AFAAM

K1NGKONG is one of the most recognizable young players in MLBB — but how did he become the SIGMA Jungler ? In Episode 25 of AFAAM, I sit down with K1NGKONG of ONIC PH to talk about his journey from a young player to one of the biggest names in the MLBB scene. We talk about: • How he became K1NGKONG • His journey as a professional MLBB player • What it's like becoming successful at a young age...

First one back after three weeks off, following EWC in Paris. A solo dispatch on what showed up in the quiet after six months of nonstop output — and what it means to build an identity in public before you've built one in private. AFAAM is a podcast about building a life in Manila, hosted by a Filipino American figuring it out one episode at a time. Email: Afaampodcast@gmail.com

10 seasons. 5 years. And somehow, I still don't really know what I'm doing. I'm about to start my 10th season in esports and my 5th year working in MLBB — and for the first time, I actually stopped to think about how strange that is. I never planned to become an esports commentator. My career has taken me through teaching, modeling, gaming, streaming, content creation, voice work, espo...

Mika Fabella has an Emmy for Esports. She hosts VCT Pacific, and the biggest Valorant tournaments in the world. She produces for Core-A Studios in Seoul. She was a professional dancer with Ballet Philippines. She made a film at Cinemalaya. She also didn't go to high school because her family couldn't afford it. This episode is about what it looks like to build a life without a roadmap — an...

I went to Paris expecting to witness another championship. Instead, I witnessed the beginning of a new era for Mobile Legends. This isn't an MSC recap. It's a story about consistency, belief, and why the people who quietly keep building are often the ones who eventually change everything. From Team Spirit's historic championship run to Myanmar's incredible journey to the Grand Finals, this episode...

Philippine MLBB has dominated the international stage for years—but after Team Liquid PH's shocking exit, many fans are asking the same question: What happened? In this solo episode, I share my thoughts after reading hundreds of comments from the community and explain why this loss, as painful as it was, could ultimately be one of the best things to happen for Philippine MLBB and esports as a...

For over a decade, Manjean Faldas has been one of the defining voices of Philippine esports—but this episode isn't about the catchphrase that made him famous. It's about the four years he spent rejecting the career that changed his life, the reality of becoming a breadwinner at a young age, earning just enough to help his family survive, and why he believes a man's greatest achievement isn't fame—...

Recorded live from Paris during Esports World Cup week — MWI and MSC. A quick solo dispatch on the gap between what the broadcast shows and what it actually feels like to be there, fifteen years into this. Unfiltered, recorded the same day. A few more of these — plus some travel conversations under a new bonus series, AFAAM: On the Road — are coming out of this trip before Season 1 resumes with #1...

Wolf is a caster. A podcaster. Co-founder of Manila Podcast Studio. One of the most recognizable voices in Philippine esports. The name came from lupus. In this episode of AFAAM, Naisou sits down with his closest collaborator and co-founder for the conversation they've never quite had on mic — about building a career under a chronic illness, about the shift from casting to podcasting, about wh...

Not everyone who's around is actually there . A short solo episode recorded from home — about the people who show up before there's anything to show for. Before the studio, before the show, before any of it made sense. This one's about the front row seats that get earned without anyone noticing. AFAAM is a podcast about building a life in Manila, hosted by a Filipino American figuring...

DJY has 230,000 YouTube subscribers and one of the most recognizable personalities in MLBB content creation. But this episode isn't about the numbers. It's about the streams where nobody showed up. The watchparty where he almost quit. The pride he gave up being made fun of online every day. And what kept him going when everything was telling him to stop. He's in Manila for a few months...

Most people build because they have to. The rent, the career, the dream with no backup plan. This episode is about building when you don't have to — and why that version of building is actually the hardest one to explain and the hardest one to sustain. After fifteen years in Philippine esports, there was no gap to fill and no crisis to solve. AFAAM and Manila Podcast Studio happened anyway. Th...

Hazel Calawod holds multiple lives at once — Sports OT, actress, startup founder. She's building digital health technology for persons with disabilities in the Philippines. And she does all of it at full intensity. This episode isn't about the resume. It's about the cost — the loneliness, the sleepless mind, the social gatherings she skips to keep building, and what it actually feels l...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Season 1: Building, Not Escaping. A few weeks ago, I wrapped up my ninth season of MPL Philippines. When I first started casting, I wasn't thinking about season nine. I was thinking about getting my foot in the door. Getting an opportunity. Proving I belonged. Now, after multiple world championships, international tournaments, and years of doing what...

What makes someone walk away from the safe life? In this episode of AFAAM, We continue Andrew Fletcher's talk about leaving behind a stable banking career in Canada to build a completely different life farming chickens in the Philippines. We talk about identity, risk, starting over, the realities of building a life abroad, and what happens when the path everyone expects from you no longer feel...

Andrew Fletcher left a stable banking career in Canada to farm chickens in the Philippines. In this episode, we talk about risk, identity, starting over, and what it means to build a life that actually feels meaningful. A conversation about purpose, sacrifice, and choosing a different path — even when it makes no sense to everyone else.

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Season 1: Building, Not Escaping. What does success actually look like when you're the one writing the definition? Not the version your parents can explain to their friends. Not the version that fits a clean narrative. The one you're actually building — in real time, with no template that fits. In this episode, I sit with a question I've been avoiding: Is...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila Season 1: Building, Not Escaping Some people spend years chasing success. For others, it arrives before they even know what to do with it. Brigida Ramos is one of the most recognizable hosts in esports — but her story isn’t just about making it. It’s about what happens when success comes faster than you expected… and before you’ve had the chance to define...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Season 1: Building, Not Escaping. There’s a phase that nobody really talks about — when your life starts moving forward faster than you can catch up to it. On the outside, things look like they’re working. Opportunities start showing up. People start paying attention. But internally, you don’t always feel ready for any of it. In this episode, I talk about...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Season 1: Building, Not Escaping. There’s a pattern I’ve seen over and over again when it comes to men who fail here. Different backgrounds. Different opportunities. Different stories. But when things fall apart, it’s almost never random. They all fail the same way. This episode is about that pattern. What it looks like in the beginning when it doesn’t fe...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila Season 1: Building, Not Escaping Ingan is successful, building a career in media, and doing well in the Philippines — yet he's still thinking about leaving. This episode explores the tension between building and leaving. Career growth, privilege, financial literacy, and whether hard work is enough to build the life you want in the Philippines. Sometimes bu...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Season 1: Building, Not Escaping. There are two assumptions people make when they find out I'm Filipino American living in Manila. One — that being American gave me some kind of head start here. Two — that I'm not really Filipino enough to belong here either. Neither one is right. This episode is about the identity gap that sits in the middle of b...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. On March 21st I stood on a TED stage and tried to fit fifteen years of life in the Philippines into eighteen minutes. The theme was the Human Mosaic — and the talk covered every major chapter: modelling, wanting to go pro in gaming, college, teaching special education, losing that job, streaming full time, esports, voice over work, and eventually this pod...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. This is episode three. My first guest has been in the Philippines for the same amount of time I have — fifteen years. She didn't grow up here. She came from Toronto on a gut feeling, stayed for love and opportunity, and built a broadcasting career in a city that was never supposed to be permanent. Mara Aquino and I sit down to talk about what it actually...

AFAAM — A Filipino American Around Manila. Fifteen years of building a real life in the Philippines. I bought the ticket with $3,000 saved from two jobs. Told my parents after. And the moment I landed in Manila, I realized exactly how crazy of a decision I had just made. This episode is the part I skimmed in episode one — the real first years. What I actually gave up leaving the US, what it felt l...