Messy Refrigerators Impress Me

I like to see messy refrigerators—messy with pictures, magnets, comics, drawings, toys, decorations, anything that covers the color of the refrigerator on the outside. A messy refrigerator shows me the people in the household has adventures, has a sense of fun, not living a boring life, and not too cheap. Magnets are inexpensive souvenirs. Comics can be downloaded and printed online. Don't purchase a bunch of refrigerator decorations in a store. Mess up the outside of the refrigerator slowly.

On the other hand, the refrigerator must be clean and organized in the inside. I don't want to smell odors. I want the foods and drinks properly placed. Don't be my mom putting the vegetables on the far end of the top shelf. I want minimum effort to get anything I want. Don't be my family's refrigerator where I need to take out a bag of vegetables, a cooking pot, or a bag of leftovers to get milk inside. And I want to see ice in the freezer. If you have an ice maker, I'm impressed more.

A refrigerator is a reflection of who the people are in the household. I'm sure detectives and private investigators look at the refrigerator for clues and to profile suspects.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

A Cinnabon Story

There was a man and a woman in the mall. Both of them walked to the food court because the wanted a snack. The man arrived at the Cinnabon and waited in line. Moments later, the woman arrived and stood behind the man.

The man ordered one Cinnabon. The worker took the last Cinnabon from the warm display case, placed it inside the take out box, closed it, and handed it to the man. The man took his credit card from his wallet to pay. He didn't notice he took the last Cinnabon. The woman didn't notice either as she waited patiently to get her Cinnabon. Both were thinking about their desire to eat a Cinnabon to be in a cheerful mood..

The man holding his Cinnabon walked to the left of the ordering counter to put the credit card back in his wallet. The woman ordered her Cinnabon. The worker said we're out of Cinnabons and she must wait 12 minutes for a new batch. The man overheard the worker.

The man made eye contact and smiled sincerely to the woman. "Would you like to share my Cinnabon?" said the man.

The woman was surprised and speechless. She looked at the man and then the Cinnabon. The cinnamon filled the air that created a sweet smell within the man and woman. She made eye contact with the man and smiled back with joy. "Yes, I would like to share. I must drink milk when I eat a Cinnabon. Let me buy two milks."

A shock was felt in the man's spine. "Great! Meet me over there." He pointed to the open table nearby. He took two forks and napkins from the counter. Then he walked to the table. The woman got the two milks and then walked to the table opposite the man sitting.

The man handed one of the forks to the woman and said, "Hello, my name is . . .

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

Dumb and Dumber

Everyday of your life what you see, what you hear, what you taste, what you smell, and what you touch influences who you are. The top influence who you are is the people you interact with—you family, friends, acquaintances, significant other, co-workers, classmates, mentors, neighbors, and strangers. I ask the question: Is it possible some people you spend time with make you dumb?

My answer is yes. You're engaging with a friend or a group of friends in a conversation, a physical activity, a social event such as a party or gathering, anything involving interaction. If there is no communication, no engagement, no intellectual and/or physical interaction, then what're you supposed to do. Frustrated? Yes. Dumb? Yes, because you have to lower yourself to get along with the friend or group. Whether you continue to spend time with the friend or group is another discussion.

I'm improving myself. I'm innovating myself. I'm changing myself. I want to be a better conversationalist. I want to be more engaging. I want to be smarter. I want to stay in good physical shape. I want to expand my interests and hobbies to find better ones. These continue improvements, innovations, and changes I attract people like me. I want to project myself who I really am. I want a group of friends who mirror me and each other—we have the chemistry.

Furthermore, I feel it's important to have two or more groups of friends or at least two or more individual friends. I continue to say never stop meeting new people. The next person you meet may be a long term friend, an engaging friend who connects with you.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 22 2010

Mon Mar 22, 2010

Final's week. It was good news because I wanted Winter '10 quarter to end. Finals began on Tues. Today is the last day of regular classes; however, classes that meet Mon only have their finals today. My Payroll class final is today.

I had trouble waking up. What else is new? I ate an apple pie and Twinkie for breakfast. Then I went to the computer lab to check my email. There was a student in my Acct 1B class. We small talked on our way to class. The instructor completed chapter 12 material for the first half of the class. The second half of the class we reviewed for the final.

I went to the library to study for the Payroll final. I was hungry. I went to the cafeteria to buy a bag of chips and donuts. The snacks helped me study before I ate dinner at 5:30pm. After the cafeteria, I went back to the library to finish studying. The studying helped little. I absorbed nothing. I focused only on the highlighted key concepts from my notes. I ate dinner in the cafeteria at 5:30pm where I met with another classmate. We talked about the final, eating unhealthy, and our Spring '10 classes.

In Payroll, first we reviewed the third mid-term. I got a 98. Then we had our final. The final was 76 multiple choice questions. Almost all of the questions were concepts. There were seven problems. Studying the problems was a waste of time; for example, there were no questions calculating the federal income tax. I expected more problems than concepts. The final was open book. There was too much to know. One final completed. I have three more finals including one final requiring studying.

Tue Mar 23, 2010

My favorite day of final's week. I wanted to sing my final song and complete singing class. I requested an advanced student to help me sing my final. I got a student. Halfway through my singing, the instructor asked another advanced student to help me sing. I have problems listening to the tone. The instructor said I should sing with my ears. Agreed. I have tone problems ever since I was a child. That explains why I talk loud and nobody realized it. It wasn't my fault. I didn't talk loud to get attention. Today, I talk softer and I listen harder.

Wed Mar 24, 2010

The Acct final is Thur at 11:30am. My class was dance. We reviewed the four dances we learned: west coast swing, cha cha cha, waltz, and salsa. The instructor thank those who attended the Dance-A-Thon fundraiser. I attended and I had a great time.

I talked to a student before we danced. She took singing class before. She reassured me and said the problems I experienced were common. There was nothing to worry about. For example, beginners who sang up in front of the class sang quieter.

Thur Mar 25, 2010

I concentrated studying chap 17 and chap 12, the chapters that were the focus on the comprehensive final. I couldn't concentrate on reviewing the previous chapters. Too much information.

The final was expected. Most of the problems were chap 17 and chap 12. I understood some of the questions from earlier chapters. I hope the questions I didn't know I guessed correctly. I needed at least an 85% on the final to get an A in the class. I looked at my group project. We got a 22 out of 25.

After the final, I went to the computer lab to catch up on my email. The campus was quiet and dead.

Highlights

Winter '10 quarter was a quarter to forget . . . and remember. Most of the events and experiences were lowlights; however, there were lessons to learn from the lowlights. Most of us want to forget anything bad. I admit I want to forget, too. On the other hand, I want to remember the bad because there are lessons to learn not to repeat. Anyway, I start with the one highlight.

*Lesson #3. The one highlight that saved me from a disastrous quarter was lesson #3. The lesson is go with the flow. There were many unfavorable and uncontrolled events. I went with the flow. Control what I can control and don't control what I can't control.

(Lesson #1 is growing up and lesson #2 is everyone is human.)

*I don't want to go to school today. Everyone didn't want to be in school on the first day. The mood everywhere was like, "Let's start school tomorrow." The mood really didn't get any better through the quarter. Most of the students and classmates I talked to said Winter '10 was a down quarter.

*Singing class. I should have dropped singing on the third week. I didn't get into the class. The class was not what I expected. The lessons I learned at the beginning were enough for me to play Beatles Rock Band. And the instructor lost her voice for three weeks. We had class meetings were the instructor and the students didn't feel like singing. Furthermore, the instructor admitted to lessons she failed to teach. She corrects the mistakes in Spring '10. I didn't sign up for singing in Spring '10.

Singing class was the only Tue night class. Driving to campus just for singing and not enjoying some class meetings were a waste of time.

*Going with the flow with a last minute project. I wanted real life experience. The group project was an example. My group and I completed the group project last minute. The lowlight was the two students cut one of their classes to complete the project. It was nobody's fault. It just happened.

*Sick on Chinese New Year. The turning point of my Winter '10. It went downhill and continued going downhill. I became out of shape at the gym. I'm getting back on my workout schedule.

*Salsa lessons. I attended free salsa lessons. There's nothing wrong learning salsa. Salsa is my weakest dance. I realized if I attend a salsa lesson and skip a gym workout, I have trouble dancing. I'm out of shape and I can't dance well. Gym is priority over dance. I find other ways to dance outside De Anza and on days off from the gym.

*Too much Peachtree. Peachtree class was a self-taught course. The first month I attended class in the computer lab reworking the homework for additional practice. That was good intentions. I completed the homework at home. The computers in the computer lab were slow. I stopped going to the computer lab for additional practice after I got sick. Looking back, reworking the homework was a waste of time.

*West coast swing for dance demo. The instructor did different dances for the dance demo. The dance demo is an event where all the dance classes dance in front of their peers on stage. The Monday night class danced east coast swing and the Wednesday night class danced west coast swing. She wanted to compare the two dance styles. The class had mixed feelings. The intermediate class was supposed to dance the quick step; unfortunately, the dance was too hard. That class danced the cha cha cha for the dance demo. My Wed class was not a good class. Fall '09 dance classes were better. The students were better and we learned lots of dances.

*No Monday classes. Winter '10 was the first quarter I took classes on holidays. I thought missed classes because of holidays were made up at the end of the quarter. I was wrong. Missed class meetings because of holidays are not made up. My Payroll class missed two classes because of holidays. Lesson learned. Take Mon classes in fall quarters.

My spring vacation plans are to catch up, relax, reset for Spring '10, and seek new adventures and new experiences.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 15, 2010

Mon Mar 15, 2010

My Financial Acct group project met at 9am at the library to finish. We engaged in small talk while we worked on the project. Both came from Vietnam. One is majoring in marketing and the other is majoring in business administration. One of them has a degree in Business Administration in Vietnam; unfortunately, she must take GE courses because the GE courses she took are not recognized. The second is an undergraduate and wants to transfer to San Jose State. She pessimistic she's not going to transfer because San Jose State restricts transfers from junior colleges. Both say De Anza is expensive because they're paying out of state fees.

At noon, we walked to the cafeteria to eat lunch. Then we had class. We took the Chapter 17 quiz. I scored a 6 out of 10. Not too bad for not studying. Then we turned in the projects. I noticed some students completed incorrectly. One group answered the questions by tearing out the page in the textbook. Most of the students were surprised we needed a folder. We scrambled to find any folder. I used my blue folder for my group. The instructor said projects and presentations must include a folder. Not true. Get out of your book world.

The second half of the class we reviewed the third mid-term. I scored a 96%. Not too bad for studying two and a half days. 30% of the class scored 69% and below. It's misleading because some students who scored low already have their two A's. The instructor drops the lowest mid-term score out of the three. Overall, the results were good.

I studied for the Payroll mid-term #3 after Financial Acct. Two classmates found me in the library and we studied. We ate dinner at 5:30pm. We engaged in small talk and crammed more material. Both are pursuing accounting degrees. One of them has an International Business degree from China. The second is an accounting student.

The mid-term #3 might be joke mid-term #2. I need to think about it. It's one of those "what the hell?" mid-terms. My first joke mid-term was actually a final. It was Physics 60. Everyone was worried about the final everyone studied their asses off. The final happened. Everyone in the room was shocked the final was so easy. Unbelievable! The open book mid-term #3 the multiple choice questions were straight from the lecture. Take good notes, get high scores. The problems were straight from the homework. Do the homework, get high scores. The last part was short answer for California taxes. I know I missed two of the four questions because I didn't expect to memorize the complete abbreviations. Students didn't even need to read the book.

Tue Mar 16, 2010

I registered for my Spring '10 classes. I enrolled in Managerial Accounting or Accounting 1C, the last of the one series, and I enrolled in Business Law. I'm waitlisted for Cost Analysis. If everything goes well, I have classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Also, I have dance on Wednesday.

The second to the last singing class. The instructor mentioned that in class. Everyone got up and sang with book or without book. The instructor said I have been improving. Honestly, I really don't know how. The class could have been great for me. The problem was I got a stomach ache.

During the break, I talked to one student who earned enough De Anza credits to get a bachelors. She finished her GE classes and took many classes in the major fields. She doesn't know what to do.

Wed Mar 17, 2010

I talked to my Peachtree instructor to verify I submitted all the assignments. I did. She confirmed I'm getting an A. Good news. I checked my email and talked to another accounting student before Acct 1B class. The student has a degree from India. I forgot the major. We discussed about transferring to San Jose State which is very hard. It seemed she doesn't know what she was talking about. She told me information that doesn't make sense.

We started on Chapter 12 for Acct 1B. We have an opportunity to earn two more bonus points by completing an online quiz not counted in the final grade.

There was no dance class tonight. Instead, it was the Dance Demonstration where all the dance classes perform on stage with family, friends, and peers. The front row screwed up. Everyone except me moved the wrong way. Oh well. We had fun and that counts!

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 8, 2010

Mon Mar 8, 2010

The library was full of students at 11:30am. I didn't find an open desk with a power plug. I settled to sit on the floor next to an outlet. I got a good internet connection. I was good.

Mid-term #3 was taken today in Financial Accounting. I know I passed, lol. There was one concept I had trouble. The concept was asked twice and I answered incorrectly. The instructor said the third mid-term was easier than the second. I thought otherwise.

I went shopping between classes. I purchased a new pair of gym shoes and a pair of swim trunks. I also purchased a bag of walnuts I eat for breakfast. I arrived back on campus at 5pm. I purchased a box of chicken nuggets to eat with my leftovers. I had to buy the nuggets because my leftovers were too little for me to survive Payroll class.

My Payroll instructor reminded me of the late physics professor Franklin Murihead. He taught my physics class lecture first and then going over the homework problems at the end of the chapter. The students copy the answers and study them. My Payroll instructor teaches the same way.

Tonight, she didn't feel well. She had family emergencies last week. She cancelled her Saturday morning class. She needed help from the students to know where we are. And she needed help from the students such that she's going to be on the slow side.

My Payroll class has determined for me how many weeks are remaining in the quarter and has realized to me how fast the quarter passes by. Next week, we have the third mid-term. Two weeks later, we have the final. The mid-term and final are open book. I start reviewing the homework little by little.

Tue Mar 9, 2010

I declare the rest of my Winter '10 I'm going to do a half ass job. I remember and I forget my quarter. The downfall started when I got sick on Mon Feb 15.

Earlier today I worked on my Financial Acct project. I got a call on my cell phone. It was a number I didn't recognize. I answered the call because it might have been a classmate from my Payroll class. The person was from Jatoft-Foti. The company was hiring for "multiple positions." I agreed to an interview after a brief phone interview.

I researched Jatoft-Foti after the phone conversation. Red flags were waved. First, the company didn't have a website. Second, various websites confirmed the company is an insurance company and are looking for salespeople to sell insurance to unions. I cancel the interview tomorrow.

Singing class was the best in a long time. I was able to sing clearly without problems breathing. Unfortunately, the second half of the class I got a runny nose I couldn't explain and my stomach was upset. I wrote more tips to improve my singing. I realized I couldn't sing high. I use the tips for Beatles Rock Band. I don't have time to memorize songs. Accounting is priority.

After dinner, I worked on my Peachtree class final project. My goal is to finish tonight and submit the Chap 13 homework and the final project. Those are the last assignments. I concentrate on Payroll mid-term #3 and my finals.

Wed Mar 10, 2010

I turned in my last Peachtree homework assignment and the final project. I picked up my graded homework assignments. I'm missing homework I completed. I talk to the instructor next week. I have all my homework in .pdf.

The third mid-term results for Financial Accounting are known on Mon's class meeting. Today's lecture was long. I was half awake. My classmates for our group project passed me a note as if we're in high school communicating meeting on Thur to complete the project. We meet on Thur to start on the project.

We had dance class at a dance studio by the swimming pool. The theatre was used for rehearsals for the De Anza dance group performing on Fri and Sat. The performance is required for dance class. I plan to attend on Fri. We reviewed the West Coast Swing for Wed's Dance Demonstration and then we learned the Salsa.

After School

My group met Thur for the group project at the library. There was miscommunication. We managed to start little on the project. We finish last minute on Mon at 9am at the library. I stayed in the library to complete what I can complete.

On Fri, I met with a classmate for Payroll. The third mid-term is Mon night. We reviewed the two chapters and helped each other. Productive.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

I'm No Longer Nice

The end of Payroll Accounting class yesterday, I talked to two students about good and bad accounting instructors. We talked about my Financial Accounting II instructor. Everyone likes my Financial Accounting II instructor except me. Everyone likes her because she's nice. I agree she's nice. She teaches straight from the book. She wants all her students to pass her class.

Before yesterday, the top reason why I don't like her is because she teaches straight from the book. Even though my grade is an A, I don't recommend her. She makes sure her students know what's required for the mid-terms. In contrast, my Financial Accounting I instructor told stories. He was boring sometimes. He shared experiences. Grades are important for transfers, graduations, and sometimes jobs; however, there is more to life than grades.

I have a new top reason why I recommend avoiding her classes. She's nice. There's nothing wrong with nice people. I believe nice people are boring people. It's hard for me to get along with boring people. I don't like people being too polite, too thankful, too sorry, and asking too many questions. I don't like conversations on weather, what time it is, and topics that has nothing to do with the present moment. It's OK to change the subject. It's timing and discretion that dictates a change in subject.

Five years ago, I believed nice guys could finish first. Nice guys were awesome. I was a nice guy. I was polite. Two years ago, I wanted to be called a good guy. I wasn't a good guy. I still was a nice guy. Yesterday, I declared I'm no longer a good guy. I'm starting to understand and to learn what it takes to be a good guy.

Good guys are not boring guys. Good guys are not nice guys. Good guys are not the guys I described in the third paragraph. Good guys have fun. Good guys seek adventures. Good guys say jokes. (I need improvement on saying jokes. I'm still working on saying more funny jokes and less corny jokes.) Good guys show discretion. Good guys are action. Good guys are nasty, bittersweet, and can be bad asses. Good guys have balls. Sometimes we must be asshoes.

Furthermore, I have a better understanding why women hate nice guys. Women don't want polite guys; guys who say, act, and obey whatever his girls says or demands; and wimpy guys. Women don't want guys I described in the third paragraph. Women don't want guys who are plain and always being the usual.

No more Mr. Nice Guy. I'm a good guy.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar

De Anza Week Mar 1, 2010

Mon Mar 1, 2010

I woke up at 10:30am. I had trouble going to sleep last night. I went to the gas station first. There was a van behind me. The mom locked her keys inside. I assisted and was no help. The daughter who was strapped on the toddler seat crawled out, grabbed the keys, and gave to her mom through the partially opened driver side window. Wow!

12:20pm was the time I arrived on campus. Last weekend was great because I skipped gym, caught up on schoolwork, and did different activities I have never done in a long time such as watched movies and played TF2 (Team Fortress 2). I felt refreshed. I'm looking forward to go back to the gym later in the week as I continue recovering being sick with allergies.

The Acct class took quiz #5. I studied for the quiz briefly on Sat and completely on Sun. I scored an 80%. Not too bad. I misread one question. The third mid-term is Mon Mar 9. Time is flying fast. I start on my portion for my group project tonight.

I ate lunch before Payroll class instead of after Acct class. We got our Payroll mid-term grades. I got an A. The mid-term was straightforward. I forgot to finish my homework; fortunately, the instructor check homework next Mon.

Tue Mar 2, 2010

The atmosphere's was the best in a long time. The instructor got her voice back. Some students felt better from last week's allergy attack. I was better, too. I still have runny nose on occasion. Hopefully next week I'm 100% and sing longer periods without needing to take a breath.

After warm-ups, we sang two songs without books. I was barley able to sing because I didn't know the entire lyrics. I need to listen to the songs to memorize just in case we sing without books for the next class meeting.

One of my classmates shared a story about his lawsuit. The case didn't make it to court because the plaintiff declared bankruptcy. Another classmate and I conversed with him and talked about investments going bust and the court system. He felt he got bad counsel.

The second half of the class was individual singing. Students signed up to sing and the instructor critiqued their performance. One student really wanted feedback. She passed a small clipboard asking students to write their feedback. Good idea.

Wed Mar 3, 2010

I turned in my Peachtree homework before Accounting. I stopped going to the computer lab. I need the time from the computer lab to do other activities.

My acct instructor finished Chapter 16. We have the third mid-term on Monday. I study this weekend. I already have my two A's since the instructor drops the lowest mid-term grade. I need to study for the final. I might as well study for the third mid-term.

The dance class was productive for me. We reviewed the West Coast Swing briefly and then we spent most of the time on the Waltz. The final ten minutes we learned the Salsa. I learned tips for my posture and balance for the Waltz. More importantly, I was taught the correct way to lean and lead the girl on counts 1 and 2 for the West Coast Swing. The mistake was big and the correction was great. I spend time practicing after the Acct mid-term.

I Continue To Find Myself Finding Raymond Mar