Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Myths Of Raymond Mar

I want to correct some myths describing me. Some people who know me believe I'm someone else intellectually, physically, my attitude, possessions, my personality, or financially. I want to set the record straight.

1. I have lots of friends. I actually don't. There's something about me that neither attracts new people coming to me nor myself initiating a conversation with new people resulting in long term relationships. Perhaps, I'm meeting the wrong kind of people. Regardless, I continue to believe in never stop meeting new people. I continue to learn being a better person socially. One of my fears is being alone. The fear being alone gives me strength to never give up creating new circle of friends.

2. An anime fan with extensive anime knowledge. The best description of me being an anime fan is more devoted to a casual anime fan and less devoted to a die-hard anime fan. I'm somewhere in the middle learning towards the casual anime fan. I spend less time than an average anime fan watching anime. I choose to watch a low number of new anime series. I don't have the time to watch lots of anime and I don't have the money to buy anime goods.

Myth #2 side note: I'm retired from anime. I finished watching my last anime series in July.

3. I live on my own. I'm going to move out of my parent's house sooner or later. I'm hoping for a big break where I find a full time job to earn money to live independently. One of my goals is living on my own. Another fear is living with my parents for the rest of my life. The fear living at home gives me strength to never give up getting stronger and smarter to find a permanent job and move out.

4. I know computers and technology. I'm proud I can learn computers and technology. For example, I researched smart phones with my friend's recommendations as the starting point. I chose the HTC One to replace my Droid X2 in Aug 2013. The HTC One was my best choice to fulfill my needs. I'm currently reviewing my Excel skills to prepare for my next job. I plan to learn Python in the upcoming days.

Furthermore, I'm PC literate such that I ask the correct questions and answer questions accurately when I need help. I'm proficient in all Microsoft Office. I also have experience in the following software programs: Visio, SQL, Salesforce, Business Objects (Crystal Reports), Acrobat, QuickBooks Pro, Peachtree, Photoshop, and even basic HTML.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Monday, July 28, 2014

Top Ten Lessons I Learned Incorrectly

There are some lessons taught incorrectly. It's another example humans are not perfect. We thought we learned correctly. Time passes. Some mistakes are called out by someone else. Shock and embarrassment follow. We are doing it wrong for the longest time.

I was inspired to blog today's top ten when I thought back to my parental guidance. My parents taught me more lessons and knowledge incorrectly than the average parents. I remember my mom saying a glass of milk was enough breakfast during my pre-school and kindergarten. My mom was lazy preparing breakfast on school days. She cooked pancakes sometimes on weekends. The lazy way is number eight in my top ten.

Here are the top ten lessons I learned incorrectly:

10. Driving on the freeway is like driving on the expressway without signal lights. The San Jose Metropolitan area consists of expressways with signal lights. Cars can drive up to 50 miles per hour. My dad told me the freeway lesson when I drove with a learners permit. Obviously the lesson was wrong. The truth is my dad didn't want to ride with me and teach me freeway driving.

9. Prejudice. I'm sad I was taught prejudice. Prejudging people because of the color of their skin is wrong.

8. The Easy Way And The Lazy Way. Life was too easy for me growing up. My childhood was too easy. There was no excitement. There were no adventures. It was a plain childhood. I have few stories to share connecting my parents.

My parents continue their easy and lazy attitudes entering their retirement years. Their lives can be better if they made efforts in their daily lives. They failed to teach me if I want something in life, I must earn it the hard way.

7. Cheap. There is a difference between buying on sale and buying cheap. For instance, my parents provided a black & white television they got for free when my brother and I played video games during our childhood. Another instance was my dad installed a low-flow toilet he got free. Everyone complained the toilet didn't clean the entire bowl and there was a leak. My dad replaced the free toilet with a non low-flow toilet.

I'm not a cheap person today. There is a saying, "a person who saves a dime ends up spending a dollar."

6. Stayed Indoors Too Much. My classmates teased me being a homeboy. I didn't know the meaning homeboy. The homeboy teasing moments were revisited in 2009. I realized there were many childhood adventures and experiences I missed. I vowed to catch up what I missed in my life starting in 2009. For example, I snuck candy in a movie theater and I peed outdoors on a hiking trail.

5. The Purchase Order Process. Some incorrect lessons were incorrectly learned outside the home. My current job taught me their purchase order process. I knew it was wrong from my accounting classes. My manager acknowledged their PO process is incorrect. The incorrect process continues today.

4. Writing. My English 1A and 1B classes taught me writing creatively. There's nothing wrong with writing creatively. The real world abolishes creative writing. Thank goodness the Economics 100W Writing Workshop professor taught me correctly.

3. Cooking. My mom taught me her way of cooking. It sucks and tastes plain. I need improvement. I plan to learn more in time.

2. Do It Myself. Learn To Do It Myself. The results were less than satisfactory when my parents completed a task, assignment, or errand themselves most of the time. The misleading lesson is unlearned. There's nothing wrong learning to do something myself. Sometimes I need help. Sometimes I need to hire a professional.

It seems number 2, number 7, and number 8 can be connected.

1. Commercial Real Estate Statistics. I was taught how to calculate the real estate statistics from the senior research analyst. Most of the numbers were calculated incorrectly. The warning signs were there. The problems were ignored. Some of the statistics were corrected when I caught the error. I couldn't explain why the rest of the statistics were not corrected.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, July 20, 2014

You're Still Innovating Infinitely

I wrote a blog questioning Innovate Infinitely titled What Is Innovate Infinitely? on Mon Jul 7. I answered I haven't innovated my life infinitely. I still live at home. My life has changed little. I was still weak. My life moved forward too slowly.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards," said Steve Jobs at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement. My life since I created Innovating Infinitely in 2000 has actually been good. I've been innovating my life infinitely. I accepted the slow and growing process. Perhaps, too slow compared to some; however, faster than others. I achieved much millions of people haven't. It's time to speed up the growing process. I wait for the timing is right to make my fast move. Here are some examples connecting the dots backwards below in the meantime.

*Business And Investment Books. I started read these books in 1999. I continued reading the books with high interest in 2002. These books taught me new perspectives on rich people, why people start a business, and investing in the stock market. Many investors are investing with, in my opinion, wrong and outdated information. Many investors are lacking solid financial education.

*New Reporting And Analysis. The innovating infinitely attitude allowed me to take the Research Department to new heights starting in 2002. I created new reports and new analysis to assist the commercial real estate brokers in marketing their properties, helping meet new clients, and making their lives easier closing deals.

*Wearing Costumes At Anime Conventions. I wore a costume for the first time at the Japan Town Anime Faire in Sep 2004. I knew wearing costumes helped me meet new people. I didn't know wearing costumes resulted in making long-term friends. Furthermore, wearing costumes continued my anime hobby from 2004 to 2014. I thought about quitting at the end of 2004.

*Trips And Vacations. Innovating infinitely involves seeking new adventures and experiencing new experiences. The first vacation started in Jul 2003 when my family and I took a week trip that included Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and San Diego. My friend from Washington and I took a three day trip to Las Vegas in Dec 2004 and Dec 2006. My first foreign country visit to Canada took place in Aug 2005.

*More New Friends In 2006. 2006 was a big year meeting new people and making new friends. Some of them are important in my life today.

*Gym. A good friend recommended bodybuilding.com to download workout plans in Sept 2008. I follow the plans today. I was motivated to improve my workout. I purchased new workout clothing. I'm looking forward to follow intermediate workout plans when I establish a good body core. It's going to be easier to workout consistently because I retired from anime.

*Ballroom Dancing. My sister introduced ballroom dancing in Jan 2009. She was an amateur competitive ballroom dancer. Learning ballroom dancing resulted in taking classes at De Anza College starting in Mar 2009. I also met new people and made new friends.

*Accounting at De Anza College. Taking ballroom dancing classes inspired me to continue attending De Anza College taking accounting classes. Accounting was an alternate major when I attended San Jose State. I took my first accounting class in Sep 2009 and graduated in Mar 2011.

*New Interests, Skills, And Knowledge. I taught myself SQL, Salesforce, and Photoshop. I'm currently reviewing Excel's pivot tables, V-lookups, and analysis. I'm learning Python. I learned how to change the oil in my car, cook, and play MahJong (Riichi). I started reading fiction books. The reason why I continue to learn new skills and knowledge professionally and personally is because . . .

*. . . I grew up. Sat Oct 4, 2008 is the day I remember for the rest of my life. I realized I must grow up. Playtime is over. It's time to act my age. It's time to stop taking life for granted. I must earn what I want. There is so much in life to try and to do. I never settle. My life changed forever. Looking back from Sat Oct 4, 2008 to today, I have been innovating my life infinitely. There is much more to do.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Top Ten Ways I Lower My Chances Getting Sick

I was sick from Wed May 6 to Mon Jun 16. It was the longest time I was sick. I was sick with a throat infection and a bacterial infection in my left eye. The sicknesses were preventable. I blog a timeline which includes the symptoms, the remedies, and my doctor visit at a later date.

A clean house lowers the chances I get sick. I don't want to live in a house with dust and dirt on the carpets. I don't want to live in a house with sticky floors. I clean the house every 4-5 weeks. Avoiding expired foods and drinks are another way to lower the chances I get sick. I remember getting a sore throat drinking expired cranberry juice. Lesson learned.

Here are the top ten ways I lower my chances getting sick:

10. Take Charge Eating At Home. Sometimes my mom doesn't want to cook. It's up to me to cook tonight's meal. It's worth the time even though I lose my free time doing something else. I didn't get sick in 2013; however, I lost free time job searching and job training. The choice is obvious. Cook instead of risking sickness again skipping dinner.

9. Soda Is My Best Friend. My spice tolerance level is low. My body responds well drinking soda with spicy food. I remember two times I got sick eating spicy food without soda on Feb 1998 and possibly May 2014.

8. No Forcing Myself Working Out. There is no gym workout when any of the conditions is met: incomplete meals, lack of sleep the previous night, or not enough time for a complete workout.

7. Stagnant Air. I'm prone to get sick when the air inside is stagnant and warm or an indoor draft from an air condition vent. An outdoor draft is okay.

6. Take Your Time. Avoid stress. Do everything one at a time.

5. Know The Current Weather Conditions. I dislike a big difference between the daily high temperature and the daily low temperature. For example, my body fails to adjust to a high in the 80s and the low in the 50s. I desire consistent daytime and nighttime weather temperatures with gradual increase and decrease changes. The Spring 2014 weather experienced big temperature discrepancies in Northern California.

4. Get Good Sleep. Proper rest is important to re-energize for the next day. If I can't finish it, then I complete it tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.

3. Listen To My Body. Eat when my stomach growls. Drink when I'm dehydrated. Take a nap when I'm fatigued. Take a break when I'm stressed.

2. Stay Hydrated. Drink water. Drink water on hot days. Drink water on any warm environment. Drink water when I'm working out at the gym.

1. Eat Three Meals. Never skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I go out to restaurants including fast food if I must.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Work Sat Jul 12, 2014

The USA played Germany in the World Cup on Thur Jun 26. Maybe the game explained El Monte Road with no cars in contrast to earlier in the week with too many cars.

The store was full with the Caymus wine tasting on Fri Jun 27 at the second store. I drank the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. I liked it. I tried to stay busy with lots of free time.

Sun Jun 29 was my first Sun shift at the second store. It was dead. The manager told me go to home early.

The owner called me asking why there were no emails from me. The call happened on Wed Jul 2. I was angry. She implied I slacked off. I was doing work. Look at my track record. I'm productive. I get the job done. The owner asked how she can help. I said in my mind, "Shut up. Let me do my work." I went beast mode after the phone call. I went home at 7:40pm after I arrived at exactly 10am.

I was angry at myself on Thur Jul 3. I used Excel to calculate the costs for a big order that included Joel Gott and Napa Cellars wines. I was rusty naturally because I haven't used Excel in a work environment in a long time. The rustiness can hurt my chances of getting a new job because almost all jobs wants recent experience such that they want the new worker to work immediately without training. The new worker is fresh from his or her last job. People out of work for a long time are at a disadvantage. I have a loss of hope for society's future. Nobody gives people hungry to learn or to refresh their job skills and knowledge to get back to the workforce.

I was off work on Fri Jul 4 and Sat Jul 5. Everyone's hours were reduced during the Fourth Of July weekend.

I was back to work on Sun Jul 6 at the second store. My first assignment was investigating why the stock status was off for a spice. Both stores are selling spices. The store was dead. The store became active during the beer tasting. The turnout was higher than everyone expected for the Fourth Of July weekend. The beer and spirits expert submitted his two week notice.

Both stores closed early because the owner organized a Fourth Of July party for both stores. I attended. The host did a good job cooking dinner.

We were shorthanded for Tue Jul 8. I worked at the front end for 40 minutes. Everyone paid attention to Germany defeating Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup. I learned another worker got a full time job somewhere else. He worked at the company for one month. He plans to work here one day a week.

I had a mild stomach ache on Wed Jul 9. I believe it was the sugary breakfast I ate at work. I visited my dentist before my shift started. I ate a slice of Round Table Pizza which helped my half-ass lunch from home. The winemaker for today's wine tasting arrived late. There was a good turnout despite the late start. I was tired and lacked focus.

My moment of the day happened when a customer called for a wine. We didn't have the wine; however, the wine rep who provided the wine was in store. I told the rep and the owner about the wine and the customer. The owner took over the customer's order request.

Thur Jul 10 was the deadliest day ever at the first store. We were fully staffed. Some of us were tired. Some of us were bored. I was tired. I had lots of free time. There were no deliveries. I helped a co-worker bailed her out and other co-worker's problems with my free time.

We had problems with today's tasting at the second store on Fri Jul 11. There has been never a problem free wine tasting despite planning ahead. Nobody turned on the air condition. I turned it on before my late 4pm lunch. I forgot to clock back in after lunch. I emailed the manager at the first store to adjust my time sheet.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Monday, July 07, 2014

What Is Innovate Infinitely?

Innovate Infinitely means never stop innovating life. Always get better. Always be better. Do something better continuously. Do them infinitely. There is always a better way. Always.

I created Innovate Infinitely driving to Japantown in San Jose in 2000. I was waiting for a green light on Taylor St. I wanted to create a theme for my webpage which tells my belief to never stop improving. The words "Innovate" and "Infinitely" came together in my mind.

Today In Year 2014

Why am I still living at home? Why am I working at a low paying job? Why do I have a smaller circle of friends today? I experienced setbacks such as losing my job at Cisco in 2008 and long-term unemployment after graduating at De Anza in 2011; however, I found a new job to restart my life. What happened?

My partial answers are I'm still weak, I need more life experience, and I need more wisdom. I'm holding back. Why? Timing and luck are factors in success. They're going somewhere else. Furthermore, I need more focus and direction. I'm completing odds and ends tasks lingering for months. I'm retired from anime. The next projects are looking at the job market and learning new job skills. I'm becoming a professional.

I have no long-term solutions. I need more strength and opportunities. I need more time to awake my ultimate hidden beast. I achieve my ultimate innovating my life infinitely soon. There is no conclusion in today's blog because I don't have a conclusion--I don't have absolute answers.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, July 05, 2014

Mike's Rules

I create new rules to give my life more strength. I name the rules "Mike's Rules" because there was a night time staffer at my gym named Mike. He smiled and small talked with the members. He reminded me to begin greetings in a friendly way; moreover, communicate a variety of greetings. I wish him luck pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Here are Mike's Rules:

Complement A Person. Your goals are to recognize the person's presence, make the person smile, and say thank you. For example, complement on the person's boots.

Take The Initiative to make people feel better. A complement is a good idea. Other ideas include offering assistance, be a good listener, and being the person to get change to help pay the bill in a restaurant.

Communicate the other person's name. Write the person's name on the email. Say the person's name first when communicating to him or her. Sir, miss, ladies, and gentlemen are acceptable.

Begin And End In A Friendly Way. Greet the people you see for the first time today. Good morning. How's your day? Are you feeling better? Top of the morning. What has been going on? Say goodbye to the people you see for the last time today. Drive safely. Have a good day. Bye guys. Ladies, take care. Add variety to your greetings and endings.

Smile. Self explanatory.

Give Sincere Appreciation. Self explanatory, too.

Small Talk. Small talk is acceptable conversations. Sometimes small talk leads to long conversations. Small talk can be useful to meet new people.

Be Professional. The most important rule in Mike's Rules. Do everything professionally. Be a pro. We watch professional sports players on television. They're working. They're performing at their highest professional level.

I add three new rules that are excluded from the original list.

Addendum #1: Fake It 'Til You Believe It. There are going to be moments you must trust you intuition. Convince yourself you can do it for others to follow. Believe in yourself.

Addendum #2: A Quote I Remember. "You can choose comfort or you can choose courage, but you cannot have both." --Theodore Roosevelt

Addendum #3: High Power. I pose and present my physical self in the high power.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Tim Howard Beast Mode


Everyone in America and everyone in the world know Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard. Howard saved a World Cup record 16 shots since 1966 against Belgium at the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. He made saves with his hands, feet, legs, and chest. He gave Team USA hope in the Knockout Round 16 when the offense and defense were weak. I think of Tim Howard when I'm in beast mode.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com