A Break-up Letter


I never expected I'd be writing you this letter. We've had six years of wonderful memories but I'm afraid it had come to the Read more

Welcome to the New Yoshke.com


New look. New attitude. New experiences. Honestly, I had been neglecting this blog the past few weeks because of my awfully hectic schedule. Work had Read more

Sometimes We Burn to Live


Whenever I meet people for the first time, it always happens. When they start their sentence with "I hope you don't mind me asking but," Read more

Judging By the Cover


Our office is just a stone's throw from where I live. In fact, all I have to do is cross EDSA and voila, hello Read more

Fireworks, Hormones, and this Blog Post


You remember last week when I told you I found it difficult to blog since I met you? Since we became a couple officially, Read more

Do They Read Blogs in Heaven?


Whenever I say that the earliest memory I have is the accident wherein I had my left arm somewhat toasted, I lie. My earliest Read more

Unusual Breakfast


Here we are again. In the usual corner. Usual table. Usual diner. Usual time. And most probably, usual meal. I'm getting tired of this Read more

Top 10 National Stereotypes


Heaven is where the cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by Read more

EDSA


It could have been a horrible Saturday. I was in the passenger seat. It was a bit raining. Normally, EDSA gets on my nerves. That's why Read more

Why Nursery Rhymes Are So Violent


A few months ago, I was teaching my 4-year old nephew some nursery rhymes with a DVD. After a lot of singing, he slowly Read more

Top 10 Worst Things to Say During Sex


Sex is the art of love. It must be done in the most enjoyable and most satisfying manner. This act of love of two Read more

The Promil Kid Drops the Bomb


Of all the living things created by God, I love my nephew the most. I call him the Promil Kid. He’s the cutest thing. Read more

••••••

Career

Thanks, Philippine Blog Awards 2010!

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Yoshke in Career, Euphoria, News |

I woke up this morning coughing my lungs out, wondering whether last night was real or not. A few moments later, my hubby greeted me good morning and congrats. I figured, it was real. I hurried to the kitchen to get a glass of water and I saw three trophies on the drawer. One of my other housemates, Dane, congratulated me. Alright, alright, it was real.

image courtesy of Ian Velasco

So last night, I won in 3 categories at the Philippine Blog Awards 2010:

Last night was a little blurry. I barely remember anything. In fact, my Sunday was pretty uneventful until that night. My asthma surely knows perfect timing and does it well. The past weekend, breathing normally has been such a chore. But I don’t have a choice, do I? Yesterday morning, I decided I won’t be attending. My KJ lungs just won’t let me.

I wish I could just take a dose of my anti-asthma medication but its side effects are nasty. I shake, feel weak and get giddy and hyper every time I’m on it. I spent the whole morning working on my travel blogs. My friends kept on insisting that I attend the event but I didn’t wanna risk it. It was only around 6pm that I started feeling a little better.

At around 7:30pm, after reading a whole bunch of posts about the Sarah Geronimo-Cristine Reyes skirmish, I decided to go. I knew I was already late but what the heck. I dressed up, took the bus and entered RCBC building. Hello, Philippine Blog Awards.

Read more

Viewed 3016 times by 682 visitors this month

62 Comments

Finally An Update

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Yoshke in Blurts, Career, Movies |

Wuhooooo! After a seems-like-forever hiatus, I’m back, blogging.

The hell week is finally over.

I filed a week-long leave of absence for the Foreign Service Oral Examinations. It was tough, intense, and mind-blowing. Very. Waaaaah, I really hope I could make it.

One of the questions they asked me was, “Who’s your favorite Hollywood director?”

And I just stared at them for 10 seconds. I was beyond nervous. I didn’t know what to say. I don’t even have a fave Hollywood director. Wong Kar Wai and Francois Truffaut, yes, but they’re so not Hollywood.

The first name that came to my mind was David Fincher but I was worried they would think my choice was too violent. And then Steven Spielberg, and I thought they would think I was too juvenile.

And so I said, “Stephen Daldry.”

Poor me. Can’t even think of a much more famous director. But come to think of it, he really is my favorite right now. “The Hours” remains my all-time fave film, after all. And I really liked “The Reader.”

Another question they asked me: “Brilliante Mendoza has just won Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for his film about a young cop who raped and killed a woman and chopped her to pieces. What can you say about this?”

My answer? Hmm… I think I’ll just keep it to myself. Ehehe. My opinion is not very pretty.

…

Of course, days before the Exams, I was brushing up on my International Affairs. Was at Gloria Jeans Coffee in Tomas Morato/Timog a number of times. (Free Wi-Fi!)

On Monday, we saw Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson. Yum Yum. Haha.

…

Last Tuesday, we finally found a new home! So later this month, my friends and I will be moving to GA Tower along EDSA, a stone’s throw from my workplace.

…

Yesterday was our Barrio Fiesta in Lemery, Batangas. Perfect, perfect. After a gruelling, almost suicide-inducing Foreign Service Exams, it was time to PIG OUT!

I love fiestas. Basically because I love to eat.

Kudos to the Spaniards for injecting the fiesta tradition to our culture. Ahahaha.

…

So right now, I’m back in the violently jolting metropolis. Work’s piled up. So I gotta split now.

Viewed 1336 times by 441 visitors this month

30 Comments

Office Distractions

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Yoshke in Career, Conversations, Friends, Humor, Love |

ACCUSING DISTRACTION

Tuesday morning. Esan, a brand new co-worker, excitedly told me about someone she used to work with.

Esan: Yoshke! I’d introduce someone to you! You’ll like him. He’s hot  and a real gentleman! His name is ^&%##.
Yoshke: Esan, I’m already seeing someone. I’m a one-man man. I’m one loyal, trustworthy guy.
Esan: Wushooo…
Yoshke: Ano namang tingin mo saken? MALANDI?
Everyone in the office, who, apparently, was listening: OO!

Hala. Sabay-sabay pa.

Singit pa nung isa, “At feeling mo HINDE?” Haha.

Henaku. Hindi naman talaga…

REPEATING DISTRACTION

One boring afternoon at the office.

Yoshke: If I tell you that I can sketch and paint, will you believe me?
Emcy: Yeah.
Yoshke: Eeeeeh. You shouldn’t have said “yes.” I wanted you to say “no.” Then I’d tell you “Yes, I can!”
Emcy: Hahaha.
Yoshke: Hmmm. I hate you! It didn’t go the way I wanted it to. So we’re gonna do it again!
Emcy: Haha. Okay.
Yoshke: Emcy, If I tell you that I can sketch and paint, will you believe me?
Emcy: No.
Yoshke: Yes, I can!

Parang tanga lang kami.

CONFUSING DISTRACTION

Yoshke: Emcy, pabili naman ako ng cupped noodles (or cup noodles?). Nissin ha, Nissin. Seafood flavor. Nissin ha! NISSIN!
Emcy: Ah sige, anong noodles? Lucky Me Supreme?

Anong mahirap intindihin sa sinabi ko. Sabihin nyo saken. Anooo?!?!?!

Read more

Viewed 2344 times by 489 visitors this month

90 Comments

Top 10 Ways to Ask for a Raise or Promotion

Posted on December 6, 2008 by Yoshke in Career, Humor, Lists |

As one RD quote goes, “the moment you settle for less than you deserve, you’ll get even less than you settle for.” It maybe very painful to hear but this is true.

Salary is the primary reason we work our butts off all day. But not all jobs pay well. And even if our present employer gives us what the law requires and the conventions suggest, we still find ourselves struggling to make do with what we receive. If you feel that you have proven yourself as an efficient, competent and productive employee over time but you still find yourself awfully broke when the month ends, maybe it’s time to ask for a raise or a promotion or both. Here are the top ten creative ways to do that.

10. Second the motion. All the time.

Although having your own stand on the company’s many issues will show your character and wit, being the “second voice” has its own perks, too. Let your boss know that you are on his side all the time by acting like an echo.

Starting today, practise saying “I agree completely” or “I agree absolutely.” You can change the last word with another positive adverb as long as the first two words are “I agree.” Call it blind loyalty but you need a raise. The last thing you want is to play on a different team against your boss.

What is more effective? Eavesdrop on his conversations and then feed him back the ideas you heard as if they were yours. He would think you are of the same wavelength and that you know him too well you could even read his mind.

9. Park your car beside his.

You may think that this is ridiculous but parking your car beside your boss’s has a lot of advantages. Stationing yourself before and after office hours in the parking lot can help you ask for a raise. You may not realise it but if you’re the first and last person he sees every single day, you will seep into his subconscious. The next time he wants to promote someone, at least you have parked your memory somewhere in his mind.

8. Pull off an 007.

Yes, Bond, James Bond. Spywork is not really new to many workplaces. The truth is, some of your co-workers may be spying on you, trying to copy your work and make it look like their own. You can do the same but in this case, we’ll play evil.

Don’t spy for yourself. Rather, spy for your boss. Report everything that is going on in the department. The next time you hear your officemate say nasty things about your boss, prepare a tape recorder and let your boss hear it. It’s not like you’re being an office snitch. You just want to be honest and fair to the person you work for. You’ll get extra points for doing what is expected of you. Who knows? A raise, if not a promotion, might follow soon.

Read more

Viewed 1810 times by 698 visitors this month

26 Comments

Allow Me to Be Emo

Posted on October 21, 2008 by Yoshke in Career, Emo |

And just like that, it all comes crashing down. And my one dream is shattered. As shattered as I am now.

If you wanna be friends with me, I’m telling you, now is the best time.

I’m OK now. You see, I move on easily. Haha. Over it.

Viewed 908 times by 316 visitors this month

17 Comments

Define Euphoria

Posted on August 29, 2008 by Yoshke in Blurts, Career, Dictionary, Emo, Euphoria |

National List of Passers
2007 FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS
Held 19-21 December 2007 (Released: 29 August 2008)
Department of Foreign Affairs – Philippines

Gaaawd. Just when I start envying my friends (especially Bebs) for reaching new heights in their careers, something like this comes my way.

From a thousand examinees, now we’re down to 58. (Yeah, the mortality rate in FSO Exam makes us all go suicidal.) I didn’t expect this. I absolutely hoped for it but not expected. I mean, come on, the questions were like:

  • Formulate an ECONOMIC policy for the Philippine Embassy in Paris and back it up with a theoretical framework. (I didn’t have any Economics classes in college, thank you very much.)
  • Trace the history of the Middle East from the Mesopotamian Era up to the present. (What?! Are you frakkin’ serious? I’m a FILM graduate!)

And there were almost 30 questions. Maybe what they needed was a thesis dissertation prepared within half a day. It was the craziest three days of my life. And knowing I failed to follow some test instructions, I really did not expect anything. In fact, I ALMOST GAVE UP ON IT.

Now, there’s just one more round left. Another 3-day exam. Just one more. I’m gonna need a tuxedo. Haha.

Dahil dyan, magpapa-cheeseburger ako! Burger! Burger!

I am sooo gonna become a diplomat.

Viewed 1837 times by 466 visitors this month

39 Comments

London

Posted on July 12, 2008 by Yoshke in Career, Conversations, Family |

Exactly a month ago, I was staying at my brother’s room, watching Pushing Daisies (oh, Lee Pace is just sooo cute I wanna be dead and be touched by him), when my mother came in and said she wanted to talk. Something that never fails to send me to utter discomfort.

Mum: You told your Tita Esther you wanted to study in London?

Tita Esther is my mum’s friend who has just arrived from London. She visited last week and we kinda had a little chat and I kinda told her how much I wanted to study abroad.

Yoshke: Uhm, Er, I might have told her. Yuh.
Mum: You really want to?
Yoshke: Uhm, yeah, a bit.
Mum: Well, you may. I’m letting you.

Read more

Viewed 1005 times by 321 visitors this month

25 Comments

Freezing Point

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Yoshke in Career, Emo, Friends |

Status: Leavin’.
Music: How Far We’ve Come – Matchbox Twenty | This is the Last Time – Keane

I feel cold. I mean that literally. Right now, the cold wind from the air-conditioner is blowing towards my cube as always. Not to mention that I walked from C5 corner Ortigas Avenue, where my sister had dropped me off, to the office (Pearl Drive/San Mig Avenue) early in the morning. Oh yeah, someone was so stupid he walked for 30 minutes in the rain. I don’t know what spirit possessed my body that made me do that but I enjoyed it immensely. Currently, I’m wearing a sweater and I am still shaking. Wuuu.

This is the coldest day since I started working here. Interestingly, today is my last day here. Yep, it’s final. There have been several attempts but this time, I’m really quitting. I already sent my resignation letter two weeks ago. I can’t really explain how I feel right now. A part of me is relieved because I’ve wanted to leave since, er, my second month here. A part of me is sad because, hey, I made a lot of friends here. At the end of the day, it still boils down to money. Would love to have a lot of friends and a lot of money at the same time but the terrible pay here makes it impossible to use the words “happy” and “salary” in one sentence. Oops, I think I just did.

This resignation is also one of my desperate attempts to start a new life. I have no idea why I have been saying “new life” over and over again recently. It’s not as if I’m a drug user or a prostitute and I need to put the past behind. Maybe it’s because I think my life is in disarray now that I need to reassess myself. I need time to reflect and rearrange my cluttered life. Quitting is always difficult. Starting anew is always difficult. But heck, I gotta start somewhere. This is somewhere.

Read more

Viewed 898 times by 311 visitors this month

23 Comments

Falsity*

Posted on March 26, 2008 by Yoshke in Blurts, Career, Friends, Rants |


Now that you know the basic rules of logic, time to answer this question:

Which of the following is false?

A. The sky is falling.
B. The wolf is coming.
C. The team is expanding.

Easy, yes? It’s soooo Kindergarten.
*This post is an office chuchu. If you don’t get what it means, you probably won’t.

Viewed 557 times by 208 visitors this month

Leave a comment

A Big Head’s Blatherskite

Posted on March 3, 2008 by Yoshke in Career |

Status: God himself could not contain us.
Music: One Last Song – Josiah Leming

I was just browsing through my files and I couldn’t help but snicker at the articles I had written in the past months: medical packaging, bungee cargo nets, pimp canes, folding cutting tables and oh, get this, industrial vinyl extrusions.

Five months ago, I started working as a web writer for my current employer. Although the company is despicable in all sense of the word, I am proud to say that our team’s client is anything but. To be honest, never has the thought of staying here this long entered my mind. But yeah, I’ve been here for five months and I seem to be counting some more.

I remember posting this on my third day at work:

My friends have been asking me how I find my new job as a writer. They ask me if it’s fulfilling. And of course, I have a default answer. “I don’t need a fulfilling job right now. The only job that will give me fulfillment is being a diplomat. And until I become one, I don’t need to feel fulfilled. I just need to feel happy.”

Surprisingly, right now, I feel both happy and fulfilled. The job turned out to be the best training that any type of writer could ever get. On my first day here, I was required to write about romantic love. It was probably the easiest topic any writer as hopeless romantic as me could get. Then the next days brought me diverse topics ranging from GPS dog tracking to jock itch to hoist brakes. Who cares about hoist brakes? Exactly.

I even wrote about how cosy hotels and how fantastic restaurants in Omaha are. Oh yes, Omaha is a nice city. But it would’ve been nicer had I actually been there.

Some of the topics, I’d never even heard of before. Sometimes, resources were scarce; thus, I had to squeeze so much creative juice from the deepest recesses of my brain, which used to contain only a little perversions and a lot of arrogance.

Read more

Viewed 702 times by 281 visitors this month

18 Comments

1 2 3   Next »