Saturday, January 31, 2015

Go Get My Life

I remember one lunch hour in my high school senior year. A classmate and I were in the library. I was depressed. I said, "I need a life". The classmate said, "Then go get it". I never thought about the response for the rest of my senior year. I was too depressed to contemplate the meaning of getting a life.

I understand the meaning today. Getting a life is working hard. Don't take life for granted. Be responsible. Earn your successes. Success finds the hard working person. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

The most recent example getting my life happened in Sep and Oct 2014. I was unemployed. I began job searching again. My second round of job searching was different because I learned my mistakes job searching after graduating from De Anza in 2011. The seconds round of job searching was job searching six days a week. I searched for a job on Saturdays and Sundays. I reviewed my job skills in Excel, Access, and SQL. I learned Python. I worked out at the gym four days a week. I retired watching anime. There was no time for playing around. Laziness equals no job. I was active every waking minute. I was in the zone. I was rewarded with a contract job at Palo Alto Networks. I was one step closer to find a long-term job.

I'm lucky. I'm still working to get my life. Life doesn't come to me. I must go get my life. There are some people who hope and pray on nothing to get a life. I was a person who hoped and prayed. I was naive. No more hoping and praying on nothing. My eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, and my brain are in the zone to go get my life.

Bruce Lee said it best, “Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement . . . for learning is boundless.” There are more adventures to find, new experiences to experience, and more people to meet. Life can be described as infinite achievements. I master some achievements. There are higher achievements to master again. There are new achievements to master. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Get out of my comfort zone. Go get my life.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Work Thur Jan 22, 2015

Mon Jan 12: I woke up at 7:15am. I should have slept more last weekend. I ate breakfast at my cubicle for the first time to avoid arriving work too late.

My engineer told me to delay the audits. My priority was entering the newest RMAs. I used Salesforce for the first time to look up incomplete RMAs. I continued to learn more about the RMA process. He continued to give me more instructions even though I have worked in the company for 2.5 months.

I learned more history of the SAP database. The database went live in Oct 2014. My engineer, SAP administrator, and I had a meeting to discuss future enhancements. The SAP administrator shared a story when he worked at another tech company. He got a call on a Fri night at 11pm from the CFO office. There was a glitch in the new accounting payable system. The system was fixed. His development team was not at fault.

Tue Jan 13: Another worker and I rode the elevator down to the first floor on my way to the cafeteria for lunch. The worker pressed the second floor by mistake. A third passenger entered the elevator on the fourth floor. He exited on the second floor. What were the chances? I made a joke the worker who pressed the second floor by mistakes predicted someone needed to get off on the second floor.

Entering the RMAs and cleaning up the RMAs are a learning process. The learning process was the same when I worked at Cisco. I learn more working on the SAP database. I learn more making mistakes.

Wed Jan 14: I arrived to work at 9:50am because of a dentist appointment. I was lucky I arrived at my dentist appointment 10 minutes late because the batteries in my alarm clock went dead.

I ate an Iguanas burrito for lunch take out at 3pm. I brought the burrito back to the cafeteria. I located the paper plates next to the salad bar when I almost finished eating my burrito. Eating lunch at 3pm reminded me when I worked at a wine store. My lunch hour was at 3pm.

Thur Jan 15: There was a live CNBA broadcast at the lobby. Security closed the lobby entrance. I entered the building from the shipping & receiving. The broadcast involved four companies forming the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA). The CEO of the company was interviewed.

I listened to classical music in the afternoon. I stopped listening to podcasts for the rest of the day and tomorrow.

Fri Jan 16: A replacement was assigned for the person who was fired last week. The replacement is a contract worker given a new challenging assignment. Her last assignment was an executive assistant. My initial impressions reminded me of an obnoxious co-worker at my last job.

I created another Access database. The database contains all the components and its part numbers. I export the data from the online database to the Access database to help me entered the RMAs in the SAP database faster.

I pressed the Don't Walk button on the signal intersection from the parking lot. The reason was the green light exiting the parking lot was too short. I shopped at Costco after work for the first time since 2008.

Mon Jan 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The office was closed.

Tue Jan 20: Terrible morning commute. I drove 30 minutes to work. It must be the work day after a holiday.

My engineer experienced CPU problems with his laptop. Slow performance. He went to IT. No help. IT looked at his laptop for one minute. IT said no problems. My engineer was frustrated for the rest of the day.

The cafeteria started selling Starbucks coffee. No more Peet's Coffee.

The sun no longer shines at my cubicle between 4:30pm and 4:40pm. It must be the longer daylight time and the angle of the sun.

Wed Jan 21: 26 minute commute to work. It could have been 30 minutes if I stopped at a signaled intersection after El Camino Real and stopped at my one left turn to work. I needed to leave the house 30 minutes earlier.

My engineer arrived to work at 1pm. He was offsite for a meeting with one of our vendors in Fremont, CA.

Thur Jan 22: Two accidents today. One accident on my way to work and one accident on my way home. The first accident was a fender bender blocking the left lane. The parties should have moved to the right shoulder. The second accident was at the center of a major intersection. Emergencies services were at scene when I drove past.

I downloaded the official category definitions and downloaded the SAP database field definitions. I wonder why my engineer didn't tell me about these documents when I started.

My gym workout was cut short because I needed to pee in the middle of my treadmill workout. One of the treadmill machines was out of order. I went to the bathroom losing my treadmill because there was another worker who wanted the treadmill.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Accutane Day 2,175


I choose to use my photo I posted on Sat Dec 27, 2014. Click here to view my Accuntane Day 2,151 blog.

I visited my dermatologist on Mon Jan 19 for my annual checkup. Everything was good. I was asked for a full body exam meaning a full skin examination. I didn't need the examination. I asked if there are any new creams. The dermatologist said no for my needs. Tretinoin is my best exfoliate topical cream which I started applying Sun nights instead of Thur nights. My acne scars continue to heal. There have been no acne outbreaks. My face continues clearing up especially the acne scar on the top of my forehead.

I continue to believe my changing hormones and shaving contributes to my clearing face. I shave three days a week using a razor shaving with the grain and against the grain. My shaving has been removing more dead skin.

The dermatologist asked about my dermatitis on my hands. I informed her I switched my moisturizer from Vanicream to Nivea. She was shocked because her medical office recommends Vanicream since it contains no additives, dyes, and fragrances. I use Nivea Extended Moisture Body Lotion 48 hour. Vanicream resulted in bumps the color of my skin. I use Cortisone instead of Desoximetasone ointment for topical treatment. Cortisone is weaker than Desoximetasone; however, it's much cheaper. Finally, she encouraged me to maintain moisturizing my hands to avoid getting sick. She said dry cuticles attract viruses causing illness. Interesting.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Take Care Of Your Brain

Daniel Amen, MD of The Amen Clinics wrote a blog on ten mistakes people fail to take care of their brains. I summarize the ten mistakes below. Click The 10 Biggest Mistakes People Make For Their Brains to read the complete blog written Aug 26, 2014.

1. Fail to protect the brain. Protect the brain to live a long life.
2. Children risk damaging their brain. One brain injury can have long term negative impact.
3. Poison the brain. Avoid drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and negative influences.
4. Diet is all low fat. The brain is 60% fat. The brain needs healthy fats.
5. No life goals. Think of goals to accomplish to be a better person.
6. Watch too much TV. Self-explanatory.
7. Don't use it and you lose it. Keep your brain active doing something, anything.
8. Too late for help. Get help when there are signs of brain problems.
9. Thinking negative. Become more positive.
10. Not caring other people's brains. Look out for the one's you love.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Raymond's Calendar Year

The beginning of 2015 started 17 days ago. Time is flying by fast. The next time I blink my eye is Feb 1. I want to blog three particular months in a calendar year which consistently affects my life historically.

The month of March is my worse month. There are no major holidays to give myself a day off. I experience the worst luck. I feel sad and depressed. My life goes backwards. The best March months are when nothing happens good or bad. I want to skip March at the end of February. I want to begin April. The March anomalies were I started my contract at Cisco in 2007 and graduated at De Anza College in 2011.

The month of September is my personal new year. September is the beginning of Raymond's Year which is like a business' fiscal year. September is my reset year. Raymond's Calendar Year is Sep 1-Aug 31. I don't create New Year's Resolutions. All resolutions, all changes, and all improvements begin immediately.

The month of November is my best month. The month includes Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and cooler temperatures. Thanksgiving begins the holiday season. Black Friday is the only day I splurge and I buy items I patiently waited for the lowest price. I remember good moments which include starting my first job after graduating from De Anza College in 2013, my Washington Canada 2008 vacation, the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series, and my family road trip to Oregon in 2005. My mood becomes joyful, cheerful, and open.

Friday The 13th

All my Friday The 13ths have been uneventful since 2011. I remember most of the 2000 decade every Friday The 13th had been good moments; in particular, when I worked at Colliers International. I see what happens on February 13, 2015.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Sunday, January 11, 2015

My Spirituality Discovery

I'm not a spiritual expert. I have no knowledge in enlightenment and Zen. I'm not a religious person. I discovered my spirituality to live a better life on Wed Jan 7, 2015. I also discovered I consciously realize I have been practicing my spirituality five months ago. I started praying by reading my own bible.

I wrote a blog on Sat Aug 3, 2014 titled Why Do I Pray? I officially announce I started practicing my spirituality retroactive to the day by reading my own bible I created. No religion. No membership in an organization. I personally pray for myself.

My other spiritual discovery is practiced seven nights a week. The discovery is sleep. I sleep to rest my body. I sleep to rest my soul. I sleep to rest physically, mentally, and emotionally. I sleep to close my eyes, to dream, to be in peace, to relax, and to smile. I minimize stress. I close my eyes, dream, and smile. Naps are bonus spiritual practice to rest from fatigue. If you need motivation to improve your sleep, then convince yourself sleeping is your spirituality.

In summary, I read my personal bible weekly and I sleep nightly are the spiritual part of my life. A successful person satisfactory masters their physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual well being. I have been ignoring spiritual because I thought spiritual related to a religion. I was incorrect. A person's spiritual well being should be their own spirituality he or she chooses. A person must not allow somebody else to define his or her spirituality.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Work Sat Jan 10, 2015

Wed Dec 31: I ate Safeway bagels for the first time working at the company. I purchased frozen hash browns for New Year's Day breakfast. I stored the hash browns in the coffee room freezer.

The audit continued today. Be slow. Be calm. I listened to music from calmradio.com. I checked my Facebook from time to time before lunch.

Thur Jan 1, 2015: Happy New Year. Company was closed.

Fri Jan 2: I arrived to work at 8:45am. I forgot to shave. The building was dead. I was ready to upload the audits from one of the vendors. It should be a smooth export to the SAP database. I spoke too soon. There were problems with the upload and there was a minor error on the interposer template. I emailed the SAP administrator documenting the problems with screenshots. I troubleshooted and corrected the interposer template. I listened to podcasts throughout the day. I listen to more podcasts and less music at work.

The cafeteria closed minutes after I ordered chicken tenders. One out of three stations and the salad bar were open.

Mon Jan 5: I experienced trouble waking up. I was ready physically. I wasn't ready mentally. My mind needed more rest. It was worth the additional rest waking up at 7am instead of 6am. I arrived to work at 9am.

I ate my granola bar in the coffee room. I small talked with the engineer I don't know his name from another department. The conversations included movies and our Christmas holiday.

I saw facility workers installing two cigarette receptacles at the court yard walking to the cafeteria.

My engineer emailed me more RMAs from another vendor to enter in the SAP database. The additional RMAs and the SAP export problems gave me optimism my contract is extended beyond four months.

Tue Jan 6: Another 9am-6pm workday. I was ready physically. I wasn't ready mentally. My mind needed more rest. The morning commute took 30 minutes. I experienced my first red light after El Camino Real. My prior morning commutes the intersections between El Camion Real and before my left turn were 100% green lights.

A co-worker was fired in my work area. It was the first time I was present during a firing. My past company firings I was informed after the employee exited the building. I gave her the extension cord I borrowed and I gave her my contact information. Other co-workers gave her their contact information. She was escorted by someone in human resources. A facilities worker pushed a cart to assist in taking her belongings. The three workers exited using the service elevator.

I met with the SAP administrator for a meeting explaining the SAP export problems. He explained he must follow a procedure including submitting an IT ticket and informing his management. I anticipated a long wait for the SAP enhancements. I'm required to test the enhancements in the development side.

My evening commute took 24 minutes. It was the first time my evening commute was shorter than my morning commute.

Wed Jan 7: Another 30 minute morning commute. I woke up at 7am for the third time in a row. I was awake mentally. I was still tired physically. I went to bed earlier last night. I must be adjusting from my holiday sleep schedule. I contemplated skipping the gym. No skip. I worked out at the company's gym.

Another worker entered the elevator area 3-5 seconds before me arriving to work. He held the elevator door open when I entered the elevator area. My thanks. I pay it forward the next time I'm ahead of another worker entering the elevator area.

Thur Jan 8: I was motivated to wake up at 6am because I want a 20 minute or less morning commute. Today's commute was 17 minutes.

My engineer told me more background story on the RMAs missing data points. He said the problems with the RMA data and the server component database existed before he started at the company. I thought about his story minutes after I sat at my cubicle. I realized why some job openings require lots of experience. One reason is the successful candidate must solve problems on day one. I'm guessing my engineer was hired because he has the experience to solve problems in quality control. On the other hand, there are too many job openings in today's tough job market requiring too much experience. Many job openings don't require lots of experience.

I exited the building at 5:15pm. There was still daylight. Daylight is getting longer.

Fri Jan 9: I continued with the audits. I continued listening to podcasts. I continued listening to KNBR 680AM at 3pm. There's no timetable when I complete the audits in full.

My engineer went home early because he had an appointment. He worked at home for the rest of the day.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Exercise Your Body From Head To Toe Inside And Outside

Use it or lose it. The phase is common knowledge. Stop doing something beings the loss. Athletes consistently train hard. Athletes begin losing their performance when the stop training. The training applies to their physical, mental, and spiritual state.

Another example is my extended unemployment. I didn't use Excel for years. The realization I needed relearning happened during an interview in Jun 2014. The company believed my Excel skills were weak. I knew my Excel skills were strong because I used Excel in my past jobs. I was rusty. I practiced Excel watching YouTube videos starting in Aug 2014. The self training paid off because my current job requires Excel skills. I still continue learning new Excel skills.

Our bodies are meant to move, to think, and to be in peace. Our bodies require exercise. Use your elbows and knees. Use your brain. Use your heart. Remember to breath. Exercise is a good way to move around. Go to the gym. Hike. Ride a bicycle. Do physical activities to exercise your body.

Use your brain. Learn something new. Learn how to cook. Learn how to workout at the gym by finding workout programs. Read books. Play games. Be social. The brain wants stimulation. Exercise the brain finding new adventures and experience new experiences. Strength also applies to a person's mental state.

Inner peace is important for a person's heart and soul. Minimize stress. Maximize happiness. Find time daily to rest. Sleep and naps are good ways to rest the body. I exercise my soul reading my personal bible based on past blogs weekly. My personal bible reminds me who I am. Some of the content includes my lessons I learned, Steve Jobs' 2005 Commence Speech at Stanford University, top 30 blogs from my first 300 blogs, and my daily rules for living. If I stop reading my personal bible, I forget the content resulting in me becoming weaker.

We lose some abilities as we age naturally. Minimize saying these common phases: "I haven't done *fill in the blank* for a long time" or "It's been a while". Stay active. Stay focus. Avoid being lazy. Live a life consistently getting better. Innovate infinitely. The muscles, joints, brain, and heart are grateful living an active life.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Saturday, January 03, 2015

40 For 40: Loma Preita Earthquake Oct 1989

Introduction: I start a new blog series titled "40 For 40." I share moments and experiences I lived in my 40 years. The ESPN 30 For 30 inspired me to create my 40 For 40 blogs. The sport documentary series detailed people, sport teams, moments, events, and controversial situations. The same ideas apply to my 40 For 40.

My first 40 For 40 blog includes a sports event which was featured in ESPN 30 For 30. My blog is the Loma Preita Earthquake which delayed Game 3 of the 1989 World Series for 10 days.


I was studying Algebra in my room on the second story in my house. I didn't watch Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. The World Series was called "The Battle Of The Bay" or "The Bay Bridge Series" because both teams are in the San Francisco Bay Area. My parents raised me to focus on school work and studying. No TV on school nights. My parents should have taught me to live life more free. I can write another blog on my parents raising me.

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook at 5:04pm Tue Oct 17, 1989. My house shook for two seconds. A pause. Then the house shook left and right. It was like I shook a jar full of coins. The coins moved everywhere. The sound was loud. I heard the windows rattling. I heard objects falling off shelves and cupboards. I ran from my desk to the door way. I kept my balance. I said "Oh shit!" really loud.

The 15 second earthquake stopped. I ran downstairs surveying the inside. No structural damage. Lots of objects fell to the ground. Fortunately, the kitchen experienced the least damage. The doors to the cupboards held closed. It was a miracle. The big rectangle sized bird cage fell to the ground. I took the birds with me to the backyard to evacuate myself after taking one minute surveying the home. I saw the birds' heartbeats beating fast. They were scared.

I stayed in the backyard for 15 minutes. I went back inside to turn out the television. Electricity was out. I entered and exited the house frequently. I studied Biology when I was inside. Schoolwork was still in my mind. I comprehended the earthquake destruction months later--even years later. I believed I took myself for granted my family and I experienced no significant effects.

I saw an aircraft flying at low altitude a few times when I was outside. It was a police aircraft patrolling the area. The remaining daylight my mom, siblings, and I cleaned up. My dad arrived home at full darkness. He said all the traffic lights were out. His commute was rough; however, the commute could have been a disaster if there wasn't a World Series. Most people went home early from work to watch the baseball game.

The family and I continued to feel aftershocks in the evening. I gathered all emergency items to the kitchen. I was in street clothes wearing shoes in case I need to evacuate. I stayed in the kitchen the longest. The kitchen was next to the front door. My preparedness attitude was with me the entire night. No schoolwork entered my mind. Everyone else took the evening lightly. We listened to the news radio with battery operated radios. We used candles after assuring no gas leaks.

I went to sleep late. My bed continued to move as aftershocks continued. It took me a long time to fall asleep.

Side note: My uncle could have died at the Cypress Street Viaduct Nimitz Freeway which collapsed. 42 people died. He drove on the viaduct during his commute. His doctor's appointment diverted him another route.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com