The late Steve Jobs (1955-2011), CEO of Apple Computer, spoke at the 2005 Stanford Graduation. He shared three stories of his life. One of his stories inspired me to connect my dots backwards. Let’s see how the dots connected to who I am today and where it connects me tomorrow.
I start the dot on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I realized I must grow up on that day. Don’t take life for granted, wise up, take your head out of your butt, stop acting naive, and earn it. I started making changes in my life. I knew growing up and becoming a man take time. The following events and activities impacted my changing life immediately after Sat Oct 4:
*Fiction books. I avoided reading fiction books. I thought reading business, leadership, and self-help books were the best way to be a better person. My first fiction book since The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger a long time ago was The Choice by Nichols Sparks. I followed that book with The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Forever by Judy Blume. I learned more about life reading a few fiction books than many non-fiction books I already read. I read 80% fiction and 20% non-fiction today.
*New clothes. I wore polo shirts and plain white t-shirts for 10 years. They’re gone. I purchased buttoned down sports shirts, new casual shoes, new pajamas, and a new jacket.
*A legitimate workout plan. Thank you punkbuster for recommending Bodybuilding.com to download gym workout plans.
*Movies. I watched The Godfather trilogy, Mad Max, The Graduate, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and The Dark Knight. Those movies calmed me down and cheered me up when I needed it. I also watched The Place Promised In Our Early Days and Voices Of A Distance Star in the anime genre.
I visited my Washington friend Thundercloud for my Washington Canada ’08 trip from Sat Nov 15 to Thur Nov 20. The timing was perfect because I was experiencing changes and struggling to find who I really am. The vacation was one of my all time best. Vacations can refresh a person, act as a time-out to daily life, and help refocus a person’s life. The vacation successfully accomplished all three. Highlights of the trip were winning $180 at craps, visiting Seattle, visiting Hurricane Ridge, climbing the REI indoor wall, walking around downtown Victoria, visiting the Rock ‘n Roll museum, and buying books.
My last day at Cisco was on Sat Nov 22. My contracted was terminated. Cisco was cutting expenses throughout the company. I remembered the one-on-one meeting when my manager told me I was being laid off. I remembered my last day I was escorted by an administrative assistant in another department for security reasons. My job was too easy, unchallenging, and I had lots of free time I chatted online. All departments were fighting for funding from the executives. There were lots of politics which was not a surprise.
Christmas 2008 was the best Christmas my family celebrated in years. I couldn’t explain why. Everyone was happy. Maybe my happiness and my smile spread to everyone else. I brought back the traditional family movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. We didn’t watch the movie for the last 3-4 years. And one of my uncle’s family from SoCal visited my family and we took a day trip to Stanford and U.C. Berkeley.
The last week of 2008 my dad and I built my new Gaming PC. The hardware was purchased in Nov and Dec. I want to thank my dad, Appu, and gmontem for their assistance. My Gaming PC made life easier for myself.
I started taking classes at De Anza for Spring ‘09 quarter. I took Strength Development which is a weight lifting class, Social Dancing which is ballroom dancing, and Beginning Japanese. I dropped Beginning Japanese on the third week because the instructor was terrible. I consulted the guys who took Japanese classes; in particular, Chun and Dev. Most of them recommended I drop. Dropping Japanese was the best decision I made in 2009. I found free time to help my mom make a new costume for Fanime ’09 and continue improving my gym workouts. Fanime ’09 took place on Memorial Day weekend and it was the best anime convention I attended.
I choose to take an accounting class for Fall ’09. If I liked the class, I earn an AA degree in Accounting. I liked it and I continued taking accounting classes. I was lucky most of my accounting classes were taught by good instructors. If I had terrible instructors, especially for my fundamental accounting classes, I might have switched majors or dropped out.
Fast forward to the end of Fall ’10, I was one class away from earning an AA degree. The class was offered in Winter ’11. During Fall ’10, I rented one movie a week in the library. Most of the movies I rented were from the American Film Institute Top 100 1997 version. I met the most new people out of all the quarters. And I started dating alien_cat.
On March 25, 2011, I earned my AA degree in Accounting. Today, I’m finding a job and living life one day at a time.
The following are a selected events, moments, and activities that influenced and impacted me from 2008 to today:
*Classic jazz. I developed an interest in classic jazz on Oct 2008. I have about 12 classic jazz CDs.
*Ballroom dancing. I want to thank my sister for starting me to learn ballroom dancing on Jan 2009. Alien_cat and I met at a ballroom dance class in De Anza.
*Accutane. I started the treatment to stop acne on Feb 2009. I completed my treatment on April 2010.
*Hiking. An easy hobby everyone should do. There are many easy hiking trails including urban hikes. I started hiking on March 2009.
*Social Networking. I can be found on my blogs, Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter. I created my Yelp on Feb 2009, Facebook on March 2009, and Twitter on Nov 2009.
*Mahjong. I tried and quit playing Mahjong in 2007. mDuo13 challenged Spiritsnare and I to learn Mahjong in 10 days on Oct 6, 2009. I’m happy I accepted the challenge. Mahjong is a great game. I read Mahjong is good for old people because it helps keep the mind thinking.
*Paul McCartney concert. I watched a Beatles legend in concert on July 10, 2010.
*The 2010 San Francisco Giants. World Series champions. I remember where I was when Brian Wilson struck out Nelson Cruz.
*Visiting new places and seeking new adventures. I visited the Golden Gate Bridge, rode the San Francisco Cable Car, hiked new trails, visited Pinnacles National Park, and more.
What Is The Connection?
I believe the connection is my second chance. I was given a second chance to go back to college as a student and live life as a student—live life what I should have done when I was a student at San Jose State. Being laid off at Cisco was a blessing in disguise. I took accounting classes with the goal of earning an AA degree. I met new people and made new friends on campus and off campus. I found new hobbies, visited new places, and experienced new experiences. I made mistakes just like a young student must to learn life. I continue to improve expressing myself and let it all out. I have done everything with a mature attitude throughout my second chance.
What Is The Next Dot?
Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward . . . trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” I don’t know what kind job I work for and where I work for. I may find an interest in another subject and go back to school for more education. The future is unknown. I know I continue to grow up, learn something new, and find new adventures.
The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar
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