This is for the cynic, the optimist, the disenfranchised, the rebel, and the Filipino voter.
My anxiety and trepidation concerning the 2022 National Election (and the one from 2016, for that matter) have been bubbling to the surface recently, so I decided to hash them out with my dear friend Mia Marci. Mia is an educator, a writer, a cynic at heart, a foul-mouthed Christian, and one of my favorite people in real life and on the internet, where she chronicles her journey of “decoñofication” and, more recently, her thoughts and feelings about the pursuit of justice alongside the Laban ng Masa coalition. We talk about our struggles during the 2016 Election season, we articulate the journey of choosing her candidate in Ka Leody De Guzman and mine in Leni Robredo, and we attempt to process what it might mean if the villain wins next week. All of this and more in this very special one-off episode of the Hurry Up the Cakes Podcast!
It’s the season finale of the Hurry Up the Cakes Podcast! Special guest Maximus Finn Tan Llorin is the valedictorian of the Squishy Days Preschool, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and just such a trooper. He joins me on the last episode of the show to share some tips on how to protect yourself from COVID-19, and to really just be a goofball. Also, I tell the story of our COVID scare, and reflect on the magical adventure that has been this podcast.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much.
Production Notes
This now is the shortest episode in the season, clocking in at about 45 minutes. Part 2 of the Stan Sy interview was 46 minutes.
THIS WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING INTERVIEW YET. My guest had the attention span of a three year old! I had to splice in three or four separate recordings just to make both of us sound coherent.
I had to add the Happiness Sponsor break between segments of the episode because, like in Episode 2, my voiceover talent accidentally used a different microphone during recording, and it didn’t sound right if it was spliced into the Outro VO. But I think it worked out. Thanks again to Kookee, Cucina de Boni, and JMC!
I will miss doing this show, but I really feel satisfied with the breadth and depth of the themes or issues we were able to cover—even if there are still more people I wish I could have talked to. That said, the ideas we have for Season 2 are so exciting!
You Chose Poorly Season 2 is now in pre-production mode. We’re looking at doing them monthly. That sounds doable, and fun. I’m excited.
Jenn Lazo is the kind of person that everyone should be friends with.
I mean, seriously. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys spending hours telling stories and laughing—I mean really laughing, to the point of exhaustion—Jenn is the perfect person to hang out with. If you’re the kind of person who veers away from loud personas, and you enjoy more mentally stimulating kinds of conversation, Jenn’s mind can keep up with the best of them. And if you’re the type who simply enjoys a quiet and sure friendship—the type that doesn’t need daily reassurance, or text messages every morning—Jenn stands as an exemplar friend of that sort.
Jenn can be friends with many kinds of people because she is many kinds of people. As she says on the podcast, she feels like she’s a “walking contradiction” sometimes. But the reason this works is that she has a heart that can fit all of it—not just all the versions of herself, but all kinds of people. Her heart stands firm on the idea that all—allhuman beings, regardless of gender —are equal.
Her friendship reflects that, her body of work reflects that, her life reflects that. And that, aside from my wanting to hang out with her more, is why I really wanted her to be a guest on the show.
I am so immensely grateful that she did.
Jenn Lazo is not only someone more people should be friends with, but someone more people should be like.
Production Notes
Fastest turnaround time ever, from recording to publishing. 3 hours!
This conversation was recorded on Skype, which was fine.
I realized, as I was writing this post, that the title of this episode should have been “‘A Walking Contradiction’ With Jenn Lazo’ but, ah, oh well.
Check out the show notes below—Jenn seriously sent me a full-on email with an outline of BTS-related links. I really will treat it as homework. If you’re a Tita or a Tito like me, maybe you should too! BTS seems like good people.
Executive Producer Charisse Tan Llorin already has a concept for the next season of this show, and it’s more fleshed out than I anticipated. It’s very exciting, but I have no idea how and when we can do it! But yes! Stay tuned, I guess?
Also, stay tuned on K Sawyer Paul’s (or my) social media—you will not have chosen poorly if you do!
Show Notes
This is for the feminist, the ally, and the accidental misogynist.
Special guest Jenn Lazo is a feminist in the truest sense of the term—she has taken on various roles throughout different stages in her life in which she advocates for gender equality. She is also endlessly entertaining, and one of the people that I always wish to hang out with more often. I’m so glad we got to do that in this episode. Jenn shares her journey as a feminist, and she shows me around the different battlefields in the fight for gender equality—helping me navigate my own battlefields in the process. Also, she introduces me to the BTS rabbit hole.
I’m super grateful that Ro joined me on the show this week, fresh off his tell-all episode on The Wrestling Wrestling Podcast. He said that he just realized how hard it was to be a guest on a podcast because it came with a lot of pressure, but I think his experience as a podcaster automatically makes him a great guest—generous, honest, and unafraid to be pushed and to push back.
I had wanted to talk about how wrestling is stupid on this podcast for a while now, and I thought Ro—with his dual identities as a wrestling journalist and an actual, legitimate wrestler—was the perfect person to talk to so I can get my bad feelings off my chest. But our conversation actually energized me and kind of dislodged me from the more cynical ways I’ve been looking at it.
Wrestling is stupid. But it’s also pretty awesome. And with people like Romeo in it, its future is probably brighter than I think it is.
Production Notes
This is the first time I recorded my introduction immediately after the interview, so this is the most similar my voice has sounded between two segments. Sorry. Nerdy audio note.
Discord truly is my favorite voice call app for podcast recording. I barely had to trim the our conversation at all. It also helps that Ro is an experienced podcaster who knows what makes a great guest. That said, every guest I’ve ever had has been great!
I’m lucky that it’s a holiday today (Friday, August 21) so that I could do this show this week. But man, it’s getting tough, what with the school year starting and all. I’m thinking I maybe have a couple more of these left in me this season.
Show Notes
This is for the wrestling fan, whatever that means.
Special guest Romeo Moran is the wrestler formerly known as SANDATA, the Editor-in-Chief of SmarkHenry.com, and still actually one half of the current Philippine Wrestling Revolution (PWR) Tag Team Champions, despite having recently left the promotion . We explored the experience of wrestling (pun intended) with his identities as a wrestler, a fan, a journalist, and a human being, and we inspect the narratives of the recent fallout across the Philippine wrestling industry. Plus, we argue about whether or not wrestling is evil!
0:00 — Opening theme 0:27 — Introduction 6:20 — The unmasking experience 18:48 — Getting into wrestling 28:27 — Wrestling and identity 37:45 — “Doers” and “Non-Doers” 49:59 — The state of Philippine wrestling 1:04:39 — What is the dream now? 1:09:22 — Putting ourselves over 1:17:07 — Outro 1:18:20 — “I’m a T-Rex!”
In my first couple of years as a teacher, I wasn’t really a teacher. I was a pretender.
Or, I was an actor playing the role of a teacher.
I acted as if I knew how to conduct myself in the classroom, as if I knew how to teach young people how to read, as if I knew how to direct and inspire and mentor and guide. It was all an act. Some say it was a good act. But still, an act. Play time.
Having students like Sam and Meira in my very first class showed me what it was like to be a real teacher.
They were amazing from the beginning. They took ownership of their own successes, failures, feelings, responsibilities, and their place in the community. It’s all a teacher can ask for, really, for themselves, their students, and their institutions: own it. Own yourself. Own everything, the good and the bad. That way, we can all figure out how to be better, how to learn better, how to love better.
At the time, Sam and Meira did this as students in an international school classroom. Today, almost a decade later, they do this as fully formed adults in a crazy world.
I’m a teacher now. It’s no longer an act. I credit Sam and Meira—and students like them—for helping me get here.
Production Notes
We used Discord’s voice channel feature to have this conversation, and it resulted in it being the easiest episode I’ve had to produce. Virtually no audio glitches, even if there was a slight lag and lots of crosstalk. Good job, Discord!
I saw this on Reddit right after editing the interview audio, and thought it apropos for this episode. Yay Poetry!
We’re on Episode 7, so it’s very likely that we have more shows behind us than ahead of us, at least for this season. Plus the school year is starting. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but I just want to say that it’s been an absolute blast every step of the way. Thank you for coming along for the ride. That said, I think my pal K Sawyer Paul might have a few ideas to help me scratch my podcast itch
Show Notes
This is for privileged kids, the teachers of those kids, and anyone engaged in international education.
Special guests Samantha Andico and Meira Furuki-Chua were in the first group of students I ever taught in a formal education setting. I’ve had the privilege of teaching wonderful people through the years, but Sam and Meira stand out not just because they were in my first class, but simply because they cared—about being excellent, being honest, and making a difference. It made my tumultuous rookie years easier than they should have been.
Sam and Meira share their stories of how their fancy International Baccalaureate education—and my involvement in it—helped (and didn’t help) them in becoming the kind, wonderful, and difference-making women that I see them as today. In the process, they let me share my stories (and screwups) as a rookie teacher. I’m grateful that Sam and Meira redeem them.
Hurry up the Cakes 