We talk about our personal highlights of 2023 which include a lot of revenge travel and new roles and hobbies.

We also share the results of Banana Q podcasts's Spotify Wrapped and then talk about our favorite TV shows and movies discovered during the year. 

Show Notes:

Oxford Word of the Year 2023

We share money-saving tips (pagtitipid tips) that Filipinos do and discuss the line between frugal and cheap.

Notes:

Walang sayang pag Filipina ang asawa mo

Tipid Tips: 100+ Ways to Save Thousands of Pesos Every Month

We interview Cate, an accountant in Australia, about her heartbreaking struggle of trying to have a baby. She talks about her endometriosis and multiple cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Show Notes:

Why Michelle Obama’s revelation that she had a miscarriage and did IVF matters

Our Chinese New Year episode is a narrative about the inspiring rags-to-riches life stories of two of the richest Filipino-Chinese tycoons in Philippine history: John Gokongwei and Henry Sy. These men built massive business empires which included Robinsons, Cebu Pacific, SM, and Banco de Oro... but how did they get there?

Listen and get motivated to follow their paths, while laughing at Dee and Rey's version of a song that is very familiar to a lot of Pinoys.

Link: our sources for additional reading

We talk about the cultural differences in the offices of the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong. We start with being new hires and discuss how we got to know our colleagues over lunch or through team outings and work events, and end on how we bid farewell. We offer tips on how to make friends at work using our own experiences as an example.

Link: Pictures and videos of stuff we mention

We cover Filipino culture tidbits which could be helpful for foreigners visiting or moving to the Philippines. We talk about what to do and not do from the moment you arrive at the airport until you mingle with the locals.

We give tips on these and more: how to avoid getting ripped off, when not to get a haircut, what not to sing at karaoke so you don't get killed, and generally how to act so you don't get banned from the country as a persona non grata.

We end by teaching Tagalog words that could win you points with the locals.

If you like this episode, please rate it on Podchaser.

We interview Tyne and Zenie on their inspiring stories about how they became Overseas Filipino Workers in order to help their families financially. After encountering bloopers and culture shock, they are now citizens of Canada and Jersey Channel Islands, UK. Listen as they share their OFW journeys and tips on how to follow their paths.

Link: Dee's Jersey Channel Islands visit

We talk about Artificial Intelligence and interview an AI apprentice on this matter. We delve into how AI is used in social media, which has caused damage to society, citing information we learned from The Social Dilemma documentary. We talk about problems caused by social media - addiction, depression, tribalism, misinformation, and manipulation. We end with suggestions on how to reduce these issues.

We talk about predictions for 2021 and 2030. Madam Dee puts on a turban and we literally use tarot cards to try and see what's in store for these years. We also read out speculations from our listeners and discuss forecasts that were wrong and eerily spot on in entertainment and real life.

Link: Behind the scenes photos

In this bonus episode, we categorize COVID-19 impact into three buckets: health, financial, and social, and share our own and other people's experiences. Dee goes into detail about her quarantine experience after moving from Singapore to Hong Kong in the middle of a pandemic.

We list TV shows, movies, and podcasts that we found binge-worthy this year. We split our TV shows into these categories: comedy/light, heist/mystery, drama, sci fi/fantasy, Asian, and reality/documentary. We reveal what we consider our movie of the year. We talk about how we first discovered podcasts and what we enjoy in them. We end on the pros and cons of the binge life.

And here is a list of all other TV shows, movies, and podcasts we enjoy:

• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Parks and Recreation
• Brooklyn Nine Nine
• The Good Place
• Emily in Paris
• Community (S2 Ep22: A Fist Full of Paintballs)
• The Big Bang Theory
• Friends
• Lucifer
• Doc Martin
• Cobra Kai
• How I Met Your Mother (S8 Ep22: The Bro Mitzvah)

• Leverage
• Castle
• House M.D.
• The Mentalist
• White Collar
• Sherlock
• Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
• The Good Cop

• The Crown
• Suits

• Snowpiercer
• Stranger Things
• The Witcher
• Black Mirror (do not watch S1 Ep1!)
• The Boys (#1 on IMDB’s 2020 Top TV Shows)

• Crash Landing On You
• Reply 1988
• Midnight Diner
• Sword Art Online
• Detective Conan
• Hunter X Hunter
• Haikyuu!

• Terrace House
• Storage Wars
• The Men Who Built America
• Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
• The Home Edit
• Tiny House Nation
• Queer Eye

• Jojo Rabbit
• Parasite

• Serial
• Masters in Business by Bloomberg
• Langga Speaks
• Sustainarumble
• Digestibles
• Abroad in Japan
• Learn Japanese Pod
• No Dumb Questions
• No Stupid Questions
• This American Life
• You’re Wrong About
• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

We talk about Filipino food. We wonder why Filipino food is not that popular globally and mention dishes which we think have a chance of getting there. We also bring up some favorite Christmas food and regional dishes in Visayas and Mindanao. This episode is chock full of trivia and realizations.

We interview three Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in the Middle East. Myren and Glee are accountants in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, while Cris is an engineer in Oman. They share the stories of how they became OFWs and share a glimpse of their lives as white collar workers in the Middle East.

We talk about possible side hustles that you can do to supplement your income. We also discuss how Filipinos are very entrepreneurial and the culture shock that came from moving abroad and discovering it wasn't the norm there.

Show Notes:

44 Profitable Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money

We interview Na Rae, a Korean, and Max, a K-pop addicted Filipino. We talk about Korean food, K-pop, K-fashion, and K-beauty. We discuss the fascinating journey that K-pop stars undergo before they succeed. Max tells the unusual story of how she was inspired to become part of the BTS army. We express our admiration for how Koreans take good care of their skin.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Marvel and Pinoy superheroes got into a fight? We took our fan fiction pens and wrote down the action-packed scenarios with comedic moments. Just like in a typical superhero film, you need to stay until after the credits have rolled.

We interview two guests on the importance of language and cultural context when living in a country far away from home. Edmund gives helpful tips on how to survive as a non-Japanese speaking expat in Japan. Shayne talks about her interesting experiences as a full time missionary in different countries.

Links: Edmund's YouTube page | Shayne's YouTube page

We talk about Filipino name practices which confuse people of other nationalities, like our middle names are our mother’s maiden surname and sometimes we have nicknames that are nowhere to be found within our names. We also bring up common naming practices in the Philippines like kids being named as a portmanteau of their parents’ names.

We discuss strange names and its possible impact on a person's life. We reveal how we came up with our podcast name and explain what “banana cue” is for non Filipinos.

If a Shopee genie gave you 3 wishes, what would you put in your online shopping cart? We talk about Singles Day trivia and interview Pinoys from all over the world to get insights on their shopaholic tendencies and gather tips on impulse-buying.

This bonus episode is about Filipina director Antoinette Jadaone’s film Fan Girl which premiered at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival on 31st October 2020.  Fan Girl follows the story of an overzealous fan (portrayed by newcomer Charlie Dizon), who somehow ends up in the same mansion as her celebrity crush, Paulo Avelino – who portrays himself in the film.  Rey, Kathleen, and MonMon share their spoiler-free review. 

Link: More information and tickets

It's all about '90s nostalgia as we build a list that only '90s Filipino kids will remember. We reminisce about sari-sari store snacks, neighborhood games, tree-climbing, pogs, MIRC, Backstreet Boys, cartoons, cassette and VHS tapes, landline phone pranks, and how precious camera pictures used to be when we were growing up in the Philippines.

For Halloween and All Souls Day, we take a page from Magandang Gabi Bayan and talk about creepy creatures from the Philippines - aswang, mangkukulam, tiktik, manananggal, tikbalang, sigbin, tiyanak and white lady. We raise weird questions and share an epic ghost story experienced by a friend.

Jollibee is the #1 fast food in the Philippines. Is it just because of panlasang Pinoy? But it's also making waves in other countries like Singapore. We interview several people of different nationalities in a quest to find answers. We discover patterns and form a conclusion. For the finale, we feature a special podcast episode, so don't miss it!

We hash out the pros and cons of being in our thirties. We commiserate about tiredness, back pain, and slower ability to learn new skills or make new friends. We celebrate being able to afford quality things and possessing more wisdom. We discuss whether it's really so bad to no longer be in the calendar.

Rey explains what inflation is for the average Juan, and includes discussion on the heavily memed phenomenon of the huge increase in price of onions in the Philippines. 

It's our origin story: how I met my co-podcaster. Dee tells two amusingly similar tales about risk and reward. She details how she almost didn't even get into Singapore if not for luck and how her luck ran out when she became a recession victim. Rey also shares his own journey to becoming an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). We talk about life as OFWs in Singapore and share insights on expenses, flatmates, locals, and work.

We wax nostalgic over the stuff we love about Christmas - childhood carolling, movies, decorations, parties, food, and gifts. We talk about how we celebrate Christmas in the Philippines, Singapore, and Japan, and laugh over memorable moments from Christmases past.

We interview a COVID-19 survivor who was hospitalized for 22 days in Metro Manila, Philippines. What were his symptoms? How did they treat his virus? How much was his hospital bill?

We share our hilarious personal experiences of the many instances that cause confusion: Bisaya words that have different meaning in Tagalog, hard to understand accents, and missing cultural context.

Hi! Welcome to Banana Q Podcast!

We review the Philippine national symbols and think about what we would choose to update them to be more representative of Filipinos in the modern times.

We learn about Chinese New Year history and traditions in China, Philippines, and other places.

Show Notes:

Chinese New Year Wikipedia

How The Philippines Celebrates Lunar New Year

We talk about our favorite travel destinations within the Philippines and around the world. We also share our most disappointing experiences and funniest bloopers. Finally, we discuss why we love to travel.

Listen to Dee’s other travel bloopers on:

• Ep 86: Pinoy Travel Problems
• Ep 47: What are True Petty Crimes in the Philippines?

Read about Dee’s travels on http://adeecodedlife.com/travelogues

We talk about our personal highlights of 2022 which include big milestones. In relation to these, we end up sharing life and career advice including how to stay young and how to be Sir Chief. We also share the results of Banana Q podcasts's Spotify Wrapped and then talk about our favorite TV shows and movies discovered during the year. Dee picks After Life, Mythic Quest, The Afterparty, and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once while Rey goes for National Treasure, Wednesday, Boba Fett, and Top Gun: Maverick.

Other Banana Q podcast episodes mentioned:

• Ep 97: Buying vs Renting a Home
• Ep 98: This is 40 - Expectations vs Reality
• Ep 66: What Career Advice Would You Give to Gen Z?
• Ep 16: What Shows Did You Find Binge-worthy in 2020?
• Ep 69: The Highlights of Our 2021

We give tips on how to give thoughtful gifts for Christmas and other occasions, and give examples of good presents that we gave or received.

Show Notes:

How to Give Thoughtful Gifts (Plus 10 Thoughtful Gift Ideas)

We discuss common toxic misconceptions that people have about Filipinas who date foreigners (usually Westerners) with the aid of Kach Umandap's article on her blog.

Show Notes:

Truth and Lies About Filipinas Dating Foreigners

Rey finally gets to visit the home country and be a balikbayan again after 3 years, and talks about changes he noticed in post-Pandemic Philippines.

We finally have our first reunion since we started this podcast... in Hong Kong. We give tips on what to do when traveling to Hong Kong, tackling different spots such as Wan Chai, Stanley, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Mongkok, Tung Chung, and Lamma Island.

We discussed Hotels.com, Klook, Jollibee, The Peak, Big Bus Tours, Symphony of Lights, Avenue of Stars, K11 Musea Mall, Bakehouse, Flash Coffee, Eggettes, Tim Ho Wan, cha chaan teng, Ladies Market, Lee Tung Avenue, City Gate Outlet, Rainbow Seafood Restaurant, and Aqua.

We talk about royals that exist in modern times. We discuss Philippine monarchy in the past and touch on a bit of history, finally tackling the last unanswered question from our trailer. We lay out the pros and cons of monarchy and share whether or not we wanna be royals.

Show Notes:

Wikipedia

Pros and cons of the monarchy

We have reached 3 digit number of episodes so we talk about Top 3:

• Most downloaded episodes
• Audience demographics and what music they listen to
• Most memorable quotes
• Words most used in our comments 
• Commenters
• Realizations 
• Things we look forward to

The most memorable quotes are from the episodes below:

• Ep 84: Climate Crisis
• Ep 22: How Did Filipino Chinese Tycoons Build Their Empires?
• Ep 48: Why Do (Most) Cebuanos Hate to Speak in Tagalog?

We talk about the afterlife and learn the beliefs of different religions - Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, Catholic, Islam, Buddhist, and Hindu. We also talk about mediums, near death experiences, and the possibility of uploading your consciousness to a virtual reality as portrayed in the shows Upload and Black Mirror (San Junipero). Finally, we talk about our ideal afterlife and bring up The Good Place.

Dee turns 40 and interviews same aged Filipino friends based all over the world about what life is like for them. Did reality meet their expectations? 

• Chi, corporate lawyer, talks about the good and bad things about being 40 and childfree by choice.
• Cate, accountant, shares her heartbreaking struggle of trying to have a child.
• Flisha, IT manager, talks about her "geriatric pregnancy" and having a baby at 40.
• Elma, process engineer, confesses about not feeling mature enough and how her career priorities changed as a mother.
• Tyne, former director in fund accounting, talks about paradigm shift in career and peer/personal pressure.
• Jefrey, nomad chef, shares his journey of quitting his job as a vice president in Finance to start a new career as a chef.

We talk about the pros and cons of buying vs renting a home.

Pros:

• Building wealth through equity
• Low mortgage interest rates
• Freedom to renovate and modify your house as you see fit
• No surprises in rent prices

Cons:

• Less flexibility to move
• Significant asking price
• Home expenses like repairs, maintenance fees, and insurance

Owning your home used to be the practical choice, but this is no longer the case. What changed?

We interview Reuben, who talks about the methods he used to learn more about our national language, Tagalog, and shares the deeper words and interesting tidbits of history that he came across while doing his research.

Why do we want to be attractive? What is considered attractive in the Philippines and why is it not what the average Filipino looks like? What is colonial mentality? And on a related note, what is the criteria for picking the most beautiful woman in the universe?

What are some faux pas (embarrassing acts) that you can commit in the Philippines? How can you recover from them?

How do you know if you're having a job burnout? What are its possible causes and consequences? How do you handle it?

What usually happens in Pinoy parties? How early should you show up? What should you bring? What food and activities can you expect? What should you do so as not to be branded as a killjoy and never be invited again?

We talk about our favorite toys while growing up as '90s kids in the Philippines - Barbie dolls, action figures, jackstones, pick up sticks, marbles, fighting spiders and sea shells and pogs and teks and trading cards, Monopoly, Gameboy, brick game, Tamagotchi, family computer, and arcade.

Realizations: it was simultaneously more dangerous yet healthier to be a child back then?

Also mentioned: the urban myth about how putting kisses in cotton would make them give birth.

You might also like: Ep 77: Philippine Squid Games

Change is coming... we have an important announcement to make. But before that, we discuss the most common types of change we encounter and give tips on how to deal with them.