Before anything else, I’d like to thank Kevin, Vins, The Lady in Green Ruffles, Noah, and Jake for being the top commenters on this blog for 2009. Dahil dyan, may nagtext!

“Uy, ilibre mo naman kami one of these days bilang top commenters.”

Ay, DELETE! Sorry, blame my reflex. Wahaha!

…

So now let’s proceed to the real topic of this post — Twitter. I looooove Twitter so much better than Plurk. Plurk has its strengths but they don’t work for me. I have a Plurk account (Add me! Add me!) but its horizontal orientation drives me nuts.

Some say that the problem with Twitter is that it’s too simple. But I guess that’s exactly what made me a certified tweep — it’s simplicity. 140 characters. Linear. Simple. And not to mention it’s so flexible in terms of third-party applications.

Anyway, like always, when I’m running out of things to blog about, I just post my status messages here on my blog. So here are the things that ran through my head and kept me busy the past several days.

1. Minsan pag nalulungkot ako, nanonood ako ng GMA7. Gumagaan kasi ang loob ko pag nakikitang may mas pangit pa pala sa buhay ko. -Gege, 2009 | about 1 hour ago
2. Ampanget ng boyfriend ng ex-girlfriend ko. | about 13 hours ago
3. has just finished watching THE HURT LOCKER and THE BLIND SIDE. The former is so powerful, the latter so Hollywood. | about 14 hours ago
4. Dear Dick Gordon, I like you but the Silent Night jingle for your political ad is soooo last year. It’s 2010. Christmas is over. Move on. | 7:07 AM Jan 16th
5. Mamatay na ang mga sumisingit sa pila! | 1:19 AM Jan 16th
6. Tigilan ako ng Johann-Cathy-Hermes sh*t. Kaka-dinner ko lang. Ayoko masuka. #PBB |  6:34 AM Jan 15th
7. Ang ganda ng smile ni Carla Abellana. I hope she quits acting and stick to what seems like the only thing she’s good at — smiling. | 6:05 AM Jan 14th
8. RT @djmotwister: This just texted to me,gave me a bit of a laugh.Villar: Sipag at Tiyaga, Gibo: Galing at Talino, Noynoy: Mama at Papa. | 6:35 AM Jan 12th
9. DAVID GUETTA music before going to sleep para upbeat ang gising. Wut? | 9:32 AM Jan 11th
10. OMG. Suspended daw ang SHOWTIME ng 20 days??!? Dahil dyan, MAY NAGTEXT! Sabi, “Wahaha,” -Wilma Galvante. | 4:51 AM Jan 11th
11. loved Sarah Geronimo’s performance of TRY SLEEPING WITH A BROKEN HEART on ASAP. | 12:38 AM Jan 10th
12. Andre: Kaya pala maitim si Binay, kasi nasunugan sila nung bata siya. LOL! | 4:51 AM Jan 9th
13. is craving for isaw from UP. But i don’t live in QC anymore. Too bad. | 1:06 AM Jan 9th
14. Someone tried to insult me on my blog by slandering Muhammad. He thinks I’m a Muslim. When insulting me, insult me right. http://ow.ly/U91V | 2:33 AM Jan 8th
15. Friday always brings this wonderful feeling of hope, relief. Friday is like the light at the end of the tunnel! Haha. | 2:20 AM Jan 8th
16. My hubby is so cute, I don’t know what good I did to deserve him. Haha. | 5:02 AM Jan 7th
17. It’s been 2 months since my Ilocos trip but i still have a pack of Vigan longanisa in my fridge. | 2:07 AM Jan 7th
18. has the biggest pimple in the history of mankind. | 12:33 AM Jan 7th
19. My tummy is bigger than my ego. And I’m telling you, my ego IS big. | 7:15 PM Jan 5th
20. My nephew is beside me sleeping like a rock. Like a rock rolling down a volcano. Ang lakas humilik! | 8:58 AM Jan 3rd
21. Mom is giving me another lecture on my excessive use of aircon in my room. She has to understand that i get hot easily. Whut? | 8:00 AM Jan 3rd
22. has finished watching THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL remake on cable. It’s so ugly, it’s criminal. | 7:37 AM Jan 3rd
23. I think I know why SHARON CUNETA is huge! Could she be stealing her daughters’ NIDO?! | 6:44 AM Dec 16th, 2009
24. I spend more time with MS Powerpoint than my boyfriend. I should marry Powerpoint. We’ll have cute deck babies! Busy, busy Wednesday! | 11:38 PM Dec 15th, 2009
25. I kinda miss the days when “lunch” is just lunch and not “working lunch.” Haha | 8:30 PM Dec 15th, 2009
26. is at UP Cineastes’ Studio Alumni Homecoming. Direks Joyce Bernal & Cathy Garcia Moliina are here, too! | 7:48 AM Dec 12th, 2009

There. So my blog post for this week is covered. I may now go back to being busy.

And oh, FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER! Also, post your Twitter usernames here and I will follow you.

Here are some completely innocent statements but my friends’ dirty minds tell them otherwise.

SANAY NA

One very toxic night, I had been editing political ads on my laptop with my small marketing teammates at our apartment FOR HOURS. My friends Dohna, Dane, and Frances were sitting on the airbed while I was on the stairs facing a chair where the laptop was on. There was just no place in the mattress left so I had to sit on the bottom step of the staircase despite the discomfort.

Dohna grew concerned about my situation so she asked, “Yoshke, masakit ba?”

And without thinking, I replied, “Hindi naman. Sanay na ang pwet ko.”

Everyone burst into laughter. I meant I got used to being seated for hours.

PUMAPASOK

Frances, Dohna, Asta, JT, Maikel and I were at Starbucks Shangri-la last Thursday night when we agreed to exchange horror stories. Frances was narrating a horrifying encounter when they stayed in Baguio a few years ago, wherein an old lady was torturing her in her sleep but she was awake and she couldn’t move. More like a case of sleep paralysis.

Frances narrated, “Tapos hindi talaga ako makagalaw. Tapos gusto kong sumigaw pero hindi ko magawa, walang lumalabas na boses. Tapos weird, ang hirap ng i-explain. Alam nyo yung feeling na may malaking bagay na pumapasok sa katawan mo?”

“Oo, alam ko ang feeling nang may malaking bagay na pumapasok sa katawan ko,” I interrupted.

Everyone gave me a look as if saying “You ruined dinner.” Sorry naman. She asked! I just answered. I meant I had the same sleep paralysis experience.

HINDI QUALIFIED

While preparing dinner at the condo a few months ago.

Andre: Pag nagkaroon ng Top Chef Philippines, parang ang sarap sumali. Kaso hindi ako qualified.
Yoshke: Bakit naman?
Andre: Hindi kasi ako “top.”

He meant he’s not that experienced a cook!

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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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Before this day ends, let me just greet everyone a Happy New Year! Hope we have a POWERFUL 2010 ahead of us!

It’s my year. I’m a tiger!

2009 has been the best year of my life. Beat that, 2010!

Vice President wannabe Jejomar Binay’s Ganito Kami sa Makati promotional ad-slash-political ad in disguise says a lot about the city he’s running. Whether it’s true or not, I think Makati is one of those cities in Metro Manila that project a relatively positive image to the public. But how about the others?

It’s actually quite funny what kind of impressions some cities have on people. For example, I’m sure you have heard people making fun of Malabon and its Venice-like situation, except devoid of all grandeur. Or how many of us still associate the entire Muntinlupa with New Bilibid Prison as though the prison is all there is in the city.

This post isn’t about Makati, Malabon, or Muntinlupa. It’s about another city in the southern part of the metropolis — Pasay City.

I’ve been told a number of times about the city’s reputation. For example, when I’m going to Pasay and I’m asking my mom or my friends for directions, they would insist that I do not go alone or that I do not bring any valuables. Even my dear  friends from Pasay tell me how frustrated they are with how things go, especially how things are being run.

Is Pasay really that bad? I’m asking coz the only parts of Pasay I go to frequently are the SM Mall of Asia area, DFA, and MRT Taft station.

Here are some instances in which I thought Pasay was used by people around me for their random display of sense of humor.

ANYTHING GOES

Fresh from iBlog Mini at World Trade Center a few weeks ago, Andre and I decided to proceed to SM Mall of Asia to check out the new line of hoodies at Fox Men. We didn’t know where the jeepney terminal was so we started looking for it.

Andre: I don’t think it’s here. Maybe it’s over there?
Yoshke: But we have to cross the road to go there.
Andre: So let’s cross, come on.
Yoshke: Err, wait. Can we? This may be a no-jaywalking zone.
Andre: Yoshke, duh? This is Pasay. There are no rules!

A TALE OF A MISSING COMB

“Where the hell is my comb?!”

Debbie had spent minutes trying to find her comb in the office. This happened two years ago, I was a web writer then. Debbie misplaced her comb and she just could not find it in her cubicle. Out of utter frustration, she talked to herself like she normally did.

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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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I never expected I’d be writing you this letter. We’ve had four years of wonderful memories but I’m afraid it had come to the point where you started to break my heart. I should’ve seen it coming since I’ve been finding it hard to breathe lately. It’s time to end the pain that I’m feeling and I just have to say goodbye. I will truly miss you.

I’ve known you since I was a kid but it was only before my college graduation that we had a real relationship. At first, it was difficult for me to get along with you considering the nasty things some people say about you. They said you would hurt me, and you did. They said, if I continued spending time with you, it would be so hard to let go; it was.

True, you are all the bad things they were saying. Still, I accepted you. I let you get to me deep within. You’re smokin’ hot. I loved the feeling of your body in my mouth. I loved it when my lips touched your butt. You taste like euphoria. You reek of obsession.

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I promised myself I wouldn’t go out of the country unless with a diplomatic passport. Not even the World Cup could make me break that vow.

But a FREE trip to Singapore was just too good to refuse. Heck, the keyword there isn’t even Singapore. Even if it was just a free trip to Binondo, I’d still take it. Free is all I need to forget everything else in the world.

So when Nuffnang sent me an email telling me I was a part of the Philippine delegation to the Asia Pacific Blog Awards in Singapore and that they would shoulder the fare, the accommodation and the tour, I was like “Screw the diplomatic dream, I’m going to Singapore!”

And so I went. Together with a bunch of bloggers from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Australia, we joined Singaporean bloggers to celebrate the best in Asia Pacific blogosphere. The next day, they took us on a tour around the city. It was one of the best experiences of my life. And it will surely be not forgotten. Thanks Nuffnang!

I’m sure you’re expecting me to narrate bit by bit what happened in Uniquely Singapore. I won’t be doing that. Not this time.

You might also be hoping I’d bombard this post with hundreds of pictures. Sorry to disappoint, I won’t be doing that, either. At least, not hundreds. Haha.

What I’m writing about in this blog post are the little things I noticed over the three days I spent in Singapore. Here they are:

10. Soap Bars

The first thing I did upon entering my Link Hotel room (along Tiong Bahru Road) was to check the bathroom. And the first thing I noticed was there was no soap bars. I’m not used to liquid body wash so I stormed out of the room to look for some. I first tried Cheers, a convenience store reminiscent of Mini-Stop near the hotel, but they didn’t have any. I walked an entire block to 7-11, where I finally found soap bars. There was only one brand of solid bath soap there and they were on a budget pack.

Later on, I found out that solid soap bars are an endangered species in Singapore. I was told people prefer liquid body wash over bath soap. Interesting.

9. Maya

There was a kind of bird that I see all over Singapore. I don’t know what it’s called but it’s black. It’s cute.

But while having lunch at a hawker center, Ramon Bautista (yes, THE Ramon Bautista. He’s a friend and a former college teacher), noticed something amusing on the floor. It’s a cute little brown bird — a tree sparrow, known in the Philippines as maya. I knew the Philippines and Singapore have so much in common since they both are ASEAN countries and are in the tropics. I expected I’d still see the flora and fauna we have here in Singapore. But seeing a maya was still something that blew me away. I know, I know, the tree sparrow is common in Asia and Europe but still, it felt good seeing a bird I see every day in my country.

It was the only maya I saw in Singapore in the three days I spent there.

8. Paper Table Napkins

Common food establishments don’t serve disposable paper table napkins. I learned about it when I asked for it and they told me it was for sale. At first, I was pissed but then I realized there was a good reason for it.

Why would I need disposable table napkins when I have a hankie handy? Why would I waste paper? I guess that’s the reason for it — they discourage people from using paper napkins for waste management. I appreciated that.

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It’s been a while since I posted conversations with Andre. We don’t spend that much time together anymore even though we’re now housemates. Ironic, yeah?

BLIND SPOT

While walking around at a mall:

Yoshke: Uy, nakita mo yung nakasalubong natin? Grabe, he was checking you out! Tingin sya nang tingin sayo!
Andre: Ah talaga? Hindi ko nakita! Gwapo?
Yoshke: Err… Hinde.
Andre: Aaaah… kaya hindi ko nakita.

Aba, may selective blindness!

TOP 3

Shy Guy: Uy Andre, may papakilala ako sa’yo na officemate. Gwapo. Eto Facebook nya.
Andre: Oh sige sige.

Shy Guy showed Andre  the guy’s Facebook profile.

Andre: Ay, bet ko na yan!
Shy Guy: Kaso drop out sya ng UST.
Andre: Ay OK lang yun, drop out din naman ako.
Shy Guy: Eh UP ka naman.
Andre: True. At least kahit drop out ako, yung school ko ay nasa top 3!
Yoshke: Top 3 ng…?
Andre: Top 3 ng Cheerdance Competition! Wahahaha.

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Alright, I admit. There was a period of my life that I was so addicted to Farmville on Facebook. Sometimes, I’d even go an extra mile just to level up. My housemates would invite me to dinner and I’d respond with “Wait lang. Mag-a-ani lang ako.” It was fun. Harvesting my virtual crops was a fulfilling experience. I felt like my efforts paid off and I deserve all my Farmville cash.

But the moment it started to affect my life (I’d get up early in the morning just to harvest lest my super berries should wither), I made the painful decision of quitting. Sayang, I was on Level 28!

Farmville never entered my head again except for a few occasions when a friend would find an ugly duckling or a brown cow and I was being prompted to adopt them. As much as I’d like to collect chocolate milk, I just had much more important things to do, like, let’s say my job and my blogs.

The next time Farmville got alive in me was when Globe invited me and a couple of other blogger friends to join them on Bayan-Anihan! Globe works with Gawad Kalinga to push a food sufficiency program that aims to put food on Filipino’s tables. The end-result that they wanted was obvious in their cheer: “Goodbye Gutom!”

It was an opportunity I did not let pass. “This is it,” I thought. “Farmville in real life!”

We gathered at Globe Telecom Plaza at 4:30am. We were given a shirt, a towel, and a buri hat, which all proved useful. We arrived in Concepcion, Tarlac at around 9am and we were overwhelmed by the warm welcome the community gave us. Old women in their traditional Filipinana attire and children showing their smiles.

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