Thursday, October 30, 2014

Bringing Home Meals

There are many ways to determine if a person, a couple, a family . . . a group of people is happy in a household. One way is bringing home meals. Is the meal coming from a grocery store requiring cooking or the meal already prepared such as take out from a fast food restaurant? The exception is a household with people who agree to be responsible for their own meals. Otherwise, I have a thought relating meals and happiness.

I believe cooking meals is a happiness sign. Cooking demonstrates caring and thinking about everyone's well being. Cooking meals is beyond duty. There is satisfaction you and everyone else are happy eating a cooked meal. Lazy cooking is unsatisfactory. There must be effort, hard work, time spent, and thought preparing meals. There is no put the meal in the oven, bake it, and forget it until the meal is finished baking. There is creativity. The hands are working with food, spices, ingredients, the utensils, a chopping board, and the stove top.

On the other hand, unhappy people never cook. Meals are purchased at a restaurant, a deli, or in a supermarket's frozen food aisle. The attitude is "here's the meal purchased, let's eat, done." Cooking meals is a duty completed no more. The time spent cooking is being used for their own personal and selfish liking.

There are exceptions such as parties, too busy with responsibilities, unexpected events, and some senior citizens who eat out more often. I hope the too busy with responsibilities is temporary. Bad habits of eating out more often can develop because a sense of buying meals is easier and time saver than cooking at home. Show happiness. Be happier. Cook for yourself or cook for your household.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

My Thoughts On Game 7 Of The 2014 World Series

The Baltimore Orioles was the last road team to win Game 7 in a best of seven World Series defeating the home team Pittsburg Pirates 4-1 in the 1979 World Series. The 1982 St. Louis Cardinals, 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1986 New York Mets, 1987 and 1991 Minnesota Twins, 1997 Florida Marlins, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2002 Anaheim Angels, and the 2011 Cardinals won Game 6 and their clinching Game 7 at their home stadium since 1979. The road team Cleveland Indians tied the series 3-3 in Game 6 of the 1997 World Series against the home team Marlins; in other words, the Marlins could have clinched the World Series in six games.

The road team San Francisco Giants were shutout by the home team Royals on Game 6 10-0 yesterday. I have mixed feelings and confused emotions today. There is a sense of urgency. Giants fans want the Giants to win the World Series. We remember past Game 7 World Series; in particular the 2002 World Series when the Giants were up 3-2 in the series against the Angels. History is against the Giants. The best Giants fans do is hope for the best. Stay positive. We believe the Giants change history. Support the team. Giants fans cheer for them. Have faith timing and luck are in favor of the Giants.

The 2014 baseball season ends today. One team wins and another team loses. Tomorrow is back to normal life.

Side note: I remember starting pitcher Josh Beckett of the Florida Marlins pitching Game 6 of the 2003 World Series on three days rest. The road team Marlins clinched the 2003 World Series against the home team New York Yankees. I understand the reason Marlins manager Jack McKeon made the choice to start Beckett because he didn't want to play a game 7.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Monday, October 20, 2014

Most Interesting Man In The World October 2014

The radio commercial is a repeat from earlier in 2014. My sports radio talk show rebroadcasted during the baseball playoffs. Jonathan Goldsmith is the actor who portrays The Most Interesting Man In The World for the Dos Equis beer commercials. The narrator is Will Lyman from Frontline.

*His former landlord uses him as a reference.

*He once let a snake bite him, just to prove that laughter is the best medicine.

*Bikers walk their motorcycles past his home.

*His bravado can be seen from space.

*When he gets an idea, more than one light bulb goes off.

*He made diamonds using peer pressure alone.

*His point of view is panoramic.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Alternate Endings

What if I did this instead of that? We think back the different choices we could have made which could have changed our lives. Why do we think back in our pasts to think about alternate choices? I'm no psychologist. I believe there are two reasons. The first reason is to learn from our mistakes. The second reason is to make us feel better in a sad moment.

We are human. We make bad choices. Sometimes there are bad moments that happen beyond our control. Bad timing and bad luck are part of life. We must continue forward. The world didn't come to an end.

Here are some past moments and the possible alternate endings:

Graduated At Prospect High School. I attended Blackford High School for three years. The Campbell Union High School District made the decision to close two schools because of the recession. Blackford High School closed for my senior year. I finished my high school at Prospect High School.

What if Blackford High School remained open? 1. My classes were easier. The teachers at Prospect were more challenging than Blackford. 2. No driver's license. I lived within biking distance from home to Blackford. 3. I could have been the senior cadet officer in my R.O.T.C. class. 4. I saw all my friends at Blackford instead of seeing half my Blackford friends at Prospect. 5. I could say I attended a school for at least four years. I attended my junior high school for three years. I attended three elementary schools for two years each.

Graduated With An Economics Degree. I started my education at San Jose State University majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Economics. I changed my major to Economics and my minor to Mathematics.

What if I graduated with a different major? Accounting and Geology were also my new major choices. If I majored in Accounting, I had a better chance finding a job quicker after I graduated and I had a better chance finding a job if I lose my job because of layoffs. I might have earned a CPA because it was much easier earning a CPA back then compared to today. And a major in Accounting and a minor in Economics were a good combination of business knowledge and analytical thinking.

If I majored in Geology, then I'm likely in the same job situation with an Economics degree. It was hard to find a job and it was hard to find a job in a recession.

Finished De Anza College In Spring '11. My A.A. degree in Accounting was completed at the end of the Winter '11. I finished De Anza in Spring '11 because I wanted to take the Auditing class which was offered only in spring quarters.

What if I ended De Anza in Winter '11? I could have started job searching three months earlier. I could have took a mini vacation three months earlier. I could have realized how the job market changed and how job searching changed since 2008 three months earlier. The bottom line was my new life started three months earlier.

What if I didn't attend De Anza? I might have found a job. My friends who looked for a job during the recession found a job. I experienced job searching in a tough market for the first time in my life. I didn't experience real student life I should have experienced back at San Jose State which included making new friends, having fun, making mistakes, and being youthful again.

Attended Anime Expo '07. Anime Expo '07 was held at the Long Beach Convention Center temporarily for one year. Their contract at the Anaheim Convention Center ended in '06.

What if I skipped Anime Expo '07? I didn't experience another bad con. I saved money. I saved my vacation time. I didn't get sick after the Fourth Of July holiday. The Long Beach Convention Center was too small for a big attendance. There were not enough hotel rooms. The hot temperatures made the experience worse for outdoor events and the lines for events.

I should have listened to my intuition which said Anime Expo '07 was going to be a bad convention. I wanted to keep my Anime Expo attendance streak intact.

Full Metal Alchemist Anime Saved Me From Quitting Anime. One of Fanime Con '04's programming was the Full Metal Alchemist Midnight Marathon. The anime series was popular in Japan. It was my opportunity to watch the series.

I talked to a friend who graduated college the day before the marathon. He told me he was phasing out of anime. I thought about quitting anime the rest of the day.

What if I didn't watch Full Metal Alchemist? I quit anime at the end of '04. I watched 17 episodes from midnight to 7am. I choose to wear a costume of the main character at the end of episode eight. I continued being an anime fan from '05 to '14. Full Metal Alchemist is my all time favorite anime series. I met lots of new people and made lots of new friends. I have little friends today without continuing anime.

Contract At Cisco Terminated On Nov '08. I was a Business Analyst from Mar '07 to Nov '08. My contract ended because the real estate financial bubble bursted.

What if I continued working at Cisco through '09? I didn't experience a blessing in disguise when my contract was terminated. I didn't take a break from life. I didn't experience being a beginner again. I didn't experience correcting the mistakes I made before I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, '08. I never attended De Anza College from '09-'11 to relive college life.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Monday, October 13, 2014

My Past Is Not Making Me Quit Life

I'm done. I quit. I'm a loser. How do I live a loser life? I live my life being a loser living at home with my parents, work at a dead end retail job, and spend too much time having fun. I stop reading books and learning new knowledge. No more adventures. I don't want to meet new people. I have enough friends. I'm out of shape. Life moves forward. I stay behind. I minimize pain, suffering, and frustration.

My retail job is anything except preparing anything edible or drinkable. I earn minimum wage. If I'm lucky, I earn more money in a higher non-management position. I have no free weekends. My time spent outside work is watching TV, playing video games, and hording geeky toys. There's no worrying about paying rent because I live at home. I find time to go out once in a while. There are many losers with few friends and a poor social life. I'm one of them. I don't think ahead to my future if my parents past away. I don't think ahead what my life is when I'm 60 years old.

My Past

My past was a waste when I lived in my 20s and my early 30s. What was my past? My answer is nothing--boring, inactive, taking life for granted, and going nowhere. Bland memories. Plain moments. I defined living life one day at a time in a negative way. I didn't move forward. I didn't find new adventures and new experiences. I didn't expand my circle of friends. I never improved my life. I never experienced working hard. My life was too easy. I can say I partially lived a loser life.

My times have changed. I'm lucky and I'm fortunate I have the strength and the desire to avoid living a loser life. I'm not going down the path of loser life. I'm going to work my ass to live a winning life. I'm not going to make the same past mistakes. My past is not going to dictate my life. My past is not going to stop me from finding and living my true life. I'm not going to bury my past six feet underground because my past is part of me. I accept my past. I welcome my past.

What am I doing now to move forward? I job search six days a week, I workout at the gym four days a week, I teach myself mySQL and Python six and a half days a week, I write blogs, I cook meals, I read books, I take care of the house, and I continue an active social life. I have people helping me find a job. I believe my hard work pays off soon. I have confidence what I'm doing now brings rewards soon. My life goals are find a job, move out, continue learning, find new adventures, experience new experiences, improve my physical fitness, and surround myself with good people. I find my true life.

I must not repeat my past which stays in my life forever. My past gives me strength and courage to continue ahead. I have hope. I move forward. There is no quitting. My big successes are earned in a matter of time.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Stop Sweating

I'm not the only person who sweats after a shower in the world. Sweat comes out of my forehead minutes after a cold or warm shower. I feel warmer than a spring or fall evening after a shower. I sweat when I brush my teeth. I don't sweat from the warm air around the shower because I brush my teeth in another part of the bathroom. The bathroom window is completely open. Winter season is the only time there's no sweat. It's my body. I don't know why my body heats up after a shower. I can take a lukewarm shower on a cold winter night. My body warms up afterwards, and since it's the winter, there's no sweat. I never take hot showers.

I started to cool down after a shower by turning on a desk fan in July 2014. The desk fan is next to the window. I feel cool outdoor air. No sweating. My body cools down significantly. There must be a minimum ten minutes cool down period before I go to bed. I brush my teeth when I completely cool down.

I'm a person who must take a shower before going to sleep. I have trouble sleeping feeling dirty, sticky, and sweaty. I can skip a shower when I don't sweat or I avoid any physical tasks which increase my body temperature in a day. My body heats up and forms sweat during any demanding physical activity. I sweat easily.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, October 04, 2014

Bet On The Real Raymond Mar Coming Soon

I blogged Finding The Missing Pieces I must find to be successful on Wed Sep 24. The missing pieces are finding new friends, learning more job skills, living independent or moving out, consistent physical workouts, and finding a job. The real Raymond Mar appears when I find the five missing pieces. The world has one more strong and successful human being.

Most of the world believes the old Raymond Mar exists. The old Raymond Mar before I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008 or the old Raymond Mar before I realized I must work harder on Sep 2013. I need to make everything right. I still have mistakes to correct. I must prove to myself and prove to the world the real Raymond Mar exists. He's no longer the naive, uncontrollable, and immature person. I can be trusted. I can help people.

My typical weekday includes job searching, learning Python, learning MySQL, reviewing SQL, going to the gym, and housework. My typical weekend includes spending less time job searching, learning Python, learning MySQL, and reviewing SQL. Also, I find time relaxing on the weekend. For example, I watch football on Sun. I find time throughout the week writing blogs. Mon is the best day to run personal errands. My Fri night is spent socializing with my friends. My Sat night is a free night I'm open to anything.

I have support. I have goals. I have nothing to lose. If I do nothing, then I'm nothing. I'm somebody. I must do something, anything because I want to live a life. I'm strong. I have courage. I believe in myself. The world waits patiently. The real Raymond Mar is coming soon.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Friday, October 03, 2014

My Thoughts On Job Searching

My thoughts to the point.

1. Resumes. Resumes communicated the job candidate's long-term potential. The education, the past experiences, and the job skills told the employer what you're going to do for future success. For example, did the candidate have the ability to learn the job such as learning new software programs, learning new concepts, and getting along with his or her co-workers? The thinking was during my time when I graduated college and previous generations.

Resumes are different today. Resumes communicate the job candidate's potential today. The education, the past experiences, and the job skills tell the employer what you're doing today. Forget the ability to learn on the job. Employers want job candidates to know everything now. Employers want job candidates with experience now. The known catch-22 is how can job candidates learn everything now if they can't find a job to learn everything.

2. A Full Time Job. Searching for a full time job is a full time job. If you're not job searching, then you should be learning new job skills. Take me for example. I'm learning Python. I'm reviewing MySQL. I completed reviewing Excel's pivot tables and v-lookups and Access.

I job search six days a week for a minimum of one hour. Nobody finds a job doing nothing. You must spend time for your future career and for your self-esteem. Stay strong. Stay brave.

3. Questioning My Job Searching. I question my job searching sometimes. What am I doing correctly? What am I doing incorrectly? I started job searching on Wed Sep 10. The result as of the blog entry is one interview. I received phone calls and email inquiries. Nothing moved forward thereafter. It's discouraging. I remain strong. I move forward. I hope each weekday I get a call for an interview.

Am I doing too much? Am I producing diminishing marginal returns? Maybe I need to spend less time. Less is more?

4. Accept Rejections. Rejections are part of life. Job searching is no exception. I know people looking for a job with great experience and great knowledge in their field of expertise. They get rejected. Accept the rejections. Move on. Hope for another day to get an interview.

5. 50% Qualified. There are many jobs with lengthy job descriptions. Most of us read the key information such as qualifications, required job skills, education, and length of contract and pay rate if the two are disclosed. The job descriptions are written to hire the perfect job candidate. Almost all hires aren't perfect candidates to satisfy the entire job description. Moreover, a recruiter or a human resources employee likely wrote the long job description because he or she had too much free time.

Apply to jobs you qualify a minimum of 50% of the job requirements. You never know what's going to happen.

6. Cover Letters. Cover letters are risky. If you make a mistake, then you're no longer a job candidate. Include a cover letter in your job application when a cover letter is required or when you apply to a high level position. Don't submit a cover letter when in doubt.

7. Job Fairs. My opinion is the participating companies are just marketing their companies. Nothing more. Avoid job fairs. They're a waste of time.

8. I'm Hired. I'm Doing This? I worked at four companies since I graduated college. All of the companies I worked my job expectations and my responsibilities were different than what was written in the job description. I expect there's going to be a variation to my job function from the job description for my next job I'm hired. Here's another reason to apply for jobs you satisfy 50% of the job requirements.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Thursday, October 02, 2014

A Positive Rant

I'm blogging straight from my heart. The world is going to be okay. Avoid becoming weak watching the news because most of the news reported is negative. I fail to understand why some people welcome negativity in the news, media, internet, and even some of today's music. Avoid being depressed spending time with bad people spreading depression. Find new people and make new friends. Continue moving forward. Be brave. Fight for yourself. Never quit. Quit and life stops.

There are lots of good people. I'm a good person. Good people always find ways to get better indefinitely. I'm calling out to people who need to get up and do something, anything. Michael Jackson sang it best from "Man In The Mirror": If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change. The world is going to be better. I believe there are more people everyday who realize they must make a change. Get stronger. Get smarter. Get wiser. Be mature. Be professional. I hope these people have good support.

Pace Yourself To Your Goals

We're tired physically. We're exhausted mentally. Our emotions need a rest. We need to control more of our spending. More time must be spent on our spiritual side regardless of religion. I have a non-religious spiritual side for which I created an eight page inspirational guide I read once a week. My inspirational guide includes some of my past blogs, my daily rules for living, and Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement speech. Spend time to rest and to recover.

The rewards are coming for those who work hard--work perfectly hard. Put in the time. Pay the dues. Success follows. There's going to be time for leisure. There's going to be financial gains. There's going to be more strength. There's going to be more wisdom. A better person arises attracting new people. There is a feeling of goodness.

Avoid the pitfalls of giving up. Never go to the path of having no life. I have faith in humanity. Search "faith in humanity" videos at YouTube for a sample of good people. Everything is going to be okay. The world moves forward. Everyone must move forward. Take care.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com