Sunday, February 25, 2007

Ten Years As An Anime Fan

Last year, 2006 marked my 10th year as an anime fan. I officially became in anime fan in Summer 1996 watching Sailor Moon. I worked the closing shifts at Blockbuster Video, my first retail job while attending San Jose State University. I arrive home around 1:30 A.M. to 2:00 A.M., eat a late dinner, and go to sleep. Sometimes I wake up early enough to watch Sailor Moon and sometimes I wake up at 2:55 P.M. listening to the ending theme to Sailor Moon USA release because my sister watched the show.

Before 2006, I watched classic anime Starblazers, Voltron, and Robotech in the 1980s. In December 1992, I watched three episodes of Ranma ½. In Summer 1994, I watched three episodes of Record Of Lodoss War.

My first anime purchase was a bootlegged CD of Sailor Moon music. My first anime series I purchased was the first season of Ranma ½ in VHS. My first anime convention was Fanime Con 1997 at Foothill College in Los Altos, California. My first cosplay was Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist at JapanTown Anime Faire 2 in 2004.

I thought about quitting anime in 2004 when I talked to a friend who graduated at U.C. Irvine. He told me he phased out of anime because he got a new job and new interests. My anime interest was going downhill at the time I, too, thought about quitting anime. What saved me from quitting anime? Full Metal Alchemist and cosplaying as Edward Elric. Since I first cosplayed, I realized anime is more than watching anime only. Anime expanded my interests, branched out my anime hobby such as cosplaying, reading manga, and hosting a panel. I started to meet new people in and out of cons, and most of the new people I met are anime fans at cons—something we have in common to talk and get to know each other.

Today, I see no end to quit anime. I have been innovating if I may say so ^^ my anime hobby. For instance, I started to really get into manga with Full Metal Alchemist, Tsubasa Chronicle, and Bleach. On February 2005, I brought my laptop to work to watch anime on my lunch hour. On October 2006, I stopped bringing my laptop and I bring manga to read on my lunch hour.

I always watch the TV episodes first for an anime series. If I like the TV episodes, I read the manga. I'm thinking about switching such that I read the manga first. If I like the manga series, I watch the TV episodes.

I like to thank timing and luck I remain an anime fan today and hopefully for a long time.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Are Bosses Afraid To Terminate Incompetent Workers?

I have a question to people in management or leadership positions. Why do companies keep incompetent workers? Workers who make mistakes and learn from them and get better are the keepers. Workers who are incompetent are the garbage workers. If these garbage workers create an stressful work environment such that the garbage worker is not a team player, a worker who fails to innovate, a worker who has attitude problems, a worker who makes too many mistakes and fails to learn from them, then why are these workers still employed?

I fail to understand why companies keep the ineffective workers on their payroll. Why? Anyone know the reason? In the meantime, fire the incompetent workers. Get rid of them. In the short term, a department is going to be behind. There is a chance in the long run the replacement worker is the key worker for the department, the innovator who makes things happen, the new worker who solves problems. Have the courage to terminate incompetence. Mistakes are acceptable. Incompetence is unacceptable.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Think Of A Theme To Initiate A Gathering

You're bored and have free time. Your friends are also bored and have free time. Or you're lonely and want to hang out. Or you know people you just met and want to get to know them more. Start a gathering. To start a gathering, you need an idea or theme or the something to do something. The something is easy as playing poker, watch a movie, eat cheese and drink wine, to the elaborate having a party, and to the creative bring a DVD to trade a DVD, bring a video game to trade a video game, or bring five dress ties to trade five dress ties.

Initiating a gathering makes you a starter, a starter to get people together. That's good. Personally, when I was in college, I was an initiator. I was an idiot to realize being the starter is important in a circle of friends. I incorrectly thought being the initiator was being the initiator only. I always had to do the starting, the organizing, and if my other friends did activities, I never be invited.

Being the initiator, the person who thinks of a hang out theme, is important. Your friends treat you with additional respect that you get everyone together. If you feel all you do is initiate and your friends do other activities among themselves and exclude you, then you probably want to find new friends. And it's acceptable you friends have other friends outside your circle of friends and they hang out among themselves.

Good luck and never give up finding new friends. Always meet new people.

Friday, February 16, 2007

A Security Procedure

In mid-November, my Dad and I gave away a sofa for free to a couple of roommates. When we arrived, one of the roommates talked on the phone. The other roommate was out of the apartment. After the move, I thought of a security procedure.

The security procedure is when somebody comes over to your house or apartment to make a repair, deliver a good, or relay a message, talk to a trusted friend or family member on the phone. When a situation arises where you need help, the trusted friend or family member can assist you on their end. Inform the person who is coming and the purpose for the visit before talking on the phone.

For instance, a plumber is repairing the pipes under the kitchen sink. You're on the phone talking to a friend. The plumber is about to commit a crime and you're the potential victim. Since you're on the phone, you yell out "Call 911." Your friend on the other end calls 911 on your behalf to send help.

Remember the security procedure if you're alone. Talking to someone assures you're with somebody.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

One, Two, Three

Hello, everyone. It’s been a while. Everything is O.K. I had too much in my mind the last two weeks. That’s O.K. I’m still living -__- Let’s do a one-two-three ~~~

One: A Collection In The Present

On Saturday February 3, a group of friends and I went out for dinner at a cafe. After the cafe, we headed to one of our friends’ apartment. It was my first time visiting. After settling in, I was speechless at their entertainment shelf. OMFG!!!! What a collection of sci-fi and music CDs, DVD, toys—even board games. The collection is a combination of her and her husband. For their video game collection, they even have the Jaguar =__=

We stayed for two hours playing board games. We played Apples to Apples, Cranium, and Scattagories (sp). From time to time, many of us who were first timers kept looking at their entertainment collection. Their entertainment collection beats my small collection hands down. Their collection is a top ten for many of us. Their classic rock CD collection is 100 times bigger than mine, and I started my collection in early 2006.

The couple’s collection is one example of living in the present. The DVD collection include Star Wars (of course), Star Trek, Firefly, Simpsons, Stargate, and even The Adventures Of Bristco . . . (forgot the rest). I’m a casual somewhat sci-fi fan. I watch Star Wars, know the basics of some Star Trek since I never got into Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, and, gee, that’s really it regarding TV sci-fi titles. If my friend, her husband, and I went to a sci-fi convention, I guarantee I’m going to be the quietest person because almost all of the attendees talk about sci-fi shows and movies I never seen nor ever heard. I’d be out of place at the convention.

One can say my friend and her husband are living in the present right now. They are sci-fi fans and they’re enjoying their free time devoted to their favorite sci-fi titles and playing video games and board games. Are they in debt? I never asked because it’s none of my business. They get into anything sci-fi quickly.

After leaving the apartment, the rest of the night I thought about myself and how I live my present. I think what if I die tomorrow. My collection of anime is, in my opinion, conservative. The number of DVDs I purchase is going down for the past three years. In a way, it’s good because I have more money. I sell anime DVDs I lost interest at half.com. I have been watching fewer anime series because I less time.

Time?!? Interesting. Time. Is time a higher priority to money when living in the present? I’m not the richest person in the world. I have some money to spend on anime and video games, two of my all-time favorite and longest hobbies, yet when it comes to time to spend watching anime, reading manga, or playing video games, the time is rarely available today. I spend about 30 minutes in my lunch hour work day reading manga. Since my time to anime is decreasing, I spend less and less money because I know I little time after work and on weekends devoted to anime and manga.

I believe if I spend more time on anime and video games, my collection in anime and video games grows. Now that’s living in the present. So what the heck do I do after work? I typically read books to improve my job skills and career, cook dinner for my family, and wash dishes. On some work nights, I go to the gym two nights a week, work on my Blog, do laundry, and complete random errands and activities such as grocery shopping and go to the bank, and some one time stuff to do such as install a wireless router for home and help other family members. I check my email during my free time at work. I just realized my work nights I rarely devote to my favorite fun hobbies. Am I really living in the present? I must re-evaluate my daily life of living. I’m missing out. Interesting.

Two: Family Being Late Is Really Not A Family Problem

Every family has problems. Every family. Full House TV show families are non-existent. My family has a problem of being late to almost anything. We have a problem leaving the house late such as parties, appointments, starting on errands, anything. For instance, yesterday, my Mom and Dad were late to a dance party.

Always expect my family to arrive late. Who knows why they were late yesterday? Late always happens. I don’t know. Something always happens before we leave. It seems time moves forward faster when we get ready to go.

Every family has problems. When I think about it late last night, being late must not be a family problem for any family. Why? One reason is the family does activities together. Family doing activities together is good. Another reason is there are worst problems that being late such as financial problems, health problems, and conflicts within family members.

I have been taught to pick and choose our battles. One battle a family should not engage is being late. If the family is typically 10-15 minutes late, forget it. It’s not worth adding to the battle plans. On the other hand, if the family is hours late, then it’s a family problem . . . a minor family problem for which the family has an activity, a common goal to accomplish which is improve on time readiness.

Don’t be late.

Three: Time To Clean Your Residence? At Least Keep It Organized

We live in the Information Age. Look around and many people are busy with, family, friends, work, and personal lives. One may say the technology today is making us more busy and less time to relax. I agree somewhat; however, the debate is another Blog entry *__*

In our busy lives, some of us rarely have time to keep our place of residence clean. I’m one of them. My parent’s house is somewhat clean. There is lots of junk and stuff in the house, and, for the record, most of the junk and stuff are my parents *__*

If your place of residence is organized, then I believe it’s good enough to live in. If the trash is picked up, bathrooms are stained free, floors are shiny, carpets are dirtfree, and rodent free, then one must feel good the residence is livable. The Information Age has been changing our lives for the past 10 years. One change is the expectations of our households. Today’s living brought use lots of techie goodies such as video games, laptops, and DVDs. Where are people going to put the techie goodies in addition to the books, dishes, and clothes? Anywhere in the residence as long as the people know where they are.

And remember to dust ;-)