Hidden figure - a story from World War 2

A visit to the studio of an artist friend of ours allowed us a peek at his projects. I also didn't know that he was also a history buff and was fascinated with World War 2. A common friend is a retired UP History Professor who is the country's top expert on WW2 in the Philippines whom I had the pleasure of working with on a project on railway history in the Philippines. One curious sculpture he had on display that was part of a previous exhibit are three ladies hiding a certain figure.

I learned from our friend that the three ladies who appear to be distressed or weeping as they look at something represent actual scenes along the infamous Death March in 1942.

Hidden behind them and under their long dresses is a Filipino soldier who fell down or rushed to be hidden by the onlookers when Japanese guards weren't looking. This was very risky as those who were caught were likely to have been killed (e.g., shot on sight, stabbed by bayonet or perhaps slashed by katana by the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces).

 

It took a lot of courage for these women to to aid our soldiers. Such should not be lost in history but related to the current and future generations.

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The old acacia trees in Zamboanga City

Before I return to Zamboanga City this week, I would like to share something about the old acacia trees in the city. We've noticed their size and how they looked older and somewhat as large if not larger than the acacias at the UP Diliman campus. Up close while walking around the city, we can confirm they are older and apparently are of a different variety based on their bark.

Plate installed on a tree along Valderosa Street in front of the Banko Sentral compound states that the tree is approximately 155 years old. The declaration was made in 2010 so this means the tree would be approximately 168 years old now. That means trees like this date to the Spanish times (ca. 1855).

The acacia tree whose plate is shown previously

Acacia trees along Rizal Street in front of the Red Cross compound (left)

More trees along Rizal Street

There are others along the Pan Philippine Highway / R.T. Lim Boulevard. These trees are witnesses to the history of Zamboanga City. I hope the plates are a sign that the city intends to take care of these trees; to sustain and maintain them for years, decade, even centuries to come.

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Summer treats - reminiscing about Japan

The recent hot days brought back memories of summer in Japan. Those summers were hot and humid. Even if you were under the shade of a tree or building, it was still uncomfortable. So many of us stayed indoors to benefit from the air-conditioning at the laboratory in the university. Weekends would find us inside the malls if not in the parks. Outdoors, one had to get some drinks to help combat the heat and humidity as you go around. 

Of course, there were food and drinks that were summer-appropriate. I usually get Pocari Sweat or Calpis Water from the vending machines. But when you go to restaurants and the canteen, there will always be mugi cha or barley tea. This is served cold and is really refreshing. It goes well with your meals. They serve this as a service drink even before you're orders are served.

Mugi cha

Then there are the summer delicacies. One that I enjoy is unagi or eel. It's a good thing there's one Japanese restaurant near my home where I can enjoy really good unagi in the form of unagidon. Of course, there is also sashimi and our favorite would be shake or salmon sashimi.

Unagi don at the ABCT Restaurant at Sakura Circle

Shake (Salmon) sashimi

Not featured here are my favorite cold noodles - zaru soba and somen. I usually prepare my own at home thanks to the available ingredients from the supermarket or Japanese store nearby.

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Champorado from Davao

I love champorado or chocolate porridge. We usually have the instant variety at home. The usual boxes you can buy from the supermarket at Maya and White King. If we're lucky there's the Antonio Pueo brand, which I thought is better that the other two I mentioned, and is probably the best instant champorado if available. There is also Galinco, which is perhaps a notch higher if not the same with Maya and White King. All others that we found at local supermarkets that we've tried are not so good.

Cacao de Davao's premium champorado

Details on the back of the packaging. The price is also indicated - 150 pesos. I'm not sure about the text on "healthy champorado". Of course, consumption should be in moderation.

Nutrition information and the mention of "healthy champorado"

Information on the manufacturer and expiration date

Close-up of the nutrition information

Benefits of cacao - not mentioned is its association with chocolates the excessive consumption of which may lead to high blood sugar and diabetes

Of course, the best chocolate porridge is made from scratch. You get the best rice and the best cacao to make The best cacao may be sourced from Mindanao but there are excellent cacao from the Visayas and Southern Tagalog in Luzon. You can get excellent tablea (cacao tablets) from these places and others for your porridge or other chocolate fix.

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Mug Shots: Starbucks Thailand - You Are Here Collection

One of the countries we loved to visit was Thailand. We had our honeymoon in Bangkok back in 2002. At the time, I was also in Bangkok at least once a year for about 5 years as part of my involvement in an ASEAN university network supported by the Japanese government.

The mug features many of the typical attractions in Thailand. You can see the tuktuk here.

This part shows the Royal Palace and the beaches in Thailand.

I am not familiar with this attraction.

Non-decorated handle

The mug is Made in Thailand and is microwave and dishwasher safe. This is another unused mug from one of our trips there as evidenced by the sticker.

This is perhaps one of the most colorful mugs we have at home and one that brings back a lot of memories of trips to Thailand.

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Chocolate review: Ghirardelli Sea Salt Almond Dark Chocolate

Our cache of chocolates usually include locally-sourced Ghirardelli chocolates. It's been a while since either of us (the wife) has been in San Francisco (though she's heading there as I write this post) so we do miss the chocolates that we buy from there.

Ghirardelli's Intense Dark Sea Salt Almond

Details on the chocolate at the back

Nutrition information

Quality marks

We could easily get these chocolates not from the supermarket but from Candy Corner kiosks usually found in malls. It is on the expensive side though and we just get a couple of bars at a time, which we keep in the refrigerator for times when we reminisce about San Francisco and enjoy chocolates associated with the city.

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Clouds and islands

Among the things you seen when on a plane are cloud formations and islands. I took a few photos during our flight from Zamboanga to Manila last week.

Rain clouds over Sulu - I took this photo as our plane took off from Zamboanga Airport

Sta. Cruz Islands - The bigger one is called 'Grande or Great Sta. Cruz'. The smaller one is called 'Little Sta. Cruz'. In the background is Sulu.

Cloud formation as we approached Luzon Island

What initially looked like Corregidor Island turned out to be Maricaban Island off Mabini, Batangas (on the right in the photo).

More inflight photos in future posts!

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The Seiko x Worn & Wound collab 4R36-12G0

Easily one of my favorite acquisitions last year is this limited edition collaboration between Seiko and Worn & Wound. It is a very good design for a nod on the Flieger watches that have been quite popular as beaters and collector's items. 'Flieger' is 'pilot' in German. Here are some photos of this handsome watch.

This watch is inspired by the Flieger and has day and date complications. The day wheel is in English or Kanji.

Side view showing the crown

The other side view - note the holes on the lugs that allows for easy replacement of the straps.

The W & W sticker is still intact. This is also a limited edition watch and number 568 of 1,000 produced.

Close-up of the elegant, textured dial that also indicates this to be Made in Japan. My daughter likes that the watch indices allows for easier reading of the time.

Wrist shot with two other Seiko 5 limited release models.

The watch is powered by a Cal. 4R36 that runs at 21,600 A/h with a potential power reserve of ~40 hours. It has hand-winding and hacking features. I have this watch on my regular rotation. This is definitely a keeper and one of those that will appreciate in value over time.

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Chicken Sarap

We had a mini reunion last weekend for relatives on the side of my wife. We decided to have the food catered instead. The wife and I thought about the caterer for our daughter's 6th birthday party, which was held in January 2020, a couple of months before the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We learned about Chicken Sarap through a friend and former officemate of the wife. They can do the grilling on site, which was good as the food will be freshly grilled. Here are some photos from last Sunday's dinner.

Java rice and chicken inasal

Sauces, spices, condiments and atchara

Pansit, pork barbecue and grilled tuna belly

Molo - an Ilonggo favorite

 

Our daughter's birthday party in 2020 was held at our home and they grilled under our mango tree. The smoke from the grill apparently helped trigger our tree to bear a lot of fruits, which we enjoyed during the lockdown. This time though, we held the reunion at a friend's place that we rented. That way, we didn't have to think about the food service and the cleaning up afterwards. We all enjoyed the food and will definitely engage Chicken Sarap again in the near future.

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Chocolate review: Droste Orange Crisp

We open May with a familiar chocolate brand - Droste. I have not enjoyed these chocolates for quite some time since the onset of the pandemic. I first bought a tube way back when we were 'residing' in Singapore and traveled between Manila and the city state quite regularly. I usually bought the dark chocolate variants but couldn't find these in the store at Changi. So I just got a couple of tubes each of two variants that were available at the Cocoa Tree store. This is Droste's Orange Crisp.

Droste's Orange Crisp comes in a tube that's like a dispenser with the chocolates shaped like giant tablets (pastilles).

Nutrition information

The chocolate is made in the Netherlands

The chocolates are inside a foil and there's a perforated end of the tube where you open the package to get your chocolates.

The chocolates inside - one tablet is enough for a quick choco fix.

This is a milk chocolate with a minimum cacao content of 35%. The crisps add to the chocolate's texture. It is on the sweet side though so I don't recommend really indulging on it. I hope I can find the dark chocolate version in a local store. I won't buy a tube though if its the dark chocolate with mint as I don't like mint with my chocolates.

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