Podcast Episodes
Fists raised, hearts aflame: Mong Palatino on Love and Activism
Mong Palatino is a Filipino blogger, activist, environmentalist, and former legislator. He was the Philippines’ first elected youth representative from 2009 to 2013. He wrote the Young Blood essay entitled “Activist Lover”, which tells the love story of him and his wife, and how activism played its role in their relationship.
Podcast Episodes
On Soulmates of Six
How does one get lucky enough to find their soulmates in this crowded, overpopulated world? What are the chances of suddenly stumbling upon people whose heart beats the same rhythm as you? Well, Darl Alba, Kin Ivan Umpad, Kevin Castro, Luis Macabulos, and Kaya Katigbak definitely know the answer to these questions, and today, we get to know them better as we hear the story of the humble beginning of The OK Club.
Podcast Episodes
How Did This Band Become "The Great Dane"?
Perhaps if the multiverse was real- some place where music is non-existent, these guys would be baristas, football players, managers, and businessmen. Luckily, they stumbled upon each other, and in this fortunate meeting of talents and passion, Chris Azanza, Brennan Ng, Christian Ng, and Joaquin Julio Reyes made possible the movin’ and groovin’ of ‘The Great Dane’ band.
Podcast Episodes
The Woman Behind 'Hellydgreat'
Helly and Damian, Elijah’s most popular characters, portray the little moments that we so often overlook when it comes to relationships. We think of love as something so grand and perfect when in fact, it is just a bunch of small stuff that make us feel the best and the worst of emotions and everything in between. It is through this kind of art that we get to remind ourselves how blessed are we to experience such a rare occurrence in our lives- meeting someone who was brave enough to choose us in a world that constantly scares us with its uncertainty.
Podcast Episodes
Jared Lustre on COVID-19, Writing, and Politics
Reading was Jarod’s path toward becoming a writer. Starting with children’s storybooks and then jumping to novels, he fell in love with literature. At 12 years old, he had amassed stacks of books in his home, and he would read them at the school library. Writing didn’t come until he was in high school when he wrote poetry for his crush. When he started, he realized that he enjoys writing, and he decided to continue. He shares that a lot of his writing skills came from the teachings of his junior high school teachers, who coached him both in speaking and writing while entering various competitions.
Podcast Episodes
Love In Its Fullest Colors: Philippe Hiñosa on Love and Faith
When love is described as good as this, why should anyone be denied of it? Philippe Angelo Hiñosa is a 22-year-old sociology student at the University of the Philippines – Visayas, and a writer whose pieces talk about family, education, politics, and his personal experiences. Like most Filipino people, Philippe was raised with faith and religion. In his essay entitled “Love and Faith”, he opens up about his personal experience as an LGBTQIA+ community member, and how it affected his own faith.
Podcast Episodes
On Paying It Forward
AJ’s love for comics started at an age far earlier than the time most people would have realized their dreams. While other kids were caught up with Legos and toys and guns, our artist was inside the comics section of newspapers. Most of us would not be familiar with Pugad Baboy, Kikomachine, Funny Komics, but for AJ, these were his world. More than just the graphics and the good laugh it brought to him, it became his inspiration. To be able to create art is something, but to have it impact an individual’s life is entirely apart. As a kid who experienced the power of such illustrations, he dreamt of being able to give back to the community the entertainment and comfort that he felt back when he was still so young. Fortunately, when the world sees you doing what you love for a good cause, it works its own magic to give you back the favor.
Podcast Episodes
What makes a Seizure Salad?
With Noel, Luigi, Adam, and Jack, everything felt like it just fell into place. From a simple jamming session, Seizure Salad grew and started to perform and release their own songs. The band members had various personal music influences: Michael Jackson, Metallica, 70’s and 80’s music. Their individual stories of how they got into music are just as adorable. Drummer Adam Martinez shares that his journey started when he started tapping on his table. When his mom noticed, Adam was immediately enrolled in a drum school.
Podcast Episodes
Pugfish: How Music and Friendship Come Together
So, what glues the band together? Pugfish’s answer is friendship. At the roots, Pugfish is more than a musical collective; they are a group of friends who have come together because of their passion for music. During the pandemic, they managed to stay connected by doing regular meetings for their album, in tandem with doing fun activities like watch parties.
Podcast Episodes
How Marivi Soliven Reinvented Herself Through Writing
Born Maria Victoria Vega Soliven-Blanco, Marivi Soliven is a Filipina author living in America. She's been working for almost two decades alone, so not much of her life has changed. In that sense, all of a sudden, due to the pandemic, her husband and daughter were at home 24/7, which might not sound a lot, but to her, it is actually a lot. She also goes with patience and definitely baking since she bakes every week, and they would visit some of her seniors since she doesn't have a sweet tooth even though she makes delicious pastries weekly.