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

••••••

Travel

Top 10 Embarrassing Travel Experiences to Avoid

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Yoshke in Humor, Lists, Travel |

Murphy’s Law doesn’t care about you. Murphy can get you anywhere, anytime. He doesn’t care whether you’re at home, at work or having the time of your life while traveling. Unfortunate events may hit you and ultimately ruin your supposedly relaxing day. So it’s better to be prepared even when traveling — especially when traveling.

image courtesy of dailytelegraph.co.au

Last week, we asked our fans at PhilippineBeaches.org Facebook like page for their most embarrassing experiences while on a trip and we received hundreds of responses. Some of them are really hilarious I just have to feature them on my blog. So here are the top 10 embarrassing things that may happen to you while on a trip.

10. INTERNAL ISSUES

And by “internal,” I mean those that happen inside our bodies, particularly “digestion.” This happens to me all the time. I eat a lot and I love trying local delicacies, including street foods. And so this always happens. Fortunately, I have never experienced any intestine-related embarrassments.

It may be a simple case of farting…

Marife: my small brother loudly and verbally accused me of not controlling the release of my fart, just when the plane was already taxiing… when infact, he is the one who farted… on PR flight from manila bound to aklan, going to boracay… i was 23 y/o that time and he was like 7 or 8…

Or something more severe…

Ligaya: San Juanico Bridge, cant 4get bout it. Vehicles r not alowed to stop n middle of d bridge, so we decided to take a walk instead and do picture taking. Nung nasa kalagitnaan na kami, biglang nag.iba ang timpla ng tyan ko kasi nga mahangin di…n. Ang haba kaya ng bridge,. Talagang nawala poise ko sa kakalakad-takbo, pigil sa nag.aarburoto kung tiyan, muntik nakong bumigay. Tawa lang nga tawa iba kung insan. Buti nalang may nagmagandang loob at pinayagan ako gumamit ng banyo nla. Tapos nun, balik uli ako pikchur taking. Hahahaha wapak! O_o

Daniel: My friend had eaten a hotdog from street vendor at Clark airport, then we boarded the small zest air plane to boracay, half way on route, my friend felt the urge to poo, he very quickly got up and ran to the rear of the plane to use the toi…let, but then realised there was no toilet on board, it was just cargo area, but he could not control himself and made a lot of mess in he’s underwear. The plane was very mabaho, even the pilots were holding there noses, and 2 women passengers had sick bags over their mouths. He has never eaten street food since!

Diatabs is the answer!

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Asian Countries According to Their Tourism Logos

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Yoshke in Public Affairs, The World, Travel |

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.

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The Promil Kids Hit Hong Kong!

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Yoshke in Family, Travel |

My mother doesn’t travel. The farthest my mother had reached was Lucena City in Quezon. She had never boarded a plane or a ship. We used to be extremely poor. We literally experienced “magdildil ng asin.” I remember eating just rice and cooking oil with a little bit of soy sauce for our full meal.

But because my mother worked hard, our lives began becoming more comfortable. She supported us until my siblings and I finished college. And now that my life had been so good, I promised my mother that I would take her on a trip out of the country every year. Starting with Hong Kong.

But this post isn’t about my mother. As soon as my niece Natalia and nephew Yoshke (I gave him that name) heard the word “Disneyland,” I knew I won’t be alone with my mother. They just “had” to be there, the Kids insisted.

So off we went went and my sister tagged along, too. It was their first time to travel abroad so we were so excited.

Anyway, the trip was AWESOME but it felt like the universe was trying to spoil our trip. Haha. We were prepared for the cold but not the rain. When we were at the Hong Kong Ocean Park, the first thing we did was buy cute panda raincoats.

The whole weekend we were there, it was raining. It did not stop until our last night, making it harder for all of us to explore the city. Not to mention that there was constant fear that the two kids with us would get sick while we were there. But we managed and regardless, we still had a blast. Our priority was that my niece and nephew would enjoy so my personal plans were quickly set aside.

Niece smiling for the camera while on the bus on the way to the hotel from the airport

Niece and nephew at Adventureland (Disneyland)

Waiting for water squirts. They loooove playing with water.

It’s hard to travel with kids. There were a lot of places that I wasn’t able to set foot on because the kids got tired easily and my sister and mother were not confident they could find their way around the foreign city by themselves. They needed me to be with them all the time. I’m not saying kids are a burden when traveling; there’s absolute joy just seeing genuine happiness in their eyes. I’m just saying that I will be back. This time, no kids. LOL!

But here are some more of their pics.

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Protected: Top 10 Greatest Explorers of All Time: They Came, Saw, Conquered and Made History

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Yoshke in History, Lists, Travel, Trivia |

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Top 10 Cheap Ways to Travel

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Yoshke in Lists, 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.



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.

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Yoshke’s Weekend in Bohol in 4 Minutes

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Yoshke in Blurts, Travel, Videos |

Hi guys, just sharing how my weekend went told in images in less than 4 minutes to the tune of Christina Aguilera’s MONDAY MORNING from the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album Bionic. (Haha. Sorry for plugging.)

I’ll be narrating what happened on my Bohol trip in detail soon. I just need to find time as I’ve been awfully busy. And oh by the way, I did not drop any of my four trips the past month. So now I’m tired, broke, and my skin is freakin’ flakin’. Sunog na sunog. LOL.

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Pahiyas Festival 2010: Of Veggies, Colors and Cute Boys

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Yoshke in Travel |

Cute boys?!?!

Oh yeah, you read it right. The entire time we were joining the festivities, my friend Andre and I were “birdwatching,” spotting one cute guy after another. Lucban locals are wildly attractive. But of course, I can only look. I’m married so I left all the touching with Andre. Haha.


Anyway, after so much thinking, I finally decided to go on a trip with my officemates to Lucban, Quezon for the annual Pahiyas Festival. And it was a good decision. Despite the awful traffic, we still managed to have the most awesome time together.

The first thing I said to myself upon setting foot on the town was “OMG, I belong.” This festival was so visually stereotypically gay. You know, the rainbow colors, the decorations. I feel like if I die and I get reincarnated into a Philippine Festival, I’m sooo gonna be Pahiyas. I mean, come on, just look at this blog’s color palette. Makulay ang buhay dahil sa mga nakasabit na gulay.

Speaking of gulay, the second thing I said to myself was, “Gosh, what’s gonna happen to these veggies after the festival?” Seriously, I felt hurt for the vegetables, they were like cute boyfriends, you just display them, take pictures of them, parade them and then once the merriment subsides, what now? Please don’t tell me these veggies were headed to the dumpsite. Poor veggies. They sacrificed their lives. Haha, I’m being melodramatic here.

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Four Trips and a Problem

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Yoshke in Travel |

Last year, I was complaining, insisting that summer was a lie. Primarily because I didn’t feel it. I wasn’t able to go anywhere other than my apartment and office. The only thing that made summer last year “summer” was the sun’s intense heat. But I kind of sat it out.

This year, ah, this year is different. Although summer has not started for me yet, it’s going to be really, really fun. I haven’t gone on a trip since Sagada last December but I have a busy couple of months ahead of me now. And I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it, I’m blogging about it.

  • TRIP NO. 1
    Third weekend of May (15-16) – I’ll be in Quezon for the Pahiyas Festival! Yay! It will be my first time to witness it so I was thrilled when I received an invitation from my officemates!
  • TRIP NO. 2
    Fourth weekend of May (22-23) – I’ll be at Anawangin Cove in Zambales with my college friends. This is going to be the first time that we will be seeing Mimay again. (She’s a friend who is now based in California.)
  • TRIP NO. 3
    Fifth weekend of May (28-30) – Outing with our clients. Destination: Subic. This is going to be the first time I’ll be traveling with them.
  • TRIP NO. 4
    First weekend of June (5-7) – Company outing in Bohol! Yipee. Loveth, loveth, loveth. I’ve always wanted to visit Bohol. It’s number 2 on the top Philippine destinations I am dying to visit!

So there goes my schedule. Hmmm. I have a problem, though. When organizers asked me if I would go with them, I said “yes” right away. Without even realizing that they are one weekend after another. I can’t possibly go on all of them. It’s gonna be s00o tiring. Plus, it’s going to be really, really costly for me. So here’s the problem. I have to drop one.

Which trip should I drop?

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Top 10 Unforgettable Places I Visited in 2009

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Yoshke in Lists, Travel |

Year 2009 has been the best year of my life so far. It was so good to almost every aspect of my life — family, friends, love. The only thing that let me down was my health. I often found myself unable to enjoy the day with several gastro-intestinal disorders and, well, as usual, asthma and tonsilitis.

Another thing that almost spoiled the previous year for me was my failure to make it through the Foreign Service Oral Exams. I was devastated, I have to admit, because I planned my future around it. And when I learned I didn’t make it, I just needed to find an alternative route — reexamine myself and search for other things that I wanted and was good at and pursue one, or even more.

True enough, the situation opened several windows. Together with my friends, I set up a small marketing group. I also took my blogging a little more seriously and launched several blogs other than this.

But one thing that made 2009 so special was my many travel adventures. I’d always considered myself a well-traveled person having been to Benguet, Leyte, Palawan, Aurora, General Santos City, and many more. But 2009 proved to me that there was still so much to explore in this country. And this post is about the many memorable places that I visited in 2009. Here they go.

10. Tagaytay City

Well, Tagaytay has always been a favorite city. I love its climate, its landscape, and its proximity to Manila and to my house in Batangas. (Tagaytay is only 30-minute drive away from my mum’s house.) I’m a regular. But what made my visit to Tagaytay special this year had nothing to do with the destination nor does it involve the journey. It’s not where I went or how I got there. It’s whom I went with. And darn, Tagaytay just became the most romantic city on the planet.

9. Matabungkay, Batangas

Matabungkay has always had a special place in my heart. In August last year, I stepped on its sands again for the first time in three years and although I was glad to see its shore again, I was disappointed to find piles of garbage littered on it. I hope that when I go back, perhaps this year, I could see some improvement. Matabungkay is slowly losing what made it famous in the first place year after year.

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Going Loco in Ilocos Norte

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Yoshke in Travel |

Do you know what they call sitaw in Ilocos? It’s utong. How about patola? They call it kabatiti. And tortang talong? It’s called puki-puki. Oh yeah, I’m serious here.

But their local names for vegetables aren’t the only things fascinating about Ilocos. And my recent trip to the region was a testament to how these twin provinces could blow anyone away. And I’m not just talking about the Bangui Wind Mills. Here are some pics I took with my point-and-shoot cam.

PAOAY CHURCH

The Paoay Church is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my enter life. I’ve seen so many pictures of this magnificent landmark but I thought those pictures were lying. You know how sometimes pictures make places seem prettier than they actually are? I thought the Paoay Church was only picture perfect but boy was I so wrong. When I was standing there, looking at this wonder, I really thought no photo has given justice to it. I haven’t seen a picture that captures just how amazing this church is. It’s just so breathtaking.

The construction of this Gothic-Baroque-Oriental church started in 1694 by the Agustinian friars. A few meters away from the church stands a bell tower that is said to had been used by Katipuneros as an observation post during the Philippine-Spanish revolution.

During the 1865 and 1885 earthquakes, portions of this church were damaged. In 2000, an excavation inside the church revealed a prehistoric human skeleton and some fragmented ceramics, which are now on display at the National Museum. Currently, Paoay Church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

BANGUI WIND MILLS

You know what they say, every place has its element. (Yes, they say that.) They say Siquijor’s and Camiguin’s element is fire. Sagada is earth. And I strongly believe that Ilocos has to be air. The wind has such a strong presence in the region. If you don’t believe me, I’ll slap you with the Bangui windmills.

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