Robert, Robbie, and the Robbery

August 7, 2012 by 25 Comments
dark city

The rain was just about to pour when a man approached us. It was five past nine o'clock in the evening and my friend Ces and I were walking towards a cake shop along Tomas Morato in Quezon City. "Hello, sir," said the man. "Can I ask you a small favor?" While he was remarkably handsome, I was a little bit weirded out by him approaching me for a number of reasons. First, I didn't know him at all; neither Ces nor I knew him. Second, a favor? He didn't even know us and there he was asking favors from complete strangers. And lastly, did he just call me sir?  But his voice, while … [Read more...]

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The Boracay Charm

April 17, 2012 by 24 Comments
Breathtaking Boracay Sunset

The island club had closed for the night and I hit the beach with reckless abandon. As I lay on the beach, I did not care one bit about the sand that had completely covered the back of my shirt and my arms. There I was, dragging my drunken butt as my new friends watched me almost make a fool of myself. I, however, was just drunk, not wasted. I could still feel just how fine the sand was and appreciate just how starry the night was. Boracay had been a surprise, a pleasant one. What a difference a trip makes. Before the trip, I was one to always dismiss the idea of flying to Boracay. I … [Read more...]

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We All Need Saving*

February 17, 2012 by 3 Comments
We all need saving.

People will never understand how we have gotten to be so close within such a short period of time. Or why. When I first met you, you have this cloud of positivity circling around you. Your movements were big, your smile was wide, your eyes were glistening with happiness. But there was sadness in your eyes, too, that I immediately noticed. And it looked mighty familiar. It looked just like my sadness years back. Turned out that it wasn't the only thing we have in common. We share the same background, same heritage, same dreams, same nightmares, same insecurities, same fears, same … [Read more...]

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Chestit Rojden Den, Plamen!

September 19, 2011 by 16 Comments
plamen chestit rojden den

"What's in Bulgaria that is well worth a visit?" I asked a friend when he suggested that I visit Bulgaria after telling him that my ultimate dream was to tour Europe. For the longest time, Bulgaria had no significance in my life. Back then this East European state was just another country to me. I knew that its capital is Sofia. I could correctly identify it on the map. But that was all. When I said I wanted to visit Europe, I meant Germany, France, Britain, Spain, Italy. Not Bulgaria. But something happened. Six years ago, I hit rock bottom. Weeks before my college graduation, family … [Read more...]

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She Who Shines

August 16, 2011 by 22 Comments
asta shines

She came walking slowly towards me, sat beside me and introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Astrid." Her name means "star." "I'm Yoshke," I replied. Reluctantly, I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you." The whole thing was totally weird to me. It was the moment when, I think, she and I truly became friends. I wouldn't say we became inseparable since then but I missed her every time we were apart. From then on, we became distant companions. Although we lived miles away, I knew I could rely on her any damn time. She would text me whenever she was around and she would always invite me to an … [Read more...]

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The Natural Phenomenon of Madness

June 19, 2011 by 7 Comments
natural phenomenon of madness

I remember back in college I was a Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival volunteer. I was part of the group of volunteers who organized the many events and gatherings leading to the launch of the film fest as an usher, editor, and more. After graduation, I had been completely out of the film loop as I turned into a corporate slave. Sad to say that the last time I saw a Cinemalaya film was when I was still a volunteer. I had not seen that many independent films since then. Shame on me, indeed. I guess much of the reason I had not seen any indie film in a while was because I felt frustrated. … [Read more...]

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Akala Mo Lang Wala Nang SLUMBOOK, Pero Meron, Meron, MERON!

May 30, 2011 by 48 Comments
slumbook gender

Once upon a time, I had a witty friend who had a witty idea. Her name was Tonet. "Yoshke, I have a brilliant concept for a business," Tonet exclaimed. "Ano na namang kagagahan 'yan?" I asked, knowing her history of kagagahan. "Let's create a witty planner that will rival that of Starbucks," my witty friend explained. "We will sell copies of it. It will be epic!" "Haynaku friend, I'm so busy with my full-time job. I don't know where to find time to create a witty planner with you," said I, who was trying to prove my buzzkill reputation right. We parted ways and she never brought it … [Read more...]

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College Friends Bring On the Crazy!

May 13, 2011 by 13 Comments
College friends at Anawangin Cove

I clearly remember how my friend Dohna attempted to start singing Tina Arena's Burn with "Do you wanna be a fo..." and tried to get away with it by claiming she was about to say "forest," not "foet." And how she shared some words of wisdom, telling me that "sometimes we have to eat our friends in order to live and because they eat us too." Well, Dohna is a college friend. And she's not alone. There are a lot of people like her where she came from. Many of my college friends are hilariously epic. Meet Icang Icang is your girl-next-door type, who just seems lost sometimes. Oh, make that … [Read more...]

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Farewell, Friendster

May 4, 2011 by 12 Comments
friendster-logo

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 … [Read more...]

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How the 13th Zodiac Sign Rattled the World

January 15, 2011 by 38 Comments
zodiac signs

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...]

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