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

••••••

Geekery

The Paradox of the Freedom Islands

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Yoshke in Public Affairs, The World, Travel |

A month ago, if a foreign traveler asked me where the nearest mangrove forest lies, I’d probably tell him to take the bus to Quezon or fly to Palawan. If one asked me to take him to a place where he could go bird-watching aside from UP Diliman, I’d probably drive him out of the city to Pampanga. If he asked me to take him to a place where he could see dolphins, I’d tell him to head over to Batangas. I just didn’t know any place within Metro Manila where anyone could bond with nature.

Recently, however, I learned about two islands stretching in Manila Bay. Freedom Island and Long Island, collectively called Freedom Islands, lie off the coast of Paranaque and Las Pinas. And these are no ordinary islands. Also called the Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, the Freedom Islands have a huge ecological role in the area. The Freedom Island is the last remaining mangrove forest and salt marsh frontier in Metro Manila.  These two islands also serve as a sanctuary for many marine lifeforms and a refuge for more than 80 species of birds, both local and migratory.

But the Freedom Islands are under threat.

The garbage the city produces seems to have found its way to the Freedom Islands. The tides are bringing trash, most of which are plastic, to the shores of the islands. Not to mention that the waters of the Manila Bay had been severely polluted for the longest time. Pollution is a big threat to the wildlife in the islands.

In September this year, several NGOs led a cleanup program to start rehabilitate the Islands. They cleared the beach and removed the trash that had been damaging the area. But it’s a cycle. It’s back to its littered state again that it calls for another Coastal Clean Up!

On this note, I am inviting you all to join this program. October 23 is Freedom Islands Clean Up Day! Let’s all work together to tidy up this sanctuary and protect the wildlife that depends on it. The mangrove forest is shrinking and if it continues, then the birds would go away, too.

Details on the photo below or on this Facebook Event page:

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Farewell, Friendster

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Yoshke in Emo, Friends, University, Vanities, Web |

I’m so tempted to ask Friendster “What took you so long?”

Friendster has become irrelevant for many people and many of us expected it was only a matter of time before they announce to wipe out user content posted on their site.

Well, the day has come.

A part of me is mourning. Although I have not logged into my Friendster account since, like, forever, I still like the idea of having my profile out there for my old friends to see. I can say that Friendster was the first full-blown social networking site that I joined. I was a college sophomore then, the latter months of 2003.

Looking at my Friendster profile, I realized just how much I had changed. My Friendster profile is like a portrait of the old me, with testimonials reinforcing that image. It contains my previous dream of becoming a diplomat, my past ambition to become a filmmaker, and my obsession with fire. (Of course, it wasn’t an exactly accurate portrait. Coz if it were, I would’ve found the words ass, bitch, damn you, pathetic loser, wuss, lunatic all over my testimonials section. LOL.)

Speaking of testimonials, I’m saving the ego-boosting vanity posts (aka testimonials) here on my blog.  And my reaction today as I backread. And just a heads up, every time you see the words kind, mabait, cool, note that it’s sarcastic. Hahaha.

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The Giant Disco Ball

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Yoshke in Family, Mysteries, Oddities |

I’ve shared this experience with only a few close friends because I was afraid other people would think I was either a liar or a lunatic. But I swear to God this is true and this happened.

My mother’s eyes were glued to Charito Solis in the original Mula sa Puso teleserye when I left the house. It was around 7pm and I was waiting for my cousin Joj to meet me in front of our house for our nighty jogging. I was 11.

It had been our habit to go out and jog along the road, passing three barangays, go back to where we started and then run another lap. We were both in grade school and our parents were lenient to us as long as we tell them where we were going. We had been jogging every night for weeks that time but that night was different. A strange encounter would put an end to this habit.

Growing up in Batangas, I had an awesome childhood. Although not exactly remote, our barrio was not technologically advanced. The only metropolitan influence that anyone would find in that period was a Jollibee store, the only food franchise we had that time. For the kids my age, running kites, hunting spiders and stealing fruits from neighbors were our idea of adventure.

That night, we were already on our second lap when our jogging started becoming brisk walking. We were on the side of the road that cut across sugar cane fields. The evening was generally ordinary. It wasn’t dark; thanks to the lamp posts. Aside from an eatery, there were no houses along the road in the area; the nearest could be about tens of meters from it.

My cousin Joj and I decided to sit on some boulders nearby and rest. We weren’t afraid because there were big trucks carrying hundreds of sugar canes that pass by every now and then. Besides, there was an eatery some ten meters away. We sat and talked about so many things — our favorite anime shows, his classroom crush, his mother being strict at times.

Suddenly, it happened. We thought the light from the lamp post had turned red and green and had started to dance randomly. When we looked up to check the light, our jaws almost hit the floor. Several meters from the ground was a big, luminous ball. It was glowing and it just floated up there, not directly above us but it was close.

This is a screen cap from the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Horrible remake but this ball look like the one I saw when I was a child. Except it was much, much smaller and it was green and red.

The sphere was unlike anything I had seen before and unlike anything I would see in the years to come. It was big, maybe as big as a studio apartment or a bedroom or maybe smaller. Yes it was big but too small to be an alien spaceship based on the usual representations.

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And We Wonder Why We Don’t Move Forward

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Yoshke in Blurts, Public Affairs, Rants |

Sometimes, we are THE problem.

Photo by Vky Mendoza

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5 Interesting Holidays to Celebrate in February

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Yoshke in Lists, Public Affairs, Trivia |

February is the shortest month with only 28 days in common years and 29 in leap years but it’s surely not short of holidays. Each day of the month is a holiday celebrated in a part of the world. Some of these are familiar events that most countries observe while others are area-specific.

Also known as the “love month,” February has a day for everyone. It is also considered:

  • Black History Month
  • Snack Food Month
  • Children’s Dental Health Month
  • Responsible Pet Owner’s Month
  • American History Month

But the most celebrated event in February has got to be Valentine’s Day. In many parts of the world especially in the Americas and Europe, February 14 is a very special day on which lovers show their love for each other by offering confectionery, presenting flowers, sending greeting cards and spending the day together.

I was surprised when I entered the office and saw these pink and red decorations all over the place. Reminded me of Grade School. Hahaha

If you start seeing red heart-shaped decorations, figures of winged Cupid and women holding teddy bears everywhere, it must be Valentine’s Day. Expect long lines at the supermarket, sold out concerts and fully-booked restaurants on this day. Even hotels (and motels) are expected to be fully loaded with lovers.

If you’re still not convinced how crazy people are over Valentine’s Day, take a look at statistics. The US Greeting Card Association estimated that around ONE BILLION valentine cards are being sent on this day each year worldwide. This makes this holiday the second largest card-spending day of the year, after Christmas.

But if you’re just too tired of the Valentine season or if the mere thought of it depresses you, here are five more of the most interesting holidays in February.

5. Clean Up Your Computer Day (second Monday of February)

Most of us install programs and store files to our computers with heedless abandon. Who can blame us? Computers have incredibly huge storage capacity that we seldom, sometimes never, use. As we add more and more files through the years, we forget about them and let them consume some precious megabytes.

However, they can cause confusion during retrieval of other files. They may even slow down your system. Thus, Clean Up Your Computer Day was created. Probably started by a computer geek, this techie day is observed every second Monday of February. This day, people are expected to logically review their files and delete those that are unused or unnecessary.

4. Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day (February 11th)

Yes, spilled milk. This may sound absurd to you but this holiday reminds us of a very important lesson in life — each of us spills a little milk every now and then. This day recognizes that fact and tells us that we should not cry over what has been done. It’s a day to think positive, be positive and look on the bright side.

If you feel like you have been cursed lately and that you have been followed around by bad luck, thus the bad decisions you have made and freak accidents you have encountered, this day is for you. Get over your worries and find the silver lining in every dark cloud you meet.

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How the 13th Zodiac Sign Rattled the World

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Yoshke in Friends, Humor, Public Affairs, Science, Web |

Yesterday morning, I logged in to my Facebook account only to find almost everyone in panic. Apparently, their zodiac signs have changed and they refuse their new sign. What’s worse, there’s a 13th sign — Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, the culprit, the cause of the global disorder. Haha.

image courtesy of astrology.com

Here are some zodiac-related status messages that I gathered yesterday (including mine):

Winston: hindi ko alam pano mabuhay bilang Cancer. :(

Andre: MY LIFE IS A LIE! MY LIFE IS A LIE! MY LIFE IS A LIE!

Yoshke: Kebs na ako sa bagong zodiac. Basta ako, PISCES ako. Malansa ako eh.

Yoshke: Dear Zenaida Seva, I dare you! Say “Ophiuchus” 5 times non-stop.

Dohna: So I’m a Gemini now. I guess that explains the bipolar tendencies. Zenaida Seva may Ophiuchus na. Award.

Gail: Ophiu-something ka rin, Yoshke? :D pakshet ako naging Virgo. Soooooooooo nooooooooootttttt bagay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerwin: I hate it. I’m no longer LEO? Ayaw ko ng Cancer! Argh. Damn Earth Rotation changes!

Leo: if we are to include the 13th Zodiac into the equation, i’m now officially Leo…

Jayvee: i’m not sexy anymore. =(

So what really happened?

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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.

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Judging By the Cover

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Yoshke in Fashion, Public Affairs, Rants |

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 office. But even within such a short distance, I get plenty of opportunities to step back, take a look at myself and think about the world I live in.

What am I talking about, eh? Actually, I feel like every single day I feel judged based on how I look and the clothes I wear.

image courtesy of www.drewsmarketingminute.com

You see, the best thing about the company I work for is that they allow employees to come to work in any get-up that the employee finds comfortable. With only a few restrictions — no sandos, no sandals, no slippers. Many times, my co-workers and I choose to just report to work in a T-shirt, a pair of jeans and Chucks. That’s all right with the company. After all, I always have a semi-formal jacket handy in case an emergency meeting presents itself.

But there are occasions when I feel that it is imperative to level up the wardrobe. When I know that there will be important meetings with clients ahead that day, I will wear my long sleeves, coat, black slacks, and leather shoes. That normally happens twice a week.

And on the days that I look formal or semi-formal, I notice some little things that allow me to see just how differently we treat people based on how they look.

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In the Spirit of World AIDS Day

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Yoshke in Health, Rants, The World |

Today is World AIDS Awareness Day.

And in the spirit of the occasion, I went to a nearby hospital laboratory this morning and tried to get myself tested for HIV. It’s not because I had symptoms or something. I just wanted to do it and start a healthy habit of having a check up every year.

However, they couldn’t do the test this week because they said the authorized person to do it was in an out-of-town conference.

There’s one thing that I noticed, though. Upon saying what I was there for, I felt a little uncomfortable with how things went.

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Skydive For Life

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Yoshke in Causes, Health, Public Affairs, The World |

I hate cancer. I’m almost sure that it will claim my life in the future. It just runs in the family. Most of my relatives perished the “cancer” way. I have narrated on this blog the story of my father and how he succumbed to liver cancer and how breast cancer threatened my mother’s existence.

So yeah, I hate cancer. That’s why when my friend Charo posted a link on my Facebook wall, asking me to spread the word about their endeavor Skydive For Life, I promised to help them.

Skydive For Life. What is it, eh?

Let’s just say that my former co-worker Elvin Uy has always wanted to try skydiving but would not have enough courage to skydive just for the sake of. So let’s put some cause into his dream adventure. We’ll give him enough ego boost but on the way down, we’ll be able to help him help a cancer patient via Cancer Warriors Foundation.

Elvin will be jumping from 9,000 ft up in the sky in Queenstown, New Zealand on December 9. The goal is to raise P10 for every foot of altitude. So that’s P90,000 in total — enough to cover monthly medical supplies during chemotherapy, laboratory procedures, blood transfusions, bone marrow aspirations and tests, and antibiotics for a young cancer patient for 18 months. That’s something.

Note that all funds raised — P90,000 in its entirety — will go to Cancer Warriors Foundation. Elvin will be paying for his travel to New Zealand and the skydiving fee. It will not be slashed off the collected funds.

So there. Let’s help. Read on to find out how.

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