[723] Arroz Caldo

The best arroz caldo I ever ate was made by the kasambahay of one of my great-aunts. It has probably been decades since I last had this.

Before I go reminiscing any further, what is arroz caldo? Basically Filipino rice porridge with chicken. Sometimes hard boiled eggs are added. And you usually top it off with chopped green onions, toasted garlic, and tofu.

Anyway my favorite arroz caldo is just plain chicken and rice. No garnishes. The way she used to cook it was what made it taste good. I'll try to see if I can remember bits and pieces of her techniques and recipe.

She would first sauté some garlic. Maybe add some ginger. Then she would add the uncooked rice, or bigas, and "fry" them until they were a bit translucent. Once it reaches that stage I think she would drop a chicken bouillon cube and let it dissolve. Once dissolved she would then add the water and let the rice cook. They would usually go for a thick consistency instead of soupy.

Come to my think of it, the way she starts out the arroz caldo seems similar to how you would start cooking risotto.

So when do you add the chicken? I honestly can't remember. In fact, I don't even think it was arroz caldo I ate. Maybe it wasn't arroz caldo. Maybe it was lugaw, which is basically just rice porridge. I can't remember.

Oh well. Maybe I should try to recreate it but add chicken. Modify it by adding slivers of chicken breast fillet along with the bigas to enhance the flavor. Hopefully I have time to do this.

Out.

[722] Farewell Postpaid

After all these years My dad finally cancelled the postpaid plan I had been using since the early 2000s. It was not a difficult decision to do.

Using current prepaid sim card is more economical. I can avail of different prepaid promos that can stretch what I would normally use to pay for the postpaid plan I was using.

Also I can now adjust my budget to focus more on data plans than SMS and calls. I rarely call or text anyone, anyway.

So here is to more financial flexibility.

Out.

[721] The Lite Ace

Allow me to reminisce about one of my folks' previous cars. A 1993 Toyota Lite Ace GXL. I think I've written about it before, but I want to write about it again.

In hindsight, it was one of the ideal family cars. It had good interior space for five with the rear seats folded. It was relatively compact outside, having relatively small exterior dimensions. The only negatives I could think of with the Lite Ace were lack of power for the engine, weak air conditioning, and the middle sliding windows were a security concern.

The Lite Ace might have benefited from a few costly modifications. Sadly we don't have the resources for it. What would I have done? Engine swap to a more modern, efficient, and powerful engine. Improve the air conditioner. Upgraded brakes. Basically whatever mods I want to do to other dream cars of mine.

Anyway the Lite Ace is gone, sold to someone else. So all I can do is reminisce and dream.

Out.

[720] Work

I've been working since 2004. Thanks twelve years. During that span of time I've worked for many different types of companies. Each company I worked for was totally different in make-up from the other.

I started in 2004 with a relatively small animation studio of about ten to twenty regular employees. We mostly catered to local television commercials providing both 2D and 3D assets as needed.

In 2008 I moved to a game dev company. This was a bigger company having at most around fifty employees at one point. I stayed with them for over five years.

Late 2013 I joined an automotive parts importing company. This was a relatively new company and when I joined we were four employees. When I left we up to seven.

My latest employer is similar to my previous game dev company. Except there almost 200 employees.

So there. I guess I could say I've had the pleasure of experiencing different types of companies. From the humblest, start-up-ish company to a big, sorta-multinational company.

Out.

[719] Nothing to Post

As the title says, I have nothing relevant to post. The internet at home is too slow, and I cannot blog using my laptop. I have to use the app on my tablet.

Not that it's a bad thing, the laptop is just an easier way to blog, format, and post pictures via my flickr account.

Out.