Banana Q: a Filipino-Flavored Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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.

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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.