When it comes to dining at a Japanese restaurant, sushi and maki often interest me. On April of 2016, out of curiosity I tried the ramen of Sigekiya Ramen restaurant located inside Commercenter, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The ramen was very good with its rich soup, pork servings and most notably freshly made, in-store noodles.
A few months later that same year, I returned to the restaurant and daringly tried something really new to me. Something I never tried before. That was Tsukemen. It was served to me with cold freshly made noodles (with a patch of seaweed and vegetable bits) and a bowl of hot broth that was pretty thick.
So there I was struggling a bit to drip the noodles into the soup and then consume it while using chopsticks (and sometimes the soup spoon provided). The struggle was worth it because the dish really tasted very delicious! The soup was so tasty, I never bothered to add some condiments. The noodles were so fresh and clearly thicker than most noodles, they were very satisfying to eat (pretty chewy) once they got wet with the hot soup. Since then, Tsukemen became my favorite dish to order at Sigekiya Ramen and for some time I’ve been searching for the dish in other Japanese restaurants in Alabang and BF Homes. So far I only saw two other restaurants serving Tsukemen.
What is Tsukemen?
Historically Tsukemen was invented by a Taishoken restaurant owner in Japan identified as Kazuo Yamagishi. At the age of seventeen, he came up with the concept of Tsukemen as a result of seeing a colleague consuming down the noodles after dipping them in a cup that contained soup. At his restaurant, in the year 1961, Yamagishi added Tsukemen to the menus identified as “special morisoba”. The experiment became a commercial success and the rest was history. Yamagishi died in 2015 and so far his contribution to Japanese and global cuisine won’t be fading away anytime soon. Slowly but surely, Tsukemen is making its way to more Japanese restaurants outside of Asia.
How to eat Tsukemen? Use the chopsticks to grab a manageable amount of noodles, slowly dip it into the soup, move them into your mouth then slurp it carefully. If this is too hard, you can use the soup spoon to help you support the noodles.
What you should NOT do when having Tsukemen is mixing the noodles into the soup to make it more like ramen. That’s wrong and improper. There is a good reason why the noodles and soup were served to you separately. Tsukemen is all about dipping the fresh cold noodles into the soup and then consuming it with a unique approach. Do not treat Tsukemen like ramen or like some other noodle soup dish.
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This is for those who have businesses operating in the City of Muntinlupa. The Business Permit and Licensing Office of Muntinlupa (BPLO-Muntinlupa) announced today that it has officially extended this year’s deadline for renewing business permits from January 20, 2019 to January 31, 2019.
BPLO-Muntinlupa wants business owners reading this to skip the habit of doing registration close to the deadline and instead pay the dues early so that penalties will be avoided. The place to visit for renewing your business permits is at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Barangay Tunasan with the schedule of Monday to Friday, 8AM to 5PM.
For your convenience, a “One-Stop Shop” arrangement in the Business Permit Renewal Hub has been installed in the venue. The requirements from Barangay Halls and Regulatory Offices can be processed in the location of the Renewal as representatives of said agencies will be rendering services simultaneously.
For the renewal, taxpayers can use debit cards to pay. There are also mobile ATMs (automatic teller machines) from BDO (Banco de Oro) and Landbank complete with a CCTV (Closed Circuit Television System) placed across the venue. Business owners registering in the renewal may also access the internet through a free wi-fi connection provided by Globe Telecom and Smart.
Free rides? They are being provided for you by means of shuttle services and the pick-up points are located at Muntinlupa City Hall Quadrangle in Putatan and Muntinlupa City Public Market in Alabang.
The list of requirements is available for viewing at the Muntinlupa BPLO Facebook page. For inquiries, call the department’s hotline at 851-BPLO (2756) or 821-3266 now.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your business pursuits. The City of Muntinlupa has been honored for being a very business-friendly city.
Hey everyone! I’m excited to announce that I just launched my official Facebook page called Author Carlo Carrasco. That page will serve as the FB companion of this website. So please visit it, like and follow. Please kindly inform your friends on Facebook about it too.
There is nothing like capturing that one, hard-to-get moment of charm of pets with a camera.
Cats are quite challenging to photograph using a smartphone camera because they often move a lot and the result is often a blurry image. Luckily for me, I captured the above picture with my smartphone at the right moment resulting a clear image that captured the love a kitten has for the mother cat complete with that kiss.
If there is anything I learned as a community newspaper journalist with regards to photography, it’s that I have to time my shots well whether I used a smartphone camera or a standalone camera. It is also important to know how capable the camera is to not only capture the crucial moments but also process digitally the image with a high quality on sharpness, color, etc.
I’ll leave the picture her for your viewing pleasure. See you on my next post.
I really love listening to the song Happy Day which has the holiness of our Eternal Savior Jesus Christ in its lyrics.
As a Born Again Christian living in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, I regularly attend Sunday family worship with the Joseph Kack Ministries International (JKMI) community at the World Prayer Center (WPC) in BF Homes, Paranaque City. Ever since I became Born Again saved by my dearest friend under the guidance of the Lord, I felt the Holy Spirit return into my life. Specifically Jesus Christ occupies and lives in my heart. In fact, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit a lot more as a Born Again than compared to the last 22 years and 11 months of my old life as a Catholic (including the 9 years I stopped believing in the Lord).
Listening to the holiness and beauty of the song Happy Day adds a lot of depth to my worship of the Lord as a Born Again.
I remember attending Sunday worship service at WPC on June 24, 2018 with the JKMI spiritual family and that particular service had holy communion prepared for us. Happy Day was one of the early songs played with a fast-paced Christian rock by the church’s very talented musicians creating a whole lot of energy for all of us. As the music rocked and energized me, I paid close attention to the lyrics displayed and instantly those lyrics brought back memories of my becoming Born Again and becoming a saved soul now part of the Kingdom of Light under God.
Some time later during the service, holy communion was served and a slightly slower but more sentimental version of Happy Day was played. As I stood in line for holy communion, I listened to the song and it brought me into tears because the song’s holiness from the Lord touched me deeply as I recalled my becoming Born Again (moving from the dark age of my life – started April 7, 1995 – into the Kingdom of Light – happened on March 4, 2018 – becoming Born Again).
During the July 29, 2018 Sunday worship service at our church, Happy Day was played again and this time it was played thrice. The first was upbeat Christian rock, the next was slower and sentimental, and the final time was instrumental. Like what happened on June 24, I was moved into tears by Happy Day during the holy communion rite.
I should mention that JKMI’s musicians did a GREAT job playing Happy Day. They should be praised! Their great talent is no surprise as they were very blessed by the Lord!
There truly is a lot of holiness in the lyrics of Happy Day. Let’s take a look at this portion of the lyrics.
The greatest day in history Death is beaten, You have rescued me Sing it out, Jesus is alive
That early segment of the lyrics made clear its expression about the saving of souls performed by Jesus Christ and His followers. God created all humans and because the world we live in is so chaotic, a lot of people lose direction in their lives and many also end up being spiritually lost to the point that they lost their focus on God and His Son Jesus. Living in the flesh is indeed a hard struggle but for as long as we strongly honor, praise, serve and follow God, we can make it into His Kingdom. Jesus Christ is present even though we mortals cannot see Him. Jesus is with us, He lives in our hearts, He always guiding us and always keeps on caring for us. It is very true that Jesus is indeed alive.
Oh, happy day, happy day You washed my sin away Oh, happy day, happy day I’ll never be the same Forever I am changed
This is chorus of the song. I very strongly relate with it as a Born Again. My old life as a Catholic was difficult, painful, disorienting and lacked the presence of the Holy Spirit. I really felt like a prisoner as my old life had these restrictions connected with many Catholic rites and being pushed to follow the figures of the Catholic hierarchy (including joining the wrong groups of people) hindered me from truly connecting with the Lord. I grew frustrated and got lost. Speaking of the word change in the lyrics, becoming Born Again is the single greatest form of change to ever happen in my life and I ever since I’ve been making moves to improving myself and no less than my mother noticed this. In fact my mother accepted me being Born Again and she thanked God for my conversion. I should also mention I reconciled with my mother on the day (March 31, 2018) I revealed to her and my father that I became Born Again.
Going back to the lyrics, the words “I’ll never be the same.” and “Forever I am changed.” strongly resonates with me. I became Born Again on March 4, 2018 (I made a decision some days prior to that happy day) and that was truly a very happy day for me as my faith in God and Jesus was not only restored but also greatly reinvigorated. I found a new purpose in my life that same day. Truly a day I will never ever forget and definitely I’ll never be the same.
Oh, what a glorious day What a glorious way That You have saved me And oh, what a glorious day What a glorious name Jesus!
That part of the lyrics is truly powerful. So powerful it is deeply moving and can move anyone into tears. Let us remember that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save all of humanity from sin. Lost souls that end up being saved (and permanently changed) to enter the Kingdom of Light is clearly in accordance to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice in saving humanity. It takes faith and personal renewal to believe in God and His son Jesus. Jesus’ saving of lost souls is undeniably glorious and His love for us cannot be denied.
In return, we dedicate ourselves in honoring, following and serving the Lord. What lies ahead in the Kingdom of Light are peace, love, tranquility and Kingdom Wealth.
Before I became Born Again, I was a frustrated Catholic who drifted away from the Lord in 2009. My dearest friend, who has long been Born Again, saved my soul under the guidance of the Lord. Afterwards my faith in God and Jesus got restored and reinvigorated and I became Born Again ever since. Jesus (through my dearest friend) saved me in a glorious way (Jesus living in my heart) on a glorious day! Let me state that I made the decision to be Born Again which completed the process of being saved.
Whenever I listen to Happy Day, I don’t think of amusement at all. I think of the Lord and how He saved me through His instrument (my dearest friend) and changed me forever. Happy Day also reminds me of the blessings God made for us all. On July 1 as I was driving fast along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) coming from Subic Bay going home to Metro Manila, I listened to Happy Day on my smartphone with auto-replay set.
There was a segment of the fast drive in which a beautiful, scenic view of the land and the mountain on my left appeared as Happy Day played on. That moment easily reminded me of God’s creations and blessings for humanity.
In closing this article, I posted below the lyrics of Happy Day plus a few YouTube videos of the song in Christian Rock and in slower, sentimental performance (at an American church). I love Happy Day and you will if you believe in God and His son Jesus. For deep inspiration, read John 3: 3 in the Holy Bible. Open your heart to the Lord!
Happy Day
The greatest day in history Death is beaten, You have rescued me Sing it out, Jesus is alive The empty cross, the empty grave Life eternal, You have won the day Shout it out, Jesus is alive He’s alive
Oh, happy day, happy day You washed my sin away Oh, happy day, happy day I’ll never be the same Forever I am changed
When I stand in that place Free at last, meeting face to face I am yours, Jesus, You are mine Endless joy, perfect peace Earthly pain finally will cease Celebrate, Jesus is alive He’s alive
And oh, happy day, happy day You washed my sin away Oh, happy day, happy day I’ll never be the same Oh no, forever I am changed
Oh, what a glorious day What a glorious way That You have saved me And oh, what a glorious day What a glorious name Jesus
Hey, and oh, happy day, happy day You washed my sin away Oh, happy day, happy day I’ll never be the same Oh no, forever I am changed What a glorious, glorious day I’ll never be the same
Thank you for reading. If you find this news article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Author’s Note: This article was originally published at my old Geeks and Villagers blog. What you read on this website was an updated and expanded version. In other words, this newest version you just read is the most definitive version.
