I was born in Saigon at the height of that little regional conflict known as the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, of course, they call it the American War, and although I have very few memories from that period, it was certainly an event which dramatically changed the course of my life.

Like so many other families fleeing the war, my family emigrated to the U. S. in 1975. Many people think of the event as sad or perhaps even tragic, and in some respects it was. But from the perspective of a seven year old, it was the adventure of a lifetime. I certainly didn't mind missing school everyday, getting rides on Navy ships and Army helicopters, camping out in a tent for months, and eating Army rations...gotta love that Spam.

The details of the whole adventure might make an interesting book someday, but suffice it to say that we made it to the U.S. and ended up in small town Ohio of all places. That is where I spent my elementary school days, adopting some Midwestern values, and becoming a big Ohio State Buckeye's fan; hopefully you're not a fan of that team up North...

Eventually our family moved to California for the warmer weather, and settled in the San Jose area. I attended Cal Poly, S.L.O. and graduated with an engineering degree in 1992. Shortly afterwards, I was recruited by the Compumotor division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, where I worked as a software engineer, before moving into IT and web/database development. I also taught Computer Science classes at Santa Rosa Junior College for 13 years beginning in 1997.

These days, I work in the areas of customized analytics tools and data driven applications. In my spare time, I enjoy tennis, biking, hiking, traveling, and exploring new places and foods...