February 29 sunset

It's the last day of February and it is a bit special because the year 2020 is a leap year. I was born on a leap year 48 years ago but not on the 29th so I get to celebrate my birthday on a regular day. Well, not really, as my birthday falls on a regular holiday in the Philippines.

Tagaytay Ridge in the distance

Mt. Makiling in the background]

Quezon City: Diliman is on the right with the INC's Central Temple visible in the horizon

Our little one joined me in marveling at the view. Well, sort of, as she quickly turned away to look for stones and wild flowers nearby.

Worth the wait - February 2020's last sunset on the 29th day

-

The return of the typewriter?

I saw a feature on the inflight magazine of Cebu Pacific. It showed an accessory for your notebook or tablet that made it look like a modern typewriter. It says the feel on this would be like that of the typewriters of old so I guess you can hit the keys like they were of the sturdy old machines.

I suddenly remember the first time I used a computer and a friend casually and jokingly told me to be easy on the desktop keyboards. I was so used to the typewriter at home that I was hitting the computer keyboards as if I was using a typewriter with it hard to press keys. I learned to adjust quickly but given this new accessory, it probably wouldn't hurt to get reacquainted with this type of keyboard.

-

The afternoon clouds

We were arriving home one afternoon when the wife spotted an amusing cloud formation. I took this photo from the car with our mango tree in the foreground.

The clouds look like they were a subject of a famous artist/painter

It is still cool during the nighttime and mornings at our place in Antipolo. Temperatures are generally lower compared to Metro Manila and we enjoy the breeze and even the occasional strong winds that tend to make temperatures even lower than the actual. I hope this lasts well into March though we've noticed daytime temperatures have started to become warmer.
-

Spring is in the air

We only have two seasons in the Philippines - wet and dry. But you know the time of year similar to the 4 seasons of temperate countries based on the leaves on the trees. We have seasonal and evergreen trees at home. Our Mango tree will not shed leaves like our Narra tree does.

New leaves have started to appear from the tips of the branches of our Narra tree. The others in the photo are brown, dry leaves that remained but have started to fall off the tree to give way to new growth.

The acacia trees at the UP Diliman campus has also started growing new leaves, regrowing the canopy that lines the Academic Oval as well as other parts of the campus. Soon, they will be flowering, too, along with other plants and trees that have already started to flower. In fact, the kaimito trees on campus are now heavy with fruits and mango trees are in full bloom. Weather-permitting, there should be a bountiful harvest of mangoes in the coming weeks.

-

Derwish Turkish Restaurant

A place we always return to for a good meal in Singapore is Derwish, a Turkish restaurant along Bussorah Street in the Arab Quarter. We went here once in a while when we were residents of the city state. At the time, we were fond of window shopping as there were lots of shops selling carpets from Iran (Persian carpets) and other parts of the Middle East. There were also shops selling lamps and other items of interest for tourists and residents alike. The area also hosts many restaurants, cafes and eateries for people of various tastes, preferences or budgets. We've eaten at and had coffee at some of these but have come to prefer eating at Derwish. Aside from the food and staff, the owner-manager is quite engaging and is never a boring conversation even on a busy day.

The menu cover

Naan and Hummus

"Balloon" bread

You can't go wrong with their kebabs

A photo with the owner of the restaurant. Do you know he's married to a Filipina from Bulacan, Philippines?

We are already looking forward to the next visit to Singapore...maybe after the proverbial coast is clear of the corona virus?

-

Nippon Ramen, Mactan Cebu International Airport

My first meal in Cebu in my most recent trip was at a Japanese restaurant located at Mactan Airport. My colleagues decided to pick me up when I arrived around lunchtime in Cebu and informed me they scouted the terminal for a place to eat lunch at. All of us liked to eat Japanese food so it was easy for them to decide on the Nippon Ramen branch just outside the arrival area of the terminal. We've seen this before but had not had the chance to try out eating there.

Menu

Counter and kitchen

Their version of chicken katsu curry bento

Grilled pork bento

Soft drinks selection at the counter

The quality and quantity of their food is okay. I personally thought there was nothing special and leaning towards the ordinary. I wasn't expecting much (like this was a Yabu or Ramen Nagi) but I can say that at least a couple of places we got to at UP Village were better (e.g., House of Gyoza and Crazy Katsu come to mind). It was definitely more like a fastfood experience for us. Price-wise, we thought that the price was also okay considering it was located at an airport terminal and in the Philippines, food and drinks prices tend to be more expensive for concessionaires at airports. Will we eat here again? Maybe and likely as we were not able to try their ramen (maybe its good) but in my case, I usually go for my personal favorite La Bella at MCIA.

-

Eating at the Mactan Cebu International Airport

While NAIA Terminal 3 has several floors of shops and restaurants, it can get very crowded at the terminal. MCIA has renovated its domestic terminal to include a much improved food court inside (after checking in and passing security) the terminal and restaurants and shops outside. Its food avenue for passengers show us what a modern airport should have.

Food court at MCIA domestic wing

There's food for people of various preferences. You can have pizza, pasta, Filipino dishes, ramen, and of course, lechon

I prefer to have some ramen if I have the time for a leisurely meal. Otherwise, I get my food from La Bella, which has pizza, pasta and paninis. They usually have freshly baked breads and pastries and I usually buy brownies from them. I take these home as my daughter and I love these fudgy treats.

-

Vintage Citizen titanium lefty diver

My collection includes several Citizen divers. I have a couple of lefties or those with the crown located at the left side of the dial. This is supposed to be design for left-handers who would be adjusting the time using their left hands while the watch is worn on the right wrist.

This diver has both day and date features

Side view showing the screw-down crown

The other side view

Case back showing the serial number. You can actually date the watch based on this serial number as well as the movement caliber. It is just a little more tricky with Citizen watches compared to Seiko. One needs a 'codigo' or reference to decode the month and year of manufacture for these watches.

Close-up of the case back, which is also titanium

Close-up of the dial showing the lumes, which are untouched and in good condition for a vintage watch like this.

An even closer look at the lumed hour indices

Photo of the movement, which is a Cal. 8203A running at 21,600 A/h with a power reserve potential of up to 43h.

I currently have 4 vintage divers from Citizen. While I use them sparingly, they are actually good watches and should be reliable ones that you can use daily. From my experience, Citizen watches are quite dependable. For some reason, however, many perceive Citizens as inferior to Seikos. As such, their watches are often undervalued with some exceptions. I will write about these exceptions in a future post.

-

Jonie's Cebu

The last time we were in Cebu, we wanted to get a quick meal while on break from field surveys we were doing for a project in Consolacion. We came upon Jonie's, which we spotted a couple of times the previous day at a couple of malls where we ate at. Looking at the items they offered for meals, we decided to lunch at the restaurant.

Featured items in their menu are displayed outside the restaurant

Staff taking orders - note the self service sign? They will, however, bring your orders to your table.

Another panel showing short order items including spaghetti and halu-halo (for dessert)

Of course, fried chicken is on the menu

I wasn't able to get photos of what we ate. I guess we were too hungry and also had a lively talk about how our day going so far. What I can say was it was definitely better than fast food but just about the same with the better SM food court stalls. Nothing really special here but the presentation perhaps and a bit better environment (I dare not say ambiance). Price-wise, they are there and definitely affordable even to students. Will we go back there? Perhaps and if we didn't have other choices to eat at.

-

Limited: Inflight Meals on Cebu Pacific

My friends and I were just talking about inflight meals prior to boarding our Cebu Pacific flights last week. En route to Zamboanga, we didn't have to get some refreshments for the typically 1.5-hour flight. There were many choices to eat from at NAIA Terminal 3. However, heading back to Manila on a lunchtime flight, we joked about what could be available on the plane. We all had our experiences of ordering items on their menu for flights scheduled at different times of the day (e.g., red eye, last flight) and it always seems as if the airline didn't have many if not most of what appears on their menu.

Cup noodles and pretzels for lunch

To be fair, the airline offers pre-ordered meals that they do deliver inflight. We got pre-ordered meals for our flights to and from Singapore last year. But not everyone would usually avail of this option and there is real demand for inflight meals even if there were just pastries or quickly prepared (i.e., instant) meals. I don't remember the last time we were able to avail a meal more decent than the cup noodles shown in the photo. In fact, we were curious about the new items they had in the menu that included champorado (chocolate porridge). That was supposed to be available last December 2019 but so far we haven't had the chance to have it inflight.

-

Zamboanga White

I closed January with an article on a treat in Zamboanga. I open February with another treat from Zamboanga - Zamboanga White. I spotted this on the drinks menu of Alavar and decided to give it a try after friends ordered their shakes and beers. The staff said it was basically lychee and pineapple with lychee being the main ingredient as evidenced by the taste.

Alavar's Zamboanga White

The drink was refreshing and something you will enjoy more in summer or on hot days. It's perfect for our tropical weather. I wonder if this is an Alavar original or replicated from somewhere. Or perhaps if it is an original, if it is replicated in other restaurants. I know that the Knickerbocker is served in other restaurants but Palmeras' is probably the original and best known if not the best (some will always say original is always best).

So much was said about January being so cruel to a lot of people. There were the bush fires in Australia, the threat of war in Iran caused by an American idiot, and current is the novel corona virus scare. I hope that February will be kinder and some positive news shared will help.

-