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

Travel

Top 15 Philippine Destinations
I Have Yet to Visit (Part 2)

Posted on by Yoshke in Lists, Travel |


Long overdue, I know, I know. Haha. Anyway, here’s the upper half of the list of destinations in the Philippines that I want to (and I should and I WILL) visit sooner or later! Preferably sooner.

And oh, I added three more and made it Top 15 instead. Ehehe. I’m fickle like that.

9. Taal Volcano, Batangas

I’m a proud Batangueno but sadly conquering the Taal Volcano is still a dream. Naunahan pa ako ng mga college friends ko na mapuntahan ‘to. Gaaaaah. Loser me.

8. Zambales


image courtesy of Philippines 101 Travel

If things would go as planned, I’d be swimming in the waters of Zambales before the third quarter ends… Yipeeeee, I’m excited.

And since Mt. Pinatubo rose from the ashes, it’s starting to become the paradise it used to be — full of color, full of life.  It’s crater is filled with rainwater, too. I have no idea how this deadly volcano looked prior to its bonggang bonggang eruption but something tells me it looks a lot better than before.

7. Caramoan, Camarines Sur

I’ve been to Camarines Sur (and other parts of the Bicol region) before but not in Caramoan. CamSur is starting to become the “it” destination in the country, drawing the attention of locals and foreigners alike. Andami na ring sporting events to get… well, more attention. And man, just look at the pictures above. Magnetic.

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Barako No More?

Posted on by Yoshke in Public Affairs, Travel, Trivia |

I spent most of my years in Batangas and although my Dad was from Masbate/Palawan, I’ve always considered myself a 100% Batangueno. I’m your typical Batangueno — great and proud of his roots. In Tagalog, magiting at mayabang. Joke lang. Pero half-meant. After all, wala pa akong nakitang Batangueno na hindi proud na taga-Batangas. Gaah, that’s for another story.

Ayun na nga, magiting at mayabang. Sa madaling sabi, barako. Haha.


image courtesy of wowbatangas.com

My mother has a store in Lemery’s New Public Market. Batang palengke ako, ika nga. I used to roam around the market. My eyes, feasting on almost endless colorful arrays of stalls selling toys, clothes, food and other stuff. One of the most noticeable colors also has a very noticeably strong smell. Brown. Coffee. Kapeng barako.

Barako is not a common coffee variety, although it is abundant in Southeast Asia especially in the Philippines. It has the largest beans of all the coffee varieties. Its taste is said to be superior to Robusta, and most Filipino coffee drinkers prefer Barako to Arabica. The Arabica-Barako blend is a popular gourmet coffee. Barako is considered to be the best among Liberica species. (Wiki)

The Lemery Public Market was like a vast coffee pantry. To be honest, even when sleeping, I’d know if we had entered the market premises once that aroma started tickling my nostrils. I used to see at least a couple of “barako stalls” within one block. Parang bigas na may mountain range-type na nakadisplay tapos doon sinasalok yung coffee beans or powder. In one lane, I’d find at least five coffee stores. And God knows how many lanes our market had at the time.

Since I stepped foot on college, I had always asked my mum to buy me packs of kapeng barako. I had not gone back to that market. Until last month. Seven years had gone so fast that I failed to see how much that market changed. At the time, I knew something had changed but I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. I couldn’t figure it out.

Last month, I was approached by someone from Howie Severino’s team from GMA7′s iWitness. She asked me what was worth featuring in or about Batangas. Topics flooded my mind — from the fish pens on the edges of Taal Lake to the soon-to-be-erected Monte Maria Shrine (bigger than Rio de Janeiro’s Jesus Christ the Redeemer) to political dynasties (ahem Ermita ahem Leviste ahem).

As I was thinking of something to suggest, it hit me. What is “wrong” with our local public market today, what’s changed, what’s missing are the barako stalls. They are practically vanishing.

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Top 15 Philippine Destinations
I Have Yet to Visit (Part 1)

Posted on by Yoshke in Lists, Travel |


image courtesy of travel.nationalgeographic.com

Hmm, last week was Holy Week. Well I’m not a Christian so the Holy Week must have been a regular week for me. And yeah, it was a pretty ordinary week except no work. And God knows how “no work” makes my ordinary week heavenly. I stayed at my mum’s house in Batangas. I usually go with my entire family on the road for our annual Visita Iglesia but sloth got the better of me; I decided to do nothing. And nothing was FUN! Wahaaha.

Then I remembered what a friend told me last year: “If a tsunami hits Puerto Galera anytime during the Holy Week, it will wipe out 80% of the country’s gay population.” Haha.

Funny, I haven’t set foot on the sands of Puerto Galera when it is just around P300 away from Batangas. And it’s not just Gale, I haven’t experienced Boracay either! Whenever my friends would invite me to join them to Boracay or Gale, I always end up staying with my relatives in Palawan. Not that I’m complaining. It’s cheaper, since food and lodging won’t be a concern. And besides, Palawan is beyond awesome.

I consider myself a well-traveled person if we’re talking about within the Philippine borders. I’ve been to Benguet to Aurora to Sorsogon to Leyte to General Santos. But the Philippines has just too many must-see places that gaaaah, there are also too many I haven’t been to. Here are 15 famous places in the country that I have yet to conquer.

15. Bukidnon


image courtesy of Star Cinema

Even before Piolo Pascual and Angel Locsin made Bukidnon a romantic setting in “Love Me Again,” I had always wanted to experience this pineapple-happy province. I remember when I was in grade school, Bukidnon really grabbed my curiosity. Grade school textbooks then had good things to say about Bukidnon, its terrain, industries and unusual climate. Bukidnon is the first thing that comes to mind whenever our teacher would ask us for an example of a plateau. Haha.

I really don’t know why but I won’t die without visiting Bukidnon.

14. Cebu


image courtesy of Tourism.gov.ph

My sister used to work in Cebu and she always urged me to come visit because there was just too much to see. But time was a bitch then. When I decided to finally pay the Queen City of the South a go-see, my sister was assigned somewhere else — Ilocos Norte. And then she completely forgot about Cebu and pimped Ilocos. Crazy sister.

One thing that makes me wanna see Cebu — history. It’s the oldest city in the country, right? So it should take me to the past and indulge me with things ancient. That’s what I’m expecting — more than the beaches, more than the culture. It’s really history. And dried mangoes.

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Bulleted Blurts

Posted on by Yoshke in Blurts, Health, Movies, Music, Travel, TV |

Status: Perfectly functional.
Music: Smack into You | Jon Mclaughlin

  • Wow, time flies. January has only a few days left.
  • I still got tonsilitis. Dammit. But it’s aright, I’m completely functional. Just that my breath smells like a slice of durian you trap in a jar for a week and then you open it and voila… welcome to Payatas. Yaaak.
  • So now I’m in Batangas with my family. Yesterday, I was in Tagaytay. And it was COLD. I know what you’re thinking. “Come on, it’s Tagaytay, of course, it’s cold. Duh?” Well yeah, but not that cold. I’m always there. Thanks to its proximity to our house here. But it was really cold.
  • And I realized that listening to my dear Jon Mclaughlin‘s album “OK Now” in a freezing weather is therapeutic. I’m starting to think that I’m only getting better coz of it. (Yeah, screw antibiotics! Men are THE cure! It’s always men!)
  • It’s Sunday! My favorite day. And it’s not because of the church. It’s Philippine showbiz, baby. Sunday means ASAP 09 and The Buzz. Haha. I looove seeing Ruffa Gutierrez and Kris Aquino bickering on POV (Points, Opinions, Violent Reactions). Gaaawd. They really HAVE to replace Boy Abunda. When he sits in between Ruffa and Kris, he’s getting blander and lamer and uglier by the second.
  • Been hooked to Tayong Dalawa. Ehehe. Fantastic ensemble. Even Gerald Anderson is impressive. Sana may quotable quotes din like Iisa Pa Lamang, haha.
  • Andre, Dohna, Ayn, and I are planning to go to Thailand. And Cambodia. And Vietnam. Later this year. Yay! Me excited. Eeeeeeeh.
  • I’ll be posting my Oscar predictions. But I need to watch all the nominated films first. But even though I’ve only seen a few, my heart already belongs to one film — The Reader. I worship Stephen Daldry. I pray to him before and after every meal. (Char!) And as my friend Ayn pointed out, he has made only three movies, but all of them are Oscar-nominated. (The others being Billy Elliot and The Hours.) I might change my mind after I’ve seen all the films, though.
  • In a bit more than a month from now, I’ll be turning 23. But I can still barely say I’m a grown-up. It hurts to grow. It hurts to grow.

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My Weekend in Still Images

Posted on by Yoshke in Euphoria, Travel |

It’s been almost two years since I last visited Palawan. (Most of my dad’s clan have moved to Palawan from Masbate.) I don’t own a digital SLR camera so I just used a simple point-and-shoot cam. I wish I had an SLR one so I could produce richer and better images. (Come on, it’s Christmas! Gimme, gimme! Haha.)

To enlarge, just right-click on the photo and hit View Image (Firefox) or… err… well, I dunno how to do that using Internet Explorer. Haha.


Dee and Don (left), Dee and Yoshke (right)

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Top 20 Cities I’m Dying to Visit (Part 2)

Posted on by Yoshke in Lists, Travel |

DEAR GOD,

Forgive me for being fickle. I changed it to Top 20 cities (from 17) to break the ties. There would’ve been 3 cities sharing the fifth spot but I reckoned it’s silly so I broke ‘em. Hehe. It’s your fault! Why did you have to make this world so beautiful, anyway? And why did you have to make me such an ambitious, discontent, sad person?

God, I’m telling you, I’m not going to heaven before I’m done with all these cities, aright? Oh, I’m sure you want me in heaven. Hell won’t accept me. They’re not ready for a new ruler yet. Hahaha.

If you haven’t seen the first half of this list, click here. Anyway, moving on…

8. MADRID, Spain*

“There has to be a Spanish city,” I demanded from myself. I was thinking Barcelona initially. But suddenly, Penelope Cruz Jose Rizal showed up somewhere on my mind, and I changed it to Madrid.

I’m soooo in love with Rizal. Had he been alive, I would’ve stalked him. Really.

I just want to go to the places he had been — the universities where he studied at, the streets he walked, the room he started writing Noli Me Tangere in, the places he frequented… I saw on TV that there is actually a “Walk with Rizal” tour in Madrid. I am so gonna sign up for that someday. Someday. <cue: Nina – Someday>

*For my great grandmother and the rest of the Zaragoza clan.

7. AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands

If I were a city, I would have to be Amsterdam. Not because it’s beautiful (but why not? haha) but because it is often dubbed “the most socially liberal city in the world.” The Netherlands stands for everything I value and fight for. Social liberalism. Freedom. Tolerance. Choice.

If ever I get married, it’ll be here in Amsterdam. The keyword there is “if.”

6. WARSAW, Poland

Warsaw is the most destructed city after World War II. (Manila, second.) That said, wouldn’t it be nice to see how much Poland has resurrected from ashes?

The truth is, what I really want to visit isn’t in Warsaw. It’s south of the capital, near Krakow. AUSCHWITZ. I want to be there. In the middle of the concentration camps. Be haunted by the gloomy atmosphere. Be awed by the silence left from the suffering that once was there. Be moved to tears by how humanity fell yet again.

Auschwitz is a constant reminder that we are fragile as a species. And that too often in history, power has corrupted many of us and has forced the others to extinction, which makes us almost no different from other animals. And that’s just sad.

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Top 20 Cities I’m Dying to Visit (Part 1)

Posted on by Yoshke in History, Lists, Travel |

DEAR GOD,

Let’s be clear. You are not gonna take my life back until I’m done enjoying the cities listed below. You hold your end of the rope and I promise to be good less evil. I swear, aright? Some of my reasons are pretty lame. But I’m sure you’ll understand. Thanks, Papa God. You’re the best.

20. VENICE, Italy

It was my first time to touch an encyclopaedia volume and the first picture I saw was that of Venice and the gondolas swaying on its flooded streets. I was 7 years old. Right then, I told myself that I just had to visit Venice. You see, I was born ambitious a romantic

But really, I won’t visit Venice alone. Someone has to go there with me. And it’s not gonna be my mother.

19. FLORENCE, Italy

I have no idea what’s in Florence and I’m too lazy to research right now. But three of my friends who have embarked on a European tour have been raving about it. Ahem Ayn ahem Tey ahem Rico ahem. So I don’t know, but since they love it so much, I might as well see for myself.

18. RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil

I think Mardi Gras is such a fun event and no one celebrates this in a more grandiose and more astonishing manner than the Brazilians.

I’m not a Christian but it wouldn’t hurt to be face-to-face with Jesus Christ the Redeemer, would it? After all, it’s crazy enormous. Crazy enormous.

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Bababa Ba? Bababa.

Posted on by Yoshke in Family, Humor, Travel |

Status: Horneee
Music: Overload
– Sugababes

I just received this anecdote from a friend, who had read this somewhere. And it made me realise how fun Tagalog really is as a language.

I was in the elevator with an American. We were going down to the ground floor, but before reaching it, we stopped at the 4th floor. It opened to a Filipino.

She asked me, “Bababa ba?

I replied, “Bababa.

In she went. Upon closing of the door, the American asked curiously, “I’m sorry. Did you guys just have a conversation?

A’right. To all my non-Filipino readers, I’m gonna explain this to you. “Bababa” is the tagalog word for “going down.” And to change any noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, or adjective to a question, all you have to do is add “ba.” Of course, a question mark and the proper intonation go with it.

She: “Bababa ba?” (Going down?)
Me: “Bababa.” (Going down.)

There. Though they might have sounded like they were trying to mimic goats/sheep, they actually had a conversation. Hehehe. Ahlove’t.  Read more

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I Saw a Star Praying

Posted on by Yoshke in Family, Oddities, Travel |

Status: Gluttonous
Music: Dangerously in Love
- Beyonce

Just like every Holy Week, I did a little visita iglesia yesterday (Good Friday) with my family. Again, I’m not a Christian but my family are. I’ve been schlepping myself lately on the road to Christianity but it’s really hard to force myself to have faith in Jesus Christ again. But so as not to disappoint my mum, I joined my family visit one church after another. It wasn’t that difficult actually, because I usually enjoy travelling. And we do this every year so I kinda get the hang of it.

Our first stop yesterday was Caleruega in Nasugbu, Batangas. This is one of my favourite churches — I like it better than the gigantic Basilica of San Martin de Tours in Taal. Maybe because of its location. Caleruega is on top of a hill. Very windy. Lots of flowers. More like a park than a church, actually.

Anyway, there was nothing spectacular that happened yesterday… other than Dennis Trillo was there, saying his prayers with us, in the same chapel. It was funny because I knew everyone recognised him yet no one, even the people nearest him, dared to approach him because hey, we were there to pray to God and not worship some star.

But damn, he was really cute.

*photo courtesy of imagesphilippines.com

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My Top 9 Unforgettable Moments of 2006

Posted on by Yoshke in Career, Lists, Travel, University, Vanities |

Status: Reminiscin’
Music:
Say It Right – Nelly Furtado

I know this comes a bit late. But what the hell? I just want to say this. You know, 2006 is not that pretty a year for me, but it’s not terrible either. But surely, the past year gave me a lot of memories I can never ever let go of. Here are the top 9 highlights of the past year:

9. World Tour (?).
Have you ever gone to more than five countries in just one day? Sounds impossible, eh? Well, Maw and I have. Some time in July or August, the quest for a Film school scholarship started. Maw and I did a little world tour. And because technically, foreign embassies are foreign territories, we felt like we were having a world tour when in fact we never left Manila, entering one embassy to another, sending letters to ambassadors, and talking with some foreigners. It was fun.

8. Mugged!
Talking with Tonet while walking has to be my biggest regret last year. Just a block away from Andre‘s apartment (which is now my apartment), a stranger with a knife approached me and forced me to hand him my cellphone. I did not become upset because of the cellphone. It was the idea that I was mugged. It was terribly traumatic. And for the longest time last year, I was cursing the entire urban poor population, and whenever I saw a squatters’ area, I secretly wished for a big fire. See this post for more. But after several months, I grew tired of hating them and learnt to understand them, and eventually got over it. I’m a good boy now.

7. This Kiss, This Kiss
It’s not the kiss per se that is unforgettable. It’s how the issue exploded way out of proportion in no time. Nah, I rather not discuss it.

6. North Luzon Trip
Straight from a Palawan trip, I joined Winwin, Icang, Dohna, Pam, Lei, Nep, and KZ on a three-day trip to Northern Luzon — Pangasinan, Baguio, and every place in between. A lot of things happened that I don’t know what to say. Heehee.

5. Thesis Defence
Yes, it was nerve-wracking, but after a few months, I could barely remember the entire thesis defence experience. Maybe because, there was really nothing spectacular and nothing horrible to remember. It was just, all right, we faced the faculty, defended our film, and that was it. All happy.

4. Palawan Trip
A simple trip to Palawan turned into a wake, when my grandfather died while we were having a vacation there. All my plans were cancelled and for a week, I just helped my relatives take care of the wake and ran some errands. But less than an hour after the funeral, I went island-hopping. Hahaha. And it felt fantastic. I told you, I’m the type who easily moves on.

3. World Cup — Germany
Unlike Ayn who really flew to Germany and its neighbouring countries and felt the stagerring energy the world’s favourite sport creates, I satisfied myself by just staying inside my room and having my eyes glued to my TV screen as I watched football game after game after game. And when the quarterfinals kicked off, I stayed in Manila just to see the games live in Ateneo. And yes, the lowest point of last year for me was when Germany lost to Italy in the semi-final. That was totally bad… and painful.

2. Thesis Production
The memories of the entire thesis production linger longer than the thesis defence. I learnt a lot of things and met new friends in the process. Pre-production — I got closer to Prech. Principal photography — I got closer to several people, some of which I did not even imagine I could be friends with. Editing — I got closer to Andre. And of course, from the very start up to the very last minute of production, Winwin was with me. And that was really unforgettable.

1. Graduation
Finally, after four years in a hell-like heaven, it was over. I was very proud, and indeed, it was the most unforgettable.

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