Requiem from a fan and friend of the Skywalker

It's been 9 years since Samboy Lim suffered a heart attack. It was during an exhibition game among former PBA players when he collapsed. Unfortunately, there was no one to immediately attend to the emergency to give first aid and that proved to be critical to his condition. He lapsed into a coma from which he eventually recovered partially and had to be cared for until his recent passing.

A photo of Samboy beside the urn containing his cremains near the chapel altar at Letran

NCAA Championship trophies and souvenir nets from when Samboy played for Letran in the early 1980s. They won three straight titles with Samboy on the team.

 

I've long been a fan of Samboy Lim and was thrilled to finally meet him in person more than 2 decades ago. His former wife was a close friend of my wife as they had been blockmates throughout law school. Lelen is also our Godmother in our wedding. Lost among the photos that perished from Ondoy was one where we posed at the opening of their restaurant many years ago which I kept for one because we both held a bottle of San Miguel Pale Pilsen. There were no smart phones or social media apps to record these for posterity but such memories are ones you keep close and fondly recall and retell.

Samboy was a good man, a good father to daughter Jamie. He was a role model for a lot of kids especially those who were inspired by his game and demeanor on and off court. He took risks when he played and I thought he should have been MVP if not for all the injuries that prevented him from playing full seasons. Samboy will be missed by family, friends and fans.

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Bus terminal congestion during the Christmas season

I attended a formal event yesterday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. Along the way and back, I already noticed the congestion along Gil  Puyat Avenue (formerly Buendia Avenue) as well as the congestion or how crowded the bus passenger terminals were. In fact, the buses at the JAC Liner terminal along Gil Puyat were all on the streets. The terminal itself was filled with passengers, many of whom were queued as they waited to board their buses. Others I assumed were in line to purchase tickets there. The latter apparently have not done so online, which is already an available and more convenient option for provincial travel.

Buses lined along the Makati-bound side of Gil Puyat Avenue. These are queued towards to the U-turn slot that will take them to the bus terminals on the other side and near Taft Avenue.

 

Other buses are lined along the Pasay-bound side of Gil Puyat Avenue. These come from the South Superhighway where these buses eventually head to after boarding passengers en route to Southern Luzon, Bicol and even Visayas and Mindanao destinations.

Then as now, the junction of Gil Puyat and Taft Avenues is a major convergence area for transportation especially provincial routes. Even before the construction of the LRT Line 1 (which has a station at Gil Puyat) there have been a number of bus terminals here. Currently, I am aware of the JAC Liner and DLTB bus terminal near the junction. There are others including small terminals or garages for provincial buses. These generate much traffic particularly during this Christmas, which is considered peak season for travel in the country.

Here's wishing everyone safe travels during this season. A Blessed Christmas to all!

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Kitkat from Japan

We did our groceries for Christmas earlier than usual. This shelf caught our attention as there were packs of Kitkat that we usually found and bought as souvenirs in Japan.

Kitkat packs from Japan

There were dark chocolate, matcha (green tea), milk tea, orange and strawberry variants that cost 227 pesos per pack (that's about 585 yen per pack). The price was not bad as it was about the same prices in supermarkets or the airports in Japan. These used to be seasonal variants but are not available all year round. I guess there might be a few that are seasonal including the sakura flavor that's usually available in springtime. I guess the novelty of these items are now lost as you can already buy them at the local supermarket. A similar thing happened a longer time ago to the Hersheys, Toblerone, Cadbury and other chocolates that used to be imported or brought in as souvenirs (pasalubong) of relatives and friends coming home from abroad. These are now commonly available in many shops.

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Back at Ooma, SM Megamall

This is a very late post from a lunch we had early this year. Since then, we've been to Ooma a few more times usually for lunches.

Maki for starters

Wagyu teppanyaki

A generous serving of tempura

Ooma is one of those places where they have a good variety of food on their menu. They are definitely not traditional Japanese but rather on the fusion side. It's good as you're able to enjoy a different take to what you might usually order in other Japanese restaurants.

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Flashback at the bookstore

Last weekend, we were at a small branch of a popular bookstore that is located at the mall near our place. As the wife and daughter were getting some items, I browsed the shelves to see what books were there. I was surprised to see many old books and was quite amused to see a few ones that gave e a flashback to my college days - Introduction to Turbo Pascal Programming, Visual Foxpro and Foxpro. The first one is the programming language we learned at the time. The last two are database software also from that time.

Books at a National Bookstore shelf

I wonder if these software were still being used today considering its 33 years since the first time I encountered them. Perhaps there are other books like these that are still in other branches?

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Koska Turkish Delight

The wife bought a box of jellied cubes of pistachios at a Christmas bazaar at a mall near her workplace, which is the closest description I can make of Turkish Delight.

Koska Turkish Delight - the photo on the box pretty much describes what you'd find inside. It also clearly states that this is Kosher certified and vegan.

The packaging for this Turkish Delight from another angle

Details on this delicacy at the bottom of the box

Ingredients and allergy advice

Nutrition information

Inside the box is a plastic container holding the cubes

Opening the container reveals the cubes

You can see the pistachio nut embedded in the cube

It is certainly a delight and I recall tasting and enjoying something like this from Iran. My good friend from my time as a student in Japan shared a delicacy from their country. The taste is similar but the texture was different as Turkish Delight is gelatinous while the one from Iran was more like hard candy or nougat.

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Cooler nights in Antipolo

We've had cooler temperatures in Antipolo these days particularly at night and in the morning. My morning, afternoon and evening walks have become more pleasant because this. Some mornings, this scene greets me as I pass one home along my walking route. If you've seen those videos on social media where dogs and cats get along, then this photo's for you.

Cooler nights and mornings equals cuddling time for these two.

 

I actually envy these two and particularly the retriever. Our older golden retriever's not so friendly with cats. In fact, she's already caught and mauled two to death when the cats strayed in our garden. We haven't checked but we hope our younger retriever will get along with cats. So far, she's not okay with one of our older dogs so they have to be physically separated.

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Comfort food: Beef hayashi rice at Botejyu

We now have many options for our Japanese food cravings. There's a Ramen Nagi, Marugame Udon and Botejyu nearby as well as our favorite local Japanese restaurant in ABCT at the Sakura Circle. Aside from our usual meals of ramen, tempura, curry, sushi, zaru soba, I kind of missed the beef hayashi rice. I used to have this for quick lunches at the university canteen at Yokohama National University. They serve really good hayashi rice there, which is filling and satisfying while also kind on the wallet.

Hayashi rice was one of my usual meals at the shokudo or canteen at the university

I sometime call it beef slop, which is how I describe this dish. It is similar to the simple curry rice that I also enjoyed as a quick meal. It is another meal that I associate with happy memories in Japan together with friends from different countries. 

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Chocolate review: Fleur de Sel Dark Chocolate with Rice Crispies

Another chocolate from Canada is this dark chocolate with rice crispies. It is surprisingly good. It has the right mix of bitterness, saltiness and crisp (from the rice) that makes it very enjoyable.

Fleur de Sel translates to 'flower of salt." Riz souffle is 'puffed rice', which is crispy.

The packaging is simple and transparent so you see what you're getting and eating. It actually reminded me of the cheap local chocolates or the home made ones they sell at weekend markets or bazaars.

Information on the chocolate and the price tag

The chocolate claims to have 60% cacao content.

Nutrition information on the chocolate

The wife got the chocolate at the airport in Montreal as she departed for the US on the way back home. This retailed for 3.55 Canadian Dollars or about 146.81 Philippine Pesos. Not bad for a good chocolate or chocolate of this quality.

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Chocolate review: Venchi Buono Buonissimo

My first post for December is this short review of a splendid chocolate. It is no wonder that the maker called it Buono Buonissimo - a superlative that translates to "good, so good, really good". We got a couple of these from our trip to Singapore earlier this year. The only regret was that we didn't get more. :)

Venchi's Buono Buonissimo comes in a fancy box

Details at the back of the box include nutrition information

Inside the box are 3 kinds of chocolates - 60%, 75% and 85% dark varieties

The chocolates are like tiles (they are the size of Scrabble tiles). Removing one by one revealed a decorated inner box.

This literally translates to "unleash happiness!"

 

That last caption is quite accurate especially after having a few of the chocolates. They're so good one can finish an entire box in one sitting. But then that means you run out of chocolate so its better to have one or two at a time so you can 'sustain' that happiness you've unleashed for a bit longer. I'm not sure there's a Venchi store in Metro Manila. Perhaps there are stores or shops that sell Venchi chocolates. The Bacchus shop at Edsa Shangri-la used to sell Venchi chocolates but I am not sure they still sell now. So that means we'll have to wait for the next travel abroad to get some more.

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Back in Davao after 4 years

I was in Davao last week for a national convention. The last time I was there was in August 2019 and before the pandemic so it was a welcome trip for me. Back then and probably even now, Davao was riding high after 3 years of Digong as President. I am glad that Davao is still rapidly progressing. It has so much potential with or without the Dutertes holding key posts in government.

Welcome set-up for delegates to our convention at the Francisco Bangoy Airport

There was also a cultural show upon our arrival.

I have close relatives in Davao City (a first cousin has taken up residence there with his second family after returning from a stint in China). I didn't inform them, however, of my trip as my schedule was quite tight. I did manage to squeeze in a lunch meeting with very close friends who lived near the airport. I will be back in Davao again and hopefully sooner than later. That would preferably be for leisure than for work. That should afford me more time for reunions with relatives and friends in Davao.

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Chocolate review: Turkey Hill Maple Crunch Dark Chocolate

The wife came home from her trip to the US and Canada with more chocolate to replenish our cache.

Turkey Hill Maple Crunch Dark Chocolate

Details on the chocolate at the back of the package. Make no mistake that this is

Nutrition information in French and English

Ingredients - the minimum cacao content is not stated. One can only estimate or speculate from the taste and texture about the minimum cacao content.

Close-up of nutrition facts.

This one is in pure English

I can only speculate that this is at least 60% cacao considering the mix of bitterness and sweetness, and texture of the chocolate. The maple gives the chocolate some crunch and it is a delight (for me).

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Seiko 5 Sports 55th Anniversary Ultraseven Limited Edition - SRPJ79 on oyster bracelet

I wrote about this limited edition watch that I acquired early this year. I just wanted to feature it again as it has become a regular for my rotation especially after I changed the strap to a stainless steel bracelet. There is also this 4th Philippine Limited Edition watch that just came out yesterday that to me is a bit underwhelming after the first three releases the past years. The only thing notable about it I think is the price, which is on the expensive side of the model series.

The watch features day and date complications, an elegant rotating dial and a sweeping second hand with a red tip.

Side view showing the crown

The other side view

The case back is transparent with an image of the Ultraseven character. It also shows the model number 4R36-14S0.

A closer look shows the watch to be number 3043 of  only 3400 made.

Close up of the dial - TDG-UG stands for Terrestrial Defense Force - Ultra Guard

An even closer look showing the very small dial number at the bottom of the dial

A more recent wrist shot

Wrist shot when I first got the watch

The watch came with the nylon strap in the last photo. I changed it so I can wear it more frequently without worrying about the strap becoming dirty or wet (rains or perspiration) especially if I will use it for field work.

More information on the watch at Seiko: https://www.seikowatches.com/no-en/products/5sports/special/ultraseven/index

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Lunch delivery from Amici

It's been a while since I've eaten at Amici. There is a branch at the U.P. Technohub along Commonwealth Avenue, which we frequented before. The ongoing construction of MRT 7 along Commonwealth has discouraged us from going to Technohub for lunch. It wasn't really worth the hassle of traffic. Good thing that there's the delivery option what with the popularity of Grab and Food Panda. These made it convenient to order food from the restaurants we frequented before and those we wanted to try out but never had the opportunity to go to.

Linguine al Prosciutto e Tartufo

Mediterranean Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad

The prices are a bit on the expensive side so we probably could order maybe once a month or so. The quality and quantity of the servings are for sharing though so you can get some value for money here for the occasional special lunch.

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Dinner at Mardiyyah Hotel, Shah Alam

This is a late post where I share some photos of our dinner the first night of our trip to Malaysia last September. As we were already tired from our travel, we decided to just eat at the hotel's restaurant, Royale Songket, which was located at the ground floor lobby.

The Mardiyyah Hotel's Royale Songket (lobby restaurant) offered buffet and a la carte items. We decided to go a la carte as we thought we weren't as hungry as to be able to maximize the buffet.

Their house blend iced tea for me

Watermelon shake for my colleague

Teriyaki chicken donburi

Set Royal

Set Thai

The food and service was very good. It also helped that our dinner wasn't as expensive as with other hotel restaurants we know. I thought my dinner set was unexpectedly good and so well worth more than what we paid for. 

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