More sunflowers

I couldn't help but take another photo of the sunflowers along the University Avenue. I was at Quezon Hall the other day and as I went down using the stairs, I paused and proceeded to the balcony on the Second Floor to take the following photo.

I realized that they only planted sunflowers between Quezon Hall and Jacinto Street. They used to plant these between Quezon Hall all the way to the junction with C.P. Garcia Avenue. Perhaps some austerity measure was adopted this year? It also costs money to grow and care for the sunflowers. 

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Sunflower season at UP

It's that time of the year at UP Diliman and the sunflowers are in full bloom. I took the following photos for posterity in addition to the selfies I took with the wife. 

I took this photo last Friday before most people came to take photos before the recognition rites and commencement day at UP Diliman

I took this photo along the University Avenue last week showing graduating students wearing sablay taking photos with friends and/or relatives.

This photo was from early last week when I first noticed the flowers in full bloom in time for the UP Diliman commencement exercises today.

There were no sunflowers when I graduated back in 1993 and again in 1995. We also didn't have the sablay back then. Both are now staples for all UP constituent universities with some unique additions in certain regions like Cordilleras (UP Bagiuo) and Mindanao (UP Mindanao) though the sunflowers are probably best viewed and in large numbers at UP Diliman (correct me if I'm wrong).

To this year's graduates especially my former students - Padayon! Serve the country! 

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Farewell to Mr. Lee, an old friend

I meant 'old' here literally as he is or was a senior citizen. Mr. Lee was from Taiwan and settled in the Philippines decades ago as he worked with the precursor of what is now the Universal Robina Corp. I met him many years ago after we moved to our home in upper Antipolo. We actually first crossed paths when I started walking around our village. As I learned and practiced in Japan when I resided there, I greeted him a good morning. He responded and we had a short chat about the weather and our village. That was the start of a regular meeting during most weekend mornings. 

Post-pandemic, we continued to meet and even more frequently as I took up walking almost every morning as I became more health conscious. One time, he was walking in front of our home when I came out and he casually mentioned his appreciation of our garden. He offered to give me some plants from his garden in his home just across the chapel. I accepted and one morning I found myself in his garden where he dug up some of the plants. He explained these were the same ones he was tending at the chapel and were plants that grew in temples in Taiwan and Japan. Those plants are now growing in front of our home.

I missed seeing him the past weeks but thought that maybe he was going out for his walks earlier (he prefers walking just before sunrise) than me. Last year, he continued to do his early morning walks despite a seriou shoulder injury, and months ago I greeted him as he opted to tend to his plants instead of walking as he recovered from an illness. Only yesterday did I learn that he passed away, not recently but weeks ago. I learned this from our driver, Lary, who in turn got the news from another neighbor.

Farewell and rest in peace Mr. Lee. I will miss our morning encounters and conversations. Rest assured that I will take care of the plants you entrusted to me and that they are thriving on our garden. 

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Back in Tagaytay - Buon Giorno

A few of weeks ago, we were back in Tagaytay. We made sure this time to have a meal at one of our favorite restaurants there where we haven't eaten in years (since before the pandemic). Previously, when we frequented Tagaytay, we regularly at there. We tried to eat at Buon Giorno in a previous trip but it was full and we had to settle for dinner at another restaurant near it. This time we were lucky and got a nice table to enjoy our pasta and pizza. 

Quattro Formaggi Pizza the way we like it

Our daughter was amused of the mug for her iced tea. It featured a flexed arm for its handle.

The wife and I had our favorite Spinaci e funghi ravioli

Close up of the ravioli 

Our daughter had risotto while our niece had vongole. I didn't take photos of these as they immediately dived into their food the moment these were served. Needless to say that we had a great dinner at Buon Giorno.

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Snacks: Meiji Kinoko no Yama

I spotted these snacks on sale at one of the Japanese themed stores inspired by 100 yen and similar shops in Japan. These are chocolate-tipped, mushroom shaped biscuits.

These were on buy one, take one sale so I got a couple of packs. Unfortunately, removing the tape ripped off some of the box.

Inside the box is not just a pack of biscuits. The foil is actually nicely printed. This preserved the biscuits.

What the biscuits look like with the chocolates forming the top of the mushroom.

While these may be regarded as children's snacks, they are actually delightful to eat. I wouldn't mind snacking on these from time to time. The biscuits are crunchy so you enjoy chewing on them. 

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A sort of pilgrimage to the relic of St. Francis of Assisi at the Sta. Clara Monastery

My siblings had already visited the relic of St. Francis of Assisi when it was still as the St. Francis of Assisi Church at Lourdes Mandaluyong. I wasn't able to get a chance to go there but my brother sent me the schedule and saw that this week, the relic will be at the Monasterio de Sta. Clara in Katipunan, Quezon City. 

Sta. Clara was transferred to its current location back in the 1990s prior to the construction of the Aurora Flyover and the Line 2 Katipunan Station. The lot where it was previously is unoccupied.

 

The relic is located at the right when facing the altar. It will be here until June 26th.

Sta. Clara when I visited before noontime had few people. One vendor mentioned that this time of the year, the church usually had the most visitors on Sundays. There are no licensure exams or entrance exams coming up soon so I guess many who come here to say a prayer and ask for help in their exams are elsewhere or maybe visiting other churches or shrines for the same purpose. I wonder how many come back for thanksgiving after their desired results are granted. 

I think Sta. Clara remains a place for quiet reflection and prayer. It is not as crowded as Quiapo or Antipolo or Baclaran. You can actually come and sit or kneel away from the other people in the church so you can immerse yourself in prayer or meditation. The nuns pray and sing solemnly at a section separated from visitors so you will probably hear their humming voices while you are there. They only increase the volume when they sing and respond during the regular Masses held at the monastery church. 

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Puto from Laguna

On the way back from Tagaytay, we decided to have lunch at one of the stops along the SLEX. After our quick meal, we went to check out stuff for pasalubong. We had only bought pineapples by the roadside in Alfonso, Cavite but not everyone likes pineapples as pasalubong. Instead of pasalubong, we ended up buying some snacks and puto for merienda when we reached home.

The rice cake (puto) came in a box. Puto sold in markets usually come in a paper tray wrapped in cling wrap. In some, they are wrapped in banana leaves.

Here's a look at the puto, which is a "putong bigas" meaning its made entirely of rice. Note that other puto can be a mix of rice and regular or typical flour.

Close-up of the puto

The puto was okay but I do have my suki for puto at the Antipolo Market where I can also get the "putong bigas". I would say that the one we get at the market in Antipolo is of the same if not better quality. I wouldn't mind buying this for personal consumption especially when on travel.

 

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Relic of St. Francis of Assisi

My brother shared this information about the pilgrimage of the relic of St. Francis of Assisi. He went to St. Francis of Assisi church at Lourdes Mandaluyong last week. My brother-in-law went with my nephew and niece there. Unfortunately, I've not had the opportunity to visit. However I will probably get a chance between June 23 to 26 when the relic is at Santa Clara, which is just along Katipunan and near my office. Here is the official itinerary shared to me by my brother. 

  

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Back in Tagaytay - Lunch at Charito by Bag of Beans

We were back in Tagaytay last weekend. We decided to have lunch at Bag of Beans but instead of going to the original restaurant, we went to Charito, which was supposed to have an excellent view of Taal Lake and Volcano (there wasn't a good view that time because of the haze). We ended up ordering and enjoying what was probably one of the best roast beef we've had. 

What looks like a serving of roast beef is actually half of an order. We were right to split this along with the rice, which we really didn't mind not finishing as the beef was that good.

 

We were so hungry that I didn't take photos of the pasta our daughter ate. I also forgot to take a photo of the frozen blueberry cheesecake. I will probably take those photos in the (near) future when we eat there again.

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Chocolate review: Jojo's Dark Chocolate Bites

From time to time, we come across some snacks given to us as gifts (pasalubong) by friends from abroad. These dark chocolate bites is a good example of something that tastes good while supposedly being healthy (i.e., plant-based, less sugar and dark chocolate)

The ingredients and look make these basically like energy bars.

Nutrition and other information at the back of the package.

Nutrition facts

Ingredients - though not mentioned here but indicated at the top of the package, it claims to have 70% dark chocolate.

The chocolate bites also has a heartwarming story to go with it.

 

I don't know if this is available in supermarkets here but I wouldn't mind purchasing one or more packs if I see these on their shelves.

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Basketball topics - happy and sad

I just had to write about basketball after what transpired the past days. There are stories worth celebrating and those that are tragic. Recent events this past week are precisely that mix of happy and sad.

Happy

I am happy after watching the games of the current NBA Finals, especially yesterday's Game 4 where the Knicks battled back from 29 points down to win by 1 and lead the series 3-1. They will now have 3 chances to win the title but 2 games will be in San Antonio including the next one. The Spurs should be desperate now as they have to win all the remaining games. Only 1 team has recovered from a 1-3 deficit and that was one that featured two stars that at the time were still in peak form - Lebron and Kyrie. That wasn't an easy task vs. a Warriors team that won 72 games in the regular season. The Knicks will probably win this series but they should not allow it to go to a Game 7.

Sad 

I have to admit my sad feelings about the tragedy of the drowning of 2 Ateneo basketball players. I learned of this after the big news of the week that is the strong earthquake that rocked General Santos City and its vicinity. One player in that tragedy had a Cinderella story of sorts coming from a poor family in Agusan and using his talent in playing basketball to get noticed to play high school ball at Ateneo de Davao. His talents led to being selected to play college basketball for Ateneo de Manila. The university has one of the stronger programs in the UAAP but has faltered the last 2 years. The The 2 players could have figured in their revival. The player from Agusan had so much potential and was en route to also giving his family a chance at a better life. That chance practically disappeared after he drowned during what was supposed to be teambuilding activities held at a beach resort in Aurora. The incident is still under investigation and hopefully can be resolved ASAP. Hopefully, too, his family will be compensated fairly.

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Venus and Jupiter conjunction

Walking out of the house yesterday evening, I was greeted with this sight in the sky:

Venus appears larger and brighter than Jupiter in the evening sky. I framed the photo using our Narra tree and the building under construction across from our home. I didn't need any filters for the shot as there were no streetlights or other significant lighting that affected the photo.

The view could have been more spectacular if there was no construction across from our house. 

[I will write about the construction across our home another time. It's a good topic especially in light of the commercial developments sprouting inside our village.] 

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A quick snack at Dunkin

For some reason, I had a craving for some donuts. If I had the time and money, I would probably get the old-fashioned donuts from Wild Flour. Unfortunately, this was a sudden craving and some less expensive options would suffice. Dunkin Donuts or Dunkin, as they prefer to be called now, is quite accessible and I like their butternut donuts (the regular and chocolate variants). And so I got me a couple of donuts and some iced coffee.

Butternut donut and iced coffee 

 

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No more Thai food at the hub?

After a few months of not eating at the Gyud Fud Hub at UP Diliman, my friends and I decided to have lunch there last Tuesday. I was looking forward to having some Thai food but that was not to be. The stall where we usually got our meals (or satisfied our cravings) is no longer there. We ended up eating inasal and barbecue at the stall beside what was our 'go to' place for Thai food.

Later, at home, I decided to make some Thai food, kra pao to be specific, for dinner. Here are some photos of the kra pao we had at home.

Close up showing the ground pork, Thai basil and chili pepper that are the main ingredients

Here is the kra pao still in the pan

We used the last of the paste my brother got for me when he traveled to Bangkok last year.

We got the Thai basil from the supermarket. We have basil at home but this was the sweet variety that's typically used for making pesto or other dishes. Thai basil has a stronger taste and aromatic smell that's perfect for kra pao.

Here's a photo of the ground pork already with the paste mixed into it.

I'll probably try to find more of the kra pao paste if I see them in a store here. To be sure though, I will probably ask friends or colleagues traveling to Thailand to get me some even at the airport.

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Furry and cosplay at the shrine?

Last week, I was at the shrine in Antipolo (Antipolo Simbahan) for church as well as passing the area to get to City Hall for a workshop. After our workshop on a Tuesday morning, as I walked back to where I parked, I spotted these two - one wearing a furry outfit and the other cosplaying as Spiderman. You see these mostly in malls and tourist attractions like amusement parks. Apparently, they're in the area because the shrine in Antipolo attracts a lot of visitors especially pilgrims. They solicit money from people taking photos with them. They are popular with children. People place their money into the boxes each character has at the spot where they're standing and waving to people.

I thought maybe it was hot inside these costumes. Even with a fan, the sweltering heat would likely make it uncomfortable. And on a Tuesday, it seems there weren't many people even for Antipolo's shrine.

I actually didn't notice the one dressed as Spiderman so had to take this photo as I walked past them.

I wonder if these are also at Quiapo or Baclaran? It's probably if not actually a form of mendicancy. But rather than looking kawawa like the typical beggars you find at street corners and intersections, these are dressed up and attract people via the photo ops. Yesterday, there were a number of them dressed as Capybaras inside a shopping mall in San Juan. I guess its a better way of marketing to earn a living? 

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Showering the dog

We're still pretty much in the dry season and the last few weeks have been quite hot. We shouldn't forget that our pets also need some cooling. In this case, that might be in the form of a quick shower. Our Shira, a 4-year old Golden Retriever, loves her quick showers in addition to her regular long ones where she gets shampooed and massaged and groomed/combed.

More water please!

The singkit look when you think your human is about to spray your face with water.

More about our pets in future posts!

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Herencia Artisanal Tablea Chocolate

We attended a surprise birthday party for an uncle on my wife's side. He is actually also a godfather/ninong in our wedding. The dinner party was held at a restaurant in Marikina. As we exited after the party, we passed by the regular part of the restaurant/cafe where on display were cakes, cookies and bottles of this chocolate drink. 

Herencia Artisanal Tablea Chocolate is based on the original chocolate drink prepared and served at homes in the "old" times. Tablea or tableya are cacao chips or cubes that are melted and transformed to a drink that is usually thick. Note in one of Rizal's novels where the thick version - tsokolate-eh is the thick, rich version of the drink often served to VIPs or guests of honor or close relatives and friends. Tsokolate-ah is the watered down version.

Nutrition information on this chocolate drink

This was definitely on the side of tsokolate-eh. I liked the richness of taste considering this was served cold and not hot. It's on the expensive side though as a bottle cost more than 200 pesos! Good perhaps for occasional purchases and drinks but not for daily consumption. The maker is from Quezon City (based on the quick research I did using Google) and specializes in chocolate among other products. 

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Special edition ice cream: Selecta Shoyu Caramel

I was buying some ice cream the other week and was browsing the available flavors at a convenience store. I spotted this limited edition flavor from Selecta (Wall's in other countries). It's a Japanese themed flavor that practically hints at a form of salted caramel. The salt being substituted by shoyu or soy sauce, which is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking or used as a dip for food like sashimi or sushi.

Selecta's limited edition Shoyu Caramel

The featured ingredients are caramel, shoyu and cashews. The base ice cream is vanilla.

The ice cream was okay. It is basically salted caramel. There was a hint of shoyu but it was not strong. I'm not sure what the maker's objective was when they made this and decided on the name. Perhaps more on the novelty side? 

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Mangoes galore!

Our mango tree yields a good number of mangoes every year. However, we noticed that we have an especially high yield and larger fruits around every other year. Sometimes, it took 2 years before a good yield. The best yield and harvest since we moved to our upper Antipolo home was in 2020 during the pandemic. We had fairly good yields the last two years so this year we expected to be an average harvest. The fruits this year were not as big as the previous years' but there were a lot that survived since the flowering days in March. Fortunately, the fruits grew before the late March rains that usually destroyed flowers. 

Part of this year's harvest from our tree

Our dog Boots usually sits near the pile as if guarding it from the cats and other animals roaming our garden at night.

Here's Boots again beside the mangoes we were sorting to give away to family and friends.

The skin was still green but they are ripening rapidly.

More mangoes to give away

Selected mangoes for our consumption were placed near the dining area

We suddenly had mangoes dominating the fruit table. We usually have bananas and citrus on this table.

More on mangoes in the next post! 

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Kuro Ramen at Ippudo

Last weekend, we had lunch at Ippudo to satisfy our ramen craving. We usually have our ramen at Ramen Nagi and occasionally Ippudo, Hokkaido Ramen, and Ramen Kuroda, in that order as their branches are most accessible to us. Our daughter also loves ramen so its not difficult to decide to have ramen for lunch or dinner.

Ippudo's Kuro Ramen 

The ramen was really good and I wouldn't mind having this regularly for the richness of the taste including the torched chashu. I still think Ramen Nagi's tamago is better though so if Ippudo can match that then this ramen will be close to perfection for me. I thought though that the taste may not be for everyone especially those who like the lighter ramen in terms of broth and ingredients. Baka nakaka-umay for others. Perhaps it's still better to have different ramen from time to time while remembering the "go to" or favorites from each ramen shop/restaurant.

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Everlasting flowers

Today is Mother's Day. It is a very special day for all mothers whether biological, adoptive, god, or however we regard our mothers. I believe that we also need to honor those who basically function as mothers. Those who play significant roles in our lives to care for us just like our mothers do. They include health workers, care givers, and teachers among others who in one form or another.

Last Sunday, as we exited the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, we chanced upon one vendor selling something that brought up some childhood memories of going to church. The vendor was selling everlasting flowers. We use to buy these after going to church in St. Francis in Mandaluyong. My parents preferred these over sampaguita because, as the name implied, they lasted longer. The small garlands were placed on our home altar or hung with an image of the Sto. Nino, Jesus or Mary. 

Everlasting flowers at our altar at home

Happy Sunday to everyone! 

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Chocolate review: Cachet Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao

This is a very late post about a chocolate that we bought and ate months ago. I started writing about it a long time ago but somehow other material got in the way of my finalizing this post. Cachet is Belgian chocolate but with the cacao sourced from Africa; Tanzania to be exact.

There's an interesting slogan on the wrapper - "This bar is supporting our "Cocoa for Schools" project in South Tanzania.

Details about the chocolate at the back of the package.

Ingredients - the chocolate claims to have 70% minimum cacao

Nutrition information

I was pleasantly surprised to see the inside of the wrapper having a story to tell.

The bar retailed for 185 pesos at Healthy Options. That is not really expensive for a high quality 180g chocolate bar. I think I mentioned before that many local chocolates are overpriced considering their inferior quality. This chocolate can serve for benchmarking local (Philippine) chocolates in terms of quality as well as pricing.

I will post about the information on the inside of the wrapper in the next post.

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