Top Ten Thumbs Up Moments

Film critic Roger Ebert died on Apr 4, 2013. Ebert had cancer in his thyroid and salivary glands. Ebert and co-host Gene Siskel were known for giving thumbs up or thumbs down when reviewing movies on their show Siskel & Ebert At The Movies. Siskel died in 1999. Siskel and Ebert's "Two Thumbs Up" inspired me for my latest top ten.

These thumbs up moments told me I did well, I approve, and I done it outstanding. I made good choices. I performed at my best. My actions were well thought. The results were positive, favorable, and beneficial mostly for the long term. Vacations are good examples of thumbs up moments. Take a look at the pictures below:



These top ten thumbs up also succeeded. Here we go:

10. My Desk Fan (July 2005). I purchased a fan to cool my room for the late spring, summer, and early fall seasons. My room is on the second floor. There have been countless days the fan was enough to cool my room instead of turning on the home air conditioning system. The fan saved money from the utilities.

9. Fastrak (Nov 2009). Fastrak is an electronic device to pay tolls for bridges and toll roads. Automobiles with Fastrak drive through the toll plaza without stopping to pay the toll. I wanted to avoid stopping at the toll plaza.. My family disapproved Fastrak because we rarely drive on the bridges. We used it for the first time in Dec. They loved it. My sister purchased a Fastrak for herself.

8. Good Grades (Fall 1996). My best semester at San Jose State was Fall 1996 when I attended classes two days a week and earned three A's and one B.

7. eBay (Sept 2002). I started buying and selling on eBay. I sold personal junk and purchased great deals online. I started a half.com account 1.5 years later.

6. Upgrade Edward Elric Cosplay (Mar 2010). I purchased a new pair of leather pants and boots for my Edward Elric cosplay. The results were a more accurate cosplay.

5. Self Taught Microsoft Access (Apr 1998). I learned Access while I was job searching after I graduated San Jose State University. Access was important because it helped me get hire for my second job.

4. Paul McCartney's Up And Coming Tour (July 2010). I missed Paul McCartney when he performed at the San Jose Arena in 2005. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. I attended his concert when his band visited AT&T Park in San Francisco. One big check off my life list.

3. Movies, Movies, And Movies (2008-2011). I started purchasing DVD movies to increase my library. The first DVDs were The Godfather I, II, and III DVD box set at Costco. Fry's Electronics sold $3.99 DVDs for which I purchased Revenge Of The Nerds, Mr. Mom, The Graduate, Mad Max, Die Hard, X-Men II, and Transporter 2. When I visited Victoria, British Columbia, I purchased Bullitt, The Departed, and A View To A Kill. I purchased Hot Fuzz, Goodfellas, and Batman Begins for $3.99 on Black Friday. And I purchased The 40 Year Old Virgin and Ben Hur during the Christmas holidays.

I started the movie of the week in Fall 2010 quarter at De Anza College. I rented a DVD from the library. I regretted I should have rented movies earlier in the year. Some of my favorites included One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Midnight Cowboy, Rear Window, and Singin’ In The Rain.

2. Shall We Ballroom Dance (Jan 2009). My sister danced competitively as an amateur. She introduced me to ballroom dancing. I took classes at De Anza College. I had lots of fun, met lots of people, and danced outside the classroom for some social outings. I want to continue taking lessons and dancing.

1. Mahjong (Riichi) A Second Try (Oct 2009). A friend challenged me to learn Mahjong (Riichi) again after quitting in 2007. I won my first hand the next time I played and I won my first game in July 2010. I'm looking forward to play for the rest of my life. It's a great social game.