Paku inexplicably under impression that Canada is a good place for a summer vacation

Paku, having completed the exhausting task of moving to New York City, was very much in need of a relaxing vacation. For reasons perhaps attributable to his continuing unfamiliarity with his recently adopted hemisphere, Paku found himself on holiday in Canada. Paku's first stop, Ottawa, was decidedly lacking the traditional vacation accoutrements of beaches and sun so Paku was forced to find more creative ways to occupy his time.

My Goodness, My Guinness

When the temperature soars into the upper 90s*, Paku and friend know to repair to the dark and cool confines of their favorite Irish pub in order to imbibe a few pints of Guinness Stout so as to restore their constitutions as well as overall demeanor.
Paku has long attempted to cultivate an appreciation for Scotch, but that quest so far remains unsuccessful. Given his enjoyment of the complexity and variety of flavors that are embodied by his favorite bamboo, its no real surprise that he would be unable to embrace a beverage which is often described as "peaty."

Pakus hoisted a few pints in order to congratulate one another on recent academic successes and achievements. The evening wore on and more pints were enjoyed, but Paku noticed that his photos of the later part of the night were strangely out of focus and ill-framed, not to mention difficult to appreciate the next day with a raging headache and queasy tummy.





*Upper 90s Fahrenheit that is. Paku has had to force himself to learn this archaic system of English measurement during his residence in the states. For those who adhere to the more rational metric system, this translates to the upper 30s Celsius

Summertime, Paku style

Paku finished off his first year in the PhD program in Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and found himself a rather exhausted shell of the panda he once was, prior to the breakneck pace of four six-week terms followed by the 2-day comprehensive exam.

Paku was able to finish by reminding himself of two things almost daily: 1) the school motto, "Saving pandas, millions at a time", and 2) the fantastic summer of leisure that awaited him.

But as it turns out, Paku is not entirely a panda of leisure. He is also a panda who enjoys freshly grown fruits and herbs, and he also fancies himself to have quite a green paw.

Paku will also not be confined by the small urban space he finds himself dwelling in, and set himself up a container garden on his roof deck that features stunning views of Baltimore's working port.

He planted 3 varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, squash, zuccinni, basil, mint and green bell peppers!

Paku especially loves getting up each morning and rushing up to the deck to check on the progress of the tomato vine which has climbed so high that it is becoming difficult for Paku to reach the top! (But, he manages through a little ingenuity)

All of his time on the roofdeck is not spent alone, however. Paku recently entertained a rather comical little fellow who stopped in to visit on his way through Baltimore: Mr. Peep!

Paku prepared Mr. Peep a delicious meal which they enjoyed in repose on the deck, while the harbor breezes stirred their respective plushy selves.

Mr. Peep regaled Paku with tails of his recent business trip to Ulan Bator in order to develop a new market opportunity for the marshmallowy sugary treats that simply won't be confined to the Easter season.

Paku caught Mr. Peep up on the comings and goings of his year in the ivory tower studying epidemiology, biostatistics and infectious disease.

As the afternoon wore on, Paku went down to the kitchen in order to uncork a second bottle of wine to share between the two old friends. When he came back up, he couldn't find Mr. Peep anywhere.

Turns out that rascally Mr. Peep was up to his old tricks, hiding in the yellow squash plant!


Paku can't wait for the summer ahead!

Paku to rejoin the workforce

Congtratulations Paku!

After two long years of a modest amount of effort, Paku has graduated from Wharton business school with an MBA.

Paku is now faced with the daunting prospect of rejoining the full-time workforce. And while this is indeed a horrifying prospect, of more immediate concern is Paku's impending move to New York, which is just over a week away.

Paku has found relatively little to recommend about Philadelphia but there is not doubt that it is significantly less expensive than New York City. As a result, Paku is moving from relatively spacious two bedroom, split level apartment in South Philly to a small windowless closet in Lower Manhattan.

But even with all he has to do, Paku can't help but take a few moments to reflect on his b-school experience. It's hard for Paku to believe that it has been nearly two years since he walked through the front door at the Wharton School to start pre-term.

Sometimes during his time at Wharton Paku would attend classes during which he occasionally stayed awake / learned something. Paku is still trying to comprehend the relevance to him of a detailed understanding of the process for moving cranberries from bog to bottle but he remains optimistic that it will become clear in time.








Two controversies dominated the hallways during Paku's tenure at Wharton. The grade nondisclosure issue has been well covered elsewhere so Paku will refrain from a lengthy discussion on that topic here. Of more relevance to Paku on a day-to-day basis was the Au Bon Pain monopoly on the Wharton campus. Paku appreciates the convenience of not having to leave the building for a snack (especially in the rain) but he really doesn't appreciate paying $6 for a soda and chocolate croissant. What happened to free market competition?

But Paku digresses...

We managed to capture a few more of Paku's final moments at Wharton.

Sausage links and.....other links (in which Paku is downright humiliated)

Wary from his last "culinary" experience in Philadelphia, Paku was assured that he could enjoy a delicious and hearty breakfast at the Melrose Diner. His dining companions urged him to fill up, as they had a surprise planned for him later in the day, which they assured him would require some energy!
Wondering what lay ahead of him, Paku bellied up to the counter at the Melrose and found himself in the company of several wizened residents of Philadelphia. He ordered 2 eggs over easy with pork sausage and a side of bamboo. The waitress behind the counter thought she had heard everything!!! She informed Paku in the kind but terse way that is characteristic of this city's denizens that if Paku wanted a side of bamboo he was going to have to try his luck at a different establishment.

Thus rebuffed, Paku declined to change venues, and found that although his meal wasn't his first choice, it was a delicious enough substitute.

After breakfast, Paku and pals piled into the Honda Accord and sped off for locales unknown (to Paku, at least). In order to build suspense, Paku's human pals kept offering him hints as to the activity of the day.

"How far is it?" asked Paku, innocently.

"Oh, its a long drive!" said his human companion, mysteriously.

"Are we going to the beach? Are we going fishing?" queried Paku.

"Nooo...but it does involve hooks!" replied the driver of the Accord.

"Is this something I've done before?" wondered Paku.

"Don't worry, we think this will fit you to a tee!" said the rather quizzical companion in the passenger seat.

Paku's interest was piqued, but he also felt an uneasy sense of impending doom as the Accord sped towards the mysterious destination.

Paku would really rather not talk about how the day turned out.

Paku discovers Washington Monument bears little, if any, resemblance to Washington

When Paku emerged from his metro stop in DC this weekend he immediately asked a passerby for directions to the Washington Monument, one of the capitol's most famous landmarks. Paku was informed "it's just over there, you can't miss it." Unfortunately for Paku, he was unclear as to exactly what he was looking for and he spent a good portion of his afternoon closely examine an endless succession of marble and copper statues in search of one with a likeness to the portrait on his dollar bills. Fortunately a hot dog vendor on the Mall noticed the confused and frustrated (but not hungry (see prior post)) Paku and directed him to the massive white obelisk that Paku did have to admit was impossible to miss.

Even from far away, Paku doesn't think it really looks like Washington!

Paku overwhelmed by Sunday Brunch buffet

Ever eager to experience the traditions of his adopted country, this weekend Paku partook in his first Sunday Brunch at Georgia Brown's in Washington, DC. Paku's inaugural brunch got off to an inauspicious start when he was informed by the omlette chef that it would not be possible for Paku to have a bamboo and feta omlette.

Paku had heard that DC was a panda friendly city so this revelation came as a particular shock. However, after a brief period of sulking, Paku turned his attention to the all-paku-can-eat buffet and found more than enough brunch items to over stuff his not readily apparent stomach.

SnowPaku

Finally, the snowfall Paku has been waiting to hit his adopted homeland arrived in late February. Paku didn't waste any time in enjoying the precious flakes-- he made do with the 3 or so inches that fell on Baltimore and quickly made a friend to pal around with in the snow.

Oh, Paku-- think back to the winter vacations of your youth-- shooshing down the hills at Hakuba Goryu and Kurumayama Kogen in Nagano Prefecture....

Paku in Peru

Paku visited Lima for the first time just after Thanksgiving, and happily basked in summer for the entire month of December. When Mom cruelly insisted on leaving Peru for the bitter cold of barren Wisconsin just before Christmas, Paku put his foot down and refused to return. Grandma was very, very displeased with Paku's decision, but was unable to guilt him into leaving South America. He made friends with a black labrador, and shared his apartment until Mom's return in mid-January. Who knows what he got up to when she was back in the States...when the cat is away, the mice will play!

You can see why Paku was so resolute; here he is happily sunning himself (as he did nearly every day) on a balcony overlooking the lovely Parque El Olivar (the park of olives, though Paku was never able to actually find an olive anywhere in the park). It is perhaps a bit surprising that Paku remains so pristinely white after so much sunning, but this was taken on one of his first days; so we shall see how well the delicate Paku complexion stands up over time to the intense Peruvian sun.....

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Paku indulges in frivilous fantasies involving automobile ownership

Paku attended the Philadelphia International Auto Show this weekend at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Paku has yet to come fully to terms with the fact that when he takes up residence in New York City in four months it will no longer be practical for him to own his beloved Honda Accord, let alone get himself a new car.

Naturally the first stop at the auto show for Paku, whose early life story was recently dramatized in the motion picture "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", was at the Tuner Salon where the generous people of Scion issued Paku a new Scion baseball cap.

Paku very much admired this tuned up Scion xC, however, he found it to be insufficiently orange in color with much, much too subtle rear fins.

After reflecting for a few moments on the street racing of his youth, Paku contemplated a future as a family Paku and tried on a minivan and a few SUVs for size.








Quickly abandoning thoughts of a lifestyle requiring a vehicle with more than two doors, Paku found some cars that are more in keeping with his image.

Pakus Discover Further Evidence Extinct Giants Once Roamed the World (or Part III: In Which Pakus' Philadelphia Adventure Continues...)

Our intrepid Pakus were strolling past the Municipal Services building during their tour of Philly (Philly Paku was taking Baltimore Paku to show him who is responsible for his weekly bamboo delivery), when they came upon a rather stunning archaeological find, oddly hidden in plain sight. Scattered throughout the plaza were game pieces, obviously relics of some former Brobdignagian race of giants who once roamed the earth. Shown at the left was the first game piece they came upon, from the game Sorry. Paku had to employ the assistance of a passerby to hoist him ontop of this massive game piece. Paku was astounded that since this game is meant for children as young as six, the implication for the size of this former giant race was mind-blowing.

Intrigued, they explored the plaza further, eventually unearthing two game pieces from the classic board game Monopoly. Both Pakus couldn't stop themselves from hopping up into the wheel barrow to pose! Philly Paku had no sooner suggested a game between the two pandas than Baltimore Paku put the kaibash on it. Never play Monopoly with someone in business school (its not that they'll win, but they'll spend the whole game lecturing at you!).

Pakus felt that this race of giants likely had inferior intellect to the man that walks the earth today, who in turn has a subpar intelligence when compared to the Giant Panda. They also theorized that the giants were probably driven into extinction by battles and wrestling matches between sibling giants over who got to be the car piece in Monopoly. Either that or they went for a walk and accidentally all fell into the Grand Canyon.

Lastly, the Pakus happened upon a few remaining pieces from what must have been the giants chess set. Amazed as they were that these giants could have had the intellect for this game of kings, the Pakus were rather overwhelmed by the rudeness of a passerby whom they enlisted to take a photo of Paku with the knight game piece.

Needless to say this "whimsical" posing was not appreciated by either Paku.

Paku regroups after devastating blow and adjusts to new reality in which the Patriots do not win Super Bowl XLI

Last Monday Paku awoke to a startling new reality for which he was totally unprepared. A reality in which the New England Patriots would not win a Super Bowl XLI rematch of Super Bowl XX against the Chicago Bears. Struggling to cope, Paku wandered without purpose or direction through his day. Realizing he could not continue in this pathetic state, Paku decided he needed to get away from it all to reflect on the past season and put things back in perspective.











Paku has returned with high hopes for the 2007 season and also notes with excitement that the Sox's pitchers & catchers report to spring training in less than three weeks!

Paku wants to know...

Here at PPPP, we are conscious of our popularity, as well as our brand image and integrity. We want to keep our readers coming back, generate a new fanbase of readers, as well as maintain the PPPP quality that you have come to know, trust and count on.

We've got a lot in store for you in the coming months, but we also value your opinion! We'd like to know what you, the PPPP reader would like to see on this blog. Granted, we may not listen to your opinion and indeed may blatantly disregard it, but we'd still like to project the image (no matter how diaphanously mauslin) that we care about you and your thoughts. With this in mind, we'd like to invite you to vote in the following poll:

Where should Paku go next?
	Westfield, NJ
	Lima, Peru
	New York City
	India
	Baltimore
	Mars
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Paku corrects bizarre spelling error

Paku's expectations for a low key stress free semester were turned upside down when the New England Patriots began their playoff run this year. Paku nearly had to seek medical attention during the Pats game in San Diego last Sunday. One of Paku's favorite websites captured his analysis perfectly summarizing the game simply with "We Are Survive!!" Right now Paku is busy making preparations for the AFC Championship game against Indy.

Paku lunches famously in the city of brotherly love

Paku, like many of you, has long heard of the legendary cheesesteak sandwiches of Philadelphia, his temporary home city. To celebrate the occasion of another Paku pal visiting from Baltimore, the two decided to partake of these delicious lunch entities.

Immediately, our intrepid pandas were faced with a choice: Geno's or Pat's.
Paku evaluated this choice in the only way available to him: by examining their taglines. Pat's promised to be the king of steaks, and warned potential Geno's customers not to "eat a misteak." Geno's on the other hand, claimed merely to be "the best." In the end, Paku decided to go with Pat's, as he often considers himself the king of bears, he thought he might find himself in like company.

Paku had heard a lot about the intimidating ordering at Geno's, but he found the proprietor spoke excellent Japanese. Paku had a cheeseteak wit', with American cheese. (Paku did want to ask for Japanese cheese but decided at the last minute to adopt a 'when in Rome' attitude).

In the end, Paku was disappointed and saddened. The ribeye steak was a bit chewy, even for his bamboo munching teeth, and the cheese never melted. It was cold outside (even with his mittons on), which was the only dining option available, and the entire venture (including soda and fries) set him back more USD than he had anticipated.

However, Paku was game for this Philly tradition, and finished his entire cheesesteak, fries and diet Coke. In the end, he wondered if Geno's really could have been all that different than Pat's. He also pontificated on those food establishments that are so legendary and well known that they come to define a particular genre of food. For him, until he ate at Pat's, these two establishments were just such places. Afterwards, Paku wondered if these two places were past their prime, living on the fumes of old triumphs in the cheesesteak realm, mere shells of the legends they still claim to be. Paku was saddened, but felt as though he had to give these cheesesteaks a try. As he wandered off, he cast a glance askance at Geno's, thinking perhaps these sandwiches were probably on par with Pat's. He considered briefly stopping in and suggesting a new business plan, one that hinged on bamboo sandwiches with fruitcicle topping but considering the poor state of his english, and the likely equal state ofGeno's Japanese, our two Pakus sauntered off to spend the rest of their day touring about the city of brotherly love. What other adventures would find them?

Paku seeks answer to question "what's so great about Philadelphia?"; finds defective bell.

It's been nearly a year since Paku moved from Tokyo to Philadelphia and he recently decided that it was about time to explore the many wonders of America's fourth largest city. What did Paku find? A defective bell.


Upon close inspection, Paku discovered that not only is this bell broken, but also poorly edited.


Even Paku who is not a native English speaker knows that Pennsylvania is spelled with three Ns.

Paku visits the greatest city on Earth

According to Paku, the best thing to happen to San Francisco since the Gold Rush is the BART extension to San Francisco International Airport. It had been quite some time since Paku's last visit to San Francisco so he had to consult the route map to find his stop.


While in San Francisco, Paku stayed in the David Choe room at the Hotel Des Arts.

In addition to elaborately decorated walls, Paku's room featured one of the most annoying aspects of apartment life for many San Francisco residents: a sink with separate hot and cold water taps requiring the user to mix the scalding hot water coming out of one tap and the cold water coming out of the other tap in the basin. Like the British, for reasons not readily apparent to Paku, San Franciscans cling to this antiquated method of household water distributuion. Paku speculates that the people responsible for this sink design are on crack.

Unfortunately for Paku it rained most of the weekend he was in San Francisco, but he did manage to spend a little time outside enjoying the beautiful scenery. At one time in his life, Paku had a nice office with a view very similar to the one he is admiring here. Unfortunatley for Paku, it has been all down hill since then and he is on his way to a windowless cubicle after he graduates from business school.