#231: More Name Game

Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. It's the second birthday celebration within three days. After a whirlwind trip to Vegas over the weekend, we decided to take it easy and had a simple dinner at our favorite Chinese Restaurant (by the way, I can say this is the best place to have Chinese.For those who will visit me soon in San Diego, remind me to take you there) .

Nadire (Nadirey) is now 13. As her sister Deirdre, Her name Nadire Irelan has a little bit of story behind it. I got her name when I was attending a U.N. conference in Istanbul in 1996. Nadire was a reporter, she was Turkish and quite a feisty lady. Her second name Irelan was actually the country Ireland (same as Deirdre's Erin) or the famous actress Jill Ireland without the d.

It's not clear what she wants to be at this time. But I always tell her not to worry about it. She's young and should enjoy being just that.One thing's for sure though, she said she'll hire a butler for me before she leaves. :-)

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.

229: 1 and 44

I woke up today (with a slight headache) not realizing a year ago I started Aemes World Blog.  I also brazenly promised that my blog will be updated daily. Obviously I fell short of that promise. I only wrote 229 out of possible 365 posts.

I wasn't feeling bad about it, after all it was worth the try. There where great posts and there were not so bad posts and there were posts that didn't make any sense at all.

All in all it was a great exercise. A great way to unwind after a day's work. And more important a great way to share an idea or two.

Of course, today June 27 I know that I am another year older (not necessary wiser but 35 pounds lighter). I also found out that I still have friends and family who still know I exist (my droid Facebook wall post notification hasn't stop since yesterday- thanks everyone).

Today is just another day for some but It's was today 44 years ago that I was put in this world to either make your life better or miserable.

225: A girl or a boy?

It was 21 years ago today. I was outside the delivery room. No I wasn't waiting for my baby to come out. it was my sister's (Chiquit) second born.  As a good brother and soon to be an uncle, I was there for support.

But helping someone go through the process is not as simple as you think. First, can someone explain why most women go into labor at ungodly hours? Maybe it's a way women get even to their husbands who they blame for their 9 months of suffering. e.g. the morning sickness, the craving for weird food, the humiliation of being fat and ultimately the pain of giving birth. I have heard stories about women calling their husband the worse name you can imagine during labor.

Second, the waiting... ah yes the waiting, the pacing, the twiddling. If you had a chance to wait before, you know very well how long this thing takes.The worse part of waiting though is you can't leave (not even a brief bathroom break). It's the rule and you can't break that rule. Why? Because anytime, the doctor will come out the door and there's no one there to deliver the news. This will piss your wife more that you can ever imagine.

Anyway, I finally got the words that she's ready to blow (was it 6 or 7 cm when it's time?). A few more minutes, the door opened and I saw Dr. Villaraza, still wearing her scrubs and mask, looked around and shouted " Who's with Chiquit?". I walked towards her and she said "It's a girl! i mean it's a boy!".

And the rest is history... 21 years ago we called him GalBoy (coined from Girl-Boy). Today he's Kyle and he's 21. I saw him two weeks ago and yes he's a fine young man. He has moved out of her mom's. Although every now and then he would raid her mom's fridge when he has the time between school and work. He looked tired but seems to be enjoying his life.

p.s. 3 years after Kyle was born, I found myself doing an encore. But this time, it was my own baby (Josh) and thanks to my earlier exposure,  it was a walk in the park.

223: Josh's Day

A special day for Josh. Today is the end of his high school days and soon the start of his college days. As I sat as one of the spectators watching the formalities, I can't help but feel proud of him. How he have grown to a fine young man. He said he wants to be in business and will soon rule the world. Quite a lofty ambition, I said. "But make sure you do it right. And when you're up there remember you still owe me lunch. "

#207: A blow what?

8 tequila shots, 1 margarita, 1 hennessy, 2 beer and a blow job (it's not what you think. It's actually a name of a drink).  I don't know how I survived last night. But I guess having friends who did appreciate my work made the night worthwhile. It will be a while doing such a thing again.

#205: Mom

I remember my mom would tell us the story on how she got separated from her family during the bombing of Bangued by the Japanese during World War II. She went missing for days. Her parents though they won't see her again. But she lived to raise 6 kids. Became a teacher and later on became the head of the Education Department in Abra for years until she retired. She's one respectable educator, she's a loving wife and a great mother.

I always have a good relationship with my mom: unconditional love and friendship. I can not count how many times I had failed her as a son. But she's always been there. I have witnessed her cry (the most when my dad died) but most of the time I have witnessed her smile and laugh specially when all of her children were around.

My mom is 77 years old today and I pray she will always be with us. I hope I could see here soon.

#201: Video for Haiti

One thing I envy about my daughter Deirdre is how she can easily make videos. She had made a lot of them and refuse to publish it. There's this one video of the Korean show that she made a Music Video out of it. I encourage her to send it to the show producer but she won't.

Anyway, she's at it again. This time here's a heart warming video she did in support of the worldwide effort to save Haiti - USA for Haiti.

#179: Christmas

Christmas. Receiving is okay. Giving is good. Sharing the memories with love ones is the best. Once you recognized that, it'll be for keeps.

#176: My top 5 Christmas Song

5.Band Aid Do they know it's Christmas

4. Mean Girls Jingle Rock (aren't they hot?)

3. Jackson 5 Give Love on Christmas Day.

2. James Taylor The Chirstmas Song

And my number one Christmas song is this version of Santa Claus is coming to town by Bruce Springsteen.

#175: Favorite Christmas movie

It's five days before Christmas. Wherever you turn, where ever you are, it's hard not to be reminded the best time of the year is in our midst. Even on TV, reruns of Christmas movies are all over the channels. And of course I can't stop but watch these movies again and again. No matter how old they are it's still feel like I watched it for the first time.

But of all the Christmas movies, my definite favorite is "Christmas with the Kranks". It's a hilarious movie about a couple (Luther - Tim Allen and Nora - Jamie Lee Curtis) who planned to skip celebrating Christmas because their daughter is joining the Peace Corps. Luther convinced Nora to spend Christmas in the Caribbean. Trouble began when their daughter Blaire decided to come home with a new found love to spend Christmas back home. 

This movie by the way was based on the novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham , best know for his legal thriller novels.

Definitely a must see. Who could ever pull up a stunt and skip Christmas? Would you?

#172: Dear Santa

This is another one of those email forwards. She's just so cute not to share her thoughts.

Dear Santa, this year, please send clothes for all those poor ladies  in Daddy's computer

#169: Office party

I missed posting yesterday. This is the second time I did it. And for the second time, I had a good excuse.

Me and my kids attended our office Christmas Party at the Casa Guadalajara, a very festive Mexican watering hole off San Diego's famous landmark Old Town. This year, the company went all out with great food, overflowing beer and margarita and to top it all, an all night strolling Mariachi (Mexican Musicians) serenading every table.

All in all it was a great night, a fitting year-end for another great year for the company. Although I had too much to drink, I know we're safe going home as Deirdre was my designated driver as Josh brought his car.

By the time we were home, I had a terrible headache and in no mood of writing anything.So there's my alibi.

#156: On Holiday mood

All in all it was a great 4-day weekend. I haven't had such a productive break for a while. I was able to achieve my goal with the turkey, spend most of the time with the kids plus I finally finished setting up the new abrenian.com site (which will be launched on Dec. 1, 2009).

It's back to work tomorrow. As in previous years, Our IT Department will be on the look-out with our Internet Traffic as it's going to be Cyber Monday (a day where staff would shop online).

The long Thanksgiving weekend is over. That means it's a start of countdown to Christmas. Already Christmas songs is playing on the air waves. Holiday mood is here.

#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?

#141: What I saw (learned) from the Pacquiao fight tonight

5. This is the best fight I've ever seen since the classic clash between Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Although I was a bit distraught when the fight went on despite clear indications that Cotto is in alot of trouble. They should have stop the fight in the 9th.

4. It's been a while since I heard someone really sang the Philippine National Anthem so well.  This group La Vida (who are they?) was much better (and prettier) than Martin Nievera (he sang the National Anthem during the Pacquiao-Hatton fight).

3. Boxing is a savage sports. Children should not be allowed so close to the ring. I'm sure everyone noticed when the camera focused on Cotto's wife (Melissa) and his kid grimacing in pain as if feeling every punch Manny throws at Miguel. Melissa was wise enough to take her son out to spare the kid from the horrors of the sport. Melissa should have defied Cotto's corner and throw in the towel herself.

2. Manny should retire now. He has nothing else to prove. He has his millions that will last him two life times. Take it from Mohammad Ali or his trainer Freddie Roach who are both suffering from Parkinsons as a result of too much beating during their boxing careers.

1. Events like this gives us a very good reason to get together and re-connect with friends and family.

#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!

#127: Two ways to celebrate today

It's called Halloween in the U.S. but in the Philippines it's more commonly called "All Saints Day", at least that's what I always remembered. In The U.S. it's all about customes, candies and chocolates. In the Philippines it's more of remembering our dead, visiting their tombs, lighting candles and saying a little prayer. In the U.S. it's wild parties, in the Philippines it's more of a solemn day.

My kids where all out today with friends and I was left alone in the house. There were occasional knocks at my door from trick or treaters. That's no problem, I did bought some packs of chocolates to give away just to avoid toilet paper being thrown in our house.

Being alone gave me a chance to think about my love ones who are no longer in my midst specially my father and my daughter Aemes. I still wonder how it would have been different with them alive.

I learned to like Halloween but I also miss All Saints Day.

#114: Young Turks

Yesterday (Oct. 17) was my good friend Pancho's birthday. I have spent countless time with him during our college days. We were inseparable for years. We had so many exploits, fun times, deep secrets (that remains secret to this day) and what not.

But one thing we really share interest is our love of music. There were times where we just sit around and listen to our music for hours until it's time to go home. Then we would get together again and listen some more.

I remember this song we love to listen from Rod Stewart, Young Turks. The song is about two young lovers who decided to run away and live together despite their family's objections. as the song goes:

Billy wrote a letter back home to patti's parents tryin to explain.
He said were both real sorry that it had to turn out this way.
But there aint no point in talking when theres nobody listning so we just ran away
Patti gave birth to a ten pound baby boy, yeah!

 here's the rest of the lyrics.

Hey Pancho, where ever you are I hope you're doing well.  One of this days we would relive the past. Here's to you my good friend. Cheers!






can't view the video on facebook? click here for the original post

#98: Two Birthdays, a Funeral and new belts

Couple of things happened today.

Birthdays

First birthday is for my younger brother Panchet. I talked about him on my earlier post. Panchet is the youngest of the family but I feel he had achieved more than what most people have done in their lifetime. I heard he's having the time of his life. What's with all the parties they have prepared for him. A lot of people would like to be in his shoes. That includes me. I'm very proud of him.

Second Birthday is for our youngest in the family, JR. He listed his birthday today but some argued that he's birthday is really on the 5th. Well, either way he's celebrating his birthday. JR is my nephew's son. My parents took him in our family at a very young age. My parents fell in love with JR the first time they saw him. Why not! he was so cute, like a baby in a soap commercial. JR like any other kid, has some shortcomings. But who doesn't. The important thing is He knows very well that his family loves him the way we love each one. Happy Birthday JR.


A Funeral

It's wasn't a surprise. It was announced as early as January this year. Intel Philippines is closing.

internal memo circulated yesterday that Intel is definitely moving out of the Philippines. Actual reasons vary — from high corporate taxes, to expensive electricity charges and even stealing of microchips.

Today, it finally happen - the last nail in the coffin. Intel Philippines is officially closed. This is a big blow to the Philippines specially the hundreds (it was thousands at its peak) of Filipino workers who lost their job. One of them is my good friend and classmate Francis . He's a Design Engineer at Intel. Back in my college days, he was my study buddy. We've collaborated in many school projects as well as "other" projects. He's a brilliant Engineer so I'm sure he'll bounce back.

New Belts

My two girls successfully moved closer to their quest for the black belt. It was a grueling one hour of testing of forms, routines, breaking boards and sparring.  It was also a test of stamina and mental control. In the end it was very rewarding as Deirdre moved two belts up to green belt. The grandmaster explained that she was so good that she qualified to skip yellow belt, which doesn't happen often. Nadire, though, was two point shy of following her sister's feat. She still got the yellow belt but I sense her disappointment, I was too. But I explained to her that "never mistakenly consider one defeat a final defeat". Don't worry dad, I'm ok, she said. Later, I treated them to a nice Japanese restaurant  with some sushi, udon and a mochi ice cream dessert. And they were all smiles.