Experiment No. 2 for Chili Garlic Oil

     Due to the many chilis in the yard, I had to cook them to avoid wastage. I made chili garlic oil, my second attempt. It was better ingredient wise but I may have overcooked it to the point of almost burned. I increased the flame last minute and I didn't realize that few minutes could turn them to almost black.

Raw ingredients

Cooked chili garlic oil

     I learned lesson from this experiment. Try and try until you succeed may sound cliche but definitely applies to me in this case. It is in learning our mistakes that we learn. 

Geese in the Yard

    We have geese in the yard, I was told they are like dogs. They make noise when strangers come. We had two initially, the. My niece came with two more, one a male to procreate.

Only the female geese in our make shift pool

     With the heat of the sun, they enjoy the mini-pool to cool themselves. We purposely created this mini-pool in the absence of a pond. They're fun to pet.

The gray colored is male

Dogs

     We have three dogs and two puppies in the hut. They're our guards alarming us with their barks. They're endearing really. I am not into petting but when I get close to these pets, I started to like them. When you see them like this as I do my morning walk, I felt my love for them.

They're adorable bathing in the morning sunshine

Chili Garlic Oil

     When given lemons, make lemonade as the saying goes. There were plenty of chili in the yard, so I experimented making chili garlic oil.

I miss the chili garlic oil in Malaysia where it's like a staple part of their diet. 

The raw chili from the yard

     I ground them as I don't have blender in the house.

Ground chili with garlic

     Adding some olive oil, I cooked it until thickened and added salt, sugar, and black pepper.

Cooking the paste

     It tasted good for me. Since it is so spicy, I think next time can add more garlic.

The finished product

PBBM's First SONA

     I watched President Bongbong Marcos' first State of the Nation Address(SONA) although I didn't religiously follow from beginning to end. At a glance I watched and listened to the highlights as I was busy playing online. I am surprised at the reaction of some people who used to criticize BBM during the campaign period.

The new President is his first SONA

     While I hear praises for his SONA, I didn't hear a new pronouncement that will address the economic imbalance in the country, how to eliminate poverty in the countryside so the gap between the rich and the poor will be minimized.

 

  One example is the Oversea Filipino Worker (OFW) situation. He lauded their contribution to the country and his creation as proposed by the previous administration of the Ministry of Migrant Workers. But he never went into the roots of their migration, and focus on how to bring them back to the country because they are mainly talented and skilled.

Sound of Magic

     I got the chance to watch this Korean Netflix series, dubbed in English, as prodded by a close friend. I started it so I had no reason not to finish even if after the first episode, I feel that this is really a trash to be blunt. 

Sound of Magic

     If I only my friend won't ask me again "have you watched it?" I probably won't have spent my time on this childish series. 

     I am no fan of magic in the first place. I know they have perfected their art so I am amazed by their tricks. For me, it is a skill that can be developed not inborn or innate. This really was a waste of my time.

The Philippines is 2022 AFF Women's Champion

     I am ecstatic, the country's women's football team is this year's champion of the Asian Football Federation Cup. I didn't know the country has a formidable women's football team. I have always known football is relegated to a lowly sport in the country where basketball is the main event. I am impressed with the women's team style of play and the commitment to win. 

The Philippines beat Thailand 3-0 in this year's final

     I have learned to watch football in Malaysia where the following of the sport is massive. When I saw that this year's championship is in Manila, I followed the entire tournament until today's final of the Philippines versus Thailand. At the sound of the game's end, the celebration of the team was felt not only by the live audience at the stadium but even with people like me watching on TV.

Congratulating and hugging each other to celebrate their win

     It is interesting to see the love for football emerging in the Philippines. World Cup, men's world football championship which happens every four years, will take place in November in Qatar and I hope there will be coverage on  TV. Seeing the crowd in today's match is kind of inspiring.

The live audience at Rizal Stadium in Manila

     Days later, I saw some of the players being interviewed on local TV for winning, and to my surprise, they all speak with that twang clearly showing they're not homegrown talents. All of them come outside of the country, mostly US, and came back only months before this tournament.