Remembering an old friend - Fr. Alfred Burke, OSA

One of the regrets I have for visiting Japan several times after I had returned home after my post-graduate studies in 1999 is not being able to see an old friend again before he passed away. Friends have informed me about his having a stroke when I visited in 2008 but being busy in Saitama prevented me from looking for him. I was told he transferred to Totsuka Church after a long stay at Sacred Heart Cathedral or Yamate Church (Yamate Katoriku Kyokai as I used to say to the taxi drivers who brought me there when I was running late for Mass or a meeting.).

There is a nice article about him online from the Midwest Augustinians:
https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/news/2018/6/21/we-remember-fr-alfred-m-burke-osa-1930-2018

Fr. Burke had that winning smile and calmness that made you feel comfortable whenever you're with him.

I came to know what he was really made of and what he stood for in a couple of occasions when the Japanese immigration bureau together with the local police held a stakeout around Yamate Church. They likely got a tip that there were many illegal aliens going to the church on Sundays and they probably thought they might be able to pick up (arrest) a few those days. I witnessed Fr. Burke talking to one of the Filipinos who aired their concern. It was clear from their expressions that they feared being arrested. Fr. Burke calmly instructed them to proceed to the church basement where we usually had food and other stuff for churchgoers on a Sunday. He told them to stay there and that they were welcome to spend some time there until he called for them when it was clear outside.

Few Filipinos probably knew or know about how Fr. Burke protected those who were the least of us in Japan. Yokohama being a major port meant there were many foreign ships docking there. "Bilog" as they were called usually entered Japan via its seaports. Many were seamen or crew of maritime vessels. Yokohama and Tokyo are major ports in Japan where many jumped ship to try their luck there. Many engaged in various employments including odd jobs where their employers did not mind that they were illegally staying in Japan.

The last time I saw him was when I visited Yokohama in 2001, 2 years after I returned home after finishing my doctorate studies in Japan. One of my regrets is not being able to visit him and talk with him one more time before he passed away. I guess that's an example of procrastination getting the better of us?

 

It's the first Sunday of Advent and attending online Mass from Yamate Church only made me sentimental as it reminded me of the more than 3 years there and the many friends I made and still regard as so. I do hope everyone's safe from the pandemic.

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More flowers and plants along our walking route

They say it's easy to miss a lot of things while driving. Walking allows for one to see more around you. That is, of course, if you are or choose to be in a more relaxed state rather than having a lot in your mind. I try to clear my mind when I do our morning walks. Here are some more plants we usually see along our walking route. I think I've taken so many photos of them, and was able to identify many using the Seek app I've installed on my phone.

Coral bells (Scientific Name: Antigonon leptopus)

Heart of Jesus (Scientific name: Caladium bicolor)

Costus woodsonii

Spanish Shawl (Scientific name: Heterotis rotundifolia)

 

Many of the plants are native to South America or Mexico. Many probably got here via the old link between th Philippines and Mexico (Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade). But we cannot discount the possibility of these coming to the country via other places. Ships were already coming from China, Thailand, Malaya, Indochina and the East Indies (note that these are old names of countries that are now Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.

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Battle of the peanut chocolate sweets

Looking for Choc Nut at the supermarket, I came across several "pretenders" to the original peanut chocolate sweets that has become a popular sweet, even snack, the Philippines. Choc Nut has reached a status that makes it one of the popular pasalubong (souvenir/gift) for relatives and friends for when you go abroad. And so I ended up buying not just a pack of Choc Nut but one each of its competitors.

Choc Nut, Hany and Choc-O-Star

 

ChocoMani and Barnuts

Detailed information on Choc Nut including nutrition facts, ingredients and the manufacturer

Nutrition facts, ingredients and manufacturer for Hany - note that the manufacturer is practically the same as Choc Nut's.

Detailed information for Choc O Star, which is made in Cainta, Rizal

Detailed information on Choco Mani, which is also made in Imus, Cavite like Choc Nut and Hany

Detailed information about Barnuts, which is made in Caloocan City

Among those we have opened and tasted, we found that Hany seemed to be sweeter, more sugary than Choc Nut. Given that the two are produced by the same company, one wonders if this is deliberate. Barnuts it seems tasted and had a texture like the Choc-Nut of old, particularly the regular sized ones. Note that the pack I purchased was of the larger sized Choc-Nut, and I am not sure they are still selling the ones that were half the size of the ones we ate. I have yet to open the packs of Choc-O-Star and Choco Mani. And so I would have to defer my opinion about them in a later article (to be continued).

Of course, the opinions above are based on the packs I purchased that includes their conditions at the time of purchase, opening and eating. I will not pretend to be too knowledgeable about the intricacies of peanut chocolate but state what my taste buds experienced.

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On chess: my "home board"

 If there is a home court concept in basketball, I like to think that I have a "home board"

My "home board" is this elegant tournament size wooden board with the really nice chess pieces including the knights that I thought compared well with the ones produced in the Philippines.

I still have the original box and cloth wrap for the board.

The price of this chess set when I bought it in 1997 was 9,600 yen. With the 5% tax, the total amount I paid for it was 10,080 yen. That was roughly 4,500 pesos at the time. While the yen is basically stable inflation-wise. This is more than double its peso equivalent now.

From what I recall, I have had only 2 other chess sets before (not counting the Kleine set my father and cousins played on before). One was a tournament size set that Tatay got for me likely from National Book Store when I was in high school. This was the one with the white and green board, and I remember the pawns were not exactly the same sizes. A few pawns seemed emaciated while the rooks seem too fat. I later got myself a nice narra chess set when I was already working. That set was the one we played on at the office where it turned out we had many strong players from our admin staff. I left that set with them when I went to study abroad. I think it's still there somewhere, perhaps at our office garage.

More on chess soon!

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Abaca face masks

When I was acquiring my woven face masks from the Cordilleras, I read about the abaca masks manufactured in Mindanao with assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It was not yet available in commercial quantities so I had to wait to get some for our household. The opportunity came when I was browsing for new reusable, washable face masks. We liked these more than the typical disposable ones because we wanted to reduce waste. So when I found that there were abaca masks available in our area (there's a reseller nearby), I decided to get a few.

The mask in its packaging when it was delivered

Information about the mask and how to properly wear it; including how to adjust the elastic band ear loop.

Care instructions for the mask, which is washable. The care guide says it is good for up to 10 washings.

The abaca fiber material is in the front and to me had a leather feel about it.

 

The inside part of the mask has a fabric lining, which is stitched well to the abaca outer part. I guess this component along with the garters need to be separated from the abaca before its disposal.

 

The mask fits very well. It actually looks like a leather mask. The photos don't do any justice to what the mask looks like up close.

There are two sizes available for this mask - standard and regular. The regular size is also for adults but less than an inch smaller than the standard size. I have also washed our masks following the care instructions. It is now my preferred mask for when I have to go out or to the office. I hope they continue to make these masks and more people start using them. Already, we've seen a lot of disposable masks in the garbage or thrown anywhere. There are certainly implications on waste that we need to address with everyone obliged to wear masks. Then there are also plastic wastes coming from face shields, which are also considered as disposable. These masks also represent livelihood for people making them so we should support these local initiatives using indigenous materials like abaca for such applications as face masks.

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Seiko 6139-6005, a "True Pogue"

You see a lot of 6139's being called Pogues. A "Pogue" refers to the Seiko automatic chronograph first worn in space by Col. William R. Pogue on the SkyLab. And there are still active discussions about the watch:

https://www.plus9time.com/blog/2017/12/24/the-true-seiko-pogue-chronograph-6139-6005

https://wristsushi.proboards.com/thread/15840/true-pogue-6139-6002-6005

While many "Pogues" being sold are 6139s, most of them are not 6005s. The argument is strongest for the 6005 being the "True Pogue" but many of course will not agree or admit to this.

The dial shows the sub dial for the chronograph, a yellow counter hand, and the day and date complications of the watch.

Side view showing the crown and pushers

The other side view

Case back showing the model number 6139-6005, and the serial number that indicates this to have been manufactured in February 1973, which is within that window when Col. Pogue's watch was likely made and used by the astronaut.

Close-up of the dial showing what is likely a replaced second sub-dial hand.

An even closer look of the dial - the wear and scratches add to the charm of the watch

Wrist shot when I first wore the watch

Another wrist shot before I drove off to work

The watch is powered by a Cal. 6139B, which runs at 21,600 A/h and has a potential power reserve of 45h.  The model also has the distinction of being the first automatic chronograph worn in space considering that the chronographs worn earlier by astronauts and cosmonauts were all manually wound. There is an interesting story about another brand, Sinn, being initially recognized as the first automatic chronograph in space. This was in 1985 when a German astronaut wore one for a Spacelab mission. It was discovered through NASA photos later that showed Col. Pogue wore his 6139 chronograph while working in SkyLab in 1973 years; more than a decade earlier than when the Sinn was worn in space.

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On The Queen's Gambit and chess

I have been and I guess will always be an avid player and fan of chess. I have played chess since I can remember. Perhaps before I turned 5 as I had memories of learning the moves before I was in school. I was not a child prodigy but more of a casual player who learned to play from maybe the best player we had in the family, my cousin Edgar. Manong Edgar, as I fondly call him (he was 14 years older than me) was actually a cousin of the country's first chess Grandmaster, Eugenio Torre. And both he and his elder brother, Manong Joam were strong players of the game. When I started playing the game then, I also discovered that a couple of uncles and some cousins from my mother's side of the family played very well. One uncle was a strong player having played a lot while on board ships (he was a seasoned seaman). Papa Luis played chess whenever he could as there were few pastimes or hobbies in the 1980s when they didn't have smart phones and computers to spend time on.

My favorite book on chess is one where I discovered the old masters of the game. This book not only contained annotated games of the like of Capablanca, Alekhine, Morphy and Botvinnik. It also contained short stories with chess as the central topic or in the background.

"The Queen's Gambit" was a welcome series to me that I found to be most interesting as well as refreshing to watch. We had thought it could be formulaic and turn to be somewhat of a spy thriller because it involved the former Soviet Union and its chess playing machinery. I learned from the credits that one of the consultants for the limited series was former world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Chess in the old Soviet Union is depicted accurately here, and I was not surprised at the ending (sorry won't spoil it here) of the series.

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Another "Ondoy" moment

Last Thursday was another terrifying and terrible experience for a lot of Filipinos who bore the brunt of Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco). The strong, howling winds reminded people of Yolanda (Haiyan), which devastated much of the Visayas a few years ago. Memories from the many news reports that showed the typhoon at its peak strength are still fresh in the minds of people and yet many still chose to stick around and stand by their belongings and properties. The floods that followed from even stronger rainfall across a wide area brought another painful memory of another typhoon - Ondoy (Ketsana). Ondoy-like rainfall and floods were all too familiar to a lot of people. In my mind that early Nov. 12 morning - "Here we go again." The only difference for me and my family now is that we were already secure in our flood-free home. We can only pray those in our old neighborhoods including my parents' are safe from another devastating flood.

The following photos I grabbed from the internet. Credits to the original person who posted them on Facebook. I use them to show the extent of the floods in Cainta, Marikina and lower Antipolo. The last time this happened was in 2009, the aftermath of Ondoy dumping more than a months rain in just six hours. No, Ulysses was no Ondoy (reports now state measurements to be more than a months rain over 24 hours).

View of Gil Fernando Avenue from the Marcos Highway overpass (photo from Facebook)

View of the Marcos Highway - Felix Avenue intersection with the Sta. Lucia Mall in the background. That's the Line 2 Extension above the overpass and flood. (photo from Facebook)

Tire-deep floodwaters on the parking slots of shops along Marcos Highway. The landmark McDonald's branch is seen in the background. (photo from Facebook)

View of Marcos Highway towards the Line 2 Emerald Station (photo from Facebook)

View of the flooded roads towards Sta. Lucia Grand Mall (photo from Facebook)

Photo taken by a friend who lives just across from Robinsons Metro East - vehicles crowd along the most elevated lanes of Marcos Highway

I have had more than my fair share of flood experiences starting from 1984 when I was still in high school. We had to leave our bungalow home to seek refuge in an abandoned factory. We had to wade in chest deep floods for about 400m before we got to safe grounds. Ondoy and the habagat floods from 2009 to 2012 were the last straw for me. Unfortunately, not everyone have the resources to relocate to "flood-free" areas and many choose to remain and reside in these flood-prone areas with the hope that government will improve their plight through flood mitigation projects. And if there were Ondoy-like floods, perhaps extend assistance for recovery. Is it resilience? Perhaps, but there should also be a call for accountability for those who are responsible for these man-made made disasters. Resources need to be allocated where they are needed the most - something that applies to a lot of other matters, not just flooding.

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Decency prevails!

The US elections have already been called for Biden and Harris. I thought, at last, decency won over rudeness. I don't want to say good won over bad because those can be interpreted as absolutes and both parties have their fair share of 'goods' and 'bads' in recent years and throughout their history. But out and good riddance to a hustler, fake new mongerer and anti-science administrator. I'm sharing the graphic from the New York Times.

I guess a lot of people who have been hoping this would turn the tide for the world (yes, America's global influence is still intact despite the chipping all the past 4 years). The incoming administration, for example, has committed to returning to the climate talks and foreign policy will definitely be changing. There is so much being expected for their economic recovery that will also have an effect on how the rest of the world's economies will perform. But first things first should be actions pertaining to Covid-19, which should be among the top priorities if not the top one. For now though, many people can rest and be hopeful again while other need to ponder about how to embrace the change they all wanted to impose on others if the other party won reelection. The world is watching and perhaps taking its cue from this event.

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Zodiac Super Seadragon

The largest watch in my collection is this big Zodiac world time. I chanced upon this watch on eBay and acquired it after only 1 bid. Only a few seem to be interested in it despite the brand but maybe because it was a quartz model. I don't mind having quartz watches but I do choose which to acquire and retain in my collection. My Bulova moonwatch is a quartz and so it one of my Grand Seikos. I also have a Luminox and several other Seiko watches that are quartz watches. My AGS/Kinetic watches are quartz and so are most of my Swatch watches.

The watch has several features including date and dual time. There are also two bezels. One is a moveable inner bezel typical of divers watches that can only be rotated counter-clockwise. The second is an outer bezel showing representative time zones. This second one is not movable.

Case back showing the Seadragon logo among other information about the watch - model number, water resistant and it being Swiss made.

Side view showing the signed crown

The other side view

Close-up of the dial

The watch still has the original strap and buckle

Ronda quartz movement running this watch. I have not had the chance to open the watch to see the movement myself. This is a stock photo from the seller.

This is a big watch measuring 49-50mm wide excluding the crown. Here it is compared to another big watch, a Sicura world timer.

Wrist shot when I first wore the watch

This watch is as heavy as it looks like but I like my big watches for casual wear. I just tend to remove them when I am working on my computer as they tend to interfere when I am typing. :)

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Vintage Seiko 6138-0030 "Kakume"

The opportunity came up for me to acquire another iconic vintage model from Seiko. There are many collectible chronographs from the company and I already have a "True Pogue", a UFO, and several speedtimers. I had looked for bullheads and JPS models but among the most elusive were Kakume models. So when the opportunity came up again to acquire one that isn't too expensive or overpriced, I quickly pounced on it. This model is an international release and not a Japan Domestic Model (JDM).

The chronograph also has day and date complications. The day wheel is in English and Spanish. I set mine for the Spanish days, which we also use in Filipino. Indicated in the photo is the Spanish for Wednesday - Miercoles.

Side view showing the correct crown and buttons. The chronograph functions well and resets to zero.

The other side view. Note that the bezel insert has been replaced. The glass is also not original but a sapphire crystal replacement. While the originals are more desirable and preferred by many, I don't mind mine being "upgraded".

Case back showing the watch model and serial number. The serial indicates the watch to have been manufacture in July 1977.

Close-up of the dial, which is original.

Close-up of the lower part of the dial showing the dial number

An even closer look at the model number. This is the right part of the dial and the second part of the model number '0050T'. This is the dial number for the international model of the watch. The Japan Domestic Models (JDM) have '0040T', '0044T' or '0045T' on the dial.

The first part of the model number indicates the movement caliber '6138'.

"Unboxing" or unwrapping showed a unique case for the watch.

My first look at the watch after I removed the bubble wrap

Wrist shot the first time I wore the watch. The watch came with a rather odd bracelet. This was definitely not the original one though the clasp looked original. It fit well but I wasn't comfortable wearing the bracelet.

I changed the bracelet to a more appropriate one. This is an aftermarket bracelet that's for the Kakume.

The watch is powered by a Cal. 6138B that seems to be running very well as I have used this watch quite regularly, bringing it into my regular rotation immediately. The watch beats at 21,600 A/h and has a potential power reserve of 45h. This one's definitely a keeper in the collection.

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