Top Ten Bad Breaks And Bad Timings

We all experience bad breaks. We all have been at the wrong place and at the wrong time. They happen beyond our control most of the time. These are part of life. We deal with it. We learn from it. We prepare the next time bad breaks and bad timings occur.

I admit these are small potatoes in my opinion. I could have experienced worse. I believe the more I live, the more difficulties I experience, and the more bad breaks and bad timings come to me. I'm prepared. Here are my top ten:

10. Stomach Flu (Dec 1991). My sister was an extra in The Nutcracker ballet. One of the extras in her group was an executive in a high tech company. He organized a party for all the extras and their families. My family told me it was the best party ever. I missed it because I was bed-ridden with the stomach flu.

9. Super Bowl XXXI (Jan 1997). Blockbuster Video called me to fill in a shift for a sick worker during the time Super Bowl XXXI was broadcasted. My shift was over when the football game was over. I missed the party with my friends. It was the only Super Bowl I missed since I became a football fan.

Side note: All the female employees worked the early and afternoon shifts. The male employees worked the evening shift.

8. Dot Com Stock Market Bust (Mar 2000). I doubled my money in my stock portfolio. I was stupid I didn't take my money and run. My portfolio never recovered. I lost lots of money.

7. An Economics Major With Three Semesters Of Physics (1994-1995). Physics was required for a Mathematics major. I switched majors from Mathematics to Economics on the semester I took my third and final Physics class. What a waste of time.

6. Fanime Con '98 (Feb 1998). The first time I was sick during an anime convention. I survived taking multiple medications. If anyone looked at me, they thought I was stoned.

Side note: The next time I was sick during an anime convention was Anime Expo '11 in July 2011.

5. Anime Expo '00 (July 2000). The convention was held at the Disneyland Hotel. Disaster from the start. Midnight programming was shut down. A featured movie never arrived. Congoers in costume and Disneyland security clashed. Complaints Disneyland food were expensive. The construction and renovation made it worse as congoers had to detour around the hotel perimeter.

The reason Anime Expo went to the Disneyland Hotel was the Anaheim Convention Center underwent expansion. 2006 was the last year Anime Expo was at the Anaheim Convention Center.

4. Cisco Contract Terminated (Nov 2008). The real estate bubble bursted in the beginning of 2008. It was a matter of time when my contract was terminated. 11 months was a long time from Jan. I believed I was terminated because my manager favored another contractor who had an MBA degree, not necessarily because my department didn't have the money.

3. My Manager Left Me Behind (Sept 1998 and Oct 1999). My manager who hired me at my first job went to a competitor . He also hired me at our competitor. Then he moved to another country months later. He didn't give me enough training in research analysis and being a good employee. He didn't have enough time to mentor me. It was like he ditched me.

2. New General Education Requirements At San Jose State University (Fall 1993). I was really angry to be honest. The new requirements started for all enrolled students except graduating seniors. I had to take extra classes. I could have graduated one semester early if it wasn't for the extra classes . . . and my Physics classes.

1. Graduated My High School Senior Year At A Different High School (1992). I was affected again with a bad economy. The 1990 recession forced my district to close two high schools. The high school I attended for three years was one of the two high schools to close. I really didn't have a bad senior year. I should have been more proactive in being friendlier and I should have accepted attending a different high school.