What's the Tsismis?

Listen in as Ryan gets a batok tattoo, hand-tapped by by Mayo of Birthmark Tattoos. Mayo recalls how he journeyed into the mountains to meet legendary Apo Whang-Od, the last mambabatok of Kalinga and oldest living tattoo artist at 107 years old. He got her blessing to continue the tradition, and even tattooed her...twice!

For Ryan, the process is what makes the tattoo so meaningful. He told Kuya Mayo about where his parents come from in Pampanga, how his dad played in the Pampanga river and his mom played in the rice fields. Then Mayo designed a unique tattoo by hand on the spot to represent Ryan’s story.

This episode was recorded at the 2024 Edmonton Filipino Fiesta.

Listen in while Ryan and Domi overshare for this juicy advice episode! They talk about why they left their careers (and don’t regret it), their journeys to WTT (it's a long story!) the best opening line to meet people (it involves worms), and how to find and connect with your Filipino community (karaoke walk, anyone?)

What do you do when your student era is coming to an end and you want to step into a career, but there’s not a lot of Filipino representation in your field? Joshua Bolofer is finishing up a masters in media production and is trying to find Filipino stories to put on a platform. How should he go about finding community and kicking off his ‘career guy’ era?

Our childhood and teenage years are incredibly formative parts of our lives. As we age, we move to new places, make new friends, expand our horizons and confront hard life lessons. At the same time, we put up boundaries and shed parts of ourselves that no longer serve us. 

In this episode, “Magmahal at mahalin / To love and to be loved”, Micah explores the question: what parts of your childhood have you kept with you throughout the years, and how do you honour your inner child now as an adult?

Our guests Jessica Somera and Vincent Malazo take us back to Manila, Toronto, Edmonton and to growing up on reserve to explore how individuals shift throughout the eras - for better or for worse.

So for you, what does it mean to love your inner child and your younger self? What would your younger self say to you now?

What do you do when your job is in one place and your friends & family are in another? Do you start a new era in a place away from home? Or do you go back to where your social networks are already established? In this episode, Arianne Barroma joins Ryan Lacanilao to answer a question from a listener. Zophia Brobio moved around a lot as a kid and has a complicated relationship with place. But she feels like it might be time to decide where to live long term. They’re currently working in a city away from their family and social networks and are finding it hard to rebuild their life. Where TF should Zophia live?

What do you do when you’re deep into your ‘working woman’ era and realize it’s not fulfilling you creatively? In this episode, Rajah Maggay joins Ryan Lacanilao to answer a question from a listener. Romilie Calotes achieved the expected trajectory in her education and career, but work doesn’t feel as inspiring as she’d hoped. She’s exploring creative outlets outside the 9-to-5 and is wondering how she can bring this creativity into her work life.

Arianne, Julia, Ryan and Micah have a conversation about their experiences as facilitators at the Pinoys on Parliament 2022 Conference. They share their thoughts on family expectations and Filipino representation in the media. This episode also features the reflections and messages from Pinoys on Parliament delegates!

Tune in to hear Micah relive her cringe years, including movie theatre makeouts and a day care centre flooding! In this episode, Ryan Lacanilao asks Micah Leonida to throw way back to her junior high years. What did she look like and dress like, and what was her crush situation? What shenanigens did she get up to? Which friends did she lose touch with, and who was her favourite teacher?

Ryan then brings Micah’s past to the present by tracking down people from her stories and arranging surprise zoom reunions that you can listen in on! Listen in as she talks to former bestie Natalie Czuczman about a shared crush and some dress drama (#dressgate). And feel all the feels as she talks to her Grade 9 Social Studies teacher, Kendra Van Leeuwen, about the lasting impact she had on her life.

In this episode, Nikki Mendiola chats with “I’ll Call You Tomorrow”s very own- Raeland Mendoza, one of ICYT’s iconic co-founders! Rae has broken into the art scene and cultivated a creative collective here in Edmonton, a place where not a lot of Filipinos have the chance to dream or the stomach to dare.

Rae and Nikki dive into the feats, barriers, and nuances with being a creative- let alone being a FILIPINO creative. This is merely the beginning of a vast conversation! (Season 5 hint hint?)You can find ICYT on @illcallyoutomorrow and give Rae a follow @raelandmendzoza. You can bet for more collaborations in the future!

In this episode, Nikki chats with two fellow Filipinx pals from her diaspora community here in Treaty 6 territory. Together, they unpack and explore their almost-too-similar experiences with fatphobia, beauty standards, and colourism. 

Stepping foot into a Filipinx space can be just as daunting to those that are familiar with it, even as much as the next stranger. Titas, Lolos, and even your own mom tend to say the most unpredictable and unprovoked sh*t about your physical appearance. “Tumaba ka” (you got fat). “Ang laki ng legs mo” (your legs are huge). Sometimes, they will even try to get creative. 

Many Filipinx women can relate to feeling immeasurable pressure to fit into the beauty standard of thinness. What the f*ck? We’re sour to say the least!

In this episode, Micah interviews her close friends DJ Lubuguin and Michael Earl Golveo about their experiences with familial inheritance. Together, they navigate the interpersonal intricacies that arise between family members as a result of discussions about livelihood, wealth, and familial duty. 

Central questions woven throughout the episode include: 

1. What is the importance of lupa (land)? 
2. Why are the children of Filipino immigrants often on the hook for becoming the next generation of land caretakers?
3. What would happen if future caretakers of familial land decided to sell the lupa (land)?

WTT is bringing to light the spicy conversations that often occur in whispers and unpacking the emotional and practical background information surrounding familial land inheritance. Get ready, this is a complex one and we haven’t even scratched the surface.