Occupational Hazards Occupational Hazards

How strong are your senses? Certified sommelier Gigi V earned her pin through the Court of Master Sommeliers by acing their blind taste tests – “determining the variety, vintage, and region of a wine using only the senses: the appearance of the wine, its nose, and its effect on the palate.” 

Sexy as that may sound, Gigi insists her job is the opposite of glamorous. She joins the pod to give a frank and hilarious look behind the scenes of the fine dining industry. [If you’ve dined at Antonio’s at PGA Cars, M Dining, Vask, The Tasting Room at City of Dreams, Chef Jessie, or bought wine from Wine Drop (by AWC/Txanton), chances are you’ve come across her work.]

She discusses her origin story, including foreign exchange programs and how a mentor at the Culinary Institute of America unlocked the magic of food and wine pairings for her, changing the course of her career. After graduating at the top of her class at CIA, she moved to the world of wine from the culinary side
and never looked back.

We chat Old World vs. New World, natural wines, and the benefits of being multi-lingual (think being the only one who could translate for Chinese tourists in the casino and the French head chef).

We came out of this interview praying she’d release a Kitchen Confidential-style tell-all à la Anthony Bourdain. This pod ep will have to do… for now.

This episode is dedicated to everyone in the service industry.

---

Follow Gigi on IG @gigi.vin.wein.vino or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigi-v-513376b/

More on her work at:

https://www.tatlerasia.com/dining/the-industry/must-know-sommeliers-in-the-philippines

https://www.esquiremag.ph/food-and-drink/drink/best-cheap-wines-a1570-20190409-lfrm

https://www.esquiremag.ph/food-and-drink/drink/best-wines-in-the-philippines-a00287-20190325-lfrm2

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/305322/license-to-drink-what-it-takes-to-be-a-sommelier/story/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under ⁠⁠Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License⁠⁠

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message

How does a cancer diagnosis change one’s life?

Real estate professional and former lawyer Timothy Lim joins us on the pod to discuss how he parlayed his bout with the disease into an advocacy for medical cannabis and fuel to launch the head shop Lion Labs and all its offshoots.

He discusses a potential path to legalization in the Philippines, policy differences in the Asian region, as well as vested interests and barriers to legal reform. Most striking was how he is not dwelling on setbacks, but seizing opportunities instead. While we covered some serious ground, Tim infused the conversation with good humor and optimism.

This episode is dedicated to anyone with an open mind, heart, and ears.



DISCLAIMER: THIS PODCAST DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Consult trusted experts like your doctors, health professionals, and lawyers. Do know and abide by the laws wherever you are. 



Philippines

- LawPhil: Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2002/ra_9165_2002.html

- Rappler: House revives talks to decriminalize marijuana use in the Philippines

- TNL: Meet the First Medical Cannabis Party in Asia



Netherlands

- Wiki: Cannabis in the Netherlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_the_Netherlands



USA

- Wiki: Legality of Cannabis by US Jurisdisction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._jurisdiction

- ⁠Vera Files: Drug War Confessional (John Ehrlichmann)⁠ https://www.vera.org/reimagining-prison-webumentary/the-past-is-never-dead/drug-war-confessional

- Vox: Was Nixon's war on drugs a racially motivated crusade? It's a bit more complicated.



Singapore

- NPR: Singapore executes man for coordinating the delivery of cannabis https://www.npr.org/2023/04/26/1172112509/singapore-executes-man-delivery-of-cannabis



Thailand

- CBS: Thailand becomes 1st Asian nation to largely legalize marijuana (medicinal & industrial use only, with limits for tourists) https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/thailand-marijuana-cannabis-legal-medical-personal-use/;

- Washington Post: Marijuana is now legal in Thailand. What does that mean for tourists? Visitors can take edibles and smoke pot for medicinal purposes, but lighting up in public is still illegal https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/06/14/marijuana-legal-thailand-tourists/

- Lonely Planet: Cannabis is now legal in Thailand, but it's complicated: what travelers need to know https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/thailand-cannabis-guide

---

Follow Tim's ventures at ⁠https://thelionlabs.com⁠

Follow on IG @lionlabsph @liongalleryph @lionradioph @kona.ph @raion.mnl



For more on the MedCann movement in the Philippines, refer to

Philippine Cannabis Compassionate Society / Cannahopefuls

Sensible Philippines

CannaLegal

---

Podcaster's Note: Below are interviews with Michael Pollan, a professor at Harvard and Berkeley professor who has written at length about plant medicine and the legalization of various substances. He investigates questions such as: What does it say about a society when many simple plants are banned, while Big Pharma’s opioids, the most dangerous drugs (i.e. nicotine and alcohol), and one of the most addictive (caffeine) are legal? When is a substance deemed socially acceptable?

Michael Pollan on Dax Shepherd

Michael Pollan on Goop

Michael Pollan on Tim Ferris

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under ⁠Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License⁠

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message

Who needs a drink?

Joel Darwin is a craft brewer, one of the partners at Palm Tree Abbey, a nanobrewery based in Manila, Philippines with experimental brews inspired by everything from the unique ingredients found in the tropics to the Philadelphia roots of two of the founders.

Joel joins us on the pod to discuss the history of beer (everything from ancient civilizations to psychedelic cult rituals), the brewing process, and how it brings people together.

When he’s not brewing, Joel also serves as managing director of Natural Selection Design, a boutique design studio he co-founded with his wife Marla. Aside from brand development and identity design, they are known for their print and environmental graphics, including naming and packaging for various beloved F&B brands.

Joel also previously co-founded the start-up Learn Talk, served as a corporate trainer and English instructor, and worked in the field of curriculum development. His communication skills are very much on display on the pod, as was his empathy. Our favorite parts were listening to him talk about how his daughter inspired his work, and the advice he gave to people having a rough time with the pandemic, as framed in terms of brewing and the harvest.

This episode is dedicated to everyone experimenting and starting new things, including everyone who just brought a baby into the world (whatever shape or form that took). Cheers to you.

---

Follow Joel on IG @darwinpants and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-darwin-60048799/

See @nsdesign.ph or https://nsdesign.ph for his branding work

Follow @palmtreeabbey for videos of home, and more food and beer pairing suggestions

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message

Why was Voltes V banned in the Philippines during Martial Law? Concerns about the effects of violence on children, said the official statement. Perhaps the mecha anime's theme of young resistance fighters battling an oppressive regime hit too close to home for the censors, others opined.

Stories have power, as we discuss with Laurianne Uy, a storyboard artist and comic creator from Manila, Philippines now based in LA whose work has appeared in film, TV, print, and online.

She started drawing comics about her favorite characters in 1997 and also served as art editor for her high school and college newspapers. Laur went on to major in History of Art at the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in and wrote her honors thesis on manga and female representation. In 2012, she won a Xeric grant and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for her self-published young adult comic series "Polterguys."

She successfully deployed her lifelong passion for drawing and storytelling to a career in animation by 2017. She is currently a Story Artist for Skydance Animation, and has also worked as a Storyboard Artist for DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Titmouse, Wild Canary Animation, Activision, and Soapbox Films. She has worked on storyboard animation for properties such as Star Trek, Madagascar, Cleopatra in Space, Deathstroke, and Puss in Boots.

She gets real about being lost in her twenties, finding her way back to her first love of drawing, turning down movie offers to adapt her comics, how the manga and anime fandom went mainstream, as well as universal advice on the dangers of burnout and the importance of boundaries between our personal and professional lives.

This episode is dedicated to all artists making their voices heard and standing up for truth in darkness... and to all our Filipino listeners who showed up at the polls on May 9. Representation matters, as Laur said. Stories matter, too -- and we are still writing our collective story as a nation.

We hope this episode (recorded in 2021) brings you joy in these times.

---

Follow Laur on Twitter (@Laurbits) or visit her website laurbits.com
View her portfolio at https://laurbits.weebly.com/
Read her YA graphic novel "Polterguys" at laurbits.com/Polterguys or polterguys.laurbits.com

---

Other topics discussed:



Voltes V 

https://www.spot.ph/entertainment/movies-music-tv/83558/voltes-v-martial-law-explainer-a4362-20200913-lfrm



Philippine Animation Industry

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/04/02/animation-and-the-filipino/

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/FilCartoons

https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/top-20-cities-worldwide-animation-careers



Intellectual Property Suits

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/comic-books-and-the-law-talking-with-michael-lovitz-about-ips-and-sdcc/

https://www.cbr.com/unpacking-the-kirby-reclamation-case/



Oni Press 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni_Pre



Penny Arcade

https://nwasianweekly.com/2014/01/lifes-game-leap-faith-turns-comic-strip-successful-gaming-company/

https://www.geekwire.com/2016/penny-arcades-robert-khoo-steps-15-years-helm/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message

How do you solve a problem like Manila traffic?

Transport planner and transport economist Anton Siy develops solutions and strategies for public and private authorities looking for ways out of traffic congestion, educating us all on how to "move people, not cars" and the dangers of "induced demand" (or why just adding more roads makes things worse).

As Head of Pasig Transport, Anton handles local transport planning & policy, road safety, and e-mobility for Pasig, a city in Metro Manila with nearly a million residents.

On a national level, he previously worked with the Philippines' Department of Finance from 2013 to 2015, where he was part of the multi-agency team that helped launch various Public-Private Partnership Projects for transport infrastructure.

From 2015 to 2016, Anton studied at the University of Leeds' Institute for Transport Studies through a Chevening Scholarship, where he earned an M.A. in Transport Economics with Distinction. He also holds an M.S. in Finance from Boston College and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University.

On this episode, we discuss what Manila can learn from other global cities, how his office managed the lockdowns of 2020, and building consensus despite opposition from some stakeholders (like his work establishing dedicated bike lanes along car-filled streets – the data doesn’t lie!).

This episode is dedicated to all the urban commuters and anyone who puts collective welfare above personal gain.

---

Follow Anton on Twitter (@goodkidbikecity) or read his writing https://visor.ph/section/wisdom/passenger/



Catch his other interviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdVnXmplIzM

https://www.rappler.com/nation/256041-interview-anton-siy-commuting-coronavirus-lockdown/

https://www.firstbikeride.com/cyclists/cycling-and-transport-lessons-from-pasig-transport-chief-anton-siy/

https://open.spotify.com/episode/25LwpQDhxLCvdWdF30NYVZ



Aside from his work in government, Anton has amassed numerous followers for his cycling advocacy, thought leadership, and various collectives that aim to rethink urban planning and prioritize the needs of pedestrians and commuters. More on those here:

https://www.facebook.com/AltMobilityPH/

https://urbanismo.ph/

https://www.facebook.com/urbanismoph/

https://www.facebook.com/MoveAsOneCoalition/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message

How do we navigate socials in the new normal?

Rita Neri Event Planners CEO Rita Neri shares insights drawn from over 30 years of experience planning weddings, debuts, corporate and charity events.

What originally started as an offshoot of a small wedding shop she established in the 90s has blossomed into a brand with a global footprint, servicing clients from 4 continents and counting. RNEP's celebrity clients include Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales, Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos, plus Hong Kong superstars Dicky Cheung and Jess Zhang, Nicolas Tse and Cecilia Cheung.

RN has also worked to professionalize the event planning industry as a whole. Her pioneering efforts include conducting wedding coordination training seminars, collaborating with global event powerhouses such as Preston Bailey and Grace Ormonde, and partnering with the Philippine Department of Tourism in promoting the Philippines and its talents on an international scale.

She has been a consultant and resource speaker on the topic of events, as well as a contributing writer to bridal publications. She also wrote two best-selling books, “The Essential Wedding Workbook for the Filipina” and “Your Handy Wedding Guidebook,” a DIY guide for couples on a budget.

On this episode, we chat event etiquette in the time of corona, the state of the events industry, options for commitment ceremonies given same sex marriage restrictions in the Philippines, considerations for both religious and secular ceremonies, security protocol for VIPs, and her thoughts on “that J. Lo movie.”

This episode is dedicated to anyone making any sort of commitment this year, and to the entire events industry that is getting back on its feet.

NOTE: Our hearts go out to those affected by war. We hope this episode brings listeners some entertainment and joy, a break from heavier headlines. That said, the portion of the interview where we briefly talk about RN’s father – a career diplomat who served as Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to Japan, and chief negotiator for reparations post-World War II – resonates even more, underscoring the importance of diplomacy and international relations.

---

Follow Rita Neri on IG (@ritamneri) or catch her interviews here:

RJ Ledesma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEXHbMM8aVg

Inquirer Lifestyle https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/345258/rita-neri-25-years-of-planning-high-society-and-celebrity-weddings/

---

More on same sex marriage in the Philippines:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/04/asia/philippines-gay-marriage-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.rappler.com/nation/239305-fight-for-same-sex-marriage-philippines-alive-despite-supreme-court-ruling/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/elections/presidential-candidates-stance-same-sex-marriage-civil-unions/

---

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Sound Editing by franticsong

Like what you heard? Do rate, review, share, and subscribe so others can find the episodes too.

Follow instagram.com/occupationalhazards.podcast for more updates!

xoxo Jo


---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/occupationalhazards/message