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Tales from Behind the Wheel: Si Aida, si Lorna, at si Fe

May 17, 2013 by Yoshke Leave a Comment

The driver greeted us with a smile as we hopped into his cab. "To Melaka Sentral, sir!" My friend Ces, as usual, took the passenger seat while Asta and I occupied the back row. The driver beamed, nodded, and responded, "Okay, okay," and started to drive. It was our last afternoon in the historic city of Malacca and we were headed for the terminal to catch a bus back to Singapore. "We're from the Philippines," Ces answered when she was asked where we were from. "Oh! I know many Filipinos here," the cabbie shared excitedly. "I have three Filipina neighbors and they are very nice and kind." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conversations, Personal Life, Travel Tagged With: malacca, Tales from Behind the Wheel, taxi, taxi drivers, Taxi in Malacca

An Offer to the Captive

April 28, 2013 by Yoshke 1 Comment

Pin me to the wall and I’ll show you the map of the universe, this one or any other. You choose. Touch my lips and from there you can trace the constellations of stars, all bright and burning, that lead to the dark matters and black holes of my body, amidst swirling masses of unknown fabrics of realities, more real than this. Clutch my hand and bang it against the floor and with every thud is a door breaking open, inviting you in, and you won’t resist it. How can you say no to a world of no lines, only colors? How can you refuse a realm shapeless and boundless? No … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Literary Work, Poetry Tagged With: Intimacy Poem, Poems about Love, Poems about Romance, Poems about Sex, Sex Poem, Space Poem

People Along the Way: Pete

March 25, 2013 by Yoshke 5 Comments

I do not remember just how many mugs of beer I have emptied into my belly but I am sure I'm not stopping any time soon. I dive into the mob, get lost in the pumping music, and vanish under the phosphorescent lights that move as if trying to put me in a trance. It's almost midnight and Siem Reap's Pub Street is still alive and kicking. "MAY I HAVE A LIGHT?" The voice --- loud and deep --- comes from behind me. In this place, shouting is the only effective means of communication. The loud clubbanger that is playing drowns any other sound. I turn around and hand my already lit cigarette to a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conversations, Travel Tagged With: Beautiful Strangers, flirting, People Along the Way, Pub Street Siem Reap, Travel Flirting

Responsible Travel: The Bliss in Ignorance and the Pain in Information

March 7, 2013 by Yoshke Leave a Comment

"Is that because of us?" was Nix's question after telling her how I ended up not scratching anything off my bucket list when I visited Chiang Mai, Thailand. Nix Nicolas is a co-founder of Save Philippine Seas (SPS). "Yes," I replied with an unblinking stare. The month before, I found myself reluctant to try some of the most popular tours and attractions in Chiang Mai because I just could not bear to ignore the guilt, knowing the background of the animals involved. Like many kids, the young me dreamed of riding an elephant and having a close encounter with a tiger. Chiang Mai presented … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Causes, Public Affairs, The World, Travel Tagged With: chiang mai, chiang mai thailand, Environment Conservation, Save Philippine Seas, The Footprints Project

Fighting Pimples: The Things I Did for My Skin

March 7, 2013 by Yoshke Leave a Comment

My skin was my one and only source of insecurities. I remember one time years ago, I was ranting about my pimples yet again and a friend just got tired of it. "Seesh! Don't you have any other problems?" she seethed. "Well, actually, yeah." I answered. Honestly, it was my only problem at the time. It was my only problem in a long time! I was born with a very bad skin. My doctor said genetics was the best candidate why my skin is this way. Good thing my skin is a lot better now. Sure I still get one or two pimples every once in a while but it was a marked improvement from its … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: Fractional Laser, How to Deal with Acne, How to Fight Acne, How to Get Rid of Pimples, proactiv solution

People Along the Way: The Locals

February 28, 2013 by Yoshke 3 Comments

There was an overflowing sense of confidence in me when I finally reached the parking lot of the Preah Prom Rath Pagoda in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was my first time to ride a bicycle in almost 15 years and I was just so proud that I was able to reach the temple without losing a part of my body along the way. A group of young locals were seated on a bench under the shade of a big tree, just beside the parking area. They smiled at me as I got off the bike. One of them would approach me later and would be my two-hour friend. During my backpacking trip, I had met many locals who truly made … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conversations, Travel Tagged With: backpacking anecdotes southeast asia, luang prabang laos, siem reap, siem reap cambodia, southeast asia locals

ProActiv Solution Review

February 26, 2013 by Yoshke 8 Comments

My skin isn't flawless. Well, that's the best sugarcoating that I can come up with. Just a few years ago, it was pumping more oil than any country in the Middle East. It was as persistent as some of the politicians shoving themselves into the Senate. My pimples looked like they were aiming for the Swarm badge on Foursquare --- the venue, my face. They are my one and only source of insecurities. God, I hate it. Especially during summer. In cold weather it's tamed but it goes on a breakout spree when the sun is hotter than my hubby. (Wow, that rhymed.) Seriously, it is just nasty. They … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health, Vanities Tagged With: acne care, acne problems, dermatology, does proactiv work, Health, proactiv solution, proactiv solution review, proactiv solution testimonial, skin care, skin products

Top 5 Facebook Pet Peeves

February 22, 2013 by Yoshke Leave a Comment

Mashable created a list of 20 annoying things people do on Facebook and most of them do not even bother me. I don't mind being bombarded with food porn; if anything, it gives me ideas on what to have for dinner or lunch. I don't mind seeing 10 consecutive vanity shots on my feed. I don't mind frequent check ins on GetGlue or Foursquare. Surprisingly, I have learned to not mind being tagged on marketing images; I just simply untag myself after. I guess I'm just the type who doesn't get annoyed easily or maybe, after years of Facebook-oriented work, I've grown immune to them. Yet, I clearly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lists, Rants Tagged With: annoying facebook, annoying things people do on facebook, facebook pet peeves

The Witty Planner 2013

February 13, 2013 by Yoshke 4 Comments

"Don't panic!" screamed the February 13 page of my planner. "Valentine's Day na po bukas." And just like that, I panicked like all the men and women who promised themselves last year that they would finally be with someone come the Day of Hearts. I'm panicking for a different reason. After all, I'm in a happy relationship. But the big bold block letters reminded me that I still had not blogged about this planner despite promising myself to write a review in the first week of the new year. Well, it's the first week of the Chinese New Year. Ha! I know it's the middle of February. I know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Humor, Reviews Tagged With: witty planner 2013, witty planners, witty will save the world co

My Top 20 Most Unforgettable Travel Moments of 2012 – Part 2

January 28, 2013 by Yoshke 2 Comments

Some of the best destinations I visited last year

If you had met me ten or even five years ago, you'd probably see me as someone who was not the traveling type. And you would be right. Now that I think about it, if my past self were to see me now, he would be totally shocked, repeatedly hurling judging questions at me such as "What the hell are you doing outside the house all the time?" And more importantly, "What the eff are you doing with your life?!" The obsessive-compulsive in me had always kept me within the great indoors. I had always been the type who would rather stay at home than do silly things like traveling. I would … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lists, Travel Tagged With: angkor wat, bangkok thailand, biri island, boracay, cameron highlands, chiang mai thailand, ha long bay vietnam, laoang island, northern samar, siem reap cambodia, siriraj medical museum, taipei taiwan, top 10 destinations, top 20 destinations

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