Chocolate review: Victorinox Chocolate Knife

Pasalubong or souvenirs come in different forms. Chocolates are usually in the form of bars or packs, even boxes

The label says it and the packaging's quite obvious

Details on the chocolate at the back including the nutrition information

The chocolate was okay. It was on the sweet side of milk chocolates so I am not sure its for the more sophisticated or discerning tastes when it comes to chocolates. So souvenir-wise, it's okay. But shall I buy these for personal consumption? Maybe, if there are limited other choices.

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A Blessed Christmas 2025 to all!

 Maligayang Pasko sa lahat!

 

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Orchids in full bloom at Mama's garden

The orchids in my mother's garden are in full bloom this time of the year. Almost all of these were gifts from me. A couple were actually dying in our garden before I took them to my mother for recovery.

They didn't 'encourage' the orchids to flower meaning no fertilizers or blooming agents were sprayed on them. So these flowers are mainly due to the conditions including the weather we're having this time of year. 'The other orchids were just growing the stem for their flowers last week. They should be blossoming by the new year.

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Watches for special occasions - a vintage Tudor for a wedding

I recently attended family wedding, standing as one of the principal sponsors for a younger cousin of my wife. The usual attire for men for weddings like this is Barong Tagalog. I have a more recent one made using Pinya Suksok fabric that I used for another family wedding (on my side of the family). On occasions like this, I have opted to use one of my favorite vintage watches. The options were a LeCoultre, an IWC, a Glashutte or a Seiko. I chose the Tudor tank.

A Tudor Small Rose tank is a favorite for formal occasions. It looks great with the Barong Tagalog.

I will try to give some wrist time to several watches this Christmas and New Year break. I at least wind the manuals in my collection and so far, most of them are in great condition. I will try to feature them here this December.

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Tuna at the market

Its Christmas time and the family and friends celebrations always lead me to the market to purchase tuna and/or prawns. We usually have grilled tuna and prawns on this special occasion. They are part of our idea of great food for our family Christmas meals. Following are photos of what we'll likely enjoy next week - tuna belly and panga.

Yellowfin tuna being prepared at my suki at the Antipolo Market

Yellowfin tuna ready for carving

Tuna panga (jaw)

Tuna belly

Grilled tuna panga

I haven't decided yet whether we will have tuna and/or prawns for Christmas lunch and dinner.  That will depend on the family plans including on whether we will be hosting Christmas Day lunch at our home. That decision might be made this weekend when I go to the market to buy the tuna and/or prawns.

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Dinner at Breakthrough Restaurant, Arevalo, Iloilo

Our first dinner in Iloilo had to be special since it was our daughter's first time in Iloilo. My wife also was not able to join their group dinner when she arrived ahead of us. It had to be Breakthrough but not at the nearby branch at Plazuela but at the one in Arevalo, by the sea. There was no traffic on that Friday evening so we got there ahead of the usual Friday dinner crowd. Here's what we had at the restaurant:

Grilled managat (red snapper)

Their version of the popular Chop suey

Prawns cooked in garlic and butter

Blue crabs also cooked in garlic and butter

Clam (halaan) soup

There are many places to eat at in Iloilo but we really just had to had our meals at the "must go" places like Tatoy's and Breakthrough. We are already looking forward to the next trip to the city of gastronomic delights. 

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Chocolate review: Lorenzo Farm Milk Chocolate

I suddenly remembered that we still had some chocolates from Iloilo. I also had a draft saved about one of the chocolates I got from the Molo Mansion souvenir store. The chocolate is produced by Lorenzo Farm located in Dingle in the central part of Iloilo Province. This is another town with a heritage church and rich history not just dating to the Spanish period but also pre-colonial history.

The wrapper features the Dinagyang Festival, one of the major festivals held in the Visayas every January. The others include the Ati-atihan in Kalibo, Aklan and the Sinulog in Cebu.

Details on the chocolate at the back of the wrapper.

Information about the maker and its production of cacao.

Nutrition information and ingredients

The chocolate is revealed after unwrapping

This is a good enough chocolate. It is not so sweet and you can still detect the cacao. I thought it was more refined than some chocolates I bought in Davao before that tasted rather raw. There's definitely room for improvement here and hopefully the maker can continue to refine their product. I forget how much a bar cost but it was not expensive. I think I just hesitated to buy a lot as I was afraid I would be disappointed (like what happened to some of the Davao chocolates I bought before). Is it a must buy as an souvenir? Maybe, if you want to enjoy locally made chocolate. You really don't go to Iloilo for their chocolate as the province offers a lot more than this. 

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New self check-in portals and turnstiles at NAIA Terminal 2

With the holidays coming up. Travelers using the NAIA terminals should also note that there are new self check-in portals at the airport. I noticed in two recent travels (one via Terminal 2 and another via Terminal 3) that people taking Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines were not using these. Ceb Pac passengers in particular crowded over their portals near their check-in counters at T3. Walang pumapansin nitong mga bagong terminals that could save you time when you check-in. Here are photos of the ones at Terminal 2:

The areas where these were installed weren't crowded.

You can use these for Cebu Pacific, Air Asia or Philippine Airlines.

You can get your boarding passes and luggage tags here.

Meanwhile, these new portals have also been installed nearer to the check-in counters like these for PAL. 

A look at the check-in counters for Air Asia.

NAIA admin has also installed these new automated turnstiles prior to the final security check and the boarding gates at Terminal 2. 

You just need to scan your boarding pass for the barrier to open.

Here are the self-check portals at T3. Of course, they would have even greater utility if more airlines are included for self check-in.

 

Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) terminals already have these new features. It's good that NAIA is finally catching up in modernizing its facilities. 

  

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Lunch at Tatoy's, Atria, Iloilo City

I continue on my feature on our recent travel to Iloilo. This time, I just wanted to share about the food in Iloilo, which has been recognized as a gastronomic destination (UNESCO Creative. City of Gastronomy) And that was before that Michelin list came out! Being half Ilonggo and regularly traveling to my Tatay's hometown and elsewhere in the province, I've enjoyed the food there and would gladly recommend the usual, popular dishes. But I do recommend people trying the food they usually serve in homes including many versions of adobo, KBL, laswa and kansi.

Baked clams (talaba)

Tatoy's version of the popular pansit bihon

Grilled native chicken

We actually had two lunches at different Tatoy's branches. On our first day, it was at Atria. On the second day, we went to the main branch in Villa, Arevalo. There is another branch near the airport but perhaps that's a place to eat at as a last resort or last chance before departure? Maybe others will eat there upon arrival after missing Ilonggo food for a long time?

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Mortuary Chapel of San Joaquin, Iloilo

San Joaquin, Iloilo also has a mortuary chapel that was designated as a National Cultural Treasure. It features a baroque design that has been preserved over so many years. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a good photo of the chapel itself. We didn't stop by for photos, and I was only able to take this quick photo of the main gate to the cemetery that leads to the chapel.

 

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San Joaquin Church, Iloilo

The last time I was in San Joaquin, Iloilo was on a side trip in September 2024. It was raining then and I couldn't get a good photo of the church. It was also closed and so I wasn't able to get photos of the interior. Two weekends ago, we were back in San Joaquin and I made sure we could go out and take some nice photos of one of the heritage churches in the province.

Photo of the church with the image of Christ the King at the center of the plaza

The details on the facade depicts the Spanish victory over the Moors in the Battle of Tetuan.

Photo of the church front showing the historical markers and the statues of saints including San Joaquin.

Historical marker ca. 1977

Inside the church is a long aisle leading to the main altar. The ceiling appears to have been reconstructed and includes two giant fans to help make parishioners more comfortable.

The main altar features this retablo.

A more recent marker relating the history of the church and the carving on its front pediment.

Plaque stating the church to have been designated as a National Cultural Treasure in July 2001.

There's a view of the Garin Farm cross from the church grounds. We actually came from there before we went to San Joaquin Church.

More on the heritage churches in the next posts! 

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Pancit Molo at the airport

A last meal (before our flight back to Manila) on my recent trip to Iloilo was a bowl of pancit molo at the JD branch at the Iloilo airport. This was not the best molo in the town but was a good meal nonetheless.

This bowl of molo fills not only the stomach but the soul.

It's kind of a nice conclusion to a visit to what is referred to as the Creative City of Gastronomy.

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Back in Cabatuan

I previously wrote about recharging my batteries. That simply won't do by just traveling to Iloilo. I had to go to the hometown of Tatay, which I have always called my hometown, too. I spent many summer breaks there including when I was already working and wanted to have some days off and a change in environment. Though I am heartbroken every time I see what looks like our old house there in ruins, I just had to go around and see the place on a drive-by. 

The main altar and retablo of the San Nicolas Tolentino Church in Cabatuan, Iloilo

Pathway to the main gate of the Cabatuan Catholic Cemetery

The cemetery's mortuary chapel is currently under renovation. 

I always feel emotional when on a homecoming no matter how brief. There's just so many memories of so many places there including our home that is now practically unrecognizable from what I have in my mind and heart. I would like to keep those happy memories that I cherish and remember with fondness. They keep me calm and grounded in life.

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Recharging my batteries

These days, we often refer to our gadgets when we say we need to charge or re-charge. I think "re-charging" is still a term used by a lot of people when referring to themselves needing some 'time out' or rest time or recovery period. I'm not sure the younger generations use it to refer to themselves. Perhaps its mostly people of my generation and closer to it especially if referring to one's 'batteries'. 

There was a time when I had my annual 'battery re-charging' in my father's hometown. That started when we accompanied Tatay on his almost annual homecoming, usually during the Holy Week. That was when most of our relatives also come home from elsewhere including those who were abroad. Their high school usually organized a homecoming every other year and Tatay seldomly skipped that. So it became a routine for me especially who didn't want to just stay home in Cainta. I recall a couple of times when I extended my stay there for a week or two since it was summer break from school anyway. I was already in high school then and could already take care of myself.

Later, when I was already working and had my own money, I continued my homecomings to Cabatuan even for just the Holy Week. That stopped only when I was in Japan for 3 years. I went back to my routine after my return in 1999. I can't remember when I stopped doing this personal pilgrimage (if you can term it that). Perhaps it was after I got married in 2002? When I became too busy for work? With family life? Or was it because of something else more personal that made me think twice about coming home?

In recent years, I have had the opportunity for some homecomings no matter how short these were. I have made it a point to at least hear Mass in Cabatuan and visit the cemetery before my flight home. I intend to do this whenever I can. I really miss close relatives but there seems to always be something more urgent o attend to.

Panoramic photo of the Molo Church, Iloilo City

I go back to Manila on Sunday but I feel like I already look forward to the next time I will be in Iloilo. I think I have rediscovered a way somehow to recharge my batteries here.

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Another look at Mt. Isarog

A clear view of Mt. Isarog was denied to us when we arrived in Naga last week. Clouds usually covered the volcano. So we were glad to see the volcano revealed while we were en route to the airport for our return flight.

View of Mt. Isarog from the highway

View of Mt. Isarog from the tarmac as we walked towards our plane

 

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