Public Affairs

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

The World According to Google Search Suggestions

August 14, 2012 by Yoshke 7 Comments

"Filipinos are annoying. Malaysians are ugly. Indonesians are lazy. Singaporeans are rude. Americans are dumb." That's what Google suggested when I typed the nationality (+ are) into the search box the other night. I was doing an online research about Malaysia for my travel blog when I spotted a search suggestion that I thought was a little too sweeping. It said: Malaysians are ugly. While I am not Malaysian, it bothered me so much. Really? That's your suggestion? I understand that the beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Public Affairs, The World, Web Tagged With: america, canada, google auto-suggest, google search, india, malaysia, national stereotypes, philippines, Public Affairs, racism, stereotypes, The World

Earning

April 9, 2012 by Yoshke 17 Comments

The Man Under the Shade My mom's words had been ringing in my head since I walked away from the store. "Never give alms to beggars on the street." I was supposed to go straight home from school but I decided to buy egg pie from a bakery around the block. I still had P20 in my pocket and I was planning to grab two slices. My daily allowance was P50 but I had spent P30 for lunch. I was in High School. There was a man, whom I had never seen before, sitting on the ground, under the shade of the tree in front of the store. Wearing a worn-out sleeveless shirt and a pair of dirty shorts, he … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Public Affairs, Travel Tagged With: alms, beggars on the street, donating, earning money, Public Affairs, Travel

The Paradox of the Freedom Islands

October 14, 2011 by Yoshke 3 Comments

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, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Public Affairs, The World, Travel Tagged With: coastal clean up, earth island institute philippines, earth island philippines, environment, freedom island, freedom islands, las pinas, long island, paranaque, Travel

And We Wonder Why We Don’t Move Forward

March 12, 2011 by Yoshke 11 Comments

Sometimes, we are THE problem. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blurts, Public Affairs, Rants Tagged With: bawal umihi dito, Blurts, funny pics, man peeing, pee, pics, pictures, Public Affairs, Rants, The World

5 Interesting Holidays to Celebrate in February

February 10, 2011 by Yoshke 11 Comments

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lists, Public Affairs, Trivia Tagged With: american history month, black history month, children's dental health month, february, february 11, get a different name day, holidays in february, Lists, Love, pet owners month, Public Affairs, random acts of kindness day. february 13, sad, singles awareness day, snack food month, The World, Trivia, valentine, valentine's day

How the 13th Zodiac Sign Rattled the World

January 15, 2011 by Yoshke 38 Comments

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. 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: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Friends, Humor, Public Affairs, Science, Web Tagged With: 13th zodiac, astrology, astronomy, facebook, Friends, Humor, ophiuchus, Public Affairs, Science, Web, zodiac sign

Judging By the Cover

December 7, 2010 by Yoshke 38 Comments

image courtesy of www.drewsmarketingminute.com

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. 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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fashion, Public Affairs, Rants Tagged With: annoying, annoying people, annoying types of people, bank, business wear, Career, Fashion, formal versus casual, formal vs casual, guard, guards, judging by the cover, megamall, Rants, security guard, security guards, superficial, tonet, top 10 annoying types of people

Skydive For Life

November 27, 2010 by Yoshke 10 Comments

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Causes, Health, Public Affairs, The World Tagged With: australia, breast cancer, cancer, Causes, charo, elvin, Family, father, Health, liver cancer, mother, new zealand, skydiving, The World

Asian Countries According to Their Tourism Logos

November 18, 2010 by Yoshke 119 Comments

And of course, the controversial proposed slogan and logo for Philippine Tourism: I had nothing to say. But after reading blogger Spanky Enriquez's blog post about it, I have something to repost. This is the logo of the Polish Tourism campaign. They pretty much say what I have to say. But I wonder what Poland has to say about it. I actually liked 'Wow Philippines!" I just wish instead of spending so much money and time on the rebranding, why not actually promote it. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Public Affairs, The World, Travel Tagged With: amazing thailand, department of tourism, incredible india, india, japan, korea be inspired, malaysia, malaysia truly asia, philippine tourism, philippines, pilipinas kay ganda, pilipinas kay ganda plagiarized, plagiarism, plagiarized slogan philippines, poland, polska, Public Affairs, singapore, south korea, thailand, The World, Travel, travel feature, uniquely singapore, wow philippines