Saturday, June 28, 2014

Instant Bullets Blog Jun 28, 2014

*Upgraded. I upgraded my work equipment. I took advantage of the REI Anniversary Sale buying a new pair of hiking shoes which I can use for urban hiking. Nobody cares my shoes at work. I also purchased a 64oz canteen to bring more water and a knife to open cases.

*Replaced. I replaced my keyboard on my HP Compaq 8510p laptop. I purchased the laptop in July 2008. I replaced the hard drive with a SSD in July 2012.

I also replaced the battery on my motherboard inside my Gaming PC. I built my Gaming PC in Dec 2008 with help from my friends and my dad.

*Need More Faith Playing Mahjong (Riichi). I must be the most unlucky player. I have been playing Mahjong (Riichi) since Oct 2009. I won three matches: one in July 2010 and two in May 2012. I lose any way possible including bad luck, bad draws, and wrong choices. I even lose being too aggressive and playing faster. I believe the next time I play my attitude is play to win.

*Embarrassed San Jose Sharks. The hockey team lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sharks needed to win one more game in a seven game series. The Kings won the last four games. The Sharks are the fourth team to lose four straight games after winning the first three games in the NHL.

*Handsome In My 40s. I believe I'm a man who gets more good looking the more I become older.

*Easier To Learn. There are some topics I learn quicker. I must find them more interesting. Some of the topics include sex and cooking. I learned economics and accounting very well when I attended college.

On the other hand, mathematics and programming were hard to learn in college.

*On Fri May 2, a homeless person begged for money at a busy intersection near the freeway exit. The person looked legitimate. Another car gave him money. I wanted to give him money. The world must wait for me living independently.

*A Reminder Daily Rule Number 7. The rule is Have Faith, Believe In Myself.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Thursday, June 26, 2014

The Los Angeles Kings And San Antonio Spurs Dominated

I follow the NBA headlines and NHL top stories as a sports fan. I share my thoughts and opinion on two championship teams. The Los Angeles Kings won the 2014 Stanley Cup defeating the New York Rangers 4-1. The San Antonio Spurs won the 2014 NBA Finals defeating the Miami Heat 4-1. The winners dominated. The winners embarrassed their opponent. The winners played stronger. The winners played better as a team. The winners were determined to achieve their goal. Focused. Aggressive. Faith. Pure team chemistry. The Kings and Spurs earned their victories. The winners were legitimate.

I believed the Kings were going to win the Stanley Cup after winning their first round playoffs against the San Jose Sharks 4-3. The Sharks won the first three games. The Sharks needed to win one more game within the next four games. The Kings won all of the next four games to win the series. Did the Kings win the series or the Sharks lost the series? My answer is the Kings won the series. The Kings clicked together. There was something in the team which convinced me they're unstoppable. The Kings was not going to be defeated. The result was a Stanley Cup Championship.

I believed the Spurs was going to win the NBA Finals because the team corrected their mistakes in the 2013 NBA Finals. The Spurs was supposed to win the 2013 NBA Finals. The Miami Heat won instead. The Spurs was hungry for redemption. The Spurs performance in the 2014 NBA Finals convinced me the mistakes were corrected. The Heat had no chance of winning. For example, the Spurs played with lots of stamina. There were no signs of fatigue. The Spurs played fresh, focused, and energized. On the other hand, the Heat showed a lack of concentration and fatigue. The Heat was not prepared for the better Spurs team in 2014. The result was a NBA Championship.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Work Wed Jun 25, 2014

I lost my blue pen on Wed Jun 11. I used my black pen.

We were overstaffed on Thur Jun 12. One staffer went home early. There was an interview in the break room. I ate lunch in my car listening to the San Francisco Giants defeated the Washington Nationals. Two more wines were added to Sat's tasting. The data entry made the new additions a priority for which I couldn't complete because of other priorities.

Fri Jun 13 was dead at the second store. The co-owner arrived late to open. One consequence opening late was water delivery gave us one 5 gallon water jug. The co-owner was furious. I called Alhambra to request a second delivery to replace empty water jugs and request delivery after 11am.

I estimated less than 10 customers shopped before the tasting. One of the managers from the first store arrived in the afternoon who replaced the full time second store manager who was fired last week. Everyone wanted to go home early. It was the second time I felt going home early since my first day.

There was one delivery. The entire staff was bored for multiple time spurts. I was waiting for new products to be priced. There were too many wines that needed pricing. Very few wines were priced at the end of the day.

I called in sick on Mon Jun 16. I visited my doctor. He said food poisoning was the reason I threw up yesterday. My coughing and throat infection were not the reasons I threw up. He said I was getting better. It was a matter of days for full recovery. I worked Sat Jun 21 to cover the sick day.

People seemed to be running late. It could be World Cup. The roads were horrible going to work and going home on Tue Jun 17. The traffic on El Monte Road was the most cars I've ever seen. I was cut off multiple times. The worse cut off was on Jordan that resulted in missing the green light. There was an accident on my way home near the Fremont turnoff. It was the second time there was an accident on Highway 85 going home.

There were morning internet problems during the morning of Wed Jun 18. I overheard the bookkeeper past away. I think I saw him once on my third day at work.

A crime was committed on Thur Jun 19. An out of state Jetta's passenger side front window was smashed and a purse was stolen. A police officer arrived and viewed the security video tape.

One of my co-workers who became the primary shipper conversed with me about old shipping orders not shipped. We were shocked to see these orders in the $300 and $400 not shipped.

It was another dead day at the second store on Fri Jun 20. One of the data entry co-workers was mad at me because there was confusion for the second store's Sat tasting. Nobody in the store knew what went on. Paperwork was missing. If I read her email for information instead of reading an Excel file from the events coordinator, then she was not going to be mad. I forgot about a transfer.

My Sat Jun 21 shift was changed from the first store to the second store. I thought it was an idiot move. A co-worker thought my shift was changed because someone called in sick. The store was dead again. I talked to my co-workers who worked in the front. They said it was unusual Sat was dead. I was productive. Ownership continues failing to see the big picture having a data entry working on a Sat gets new products in the system faster.

I ate pizza for lunch. The manager told me business was dead.

One of the part-time workers quit today. She worked at both stores; in particular, working at off-site tastings.

I brought a new blue pen from my home on Mon Jun 23.

It was a busy day for me on Tue Jun 24; on the other hand, it was dead in the entire store. There was a tasting today that included meeting a wine owner. Turnout was low all the staff took turns tasting wines in the tasting room. El Monte Road had more cars that ever. I know I keep saying more cars. It seems another day El Monte Road has more cars that before the last time. I took a different route to work which saved me time arriving too late.

I ate lunch late because the other manager wanted me to add wines for a future email sale. I ordered a lunch special at a Chinese restaurant such that I phone ordered after 4pm. The lunch specials ended at 4pm. I was lucky. The restaurant obliged.

The owner accidentally spilled a bottle of wine.

I drove on city streets and the expressway to work because there was an accident on the freeway on Wed Jun 25. The entire day was adding new wines that included nine wines from Rhone imported from France. the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter. A co-worker and I watched the ninth inning live on the Giants' website. MLB.com allowed free and exclusive viewing to anyone on the Giants' website. I went home after closing time.

I wasted my personal time in the evening. My latest paycheck missed two days of pay. I compared the hours on the pay stub with the time clock to confirm the missing two days. I email the co-owner.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The New Job Interview

I experienced my share of good interviews and bad interviews. There were some interviews I did a good job being the interviewee and the interviewers did a good job conducting the interview; unfortunately, I was never hired. There were some interviews I did a good job being the interviewee and the interviewers did a bad job conducting the interview; fortunately, I was never hired.

I wonder how some bad workers are hired. The bad workers can have problems such as difficulty getting along with other workers, unqualified, or bad personalities such as short temper or too much criticism. Do some of the bad hires lie? Do some of these bad hires sell themselves well the interviewers fail to notice the warning signs? I hear stories from my friends some of their co-workers are terrible at their jobs. These bad co-workers include negative personalities, lack of qualifications, too many mistakes, and making poor choices.

The classic question and answer interview is outdated. The questions are clique. The answers are clique. Tell me about yourself? How do you handle conflicts? What are your job goals? What do you look forward to working here? Anyone can memorize good answers from an interview book. Anyone can memorize good story lies; on the other hand, who doesn't lie in interviews.

Today's new interview is the conversation interview. Have a conversation with the candidate. It's similar to two people meeting for the first time. It's similar to two people on a date for the first time. The two people shouldn't talk like a job interview. They have conversations. They learn about each other. The conversation interview is good for multiple people interviewing a candidate, too. Furthermore, interviewee and interviewers must position themselves in an open and friendly environment to project good body flow.

Interviews are subjective. For instance, a good candidate can be qualified with years of experience and a good education; however, if the chemistry is no match, then the good candidate is skipped. Another instance is a candidate with a down-to-earth and funny personality is passed because the company dislikes loud people. These instances can happen.

What's my advice regarding interviews? Be professional. Be discrete. Think before you speak. How do I know a job candidate is worth hiring when I'm interviewing a job candidate? I feel comfortable having a beer with him or her.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Friday, June 20, 2014

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Work Tue Jun 10, 2014

I started my work week with upgrades on Tue May 27. I wore new hiking shoes. Nobody cares the shoes I wear. I brought water in a 64oz canister instead of bringing two 24oz canisters. And I purchased a knife to open boxes when I need a bottle to add new wines. One of my co-workers injured his hand; fortunately, it was minor. His dog accidentally bit his hand.

A person asked for directions before I drove off my driveway on Wed May 28. Unfortunately, I told him directions as if he was driving. There was a better way for which I failed to realize he was walking to his destination. One of my co-workers arrived late because of car problems.

There was a sigh of relief on Thur May 29. I was responsible for transferring wines from the first store to the second store for a tasting. The request was submitted on Tue May 27. Everyone worked on the request on Thur. There was a problem finding the wines in the back of the store. Fortunately, all of the wines were located with additional help. The store was busy sometimes and dead sometimes. Turnout for today's wine tasting was small such that the wine rep went home early.

The second store was dead on Fri May 30. The tasting turnout was low. The tasting moved from the tasting room to the patio.

I stopped at a signal light only once on my way to work on Sat May 31. My high work productivity never happened because the manager made me babysit a new hire for which he's not hired to enter data and research wine. He was bored the entire time I trained him. I don't blame the new hire for my lower Sat work productivity. I was mad at my manager.

It took 5.5 months working in the company to identify an employee I dislike. Other co-workers have similar feelings. She complains and yells backs. Ironically, I complained and yelled back when I was a young worker. I can't dislike her entirely.

My manager and I had a serious discussion on Tue Jun 3. The discussion was why I don't need to work on Sat's. Everything I can do on Sat I can do on Mon. I said my reasons. He said his reasons. My manager was defensive the entire discussion. Interesting. Some of his reasoning didn't make sense. Was he hiding something? There must be something going on I didn't know.

The owner wanted to plan the tastings two weeks in advanced. We still had problems on Wed Jun 4. My manager is going to work at the second store soon. He's training the new worker I trained on Sat May 31 and another shipping & receiving worker to ship packages.

My coughed acted up again on Fri Jun 6. I have been recovering from my throat infection for a month. I was lucky my coughing didn't interfere with my work. It was an easy day because the first store researched and priced for me. I didn't know why the first store took almost all of my responsibilities. The tasting turnout was good. The store was noisy. I clocked out early to taste some wines. It was a four day work week. I went back to my Mon to Fri work schedule starting next week.

A co-worker created two magnum displays in the tasting room. The co-owner said he created it wrong. The co-owner wanted the display another way. He showed him and he actually did part of the redisplaying.

I was blamed for a mistake that wasn't my fault. It showed any company there's one person who doesn't want to admit his or her mistake. My manager blamed me for incorrect purchase orders entries on Mon Jun 9. I created two purchase orders for two deliveries. The invoice came back as one delivery. Someone else entered the one delivery twice. I didn't start an argument because I didn't have evidence to prove myself. The error was personally a small deal.

Major drama happened on Tue Jun 10. The second store manager's last day was today. I received information he was fired because of poor performance and a poor review. I felt the firing was unfair. One reason is the second store lacked another manager. He was overworked. Also, one worker called in sick for each store. My manager worked at the second store today. The part-time data entry worked today. She made changes to Sat's tastings for both stores. There's additional work for the week's tastings. And one of the shipping and receiving workers did today's shipping packages.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, June 08, 2014

How I Buy DVDs

Everyone must have a DVD library. The library can be big or small. The DVD library includes movies, TV series, cartoons, and documentaries. The library can be a cheap entertainment, leisure activity, and relaxing moment. Everyone must have a favorite DVD collection to cheer up from a bad day.

There are three ways I buy DVDs. First, I rarely buy DVDs on the week of new release. Almost all prices are lowered months or years after the new release date. I can wait. Patience pays off. There are exceptions such as BD and DVD combo, Disney, and needing the DVD for an activity. Another exception is a judgment choice. If I feel the new release is a limited availability, then I buy during the week of new release.

I take advantage of Black Fridays. I have purchase many DVDs on Black Friday since 2010. I take advantage of $3.99 movies and $10 TV box sets. For instance, I purchased The Simpsons Season 10 and Breaking Bad Seasons 3-5 for $10 each on Black Friday 2013. Take advantage of retail loss leaders during the start of the holiday shopping season.

Second, I wait for $5 DVD sales or even $3 DVD sales. I look at the Sunday newspaper advertisements. These sales require patience. Most advertisements don't have cheap DVD prices.

Third, I ask myself, "Am I going to watch it many times?" If the answer is yes, then I purchase the DVD. Some of the movies I watch many times are Aliens, The Transporter trilogy, Hot Fuzz, Saving Private Ryan, The Graduate, The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight, Grease, and Blue Thunder.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, June 07, 2014

An Open Blog To The World

I'm blogging to the entire world. Take a deep breath. Relax. Everyone take a break. Find some time to rest from head to toe. Find some time to rest physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Take a time out for yourself and for the world. Recover your energy and your strength.

I've seen people at work and at public being cranky, unkind, moody, fatigued, and unfocused. They're having a bad attitude. They're rushing. They're overwhelming themselves and others with too many responsibilities. They have the get it done now attitude.

The world is moving at a fast pace in today's information society. I'm requesting the world to slow down. Be tactful. Be sincere. Pace consistently. Take a few moments to prioritize. There's always tomorrow to finish. There's always the next days or weeks to finish longer assignments. Don't stress on what can't be control.

Eat good meals. Never skip meals. Get plenty of sleep. Listen to your body. Help yourself to help the world slow down, relax, and calm down. Help yourself be a good person among your friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances. Never be the bad person taking out your frustrations and bad mood towards others. I request the people of the world to take a time out.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Monday, June 02, 2014

There Are Many Children With Parents Like Mine

All children can generalize their own parents to compare and contrast with other parents. Most parents do a good job raising their children. No parents are perfect. There are some parents who raise their children such that they're close to 100% perfect. It's unfortunate some children have terrible parents. I wish new parents sign a contract dedicating their life to raise their children and take required basic parenting classes. I believe the world is a better place with better parents raising brighter and happier children.

No parents are unique. I realize some other parents share my parents' weaknesses. I share them today. Maybe you parents share the same weaknesses as mine. It's not your fault. You're not alone. We have something in common.

Inattentiveness. I fail to understand parents not sensing trouble with their children. My childhood had problems including depression, loneliness, and bad grades. I was bullied in grade school. I unknowingly acted weird among my classmates. My problems were obvious. I showed them, acted them, and communicated them. My parents never showed me how to be social with other children. My parents did very little to help me solve my problems.

Watch the movie Welcome To The Dollhouse. The main character's parents portray inattentive parents.

Lack Of Knowledge And Experience. My parents were 25 years old when I was born. Is 25 years old too young? In comparison, 17 years old is too young. Is 17 and 25 years old both too young ages to raise children? The short answer is 17 is too young obviously.

My parents lacked parental knowledge and life experience to raise me when I was a child. For instance, I drank a cup of milk for breakfast when I attended kindergarten. No bowl of cereal. No bread. No fruit. I can write another blog sharing my parent's lack of parental knowledge during my childhood years.

I consider myself behind in life experience for my age. My parents never shared their life experiences when they were children and young adults. I believe dinner table conversations were quiet because my parents had little to share.

Teach Me Wrong And Don't Teach Me Right. My parents were bad teachers which coincides with the above having lack of knowledge and experience. I had trouble understanding their explanations. I believe my parents rarely taught me because they know they couldn't teach. The taught me the wrong way when they did teach me.

Ignore Problems Hoping They Go Away. My parents were lucky. Most of my problems went away including depression and bad grades. I was lucky, too. I realized what I missed from my childhood to my 20s. And I mentioned earlier I'm behind in life experience for my age. I'm catching up the lost life experiences by finding time to experience them and learning what I should have learned in my younger years.

I believe my parents had confidence that my problems in my childhood went away such that they raised me as if I was Steve Jobs. Ignore my childhood problems and they go away in time. The ignoring didn't work all the time. For example, I had reading comprehension problems. I took special reading classes in 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 6th grade. I'm a slow reader today. I wished my parents were more involved in my reading problems. I believe my childhood reading problems were not solved.

Parents Little Involvement. I mentioned my slow reading ability above. I remember many days of my childhood I was lonely or with my brother and/or sister. The only parental involvement I remember was my mom took my brother and I to the library. I can't remember any moments with my dad and myself. I can't remember any moments I was with my parents--just the three of us.

Two of my dad's hobbies were photography and woodworking. I took those classes at school. My dad helped me a few times with the two classes. He wasn't fully involved. Ironically, if my dad was more involved, he probably taught me wrong.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com