Thursday, August 31, 2006

It’s The Same Typical Year

I want to tell the reader I thought of the Blog entry on my way to work today ^__^

January 1. The beginning of the new year . . . and the beginning of the usual, typical year. How typical? Some examples from my life:

*January: Super Bowl
*February: President’s Day for which the next major holiday is Memorial Day and taxes
*March: March Madness
*April: Spring Vacation
*May: Fanime Con
*June: Wimbledon
*July: Anime Expo
*October: World Series
*November: Thanksgiving
*December: Christmas Shopping

And then there’s visiting the dentist two times a year, visiting San Francisco Japantown at least two times, attending the smaller anime conventions, visiting my eye doctor annually, taking my excess vacation time as one day offs because I don’t have money to take big vacations, and even purchasing stamps at the post office four times a year.

Monthly, I update my web page, complete my monthly responsibilities at work, and pay bills. Weekly, I take out the trash, go to the gym two days a week, and gas up my Dad’s truck. And daily (oh man, I want to avoid daily), get up in the morning, go to work, spend 9 hour wasting my life at work, go home, cook, clean dishes, read, and go to sleep; furthermore, if I don’t read, I either update my webpage, check email because I didn’t check at work, write a Blog, or go to sleep super early because I was so damn tired from work :-
I believe leaving life alone or letting life take control one is going to have a typical life. The person is going to have a typical and boring life, and the person likely is going to die from boredom. I refuse to accept a typical life. I refuse to live life what I described above for the rest of my life.

Typical lives can be altered from uncontrollable events or moments such as the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the Bay Area. When uncontrollable events or moments change people’s lives forever, they must be aware their altered lives can become a new typical life. When an old typical becomes a new typical, one must find ways to break out of the pattern. Never live a typical life. Add variety because variety is the spice of life.

Did I do anything unusual in 2006? Yes and no. The no is because the unusual activities I did has not lead to new activities in my life short term or long term. As for yes, here are some,

*Attended the Cherry Blossom Festival and WorldCon for the first time. I plan to attend Yaoi Con in October.
*Visited Santa Cruz on a day off.
*Participated in the Fanamafia gatherings and events and I met lots of new people and I made new friends.
*Got sick three times and one was serious I stayed home for four days.
*Visited San Francisco five times and a sixth is planned in September. I never visited San Francisco three times or more a year.
*Plan to visit Las Vegas and Christmas shop at Santa Cruz in December.

Talk about unusual, today was unusual. Work was stressful . . . really stressful . . . really, really stressful. I ate lunch at 3:10 P.M. When I make a right turn at a major intersection, I had to wait for the oncoming traffic for which I usually don’t wait. And went I left the parking lot which was full from an event tonight, the parking attendant gave a driver a break to take my spot.

Off the record, 2005 was the year of the new, 2006 is the year of the firsts, and I looking forward to 2007 as the year of the big break because one of these unusuals is going to give me the big break. The reason I say off the record is because I don’t want to jinx 2007 XD

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Monday, August 28, 2006

One Lesson Of Life Cosplaying

I started cosplaying in 2004 as Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist. My second cosplay was Syaoran from Tsubasa Chronicle. I regretted I never cosplayed ever since I heard of the word cosplay. Cosplaying is fun, fun, fun <3

The third cosplay is Toshirou Hitsugawa from Bleach. I choose to cosplay him after Fanime Con 2006. I wanted to cosplay him at Anime Expo 2006; unfortunately, my Mom didn't have enough fabric. The cosplay was delayed and I plan to cosplay him at Japantown Anime Faire 2006 . . . where I debut my Edward and Syaoran cosplays *chuckles*

The lesson of life I learned cosplaying is to never rush. Making a cosplay takes time. There is research, purchasing the materials including fabric, and labor. When I created my Edward Elric, I purchased art books to get pictures, researched for tips and suggestions on how to make the red jacket and black vest on the Internet, researched boots styles on the Internet, researched how to find a leathermaster to make the belt pad, asked co-workers where I get a custom made clasp, shopped around for a wig, and shopped on eBay for the white gloves. Lots of work to make the cosplay? Absolutely.

The same applies to my Syaoran and Hitsugawa cosplays. Never rush success. Never rush a goal. Goals and accomplishments take time. The Edward Elric cosplay took lots of free time after work and on weekends which debut at Japantown Anime Faire 2004. I have been receiving positive feedback XD

Complete a goal slowly and keep the goal in focus. It’s a matter of time when the goal is accomplished :]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Thursday, August 24, 2006

I Wonder

Tonight, I came home after another usual and boring day at work. I wonder when my big break in life is coming. I have been waiting 7 years for the big break, the big move, the big moment to take my life to new adventures, new innovations, new events, and meeting new people.

The last big break came in 1999 when I was hired to work at Colliers International, my present job. My first job was at Grubb & Ellis. Both Colliers and Grubb & Ellis are competitors in the commercial real estate industry. If I remained at Grubb & Ellis, I quit one month later. I don’t know how the company survives. I met one person who worked at Grubb & Ellis as an administrative assistant. Today, she makes more money as a full time worker in retail. Shocking :-O

Since late 2004, I have done everything outside work to innovate myself and to be a better person. I read books, I traveled (thanks again Steve for the Washington Canada trip), I met new people, I cosplayed, I took a night class . . . do I say give up and say this is as good as it gets or do I keep going because the big break is going to come? *Sighs*

The obvious answer is to keep going. Today, though, is the day I wonder and I question if my hard work outside work is going to pay off in the long run. I have a stack of stuff to do and their reasons and goals why I do the activities in the stack of stuff; unfortunately, the rate of the stack of stuff is growing bigger compared to growing smaller—it’s a one step forward, five steps back -__- At least I’m busy and wanted and important which is a positive. Yay!

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe the big break comes tomorrow, next week, next month and better not be in my next life. I’m not going to stop and accept my career and my lifestyle. Not me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Dell Followed Rule Number 12

On Tuesday August 15, Dell Computer announced a recall for 4.1 million laptop batteries. The lithium-ion batteries can overhead and cause a fire. People with Dell laptops should visit Dell’s website http://www.dell.com and click the Battery Replacement link to check if the battery is on the recall list.

Dell followed rule number 12 in Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People. Rule number 12 is Admit Your Mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Yes, even me. People can avoid the “not getting along” relationships when people admit your mistakes. Even if both people blame each other for the fault, perhaps both people are a fault and need to admit their mistakes to each other.

One can say Dell must had issued the recall months ago after laptop fire incidents were released on the Internet. I personally don’t know the reason for the delay. If Dell did know about the laptop batteries prone to fire, then, yes, Dell must had to issue the recall.

If you did a mistake, then admit it. And then correct it, repay it, owe a favor, or replace it depending on the circumstances.

Disclaimer: I own a Dell Inspirion 8600 and the battery was not on the recall list. I don’t own shares of Dell ^__^

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Friday, August 11, 2006

A Mixed Bag Of Everything

Man, lots happened since my late Grandmother's funeral service July 29 weekend. It's all a mixed bag with mixed results, mixed emotions, mixed outcomes, and, just about mixed everything. *Hee, hee* I'm going to share the latest happenings all mixed or in no particular order. Here is everything #__# Mood: Relaxed and Optimistic.

Note: I didn't proofread the Blog entry carefully. To use my friend Barnes' to the point one-liners: Enjoy it or complain.

Time Just Froze

My Casio G-Shock watch went haywire and froze during Pictionary with my cousins, brother, and sister the weekend of my Grandmother's service. The watch still has power. It's just frozen such that everything is being displayed; in other words, the time is 88:88:88. I going to purchase a new watch on eBay because the mall was selling my watches overpriced. I wore the watch since 1996 when I purchased at Big 5 on sale. Mood: Angry and Sad.

New Laptop Bag

On Wednesday August 9, I got my new laptop bag. The handle broke at Anime Expo 2006. I sent the laptop bag to Targus after receiving a confirmation number from email. Targus responded by sending me a brand new laptop bag. Wow! I thought Targus replaced the handle only. I'm going to try to carry necessary items. I remember purchasing the laptop bag on March 4, 2005 at Fry's Electronics, the day before Anime Overdose 2005 XD Mood: Happy and Shocked.

Pictures Are Memories

Earlier today, I finished the 2006 Mar Reunion pictures when all of family visited for my late Grandmother's service. I called in work saying there was a family emergency for which I spent the day with the family. I took at least 100 pictures and I uploaded 66 pics. Uh, oh! I hope 66 is not really 666 0:-) I need to tell my brother and Dad to pass the link to all of the family members. Mood: Success!

On the other hand, I have pics from Anime Expo 2006, Anime Overdose 2006, Kima's Reunion, and Ryu's birthday party. *Sigh* The correct choice is Ryu's birthday party because the party was fun, fun, fun, and turnout was great for the next round of pics to be uploaded. Everyone, don't feel bad about me. It's all timing and events out of control for which I have so much to do. I find time for everything. Mood: Confused and Razzed.

Ryu's Birthday Party

What a birthday party. I attended late because I attended Anime Overdose 2006. Looking at the pictures others took during the afternoon, everyone was having fun. I'm happy. When I arrived, the joy was all around the house. People were talking and people were smiling and people were hanging out. We also went to the park and played lots of kiddie games such as Freeze Tag and Hide and Seek. Everyone was being a kid *hee, hee* Thank you Ryu for inviting me. Mood: Happy and Joyful.

Anime Overdose (AOD) 2006

I attended AOD. O.K., it's really Animation Overdose. I'm going to called it Anime Overdose to the point when I feel like saying Animation Overdose. For the time being, I'm going to call it AOD to get away with saying Animation Overdose. LOL! AOD was a good convention. I purchased a stuffed Tea Club Mr. Bear, two Tsubasa Chronicles mystery figures usually sold in supermarkets where people buy the box and there is a random character figure and a candy treat, and a Rozen Maiden pencil board for Ryu's birthday gift.

I cosplayed as Syaoran from Tsubasa Chronicle (hey, the ending theme to Tsubasa Chronicle is playing on my laptop as I'm listening to random music *__*). I met Hohenheim, EvaX, Richie, Craig, Jeff, H-Chan, Alan, and a few others I forgot ^^ Sorry. I also took cosplay pics and listened to Ramen and Rice play for at least 45 minutes. Alan and I left around 5:00 P.M. where we went to Japantown San Francisco and then Ryu's birthday party. Mood: Upbeat and Friendly.

Last Night's Dinner

My Mom cooked leftovers last night. No problem. I prepared the vegetables which was easy. Unfortunately, when the meal was fixed, my Mom didn't finish cooking. She cooked the food in a quick and lazy way. *Sniff, sniff* I'm one who likes to cook with heart and the best I can do. I admit I'm not a chef. I'm eager to learn better ways to cook. Having a half-ass dinner ruins an evening . . . at least to me. In defense, my Mom admits she's tired of cooking. I hope I never get tired of cooking. Mood: Depressed.

A Quick Filling

Monday August 7 I went to the dentist to get a filling at 9:30 A.M. The filling was quick. The dentist was trying to sell me InvisAlign, a product to help strengthen my teeth. I think my dentist revenues are low and he is selling products. The dentist tried to sell products to Mom which she really didn't need. I admit my teeth needs to be strengthen and if my insurance covers my ortho, I strongly consider using InvisAlign. Mood: Half Awake and Half Tired.

Alphabetically Ascending A-Z

Next week, 98.5 KUFX or KFOX is going to play their entire Classic Rock library from A to Z. I'm going to listen at work next week. Mood: Happy.

Broken Dryer

The family dryer is broken. My Dad is trying to replace the motor. So far, it looks like my Dad needs to hire a repair man. If I was half as good as a handyman as my Dad, I could make a second income as a handyman after work $-) In the meantime, my Dad and Mom go to my late Grandmother's house and use her dryer. My late Grandmother lives in walking distance from my house. Mood: Frustrated.

Green Tea

After at least a month without drinking green tea, I'm drinking green tea. I drink green tea after dinner. It's refreshing. I buy the lose leaves at a tea shop in Japantown San Francisco. One bag is $17.00, and it's their cheapest. The $4.00 green tea in the supermarkets is terrible. Mood: Relaxed.

Work Today

Today's work was all bad timing. I had to rush inputting a bunch of closed deals because a broker needed a report with the closed deals for a breakfast the next day. In the afternoon, a bunch of requests came in all at once which I hate. I managed to finish the requests and I was really tired. I really didn't eat lunch because last night's dinner was terrible and I hate to eat bad food for lunch because it ruins the work day. Then again, how worse can my workday be because my company stinks. Mood: Depressed and Feeling Despair.

Feeling Sick

I ate three pieces of bread and a candy bar for lunch. Bad choice. I feel sick and tired. I now have a sore throat and I hope I recover quickly. I canceled my gym schedule today and tomorrow. I haven't been to the gym in two weeks. In middle July, I went to the gym which was only a light workout. I feel out of shape. I hope timing goes in my favor soon because skipping gym is like skipping drinking water. Mood: Disappointed.

Keeping It Cool

Yesterday, temperatures reached the middle 90s. I hate hot weather. Fortunately, yesterday was the only day of the week temperatures are over 90s according to weather forecasters. Thank goodness. Being sick and 90 degrees weather are a bad combination. Mood: Concerned.

Double Day Off

For the few of you (thank you for visiting my Blog often) who knows my co-worker is a dumb-ass, I'm confessing I can't handle him. I thought I can handle him with his bad tobacco smell and his smoke breaks every 15 to 30 minutes. The guy is a pure idiot and jerk. Fortunately, when he takes a day off, I get a day off. Although, I have to take the day off at work and I get extra workload which I don't mind going to work and I can handle the extra workload because when it takes my co-worker an hour to complete an assignment, I can complete it in 15 minutes and complete much better. Mood: Cheerful.

A Yummy Dinner

Today after work I went to Safeway supermarket and purchase chicken and steak for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's dinner. I created action for redemption for a better and delicious dinner. I can't believe I paid $15.00. I know it's cheaper and healthier compared to eating out. With $15.00, I can purchase 5 times more chicken or 2 times more steak at Costco. Moreover, the cost of living in my area is really going up. Is it inflation? You bet, man. Mood: Scared.

Still 5.25%

The Federal Reserve kept Federal Fund Interest Rate at 5.25%. I think the Federal Reserve failed to keep Inflation in check. And I think the Federal Reserve put little effort to keep the economy from Inflation. Inflation is coming and then a recession. Be prepared. It's the time to wait and then make the move. It's the situation where good things come to those who wait. Mood: Opportunistic.

Shopping on eBay

Finally, after the Blog, I'm going to purchase a new watch and another battery for my laptop. Mood: Practical and Happy.

Who is to blame or to be faulted for a mixed bag of events the last two weeks? Nobody. I blame nobody for the last two weeks of completing something and more stuff comes to me. I'm going with the flow. Everything that has happened I feel happy, sad, joyful, depressed, despair, confused, cheerful, friendly, lost, hopeful, disappointed, and innovative. I feel mixed emotions. It's like I'm being thrown curve balls; unfortunately, I'm in a slump hitting them for base hits and home runs.

Life is a mixed bag of good and bad. The successful people are the ones who endures the mixed bag with strength, integrity, knowledge, and innovating. Currently, I'm practicing and practicing to be one of those successful people. Mood: Focused and Lost and Innovating.

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

Friday, August 04, 2006

92 Years Old and 9 Years Later

On July 25, 2006, my Grandmother passed away at the age of 92 years old. My Grandfather passed away in Summer 1997 from Alzimers (sp) disease. Both of them were married in China, moved to Santa Barbara, California in the 1940s and opened a restaurant. In 1982, my grandparents moved to San Jose.

Living in the 90s is still hard even with today’s modern medicine and health awareness. I’m proud my Grandmother lived through her 90s. She made the 90 Age Club =) My Grandmother taught me three lessons:

*Always eat fresh food. Rarely eat processed food and cook enough to prevent leftovers.
*Save money for emergencies.
*Cherish personal treasures and dump the junk. My grandparent’s house never had junk in their house.

It’s unfortunate my grandparents died nine years apart. As I type the Blog, I think how nine years went by fast; moreover, think of the future five years later or even nine years later—time goes by really fast, and who knows what’s going to happen to me?!?!?!? What happened the last nine years? Some off the top of my head includes:

*Graduating from San Jose State Fall 1997
*My first job at Grubb & Ellis July 1998
*Started to work out in the gym
*Buying stocks and dot com companies in 1999
*Tech bubble crash March 2000
*Classes at Professional Center San Jose State University for which most were a waste :<
*Trying to learn technology; unfortunately, little success
*Trips to Reno, San Diego, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Seattle, British Columbia, Salem in 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2005
*9/11 attacks
*Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad in 2002 and became more aware of my personal finances and career choices
*Iraq invasion in 2003
*Attending many anime conventions and cosplaying
*Learning how to cook

And there were lots more in the last nine years. Wow! Unbelievable! I wish I could have done more. You know what. I want to do more now and more later. It’s time to experience new experiences. It’s time to do them now because time is ticking away fast :D

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

AX Addendum

The added 2006 Anime Expo (AX) events, recognitions, and notes are completed. Here is the list of the AX’06 addendum:

*At the pre-registration line, the person with the Mexican Bingo set gave me a CD of her favorite MP3s.
*At the FMA mini gathering, I did a few FMA action shots. One shot was a few Sloth, Wrath, and Lust cosplayers stole my watch and I was being held by two Gluttonies. Another shot was one Gulttony ate my watch and I tried to pull the watch away from him. When all FMA cosplayers gathered for the group shot, we sang 99 Bottles of Beer on the wall to time how long we stayed for the group pose. We counted from 99 to 91 which was a long time.
* Priscilla and I went hung outside my hotel room and we saw one of the Gluttonies who also stayed at my hotel.
*I want to thank the photographers who took my cosplay pics. And it was a pleasure posing with a few congers who wanted a pic with me.
*The weather was too damn hot for cosplayers especially with three layers of clothing @__@
*The weekend before AX, I went to Office Depot and purchased a small clipboard to write down the names of the cosplayers I took. Never happened. On July 5, I exchanged the small clipboard for six notebooks.
*There was a particular cosplayer for which I took a picture of her three times because she wore three different cosplays. She brought five cosplays. I should have made it fun by being aggressive such that if I take all five of her cosplays, I ask her out on a date :X

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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