Another vintage Grand Seiko - GS 5646-8000

The latest addition to my collection is this Seiko GS 5646-8000 automatic watch. The watch is in great condition considering its 52 years. The only flaw would be the hole on the medallion. Other than that, the watch is in really good condition.

The watch has a simple dial design with day and date complications. The quick sets work and I use the Kanji day display.

Side view showing the signed crown

The other side view.

Here is the case back showing the medallion, which is in fair condition (i.e., there's a hole where the K and O of Seiko are). The serial number indicates the watch to have been manufactured on July 1971.

Close-up of the relatively pristine dial. The correct model number is indicated at the bottom of the dial.

Here is the obligatory wrist shot. The watch came with an aftermarket stainless steel strap that I adjusted so it fit my wrist perfectly.

The watch is powered by a Cal. 5646A that runs at 28,800 A/h with a potential power reserve of 46h.

 

Case back showing the model number

 

The watch does not feel as heavy as my 61GS models. Though hi-beat at 28,800 A/h, it is lower than the 36,000 A/h of my 6145 and 6146 GS watches. I wore the 5646 GS for 7 days straight to see if it runs well and keeps time. It did and became a part of my current rotation. It should be a keeper for now.

 

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Dinner at Botejyu, Robinsons Antipolo

Japanese restaurant Botejyu recently opened its branch at Robinsons Antipolo. It was a welcome addition to the Japanese restaurants located at the mall and particularly at the annex. Nearby are Ramen Nagi and Marugame Udon.

Scallops and salmon sashimi, and takoyaki

Watermelon and grape shakes

Tuna, rice and salad

Their version of tonkotsu ramen

We like Botejyu because they have many items in their menu including sashimi and sushi. There's something to each of our likings. Ramen Nagi and other ramen restaurants are more specialized. Marugame Udon also has many items but I think Botejyu has the more versatile menu. It's good to have many choices though to satisfy our usual cravings for Japanese food.

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Another vintage Ricoh Dynamic Wide watch

It's been a while since I've written about my watches. I was able to get another Ricoh watch a while back. I just was not able to write about it as I wasn't sure I was keeping it (for now). This one has a simple design. It does not bear any of the emblems or logos Ricoh has used on its watch dials.

Ricoh Dynamic Wide automatic watch with day and date complications

Side view showing the signed crown

The other side view

The watch came with the original beads of rice stainless steel bracelet.

Close-up of the signed crown featuring the letter 'R'.

Close-up of the relatively immaculate dial - the Kanji day displayed is for Wednesday (Suiyobi)

The case back has signs of being polished and the information is faded.

Here is a better, clearer photo of the back showing the watch model's serial number, the Ricoh emblem and stating the watch to be waterproof (an indication that the watch is from the late 60s or early 70s). The serial number on Ricoh watches help you determine the movement caliber.

Inside is a Cal. 41 movement from the Ricoh 30 series. This dates the watch to the early 1970s.

The Cal. 41 has 21 jewels and runs at 18,000 beats per hour. I have not seen a reference for the potential power reserve.

Inside the back cover, there are no etches or writings except for this O and J that appears to be stamped here. Maybe these were the initials of the watch repair guy?

This is one of those watches that have a simple design and doesn't attract attention. It is wearable for any occasion whether for formal, casual or even outdoors. I have not timed it for how long it will run after regular use but it runs the morning after not being used overnight. It also keeps time as there are no noticeable gains or losses in time when its in regular use.

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[Just unloaded this another Ricoh. 11/3/2023]

Off-campus office for a couple of days

We recently had our first off-campus workshop for our Institute since 2019. The venue of our workshop is Punta de Fabian, which is located in Baras, Rizal. This out-of-town venue afforded us to focus on reviewing our programs and eliminated the most usual distractions if we held the workshops at the university.

The view from the venue was breathtaking

Another view of Laguna de Bai with the town proper of Tanay, Rizal visible at the base of the tree.

Here's an attempt for an artistic shot. Tip for future attempts: take a photo where the land is eliminated and the edge of the pool becomes the reference line for the images of the tree.

 

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Antique or vintage chess sets

I saw this interesting chess set and table at one of the shops at Tiendesitas in Ortigas, Pasig. It was the table that initially caught my attention. Note the intricate carvings on this table. The shop owner said that this table came from Marawi City in Mindanao. I think the chess pieces are more recent and not really vintage (>20 years old). They are finely made though and I could be wrong.

I don't recall the exact price mentioned by the shopkeeper but it is 6 figures so at least 100,000 pesos (I think its probably double). It would be a 'nice to have' set if you have the disposable income or money for this. You will probably need space for it as it will also be an accent or conversation piece.

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Sunset and nightscape from Baras, Rizal

I just wanted to share a few photos I took from the balcony of the cottage we were staying at for the night in Baras, Rizal. We had our first off-campus workshop since 2019 and the venue selected was Punta de Fabian in Baras, Rizal. The view from the resort were spectacular and very much what we saw the last time we were there, also for another workshop. I didn't stay overnight then so I didn't get to take photos of the sunset. Here are some photos I took, playing with the settings of an old iPhone (I still use an iPhone 8) to get some nice shots of the setting sun and the surrounding areas.

This photo is more focused on the sun so the surrounding areas Baras in the foreground and Cardona further and Binangonan beyond the mountain or hill.

Here is a photo when you focus on the foreground rather than the sun. It is still bright and not as dark as what the previous photo would make it look like.

I was not able to take a photo when the sun descended as I was preoccupied with something. This was taken right after the sun hid behind the mountains of Binangonan and Angono.

The evening sky is lovely with the mix of colors left by the setting sun in its wake.

I can still recall a time when there were not so many people residing in these areas. Rizal now is also home to many people who actually work or study in Metro Manila. The province's towns are somewhat like bed towns similar to Bulacan's, Cavite's and Laguna's.

The evening sky as the backdrop for towns turning on their lights for the night.

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Lunch at Tokyo Market, Ayala 30th

This is a very late post of a lunch I enjoyed many months ago. I thought I had written about this but apparently the draft was buried with others that I have started writing but never got to finish. Our daughter participated in a summer activity the venue of which was at the Ayala 30th Mall in Pasig City. As I usually picked her up (her Mom usually dropped her off en route to her office), there were times when I was early enough to have a late lunch there. One discovery was a shop that also served meals. I could not really call it a restaurant because their main business was as a shop selling Japanese products. I had a nice lunch there though and wouldn't mind eating there again sometime soon.

Japanese citrus (mikan) juice

Ramen lunch set - included 3 pieces of gyoza

I had a nice lunch at Tokyo Market and also purchased a few items there to consume at home including some snacks and sauces. They also had orange juice imported from Japan that were on sale at the time. I got a couple of bottles to sample and ended up getting a couple more in the next week. I don't frequent this mall as our preferred destination in that area is Estancia Mall. I probably will drop by one time to get some stuff from their shop.

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Fog, smog or vog?

A few weeks ago, the subject of social media chatter was the vog or volcanic smog. It got a little weird when a top government official stated that what Metro Manila experienced was smog due to temperature inversion. Earlier before the statement, the agency monitoring Taal Volcano reported a minor eruption where the volcano ejected material into the air. The report even stated the sulfuric material had mixed into the wind and the weather system that affected Metro Manila brought about a gloomy effect. 

Fast forward and another weather system brought a lot of rains in the greater Metro Manila area. This included Antipolo City where I reside. The high elevation meant that the clouds were quite low in our city. That included a fog that affected much of Sumulong Highway. I was able to take a few photos as we drove home in the late afternoon.

Fog along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo. The traffic on the other side is not fog-related but due to the dismissal of classes in a major school (Fatima University) nearby.

 

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Chocolate review: Beryl's Caramel & Sea Salt

Every time I go abroad, I try to find and buy their local produced chocolates. In Malaysia, perhaps the go-to brand for chocolates would be Beryl's. They have a store in KLIA Terminal 2 but there are chocolates you can buy at the duty free shops after checking-in and clearing immigration. I got a few chocolates for pasalubong (souvenirs) and personal consumption. This is one of them.

Beryl's packaging is quite simple and suggests a chocolate that you can get on the supermarket shelf.

Details on the chocolate at the back of the package.

Nutrition information and the Halal certification of the chocolate

Storage information and info on the manufacturer

Ingredients - there is no information about the minimum cacao content of the chocolate

Beryl's caramel & sea salt chocolate is good. It is not a premium chocolate but is certainly satisfying. I mentioned that I could not find information about the minimum cacao content for this chocolate. Upon tasting it, I found that this is on the sweet side of dark chocolates even factoring the caramel and sea salt in the taste. For me, it is sweeter than the Meiji Dark chocolates so this maybe less than 40% minimum cacao. Will I buy these chocolates again? This specific one maybe but if there are other better chocolates from Beryl's, I would likely choose them or their more premium items.

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Sigekiya Ramen at Estancia Mall

While we have been to Estancia Mall quite a number of times, I did not realize there was an entire wing that we haven't explored. I was wondering, for example, where Randy's Donuts was at the mall. Apparently, what we thought to be the SM Department Store being the end of the mall was not. There were more shops and stores beyond SM. That's how we discovered Sigekiya Ramen, which was at the second level of the mall.

A bowl of their Gojira ramen

This was a set that came with 3 pieces of gyoza.

The brand on the bowl

Sigekiya is supposed to be from Yokohama, Japan, which is one of the main reasons I decided to eat there for lunch.  I was not aware of the ramen shop when I was residing there as there were many other ramen shops in the city including around the university where I studied and my apartment along the Sotetsu Railway Line. I found this review of the ramen shop in Yokohama. Personally, I enjoyed my Gojira ramen and I was also happy to see that they had a junior size serving since my daughter cannot finish the full bowl of ramen that's usually served in other ramen shops. The noodles are on the large side and the broth is thick and tasty. Maybe it's me but it is also not so salty. I will probably return to have a taste of their tsukemen next time.

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