Yesterday was all about preparing for and then enjoying the Independence Day gathering at The Rite Spot On The Roof. I thought we might have overdone it on the food, but the turnout was larger than expected, and there were plenty of eats and drinks for everyone. I was also worried about the weather, having experienced three straight days of heavy rains. And then, in an almost Moses-like fashion, the clouds parted and our patch of land was spared from rainfall for the remainder of the day.

Yes, I added pineapple chunks to the mix. It struck me that chili was a dish of Spanish origin. Not wanting to be disrespectful to the holiday’s history, I Filipino-ized the recipe by adding the national fruit. Hey, Filipinos like pineapple on their pizza, so why not in chili?

For your enjoyment, here’s a minute and a half of the party vibe, including karaoke, that I recorded:

It was a nice get-together, and everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy themselves. Is there a better definition of success? Maybe we’ll do it again for the 4th of July.

From the LTG archives is a June 2009 post from Bali, Indonesia. The first day of my first (and last, so far) visit to that island paradise.

Today’s YouTube video takes us back to a time before air conditioning. I have aircon in my house, but I almost never use it. I keep cool with fans and open windows. I guess I’ve adapted myself to the climate, preferring outdoor/open-air bars to chilled ones inside.

Let’s have a smile or two before I go:

I enjoyed a non-routine day, but now it’s time to get back to normal. We’ll see how that works out for me.