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Roots & Resilience - A Filipino American Journey with Toni Rose & Mom Therese · PHLV Radio

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Talawang mundo, sabay kumikilos, dahil sayo. Sa mga nurse at
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: mami na katulad mo, saludo ang SendWave sayo at sa
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: lahat ng OFW. Between here and home, send money that
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: keeps life moving.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Hello, everyone.
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  Speaker 3: Welcome to another Mahalo Halo Las Vegas episode. I am
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: your host, Toni Rose, and I am back with a
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: very special episode today. Being that we are celebrating Filipino
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: American History Month, I wanted to bring a special guest
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: to the show today. It is my honor and It
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  Speaker 3: is the Burr Month. So I just want to kind
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: of enlight, right? So it is the Burr Month. So
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: as Filipinos, we celebrate Burr Month. And we start with
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  Speaker 3: our lights and the celebration of Christmas, right? So I
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  Speaker 3: want to bring light to this month. It's also my
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  Speaker 3: birthday weekend. So I'm very blessed to be still doing
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  Speaker 3: what I love and really just sharing it with the
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  Speaker 3: people I love. So Without further ado, I have my
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  Speaker 3: mom on the show, Teresa Tish.
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  Speaker 4: Good morning. Good morning to everyone watching right now.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, Mom.
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  Speaker 4: Yes.
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  Speaker 3: How are you?
• 1:30
  Speaker 4: I'm very great to have you.
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  Speaker 5: Honor to be here with your show.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, thank you for being here. I know that you
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  Speaker 3: didn't have a choice. Because I asked you and you
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  Speaker 3: said yes.
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  Speaker 4: Because it's your birthday week.
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  Speaker 3: So I'm one of three. I'm the eldest of three children.
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  Speaker 3: I have my two sisters, Abigail, and my youngest sister, Terryann.
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  Speaker 3: My mom is the eldest of how many kids, mom?
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  Speaker 3: Let's just talk about, I guess, our history. I did
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: want to just put this on the record. You know,
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  Speaker 3: I want to have something for... us to really look
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  Speaker 3: back on and, you know, have an honest discussion about
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  Speaker 3: just our history, right? Filipino-American history and the lineage and
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  Speaker 3: all the things and the legacies that we're leaving here.
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  Speaker 2: So, yeah, let's talk about you. Where were you born?
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  Speaker 2: And a little bit about your, you know, your experience
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  Speaker 2: as Filipina.
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  Speaker 1: Sure.
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  Speaker 4: I was born in Manila, Philippines. Way back. Never mind.
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  Speaker 2: Okay.
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  Speaker 5: Just guess how old I am. So I'm the eldest
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  Speaker 5: of 10 siblings. So, you know, once you're the eldest...
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  Speaker 5: surely everything is on your shoulder to help your parents.
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  Speaker 5: I was always with my mom because my father frequently
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  Speaker 5: was out of the country working abroad. He's been all around.
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  Speaker 4: In Asia.
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  Speaker 5: So he's working with, you know, airlines company.
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  Speaker 4: So fortunately, As.
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  Speaker 5: Children, me especially as the eldest one, has the privilege
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  Speaker 5: to go out of the country during our summer vacation.
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  Speaker 5: So at least I've seen a few numbers of countries
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  Speaker 5: in Asia. And as the eldest of the ten siblings,
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  Speaker 5: we are two years.
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  Speaker 4: Apart, up to the third sister. I have me, three sisters,
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  Speaker 4: and then before, a boy, a brother.
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  Speaker 5: But unfortunately, the third one, the first brother, passed away
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  Speaker 5: at the age of three. So as the eldest, I'm
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  Speaker 5: really proud of To be, you know, the respect that
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  Speaker 5: I'm getting from my siblings. You know, as an ate,
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  Speaker 5: what I say, what my advice and everything is being
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  Speaker 5: followed without any question. And I'm always with my mom
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  Speaker 5: because my father, my mom was a father and mother
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  Speaker 5: almost how many years? Every, my father will only took
• 4:27
  Speaker 5: his vacation once a year. So it's all of us
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  Speaker 5: with my mother. My mother is doing everything.
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  Speaker 4: As a father also.
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  Speaker 5: So, yes, at this point, you know, all of us
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  Speaker 5: are here already in the United States.
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  Speaker 2: Which is great.
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  Speaker 5: Fortunately, all of us, we have our own family. As
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  Speaker 5: Tony said, I have three. She's the eldest, Tony Rose,
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  Speaker 5: and I have Abigail, and I have Terri-Ann.
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  Speaker 4: I have six grandkids already.
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  Speaker 3: And today is our youngest, Eli's second birthday. Happy, happy birthday.
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  Speaker 4: I know.
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  Speaker 5: He's turning... Yeah, turning two years old today. So I'm really,
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  Speaker 5: really happy as a mother, as a grandmother.
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  Speaker 4: But it's really just sad that their father passed away
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  Speaker 4: five years.
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  Speaker 2: Lolo.
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  Speaker 4: Five years, yeah. The Lolo passed away five years ago.
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  Speaker 3: But.
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  Speaker 4: You know, life should move on.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: And what I admire about my mom really is, you know,
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  Speaker 3: growing up, she was really strict. My parents were very strict.
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  Speaker 3: But I think in hindsight, you know, they did what
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  Speaker 3: they knew how to do, being that they were immigrants
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  Speaker 3: to this country.
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  Speaker 2: And they were really... wanting the best for their family.
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  Speaker 2: And I think my dad.
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  Speaker 3: Was the most resourceful man. You know, and us Filipinos
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  Speaker 3: were so just, you know, resourceful and very pragmatic. And
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  Speaker 3: we're able to do what we want to do and
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  Speaker 3: set our minds to. But I think with my mom,
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  Speaker 3: you know, she was very strict. But at the same time,
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  Speaker 3: now that I know her, we have a different relationship
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  Speaker 3: as adults. Like, I can see why, you know, our
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  Speaker 3: culture has that kind of I guess the stigma of
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  Speaker 3: being so.
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  Speaker 2: Strict or, you know, overbearing or overcritical. And that's just honest.
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  Speaker 3: I think we go through it and we have a
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  Speaker 3: lot of these things that we look back on and
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  Speaker 3: we say, oh, you know, it was bad, but it
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  Speaker 3: wasn't that bad, right?
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  Speaker 2: So tell me the word ate. There's the word ate.
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  Speaker 2: What does that carry?
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  Speaker 5: Oh, the ate means is the eldest. Once they call
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  Speaker 5: you ate, the next... thing that I have to do
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  Speaker 5: is to respect. You know, respect is secondary when they
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  Speaker 5: call you ate. So in Tony Rose's place, she's.
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  Speaker 4: The ate of the three. So, you know, she helps.
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  Speaker 5: Me bring up the other two siblings. So, yeah, she's
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  Speaker 5: very good. And I want to share this one. When
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  Speaker 5: Tony Rose mentioned about Being strict. I was really strict.
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  Speaker 4: Not my husband. My husband is just so-so. It was me.
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  Speaker 5: The reason why all my three girls grew up very
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  Speaker 5: independently and very strong, with strong personality, because when they
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  Speaker 5: were young... And if example is an example, if we
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  Speaker 5: go to a place and I will tell her, OK, behave.
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  Speaker 5: And then all of a sudden I saw her fell
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  Speaker 5: on the floor and think because she didn't listen to me.
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  Speaker 4: You know, instead of me going around and pampering her,
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  Speaker 4: I'll go there and tell her. And oftentimes... I'm not
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  Speaker 4: going to pick you up. That's one thing.
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  Speaker 5: That's why if you are starting to parenting your kids
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  Speaker 5: right now, you start doing that.
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  Speaker 4: Do not pamper. Because once you do that, you know,
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  Speaker 4: when they.
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  Speaker 5: Grow up, they will always rely on your help. This
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  Speaker 5: Toni Rose is very independent. She goes around, you know.
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  Speaker 4: I was surprised. She was not telling me that she
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  Speaker 4: is the... the editor-in-chief of their college... High school. Book,
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: high school book.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't know.
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  Speaker 5: So she's always out with her camera and everything. So
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  Speaker 5: I was telling myself, what is she doing? Why is
• 8:42
  Speaker 5: she always out? Then finally, when the graduation day came,
• 8:47
  Speaker 5: and I heard about everything, you know, her tassel is
• 8:50
  Speaker 5: on the other side, meaning to say, you are honor.
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  Speaker 4: You have an honor and that.
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  Speaker 5: I cried, and I said, oh, you didn't know what
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  Speaker 5: all this daughter is doing.
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  Speaker 4: It's for her good, not for just going out, doing this.
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  Speaker 5: Here, and then nothing, nothing accomplished. But this lady is
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  Speaker 5: an achiever, so.
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  Speaker 4: I'm proud of her. I'm proud to be a mother
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  Speaker 4: to Tony Rose.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I didn't know that, Mom.
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  Speaker 3: This whole time, I'm like, oh, I wonder if she
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  Speaker 3: was worried or if she was just mad at me.
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  Speaker 2: But, no, I'm happy to know that.
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  Speaker 3: And I think this conversation is really to resonate with,
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  Speaker 3: you know, a lot of our same, you know, kababayan
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  Speaker 3: out there that have that kind of relationship with their parents.
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  Speaker 3: I think growing up here as a first generation going
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  Speaker 3: to college and, you know, excelling and doing what we
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  Speaker 3: need to do to survive and to really succeed. It
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: brings light to that, you know, the hardship and the
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  Speaker 3: trials that we went through. Um, so let's talk about the, um,
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: the place where you met dad. Cause you know, when
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  Speaker 3: they say Tondo, right, there's a, there's, yeah, that word
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  Speaker 3: is just, we know what's going on.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 3: So my dad was a very strong man as well.
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  Speaker 3: So I want to talk a little bit about dad. Yes.
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  Speaker 5: You know, uh, before I start, uh, you know, uh,
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  Speaker 5: talking about where we met, I just want to.
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  Speaker 4: Praise my husband.
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  Speaker 5: He's the best, uh, A person I'd met and became
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  Speaker 5: a wife to him. We met when I was, I
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  Speaker 5: think I was only on my fifth grade. So we
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  Speaker 5: live in Pasig. city of Pasig right now. And then
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  Speaker 5: they live in Tondo, in Antonio Rivera. If any one
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  Speaker 5: of you, you know, can relate to this place, you know,
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  Speaker 5: that's in Jose Abad Santos, Antonio Rivera, very near to
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  Speaker 5: the Gupan or the Visoria. So I was, every year,
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  Speaker 5: I always went to my cousin's place for, you know,
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  Speaker 5: a week vacation. So while I was walking towards the house,
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  Speaker 5: this man was standing there with his short, with his
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  Speaker 5: crew cut hair. And then he was staring at me.
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  Speaker 5: And then my first glance at him, I said, oh,
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  Speaker 5: he's handsome.
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  Speaker 4: You know, because he's fair complexion. So that's it. So
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  Speaker 4: I went. I didn't realize he was handsome.
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  Speaker 5: Attracted to me also and as someone you know they
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  Speaker 5: call it padrino he has someone who knows me or
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  Speaker 5: who knows my cousin so we can um uh you
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  Speaker 5: know he can be introduced to me and they introduced
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  Speaker 5: me to him.
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  Speaker 4: And then history Long story short. Long story short. Yeah.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, he went to our place, you know, court me.
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  Speaker 5: Or every time I go to Tondo, he was there. Actually,
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  Speaker 5: he was someone spying if I be there. that time
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  Speaker 5: or so so he can be told and then there
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  Speaker 5: you go he will like go around the area so
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  Speaker 5: he can see me and so it's really sweet of him.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah so the history there is that's the beginning right
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  Speaker 3: so let's talk about the american dream because that also
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  Speaker 3: pursued you know a life here in america and we
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  Speaker 3: want to you know um kind of shed light on
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  Speaker 3: how that became because he worked for a Pacific Bell
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: when he moved here to the States. And before you
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  Speaker 3: and I were even petitioned to come here, he was
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: here for a few years. So how we would communicate
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: with back then without cell phones or FaceTime is through
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  Speaker 3: letters and audio tapes.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's true. So in 19... The 1900s.
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  Speaker 5: In 1982... No, actually, he went to America first in 1980.
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  Speaker 5: And then came back 1982. We got married in January.
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  Speaker 5: And then after that, you know, of course, I got
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  Speaker 5: pregnant with Tony Rose.
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  Speaker 4: And then he went back to America.
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  Speaker 1: And then.
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  Speaker 4: Came back. I think after he got his.
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  Speaker 5: American green card, he petitioned me. And then when he
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  Speaker 5: was naturalized, he upgraded it.
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  Speaker 4: And then 1988 of, I think, April... We came here.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Tony Rose was already five and a half.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was almost six.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, five and a half. So we started 1988 here.
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  Speaker 2: And I had a bowl cut.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 5: My husband, fortunately, was able to work with AT & T.
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  Speaker 4: You know, the Pacific Bell. At the time, yeah. Yeah,
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  Speaker 4: at the time. And then he retired from that company.
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  Speaker 3: So.
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  Speaker 4: He is a very, very good husband. A very, very good.
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  Speaker 5: I am using superlative, you know, adjective.
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  Speaker 4: Very, very, very. Provider. He's very understanding. And to be honest,
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  Speaker 4: I was spoiled by him.
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  Speaker 3: Yes.
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  Speaker 4: So everything I.
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  Speaker 5: Ask, if he can say yes, just all yes.
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  Speaker 4: Not even no. And the most important part why I.
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  Speaker 5: Was lucky or fortunate to have him as my husband,
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  Speaker 5: he helped my family most of the time. I'll just
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  Speaker 5: give an example how nice my husband.
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  Speaker 4: One of my nephews will need a car, so they
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  Speaker 4: always come.
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  Speaker 5: Call me, my second sister, because I'm the ate, I'm
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  Speaker 5: always the one to be called.
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  Speaker 4: And ask help.
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  Speaker 5: So one time, my sister said, ate, my son needs
• 15:05
  Speaker 5: a car, but we're having problem, how to get it,
• 15:09
  Speaker 5: because So and so, so and so. You know, and
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  Speaker 5: then I'll just tell my husband, you know, and then
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  Speaker 5: he will say, okay, tell him to come over so
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  Speaker 5: we will help.
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  Speaker 4: That's how he is. He never said no. But even,
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  Speaker 4: you know, after those help and we encountered some, you know,
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  Speaker 4: they also have their struggles.
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  Speaker 3: Yes.
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  Speaker 5: Because it's under our name, of course, we'll be the
• 15:38
  Speaker 5: one to cover everything. And it's okay with him as
• 15:41
  Speaker 5: long as we can help.
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  Speaker 4: That's it.
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  Speaker 5: So that's how my husband here in America. But I
• 15:48
  Speaker 5: have this one situation that I was sad finding out.
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  Speaker 5: He told me when he first came here, I think
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  Speaker 5: he stayed with a family, one of the family's.
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  Speaker 4: And then he needs a car.
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  Speaker 5: So he was just like asking for a co-sign, but
• 16:08
  Speaker 5: he was denied. So when I found out that, I said, why?
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  Speaker 5: You are very close, you are family.
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  Speaker 4: What happened?
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  Speaker 5: That's why I think on that example that he experienced,
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  Speaker 5: Now he changed it.
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  Speaker 4: He reversed it. So everyone who needs help, he just
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: say yes.
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  Speaker 3: And I think that's why I want to talk about
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  Speaker 3: that is because when you have the burden of a
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  Speaker 3: family to rely on you as a resource and if you're...
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: knowledgeable of something you want to be able to share
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  Speaker 3: that with your next you know either the next person
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: or your legacy right um and i think because with
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: dad and of course he had also nine brothers and
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: sisters so he was the eldest so you you have
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  Speaker 3: to remind ourselves of where you you start right he's
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: the oldest he's the panganay or the panganay so you
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  Speaker 3: both had that um the ability.
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  Speaker 2: To assist your siblings.
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  Speaker 3: But I think with my dad, he was very much
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  Speaker 3: the provider and he helped a lot of families.
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  Speaker 2: And I think For me, you know, he was a.
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  Speaker 3: Great example, and you guys were great examples of really helping. Yes,
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  Speaker 3: it wasn't perfect, but if we can help, you know,
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: those that need it for the time, hopefully they can get,
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  Speaker 3: you know, their feet on the ground and walking and running, right?
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  Speaker 3: But that's the story that I like to hear from you,
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: because with Dad, it was very much community. And regardless
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: if he were, you know, cousin or a friend, he
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: was always giving and paying forward.
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  Speaker 1: So.
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: um yeah those are those are good memories of dad
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  Speaker 3: and he was funny he was such a funny funny
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  Speaker 3: storyteller um comedian a magician magician um you know he
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  Speaker 3: he definitely left a great legacy and I think you
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: know my mom and I will laugh about some things
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  Speaker 3: um now that I'm getting older it's it's a much
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: more uh intentional conversation to to share and you know
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  Speaker 3: I hope I The grandchildren, your apos, can always remember
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: that about our family.
• 18:10
  Speaker 5: I want to add a little bit about the apos.
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: You know, your dad is very fond of?
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: Kids.
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  Speaker 1: Kids.
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: Very fond.
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  Speaker 5: So that's why, you know, even the kids, you know,
• 18:24
  Speaker 5: the mailap, but when your dad comes to it, he's convinced.
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  Speaker 5: That's one of his great personalities.
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  Speaker 4: His superpower.
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  Speaker 3: Yes.
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  Speaker 2: Let's talk about working here. When you came to America, right,
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  Speaker 2: what were you expecting? Did you expect the glitz and
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: glam of, you know, American Dream? Or were you like, oh,
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  Speaker 2: I have to work too?
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  Speaker 4: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Teresa had to work, you guys.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 18:51
  Speaker 5: You know, when I was still in the Philippines, everything
• 18:54
  Speaker 5: that I hear is green pasture.
• 18:57
  Speaker 4: Green pasture.
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  Speaker 5: Oh, when you go to America, everything is like this.
• 19:02
  Speaker 4: Oh, I see.
• 19:03
  Speaker 5: Because when I was in the Philippines, I had a
• 19:05
  Speaker 5: good career there. If you're familiar with the... With the Aguirres,
• 19:10
  Speaker 5: the BF Holmes, I was there with Bobby Aguirre. I
• 19:13
  Speaker 5: was his administrative, you know, assistant when I was working there.
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  Speaker 5: So coming here, so you don't expect the same thing
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  Speaker 5: right away. So, yeah, I work here. I started with,
• 19:30
  Speaker 5: you know, my cousin. She is a DON on the hospital.
• 19:34
  Speaker 5: So she referred me to her nurse friend as a
• 19:38
  Speaker 5: staffing coordinator.
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, you call nurses to... I have to
• 19:45
  Speaker 4: share a story.
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: So this is where I get my communication style, right?
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: So my mom, I remember she was... working from home.
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: And at the time, we had the cordless phone with
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: the antenna. And she would pick up the phone.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Hi, Dependable, this is Tisha. How may I help you?
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: And I remember her cadence and how she would speak
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: over the phone for customer service. And I picked up
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: a lot of that growing up because I would kind
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: of mimic my mom's her professional voice. So I can
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: always I will always remember her picking up the phone,
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: you know, with dependable.
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: That was the company.
• 20:17
  Speaker 4: Because, you know, I graduated. That's why I am.
• 20:23
  Speaker 5: I was not able to work in the television or
• 20:26
  Speaker 5: the station, but I was already hired.
• 20:28
  Speaker 4: But I switched.
• 20:30
  Speaker 5: I opted on working with BF Holmes. That's why when
• 20:34
  Speaker 5: I came here, I told Tony Rose, DJ, mass communication.
• 20:39
  Speaker 5: That's why she graduated in TV film, mass communication.
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: That's why she's here. So I work at home, yeah.
• 20:48
  Speaker 5: Like what she's saying, she heard me talking on the phone,
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: asking for nurses to be sent to the hospital.
• 20:56
  Speaker 4: And then....
• 21:00
  Speaker 5: I really wanted to pursue nursing because I already took
• 21:06
  Speaker 5: pre-nursing in the Philippines, but switched in mass communication because
• 21:10
  Speaker 5: I was told negative stories about nursing.
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: So I said, hmm. And my parents were not with
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: me that time. They were abroad. So when I was here,
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: I worked. I'd like to work to.
• 21:25
  Speaker 5: Continue, but Time or opportunity cannot because, you know, I
• 21:30
  Speaker 5: have kids.
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: I have three kids. And my husband said, just go
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: ahead and stay home. Work at home. Be the kids.
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: I'll do the, you know, I'll do the work. So
• 21:40
  Speaker 4: that's what happened.
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: But I have to remember, I have to bring this up,
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: is I think I did pursue communications because that was
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: kind of my interest in the beginning. I was never
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: into the clinical world or anything like that. And I
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: know growing up, you know, we always heard, oh, be
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: a nurse, be a doctor or be, you know, an
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: accountant or an engineer or something where it's a little
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: bit more stable. So I remember telling them that I
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: was going into the television world as a producer. And
• 22:06
  Speaker 3: I remember telling both you and dad and you had
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: this worry look like, are you sure?
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: Right. Because then they were like, no, just be a nurse.
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: I was like, oh, heck no. I'm not going to
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: go back now. I just graduated. I did my internship,
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: all the things.
• 22:21
  Speaker 3: So.
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: You know, in hindsight, of.
• 22:23
  Speaker 3: Course, we want to think about it and say, hey,
• 22:26
  Speaker 3: maybe I should have pursued it. But at the same time, no,
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: the journey continued. And I'm glad I stuck to, you know,
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: the field that I did because it did help me. But,
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: you know, we always have that stigma of, like, oh,
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: Filipinos are known to be nurses and engineers. Right. Which
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: is true because, you know, we push our next generation
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: to that career. But at the same time, you know,
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: it's a great career. Like Abby is a nurse and
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: she pursued it. So, you know, it's just a matter
• 22:58
  Speaker 3: of interest and maybe you can change careers later.
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: That's true.
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: You can be a dancer too.
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: And you can be a singer too. Yeah. So, yeah,
• 23:10
  Speaker 4: that's how it is, you know. And then.
• 23:12
  Speaker 5: I'm retired already, actually, but in 2024... I was here
• 23:23
  Speaker 5: in Las Vegas, you know, having fun, you know, as
• 23:25
  Speaker 5: a retired employee. I can just drive here and there,
• 23:30
  Speaker 5: you know, do my own thing. But one day my
• 23:34
  Speaker 5: cousin called me and she begged, Tish, can you come
• 23:38
  Speaker 5: over just to work temporarily for two months covering, you know,
• 23:43
  Speaker 5: the activity director in there. They have this adult day
• 23:48
  Speaker 5: health center there. So I said, no, I don't want
• 23:51
  Speaker 5: to work anymore.
• 23:53
  Speaker 4: Please, please.
• 23:54
  Speaker 5: And we are very close. She is my contemporary. So
• 23:58
  Speaker 5: now I went there the.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: Two months, three months, four months. And until now, I'm.
• 24:04
  Speaker 5: Still there working as activity director with senior citizens. So
• 24:11
  Speaker 5: I'm still active, though even they say that you're already retired.
• 24:15
  Speaker 3: No.
• 24:16
  Speaker 5: Even if you're retired, you know, I do exercise with
• 24:19
  Speaker 5: them every day. So I'm here enjoying until maybe it's
• 24:24
  Speaker 5: up to me when I want.
• 24:25
  Speaker 4: To stop already doing it. Then I can just stop
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: and then move on again.
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: And I think, too, with my birthday this past weekend,
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: you know, I'm going to bring this up because my mom.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: Is very resilient.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: She's very youthful and she's very much a lot a
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: lot of energy for for her age. Right. So a
• 24:43
  Speaker 3: lot of people mistaken her for a lot younger people.
• 24:46
  Speaker 3: And she just presents a little bit not your typical,
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: you know, person that is of her age.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: Right. So I don't want to give away your age
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: or should I? No, no.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: But yeah, so I look up to her because, you know,
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: no matter what. Life throws at her what has transpired
• 25:04
  Speaker 3: in our journey here. She's very much a strong-willed woman
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: and God-fearing. And Lola is also— we come from a very
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: strong family.
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: And Lola, she was the bunso of her family. clan.
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: So it was just, she was also a different type
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: of maternal for you, right? She was more of a
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: bunso where she was very much maternal and very loving.
• 25:34
  Speaker 4: And very loving.
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: Where my mom is just like, she was The first
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: in line.
• 25:40
  Speaker 4: She's a wonderful mother and grandmother to her.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: Yeah. So I just want to celebrate our, you know,
• 25:47
  Speaker 3: our journey as Filipino Americans coming to the States. You know,
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: growing up, it was it was it was a blessing.
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: We were able I remember the first house when we
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: got the house in Brantford. You know, my dad parked
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: right across the street every other, you know, so often
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: before we actually moved in. I remember I was in
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: a Toyota pickup truck in the in the extra bed.
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: And I was just looking, and I had no idea
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: what it took to get to that next level in
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: purchasing a home. And as a realtor, of course, now
• 26:17
  Speaker 3: it's like, oh, wow, you know, he really worked hard.
• 26:20
  Speaker 3: At the time, obviously, the economy was different, but it
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: gives you a lot of perspective as a parent, as
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: an adult now, to really understand what it took from
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: the Philippines to here. Yeah. If you're lucky enough to
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: be here and you have a career path that will
• 26:38
  Speaker 3: get you to success, there's no reason, rhyme or reason,
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: not to get to that.
• 26:42
  Speaker 4: That's true.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: Because our parents have done it and we can do it, too.
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about food.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: Oh. My favorite dish my mom makes for my birthday
• 26:53
  Speaker 3: is balabok.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: Yes. Let's talk about your palabo. I love her palabo.
• 26:57
  Speaker 4: Okay. I was in the Philippines. I've learned a lot
• 27:01
  Speaker 4: of cooking in the Philippines.
• 27:02
  Speaker 5: When I was still young, maybe in college, I always
• 27:07
  Speaker 5: watched my mom cook.
• 27:09
  Speaker 4: I helped cut everything. Though I don't cook yet, but
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: I kept on talking to her, asking her, Mom, how's this?
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: So I learned cooking. And then I learned how to
• 27:19
  Speaker 4: cook desserts from my in-laws, you know.
• 27:24
  Speaker 5: My husband, when we were still boyfriends, I frequented their place.
• 27:30
  Speaker 5: And the aunties cooking leche plan, cooking, yeah, the palabok,
• 27:35
  Speaker 5: I learned from them.
• 27:36
  Speaker 4: The bico. I love the bico. I love everything. So
• 27:39
  Speaker 4: when I came here, so I know already how to cook.
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: I do not rely on anyone's. And every time we
• 27:46
  Speaker 5: have a party, I think in a year's time, we
• 27:51
  Speaker 5: will celebrate at least four parties. And all of those parties...
• 27:58
  Speaker 5: You know, from scratch. I do not rely on catering.
• 28:03
  Speaker 5: I want to cook everything. Their dad helped me. He
• 28:07
  Speaker 5: loves to do the gulaman sago. And it's very hard
• 28:12
  Speaker 5: to cook the sago.
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: It's time consuming.
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: Yes.
• 28:15
  Speaker 5: And then I will call my sister and my mom
• 28:18
  Speaker 5: just to help me cut. And everything else, I am
• 28:21
  Speaker 5: the cook. Or sometimes because my sister knows how to cook,
• 28:25
  Speaker 5: I'll assign her the pancit. And then now when they
• 28:29
  Speaker 5: tasted my lech plan, so every time now, Mom, I
• 28:34
  Speaker 5: want lech plan.
• 28:35
  Speaker 4: I want lech plan.
• 28:37
  Speaker 5: They love also the palabok. We invented the sauce of
• 28:43
  Speaker 5: the palabok through my husband.
• 28:47
  Speaker 4: So, you know how you do the palabok from scratch?
• 28:50
  Speaker 5: But this one, instead of doing it from scratch and
• 28:53
  Speaker 5: doing this, yung pampalapot, he told me.
• 28:57
  Speaker 4: Why don't we just get that? Maybe you want to
• 29:00
  Speaker 4: get this idea, okay, when you love to cook palabok.
• 29:05
  Speaker 4: Bumili na lang tayo sa smart and final. Ayan na,
• 29:08
  Speaker 4: may ano na. Smart and final ng mushroom.
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: Cream of mushroom.
• 29:12
  Speaker 4: Cream of mushroom. Yeah, and it's true. And I tried it.
• 29:16
  Speaker 4: And it's easier. And it's much more better. Mas malapot.
• 29:23
  Speaker 4: Mas malapot. Tsaka talagang mas masarap.
• 29:25
  Speaker 5: Because may mushroom na pati yung cream.
• 29:29
  Speaker 4: Yun, yun ang isa sa gustong-gusto nila.
• 29:31
  Speaker 3: And then.
• 29:32
  Speaker 4: And then the ube. I love cooking ube. They love
• 29:36
  Speaker 4: it also. So when we have party, I always prepare.
• 29:40
  Speaker 3: Them.
• 29:40
  Speaker 4: And then if.
• 29:43
  Speaker 5: Anyone of our family will have a party, just, can
• 29:46
  Speaker 5: you cook this? My potluck is also like that, you know.
• 29:49
  Speaker 5: The ube, the lecho plan, and the bico. We also
• 29:52
  Speaker 5: cook the bico.
• 29:54
  Speaker 4: They love to eat. My husband is, oh my God,
• 29:57
  Speaker 4: he loves to eat. He loves four.
• 30:00
  Speaker 5: But at first, if he didn't like your food, He'll
• 30:04
  Speaker 5: tell me, let's not come back here anymore.
• 30:07
  Speaker 4: The soup is not good.
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: He's talking about restaurants, not people.
• 30:13
  Speaker 4: But he loves to cook.
• 30:15
  Speaker 5: His expertise in the food is the arroz caldo.
• 30:21
  Speaker 3: And he has this secret recipe.
• 30:27
  Speaker 5: Recipe for, it's a Japanese recipe for the chicken wings.
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.
• 30:33
  Speaker 4: So when he started doing that, cooking the chicken wings,
• 30:39
  Speaker 4: you know, everyone will say, why? This is so good.
• 30:42
  Speaker 4: How did you do it? Can we have the recipe? No,
• 30:45
  Speaker 4: it's secret. Secret.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 30:47
  Speaker 5: So they will ask it for, you know, patla. So
• 30:51
  Speaker 5: my husband is also a good cook.
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: Okay, well, speaking of food, let's ask you questions on
• 30:58
  Speaker 3: your favorite food, right?
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: Or what would you rather? Lumpia or barbecue?
• 31:07
  Speaker 4: I love the lumpiang sariwa.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 31:10
  Speaker 4: Yes, because of the sauce. Yes, I love it. I
• 31:14
  Speaker 4: love it.
• 31:14
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I know how to cook that. Especially with singkamas
• 31:20
  Speaker 5: and kamote.
• 31:21
  Speaker 4: Okay. Because it tastes a little bit sweet when we
• 31:24
  Speaker 4: use kamote.
• 31:25
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: What about ube or leche flan?
• 31:28
  Speaker 4: Oh, yeah. I love, I always use, what do you
• 31:33
  Speaker 4: call this? The pure one.
• 31:34
  Speaker 5: I do not mix, mix with something so that it'll
• 31:38
  Speaker 5: look like a lot or thing, no.
• 31:40
  Speaker 4: I use the ube, grated ube.
• 31:42
  Speaker 5: And then I use, I use the brand milk or
• 31:47
  Speaker 5: coconut milk.
• 31:48
  Speaker 4: Para kahit na medyo mahal. It tastes good. Same thing
• 31:52
  Speaker 4: with the lecho plan.
• 31:54
  Speaker 5: I choose the good brand of milk that I use.
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: Okay. What about long silog or bang silog?
• 32:01
  Speaker 4: Oh, this time, every weekend, I go chowking. Oh, advertisement. Chowking,
• 32:10
  Speaker 4: you heard it first. Chowking. I love their bang to sino.
• 32:16
  Speaker 4: The bang to sino.
• 32:19
  Speaker 5: It's not exactly every weekend, but if I can, I
• 32:22
  Speaker 5: will really go there before I do my walk because
• 32:25
  Speaker 5: I need to do walk also, maybe at least two.
• 32:27
  Speaker 4: Miles so I can, you know, keep my fit. And then,
• 32:33
  Speaker 4: that's it.
• 32:34
  Speaker 5: I love bangos. And oh, talking about bangos, I did
• 32:37
  Speaker 5: know that my mom loves the, you know, The tian,
• 32:41
  Speaker 5: you know, the tian of the bangus. So one time,
• 32:45
  Speaker 5: my sister cooked the daing bangus. And then when I said, oh,
• 32:49
  Speaker 5: I like the daing bangus. Do we have some more?
• 32:52
  Speaker 5: And then I saw the bangus, all the stomach.
• 32:54
  Speaker 4: Were gone, the tian. I said, who ate them? It's mama.
• 32:58
  Speaker 4: So my mom loves that too.
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: I just remember with bangus, there's a lot of tinek.
• 33:06
  Speaker 4: This is boneless anyway.
• 33:08
  Speaker 5: Okay.
• 33:09
  Speaker 3: Well, is there any advice for our Kababayan out there,
• 33:15
  Speaker 3: for anyone that's coming to the States, just kind of
• 33:18
  Speaker 3: to prepare the next generation?
• 33:21
  Speaker 4: Yeah. America is a good place. I think. Before. No,
• 33:29
  Speaker 4: it's still good at this time. But, you know, what's
• 33:32
  Speaker 4: going on right now? We have a lot of things
• 33:35
  Speaker 4: going on, especially this time. We have this Middle East
• 33:38
  Speaker 4: thing going on. The gas price is high.
• 33:41
  Speaker 5: But even though when you come here, come here and
• 33:45
  Speaker 5: then pursue your career wherever. You know, there are lots
• 33:49
  Speaker 5: of potential here. So just search.
• 33:53
  Speaker 4: And when you find it, then.
• 33:55
  Speaker 5: Move on that's what we did you know like me
• 33:58
  Speaker 5: when I was there in the Philippines I have this
• 33:59
  Speaker 5: but I cannot find it but I have something else
• 34:02
  Speaker 5: that I had and it worked so that's why we're
• 34:06
  Speaker 5: here and I have my three kids I have my
• 34:09
  Speaker 5: grandkids I have all of us are here my family
• 34:13
  Speaker 5: so when we go to the Philippines it's only visiting
• 34:16
  Speaker 5: right now so yeah come over and join us yes
• 34:22
  Speaker 5: join us the Filipino community.
• 34:25
  Speaker 3: Well, I'm really just happy to have had this time
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: to sit with my mom. We can go on and
• 34:31
  Speaker 3: on about stories and all the things that we want
• 34:33
  Speaker 3: to share. But, you know, I want to just pay
• 34:36
  Speaker 3: homage to my my family. You know, we come from
• 34:39
  Speaker 3: a huge family. And all you guys know, if you
• 34:41
  Speaker 3: come from a huge Filipino family, there's a lot of food.
• 34:44
  Speaker 2: A lot of music, a lot of parties.
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: They're not the same recently just because everyone's so busy and,
• 34:51
  Speaker 3: you know, with people being so far. But at the
• 34:54
  Speaker 3: same time, it's, you know, that's our culture.
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: We like to eat. We like to dance. We like
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: to sing.
• 34:59
  Speaker 5: To reunion, you know, we get together, especially with younger kids,
• 35:05
  Speaker 5: younger grandkids.
• 35:08
  Speaker 4: But now they're.
• 35:09
  Speaker 5: Grown up, so, you know, they have their own family.
• 35:12
  Speaker 4: We just get together also. But not as much as before.
• 35:18
  Speaker 3: So, Mom, thank you for joining me here on Mahalo Hollow.
• 35:21
  Speaker 3: Thank you so much for birthing me.
• 35:24
  Speaker 4: I'm honored to be your mother.
• 35:28
  Speaker 3: And, of course, our friends out there, I'm very thankful
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: to be able to share these kind of stories. I
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: know there's more that we can.
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: Next time you come, we'll just share more stories.
• 35:39
  Speaker 4: Oh, yes.
• 35:40
  Speaker 3: So you are watching Mahalo Hollow Las Vegas. I'm your host,
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: Toni Rose. You guys know you can catch us on YouTube. Instagram,
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: and on Amazon Fire TV. Listen to us on PHLV
• 35:51
  Speaker 3: Radio app or get us on podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: Until next time, we'll see you guys. Mabuhay.
• 35:57
  Speaker 4: Mabuhay.
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 35:58
  Speaker 5: Bye.