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 point where you started to Read more

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 been unforgiving on weekdays and 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," I know they are going 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, I have not had enough 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 memory is, in fact, months 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 really. Everything's a routine. And 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 the Swiss. Hell is where the 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 digested the story that the 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 naked individuals reminds us that 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. I’ve always written about him Read more

•••••

Geekery

That’s All We are Worth

Posted on March 14, 2007 by Yoshke in Science, Trivia, TV |

When the human body is broken down into its chemical components — carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, etc. — it is only worth $23.80.
— National Geographic Channel FAQS

They say that the human soul weighs 21 grams. I wonder how much it costs. Hmmm. I guess the human soul is priceless.

Viewed 1780 times by 582 visitors this month

6 Comments

Picky on Food

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Yoshke in Lists, Music, Oddities, Vanities |

Status: Starved
Music: Candyman – Christina Aguilera

Asta and Dohna have told me a number of times that I am very picky when it comes to food. Actually, they didn’t use the word picky; they said I’m too maarte. If I were a different person, I would’ve felt bad. But apparently, it’s true. I’m really maarte, but only on food. And I’m not just picky. I’m strangely picky. Here are some of my strange habits and preferences:

3. Aside from Filipino and Chinese cuisines, the only Asian foods that I munch on are Thailand’s tom yam, Indonesia’s nasi goreng, and Japan’s chicken teriyaki and pork tonkatsu. Anything else — thanks, but no thanks. I love the Korean people, but….

2. I won’t eat carrots once they’re cooked. And I won’t eat tomatoes until they’re cooked. Fresh carrots and cooked tomatoes taste better. But aside from that, I’m like this for health reasons. Recent studies show they’re healthier.

1. I don’t eat beef. I don’t know why. My brain must have had repressed the memory of my experience that made me hate beef so much. I throw up because of the mere smell of beef, raw or cooked. And nope, not even hamburgers I can stand. Ironically, everyone in my family is a beef-lover. And they love preparing kare-kare, beef steak, caldereta, bulalo, etc., so whenever they cook something with beef, I lock myself in my room so as not to smell anything… beefy.

When I was younger, my parents made a rule that I had to eat, or at least taste, anything that they were serving on the table. But I guess I was just a severely spoiled brat they did not succeed in any way. How? Because I really would not eat and starve myself, and my parents would show pity on me, and prepare something else. Since then, they never forced me to try beef again.

Viewed 1517 times by 523 visitors this month

1 Comment

Cloudy Nights Suck

Posted on March 5, 2007 by Yoshke in Oddities, Rants |

Status: Huh?
Music: Home – Daughtry

I love cloudy days. But I hate cloudy nights — especially when there’s a TOTAL lunar eclipse happening, and you just can’t see the damn celestial beauty because the damn clouds are blocking the obscure moon! I hate it! I hate it! You see, I waited for March 4 just to see the lunar eclipse. March 3 started really well: clear skies, fine weather, cool winds. But evening came, and it started to rain here in Batangas. By 5am of March 4, it was almost overcast. And to my utter annoyance, the clouds began to go away when the sun started to peek three hours later. I didn’t get to see the red moon, not even any part of it. Not even a single freakin’ star. All I could see were clouds. Damn! I was really outraged. Those were the times when, knowing how fast the weather can change, I just want to be X-Men’s Storm. Damn! All I can do now is wait for another total lunar eclipse some time in August this year.

*Picture courtesy of digitaljournal.com

Viewed 826 times by 279 visitors this month

Leave a comment

Star Province?

Posted on March 5, 2007 by Yoshke in Celebrities, Politics |

Status: Hmmm…
Music: Home – Daughtry

For the past three months, Batangas has been one of the hottest political spots in the country. Batangas has been all over the news. From former Governor Tony Leviste‘s homicide case, to the Armand Sanchez and Ricky Recto verbal war, to the internal conflict within the Recto clan. Wow, Batangas is one hell of a star province!

This morning, Lipa City Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto announced that she had not completely shrugged off the idea of joining the gubernatorial race in Batangas. The announcement was made in front of her constituents in a sort of rally in Lipa City. Also present in that event were various municipal mayors in Batangas, some of which are allies of incumbent governor Armand Sanchez. Vilma asked her supporters to give her a week to make up her mind considering the infamous skirmish between her and husband Senatorial hopeful Ralph Recto, and her brother-in-law Ricky Recto, who had earlier announced his intentions of running for governor. The one week ultimatum was later reduced to 2-3 days, so as not to prolong our agony.

As a Batangueno, I personally want Vilma Santos to run. This is not because she’s a movie star, but because, unlike her peers in the showbiz industry who chose to run for public office, she has already proven herself to be one of the most reliable and responsible leaders here in our dear province. She is different. She has led Lipa City to progress and order. Batanguenos, whether from Lipa or not, love her. She will win even without campaigning, hehe.

And of course, we cannot think of any better governor for Christopher De Leon (who I heard is running for vice-governor). Talk about big stars. Hihi.

*Picture courtesy of filipinoexpress.com

Viewed 1255 times by 406 visitors this month

1 Comment

Boob Tube Quotes

Posted on February 21, 2007 by Yoshke in Trivia, TV |

Status: Annoyed
Music: Just so You Know – Jesse McCartney

More people die annually from eating sharks than being eaten by sharks.
- National Geographic Channel

The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.
– Mrs. Bree Van De Kamp, Desperate Housewives
– (coincidentally, or maybe not) Isaiah Washington
of Grey’s Anatomy in an interview with Oprah.

Viewed 1269 times by 438 visitors this month

Leave a comment

Confusing Answers

Posted on November 20, 2006 by Yoshke in Blurts, Trivia |

Status: Learning to spit fire.
Music: On the Radio – Nelly Furtado

Although there’s no rule, most Bulgarians nod for “no” and shake their heads for “yes”, which really confuses foreigners. Weird, huh?

Viewed 1278 times by 441 visitors this month

Leave a comment

Shall I Let Him Take the Wheel?

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Yoshke in Blurts, Conversations, Emo, Mysteries |

Status: Starving.
Music: Jesus Take the Wheel – Carrie Underwood

After having a very interesting conversation with Kuya Tops about God, Jesus Christ and faith last night, I found myself thinking about my beliefs again. You know how much I love God but I don’t believe in Jesus’s divinity, which others find a little off and disturbing. I feel like I am a Jew stuck here in the Philippines with all the Christian Catholics looking at me in utter disgust — Oops, you might get me wrong — I’m NOT a Jew. Unknown to my very strict Catholic family, I do not consider myself a Christian. But last night, the conversation we had just made me asking if all my decisions were right.

And so I talked to God, and said:

“Lord, I know Jesus was great and all.
His teachings are all good, all wonderful, almost divine.
But I want to know if Jesus really is divine.
Is he really Your son? Let me know.
Please. Give me a sign.
If tomorrow, when I wake up,
I remember the dream I just had,
then, that’s it, I’ll be a believer again.”

Last night I had a dream that I just remembered the dream that I had had the night before.

Was that it?

Viewed 1494 times by 492 visitors this month

4 Comments

Wow, Wow, Wow Philippines

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Yoshke in Sports, Travel, Trivia |

Status: Supposed to be working but what the hell?
Music: Dahilan – Barbie Almalbis

I finally checked out Tourism Department’s official website and all I could say was “WOW!” It is sooo nice I even forgot I was in the office “working.” And gosh, I was so overwhelmed by how much I still have to learn about the Philippines, considering that I have lived my entire life here. Looking at their trivia page, all I could utter were more wows. Here are some of the information I found that might interest you (Although most of them I’ve been pretty aware of since childhood, they are still worth posting):

  • Filipino bowler Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno was the first bowler to be elevated to the International Bowling Hall of Fame based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The Philippine Congress has named him “Greatest Filipino Athlete of All Time.”

  • Philippine National Hero and writer Jose Rizal could read and write at age 2. He grew up to speak more than 20 languages, including Latin, Greek, German, French, and Chinese. What were his last words? “Consummatum est!” (“It is done!”)
  • The popular toy, the yoyo, was invented by 16th century hunters in the Philippines.
  • The Philippines became the first Asian country to win FIVE major international beauty pageant crowns — two for Miss Universe, in 1969 and 1973, and three for Miss International, in 1965, 1970, and 1979.
  • The antibiotic erythromycin — used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory tract infections, middle ear infections, and skin infections — was created by Filipino scientist Abelardo Aguilar, and has earned American drug giant Eli Lilly billions of dollars. Neither Aguilar nor the Philippine government received royalties.
  • Philippines Herald war journalist Carlos P. Romulo was the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism in 1942. He was also aide-de-camp to General Douglas MacArthur in World War II; Philippine resident commissioner in the U.S. Congress from 1944-46; and the first Asian to become UN President in 1949.
  • On January 18, 1995, Pope John Paul II offered mass to an estimated 4 to 5 million people at Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, making it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the Biggest Papal Crowd.
  • There are 12,000 or so species of seashells in the Philippines. The Conus Gloriamaris or “Glory of the Sea” is the rarest and most expensive in the world.
  • Of the 500 known coral species in the world, 488 are found in the Philippines.
  • Of the eight species of marine turtles worldwide, five are reported to be found in the Philippines: the Green Turtle, Hawkbill, Leatherback, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead.
  • Of the eight known species of giant clams in the world, seven are found in the Philippines.
  • The largest bell in Asia hangs at the belfry of the 221-year old Panay Church. It is 7 feet in diameter and 7 feet in height, and weighs 10.4 tons. Its tolling can be heard as far as 8 km. away. It was casted from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople as a manifestation of faith and thanksgiving.
  • The World Cup, which was instituted in 1965, is contested annually by the national champions of the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ). The highest number of wins is 4, by Filipino bowler Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno: 1976, 1980, 1992, and 1996.
  • Tagala – the Philippines first Filipino-Spanish dictionary which was printed in 1613, 25 years older than the first book printed in the United States.
  • In the Philippines, Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans. Philippines is the world’s 3rd largest English-speaking nation, next to the USA and the UK.
  • The world’s largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the “Pearl of Lao-Tzu,” the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

I’m leaving you with a quote from a British traveller, which I really agree to.

“Mayon is the most beautiful mountain I have ever seen, the world-renowned Fujiyama (Mt. Fuji) of Japan sinking into perfect insignificance by comparison.”
—British traveler-writer A. Henry Savage Landor

*photo courtesy of members.cox.net

Viewed 1229 times by 392 visitors this month

Leave a comment

World’s Top Universities 2006

Posted on November 11, 2006 by Yoshke in Lists, Public Affairs, University |

Status: Waiting. Just waiting.
Music: Hurt – Christina Aguilera

Here’s something to make your day a little brighter. U.P. (University of the Philippines) made it to Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds (THES-QS) Top Universities in the World. We are 299th in the world, 47th in Asia, 10th in Southeast Asia and the best in the country. But then again, as an old colleague of mine said, during her college years, UP was 23rd globally (not sure if this is true, though). Anyway, also in the list are Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of Santo Tomas (UST). I wonder why Silliman University is not in the list when I’ve been hearing stuff saying Silliman is already next to UP in the local rankings. Hmmm…. Perhaps the group who conducted this study did not take a look at and into Silliman.

Here’s the summary of the list.*

WORLD’S TOP TEN:
1. Harvard University, USA
2. University of Cambridge, UK
3. University of Oxford, UK
4/5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, USA
6. Stanford University, USA
7. California Institute of Technology, USA
8. University of California Berkeley, USA
9. Imperial College London, UK
10. Princeton University, USA

ASIA’S TOP TEN:
14. Peking University, China
19. University of Tokyo, Japan
19. National University of Singapore, Singapore
28. Tsing Hua University, China
29. Kyoto University, Japan
33. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
50. Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
57. Indian Institute of Technology, India
58. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
61. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

SOUTHEAST ASIA’S TOP TEN:
19. National University of Singapore, Singapore
61. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
161. Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
192. University of Malaya, Malaysia
250. University of Indonesia, Indonesia
258. Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia
270. University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
277. University Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
292. University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
299. University of the Philippines, Philippines

PHILIPPINE RANKINGS:
299. University of the Philippines
392. De La Salle University
484. Ateneo de Manila University
500. University of Santo Tomas

*special thanks to beterano of peyups.com

Viewed 1614 times by 452 visitors this month

15 Comments

Global Warming, Eh?

Posted on September 7, 2006 by Yoshke in Public Affairs, The World |

Status: Terribly bored.
Music: Out of my Heart - BBMak

If you’re a regular CNN viewer, you will easily learn that there have been several droughts these past few months. In June, the Eastern part of the United States was terrified by forest fires. In July, Western Mainland Europe (France and Spain, in particular) was bombarded by heat waves. In August, Southern England was in panic trying to figure out how they were gonna make the water level in their region rise. And now, September greeted China with a tremendously hot, hot “hello” — scorching atmosphere and absence of water.

And I thought that I would be the item opposite October. Not that I’m hot or whatever. But you know, when someone asks you, “When was the last time you had sex?” and you answer, “Err, I can’t remember,” that’s a bad thing. That’s a really bad thing. It means you already need to give your partner a little tap. And if you don’t have a partner, then sing with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland: “Promiscuous girl/boy, wherever you are, I’m all alone….” And last week, I said to myself, “My greek gods, were I Pinocchio, I would’ve become one big charcoal now.” Friction is sometimes cruel, you know. Thank God I’m spared from burning myself to death.  And it’s nice to have a friend who is always willing to help. Haha. Yuck!!!

My god, I don’t even know why I’m posting this. Boredom, stay away. Why do you love me so? I always do terrible (and sometimes horrible) stuff when I’m bored. And no, I’m not drunk right now.

Err, I did spell Pinocchio right, right?

Viewed 923 times by 298 visitors this month

1 Comment

« Previous   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8   Next »