A full-time travel blogger, Yoshke Dimen started his career in digital marketing through this blog. Before ditching the 9-5, he was a Social Media Manager specializing in content strategies for travel companies. He is a co-founder of PhilippineBeaches.org and The Poor Traveler, two of the biggest travel blogs in the world in terms of visitor traffic and social media presence. See more of his professional profile here.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, enough with the third person!

I’m Yoshke. No, that’s not my real name. Real name’s Ed. Yoshke was my pen name whenever I joined writing competitions back in High School. I got it from an anime character. I guess it just stuck. Besides, every time I introduced myself as Ed, I would get responses like “You don’t look like an Ed.” I don’t know what an Ed is supposed to look like, but whatever.

Right now, you’re probably exhibiting your ability to raise one eyebrow and wondering cynically, “Who is this Yoshke? And why do I have to bother?”

You don’t. This Yoshke is a nobody, to be perfectly honest with you. I wish I was born with the power to make people magically shut up or was raised in the hallways of Downton Abbey, but alas I wasn’t. I’m just an average dude with a laptop, a truckload of experiences, and a lot of time in his hands to bore you with stories I have amassed from my constant affair with the world.

Still, regardless of how you arrived at this blog, I want to thank you — and yes, that also goes to you, who simply googled shirtless images of Sam Milby or Dennis Trillo, you perv.

But since you’re already here, allow me to introduce myself and this blog.

I am a travel blogger. I am obsessive-compulsive. My mind is constantly racing, and my heart often keeps up. I usually amuse myself with idiotic thoughts by secretly observing other people’s behavior. I strongly believe that Felicity Huffman was robbed of her Best Actress Oscar. And yes, I’m random like that.

Here are some of my favorite people and things. If you are a big fan of any of these, send me a message! You might be the best friend I never had.

Here are some of my favorite people and things. If you are a big fan of any of these, send me a message! You might be the best friend I never had.

favorite topic in the world myself

In 2004, I fell in love. Loaded with a potent mixture of thoughts and emotions, I went to an Internet shop and signed up for a blog in a desperate attempt to cowardly express how I really felt. And so this blog was born.

Ten years, 3 Philippine Blog Awards, and a BBC feature later (yes, I just have to squeeze that in), Yoshke.com has evolved from an online personal diary to a collection of tales from my intimate but casual relationship with nomadism. That’s why this blog is very personal; its origin and growth were propelled by real experiences, curious thoughts, and honest emotions.

Again, I have to warn you, though: This is an online journal of a nobody. Nothing about me is extraordinary. But every person has a story. Every place brings back a memory. Every object triggers an emotion or a thought. What I blog about are these little things, little happenings, little lessons I pick up on my travels. I have always believed, however, that the universe is fueled by things common and little. And I hope that this blog, no matter how personal, would somehow touch, move, or inspire others the way they inspire me to blog. Even just a single person. Even just a little.

taking travel personally

Learn more about who I am and what I do! See my Professional Profile.

You may also check out the following links to view more info or to get in touch with moi!

Or email me at yoshke(at)thepoortraveler.net.

Comments

  9. Omg, I just had to laugh at that Mother Lily comparison, hahaha.

    Interesting site, expect future stalking… I mean, comments. XD

    Hehe. Iyon lamang XD

    Reply

  10. Chriscole, about the password. hmmm. It varies. I do not have a single password for all protected posts so it could only reach the intended people. I’ll give you the password when the post is not too sensitive or has not something to do with my affiliations (c0z these definitely are org’s internal affairs.) 🙂

    Kavitha, i sis not want to see the battle for the third spot because it was painful. But because it was Kahn’s last international match, i had to. hehehe

    Eina, what could be better than the mother lily comparison? Haha. I visited your site, too. So you just started. I LOVE THE COLOURS!!!

    Reply

  11. fickle, indecisive, impulsive, hopeless romantic, environmentalist, afraid of blood, etc… and you said we didn’t have much in common hehe! nice place you got here, yoshke!

    Reply

    • hi berg, weh, haha. i guess your tag post is not enough para magconclude ako kagad. ehehe. salamat sa pagbisita. i liked your site too. so expect more visits from me. and comments. 🙂

      Reply

    • “Agnosticism” has a variety of definitions. But the only sure thing about this is the “uncertainty that God really exists.”

      Uhm, links: http://www.religioustolerance.org/agnostic.htm
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism

      In the list of possible answers of Agnostics to “Does God exist?”

      Mine would be: “Yes, God exists. But we have no possibility of knowing anything about God, now or in the future. ”

      However, to be completely honest, that’s starting to change now. If you ask me right now, “Does God exist?” My reply would simply be, “I don’t know.” or “I don’t know but I think so.” 

      And for that, I shall edit this page right now. haha

      🙂

      Reply

      • Point taken. 🙂

        I don’t just talk to have an argument about it. But if someone’s provocative enough to give it a go, then I’d argue in a diplomatic way.

        I know very well that Filipinoes aren’t adaptive to criticisms or to reasoning over beliefs for that matter. The current system is still allergic to those.

        Reply

  15. Yoshke,

    Good day!

    First of all, I’m one of your silent blog readers. In fact, I already read most of your entries. ^_^ Anyway, I just want to ask how to password-protect some of my too personal entries. Uhm, the same thing you did to some of your entries. I don’t have my own domain and my bloghost is just Blogger. I wish you could help me. I’m sooo desperate looking for the password-protection codes.

    Thanks!

    God bless and more power to your blog.

    PS: You got a smart nephew. =)

    -Ian

    Reply

    • oh, Thanks Ian for lurking. Glad you finally spoke up. hihi.

      anyway, im not sure if it’s possible with Blogger. I really have no idea.

      But with WordPress, password-protect-ing your entry is very easy because it’s one of the various features that WordPress offers for FREE. You don’t have to do anything, you can have your post password-protected just by clicking a button.

      Sorry, I’m not of much help. Im not familiar with Blogger. 🙁

      Reply

  16. “He got a degree in Film from an overrated university in Diliman”

    are you from UP Diliman? hahaha!

    Reply

  19. la eh. haha! di ko alam kung ano isusulat dun eh. kaya nagbabasa ako ng blog ng ibang tao para malaman kung ano pwede ilagay. hahaha! i find your blog really interesting. nakakatuwa. haha! wala lang… 😀

    Reply

  20. hahaha! sana nga. favorite ko yun eh. about that cheeseburger thing, i haven’t watched the commercial yet. haha! in fairness uso yan ngayon. haha! la lang.

    Reply

  27. galing. if i want to feel good, i read ur site for any interesting and funny articles. i’m one of ur fan now =)

    Reply

  29. “He meets a person, finds him/her attractive, kiss him/her after an hour, and realises he/she is useless. ”

    way way impulsive. lol.

    Reply

  31. F*** this site. It’s addicting! LOL! Uhm. Well, I think I exaggerated a bit but, yeah, it’s interesting.

    I don’t know anything about you but by reading your posts and your friends’ comments, it justifies your wit and your being perfectionist. Nice site! Keep it up!

    PS I used to be a features writer in HS and I dunno what happened but I think the interest faded away. I don’t write anything anymore. I just find it amusing how people, despite their being focused on their careers, still find the time to create wonderful things as blogs to share their thoughts to the entire world. I’m hoping for the best for you and your blog! G’day!

    * Mukhang mas mahaba ung PS ko sa main comment ko ah. LOL *

    Reply

  32. I’ve read some of your articles today and have found that you’re using the Britons’ way of spelling a number of words. The words I’ve found that you’ve, uhm not really reiterated, but repeated a few times are realises and organisations.

    It’s quite interesting because you’re using the American-English style of writing (grammatical, in general) but you are using some words spelled in the British-English way, as above-said.

    Hhmmm. Wala lang. Just noticed. 🙂

    Reply

    • I CAN EXPLAIN. Hahaha. (Parang boyfriend na nahuling nagchi-cheat. haha. wtf.)

      I used to always prefer British English (grew up in a very Brit-ga-ga environment) until I started working as a writer for a company who required me to use American English. It took tremendous adjustments but I eventually got the hang of it. But there are still remnants of my Brit English days kaya yung realise and organisations and defence minsan hindi ko na napapalitan.

      Tapos yung “Humour,” mahirap na. I used it as a tag. And a significant number of my entries are tagged “humour.” If I start changing them to “humor,” given my sloth record, I’ll probably finish when the Global Financial Crisis is over. Wahaha. Too arduous for someone too lazy (yay, that’s me). Haha.

      Ayun, grabe. Nagexplain talaga. Haha

      MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

      Reply

      • LOL to the explanation! 😀 But anyways, I agree to that. It’s gonna be a bit hard to adjust to something that you barely used before.

        Interestingly, how did you grow up in a “very Brit-ga-ga environment?” Like, do people in your place just love Harry Potter and the like?

        Sloth record – I like that! LOL

        MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!!!

        PS: Ako pala ung anonymous. Just forgot to place my name there. 😀

        Reply

      • LOL to the explanation! 😀 But anyhow, I just agree. Doing something that you rarely do before is a bot gonna be groggy at first. But practice makes perfect, you know. But nobody’s perfect, so why practice? LOL :D:D:D

        Sloth record- I like that. Haha

        Another PS: Ako pala ung anonymous. Nakalimutan ko lang ilagay ung name ko. 🙂

        Reply

  33. Hhmmm. This is my third time replying to the post above. Weird that my two other replies were not posted. But still, LOL to “I CAN EXPLAIN.” :))

    But thanks for the explanation. Haha. For a guy so perfectionist, it’s weird that he hasn’t realized that his American and British English are kinda mixed up. Teehee. 😀

    I’ve checked out some of your articles tagged as ‘humour,’ and yeah, it’s a bit numerous so indeed you are to finish that, I think, after the 2008/2009 global financial crisis. LOL. Kiddin’! 😀

    And ako pala si Anonymous. Just forgot to place my name above kaya un lumabas. 😀

    Reply

    • haha, sorry bout that. that comment was mistakenly identified as spam. Sorree.

      About the Am-Brit English being mixed up, hmm. Yeah. haha. Pero may mga articles na strictly American yung gamit ko. Merong strictly Brit lang. Ang masama dun, yun nga, sa isang blog, panget tuloy na magkakahalo. Pero WITHIN one article, I try not to mix them up. pero wahaha, mahirap. 😛

      Reply

  34. Shiyet! Ayan tuloy. My posts are allover the place. Parang sirang plaka lang. LOL. Anyways, am still skimming and scanning your blog. Never fails to catch my interest. 🙂

    Reply

  36. When I try opening the Jologs article, it instead shows me this one

    404 – Not Found

    Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.

    Anything wrong with this article’s URL?

    Reply

    • if youve been trying to access that article through the link on the Archives page, yeah, you’re going nowhere. I changed the post’s URI but have not updated the archives page. too lazy. haha

      Reply

  38. hey, nice site.. the about page was already very very interesting! haha! i’ve already bookmarked ur site.. coolness yoshke! kudos! i’m hooked! keep ’em comin’!

    Happy New Year! Weeeh!

    Reply

  39. oh gosh, i just gave out my email. haaaay.. booobing!

    He wishes to go beyond the Philippine borders soon. — hey, how ’bout indonesia? fun fun! skip Bali and go to LOMBOK! heard it’s amazing.. hehe, dreamy dreamy.. next on my list!

    may article ang NY times about Lombok.. http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/travel/21next.html?ref=travel

    cultural site sya, di lang beach.. that’s what is missing siguro sa Bora, kaya di ko masyadong type..

    happy travelling! weeeeeh!

    Reply

  43. hhaha. cool. we almost have everything in common. besides me being a struggling photographer and being effing clumsy with sports. i already consider chess a sport. hahaha.

    Reply

  44. “He amuses himself with idiotic thoughts by secretly observing other people’s behaviors.”

    deejay does this too! only, not secretly.

    and he even refers to himself in the third person, too!

    he and yoshke could be kindred spirits. 🙂

    but seriously, nice blog you have here. you’re a funny guy.

    oh, and thanks for visiting my blog the other day. 🙂

    Reply

  45. I’m agnostic too. 🙂 But like you, I have a God. Well, that’s okay. Wala naman sa religion yan. Pero wag naman yung maniniwala ka nang wala kang pinaniniwalaan. That would be ridiculous. Kudos to the agnostic people! haha

    Reply

  48. hey there yoshke!
    we’re students from upd taking up eng30 this semester. we were asked to present a report about effective moneymaking schemes. and we’re considering the inclusion of blogging in the list.
    in line with this, we’re asking you if you could be one of our interviewees. just a story on how you came up with a blogsite and what happened after your first pay check.
    hope we could hear from you soon.
    thanks!

    Reply

  49. Good Day…
    Nice site!You just gave me lots of ideas to start my own blog site.
    I would like to comment about your religion.Ay!wala ka pala nun.hehe. anyway, i believe that religion is not necessarily crucial specially nowadays where philosophy, beliefs and culture from different region of the world have been integrated due to globalization. Religion in its conventional sense is just merely a term that determines the way you search and express FAITH. Faith i believe is a profound element drawing one into enlightenment. Buddhist contemplates the nature of their existence through transcendental meditation, while Christian is through accepting and believing Christ as their personal redeemer. Nowadays, these culture have been discovered interrelated, parallel, and complement each other forming a cosmic interaction which harmonize the realm of human spirituality. Some Christian turn to the Buddhist’s meditation in order to search true Christian faith in a profound context. Some Buddhist on the other hand find the Bible an important reference towards the truth of life. All are united. They are just one.
    You’re actually right in saying that you don’t have any religion. Even i, i dont have any religion either, but i have something to stand up for.
    i suggest that why not do the same. Faith has something more to offer. Its man greatest treasure because it is something that neither moth nor rust can destroy.
    Keep up the good work. May you inspire more young writer like me…tnx.

    Reply

    • hey my comment may be way late to be noticed but I just want to comment bout your explanation in terms of religion.. Its totally true “Faith has something more to offer. Its man greatest treasure because it is something that neither moth nor rust can destroy.” I have a God but, (yes but!) I don’t really believe in the whole catholic thing anymore. I have a personal relationship with my god and I don’t really believe in what I think sometimes its just pure B.S. about Catholicism. I have an open mind when it comes to beliefs…

      Reply

  54. amazing..i like ur personality na even if im just reading some of these things.i was more struck though with the word gay…he used to love women thing…bakit kaya?hmmm….

    Reply

  57. very nice blogs..i was hooked till now, it started on the promil kid series and now, seems like i can relate to almost everything, esp on the special number 7 as this is a special num to be as well…and the name JJJJ..hehe God bless

    Reply

  59. Man, Yoshke! I’m totally amazed by your blog site, such intensity and warmness that got me instantly hooked! (Does that make sense, LOL!) I know someone who also writes blogs his name is jeff checkout his site. http://www.jefmenguin.com..
    I was shocked that you used to be interested in women, how can that be changed. LOL.. I think we have so many things in common, I also love writing and observing things around me. I love writing poems and essays, maybe we can share some works.. I like playing sports but unlike you I’m pretty good at it ehehehhe.. But the thing is I’ve been a lazy ass ever since our P.E. class was over in 2nd yr college. so there’s not much practice.. you know what struck me most was that you love football and bowling, (you c we have a lot of things in common..) since Filipinos I think rarely love those kind of sports..

    I’m so gone to bookmark your site and you know what I just discovered your site from facebook, the philippine beaches I signed up to, post your article bout global warming… who would ever thought that a filo, wrote bout it..

    Reply

  60. I really enjoy reading your articles here. I am pinoy too bu i have been living in the Netherlands for 38 years. What caught my interest was you rtop 10 places in the Philippines which actually brought me to your site. I have become youf fan cause you’re witty, knowleadgeable, funny, substantial and really a great read.

    I love u Yoshke. Keep it up. Hope this blog remains forever. (bwahahaha0

    Reply

  61. hi yoshke good day
    thanks god cause i found your blog site its very interesting and a lots of good, bad, funny, and realistic things….keep of the good blog website…..

    Reply

  62. i used to read your site as in the entire page,i get interested…ahaha with the author and also the attitude of the maker…keep up the work…you will go a long way…just a short span of time reading on your site i found it really interesting and envy you for having a good writing…:) keep it up idol…

    Reply

  67. Very interesting blog and very funny, but the main reason kaya napadpad ako dito ay dahil halos magkapareho kayo ng nickname ng bf ko – only his is spelled “YOUSHIKE” but pronounced “Yoshke” (ako nagbigay ng pet name nyang yun, based on his real name). La lang… it feels weird knowing another person by the same name XD

    May I ask… bakit nga ba “Yoshke” ang napili mong screen name? 😉

    Reply

  68. Hi, Sir Yoshke,

    I’m Bea Coronel of the UP Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA). I am currently Promotions Head of ADHOC – our organization’s biggest fund raiser for our beneficiaries. You may read more about it on our facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/upjmaadhoc or our website – http://www.upjmaadhoc.com.

    A member of the previous ADHOC team referred me to your blog saying you were a big help in promoting their event. I was wondering if you would be able to do the same for us this semester.

    All we’d need is a short write-up, which we can provide, and a link to our event page. If you aren’t amenable to the write-up, just the link will do.

    In exchange, we can post a link to your blog in our Facebook and Tumblr accounts.

    Should you have any clarifications, please feel free to contact me.

    Thank you very much! Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Reply

  72. Omg your like me, but you like sport, and your gay. Narrow minded peopl… DIE! Do you have much intrest in the japanese Geiko Community??

    Mark 😀

    Reply

  74. starting to like this site 🙂
    galing sna me talent din ako sa pagsusulat eh di sna me sarili ndin aqng blogsite.. xD

    Reply

  78. Great and fun blog! I had so much fun going through it. I haven’t met you but feel like you’re a close friend already.

    Reply

  79. You have an awesome writing style! Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to more stories of yours, I am going to be busy reading all of it now. My wanderlust is kicking in really hard right now.
    Much love!

    Reply

  80. Your writing style is detailed. Great blogs especially yung blog mo about your travel to France,very informative… Very interesting. I like you. Keep it up and always follow your heart.

    Reply

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