Ulog No. 28: "Busy day but there's still room for Ampalaya"

Saturday, 21st July

It was quite a busy day for me today. It felt like I didn't even have a chance to sit down except when I had lunch. I had to wake up early, too because I had to go to my auntie's house. I helped her sell her old queen bed ensemble with mattress by putting it on a local "Buy, Swap and Sell" Facebook page. A woman inboxed me and said she was interested in the headboard and side drawers only, and she said she would want to pick it up at 9 A.M. So, I quickly got ready and went to my auntie's house.

Then I messaged the other person who was interested to buy the bed and told him that the headboard and side drawers were already bought, if he was still interested to get the mattress instead. He bought if for $50, which was a good bargain. My auntie was happy, at long last, her bed was sold, as it had been sitting out on their carport since her husband died in April.

After that, my auntie finished her breakfast. I had my coffee as well, whilst waiting for my auntie to finish getting ready so we could go. We went to pick her friend up from her place because they wanted to go to this Greek veggie shop. The shop is open on Saturdays only. It was my first time to visit the shop. It reminds me of the market place back home in the Philippines.

The only thing I bought was 3 bitter melons (the other one was already being cooked at the time I took this photo). In Filipino, it's called "ampalaya". It has got a bitter taste that you need to acquire a taste for it for you to appreciate the taste of this vegetable. It is really bitter. I grew up not liking it as a child, but when I reached my teenage years, I had acquired a taste and learnt to appreciate it, especially it was cooked beautifully.

We went to the cemetery after we finished shopping for vegetables to visit my aunt's late husband and my late paternal grandmother, who was my aunt's mother. Then we dropped my aunt's friend off at her place. By the time we got back to my aunt's house, it was already past 11. She offered me to have lunch with them. I agreed, but I had to see my husband, John, first before I'd have lunch. So I drove to his mother's house, because that's where he was fixing his ute. I asked him if he wanted me to bring him lunch, and he said yes. I went back to my aunt's house and had lunch with them. I didn't eat much because I wanted to eat lunch with John as well.

I told my aunties that I had to leave early because I had to go to school to set up the tables for first week of Term 3, which is this coming Monday. But I went to the deli shop that sells the best baked spuds in town, and I bought two grilled bacon baked spuds with the lot (with sour cream and beetroot). Then I went to see John again and we had lunch together.

John was meant to take his mum to the cemetery to visit her late husband, which they do every Saturday. I offered I take them both because I realised that John was going to take Mum using his work van, which is too high for Mum to climb up the passenger seat. We all went to the cemetery together and to the Greek Orthodox church so that they could light the candles. Then we went back to Mum's place.

After that, I had to go back home to turn the heater off and made sure my Kimmy was inside the house, so that Miki would not be lonely by herself. I left again to go to Cheap-as-chips to buy some materials I would be needing for the activities. I arrived at school at 4:30 PM and started working.

I didn't get to finish all the tables and I still have two tables left to set up. I decided I would do it after Sunday church. It was already 8 PM when I got home. John had already eaten, but I was so excited to eat the bitter melon because it has been a while since the last time I ate this vegetable. It is one of my favourite Filipino dishes. I cooked rice and then cooked the dish.

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The rice was ready by the time the ampalaya dish was cooked. I finished cooking at 9:30 PM and ate my dinner. John tasted it, but because he has never tasted it before, he didn't particularly like it. He said it was nice, but I knew he was just being polite. But for me, I enjoyed it!!! I loved every spoonful, and I ate heaps!!!

Anyway, thank you for reading. I hope you can try this recipe and I dare you to eat bitter melon without it having soaked in salted water. I have done this recipe since high school, and all my siblings (ask @dynamicshine) loved my cooking! I also don't measure how much fish sauce or salt and pepper I used in my dishes. I just go by chance and taste it.

Thanks again, and please comment below for any feedback! God bless you always and bye for now!

I would like to acknowledge @surpassinggoogle for his Ulog initiative because it helps us (Steemit users) write something about ourselves even on a daily basis.

The "U" in #Ulogs means "You."

The following are some of my Ulog posts since I started #ulogging on 1st June 2018:

Ulog No.	Title
27	Coffin Bay Oysters and How to Make Oysters Kilpatrick
26	When will it be my turn?
25	Tired
24	Trip to Coffin Bay
23	Port Lincoln Getaway

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_{All photos are my own, except for the Discord banners (provided by @baa.steemit, @steembulls, @terminallyill, @flaminghelpers, and @itestify), #ulogger GIF file by @phantum04 and footer image by @bearone of @teamaustralia.}