Thursday, May 25, 2006

One By One Guilty

Utility company Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling and Chairman Kenneth Lay were convicted of conspiracy and fraud charges. The case is one of the biggest business scandals in history. One by one, the Enron Task Force won guilty pleas from 16 former executives, including Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow. It’s kinda like the Watergate scandal. One by one, the people involved pleaded guilty.

My feeling is Skilling and Lay should receive the maximum sentence. Their crimes of losing billions of investor dollars and thousands of Enron jobs. Unforgivable :-< Any executives committing fraud today, watch out.

As an innovator worker *__*, I don’t like to work under dishonest executives. I don’t understand why top executives commit conspiracy and fraud. I honestly don’t know. Is it despair?

Anyways, the blog entry is short and brief. I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings about today’s event.

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

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

For The Parents And The Students

Memorial Day weekend is approaching. It’s the weekend to remember the fallen veterans giving us Freedom and to relax and spend time with family and friends. It’s also the weekend not to do homework. I repeat. Don’t do homework.

Holidays should be homework free. Holiday weekends are when everyone must enjoy life. There is more to life than studying and doing homework. Schools think they are helping students become successful by assigning homework and reading books. I disagree. Schools can help students become successful by teaching them to make the best of life today, and British Literature doesn’t teach the best of life.

For the parents with school children and students, if you have homework, either complete them on Friday or complete them Monday evening. The number one priority during a three day holiday is to have fun, relax, enjoy life, and do something new. There is so much to learn and experience life itself teaches.

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

Friday, May 19, 2006

Either Someone Is A Mentor Or You Yourself Is A Mentor

Most famous successful people have a mentor, a role model, or a teacher. Warren Buffett’s mentor was Benjamin Graham. Donald Trump’s mentor was his father. Robert Kiyosaki’s mentor was his best friend’s father.

For me, I never had a mentor. My first job my boss was not role model material. I still respect him because he hired me and gave me the opportunity to work after I graduated college. Even my second and present job, there is neither a mentor nor a go to person to move the company forward. (Heck, my company doesn’t have a CEO and a CFO. Both resigned.) The managing partner, office manager, and my co-worker who has seniority are full of crap :-P

I didn’t have a mentor when I was a kid. And I don’t have a mentor today. What do I do? I train myself to be a mentor. Who knows what happens in the future? Today, I still work at my company. Tomorrow, I’m a speaker teaching people how to innovate themselves XD

How do I train myself? First, think of a life philosophy or belief. My philosophy or belief is Never Stop Innovating Life. Second, read books; for example, Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and How To Win Friends And Influence Them by Dale Carnegie. Third, live life . . . live the present and make everyday count . . . no regrets. Cherish life to the fullest because a great life is a collection of present moments. Fourth, always find ways to meet new people. And fifth, use all your senses because you want to learn from your failures and other people who fail; for example, everyone knows how to greet people saying “Hi”, but if the person lacks sincerity, the greeting is meaningless. Bonus sixth, always be sincere!

If you have a mentor, then make sure you show sincere appreciation. From my experience, mentors are hard to find. If you don’t have a mentor, then train yourself to be a mentor. If you’re alone, then you must take action for yourself because waiting for a mentor is not going to make you a better person. You are wasting time . . . precious time.

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

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day

Especially for kids. Kids must eat breakfast. When I was going to preschool and kindergarten, I drink a cup of milk. I don't remember eating anything. No cereal, no pancakes, not even junk food, nothing. I ate pancakes and full breakfasts during non school days and vacations only. When my family moved to a new home, my brother, sister, and I ate breakfast on our own. We rarely ate breakfast together. And 95% of the time we ate cereal only.

Parents and guardians, kids develop big time during their early years. Don't neglect breakfast. Kids need energy to grow, learn, make friends, and being kids. I think my lack of breakfast when I was a kid prevented me from being a kid. I was not a smart student, didn't have lots of friends, and I felt I developed really slowly. I don't remember what I learned when I attended preschool. Fortunately, I watched Sesame Street to learn my ABCs and 123s; although sadly I never understood most of the jokes.

Today, I eat a bigger bowl of cereal, toast, and I recently added sausage. I get the stomach growls at work around 10:30 A.M. That's not good. It's hard to concentrate thinking of the growls. I'm thinking how to innovate my breakfast meals. And I don't drink coffee :D

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

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Promoting The Great State Of . . .

In live in California and the license plates in California sucks. The license plate has a plain white background and California in red capital letters. There is no picture, no decoration. It's a plain license plate. In Washington, their license plate has a picture of a mountain. (Unfortunately, I'm not sure which mountain in Washington.) British Columbia has a plain white background which at least the license plate says "Beautiful British Columbia." And when I went to Oregon in November, Oregon license plates has a picture of a tree (with a mountain background?) and colors.

California has its problems with budgets, high cost of living, and an action hero as the governor. Is it possible to help promote California by creating a more beautiful California license plate? I like to see something on the license plate when I wait at a red light @__@

Side note: In California, car owners can purchase a California license plate with a picture of a dolphin for an extra DMV fee $-(

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

Monday, May 15, 2006

Innovating My Boring And Tiring Work Area

On Friday May 12, I took a picture of my workplace. I neither work in an office nor a cubicle. I work at a wall. The picture below shows where I work ;__;

My Sad and Depressed Work Area (56k).  Click For Bigger Image.

I work at the same place since June 2000. I admit it's really plain. I want my workplace to be plain because I want the company to think I'm a quiet and boring guy. I mean it. On the contrary, outside work, I'm a friendly guy who wants to have fun, meet people, and very enthusiastic when I'm having a good time XD

In the last two months, I have been really fatigued when I leave work (-,-) After dinner, I'm so tired I just go to sleep. It's hard for me to read books, update my webpage, write Blogs, continue writing my business plan, workout at the gym, research stocks, and completed other nightly activities. Many times, I don't brush my teeth and drink green tea. Not good :-<

*Hee, hee* After looking at the picture, I'm going to innovate my work area. Today, I display two 4 inch by 6 inch pictures. The first picture is me visiting the Space Needle in Seattle, WA and the second picture is a Campbell Police Car picture. I hope by innovating my work area, my workday becomes less boring and I don't become fatigued. I'm considering displaying additional pictures, an anime pencil board, small poster, and a cosplay picture.

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

Sunday, May 14, 2006

The Best 100 Blogs

Blog entry number 101 is the best of my first 100 ININ Blogs. There is no top 10 or top whatever number. Here we go from oldest to newest in summary format. Enjoy!

100% Success Rate To Keep The Toilet Seat Down

Here are the benefits to keeping the toilet seat down,

1. The seat is always down. No need to take extra steps to lift the seat up and lift the seat down. AND you never need to remember “Did I put the seat down?”
2. Minimal splash damage. When peeing in the “sit-down” position, the pee is going directly into the bowl. There is minimal splash damage along the rim of the toilet. It’s gross to see pee splash damage along the rim =__=
3. Great impression. The females in the household think that you have a great memory you always keep the seat down.
4. If there is a power outage or not enough lighting, by sitting down and peeing there is no need to worry about peeing outside the toilet causing a mess because you can’t see your “aim.”

Washington Canada Trip Part 1 of 7

Author's Note: All Of The Wasington Canada Blogs are my favorites. I share the first day of the trip.

Hello. Part 1 of 7 of my Washington and Canada trip is posted on my Blog. I hope to post more parts on Saturday or Sunday because I am going to work on my vacation Blog this weekend. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!

Saturday August 27, 2005 11:00 A.M. Arrived at SeaTac, Washington Airport aka Seattle Airport

I woke up at 7:30 A.M. to take the Southwest 9:05 A.M. flight from San Jose to SeaTac, Washington. SeaTac is the name of the city the Seattle Airport is located. The flight was full. And the flight was my first flight which lasted more than one hour. Fortunately, I read my Full Metal Alchemist and Tsubasa Chronicle mangas to pass the time. My friend Steve, who organized the vacation, waited in baggage claim and we headed out of the airport. I took pictures of Port of Seattle police cars parked in the short term parking garage. The parking garage looked exactly like the garage at San Jose State University's 10th Street Parking Garage, except much, much bigger.

We drove on Interstate 5 and Washington Highway 16 to Gig Harbor where we ate at Taco Time for lunch. (Interstate 5 is in California, Oregon, and Washington where it ends at the U.S.A. and Canada border.) Taco Time and Del Taco in San Jose serve similar food, and I think Taco Time serves better tasting food.

Saturday August 27, 2005 1:30 P.M. Lots and Lots of Safeway Supermarkets and McDonalds

My first impressions of Washington were lots and lots of Safeway supermarkets and McDonalds, and no potholes on the freeways and city streets. The roads suck big time in California! We arrived at Safeway in Belfair (I think it's Belfair?!?) to purchase shampoo, soap, Q-Tips, food, and water.

After Safeway, Steve drove the scenic tour on the way to his home city in Lilliwaup. The highways we drove were Washington Highway 3, Washington Highway 106, and U.S. Highway 101. The cities we drove by included Shelton where we stopped for gas, Potlatch, and Hoodsport. Many homes we saw are along the Hood Canal with great views of the water and surrounding trees and mountains. The views reminded me of Lake Tahoe when I visited in 1988. The home prices are cheaper than home prices in the Bay Area which are very DAMN EXPENSIVE!!! :-xx However, demand is increasing big time for water front homes and prices are skyrocketing.

I saw a few small Indian casinos, a traffic accident where a full size pack-up truck turned over, and a Wal-Mart where there was a protester.

Saturday August 27, 2005 3:30 P.M. Arrived in Lilliwaup

After a nice, relaxing drive with winding curves along U.S. Highway 101, we arrived in Lilliwaup. Downtown Lilliwaup is a general store, gas station, community center, and post office. Minutes later, we arrived at Steve's home. Steve's home has a small water creek and berry trees in his backyard.

After putting my suitcase in his home, we walked along the neighborhood and walked at the pier. The neighborhood is along the Hood Canal where people were fishing, boating, and relaxing. The views reminded me of Lake Tahoe again.

(BTW, U.S. Highway 101 goes in a circle along the Olympic Mountains.)

The rest of the afternoon we played board games, watch a few episodes of The Simpsons and Dilbert on DVD. I had an allergy attack with a runny nose. The temperature throughout the day was in the high 60s and low 70s--great weather for me. I managed without taking any allergy medications.

Saturday August 27, 2005 6:30 P.M. Remembering the Greasy Food

We ate dinner at a roadside dinner. After we ordered our meals, we played pool. We didn’t finish the game because the food arrived quickly. Mainly bikers occupied the restaurant.. I really didn't like the smoking. Oh, well. The television showed a NASCAR race, and when the race was over, the next showing was the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds."

The really greasy food reminded of the good'ol true restaurants that served real restaurant food without today's concern for eating healthy *__* I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak without gravy and Steve ordered the Prime Rib.

After dinner, we went back home and watched more Simpsons and Dilbert. When I watch the boss in Dilbert, the boss reminded me of a few co-workers at work :-P We went to bed around 10:00 P.M.

Say Hi and Smile Goes Miles

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!

Shy People and Quiet People

The San Jose Mercury News' 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 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.”

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?”

24/48 Rule

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?"

A Realty Check

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

Bored? Play Power Outage

The game Power Outage is you and a group of people stage a mock power outage.

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 ^_^

Turn off the lights and have fun!

You Need The Correct Attitude

Is there someone potentially special you met or have known? Want to ask him or her out on a date? Afraid he or she says “No?” You’re not alone.

The asker should have the attitude of “Go for it all the way” or “It’s a potential moment of the lifetime . . . the guy or gal can be the love of my life.” Having negative thoughts prevents moving forward—prevents the asker from creating courage to ask the person out.

Depressed And You Are A Great Person? Daydream You Are On 60 Minutes

If you feel depressed, then daydream you are on CBS’s 60 Minutes interviewed by Mike Wallace. Only great people are interviewed on 60 Minutes. You are great. Have Wallace ask you questions that make you feel important, feel great, and feel special. And be sincere and honest when Wallace asks you the questions and you answer faithfully and true to you.

Think Of Future Consequences And There Is No Future

Live the present. Live the moment. For some of us, one moment in time—the present time—is going to last a lifetime and brings us to a higher level in life never dreamed of before. Don't think about the future consequences. Think about future consequences and nobody is going to move on. Create memories today . . . create a ton of memories today for the future. Use the present today, right now, for a bright future. Cherish the present days. Don't waste today.

The Greatest Fear Is Fear Itself. Nonsense!

I don't fear fear itself; rather, I fear not getting fear. Without fear, without being scared, I don't motivate myself. I say it differently and personally: I am scared if I stay at my crappy job forever. I use the fear of being employed at my current job forever to motivate myself to learn how to start a part time business. I'm taking a night class at a local junior college on how to write a business class. I'm learning as much as I can on small businesses.

A U Is Worst Than An F

There is a grade worst than an F. It’s a U. U grades are worst than an F. Basically, a U grade is the student never attends class, doesn’t do the work and take the exams, and doesn’t care.

Failure is good as long as the failure is turned to success. There is a lesson to learn from the failure. A person fails, the person thinks what failed, the person learns from the failure, and tries again. If the person fails again, repeat the procedure.

What Is The Best Day To Take One Day Off From Work?

What is the best day to take one day off from work for the heck of it? Friday. Most people say Friday since Saturday is the day after. I think the best day is Monday.

Give First To Receive Later . . . Wrong

If you want to receive later in life, then you must give first. Give first, receive later. Give something to receive something. Correct choice of attitude, wrong choice of words.

Do something to receive something is the better phase. Substitute give with do. The word do is a stronger word because it makes the person do it. It’s like Nike’s phase “Just Do It.” If you want to receive something, just do it. Do first, receive later--not give first, receive later.

Using $$$$$ To Help People, Create Action, Show Appreciation

There are people who know how to use $$$$$ to help people, create action, and show appreciation. I really mean it!!! These people really know how to use money $-))

I don't make enough money to live on my own. I live in Silicon Valley where it's very expensive to live. I use my $$$$$ to help people, create action, and show appreciation regardless of my income as a full time employee and living in Silicon Valley 0:-) I give sincere appreciation, appeal to the noble motive, and dramatize my ideas. Those three characteristics are one of the best ways to impress others, to win friends, and to establish who you are.

Hire 2.5s, Not 4.0s

Hiring managers or workers with authority to hire new employees, hire people who have a 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA). Why? The 2.5 workers are more likely to stay in the company and to perform the same job functions for a long time—sometimes to the point of retirement; in other words, lower turnover rate. In today’s workplace and economic conditions, workers are working beyond their retirement. 2.5 workers earned a 2.5 GPA because they do terrible in school is a fallacy in my opinion.

4.0 workers are more likely to leave the company when the job becomes boring, management does nothing, the company goes no where, and/or the workers realize there is more to their careers than working in dead end jobs. These workers are more likely to complain, to take action not warranted by anyone, and to arrive at work late. When entering the building, they are someone else such that they do little work, and it’s not because they are lazy, it’s because they don’t care. Keep 4.0 workers happy and constantly rise the workplace ladder, they are likely to stay and to outperform 2.5 workers.

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

Friday, May 05, 2006

Number 100!

A big thank you for those who read my Blog . . . and again there are a few out there =__= The latest Blog entry is my 100th entry. The last three weeks I have been heck-a-busy >.< which explains the big gaps in Blog entries. I feel caught up; however, I feel empty such that there’s nothing to do. No worries. Something is creeping up my back very soon. O.K., now to Blog entry number 100.

When I was a kid, I remember getting a $100 bill. A piece of green colored paper with Benjamin Franklin. (BTW, Franklin was never President of the United States.) I felt I was the richest kid in the world. I could buy all the snacks anywhere and anytime. Today, the standard of living is much higher. $100 today buys fewer goods and services.

What fascinates me about the number 100 is how easy it takes to reach 100. The more I think about 100, the more I convince myself 100 is not a big number. Examples include 100 Blog entries, eBay feedback 100, 100 posts on a forum, earning 100 wins in a baseball career, closing 100 real estate deals, owning 100 DVDs, knowing 100 people, and the first 100 days of something. After the 100 is reached, I feel I learned something . . . I feel I innovated something in my life.

I thought getting a $100 bill was hard as a child. As I look back, it was easy to get a $100 bill—even today’s children can earn $100 easily. Set goals with the number 100 in mind to focus on getting experience. Experience counts big time. After achieving 100, the sky’s the limit ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Thank you for taking the time to read my Blog. I’m looking forward to 900 more to reach *says like a baseball announcer announcing a home run* number 1,000!

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