7:59 Friendships are important especially in a season when it’s so easy to isolate. But because of the setup, it’s harder to build and maintain them. How can we overcome that challenge?

9:19 Tropalogy – the study of friendship or tropa 

9:40 In tropalogy, here are the top 5 common roles in the tropa :

1. Komedyante na tropa – brings comic relief in an intense situation
2. Lover boy – madaming tweetable love advice
3. Lakad Go-to guy – tumutupad sa pangarap ng tropa
4. Honor Student – tanungan ng tropa or strict mini-teacher
5. The Silent One – pinagsasabihan ni lover boy and komedyante ng secret

27:39 We also talk about bonus tropalogy roles!

28:50 But now, because of the online setup, it seems harder to find friends and build tropalogy friendships. How do we do that?

30:24 Intentionality

• We all start out as strangers before we become friends, so we need to take the initiative to reach out first. 
• We need to have an attitude of “I want to make friends.” We can be one chat away. We can take the first step. We can be willing to share part of ourselves with them first. 
• How can we maximize our virtual communication apps? Who do you have similar interests with and what can you do together for fun?
• We can be the first one to approach others, especially the silent ones.

33:24

• Our default is to look for friends who can help us. How about looking at the flipside and ask yourself, who can I serve? How can I be a good friend to someone? Who among these people may need a friend?

34:50

• What if it’s not my personality or nature to be the first one to make friends? How do I overcome that hurdle of being shy and not resorting to excuses like “introvert ako e” or “di kasi ako ganun”?
• You can approach one person first who looks like they need a friend. You don’t need to reach out to many.
• Both introverts and extroverts have advantages and limitations in building friendships, but always look through the lens of God’s love.
• Regardless of your personality, there’s always room to make friends. Play on your strengths. You may need to experiment with what works effectively for you in building friendships this season and make it a habit to ask yourself what you have to offer in the friendship.

41:48

We always start out slow in friendships, whether online or offline, and we need to be intentional because we always start out as strangers and it may seem awkward at first. But we are relational beings, so we are all called to build and maintain relationships with people that God gives us.

In this episode, hosts Dave Estrera and Jello de los Reyes are joined by Merienda Time hosts Daryll Reyes and Renjo Almario.