Japanese woodblock prints

Japanese woodblock prints

Having lived in Japan for a good part of my life, I have developed an appreciation of their culture. Among those that I find very interesting are woodblock prints. I prefer the ones depicting landscapes and seascapes but also like the ones showing typical life in old Japan. I have purchased and sent [...]

Chocolate review: Villars dark pure 72%

Chocolate review: Villars dark pure 72%

There is another Villars bar that we had before my trip to Australia last July (so you know this is quite a late post). I remember purchasing this from Santis one time I was getting wine to be given away as tokens for speakers at an event we hosted. This bar "got lost" under the other chocolates as [...]

Atis in Vietnam!

Atis in Vietnam!

Atis or sweetsop is my favorite fruit. One of the highlights of the trip to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) aside from the conference I attended, was going to Ben Tanh Market where may of us got our souvenirs to take home. On the Sunday we were there, we checked out the fruit stands to get some to eat back [...]

NAIA terminal transfers guide

NAIA terminal transfers guide

Here's something useful. I took the following photos from Philippine Airlines' inflight magazine. I hope these are helpful to travelers like me who like to have information on the airport terminals of cities I am visiting. Ninoy Aquino International Airport with its 4 terminal spread out and without [...]

Pho 2000

Pho 2000

Since this was my first trip to Vietnam, I was looking forward to enjoying their food. After a nice long walk around our accommodations where we were able to take a few photos of attractions like the Opera House and City Hall, we ended up at Ben Thanh Market to check the prices of some items we planned [...]

Ho Chi Minh City landmarks

Ho Chi Minh City landmarks

I am currently in Ho Chi Minh City, attending an international conference. The city that was formerly but still popularly named Saigon is a vibrant one with a city center that's practically walkable. There are lots of motorbikes, which are still the main mode of transport. Even Uber and Grab have motorbike [...]

Swatch automatic - my first Swatch - Silver Baron

Swatch automatic - my first Swatch - Silver Baron

I got my first Swatch not when I was in high school when it first came out or in college but many years after when I was already earning a decent salary. Back in the day, my classmates who were financially better off brandished their Swatches while I had a more humble Seiko quartz. They even had Swatch [...]

Swatch auto quartz - Approaching Dial

Swatch auto quartz - Approaching Dial

I checked our Swatch watches over the weekend to see if the batteries had run out on any of the three quartz watches. Three of these were divers' watches with 200m water resistance ratings and perhaps are the watches of choice when we go out and expect to be swimming or snorkeling. And then I saw one [...]

Yakan Weaving Village, Zamboanga City

Yakan Weaving Village, Zamboanga City

The trip to Zamboanga cannot be complete without getting souvenirs. On our first day there, we tried to go to the Yakan Weaving Village after we finished our meetings that day. We, however, did not look up the place ahead and at first could not figure why we couldn't get a tricycle to go there. As it [...]

Alavar Seafood Restaurant, Zamboanga City

Alavar Seafood Restaurant, Zamboanga City

Trips like the one we had to Zamboanga City last month will not be complete without sampling the food scene. Our first meal in Zamboanga was at Alavar seafood restaurant. One might be familiar with their branch in Quezon City near Timog Ave. but nothing beats eating at the original.The main entrance [...]

Chocolate review: Los Lacayos Nougat

Chocolate review: Los Lacayos Nougat

One of the highlights of my trip to Australia was going around a Saturday outdoor bazaar in Sydney. There, I spotted a stall where they were selling artisan chocolates. This attracted me and I struck up some small talk with the vendor, who explained their chocolates were all handmade and not the mass [...]