the road ahead

Last Friday my group at work decided to do a team building event.  Our team building event led us to Mission, SD (3.5 hours away) to help build homes for Native Americans.  It was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other outside of work.  In addition, it gave me an opportunity to learn new skills and tools that I would have never picked up.  It happens to be “sheet rocking”.  Yes, I spent about 5 hrs and put up a total of 10 walls!  I definitely have new respect for that profession and admire mine even more.  Not only did it challenge us to pull together as a team to learn new skills, but knowing that I helped shelter someone is even better!  Now that I am a seasoned professional, I will probably put in some sweat equity to finish up my basement….maybe?!?!

In other news, I am taking a vacation to visit my friend in San Diego starting Nov 19-25.  Current plans are to go to the American Music Awards in LA.  It will definitely be a much needed vacation to clear and refresh my mind and body.  I can’t wait!!!!!! 

sonnyp

I just got promoted at work as a Lead Software Designer in the new Bank Cards Architecture group.  In my new role I will mentor developers in the Application Development group with software design and development, be heavily involved in design sessions, and research and create prototypes of possible new technology to bring into the Bank (just to name a few of my duties).  It is exciting to know that I will have a strong upfront impact in the software development life cycle.  Of course this means that I will be accountable for more, but I know I am ready for the challenge! 

Mission trip to Pine Ridge, SD

Pictures from the Pine Ridge mission trip with my Life Group.  It is sad to see more beer and hair spray cans than “green” grass.  This is what hundreds of years of oppression can do to a nation.  The Native American people need to be lifted spiritually.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Click on the picture to view the gallery. Peace....sonnyp

I figure I better post.  I haven’t done so in a while.  So what is new with me?  Hmm, I am staying busy with work, working out, school, and church related activities. 

Work is work; I finally learned to leave it at the door when I am done.  It haunted my personal life for a while.  I am glad to know now rather than later when I have a family (at my rate I won’t have one anytime soon… ). 

With school, I have one semester left after this one, so I should be done in August with my Master’s. 

As for working out, I started up hard again in January and been going strong since.  I watch what I eat and workout 4 times a week with cardio.  In addition, I bike on days that I don’t workout.  I will not let myself get to where I was at last fall.  I’ve lost 20 some pounds so far (not that I am really fat or anything), while gained some muscles and cuts.  The ABS Diet works, I am loving it! 

As for church, I am still going to Celebrate in the morning and started going to the Crossing at night and attend life group on Tuesday nights.  Ever since being saved (Dec 15, 2004) I see and feel things in a different light.  God is for real!  I was once spiritually dead, now I am spiritually alive and loving life and living life alive! 

I bought a new mountain bike last Sunday.  It’s a Gary Fisher.  I will post pics of it at later date.  Oh yeah, I finally have a floor plan picked out for the house that I am building.  Still some adjustments needed.  It’s a ranch style home.  It should be done, if I can decide on a lot, by Aug/Sep.  I will post the floor plan when it is finalized.  Nothing else is really new. 

One last request, check out the photo gallery link in the upper right hand corner.  I will consistently post new pictures.  Sign my guestbook too if you havn’t done so. 

Later..

Is this not awesome or what!! 

I love this blog from Expression Engine.  It’s the easiest I have ever used.  This will make posting for me a lot easier.  More tweaks of the UI to come.

No, I didn’t forget to post pictures from Mexico.  I promise they will be up soon.

God is good!!

Pictures, my testimony, and how God did wonders in my life while I was in Mexico. Please check back soon. I will try to post it this weekend.

Glory a Dios!! 

Time for change.

Well, I got a tattoo on my left shoulder. While others were shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I was getting a tattoo. The picture of the tat is to the left (click on it to enlarge). Here are facts about it.  It’s two of the eight auspicious symbols in Buddhism. The lotus flower represents purity of body, speech, and mind, floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The lotus flower symbolizes the complete purification of the defilements of the body, speech and mind, and the full blossoming of wholesome deeds in blissful liberation. The endless knot represents the inter-twining of wisdom and compassion. Moreover, it represents the union of wisdom and method, the inseparability of emptiness and dependent arising at the time of path, and finally, at the time of enlightenment, the complete union of wisdom and great compassion.

Nothing else is really new. I just got back this week from West Des Moines for XML Java training. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on my own.  Oh yeah, I met this extraordinary girl from a friend of mine. We’ve been hanging out quite a bit. Her name is Desire. We have very similar qualities and goals in life. She’s cool.

and not just because of the title…

NEW FOUND GLORY - “Sonny” lyrics

I’m sorry
I heard about the bad news today
A crowd of people around you
Telling you it’s okay
And everything happens for a reason

When you lose a part of your self
To somebody you know
It takes a lot to let go
Every breath that you remember
Pictures fade away but memory is forever

An empty chair at all the tables
And I’ll be seeing you when all my days boil down
But it’s better where you’re going anyway

I’m sorry
I heard about the bad news today
It’s really hard to get through
Tough times and long days
But it really just depends on the season

For now we’ll say goodbye
We know it’s not the last time
I’ve lost the best part of my day
But it’s better where you’re going anyway

This is the last thing
I will remember
It’s better where you’re going anyway

Fo sho..

1) Nothing is for sure.
2) You always have to keep working at it.
3) Just when you think you know someone, you don’t.

DAILY STEPPING STONE  

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all my world crashing about me,
When everyone else seems to doubt me

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
The darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all the chains
That are binding me tight in the darkness

And trying to fill me with fear --
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

-Helen Steiner Rice

okay…  

Don’t ask why. Ask: why not?

Another good quote…

Teddy Roosevelt - To the Man in the Arena

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

hmm...surprise surprise?   

Two weeks in a row, this must be a world record! I should just move down to Des Moines. I leave again tomorrow for the week, oh well, what do you do? It’s good for my career, right? Hopefully, after this week, I won’t be there as often. We ‘should’ have some sort of process down to be able to work virtually together as a team. I am not sure how people travel for work. I am doing this every-other-week stuff for the pass month-and-a-half, I tell you what, it is very stressful, and you just don’t sleep as good in a hotel. Further, it’s very detrimental to the personal life. I am definitely ready to get my personal life back on track. I love what I do, but damn, traveling sucks.

work work work…  

Yep, I am back in Des Moines for more training from the 12th -17th. The training is on EJB (Enterprise Java Beans) and J2EE Development. I have a feeling I will be here more this fall.

State: mentally, I am doing well. Physically, all this eating out, I really need to get back in the gym!!! I will have to make it a PRIORITY!!!!!!! 

Pictures from..

I arrived Saturday night and hung out at Chris’ Bar. I was tired from the drive to Omaha and the plane ride.

The next day, we drove to Scottsdale for the Summer of Love festival. His friends hooked us up with a room at the Radisson. Later on that night we went out to the bars/clubs there.

On Monday, we drove back to Tucson, then to Nogales, Mexico, and back to Tucson. We didn’t do much that night, went out to eat and stopped to see his “friend” at work. We were pretty exhausted from all the driving.

Arizona was a good time. The weather is beautiful, not a single cloud in the sky. I am sure I will visit more often.

Click on pictures to view.

Pictures from....

Here are the pictures from Puerto Rico. The wedding was absolutely beautiful as was Puerto Rico. More pictures, from Sarah’s camera will be added. Enjoy!! Click on picture to view.

resume..  

I updated my resume to reflect some of my new duties and responsibilities at work. In addtion, I found out that I was promoted when I landed at the San Juan airport. What an awesome start to a beautiful wedding. (My Resume) I will post pictures of Puerto Rico soon.

long days…

What a long 4 days it has been for me. It started on Sunday. Going out on Friday with the boys (Buus, Weber, Paul) hindered me from doing any school work on Saturday, so I had to do everything on Sunday (not good). I started my homework at 10am and didn’t finish until 3am Monday morning.

On Monday, I worked all day and left for Minneapolis at 5. We didn’t get there until 9:30. After checking into the Hampton Inn, in Eden Prairie, we went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. The food wasn’t bad. Surprisingly, I picked the exact same meal I had when I was at the restaurant in San Fran. We got back to the hotel at 11ish.

The next day was our training. It was down town Minneapolis, about a 50 minute commute from our hotel. The training was a high overview of the development life cycle of an Enterprise Business Services/Web Services. I thought it could have been more low level for us developers, but it was still very informative. After the training, we drove back to Sioux Falls.

As we were pulling up to the bank, Brett G called me. He wanted me to go to Nutty’s for a drink because it was his birthday. Sarah and I went down there had a drink, bought him a shot and took off at 11. Yes, I was extremely tired. I am tired now. I need to catch up on my sleep before I go crazy.

Only a week left before Sarah and I leave for Puerto Rico for Pootiey’s wedding. I CAN’T WAIT!! 

Class starts up again…

Well, I just found out that my Data Warehouse & Data Mining class will only be on Tuesdays this summer. It was originally Tuesday and Thursday from 6-10pm for 6 weeks. I was dreading ‘physically’ being there at the school. I am so used to the virtual online classes, but going only once a week I can handle.

Oh yeah, I was supposed to be in San Fran this week for training, that got canceled, due to short time frames. I will definitely be there when they offer it next time. Just found out today that I will probably be down in Des Moines for Java training this summer. Hopefully, it will be confirmed soon, so I can adjust my busy schedule accordingly.

As for the fourth, it was alright. Teng, Tommy, Sarah and I started the day with a 17 mile bike ride on the trails. Wow, was I sore. I am so out of shape. After the bike ride we grilled out at Teng and Choy’s apartment (chicken waaangs, brats, and dogs). Later on that night we went to Champs, had a few drinks and watched Choy entertain people on the mic.