PJ in Kansas

Blazing Noodles

2007-11-23T18:08:00.000-06:00

Greetings, Readers:

The Blazing Noodles at Pei Wei (119th St., between Black Bob and Strang Line) are extremely hot and spicy!!!

That's all. :)

A Happy 4th!!

2007-07-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

Hey what's up? Long time no blog. Yeah, I've been super-busy with work projects lately. Today is July 4, 2007, the 231st birthday of the United States of America!! w00t! :)

What have I been doing lately...watching lots of Japanese anime! They're all over YouTube and veoh.com, and you can download original Japanese anime with English subtitles off bittorrent networks. The one I'm watching now is called "Ah! My Goddess" which is about a college student who lived a relatively dull life until a goddess appeared (from the Goddess Assistance Agency) and granted him a wish. The (lucky) guy wished that a goddess like her could be with him forever. Then a beam of light shot out of her forehead towards the heavens. It was funny how she later called her agency (I wonder what Heaven's phone number is) to confirm whether such a wish was acceptable. At first it sounded like "God, when I told him he could have any wish, I didn't mean this!!" But when you watch more episodes (3) you'll begin to wonder if what she was really asking was, "I want to grant his wish to be with him, is it really OK?" The goddess has a really funny name: Belldandy. How funny it would be to have a girl named Belldandy walking around Japan. Honestly, I wouldn't mind meeting a Belldandy in Kansas ;)

I've also been renting movies from Blockbuster Online. It's cool because there's a store just around the corner. Plus I heard that IBM Informix Dynamic Server (the project I support) powers the Blockbuster Online data servers. So basically I'm paying into the project I help make. Heh heh heh heh.....

I was surprised this morning at 11:00 AM when the tornado sirens were being tested. I heard them go off but couldn't see any weird weather. I called my friend who told me that it was just a test.

Today I think I'm gonna watch a few more episodes of Ah! My Goddess, take a nap, then catch a public fireworks show nearby. Private fireworks are illegal in our city, possibly the entire county. But I love the fireworks shows here. Y'all should come down and visit me sometime.

KC Wizards 2007 Season Opener

2007-04-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

Went to my first Major League Soccer (MLS) game tonight, featuring the Kansas City Wizards vs. the Toronto Football Club (FC). I got the ticket for free from one of my co-workers (thanks dude!) and even though it rained at the beginning, KC won 3-0. Parking was also free that night. I'm not surprised that very few people game because of the rain. My 1/4-lb. chili cheese dog and 20-oz. soda was $10.75--not bad, I have to say. Good time all around!

Cheers!

Love is..."Chobits"

2007-02-24T22:12:00.000-06:00

Could human beings ever fall in love with robots? What if robots had the capacity to give and show love?

That was the question at the center of "Chobits," a Japanese anime series about Chi, a kind of robot that falls in love with her owner, Hideki. The story takes place in a futuristic Tokyo, Japan, where people have PERSECOMS filling their every need--from mobile phone, significant other, to house servant. Hideki finds Chi wrapped in bandages at a dumpster. When he finds out she is a PERSECOM and switches her on, all she is able to say is "Chi" (the name one gives to a cat or dog in Japan). Without any sort of programming but a learning module, and Hideki not having money to buy software, he is forced to teach her everything. But Chi, unlike most common PERSECOMS, is an advanced type of PERSECOM called CHOBITS that is only driven by one thing--love. Hideki is confused by the affections Chi exhibits towards him. Even scarier, Hideki finds himself depending on Chi for encouragement and can't imagine what he'd do without her--even to the point of embarking on a journey to rescue her when she's kidnapped by a maniac! Hideki can hardly describe his feelings for Chi, as though she were a real human being! Worse, the fate of all PERSECOMS depends on Hideki, as a hidden program (unknown to Chi herself!) threatens to destroy all PERSECOMS when Chi finds "The One Meant for Me." Will he deny her because she isn't human? Or will he accept her for everything she is?

Love can be confusing sometimes. Certainly, Hideki was confused not by Chi's outright affection, but rather by his seemingly pointless reaction. What kind of human would end up with a PERSECOM? How would his family feel if one day he came home and said, "I married a robot"? They probably wouldn't be thrilled at all, and might even say he's insane. But Chi started out knowing nothing about life or love. All she knew was that Hideki cared enough to take care of her, teach her things, and keep her even though she didn't have a lot of programming or skills. In fact, one of the first things he taught her to say was "Take care of yourself" when he left for prep school. She could see how happy Hideki was when she said that every morning and that, in turn, made her happy (remember, she's a CHOBIT!). At night, when he came home, she greeted him with a hug and a "Welcome home!" When he asked Chi why she worked so hard to do all these things, she said that "when Hideki happy, Chi happy." And when he was down, she used to say, "Fight, Hideki!" And when Chi asked Hideki to explain something, he would do so patiently and without judgment.

When Chi realized that a PERSECOM could not be with Hideki the same way that a human being could, she didn't believe that Hideki felt for her the same way she felt for him. She stopped loving him halfway, until she heard Hideki say how his life would be unbearable without her. To him, it didn't matter whether Chi was a human or PERSECOM. "Chi is Chi," and that was all. And to her, he was "The One Meant for Me." He was the one who accepted her completely. Humans could do that PERSECOMS couldn't, and in the same way, PERSECOMS could do things humans couldn't. It didn't make one typically better than the other.

So would you fall in love with a robot? Meet one and find out for yourself!

Furniture is paid off

2007-02-12T22:01:00.000-06:00

All my furniture--the dining room set, corner table, lamp, and (my favorite) green couch--is paid off. Finally, I have my very own furniture!

THE GREEN COUCH IS MINE!!!

27, on 2/7/2007

2007-02-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

This birthday of mine, read out loud: I turned twenty-seven on two, seven, two-zero-zero-seven.

Thanks to everyone that remembered to wish me a happy birthday!! I appreciate you all!

Sunny and freezing

2007-01-16T08:27:00.000-06:00

See the icon of the bright, yellow sun surrounded by a clear, blue sky? The weather demons must be playing tricks on us...1 F and sunny. Good grief....

This looked so darn CUTE

2007-01-08T21:46:00.000-06:00

I treated myself to dim sum last Saturday in Overland Park, KS. Bo Ling's, on 91st and Metcalf, is one of those few places where Asians congregate. Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian--a real mix that is hard to find anywhere else. But there's only one thing more familiar about this place than the mix of Asians--dating couples. Case in point: last weekend, I sat near this Asian fellow sitting next to a young European lady. Across from the guy was his mother, and across from (what I presume to be) his date was his father. The young couple was around my age. They probably met in college (KU, UMKC, or JCCC) or at their place of work. The guy was sort of the go-between for his parents and his date, although his parents spoke and understood English quite well. The guy took turns telling stories in English and (possibly) Mandarin. I really like it when parents go out and try something amazing to impress their company. When the guy's dad started speaking Spanish, the girl was amazed.

Girl: "Where did you learn Spanish?"

Father: "I learned it from some guys at my work"

Girl: "Wow, that's awesome!"

Later on, they started teaching this girl how to count/write in Mandarin. I could barely stay focused on my lunch, watching these folks have so much fun together. It's amazing when you see the blending of races in such a friendly fashion. The girl was trying hard to make a good impression with the guy's parents, and he was trying real hard to get his parents to open up to the girl. The effort was unnecessary; the parents looked so happy knowing that their beloved son found a girl that makes him happy and can be happy with.

Memorable Quote #2

2007-01-02T01:44:00.000-06:00

"You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period."
-- Christopher Gardner, "The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006)

Wham - "Last Christmas"

2006-12-26T09:20:00.000-06:00


I'm not a Wham! fan, but "Last Christmas" is one of my favorite Christmas-time songs. The message is about moving on, keeping positive relationships alive and putting out all the ones that went sour. A little recycling is good for the soul. Happy New Year 2007!!!

Plates of ice

2006-12-03T22:27:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday will be a day I'll remember for a long time.

In the afternoon, we got freezing rain in Kansas. When I first heard the forecast I was like, well, that's just rain that's really, really cold.... Then later on I learned the truth: they call it freezing rain because IT FREEZES EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES! The ground was all iced up when I left the office. Everything was frozen--the ground, the sidewalk, my car.... It was so frozen that plates of ice formed on top of my car. And I'm not talking about snow here...this stuff was nothing but stiff plates of ice. And if you crack it with something, it's not like snow where it just flakes off. No...this stuff fragments into shards! It's like shoving broken glass off my car! I'm not embellishing here when I say it's like glass. This stuff is razor sharp. When it falls to the ground, it shatters into a dozen pieces. Remember that movie "Ghost" where the bad guy gets it in the end? That's what this frozen ice reminds me of. Scary stuff, man...scary stuff....

I'm still alive

2006-11-17T21:18:00.000-06:00

Just a quick hey y'all to let you know I'm still alive and kicking in Kansas. Work and projects have kept me busy these past two months. Mom is visiting and will spend Thanksgiving with me.

Even here, sometimes feels like California

2006-09-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I bumped my head on the coin drawer of the public washing machine. It hurt real bad, but I had no idea it was bleeding (until I looked in the mirror upon returning home).

What bothered (and still does) me is that three different men had gone in and out of the laundry room, right in front of me, and neither of them even tried to point out that I had blood coming out of a cut on my forehead. The first dude was even there when I bumped my head and said Owww out loud! So when I got home and went to the bathroom, should I have been surprised to find the 1/4 inch-wide scab?

I guess some things are going to hurt more than others....

Helping a friend move out

2006-09-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

My friend moved out of his apartment last weekend. He asked me to help him carry some of his stuff out. Most guys would have used a pickup or towing hitch to carry big things like tables and chairs. I thought I'd be a bit more creative instead--using my Scion tC.

This is a side view of my car.

Here's my friend's stuff in my trunk.

A closer look:

Amazing!!

R.I.P., Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-04T00:49:00.000-05:00

Someday, the infamous "Crocodile Hunter" would meet his match.

Steve Irwin--the "Crocodile Hunter" known for wrestling crocodiles and swimming among Great White sharks--suffered fatal puncture wounds on his chest from a stingray barb, while swimming off the Australian coast

Fun at Costco

2006-08-22T07:03:00.000-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling that everyone's trying to figure you out, at Costco or any superstore, by looking at the stuff you buy? You hope that they're going to keep quiet about it.

I was shopping at Costco last weekend, and the dude working at the end of the checkout lane (who had befriended me a week ago at the gas pump) announced rather proudly to the cashier, "Hey, my friend here is a bachelor!"

"How do you know?"

"You see this?" he asks, holding up my box of vienna sausage cans, "man, he could live off this for a year--maybe more!"

Darn. My secret is out. :-)

FYI: Moving violations

2006-08-09T23:15:00.000-05:00

Two of my teammates told me today, if you get a ticket in Kansas for a moving violation (such as speeding), you can have it converted to a non-moving violation for double the bail amount. While this is more expensive in terms of cash, it will save you from having points added onto your driving record, which means no increase in insurance premiums and more money in your pocket!

How about that? A real win-win situation!

I voted today

2006-08-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today, I voted in Kansas for the first time. Back in California, I tried to make all of the local, state, and federal elections. What's nice about voting here is having the candidates' platforms and statements available online. I didn't even receive a paper sample ballot in the mail, unlike in Cali. What threw me off here was, the order in which the candidate names are presented (say, those for governor) doesn't match the order give on the county election Web site. Unless you write down your picks and take them with you, you'll probably end up voting for the wrong person. But, at least I avoided voting for the people I DIDN'T want! :-)

Triple-digit heat wave

2006-07-18T23:23:00.000-05:00

Kansas weather update: this past week has been nothing but HOT. Since Sunday, we've had daytime highs in the 100's. The humidity, when added to this heat, is just awful. Seriously, I feel like I'm in the Philippines again. Like tonight, we walked out of the bowling alley at about 8:45 PM, into very tropical air. It might have been 86 F outside. Right now (11:26 PM) as I type, my Google Desktop weather panel is showing 71 F in Olathe, KS. Don't expect it to get any cooler anytime soon. What's interesting is, tomorrow night about 20 of my co-workers will meet up and play soccer. Unless they come with electrolyte IVs, they're going to be in serious need for a waterboy. You most likely won't see me there. :-)

Accents

2006-07-12T23:21:00.000-05:00

Thought I should clarify some of the reasons for yesterday's posting about my accent, so that my readers won't take away the wrong idea.

I'm sorry if I sounded like I was "ganging up" on the N&C guy in my last post. Truth is, I still love going to N&C. Their food is great and the employees are super-nice. I wouldn't be all MEAN or RUDE by asking for a receipt or asking to repeat the order back once. At Taco Bell they do it anyway, so that wouldn't even be necessary. And if one time they give me food from the other side of the world, it's OK. I was only trying to add a little "melodrama" to the situation. It's a blog, after all! What's wrong with a little spicy emotion every now and then?

On a larger scale, I think it's fair to say that Midwesterners have a distinct accent in the eyes of Californians. I mean, we beach-dwellers aren't accustomed to hearing "y'all" and "fi-ayne" (fine) except on TV. Similarly, I suspect Midwesterners have some adjusting to do when they don't hear those things from me. I'm all about "kewl" and "wassup dawg" and whateva yo! I love accents. Believe me, I do so much that I've been known to imitate a few accents here and there. :-)

I guess I missed that I have always had a somewhat unique listening EXTRAbility. Sometimes I take it for granted and forget that my neighbors have different abilities. Maybe they're not super-incredible listeners, but rather are stellar video-gamers, storytellers, or computer programmers!

"Be careful when you turn here! There's a lot of talent in this car...and PJ!"

In Kansas, I have an accent

2006-07-12T06:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to a local fast-food restaurant for some Indonesian noodles. I'll refer to it here as "N&C". I go to N&C frequently, and so far I've been impressed with their service. Anyway, I stepped up to the counter and asked for "Indonesian Peanut Saute." Sure thing, they put it in right away. Sat down and waited.

The guy put something into a togo bag, and handed it directly to me. Pretty good, I thought, he knew who ordered the Indonesian Saute. I trusted him and didn't check it out. Even got some chopsticks from the counter and popped it in the bag.

When I got back to the cafeteria at the office, I got the "Italian" surprise of my life. :-O I took the meal out of the bag and saw pasta noodles, grilled chicken, and melted parmesan cheese. Since when does "Indonesian Peanut Saute" sound like "Grilled Chicken Parmigiana"???? They don't even have any words in common!

I ate it anyway...but next time I pay for my meal with cash, I'd better ask for a receipt. That, or I should ask the cashier to repeat my order.

What is it with the way I talk here? Or are people distracted by my "native-Californian" accent? Maybe I should pick up a midwestern accent and see if I fare better. Cuz I'm tired of chicken parmesan for lunch.

Country Duos

2006-07-08T06:10:00.000-05:00

Country music: there's plenty of it in Kansas. I have yet to watch some concerts, but I thought I'd talk about country duos.

There's no comparison against the harmonious vocals of a well-matched country duo. Wholesome lyrics and driving rhythms go hand-in-hand with primary and secondary melodies. Some of my favorite country duos:

The Kinleys (Heather and Jennifer) known for their hits "Just Between You and Me" and "Please", were possibly the first duo to reel me into country. Watch their videos on CMT.com.

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn) are like these rocker-hillbilly characters who have taken their music to various heights. They've won numerous CMA and ACM "Best Vocal Duo" awards for their songs like "My Heart is Lost To You", "That's What She Gets", and "Red Dirt Road".

John Hanna and Jonathan McEuen (Hanna & McEuen) are newer to the pop country scene, although their vocal quality is timeless. They're the epitome of country duos, in my humble opinion. Watch their video of their first single release, "Something Like a Broken Heart".

The Wreckers (Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp) teamed up in 2004. Harp was a backup singer for Branch during her solo career, and so they took a break and decided to try their hand at country. Harp is a songwriter from Nashville with some pretty nifty lyrics, like their first hit (featured on the TV Show, One Tree Hill) titled "Leave the Pieces". It's an awesome song and is on my rewind. Check out the video!

That's it for now! See ya later.

David vs. Goliath

2006-06-15T05:52:00.000-05:00

I think we all have a tendency to look at something difficult and then walk away from it. It could be a problem that we're directly facing, or it might be something so complex that even if we were to solve our own problem, it would only be a matter of time before it re-emerges. Growing up, we always had someone with more experience to tell us which way to go. But when someone is forced to engage a difficult task and those helpful individuals are not around, the person's character is truly tested. Consider the following stereotypical conversation between an engineer and his manager.

Engineer: There's no way I can finish this in 3 weeks. I need 4.
Manager: If I extend your time-frame now, it would push everything else out.
Engineer: I just don't see how it is possible.
Manager: It's just one week. Have you challenged yourself to get it done in 3 weeks?

At this point, I believe the engineer has two good responses available to him. He either says, "No, I have not" or "I've done the calculations and they clearly indicate a minimum 4 weeks." If the engineer has not challenged himself, this is the time to do so. Otherwise, the manager should recognize the integrity of the engineer's calculations and seek viable alternatives (without firing the engineer).

All in all, I think it takes a person of character to stare a challenge in the face. Just as David slew Goliath, sometimes we have to change something about ourselves in order to achieve something important to us. If we put forth 100% effort and fail, it doesn't mean that we didn't want to succeed. Maybe we just weren't capable of it, but at least we can work on improving our skills and abilities so we'll be better prepared next time. The real tragedy is when we merely stand with our hands on our sides, shake our heads, and walk away, because it reflects how little we valued the goal in the first place.

Yet another Only In Kansas post...

2006-06-01T20:15:00.000-05:00

Was on my way to the office this morning, and in the outer left-turn lane next to me was this tractor!

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Recorded by Kenny Chesney

Plowing these fields in the hot summer sun
Over by the gate lordy here she comes
With a basket full of chicken and a big cold jug of sweet tea
I make a little room and she climbs on up
Open up a throttle and stir a little dust
Just look at her face she ain't a foolin me

She thinks my tractor's sexy
It really turns her on
She's always staring at me
While I'm chuggin along
She likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land
She's even kind of crazy 'bout my farmer's tan
She's the only one who really understands what gets me
She thinks my tractor's sexy

We ride back and forth until we run out of light
Take it to the barn put it up for the night
Climb up in the loft sit and talk with the radio on
She said she's got a dream and I asked what it is
She wants a little farm and a yard full of kids
And one more teeny weeny ride before I take her home

She thinks my tractor's sexy
It really turns her on
She's always staring at me
While I'm chuggin along
She likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land
She's even kind of crazy 'bout my farmer's tan
She's the only one who really understands what gets me
She thinks my tractor's sexy

Well she ain't into cars or pick up trucks
But if it runs like a Deere man her eyes light up

She thinks my tractor....

she thinks my tractor's sexy
it really turns her on
she's always starin' at me
while i'm chuggin' along
she likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land
she's even kinda crazy 'bout my farmer's tan
she's the only one who really understands what gets me
she thinks my tractor's sexy

She thinks my tractor's sexy
She thinks my tractor's sexy

Click the Play button below to listen to a MIDI version of "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"

"American Beauty (1999)"

2006-05-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

Last night I watched the 1999 film, "American Beauty" on DVD. Possibly one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen, but it had moments of clever humor. It won 5 Oscars, not to mention 82 other wins and 66 nominations. Perhaps the reason it was such a hit was that you could really identify with at least one character in that movie...though you may deny it initially. I posted some memorable quotes from that movie in my "Favorite Quotes" sidebar, but the movie's epilogue merited a post all on its own.

Lester Burnham: [narrating] I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday.

Chào ba, Sam (good bye)

2006-05-22T06:32:00.000-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, we held a sending-forth party for our friend, Sam, as she is about to "set sail" for California. In this picture, left to right: Brian (our gracious host), PJ, Hemant, Nick, and Sue (Nick's wife).

Brian and his wife, Meghan, have a gorgeous home! It's true that every house in Kansas has a big backyard. While I didn't want to photograph the entire backyard for concern about their neighbors' privacy, I did manage to sneak a few shots of Brian's patio. Here we see something useful in the Mid-west:

Brian and Meghan's beautification project--different classes of grass, lilies, all sorts of stuff that wouldn't fit in frame. But to give you an idea of how large this place is, look at the distance between Sue and Nick here....

Who knew that some of us were experts at mixing drinks? Sam makes this tasty cocktail called Mojito which she almost made non-stop for the rest of the night. I wanted to taste it, so I asked her to mix me a half-strength cup with plenty of ice. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Webtender.com:

Ingredients:

2-3 oz Light rum
Juice of 1 Lime (1 oz)
2 tsp Sugar
2-4 Mint sprigs
Soda water

Mixing instructions:

Lightly muddle the mint and sugar with a splash of soda water in a mixing glass until the sugar dissolves and you smell the mint. Squeeze the lime into the glass, add rum and shake with ice. Strain over cracked ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water, garnish with mint sprig and serve.

Sam almost used Bacardi rum, which would have increased the potency. Good thing she went light this time...otherwise I probably would have passed it over. I did not get drunk or get buzzed. I was fine the whole night.

Anyhoo, this is the Mojito in its final form, served in a red plastic cup.

Hemant is a mixed drink aficionado as well! Last night he made a shot called the Manchurian Candidate. I was not brave enough to attempt this one. I set a limit of one drink, and so I waited for the mojito. This is the recipe for the Manchurian Candidate:

Ingredients:

1 shot Vodka
1 dash Soy sauce

Mixing instructions:

First pour vodka, then soy sauce, into the shot glass.

Here's a shot of me sneaking a slice of a rich chocolate brownie (10,000 Calories!):

One of the benefits of having a hi-fi stereo system is that your 70's disco music can be heard from outside. This one track had most of us dancing. Here I'm paying homage (brownie in hand) to Brian, "the dancing god"

Random photo of me taking stabs at the brownie:

It was about 10:00 PM when we went back inside. The others thought it would be fun to turn all the lights off and tell ghost stories, just like when we were kids. I came up with the idea of doing a round-robin story telling, where the story starts with one person and builds as it goes around the group. I kid you not: our first story started as follows,

PJ: "OK, so this one time,"

Hemant: "at band camp..."

We went around for about 15 minutes, turned on the lights, then sat on the kitchen floor and just talked.

Sam took off shortly thereafter, and then Hemant and I left at about 11:30 PM. Poor Brian and Meghan! Sorry for keeping you guys up!

That's the end. It's Monday morning, back to work!

Chào ba, Sam. Good luck out there in California.

Pablo Francisco at the Improv

2006-05-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!

Another romp with the IBMers last weekend. Been so busy that it's only now that I found time to blog.

I drove Hemant and Samantha to the Zona Rosa in Kansas City, MO. There was this awesome Indian restaurant that served more authentic Indian dishes (at least to me). Chicken vindaloo is definitely worth a first try, not for those with a sensitive tongue. Good thing no one was vegetarian.

Then we went to the improv at the Majestic Theatres, where we met up with Larissa, one of our new summer interns, and her boyfriend. This next shot was taken right after the show.

S, L, and L's boyfriend wanted to take some pictures with Pablo, to show off to their friends and family back home.

Everyone had a blast. We got a real kick out of the openers, Darryl Rhoades and the other guy (will edit in his name later) too.

For my complete KC Majestic Theatres Comedy Club album, click here:
http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/pauljohnto/KC%20Improv/

I'm hungry again. Time for a cold treat. Leave comments for me! :-)

While I enjoy some food, check out these video clips of Pablo Francisco.

Appearance on the Tonight Show

On Mexican Music

Brothas write songs

And his feature set:

Little Tortilla Boy

As the story goes

2006-05-12T23:32:00.000-05:00

Jor-El was born on the planet Krypton, many parsecs from our own solar system. Before Krypton was destroyed, Jor-El's parents laid him inside a space capsule and launched it into the far reaches of space...hoping that it would escape the planet's fiery death.

This baby was discovered in a crater, in the town of Smallville, Kansas, by Jonathan Kent. He and his wife took the child into their home and raised him as their own. They named him Clark.

The Kents were amazed by this boy's superhuman strength. As he got older and became more intelligent and mature, they told him the story of his arrival on Earth. And he began living his life as a protector of justice and destroyer of evildoers.

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		80%
Spider-Man		70%
Green Lantern		65%
The Flash		60%
Hulk		60%
Robin		58%
Supergirl		58%
Batman		45%
Iron Man		45%
Wonder Woman		28%
Catwoman		25%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Going from LA to Kansas

2006-05-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

People have asked me how far it is from California to Kansas. Here's a handy table for ya!

Driving distance: 1636 miles (MapQuest)

Mode of transit	Duration	Route	Cost	Fare
Driving	23 hr 38 min	Scenic route	It depends	One-way
Train	34 hr 41 min	Amtrak - Southwest Chief line (check availability)	$199	One-way
Air	3 hours	Non-stop via Midwest Airlines	$200-250	One-way

God Only Cries/Cinco de Mayo

2006-05-05T23:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

On Cinco de Mayo, we commemorate the battle at Pueblo that took place in 1862, where the Mexicans defeated the French occupation. It's not really the same as Mexico's Independence Day. Today, I heard so many new France jokes, just because it was Cinco de Mayo.

Today, my buddy Hemant and I went to a Mexican restaurant after work. It was called La Cocina del Puerco (the Pig's Kitchen) and featured a live band. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the wait was 1.5 hours. We were so hungry that we left and went to Cinzetti's. This restaurant is probably one of the most innovative I've seen. I ordered a sangria which is a mix of red wine, orange juice, and sugar. I put links to La Puerca and Cinzetti's. Here they are again:

http://www.lacocinadelpuerco.com/

http://www.cinzzettis.com/

I've been hearing this song a lot lately and thought of sharing it with you. It's Diamond Rio's latest single, "God Only Cries" that was just released in 2006.

On an icy road one night
A young man loses his life
They marked the shoulder with a cross
An' his family gathers round
On a piece of Hallowed ground
Their hearts are heavy with their loss
As the tears fall from their eyes
There's one who'll always sympathise.

God only cries for the living
'Cause it's the living that are left to carry on
An' all the angels up in Heaven
They're not grieving because they're gone
There's a smile on their faces
'Cause they're in a better place than, mmm, baby, than, oh
God only cries for the living
'Cause it's the living that are so far from home.

It still makes me sad
When I think of my Grand-dad
I miss him each and every day
But I know the time will come
When my own gradnson
Wonders why I went away
Maybe we're not meant to understand
Till we meet up in the Promised Land.

God only cries for the living
'Cause it's the living that are left to carry on
And all the angels up in Heaven
They're not grieving because they're gone
There's a smile on their faces
'Cause they're in a better place than, oh, baby, than oh
God only cries for the living
'Cause it's the living that are so far from home
Yeah, we're so far from home, Mmmm, Mmmm

My First Beer

2006-05-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Just a taste of Guinness. It's nasty! I dumped it out.

A tour of "my" apartment

2006-05-02T07:04:00.000-05:00

Would you like to see what my apartment looks like?

(Are you having trouble with the tour? Click here.

*This isn't really my apartment. It's only a virtual tour of the floor plan.

Duckie Family at Work

2006-04-28T00:07:00.000-05:00

Was walking to my car at about 7:00 PM when I was greeted by this local family:

Image courtesy of my Motorola e815

Does anyone know why pictures from my phone are so washed out?

About "K-life"

2006-04-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

I wrote this to my friend, Christine, the other night.

K-life...oh, where do I begin?

Kansans are family-oriented. People--especially young'ns--are often seen with their whole families. Either they go with family members or a group of peers.

Our daily schedules are pretty laid back. Many leave for work at 7:30 and arrive before 8:30. Unless you commute to the metro areas such as Kansas City or Grandview (Missouri) your one-way commute usually takes no more than 1/2 hour. My commute, btw, is about 6 minutes, or 1-1/2 tracks on a CD. Traffic jams/accidents are rare...evident by the morning traffic reports that consist of

"And now here's Paul Cramer with traffic."

"The roads are clear, traffic flowing at 70, green lights all the way. Back to you, Jerry."

Evening commutes typically mirror the morning commute. Most families are used to home-cooked meals, but with both full-time mom & dad families on the rise, people are turning to local fast-food joints for quick dinners.

Weekends typically consist of either watching sports on cable, shopping at the local malls/groceries, watching movies, fishing, or biking. Families attend church services every Sunday. What's so different is that people here go to church as a family unit, unlike in Cali where people either go individually or not at all.

"Waiting in line" in Kansas typically means there are 3 people in front of you. Any lines extending beyond the counter or having bends are considered "marathon" lines. The exceptions lie at the government offices, which are not that well-organized.

You'll find McDonald's, a pharmacy, or Wal-Mart/Target/Big!Lots on every street corner. People here care about their money. Speaking of money, everything here costs the same as in Cali, except housing. You'll find new homes here, selling for $300,000, that in Cali start at $750,000. No bull!

Finally, people here tend to be somewhat lazy. Parking is usually found right in front of where you want to go--work, school, store, bank, etc. Most people will drive to where they want to go...even if it's just to the video store around the corner.

Registering my car with the Kansas DMV

2006-04-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day for me to register my new car with the Kansas DMV. They have quite an interesting set up over there.

The waiting area is made up of a combination of chairs and old church pews. I was shocked at first, but I remembered that we're in Kansas! Only here in the middle of the Bible Belt will you find church pews in a DMV.

I like their system of helping customers. Since this office is only for titles and vehicle renewals, each customer is supposed to bring certain kinds of documents. Here's how it works. First, you go to the ticket machine and press the button corresponding to why you're there. (I pressed Title.) Next, you're called up to Window #1 where all they do is check your documentation. If your stuff is incomplete, you'll be forced to come back when you have it all. Otherwise, you hold onto your number and wait to be called again to another window. All in all, I waited about 5 minutes for the first window and 20 minutes for the second. I was out of there in less than 1 hour.

You won't see any of these in a California DMV!

Tomorrow, I'll apply my new tag, making me a bona-fide Kansas driver! :D

California, Here I Come!

2006-04-17T10:44:00.000-05:00

California here I come,
Right back where I started from,
Where bowers and flowers bloom in the sun,
Each morning at dawning birdies sing and everything.
A sun kissed miss said "Don't be late."
Thats why I can hardly wait,
So open up those Golden gate California here I COME!

I'm off to orientation!!

Update

Here are some pictures of the hotel. I don't think they would have allowed us to take pictures inside the classroom. It was an unusually beautiful week in San Jose!

NSTA Conference - Anaheim, CA

2006-04-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

April 8, 2006

I was invited by some folks at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to be the featured speaker at the Science Education for Students with Disabilities (SESD) session, at their 2006 national conference, in Anaheim, California. The theme of my talk was Living with Tourette Syndrome in an Educational Atmosphere. Mom took pictures using my cell phone camera. Here's a shot of me at the lectern, getting started.

I couldn't believe how many of these distinguished educators approached me after my talk and said so many nice things! My talk actually sparked some curiosity in these fine teachers. Many approached me with questions on how to help their Tourette Syndrome kids. What an honor to be regarded as an "authority" figure regarding Tourette's in the classroom! If you want to know what questions were asked, click this download link. (Download - ppt)

One gentleman, Saul, teaches science to Grade 9-12 at a school for disabled Orthodox Jewish students. He told me so many inspiring stories about his students. I mean, this guy has two students that not only have Tourette Syndrome but are also deaf! He had this other student with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Most awesome part was this kid's will to live. If you haven't heard about Duchenne, it's the most severe form of Muscular Dystrophy that causes severe neuronal degeneration (in other words, your body eats your nervous system alive). Most Duchenne patients don't even make it to their teen years. The fact that this student is already thinking about college is nothing short of a miracle.

If anything, this was a gentle reminder that the personal impact of my own disability is a cakewalk, compared to so many other students. And yet, it's inspiring to see them succeed. If only everyone would recognize that....

Laureen Summers is a co-coordinator of the NSTA ENTRY POINT! program for students with disabilities majoring in science disciplines. This was our first face-to-face meeting. In spite of her own disability, she is nonetheless wonderful, funny, and intelligent.

After my early morning session, I used my conference pass to check out the exhibits at the Anaheim Convention Center. So many great things for teachers! So many teachers checking out those great things! These teachers are so lucky that their districts send them to these conferences. A must-see for all teachers K-12.

Oops! I was giving someone the OK to cross while Mom adjusted the camera. Haha, I guess she was ahead of me on that one! So we tried another pose.

It was truly a wonderful experience!

Quickie update

2006-04-01T00:21:00.000-06:00

AAA has some awesome rates on renter's insurance and auto insurance. Now my apartment possessions and new car are insured! Time to hold a party!

I'm also a licensed Kansas driver! It means that my California license is no longer valid...but CA allows me to drive with a KS license for up to 10 days. No biggie there.

Found out today that, in Kansas, the Department of Motor Vehicles is separate from the License Bureau! Means I went to the wrong office initially. Doh!

Little update

2006-03-29T21:20:00.000-06:00

Finally bought a new TV. I got a 20" TV with flat picture tube, from Best Buy. Only cost $179, and the picture is sweeeet! Watched CSI and Bloodsport...never enjoyed it this much. And whenever I turn it on or off, it plays a funky sound. Anyway, check it out here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7035816&type=product&id=1099395890100

Still need an entertainment center and small computer desk. Will work on that tomorrow...unless it rains cats and dogs. :-)

No new pictures today...but stay tuned!

Pictures of the Olathe area

2006-03-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

Hi again! PJ's back with a host of new pictures.

Some people have asked me whether Kansas has freeways, traffic signals, paved roads, and stuff like that. Hopefully I can now show you that we have all those things...and more!

This is my apartment from my carport's point of view, #1117.

Oh! This is so funny. People in our community love to walk their dogs, but I guess there used to be a problem with owners not picking up after the dog does its deed by the fire hydrants, bushes, stop signs, etc. The city enacted some ordinance requiring dog-walkers to clean up after their pets, or else they'd be fined $25-$250! To make life easier for the community (when has a city ever done that??) they've put up dog poop waste cans in "convenient" places. Take a look....

A view of the street just outside my apartment building. Looks almost as nice as the views from outside my former apartment in Lenexa. Today was somewhat overcast, which limited the amount of sunlight in these pictures...but notice how blue the skies are!

OK, for the non-believers: Kansas has business areas like all the other metropolitan areas. This one is from Overland Park, on College Blvd and Highway 69.

And yes, Kansas has multi-level freeways. Here's an on-ramp to Highway 69.

A bowling alley....

Bank of America, where I just opened a checking account!

Who still thinks Kansas doesn't have paved roads and coordinated traffic signals?? Check this out:

Blockbuster...around the corner!! Still expensive to rent, tho ($4.65 for 2-day new releases, $4.25 for 1-week for everything else).

Here's a food/shopping strip mall across 119th Street from my apartment community. Granite Store is opening soon, and if you look very closely, you'll see Marshall's in full swing. (Click the image for a larger picture)

Black Bob Road, 1 hour before the 5 PM rush. Some of the streets here have interesting names involving colors: Black Bob, Blackfoot, Blue Jacket....

Another view of the Blockbuster store, with my car parked just left of center.

Bally's Total Fitness...get fit! :)

Faraway shot of an Old Navy.

A BIG Borders Bookstore in the back. The place in the foreground, in front of the parked red car, is an Olive Garden. IBMers eat there all the time!

I guess Kansas isn't too bad, right?

It's 2006...and I'm ba-ack!!

2006-03-27T07:21:00.000-06:00

Hello, Kansas! Did you miss me? :)

I'm here in my new apartment, a wee bit smaller than my last one. Furniture is finally here...but why does this place have 9 doors??? Seriously, I only have 6 rooms, so what's up with all the doors? Check this out:

1. Door to the outside
2. Coat closet
3. Water heater room door
4. Bathroom from living room
5. Bathroom from bedroom (two bathroom doors!!)
6. Laundry/mini-storage area from bathroom
7. Bedroom from living room
8. Door to patio
9. Bedroom to walk-in closet

For rooms, I just have living room, bathroom, bedroom, small dining, kitchen, and laundry/mini-storage.

Yup, I'm back for another round. Oh boy, and have I got some stories for you! Keep your eyes on this blog, folks.

CS alum mini-reunion

2006-03-22T20:56:00.000-06:00

Thank you, again, to y'all who made it to the dinner. Even though only 5
of us ended up there, we had the rest of you in mind (as in, since
so-and-so isn't here to defend him-/herself, do you remember when
he/she...).

I got there about 20 minutes early (for good parking). The entire group was there by about 7:30, due to the heavy rain and being St. Patrick's Day. The live jazz band was awesome!

While me and one of the guys were doing the whatever-happened-to so-and-so bit, it turned out that a plot was in the works. One of the ladies went up to the guitarist and told him something. She told me that she said that the music was awesome and stuff. Next thing I knew, Yen-Yen totally flipped the subject and asked
about how I got around in Kansas. (For those of you keeping score: yes, we have freeways and paved roads.) So now the band leader starts talking,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight we want to give a shout-out to PJ, who's
starting a new job....and so here's a song just for you."

I was like, "That was good, Guys, really good...."

We talked for what seemed like only an hour. Little did we know that it
was already 10:00! We got the check...but something was totally wrong.
How could we have had 5 dishes, 2 appetizers, and 2 drinks for just
$28?? We sat there analyzing their "algorithm" for a while. I think the
take-home portion was worth about $28 itself. ;-)

We took some pictures of the group--some candid, some posed.

We finally dispersed at about 10:30, since some of us were thinking
about how the band's soulful tunes and our big ($28) meal were going to
hit us during the one-hour drive home.

First time at Fry's Electronics

2006-03-15T11:16:00.000-06:00

I understand why my uncle loves going to Fry's Electronics (and why my cousin absolutely hates them).

I found a deal for CD labeling kits on their Web site, so I thought I'd pay them a visit. The store is enormous! They even have their own street and in-store cafe! I guess you'd need the cafe; you can work up an appetite playing in there.

First thing I asked myself, are the label kits in CDs, Computers, or Paper? Took me 5 minutes to find them...between Paper and Computers. :-P Worse, they weren't where the shelf label said they were, but on the next shelf over.

(Moral #1: don't ever try to find stuff on your own at Fry's)

OK, onto the replacement USB cable for my iriver music player. USB accessories, Audio, MP3 accessories, or Computers? The lady in Audio pointed me to computers, the guy in Computers directed me to audio, and the guy in audio pointed me to MP3 accessories. Needless to say, the dude in MP3 said Fry's didn't have the part. :(

While I was in Audio, I saw an FM transmitter and thought, hey, my new car probably won't have a tape player or MP3 port, so I'll need this to play my MP3s! I picked one up for $24.99.

(Moral #2: Fry's knows how to lure even less-compulsive buyers.)

Customers are pretty friendly too. This customer in computers was asking an associate if Fry's had PCMCIA to USB adapters. The Fry-guy didn't know what that was, and having just passed something that looked like it, I pointed out to the customer what I thought he wanted. It wasn't exactly it, but after talking to him all I could say was that those parts were hot like 8 years ago. Then in cables, another dude asked me about connecting his flat-panel TV to his computer. Hey, if I don't make it as a programmer, maybe I can ask Fry's for a job!

(Moral #3: don't undermine customers' willingness to ask other customers for help)

Finally, I went in line to check out. Now Fry's has one of those queues with all sorts of goodies. It was almost dinner time and those Pepperidge Farm cookies looked SOOOO GOOOD! I resisted and walked on, but then NESTLE CRUNCH WITH CARAMEL!! awwwww......

No! Must resist!

TGI Friday's Spicy Potato Strips....

No-oo-ooo-oo!

I'm not a compulsive buyer...but dang it, Fry's! You're going to make me max out my credit cards if I keep on coming back.

Fry's is the DEVIL!! ;)

13401 Crossroads Parkway North
City of Industry, CA 91746
(562) 463-2400

From the 60 Freeway, exit Crossroads Parkway, about 1/2 mile east of the 605.

Sheesh.

Philippines, 2006

2006-02-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

January 31-February 14, 2006

I was invited to the wedding of my cousin to his beautiful wife in the Philippines. They invited me to be a part of their wedding entourage, and since I hadn't seen these guys in almost 9 years, this was going to be a great opportunity. This is my photo blog of my two-week journey.

Work, work, work...

Crunch time for my thesis, so I took my laptop and work with me. I guess I got pretty mad whenever Word gave me formatting headaches.

The Wedding

You might say my cousin had a Hollywood wedding--minus the celebrities. Here are photos from the reception. You'll see me sitting at table with one uncle that resides in the Philippines. In the other photo, I'm making a feeble attempt at dancing.

The Reunion & Our Birthdays

We gathered all of Mom's brothers and sisters, their children, and their grandchildren, for a big reunion. We also celebrated several birthdays: two uncles, a cousin, and me.

The "Trip Around Jerusalem" (a.k.a. musical chairs)

Intramuros

Our trip included a tour of Intramuros. This is the historic site where much confrontation between Filipinos and the Spanish occupation took place. Here I'm standing next to a present-day guard (note the sidearm) dressed in a vintage uniform.

We hopped into a "calesa" or horse-drawn cart and explored Intramuros.

We made a stop at the alma mater of my mother and uncle, the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT).

We then went to the Jose Rizal memorial in which I learned about this great Filipino man. His spirit lives in the heart of every Filipino. Someday I'd like to write an essay about him. This picture shows me standing next to a glass case. The case contains the lamp in which Rizal hid a letter to his family while he was in prison, awaiting execution.

Here we are, outside the museum by some native fruit trees.

Buting, Pasig

I stayed at the home of my aunt and uncle. There I met Frankie, their very cute live-in. Here are some shots of the two of us.

This picture was taken the night before my other uncle (center) went back to the U.S.

Tagaytay

Went to a country club where my uncle and aunt are members. One of our favorite pasttimes there is bowling. As you can see here, I'm not too good....

We had lunch at the club's fancy restaurant

From Tagaytay, we made a pit stop at a sidewalk cafe overlooking the Taal Volcano. This one cafe served a pretty good halo-halo. What I craved was something a little more "bottled up"

Makati

Makati is the center of "fun" in Metro Manila. Here I was at a Brother's Burgers restaurant. These guys are a newly established burger joint that specializes in juicy flame-broiled burgers. That night I had a double Brother Burger (2 1/3-lb. beef patties), chili-cheese fries with jalapenos, and a Coke.

Snow, Day 2

2005-12-08T20:55:00.000-06:00

Finally had a chance to take snow pictures. First, my car

The nice thing about my job is flexibility. I can work in the office, or I can connect from home. And asyou can see, my car built up so much snow because I didn't drive to work. Here's a picture with the car parked next to mine.

It only snowed 2 days, and I havent' freaked out this much in a long time. Why? First, not being able to go out without driving in 6 inches of snow, which is pretty dangerous considering my co-worker's car did a 360 and drifted to the side of the road this morning. Second, I was beginning to run out of food. In fact, the only meals I have at home consist of one tray of lasagna, one frozen grilled fish filet, ice cream, one cup of instant noodles, and a few small cans of vienna sausages. Thank God the snow ends tonight; I almost had to decide between starving and braving the elements. And speaking of the elements.....here's another picture.

Next time, I need to be better prepared.

Let it snow!

2005-12-07T14:55:00.000-06:00

It's snowing, our first snow shower of the year. :) They anticipate 6 inches by tonight, and I'm beginning to think they're right. Good thing I worked from home today....

Today's Accuweather.com(R) forecast: snow and clouds, high 14 F (RealFeel 2 F), low 8 F (feels like 3 F) Currently snowing, 10 F (feels like -11!!!)

Why does it feel colder in the day than it does at night?

Excuse me while I move everything in my refrigerator and freezer outside....

(Picture from my apartment window to follow)

Christmas in the Sky

2005-11-24T09:08:00.000-06:00

Saw a fun Christmas show last night. Performances by local schools, hosted by radio station KUDL. It was SOOO cold and people were carrying styrofoam cups that I thought had hot cocoa. Turns out the Salvation Army was selling chili and chicken noodle soup for $4. It was for charity...but they didn't have my cocoa. So there. The "natives" were so happy because "this feels like Bermuda compared to last year!" Bermuda!? I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore...because I was in Missouri. :-)

So yeah...we waited in line to use the porta-potties (just 4 of them). If you're ever in line for the porta-potty, start singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and I guarantee people will start laughing.

KUDL thought it would be cute to put stickers on the porta-potty doors that said "Johnny on the Spot." This 6-year-old boy behind us in line thought it should read "Johnny on the Pot." I couldn't agree less.

I got sick

2005-11-22T22:46:00.000-06:00

Weather was extremely cold last week--even got some snow on me! I came down with this cold that's annoying me to death. Still haven't shaken the sore throat, I still sound like Kermit D. Frog.

Curry Western

2005-10-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

Wanted to tell you about a movie I watched recently. It's a 1975 cowboy-western film from India (hence a"curry Western") called "Sholay" (IMdb link). It was my first Indian movie, and by far it was one of the more exciting ones as well. One of my Hindi buddies from work was there with us and translated parts that didn't have English subtitles. These "masala" (mixed theme) movies are interesting not only because of how well the themes blend together, but also the song and dance routines that you'll find. This 3.5-hour bad boy had 7 or 8 song and dance scenes, including one where the girl had to dance and sing continuously in order to keep her lover alive from these bandits.

Speaking of bandits, this movie had the worst bad guy I've ever seen in film--be it English, Filipino, Spanish, or Hindi. He was called Gabbar Singh. In this story, Gabbar did horrible things to everyone around him. Ask any Hindi alive in the 70's to tell you about Gabbar Singh. You'll get quite a story. If anything, you'll get a puzzled look from a guy with no idea how you know that name. :-)

My new MP3 player

It's the awesome iRiver H10 with 20 GB of storage. I love it because it sounds good and lets me transfer songs from my computer to it easily. I've loaded about 500 songs onto it. This device also lets you transfer and view playlists, photos, and text files. I just wish they had provided earbuds that fit my ears...but then again, maybe I have weirdly-shaped ears. :-)

Am I blogging too little? Tell me what else you think I should be talking about.

Off to bed I go! Another exciting week lies ahead!

Happy Halloween!!

Good times

2005-10-16T22:59:00.000-05:00

Working hard for the Big Blue Man! I've been put on two new projects and enjoy them tremendously. I feel like I'm helping enhance our product much more directly than before, and hopefully IBM will be impressed enough to hire me as a regular employee!

Learn more about the software our team supports:
Enterprise Generation Language (EGL), a core component of Rational Application Developer (RAD)

People have asked if I would consider moving to Kansas on a longer-term basis. Truthfully, I wouldn't even hesitate. I've really grown fond of living here. The peaceful atmosphere, ample breathing room, and the overall simplicity of life make my experience so wonderful. I have everything necessary to live, work, and play. Of course, I continue to miss my family and friends back in Los Angeles, and I sometimes wish they would move out here closer to me. You guys don't know what you're missing!

OK, time for bed. I want to get some much needed rest after working many long nights on my Master's thesis project.

Next time, I'll tell you about my new MP3 player, the iRiver H10 20GB.

Peace and love! ;-)

Three more months

2005-09-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

My manager last Thursday offered to extend my internship for three more months. That means I'll be staying in Kansas until Christmas! I will be back in LA 9/10-9/17. I'm looking forward to seeing my mom, relatives, friends, and the folks at church again.

While I think constantly about going home, I still miss the guys at work that have already left. Although only 7 of the original 13 interns are with us today, the permanent F/T guys have been filling in the gaps.

On tennis: I've been following the matches of the U.S. Open, especially those of a new contender from India. Her name is Sania Mirza, and she's been playing superb! She made it all the way to the fourth round and now faces #1 Maria Sharapova. To be quite honest, Sharapova has her work cut out for her. Mirza has endured some long, tough matches, keeping up the intensity until match point. Check out the U.S. Open Web site and the real-time scoreboard--powered by IBM, of course. www.usopen.org.

I will post some new pictures this weekend. Keep your eyes open for a link.

Time to get ready to go out.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Thank you, Alexei

2005-08-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

The end of the first week without my co-op teammate...so melodramatic whenever I pass by his empty cubicle. His name is Alexei Samoylov, and he's the second guy from the left. Looking forward to meeting you again, buddy!

Fishing and boating

2005-08-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

Finally got my feet wet in Kansas. I went out on a canoe with my buddy, Alexei. Our other friends, Sam and Lids, went out in another canoe. The scariest part, by far, was getting into the boat. Once I was on the water, though, it was actually quite easy-going. Hemant was taking the pictures from the pier. See the pictures by clicking on this link.

Again, no fish for me, and only a few for the others. Next week will pull out all the stops. It will be Alexei's last fishing weekend with us.

LAN Party

2005-07-26T22:45:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, I went to my first LAN party. Truly awesome...and I stayed over two nights instead of one! (Big mistake, I'm so so so so tired......)

So I'll make this a short one so I can sleep. Click this link or on the title of this entry, to look at the pictures I took. There are more pictures out there from my buddies' cameras, so hopefully I can put up links to them as well.

Fishing weekend, life @ work

2005-07-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

I went fishing last weekend. What a roller-coaster ride! Turned out that the park we intended to fish at, Shawnee Mission Park (link), was CLOSED for the entire morning because of a triathalon! The 7 of us had to drive to Hillsdale Lake (link, pictures) which was about 30 miles away, and it cost us another 1.5 hours because it was so huge! It got so late...and we didn't catch anything. :-( Oh well, better luck this Sunday at Shawnee Mission, we hope!

At IBM, I'm working on this new project--only this time, most of my teammates are managers and software architects! Man, it feels weird to suddently be playing with the "big boys." But I guess it should feel pretty good to work around "powerful" people, right? Maybe I'll pick up a few new tricks of the trade. In any case, I might have to help out with a demonstration tomorrow. How fun.

Ciao!

PJ :-)

Hello

2005-07-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Settling down...that's what it's all about.

Got assigned to a new project at work. Surprised to see my name entered on an official IBM project timeline. No pressure, right? :-) Then I looked at how they listed the "predecessor" tasks, and lookie-lookie: my task sets the precedent for the majority of the entire project. Being important can be such a thrill! WOO!

What do you guys think of the terrorism in London? One of the people riding on a train at the time is my co-worker's cousin. This cousin called my co-worker and said she was perfectly all right. She is stranded at her office in London, until safe to resume international travel. Talk about hitting close to home!

Going fishing on Sunday morning. Lots of fishing holes in Kansas? You bet! My fellow IBMers and I are heading to Shawnee Mission Lake, about 8 miles north of our office. This link (here) will take you to an informative Web site.

Cheers!

BBQ-powered Saturday

2005-06-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

Today I went with a bunch of my co-workers from IBM to Day 2 of the Great Kansas BBQ Championships in Lenexa! The weather was super hot! Man, it's good we found shade. We sampled awesome barbecue chicken, pork, beef, and sausage. People here like it spicy.

It's true that people here have a great sense of humor. One guy was showing off his BBQ sauce called "R-M-T" which stands for "Rub Me Tender." And there was a picture of Elvis on the label. :-) Plus, some of the banners had some really "strange" messages on them.

I. B. M. - I Burnt Mine

3 Guys with Wood

Butt Rubbers

Others were just plain sick, as you see here....

We rub our meats until they smoke
(I thought this was a family event???)

Nobody beats our meats better than we do

Master Basters: We rub our own meat

I never knew I'd have this much fun at a food festival. Without my friends there, I would have been bored out of my mind. We hung around--and I finally took pictures! WOOHOO! I'll upload them tomorrow morning when my camera batteries recharge.

Does anyone have a Kodak digital camera? Is my camera the only one that sucks life out of the batteries like the stomach flu?

We left at 3:30 to rest at our apartments, then we shot pool at the local AMF Lanes bowling center. It was great fun for all--experienced and newbie. I think they went to the movies afterward, but I called it a night. Too hungry. Hey, BBQ is filling, but it doesn't last forever. At least I wish it did. :-)

Tomorrow is laundry and church. Big change of pace compared to today's excitement.

Mood: Good

20 hours until the Lenexa BBQ Championships

2005-06-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

At last! I'm going to the infamous Great Lenexa Barbecue (Web site). Charcoal, or wood chips? Woohoo!

Work is great. I'm actually working on some QA stuff right now. Not a lot of code development for me at the moment, but that's all right. I'm an IBM team player. Yeah baby!

I went to lunch with some of the interns and recently hired at Thai Place. Sam (our fearless leader) said that it was the best Thai restaurant around. They serve authentic Thai cuisine, which is awesome. If I should ever come back here after I leave, that restaurant will be one of the first places I visit.

The last intern started today. He comes from UCI, and it's his third year as an intern. He's working on his PhD in computer science. My boss is his boss from last year, and we joked about how she gave me his old cubicle. I displaced the poor guy. No complaints from either end.

I've really grown accustomed to my work. We stop by each other's cubes while we wait for our programs to compile and stuff. Even though we always have smiles on our faces and occasionally have a laugh, we are still committed to putting in our 8 hours of work. We'll stay until 6-6:30 PM just to wrap up our stuff. I look forward to going to work every morning.

Soon to come: a picture of me wearing my IBM badge. :-D

I hate potato soup

2005-06-13T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today wasn't as good a day as the ones before.

At lunch, I poured potato soup on my chicken fried steak. I asked the lunch lady why it wasn't labeled, and she pointed out the tag...which was next to the wrong tray.

After the lady let me try again with a clean plate, I got a bowl for potato soup. Ooh, but I spilled some of it on my hand. Dang! It was burning hot! I guess the lunch lady felt sorry for me and helped me wipe the mess off the counter.

A lady in the row behind my cubicle has this annoying cell phone ring tone that sounds like "Now or Never." The guys in my row already told her to change it, complaining that "The guys here are already singing it whenever it goes off!" Thank you!

OK, now I'm going home. I figured, hey, why not stop by the bank on Pflumm Rd. to deposit last week's paycheck? So here I go...looking...and looking....hmm, where's the bank? I pull into a pizza restaurant and asked a guy if he knew where Wells Fargo was. He's like, "Sorry man, I'm sure there isn't a Wells Fargo Bank on this street, and I've been living here for 20 years." DRAT!

Isn't anything going right today? I get to my apartment and turn on my ceiling fan...PLOP! Aw man, that stupid chain came off....

OK, I'm going to watch wrestling. See y'all later.

Mood: in need of entertainment

Flexi-Friday

2005-06-10T22:11:00.000-05:00

Awesome day today! The boss was really impressed by my work, which she forwarded to some other managers. Not bad for a guy that's only been on the job for two weeks! :-)

The site manager started a thing this week called "Flexi-Friday." Basically, our direct supervisors can let us leave early on Fridays (like at noon) and make up the time on the weekend or the following week. I love working for IBM! These are some of the coolest people I've ever worked with.

Either that, or they're going easy on me because I'm starting out....

Keep your eyes on the storm activity here in Kansas. Click on this link to take you to the Kansas doppler Web page.
http://www.reflector.com/weather/content/shared/weather/kansas_doppler.html

PJ

Tornado, Tornado!

2005-06-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Wow! Second tornado watch since I arrived. Looks like the 4th of July, when you look outside.

Ahh...life.

Speaking of life, here are some Web sites you can visit to learn more about my surroundings. Click on each link to go to the respective site.

Lenexa

The Kansas City Star

Visit KC

Experience Kansas City

Uh-oh...better publish before electricity goes out!

IBM Rally Songs

2005-06-06T19:53:00.000-05:00

The staff at work said that the interns had to perform one of these hymns during their performance evaluations. Then they said it was only a joke, but the songs themselves are real. If you click on the "Hear a..." links, you'll be taken to a recording on the Web.

Enjoy!

IBM music clips

·	"Ever Onward" (IBM rally song)
		Hear a rousing rendition (1,499KB)
		Words & music

·	"Hail To The IBM" (IBM anthem)
		Hear a performance (2,617KB)
		Background and words

·	"IBM One Hundred Percent Club"
		Hear a performance (1,227KB)
		Words

·	"March On With IBM"
		Hear a performance (3,298KB)
		Words

Weekend

2005-06-04T22:35:00.000-05:00

Heavy rains tonight and last night. Lucky I had the chance to do laundry this afternoon while it was dry.

I bought a wireless networking kit in L.A. for my apartment. I wanted to have a more "spiritual" experience here in Kansas, so I gave my router an appropriate name:

My co-workers have been asking about where I went to school. No one seemed to know Cal Poly Pomona. At least some heads turned after I told them that "GATTACA" was filmed there.

BTW, I got my first assignment at IBM yesterday. I'm real excited about it.

For you programmers out there: we develop exclusively on Eclipse.

Currently watching: Saturday Night Live.

Starting work

2005-06-01T23:21:00.000-05:00

Made my first-day runs yesterday...meet manager, project team, other people, and find cubicle. Interesting thing: I got pulled into a teleconference between the team and a customer. Lasted about 2.5 hours, but very informative. All the while I wondered, what part of this are they going to have me work on?

Today we had an office picnic. Nice turnout of about 60 people. The 12 co-ops/interns introduced themselves. Volleyball seemed to be the favorite sport. A lot of the staff (interns and permanent emps) are pretty good. They were still going at it when I left at 6 PM.

Had a bad headache this evening. Slept it off until 10:30 PM. Now I have to go back to sleep for my 9 AM orientation in the morning. :-P

Listening to: "Spoiled" by Joss Stone

Memorial Sunday, new pix

2005-05-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

I slept pretty much the whole day. I watched two French Open matches...good play all around. Went to Sunday evening Mass at Holy Trinity Parish. What a spectacle! Church is huge, their bulletin has like a million pages, their youth choir is awesome, their Communion Ministers are all teenagers, and they have a plasma TV in the center, behind the Altar. The words to the hymns are flashed on the screen, which kind of resembles a PowerPoint presentation. Nothing short of marvelous!

Have you looked at my online photo album yet? It has almost 100 pictures, 7 of which I just uploaded 10 minutes ago. You can now see pictures of my ride and the neighborhood. Click or type in this link. The newer pics are near the end of the album (I think).

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEtWbNy3cOSA&notag=1

In case I don't get to write tomorrow, Happy Memorial Day!!!

Jerry Springer's guests

2005-05-26T23:17:00.000-05:00

Finally moved into the apartment and got cable and Internet working. SCORE!!! :-)

Now I know where Jerry Springer gets all his guests. Some pregnant young girl (16 or 17 years old) was walking in front of this much older guy (30s) at our motel. They looked like they knew each other. I bet he's cheating on his wife with this girl. Am I crazy, or do I watch too many talk shows?

Now to answer my backlog of E-mail....

Now watching: Without a Trace

Old town Lenexa

2005-05-25T22:30:00.000-05:00

Currently Watching: American Idol Season 4 Finals

Another early day, woke up at 6:30 AM (that's 4:30 AM for you L.A. folks) to pick up the rental car. I got an '05 Chevy Cobalt. It felt weird at first...and it still feels weird. Imagine trying to find McDonald's in this strange place!

Started moving into my new apartment. The place: brown carpet/tile and white walls. Wanna hear something ironic? The cable guy was early, and the furniture people were waaaayyyyy late. Good thing there was a supermarket (Hy-vee) across the street. I met two of my new neighbors, Allen and Tracy, who were really nice.

Driving here is TIRING! You can't speed without getting a ticket. While most cops have a +5 allowance, they're strict in the area known as "Old Town Lenexa" where the limit is 25. Something to look forward to on my weekday morning drives.

Wal-Mart is all over the place, so we went out and bought stuff for the apartment. Hopefully I'll have more energy tomorrow to take pictures of my Cobalt and apartment.

Now watching: the news

First day

2005-05-25T01:30:00.000-05:00

Our plane was stalled at Las Vegas for ONE HOUR!!! I must have fallen asleep waiting for our turn to taxi. Three different airlines were scheduled at the same gate AND time, which was kind of funny. It wasn't funny for the 300 passengers crammed into the loading gate.

We got into Kansas City one hour late because of the LV delay. When I entered the airport, I was like, "This is IT??? it's so tiny!" I couldn't help but smile.

We needed some food (badly) upon checking into Motel 6 at 10:00 PM. The M6 guy told us that McDonald's was a short walk through a backyard fence and through a dark grass field. At 10:00 at night? NO WAY JOSE!!! We just ordered pizza and chicken from the local Domino's.

Pictures from our farewell party are available on ShutterFly.com. Here's the link:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/view?i=EeEtWbNy3cODA&open=1&x=1&sm=1&sl=0

Currently watching: "The Chronicles of Riddick" on HBO

My address and contact info

2005-05-23T11:57:00.000-05:00

My new address in Kansas is
8720 Hauser Drive, Apt. C
Lenexa, KS 66215

Phone
(626) 664-9365

E-mail
pauljohnt@verizon.net

Instant Messaging
AIM: PATo1997
Yahoo!: datacrazy02
MSN: pauljohnt@verizon.net