Sinamak - vinegar and spices

I love sauces and dips as well as certain salad dressing like vinaigrette. This post features one of our favorite dips or sawsawan as we term it in Filipino. Sinamak is a popular dip in the country and you can use it for a variety of foods including seafood/fish, pork, beef or poultry. It is basically vinegar loaded with spices such as chili pepper and garlic. People from different regions tend to favor certain vinegar (my father, an Ilonggo, favors coconut vinegar) and certain amounts of spices. The concoction and spiciness depends on the tastes and preferences of those who would be using it for their meals. The sinamak is not necessarily a quick mix as it may also be aged. I must do some research on the aging but letting the mix stand for a couple of weeks to a month is apparently enough for this acidic dip.

Sinamak by our family driver Larry 'formulated' using a recycled bottle of botrytis

I like sinamak as a dip for my dried fish (danggit, dulong, dilis, pusit, lapad, etc.). These usually are part of my breakfast and goes well with eggs and fried or garlic rice. Tatay used to bring a bottle or two from Iloilo whenever he traveled for homecomings. My aunts and uncles there have these prepared at our home and theirs and Tatay just picks a bottle or two he could bring back. He also mixed his own sinamak at home but the ones from Iloilo used vinegar an uncle himself used to make from the coconuts there (home-made). I thought that was what it made those sinamak so special.

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Birds in our area

There are lots of birds in our area thanks to the thick foliage including many trees bearing figs, nuts and fruits that attract these birds. I am not so knowledgeable about the different species though I have learned much over the years of taking photos and asking friends to identify the birds. Among those we know are residing in our area (not the migratory kind) are sparrows (maya), swifts, owls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, orioles, pipits, rails (tikling) and coucals. Here's a couple of birds that we've seen recently including a pair who built a nest in our garden.

I have yet to identify this bird but this is one of a pair that built a nest in one of the thicker bushes in our garden. Their home is quite secure because cats don't scale the improvised fence made out of PVC pipes and won't likely sneak as we have 7 dogs patrolling our grounds.

A crow or "uwak" perched on one of the acacia trees near our home

 

The crows are predatory of other birds, especially the young. We've seen other birds attack them in an effort to protect their nests. We also suspect they also eat squirrels, which we think sort of provides a balance in the numbers of the latter. I will try to get more photos of other birds soon. It's quite challenging to do so on our smart phones so we often joke that maybe we could get a nice camera with a powerful lens to take photos.

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My football jersey collection

I collect shirts from the various places I've been to here and abroad. But I am not going to talk about these in this article. Instead, I will be talking about some jerseys that I have collected over the last few years. The collection actually started while we were residing in Singapore. I had the luxury there of having many sports shops selling official football merchandise.

Manchester United jersey the last time they won the Premiership under famed manager Sir Alex Ferguson

Shirt celebrating Liverpool's 6th Champion's League title - the most by any English team

Man U jersey when they won the Premier League and Champion's League back when Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for them

Recent Chelsea jersey with Yokohama Tyres as the main sponsor. Previous to this Chelsea shirts had Samsung on them.

Barcelona jersey when they won practically all the trophies that year including La Liga and the Champion's League. I have another one I keep in my office locker that does not have a sponsor at the front but has a secondary sponsor in Unicef at the lower back of the shirt.

England national team jersey

German national team shirt. Its not a jersey but a collared shirt that I got at Takashimaya in Singapore.

Not football but Canada's national hockey team jersey that my brother-in-law got for me

I used to have a Spanish national team jersey but the size was too small and I decided to give it to my nephew who plays football in his school. I also got him and his sister Juventus jerseys when I learned they liked the top Italian team in the Serie A. I got these from a favorite football shop at the 313@Somerset mall in Singapore. I also have another Barca jersey that didn't have the sponsors' patches except for Unicef at the back. What I don't have are baseball and basketball jerseys but I do have NBA shirts and a collection of baseball caps. I will write about my cap collection soon.

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Vintage Swatch Chronograph Diver

Swiss made - check! Chronograph - check! Water resistance, 200m - check! I've decided to start collecting some Swatch watches again. They are rather inexpensive and yet quite reliable. But I guess I will just focus on chronograph divers watches as they have more utility for me.

First time I wore the watch after I opened the package from Turkey

The dial features three registers. The one at the bottom is the sub-second register. The others are for the chronograph feature (hours on the upper left and minutes on the upper right). There is also a rotating bezel.

Side view showing the buttons and crown

The other side view. You can see that the watch is in great shape. Not bad for something manufactured back in 1994.

A photo of the back - I had to take this from an angle so the photo can show the specs including water resistance of 200m. That's the easily accessible but sealed battery cover at the top of the photo. You can open it with a coin, revealing a rubber gasket covering/protecting the battery and the inner parts of the watch. It's the same for my other Swatch divers.

Another wrist shot with this inexpensive Swiss watch

Close-up of the bottom part of the dial indicating this to be a 1994 model Swatch

This was a quick and easy pick-up as not so many people seem to be into collecting these 'plastic' watches. While these are Swiss and the bearer of the group name under which are the likes of Omega, Glashutte Original, Longines and Tissot, they are still generally regarded as the Swiss response to the cheap Japanese quartz watches that flooded the market from the 1970s to the 1980s. I have already used this for a swim last month and it functioned well and water did not seep into the watch. That means the gaskets held and are in great condition for this 27-year old watch.

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Walking in Japan

When I was living in Japan in the late 1990s and again in the early 2000s, I recall walking a lot every day. I felt healthy then not just because I thought I ate well but I had a lot of exercise, too. I consciously walked and jogged in the mornings and/or afternoons depending on the weather. And my commute included walks between my train station and the university. The following article seems to support what should be a healthy lifestyle without gym time.

Okumura, K. (November 6, 2020) “How Japanese People Stay Fit for Life, Without Ever Visiting a Gym,”Medium.com, https://kokumura.medium.com/how-the-japanese-exercise-to-stay-youthful-be2d6105e6e6.

I tried to estimate the number of steps I took on average each day. It seems I could easily make more than 10,000 steps everyday as I usually walk more than 6,000 steps for my commute and the typical walks in and around campus (including lunch time strolls with friends). My morning and afternoon walks can match these 6,000 steps. These can even be more during weekends when I’m out in the city or in Tokyo to be with friends. These steps seem nothing then and I loved to walk around partly to keep my sanity while studying there. 

 

My usual walk between the university and the Kami-Hoshikawa Station of Sotetsu Line

My usual walk between JR Ishikawa-cho Station and Sacred Heart Cathedral (Yamate Catholic Church). I would usually be walking around the Motomachi district on Sundays after church.

 

When I was visiting researcher later at another university, my step count was about the same if not higher. The only difference perhaps between Yokohama and Saitama was that I had a bicycle when I was in Saitama. The bicycle increased my range and I took the bicycle lent to me by friends to dome groceries or explore the nearby wards. Those were the days, I guess, that I wished I still have now in terms of more active transportation.

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Vintage Seiko 7017-6020 Speed Timer

I have another Speed Timer that's quite beat up. I acquired it in this condition but with the movement (the heart of the watch) still in great condition. This model has both day and date features with the day wheel in English and Kanji. I don't really mind if the watch looks beat up but it has to be beat-up or weathered in a certain way. Water damage for a dress watch, for example, isn't okay with me but tropicalized dials or some corrosion might be acceptable.

This is a rare and very collectible Speed Timer model.

Side view showing the chronograph buttons and the crown

The other side view also showing the overall condition of the watch case, dial and bezel.

Case back showing the model number and serial number. The serial indicates this watch to have been manufactured in June 1970. The 'waterproof' on the back confirms the age of the watch as after 1970, watches bore 'water resistant'.

Close up of the dial showing the worn our inner bezel that rotates via the crown. The close up also shows the weathered condition of the lumes on the hands and hour markers.

First time on my wrist after I changed the strap

The watch is powered by a Cal. 7017 movement that runs at 21,600 A/h with a potential power reserve of 43h. I haven't gotten to trying to observe the power reserve. But like my other automatic watches that are in good condition, if I wore this during the day, it usually runs overnight and ready to wear in the morning.

Here's a more recent wrist shot. I replaced the strap with a generic stainless steel bracelet. I tried to find a nice Seiko bracelet but couldn't find one for this. Most shops sell bracelets for divers that have larger lug widths.

The watch seems more comfy to wear with a steel bracelet. The fit and feel is better in my opinion.

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More sunsets from the "second floor"

It has been a while since we took our daughter to see the sunset from what old-timers in our neighborhood refers to as the "second floor". This place is one of the highest points if not the highest in our village, and affords the visitor a splendid view of Metro Manila, Laguna de Bai, the mountains of Antipolo, and other sights that are recognizable from afar on clear days.

Here is a series of photos I took of the sunset last February 27:

In the last three photos, Mt. Mariveles in the Bataan Peninsula is visible to the right in the background.

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Chocolate review: Auro 42% Milk Chocolate with Banana Chips

One of the chocolate bars in the pack we got for the wife's birthday last January was this milk chocolate with banana chips. It might at first seem an unusual combination but then bananas and chocolate really go well together and not only for fondues.

Auro's 42% Milk Chocolate with Banana Chips

Details about the chocolate at the back of the package

Nutrition information

Ingredients, allergen information and Halal certification

This chocolate bar was definitely enjoyable. The banana was not crunchy if that was what was expected when 'chips' was mentioned in the label. We would definitely get more of these the next time though we hope Auro might get to have mangoes or perhaps dalandan in their chocolates.

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Bukang liwayway

I like the term "bukang liwayway". This translates to "break of dawn" in English. We have lots of these where we reside in Antipolo because the sun rises as if it was hiding behind the mountains. Here's one image I captured last week as we went about our morning walk.

Photo taken during our regular morning walk - bukang liwayway from Antipolo

I posted the photo above on my social media page and immediately got a lot of likes. There's something about the burst of light that seems to set the mountains on fire.

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Vintage Universal Geneve with Cal. 1-69 Movement

An interesting watch in my collection is this automatic dress watch from Universal Geneve. I used to have a UG that I eventually unloaded and it took some time before I acquired another one that I liked. I refer to this watch as a "Pole Router hiding in plain sight." This is because the watch is powered by a Cal. 1-69 movement that was used by UG in their much sought after Pole Router models.

The black dial with baton hands and a date feature

Side view showing the signed crown

Case back with nothing on it; not even a serial number

The other side view showing a case that's in very good condition

Inside the case back cover is the brand seal or emblem

Caliber 1-69 movement runs at 18,000 A/h with a potential power reserve of 57h. Yes, that's 57h! Notice the micro rotor at the upper right? This caliber was made for Universal's pole router models.

Wrist shot the first time I wore the watch and after I replaced the simple leather strap with this stainless steel bracelet.

A more recent wrist shot while at my workstation

The Cal. 1-69 was manufactured between 1965-1970. This makes this watch at least 51 years old. So far, it's keeping "accurate enough" time and the power reserve held overnight. I'm not sure how to test it for the 57h reserve. Maybe continuous use or making it run via a winder will help approximate the reserve? 

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