Birthdays are sort of a checkpoint for me. It when I look back to see where I am and look forward to see where I'm going. I've always felt a bit of the way my career has gone has been accidental. It was based on the people I met, the opportunities I found with them, the books I read, the friends I made. In the end when the dust settled, I had a lot of experience in business intelligence and a good portfolio of things to show for it. I've managed to run my own company for 1.5 years. I've started to give back to the community of my heritage. I built a website for my mom's foundation and just last month helped set up a computer lab in a high school back in the Philippines. I am working on mentoring 2 young men in the art and science of programming that they might expand their opportunities/horizon and that they might do the same for others in the hometown of my heritage, Plaridel, Bulacan, Philippines... the place where my family goes back generations, where my family name means something, where my grandfather I found out just recently served as mayor in 1945 during the time of WWII and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

It's a good start. I have enough consulting work to see me financially through the end of the year. I have personal project work that I am sure will open up even more opportunities in the coming year.

My first priority is to move my main site into the Drupal content management system. This way, I can do more in the way of this type of blogging.

Right now, I'm working in my home office putting my pool table back into a playable position. I'm also reinstalling Windows XP on my other PC so I can get started on a moonlight assignment I've been hired for.

Life is good for me. Soon, I hope to help make life better for a few others.