My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 5)
Love songs are here to stay. No matter what genre dominates the airwaves, romantic elements just keep on creeping its way into pop. Love songs know no season, gender, age and territory. It’s just so universal. Everyone can relate to love songs.
This is the fifth installment of my list of 100 love songs that I am completely in love with. This batch includes singles from number 31-45. Again, this is a personal list — songs that have touched me in many ways. (Click on the title of the song to listen to it.)
45. Ricky Martin feat Christina Aguilera – Nobody Wants to Be Lonely
I worship Christina Aguilera but most of her songs that I totally adore are not love songs — Beautiful, for example, is very inspirational but is not a love song. Nevertheless, her collaboration with Ricky Martin is a classic for me. It reminds me of my high school days and this song just speaks for many people who have been longing for someone, fearing the idea of being alone.
Time is precious and it’s slipping away
and I’ve been waiting for you all of my life
Nobody wants to be lonely so why
Why don’t you let me love you
Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera were huge superstars at the time and although it did not enjoy extreme success in the US (peaking somewhere around number 13 in US Billboard), I believe it was very successful in the rest of the world.
I also love most of Ricky Martin’s ballads such as She’s All I Ever Had, I Count the Minutes and his work with Meja, Private Emotion.
When I heard this song for the first time, I fell in love with it almost instantly. It’s just sensual, romantic and heart-breaking at the same time. I know the kind of sexual reference was intentional, but you can read it in a purely romantic way. The song encapsulates the feeling of being part of a relationship that has just ended but you invested so much emotions that when the relationship died, a part of you died with it.
I’ve never felt alone
Till I met you
I’m alright on my own
And then I met you
And I’d know what to do if I just knew what’s coming
I would change myself if I could
I’d walk with my own people if I could find them,
And I’d say that I’m sorry to you,
I’m sorry to you, and I don’t want to call you,
But then I want to call you cause I don’t want to crush you,
But I feel like crushing you
And it’s true
One thing that I really really really love about Mariah Carey is that she knows how to tell a story using her instruments — the voice and the pen. Mariah is not just an extraordinary vocalist, she’s also a good songwriter. Her songs are very believable — words unpretentious and voice soulful.
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me but that you’re just not in love
Immediately I pretended to be feeling similarly
And led you to believe I was O.K.
To just walk away from the one thing
That’s unyielding and sacred to me
I’m sure many of us have loved or cared so much about someone but sadly the feeling is one-way. And when they say that to us upfront, we pretend it doesn’t matter. But the truth is, we are devastated. That’s what Breakdown is all about. It’s just a beautiful song.
Top 20 Funniest Filipino Like Pages on Facebook | Part 2
In May 2010, I posted the first half of my list of the 20 funniest Pinoy like pages on Facebook. Two months later, I think it’s high time to post the other half. I actually forgot about it, LOL.
Again, this list is personal. This is a list of Filipino fan pages that cracked me up big time. If your favorite pages were not able to make this list, comment and post the link so I could check it out and come up with another compilation.
If you missed the first part of this list, you can find it here. So here we go.
WINNER!!! Haha. This was probably the first Pinoy statement fan page that I came across with. Well, it’s true but I don’t really see anything wrong with it. I love that Filipinos now love photography with a passion. It’s better that most of us is into the arts than drugs. But yeah, it’s funny.
9. HINDI PORKE TAGA-ABS-CBN AKO, PWEDE KITANG IPASOK SA SHOWTIME, WOWOWEE AT ASAP!
I find this funny because I have a lot of friends working with ABS-CBN and this is usually what they complain about. LOL. I spend most of my internship days at ABS-CBN (Star Cinema to be specific) and yeah, when people hear you work for ABS, they ask you for these things. I guess it happens to GMA7 employees, too.
8. Nag-Group Message ka pa isa lang naman gusto mong magreply
Lahat ng guilty, taas ang kamay! Yun lang. Hahahahahahaha. Syet, ang haba nung tawa ko.
Meron pang kunyari eh group message pero isang tao lang naman yung tinext. O kaya eh kunyari wrong send pero sinadya naman talaga. O kaya kunyari may school-related na itatanong gusto lang naman lumandi. UMAMIN NA!!!
Eh ano naman, walang pakialamanan. Haha. Tinamaan daw? LOL
My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 4)
OMG. I can’t believe that it’s been a year since I posted the third part of this list. I have actually completely forgotten about it. LOL. If you’ve been waiting for the fourth installment, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for 12 full months. So now, here’s the fourth part — top 60 to 46 — of the top 100 love songs that I completely adore. I’m also posting some lyrics to the songs.
60. No Doubt – Don’t Speak
I love No Doubt. I love Gwen Stefani. And I love this song. There’s just something so painful about this song. You know the feeling of not wanting to know — or not wanting to hear it — because you know it’s gonna hurt real bad.
You and me
We used to be together
Everyday together always
I really feel
That I’m losing my best friend
I can’t believe
This could be the end
It looks as though you’re letting go
And if it’s real
Well I don’t want to know
Don’t speak
I know just what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t tell me cause it hurts
I think this song encapsulates that problem very well. And it’s catchy, too.
Also listen to: Cool and Gwen Stefani’s 4 in the Morning
59. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
A cute, fun song but not short of effectiveness. Jason Mraz was able to create a feel-good song that is both romantic and insightful.
Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We’re just one big family
And it’s our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved
So I won’t hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I’m sure
There’s no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I’m yours
Also listen to: Clockwatching, You and I Both, I Melt With You
58. Alicia Keys – Fallin
When I first saw the music video for this song, the first thing I said was, “Man, this girl will make it big.” True enough, she did make it big in the business. Since then, I’m a big Alicia Keys fan. Set aside the controversies, she’s still a great singer and an awesome songwriter.
Sometimes I love ya
Sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good
At times I feel used
Lovin’ you darlin’
Makes me so confused
I keep on fallin’
In and out of love with you
I never loved someone
The way that I love you
After four albums and a ton of singles, I still think that Fallin’ is her best single to date. (With Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart at a close second.) This song just paints a good picture of what it feels like to be totally confused about your emotions — falling in and then out of love. And I know the song speaks for many people.
Also listen to: If I Ain’t Got You, Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart, No One
57. Sade – By Your Side
I’m not a Sade fan but I love this song. Not many of my friends know this song so whenever we talk about favorite songs and I say “I love Sade’s By Your Side,” they go “What’s that? Who’s that? What?” Haha.
Oh when you’re cold, I’ll be there
Hold you tight to me
When you’re on the outside baby and you can’t get in
I will show you, you’re so much better than you know
When you’re lost and you’re alone and you cant get back again
I will find you darling and I will bring you home
And I think it’s a great wedding song. 
56. Dido – Thank You
When you listen to this song without the lyrics, you’ll easily assume it’s a sad, sad song for the broken-hearted. But it’s the exact opposite. This song never fails to make me smile when it gets randomly played by my iPod.
Push the door, I’m home at last and I’m soaking through and through
then you handed me a towel and all I see is you
and even if my house falls down now, I wouldn’t have a clue
because you’re near me and
I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
Oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life
And yeah, I can truly relate to it. It’s nice to know that no matter how bad the world can be, there’s still someone who can make all the bad things go away at the end of the day. And it’s nice to know that there’s a song about just that.
Also listen to: Here With Me, White Flag
Top 10 Cheap Ways to Travel
I was looking at my travel pictures and I was surprised by what I just realized. Aside from how much weight I gained the past year, I realized I have traveled a lot and I didn’t spend much. Since July last year, I have visited Palawan, Iloilo, Guimaras, Cebu, Pangasinan, Ilocos, Tagaytay, Batangas, Tarlac, Cebu again, and Sagada. In fact, the soles of my feet had been itching the past four weekends that I traveled to Lucban, Quezon (Pahiyas Festival); Mahayhay, Laguna; Anawangin Cove in Zambales; Subic Bay; and Bohol. Add to that, I flew to and spent three days in Singapore last October. I spent 33 days traveling in 16 different tourist destinations in a year.
Believe it or not, all I spent for traveling the entire year was less than PhP15,000 (US$ 330) all in all. Recap: 33 days, 16 destinations, for only 15 thousand pesos. How did I do that?
Yoshke at Anawangin Cove in Zambales, Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Magellan’s Cross in Cebu, and the beautiful Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte
I am shocked by the number of awesome places I have visited and the amount of cash I have shelled out. I’m not saying I’m an authority on budget traveling (far from it) but allow me to share with you how I pulled it off. So here, Yoshke’s top 10 tips on traveling cheap aka the Poor Man’s Guide to Traveling.
10. Travel in a group. Big group.
The more the merrier. And cheaper, too. When I traveled to Anawangin, I was with 11 of my college friends. And we were 20+ in Coron, Palawan.
Yoshke and officemates at Mt. Tapyas in Coron, Palawan and Kiltepan Viewpoint in Sagada, Mountain Province
Traveling in big groups has its disadvantages, of course. (Imagine the chaos, the time spent waiting for the group to be complete, the constant asking where a certain person is, the taking of group pictures every part of the tour, and the frequency of stopping over because someone needs to pee.) But hey, look at the bright side. Being in a big group means more people dividing the expenses (transportation, accommodation, food). More people chipping in means there’s more that you can do and less cash to spend.
9. Find a good budget travel agency.
You have no idea how many there are. They’re just around the corner waiting for your call. If you’re not aware of any, head to this awesome website www.philippinesbudgettravel.com and choose the destination and the agency you want. Their rates and contact details are displayed there.
You can spend three days and two nights in Coron, Palawan for less than PhP3500; or in Caramoan, CamSur for around PhP3000; or in Sagada for as low as PhP3700.
Why so cheap, you ask? It’s simple really. Most of these travel agencies work on a “big group” mechanism. This means that even if you’re traveling alone or with only a few friends, you’ll be traveling as part of a bigger group. This way, you can still travel with a low-budget because the entire group will divide the total cost of the trip. Most of these packages already include transportation, food and lodging so you don’t have to worry about anything.
Also, these are budget travel agencies. Don’t expect five star hotels and limousines.
8. Avail of flight promos and discounts.
You have no idea how much you will be saving if you grab the chance. Remember that more often than not, the bulk of the expenses goes to airfare. It’s usually the biggest roadblock when traveling and these promos remove just that so you might want to take advantage.
For example, last week I booked a flight to Cagayan de Oro and Tacloban City for P100 (US$ 2). Yes, one hundred freakin’ pesos only. How? Twice a year, Cebu Pacific comes up with “Piso Fare” promos. Yep, you only pay one peso per flight. (Of course, add taxes and all that other shit, it’ll fall around P50-P100.) NOT BAD AT ALL!
Piso Fare promo isn’t the only one. There are almost ALWAYS flight promos out there, you just need to be updated all the time. Follow your favorite airlines on Twitter and like them on Facebook. When the time comes, be quick in booking flights as they sell out as fast as your favorite rock band.
Top 20 Funniest Filipino Statement Fan Pages on Facebook | Part 1
Before anything else, thanks to all who liked, shared and commented on my Top 10 Funniest Facebook Fan Pages list (click here to read). I have been receiving requests to feature more so here’s another list of hilarious fan or like pages on Facebook. But this time, let’s get local.
There are thousands of Tagalog statement fan pages on Facebook today. In fact there are over 500 fan pages related to Jejemon alone, so you can just imagine how many you can find non-Jejemon-related. Some are funny, some are pointless, some were set up just so that the creator would have one. Haha.
Anyway, here are the first part of this list.
20. Badtrip ako sa mga guard na pabubukas pa ung bag, tutusukin lang naman!
I super-mega-ultra-uber agree! Haha. This is the second time these wizarding guards make it to a Yoshke.com list. When I enumerated the Top 18 Most Annoying Types of People, these guards opened the chart. So allow me to just quote myself, “I don’t know about other countries, but here in the Philippines, we have a lot of security guards who really do magic. What am I talking about? Well, these guards are those stationed at the entrance to the mall or train station. What’s really magical is they just point their “wands” to your bag, a little flick and voila! You’re bomb-free! And when something happens, like a bombing or something, the management claims they perform security measures thoroughly. Thoroughly, my ass.”
19. ANG MGA KAIBIGAN KO AY PARANG LATA!!! MAINGAY PERO ATLEAST HINDI PLASTIC
This one just made me crack up big time. Well, to the creator, good for you! LOL. I’d rather have a bunch of noisy friends than a bunch of fake ones.
Top 10 Funniest Facebook Fan Pages | Batch 1
The advent of Facebook gave the other social networking sites a run for their money. Facebook is just so awesome. I’ve been on Facebook since 2007 and I liked the idea that it does not allow users to personalize the design of the interface. That’s why I left Myspace and Friendster, my friends’ profiles starting to get all messed up that it annoyed me to death.
But because Facebook does not enable users to personalize their user profile interface, I thought it would hinder its population’s creativity. But Facebook fan pages provide just that — an avenue through which users can express their imagination, wit and humor.
So here we go, here are the top 10 funniest fan pages on Facebook that I found.
10. Pandas are the least racist animal. They’re black, white AND asian!
1,587,570 people like this
I love pandas! But I never really thought about the idea of it being black and white and Asian until this fan page! LOL. Sadly, Facebook took away the creator’s publishing rights! Bad, bad! So now it’s a fan page with virtually no engagement. Would’ve been awesome.
9. I dont care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!!!
6,015,966 people like this
“We also DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR CAFE, ZOO, OR YOUR SORORITY! Wait, WHAT?!?!?!?! PETVILL?!?!?!?! ENOUGH OF THE FLIPPIN VILLS IN GENERAL,” adds the creator of the fan page.
True, it gets annoying sometimes. But as a social media specialist, I understand why Farmville, Yoville, Mafia Wars and whatever encourage people to post their updates, progress and screenshots on their wall. Obviously, they’re going for virality. But I won’t blame other people who gets irked.
Top 10 Movie Sound Effects
Note: I originally wrote this article for Crunkish.com. It was first published in April 2007. Three years later, allow me to post this on my own blog.
Watching a movie without sound effects is like not watching at all. Even back in the early 1900s, when films were all silent, people have tried to simulate real-life sounds by producing sound effects live, while the movie was being projected. Sound effects make a better movie-viewing experience by producing sounds that we hear in real life. They also add to the emotions and effectiveness of the scene.
image courtesy of pic.leech.it
Usually, sound mixers and editors record sound for a particular scene. These recordings are then archived to be used in other films that they can be useful to in the future. As years go by, some of these recorded sound effects have been used over and over again that they have become ubiquitous. In fact, a few of these sound effects have found a following with many observant movie fans and editors. Others find these repetitive sound effects annoying and absurd.
Whether you are pleased or irritated, here are the top 10 most famous and most commonly used sound effects in Hollywood movies that will surely make you go “Why haven’t I noticed that before?”
10. Animal Sounds
In movies, animals always make noise. Dogs always bark. Cats always meow. Cows always moo. What is absurd is the idea that they still make sound even when they are not supposed to. This is because animal sounds are used to set the mood.
If you have a very good attention to details you would realize that the animals actually make the same noise. In many films:
- Snakes rattle even when they are not rattlesnakes.
- Dolphins make the same “chatter” sound when jumping, spinning and whatever they do — it’s the same sound.
- Insects always sound like they are all wet.
- In open fields, the sound of a red-tailed hawk screeching is heard even when the bird being shown is actually an eagle or a falcon.
- Many horror films also use the same sound of a wolf or owl howling in the distance.
- The sound of kookaburras, an Australian kingfisher, is also often heard even when the film is set in North America.
- Finally, haven’t you noticed that it is the same scream that cats let out over and over again in many movies?
Hmmm. Well?
9. The Martial Art Swish
Another commonly used sound effect is the funny “swish” sound that martial artists make when doing their moves. This swish sound is always used every time they jump, hit or kick. They also always tend to let out a high-pitched scream before the fighting-action.
image courtesy of www.jkd.com.au
The next time you watch a Chinese or Western martial art film, notice how their movements produce exaggerated sounds that don’t occur in real life. Moreover, notice how they all sound the same.
8. Explosion
If you are fond of watching action films, you might have noticed how common explosion scenes go. Another thing that you might have noticed is how sound effects are used in such scenes. Most of them sound alike.. Another unrealistic use of explosion sound effects is in space movies such as Star Wars.
image courtesy of scrapetv.com
In real life, explosions in space do not produce sound. Sound needs a medium, like air, to be heard. Since there is nothing but vacuum in space, there should be no sound. For the purpose of entertainment, however, sound effects are employed.
Top 10 Simple Ways to Make a Relationship Last
image courtesy of Wired.com
Impress him. Surprise him. Cheat not. Hit not. In simpler terms, these are the most important pieces of advice on keeping a relationship. But sometimes, no matter how strictly you follow these commandments, relationships still die. Some of natural death. Why? Because we tend to overlook simpler but not any less significant things we have to remember when we are the other half of a couple.
10. When you make mistakes, say sorry.
Your heart should be bigger than your ego. Pride will get your relationship nowhere. When you suddenly threw tantrums in the middle of your seventh monthsary dinner (ulimately ruining the night), say sorry. It’s your fault, take the blame. It’s simple, really: When you make a mistake, apologize.
9. When your partner makes mistakes, say sorry.
Shit happens. Everybody makes mistakes. Your partner is not an exception. When your partner does and he or she apologizes, don’t pin all the blame on him/her. Analyze the situation. I mean, REALLY analyze it and you’ll find you have shortcomings, too. Example:
He’s late. It’s his fault, yes. But did you remind him?
He called you a bitch. It’s his fault, yes. But are you really not?
He’s out with friends yet again. It’s not really a fault but let’s say it is. Was it clear you didn’t want him to go out with friends four times a week?
Point is, it wouldn’t hurt to get your share of the blame sometimes. After all, you’re partners.
8. Don’t self-pity.
If you think you’re so ugly or so stupid or so whatever and you think you’re not good at anything, stop it. Self-pitying will only make you feel bad. And if you feel bad about yourself, imagine how it makes your partner feel. Has it ever occurred to you that the more you tarnish your confidence, the worse your partner is hurt?
Think about this: He loves you. If you think you’re worthless, you are insulting your partner in a way.
Top 10 Reasons to Fall in Love
Note: I’m a cheesy person alright? But since it’s Valentine’s Day and I wish everyone is in love this season, let me share some more cheese. The kind that is, well, cheesy.
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
That’s from romantic musical film Moulin Rouge. Cheesy line alright but yes, there is nothing in this world that feels better than being in love. It is the most amazing feeling that you will ever have. (Orgasm, an exception.) If what this quote says is not enough reason for you, here’s ten more.
10. It makes you better-looking.
This is not a joke. Believe it or not, falling in love can really make you look a lot better. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t care about your physical appearance, fall in love and see how you would change. When you’re in love, you will always try to look your very best not just to impress the one you love but also to feel good about yourself. You feel conscious about your outfit, your hair and your movements.
Even when you don’t exert any effort on improving your appearance, love really brings something magical to its victims. When people are in love, they smile a lot. There is a certain glowing aura that people in love emit that radiates happiness.
9. It makes you nicer.
How can you be mean to people around you when there is someone who makes every minute of your life wonderful? When people are in love, we tend to focus on our feelings for that lucky person and pay not much attention to other things, much less to the things that make our blood reach the boiling point. And because there is someone who makes us smile every time, it is hard to frown and make other people’s lives miserable. We tend to forget our bitter past and our plans of revenge in the future because what matters is the present.
8. It makes you richer.
It doesn’t mean that you should marry Donald Trump or some other billionaire. Even if you fall in love with an average guy, you have more chances of getting rich. This is because you are more inspired to work and you have another reason to work hard. Intentionally or unintentionally, you will find yourself doing your job a little less exhausting because the feeling of going home to someone you love keeps you through the day in a way that you don’t realize how much work you have done. This is true. Studies have shown that individuals in long-term committed relationships earn more than those who stay single. So if you want to get rich, fall in love.
Criminally Overlooked | Top 10 Famous Yet Underrated Actors and Actresses in Hollywood
Note: I originally wrote this article for Qool Media in 2007. And since it’s awards season once again, I figured it’s time for me to publish this on this blog. Just edited it a little for updates. Remember that this is a PERSONAL list and that it was written in 2007, three years ago. But feel free to add other actors that you think are underrated.
Life isn’t fair. Some people get too much while others get so much less that what they deserve. Like life, Hollywood is unfair, too. It is home to many celebrities who enjoy fame for absolutely no remarkable work. And then, there are those who have exerted so much effort and unparalleled talent but never really received any significant recognition.
From brilliant actors who are refused to be given a break to those who rock their roles no matter how small they are, you can produce a list of celebrities who are not given what they are due. Here is a list of ten FAMOUS actors and actresses in Hollywood but criminally underrated.
10. Sandra Bullock
Although many people would disagree that Sandra Bullock is overrated for all the fame and glamor she enjoys right now, it has to be noted that she CAN act. All the talk about her in tinsel town was not about how good an actress she was. Aside from her dazzling beauty and head-turning attitude that always make her top every most beautiful celebrities list there is, she is a total scene-stealer when it comes to acting.
Unfortunately, not all people realize that. Her portrayal of a woman in jeopardy in Speed isn’t a performance that Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson or Jennifer Aniston can deliver. She even completely kicked out Matthew McConaughey from the spotlight with her outstanding performance in “A Time to Kill.” Heck, even her very tiny role in “Crash” was well-celebrated.
(Update: Thanks to The Blind Side, Sandra got a challenging, heavy role in a good material and hopefully it pays off this year and be regarded as among her contemporaries such as Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman in the acting department.)
9. Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh may have lost a number of important roles in huge movies like The Terminator (to Linda Hamilton) and Hannibal (to Julianne Moore) but she’s definitely here to prove her worth as an actress. She has shown her acting prowess in several films, from Mrs. Parker and eXistenZ but she is surprisingly still not well-known in Hollywood and is yet to reach the dizzy heights of Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. Still, she continues to give us brilliant performances but most of them are barely noticed.
8. Gary Oldman
Another great mystery in Hollywood is why Gary Oldman has never received any nod from either the Golden Globes or the Oscars. He isn’t named “The Chameleon” for no reason. Like Johnny Depp who looks so different in all his movies, Gary has already made a name for portraying a wide range of unusual characters varying international backgrounds. He delivers every performance with unmatched intensity that overpowers those of his co-stars every single time.
He is an incredibly talented actor who is still waiting for that moment when his formidable acting skills be recognized by any major award-giving body. Before that day comes, he will continue giving life to supporting characters and will remain one of the most underrated actors in the history of cinema.
On May 31, 1985, tragedy struck when 41 tornadoes hit Canada and the US, leaving 76 people dead. At the same time, a doomed couple in the Philippines were having the best orgasms of their lives. Nine months (280 days) later, a healthy baby boy was brought into this world by normal delivery. That was exactly a week before Microsoft had its initial public offering.
Today, Yoshke Dimen resides independently in Mandaluyong City. He got a degree in Film from an overrated university in Diliman but is now pursuing a career in Social Media.
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