Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My Own Commentary On The Daily Life Of Raymond Mar

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Finding Raymond Mar and Innovating Common Knowledge blogs. The self-commentary blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

How Do You Prepare Your Day?

I eat breakfast. It's very important for me to start my day. I fail to understand people waking up without eating breakfast. How can people function on an empty stomach? I read my Tweets or the newspaper while eating breakfast. I brush my teeth after breakfast. I shave every other day; however, when I start working, I shave every day.

What About Searching For A Job?

I alternate days job searching. One day I take an online class to refresh or to learn new job skills. Another day I search for a job. Fridays and weekends are included. Job searching and online classes are a high priority seven days a week. I can't sit around doing nothing. I can't sit on a chair watching TV eight hours a day. I have to do something to move my life forward.

You Can't Job Search All Day Long.

That's absolutely correct. I have a life regardless of my job status. I have expenses regardless of my living situation. I have a social life despite living at home with my parents.

I write blogs, read books, watch anime, and workout at the gym. I also spend time playing video games, checking email, watching some television series, and listening to a variety of music. And then there's the here and there activities including paying bills, grocery shopping, buying gas, posting a Yelp review, and changing the sheets on my bed.

I keep myself busy doing something. I help take care of the house. I cook meals, vacuum the carpets, mop the floors, wash dishes, clean clothes, and contribute to the home's basic necessities. I take care of my own car including car washes, oil changes, and routine repairs. Arguably speaking, I have too much to do.

What's Your Most Frustration Part Of Your Life Now?

The most frustration part is living a life of inconsistency. I can't establish a consistent lifestyle. The best example is working out at the gym. There were weeks I worked out four days a week, including weekends. There were weeks I worked out two days a week. And there were weeks I didn't go at all.

The irony is I'm unemployed and I have all the time in the world. Something comes up beyond my control that forces me to adjust my priorities and my schedules. Lots of little bad things happened in 2013. Add those little bad things and I get behind easily. It's like I need more time as if I'm working at my job and can't meet my deadlines, and I'm not working full time.

What Is The Retail Rotation You Call It?

Like working in retail, employees have shifts that rotate. They work morning, afternoon, or closing. For me, I rotate my activities, priorities, and obligations. I mentioned earlier about one day job searching and another day taking an online class. That's an example of retail rotation. Another example is one day I read a book and another day I write a blog. For TV, I watch two episodes of Family Guy and another day I watch an episode of Justified. I do a little of something every day. It's like living in moderation.

What's Your Ideal Weekday? Describe, If You Have 100% Control, How You Want To Live Your Life?

Well, I like to work full time, lol. I don't work now. Here's my answer:

8am. Wake up and eat breakfast. Settle into the day. (This applies even on weekends if I have nothing planned.)
10am. Being my day job searching or online classes.
1pm. Cook lunch or eat lunch from last night's leftovers.
2pm. Continue job searching or online classes. Or I fulfill errands outside the house and other obligations.
6pm. Cook dinner or eat dinner from the lunch I cooked earlier.
7pm. Stretch out and prepare going to the gym.
8pm. Finish anything I didn't finish earlier in the day. I may be eating dinner after stretching out.
9pm. Workout at the gym.
11pm. Come home, shower, and prepare the sleep.
12am or 1am. Go to sleep.

Side notes: I go out with my girlfriend on Wed and Sat. I go out with my friends on Fri. My ideal schedule is flexible on Wed and Fri. Sometimes I do the above on weekends. Writing blogs and reading books & articles are spread out weekdays. I watch most of my television, including sports, on the weekends.

How's Your Social Life?

It's satisfactory. On the one hand, I have a girlfriend and a close group of friends. I spend three days a week with them. On the other hand, I like to expand my circle of friends and meet more people. The downside to the latter is I have less time for myself such as reading and working out at the gym. I admit finding some time to check my Facebook to read what the rest of my friends have been doing is hard.

I believe there is no such thing as having enough friends or knowing enough people. Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with people in your life that includes professional, long-distance, seeing once or twice a year, and close and long-term relations.

What Do You Fear The Most Now?

I fear my life changes too much. I fall behind. I fear when I work again, then I lose time on my other favorite activities. I fear I stop something--maybe stop writing blogs or stop being an anime fan. I have to make a difficult choice. The bottom line I must make a mature choice when the time comes.

How About Money?

Money has not and continues to not be a problem, at least in the continued short-term. I live a frugal and cheap life. That's good. I find ways to keep myself entertained and busy with as little money as possible.

Living at home has benefited me. As long as I help around the house and keep good relations with my parents, I don't have to pay rent.

Is 2013 A Good Year For You?

I don't like to answer questions about having a good year and a bad year. I say 2013 has been inconsistent and frustrating so far. There is still five months remaining. I take nothing for granted. If I want the last five months to be good such that I live with consistency and create big memories, and hopefully an overall 2013 good year, I must earn it.

Are You Ready For Your New Life? I Mean Finally Living On Your Own Being An Adult.

I'm ready. I need a little luck and timing in my favor.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The Pictures Of My Life

More snapshots of my daily life. Kickstarter, a view of the hills eating lunch at work, parking smart, and, of course, more food, and more. Enjoy!



















Monday, July 29, 2013

Top Ten Things That Influenced My Life

There are things that change our lives for the better. How is life today without cars, the air conditioner, coffee, tools, the printing press, sanitation and sewerage system, and, of course, computers and electricity? We have our own personal things that made our lives better, helped us moved forward, taught us life lessons, and experienced new experiences.

I want to thank my mom and dad for helping me make costumes for anime conventions. My costumes save me from quitting anime. I have another activity at anime conventions wearing costumes of my favorite characters. I meet new people at costume gatherings. And I experience a little bit of sewing. Anime costumes are part of being an anime fan which is number three in the top ten.

I exclude anything technology. Adding technology is too easy. There are many technological things I can create a separate top ten list. These include cell phones, digital cameras, my webpage, my blogs, social networking, eBay, mp3, my Gaming PC, my laptops, online chatting, texting, video games, and software programs. I believe there are better non-technological things that influence a person. My top ten list is a good example. Here are the top ten:

10. Financial Education. My ex co-worker introduced me to Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The book influenced me to learn financial education beyond the college textbooks and common financial knowledge heard in the media. I highly recommend reading the book to learn the real reason why the rich people are rich.

9. The Settlers Of Catan. I remembered playing the board game for the first time in 2007. Settlers introduced me to a new genre of board games. These board games are much better than the household games including Monopoly, UNO, Cranium, Apples To Apples, Scattergories, and various trivia games. I regained interest in board games after playing Settlers for the first time.

8. Cooking. I'm ready to move out. I still have lots to learn and new meals to cook. I'm enthusiastic to expand my cooking skills and knowledge.

Eating new foods is included in number eight.

7. My First Car. Yup, I'm ready to move out. I purchased my first car in 2007. The new adventures, new sights, new places, vacations, and helping my friends are reality with my own car. I'm responsible to change the oil myself every 5,000 miles.

6. The Classics. There are several going back-in-time that helped me live my life in good times and bad. They include, with examples, the following:

*Movies. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, and Ben Hur.
*Classical Music. Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.
*Classical Jazz. Bill Evans, Nat King Cole, Billie Holliday, Charles Mingus, and Stan Getz.
*Classic Rock. The Beatles . . .
*Board Games. Chess, Cribbage, and Liar's Dice.
*Books. The Old Man And The Sea, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Where The Red Fern Grows.

5. De Anza College. I went back to school to earn an AA degree in Accounting after my contract was terminated at Cisco. It was an opportunity to learn accounting and to relive my life as a college student when I attended San Jose State. I wanted to experience the college life I missed.

Ballroom dancing classes and a strength development class that helped me create new workouts at the gym are included in number five. I thank my sister for introducing me to ballroom dancing.

4. Mahjong (Riichi). Mahjong deserves its own placement instead of being combined with The Settlers Of Catan and The Classics. I started and quit Mahjong in 2007. A friend challenged me to re-learn Mahjong in 2009. I continue to play while improving my game. I see myself playing Mahjong in my old days because it's a social game that requires thinking.

3. Anime. Japanese cartoons are entertainment that satisfied me such that American entertainment failed. Anime conventions, wearing costumes, and meeting new people are included. Almost all of my friends are anime fans. The number one reason why we have hobbies is to meet new people.

2. Dress For Success. The Raymond Mar who dressed without care is gone. Polo shirts, briefs, black boots, and plain white t-shirts are gone. I have t-shirts from Woot and Threadless. I'm wearing jeans and sport shirts. I wear appropriate hiking clothes for hiking and gym clothes for working out at the gym. And I shave with a razor instead of electric.

I dress for success. I dress for the occasion.

1. Fiction Books. I read my first fiction book in 2008 since I don't know when. I learn more about life reading fiction books compared to non-fiction books. Today I read about 85% fiction and 15% non-fiction.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

What Happened?

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar blogs. The Q&A blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

The question is straightforward. What happened? I want to discuss and explore the answers. I'm currently unemployed and looking for a job. I had past success such that I was on my way to living a good life. I had a job, a car, friends, and some money in the bank. Somehow, I failed to reach the next level in my life. Let's find out what happened, why, how did I screw up, when, and where.

Let's set up the discussion. Start with the year 2007.

The beginning of 2007 was great. I worked at Cisco, purchased my own new car, and started my orthodontic treatment. The exception was my grandfather passed away. The wind was blowing behind my back. Everything went well. Nothing stopped me.

I lost control of my life starting in the summer of 2007. I didn't know what I was doing. I regained control on my life starting on Sat Oct 4, 2008 at Los Altos, CA, when I realized I must grow up. My new life started.

I lost my job in Nov 2008 because of the real estate bubble and financial crisis. I went back to college to earn an AA degree in Accounting. I graduated in Mar 2011. I finished college in Jun 2011. I'm currently looking for a job.

So, what happened?

I took life for granted. I failed to earn my successes. I say at least 90% of my successes before Nov 2008 were luck and timing. It seems life caught up with me currently living with no luck and bad timing.

Most of the way I lived in the past caught up with me. I'm currently correcting the mistakes and learning from them. I'm breaking bad habits and bad lessons. I have been self-discovering and finding who I am. One lesson I learned is always meet new people and make new friends. The people I know in my life can help me when I have a problem. I was taught to do everything by myself. Wrong. To be successful, I need people to help me. In other words, nobody can live being alone.

You worked at Cisco, you owned your car, and you had some money in the bank, all in 2007. How come you didn't move out of your parent's house?

I believed in living life for the long run. I was saving money to buy at house since July 1998. The housing market continued to get more expensive. Then the dot-com bubble burst in March 2000. I had been saving money throughout my jobs with no thought of moving out.

What's the honest reason you stayed at home with your parents?

I wasn't a mature adult. I acted, behaved, and thought of as a naive person. I was immature. I was weak, a coward, and lacked wisdom for being an adult.

What about living life in the long run?

That was a bad life lesson I learned. Life is short. I must live a life experiencing new experiences, seeking new adventures, and innovating my life continuously. Live the moment.

Do you think your life is different if you moved out when you had the opportunity?

Absolutely yes. I believed I could have been a mature and responsible adult.

What do you think your life was terrible from the middle of 2007 to that day when you realized you must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008.

I hated the world. I hated my life because life was not the way I wanted to be. I either failed or took too long to adjust to a new career, new work environment, new commute, new co-workers, new responsibilities, and new obligations. I didn't want to change. I wanted to keep my old life.

The most disappointing part was I continued to be naive or an immature adult.

If you had a life mulligan, when do you use it?

August 1992, my first semester at San Jose State. I wanted to re-do my college years. I failed to live a good college life making new friends, joining clubs and extra activities, and doing new things. I failed to seek new adventures and experience new experiences. I should have worked part-time throughout my college career. And I didn't discover the real Raymond Mar.

Going back to college to earn your AA degree in Accounting partially fulfilled the mulligan.

It did. I was happy. The AA degree was part of the reason going back to college. The other part was correcting my mistakes and reliving my life in my 20s. I met new friends, I created memories in and out of the classroom, and I met my current girlfriend. I tried new things. Going back to school was a satisfactory chapter in my life.

How's life being a grown up?

Life is great. I'm wiser, smarter, and stronger. I don't hate the world. I consider myself lucky I realized I must grow up. I know people older than me who are still immature. I have a friendly and attractive personality.

I'm currently catching up with my life, and I'm not done. I'm experiencing new experiences and went on adventures I should have done in my 20s. I have the most friends ever and I have a girlfriend. I have new hobbies such as hiking, ballroom dancing, and playing Mahjong. I expand my interests such as classical jazz and movie classics.

How do you convince yourself, eventually, everything is going to be okay?

I continue to live my life. I continue to learn from my mistakes. I continue to live a better life. Never stop learning.

Trust what I do today for tomorrow. Steve Jobs said it best when it comes to connecting the dots. Jobs said, "You can’t connect the dots looking forward . . . trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” The future is unknown. I know I continue to grow up, learn something new, and find new adventures. And because the future is unknown, live life in the present. Create memories today.

Trust what I do today, and with my past life, they give me a bright, successful, and happy future.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Saturday, July 20, 2013

I Always Have Something To Write

My Innovate Common Knowledge Blog is active. I share my ideas, opinions, thoughts, experiences, mistakes, victories . . . anything, anywhere, and anyone from my five senses. I express moments and instances when I'm smarter, wiser, and learning something new. I write when I innovate common knowledge. I occasionally write a funny blog. I stink being funny, yet I continue to improve my comedy skills. I continue to blog from serious conversations to lighthearted moments.

A few of my common themes include:

*meeting new people
*encouraging people to seek new adventures and experience new experiences
*innovating infinitely
*changing to be better and smarter
*being physically active
*cooking meals and reading books
*getting up and doing something, anything

I brought back the Top Ten lists in Oct 2012. The last time I wrote a top ten was in Sept 2009. I post pictures of my life from my smart phone camera. I blog my occasional Sign Of My Times (SOMT) series which talks about how life changing today compared to my younger days. And I post of picture of my face during my post Accutane treatment. I have plenty to write.

Anything can inspire me to write a blog. Some inspirations include a current event, a picture, an article, a past moment in my life, a book I read, a new life philosophy I thought about, a recent conversation, an observation, and just thinking. Writing a blog keeps my writing skills sharp and my brain active. I stop writing when I stop living.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Top Ten What The Heck Pics

I admit today's top ten blog took longer than I thought to post. I initially thought it was easy finding pictures bringing a WTH reaction. It was hard and time consuming as I opened many folders from multiple hard drives. I also admit these top ten are not the best WTH pics that appear on Reddit. I must take more crazy and less serious pictures. Relax, be calm, and enjoy the moment captured on my camera.

I took a picture of myself wearing a blue jacket that I wore in junior high school. The jacket still fits me. I wore the jacket to the gym on cold nights before 2007. Thank goodness I wear an appropriate and modern sweat jacket today. The blue jacket is number one on my top ten. Here are my top ten WTH pics:





















Monday, July 08, 2013

Top Ten Good Breaks And Good Timing

I wrote a blog on my Top Ten Bad Breaks And Bad Timings on Sun Feb 10, 2013. Nobody can't live an entire life full of bad luck, at the wrong place at the wrong time every hour, and continuous unfortunate moments. I'm currently living with bad breaks such that I interviewed for a job once this year compared to seven interviews last year.

Tides change. Times change. Every day is a new day. The wind blows at my back soon. I find a path to good fortunes eventually. One good timing moment happened in April 2011. I attended my first live San Jose Sharks hockey game. Also, the game was the first time I entered the HP Pavilion and my first major sports playoff game I watched live.

I write my good breaks and good timing. Here are the top ten:

10. Japan Town Anime Faire (2004). I drove the 1984 Toyota truck instead of the 1992 Mercury Sable station wagon to San Francisco. It was the first time I attended an anime event wearing a costume. I couldn't miss the opportunity.

The station wagon broke down on the same day. Thank goodness I drove the truck. My anime memorable moment could have been a disaster when the station wagon broke down along the freeway or in downtown. I wore my costume for the entire day.

9. San Jose State University (1992-1997). There were multiple professors that helped my semesters become less stressful.

*Optional finals: Human Biology, Public Speaking, Astronomy, and Economics Writing Workshop.
*Open book finals: Mechanical Physics and Macroeconomic Analysis.
*Take home finals: Econometrics and History Of Economics.
*Failed final, yet passed the class: Programming I.
*Miracle final: Religion in America.

Also, great timing when my Economics department offered the classes I enrolled for the semester: Mathematical Methods For Economics offered in the morning instead of night (and my good calculus background from my math classes), Economics Writing Workshop available the next semester when I qualified to take it, Microeconomic Analysis taught by my favorite professor, and Econometrics and History Of Economics only offered every two years.

8. Blockbuster Video (1996). My first retail job. The store manager and I attended the same high school. That was the number one reason he hired me.

7. Cisco (2007). There was an opening for a Business Analyst position. My last job was going downhill. I wanted to get out. I knew and I self-taught myself Crystal Reports which was the number one reason Cisco hired me.

6. Anime Conventions (1999-2008). Most anime convention attendees either work part-time or attend school or college. I worked full time and I graduated with a college degree. No money problems and no studying worries during my height.

5. Colliers International (1999). My boss who hired me at Grubb & Ellis also hired me at Colliers International. This is an example of getting along with your boss can pay off in the long run. I knew and I self-taught myself Access which was the number two reason Colliers International hired me.

4. My First Car (2007). My neighbor and his wife moved to Virginia. They sold me their second car. My Toyota Camry made my Cisco commute less stressful and less costly with air conditioning and a more fuel efficient engine. I visited many new places and experienced new experiences outside work.

3. Washington Canada Trip (2008). The timing was perfect visiting my friend in Washington. I was lost and confused. I didn't know what to do with my life. I needed a break to refocus and reset. I wanted to get away. The trip saved me from years of therapy.

2. Ballroom Dancing (2009). My sister introduced me to ballroom dancing. She encouraged me to take classes at De Anza College. I made new friends and met my current girlfriend.

1. Fanime Con 2004 (2004). I met up with a friend who graduated college. He was phasing out of anime. I thought about phasing out myself. I went to a Fullmetal Alchemist anime series midnight marathon. The marathon showed 17 episodes. I stayed awake the entire time. I said to myself after episode 8, "I'm going to [wear the costume of] (the main character)". The series and the costume saved me from quitting anime at the end of 2004.

Monday, July 01, 2013

A Better Person Lives A Better Life

There is a saying if you become a better person, you live a better life. I believe that. Think about the successful people. They're good people who earned living a good life. They are not jerks who behave immaturely and live full of hate. Their good life is full of happy moments, a book full of adventures, an appreciation on life, and an abundance of supporting people.

My life is better today compared to most of 2008 and when I was born. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I'm wiser, stronger, smarter, and more experienced. I have gone on many adventures I never thought of doing before that 2008 date. I no longer take life for granted. I must earn what I want. I'm a mature adult.

I continue to meet new people and make new friends. My circles of friends grow continuously in both quantity and quality. I have more hobbies and interests such as ballroom dancing, hiking, and board games. My gym workouts are better. I'm eating new foods. My technology knowledge is getting better. I listen to classic jazz.

I enjoy life as a grown up, and I continue to grow up. I live life with a mature and professional attitude. No more lighthearted efforts. No more horsing around. I take charge of my life controlling the most aspects to the best of my ability. I must live a proactive and consistent life making good choices.

If the world ended tomorrow, I lived a good life. I'm content. Tomorrow is another day. I'm going to be better because I'm not content as long as I breathe. I continue to catch up what I missed years ago I should have experienced, learned, and completed. My catching up in life has been satisfactory.