Toys 4 Us: Kids and Adults

My Minions Collections and Geof's Lego Cars (from Shell)

My 15 yr old KFC
Star Wars Droid

Toy collection is one hobby that kids should pursue. At their young age, this is the time where they receive various types of toys (some expensive, some cheap) during their birthdays and Christmas. They should preserve their toys especially the collectors' items. In the future, these toys become rare and cost much. There are toy and antique collectors who buy old and used toys for their collections. If you own a very rare old toy, you might hit a jackpot at selling it to these collectors.


Geoffrey, our son, collects toy cars - tomica, hot wheels, match box and lego. He has a framed box of toys which serves as a decor in his room. Geof has Lego toys but he disassembles them and create his own like airplanes, ships, cars, etc. So what he has are collection of Lego blocks - waiting for Geof or Julia to be transformed into a beautiful contraption.

Geof's Toy Car Collections

Geof's Lego Helicopter

Geof's Pacific Rim Robot using Lego

At Shiroi Koibito Park's Chocolate Factory in Sapporo, Japan, at the second floor of the Chocolate factory, there is a toy museum where old and collectors' toys are displayed. You will see both traditional (toys made of wood) and modern Japanese toys (e.g. Mazinger Z robots, Hello Kitty, etc.. Western toys (e.g. Star wars) are also displayed. Indeed, toys are for us to enjoy. Kids enjoy playing with them. Adults love collecting them and reminds them of their youth. We should appreciate the toys given to us - keep them for your collection or share them to those in need. Have fun with your toys!

Traditional Toys at the Toy Museum (Shrioi Koibito Park, Sapporo)

Collecting toy dolls of  famous characters is popular like the Beatles.
Apple collects Presidents of the Philippines (she has already Erap, GMA and Cory)
In my case, I am collecting Despicable Me Minions.

World War I and II biplanes

Vintage car toys

Star Wars Collection

Ultraman

AstroBoy

Snoopy

Mazinger Z

Small toys of various characters

We love Ramen!

Authentic ramen in one shop at Sapporo (850 Yen)

 Ramen shops in Sapporo serve their own specialty

Sapporo Ramen. I love Ramen. In my visit at Sapporo, Japan last Sept 2013, I tried the Sapporo's popular and traditional miso ramen. "This uniquely Japanese ramen, which was developed in Hokkaido, features a broth that combines copious amounts of miso and is blended with oily chicken or fish broth – and sometimes with tonkotsu or lard – to create a thick, nutty, slightly sweet and very hearty soup (Wikepedia)." There are various ramen shops in Sapporo. There is even a ramen alley in one department store where different shops serve their own variations of ramen, We tried one shop called Shin.

Miso Ramen at Shin (Sapporo, Japan)

Shin's menu of ramen

Instant Ramen. I even brought ready to eat ramen from the Sapporo airport to share authentic ramen to my family. There are also instant ramen noodles from Japan which can be bought in supermarkets here that taste like those in Japan. You just have to add additional garnish, meat, veggies and egg and you have an almost authentic ramen which is better than those served in restos here in QC and Manila.

Instant Japanese ramen from supermarkets 
(left: Sapporo ramen and right: Hakata ramen)

Japanese instant ramen (from Sapporo) made authentic by adding meat and egg

Ramen Reviews. I am now in search of the best ramen in Metro Manila.  There is one ramen shop located at West Ave., Quezon City - Ramen Cool which we tried recently. Their ramen is good  and their servings were generous. A lot of slice meat and noodles. Not so expensive (P165 - P290). We tried shio and miso ramen. The resto is new, hence the service needs improvement.

RCool Ramen (Miso Based). Very nice. The soup is tasty and lots of mixed ingredients.
Rating (4 out of 5)

Pork Shio Ramen. A little bland but serving is generous. (Rating 3 out of 5)

Ramen Cool 

Various choices at Ramen Cool.

Another new ramen resto is Taisho Ramen at SM North. The shop takes pride of its Hakata ramen which originated from kyushu. Hakata ramen features a soup based on pork bones.. I tried their ramen and I was disappointed It tastes like local instant noodles. The instant noodles  we buy at the supermarkets tasted better. Poor quality of noodles. The sesame seeds didn't help improve the taste.

Taisho's Hakata Ramen. Rating (1 out of 5)

The search for the best ramen in Metro Manila continues.... Any recommendations?

Comics with Bitstrips

I love to create comics. But I have no talent in drawing comic characters. Comics drawing is really a talent that some people possess like my Nagoya U colleague, Jerry V. or even my son who can easily draw his favorite lego characters. I drew comics when I was a kid but they were not that good. I like comics which are simple and neat like Snoopy, Dilbert and Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD). I also like Baltic and Co. and Pugad Baboy. The key to comics making is not only how nice the drawings are but the intelligent humor presented.

So when Eric, a colleague at UP, introduced me to Bitstrips in Facebook, I got excited. Eric posted several Bistrips comics of himself and I got intrigued. So I tried Bitstrips. First, you decide on your avatar - choose the shape of the face, eyes, nose, ears and hair. And then you choose the body and the attire. With a few clicks, wholla! You have a character of yourself. You are now ready to create Bitsrips comics. Finally, I found a venue for creating comics even if I don't know how to draw. After several trials, the Eric & Andy (The Dynamic Duo) Bitstrips was born. Comics making is fun. It is a venue to share your ideas and humor. When you have fun, You feel happy. And when you feel happy, your friends will also feel happy. This is a lesson I learned from Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project." She also wrote " Do good, feel good. Feel good, do good." Enjoy the slide show of the Bitstrips introducing Eric & Andy. Smile!
:-)

Introducing Eric & Andy (The Dynamic Duo) Bitstrips from andyoreta

Eric & Andy Bitstrips - Dream Vacation (Batanes) from andyoreta

A Simple Curry Rice Dinner

Cooking a curry dish using instant Japanese curry roux

Curry is a popular dish in Japan which was introduced by the British. One common curry dish is the curry rice. It is basically rice mixed with vegetables (onions, carrots and potatoes), meat (chicken , pork or beef) and the curry sauce. Instant curry roux is now available in supermarkets (Japanese section) or specialty stores. I remember tasting a very delicious  curry rice in one of our overnight trips in Japan. I sometimes craved for the unique sweet and little spicy taste of curry (the taste is different from the Indian or Thai curry), that's why in one of my visits at a Japanese store in QC, I bought one of the curry sauces available. In our simple dinner, Apple sauteed onions and chicken, followed by the carrots and potatoes. Water was mixed and the curry roux was poured on the mixture until the mixture became rich. Add a little salt (or patis) and pepper. Apple served the curry rice with scrambled eggs. The Japanese eat curry rice using only a spoon. So we served the curry rice with spoons only. The kids asked "where is the fork?" I told them you don't need a fork to eat curry rice. Curry rice with scrambled eggs. A simple dinner but yummy!

Curry rice with egg.

Baby Pat Ensaymada

Baby Pat introduces color-coded flavored ensaymadas

When I see the color-coded Baby Pat ensaymadas it reminds me of our favorite colored M&M chocolate candies. The box of various colors of ensaymadas makes you wonder and ask, "what's inside this colored wrapper?"  If it's your first time to try the bread, it's really intriguing. So when you open the wrapper you will be surprised with the toppings on the bread. Baby Pat uses colored wrappers to identify the flavors of their ensaymada: Purple = ube, Red = Speculoos, Orange = Nuttella, Brown = Tablea, Yellow = Latik. 

Yellow = Latik

 When the soft flavored ensaymada appears before your eyes, there is a sense of wonder - "wow! look at the colors and the topping!" You unwrap the plastic cover excited to take the first bite.

Purple = Ube

After that first bite, you chew and enjoy the flavors. Some flavors are too sweet like the Nuttella and Tableau but the kids love them. Other flavors (e.g. Ube are buttery, which I like). My kids' favorite is the red one which is flavored with cookie butter. After finishing one color, you still crave for more and would like to try the other colors. Parang M&M! Makulay at Masarap!

Red = Speculoos (Cookie butter from Belgium or California). Geof and Julia's favorite!

Butter, ube are mixed inside the soft bread.

Baby Pat ensaymadas come from Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They can be ordered and delivered to you. Check out and like their fb page for orders: Contact Pearl De Guzman.
http://www.facebook.com/mybabypat

Lechon Ambula

Rayfer is the master cook among the cousins when it comes to lechon ambula

Ambula is a Kapampangan (Pampango) term for  rice mixed with viands. The closest example of an ambula dish is rice toppings. During the Geronimo - Maria Coronel family reunions, lechon ambula is a favorite. Ambula is simply rice mixed with chopped lechon meat and salt. It was a dish that originated from Lolo Memong of Floridablanca, Pampanga. Our Lolo Memong, the Oldies say, used to feed us with his bare hands with the ambula so that the clan becomes a closely-knit family. The ambula is a dish itself -no need for viands or sauce. If you love lechon - the skin, fat and meat -  and haven't tried the ambula, then you are missing one of the simplest yet tastiest lechon dishes. And you can only taste the ambula when you join a Coronel reunion. Mangan tana!

Ambula - rice, lechon and salt: simple but yummy!

Filipino Dishes with a twist at Mesa

Mesa Filipino Moderne restaurant at SM North EDSA serves fusion Filipino dishes. Filipino dishes like the famous sisig, tofu, scallops, laing and fried hito are presented with a twist. Shown below are the dishes we ordered.

Sisig in a pouch - similar to the sipa

Inside the "Sisig in a pouch" - a little bit oily

Their glasses lean like the tower of Pisa

Crispy boneless hito with mangga salad

Laing 2 ways - not so spicy, just right and the kids love it

Tofu salad - shrimp, century egg on top of tofu

Baked scallops with garlic butter

My Thai Kitchen

If you love Thai food especially the spicy tom yang soup and curry dishes at affordable price, My Thai Kitchen is a resto that we recommend. We tried My Thai Kitchen at Eastwood and ordered the Tom Yang Shrimp Soup - spiciness is just right, the fried spring rolls - crispy and tasty with the sauce, red curry chicken - not so spicy which is just right for kids like Julia, crispy kangkong and the pad thai noodles. The service was great. Our lunch was very satisfying and went home happy. We promised to try their other dishes.

Tom Yang Shrimp Soup

Red Curry Chicken

Friend Spring Rolls

Next time, we'll try their other dishes.