230: Name Game

I was thinking of naming her Eric Jr. if she was a boy. But she turned out to be a girl. So I was thinking of Erica. In the end I settled for "Deirdre". I first heard the name "Deirdre" from a character (a stunning Russian Model) in one of the TV episodes of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer in 1986. The name got embedded in my mind as I finally had the chance to use seven years later.

Of course the first name wasn't enough. I needed a second name. Not having second name or even third for a child is considered blasphemy, at least in the Philippines(I myself officially has three names). 

So, for her second name, I picked "Erin" which is the the romantic name of country Ireland. Erin was a favorite word in the crossword puzzle section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer paper, a favorite morning paper in our household during my college days. 

Combining the two names "Deirdre Erin" turned out to be a perfect match. Everyone I meet says that her name is quite rare or unique which definitely fits her character. Although her name has different spin-offs depending who's saying it. Her friends sometimes calls her "Didra", "Derdra" or "Dirdra". Of course our family would go for a more Filipino sounding name like "Debrang", "Dengdang" or "didi". I myself call her Deirds or sometimes "pong" (which is nadire's) by mistake.

And so goes the name game, as I (for the nth time) narrated to my kids while enjoying a pig-out dinner at Todai on Deirdre Erin's 17 years of existence. 

As we got out (after an hour mind you) bloated, I told them to stand in front the restaurant. "Why?", they asked. "Let's take pictures", I jokingly suggested. "Yeah right", they said as they turned away. "Hey come on it's bad not taking pictures on the places you go to!, you're Tita Chiquit will be mad!", I pleaded. "Fine more stories coming tomorrow during our long drive to Vegas", I said. "Good I will make you crazy with my Korean music for 4 hours", Deirdre fired back.

#153: How to tame a turkey - The Finale

In my earlier post, I promised that I'm going to tame a turkey. Today's the day and here's the blow-by-blow account of my battle with the great bird:

9:30am: I woke up a little sore and nursing a slight cold. Ok I'm trying to find a way out.

10:30am: Ate Breakfast (bacon and egg) with Nadire. Deirdre and Josh as usual has already eaten much earlier.

11:30am: Run out of drinking water. Quickly swing by refilling station.

12:00pm: Review my game strategy (Ok the recipe I should say.) Took a quick shower to take out some tensions building inside me.

12:30pm: Lay down the 12 pound Turkey on a tray. nothing fancy, just glazed turkey with some olive oil and sprinkle with just enough salt (NOT to much sodium- Deirdre). No stuffing too. what the heck is a thyme

1:00pm: "I'm hungry" - Deirdre. Whoa! turkey won't be ready in 3 hours? No worry, I brought a backup. Fully cooked Ham

1:30pm:We started to continue watching the Korean Soap Opera Glass Slippers.

2:00pm: Turkey is ready for the chamber. Oven is heated at 400F

2:30pm: Continue watching soap opera (episode 9 is playing). Lower oven temperature to 350F

3:30pm: Deirdre and Joshua seems to want to eat Nadire.

4:30pm: Is it done yet? No!!!. Eat some more Ham. Lower down oven temperature to 225F.

5:00pm: Come On! It must be ready now? We want to eat Nadire's lips now! Continue watching Episode 11.

 5:30pm: Ding! Timer's done! Voila! Here's your Bird! Hot, crisp, brown and juicy!

Yes I know. My carving skills sucked!

Prime parts for the cook. Leg, wing, neck and the tail! Can't find the gizzard and liver!

The Cook: Come on guys be honest! How is the birds? Kids: Perfect!

6:30pm: Drove to the movie theater and watched Ninja Assassin. A fitting finale for a great day with my kids and a sweet victory for me!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

P.S. Did I mention there was a slight bobo on my part! the gizzard and liver were left inside the turkey with the plastic still in-tacked! ooppppssss :-( . alright it's my first turkey so give me a break, will yah?

#139: How to tame a turkey?

Thanksgiving is in two weeks. This will be our10th thanksgiving since moving to the U.S. And each year, I never had a chance to cook anything since we either get invited or someone would cook for us.

Not that I don't want to cook. I know how to cook (I guess). However the mere site of an imposing turkey makes me think twice of even trying to shove it in an oven. All these years I was able to evade such situation.

But this year, the inevitable is about to happen. I decided that we are staying home for thanksgiving. This means I will be confronting the great bird in my kitchen.

I have two weeks to prepare for war. I've though of some strategies. Maybe a run and gun technique like the Phoenix Sun or a triangle offense from Phil Jackson. I could open using a Sicilian Defense or a rope-a-dope like Mohammad Ali. I would still have time to read Sun Tsu's Art of War or borrow Miami Dolphin's Wildcat offense.

Too many options at this point. Obviously I would need to decide my right move quickly. A little help here!

#122: McDonald's is leaving

Stumbled upon this news about McDonald's leaving Iceland.

Iceland's three McDonald's restaurants -- all in the capital Reykjavik -- will close next weekend, as the franchise owner gives in to falling profits caused by the collapse in the Icelandic krona.

I should say this is a good news for them. For one thing a big mac meal (burger, fries and drink) has around 1,200 calories. For an average person that's more than twice your required daily calorie intake.

To burn this calorie according to this site, you need to walk 9.5 miles.

My family had stopped going to McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant long time ago because of these facts.  But not everyone in the U.S. agrees. No wonder 65% of American's are obese.

You want to start losing those extra fat? You can start by simple avoiding fast foods.

#57: Lemon Detox Diet anyone?

I first heard of the lemon detox diet from a co-worker. She told me that she heard it works so she's looking for someone to try it with.

Oh no...yet another form of diet. So before I said yes, I wanted to know what I'm getting into. I research about it and found tons of information about this diet. The diet seems to be very simple. All you need is to mix a freshly squeezed lemon, maple syrup (organic) and cayenne pepper in an 8 oz of very cold water.

On some information I read, you need to drink at least 60 oz. a day for 7-10 days and avoid eating anything. How can I survive not eating anything for 7 days, I asked. There's no way I can do this. For one, I am working out at least 4-5 times a week. Where will I get strength to lift weights?

I finally found one information that seems to fit my needs. You can read it here.

Detox cleansing drinks will help you excrete extra waste from your body and will help you lose water weight, but this weight loss is temporary. To use this diet effectively, you need to combine the lemon detox diet with healthy eating and adequate exercise. The beverage will help you shed water weight and clean out your colon, but it will not help your body lose fat unless combined with a proper diet and exercise.

So I told my co-worker, I'm in. I started my first drink two weeks ago. The taste is surprisingly good. It's more like a spicy (because of the cayenne) lemonade drink. But the effect is quite noticeable as I kept going to the restroom to relieve my bladder (so this is the detox part). I also felt sleepy by mid-afternoon.

To keep up with my workout, I also increased my protein (eggs, chicken breast, fish or tuna) intake, increase my fruits and veggies and reduce my carb (rice, pasta) intake.

I did the lemon detox for a week and slowly went back to my normal eating habit on the second week and the result? Well I weigh myself today and I actually lost 6 pounds and feel much healthier. Not bad huh?

Diets worked differently to every individuals but this drink combined with exercise and healthy foods actually worked for me. It might work for you to, so try it!

#42: Goin' Korean

Today my kids and I went to Zion Market, a korean grocery, a good 16 mile drive from where we live.

Deirdre has been bugging me for weeks to visit the place. She wanted to buy some stuff to make sushi and try some of the Korean food she's been reading about.

You see, Deirdre has been learning the Korean language and their culture on her own. She's so fascinated with it that she want to pursue some studies in Korea before going to medical school.

As we entered the grocery, together with Josh, she immediately disappeared amongst the sea of shoppers. This place is busy.

I was left by myself going around trying to figure out what to buy. Almost all the food labels are in Korean and they all look delicious to me.

I finally catch up with them with some stuff. "What are these?", I asked. "Don't worry about it, it's gonna be good", she smiled. "Well how much are these?", I asked. "Don't worry, it's gonna be good", she repeated. "Hey what about some kimchi", I shouted. "Why don't you grab some fruits they are cheap", she shouted back, as she again disappeared from my site.

Alright, I said to myself, since am here, I might as well pick up some things for myself. I grab some short ribs and rib eye steak, some spices and oh yeah some fruits as she suggested.

They finally came back after a few minutes and said their done. I went straight to the cashier and the girl at the counter smiled and started ringing me up. I looked at Deirdre, and with some protest, "Don't even think about it, dad". I said "What?". She knows that I have the habit of starting small talks. Which of course I did.

I said, "Hi". "Everything ok?", she asked. "Yeah great, this is my first time here", I said. "How'd you like it?, she asked. "Well the Kimchi is a bit expensive, but I guess that's probably because it's made in Korea?", I said as I caught Deirdre's eyes rolling. "It's our specialty, I'm sure you're going to like it", she smiled. "that would be $86.17, sir would that be credit or debit?", she asked.

"Credit please", I said. "Oh one more thing, are you Korean?", I asked. Before she can even answer, Deirdre barked "Oh my God!!!". end of conversation...