Chocolate review: Free'ist Dark Chocolate with Orange

The wife went to the Feliz mall a couple of weeks ago to pick up some items that she could only get at a couple of stores there. One store she did go to is the Healthy Options store where she purchases her vitamin supplements. Since she was already at the store, she picked up a few other items that we usually get there along with a few bars of chocolate.

This dark chocolate claims to have no added sugar and to be gluten free.

Details about the chocolate at the back of the box

About the manufacturer

Nutrition information

 

The chocolate was smooth and a bit on the sweet side as it is claimed to have 52% minimum cacao. The orange was definitely there and integrated with the chocolate for you to enjoy its taste.

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Mug shots: Bag of Beans

We used to frequent Tagaytay for weekend escapes. There was a time we were there at least once a month for a couple of night's stay (Friday to Sunday, sometimes even Thursday to Saturday to get good deals at our favorite B&B's). One of our sure stops there for a meal or a sip of hot coffee or native chocolate is Bag of Beans. The first time we went there, you had to travel towards the edge of Tagaytay City past the Mendez-Tagaytay Road junction to their original restaurant and shop location. They've since expanded and now have branches closer to the rotunda.

Bag of Beans Tagaytay glazed earthen mug - the mug came in two variants when I got this. The other one was brown, which I thought was not the nice version of brown for me.

Plain for the rest of the mug

I celebrated my 45th birthday there with my siblings and our families. Tagaytay was already congested with all the big developers building high rise and high density projects (there seemed to be a high demand for people to own properties there) but 5 years ago we just had to go and give it a try. My sister and her family also used to frequent Tagaytay but they also grew weary of the crowds and the congestion there.

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Heirloom rice at the supermarket

Doing our groceries, I spotted some rather exotic rice among the imported ones. Among the Thai and Japanese rice packs are packs that are branded as produced by the indigenous people of Mindanao (southern Philippines).

Hinelaban adlai rice from the indigenous people of Mindanao

The keywords "vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO" are part of the branding and marketing for the rice. However, I think this is most appropriate for a certain segment of the market, which are more conscious about these items than the typical Filipino consumer.

It is not uncommon to see such rice in supermarkets or groceries. Usually, however, what are available in Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces are heirloom rice from the Cordilleras such as the black, red and brown rice from Ifugao, Kalinga or Mountain Province. It's nice to see these though they are also the more expensive varieties compared to the usual ones we buy and eat with our meals.

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Cookies and revel bars by Weekend Whisks

We got a couple more boxes from our friends at Weekend Whisks during the Christmas and New Year holidays. I was supposed to post about these but somehow other articles were published ahead of it. I usually and casually draft a few articles at a time depending on the topic and my mood.

A box of revel bars - each bar was a delight with just the right chewy and moist

This was what remained of the cookies by the time I arrived at the dining room to have a taste of the cookies and revel bars.

I enjoyed eating these two cookies that were just the right texture (chewy) and taste (not too sweet for the chocolate chips).

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Mug shots: Ugu Bigyan mug

I'm starting a new series aside from my chocolate reviews and my watch collection. This will be about another active collection that I have and have written rarely about - mugs. I have posted about some of my mugs here but mostly these were in passing and the main topic was different. For starters, here is a mug I frequently use for my taho.

Glazed earthen mug by renowned pottery artist Ugu Bigyan

The bottom is signed by the artist

 

I got this mug in January 2021 on our first excursion (and long drive for me) after a very long quarantine in 2020. It was my first trip with me driving to the San Pablo City, Laguna - Tiaong, Quezon area where Ugu Bigyan's pottery studio is located. It was also our first time to use electronic toll collection that we had installed in 2020 as part of the tollways campaign for ETC. It was our first time to visit the studio which also features a restaurant and what looked like a bed & breakfast. We went with neighborhood friends who also wanted an escape from the confines of our homes.

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Sandscape, Laiya, Batangas

I took the following photo of the sand on the beaches of Laiya, San Juan, Batangas:

 

I like the way the light and shadows mix it up in the photo to produce what to me looked like an alien or lunar landscape. It helped that the lights on the beach were just right to produce this effect on the beach.

Here's a photo of the shadows of my daughter and me that I took the same night we went out for a walk after dinner:

I remember taking a photo of me, my wife and our daughter with multiple shadows cast by the lights on the beach. It's probably taken using my wife's phone so I'll be sharing that in another article and soon.

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Flowers in season - Poinsettias and orchids

Here's another draft that I was not able to finish last December. Posting it today after the end of the Christmas Season and while the temperatures are still cool this time of year. 

Perhaps one of the most popular plants during this season is the Poinsettia. The most common are the red ones; referring to the top leaves that change color sometime November/December of every year. There were also white ones and even yellow but it was the first time I saw pink poinsettias one time I was picking up some garden soil to replenish our pots at home. I ended up getting one pot for our home and it is still pink as of this writing. I got another to give to a friend before the Christmas break. 

I also saw that there were a lot of nice orchids being sold at the garden shop I frequently buy supplies from. As my mother's birthday was approaching, I got her another orchid for her garden. Following are a couple of photos showing the orchid and the poinsettia.

Orchids for my mother on her birthday

Pink Poinsettias

 Before Christmas, my sister also gifted us with a couple of orchids. They were delivered and came in a cleverly constructed box that protected the orchids.  I will post their photos here soon.

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Sunrise at Laiya - January 6, 2022

To my memory, the last day of the Christmas Season used to be the Sunday when we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany or what many still refer to as "Three Kings". That is the first Sunday after New Year's Day. The second Sunday is the Baptism of Jesus and is now officially the last day of this season. In celebration of this day, I share a recent video I took of the marvelous sunrise we witnessed at Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. These sunrises are a manifestation of hope and something that we will want to wake up to (para kanino o saan ka gumigising?).

A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

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Hanamaruken ramen delivery for lunch

With the easing of alert levels and the corresponding restrictions last year, we were back at the office (at least for a few days every week). As we usually ordered our lunch and one time we had a craving for Japanese food wondered if it were possible to get good ramen delivered. Fortunately for us, we had a few choices for our ramen either from UP Town Center, SM North EDSA or Trinoma. We ended up ordering from Hanamaruken Ramen at Trinoma.

Hanamaruken's pot belly ramen

The bowl contained the ingredients including the noodles and broth that were securely wrapped to prevent spillage.

After mixing them up, I couldn't recreate the nice, photogenic presentation.

Ramen cravings satisfied, we promised to ourselves we would order ramen again soon. Unfortunately though, with the current surge in Covid-19 cases in the metro, we would have to wait for things to calm down a bit. We won't be back at the office for now to reduce travel and unnecessary contact or proximity with other people.

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Guilty pleasures - pinasugbu

I found this at the supermarket and did not hesitate getting a pack. I loved pinasugbu since I first had one when I was a toddler vacationing in my father's hometown in Iloilo more than 4 decades ago. Pinasugbu is basically fried saba banana slices dipped in caramelized brown sugar. Often it is sprinkled with sesame seeds to enhance the taste and texture.

Wewin's special and delicious Pinasugbu

Back in the day, I recall we usually bought pinasugbu from Lucy's, which had a shop near the old Iloilo Airport in Mandurriao. I think they closed shop many years ago but we bought from Wewin's upon recommendation of an aunt who said their pinasugbu was just right - not too soft, not too hard on the teeth, and not too sweet (but that's a relative thing, of course). Later, I got our pinasugbu from Biscocho Haus, which had one stop shops around the city and along the way to the new airport.

I checked again the next time I was doing our groceries and there were no more Wewin's pinasugbu there. Perhaps they will restock again soon? I will probably get a couple or more packs the next time.

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Olympics watches from Seiko

I acquired another Olympics watch late last year. This time, it was for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, which was held from October 10-24.

Two watches released for the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics. The one on the left is from August 1967 and for the 1968 Mexico Olympics. The one on the right is from October 1964 and for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Both watches run well but each have their defects. The inner bezel does not rotate for the 1967 watch while the 1964 watch's crown is not original. Both dials are deteriorated, too. However, they are in overall good condition and run well. I'm not sure if their dials can be restored without replacing the dial altogether. I'm of the opinion they look great as they are. And I am not averse to my watches looking dirty or beat up.

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Bulova Type A17A watch and New Year's Greetings

The passing of the old and greetings for the new year is not surprisingly associated with time and clocks. I thought it was but appropriate that my first post be about time and watches. More specifically, I am posting about a watch with a story that is also sentimental for me.

There are many collectible military watches. Perhaps among the most popular are (in no specific order) the Capt. Willard (worn by Martin Sheen in the movie "Apocalypse Now"), the Dirty Dozen watches issued in WW2 to Allied commandos and referring to 12 brands of watches, and watches worn by the German army (Wermacht) during the same war. The Type A17 watch is a US military issued watch that was provided for the US armed forces and their allies whom they provided logistics support to. These watches were manufactured by several companies including Bulova and Waltham. My interest in these watches comes from my closeness to an uncle who fought in the Korean War. Tay Puren (Florentino Llamas) was with the 10th Battalion Combat Team (10BCT) of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) that fought alongside the UN forces led by the US in the conflict from 1950-1951. They were issued US supplies including these type of watches. I have fond memories of my uncle who always had a lot of stories to tell about his deployment to Korea during the war.

The Bulova Type A17A has a big crown and no day or date complications.

Side view showing the big crown - this was practical for a field watch especially as these were manually wound.

The other side view. The big crown is even more distinct as this watch only measures 32mm, which was common for these type of watches.

The case back showing the details for this military watch

Here's a better, closer look at what's inscribed on the watch back.

Close-up of the dial. The lumes on the hour markers don't work but there's a faint lume for the hands.

Wrist shot one time I used the watch on errands.

I managed to find two reasonably priced A17's - one from the US and another from Australia. I had problems acquiring the one from the US as the logistics backlog there apparently affected shipping costs so that ended up canceled. The second one is the one featured in this post and didn't have issues with shipping and I got it only a few days after I purchased it. The watch runs well though I need to have it checked. I think I broke the mainspring one time I wound the watch. It currently runs about 12 to 14 hours if I wound it enough (it does not lock). Still, the fact this watch is working means its a hardy one. Can't really argue about that for a 70 year old piece.

Happy New Year!

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