Mug shots: Starbucks 'Been There Series' Virginia

We have a number of Starbucks mugs from our trips around the country and abroad. Here is a rather forgotten one. I say forgotten because we couldn't remember how we got this mug. Did we buy it or was it gifted to us as a 'pasalubong'? The reason for this is that both of us haven't been to this part of the US. We do have a very close friend who studied in Virginia Tech and who was there a few years ago to attend a workshop. Perhaps this was a pasalubong or souvenir from that trip?

The Starbucks Virgina mug has many items on the design. You see a crab, a racehorse and a ship as well as a beach umbrella.

The Pentagon is there and so are a certain specie of bird, deer and what appears as a peanut.

There's a stagecoach, a lake, a cup and a building labeled Monticello. There's also a slogan "Live Passionately".

Recently, I've learned that there are many sellers of Starbucks mugs online. That means you can easily collect these mugs and others as if you traveled to the cities and countries. That certainly takes away the element of travel, which to me totally ruins a collection. It's called 'Been There' for a reason.

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Back at Tenya

It was the first time for me to do field work for projects since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and we had to eat out for lunch. We decided to have a late lunch as we anticipated crowded restaurants during the regular lunch period. While looking for a place to eat, I spotted a Tenya branch along the road and directed our driver to go there. Tenya is a well known brand in Japan and I've had many meals at their Akihabara branches in Tokyo including one under the railway bridge in the electric town.

It's springtime in Japan and all across the country you can see the cherry blossoms (sakura). This promo item on the menu celebrates sakura.

We had already ordered when we saw this poster about the restaurant offering meals that had ingredients sourced from local suppliers.

All of us got the same set meal. Here's a photo of our tempura and cold soba set.

They also have a promo for those who like to have coffee after meals.

This was a welcome break during our field work and we certainly had a good, hearty meal. It also made my day as I had not eaten at this restaurant for a long while (due to the pandemic) and had some cravings for Japanese food.

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Another vintage Chronographe Suisse - Buttes Watch Co. (BWC)

The most recent addition to the vintage chronograph part of my collection is this Chronographe Suisse that is likely from the 1960s. Chronographe Suisse is like a generic brand for chronograph watches produced in Switzerland by a number of small watchmakers. In this case, the watchmaker is the Buttes Watch Co. or BWC as it appeared in its own watches.

The watch features two sub dials. The one on the left is for the second and the hand moves as the watch runs. The other sub dial functions for the chronograph along with the long thin hand at 12 o'clock.

Side view showing the crown and chronograph buttons

The other side view

The watch's back is polished

Close-up of the dial showing the generic brand Chronographe Suisse that is somewhat a common brand for Swiss chronograph watch souvenirs.

The watch is powered by a Landeron movement but I have yet to determine which caliber it actually is.

A close-up shows this to have been made or assembled by the Buttes Watch Co. (BWC). There is also an MOU inscribed on the movement indicating this

Inside the case back cover

Wrist shot showing the blued hands of the watch

This is also a keeper for now. The watch runs well and keeps time. It also has a nice patina on the dial and hands aged well. 

[I unloaded this watch a a few months ago as it was not getting any wrist time. I hope it is being worn more regularly by the new user. 9/26/2023]

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Easter Sunday flashbacks and farewell to a cousin - Holy Week 2022

I remember that Easter in Tatay's hometown started way before Sunday. There was a vigil from Good Friday and this culminated in a Mass late Saturday night. There was also an early morning Easter Vigil Mass on Sunday. Early meant around 3 AM and this was attended by farmers who came from all over the town for this event. They brought with them 'binhi' or seeds for the next planting, particularly of rice. I know of this because I had two aunts, the elder sisters of my father, who went to these Masses in the early morning and who brought with them the binhi or seeds to be planted in their small plot outside of the town proper. Tatay's lifelong friend and kumpare Tay Domeng and his family also always attended that Mass and stayed at our home to have breakfast and exchange stories before returning to their home in the 'uma', which I think is the equivalent of inaka in Japanese.

For some reason, I recall that it always rained or at least drizzled that night or early morning. It was probably a sign that there will be a good harvest from the seeds brought to be blessed that morning. Too bad sometimes for the 'salubong' or 'dampog' as they called it in Kiniray-a. This was the ceremony recalling the meeting of the resurrected Christ and His grieving Mother. The image of the grieving Mother Mary (Dolorosa) had a veil removed by a child dressed as an angel who announces that Christ has risen. I think I only woke up a couple times for this and the following first Easter Mass. That was mainly for the experience of it aside from me not having an option not to go with relatives for this event. Tatay always went to the second Easter Mass when he also met up with old friends and other relatives who probably didn't know he was there.

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Last night, we received news of the passing of a first cousin. Manong Pecoy died of cardiac arrest last night, the second one he suffered in the last week. He was hospitalized for a week before his demise. Francisco Manopla y Regidor was blessed with a long life and just turned 90 early this April. He was a cousin though he was older than Tatay. Tatay being the youngest among siblings had sisters and brothers who were much older than him. As they say, matanda kami sa dugo (our blood is older), which explains why many of my cousins from my father's side are senior citizens and I have grandchildren as old as my youngest brother. Our nephew was saying that just before he passed away, Manong was in high spirits and even joked that he wanted to have a bottle of Red Horse (beer). He was a simple man who worked hard and helped his sister finish school. He shared many experiences with Tatay who likes to relate how difficult life was and the sacrifices they made in order to have an education. 

I thought it was apt that he passed away during Easter. He was not the religious type but he definitely lived a life that is more Christian than others would pretend theirs to be. Paalam Manong Pecoy. You lived a blessed and exemplary life more than how you probably saw it. May you now rest and rest eternally with our Creator.

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Black Saturday senti - Holy Week 2022

"Patay pa ang Diyos." (God is still dead.) That is what our grandfolks, uncles, aunties and even parents told us before when we were children. They were referring to Black Saturday and why there was a need to be quiet as well as careful (as if no one was watching over us during this day post crucifixion (Good Friday) and before the Resurrection (Easter Sunday). Nevermind that many of us went to Catholic Schools and were taught otherwise. Some traditions were not meant to be questioned at this point and need not be. 

Those were more innocent times when commercial establishments were closed at least from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday. A few were open out of necessity (there was demand for food, drinks and other items) especially in my father's hometown where the atmosphere was quite festive. Every other year before Covid-19 they held the local high school's grand homecoming and combined with the annual Lenten kapilya or chapel competition among barangays (i.e., 14 stations of the cross), there are a lot of people about including balikbayans from all over the world. The homecoming was also an opportunity for family reunions so there are a lot more people than just the homecoming crowd. Entire families come to celebrate and that celebration starts way before Easter. I wonder if they resumed these activities this year as I haven't heard from our relatives or seen anyone from there posting about these on social media (another thing that we didn't have back in the day and perhaps that was a good thing!). 

There was a time when Black Saturdays meant practically no TV as stations were also taking their breaks. We didn't have cable or satellite TV back then, and there was no internet yet so you didn't have these alternatives or options for entertainment and the like. Holy Week, if you're not so religious, was a timeout of sorts from busy schedules, from work. It was also a time when you can just read a good book or magazine. I usually had the latest copy of Reader's Digest or read the old ones at our ancestral home in Iloilo. Other times, we can just go out and take a stroll to the countryside (uma as they call it in Tatay's language) or perhaps the town plaza with my cousins. I don't remember getting bored. And having nothing to do was always an option unlike these days when young people are demanding one activity after another. Lost, it seems, are the quiet times that allow for one's mind to rest and be in peace. One shouldn't be doing stuff on Black Saturdays because "patay pa ang Diyos."

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Good Friday musings - Holy Week 2022

I've written about my boyhood memories of Good Friday including the times when we spent the Holy Week in my father's hometown in Cabatuan, Iloilo. The last two years have been spent mostly at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic though last year I recall we were already able to take our daily walks around the neighborhood. I also remember that we had started getting vaccinated around this time last year so hopes were high.

We decided to stay at home again this year despite Rizal and Metro Manila being on Alert Level 1. The latter meant people could basically go out and travel wherever they wanted to as long as you have proof of vaccination and practice the minimum health protocols such as wearing a mask. We had talked about doing a Visita Iglesia but relented as we thought perhaps many other people were going to do this after two straight years of being confined to their homes.

There was no official Alay Lakad this year, the third straight year there won't be an "official" one. I put official in quotation marks as there really is no stopping devotees or those with panata (vow) with Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (Virgen de Antipolo). True enough, there were many people who walked from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday to the Antipolo Shrine and there are many evidence of this from social media posts in the area. The numbers probably weren't in the millions that was pre-Covid-19 but it was a sizeable crowd that triggered comments about its being a potential super spreader event.

Perhaps a winner this Holy Week, if you can call it that, are businesses. Unlike the Holy Weeks of old, malls, supermarkets, shops and restaurants are mostly open this stretch of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Black Saturday. I have memories of the times when most establishments were closed during these days. In the provinces, there were eateries, stores or stalls open because there was demand (i.e., people including tourists going around) but the malls and supermarkets were generally closed. Eventually, Black Saturdays became exceptions as people prepared for their Easter celebrations. Next it was Maundy Thursdays. Finally, commerce got to Good Fridays starting with the large fastfood chains opening their branches to feed the people going around (e.g., doing Visita Iglesia). At first, the justification for this was that not everyone was Catholic and so they could deploy non-Catholic staff to man their operations. Of course, we know that was BS (pardon for the term here) but everyone seemed to welcome this development. People needed to eat despite these days supposed to be for fasting and abstinence. So much for that part of religion!

More reminiscing and opinions in the next post.

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Back in a familiar place in Panglao

The recent trip to Panglao Island, Bohol was a most welcome vacation even as the specter of the pandemic remains. Most people including children are now vaccinated and aware of the risks. Most still practice the health protocols including wearing of masks and frequent washing to reduce the risk of getting infected by Covid-19. There is a new airport in Bohol. It is now located at Panglao Island instead of in Tagbilaran in the main island. Travel between the airport and the resort was not even 10 minutes. We stayed at the South Palms Resort that was carved out of the old Bohol Beach Club where we stayed at the first time we went to Bohol in 2009. The BBC is still there and shares the same long beach with South Palms.

The view from our room

The hammocks are still there with the old trees as we remember them

It was good to know that the trees were not wiped out by the powerful typhoon last December.

The seats and umbrellas are different (updated) but the beach and the water are tops.

 More on our recent trip to Panglao in future posts!

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Simple inflight snacks

Inflight, there wasn't really much difference pre-Covid-19 and now (not yet post-Covid-19) except perhaps that the flight attendants were wearing PPEs and masks. We were on full flights both outbound and inbound of Manila and the airport terminals were also already crowded. We flew on Philippine Airlines so there was no food and drinks for sale on the flight. But they did distribute some snacks and drinks to passengers.

Butter cookies and water were our inflight snacks for the MNL-TAG flight. For drinks you actually can opt for coffee or tea.

The cookies were by Figaro and not from some obscure manufacturer.

We had green peas and water on the TAG-MNL flight.

Nutrition information at the back of the pack.

The guisantes pack was manufactured in Cebu and is certified Halal.

I assume that longer flights on board full service airlines like Singapore Airlines or Japan Airlines would have modified their inflight meals service in light of Covid-19. We are hopeful that we can soon travel again overseas to again enjoy the attractions in other countries.

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Vintage Seiko 6139-7020 chronograph "Apple or Flying Saucer"

Seiko has produced so many good chronographs that it seems you just cannot stop trying to collect them. The vintage chronographs include many 6138's and 6139's, many of which I have in my collection. The 6139-7020 is part of the 6139 family and features crescent lugs and scoops that earned it the "apple" or "flying saucer" nickname.

This Speed Timer features a nice sub-dial for the chronograph and day and date complications. The day display may be set for either Kanji or English.

Side view showing the crown and buttons

The other side view

Case back showing the serial number that indicates the watch to have been manufactured in May 1971.

Close up of the dial, which is in very good condition.

The obligatory wrist shot

Like other 6139s, there is no moving second hand for the watch so you can't easily see if its running. Others suggest to just let the big chronograph hand run as a substitute to the second hand. There is supposed to be a restrain on this hand and freeing it means less wear on the restrain. The watch recently stopped while in use and when this became frequent, it was clear it was time to bring it to my watch guy for routine maintenance. I haven't checked on the batch of watches I left with him to check as I had been busy the past few weeks but I trust that they are in good hands. Perhaps I can pick up a watch or two this Holy Week.

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A Discman and some old CDs

Sentimental on a Sunday...I bought my first Discman back in 1996 so I can play my CDs and listen in private whenever I'm at home or the office. The Discman, of course, is the player Sony developed for its Walkman line that they later renamed to CD Walkman. I think I acquired something like 5 Discman players, two of which was given to a dear friend and 2 to my brother. Three were lost as 1 were stolen from my friend and the other from my brother - both while they were medical interns in the same school.

The first CD I bought in Tokyo was "Cracked Rear View" by Hootie & the Blowfish back in Feb/March 1996. That perished with Ketsana’s flood in 2009. Fortunately, I got another in 2007 that survived because I kept it at my office. Here's the CD with a disc player I recently acquired.

I got this CD Walkman D-EJ002 via Facebook Marketplace where I found a seller of surplus items from Japan. It doesn't have the accessories like the adapter and the remote control earphones but its clean and works well.

I got this CD in 2007 from a used CD shop. I'm not sure if this was from Recofan or Yamagiwa but I did get it in Shibuya. By 2007, I could no longer find my favorite used CD shops in Yokohama.

Instead of streaming my music, I get to play my CD's including this old J-Pop CD that I often listen to that takes me back to the time I was living in Yokohama. This I refer to as 'old school' for someone like me who acquired most of my CDs in the 1990s. I still do have cassettes that I can also play on my old Walkman and a portable stereo player but I'm afraid the tape might get ruined. I usually listed to the FM radio stations whenever I used the Walkman.

All my previous Discman players were bought in Japan and I always bought the ones that were 'Made in Japan' rather than the models that were Made in Malaysia or Made in China. I got this one via an online marketplace. Perhaps I can find an nice one again in Akihabara if there's an opportunity to travel to Japan again soon.

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Art as historical 'bookmarks'

We regularly participate in an annual fundraiser that auctions of artwork to benefit scholarships and other activities of one alumni group. Among the artwork we've acquired through the auction are abstracts and landscapes. However, the more memorable ones for me are the ones featuring historical scenes such as streets from the Spanish or American period, and a portrait of an agricultural family ("Doon sa Hacienda") by Neil Doloricon.

We recently acquired this piece through the auction. We thought it presented an historical marker with people wearing masks in compliance with health protocols during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also shows people crowding to ride a jeepney and others lined up on the street. Public transport was scarce during the pandemic and current supplies cannot address the demand as workers are directed to return to their workplaces.

 

We actually have other paintings at home and the office that we acquired through other sources showing or depicting certain times including one that featured the tranvia - the streetcars that served as Manila's main mode of public transport prior to World War 2. Meanwhile, we also have a few showing modes of transport such as bicycles and jeepneys. One if not my favorite painting featuring a jeepney is this painting by Amador Barquilla we got from the same auction years ago.

Barquilla's humorous depiction of an overloaded jeepney

More on paintings and other works of art in future posts!

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March sunsets

Our daughter joined us for a walk one afternoon last month and we decided to go to a nearby area where we can get a nice view of the sunset. Here are a few photos from that walk and sunset viewing:

The setting sun when we arrived at a viewpoint in our village. The shape of the sun was distorted by the clouds and haze that afternoon.

The sun appears to flatten as it begins to hide behind the buildings.

Our daughter was amazed by the sunset colors. I caught this scene for posterity. I believe people should have happy memories especially of their childhood days in their hometowns.

More sunsets in future posts!

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A vintage Seiko 7017-8000 chronograph

I have a couple of chronographs that have the same model number and yet are quite different in looks and intended function. This article is about the 'regular' one that I got almost the same time as the other more desirable 7017-8000 model.

The watch features only 3 hands including the yellow chronograph hand. There's no sub dial or second hand. The watch also has day and date complications. Days are in English and Kanji (Japanese). Shown is the kanji for Mokuyobi or Thursday.

Side view showing the crown and buttons. I am not sure if the yellow chronograph hand is original as I haven't found photos of pristine ones with the yellow hand. All are either red or red orange so this may be an aftermarket replacement.

The other side view showing a case that is in good condition. Only the dial has evident deterioration but only for the outer portions that would have coincided with the inner bezels of other watches.

Case back showing the model and serial numbers. The serial number indicates this watch to have been made in February 1971.

Inside the watch is a Cal. 7017A that runs at 21,600 A/h with a potential power reserve of 43h.

Close-up of the dial. The numbers on the inner bezel have faded. That includes the dial number that is supposed to be printed at the bottom of the dial.

The obligatory wrist shot

This is one of those keepers for now until perhaps I find a better but legitimate piece. This did not come with a metal bracelet but with a black minimalist leather band. I replaced that with this brown one I had on deck for quick replacements. I thought the brown strap is a good match for the watch though I might juts get a rally strap for this sometime in the future.

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