This Filipino American Life

Afleveringen

• 
  Episode 261 – Eala Mania 14.08.2026 58min

  Putang ina!!!!! Alex Eala has taken the Tennis world by storm! Over the last year, Alexandra “Alex” Eala has been a sports and popular cultural phenomenon. The 21-year-old Filipino tennis star has sparked an unprecedented wave of national pride and a domestic sports boom for Philippine tennis.  In this TFAL episode, Gerlie, Ryan (out of...
• 
  Episode 260 – By and By with Mark Kaiklian 04.08.2026 55min

  In this episode of the pod, Elaine and Kat have a kikihan (kiki + kwentuhan) with Mark Kaiklian of By and By. Mark is a talented graphic designer, artist, performer, and all around good human who shares his journey with us. We learn about his origin story from Tondo, Philippines to Eagle Rock, CA and...
• 
  Episode 259 – Honorary Filipinos? 10.07.2026 50min

  We all have them in our lives. Friends and family who are not Filipino but sometimes we call “Honorary Filipinos.” But does anyone really deserve such a title? Does it become an invitation for more privileged folks to begin Filipino-splaining us and/or become culture vultures? Is this title that we should even dole out? In...
• 
  Episode 258 – Chasing the Hollywood Sun with Bernard Badion 23.06.2026 1u 6min

  Sometimes, you just have to chase your dream, damnit. For Bernard Badion, telling stories was always an integral part of him and has been a life-long pursuit. Growing up in Sunnyvale, California, the acclaimed Filipino American creator longed to tell stories that people can relate to. And in so many ways, he has already written,...
• 
  Episode 257 – Random Filipino Food Questions 22.05.2026 1u 3min

  Is hopia a dessert? What started out as a random argument Elaine and Producer Mike had snowballed into a whole TFAL mini-episode about random Filipino food questions. Listen as the TFAL crew discuss and debate questions like: What is the most overrated Filipino dish? The most underrated? Do you f-ck with Filipino fruit salad? Why...
• 
  Episode 256 – Hot Tropiking with Angelo Mendez 08.05.2026 1u 5min

  If you are into comic books, then you must absolutely know Hot Tropiks, the leading distributor of Filipino comics and children’s literature in the United States. The owner and co-founder, Angelo Mendez, together with his wife, Nadine, began Hot Tropiks to bring the bold, imaginative stories of comics to a global audience. In this TFAL...
• 
  Episode 255 – Combo on the Run – Exploring the Enduring Legacy of Eraserheads with Diane Ventura and Ely Buendia 24.04.2026 48min

  Today’s the day! “Eraserheads: Combo on the Run” is releasing throughout North America across over 60 screens, one of the biggest and widest releases of a Filipino documentary ever.  And while the exploits of the band are well detailed in the film itself, we thought it would be worthwhile to sit down with Director Diane Ventura...
• 
  Episode 254 – Original Pilipino Musings with Les the DJ – Overdrive, Ligaya, and What Les and Mike Like Right Now 17.04.2026 40min

  In the 3rd edition of our Eraserheads-themed mini-series, Les the DJ and Producer Mike reminisce about road trips to the tune of “Overdrive”, and can’t get enough of silly love songs like “Ligaya”.  But what songs are Les and Mike listening to now?  Listen and find out! As a reminder, on April 24th, Combo On...
• 
  Episode 253 – Original Pilipino Musings with Les the DJ – Toyang, Alapaap, and Analyzing vs Appreciating Music 11.04.2026 40min

  In part 2 of our mini-series “Original Pilipino Musings” with Les the DJ, we dive into two seminal Eraserheads classics, “Toyang” from their 1993 debut album, Ultraelectromagneticpop!, as well as “Alapaap” from their 1994 follow-up, Circus.  Listen as we talk about what the songs mean to us, and debate whether or not it matters if...
• 
  Episode 252 – Original Pilipino Musings with Les the DJ – Eraserheads, OPM+, and Les Lore 24.03.2026 44min

  In a few weeks, Combo On The Run, a documentary chronicling the rise of the band Eraserheads, is set to hit movie screens across North America.  It’s not often that a film from the Philippines gets a release and a reception as high profile as this film has been getting, let alone a documentary about...
• 
  Episode 251 – Telling Truths about ‘Here Lies Love’ with Christine Balance 07.03.2026 1u 18min

  Here Lies Love, the play about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos as the Philippine dictator’s wife during Martial Law is now playing in Los Angeles. The TFAL crew had the opportunity to watch Here Lies Love when it first opened at the Mark Taper Forum a couple of weeks ago. Love it or...
• 
  Episode 250 – Echoes from the Ditches: A Conversation with a Martial Law Activist 27.02.2026 1u 2min

  For 10 years, TFAL has been trying to amplify voices from our community, but particular voices from sectors of our community that have been historically overlooked. We are especially attuned to the voices without glitz and glamor, without state-sanctioned narratives, and without algorithmic egos. For our 250th episode, and on the heels of the 40th...
• 
  Episode 249 – The Fil Am Celebrity Draft 20.02.2026 55min

  Have you ever dreamed about a TV show with an all-Filipino American cast? What kind of show it would be? Who would star in it? In this TFAL episode, Elaine, Joe, and Producer Mike dream up their ideal TV show by playing The Fil Am Celebrity Draft! Adapted from a game that Joe used to...
• 
  Episode 248 – Community Care with Kalaya’an Mendoza 06.02.2026 1u 5min

  In this episode of the podcast, Kalaya’an Mendoza returns to talk with the crew about community care.  This episode is dedicated to the folks in Minnesota and beyond who are grieving, protesting, and resisting ICE kidnappings and intimidation. The crew reached out to Kalaya’an again to check in on how we can support each other...
• 
  Episode 247 – Seafood City Late Night Analysis 23.01.2026 48min

  Over the last few months, the hottest night out can be had at a Filipino supermarket. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Seafood City, you might have seen or experienced the multi-generational viral dance party conceptualized by JP Breganza back in August 2025. What is this phenomenon all about? Why does it attract...
• 
  Episode 246 – Scientific Dragons | Flowers for Dom Magwili 10.01.2026 1u

  Dom Magwili is a prolific actor, writer, and educator who has graced his presence on stage and screen for years. Most importantly Dom has played a role in our lives when he guided Kat as  she was PCN coordinator at UCLA and gave Elaine a boost of confidence when she was an emcee for the...
• 
  Episode 245 – Filipino American Anthems 19.12.2025 44min

  What is the Filipino American anthem? Is it Bebot by the Black Eyed Peas? P.T.I. by Carl Angelo? Lemonade by Jeremy Passion? Us by Ruby Ibarra? Do You Miss Me? by Jocelyn Enriquez? Todo Todo by Daniela Romo (you know who chose that one!)?? In this TFAL episode, we look at so-called Filipino American anthems...
• 
  Episode 244 – F*ck Cancer with Arthur Yu 06.12.2025 1u 4min

  In this episode the TFAL crew has a conversation with Arthur Yu. Arthur Yu was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023. Arthur did all the things you needed to do like rounds of chemo and looking for bone marrow matches. Arthur explored the National Marrow Donor Program (formerly Be The Match) for possible matches. ...
• 
  Episode 243 – The Politics of Language with Jennifer Delfino 13.11.2025 57min

  “You’re not Filipino if you don’t speak Tagalog.” “You sound white.” “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino, not Tagalog.” “Filipino is already gender neutral.” Much of our online discourse in the Filipino community is about or related to language. The debates are out there. We here at TFAL want to tackle some of...
• 
  Episode 242 – Walk This Way : A Camino Conversation with Kristine Jan Espinoza 31.10.2025 1u 13min

  Have you ever thought about doing a pilgrimage? Would you want to contemplate your life choices on a hiking journey through the mountainous regions of Europe? Do you just want to hear about someone else doing that and not deal with the physical and spiritual Olympics of it all? Then this episode is for you!...