Saturday, October 31, 2009

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De Anza Week Oct 26, 2009

Mon Oct 26, 2009

I arrived just in time for the quiz. I was 10 minutes late leaving home. The quiz was a surprise to me because the instructor didn't start lecturing Chap 4. I did the best I could. I did read Chap 4 and did some of the homework.

The mood in the class was tired and lazy. The instructor's first joke was here is Chap 4 and if you understand this you know Chap 4 and we leave early. We didn't of course. The instructor finished lecturing Chap 4 and we review the homework on the next class meeting. By the way, if I forgot to mention earlier, the instructor uses PowerPoint for his lectures.

I'm back on AIM and maybe Yahoo instant messaging. I'm going to be on both during my break between Accounting and Social Dance in the campus center. I'm happy to say I haven't purchase any food in the cafeteria. I'm trying to save money. My unemployment benefits are out.

Dance class I was out of it. I was sweating on the state and above normal evening temperatures outside made me worse. I was tired when the instructor taught us the East Coast Swing. I asked my sister for additional help on the East Coast Swing. Tomorrow, I find time to practice East Coast Swing.

Wed Oct 28, 2009

There were two thoughts before class. The first thought was I start dating when I move out of the house and find my own residency. I wonder how students who work and study find quality time to date? The second though was my laptop cooler pad. It's dusty and I need to blow compressed air inside the pad.

Before class one student asked me did I finish my homework. I replied, "Almost." I forgot to ask him the same question to keep the small talk going :< Too much in my mind—always thinking =P

The instructor reviewed Chap 4 homework. He used Excel to review some of the problems. He included running totals below that was a great idea. I took some notes to reinforce my knowledge. The concepts seemed easy; however, my mind makes them complicated. The complication is another reminder when I was at San Jose State. The instructor finished the class lecturing Chap 5.

In the campus center, there was a student on my right eating curly fries and studying flash cards. He reminded me when I crammed a final at San Jose State. It was Spring Semester 1996. I crammed my Religion in American 190 final. The students got the questions. The final include some of the questions. I crammed in the library in the morning, ate lunch in the student union including eating curly fries, and finished cramming in the afternoon. The final was in the evening. My final grade was B+. What a miracle!

The Wed dance classes have been better than the Mon dance classes. The reasons include more people, easier dances to learn, and I know a few people. There were disruptions meaning those students who disrupt are having fun. The disruptions were small.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Accutane Day 266


Yesterday I thought I saw another wart. I shaved and on my left side of my face and to the left of my eye there was a spot that bled and oil-like substance oozed out. It had the characteristics of a wart. I told the dermatologist and he saw nothing. He asked if there were an acne. I said there was one in my left arm pit, lol. I popped it because it was irritating. The acne was noted in my records.

The dermatologist continued to look at my face. There are granular (I think it's granular) acne on my forehead. I told him I apply moisturizer on my forehead to keep from drying. The moisturizer is the reason the granular acne appears. I sweat when I work out. Sweat and the moisturizer don't mix well. He said starting today apply moisturizer on my face when it's dry. If the face is not dry especially the forehead, don't apply moisturizer. It looks like I apply moisturizer on my face before I go to sleep. The weather is colder and drier.

I requested to receive 40mg of accutane instead of 20mg. The dermatologist approved. I have been taking accutane for nine months. The average time is six months. I need stronger dosage. If I experience eczema and/or severe dry skin, then I take the 40mg every other day. I continue to apply lip balm on my lips and moisturizer on my hands.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A Top Must See Vacation Visiting USA's Best

USA Weekend Sep 18-20, 2009 published an article by Ken Burns "10 National Parks Every American Should See." I visited two of the ten. I like to visit as many as I can. I don't know about the Everglades because of Florida's weather. I still consider it.

*Yosemite. Located in California's Sierra Nevada. I visited in 1995.

*Yellowstone. Northwest Wyoming. The world's first national park. Old Faithful and Castle Geyser geysers.

*Grand Canyon. Arizona's best. Full of awe books and pictures does no justice.

*Denali. The tallest mountain on the continent officially called Mount McKinley in Alaska.

*Glacier. Glacier National Park located in Montana with peaks, lakes, and glaciers.

*Great Smoky Mountains. Located in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

*Acadia. A national park translated in French as "heaven on Earth." Located along the Maine coast and Mount Desert Island.

*Everglades. South Florida's rivers with sawgrass, mangrove islands, and cypress swamps with hundreds of birds, alligators and crocodiles, and many exotic plants.

*Zion. Zion National Park in Utah. Park at the visitor's center and take buses up and down the canyon.

*Shenandoah. Shenandoah National Park located in Virginia. Ken Burns' personal favorite from his childhood.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Monday, October 26, 2009

De Anza Week Oct 19, 2009

Mon Oct 19, 2009

I took my first mid-term at De Anza and my first after I graduated San Jose State in 1997. The mid-term was OK. I never say I did good, great, or aced it. If I know I did poorly, I say I did poorly and I treat myself to a vanilla shake, lol! Most of the questions were straight forward. There were some tricky questions I hoped I figured out.

I know I'm taking Accounting 1A, the basics of the basics. Throughout the first third of the quarter, I understood and comprehended the concepts either the first time or the second time from the lectures and/or from the readings. I felt smart—really smart. I never felt this smart ever in my life. These four weeks reminded me of a classmate at San Jose State. His name was Richard King. I took Calculus I, II, and III and C++ programming. He saved my ass many times. He rarely wrote notes. He focused on the lectures. Homework, quizzes, mid-terms, and finals he earned A's. I felt like Richard King. Of course, this is De Anza. What if I took basic accounting at San Jose State?!? Final word, maybe I'm focused because I'm mature compared to when I was a student at San Jose State. Another possibility is I eat breakfast everyday and I workout. I don't think the reason is I'm taking one class.

There was a surprised storm. The campus became wet in a matter of hours.

In dancing, we finished the Nite Club Two Step routine for the mandatory Dance Demonstration on Wed Dec 2. Girls or followers, let the guy or the leader lead. The next dance we learned was East Coast Swing. Two students stayed after class for practice and questions. I didn't. I had to leave to buy milk. I drink whole milk. Ballroom dancing is great. I hope more people learn how to dance. I have nobody to go social dancing with *cries*

Wed Oct 21, 2009

I arrived at class late. I knew there was no quiz so I was OK. The reason I was late is I played Japanese Mahjong online. I found a flash version and I played for two hours. Not good.

The mean was 78 and the median was 81. One of the students told me the students' mood was gloomy. Many students didn't do well. The instructor mentioned possible extra credit work and assured students most beginning accounting students don't do well in the first exam. Some of the students with low scores were understandable such as work and raising a family. The student who was laid off at Yahoo is a mother. My score? I aced it.

The rest of the class the instructor talked about the project. We are going to look at Wal-Mart's annual report and do a project on it. The requirements are straightforward. The project is due on the last day of class; however, we're not ready to start on the project because we still need to learn more accounting concepts.

The instructor didn't start lecturing Chap 4. The homework is due on Sat Oct 24. It looks like I'm on my own. I reread the chapter and start on the homework Thur morning.

We continued to practice the cha cha cha and we continued learning the fox trot. Lots of students arrived late. There were a few students who were rude when the instructor was teaching. I didn't stay afterwards for additional practice.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

It's Not All Academic

Most schools are failing our students to be successful in today's world and lifestyle. Here are my suggestions to improve, to innovate the classroom for education success.

*Physical Fitness. Physically fit is just as important as academics. Students concentrate better and can learn faster when they have lots of energy and stamina.

*Eat Properly. I bet one year's salary when I worked at Cisco my GPA at San Jose State is at least .3 points higher if I ate breakfast. I stopped eating breakfast the last three semesters. Bad idea. Today, I make sure I eat breakfast every day. I don't know how people function without breakfast.

Also, eat fruits and vegetables. Minimize processed foods. Eat healthy and you concentrate sharper in class.

*Work Smarter, Not Harder. Schools tell students working hard is the key to success. That's a good idea if working hard is giving you progress. The correct mentality is work smarter. Never stop innovating. Find ways to complete your work efficiently.

*See With Your Mind. Obi-Wan Kenobi said it best in Star Wars IV. Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them. See with your mind, not with your eyes.

*You Must Have Friends. I was alone most of my senior year in high school. My senior year was not fun. You can't be successful being alone in life. You must have friends.

*Read a contemporary fiction book. Overall, the fiction books I read in my English class sucked. Today's fiction books give students a better idea how to live the world today. If you can read more, then do it.

*Listen To Classical Music. Listening to classical music improves your concentrating and makes your smarter. I don't understand how students study without listening to music. If students must listen to hip-hop, that's cool with me.

*Prepare to learn on your own. At Cisco, my manager gave me an assignment, told what was needed to be completed, and said to contact me with questions. The manager walked away. The manager didn't tell you how to complete the assignment. I was responsible to figure out how to complete the assignment. I was responsible to learn on my own. If I contacted my manager with questions, I got a response the next day.

The example above is how life is. You're responsible to learn by yourself. And you need friends (and family and acquaintances) in your life to help you. If you need to seek others for help, do it.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Sunday, October 18, 2009

It's OK I Want To Be Alone

The last two weeks I have the feeling I want to be alone, and it's OK. I believe it's normal to take a time out and spend time for yourself. I fear I lose my friends since I stop spending time with them. The scary feeling is normal, yet my fear wastes my time thinking about the untrue loss. I spend my Fri nights hanging out with my friends; however, the rest of my friends I neither hang out with them nor keep in touch in quite a while. Moreover, I haven't updated my Facebook, posted in forums I'm active, and I haven't logged on to AIM in a long, long time—since Apr.

I experienced the feeling I wanted to be alone in the past. The last time was in late Dec'08 and Jan'09. The good news is the feeling is temporarily. There have been stumbles:

*I applied whitestripes to whiten my teeth. I peeled the strip from the liner and some of the whitening liquid remained on the liner.

*I hiked at Castle Rock State Park on Fri Oct 9. My car got stuck in a ditch. I called AAA for a tow truck. I waited one hour. Also, I almost got sick and I skipped a workout at the gym.

*I have been clumsy dropping keys, clothes, food when I cook, papers, pens, deodorant (yes, I dropped it and the deodorant stick cracked), bottle water, and much more.

*I purchased costume supplies for my next costume or cosplay. The buttons were not what I expected.

I keep myself upbeat, positive, and moving along daily. I'm going with the flow. I'm watching anime again. I watched Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and Where The Wild Things Are movies. I purchased a pair of jeans I never worn since Summer'05. I'm brushing my teeth left handed. Two friends challenged me to learn Japanese Mah Jong in ten days. And I realized my cell phone records video.

I keep myself busy. I update my Facebook and post in the forums soon. Maybe I find time to log on to AIM and see who pings me or surprise some by pinging them. I still keep myself open to meeting new people and making new friends. I gotta learn Japanese Mah Jong, finish anime series I'm behind, continue working out, attend classes, write blogs ^__^, and seek new adventures and experiences. More importantly, it's not Accutane making me depressed.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Do You Have Fire Extinguishers?

Let's do a residence safety check. Do you have fire extinguishers? My house has four fire extinguishers? One in the kitchen, one in the dining room, one in family room where there is a wood burning stove, and one in my room on the second floor.

If you don't have fire extinguishers, go to Costco or a hardware store and buy fire extinguishers at least one in each floor. If you live in an apartment, buy one even though landlords must provide an extinguisher outdoors. Prevent the nightmare of a fire destroying your personal belongings and possessions. Buy fire extinguishers. Save your life and save your residence!

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

De Anza Week Oct 12, 2009

Mon Oct 12, 2009

I shopped at Borders before I attended class. I wanted to buy the Japanese comic (manga) D.Gray Man Volume 12. Borders didn't have it. I shop another Borders between Accounting and Social Dance.

The instructor lectured Chap 3. I was half asleep. I woke up when the instructor talked about the continued budget in California. He predicted Michigan is the first state to declare bankruptcy. He ended the class reviewing Chap 3 homework. He finished the review and review Chap 1-3 for the first mid-term on Wed class.

The instructor engages the class by asking questions to the students. Sometimes the questions are good, sometimes the questions are obvious, and sometimes the questions are cheesy. Regardless, the class stays focused for the most part. That's OK with me. He's not boring.

I drove to another Borders after Accounting. I drove on a street that led me to my kindergarten and first grade school. There is a park before the school. The playground that was there when I was a child is still there. Wow!

The second Borders store didn't have Volume 12. WTH?!? I purchased Volume 14 with a 40% coupon and $5.00 Borders Bucks. I walked to the children's section and saw a display for the movie Where The Wild Things Are. Cell phone pic below:


In dance class, we finished the Nite Club Two Step we perform at the Dance Demonstration on Wed Dec 2. The class needs more practice, and I mean it. More practice. I need more practice. It seemed everyone was busy and nobody stayed afterwards to practice. The girls must trust the guys to lead. Maybe that's why the divorce rate is around 50%. The girls need to trust the guys to lead and the guys need to be a man and lead ^__^ Everything goes both ways. It's just like in accounting where assets must balance with liabilities and owner's equity. Debits must balance with credits. OK, I stop now and go again another day, lol!

Wed Oct 14, 2009

I drove to De Anza at 2:55pm and I arrived at De Anza in 20 minutes. That was the fastest I arrived. Usually the drive has been 25-30 minutes because of signal lights and traffic. I waited 10 minutes for the instructor to arrive.

The instructor finished reviewing Chap 3 homework. I completed the homework before class. There was some challenge and it took a long time. I understood the review and it looks like I’m ready for the mid-term on Mon Oct 19. I still want to study and review and don't take what I already know for the mid term granted. The second half of the class the instructor reviewed the material. No problem on the review. I wrote some concepts to emphasize my understanding.

There was a delay in Social Dance. The projector screen was down on the stage. It seemed the speaker or maintenance forgot to raise the projector screen up. We finished practicing the Cha Cha Cha chorography. Now it's practice and practice. The instructor started teaching us the Fox Trot. Awesome! I stayed after class as usual and got some corrections for the Nite Club Two Step.

Side Note: There was a power outage at De Anza yesterday. I walked around campus and there were debris and water puddles from yesterday's big storm.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Show and Tell

Remember in grade school the teacher asked all students to bring something from home to school? We show the item to our classmates and tell them what the item is? Show and Tell is a simple way to teach how to communicate, how to describe, how to stand up in front of an audience and talk, how to interact with others when the classmates ask questions, and how to ask questions.

I'm confident Show and Tell is used in grade schools. How about at home? Are the parents teaching Show and Tell indirectly? For example, at the dinner table, Mom or Dad ask their son or daughter about something, anything such as a stuffed animal, video game, doll, sports, book, glass, and the son or daughter must tell about it. If yes, congrats parents, you're doing a good job? If no, parents, get your heads out of your asses and start parenting.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Accutane Day 236 Follow Up

I got my Accutane on Tue Oct 6. My insurance company didn't contact Costco pharmacy. The pharmacist entered the number code and I got full coverage. I picked up my Accutane, thank the pharmacists, and headed out. The manager walked up to the register and told me customers shouldn't experience what I experienced. It was wrong.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Oct 5, 2009

Mon Oct 5, 2009

I went to the post office, returned rice to Smart & Final (it's not a big deal, Mom), and shopped for jeans at Kohl's in the morning and early afternoon. The last time I wore jeans was in 2005. I forgot how jeans are durable and comfortable XD I ate a quick lunch and headed to class.

I arrived in class just in time for the quiz. The questions were straightforward, and if a student either attended the Wed Sep 30 or read Chap 2, the quiz was an easy 100% score. The rest of the class the instructor finished Chap 2 and started reviewing Chap 2 homework. If I didn't read Chap 2 last Sat, I write more and messy notes, lol. Today's lecture was a good example to read ahead and do the homework. I completed half of the homework. It was all reinforcement of Chap 2 concepts for me. The instructor gave the students a one week extension for Chap 1 homework because some students had trouble logging on to the website to submit the homework.

I finish Chap 2 homework tonight.

I walked around the first floor of the Campus Center. I saw a poster on bi-polar. There was a study taking place in Palo Alto, and the study was looking for volunteers. Pics taken with my cell phone camera.


I had to eat again. Bring a banana next time.

Dance class the instructor returned after missing last week. We continued the nite club two step. We learned new moves. The instructor told us something about dance events I thought was good information. Dance is a conversation itself. There is no talking, except for small talk. Dancing most of the time there is no talking. Your attend a dance event, check in your coat or put your coat somewhere, dance with people, and leave. The exception is meeting a person or people and going with them afterwards; otherwise, most of the time you leave by yourself. The instructor has been dancing for at least 20 years including at dance events. She knows many people and doesn't know their last names at the dance events.

The instructor emphasized the man (or leader if same sex dance) must lead. The right arm must be confident, strong, firm, and knows what's going on. Eye contact with the woman (or follower if same sex dance) is a key.

Wed Oct 7, 2009

One thing lead to another. Yesterday I did errands most of the day I didn't finish Chap 2. I'm taking one class with homework and exams and I couldn't even finish it. Pathetic!

Before lunch, I worked on Chap 2 homework. I'm almost done. Then I ate lunch hoping I don't eat at the cafeteria.

The instructor reviewed Chap 2 homework and gave us the solutions. I paid no attention to the review because I finished the homework and I rather learn from my mistakes instead of the instructor giving me the answers. The rest of the class he discussed Chap 3 accrual and deferrals. The class approved delaying the first exam from Wed Oct 14 to Mon Oct 19.

I talked to two students who sat on my left. One of the student has a computer science degree laidoff from Yahoo. The second student attends San Jose State and De Anza. Both of them like me are considering accounting as a second degree or change in major. I told them my story my contract at Cisco was terminated.

Wed dance class the instructor taught us more cha cha cha. We learned the basic cha cha cha moving vertically and practice the chase, a common move my sister told me. Monday and tonight's class very few stayed afterwards to practice. It seems everyone was busy. I wrote on paper the new moves I learned immediately at home.

I want to finish Chap 3 homework before Mon Oct 12 to have one week to study for my first mid-term since I graduated San Jose State in 1997.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Friday, October 02, 2009

De Anza Week Sept 28, 2009

Mon Sep 28, 2009

I drove to De Anza from my house at 2:50pm. To repeat, it's faster to drive to De Anza on surface streets instead of freeway. On Wed Sep 30, there were so many cars I forgot there was a clean green light. I didn't want to be late because I almost missed the quiz.

I arrived in plenty of time. It appears there is no class before my class. Everyone waited for the instructor to open the room. The instructor arrived at 3:27pm. The students settled in and the instructor asked as a quiz question. If a student read the first 5 pages or attended the lectures, the question was easy to answer. After the quiz, the instructor reviewed the homework. I don't know why he reviewed the homework because the green sheet said the homework is due on Sat Oct 3. I finished reading Chap 1 and I'm ready to complete the homework. I ignored most of the lecture and wrote down information not related to Chap 1. For example, he talked about how Oracle submitted falsified financial statements. I wrote down how Oracle did. I say it was genius. The final ten minutes he started on Chap 2.

FOB = Freight On Board

I headed to the Campus Center. I choose to keep my car in the parking garage instead of parking my car near the Visual Arts Center. I wrote Blogs. There was a student who asked me about WiFi and her Mac laptop seemed to not work. I asked questions trying to diagnose the problem. She tried the library to access the internet. I think the problem was she has a Mac laptop.

I brought my dancing shoes for Social Dance. The instructor was out for the week because she has work for her dance company. There was supposed to be a substitute. He couldn't make it. Half of the class attended because an email was sent informing the students the class was cancelled.

The instructor's assistant taught the class. The assistant's husband helped, too. Before class started, I talked to one student taking a singing class. I asked for more information because when I play Rock Band, I'm vocals. We reviewed the Nite-Club Two Step for half of the class. The other half of the class some students danced other dances. I danced the Waltz and Fox Trot with a couple of students.

Wed Sep 30, 2009

There was no quiz today in Accounting 1A. I must complete the Chap 1 homework tonight. The instructor lectured Chapter 2. Some of the information was straight forward. Some was not and I need to read the chapter. Cooke Cutter Accounting is a company takes profit from one quarter financials to use for quarter financials. There was one student who kept asking questions. The student needed to think more, or maybe he was thinking too much. The questions were good. The timing was bad because the instructor needed to stop his lectures too many times.

I talked to a classmate about the Chap 1 homework. She said it was straightforward and easy to complete online. Tonight, I create my account and complete the homework. I don't know how I'm going to use the homework to study since I only need the answers.

Here is a pic of the table I sat in the Campus Center. If you can't see the pic, it's a happy cloud made out of salt. I took the pic with my cell phone camera.


There was a substitute in dance. The substitute, with all due respect to the regular instructor, was better. He was detailed, funny, and controlled the flow of the class. We learned a new move for the Cha Cha Cha. I wonder if the regular instructor incorporates the move in the chorography for the upcoming Dance Demonstration event.

I want to thank Joseph for the DVD copy of Dancing With The Stars Week 1 first episode =)

Side Note: I forgot to mention my Accounting instructor is left handed ^__^

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Personal Feedback At Anime Expo 2009

I finished all the Anime Expo (AX) cosplay pics and uploaded to my webpage. I thought about my experiences at AX while editing the pics. I had my share of positive and negative experiences. I thought about my negative experiences and how I solve them for AX 2010, and use the solutions for my daily life.

Hotel. The hotel problems are easily solved. I'm not staying at the Westin because the room was small. I bring my fragile cosplay myself including my wigs if I can. The bellhop dropped my wigs.

I bring food instead of buying food in the hotel and finding a store to buy food. The restaurants prices were reasonable; however, I saved more money if I brought food. One of my friends told me of a good store close to the convention center. I use the store for emergencies.

Being Alone. The biggest worry was being alone. Day 1 was the day I was alone most of the time. I was afraid I don't find my friends. I was afraid I don't meet any new people. Both fears were a waste of my time and waste of my energy. I hung out with my friends and I met new people. There were a few times my friends called me to check up on me. I felt wanted and I appreciated the calls.

I wanted to post at least 1,000 cosplay pics. I was successful. I could have taken more pics if I just spent my time alone taking cosplay pics and not worry about being left behind from my friends and not worry about meeting new people. I made the same mistake at the 2009 San Francisco Cherry Blossoms Festival. I worried too much and I had time being alone I could have walked around taking cosplay pics; although, San Francisco was in the low 90s and I was so hot and I was tired =P

Not Being Myself. There were moments I was not myself. I forgot the friendly, easy going me. There were times I was cocky. There were times I was speaking too loud and laughing too loud. There were times I said something without thinking. I didn't want everyone to forget me. I forgot the lesson I learned at Cherry Blossoms: trust myself and don't be a stuck up. Cheer up and don't be a stuck up.

AX'09 was a good con. I had a good time. I need cosplay upgrades next year. And I correct my mistakes. Oh, and I hope the weather is cooler next time, too.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar