Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Vlog Ep. 117: Long Distance Board Gaming


Today's #BadutyPride episode is all about playing board games online! As our new normal doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon, continued maximization of online socialization options continues to be very important and we've been in quarantine too long to not play our favorite tabletop games with friends. 

So this video condenses our experiences of our own online board game adventures and all the different hoops we had to jump through just to get to play with our friends. Despite these oh-so modern times, connecting with your friends for these different digital board games isn't exactly easy, and being able to get past that hurdle is very important. But we survived the experience and still felt it was worth the experience. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by "Anon"! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Vlog Ep. 116: Sipping the Fabled Fruit


This episode of #BaduyPride was all about the legacy-style card game that is Fabled Fruit by Friedemann Friese. This unique Fable Game provides clever gameplay that changes over time, thus offering a nice balance between novelty, approachability, and challenge all at once.

We've racked up a lot of plays for this game since it's so easy to get into and the slowly evolving nature of the Fable Game system means that players don't get overwhelmed by needing to learn too many rules right at the start. Instead, you adapt to which locations are present at the time you make your decisions and make modest plans as best you can from that point on.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Vlog Ep. 115: The Christmas Episode


For this #BaduyPride episode, we decided to beat the holiday rush and talked about Christmas today since we know we'll busy for the actual holidays. So this extra long (but still sober) episode had us looking back at Christmases past and citing all the little things that have made our Christmases special.

With 2020 being the year where all holidays feel less special because of the pandemic, it was really nice to go on this particular holiday nostalgia trip. As much as Tobie and I have already shared a number of these stories with one another, it was interesting to hear them again and discover new things about Tobie's childhood on top of what I already knew. 

And no, I can't explain my urge to sing all those Christmas carols during the show.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Vlog Ep. 114: Finding Fandoms Together


Tonight's #BaduyPride was about the many different fandoms that Tobie and I share and some of the stories behind how we got into them. This episode focused on TV shows given that going through a show together is a pretty distinct couple's activity and a significant investment of time for both involved in order to to the end of the show.

At first, I was worried that this episode was going to be a weird run-through of shows we like that might sound more like a ramble for folks. But as we got through the list of shows and started bringing up specific memories of how we got started and why we fell in love with it - things really started to flow better and I found new insight into why this episode was a good one to tackle. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend Adrian! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Vlog Ep. 113: Interesting Twists with Citadels


#BaduyPride Monday nights are for tabletop games, and today's episode was about Citadels, the 2-8 player city building game that includes a very creative social deduction layer on top of things. We really love this game and appreciate not just its nuances for strategy, but also how easy it is for newer players to pick up given its fairly straightforward rules. 

It's hard to determine which aspects of the game I like most. Building the districts almost feels like an afterthought that just happens to dictate the final game outcome. I will always feel that more of the fun comes from how players choose roles each round and then ultimately see the results of their actions. The fact that players change roles every round does make for some interesting choices and thus the different twists and turns of each game that are different every time. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Vlog Ep. 112: Adulting Independently


Today's #BaduyPride episode was a requested discussion of tips and tricks for living independently. And based on the comments, it was clear that this was relevant to a number of viewers all about to or at least considering moving out from the family home. We did our best to cover different aspects of setting up on your own but of course, we'll never be experts - at least we tried!

It was interesting how a lot of the discussion bounced around the considerations of whether it was worth living in a condo (which tends to cost more) versus other arrangements. We tried to lay out the pros and cons as evenly as possible and one can't get away from the general convenience of organized communities like condominiums, especially given the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila. But Tobie and I still dream of getting our own actual house one day - maybe the cards will be in our favor in time. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend Kenny! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Vlog Ep. 111: 15 Years of O Bar


Tonight's #BaduyPride was a special celebration in honor of the 15th anniversary of O Bar. More than just another LGBT club, O Bar is really a second home for us and we wanted to pay tribute to it in our own way, even if it means retelling the same old stories.

There are so many reasons to love O Bar, but for us, it's obviously about the people and the sense of family we experience whenever we go. It's where it's easy to get to know who your waiters are given their names are literally on their shirts, but they also take the time to get to know you and will try to remember you for the next time you go. It's where drag is truly celebrated as an art form.

And we can't wait to be able to go back to O Bar safely. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Vlog Ep. 110: The One About Breaking Up


Today's #BaduyPride episode involved a rather heavy and serious topic that had gotten sent in and we wanted to handle it respectfully. Talking about break-ups is never easy but we did our best to share our perspective on the whole process from the time you identify there may be a problem to the aftermath of making that final decision.

In the end, break-ups aren't entirely tragedies in themselves. We try to focus on them being the best thing for both parties involved. Life continues on. Rediscover the person you were before the relationship. You are not the relationship. And you have many better days ahead.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by "anonicat"! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Vlog Ep. 109: Celebrating the Small Wins


Today's #BaduyPride episode definitely left us feeling good as we got to talk about all the small wins that make the days go by better. And so we embraced this episode about all the small wins like that first cup of coffee or connecting your phone to your charger just in time. 

It's less about toxic positivity, which would mean ignoring all the bad things in life to your detriment. Instead, it's recognizing that not everything is terrible and there are still reasons to smile. We had a similar episode before, but this one really tried to focus on the little things and I'm super glad that the people who joined the stream contributed some great examples of their own small winds. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Vlog Ep. 108: Getting a Bigger Boat with JAWS


Glad that we still got to push through with tonight's #BaduyPride episode about the Jaws board game, as inspired by the 1975 movie. While this isn't the first game based on the movie, this hidden movement game created by Prospero Hall and published by Ravensburger.

While Tobie already has a pre-existing love for sharks for some reason, this game is worth celebrating even without that. It naturally helps to play it after you've seen the original movie in order to better appreciate all the clever references and attention to detail in the game. But it's still pretty decent even without the movie scenario. Plus SHARK MEEPLE.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 107: Quarantine Check-in - Week 40


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was another Quarantine Check-in after our own de-stressing, time-out weekend. We are now entering our 40th week of community quarantine in Metro Manila and other locations in the country. And things remain largely the same, which is certainly disappointing in itself.

But I think this weekend has done us some good. This wasn't our most stressed-out episode of the show. And we had a lot of nice things to share because there's still a lot of good in our lives that we should be thankful for. We just need to square way Christmas gifts before we run out of time. This whole online gift-shopping experience is hard to juggle haha.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Vlog Ep. 106: TGIF Randomness


Last night's #BaduyPride started without an actual topic or plan but ended up being a really enjoyable hangout with many of the more regular Baduy Pride viewers. It was that weird case of not knowing what to talk about but wanting some sort of a social experience to kick off the weekend properly. 

We did cover a few things like all the big Disney/Marvel/Star Wars announcements made earlier that day and various random bits of pop culture news. We tried to cover some of the shows that we had been watching as of late and other bits of relevant news that we felt sharing. I totally lost track of everything we talked about over the 3+ hours of the live stream, but it did help us feel a little better after the busy work week. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Vlog Ep. 105: LGBT Movies and Shows


Today's #BaduyPride episode was all about those LGBT movies and TV shows that have stuck with us the most over the years. Whether they're outright favorites or just have a special place in our hearts, we did our best to cite different titles of interest with an admittedly obvious slant towards older movies. 

What a time to be alive though that it feels like there's new LGBT content out there every single day. And not just foreign stuff, but a lot of local productions as well. It wasn't always like this and I hope everyone appreciates how far we've come even though we still have a long way to go.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by RJ! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Vlog Ep. 104: Digital Decluttering


Today's #BaduyPride episode demonstrated how our viewers are obsessed with the way we organize our lives as tonight we talked about digital decluttering. Not sure if the original request was expected to go in the direction we did since we ended up talking about a bunch of different digital solutions for organizing this and that.

It should come as no surprise that I'm a big Google person and I've gotten Tobie onboard with a lot of Google solutions over the years, which is inevitable when you live together with someone for so long. So it's funny how a lot of this episode sounds like one long ad for Google products - but it's for good reason. They really make it easy to better organize one's files and such with all their cloud solutions. And I'm oddly excited about getting started on a Google One plan once I need the storage.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by Amos! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, December 7, 2020

Vlog Ep. 103 Competitive Tourism with Tokaido


Since we talk about board games on Monday nights, today's #BaduyPride was all about one of the most beautiful games we own - Tokaido! This travel game is somehow both very zen in mood but also very tight in terms of gameplay and always makes for a game experience that is fulfilling on many levels. 

The game really does celebrate the joys of travel. The fact that one scores points by buying souvenirs, visiting temples, enjoying hot springs, and eating good food, each game has players crafting a story based on their journey. And the many different characters make for varied gameplay options and other excellent gaming moments. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Vlog Ep. 102: Life Milestones


Today's episode of #BaduyPride ended up being surprisingly memorable - which I suppose was fitting as we were talking about different life milestones. While it took us a while to figure out what definition we wanted to work with in terms of what makes something a milestone and not just a goal or a niche experience, but the engaging comments from viewers helped us relax and just roll with things more.

And also, #FistKiss is now a thing. That and a potential International Cake Day episode slated for July 2021.

General conclusions include the fact that milestones can be positive or negative and aren't necessarily mandatory for everyone. Sometimes they're rather aspirational and in other cases, their potential is limited by other factors like one's economic reality or social status. But ultimately one can learn from them or maybe just pass through them and move forward keeping them in mind. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Andrei! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Vlog Ep. 101: Our Fandom Icons


Today's #BaduyPride episode was a late suggestion that felt timely enough. As we crossed the 101 episode mark, we opted to talk about our different icons and idols across our different areas of interest and found some interesting public figures that we liked.

I was initially hesitant to tackle this topic since I always feel like I don't have people that I "idolize" per se. It's not like the people we cited today are all people we want to be like or follow as role models. But they do represent people whose creative efforts we've come to love and it was nice to celebrate them in this little episode.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Friday, December 4, 2020

Vlog Ep. 100: Managing Relationship Diversity


Wow guys, we've hit 100 episodes for #BaduyPride. That's kind of amazing and sad all at the same time since we started this live stream vlog whatever show as a way to feel more connected with friends despite the lockdown. 100 episodes later and we're still in lockdown with the calendar year coming to a close.

But that's not the point. The point is our decision to finally talk about throuples and other more "diverse" relationship forms out there. In the end, a relationship is a relationship and it's always going to take a LOT of work to keep it going. And if everyone involved is on the same page and committed to making things work, then it totally stands a chance.

But what do we know? We're not like experts or anything. We're just two geeks who have no qualms about going online every night to talk about different topics for more than 30 minutes time and time again. 

Thanks for supporting the show. Here's to 100 more episodes! When do we get to do a show, not at our dining table? LOL

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Migs! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Vlog Ep. 99: Holiday Planning During a Pandemic


Just in time for Christmas, today's #BaduyPride episode was all about holiday planning ideas ranging from socially distant gift-giving and safety precautions for those limited gatherings you are inevitably going to get involved in. There are many ways to balance both safety and holiday traditions - you just have to set your mind to things.

Personally, we're still figuring out our own plans for this year and we hope to settle our Christmas gift shopping very soon. It could be prudent to wait for the 12.12 sales that are just around the corner, but it'll be tight in terms of delivery dates so we have to consider things carefully.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Vlog Ep. 98: Taking Off with the Thunderbirds


Today's #BaduyPride episode was ultimately about the Thunderbirds board game. But in order to properly celebrate the game, we first had to discuss the amazing show that had inspired the game and the legacy of the franchise that is still going strong today.

There's something wonderfully charming about the very concept of the non-violent efforts of International Rescue and how they use their amazing Thunderbird vehicles to perform daring operations all over the world. It's a classic piece of science fiction that reeks of 60's optimism that still feels somewhat timeliness or at least endearing when we look back at it now. And the fact that we still get to celebrate those classic adventures with the board game and all it's adorable miniatures just makes for more fun.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Vlog Ep. 97: Aggressive Sheep Trading with Catan


Monday nights are tabletop game nights for #BaduyPride and tonight we spent a good amount of time talking about (The Settlers of ) Catan! This now-classic modern board game is still a popular game at any game table with its interesting mix of strategy and luck and a lot of sheep trading.

The video also became a decent venue for me to continue to espouse my love for Star Trek Catan, which is the official reimplementation of the game using the original Star Trek TV series as the template. I super love this version and love to bring it out for game nights and it's still a pretty solid way to get into Catan with the mini-expansion The Helpers of Catan already built-in!

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Vlog Ep. 96: Quarantine Check-in - Week 38


As we approach episode 100, today's #BaduyPride episode was another of our Quarantine Check-in videos to see how everyone is, talk about how we've been coping with the world's longest lockdown, and generally take things slow tonight.

The big topic for this period is thinking about the coming holidays and which practices we'll still push through with and which ones may not be as safe to pursue. I know I keep saying that everyone has different levels of comfort with what risks they are willing to take considering the ongoing pandemic and that's obviously going to have a significant impact on the coming holidays. 

We hope that everyone continues to stay safe as best as they can. The pandemic isn't over yet. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 95: Saturday Night with Precious Paula Nicole


Despite some technical difficulties at the end, we super enjoyed last night's #BaduyPride episode with the one and only Precious Paula Nicole. We spent a good 2+ hours talking about her artistic career as a dancer and eventually a drag artist. It's a shame that Restream got buggy at the end even after restarting things, but such are the limitations of these technologies.

Here's the second stream and our formal extro for the episode for the record:



We'll definitely schedule a follow-up episode with Precious to continue the conversation along with more interview episode with other drag artists that we love. Last night's episode was a weird reminder that the technical constraints are always going to be there, but for as long as we continue to have fun, we'll continue to try to stream these Baduy Pride vlogs.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep. 94: What We're Grateful For


In line with Thanksgiving in the US, this episode of #BaduyPride was dedicated to everything we're thankful for as of late. And it was kind of amazing that we managed to reach past an hour just giving thanks for the things that have been going generally right despite how "colorful" 2020 has been.

And while we're not exactly embracing something akin to toxic positivity here, we do want to take time to just appreciate everything that's still going right. Counting your blessings is just as important as being on alert to danger and staying cautious given the circumstances. And this episode was a nice reminder for us and maybe for everyone who watched that things aren't as bad as they can seem at times.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Andrei! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Vlog Ep. 93: Gabbing About Groceries


Today's #BaduyPride was all about groceries, and yes we totally talked about this for a whole hour. But this is what quarantine has done to is all - it has made even mundane discussions about everything things become something worth talking about. So maybe it's not a bad thing.

I know Tobie and I are still quite cautious in terms of how we're managing our supplies throughout the quarantine since we're still not going together and trying to time the grocery runs for when there are fewer people out. But we get by and there are times that it's still an enjoyable activity. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Vlog Ep. 92: Interesting Game Components


We ended up having a Wednesday night #BaduyPride episode and got to talk about board game components that we find interesting! We tried to go beyond aesthetics (because there are so many games with beautiful pieces and miniatures) and went with some really novel ones that just blew our minds.

Some highlights include the unique game components of both Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Sky, the interconnected wheels of Tzolk'in, and of course, the pop-up board of Mythe. My love for Happy Salmon doesn't really count for this category - the fish is just very funnily cute to me.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Macoi! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Vlog Ep. 91: Music We Like


We drew a topic from the suggestion box and today's #BaduyPride episode was all about our top 10 songs! Tobie and I each came up with our respective lists in secret and only shared them with one another during the stream. And believe me, it wasn't easy to limit ourselves to just 10 songs, and we did invest a lot of time during the show to talk about other songs that didn't make the cut.

Our music choices really show how different Tobie and I are from one another. Tobie's list is a lot more eclectic and shows his diverse range of interests. My music choices were a bit more mainstream and closely tied to life events. But together...we're an even weirder couple. What songs do you all like?

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, November 23, 2020

Vlog Ep. 90: Making Noise for Clank!


This #BaduyPride episode is about one of the deck-building games that we've grown to love - the Clank! series. This unique game system found a way to combine the dungeon crawling experience with the deck-building mechanic in a fun and exciting way. 

So to recap, we strongly recommending both base games for Clank! and Clank! in Space most of all. These two games alone plus the benefits of the free Renegade app will give you a lot of gameplay experiences and variations and many good game nights for sure. And I say this regardless if you feel you're more a fantasy person or a science fiction person - both games provide solid experiences.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Vlog Ep. 89: Cartoons of the 2010's


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was all about different cartoons released in the 2010's. We once again relied on a list we found on the internet, but like many crowdsourced lists, it was terribly incomplete and we had to scramble to think of which other shows we enjoyed in recent years to add to the discussion.

But yeah, totally a lot of great gems in this decade including big favorites like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Star Wars: Rebels, Ricky and Morty, and BoJack Horseman. And there are still so many shows that we want to get into like Infinity Train and the Harley Quinn series, which we did not know existed until this episode.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, David! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Vlog Ep. 88: One Night with MC Black


I guess we spoke too soon about the anniversary episode being our longest yet. Last night's #BaduyPride live stream ran for over 4 HOURS because we had so much fun talking to fabulous O Diva MC Black! This was a great interview and a beautiful exploration of her career, her thoughts on drag as an art form, and with a surprise performance at the end!

Ever since we got to interview Turing, we knew that we wanted to coordinate with the rest of the O Divas for episodes and we're super appreciative that MC made time for us last night. And the range of topics that we covered and the many insights she shared were outright inspiring not just for drag artists but pretty much anyone wanting to better express their creative side.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!


Thursday, November 19, 2020

Vlog Ep. 87: Book Recommendations I


Wow, we thought tonight's #BaduyPride episode about reading material we'd recommend to viewers would be a quickie episode, but it ended up running for like 90+ minutes. It just goes to show that we read a LOT of different things and given the diversity of our interests, we end up talking about a lot of different titles to cover and consider.

If anything, this episode has inspired me to consider re-reading some books that I recommended to others or double-check whether or not I've finished the older series I cited. Tobie brought up a lot of great comics and/or graphic novels that I've been meaning to read as well as long as I can find the time to do so. Books are the gift that keep giving. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mamyaw! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Vlog Ep. 86: After Quarantine Thinking


Tonight's #BaduyPride was a quirky subject given we decided to talk about our plans (or in some cases just our speculations) for what kind of life we'll be comfy with once the government sees quarantine restrictions further. These aren't quite full-on post-COVID-19 plans since we figure the virus will be around to stay for quite a while before it gets anywhere close to being eradicated, so we'll still need to balance personal safety against social activities and the risks that come with that.

It will always boil down to what risks everyone is comfortable with and balancing that against the people we live with and also need to care for. It'll be a while before COVID-19 is at a truly manageable (read: safer?) level and in the meantime, it means still wearing face masks and practicing social distance as much as possible. But everyone is bound to make special exceptions whether for family, close friends, or even just particular activities that are very important to you. Choose wisely. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Andrei! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Eleven Years Together

Rocky and Tobie

2020 hasn't been a great year for a good number of reasons and it has acted like a wet blanket smothering out the joy out of everything ranging from birthdays to annual holidays and related events. All of our celebrations have been muted and certainly scaled back. The main way we've been able to involve friends and family in such festivities safely has been through shared video calls or similar online channels of interaction. 

But there is still a lot to be thankful for and we can't let something as "simple" as a global pandemic get in the way of marketing another great year together. As difficult as this quarantine period has been on everyone's mental health, we still need to appreciate how far we've come and what we still have.

Pardon the pun, but Tobie has been my rock throughout this difficult time. To be fair, he always has been. Even in times when I wasn't sure if I could believe in myself, I know that Tobie would always believe in me and remind me to keep going. When the walls feel like they're closing in, Tobie has always been there to provide comfort and strength. I rely on him for so much and can only do my best every day to offer the same degree of support in whatever way I can. That's just how we work - we constantly cheer one another on. We stay strong for the other when he falters because we are stronger together than apart as individuals.

Tobie helps to make even the most mundane moments feel special - and this goes beyond his cheesy dad jokes, his terrible puns, or his bizarre sexual innuendos. There's just something about him that makes every moment brighter and more joyful and I would not have achieved as much as I have in my life thus far without him inspiring me and uplifting me. He helps me to become better and I hope that I do the same for him whenever possible. 

I love you, Tobie. 11 years have gone by so quickly, but at the same time, they have been so rich, meaningful, and eventual. This year has just stressed that together we have the strength to survive something as crazy as a global pandemic and I know that together we can face anything else that life has to throw our way. And we're definitely not going to waste a single moment, especially once the quarantines finally get lifted and we can live more "normal" lives again. 

Monday, November 16, 2020

Vlog Ep. 85: Shufflebuilding with Smash Up


Monday nights are tabletop game nights for #BaduyPride, and today we ended up talking about the diverse worlds of the Smash Up card game created by Paul Peterson. On the surface, it can feel like an easy enough game to learn with a lot of diversity. But the attention invested into each of the factions provides a lot of depth of gameplay as well and there's a little something for everyone.

As much as we are the sort of gamers who like collecting all expansions whenever possible, Smash Up is definitely a game that has reached a point where one can just get factions based on interest without being a completist. Focus on the ones that interest you the most before you decide to commit to the line as a whole, I suppose.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mitch! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Vlog Ep. 84: Intro to Theater Appreciation


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode on theater appreciation went on a lot longer than expected, which just goes to show how much we miss watching live stage productions. But the conversation ended up being really enjoyable, especially with all the friends who participated in the session and added their inputs as well.

We may not be theater experts, but we are certainly passionate fans and we hope this video helps to get more people curious about and eventually interested in live theater, especially with so many online options available during this time of social distancing. The videos are a decent way in to get a feel for what types of shows one may like or dislike. But when the theaters re-open, I hope more folks will support the arts and help keep this medium alive.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Vlog Ep. 83: The Pre-Anniversary Episode


Last night's epic 3.5 hour #BaduyPride episode was so much fun and honestly felt like the best way to celebrate our upcoming 11th anniversary together with the special participation of our anak, Nico! We knew we'd have a fun time since we smuggled in Nico to join us live, but I don't think we were prepared for the many friends who join to join the stream and all the interesting and challenging questions they made us answer!

This quarantine period hasn't been the greatest time for celebrations, but everyone who have become regular viewers and participants in these live stream sessions helped to make last night's episode extra special. We love you all and we hope that we helped to make your Saturday night a little brighter.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Vlog Ep. 82: Our Sorta Lifehacks


We had to reschedule our special #BaduyPride episode featuring the fabulous O Diva Precious Paula Nicole to 27 November, so instead we ended up talking about our different little "lifehacks" (if you can even call them that) in terms of how we make our day-to-day routines at the Sietch a lot easier.

Beyond the typical domestic stuff that we had partly covered in other episodes like Who Does the Chores? and Cleaning Geekily. But we threw in some of the many ways that we also leverage online tools like YNAB and of course the different Google apps to cover all our bases. This episode may have also inspired a future episode dedicated to just talking to our Google Home Mini unit the whole night or something.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Vlog Ep. 81: Post Ulysses Check-In


Given the impact of Typhoon Ulysses (International Name: Vamco) across Metro Manila and Luzon as a whole, we figured it might be nice to do a check-in episode for today's #BaduyPride episode instead of something less relevant. The show has become one of our ways of socializing and keeping in touch with others and we wanted to reach out to everyone who regularly supports the show.

We hope that things get better for everyone sooner rather than later. We all need to do our part to help one another recover from this storm and continue to be more prepared for the next one. Our government response has been less than ideal more often than not, so in the interim we also need to do our part for the safety of our friends and family. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Vlog Ep. 80: Geek Storage Problems


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was all about the challenge of geek storage! It's hard enough to deal with one geek's collectibles, but what more two geeks who support one another fully and indulge them their individual and shared collections! 

I think our ultimate takeaway from this episode was to geek responsibly, really. Live within your means, maximize the potential of vertical storage solutions, like getting more shelving, and of course knowing when to decongest, digitize, and all that good stuff. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mark! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, November 9, 2020

Vlog Ep. 79: Local Tabletop Games in Our Collection


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was a celebration of local tabletop games - or at least the ones we own physical copies of in our collection. And we did this because this week also marks the Indie Fiesta, which is a mini-exhibition of independent games (both digital and analog). They've taken the event fully digital this year, which is a great way to still celebrate these creators.

While we do have a good number of local games, there are still so many others out there we've yet to find copies of or even try. It's a lot harder for these creators to even just produce these genes, what more figure out marketing and distribution. So little efforts like this can still help them get the word out and hopefully help them find more players and thus expand their audience.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Vlog Ep. 78: What We're Watching This November


As has become our monthly habit, today's #BaduyPride episode was all about the different shows and movies we've been watching as of late and what we're looking forward to. This included the end of our journey through the many, many episodes of Forensic Files and gushing over the new season of Star Trek: Discovery

But had to dedicate time to gush about the magical experience that was Kylie Minogue's Infinite Disco live stream event. Seriously, this was one of the best things we had experienced all quarantine and was fairly right up there when we watched her Aphrodite concert when it came to Manila. It was a concert and yet not a concert. It was a truly digital experience but also one that still felt as powerful as a live performance. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Vlog Ep. 77: Different Likes


Tonight's #BaduyPride was a lot of fun as we talked about the areas where Tobie and I like different things. From Tobie's love of the horror genre to my massive collection of books, our differences are just part of what has brought us together to be even more awesome together.

I'm surprised that this episode ran as long as it had given we were talking about our differences. It was already quite the colorful discussion when Tobie and I were hashing out the list of things over dinner, but it certainly made for a fun episode overall.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, David! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Vlog Ep. 76: Tabletop RPG Superstitions


This episode of #BaduyPride was all about Tabletop RPG Superstitions that both players and GMs seem to have. Personally, I don't think that Tobie and I have too many of these, so we made sure to look up some lists of popular superstitions just to see what else might be out there. And wow, people do have a lot of interesting habits.

But I do stand by one of my latter points in the video - the best superstitions are the ones that you share with your gaming group and end up celebrating together. You hang out with these people on a regular basis for hours on end and sharing these sorts of quirks and idiosyncrasies. Just thinking about them makes me miss playing with our friends in person. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Vlog Ep. 75: 80's Cartoons


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was a fun nostalgic exploration of the many 80's cartoons we grew up with! We try following along a list so we didn't just focus on our favorites and it made for a crazy exploration of our shared childhood experiences.

Yes, I probably remember way more about these shows than I show given my random ability to still sing snippets of the different cartoon theme songs. And while Tobie and I had exposure to different shows, it's clear that we still had a lot of similar interests or at least similar tastes when it comes to which shows we liked the most from this era.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Vlog Ep. 74: Work Stories


Wow, we totally weren't expecting this #BaduyPride episode to run for over an hour, but I guess talking about our different jobs over the years and our respective career journeys was a lot more relatable to people than expected. And we super appreciate everyone who joined us for this episode and gave so much life to the discussion.

So for people who want to cut to the chase, Tobie works in the field of game design and I (Rocky) work in digital marketing operations. It took us a while to get to this point and we got lucky that we were given opportunities to take our careers in these directions. Work is also a journey of discovery in itself.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, November 2, 2020

Vlog Ep. 73: Gardening with Takenoko


Mondays are generally board game discussion days for #BaduyPride and today we talked about the ever-adorable Takenoko created by Antoine Bauza. This game combines a variety of interesting game mechanics including tile-laying, scoring objective cards, and other fun stuff all in one beautifully designed game.

Takenoko is always a welcome part of any game night for us as it's easy enough for newer players to get into but still provides a good challenge for everyone regardless of skill level. And as we repeatedly mentioned in the video, the beauty of the game makes it highly Instagram-friendly, if you're into that sort of thing for your games.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Vlog Ep. 72: Quarantine Check-in - Week 34


After the limited Halloween festivities and the stress over the ongoing typhoon, we figured another quarantine check-in episode for #BaduyPride was warranted to slow things down and reach out to our regular viewers. These episodes are very free-flow in format and the discussions pretty look, but we do honestly want to support everyone in our own way given the craziness of our present circumstances. 

Halloween was very different this year but we still had a good time in our own way. I hope that everyone else also enjoyed their weekend one way or another - we all deserve reasons to smile and feel good about life. And it would be prudent to think about online shopping plans for the holidays in order to not get too bogged down by the Christmas rush. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Friday, October 30, 2020

Vlog Ep. 71: Tabletop Drinking Games


It's a Friday night and we brought out the drinks and a tower of games and decided to talk about different games that work as drinking games! While we don't typically do a lot of drinking while gaming, we figured we've had enough experience to take this topic on and I think we had some decent fun with it. 

So to recap, trick-taking games are good if you want an excuse for people to take shots from time to time. Medium difficulty games are okay earlier in the night and can still be fun but don't push heavier stuff as the drinks keep flowing. Play games that have minimal components to lose or destroy and don't get too married to your games in this respect. Just have fun with it.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Vlog Ep. 70: Time Travel in Popular Media


This episode of #BaduyPride is all about the different depictions of time travel in popular media! We tried to focus on TV shows and movies but like time travel itself, the many possibilities sort of got away from us in time. The big challenge is that it could just be about time travel being an important part of the story or it's just some sort of framing device that sets up the story and not much beyond that.

I guess the best value of the episode is helping introduce you all to more time travel shows and movies that you may not have covered before. We had a really long list and so we could only speak about each one very succinctly, but it makes for quite a list of interesting media to explore.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Mai! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Vlog Ep. 69: The Naughty & Nice Episode


Well, here it is - the 69th episode of #BaduyPride. People wanted things to get crazy naughty. We wanted to keep things kind of nice. So we ended up with an episode that tried to dance along that fine line in terms of things that we love and enjoy that are both Naughty and Nice.

So we ended up talking about a lot of different tabletop games including a few RPG systems that totally celebrate that naughty & nice feel. We covered a few examples of popular fiction including webcomics that are also cheekily naughty without crossing too many lines. I have to admit, this turned out to be a more interesting thematic episode than expected. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Monday, October 26, 2020

Vlog Ep. 68: Fluxx Overload


Today's #BaduyPride episode was all about Fluxx: The Ever-Changing Card Game. I was kind of surprised at just how many different editions of the game we own and it just speaks to our love for the franchise, I suppose. Plus it feels like there's a Fluxx for every occasion. 

Fluxx is definitely one of our favorite gateway games as it's pretty easy to learn for players of all backgrounds. And since there are so many versions that tie to different franchises, then it makes it even easier to get new players into the game.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Kenny! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Vlog Ep. 67: About Sesame Street


We love getting suggestions for #BaduyPride episodes since they can lead us to some pretty unexpectedly fun episodes. And this one all about Sesame Street turned out to be quite the delightful nostalgia trip for us and probably everyone else who grew up with the show and were with us during the stream. 

Sesame Street is an institution in itself and I feel like the animated nature of the discussion just reflects how many lives were changed by those lovable Muppets and all the other characters who called 123 Sesame Street home. And it's great that the franchise continues to go strong and will help teach new generations of children essential lessons they need to know.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, David! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Vlog Ep. 66: Random Hangout I


I guess it really ways something that we were able to fire up the webcam for a #BaduyPride episode without a firm plan in mind and ended up having close to two hours of fun talking about a lot of different things including Halloween plans, horror movies, and a bunch of other fun stuff. But really, this episode would not have been possible without the support and participation of everyone who continues to watch our live streams and join in the conversation.

We continue to create these videos as a way to continue to reach out to friends and stay somewhat socially connected to people despite the need for physical distancing and all that stuff. And I hope that the show also helps people in this regard - we all have to help one another to get through this pandemic.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Vlog Ep. 65: Choosing Family Within LGBT Circles


A friend suggested we talk about "Cliques, Barkadas, and Family within the Community", but we figured that it was a little better to just focus on the concept of the LGBT tendency to create alternative families as a support structure to stay in theme with #BaduyPride episodes in general. 

Beyond inevitable references to our own family, Pamilya Egg, we also took some time to sort of go over our respective social journeys and how that may lead up to the friendships we've formed and fostered as LGBT individuals. And as this was a Friday session, it was pretty chill and maybe a little rambly once the alcohol kicked in. But on the whole, it was a fun session.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Jobo! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Vlog Ep. 64: Dwarven Farming with Caverna


It will be quite a long while before we run out of board games to cover on #BaduyPride, and that's not a bad thing at all. Today we talked about Caverna, the quirky dwarven farming game created by Uwe Rosenberg that combined two worlds I never really expected could belong together.

This is definitely a good example of the sort of big games that we like even when they can take an hour or two to play. And we hope this video helps make the game feel a bit more approachable and perhaps even less intimidating than before because we do love it and hope to get more people interested in at least trying it out. Plus aren't all the wooden animal tokens super cute? 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, GM! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Vlog Ep. 63: Creating Characters for TRPGs


We don't often have #BaduyPride episodes on Wednesdays, but our not having a Vampire TRPG session today freed up some time. But in honor of that, we dedicated today's episode to talking about our thoughts on creating characters for tabletop role-playing games and tips for making sure these characters have a better chance of supporting the stories of your gaming group.  

I guess you could consider this a tips video for players new and old, but of course, these are ultimately just opinions and hardly rules that everyone should follow. We can only speak from our experience with different players and the like and share what worked for us. We hope you find some uses in what we had to share! And we'd love to dedicate more episodes tot talking about different aspects for the hobby.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Vlog Ep. 62: The Fantasy Worlds of Jim Henson


Tonight's #BaduyPride episode was a bit of a change of pace as we ended up talking about different Jim Henson fantasy franchises that we've come to love. And that had us diving into the worlds of The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the tales of The Storyteller. What's not to love given these different entertainment experiences that used the magic of puppets to bring them to life?

And beyond the movies and TV shows, we also got to celebrate the fact that these different properties have their share of expanded fiction including young adult novels and comic books. And for even more fun, there are different tabletop games including board games and the Labyrinth RPG, which is a beautiful celebration of the movie. 

This was a community-contributed topic partially attributed to Deet! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.


Monday, October 19, 2020

Vlog Ep. 61: Traveling the Great Western Trail


Over time, Mondays have become tabletop gaming days for #BaduyPride and today's episode celebrated the surprisingly fascinating game of Great Western Trail as created by Alexander Pfister. As if I didn't already love cows as much as I did before this game. But throw in a deck-building element? Oh yeah totally sold.

I'm glad that Tobie was able to secure a copy of the game for our collection after spending quite some time looking for one. He's now obsessing over all the different promotional expansions that had been released at different events, however, I highly doubt we'll find them anytime soon. Fingers crossed for now.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Vlog Ep. 60: Quarantine Check-in - Week 32


As we begin our 32nd week in lockdown here in Metro Manila, we figured it was a good time for another Quarantine Check-in episode fore #BaduyPride. We know that a number of our friends have been struggling this month and this episode was our contribution to everyone's mental wellness.

These episodes primarily consist of stories of our week and the things we ended up thinking and feeling because of that. And this week's adventures included us going to the mall together after almost 3 months (scary!) and recent online calls with friends really making a big difference. Everyone's dealing with this lockdown in their own way and we shared a few of our own ideas that may help some of you.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Friday, October 16, 2020

Vlog Ep. 59: Digital Dating


Because we enjoy letting our Friday night episode run a little longer, tonight's alcohol-empowered #BaduyPride episode was all about dating in this digital age! People had asked how social media had impacted our dating lives (which it hadn't), so we ended up talking about what we do think of the modern dating world and what fundamentals still apply.

But yeah, I think our core advice to people remains the same regardless of the medium. Be honest  - sell yourselves as you and not someone you hope to be. Figure out what your non-negotiables are. Be open to meet new people. Be clear in communicating what you expect out of a person or an encounter.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico, and butterfly 2.0! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Vlog Ep. 58: Conspiracy Theories


I can't believe we actually did a Conspiracy Theories episode for #BaduyPride, but here we are. And on top of that, we're probably going to have another one someday given the response to this video and how lively the discussion ended up being. I guess people really like this stuff - including Tobie, apparently. Who knew, eh?

But all kidding aside, this was way too big a topic for a single episode and maybe we'll dedicate time to the sub-topics or individual conspiracy theories one day. The aliens discussion alone took up a lot of time in this episode because there are so many nuances to it and different aspects worth looking into. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Kenny! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Vlog Ep. 57: Cleaning Geekily


I don't quite understand why a number of our #BaduyPride-watching friends are so amused about Tobie and me talking about the chores around the Sietch for some reason. But here we are with another episode about how we clean things because people asked for it.

To keep things interesting, I tried to focus go beyond just discussing our cleaning approach but also throwing in some tips in terms of what works for us. That inevitably resulted in a lot of discussions about the use of baking soda for cleaning different things, because I really love baking soda. Go figure.

This was a community-contributed topic shared by our friend, Kenny and Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Vlog Ep. 56: Sheep-Fueled Dike Building with Lowlands


We've been dedicating our Monday nights to different tabletop games, particularly board games and card games and other fun stuff. Tonight's #BaduyPride was about Lowlands, a worker placement game created by Ralf and Claudia Partenheimer. Beyond providing an overview of the games, we also talked about some strategies players can try and of course some of our different experiences with the game. 

When I look at our game collection, it's funny what sorts of themes and concepts are covered by these games. Why do we have so many games about farming? It's not like we're interested in moving to the countryside to raise sheep or other livestock. But here we are with games like Lowlands and Caverna and we absolutely delight in playing them.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Vlog Ep. 55: What We're Watching This October


This weekend has been pretty busy, but we still pushed through with a #BaduyPride episode for today. And as we're trying to keep Sundays a bit more chill, we just talked about the different shows and movies that we've been watching (and re-watching) as of late. It certainly made for a good round-up of the different programs that have helped to make our quarantine a little less stressful.

Major shout-out to great experiences like Inside No. 9 and Star Trek: Lower Decks certainly. I think those two shows are some of the major highlights for the past month. We're also looking forward to the likes of Star Trek: Discovery and Unsolved Mysteries coming back for new seasons this month as well.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Pamilya Egg 2020

Pamilya Egg 2020

It's only natural that this pandemic and the 200+ day lockdown that Metro Manila and other parts of the Philippines have been subject to has left me thinking a lot about our friends. A time of social distancing means that we don't get to see our friends in person anymore apart from maybe carefully arranged meetings while maintaining physical distancing and wearing several layers of personal protective equipment. And that isn't all that great an experience, especially when it comes to our circle of LGBT friends where hugs and other forms of somewhat more casual intimacy are normal ways to greet one another. 

This pandemic has really taken a lot away from us.

And this month really has me thinking about Nico and Pamilya Egg, because yes, this is still a thing. In this period where we have been kept away from our friends, then all the more I miss particularly important friends like our Anak. My friendship with Nico is technically older than my relationship with Tobie because he was our number one supporter even before we got together. You should know how the story goes by now.

It's amazing on so many levels that we've remained friends this long. And beyond that, we've remained as a sort of family as well. And it's not like this has manifested in us hanging out all the time or even talking all that much in the pre-pandemic period. But there's no questions that we're a sort of LGBT family, a family of choice that supports one another but also has a healthy respect for everyone living their own lives.

In a recent conversation, Nico mentioned that he can't even imagine us not being in one another's lives. And that's an amazingly powerful statement when you think about it. We often talk about romantic relationships as being something that should last forever, which is totally great. But how often do you really consider a friendship with a similar level of permanence? At least for me, I've never really made that promise often (or lightly). Being a good friend is hard and takes a lot of work and not everyone is built for that.

But Anak has the right of it - I cannot even conceive of a possibility that we won't remain good friends. He's very important to me and Tobie and I really enjoy spoiling him with the occasional gift here and there because he always appreciates them wholeheartedly. I've had the privilege of being around as he's gone through many life milestones and has worked his way up the corporate ladder and actually advanced his career quite well over the years. I guess you can call me a proud parent in this regard! hahaha

In this time of uncertainty and fear over a disease that seems almost unstoppable, we need to hold on strongly to the people who are most dear to us. And as much as so many friends have come and gone in our lives, Nico has stuck around for us and so have we in turn. And I feel amazingly blessed that this is the case. It is a gift to have a friend stay around this long and it's equally precious to feel this genuinely strongly for a friend as well. And this lockdown has reminded me to be thankful and remind Nico of this as well.

11+ years and counting, Pamilya Egg is still going strong. 

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Vlog Ep. 54: Indoor Night Out


I guess we were inspired our first guest episode with Turing Quinto, so we ended theming this episode of #BaduyPride such that we can still have guests involved. In this case, we decided to talk about our favorite memories of nights out and asked our friends to jump in and share their own stories.

I have to admit, this quickly turned into a gathering of close friends that just happened to be online. We hope that you enjoyed a taste of the camaraderie we've formed at O Bar (primarily). This pandemic is a tough challenge for all of us but we can still find ways to stay connected with our friends and focus on the better times ahead. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Friday, October 9, 2020

Vlog Ep. 53: #TURSday Thursday with Turing Quinto


Our 53rd episode of #BaduyPride features our very first guest - the lip-sync assassin of O Bar, Turing Quinto! This fabulous drag artist is known for some very compelling performances and has found ways to expand her creative efforts to the digital space during this challenging period of lockdown.

You can follow Turing on her different social channels here:

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Vlog Ep. 52: Board Games You Can Play Alone


Today's #BaduyPride episode was dedicated to offering people single-player board game options to help get through the quarantine better. We recognize that not everyone shares a home space with someone they can play games with, so it's good to check out what's out there.

Beyond going through our collection of board games that have single-player options along with suggesting a few apps, I also want to document the automata resource that Tobie shared during the game. This basically adds single-player mechanics for different games to make it sort of playable alone - so that's a bit more bang for your buck in terms of game options. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Macoi! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Monday, October 5, 2020

Vlog Ep. 51: Life and Death in the Village Board Game


Monday nights are tabletop game nights for #BaduyPride, and today we tackled the unique strategy game that is Village, created by Inka and Markus Brand and published by eggertspiele. In this video, we give an overview of the game and some of the basics of how their two expansions, Village Inn and Village Port, work. 

Sorry, I get a little crazy when it comes to the death aspect of this game, but it really is a fun aspect of things and a key scoring option that needs to be managed to ensure victory in the end. Beyond that, we're also super excited to start hosting guests, soon!

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Vlog Ep. 50: Quarantine Check-in - Week 30


As Metro Manila enters its 30th week in community quarantine, we dedicated our 50th #BaduyPride episode to a sort of live check-in with everyone to see how people are doing under the rigors and stress of this extended lockdown. This was another content experiment of sorts as we figure we can do episodes like this every so often and just slow things down a bit to reconnect and breathe together.

A lot of tonight's musings were triggered by the O Bar House Party Queens Zoom event last night, that was a nice taste of the old normal life, in a manner of speaking. While we had a lot of fun celebrating the fabulousness of the O Divas even if just online, it also ended up being a reminder of all the things we missed about our old lives and the freedom to go out whenever we wanted to.

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Vlog Ep 49: Our Experiences with the Local Queer Scene


We've been taking advantage of using Friday nights for longer #BaduyPride episodes, and our 49th one was all about our diverse experiences with the local queer scene over the years. It was an interesting retelling that started with our solo adventures before we got together and culminated with everything we love about O Bar.

We also took some time to share some of our experiences with foreign LGBT spaces in the US, Singapore, and Thailand, just to sort of compare and contrast those spaces versus the bars at home. This video ran for a good 90 minutes and we really enjoyed all the comments that came in during the stream that made things extra special.

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Kenny! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Vlog Ep. 48: The Imperial Settlers Universe


Tonight's #BaduyPride had us talking about a literal empire of games that we enjoy greatly - this being the Imperial Settlers universe of games that includes the original Imperial Settlers (and its expansions), Imperial Settlers Roll & Write, Imperial Settlers Empires of the North (and its expansions), and now the campaign added by Imperial Settlers: Rise of the Empire.

I think longer-term Baduy Pride viewers should recognize by now that (1) we love a lot of the games designed by Ignacy Trzewiczek, and (2) we love a lot of the games released by Portal Games. And we're not ashamed of this fact - we like what we like and there's a lot to LOVE when it comes to this brilliant tabletop game company. 

While we chose today's topic, we're always open to suggestions! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured as the focus for an episode!

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Vlog Ep. 47: Our Personal History with Handheld Gaming Consoles


In another rare video game-related episode of #BaduyPride, tonight we ended up talking our personal history with handheld gaming consoles going back to various Game and Watch type games and Brick Games all the way to the PSP and the quirks of why we don't own a Nintendo Switch. 

The biggest challenge of this topic, at least for us, is how we've largely moved away from consoles and have focused a lot more efforts on board games. And when it comes to casual gaming on the go, it's hard to deny the power of the smartphone as a gaming device, so that's really something to consider. 

This was a community-contributed topic originally shared by our friend, Pico! If you have ideas for future video discussions, feel free to fill out this Google Form and your idea may be featured in a future video.
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