GUEST BIO

What is it about our collections that take up spaces in our lives?

Meet Chino - The owner of the largest sneaker collection I’ve ever seen.

He comes all the way to us from Edmonton, Canada by way of the Philippines. He’s a loving husband, father of two boys, a working man who does whatever it takes to make an honest living to care for his family.

A few years ago, I had the chance to see in person an entire storage basement full of sneakers, jerseys, and sports memorabilia. And after having this conversation, it reminded me of the importance of culture, no matter what form it takes, in helping us come together, and integrate with the world around us.

NOTES | MENTIONS

• Edmonton

River has a passion for holistic teaching. Beginning with her experience with the Wilderness Youth Project, and now with her work teaching at a Waldorf Elementary School where I met her as a new addition to the after-care program.

While teaching early childhood students at the school, she also trains to officially become a Waldorf Education teacher. As a graduate from UC Santa Barbara, she earned a Bachelors's Degree in Feminist studies. Some of the many experiences that she graciously shares on this episode include traveling abroad to Thailand where she studied Buddhist Social Theory, and was welcomed to spend time around an all-women sect of Buddhist monks.

When she's not teaching she can be found sailing in the San Francisco Bay or spinning a fire hula hoop.

RESOURCES FOR TRANS/ LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES IN SAN FRANCISCO/ BAY AREA

NOTES | MENTIONS | RESOURCES

• Fluid Dynamics

RIVER'S PERSONAL NOTES | MENTIONS | RESOURCES

River graciously requested and corrected some of her own comments on this episode out of respect for the communities and people mentioned in this episode. I have pasted them below and have edited them only for grammar and punctuation.

• Talking about violence against gender non conforming AMAB/AMFAB (assigned female/male at birth) people/violence against trans folks— provide educational resource as well as a support resource for folks in the Bay Area who are experiencing violence for their gender expression (21-23 mins in or so). Anti trans violence and the murder of trans folks is STILL A BIG ISSUE. Even in the Bay Area trans kids are kicked out of their homes and estranged from their families. I wish I mentioned this but I did not! 

Meet our dear friends, Ria and Raul Pelayo. In their four years of marriage, they come forward with their struggles in starting a family due to recurring pregnancy loss.

We are also joined by my wife, my life partner - JoAnn. Both of us wanted to do an episode like this from the beginning, but couldn't conceptualize what, or how it could be done until Ria came forward with her forth miscarriage on social media. Together, we hope to provide a safe space to empower others to start their own conversations or seek help in dealing with grief, loss, trauma - the things that are hard to bring up casually, or are considered "downers" to bring up in conversation.

This was a magical episode, with many unexpected nuances happening in our surroundings, and helped with the charm of the episode, on top of Ria and Raul bringing such a light-hearted vibe to a very heavy topic for most people.

Ria and Raul have graciously offered to be a resource to those experiencing similar grief

NOTES | MENTIONS | RESOURCES:

• Social Media helping empower others

Resources for infertility and recurring pregnancy loss

• r/childfree

Jethro is, what I like to call for fun, my younger brother from another mother. He’s the youngest son of my dad’s twin brother. Currently residing in Manila, by way of Cagayan de Oro Philippines. With his short stay in Manila, he immersed himself in his art within the underground hip-hop community. Through finding his artistic medium, he fixated his lens on the vibrant, unsung scene of the culture in Metro Manila. 

However, his passion was only realized during a difficult time. At six foot four, he was a highly scouted youth basketball player by some of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines. As a professional basketball hopeful, his career took an abrupt stop after blowing his knee during the recruiting process. Without resources for surgery, It forced him to rethink his path. With help from his family and friends, he found his way - pulled by the gravity of a creative life. Through teaching himself the craft of editing and networking, the discipline he learned from basketball earned him some professional opportunities with film editing. 

While we are similar on the surface level in an infinite number of ways, the reality is that we are also strangers to each other. I’m from the states, he’s from the Philippines. He grew up on a farm and moved to the city to connect with people. I was born in the city and sometimes work on a farm to disconnect from people (no offense).

Here in the States, many of us Filipino Americans are slowly finding our footing in reconnecting with our ancestral roots. We often find ourselves holding the idea of what it means to be a Filipino American on one side, and what it means to be a Filipino on the other. While it’s at times, the narrative of decolonizing our thoughts, our food, and our thinking, I find it difficult at times to answer some of these questions, only because they lead to more puzzling questions.

Enjoy!

Manila/ Ph Artists | Places | Mentions

• Jethro's Work

• Facebook link

• Instagram

Toño Ramirez is a free spirit, a truth-seeker, an explorer. I'll stop there because he, in my opinion, is only bogged down by more labels. I first met him on a trash cleanup organized by Vince of RefuseRefuseSF.org (our first guest on the podcast).

Toño (alias used for privacy purposes) earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University, a master's degree from UC Berkley, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. All degrees in his background are in the field of Mechanical Engineering.

I was hoping to have a discussion to learn about engineering, and how they might apply to set goals, to create something actionable for me and whoever listens. However, I ended up keeping my notebook closed and tucked away because what follows is something more spontaneous, honest, alive, and profound in so many ways I never expected. This conversation touches on many topics and would be beneficial for those who currently struggle or who have struggled with loneliness, compulsions and addictions, depression, or anyone questioning their self-worth.

I hope you'll hear Toño is someone that has done the work and is an example of if you look and let the universe do its thing, embrace your truth, embrace your truest self with love, that (in his words) "the universe/everything will conspire to reward you."

Please enjoy this dip into a winding river of conversation with Toño Ramirez.

NOTES | MENTIONS:

• Reflection on Picture Taking

Daly City is one of the closest suburbs in the outer borders of San Francisco, located directly to the South. It's home to one of the densest populations of Filipinos, anywhere outside of the Philippines, comprising 33% of the total population in a 2010 census.

From the late ’80s to the early 2000s, Daly City helped to raise some of the world's most famous DJs, and dance groups. It was a big part of the history here on the west coast for the Filipino and Hip-Hop communities. 

Most of the Filipino youth here in Daly City and the Bay Area were made up of second-generation Americans. As the sons and daughters of first-generation immigrants, we were trying to find our footing, our voice, often overshadowed within the makeup of the rich, diverse culture found in San Francisco. The closest kinship we gravitated towards, at least in the people I know, identified with the Black and Latin-American music and culture of the time, weaving in our own rhythms and color palette, while forming our own community to bond us close together. 

While much of this scene has somewhat been well documented, there's a cast of characters behind the scenes - around the turntables, on the dance floor, roaming the streets, soaking in the gravity of what seemed to just be a bunch of kids during that time just trying to find an identity.

This conversation scratches the surface of that scene, but puts us in the heart of it. 

Kathlyn is my wife’s childhood friend. Kathlyn was born in the Bay Area and makes her living as a nurse. Her husband Tudor, is also a native of San Francisco. He manages a division of the Bay Area transit system and is a former amateur boxer. Together they are parents to two amazing girls, which you’ll hear in the background in the first part of this conversation.

We all grew up around each other throughout our teens, on parallel paths, orbiting in and around the same circles. So in a way, I can say that I’ve known these people for most of my life. In my youth, I’d see them around the same parties, which around Daly City was held in house garages, community church halls, and the several parks peppered throughout the city. 

An interesting thing to mention, which gives a bit of context to some of the stories in this podcast. The way I came to know Tudor was through one of my good friend's older brother. I guess the best way to describe it would be like in the movie Dazed and Confused. In the movie, there were two groups of boys - Ben Affleck and the older ruffian kids. The older kids chased around the younger, innocent kids - eighth-graders making their way into high school. That was the age gap between us. We were the younger kids looking out for the older kids.

By no means were Tudor and his friends during that time known as bullies, but they were people you didn’t mess around with, or give any funny looks. They were to be respected, and in that regard, you get respect back, and there wouldn’t be any problems. So it was interesting at first when I found out that he and Kathlyn got together about 20 years ago. And throughout these years I’ve seen him, morph into a kind, caring, generous, respected human being, completely opposite of all the misconceptions I had of him and his friends as a youth.

We bounce through plenty of fun topics in this episode, dissecting the social compulsions of our youth, the art of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, and paint a vivid picture of what Daly City used to look like as a city in the 80s and 90s. Tudor also shares some fascinating stories about his life in the Bboy scene and what it takes to win in a breakdancing battle. We also get into the mobile DJ scene, and som of his experiences growing up around a gang.

So while many know the stories about the music and culture that came out of the era of the late 80s and 90s in Daly City, we are also a part of the stories within that story. And what’s offered here are just small vignettes of what a lot of Filipino youth of that era are beginning to reflect on and unpack.

Notes | Mentions:

• Big Bottom Market, Guerneville, CA | Biscuits

What is the purpose of life?

The Egg, a flash fiction story written by Andy Weir, offers a profound perspective on this age old question. If there is anything that can describe what The Quake City Portal is about, it can be found in this episode, and in stories just like The Egg.

I was deeply moved by this piece, seeing it first in video form, and then reading the story here. With so many aspects of life that fuel a divide among individuals, we need to share more stories that bring people together.

This is an essay I wrote inspired by this story, recorded in podcast form. The Egg sparked a deep dive into eye contact, my difficulties with it at times, and throughout my life. I wanted to answer the question I had - why is it (sometimes) hard to make eye contact?

Original music and score produced by The Quake City Portal.

Please read the story and accompanying video via the links below:

The Egg, by Andy Weir

The Egg, animated short story | Written by Andy Weir, Animations by Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell

Notes | Mentions:

• Virtue, Aristotle

Ernesto Pineda has over 20 years of experience in the Real Estate and Real Estate Tech industry. He is an entrepreneur, a business advisor, and an artist at heart. With his life-long love for books, art and travel, he uses his experience to merge his professional and creative endeavors. He has a passion for learning through experience, conversation and interacting with his environment.

Notes | Mentions:

• Correction: Japanese Joinery (sorry, at a loss for words in that moment)

Ernesto's writing can be found here:

• Finding Commonalities Is The First Brushstroke Of Inclusive Workplaces

We are joined by some family and friends in a place near and dear to all from far and wide, especially those of us from the Bay Area - Lake Tahoe! This was a fun one to do. Join us around the table for an after dinner discussion about modern sexuality, identity preferences, and more!

Please note there is some explicit content about sexuality, nothing graphic, but listener discretion is advised. Thank you for listening!

• BDSM

Sponsored by LIMINAL COFFEE - Makers of the most delicious small batch coffee! Promoters of physical activity and social connection through the shared experience of drinking coffee.

Marlon S Payumo, Sr. is the general manager of Mitchell's Ice Cream Shop in San Francisco, CA. He arrived in the United States when he was twenty years old, and has been working there since 1988. Among the many things we touch upon in this conversation, he shares his hardships as a child growing up in the Philippines, his experiences in dealing with the transition of moving to another country, speaking a new language, hard work, and resilience.

NOTES | Mentions:

• SFGate Article - Mitchell's Ice Cream and Filipino Flavors