American colonial officials in Philippine physical education as a way to instill discipline among their colonial subjects, basketball was adopted and adapted by many Filipinos and spread quickly among the populace. With Filipinos’ early success in the sport on an international stage and its economic accessibility, the game became a national obsession.

Yet, basketball is more than simple recreation. It tells us a lot about ourselves. For instance, basketball is a way many Filipino and Filipino American men perform masculinity. Likewise, the way that basketball is played among Filipinos reflects more communion and democracy compared to American norms on the court.

In this episode, we explore Filipino Americans’ particular relationship with basketball. How did our families introduce us to the sport? How do Filipino Americans play basketball differently than Filipino immigrants? And most importantly, who was the Philippines’ “Best-Looking Team”? All these discussions and more in this edition of This Filipino American Life.

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Also, check out some of these vids:

In the photo: the great aunt and father of Lauren Lola.

Hey TFALers!  Here’s a bonus episode brought to you by TFAL superfan, Lauren Lola, about her great aunt, Justita.  We are collecting any stories that is out there in the Filipino American community.  If you have any audio stories to share, please email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com!!

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Take me to Church!

As Filipino Americans, most of us were raised Catholic.  With over 80% of the people in the Philippines identifying as Catholic, it’s no surprise that those of us in the TFAL crew grew up going to church every weekend, observing religious holidays, and some even going to Catholic school.

On this TFAL episode, we talk about Catholicism, how we practice or not practice the religion.  We have a candid conversation with our special guest, Father Radmar Jao, S.J.  He is a Jesuit priest and currently serves as the Campus Minister at Boise State University.  He’s also the son of Filipina actress, Tessie Agana.  He himself has worked as an actor and a singer on stage in Hollywood before joining the Jesuit order.  He even has an IMDB profile!

We only begin to scratch the surface as we delve into questions about Father Radmar’s choice of joining the priesthood, his thoughts on Church policies and politics, and how to approach religious leaders and priests we disagree with.

Find out who among us pondered being in the religious ministry, enjoy a story about how one “must repent,” and spend some moments listening to Father Radmar talk about the faith the TFAL crew grew up with, be critical about, and watch develop over time.

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For more info on the Caritas retreat where Ryan met Father Radmar, go to this link: http://www.christusministries.org/#welcome-home.

For about a decade, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao captured the hearts of millions of Americans and people throughout the world. He became a household name for even the casual American boxing fan because of his electrifying punches, religious humility, and off-tune singing. Even fans of his opponents loved the guy for his rags-to-riches story. Manny Pacquiao becoming synonymous with the Philippines. And for a brief moment, everyone knew what a Filipino was.

For Filipino Americans, he represented a hope of self-becoming in a society that deemed us “invisible.” Pacquiao sparked a sense of nationalist fervor rarely seen in a community prone to “assimilate.” Filipino Americans from all walks of life – radical, conservative, Catholic, Protestant, Californian, Midwesterner – succumbed to Pacquiao fever. In many ways, Pacquiao’s entry into American national discourse told us about ourselves and our place in this world as much as it told us about a poor skinny kid from General Santos City.

The TFAL Crew discusses Manny Pacquiao’s meteoric rise to stardom and his fateful downfall.  This episode is not so much an analysis of his boxing career, but rather an examination of his cultural impact on Filipino America. Nobody brought together Filipinos around the world as much as the Pacman. Love him or hate him, Manny Pacquiao is a significant part of our history.

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Let us know your memories about Manny Pacquiao!  Email us at  thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com or leave a voice message on (805) 394-TFAL.

Also, check out these awesome videos after you listen to the episode.