Chi-town Busi-nizzy Trip

Motorola sponsored event...my coworker, Shervin, and I took full advantage of the nice weather the Windy City had to offer...Arriving Monday evening (4/10/06), we jumped in our rental and rolled down to Dearborn and Division where our cozy Hotel awaited our arrival. Hotel Indigo to be exact, affordable boutique style shelter turning faces in the city from what I heard. The room was spacious and the beds were fluffy enough to bury you, but we were ready to EAT!!


We strolled down to the Magnificent Mile to a quaint spot on right on Michigan called Banderas. My instructions were clear...order the Gluck and Moo...not on the menu, but tasty as ever. Boy was I happy with that choice...

The next day was hectic to say the least. Starting with the hour commute to the Motorola facility in Schaumburg (Chicago traffic SUCKS!), we spent the entire day jam packed with meetings. No breaks, just lunch at the award-winning cafeteria...err, NOT! Well, getting out of that fiasco to hit another hour of traffic wasn't thrilling...but once we got back to the city it was walkabout again. We tried to catch the Michigan shopping extravaganza but were semi-disappointed...the stores were top notch but the closing times were early and the selection not very impressive by Miami standards...nonetheless we scaled the John Hancock building for it awe inspiring views.

From the 95th floor we stared down at a neverending urban sprawl that only sighs disbelief. The roof top bar is free as opposed to the Observatory, but the waiters keep hounding you to order something...we didn't last too long, but snagged this sweet pic...


Our next stop that evening was Japonais, a Sushi/European fusion cuisine catering to the high profile crowd. Definitely worth a visit although it may seem it's a bit removed from the city action. The downstairs lounge was crawling with "gente fina" and the number of suits I saw was a bit overwhelming. Even up against my Banana slacks and Polo shirt, I felt underdressed...it was fun though, we sat beside a first-date couple that wasn't going too well. The girl was from Miami and I guess we drew more of her attention than we wanted to. It didn't help the situation that the dude kept going to the bathroom, 3 times by my count, wtf?

Wednesday was pretty much a quick day of work...mainly in close out meetings. I took Shervin to the airport around noon and returned for one last pow-wow. At around 4pm I was heading back to the city, you'd think I'd miss the traffic...err, NOT! Got in to the Hotel for a quick clean up and I was off to enjoy the great 70's weather...I bought me some sweet Addidas kicks that i'll be sporting at the World Cup this summer. To close the night out, I met up with my boy Chris Stier...aka Big C! We chatted it up in the Lex for a bit before deciding to check out a Latin fusion restaurant called Carnavale...with great atmosphere but an over-exaggerated menu (Arepas de Cangrejo n ish), we enjoyed the time. During the commotion we met an entertaining crowd of females who were heading out to a nightspot, Y-bar. We joined but couldn't sustain the energy level they had...by midnight we were dragging so we bailed. After the drop off, I set up for my 4:30am wake up call for my 6:30am flight back home. It's nice to be back!!

Saint Paddy's Day!

Green fever, leprachawn leasure...Saint Paddy definitely blessed Ireland with a uncanning merry attitude and contagious joy. This fact was evident as we disembarced the ferry from Scotland. Lost in freeway web of Belfast, Northern Ireland, we stopped for help..."Excuse me sir, we're lost..."...to which the jolly gentleman immediatly responsed, "you're not L0ST, you're in IRELAND!"...brought smiles to our worrisome faces. Once on track, it was a quick 3 hours to Dublin through the Irish 'brilliant' green mellows and prairies. We stayed at a 'lovely' bed & breakfast in a suburb of Dublin called Howth. It was a charming town really on the edge of the water isolated from the city by it narrow peninsula; however, we opted to swing through Dublin for the festivities. It was shear pandimoniom...green everywhere...people had costumes and a variety of props...I even saw a guy with large inflatable hammer that read "It's St. Paddy's Day...Get hammered!" that was nailing everyone on the head. Others would paint shamrocks and Guiness beers mugs on your face for free. Through this madness we all lasted for 4 hours when Tia Susana and Mami returned. Camila and I lasred the rest of the night until that last bus left for Howth. I met many people from around the world including Australians, French, Spanish, Polish, American, Italian and Irish. It was amazingly a fun time all around with now foul encounters or beligerent behavior common with people and alcohol in large quantity. I even had to borrow an extra couple Euros from some locals to cover our bus fare!!! ;)

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland...what an awesome city. Filled with feudal history and architecture, it's a wonderland for anyone who was inspired by the stories of King Arthur, William Walace, or Rob Roy. We arrived during the day to a massive city buzzing with crazy traffic and bus only streets. Compounded with driving on the left side and being completely lost, it made for apretty stressful time. Eventually with the help of some fine samaritans we found are way and settled in to a sizable apartment close to the downtown. We picked up some groceries, ate'm up, took a nap, and rolled out to catch Edinburgh by night. The first interesting encounter of the evening were two obviously intoxicated ladies lying on the sidewalk laughing histerically. Well dressed and coherent, one asked a passerby for help to get up while the other picked herself up with the side rail. We had a beer at acloseby bar and then bounced over to the night club Espionage to get jiggy with it. Made up of five floors underground, we were happy to find a good crowd in the last dungeon floor. Upon leaving at closing time (3am) we found ourselves in the middle of a full snowfall...which instigated a healthy snowball fight amongst strangers. That was a fun experience.

Take yourself back to the medieval times with Edinburgh castle. Wow! what a point of interest. It stands high above the city center it on the crest of an extinct volcano. At about £12/person, I was doubtful of the exhibitions' worth. I was pleasantly surprised, however, with no need for the audio guide. The 3 hours we were there were not enough to study all the displays but we took many pictures to capture its greatness. Since most of the castle viewing was outside, the bitter cold and snowy wind took a toll on our body temperatures. We took refuge in one of the worlds' oldest department stores, Jenners. Parking ourselves at the wiskey tasting counter, we learned the heating powers of aged drink along with the details of its laborious fabrication. We left happy as ever to return to the apartment for some tasty lamb roast prepared by Tia Susana and Mami. A full coarse meal indeed, we turned in early for the break of dawn rise to travel to Ireland... Saint Patty's Day, baby!

Again if you wanna send me a note, hit me back at richard.grundy@gmail.com!

Saludos,
Ricky

Hardrian's Wall

Today we drove form York to Carlisle through the Lakes district. It was my first experience driving on the left side but not at all as frightening as I imagined. The snow and narrow lanes were scary enough. Upon arriving and settling into our B&B, Camila and I ventured out to explore Tuesday nights in Carlisle. I saw a guy deck a girl and several near clothesless ladies walking the streets. Today we explore Hadrian's Wall seen behind me...

York This

The precursor to the business capital of the world (New York), the city of York welcomes me with freezing arms...yes people I took a vacation from South Beach to enjoy splendid high prices and low temps of the UK...at least I got to throw a snowball, ;)

UK Circuit 2006

Hey there, I've been running behind on my posts but I have a lot to share. Particularly a little trip that I just took...a series of belated posts will follow but at least you'll get the gist of my trip. The purpose was to cover as much of the United Kingdom as possible in 9 days. Groups members included Mami, Tia Susana, prima Camila, and me. Landing in London on March 10, 2006, I collected my things and hitched the Heathrow Express into town...Bayswater Station of the Underground. Price £14.50...for those who don't know the current exchange rate is about 2:1...so we're talking ~$30. Ouch. Anyway, needless to say that it was immediately clear that the trip was going to be an expensive one. Renting a car at $100/day not including gas, bed and breakfasts at $200/night, and meals at $20/each took a toll on the wallet. We cooked our own meals as many times as possible, whenever there was a kitchen accessible. Tia Susana and Mami were experts at throwing yummy meals together as shown in the picture above. The grovery store experience in the UK was very interesting mainly with their selection of produce. Almost 95% of the fruit and vegetables are imported from all over the world. Green beans from Guatemala, apples from South Africa, pears from Argentina, grapes from Chile, peas from Kenya, etc. Great Britan is covered with lush green pastures that are dedicated extensively to livestock...mainly sheep and cattle. Prone to heavy rainfall throughout the year, it was clear that the land was once a heavily forested area but since has been converted to grasslands. This explains how the Brits evolved as a super power since mideival times. The abundance of wood (chief source of fuel and construction material in those times) allowed them to evolve quickly. Now it seems Britain has no trees older than 100 years. You can tell while driving in the coutryside as all the trees are neatly lined up.

One of the main highlights of my time in London was going to see The Producers Musical...a very funny production from Mel Brooks, it served as an entertaining event for us all. "Springtime for Hitler"...sounds like a hit!

You can check out the rest of the pictures from the trip here.

SoBe-tter Fit

After months of waiting and battling with realtors, developers, and title agents, my move to South Beach is finally complete. The Elaine Condominium, built in 1926, has shown some signs of deterioration. The 930 sq ft we have to work with has made it difficult to place every piece of furniture. The move took about 7 days to complete, with only one major Uhaul rental, costing approximately $120. It's funny cuz they advertise $29.99 ALL DAY on thier trucks...the hidden costs of $0.99/mi is what jacks you. My roommate, Ovidio, had a 2 bedroom condo in Davie, FL entirely furnished so his elements constitute 90% of the furniture in our Unit #302. My futons and other minor articles will go the way of Goodwill or possibly my brother...I guess it'll come down to who shows up first cuz they are true "in the way". Ahead we have much to do on the remodeling front. Changing the floor plan a little by shrinking one bathroom to open the kitchen and expand the living room is the main priority. To follow will come some sleek flooring and a decked out kitchen...working with a limtied budget of $20k this will prove challenging at best. Fun nontheless so there's much to look forward to!!

Motorcycle travesty.

This is a lesson in bad luck. I was in Chile over the holidays and while I was gone my motorcycle was impounded in South Beach for being parked on the street with expired tags. I blame it on the fact that I never received the renewal notice in the mail. Whatever, honest mistake, $467 to correct it, ouch. Logistically though, this presented a problem since upon returning from my trip I found my car in need of emergency repairs. A new battery, tail pipe, and 120k tuneup. Whatever, I dropped it off at the shop, prepared myself for the $862 bill, and asked my soon to be roommate Ovidio to roll me down to the beach for the bike rescue mission. Almost immediately on arrival I realized I had left my keys at the shop with my car. Agghh! Ok, I dealt with it and thought I would just roll the bike to a dark alley or something. Better than incurring the $30/day storage fee, right? (Wrong!) I put the bike in a local park closeby behind a bush and prepared to return to get it soon after. A few days later I returned with a gallon of gas and the keys, to find that the motorcycle battery was dead...DANG! What the heck did I do to deserve this...I left with the battery in hand to trickle charge it at the autoparts store by my house. A few days turned into a week though and when I returned the bike was gone. I found it at the local impound again, now with two parking tickets and $320 in tow fees. Ay papa. New battery in place and the keys got it started and finally back in a safe section of private property...out of the reaches of the tow monster.

Xmas Tour 2005!

This year was a little different for me over the holidays. With all my direct family members scattered all over the world, I took on the challenge of paying homage to each me them. The first on the list was my brother Mark and his family coming down from West Palm Beach to see me off on Xmas eve. Little Ryan was upset due to the rude awakening from a long car nap. Jonah, on the other hand, was pumped to play Merlin with a Caution Cone on his head. We enjoyed each others company and gift exchange until it was time for me to roll out to the airport. Arriving in Santiago was a relief after the long 8hr flight. Mami scooped me up and we spent a pleasant Xmas day together. Her quickly decorated apartment was most comfortable and awe inspiring.

Story, a friend from college, arrived the following morning as I moved over to Papi's apartment. The city has taken big strides in transportation upgrades, and a new underground freeway traversing the entire city is accessible from across the street. Over the next several days Papi, Story, and I drove through the "Ruta del Vino" in the Colchahua Valley on our way to "las Sierras de Bella Vista" where my family has a pleasant cabin in the Andes moutains. Relaxing there gave pass to Valparaiso where the three of us went for the fantastic world-reknown fireworks display. Great times...

The next leg of the trip involved a 21 hour hike to the Futaleufu river in the Chilean Patagonia. Stopping along the way in Valdivia and Bariloche gave us a clear distinction between Chilean and Argentine cultures.

Futaleufu displayed the ferocity of the world's best white water rivers. Fearing for our lives, a mere 3 days there was enough to humble us of the power of nature. Motasem, another friend from college, and added to the journey on January 1st, had the most intense reality check with a lengthy tumble down nearly 300yards of Class 4 rapids.

On the return to Santiago, we drove straight through the night to catch some city touring before returning home...with luck on our side we ran into a full on Love Parade being held downtown.

RicoSU 2006

In an effort to add a new dynamic to the traditional Lake Havasu trip that the Go Dudes! share every year...I took the time to find a new spot to carry on this celebration. To convince the powers that be I assembled a video with some details and posted it online at:



Sneak a peak - Culebra, Puerto Rico.

Ethics in Action: Real Estate

Today marks a first in my Real Estate trek towards investment success and I wanted to capture it for all it's teachings. To give you a little background, let me explain that my friend Ovidio Olivencia and I have been attempting to purchase a condo in South Beach since Sept. 19, 2005. The chosen property is unit 302 (931sq ft 2/2) in the Elaine Condo (http://www.theelaine.com) on Jefferson Ave and 15th st. The building is being sold as a Condo Conversion which means a "developer" purchased the entire structure from the previous owner ($2.25 million) and rather than renting it, is selling the apartment units individually (for a net worth of $4.5 million+). In the process he plans to "fix up" the common areas by leveraging the deposit moneys (10%) of all the contracted buyers. This purchase contract has a lot of fine print and legal jargon...but as I'm finding out plays much to the "developers'" advantage. I'm not making excuses for not reading and understanding it all before signing it (broke the cardinal rule), but wanted to state the facts. The contract was presented on Sept. 19, 2005 along with the Condo Association documents and a 15 day window was provided for review as the Florida Real Estate statue says. On Oct. 4, 2005 the contract was signed and delivered along with 10% of the purchase price of the property ($30,732). A few excerpts of the contract to note are: 1) The seller will notify the buyer of the closing date (in writing) 5 days prior. 2) Every day by which the buyer is late to close will incur a $50 penalty. 3) Buyer will pay all title attorney costs including title search. 4) Buyer will cover the first year of insurance costs at closing. For those inexperienced home buyers, let me explain that these requirements are VERY out of the ordinary for standard real estate deals in South Florida. Thirty (30) days are always given to schedule a closing so that the buyer can arrange the proper financing paperwork. The buyer never covers the title search... why would I pay to search for someone else's Title? Never would the buyer of an individual unit be responsible for insurance (be it partial Windstorm, Flood, and General) on the overall condo building...that is what association fees are for. Well, to continue with the story, after a few days of delivering the contract, I call the "developers" realtor, Marc Benware, to arrange for a closing date since I would be leaving for Europe on Oct. 21, 2005. He tells me that the closing needed to take place in October, so I petitioned for him to wait until me return on Nov. 7, 2005. He agreed to wait but reiterated that I must close on that date (there was no mention of a fee). Upon my return, Hurricane Wilma did quite a job on South Florida and so all pending closings needed to get reappraised so the closing would be delayed. Then after a few days, around Nov. 10, 2005, it was discovered that the "developer" had not purchased a Windstorm Insurance Policy for the building (being the property owner) and according to FANNIE MAE statues, this is a must. Fast forward to today. The "developer" still has not purchased and documented the Windstorm policy and we've already purchased one interest rate extension from the bank for a quarter point (0.25% ~ $900). Aside from not agreeing to cover this rate extension, the "developer" has tacked on $1300 in late fees due to an alledged 26days of late closing from Oct. 14th to Nov. 8th. These dates seemed to have been pulled from thin air since there was no evidence of where they might have come from. No notice was ever served for a closing on the 14th or the 8th...it wasn't even in any conversation we had with anyone. Aside from that, we have had to call the Title agent and realtor representing the "developer" on a daily basis since Nov. 7, 2005 in an attempt to schedule a closing (deterred due to lack of Windstorm policy purchase). I have all the phone records to prove it too. So the skinny on the whole thing is that the "developers" MO (modus operandi for those who don't know) is to get a nice flashy website/remodeling plan for the structure, advertise the individual units for below market value, draft a convoluted out-of-the-norm contract to deceptively assign ALL closing costs to the buyer, and charge a builders fee of 1.75% to attempt to meet the flashy remodeling plan (I'm wondering what guarantees I have for this?). It seemed like such a SHADY arrangement, we found ourselves unwilling to do business with such an outfit...based on ethics alone. I did some research with the Florida Real Estate commission (FREC) and found that the realtor representing the "developer" had a past complaint filed against him (although cleared, it corroborated my thought). It dawned to me that I had no bargaining power. Gathering more information from the FREC website, I learned of the process of backing out of a purchase contract and the reimbursement of the 10% deposit. It was very involved and included litigation in court, but the property would be frozen for several months until resolution. Also, due to the SHADY nature of the event timeline, I was under the right to submit a non-compliance complaint against Marc (potentially revoking his real estate license).

This is the clearest point of this whole story is the outcome and the implications of it...we were prepared to back out of the whole deal...allow for the deposit to be assigned by the court...all for essentially $1300 in material wealth, but a ton of ethics and consistency that would let me sleep at night. When I called my realtor, Nick Upchurch, and told him our stance, he agreed to petition the case to the "developer". He came back to me stating that the "developer" was wiling to waive the fees if we closed in January, 2006 since it would give him a tax benefit, otherwise, the fees would stand. I told him we weren't willing to pay for another interest rate extension at our on cost, and so therefore wanted to drop the deal. Then the realtors Marc and Nick agreed to cover the fees amongst them. The "developer", MARGUELES PROPERTIES INC., has basically concealed himself from working directly with customers because of his unethical measures...instead he works directly though title agents and realtors to conceal his trickery...they are each getting a piece of the pie but had to forfeit some in this case (3% each comes to roughly $9000). Ethically it is still unsound, but these are the lessons of how business gets done sometimes.

King Tut was Here.

With all the happiness in the world, Fort Lauderdale welcomes the King Tut exhibit and I had the pleasure of forming a part of the grand VIP opening event. It was thrilling, mysterious, and intoxicating (one too many CranberryVodkas). I'ma give a shout out to my girl Tatiana Berman for hooking up a phat experience. We arrived at 6pm after work on Wednesday...had to get all pimped out according to her instructions...never thought "casual chic" was soooo high class. In any event, I played the part and found quite a following. The exhibit was at the Museum of Art and upon arriving, I picked up my tickets at will call for 9pm!...what was to do until then?!? "Sir please make your way to the Riverhouse Condo for the reception..." Gadang, talk about a reception...gourmet food and drinks...plus the who's who of South Florida...and free!!...mmmm, ya'll know I was in heaven. While chillin with my boys Paco and Ovidio, the Egyptian Counsel Rep jumps up on the mic and says something like: "Egypt is the olde-hest civilizaaaheetion in the wor-eld...America is the young-hest civilizaaaheetion in the wor-eld...let us celebra-hate this exhibit in bridging that gap together..." Pretty inspiring if it wasn't for the funny accent... :) Anyway, I wasn't the only giggly one...throughout the exhibit my new acquaintances Mariela (right) and "the Cuban girl from UM" (left, forgot'er name) were going off!

NOTE: Personally, I think the boy king looks like Michael Jackson before the nose jobs...but whatever.

Twice in one day!

Here I'm with my main man Oscar from Motorola. Funny story, I have my cubicle adjacent to his but haven't actually sat in it for like 2 years now! No lie. I've opted to carry on my work days in a lab environment where windows, equipment, and people are in readily available. Obviously, encounters with Oscar have become rare but today marks a double run-in and hence deserves the honor of this post.

Tuning into reindeer land.

In the spirit of the coming holidays, this is my attempt to connect to Santa's sleigh. So step off Rudolf cuz I'm up! :) These pads are actually used to dampen the noise from the massive basestations scattered around the lab. Yadu found it hilarious so it made my blog pick of the day.

Farewell to Motorola AST team members

Today we bid farewell to three engineers on the team. Namely Julio Sanchez, Santi Dash, and Jason Rapps. They are all going to the MotoMesh in Maitland, FL. The site is located right outside of Orlando and has been attracting a lot of attention within Motorola. Mainly because the MotoMesh solution is the flagship wideband self-healing network solution that the Government and Enterprise Group has. Julio and Santi will stay there indefinitely but Jason is due to return 2 years from now...he's in a bomb diggity rotation program code-named "the BLDP". I found out today from him that it is more of a disorganized lump of opportunities than a formalized program...BTW, I was nominated for this program a few months ago as well, but was denied because they found me to be "arrogant"...do I sound arrogant to you? Yeah, well the news wasn't the highlight of my career lemme tell you. I'm over it though, pumped these days to rise to a personal challenge of innovation...let's see what the "Dirty" years have in store for me...

Amazing Ronaldinho

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1483670761495213547

This is sick...Berto we gotta catch this kid in action... gadaaaaannnng...

Visit to Hafele mobile center

In my plight to install the dopest sliding doors to seal the Nola loft project bedroom elegantly, I went down to Coral Gables to catch the Hafele mobile center. No doubt it will cost a pretty penny but it will best follow the theme in the space.

Ghetto posting

This is me in the process of posting my first blog entry. I'm sitting on my fridge at my loft apartment since it's the best place to jack broadband internet from my neighbor upstairs. The Grundawg strikes again!

LifeBeforeDirty Story

I was born in Boston, Massachusetts as the second of three sons of Peter Grundy Perez and Maria Valenzuela Vuille. Both from Santiago, Chile, my parents had very different backgrounds. My father, from American descendance, grew up with a single parent and mainly in Chilean boarding schools. He pushed himself through college eventually transferring to MIT in pursuit of a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering. My mother came from a typical Chilean family, very extended and warm. Never attending college, she was a dedicated homemaker early on, however later became a successful entrepreneur, establishing many businesses.

In 1981 we moved to Maracaibo, Venezuela where my father accepted a contractor position with the national oil refineries. Together with my two brothers, we attended a small K through 12 private school that satisfied both Venezuelan and American pre-college requirements. I excelled both in and out of the classroom, attaining numerous class scholarship awards, induction into the Honor Society, as well as starting positions in varsity soccer, volleyball, and softball. Outside of school my parents took an active role in exposing us to the history and culture of South America, especially Venezuela. Every vacation involved a road trip to a new destination, initially within the country, but eventually reaching all the way down to Santiago, Chile. These journeys not only allowed me to bond more closely with my family, but also gave me a first hand look at the realities of life in developing countries.

By 1990, the decaying Venezuelan economy took its toll on our family income forcing us to move back to the United States in search of a better life. We lived in Miami, Florida where I completed my junior year at a high school almost twenty times the size of my previous one. Coupled with the fact that both my parents were unemployed, this transition was a difficult and humbling one. I worked busing tables at a local restaurant on the weekends, while maintaining an honors course load during the week. One of the few highlights of that year was my introduction to an advanced programming curriculum not available to me before. It was then when I developed an interest in software engineering as a career option.

At the end of summer in 1991, my father finally found a position with a software company in San Francisco, California. We moved to a small suburb outside of Oakland, called Moraga, where I completed my senior year. The adjustment to a new school was once again a challenge, especially since I was one of only a few Latino students on campus. My differences, such as my accent, stood out more than ever. However, given the smaller student body (less than 1000) and my involvement in varsity sports (soccer and volleyball), I was able to have a positive experience. Unfortunately, my mother did not share the same sentiment. She found it hard to integrate into the 90% Anglo community, attempting to do so through neighbors and the high school parents’ association.

Upon graduation in 1992, I chose to pursue an Electrical Engineering degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where I received a full-tuition scholarship. Since orientation, I entered immediately into the Minority Engineering Program (MEP) at UCLA, where I found a warm community of students and staff to welcome me in. It is here that I developed the support network that guided me through the many challenges of engineering and university life. I needed it more than ever after 1993, when my family relocated to Monterrey, Mexico in search for happier and more comfortable surroundings. Committed to paying my way through school, I consistently sustained part-time employment during every school year, secured full-time internships for the summers, and aggressively pursued monetary scholarships through academic excellence. By my third year it became increasingly evident that the MEP familia was vital to my survival at UCLA, and so I took a more active role in giving back to it. I participated heavily in an MEP-sponsored student group, the Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists (UCLA SHPE Chapter), holding various leadership roles (Pres. ’98, VP ’96) and contributing to four National Outstanding Chapter Awards. In 1997, I was awarded the Graduate Engineering Minorities (GEM) Fellowship to pursue my MSEE at UCLA as well. My experiences at UCLA were the most rewarding of my life, teaching me how vital the role of community, mentorship, and support are to the advancement of underrepresented groups.

In October of 1999, Motorola’s Networks and Enterprise Business recruited me to work as a DSP Software Engineer in Plantation, FL. As a professional in South Florida, I have continued to be active in the community by assisting in Motorola’s recruiting efforts at SHPE conferences, giving professional presentations to student groups, and establishing the SHPE South Florida Chapter. These days I am so glad to finally be settled and call Miami my home.

Mission Statement

A friend once dropped it like this: "You're car is sooooo Dirty, casi llega'a Forty!!" That was after being challenged on the spot to deliver a funny comment regarding Miriam Febus' guagua at the time. Rod, thanks for passing that test with flying colors...only one of your dozens of accolades and still counting. And so I have titled this blog as "Life after Dirty" or as you may have understood from the joke "Life after Thirty"...That's right folks, I'm 31 years old and have decided to jump on the blog bandwagon...my life has taken several turns over the years and I have formed a network of people that care about me all over the world...for that reason, I'm sharing my life for all of you to follow, comment on, and possibly guide if you care to take that chance. Like a new friend once put it simply, "It's not the destination, but the journey that makes it worth it..." NOTE: The pic included here took place in Venice, Italy soon after my 30th birthday. It was a big challenge since it was my first trip to Europe and I was traveling alone. I had the best time and discovered a lot about myself...check out all the pics at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vcbcvnp.43mxlgrt&x=0&y=1vyhyf