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

•••••

My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 4)

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Yoshke in Lists, Music |

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 Unthinkable 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, Unthinkable

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

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Sundays with the Promil Kid

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Yoshke in Conversations, Family, Humor |

Guess who’s back! I’m finding it hard to blog about my nephew, the Promil Kid, lately because I rarely see him. He’s staying at my parents’ house in Batangas and I only go there once a month. Anyway, enjoy.

image courtesy of www.cartoonfaces.net

AGNOSTIC KID

The Promil Kid is in a difficult identity situation right now. And years from now, it will require a big decision. You see, his mother (my sister) is a Roman Catholic while his dad is INC (Iglesia ni Cristo). So he goes to church twice a week. I’m agnostic so I couldn’t care less. One time, I was preparing breakfast when he walked in to the kitchen and had a small chat with me.

Yoshke: Where are you going?
Promil Kid: I’m going to church.
Yoshke: But I thought you already went yesterday.
Promil Kid: That was Mommy’s church. Now it’s time for Dad’s church.
Yoshke: Aah, I see.
Promil Kid: Tito, what’s your church?
Yoshke: I don’t have one.
Promil Kid: Huh? Why not?
Yoshke: I’m agnostic. I don’t go to church.
Promil Kid: You’re what?
Yoshke: AG-NOS-TIC
Promil Kid: So in your church, you don’t have to go to church?
Yoshke: Yes.

The Promil Kid then walked away, proceeded to the living area and sat down on the couch. He just stayed there. Minutes later, her mom came down from her room and found him there.

His Mommy: Oh, why are you still here? Your Dad’s waiting for you outside!
Promil Kid: I don’t want to go anymore!
His Mommy: Why not?
Promil Kid: I’m agnostic.

I was already eating my pancakes when my sister threw me a what-the-fuck-did-you-just-tell-him look.  “Well, he asked,” I said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.

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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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Crazy Over the Cup Again | 2010 FIFA World Cup – South Africa

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Yoshke in Euphoria, Sports, Web |

Only three things make me cry — love, death and World Cup.


image courtesy of germany-info.com

Haha, seriously.  I remember myself crying like a baby on the way home from Ateneo when Germany lost to Italy in the semi-final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. I also almost fell into depression when they almost became the European champions in 2008, being beaten only by Spain at the finals.

The problem is that I am sooo emotionally attached to my favorite teams (Germany and Spain, but more for Germany). I invest emotions. I spend so much time following them. It’s more obsession than love, really. I feel like I’m part of the team. So when they lose, I crumble. It doesn’t help that they almost always are so close to championshop only to be defeated in the last few minutes.

I haven’t had a decent sleep for almost a week now, trying to be updated with all the World Cup happenings. Last weekend, I spent most of my time watching matches and their repeats. I just can’t get enough. Most of my tweets recently are also about World Cup. Here are some of them:

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Hypnotic Jericho Rosales on MINT Billboards

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Yoshke in Celebrities, Fashion |

It’s been over a year since Jericho Rosales signed a deal to endorse MINT, a local fashion brand, but it’s only now that it dawns on me just how sexy Echo really is on Mint billboards.

A few months ago, while on board the MRT, I spotted this billboard along EDSA (near MRT Guadalupe station). I know this billboard looks so generic but there was something about it that was so wildly attractive. Maybe it’s the shirt. Maybe it’s Jericho’s drop-my-briefs stare. Maybe it’s that little cut on his left eyebrow. I dunno. There’s something about it that’s refreshing and hypnotic and sexy and yummy and God-I-wanna-take-him-home and keeps me talking.

And then, some weeks back, they replaced it with this:

I just died. Haha. I don’t own any Mint shirt or anything but I can look at these billboards for, like, forever.

It amazes me how I find Echo extremely sexy in these billboards even though he still has a shirt on. LOL. I mean, that he didn’t have to go nude or half-naked to appear hot. There’s something about him that is just AAAAH.

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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. Viewed 2727 times by 845 visitors this month

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Album Review: Christina Aguilera – Bionic (2010)

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Yoshke in Music, Reviews |

“…The thing about Aguilera is that she’s used to zig when everyone else was zagging. And now, it seems like she decided to zag along with everyone else.” -EW.com

EW.com closed its review of Not Myself Tonight with these sentences. I wouldn’t blame them for thinking like this but I guess they were deceived by Not Myself Tonight. I love the single, don’t get me wrong, but this just didn’t represent the album in any way. Not Myself Tonight is like everything we have heard from today’s recording artists, except Christina can sing. I understand why they picked this track to be the first single — of all the tracks in Bionic, Not Myself Tonight is easily the most familiar and it is on this track that her voice is most recognizable.

But Bionic is more than that. Listen to Bionic and you’ll find Xtina going against the grain yet again, pushing the envelope harder, and yes, zigging while everyone else is zagging.

When Christina Aguilera said in an interview that she was experimenting more with her voice and exploring new ways to make music with it, she was not kidding. The album is unlike anything she has done before. It’s not even like anything other female performers and divas today have done before. Bionic is a big risk for an artist of her stature. It is not conventional. Yet, Aguilera was able to mesh her five-star voice with the different instruments that contributed to the genius that is Bionic.

To be honest, Bionic isn’t as futuristic as she sells it but it is indeed superhuman. And as you listen to it, subconsciously you are taken on a journey of a superhuman — opening with a big bang that is Bionic (track), taking you on a wild ride with Woohoo and Elastic Love, going deeper to the heart and soul of the album that is the four ballads at its core, and ending with a fun, wild, not-to-be-taken-seriously track that is Vanity.

I especially loved its row of ballads co-penned by Xtina’s long-time collaborator Linda Perry and new found ally Sia. It is the core of the record. It is as if Aguilera sheds of her metal armor, getting naked and revealing her heart and soul.It is Christina at her most vulnerable.

Most of all, Bionic successfully cements Christina’s status as probably this generation’s most versatile vocalist. She does urban, club-bangers, ballads and soul and does them well.

Here are what I think of each track:

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Top 20 Funniest Filipino Statement Fan Pages on Facebook | Part 1

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Yoshke in Humor, Lists, Web |

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.

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What’s On My Mind?

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Yoshke in Blurts, Love |

“What’s on your mind?”

Every night, while lying in bed before we go to sleep and I’m unusually quiet, you’d look at me and ask, “What’s on your mind?” I’d answer with a dismissing, “Wala lang. (Nothing.)” And then, we’d talk about something else.

The truth is, I wasn’t thinking about nothing. I was thinking about you.

Have you ever wondered why I would always make sure you go to sleep before me? That’s because I love looking at you while you’re in dreamland. I would look at you, just look at you. And then I’d just find myself praying, “God, what good did I do to deserve him?”

The funny thing is, I’m not even sure if I believe in God, but I believe in you. You are real. Your love for me is real. Nothing is more real than this. What good did I do to deserve this?

I’d lool for reasons. I would consider the moment I looked for the woman who dropped her pouch when I was at a shopping center in my hometown. Or my yearly habit of donating clothes and books to kids at an orphanage in Taal, Batangas. Or that I usually volunteer. But no, they are not good enough. You are bigger than all of them combined.

I got scared sometimes. I’d think, maybe the question I should be asking was “What bad did you do to deserve me?” Or maybe this happiness actually came with misery that I was yet to feel. Worst, “What if I don’t deserve you at all?”

That’s what ran through my head every night when we were about to sleep or when I watched you sleep. I couldn’t figure it out. I was looking for a reason you’re mine.

Not anymore.

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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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