Thoughts on a Leap Year 2024

Today is February 29. It is a Leap Year. A lot can happen over four years. In 2020, we were bracing ourselves for the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it seems all have returned to the 'old normal'. February 2024 was very eventful for me. A beloved aunt passed away and until now, I cannot compose a decent article to celebrate her life. I think I have not had the proper grieving for her. I was not able to attend her funeral unlike the time when another beloved aunt passed away. Now Tatay has no other living sibling after the passing of Nay Paring. Tatay seems to be taking it well but I know he is sad inside and perhaps feels  about his mortality. 

Our dog Mocha had surgery a couple of weeks ago. This was to remove a tumor that was diagnosed as malignant. The dog is 10 years old. That's about 70 to 80 in dog years depending on your reference. She's better now but we also had a scare and know that she maybe has 2 or 3 years remaining considering her being a canine. Our daughter grew up with Mocha, who is such a loving animal. Dogs like her give unconditional love and we have lots of happy memories with her.

Most recently, our daughter was admitted to a hospital for the first time. Her confinement was due to a viral infection (not COVID-19) that led to her having very high fever. The experience gave us a scare as well as reminded us how difficult it is to get good medical care in the Philippines. I guess we are blessed to have the resources for our daughter to get the medical care she needed. There is hope but it is fleeting for many.

The other day (February 27) as I was exiting our home to go on an early evening walk, I saw a meteorite as it streaked across the clear sky. Another one was spotted, this time with my wife, seconds after. A third appeared as we walked. These are so rare that people make wishes when they see one. In our case, I guess we had three, each. I just don't remember making 3 wishes as their appearance were so unexpected but very pleasant considering the quick spectacle.

I will make another reflection like this in 2028. I wish the next 4 years will be blessed ones.

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Dinner at Kimono Ken, Rockwell Business Center, Ortigas Avenue

We haven't eaten at a Kimono Ken (or a Sumo Sam) in a while. Of course, that's because there are a lot of Japanese restaurants to choose from and we have our favorites or preferences when it comes these restaurants. And there are no Kimono Ken branches near us so that's probably the most logical reason we haven't eaten here for a while. But there was one and the only Japanese option near The Medical City last weekend so we decided to have an early dinner there.

Table setting

The wife ordered shake don and miso soup

I ordered shake sushi

Pork gyoza to partner with my cold soba

Perhaps one of my favorites and usual order at a Japanese restaurant is

The food was good. The shake/salmon was excellent! We had a very satisfying meal at Kimono Ken. I would say that the prices also didn't hurt the pocket so there's value for money here.

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Weekend Biko (Sticky rice)

Last weekend our staff cooked some biko or suman as people generally refer to this kakanin or sticky rice delicacy. It goes well as merienda though heavy enough for a light lunch or dinner (it is rice, after all). It goes perfectly with fruits, with mangoes probably being the top choice (i.e., mango and sticky rice).

Freshly made biko transferred to a recycled food container

Enough was made for us to send to my parents in Cainta. Tatay and Mama loves the biko our staff makes at home. Lasang probinsya daw (tastes like the ones made in our provincial hometowns).

Close-up of the biko showing the coconut bit toppings and the calamnsi leaves adding to the vanilla to enhance the taste and aroma of the biko.

 

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Melt in your mouth mochi

A close friend gave me some omiyage (souvenir) from his recent trip to Japan. It was a box of mochi from Osaka.

Cocoa, matcha (green tea), ichigo (strawberry) and milk-flavored mochi

Details on the mochi and the mochi variants inside the box

One pack contained 6 pieces of mochi

The two packs inside the box

The mochi was delightful as it was both soft and fluffy in texture. It was practically 'melt in your mouth' in softness and tasted great.

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El Museo de Zamboanga - Part 4

This is the concluding article to the series on the Zamboanga Museum. This last part is on Zamboanga City after 1946 and Philippine independence.

Diorama showing the Zamboanga City Hall as it looked like right after the American Period. The building is preserved and still in great condition. Some buildings nearby that probably was from the same era have also managed to survive including one hosting a branch of BPI. The building is witness to much of Zamboanga's history including historical figures like the late Mayor Climaco.

Write-up on Zamboanga under the Philippine Republic. Similar to the other write-up in the previous articles in this series, there is a Chavacano version and an English version.

Maps showing the evolution of what was Zamboanga Province in 1946 (note the inclusion of Basilan) into the current Zamboanga Peninsula comprised of 3 provinces (Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay) and Zamboanga City.

Zamboanga's history is very interesting to me and continues to pique my curiosity. I have grown to like the city and its people. I have experienced their hospitality and witnessed how we can live in harmony given the supposed differences among people of different religions and cultures.

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El Museo de Zamboanga - Part 3

This third part on the Zamboanga Museum focuses on the feature on Zamboanga during the American Period.

Write-up on Zamboanga during the American Period

Photo of the American Provincial Governor with various leaders of the region (i.e., Datus).

Photo on the inauguration of the then Municipality of Zamboanga, which included Basilan

Evolution of Mindanao and Zamboanga under the Americans - note that the Zamboanga Peninsula was basically one province from 1921-1945. Zamboanga was part of what was termed as a Moro Province during the early years of this period. The province became a Department before eventually being reformed into several provinces.

The conclusion to this series in Part 4.

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El Museo de Zamboanga - Part 2

This is a continuation of the post on the Zamboanga Museum. I love history and this second part on the museum shows information on Zamboanga during the Spanish Period. There's a nice map at the last part of this article.

Write-up on Zamboanga during the Spanish Period.

A diorama showing Zamboanga City during the Spanish Period shows Fort Pilar on the right. The diorama reminded me of similar ones at the Ayala Museum in Makati City.

Cannonballs on display

A replica of a Spanish Era cannon. I think these were typically mounted on walls or galleons rather than used in the field.

Map of Mindanao circa 1860 showing the large districts - the Zamboanga Peninsula is District I, Northern Mindanao including the Misamis and Bukidnon Provinces are in District II, Surigao and Agusan are in District III, Davao and Sarangani are in District IV, and the Cotabato provinces are in District V.

More on Zamboanga and history in the next article!

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El Museo de Zamboanga - Part 1

Unlike previous visits to Zamboanga City, we had some free time and used it to go around and revisit some places we've been to but have not been able to really check out. One place at Pasonanca Park is the Zamboanga Museum or El Museo de Zamboanga.

At the museum lobby

Artifact at the museum

Write-up on the beliefs and practices of the Badjaos

There's a lot of information on the native peoples of Zamboanga like their art and architecture.

Belief and practices of the Subanen

Map of the homeland of the precolonial inhabitants of Zamboanga

Information on the Subanen

Zamboanga's historical timeline

Exit

Entrance

More on the museum and its features in the next posts!

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Back at Alavar Seafood Restaurant

A must for those visiting Zamboanga City is eating at Alavar. The restaurant, of course, is famous for the sauce that bears its name, which a lot of people say goes well with any food. Sauce aside, Alavar serves excellent local dishes including the curacha - a type of crab indigenous to Zamboanga.

The restaurant front and the familiar sign welcoming diners.

While we ordered the usual bilao set for our dinner, we also ordered two dishes involving raw tuna - sashimi and kinilaw. Here is their presentation of maguro sashimi.

I ordered my usual buko in a shell. This one came from a young, healthy coconut and was harvested at the right time. That means plenty of coconut water and meat to enjoy as dessert.

 

One of my objectives for this trip is to replenish our stock of bottled sardines. Fortunately, the restaurant had a lot of stocks of the Spanish sardines in olive oil variety that I always buy from their store.

More on Zamboanga City and this recent trip in the next posts!

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Another taste of Zamboanga's knickerbocker

One of the things one must try when in Zamboanga is their version of what we commonly refer to as halu-halo - the Knickerbocker. The name is derived from the American knickerbocker glory sundae. We had ours at Palmeras, which is widely credited for popularizing the dessert.

The knickerbocker is basically layers of fruits and jelly topped by a scoop (or more) of strawberry ice cream.

Each one of us had one as dessert during lunch

Another photo of our knickerbocker at Palmeras

Is it the best halu-halo? Probably not considering the so many versions of the popular summer treat or dessert. The knickerbocker though deserves praise for being somewhat unique in its formula. It is a must-eat when in Zamboanga!

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Back in Zamboanga City for our first travel of 2024

I am back at one of my happy places - Zamboanga City. While this is a work trip, we made sure we had some time to revisit some places we have frequented in our travels to the Latin City of the Philippines. That includes the Alavar Seafood Restaurant that's famous for its Alavar sauce. I think I have traveled to Zamboanga at least once a year every year in the past 6 years including during the pandemic years.

Zamboanga City port of entry already

Colorful vintas are featured at the airport

One of our "must go" places to eat at is the Alavar Seafood Restaurant.

Aside from the meetings with our counterparts and a courtesy call to City Hall, we will be doing some field work. We made sure our there's time allocated for eating good lunches and dinners and perhaps a trip to the market at Canelar to buy a few items.

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