Mon Nov 17: I purchased a cheap mouse pad at Fry's Electronics. The $2.00 mouse pad works well.
I took the service elevator to exit my building. There is a fourth elevator that takes people directly to shipping & receiving for which people can enter and exit the building.
I continue to adjust to an 8am-5pm work day. The adjustment is difficult. I want a routine workday which includes working out at the gym, continuing self job training, learning new job skills, reviewing MySQL, reviewing Access, and learning data analysis. Python is a low priority. I went to my gym last Sat and Sun. I was rusty. I felt stiff.
Tue Nov 18: I forgot to turn on my alarm clock last night. I woke up at 6:14am. I arrived at 8:10am. If I didn't brush my teeth, I arrived much earlier. There were more cars on the expressway today compared to yesterday.
I ate Kung Pao Chicken to supplement my lunch because I need extra energy for the gym workout. The grill was broken. No hamburger.
I finished my assignment from the risk manager. I started the assignment on Mon. I overheard her saying I may not have enough work after my initial contract term in a phone conversation. We shall see what happens. Live the present. Live the moment.
Today was the first time I worked out at the company gym. It's decent with a mix of machine weights, cardio equipment, free weights, yoga equipment, and classes. The men's locker room is across the hall. The locker room reminds me of the Marriott hotel in Downtown San Jose.
Wed Nov 19: I arrived at 8:15am. I planned a 45 minute lunch to compensate arriving 15 minutes late.
My next assignment was from my engineer. More RMAs to enter into the database.
I found the stairway from my floor to the gym on my way to the cafeteria for lunch. It rained in the afternoon. My first work day raining. I walked the breezeway back to my cubicle after lunch. The breezeway is covered.
My risk manager checked my worked after lunch. We discussed my errors.
I took the stars next to the service elevator to exit my building. It took me to another employee entrance.
Thur Nov 20: I listened to KFOX 98.5 from 9am-12pm. The station plays commercial free classic rock between 9am-12pm. I needed the music because I was falling asleep. My floor was stuffy. I turned on my fan. My two plants need water at least two times a week.
There was a G&A meeting at 2:30pm in the cafeteria. I don't know what G&A stands for. The head departments and executives spoke to the audience. The meeting started by getting an idea how many years people worked in the company. A small handful worked in the company over three years.
My impression of the work environment in the three weeks I worked was get the job done. Nobody slacks off.
The entire day was slow. My engineer was in meetings all day. The free time he spent was giving me additional training including using our Arena database. I spent a few minutes donating money to a local charity for their Thanksgiving charity drive.
Fri Nov 21: I drove 15 minutes from home to work.
The entire floor was quiet in the late morning and early afternoon. The full time employees went to a charity event. The contractors stayed behind. Another contractor introduced herself. She works three weeks at the end of each fiscal quarter; however, she has been working many days in Nov. Moments later, she, the contractor who trained me on my first day, and I conversed.
I ate my own granola bar in my lunch bag. The coffee room was out of granola bars.
The grill was repaired. I ordered a burger to supplement my lunch. I needed the energy because I went to the company gym after work.
Mon Nov 24: I drove 12 minutes from home to work. The morning work music was from my smart phone. I listened to Hey Jude from The Beatles at least ten times.
I finished two assignments from my engineer I started last week. The next assignment was finishing the project I was assigned on my second week. The floor was quiet and busy because everyone wanted to get their assignments done before the Thanksgiving holiday. I was getting better entering the RMAs into the database with more experience, more knowledge, and more training.
My neck was in pain. It must be a muscle strain.
I saw my first stalled car going home.
Tue Nov 25: I purchased a bottle of Advil at Walgreens before work. My neck started to feel better after I took two tablets.
I saw my first accident on my way home. There were a few cars driving recklessly.
Wed Nov 26: My plans working out at the gym fell through. I'm still adjusting to the 8am-5pm work schedule. I'm not getting enough sleep. My neck still hurts. I continued to take Advil.
I attended my first monthly birthday celebration. We celebrated the people with Nov birthdays. There were cupcakes. I was put on the spot when the operations manager wanted me to introduce myself. I was prepared ahead of time for my personal fun fact because the personal fun fact is a common question for all new hires. I mentioned my fun fact is my above average long term memory.
A supply engineer told me background information about the division including the executives and the senior managers. He wanted to have lunch with me at a future time.
I went home at 6pm. I checked my personal email at 5:30pm. I wrote Happy Thanksgiving on my cubicle whiteboard.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Breaking Bad Series
I finished watching the entire series of Breaking Bad on Sun Nov 23. Excellent series. Highly recommended. My simple words describe the hit drama television show: scary, violent, genius, unpredictable, cliff-hanging, twists, dark, depressing, anger, smart, risk-taking, original. There are a few comedy moments.
My only criticism is Creator and Executive Producer Vince Gilligan could have added more episodes. These episodes are back stories of the side characters. For example, how Saul's entered into the "criminal" lawyer business. Mike's days as a police officer and why he took care of his granddaughter. How Hank and Marie met. More screen time to know Walt and Gretchen's past relationship. I believe the audience gains a greater appreciation knowing more about the side characters and more on Walt's past.
My favorite episode is in Season One when Walt entered Tuco's hideout with the "clear white" crystals. Season Four is my favorite season, especially the final scene in the senior citizen home. I don't have a favorite character. I debated myself who was my favorite side character after Season Three. Saul or Gus? All the actors, actresses, and the production staff did an excellent job.
The series is about a high school chemistry teacher who found out he has terminal cancer. He chooses to produce meth to raise money for his family before he dies. The series is also about the meth world. What is life in the meth world? Violence, corruption, addiction, greed. The series depicts how drugs affect people including sellers, users, law enforcement, and support groups.
To repeat, I highly recommend the series. Watch the first 3 episodes in Season One. If you feel comfortable after episode three, watch the entire Season One. If you feel comfortable after Season One, watch the entire series. The series gets better, gets darker, and gets more violent. The characters come to you. You may want to watch on a weekend because the series can be addicting you may end up watching some episodes through the late night or early morning. I watched eight episodes of Season Four and 6 episodes of Season Five in two separate late nights and early mornings.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
My only criticism is Creator and Executive Producer Vince Gilligan could have added more episodes. These episodes are back stories of the side characters. For example, how Saul's entered into the "criminal" lawyer business. Mike's days as a police officer and why he took care of his granddaughter. How Hank and Marie met. More screen time to know Walt and Gretchen's past relationship. I believe the audience gains a greater appreciation knowing more about the side characters and more on Walt's past.
My favorite episode is in Season One when Walt entered Tuco's hideout with the "clear white" crystals. Season Four is my favorite season, especially the final scene in the senior citizen home. I don't have a favorite character. I debated myself who was my favorite side character after Season Three. Saul or Gus? All the actors, actresses, and the production staff did an excellent job.
The series is about a high school chemistry teacher who found out he has terminal cancer. He chooses to produce meth to raise money for his family before he dies. The series is also about the meth world. What is life in the meth world? Violence, corruption, addiction, greed. The series depicts how drugs affect people including sellers, users, law enforcement, and support groups.
To repeat, I highly recommend the series. Watch the first 3 episodes in Season One. If you feel comfortable after episode three, watch the entire Season One. If you feel comfortable after Season One, watch the entire series. The series gets better, gets darker, and gets more violent. The characters come to you. You may want to watch on a weekend because the series can be addicting you may end up watching some episodes through the late night or early morning. I watched eight episodes of Season Four and 6 episodes of Season Five in two separate late nights and early mornings.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Instant Bullets Blog Nov 23, 2014
The Successful Magnet. The more successful a person, the more successes come to him or her. Success is a magnet. Success attracts bigger financial gains, more opportunities, increase in people contacts from casual to professional, and more good luck. Think about the most successful people in the world. They attract people. They attract opportunities. They earn higher incomes. The magnet is stronger for people who earn their growing successes.
A Thought On Job Searching Full Time. The spouse, the children, the in-laws, and the family are happy you're home more hours each weekday. In other words, you're not out of the house at your job. You have more free time. You spend more family time. However, it can be bad because you spend less time job searching. Job searching is a full time job. Finding a full time job is a full time job. The job market is rough. Add job training and learning new job skills to your full time job schedule.
Another note: Rejection is part of searching for a job.
My History Book. There are too many blank pages in my history book. I need to create more chapters. How? Live a better life. Find new adventures. Experience new experiences. Meet new people. Make new friends. Specifically, find a full time job, move out, expand my circle of friends, get physically fit, and never stop innovating. Visit a country in Europe. Eat new foods. Learn new job skills. Play more board games. Read more books. Get stronger. Get smarter. Believe more in myself.
Germany Won the 2014 World Cup. Germany defeated Argentina in the 2014 World Cup. Argentina's defense was strong. The score was 0-0 at the end of regulation. Germany scored in extra time. Germany played with patience. Germany needed one opportunity to score. One goal was good enough.
Be patient. Opportunities come to those working hard. One opportunity can be enough to open doors to success.
Add The Right Way. Add the word "right" to our daily life. A person can rethink how to live the "right" way. Examples include the following:
*the right practice
*the right gift
*the right friends
*the right job
*the right classes
*the right car
*the right food
*the right exercises
*the right *fill in the blank*
Personally speaking, I substitute "right" with "perfect". For example, perfect practice, perfect gift, perfect friends, etc. The common speaking is the "right" way.
Take care. Make an effort. Work the right way. Live the right way.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
A Thought On Job Searching Full Time. The spouse, the children, the in-laws, and the family are happy you're home more hours each weekday. In other words, you're not out of the house at your job. You have more free time. You spend more family time. However, it can be bad because you spend less time job searching. Job searching is a full time job. Finding a full time job is a full time job. The job market is rough. Add job training and learning new job skills to your full time job schedule.
Another note: Rejection is part of searching for a job.
My History Book. There are too many blank pages in my history book. I need to create more chapters. How? Live a better life. Find new adventures. Experience new experiences. Meet new people. Make new friends. Specifically, find a full time job, move out, expand my circle of friends, get physically fit, and never stop innovating. Visit a country in Europe. Eat new foods. Learn new job skills. Play more board games. Read more books. Get stronger. Get smarter. Believe more in myself.
Germany Won the 2014 World Cup. Germany defeated Argentina in the 2014 World Cup. Argentina's defense was strong. The score was 0-0 at the end of regulation. Germany scored in extra time. Germany played with patience. Germany needed one opportunity to score. One goal was good enough.
Be patient. Opportunities come to those working hard. One opportunity can be enough to open doors to success.
Add The Right Way. Add the word "right" to our daily life. A person can rethink how to live the "right" way. Examples include the following:
*the right practice
*the right gift
*the right friends
*the right job
*the right classes
*the right car
*the right food
*the right exercises
*the right *fill in the blank*
Personally speaking, I substitute "right" with "perfect". For example, perfect practice, perfect gift, perfect friends, etc. The common speaking is the "right" way.
Take care. Make an effort. Work the right way. Live the right way.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Top Ten Thank Yous
Thanksgiving is five days away. It's a good time to say thank you to ten individuals or groups of people who impacted my life. Their contributions influence me to make good choices. I'm a smarter person because they shared their knowledge. Thank you. Here are the top ten thank yous:
10. Mia Breen Accounting Information Systems class. Miss Breen taught the periodic inventory system. Nobody uses the periodic inventory system. My core accounting instructors concentrated on the perpetual inventory system. The lessons I learned from Miss Breen helped me earned a B in the Accounting For Excel midterm. Almost all of the students failed the midterm because the midterm focused on the periodic inventory system.
9. Neighbor Bob sold me his Toyota Camry 2005. Bob and his wife moved to Virginia to be closer to their family. He sold me his wife's Toyota Camry 2005. I still drive the car today. I experienced many adventures. There are more adventures coming soon.
8. Punkbuster suggested bodybuilding.com website. She gave me a resource to learn how to workout with weights. I read their articles to improve my gym workouts.
7. Carrie's scheduled me weekend shifts at the wine store. Nobody wants to work weekends especially in retail. However, I took advantage of my weekday off shifts searching for a job. The hard work paid off. I have a new job in the tech sector.
6. Vgan hired me twice. He hired me for my first job after graduating at San Jose State University. He hired me for my second job after my first job. The jobs were big breaks starting my careers.
5. South Bay Job Search Network. The best job searching tips are from the people who experienced searching for a job. The people I met. The resources I acquired. The knowledge I learned. All valuable. I believe joining the network helped me get my jobs after graduating from De Anza College.
4. My sister introduced me to ballroom dancing. An experience I remember for the rest of my life. I took ballroom dancing classes at De Anza. I met lots of new people and made friends. A good hobby in my life.
3. Kimu wearing costumes at anime conventions. There were many times at anime conventions I could have been lonely. Kimu and I became friends in 2007. She introduced me to her group of friends. My experience wearing costumes was raised a higher level of fun times because of her.
2. My mom made my costumes. Someone made my costumes. One of my mom's hobbies is sewing. She made seven costumes for the anime conventions I attend. Wearing costumes to anime conventions extended my anime hobby for nine years.
1. Appu's personal projects. He showed me how to never stop learning. He showed me how to market the skills I learned on my resume. The successful people have indefinite personal projects to learn, to grow, to get stronger, and to get smarter. The experience learning job skills outside the workplace paid off three weeks ago when I started a new job in a growing tech company.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
10. Mia Breen Accounting Information Systems class. Miss Breen taught the periodic inventory system. Nobody uses the periodic inventory system. My core accounting instructors concentrated on the perpetual inventory system. The lessons I learned from Miss Breen helped me earned a B in the Accounting For Excel midterm. Almost all of the students failed the midterm because the midterm focused on the periodic inventory system.
9. Neighbor Bob sold me his Toyota Camry 2005. Bob and his wife moved to Virginia to be closer to their family. He sold me his wife's Toyota Camry 2005. I still drive the car today. I experienced many adventures. There are more adventures coming soon.
8. Punkbuster suggested bodybuilding.com website. She gave me a resource to learn how to workout with weights. I read their articles to improve my gym workouts.
7. Carrie's scheduled me weekend shifts at the wine store. Nobody wants to work weekends especially in retail. However, I took advantage of my weekday off shifts searching for a job. The hard work paid off. I have a new job in the tech sector.
6. Vgan hired me twice. He hired me for my first job after graduating at San Jose State University. He hired me for my second job after my first job. The jobs were big breaks starting my careers.
5. South Bay Job Search Network. The best job searching tips are from the people who experienced searching for a job. The people I met. The resources I acquired. The knowledge I learned. All valuable. I believe joining the network helped me get my jobs after graduating from De Anza College.
4. My sister introduced me to ballroom dancing. An experience I remember for the rest of my life. I took ballroom dancing classes at De Anza. I met lots of new people and made friends. A good hobby in my life.
3. Kimu wearing costumes at anime conventions. There were many times at anime conventions I could have been lonely. Kimu and I became friends in 2007. She introduced me to her group of friends. My experience wearing costumes was raised a higher level of fun times because of her.
2. My mom made my costumes. Someone made my costumes. One of my mom's hobbies is sewing. She made seven costumes for the anime conventions I attend. Wearing costumes to anime conventions extended my anime hobby for nine years.
1. Appu's personal projects. He showed me how to never stop learning. He showed me how to market the skills I learned on my resume. The successful people have indefinite personal projects to learn, to grow, to get stronger, and to get smarter. The experience learning job skills outside the workplace paid off three weeks ago when I started a new job in a growing tech company.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Monday, November 17, 2014
I Blog, You Comment Tue Nov 17, 2014
Thank you for the comments, opinions, and feedback.
There Are Many Children With Parents Like Mine blog was about adults who were raised by their parents similar to my parents. Lots of comments were related to our similar childhoods. I mentioned my parents lacked parental knowledge, inattentiveness to my problems, and played the "ignore the problems and hope they go away".
I wrote a blog telling the world to relax. Take a deep breath. Rest and recuperate. The timing is perfect to read An Open Blog To The World.
There were mixed opinions when I wrote How I Buy DVDs.
Job candidates have a better chance getting a job with good social and conversation skills. I wrote a blog talking about The New Job Interview where the interview is a conversation.
I follow new life rules thanks to Mike. Read Mike's Rules to follow them.
All feedback for What Is Innovate Infinitely? stated it was terrible. There was no point of the blog. Stupid. Weak. The comment that summed up all the feedback in a cruel way:
I got sick big time in May and June. I wrote Top Ten Ways I Lower My Chances Getting Sick to share my mistakes and to remember what I do to avoid getting sick. Some people agreed with my ideas. Some didn't.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
There Are Many Children With Parents Like Mine blog was about adults who were raised by their parents similar to my parents. Lots of comments were related to our similar childhoods. I mentioned my parents lacked parental knowledge, inattentiveness to my problems, and played the "ignore the problems and hope they go away".
Yup, my brother, my sister, and I had dumb parents. My sister and I forgive them. My brother hasn't. He's not on speaking terms with our parents. --Francis Alvarez, Arlington, TX
Did your parents hit you? Did your parents ditch you? No? Then you parents raised you well. Sounds simple, yes. There are many children in abusive homes, foster care, and homeless who want your parents. --Leslie Owen, Fresno,CA
You could have been in a worse situation with terrible parents. You're not in jail. They did something right. --Debbie Jefferson, Cincinnati, OH
I agree with you blog 100%. Parents who failed on what you wrote shouldn't be parents. I don't care whether they have lots of money to bail you out of problems. Or to buy you out. Terrible parents. I'm feel pessimistic now after writing this. Finally, there should be government mandatory parenting classes teaching basic parenting. Want more jobs. Start these classes. --Teresa Harrison, San Jose, CA
I wrote a blog telling the world to relax. Take a deep breath. Rest and recuperate. The timing is perfect to read An Open Blog To The World.
I'm a secretary in a law firm. I've been more mistakes committed by the attorneys as the year continued. They're tired. They're prone to more mistakes. Imagine they go to court without me correcting their errors. They lose the case. --Edna Torres, Dallas, TX
My youngest in junior high and my oldest in high school. Dead tired after a long school day. My high school days were never this stressful. What's going on with the world? Take a damn break! Get some sleep! --Byron Murphy, Kansas City, MI
The reason we're tired is too much television shows. Stop watching television, or at least cut your shows in half. --Jody Miles, Buffalo, NY
The world is over-simulated. Be strong. Rest. Don't give in to all this simulation we see with technology and the tv screen, the phone screen, and the computer screen. --Corey Ferguson, Wichita, KS
When will the world realize the lack of sleep hurts everyone? One person is stressed affects the people around him/her. Is it really important to finish everything in one day? If it not important, it's not meant to be done today. The sun will come up tomorrow. --Brenda Burton, Baltimore, MD
There were mixed opinions when I wrote How I Buy DVDs.
Great advice. I sold half my DVD collection I never watched in years. Less clutter in the living room. --Bethany Gonzalez, NM
Good idea. I follow your advice when I think about buying a DVD. It's true what are the chances I watch 100s of movies a year? Not with my daily schedule raising children and keeping my wife happy. --Travis Summers
I can't wait when the DVD is released. I don't watch movies in movie theaters. I buy it to for a big collection. I'm happy with my big collection. Best way to relief stress. --Gilberto Mason, Seattle, WA
The worse blog I read. One, I don't have a DVD collection. I use NetFlix. Two, you're a cheap person. Three, a waste of space in my apartment. Waste of resources printing the paper and making the DVD covers. We have too much trash. --Jan Chan, Los Angeles, CA
Job candidates have a better chance getting a job with good social and conversation skills. I wrote a blog talking about The New Job Interview where the interview is a conversation.
The old school conversation Q&A is outdated and ineffective. If I can have a good conversation with you, then I hire you. --Doug Gill via email
I smile, you smile. We have eye contact. I'm comfortable being in your presence. I will hire you. --Noel Carlson, Chicago, IL
It's like asking a person out on a date. If I want to date you, you'll be hired. --Jessie Payne, SF, CA
I follow new life rules thanks to Mike. Read Mike's Rules to follow them.
These are basic rules. Overstated! Waste of time. --Danielle, Virginia Beach, VA
Fake it till you believe it and courage and comfortable were worth my time reading it. --Gerard Ross, Long Beach, CA
I'm a grade school teacher. I added a couple of Mike's Rules to my classroom rules. --"Miss Cookie" via email
All feedback for What Is Innovate Infinitely? stated it was terrible. There was no point of the blog. Stupid. Weak. The comment that summed up all the feedback in a cruel way:
Look, sir. You still live at home. You overeducated for a job in retail. You have no friends. That's enough to tell me your "innovate infinitely" is a bunch of bull shit. I bet you're an anime fan since you mentioned Japantown. The people who are geeks and anime don't know shit when it comes to living life. Losers. You're weak. You really need strength. You need opportunities. Yeah, right. You don't deserve opportunities. Prove to the world and the world will reward you. The world has a way to give good people good fortunes and bad people bad fortunes. You are lucky your parents let you live at your age. I kick my kids out if they were living at home over 40 years old. --Shawn Powell, Washington D.C.
I got sick big time in May and June. I wrote Top Ten Ways I Lower My Chances Getting Sick to share my mistakes and to remember what I do to avoid getting sick. Some people agreed with my ideas. Some didn't.
I agreed with a clean house, taking your time, and staying hydrated. I disagreed with the soda is your best friend. --Cesar Holt, Baton Rouge, LA
Good article. I adapted the stay hydrated. I should use it to motivate me to drink more water. --Chelsea Mann via email
These are life changing ideas. You're not even a doctor. Good job. --Elisa Fuller, Vancouver, BC, Canada
My goodness. What a bunch of bull. Soda for spicy foods. Nope. Eat three meals. Not for my body. Too much sleep is bad for you. --Jeremiah Griffith, San Diego, CA
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Top Ten Lessons I Learned Working At My Last Job
I worked at a wine store from Nov 2013 to Sep 2014. It was my first job after graduating at De Anza College. I remember the experience working with alcoholic beverages 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. I learned wine. I also learned more job lessons and life lessons.
Today's job market continues to be tough. It's hard to find a job. I never complained. There are some unemployed people who want my job. There is somebody out there who takes my job any day. I'm not complaining about my new job I started on Mon Nov 3.
Here are the top ten lessons I learned working at my last job:
10. Shipping and receiving are not common sense. There are skills and knowledge involved in shipping and receiving. For example, I learned some basics loading and unloading a dolly. The employee moves and stacks boxes. Simple? There are do's and don'ts when arranging boxes of wine. Some do's and don'ts aren't common sense.
9. 100% customer service is a myth. 100% customer service never existed in retail. The customer is not always right. Some customers take advantage of a store's 100% customer service policy. Stores are not breaking the bank for a 100% satisfaction rating. Everyone experience being screwed in customer service regardless of fault. Sometimes being screwed is beyond the customer and the retailer's control.
8. The wine business. The people are in the wine business for the love of the wine. The people aren't in the wine business for the money.
7. Supported from my co-workers. Good people are available in times of trouble. I realized most of my co-workers supported me. They backed me up when I needed help. I should have realized many co-workers backed me up when I worked at Colliers. I was never lonely.
6. Get out when there are signs of trouble. My company started going downhill in May 2014. However, the company hired a new employee with a broad knowledge in wine and beer. He submitted his two week resignation two weeks later. He spotted trouble and mismanagement quickly. I started looking for a new job in June 2014.
5. True workers. Retail workers are true to themselves for better or for worse. There is no reason to fake something about ourselves. They don't need to be somebody else. The retail workers are the lowest beyond the low in the career industry totem pole.
4. Seek first to understand. One of the managers became annoying. He shut himself out. He became weak. He was a coward. What happened? I asked other co-workers. They shared the same experiences. We concluded it was too much stress. I understood the situation. I acted accordingly. I behaved accordingly. I minimized contact with the irritated manager.
3. Stress can change a person. The manager became a different person because of stress. It was the first time I experience how stress changed a person. Frightening. I take better care of myself to avoid stress taking over my life.
2. Learn the back story. Acquire the history. The back story and the history are more examples of seeking first to understand. For example, I asked the assistant manager how the co-owners of the second store met. I also asked her the history how long the first store opened. I had a better understanding of the company and the people.
1. Egos and stubbornness. Some people have egos to protect. They never admit they're wrong. They never recognize a good idea. Avoid stubbornness. There are people who never listen to good ideas. Ownership and management egos and stubbornness can result in a company halting growth.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Today's job market continues to be tough. It's hard to find a job. I never complained. There are some unemployed people who want my job. There is somebody out there who takes my job any day. I'm not complaining about my new job I started on Mon Nov 3.
Here are the top ten lessons I learned working at my last job:
10. Shipping and receiving are not common sense. There are skills and knowledge involved in shipping and receiving. For example, I learned some basics loading and unloading a dolly. The employee moves and stacks boxes. Simple? There are do's and don'ts when arranging boxes of wine. Some do's and don'ts aren't common sense.
9. 100% customer service is a myth. 100% customer service never existed in retail. The customer is not always right. Some customers take advantage of a store's 100% customer service policy. Stores are not breaking the bank for a 100% satisfaction rating. Everyone experience being screwed in customer service regardless of fault. Sometimes being screwed is beyond the customer and the retailer's control.
8. The wine business. The people are in the wine business for the love of the wine. The people aren't in the wine business for the money.
7. Supported from my co-workers. Good people are available in times of trouble. I realized most of my co-workers supported me. They backed me up when I needed help. I should have realized many co-workers backed me up when I worked at Colliers. I was never lonely.
6. Get out when there are signs of trouble. My company started going downhill in May 2014. However, the company hired a new employee with a broad knowledge in wine and beer. He submitted his two week resignation two weeks later. He spotted trouble and mismanagement quickly. I started looking for a new job in June 2014.
5. True workers. Retail workers are true to themselves for better or for worse. There is no reason to fake something about ourselves. They don't need to be somebody else. The retail workers are the lowest beyond the low in the career industry totem pole.
4. Seek first to understand. One of the managers became annoying. He shut himself out. He became weak. He was a coward. What happened? I asked other co-workers. They shared the same experiences. We concluded it was too much stress. I understood the situation. I acted accordingly. I behaved accordingly. I minimized contact with the irritated manager.
3. Stress can change a person. The manager became a different person because of stress. It was the first time I experience how stress changed a person. Frightening. I take better care of myself to avoid stress taking over my life.
2. Learn the back story. Acquire the history. The back story and the history are more examples of seeking first to understand. For example, I asked the assistant manager how the co-owners of the second store met. I also asked her the history how long the first store opened. I had a better understanding of the company and the people.
1. Egos and stubbornness. Some people have egos to protect. They never admit they're wrong. They never recognize a good idea. Avoid stubbornness. There are people who never listen to good ideas. Ownership and management egos and stubbornness can result in a company halting growth.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Work Sat Nov 15, 2014
The work blogs are back. I started working at Palo Alto Networks as a Data Entry Specialist contractor. Here we go.
Mon Nov 3: My first day. The commute was terrible. The total drive is 20 minutes to and from work during non-commute times. I drove 35 minutes. I felt good working in a tech company the minute I walked inside the lobby. I felt good going back to a cubicle work environment. Everyone wears photo ID security badges. The work hours are flexible; however, contractors work 40 hours a week. Overtime must be approved by my two managers. I support an engineer and a risk manager.
My orientation started a 9am. I met two other contractors. The first was a Business Analyst for a marketing department. The second was a marketing assistant for the Executive Briefing Center. The contractor liaison verified our I-9, reviewed contractor procedures, and toured the two buildings including the gym, cafeteria, breezeway connector, game room, and break rooms. The break rooms include free bottle water, sodas, snacks, coffee, Keurig coffee, tea, milk, and string cheese for every floor. The snacks included raisins, chips, trail mix, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, granola bars, and protein bars.
I met my engineer. His cubicle is next to mine. He, another co-worker who trained me, and I went to the Tech Oasis to get my laptop. The Tech Oasis is a walk-in IT helpdesk. I was assigned my laptop, docking station, phone number, and network password. My laptop is installed with Office 2010, Chrome, and Microsoft Lync.
We use Shoretel 230 phones which are the same phones when I worked at Colliers International. I cleaned up the surface and arranged my monitor and docking station. I acquired pens, notepad, and Post-It notes from the supply room. Each cubicle has a whiteboard, an enclosed storage bin, and small shelf on wheels. There are no black markers for the whiteboard because the Sharpies are black colored. I need a desk fan, plants, and a keyboard wrist rest. The air is stagnant, warm, and dry for the entire fifth floor.
The rest of the day was training from my co-worker who transferred to another department tomorrow. I was not her replacement. I replaced an intern. The database used is SAP.
The commute home was too long. I drove for 40 minutes. My 8am-5pm work schedule allows me to see the sunrise when I wake in the morning and the sunset when I drove home from work.
Tue Nov 4: My second monitor arrived. I ate at the cafeteria for the first time. The hours are 11:30am-2pm. There are three stations and a salad bar. Each station features a special of the day. The coffee bar hours are 7:30am-3pm. The seating area is open for the entire day.
One of my buttons on my pants broke when I went to the restroom. I sew it back on later.
I must close the blinds from a window section because the sun shines directly at me at 4pm. I open the blinds before I go home.
My engineer worked at home today. I used the downtown to map the data fields.
I talked to the test engineer in our team. He worked at the company for at least three years. He told me the company is averaging one new hire a day. He started as a contractor. He's full time now.
Wed Nov 5: The morning commute was 20 minutes. The commute on Mon Nov 3 must be an anomaly. I learned each day's commute is different when I worked at Artisan Wine Depot. There must be an accident that prolonged Mon's longer than expected commute.
I placed my plants and fan on my desk. The Vornado Flippi Fan is on my left side. The two plants are on my right side to the right of my phone.
My engineer showed me the tech lab. He continued my training in the database. The data was terrible. I should have expected poor data. It was somewhat similar at Cisco.
I brought Couples by John Updike book to read after lunch.
I drove home using Monroe St. and Scott Blvd. I use the route if I need to shop at Target. Total commute time was 40 minutes.
Thur Nov 6: The morning commute was 20 minutes for the second day in a row. It seemed longer. I met another co-worker named Frank. Another co-worker in the supply-side department let me borrow her spare desk fan and an extension cord. I accepted the extension cord.
My engineer created an upload template to increase efficiently. The more I learned the data, the more complex the data to understand and the more poor the quality. I felt less likely my contract is going to be renewed because the company is paying too much more for someone to maintain poor data. There is too much unnecessary work.
I watched a two-part Magnum PI episode titled "De Ja Vu". I mentioned the two TV episodes because I should have stopped watching after part one. I needed extra sleep. I had difficulty adjusting to my new 8am-5pm work schedule because I slept 6 hours or less each night. In addition, I had experience periods of my stomach growling. I ate Famous Amos cookies and Nature Valley Granola Bars. I choose not to each the protein bar.
I drove home using Lafayette Boulevard. The long signal light at the Central Expwy. intersection and El Camino Real intersection convinced me they were not worth the wait time. I use the route if I need to shop at Costco. Total commute time was 40 minutes.
Fri Nov 7: 18 minutes from home to work on my first foggy day commute. It felt like 25 minutes. I accept an 18 minute to work and up to 40 minutes driving home commute. My average total commute time working at Artisan Wine Depot was 60 minutes.
I saw the Nespresso machine next to the sink in the break room for the first time. The company takes care of their full time and contractors in terms of food and drinks. I was told the company subsidizes the cafeteria prices.
My engineer assigned me cleaning up data.
There was a celebration at the outside quad. The celebration was recognizing a successful fiscal quarter. My engineer's boss plays in a band. The band provided the music. I didn't attend.
Mon Nov 10: I still had problems getting enough sleep. I drove to work at 8:01am. I arrived at work at 8:19am. I still had my parking spot I choose to maximize shade from the trees. The morning was foggy.
My engineer assigned me a new project for his upcoming presentation. There were over 1,000 records to enter. My engineer and I agreed to concentrate on the approximately 250 new records which needed to be entered.
I purchased my lunch at the cafeteria for the first time. I ordered the Carne Asada tacos with rice. The Churros were hard for dessert.
I walked around the gym after lunch. The gym looks good. I can work out here after work. The men's locker room is outside the gym at the walkway next to the game room entrance. Towels and water are provided.
I wonder are engineers terrible at explaining. The manager who trained me at Artisan Wine Depot was terrible. He was an electrical engineer. My engineer told me instructions too late. I started over again. I'm fortunate my limited SQL and past Access experience helped. I admit I'm still rusty at database administration. I also admit I need more self-training. Everything was coming back to me. I must be professional. I must be strong.
Tue Nov 11: The Veteran's Day holiday made the evening commute easier. 26 minutes total time. I continued working on the project which is taking much longer than expected.
I met with the risk manager I start supporting soon. We met for one hour. She introduced me to the database tracking all the suppliers. The database is purchased from an outside company.
Wed Nov 12: I arrived to work at 10:40am because my car needed new front breaks. I found a better parking spot with more afternoon shade.
I brought a clothes hanger to hang my jacket. I didn't want my jacket on my chair. I used three pins to hang my clothes hanger with my jacket inside my cubicle next to my whiteboard. I need more pins when I wear a heavier jacket. One pin couldn't handle the weight. I plan to visit a store to purchase an appropriate cubicle clothes hanger soon.
My first project is stupid. Bad timing was likely. Bad data. Missing data. I'm still learning the meanings for all the data. Perhaps the bad data is the reason why the company hired a data entry contractor instead of a database administrator.
New hand sanitizers stations were installed next to the elevators and next to the break rooms.
I kept my laptop on the docking station after work because Windows 7 updated 28 new updates.
Thur Nov 13: There was a buzz sound inside the break room. The water cooler needed a new five gallon water jug. Another worker told me to open the door on the bottom of the cooler. The water jug is on the bottom of the cooler. The cooler is not the traditional take the jug, turn it upside down, and rest on top of the cooler. There is a pipe inserted inside the jug to pump water.
My late lunch allowed me to hear the beginning of the company's 2015 benefits presentation for their employees. An employee gave me the 2015 benefits book.
Fri No 14: The project was completed before lunch. Most new records were successfully uploaded. My engineer and the SAP administrator were aware some records failed to upload. There were lots of headaches. I worked on UAT after lunch. The SAP Administrator installed new features in the database I was assigned to test.
I talked to the receptionist regarding the policy on personal mail and packages. She said workers must be courteous by picking up our packages after we receive an email stating our packages arrived in the front area. She also said personal packages have already increased for the holiday season. The 2013 holiday season was too much to handle. There are more people in the front reception and in the shipping & receiving today. They are ready handle the anticipated increase in packages arriving. USPS, UPS, and FedEx are acceptable postal services for mail and packages.
I need a mouse pad. My surface gives me problems when I use my mouse. I thought laser mouse don't need a mouse pad. It appears I'm wrong.
I discovered there was an accident when I arrived home. I made a left turn on El Camino Real because traffic stopped moving. Good move. The rest of the drive took around 12-15 minutes. The total commute home was 47 minutes.
I created a personal rule. I must make a left turn at El Camino Real if I anticipate waiting three or more signal cycles to drive through the El Camino Real intersection.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Mon Nov 3: My first day. The commute was terrible. The total drive is 20 minutes to and from work during non-commute times. I drove 35 minutes. I felt good working in a tech company the minute I walked inside the lobby. I felt good going back to a cubicle work environment. Everyone wears photo ID security badges. The work hours are flexible; however, contractors work 40 hours a week. Overtime must be approved by my two managers. I support an engineer and a risk manager.
My orientation started a 9am. I met two other contractors. The first was a Business Analyst for a marketing department. The second was a marketing assistant for the Executive Briefing Center. The contractor liaison verified our I-9, reviewed contractor procedures, and toured the two buildings including the gym, cafeteria, breezeway connector, game room, and break rooms. The break rooms include free bottle water, sodas, snacks, coffee, Keurig coffee, tea, milk, and string cheese for every floor. The snacks included raisins, chips, trail mix, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, granola bars, and protein bars.
I met my engineer. His cubicle is next to mine. He, another co-worker who trained me, and I went to the Tech Oasis to get my laptop. The Tech Oasis is a walk-in IT helpdesk. I was assigned my laptop, docking station, phone number, and network password. My laptop is installed with Office 2010, Chrome, and Microsoft Lync.
We use Shoretel 230 phones which are the same phones when I worked at Colliers International. I cleaned up the surface and arranged my monitor and docking station. I acquired pens, notepad, and Post-It notes from the supply room. Each cubicle has a whiteboard, an enclosed storage bin, and small shelf on wheels. There are no black markers for the whiteboard because the Sharpies are black colored. I need a desk fan, plants, and a keyboard wrist rest. The air is stagnant, warm, and dry for the entire fifth floor.
The rest of the day was training from my co-worker who transferred to another department tomorrow. I was not her replacement. I replaced an intern. The database used is SAP.
The commute home was too long. I drove for 40 minutes. My 8am-5pm work schedule allows me to see the sunrise when I wake in the morning and the sunset when I drove home from work.
Tue Nov 4: My second monitor arrived. I ate at the cafeteria for the first time. The hours are 11:30am-2pm. There are three stations and a salad bar. Each station features a special of the day. The coffee bar hours are 7:30am-3pm. The seating area is open for the entire day.
One of my buttons on my pants broke when I went to the restroom. I sew it back on later.
I must close the blinds from a window section because the sun shines directly at me at 4pm. I open the blinds before I go home.
My engineer worked at home today. I used the downtown to map the data fields.
I talked to the test engineer in our team. He worked at the company for at least three years. He told me the company is averaging one new hire a day. He started as a contractor. He's full time now.
Wed Nov 5: The morning commute was 20 minutes. The commute on Mon Nov 3 must be an anomaly. I learned each day's commute is different when I worked at Artisan Wine Depot. There must be an accident that prolonged Mon's longer than expected commute.
I placed my plants and fan on my desk. The Vornado Flippi Fan is on my left side. The two plants are on my right side to the right of my phone.
My engineer showed me the tech lab. He continued my training in the database. The data was terrible. I should have expected poor data. It was somewhat similar at Cisco.
I brought Couples by John Updike book to read after lunch.
I drove home using Monroe St. and Scott Blvd. I use the route if I need to shop at Target. Total commute time was 40 minutes.
Thur Nov 6: The morning commute was 20 minutes for the second day in a row. It seemed longer. I met another co-worker named Frank. Another co-worker in the supply-side department let me borrow her spare desk fan and an extension cord. I accepted the extension cord.
My engineer created an upload template to increase efficiently. The more I learned the data, the more complex the data to understand and the more poor the quality. I felt less likely my contract is going to be renewed because the company is paying too much more for someone to maintain poor data. There is too much unnecessary work.
I watched a two-part Magnum PI episode titled "De Ja Vu". I mentioned the two TV episodes because I should have stopped watching after part one. I needed extra sleep. I had difficulty adjusting to my new 8am-5pm work schedule because I slept 6 hours or less each night. In addition, I had experience periods of my stomach growling. I ate Famous Amos cookies and Nature Valley Granola Bars. I choose not to each the protein bar.
I drove home using Lafayette Boulevard. The long signal light at the Central Expwy. intersection and El Camino Real intersection convinced me they were not worth the wait time. I use the route if I need to shop at Costco. Total commute time was 40 minutes.
Fri Nov 7: 18 minutes from home to work on my first foggy day commute. It felt like 25 minutes. I accept an 18 minute to work and up to 40 minutes driving home commute. My average total commute time working at Artisan Wine Depot was 60 minutes.
I saw the Nespresso machine next to the sink in the break room for the first time. The company takes care of their full time and contractors in terms of food and drinks. I was told the company subsidizes the cafeteria prices.
My engineer assigned me cleaning up data.
There was a celebration at the outside quad. The celebration was recognizing a successful fiscal quarter. My engineer's boss plays in a band. The band provided the music. I didn't attend.
Mon Nov 10: I still had problems getting enough sleep. I drove to work at 8:01am. I arrived at work at 8:19am. I still had my parking spot I choose to maximize shade from the trees. The morning was foggy.
My engineer assigned me a new project for his upcoming presentation. There were over 1,000 records to enter. My engineer and I agreed to concentrate on the approximately 250 new records which needed to be entered.
I purchased my lunch at the cafeteria for the first time. I ordered the Carne Asada tacos with rice. The Churros were hard for dessert.
I walked around the gym after lunch. The gym looks good. I can work out here after work. The men's locker room is outside the gym at the walkway next to the game room entrance. Towels and water are provided.
I wonder are engineers terrible at explaining. The manager who trained me at Artisan Wine Depot was terrible. He was an electrical engineer. My engineer told me instructions too late. I started over again. I'm fortunate my limited SQL and past Access experience helped. I admit I'm still rusty at database administration. I also admit I need more self-training. Everything was coming back to me. I must be professional. I must be strong.
Tue Nov 11: The Veteran's Day holiday made the evening commute easier. 26 minutes total time. I continued working on the project which is taking much longer than expected.
I met with the risk manager I start supporting soon. We met for one hour. She introduced me to the database tracking all the suppliers. The database is purchased from an outside company.
Wed Nov 12: I arrived to work at 10:40am because my car needed new front breaks. I found a better parking spot with more afternoon shade.
I brought a clothes hanger to hang my jacket. I didn't want my jacket on my chair. I used three pins to hang my clothes hanger with my jacket inside my cubicle next to my whiteboard. I need more pins when I wear a heavier jacket. One pin couldn't handle the weight. I plan to visit a store to purchase an appropriate cubicle clothes hanger soon.
My first project is stupid. Bad timing was likely. Bad data. Missing data. I'm still learning the meanings for all the data. Perhaps the bad data is the reason why the company hired a data entry contractor instead of a database administrator.
New hand sanitizers stations were installed next to the elevators and next to the break rooms.
I kept my laptop on the docking station after work because Windows 7 updated 28 new updates.
Thur Nov 13: There was a buzz sound inside the break room. The water cooler needed a new five gallon water jug. Another worker told me to open the door on the bottom of the cooler. The water jug is on the bottom of the cooler. The cooler is not the traditional take the jug, turn it upside down, and rest on top of the cooler. There is a pipe inserted inside the jug to pump water.
My late lunch allowed me to hear the beginning of the company's 2015 benefits presentation for their employees. An employee gave me the 2015 benefits book.
Fri No 14: The project was completed before lunch. Most new records were successfully uploaded. My engineer and the SAP administrator were aware some records failed to upload. There were lots of headaches. I worked on UAT after lunch. The SAP Administrator installed new features in the database I was assigned to test.
I talked to the receptionist regarding the policy on personal mail and packages. She said workers must be courteous by picking up our packages after we receive an email stating our packages arrived in the front area. She also said personal packages have already increased for the holiday season. The 2013 holiday season was too much to handle. There are more people in the front reception and in the shipping & receiving today. They are ready handle the anticipated increase in packages arriving. USPS, UPS, and FedEx are acceptable postal services for mail and packages.
I need a mouse pad. My surface gives me problems when I use my mouse. I thought laser mouse don't need a mouse pad. It appears I'm wrong.
I discovered there was an accident when I arrived home. I made a left turn on El Camino Real because traffic stopped moving. Good move. The rest of the drive took around 12-15 minutes. The total commute home was 47 minutes.
I created a personal rule. I must make a left turn at El Camino Real if I anticipate waiting three or more signal cycles to drive through the El Camino Real intersection.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Seeing Ordinary People Living Their Lives
I shopped for a desk fan and two indoor plants after work today. I blog my new job bringing back my work blogs soon. In the meantime, I want to share an observation when I shopped.
I saw ordinary people living ordinary lives. They don't need lots of money. They don't need lots of fame. They live another day being grateful for what they have. Most of them don't take their good fortunate lives for granted. The other people must discover to stop taking their lives for granted.
I saw the workers at the stores I shopped taking it easy. There were few customers. They were being their best staying busy. Some of them conversed with each other. Good. They didn't want to be bored; moreover, most were eager to engage in customers. I believe many counted their blessings they have a job. Everything is going to be okay.
Finally, I saw lots of cars on the road driving home in the later commuter hours. The work day was over. Rest, relax, and recover for another workday tomorrow. Some of these commuters work in mediocre jobs. I believe most of us commuters are grateful for our jobs like the retail workers above. They counted their blessings. Everything is going to be okay.
We're ordinary people. Take a deep breath everyone. We don't need lots of money. We don't need fame to be happy. We live our lives to the best with honesty, strength, and dignity.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
I saw ordinary people living ordinary lives. They don't need lots of money. They don't need lots of fame. They live another day being grateful for what they have. Most of them don't take their good fortunate lives for granted. The other people must discover to stop taking their lives for granted.
I saw the workers at the stores I shopped taking it easy. There were few customers. They were being their best staying busy. Some of them conversed with each other. Good. They didn't want to be bored; moreover, most were eager to engage in customers. I believe many counted their blessings they have a job. Everything is going to be okay.
Finally, I saw lots of cars on the road driving home in the later commuter hours. The work day was over. Rest, relax, and recover for another workday tomorrow. Some of these commuters work in mediocre jobs. I believe most of us commuters are grateful for our jobs like the retail workers above. They counted their blessings. Everything is going to be okay.
We're ordinary people. Take a deep breath everyone. We don't need lots of money. We don't need fame to be happy. We live our lives to the best with honesty, strength, and dignity.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Wine On Fourth Of July
A new hiking shirt for hiking. A new knife to open wine crates. I didn't play Mahjong and I didn't ride a bus to school in 1989. The Chinese restaurant was empty because a few customers needed their car's breaks repaired. The Fourth Of July was spent looking at Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and a full moon. Too early to buy school supplies.
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)