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Born in the Philippines in 1968. Moved to the United States with my family when I was three years old. Raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. Went to Catholic schools (St. Aedan's, St. Peter's Prep). Graduated college from Rensselaer in December 1990. Moved to Boston. Married Jenn in 1995.

I have two brothers, Ron and Renato. My Mom and Dad still live in New Jersey.

Jenn and I live in Arlington (a suburb of Boston). We have a daughter named Mia.

Yes, I write a blog. I've been writing Rick's Ramblings since 2001. Below are excerpts from my most recent BLOG entries. Click on the title to read more. Also, please visit my Technical BLOG.

Wedding Days

August 20, 2010

I have had the pleasure of going to a good number of weddings. Probably at least ten. Each one was special, and a delight to be at. Old friends from home. Old friends...

My Dad the Barber

June 20, 2010

Dad I'm bald, so my trips to the barber shop are buzz cuts (3-metal). No fuss, no muss. But back in my hair days, back when I was growing up, I had hair, and the...

"Law & Order": At Least We'll Have Repeats

May 23, 2010

The "original" Law & Order is being canceled by NBC. This is the hour-long cops and lawyers television show which takes place in New York City. The first half-hour...

The Middle of Parenthood

March 31, 2010

My daughter Mia turned nine years old a few days ago. My wife jokingly said "we only have another nine years to go!" I smiled. In another nine years, Mia will turn...

Discovering Sudoku

March 15, 2010

I first noticed Sudoku puzzles a few years ago. My father had started doing them. When he would visit, he'd find the unfinished Sudoku puzzle in my newspaper, and...

Best Movies Watched in 2009

February 23, 2010

I watched 47 movies in 2009. My favorite movie from 2009 was District 9, followed by The Wrestler and The Hurt Locker. All three I saw in the theater. My favorite...

Best Books Read in 2009

February 23, 2010

I read 37 books last year. I attribute the increase due to my current project, which has me on an airplane pretty regularly, reading some genre fiction. My favorite...

Books and Movies from 2009

January 28, 2010

A belated Happy New Year, although it feels old to me already. I did something different with my book and movie lists from 2009. They're now on Library Thing and...

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2009

I hope everyone's Christmas Day was filled with joy and peace!

I'm a sports nut. I didn't used to be. But now I am. My outlet is at Sporting News, where I bang away on a blog just dedicated to sports.

Jerry Rice Enters Football Hall of Fame

August 7, 2010

Jerry Rice enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. His record-setting career merits an entire Wikipedia page. He has the best career numbers in touchdowns (208 ...

LeBron James: Private Process Made Public

July 10, 2010

Along with 8.4 million other viewers, I took in the LeBron James "decision" Thursday night. As a Celtics fan, I had no skin in his final answer. I just wanted to ...

Final Four Predictions: 2010 World Cup

July 4, 2010

I have been enjoying the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The United States had a gallant run, but were stymied by a lack of timely finishing. I also think that perhaps they ...

Lakers Beat Celtics for Championship

June 18, 2010

The Boston Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 83-79. In a Game 7 that the Celtics lead early, the Lakers showed their mettle as they clawed back from a ten ...

US Versus England

June 11, 2010

The World Cup officially begins for the United States with a stellar opponent: England. I think it's easy to get wrapped up in the fact that the US is (for the most ...

I have plenty of pictures at a bunch of places [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11], [12], but I primarily update Flickr. Below are the last few photos that I have uploaded there. Click on the title to see more.