Thursday, April 26, 2012

I Was Happy To Be A Night Owl

I read a blog from Dr. Amen who wrote sleeping after learning is one of the best ways to retain new knowledge. It helps your brain’s memory remember the lecture, seminar, or presentation.

I was a night owl in my junior and senior years at San Jose State. I came home after morning classes and went to sleep. I started studying after I eat dinner. I studied quickly before dinner sometimes. I remember my mom said I shouldn’t take a nap because it disrupts my sleep schedule.

I was happy to be a night owl. My GPA went up consistently during the beginning of my junior year. There was one semester my GPA remained the same. My classes met two or three days a week with afternoon classes during two of the last three semesters. I came home in the late afternoon and went to sleep. I studied all day on days I stayed home.

I could have been a better student if I ate breakfast. I woke up, got dressed, and drove to school without eating breakfast. I couldn’t explain how I earn high scores on my exams when I don’t eat breakfast; moreover, stay focused during lectures.

To all the students who sleep in the afternoon or take naps, you’re learning in your sleep. Night owls rock.

Sources: http://70.32.73.82/blog/5714/sleep-your-way-to-success/, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120323205504.htm

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Accutane Day 1,174

I choose to post the picture above to remind myself what razor burns look like. It was the first time I had razor burns. Change your blades when appropriate. Razor burns sting. If you don’t know what razor burns look like, look at my face. My razor burns are located below my right and left cheeks and above the jaw bone, and at the bottom center of the picture.

I apply Atralin two times a week before I sleep on the night before I shave. I wash my face before I shave. I don’t want any remaining Atralin gel on my face when I go outdoors.

I had one pimple in 2012. It was located under my chin. I learned pimples can appear anywhere in a person’s body—anywhere, including our genitals. Our entire body is skin. I got pimples on my ear, on top of my head, and at my back in my teens and 20s. The worse pimples were on my nose. They were ugly.

Finally, I have been getting more freckles all over my body. The additional freckles appear mostly on my face, chest, and arms. I don’t know why more freckles appear. My guess is I’ve been going outdoors more. I think there are more possibilities. The trend started in the middle of 2011.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Myself and Many Others’ Crystal Reports Catch 22

I finished reading a Crystal Reports book to review and relearn the reporting software. My first exposure was in 2001. I took a class while I worked at Colliers International. Colliers wanted to use Crystal for their new database. I was not involved in the database development and report design. I forgot everything as years went by. I needed another training class as Crystal was revisited for another database in 2006. I took a class again. I used Crystal for a limited time afterwards.

The Crystal Reports training benefited me when I worked at Cisco in 2007. My department used Crystal for their quarterly reports. I struggled initially because it was the first time I used Crystal daily for the weeks after the fiscal quarters ended. I learned from my mistakes and I experimented with different designs to become a person with working Crystal knowledge. That was the best way to learn Crystal—just do it.

Fast forward to today. I finished reading my Crystal Reports books and created reports to practice. I watched YouTube Crystal tutorial videos. That’s all I can do to keep my knowledge strong in my head. I feel reading another book is a waste of time and redundant. All I can do is wait for a job opportunity to apply my knowledge and experience.

I’m in a catch 22. I see job postings requiring at least three or at least five years of experience. How can I gain experience in Crystal Reports if companies don’t hire me? I know the basics. That should be good enough. Books and training courses teach us how to use Crystal. Books and training courses don’t teach us Crystal work experience. The best way to gain Crystal work experience is working in a company. Again, how can I gain experience in Crystal if companies don’t hire me? The best I can do I continue finding a company that gives me an opportunity.

Side note: I’m looking into learning SAS, a statistical reporting software. I don’t know the cost for training. Database software SAP is unlikely because I know their classes are expensive.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

No Kirkland Toilet Paper For Me

I believe in brand names for goods and services. I avoid the generic brands except for prescription drugs. My experience buying generic brands is 99% dissatisfaction. I’m more flexible regarding services; for example, I bring my car to ma and pa auto shops for major auto repairs.

No brand name is 100% perfect. I think carefully and choose wisely buying goods. I use Costco’s Kirkland as an example because many of us shop at Costco. Kirkland is a brand name I trust; however, I purchase some of their products. I like their paper towels, cashews, rotisserie chicken, ribs, food court items, and car batteries. I dislike their toilet paper, clothing, bottle water, and detergent. Obviously, Kirkland is a marketing name. Another company produced those goods marketed with the Kirkland name.

I like Samsung flat panels and televisions only, not for their smart phones. I like Sony for personal electronics only, not for their laptops. I like Sunnyside for milk only, not for their ice cream and yogurt. I prefer Western Digital over other brand names for hard drives even though all brand name hard drives are reliable.

I’m selective when I purchase goods and services. A reliable and trusted brand name doesn’t mean it’s good at everything. I believe most of us use some, not all, of Google’s services. My house has one or two General Electric products, and General Electric is everywhere and a household name. Some of my products either have parts from General Electric or are owned by General Electric.

I digress. I’m not 100% loyal for all brand names. I purchase a brand name’s goods and services from what I believe are their best, not because of their brand name alone. Buy from a variety of companies.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Friday, April 06, 2012

A Commentary On Going Back To The Basics

Everyone experiences a slump, a period of life going against you, a string of losses, or feeling down. We all experience feeling depressed, sad, and asking ourselves “What am I doing?” There are bad moments waiting for us. We forget our strengths. There are times we are going to be lost, lose focus, and need help. Sometimes we must solve our problems or refocus ourselves. One approach is going back to the starting point; in other words, go back to the basics.

Review your core skills, beliefs, and principles. Refresh your knowledge. Think back to how you got started. Perhaps you need a distraction, a break to refocus and remember. I share three sets of my life basics. The first set is my daily rules of life. The second set is life lessons I learned from my first 300 blogs. And the third set is life lessons I learned going back to school at De Anza College.

Here are my daily rules of life:

1. Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others.
2. Don't act like a jerk or bitch.
3. Always speak calmly and be calm.
4. Don't daydream when driving.
5. Keep your head up high . . . look at their cute face when talking.
6. Breath with your nose and stand up straight.

Here is a summary of my top 30 blogs from my first 300 blogs:

01. Never take anything and anyone for granted.
02. Trust my gut feeling.
03. My [earlier] daily top five rules for living: (1) Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others. (2) Don't act like a jerk or bitch. (3) Always speak calmly and be calm. (4) Don't daydream when driving. (5) Keep your head up high . . . look at [their] cute face when talking.
04. Continue to live life finding what you want to do.
05. Never judge a person by their appearance.
06. Remember to learn from you failures as well as your successes.
07. It takes patience to learn who a person is for long-term family, friend, business, and romantic relationships.
08. Do something else to take your mind off something you hate.
09. Meet new people and make new friends continuously.
10. It's OK to be alone.

11. You must earn what you want in life.
12. You are responsible for yourself.
13. Schools have summer vacations; life doesn't have summer vacations.
14. Age is just a number.
15. Have courage to say goodbye to anything precious.
16. First years, first impressions, first go-around, and first successes are equally important as second years, second impressions, second go-around, and second successes.
17. Everyone has the right to find happiness.
18. Be patient. Never rush.
19. Take life one day at a time. Have fun, learn, and enjoy.
20. If you talk the talk, you must stand by your talk.

21. Do something to receive something.
22. Money is a way to help people, create action, and show appreciation.
23. Fight the pain, the suffering, and the struggles to keep living.
24. Use your mind to see.
25. Time is the ultimate judge.
26. Live the present. Live the moment.
27. Wait 24 hours for goods or services less than $100 and 48 hours for greater than $100 to avoid the urge to splurge.
28. Do the little things and they add up in time.
29. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
30. When you in a jam, go back to the basics.

To read the 300th blog in its entirety, click here: http://ininblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/300.html

And here are the lessons I learned at De Anza College:

1. Everyone is human.
2. Go with the flow.
3. Timing is everything.
4. Use it or lose it.

Don’t take life for granted such that you never need to review your basics. You remember everything and nothing negative happens to you. That’s wrong. There are times in our lives everyone needs to stop and take a breath. Time outs and checkpoints are part of life.

The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar

Monday, April 02, 2012

The Last Pics From My Cell Phone

Say goodbye to my cell phone I used from Mar 2007 to July 2011. The next pictures are from my smart phone. Enjoy.





















The Personal Side Of Me Finding Raymond Mar