Friday, December 30, 2005

Steve, I Finally Found Time To Correct The Errors XD

Going back to the Washington Canada Blog Seven Parts and Epilogue, there were errors. Steve read them and found some errors. I’m going to correct them. Finally!!!

*During the trip to Costco, Steve purchased The Simpsons Season 4 and Season 6. The incorrect entry was Season 4 and Season 5.
*Principal Skinner dated Patty in The Simpsons episode. The incorrect entry was Selma.
*The hotel in Port Orchard Steve and I watched The Empire Strikes Back and Steve’s favorite Star Wars is The Return Of The Jedi. The incorrect entry was Steve’s favorite Star Wars is The Empire Strikes Back.
*Steve’s car is a VW Bug Bot VB. The incorrect entry was VB Bug.

Holly shi--! Most of the errors were about Steve :-O I swear the errors were errors. Nothing intentional :-)

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Working Out Ignorance

In 1998, I started working out at a gym in the business park where I worked my first job after I graduated college. The gym schedule was Tuesdays and Thursdays. I did sit-ups, weights, and stationary bike. I thought the schedule was the best ever.

A few months later, I learned it’s better to do the stationary bike first to pump up the heart. And Tuesdays were busy. I switched to Wednesdays and Fridays and I did stationary bike, sit-ups, and weights. I thought the schedule was the best ever.

In early 2001, I attended another gym located 10 minutes away from my home. I kept the same schedule. During the end of 2001, my company played softball once a week. Man, I had trouble running. As a result, I added the treadmill. I did stationary bike, sit-ups, treadmill, and weights. I kept my Wednesday and Friday days. I thought the schedule was the best ever.

In late 2004, there was a period where I never completed my workout schedule. I switched from stationary bike, sit-ups, treadmill, and weights to stationary bike, treadmill, weights, and sit-ups. The new workout schedule was successful. I thought the schedule was the best ever.

The beginning of 2005, I switched the days from Wednesdays and Fridays to Fridays and Sundays. I kept the stationary bike, treadmill, weights, and sit-ups schedule. I thought the schedule was the best ever.

Since August 2005, I removed sit-ups and I do stationary bike, treadmill, and weights. I do sit-ups at home. Sit-ups takes 5 minutes :-) And I switched the days from Fridays and Sundays to Thursdays and Fridays. I believe the schedule is the best ever . . . or is it?!?!?

The point of the Blog entry is never be ignorant. What if I kept the 2001 schedule which didn’t include the treadmill? I said to myself, “Nope. No change. The schedule is the best ever. I’m not going to change ever. Period. End of discussion.” Fortunately, I added the treadmill, and the treadmill has been a major benefit to me feeling good about myself both physically and mentally. The Thursday and Friday schedule is great because I work on other activities such as reading books and updating my webpage Monday thru Wednesday.

There is always something to do better. Always! Never accept the usual answer. Never accept the status quo. If you ever have the tiniest thought something can be innovated, there is a great chance innovation is possible. Never stop innovating.

Side notes: (1) I have modified gym schedules in case something happens during the week. For example, if I arrived late for whatever reason, I do the stationary bike and treadmill only. (2) I always stretched out at home before going to the gym. When I attended my first gym, I stretched there. (3) If I can’t go to the gym, I do stretches, sit-ups, and push-ups at home. Better to do something than nothing. (4) I have been going to the gym after dinner since 2001.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Drive With One Glove

In California, its law drivers must turn their headlights on during the rain. Yeah, another law which gives law enforcement another reason to pull over motorists. If you don’t want to be pulled over and get caught with something more serious, turn on the lights (and wear your seat belt). Moreover, law enforcement is not going to pull you over for not turning on lights only; they rather pull over DUIs and speeders.

The above paragraph is not the topic of the Blog entry. It’s a FYI. The topic is remembering to turn your lights off after you finished driving in the rain (or fog). For domestic cars, I believe there is an alarm system that tells the driver their lights are on when the car is turned off and the driver takes the keys out of the ignition. I could be wrong. I’m not a car expert.

On the other hand, foreign cars don’t have an alarm system. I drive older Honda and Toyota cars daily. Both cars don’t have an alarm system. I failed to turn off the lights twice during a morning rainy day and a morning foggy day. What pissed me off was I forgot twice. Twice!!! :-< I hate repeating the same mistake twice.

To remind myself to turn off the lights during daytime driving, I drive with one glove. The Honda and Toyota cars headlight switch is on the turn signal. When I drive, I take my left glove and cover the turn signal and wear my right glove. When I park my car and turn off the ignition, I then take my left glove out of the turn signal and turn off the lights. If I forgot to turn the headlights off, I remember by looking at my hands such that I say to myself, “What the hell? I’m wearing my right glove only. Oh, yeah. I forgot to turn off the headlights.”

Ever since, I remembered to turn off the lights :)

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Goodbye Monday Night Football on ABC

Yesterday, I watched most of the last Monday Night Football on ABC. Another boring game :-\ Pats defeated the Jets. I’m neither a diehard nor a casual football fan--I’m in the middle. ABC broadcasted 555 games. I’m going to share my favorite memories watching Monday Night Football. (BTW, Monday Night Football is moving to ESPN and Sunday Night Football is moving to NBC for the 2006-2007 season.) No loss for Disney because Disney owns both ABC and ESPN.

*My favorite Monday Night Football games were in the late 80’s and early 90’s when the San Francisco 49ers kick ass. Montana, Rice, Young, Lott, . . . the list goes on and on. Awesome!

*During my freshman year in high school, after I finish my homework, I always catch the last 15-20 minutes of Monday Night Football. Many times, the games were thrillers.

*In my junior year, my U.S. History teacher didn’t give homework when the San Francisco 49ers play on Monday night.

*I saw the game when San Francisco 49ers’ Jerry Rice broke Jim Brown’s all time career touchdown record on September 5, 1994. Rice caught three touchdown passes from Steve Young against the Raiders.

*Fall Semester 1996 and Fall Semester 1997 at San Jose State University I get to watch all of the Monday Night Football games because I didn’t go to class five days a week.

*I saw the Miracle in the Meadowlands game when the New York Jets beat the Miami Dolphins 40-37 in overtime on October 23, 2000.

*Dennis Miller was gone in late 2001. And so was Dan Fouts. All the other announcers and commentators were great. No complaints.

Thank you ABC for Monday Night Football.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Command and Conquer: Generals

On December 10, 2005, I began to play a PC strategy game called Command and Conquer: Generals. The game is addicting. As of the Blog entry, I'm on USA Mission 7. During the Christmas vacation, I completed two missions. I replayed Mission 6 three times to try out different ways to accomplish the mission. Yesterday, I visited my cousin and he plays Command and Conquer also. He told me to download the updates because there are bugs that needed to be fixed. One downside to the download I noticed was the Spy Satellite time delay between uses increased from 1:00 minute to 1:30 minutes.

Heh, heh. Fortunately, I control my urge to play CC:G and I completed other activities on my to-do list during the holiday. I updated my Blog (four in a row, wow!), updated my half.com items for sale, updated my webpage, and updated my resumes at hotjobs.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and careercenter.sjsu.edu. Also, I researched stocks from my friend's recommendation, finished laundry, exercised, and read a stack of articles. Later today, I'm going to start reading Moneyball by Michael Lewis and continue reading The Erotic Edge by Lonnie Barbach for casual reading ^__^ I'm going to try to avoid CC:G which I think I'm going to fail because it's Christmas.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

The Day To Say A Goal: Meet New People

Good news. I submitted another Blog. Hooray! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. If you feel lonely on Christmas Day, then you may want to think about setting a goal for 2006. The goal is to meet new people.

Today, I'm celebrating Christmas with my family in my Uncle's house tonight. I'm celebrating Christmas with people. However, if you do feel lonely, and it's normal in any circumstance, rather than feeling depressed, use the depressed energy and set a goal to meet new people.

In 2005, I accomplished a goal to meet 10 new people. I accomplished easily. For 2006, I set a goal to meet 20 new people. Honestly, I should have tripled the goal XD How did I accomplished the goal? Most of the new people I met were at anime conventions. I cosplayed in the anime conventions which helped. Why didn't I cosplay before?

Do whatever it takes to meet new people, and don't be a jerk. If you need information to meet new people, read a book. If you need to do something to be a better person to be liked, do that something. I cosplayed at anime conventions and I was successful. Using the idea from Harvey MacKay's Swim With The Sharks or Robert Kiyosaki (I forgot who) on marketing, you have a 98% chance to meet people anywhere hoping for a 2% chance to make new friends, to network, future acquaintances, and/or to meet someone who cares. The odds suck; however, the 2% is a big 2% who can be with you for a long time. Good luck!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Bored? Play Power Outage

The game Power Outage is you and a group of people stage a mock power outage. The game works best for a group of friends hanging out at someone's place, couples living together, and families.

The rule is nobody uses any powered items and accessories such as lamps, electric stoves, and computers. Obviously, flashlights and/or candles are required. Close the curtains and blinds to keep the street lights from shining inside. Cover any lighted displays such as alarm clocks, DVD players, and microwave display with paper or tape temporarily. And, most importantly, don't unplug any emergency equipment such as alarm systems and smoke detectors, refrigerators, TVs, and VCRs. Power Outage is just a game and it's not worth spoiling any food inside the refrigerator and turning off clocks and having to reset when the game is over ^_^

Playing Power Outage brings you and a group of people together. After all, TVs and computers can't be used ;-) The best activities are playing a board game and everyone in one room talking and sharing. If you are a couple, well, you know what to do together <:-) LOL! Essentially, just do something together. Power Outage helps bring people together. It's the people that works together to make Power Outage fun.

Do you remember the last power outage in your household? How did you and/or your household occupants handle it? I'm betting that everyone did something different and took a break from their normal routines and got together. Turn off the lights and have fun!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Friday, December 23, 2005

A Brief 2005 Year In Review And Not Jinxing 2006

Hello. I was busy and tired and could not submit a Blog the last two weeks. On Monday December 12, I woke up early to pick up 250 key lockboxes for my company's brokers. And I brought the lockboxes to the second floor in my building. I did it all myself and I didn't eat breakfast. The morning errand made me fatigue and grumpy most of the week.

Fortunately, on Friday December 16 I took the day off and went to Oakridge mall and Valley Fair mall where I purchased The Simpsons Season 5, a pair of pants, Simpsons UNO, and a Japanese comic book or manga. And I shopped at Barnes & Noble where I purchased Moneyball by Michael Lewis and The Art of War by Sun Tzu. 2005 was the year I spent the least and the fewest stores I visited since 1995, the year I started Christmas shopping.

As for the week of December 19, work was easy. Honestly, work is easy everyday. The X factor is the number of requests per day. All requests I do are easy . . . it's not rocket science. For the week, the requests were very, very few, and I was able to catch up on other work :-)

Now the first part of the subject :) 2005 is a good year: Washington and Canada trip, cosplaying in anime conventions, buying and selling stocks as a trader, creating a personal expense database, Oregon trip, reading books, new Blog . . . the list goes on no matter how big and how small. Never stop innovating life!!!

In my life, I never had two good years in a row. I have a good year and a not so good year the next. For instance, 2001 was good, 2002 was bad, 2003 was good, 2004 was bad, and 2005 was good. I don't want 2006 to be bad. I recently learned that to have good years in a row, one must maintain the momentum and carry the momentum and increase the momentum to the next year. Remember the formula: Family + Work + Play + Prepare = Great Life. The key variable is Prepare. I prepared activities for 2006 including taking a night class at De Anza College, attending a real estate seminar in March (KTEH, you better send the tickets soon because I pledged $175.00 *grrrrrrr*), and new working hours from 9:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M. to 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Granted I can't control Acts of God. I must control what I can control, and *being modest* I'm doing a good job.

And now the second part of the subject :) Jinxing 2006. I hope I'm not jinxing 2006 by saying "2006 is going to be a great year" or saying "Hope for a great 2006 year"???? I said the two statements in a forum on Tuesday and yesterday. Did I jinxed 2006???? I hope not ;_^_; I just wanted to be friendly. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Did I jinxed 2006 again???? I hope not again ;_^_;

I like to prepare the activity, the event, the situation itself. I don't like to plan the emotion involved such as saying to myself, "This is going to be great." It seems when I factor in the emotion, the activity, the event, the situation fails.

In case I don't submit another Blog before December 25, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

10 Years Ago and 25 Years Ago

Work is a little on the slow side. Perhaps December is going to be a slow month. Later today and tomorrow evening, I’m going to the gym. Gotta get back in shape.

10 years ago, President Bill Clinton and Congress repealed the 55 Miles Per Hour national speed limit. Today, states have the authority to set the freeway speed limits. The 55 MPH speed limit was established in 1975 because of fears of OPEC oil embargo and driving 55 MPH saves gas and increases fuel economy.

How fast do you drive on freeways? *Shurgs* I drive 10 miles above the speed limit under favorable conditions. The factors include the car I drove, weather conditions, how many cars on the road or the flow of traffic such that traffic goes fast or goes slow, travel time, and time of day. There is no major difference in arrival time driving 60 MPH or 65 MPH if a destination takes one hour. The difference is around 5 minutes. And, yes, I do check my rear view and side view mirrors for the police. Not to brag, I can spot a police car behind me daytime or night with their siren bar or not 8-)

25 years ago, Beatles John Lennon was killed. I was 6 years old and in first grade. I didn’t know who the Beatles were. The school I attended was Sierra School in Sunnyvale, CA. The teacher was Mrs. Williams. She was really tall and I think she played basketball on her spare time.

Do you remember what you did on December 1995 and on December 1980?

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

The Last Four Days

I don’t have a new topic for my Blog. The latest Blog entry is to let everyone know I’m still alive >.<

I’m going to talk about the latest at work. There has been a lot going on at work the last week and a half. First, though, in November, the CFO resigned. My company neither has a CEO nor CFO. The two chairmen of the board of directors run the company, and the company is privately owned. I wonder how a company functions without a CEO and/or CFO.

The latest in the last week and a half is my company merged with the San Mateo office. The San Mateo office joins our partnership on January 1, 2006. Previously, San Mateo was with another partnership. Also, the office manager transfers to the corporate office also on January 1, 2006. No loss here. The office manager did nothing for the San Jose office. Finally, I mentioned in the last Blog entry I have new working hours 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.

Harvey Mackay, author of the book Swim With The Sharks says the best workers look at the ceiling. The last four working days including today I have more than my share looking at the ceiling. I wonder if its something good about me. *Hee, Hee*

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Board and Can’t Quit Your Job? Try A New Work Schedule

Earlier today, I received approval for a request for new job hours. My old job hours were 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. My new job hours beginning Monday December 5, 2005 are 8:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.

Those who know me may know that my current job is a dead-end job. I basically sit in front a computer eight hours a day maintaining the database and creating easy-ass reports. There is nothing that can be done to spin it—the job sucks.

I admit my new job hours are not going to make my job much, much better; however, it’s a small difference and can make the job more bearable when I enter the doors. Who knows? Maybe something big happens in my favor because of a little thing XD

Give it a try. If you hate your job and have little control over it, try a new work schedule. Again, it’s a small difference on paper and, perhaps, a big difference later on.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Nobody Is Alone

Yesterday, I was browsing the forums and I saw a random quote, “At least one of your classmates has a crush on you. In all six or seven periods, of course.” Simple? Trivial? Stupid? Regardless, the random thought made me think a little. From grade school to even college, I had a crush on many girls. On the other hand, I believe only a few girls had a crush on me. *Sniff, sniff* Life is not fair.

My first girl I had a crush on she had a crush on me. Awesome! We were in kindergarten. The best first crushes are the ones during our young ages. I remember one time we talked on the phone and we were talking about Cookie Monster!!??!! And I remember one time I attended her birthday party. Before I left, I kept running back and forth from my mom’s car and her front door forgetting to say something. Was it “Thank You?” Was it “Happy Birthday?” I don’t remember. Do you remember your first crush?

Many people go to school for at least 18 years including college. Chances are very high you had a crush on someone and someone had a crush on you. I say 99.99% chance—assuming you take baths or showers ^.^ If you think nobody had a crush on you, think again. Was there someone who always wanted to hang out with you? Was there someone who was a pain in the ass follower or tag-along? Perhaps that person had a crush on you and never had the courage to tell you. Nobody can be alone. Nobody is alone.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

What Is The Worst Gift

I drove to work after an extended Thanksgiving holiday and on the radio the morning DJs were talking about the worst gift. What is the worst gift to give? I thought to myself. The answer is gift cards. I think gift cards are the worst because they are just like cash except the cards must be spent at their retail store and they are lazy gifts such that one can shop for groceries and pick up a gift card next to the cash register.

I admit I gave out gift cards, but it was a long, long time ago @__@ I thought Macy’s gift cards were the best gift cards. Macy’s has a lot of selection for men, women, and children. Everyone has to wear pants, shits, blouses, and underwear. *Hee, hee* The prices are a little on the high side; however, the value and sale discounts are good.

If you have no idea what to give, give cash. Write a check. The receiver can do anything with cash? Go to his/her favorite stores, shop online, buy stocks, pay bills, and, in a nut shell, buy goods and services. Cash is good. Investors know cash is good because it’s flexible. The best gifts are flexible gifts. Some people say giving cash is a boring gift. It’s not! And cash can’t be a re-gift.

Another thought. Why do companies give employees gift cards instead of cash? I think the reason is gift cards can be tax write offs :->

What about fruit cake? Second worst gift. Happy holidays!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

24/48 Rule

Every consumer has experienced the urge to purchase the big ticket item, the must-have durable good, the product to keep up with the Joneses. Chances are the pricy thing such as the plasma TV, V8 automobile at bargain price, or the elegant dress is very expensive. Do you have a problem controlling the urge to splurge?

I like to share the 24/48 rule. The 24/48 rule is 24 hours and 48 hours. When the consumer has the urge to splurge, the 24/48 rule activates. The consumer must wait 24 hours to purchase an item less than $100.00 and 48 hours to purchase an item $100.00 and greater. The 24/48 rule dollar amount threshold is a judgment call. The rule works for me because the next day or two, I lose the urge to splurge. I think to myself, "Did I really need to buy it?"

The 24/48 rule is helpful for marriages and their spending. When someone has the urge to splurge, the spouse must follow the 24/48 rule and communicate to the partner I wanted to purchase the item--I had to urge to splurge. After the wait, if the item is still desired to purchase and the partner approves, then he or she can purchase; otherwise, the item to purchase was an urge to splurge and partner approval was not needed.

Anyone can save a lot of money and a lot of headaches with the 24/48 rule. The rule saved me a ton of money, less junk in the house, and sometimes when I waited, the cost of the item went down in price or upgraded. Good luck adapting the 24/48 rule if you choose to $-)

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Friday, November 25, 2005

I Fried Fry's Electronics

I woke up at 3:30 A.M. today to participate in the Black Friday. Black Friday is the first day of shopping for the Christmas holiday and it's always the day after Thanksgiving. Why is it called Black Friday? The reason is retailers are supposed to make money—be in the "black" meaning make a profit $$-))

On Thanksgiving day, I looked at the ads. None of the stores' sales interested me. I choose to go to Fry's Electronics in San Jose. At 3:45 A.M., I went to 7-Eleven to purchase a newspaper for the Fry's ad. I arrived at 4:00 A.M. to line up. The line was long and stretched from the entrance towards the back of the store. It sprinkled a little and there was a three car accident outside the store parking lot. The crash sounded like a sonic boom. Many heard the sound and turned their heads towards the accident. I read the ad three times. Most of the stuff I was neither interested nor was interested but not needed. I planned to purchase a projector screen, an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), and a 9-in-1 USB card reader.

It took 20 minutes to enter the store. Some people cut in line by climbing the dock high loading docks. The entrance line was disorganized. I overheard some people saying last year was more organized.

I entered the store at 5:20 A.M. Man, some areas of the store were scary :-O In particular, people were quickly lining up for the cheap ass prices for memory, $14 DVD players, and bargain LCD TVs. And at the Apple section, people pushed and shoved for the Apple Nanos. I successfully got my projector screen. I failed to get the UPS and the 9-in-1 USB card reader. I lined up for checkout. The line was the second worst line ever. Disneyland lines were much better! The line moved very, very, very, very slowly. Grrrrr! I moved 24 feet in 30 minutes. It was a blessing in disguise because I thought to myself the projector screen didn't have a stand. No wonder why the screen was cheap. I rather pay more for a complete projector screen with stand and, perhaps, not as heavy. I anticipated at least a three hour wait. It's not worth the $50.00 rebate, and the screen remains unopened because I delayed shopping for an LCD projector because prices are too high. I returned the screen back to the place where I got it and I left the store happy ^__^

BTW, the worst line was Anime Expo 2004 registration. LOL!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Focus Now, Focus

Hello. It’s been more than a week. Recapping the events in November, the first two weeks of November I experienced a minor, minor depression. Like many depressions, there is an ending and a lesson learned. The lesson I learned is strength and courage goes together. It takes strength and courage to be a great person and not let others piss you off. I know I’m making the strength and courage simplified because, in a way, it’s a simple lesson ^^

I feel much better today XD I’m back to what I was before the first two weeks of November with a new lesson learned on life! I’m at work catching up from the days I took off work and I’m listening to 98.5 KFOX Beatles A-Z Marathon. KFOX is playing all Beatles songs by title alphabetically starting with A and ending with Z.

Last weekend, I went to Salem, Oregon with my parents and my uncle and aunt. We were there for both business and pleasure. The business part is looking at the residential real estate market. The pleasure was visiting Indian casinos, shopping, visiting Portland, and visiting a water fall for which I forgot the name. I submit a blog for each day in Oregon. The Oregon Trip Blog is going to be shorter than the Washington Canada Blog since the trip was a four day and three night trip and fewer activities were done LOL!

For my Thanksgiving vacation, I’m going to catch up on my Blogs. I have a list of Blog topics I like to share with everyone. Also, and most importantly, spend time with family. And I’m going to sneak in some time for stock research $-)

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

A Realty Check

Continuing from the last Blog entry, I am experiencing a minor depression. The last time I was depressed was between June 2004 and August 2004, and the depression was really, really minor. During the time in 2004, I felt down, but not out. I felt bored and I lost interest in my activities, but I maintained my focus. I felt confused, but not lost. You know what, I feel the same way now and for the past two and a half weeks just like the time between June 2004 and August 2004. I guess I can’t blame Daylight Savings Time. *Hee, hee*

Before, I have been dealing with everything I hate successfully such that I shrug them off and my enjoyable life goes on. I know that I control what I control and I don’t control what I can’t control. It’s just now I’m not being myself such that anything I hate gets on my nerves. I was ready to burst out of anger and become the “don’t give a shit” person. BTW, you don’t want to know me as a “don’t give a shit” person xx< It’s like when Ned Flanders lost his temper on The Simpsons episode when the hurricane hit Springfield. Fortunately, I’m getting a lesson on courage. The last two and a half weeks I tell ya it’s taking a ton of strength and courage to keep my cool, do my job, and help others when people ask me X.X

Well, then. You may be asking how 2005 is going. So far, 2005 is the best year in my life. I have done a lot of new things, I have been planning ahead short-term and long term, and establishing goals to accomplish. The activities and moments worth noting include the Washington Canada Trip, buying new stocks and selling losers, meeting new people, reading lots of books, and establishing a new gym schedule. Nothing lasts forever. Perhaps it is time for me to slow down, time for me to feel down, and time for me to rethink the present.

Depressions are temporarily. (Chronic depressions require professional help.) The best part about feeling depressed is there is always an end. And when the end is reached, a lesson is learned which is what to do when the next depressions hits and how to deal with it. I think of depressions as a realty check. Use the realty check to re-evaluate your life. What can you improve? What can you change, I mean, innovate? Recheck your goals, recheck your daily activities. Is there anything new you always wanted to do? If the answer is yes, perhaps it’s the time to begin. How about establishing a temporarily schedule to help deal with the depression? For example, last week, I didn’t go to the gym. I was big time tired and not interested. Rather, I did other activities I normally don’t do or rarely do such as watch Reba on the WB. It helped a little T_T

Good luck and enjoy life! Remember, the world didn’t come to an end! (()) and :**

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

The Blues

Since November 1 . . . no, since Daylight Standard Time began, I have been in the blues. Fortunately, I’m not near being depressed. I find some fun here and there, even if it’s short. It’s just me and my surroundings have been in the blues.

This week, there are some brokers who are using the Research Department in ways they never used before. In the beginning of 2005, many brokers were using Research in unordinary ways because they were worried about not fulfilling their 2005 targets. Moreover, January 2005 was kinda in the blues for me—heck, I remember the radio station DJ lacked enthusiasm. The brokers inside work and me outside work were concerned how the year 2005 was going to be.

As of today’s blog entry, many of those brokers achieved at least their minimum targets. And currently, there is concern for the year 2006. The economy remains uncertain. There is going to be a new Federal Reserve chairman because Alan Greespan retires on January 2006. Is inflation going to remain in check?

Furthermore, I’m being slammed at work. Some of those requests are time consuming requests. It’s not difficult, just takes a ton of time—something that should not happened which is another subject ;-) I took a late lunch today and yesterday and I’m sooo behind in my primary responsibilities!

The fun, the excitement, and the joy of doing stuff outside work such as updating my webpage, going to the gym, reading books, and more don’t exist currently. Maybe it’s an adjustment period to get used to the dark at 5:00 P.M.? Maybe it’s because I’m tired? Maybe it’s something else? All this week when I come home from work, I’m tired. I don’t have the energy to do all my activities. Yesterday, I was reading a book and I became really sleepy. I didn’t even brush my teeth. Just too tired to get out of bed which I hate to do. On the other hand, I was able to do my 100 sit-ups. I probably going to have one blog entry for the week :-<

And today, I was supposed to go to the gym. No gym today. I went home early from work because I could not concentrate. Today everything is haywired . . . no, the week is haywired . . . no, again, the last two weeks has been haywired.

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe something good happens tomorrow. The world didn’t come to an end today :-))

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

A Week of Tricks

Here I am late night typing the latest blog *yawn* (-,-) To continue from the last blog, the tricks continued. The week was full of tricks I tell ya!

On my way home on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I heard the Bevery Hills song from some singer on Today’s Best Mix 106.5 FM. Another trick! I don’t know who the singer and maybe I should not. I listen to 106.5 FM on the way to and from work because the station talks about the latest entertainment news consistently. Outside driving, it’s 98.5 KFOX, 102.1 KDFC, and 740 KCBS.

Another trick was today at work. Today I finished my monthly portion of calculating statistics and I finished entering comparables. Usually, the comparables take two to three days depending on broker request. Here was a trick in my favor.

On the other hand, continuing at work, my co-worker talked to me the last three days. I don’t know why? We rarely talk to each other. There is nothing to talk about. Really. BTW, my department only has two people. There are others who help; however, officially, it’s two people.

Today, Saturday, it’s errands day. Got to do some shopping. And then later, update my webpage. Hope everything have a nice weekend :-)

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

It’s All Tricks and No Treats

So far this week, everything is Wakko. I’m calling the current Wakko as Tricks in the spirit of Halloween on Monday T_T

Currently, I just ate dinner and I’m now typing my latest blog. After I finish, I do 100 sit-ups, take a shower, prepare lunch for tomorrow, read, and drink green tea.

On Monday and Tuesday, I received late afternoon requests from the brokers. The requests were out of the ordinary, non-research requests. Fortunately, I was able to complete them because I know how to do them >.> I went home late on those two days. Those two work days were Tricks.

Monday evening, luckily, was a Treat. I drove to Safeway to purchase Crystal Geyser one gallon water for home. In Safeway, I saw some trick-or-treaters, and I saw more trick-or-treaters when I drove from Safeway to home. I drove extra slowly. Later in the evening, I watched some Monday Night football, checked my first aid kit, and updated my webpage.

On Tuesday, however, the entire day was a Trick. I could not check my personal email nor do some Internet browsing. I came home half tired and didn’t finish my nightly activities.

The Tricks continued today. At work, it took a while to check my personal email because I didn’t check on Tuesday while at the same time updating 36 building records by uploading the building picture. It was boring. I could not enjoy reading and responding to my personal email. My mind was in a jumble concentrating on too many tasks. I went home on time because my Mom purchased furniture. She needed me to drive the truck to pick up the furniture. Don’t ask dwhy my Mom purchased additional furniture. To paraphrase Dilbert, if you don’t like the answer, don’t ask the question.

And now here I am. No updating the webpage tonight. I’m going to sleep early because I’m going to the gym on Thursday and Friday. Need to rest up. Oh, and one side note: there were lots of Tricks this week which I don’t want to mention because they were really, really Tricky :-X

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

First Aid Kit

Another Halloween has come and gone. Yesterday, I didn’t pass out candy. Last year, I passed out candy. My immediate neighborhood has lots of cul-de-sacs, and many of the families stayed within the cul-de-sacs. Very few trick-or-treaters went to my house this year and last year.

What did I do yesterday? Unfortunately, I came home late. There were some extra requests during the last hours. When I came home, I ate dinner and watched a little Monday Night Football. Next, I updated my first aid kit which is the subject of the blog entry.

A first aid kit is important in a household. First aid kits must contain accessories, medications, bandages, and more. To build a first aid kit, check out my webpage www.innovateinfinitely.com/firstaitkit.html for a list of items to include.

What did I update? I checked the expiration dates on the drugs, creams, and medications. Any outdated drugs, creams, and medications are replaced. On Saturday November 5, I’m going to the drug store to replace expired first aid items. By the way, the bandages, cotton, and miscellaneous accessories don’t need to be replaced *__*

After updating the first aid kit, I updated my webpage. Yesterday’s update was identifying anime cosplayers I didn’t know. And what did I do last weekend? Paid my credit card bills, sorted my expenses, mowed the lawn, and . . . updated my webpage XD

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

I Never Liked Fishing

First, I encountered minor problems with the Anime Expo 2005 cosplay pics. I upload the pictures to my webpage on Saturday. Sorry for the delay. I mentioned Friday the latest.

When I was a kid, I went fishing with my Dad, brother, Uncle, and cousin. Sometimes my Uncle’s friends came along. Everytime I went fishing, I hate it. I didn’t like fishing. I went because I had to. The bait, casting the fishing pole, the fishy smell, the cleaning . . . everything. My family and I fished mostly on the Santa Barbara pier when my family visited my Grandparents in Santa Barbara and the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) fishing pond in Lafayette, CA. I wondered why I was forced to even though I hated it. It was boring waiting for a fish to bite my fishing pole.

When was the first time you fished? The first time I fished was in Lake Tahoe. It was a summer day and there was a fish pond. The pond charged an admission fee. All fish caught were charged a fee by the length of the fish. I think three fish per person was the maximum. I caught the longest and the smallest fish length. I believe the fish was rainbow trout. The fishing poles were simple poles. No reel. Put the bait on the hook, set the pole on the water with the red and white colored plastic ball on the surface of the water. I forgot what the plastic ball was called. When there was a bite, the ball sinks into the water which tells me to lift the pole up to catch the fish. I lifted the pole up and the fish was on the hook. Whoopie :-|

One scary incident happened. When I was in 6th grade, I was fishing on the Santa Barbara pier. Part of the pier was under repairs. The area was marked poorly. My brother, cousin, and I fished next to the under repairs area. As I was walking away from our fishing area, I was one step away from falling down. I turned to the left, walked a few steps, and then I stopped. As I stopped, I realized that part of the pier was missing. I looked down and I saw the water. Holly crap! :-O What a relief! I was so close to falling down.

I think fishing is supposed to teach patience. Unfortunately, it didn’t—at least for me. Rather, it taught me nothing and I wasted part of my youth just sitting and lying down on the pier waiting for a bite. And sometimes the fish already took my bait and my fishing pole was just sitting there—when I realized, I recasted my fishing line back into the water and just sit there wasting time.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

A Double Posting

Yesterday, I took the day off from work. I have at least five days of vacation time remaining, and I already maxed out my vacation time rollover for 2006. I already factored a possible trip to Oregon in November and one day off in December for Christmas shopping *_* Ho, ho, ho <:-O

On Monday morning, I eRecycled an old black and white television. Last weekend, people could recycled old electronics including monitors, TV, VCR players, and personal electronics. It was awesome. One less piece of junk to worry. Then I went to Trader Joe’s to purchase cheap red wine and a box of cookies. Trader Joe’s is an awesome store.

The rest of the day was catch up. I finished the Anime Expo 2005 costume pictures for my webpage. Friday is the latest the pics are uploaded. Any anime fans should check out my cosplay pics. Go to my webpage and click Anime Page. I also did my credit card expenses, especially the Washington Canada trip. Boy, it was expensive. What else did I do? I read some pages on the Shuffle Up and Deal book by Mike Sexton, mowed the lawn, cooked dinner, and watched a little of Monday Night Football.

Today at work, there was a little catch up from Monday’s day off. It was busy in the morning and it was dead in afternoon. I’m still at work and I have some free time. Enjoy while I can ^__^

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

The Waitress Was Really Pretty

From the Washington Canada trip, Steve and I ate breakfast at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) in Richmond, British Columbia on the way from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA. The waitress was very pretty. I was attracted to her. I remember her first name is Lisa. She is about my height around 5 foot 8 inches. My best guess her age is around 24, but she could be younger because Asians look younger than their actual age.

What I want to share (or what I’m asking) is I heisted to leave my contact information. Granted she lives in Canada and I live in California in the United States. Even if a serious relationship developed, it sure is going to be a big time long distance relationship. *Hee, hee* The contact information I have is on a business card which has my webpage logo, theme, link, email, and my name.

The plan was I place my business card on the table before Steve and I leave. On the back of the business card, I write “Lisa, you are very pretty. Email me and let’s talk. I live in the U.S.A.” And then I sign my first name.

Does anyone have an opinion? Should I have left the business card? Was the plan appropriate and in good taste? Any thoughts are welcomed. Thank you XD

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Dream on The Apprentice

Last night, I had a dream I was on a future season on Donald Trump’s The Apprentice. How do I get on the show? Trump someone was tired and wanted to browse the web. He did a Google search on “Innovate.” (I know it’s wacky . . . it’s a dream x.x ) The first search result was my webpage, www.innovateinfinitely.com. Trump was big-time impressed visting my website that I was given an automatic entry to a future season.

Throughout the season, I done a great job. Trump is impressed with my soft skills: the ability to communicate, the starter to start something for the team to move towards the goal, the stability to keep the team together, and getting along with all the team members. There are a few episodes my team is in the boardroom, and one of us is going to get fired including me. One teammate suggests I should be fired. I told Mr. Trump that my soft skills keep the team focused and working together to the end. Furthermore, a leader needs not to have charisma to be effective. Mr. Trump is convinced on my arguments he fired the teammate.

I managed to reach the top three in the season. Did I win? I don’t know. I woke up XD

Side Notes:

1. I’m not a die-hard Apprentice fan. I watched a total of 15 minutes of The Apprentice altogether.
2. I was never given the Exemption award in my dream. Anyone with an Exemption can’t be fired regardless of whether the team succeeded or failed. If you are given the Exception award, don’t give it away. My friend told me one episode a contestant gave away the Exception award and was fired.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Say Hi and Smile Goes Miles

One of my favorite ways to be successful in anything is to do the little things. When the New York Yankees won a franchise record 114 games and won the World Series in 1998, the team won many games by doing the little things such as stealing a base, making a key defensive play, and doing a sacrifice bunt to move the runner from first base to second base.

One little thing is to Say Hi and Smile to co-workers, family, and friends. Doing Say Hi and Smile is an impression—an impression people remember. Trust me on this. In my workplace, the people who Say Hi and Smile are the top workers, the top professionals who knows their line of work, have lots of knowledge and experience, and are open. (Well, most of them anyway. There are a few exceptions. Hee, hee.)

Say Hi and Smile can also be the little things that gets you the promotion, the job hiring, the contract, the sale, meeting new people and them remembering you, and the something special you always wanted. If there is competition for a job, I bet Say Hi and Smile is the little thing that makes a difference who gets the job. I’m sure the level of knowledge is the same for all the competitors; however, the Say Hi and Smile is the difference and whoever Say Hi and Smile, the person has a higher chance of getting the job. Good luck!

Update: I delayed upgrading my digital camera. Looking at the rest of the year, there are no major family events that convinces me to upgrade. There is the family Christmas for which my Powershot is acceptable. I anticipate I upgrade around March 2006.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

A Quickie

Hello. Happy early Tuesday. I should be sleeping now (-,-) Today at work a broker made a request which took half the day to complete. I think it’s the full moon that is making people nervous and anxious. When I went to work, there was almost an accident, a car cut me off before I entered the freeway, and when I went back home, there was a mini-van that didn’t let me merge into the freeway.

I’m continuing to re-read my Economics textbooks to re-learn Inflation. Yes, the economy is going to experience an Inflation and then a Recession. Prepare for them, everyone!

I have been sooooooo damn busy I have not continued my Innovating Common Knowledge Blogs. I have a list of topics which falls into the Innovating Common Knowledge Blogs. These blogs are short and to the point. I like to post at least one this week. LOL. Ah, man. For a guy who works at a dead end job, there is work outside work to help me get out of the dead end job. Another example of never stop learning . . . never stop innovating. I’m tired and I’m rambling :-O. Thank you and good night XX-))

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Epilogue

Finally, Finally, Finally!!! :-)) Epilogue is completed.

Why did I go on the Washington Canada trip? Two reasons. The first reason is a combination of visiting another state, visiting a foreign country, and visiting my friend at his home state. 100% success. Happy compliments only.

The second reason is inspiration. I wanted to learn something, get something, take something with me that gives me the extra I need to move forward in my life. During the trip, I was not inspired—not even a clue to begin thinking about what inspired me. The week after the vacation, I realized I actually was inspired. What inspired me? Here it is:

On the first day of the vacation, Steve drove around Hood Canal. He wanted to take the scenic route from the airport to Lilliwaup, Steve’s home city. During the drive, I paid attention to the homes facing the waterfront. Most of the people I saw are in their retirement age, have middle class cars (in other words, no BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexuses) parked on their driveways, and wearing clothes that likely were purchased from Old Navy or Ross. These people didn't earn the money to buy these homes to live for retirement and/or for a vacation home overnight. It took years for these retirees to make money. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. These people won their marathons and are retired. It takes time to become successful. I should enjoy the marathon. That is the inspiration from the Washington Canada Vacation. *Hooray, hooray, hooray*

I like to thank my friend Steve for taking the time to organize the vacation. I enjoyed every minute. It was a change in past visits when you always come to San Jose to visit and hangout.

Miscellaneous Everything

--Steve and I talked about going to Portland several times during our stay in Canada since Friday was open. The drive from the Seattle area to Portland was three hours. We choose not to go to Portland because there was extra driving for Steve and it was a six hours round trip drive. Not worth it.

--I made several comments during the trip that the cities visited and the roads traveled reminded me of parts of California and Nevada such that these were no different. I was 100% wrong. Each city visited and each road traveled are different and unique. The weather, the people, the streets, the shops, the air I breathe, the buildings, the roads, everything, everything, everything are unique. If you feel that there is a spot in a city or a road is the same as in your home city or home state, then your feelings are wrong. Malls are different, neighborhoods are different, stores are different, and people are different. Everything is different. Best example, in Victoria, sure Victoria has malls and stores in downtown, but it’s different that Downtown San Jose’s malls and stores; furthermore, all cars stop for pedestrians at crosswalks.

As I think back on all the sights, I am confident to say all of these cities are different than in California’s cities I know. Maybe at first, you think, “Yeah, what’s the difference, it reminds me of my home city.” In a future date, however, you are going to think about the places you visit and rethink. Trust me. It happened to me a week later after the vacation.

--I'm curious on the demographics in Washington. Not being racist, when Steve and I walked to Taco Time, I was shocked the workers were Caucasian. There were no minorities. Wow. All of the restaurants and retail shops Steve and visited were Caucasian. I live in the Bay Area, and 95 times out of 100, the workers in fast food restaurants are Mexicans. Not being racist. I'm thinking since many Californians have been choosing Washington as a top choice to leave California, I wonder if many of these workers’ parents and immediate families were from California. Again, not being racist :)

--Always do your research. The research completed during the trips to Victoria and Vancouver was important. It did rain during the two days in Canada; fortunately, with research, we found alternative activities so we don’t get bored. And always have the latest maps to prevent getting lost. It’s worth paying $5.00 for a map at a gas station because if you get lost, the $5.00 is a bargain (and a souvenir).

--Bring a wish list. Chances are when going on vacation, there are shops available. Bring a wish list and you never know when you find a bargain. Steve and I found many bargains.

--The $10.00CAD I didn't spend is displayed along the left side of my gameshelf and held with a BCFerries boat magnet and an old calendar magnet. The left side faces the walkway to my room and door.

And I like to thank the people who read the Washington Canada blog. There are probably a few people. Hee, hee. In the near future, I am going to think about the trip and if there are any big thoughts, I am going to post the thoughts on my blog. I already have two topics from the vacation I am going to post separately because these two are a new subject and deserve a separate blog entry.


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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Shy People and Quiet People

But first, the week in review. *Hee, hee* Later today, I’m 99% guarantee I upload the Epilogue to the Washington Canada Blog. I did a second proofreading on Wednesday. Yesterday and today after work, I’m going to the gym. And I reread my Economics textbooks to reacquaint myself with Inflation. I think the economy is going to experience Inflation soon. The last time the economy was in an Inflation was around 1986. I finish reading my Economics textbooks next week.

Tomorrow my family celebrates my grandfather’s birthday. The celebration takes place during the late afternoon and evening. During the morning and early afternoon, I’m going to update my webpage; unfortunately, my updates are not completed to upload, yet.

O.K. what is Shy People and Quiet People? In yesterday’s San Jose Mercury News, a newspaper for Silicon Valley and Santa Clara County in California, Male Call received a question on a shy guy. Male Call answered the question by make sure the shy guy is a shy guy, not a quiet guy. A shy guy is a “Tommy Lee in Dockers”—a person who has action and excitement on the inside for which trust needs to be established for the shy guy to come out. (BTW, the Male Call article mentioned guy and I kept it “guy” instead of “people” for which there are shy gals, too :-)

On the other hand, Male Call says a quiet guy is a person who is quiet—really quiet and alone. A quiet guy is “always down in the basement reading or hammering on something.” (Like shy guy, the Male Call article mentioned guy and I kept it “guy” instead of “people” for which there are shy gals, too :-)

Male Call advice is to get to know the guy (or person) to make sure the guy (or person) is shy or quiet. Make the first move. When you are certain he (or the person) is shy and has common interests, say “Hey, we should do that sometime—how about Friday night?”

Good advice!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Highlights

I still remember the Epilogue for the Washington Canada Vacation Blog. I hope, hope, hope to complete the Epilogue very, very, very soon XD

On Saturday, my cousin got married. The wedding and dinner reception were great. Some of the highlights included a Chinese Dragon dance before dinner, dancing, and a Chocolate Fountain which is called a Foundeux (spelling?). People where taking cookies, strawberries, bananas, and breadsticks and other foods and placing on the Foundeux to cover the food with the warm chocolate. The kids loved it.

Unfortunately, my Canon digital camera experienced wear and tear during the entire wedding. Bad timing. I have been thinking about purchasing a new digital camera after Anime Expo 2005 when some of the cosplay pics turned out less than satisfactory. Given the events on Saturday, it’s time to upgrade. I start researching new SLR digital cameras tomorrow. I feel bad that I didn’t take a lot of good pictures. Only a few turned out well :-< I definitely going to get a Canon. The number one factor is money, and I’m going to get the best camera I can afford.

Tomorrow, my company is having an optional meeting discussing supplemental insurance such as AFLAC. I don’t need supplemental insurance and the like because I don’t have any dependents; however, I’m attending because I’m curious to know what’s all about.

And I still haven’t finished watching Wall Street. *Sigh*

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

No Experience Necessary

The Washington Canada Vacation Epilogue is coming soon. I’m proofreading and editing the epilogue and I’m going to add more.

President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who retires when she is replaced. Miers has no experience working on the bench or never even judged a case—not even in small claims court like those court shows on TV. LOL!

Heck, why not nominated me? Why not nominate my co-worker? Wait, bad idea. Don’t nominate him. Better off nominating a few veteran brokers. For me, I’m a guy who hears both sides and I’m going to uphold the laws to the United States Constitution.

Heck again, anyone hiring? I’m an innovator. Hire me. I never stop learning and I always find better ways to do something no matter how big or how small. Innovating starts with a small thought, a baby step, a starter to bring the team to thinking how to make something or do something more efficient, and when completed, redo the process again and again and again.

Anyway, the chances someone hires me with the above reasoning is virtually not going to happen. *Acts Depressed* President Bush nominating Miers is an example that Who You Know is more important than What You Know. I doubt Miers is going to be confirmed, and Republicans shouldn’t confirm Miers. Miers know Bush and she impressed Bush to be the next choice. It’s all connections, who you know, and networking to become successful.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Weekend Catch-Up

On Saturday, I finished paying my credit card bills and I finished reading the articles I printed out from the web. The articles included those from The Motley Fool, CNBC, and Poker Player Newspaper. After finishing catch-up, I started my Anime Expo 2005 cosplay pictures. I hope to upload all the photos anytime before November. As of the Blog entry, I cropped and edited over 170 cosplay photos.

I continued the Anime Expo 2005 cosplay photos today and went shopping. I needed to purchase a belt for my suit. My other belt used for work can’t be used anymore because of wear and tear. I noticed today there are wrinkles on my suit. I wonder if I can iron my suit to iron-out the wrinkles? Suits get wrinkles, too. I need to do research on the web because I don’t know the answer. The reason for the suit is my cousin is getting married on Saturday October 8.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to start on the Epilogue blog for my Washington Canada vacation. I have been on a roll cropping and editing Anime Expo 2005 cosplay pics. I plan to start tomorrow. The rest of the night it’s continuing the Anime Expo 2005 cosplay pics. I’m likely not doing the pics during the week and I’m likely to continue after the wedding.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Washington Canada Trip Part 7 of 7

Last full day in Washington. *Sniff, sniff* The Epilogue is the final Washington Canada blog posted Saturday or Sunday. Thank you for reading my vacation blog.

Friday September 2, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. No Plan . . . Just Do It

Steve didn't have any activities planned for Friday. He said to play it by ear. I agreed. The first stop was QFC supermarket, the market that had the 2 DVDs for $10.00. We were more inclined to purchase the two DVDs because there were no plans for Friday evening. (BTW, my flight leaves on Saturday at 5:20 P.M.) We choose to delay purchasing the DVDs to the evening so that we don't carry the DVDs in the car. In the meantime, we purchased breakfast. We purchased donuts and orange juice.

The first stop on the No Plan . . . Just Do It day was to drive to Southworth for a quick drive by. We listened to a Johnny Cash CD. The town is really small with a few retail shops. Steve told me one person purchased several parcels of land including the retail shops and plan to develop the area.

The second stop was Manchester. The weather was partly cloudy at the time, and there was lingering fog in Seattle which made the Seattle view not 100% clear. The temperature was around the 70s. In Manchester, we stopped at the house Steve’s Dad is buying. The house was in escrow at the time. We looked at the outside, walked around the backyard, and looked through the windows.

After Manchester, Steve and I drove along Puget Sound, then Rich Passage, and Port Orchard. During the drive, we passed by the United States Navy jet fuel storage containers. There was an odd fuel smell as we passed by.

Friday September 2, 2005 at 1:15 P.M. Time To Shop

We arrived in the city of Port Orchard and visited three used books stores and a pawn shop. Steve wanted to get a soda and I needed to go to the restroom so we visited Kentucky Fried Chicken first; unfortunately, the line was too long and we took off. In one of the used book stores, I purchased "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley. Steve recommended the book.

The next stop was Walgreens on Bethel Road where we purchased drinks for the continued drive west of the Puget Sound. Puget Sound separates Seattle and the many peninsulas west of Seattle. Steve suggested we visit Bremerton, the city where Olympic College is located and the college he attended, and where we can eat lunch. I didn't have a problem.

We drove on Washington Highway 166 and then drove on Washington Highway 3 to Bremerton, and finally exiting to Washington Highway 304. On Washington Highway 304, there is the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard which is before the Sinclair Inlet. When we drove on Washington Highway 3, we drove along the Sinclair Inlet. Washington Highway 304 takes drivers directly to Bremerton and to the Seattle ferries. The ferry time from Bremerton to Seattle is approximately one hour. I took lots of pictures of the boats at the naval shipyard. All of the boats I saw were aircraft carriers and destroyers. And there was an adult book store along Washington Highway 3 and before the shipyard :-))

Bremerton is a quiet town. Lots of homes built in the 1950s. The weather remained partly cloudy and in the 70s. Simple signal lights like the drive to Port Angeles and at Victoria, British Columbia. Most of the city resembles San Luis Obispo located approximately 1.5 hours north of Santa Barbara. (The last time I visited San Luis Obispo was in 1998.)

We ate at Sizzler on Wheaton Way at 2:25 P.M. I was surprised to see a Sizzler. Sizzlers are rare in California. In Sizzler, customers order their meals and pay first at the cashier before being seated. When Steve and I looked at the menu posted on the wall, we were scared when one of the workers surprised us asking if we needed helped. The worker noticed my black bag I was carrying. The black bag contained necessities for traveling. The outside of the bag has an anime drawing. Apparently, the worker is an anime fan and said it is cute. We talked a little about anime. Then we ordered our meals. Steve and I both ordered the Steak Lunch. Before we left Sizzler, I gave the worker my webcard which contained my webpage address and my email address so the worker can look at my anime cosplay pictures.

When we left the Sizzler, I noticed there was an Albertsons that sells gasoline. Oh, yeah, gas prices in Washington were going up due to Hurricane Katrina. Steve's Dad who was in California during the vacation told Steve that gas was over $3.05 a gallon in his neighborhood. And there was a McDonalds that was closed. A closed McDonalds in Washington? What a weird sight considering a ton of McDonalds dominating Washington.

Friday September 2, 2005 at 3:05 P.M. Olympic College

Steve drove around the outside of the main entrance of Olympic College. Olympic College is a much smaller De Anza College located in Cupertino, CA. The next stop was Tacoma where there is a Half Price Books store. We headed back on Washington Highway 310 to Washington Highway 3 and then to Washington Highway 16. During the trip, we debated on how important age difference is in a relationship. I said "Yes, age difference matters." Steve said, "No, age different doesn't matter." The entire time on Highway 16 from the Junction to Gig Harbor was like driving on Interstate 80 to Reno. Before passing the bridge across The Narrows, I got a good look at the Toll Plaza under construction with the new bridge.

We arrived in Tacoma at approximately 4:00 P.M. We shopped at Half Price Books store on Tacoma Mall Boulevard. The book store is really organized and easy to walk around compared to the other Half Price Books Steve and I visited. We stayed in the bookstore for 1.5 hours. Steve was having a blast purchasing many books from his list. I purchased "The Big Book of Beatrix Potter," one of my books on my wish list. I have to comment on the men’s bathroom. The bathroom is very, very clean and decorated with posters and fliers on shows, concerts, plays, movies, events, and public service messages. Anyone who owns a retail place and needs to decorate the bathroom, try the idea of posting posters and fliers. It probably increases the chance the bathroom remains clean `__*

The next bookstore was Borders on 38th Street and across the street from Half Price Books store's outdoor mall. We didn't stay too long. I purchased Tsubasa Chronicles Volume 2 manga for the plane trip back to San Jose. I know I'm going to finish Volume 1 and I needed extra reading material.

We walked across the street and visited Costco. Steve purchased The Simpsons Season 4 and Season 5. Costco had a special where the customer purchased Season 5 and another season and the customer receives $10.00 instant savings. Since Steve purchased The Simpsons DVDs, the entertainment was set for night time. The plan was to watch Simpsons and eat pizza for dinner. Great plan!

Friday September 2, 2005 at 7:15 P.M. Pizza Time

We went to Round Table Pizza on Olympic Drive in Gig Harbor. We ordered a medium pizza. My half was the combo and Steve's half was pineapple and ham. The pizza took 15 minutes to make. During the wait, Steve and I walked to FredMeyer to purchase drinks and breakfast for Saturday morning. We came back to Round Table early and Steve played Star Trex: Enterprise video game where you have to shoot Borgs.

After picking up the pizza, we drove back to Steve's Dad home. No need to stop at QFC to purchase the 2 DVDs for $10.00. There was plenty of Simpsons. For the rest of the night, we ate pizza and watched Simpsons. I stayed up to 3:00 A.M. :-O

Author’s Note: The vacation length was 8 days and 7 nights. I choose 7 parts instead of 8 parts because the last day of the vacation nothing really happened. I can explain the activities on the last day in one paragraph; in addition, I want to share my thoughts and I felt Epilogue is the better title for the last day in Washington. I know the logic doesn't make sense :P

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

I’m Tired Today Because I Tried Sudoku

I’m at work and I’m half tired because last night I tried Sudoku. Sudoku is a game where you fill a grid such that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9. I was introduced to the game from Monday’s San Jose Mercury News. On Monday, I read the instructions how to play and last night I tried to play the game. I went to sleep at 2:30 A.M. *Yawn, yawn*

Sudoku is a fun game. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to learn and to play. For the remainder of 2005, I plan

•to upload Anime Expo 2005 cosplay pictures

•to update my resume

•to update my webpage

•to read more books on my list

•to register at De Anza College for a night class in business which I’m interested for Winter Quarter 2006

•to create another cosplay costume because I want to multi-cosplay (two cosplay costumes should be good enough for a busy guy like me)

•to create a Infinite Thank You card, to complete some of my 2005-2006 goals

•to research stocks

•and anything else that innovates me

Yeah, I can say Sudoku is a mind game that helps innovate my mind; unfortunately, I have to make a choice. To repeat, Sudoku is an addicting game. And since I played to 2:30 A.M. last night, I didn’t get other stuff done on Tuesday :-< Grrrr!

Later today, I hope to post Washington Canada Vacation Blog Part 7 of 7. I post the Epilogue to the Washington Canada Vacation either later Saturday or Sunday. The epilogue contains the events on the day I flew back to San Jose. Nothing really happened on the last day and I choose to name the last vacation blog as the “Epilogue.” The Epilogue also contains my thoughts on the vacation.

*Yawn, yawn* Time to eat lunch ^__^

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Washington Canada Trip Part 6 of 7

Heading to the top, man. <:-)

Thursday September 1, 2005 at 10:00 A.M. Trip to Seattle

The first morning activity was take pictures of the view from Steve's Dad house. Steve and I saw the part of the harbor that was on fire yesterday. The wood was warped and twisted. Looking with binoculars, there were people on the outside watching, TV news crew, emergency vehicles, construction equipment, a tug boat, and rubber-necking cars. The information Steve's Dad received on the cause of fire was a boat exploded.

Nothing to eat in the house, we went to McDonalds for breakfast at 10:30 A.M. Steve went to Wells Fargo Bank first to make a deposit and withdraw spending cash.

After breakfast, we drove to Downtown Seattle. The expected weather was sunny with a few clouds for the day. Great weather. Not too hot. It was a little more on the humid side which was O.K. for me. During the drive on Interstate 5, I got a better look at Downtown Seattle including SAFECO field, Qwest field, and the Space Needle. The Space Needle stood out among the other buildings and sports dorms.

Thursday September 1, 2005 at 12:15 P.M. Arrived At Seattle Center

We arrived at the Seattle Center where the Space Needle is located. Fortunately, we visited Seattle Center on Thursday because Labor Day weekend, the Seattle Center hosted the 35th annual Bumbershoot which is an arts festival. The booths were being set up throughout the center. Before we visited the Space Needle, we went to the Center House to go to the restroom. The Center House is a food court, and the foot court is the biggest I have ever seen. THE BIGGEST!! The place was not busy; however, there were plenty of places to eat and places to sit down.

Thursday September 1, 2005 at 12:45 P.M. Space Needle

Skipping lunch, we arrived at the Space Needle. The ticket price was $13.00. We went up the elevator all the way to the top. During the elevator ride, parts of Seattle Center can be seen. The view at the top of the needle was hard to describe in detail. Every point was an awesome view of Seattle, the canal, the bay, Mount Rainier, SAFCO field, Qwest field, downtown . . . basically anywhere I could see, the view kicked ass. Having binoculars helped a little. There was too much to view. I took too many pictures of the view XD

We stayed at the Space Needle for an hour. Fortunately, I didn't get sunburn. I get sunburn really easy. On the elevator ride down to ground floor, additional part of Seattle Center can be seen. We stopped at the gift shop were I purchased some magnet souvenirs of Seattle. Steve showed me the menu of the Space Needle restaurant named Sky City. Reservations and formal attire are required. Sky City rotates in a circle for guests to view the entire scenery of Seattle—just like The Simpsons episode where Principal Skinner dated one of Marge's twin sisters (who I forgot . . . damn, how embarrassing) and went to the restaurant for dinner. And, yes, the prices are expensive and the minimum food charge is $25.00 per guest. The Prime Rib is $44.00!!! Steve is going to eat at Sky City for his birthday.

After the Speed Needle, we visited the arcade for about 15 minutes. Steve and I played air hockey. Steve won 7 to 6. It was close.

Thursday September 1, 2005 at 2:30 P.M. Downtown Seattle

We took the monorail from Seattle Center to Downtown Seattle. The ticket was $3.50 round trip. The monorail ended at Westlake Center, a multi-level shopping mall. We skipped the shopping mall because most of the stores are clothing stores.

We exited the mall and headed down Pine Street and walked towards Elliott Bay to Pike Place Market, an open market selling food, flowers, plants, arts, crafts, and T-Shirts. During the walk, the buildings and surroundings reminded me of Downtown San Francisco. The major exceptions are little crowds, cleaner, and almost no hills; however, during commute times the traffic is heavy. There are developments with high rise office buildings under construction.

We arrived at Pike Place Market and just walked around. The parking meters are computerarized meaning the meters accepted cash, coins, and credit cards. When paid, a receipt is printed and must be placed on the automobile's dashboard. Talk about advance parking meters. Where are those parking meters in the Bay Area?!?

The first shop was an ice cream parlor. We each purchased ice cream cones. The rest of the shops we visited were used book stores, a magic shop, and a store which had rare science fiction toys and games. Steve wanted a picture of Darth Vander and a Stormtrooper which are man made costumes seen in anime conventions and science-fiction conventions. Steve also wanted a picture of Han Solo frozen in carbon from Episode V and Episode VI. Whoever made the Han Solo did a great job. The detail is excellent. I took pictures for him. As for books, I purchased the World Poker Tour "Shuffle Up and Deal" book and Steve purchased "The Worldly Philosophers."

The final stop at Pike Place Market was the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market. The market is well-known for the happy and enthusiastic workers who toss fish around and entertain the customers who walk around their store.

Thursday September 1, 2005 at 5:00 P.M. Late Lunch

We arrived back at Seattle Center's Center House and had a late lunch. I ordered a hamburger and Steve ordered spaghetti. We left Seattle Center around 5:45 P.M.

The last stop in Seattle was Pioneer Square which is located next to Qwest Field. The only store we visited was The Elliott Bay Book Company, a multi-level book store with wooden floors that creak when you walk and wooden shelves as if the wooden shelves are the originals built in the 1800s. The book store is a true, old-fashion book store. Everywhere you walk, you feel like you are in a book store in the old days (gee, whatever that means =__=) The basement is a café with books on the shelves where the customers can pick up a book and read while drinking coffee or eating a meal. After the book store, we walked around an open plaza area where there were vendors selling their arts, crafts, and paintings.

We enjoyed a relaxing drive leaving Seattle and heading back to Gig Harbor. We stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner at 8:30 P.M. Then we stopped at QFC supermarket to purchase soda. QFC stands for Quality Food Centers. There was a 2 DVDs for $10.00 special on selected movies. Steve and I thought about it and choose to wait for tomorrow if we choose to purchase a DVD each. $5.00 for a DVD is terrific.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Watch Wall Street

Hello. I hope the Washington Canada Vacation Blogs are entertaining (for the few who are reading it HA, HA, HA). Last Saturday and Sunday, I accomplished many activities on my To Do list; although I wish I completed more. Oh, well. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.

I purchased my second classical rock CD which is The Rolling Stones Forty Licks CD, a two CD set of their greatest hits at Costco on Saturday for $18.99. Not bad price. My first classical rock CD was Fleetwood Mac The Dance CD. The story is two weeks ago, I cleared out my old CDs to make room for classical rock music. Today’s rock and pop music are too commercialized. The classics are classics, and I have been enjoying classical rock for a year.

The other activities I did last weekend were uploading Part 5 of 7 for my Washington Canada Vacation Blog, reading Built to Last and the 22 Short Erotic stories <:-), mailing an anime DVD box set someone purchased from my half.com store, watching some college football, watching some 49ers vs. Cowboys football including the 49ers screwing up in the 4th quarter, shopping at Costco, cooking Saturday’s dinner, and taking my neighbors to the airport.

The last activity was watching Wall Street starring Charlie Sheen, Michael Douglas, and Daryl Hannah. My friend and several business books recommended the movie. I’m 2/3rds completed. I could not watch the movie in its entirety because I had sooo much to do. I love the movie so far. It looks like Wall Street may appear on my all-time favorites list. Most of the content and scenes from the movie which was made in the late 1980s still applies to today’s business scene.

Tonight, I’m going to upload Washington Canada Vacation Blog Part 6 of 7. Thanks!

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Washington Canada Trip Part 5 of 7

It's nice being back in the U-S-of-A :->

Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 8:45 A.M. Going Home

Steve and I left the hotel around 8:45 A.M. He saw a place yesterday to eat breakfast along Highway 99. There is a Chevron station that has Self Service and Full Service. After a 30 minute drive outside Vancouver, we arrived at International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Richmond. Steve ordered a Pancake special and I ordered the sausage and egg. The waitress is very pretty. (More on a separate blog entry.) I had some Canadian money and I needed to spend all of it. Fortunately, the bill was easy to split. After paying the bill, I had $10.00CAD remaining.

We headed south on Highway 99 to the U.S.A. and Canada border. The weather was cloudy with grey skies. We saw a few residential development projects. Many of the homes being built are single family residence and high density housing projects. Steve tried to find some retail stores for me to spend my $10.00CAD. Steve spent all of his money at a gas station for food and drinks. Most of the scenery is open land and farming. The drive reminded me of driving down U.S. Highway 101 from San Jose to Santa Barbara.

We arrived at the border checkpoint at 10:45 A.M. We lined up waiting to be inspected by U.S. Customs. It was like a toll booth were cars lined up waiting to pay the toll, except the wait was longer and traffic lines moved much slower. I took pictures of the stones that marked the International Boundary United States and Canada border and the Peace Arch that stated "May These Gates Never Be Closed." The monument reminded when the borders were closed from 9/11. And there is a nice, brown wooden sign that says "Welcome to the United States of America in red, white, and blue colors with the Statue of Liberty, the Capital Building, St. Louis Arch, Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, and the Space Needle.

We waited in line 50 minutes to be questioned by U.S. Customs. Just like the Canadian Customs, our passports were inspected and questions were asked to make sure we were not suspicious. Steve said the U.S. Customs are more cautious than Canadian Customs. He is correct. U.S Customs took pictures of Steve's car, checked the license plate, and measured the weighted of the car. We passed the border gate around 11:40 A.M. We were back in the United States on Interstate 5. It was nice seeing the red, white, and blue flag flying at the border gate. And it was nice seeing State of Washington license plates, gas stations in gallons, and speed limits in miles per hour. I didn't spend my $10.00CAD bill. Oh, well. An $8.00USA souvenir. I also kept Canadian coins from denominations of $0.01CAD, $0.05CAD, $0.10CAD, $0.25CAD, $1.00CAD, and $2.00CAD.

Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 12:45 P.M. Lunch and Craps

At 12:00 P.M., we stopped at a rest area to stretch and go to the restroom. The rest area was sunny. The trip from the border to the rest area was cloudy and there were thunder storms. Then at 12:45 P.M., we stopped at Tulalip Indian Casino at the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The reservation is approximately 34 miles north of Seattle.

In the casino, we ate lunch at one of their restaurants. I ordered the chicken stir fry and Steve ordered the chicken special.

From 2:00 P.M. to 4:20 P.M., we gambled. Steve played Let It Ride, Blackjack, Craps, and Roulette. I played Craps only. I regretted playing Craps late because the table I played Craps, the table was on fire for 30 minutes and I started playing at the latter end of the table on fire. In addition, before I started playing, the table halted play for 10 minutes because the table needed a new supply of chips. Fortunately, the table remained hot while I played. I hesitated to play craps earlier because Steve wanted to go to the Emerald Queen Casino which was the first casino choice we were supposed to go. I wanted to save my money for the Emerald Queen Casino. Steve won $1.00. I won $101.00 for a net gambling winning of $81.00 because I lost $20.00 at the Seven Cedars Casino on Day 2. Good call for me XD

Traffic started to congest as we drove towards Downtown Seattle at approximately 5:15 P.M. The weather was sunny and mild. The traffic is like the traffic back in San Jose and Silicon Valley: lots of cars and traffic does move. I also noticed there are no potholes on Interstate 5 as we drove to downtown and from downtown. When we arrived in downtown, the drive was like driving U.S. Highway 101 in Downtown Los Angeles. There are carpool lanes just like in California. All of the exits include the interstate exit number which also indicates the miles mark. I saw Safeco Field where the Seattle Marines baseball team plays and Qwest Field where the Seattle Seahawks football team plays. Then I saw Boeing's buildings and their airfield. And finally I saw Mount Rainier. Steve said Mount Rainier can be seen anywhere in and around Seattle and there is always snow on top.

Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 6:15 P.M. More Gambling

Since Seattle was planned for Thursday, Steve suggested we visit the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. It was not a problem for me. I didn't plan to gamble because I was $81.00 ahead. I didn't want to lose my winnings ;-) Before we entered the casino, I was carded by security. CARDED!!! I showed him my ID and security allowed me in. People think I look 22 years old. Really?!? My hairline is receding ^_^

When we entered into the casino, it is dark and gloomy. Boy was I glad I gambled at Tulalip casino. Tulalip is big and bright for an Indian casino. By the way, none of the Indian casinos we visited has a mall or a section devoted to retail stores like the big Las Vegas casinos. There is, however, areas devoted to live entertainment. None of the Indian casinos Steve and I visited have a hotel.

Steve did not do well at Emerald Queen. He lost a lot of money. The craps table was cold. Steve did terrible at Blackjack. Every ace the dealer showed, the dealer either has Blackjack or successfully had a 21. In one hand, the dealer showed an ace. Obviously, Steve and the other players refused Insurance. The dealer checked the hand and it was not blackjack. The players were dealt their cards. Then the dealer played the cards. The dealer had two aces. The dealer dealt a card and it was a nine. Two aces plus a nine equals 21. All of the players were shell shocked and could not believe it. "The two dealers were brutal," said Steve. Steve did like the looks of the female pit boss `__* What did I do? I walked around the casino and watched Steve played Blackjack and Craps.

At 9:15 P.M. we ate dinner at the casino. I ordered the fried chicken and Steve ordered the ribs. Drinks were free.

Wednesday August 31, 2005 at 10:00 P.M. Gig Harbor

We arrived at Gig Harbor. The first stop in Gig Harbor was to get some food and water. We stopped at FredMeyer supermarket on Olympic Boulevard. The second stop was to check Steve's Dad boat located in the harbor. There was a fire in the harbor earlier in the day. Fortunately, the fire was no where close to Steve's Dad boat. The boat was safe. Steve told me the fire was the major story in years in Gig Harbor. The last event which was big was when the Chief of Police of Tacoma shot his estranged wife and himself in a murder suicide.

The final stop was Steve's Dad house which overlooks the harbor. We took our suitcase in the house and settled in. We watched a little TV. Then we went to sleep.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.

Washington Canada Trip Part 4 of 7

Half way there. Thanks for reading!

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 9:00 A.M. Driving the Canadian Freeways

We woke up around 8:00 A.M. without eating breakfast. We choose to eat breakfast along the road. We needed to take a ferry to travel from Victoria to Vancouver. We drove on Highway 17 from downtown to Swartz Bay where the ferry is located. Steve kept a close watch of the speed because Canada uses the metric system and the speed signs are in km/h or kilometers per hour and the speeds changed many times. The maximum speed he drove was 50 miles per hour. And it was raining.

We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast in Saanichton. The McDonalds is the nicest and cleanest McDonalds we ever saw. The common areas has street light posts that acted as indoor lighting, indoor plants and TREES, a huge indoor playground for the kids, and the décor to simply explain is like a middle class home's living room. I should have visited the bathrooms. It's probably better than my bathrooms at home. I ordered the Sausage McGriddle and Steve ordered the pancakes.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. Entering the BCFerries

Before I go on, I forgot to mention all times are in Pacific Timezone. I didn't experience any jetlag or adjustments.

I purchased the ferry ticket at the BCFerries ticket booth. BCFerries is the company that runs the ferry system in British Columbia. The ticket booth is like a toll booth—drive up to an open ticket booth lane that issues tickets for Vancouver. After purchasing the ferry ticket, we lined up on the road along with the other cars waiting for the ferry to arrive. The destination from Victoria to Vancouver is from Swartz Bay on the Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen on the British Columbia mainland.

The ferry Steve and I rode is huge, huge, huge!!! There are three levels for automobiles, trucks, and buses, and people are allowed to stay in their cars if they choose. We parked in Deck 4 which is the upper level for automobiles. The common areas are two floors which included a cafeteria, three arcade areas, gift shop, workstations, play areas for children, and a formal buffet. I even looked at the Ferry schedule. Some destinations take 15 hours!!! My goodness. The cafeteria is big and busy. We could have eaten breakfast on the ferry.

The trip time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. The name of the BCFerries Steve and I rode is named "M.V. Spirit of Vancouver Island." I wonder what "M.V." stands for? I did the same activities and walk-arounds on the M.V. Coho Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria: I walked around the entire ferry and took pictures of the outside scenery; unfortunately, the rain affected the ferry trip such that I really limited my time outside the ferry and the rain clouds and fog limited picture taking. Steve mostly read his book on Feudal Japan. In the gift shop, I purchased magnets and maps for souvenirs. The Canadians are really friendly. In one instance, I maneuvered around the magazine section, and I needed to say "Excuse Me" to pass by a worker. When I said "Excuse Me", six people around me moved. Talk about politeness. Doesn't happen in San Jose =__=

After getting off the ferry we drove on Highway 99. Parts of Highway 99 are sophisticated. One stretch of the road there are lane signals. Lane signals tell drivers which lanes are open and which lanes are closed. It appears during commute times, Highway 99 opens extra lanes to move traffic faster for commute traffic and close extra lanes for reverse commute traffic. The maximum speed Steve drove was 90 km/h or 55mph.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 1:00 P.M. City of Vancouver City Limits

We arrived at the city limits. The sky was grey and Vancouver rained during the drive and during the entire day. Steve played his James Bond Greatest Hits CD. Gas was never a problem because Steve filled up the gas tank at Port Angeles, and we were glad because it felt weird to get gas in liters . . . and Steve drove a Volkswagen Bug which has great gas mileage.

Our destination was Downtown Vancouver where the hotel is located. We needed to drive by Marpole, South Granville, Shaughnessy, and Fairview neighborhoods before reaching Downtown Vancouver. These areas are like Santa Barbara, California including the homes, neighborhoods, and the shopping districts; in addition, the area is diverse with many stores and restaurants representing different cultures and different sexual orientations (if you know what I mean *nudge, nudge*) The drive reminded me when I was 5 years old visiting my grandparents in Santa Barbara for which the surroundings, the grey skies, the homes, and neighborhoods were 100% authentic and represented my memory accurately.

When we crossed the Granville Street Bridge, I noticed a lot of development in Downtown Vancouver. It appears Vancouver is growing. Downtown Vancouver kinda reminded of Downtown San Jose; however, the buildings are unique—the looks of the buildings I never seen before. We checked in the hotel and choose to visit the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park for the activity of the day and to eat lunch. And yes, the rain continued.

When we drove on Pacific Street and Beach Avenue and along English Bay and Sunset Beach to the Vancouver Aquarium, there are a lot small apartment buildings that looked like Santa Barbara again. The signal lights are simple like in Victoria.

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 3:00 P.M. Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park. We drove along the Stanley Park for 20 minutes. For me, it's the first time I drove around a park. The closest I drove in a park was Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and me and my friends drove through just to get to Highway 1. No scenic tour. There is a public pool at Stanley Park, and there were people in the public pool despite the rain. I believe the pool is a wading pool where people just go to the pool to get wet and play around.

Vancouver Aquarium was really busy. I think the rain and that the kids' summer vacations being almost over were the reasons for the packed aquarium. Compared to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, Vancouver Aquarium is really small. We entered the aquarium, paid admission, and the first stop was getting lunch. I like to tell everyone I donated $2.00 to the aquarium and I got a S.O.S. sticker which stands for Save Our Seals. Hee, hee, hee.

The rain kept pouring as we ate lunch. We saw the Belugas exhibit and they were swimming as we ate lunch. I ordered a burger and Steve ordered pizza. After lunch, we walked around the entire aquarium. We started viewing the outside attractions including seeing the sea lions, sea otters, and a dolphin show. The dolphin show was packed with spectators and their umbrellas. I was fortunate I got a spot and was able to see most of the show. I had to stand on my toes to view some of the acts.

After viewing the outside activities, the rest of the time, Steve and I walked around inside. We saw sharks, giant fishes, alligators, jellyfish, sting rays, seahorns, and entered the Amazon Rainforest. Man, the rainforest is really humid. I felt awkward viewing the maps of Canada on the displays and animal explanations. I'm used to viewing the California map when I visit the Monterey Aquarium, SeaWorld-San Diego, Disneyland, and other amusement attractions in California. The final stop was viewing the dolphins at the lower level of the aquarium. There is the Clownfish Cove where kids can touch the smaller sea animals. Kids, make sure your parents stick with you ^_^

Tuesday August 30, 2005 at 5:30 P.M. Dinner Time

We ate dinner at a high class, fancy restaurant named "The Crime Lab." There was nobody there and the food came pretty fast. After dinner, we walked around parts of Downtown Vancouver. Downtown reminded me of Downtown San Jose—quiet during the evening time. We visited a few stores. Most of the shops closed at 7:00 P.M. (for which, in my opinion, most retail shops should close around 7:00 P.M. because everyone needs to have leisure time).

We arrived back at the hotel around 8:00 P.M. and we channel surf. We saw the catastrophic damage Hurricane Katrina caused to New Orleans and part of Mississippi and Alabama.

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Resume? I don't need a resume. Here is my resume: Innovator. I'm available to innovate for hire.