Top 40 Most Memorable Moments

I revised my webpage Innovate Infinitely on June 30, 2016. One webpage I removed was my Top Ten. I choose to repost my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments from my Top Ten page to my blog because I want to share how I live my life. These top 40 are the moments from when I was born to my 40th birthday. Life is short. Each person is responsible to live a memorable life. I look forward for the top 50 moments when I turn 50 years old. Here are the Top 40 Most Memorable Moments:

40. My Boss Was Fired (Sep 2002). Officially, she found another job. Unofficially, she was fired. The reasons were incompetence and doing nothing. Lesson learned: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody.

39. The San Francisco Giants Won The 2010 World Series (Nov 1, 2010). I drove to my ballroom dance class when I heard Duane Kuiper's radio call in Game 5 of the 2010 World Series. I honk my horn on the freeway entrance.

38. My First Visit To The HP Pavilion (Apr 14, 2011). The San Jose Event Center was built in Sep 1993. It took me 17.5 years to visit the arena which is currently named SAP Center. My first visit was watching the San Jose Sharks defeating the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the NHL divisional playoffs. The moment was also my first hockey game, first major sports playoff game, and first playoff game win.

37. Ice Skating Lessons (Aug-Oct 2010). I was inspired to take ice skating lessons when I ice skated for the first time in Mar 2010. I thought about ice skating when I visited the Charles Schulz Museum in Jul 18, 2009. I signed up for lessons at the Ice Center Cupertino. I purchased my own ice skates in Oct 2010. I'm ready for the hot summer days skating inside an ice rink.

36. Rent A DVD From The De Anza College Library (Oct 2010-Mar 2011). All students enrolled have access to library services. The library's DVD selection was good. I rented one DVD a week for my movie of the week. Almost all of the movies I rented were from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Movies 1997 edition. Some of the movies I rented include King Kong, Singin' in the Rain, Midnight Cowboy, Vertigo, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

35. Oregon Trip (Nov 16-20, 2005). My parents, uncle, aunt, and I drove from the Bay Area to Oregon for a road trip. We visited Portland, Salem, and Multnomah Falls. Shopping, sight seeing, and real estate were our top activities. I won $100 at an Indian gaming casino along Interstate 5.

34. My First Laptop (Feb 2005). I purchased the Dell 8600 Inspiron. The timing was fortunate. Dell sold my laptop at a close out price. It was convenient completing computer tasks outside my home. Some of the conveniences included testing the DVD ROM playing The Matrix Reloaded, watching anime, working on my resume at Barnes & Noble, and surfing the web with my friends at Tapioca Express. I replaced the hard drive. I upgraded the RAM.

33. My First Smart Phone (Jul 6, 2011). Verizon announced ending the unlimited data plan which motivated me to purchase a smart phone to grandfather the unlimited data plan for my future smart phones. I purchased the Droid X^2. The smart phone was mid-tier. The 4G phones were too expensive and too heavy at the time.

32. New Haircut (Sep 2004). My new haircut is a buzzcut. The reasons included wearing wigs when I wear costumes at anime conventions, faster time getting a haircut, less time hair maintenance, and staying cool in the summers.

31. Las Vegas 2004 (Dec 13-15, 2004). My friend from Washington and I met in Las Vegas. Both of us won money at the Luxor casino playing craps and playing the camel race machine. We visited Fremont Street where we played limit poker at Binion's. The casinos we stayed overnight were Paris Las Vegas and Bellagio. The Bellagio is my all time favorite hotel and casino.

30. The Perfect Semester At San Jose State University (Fall 1996). I attended classes on Tue and Thur. I learned how to write. 3.64 semester GPA. I mastered the shooting arcade game Area 51. I worked part-time at Blockbuster. I lost weight. I began listening to music while I studied.

29. Anime Expo 2006 (Jul 1-4, 2006). Best Anime Expo I attended. Some of the highlights included the guest of honor CLAMP, costume gatherings, meeting new people, and sneaking in the dealer's room without lining up. It was the last year Anime Expo was held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

28. Classic Rock Music (Sep 2005). I was introduced to the local classic rock station 98.5 KFOX. The station saved me from driving without music. I lost interest in pop music. Classic rock is one of my favorite music today. The Beatles is my favorite band.

27. Paul McCartney Up And Coming Tour (Jul 10, 2010). I missed the opportunity to see Paul McCartney at the HP Pavilion in 2005. I wasn't making the same mistake twice. I saw Paul McCartney at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Great concert. He played for almost three hours.

26. South Bay Job Search Network (Oct 14, 2013). I joined a local job networking group. Their experiences and their knowledge helped me get a job in Nov 2013. I used their information to improve my job search. They inspired me to continue learning new job skills and to continue reviewing my existing job skills. Joining the CSIX job networking group is included in the moment.

25. Washington Canada 2005 (Aug 27-Sep 4, 2005). I visited my Washington friend in his home state for the first time. It was my first time in Washington. It was my first trip visiting Canada in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of my highlights included visiting the Space Needle, winning money at an Indian Casino, shopping for used books, visiting small towns, and seeing new sights I never saw in California. I don't consider Canada my first foreign country because anyone in the United States can visit Canada easily.

24. My First Car (May 19, 2007). I purchased my first car from my neighbor who moved to Virginia. It was the Toyota Camry 2005 XLE V6. Very dependable car. No major problems. I take my car to the auto repair shop for routine repairs. I change the oil myself using Castrol. I fill my car with Chevron gas.

23. Fanime Forums Valentine's Day Gathering (Feb 18, 2006). It was my first forum gathering. We met at a bowling alley. I met lots of new people and made lots of friends. I keep in touch with most of them on social networking. Some of the people are still my friends today. I attended many future gatherings. It's interesting all of us have changed for better or for worse.

22. Team Fortress 2 (Oct 21, 2007). My first video game I played online with other players. The game was popular I played too many hours in the evenings. My work performance the next day was unproductive when I played on a weeknight. I created a Monday Night Team Fortress 2 (MNTF2) to allow myself to play on days excluding Fri and Sat. Most of my friends played on MNTF2. I experienced how a gamer plays all night and sleeps in the morning when the sun rises.

21. My Blogs (Various). I created two blogs. The first blog is Innovating Common Knowledge created in Aug 4, 2005. Innovating Common Knowledge innovates life's common knowledge. I share my experiences. My second blog is Finding Raymond Mar created in Sep 2, 2008. Finding Raymond Mar is my personal blog. I blog anything without restrictions.

20. Social Networking (Various). We all know these social networking sites to keep in touch. I created a Yelp account in Feb 2009. I joined Facebook in Apr 2009. I started tweeting at Twitter in Nov 2009. I include live chatting AIM from AOL in Aug 2007. I also include my professional networking LinkedIn account created in Mar 2006.

19. Mahjong (Riichi) (Oct 2009). I played Mahjong (Riichi) for the first time in summer 2007. I hated it. I quit. I accepted a challenge from a friend to relearn Mahjong (Riichi). I accepted. Mahjong (Riichi) is one of my all time favorite table top games. I see myself playing Mahjong (Riichi) in my senior citizen years. The game is social. Thinking is required. My first match win happened in Jul 2010.

18. My New Face (Various). I wore braces from Jan 17, 2007 to Aug 19, 2009. I treated my acne with Accutane from Feb 2009 to Feb 2010. I have a better smile. I have a more handsome face.

17. Artisan Wine Depot (Nov 20, 2013-Sep 5, 2014). My first job after graduating De Anza College. The retail start up hired me as a Data Entry/Bookkeeper. I entered new products in the database, researched pricing online, and received shipments. I learned wine. I drank my first alcoholic beverage on Nov 21, 2013 when the owner organized an employee food pairing training.

16. Innovate Infinitely Was Created (Sep 2000). There is no innovateinfinitely.com without Innovate Infinitely. Innovate Infinitely was created driving to Japantown-San Jose. The words "Innovate" and "Infinitely" came to my mind waiting at a signal light. I said the words together, "Innovate Infinitely . . . Never Stop Innovating Life". I innovate infinitely. Always find something new to learn, always improve, always create, and always becoming a better person.

15. innovateinfinitely.com Is Online (May 1, 2004). I choose to create a web site to promote Innovate Infinitely. It took 10 months finding a web hosting company, learning how to register a domain name, learning how the Domain Name Servers work, and learning the basics of web pages and the Internet. The experience and journey were worth my time.

14. Raymond Mar Becomes An Anime Fan (Summer 1996). I became an anime fan watching Sailor Moon on TV. The first anime series I purchased was the first season of Ranma 1/2. Anime has influenced my life. I created many memories. Some of my personal growth was from anime. I announced my retirement in Jul 2014.

13. The Year Of The Role Playing Game (RPG) (1997). 1997 was the perfect year for RPG. Everyone was in San Jose, everyone adjusted their college and work schedules, everyone participated in the action, and the plots were terrific. The memories are remembered for a long time.

12. My Bible (Aug 7, 2012). I pray once a week reading a bible I created from past blogs. My bible reminds me who I am, my strengths, and my lessons learned from my mistakes. My bible also includes Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. I say with high confidence I'm who I am today reading the bible weekly: stronger, smarter, kinder, wiser, confident, and having faith in myself.

11. San Francisco (Sep 2009-Present). People who live in the San Francisco Bay Area are spoiled. We are a drive away or public transit away from one of the best tourist attractions in the world. I take advantage of every opportunity to visit San Francisco especially since Sep 2009. I walked round trip on the Golden Gate Bridge, rode the Cable Car, urban hiked The Embarcadero, visited Coit Tower, hiked Angel Island, shopped at Union Square, drove on Lombard Street, and much more. There is more to experience.

10. Fanime Con 2009 (May 22-25, 2009). Best Fanime Con I attended. Everything started on time. The weather was perfect for people wearing costumes. I made lots of money at the Swap Meet. I danced at the Black and White ball. I was always doing something. It was the perfect con with minimal problems.

9. Washington Canada 2008 (Nov 15-20, 2008). I visited my friend who lived in Washington for the second time. We went to Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The highlights included visiting Hurricane Ridge, playing Betrayal At the House On The Hill board game, touring The Underground Tour in Downtown Seattle, and shopping for books. I also climbed the indoor wall at REI in Downtown Seattle. The timing was good because I needed a life distraction desperately. The vacation satisfied the distraction.

8. Hiking (Apr 2009-Present). Hiking became a new hobby. My first trail was Uvas Canyon in Morgan Hill, CA. Some of my favorite trails include Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos, CA, Point Lobos in Monterey, CA, and Pinnacles in Paicines, CA. I purchased hiking clothing, shoes and a backpack at the 2009 REI anniversary sale.

7. Cisco (Mar 19, 2007-Nov 22, 2008). My first job working at a tech company. I experienced working in a cubicle for the first time, eating in a cafeteria, and my first work issued laptop. I went on a business trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on my second week. My 18 months was good experience in the tech sector. My contract was terminated because of the financial real estate bubble burst leading to the Great Recession.

6. The Triple Play (1984-1988). My brother and I played G.I. Joe, Transformers, and MASK. We played on Saturdays and during the summers. We created plots to determine the scenarios like a cartoon episode. Our collections were not the biggest. I believed having enough toys for the three series was better than having all the toys for one series. There was a lot of variety.

5. De Anza College (Mar 2009-Jun 2011). I choose to go back to school after I lost my job at Cisco. I took Beginning Weightlifting and Social Dance in Spring Quarter 2009. I choose to go back to school full time majoring in Accounting. Accounting was an alternate major when I attended San Jose State. I earned my AA degree in Mar 2011. I finished in Jun 2011. Going back to school was a second chance to relive life as a true college student. My experience was satisfactory.

4. The Real Job Training (Oct-Nov 2013 And Jul 2014-Present). The false job training included taking online classes from a job agency. Waste of time. The real job training was watching YouTube videos on SQL, Excel, and Access. Another real job training was learning Python at CodeAcademy.

3. Ballroom Dancing (Jan 2009-Mar 2011). My sister was an amateur ballroom dancer. She introduced me to ballroom dancing. Dancing is a great social activity. I took dancing classes at De Anza College. I met new people and made friends.

2. Cosplaying (Sep 11, 2004-May 27, 2013). I wore a costume to an anime convention for the first time on Sep 11, 2004. Wearing costumes to anime conventions is called cosplaying. I cosplayed at all anime conventions I attended from Sep 2004 to my last anime convention on May 24-27, 2013. Many memories were created. I made many friends at cosplay gatherings. Cosplaying saved me from quitting anime at the end of 2004. I thank my mom for making the costumes.

1. Growing Up (Oct 4, 2008). My life changed forever when I realized I must grow up. I walked to my car after attending the Los Altos Fall Festival when the moment happened. The life changes were immediate. I built a new Gaming PC, I started to read fiction books, I wore new clothes, I purchased my first fine watch, and I slept on a new mattress. I found new hobbies which included hiking, ballroom dancing, and listening to classic jazz. I started following new gym workout plans. I live life stronger, smarter, wiser, kinder, and mature. The real innovate infinitely continues today.

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