Throwback Blog: Reset Priorities

Blogger’s Note: Throwback blogs are blogs from my past. I start posting past blogs reflecting what I wrote. It's like my "A Second Look" blogs for which I give myself feedback.

Today's throwback blog is titled Reset Priorities in Sep 2013. The blog is full of crap. I reset my life too many times. No more resetting. Priorities update. Priorities change. I do my best to live a good life consistently. Sometimes I change my priorities. Sometimes life changes my priorities.

My updated first priorities today compared to my Sep 2013 first priorities are the following: daily job search six days a week instead of two times a day five days a week; no more online classes for which I self-teach myself reading books and watching YouTube tutorials; cleaning the house is every four-five weeks instead of every three weeks; errands are reduced; gym is four days a week which includes weekends; and music includes classical music when I eat breakfast.

Social life is downgraded to second priority. Writing blogs are reduced from nine times a month to seven. A new first priority is listening to my favorite podcasts. Another new first priority is eight hours of sleep per night.

Reading books is upgraded to first priority. Board games remain second priority. All television is third priority. There are no more watching anime and playing video games because I retired those two hobbies.

I went to bed at 4am today because I finished reading a book on my laptop. The event inspired me to reset my priorities. I fell behind in my weekday priorities. I have been waking up in the late mornings throughout the summer. I want a sleeping schedule as if I work an 8-5 job.

My two goals resetting are consistent weekdays & weekends activities and going to sleep earlier. Here are my three priority tiers:

First Priority

*Job Search. Searching for a job is top priority. I search online using multiple sources. They include Careerbuilder, Monster, Indeed, Dice, and some local companies posting their own jobs.

*Online Classes. There are days I take a break from job searching. I take online classes to keep my job skills and knowledge sharp. Online classes are just as important as job searching.

*Home Care. Cooking, vacuuming the house, washing dishes, laundry, moping, cleaning toilets, and taking out the trash.

*Email. Sending and replying email to my family, friends, and job prospects.

*Errands. I want to spend a couple hours outdoors. I can't stay indoors every morning and afternoon. I visit the bank, shop at grocery stores, fill my car with gas, and mail letters at the post office.

There are indoor errands such as paying bills and organizing my desk.

*Gym. Physical activity is important. I workout in the evenings.

*Social Life. Interacting with people is important. We can't live a lonely life.

*Blog. You're reading my blog. I appreciate it. Writing blogs is another way to keep my job skills sharp. Written communication is important in many careers.

*Music. Music helps me concentrate. I listen to music when I search for a job and when I'm in the kitchen. I listen to classical rock, classical music, classic jazz, and Japanese music.

Second Priority

*Books. I read 75% fiction and 25% non-fiction. Reading relaxes me.

*TV Shows. I watch selected television shows. I'm picky what I watch. I can't and I don't watch TV hours and hours a day. However, I select a Sat or a Sun night for a marathon.

*TV Sports. I separate sports because I don't have cable. If I see a sports game on networking television, it gets a higher priority.

*Board Games. I like board games because it's a way to get people together for an activity. Board game gatherings are important socially and leisurely.

Third Priority

*Anime. I've been an anime fan since 1996. My anime interest is very casual today because of new interests and priorities. I still receive good entertainment value from the series I currently watch. I'm picky what I watch just like TV shows.

*Video Games. I'm a very casual video gamer. I don't make time to play video games. Team Fortress 2 is the only game I played for many hours in 2013.

*TV Sports. I mention sports again because there are some games I can watch. I have better uses for my time sometimes. The best example is a football game blowout.

I Can't Do It

There were quite a few one time activities, events, and requests for help that occupied multiple days in 2013; thereby, falling behind in my priorities. They were selling on Ebay, a family from Los Angeles visiting, two visual novels, helping my family with tech problems, attending Fanime Con, editing costume photos from Fanime, and researching new smart phones.

I'm going to say no to more one time activities, events, and requests for help. I either have no time or no interest. I say yes to emergencies and urgencies obviously. I still find time for new adventures and new experiences. They're fewer in the short-term. I continue to stay loose and have fun. I must find a job to move forward. My life has been on pause or moving in slow motion at best.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

The Unknown Future Is Common Knowledge

A neighbor moving out inspires another blog life continues. Nobody knows the future. The future is uncertain. Everyone changes. We change for better. We change for worse. One blink of an eye life is different. Life is better. Life is worse. Regardless, we live another day. We move forward.

Everyday people are born. People die. People move to a new city for better or for worse such as a job promotion, job transfer, divorce, or a new beginning. Children become teenagers starting high school. Crimes are committed. Police arrest criminals for which some are first time felons. A couple becomes engaged to be married. A couple finalizes a divorce. People are hired for a new job. People are fired. People are laid-off. People are retired entering their senior citizen years. There are accidents on the freeways. There are people who need emergency medical attention. Birthdays are celebrated. Achievements are recognized. The bottom line is the world didn't end today. Pessimistically speaking, the world may end tomorrow. It's ironic nobody wants a future the world may end tomorrow.

Side note: Life can be described as baseball pitchers. Life can throw a fastball. Life can throw a curveball. Life can throw a slider. Life can throw a changeup. Life can throw a split-finger fastball. Life can throw a screwball.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Doing The Same Routine Boredom

Routines can be good. The person knows what to do. The person expects the outcome. The responsibilities are completed. The tasks are satisfied. There are times routines are routines. He or she does the same over and over again. They become boring. The person becomes bored. Many people think being bored is nothing to do. True. The routines are another type of boredom.

The same routines boredom is a signal to take action. Getting the signal is easy. How to take action is hard. Is their desire to change something different? Yes. Find something, anything new? Yes. Keep the eyes open. Keep the ears listening. There may be a new interest. There may be a new hobby. Find a distraction. Go back in time. Go front and present doing something, anything new. Maybe a self-discovery is a new long-term activity. Doing something different even half-ass is better than doing nothing; for example, mix-up the daily routines. The goal is eliminate the boredom feeling. Hope for the best.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

My Past History Indicates From Worse To Better

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar.

The late Steve Jobs said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." There are sayings regarding a person living a bad life. It can't get worse; it can only get better. Everyone must experience hell before heaven. Frustrations, mistakes, and pain are part of growing up. Be prepared for failures before success. Everyone has bad years and everyone has good years. You win some and you lose some. Sometimes bad years are nobody's fault--it's life. The bottom line is everything we do today affects tomorrow; in particular, if life is bad today, then do something for a good life tomorrow. Trust hard work intelligently, good luck, and favorable timing everything goes well soon. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope for the best.

I share my past bad years which became future good years. I hope my past history dictates what happens for the rest of 2017 and beyond because I'm unemployed and I live with my parents.

2000. The Y2K catastrophe never happened. My company moved to a new building for which everyone settled in slowly. The dot-com stock market crashed creating a recession. Most people didn't know how to handle the uncertainty beginning a new millennium which included myself. Fanime Con 2000 which took place at a convention center and held for four days both for the first time was bad. Anime Expo 2000 which took place at Disneyland could be considered one of the worse big anime conventions in anime convention history.

An event in San Francisco brought all my friends closer together a few more years. I created Innovate Infinitely which became my personal webpage innovateinfinitely.com in May 1, 2004. These two happened in Sep.

2002. 2002 was a year of mistakes I corrected years later. It was like 2001: The Sequel which flopped. My manager was fired for incompetence. I learned one lesson: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody. Working at my company became comfortable up to late 2006. Two small events affecting me today were I created an eBay account and I discovered the importance of financial education.

2004. Wait. Why is 2004 on the list? 2004 Was [Actually] A Good Year. I admit I made a mistake. The anime conventions I attended were bad thereby 2004 was a bad year. The blog link tells otherwise. For instance, I wore a costume to an anime convention for the first time which delayed anime retirement to Sep 2014. I met lots of new people, made new friends, and created memories.

2007. The second worse year in my life. The year started sad because my grandfather died. The permanent downfall started in late May. I took life for granted. I said to myself 2007 was going to be a good year no matter what because I started to wear braces in Jan, started a new job in Mar, and purchased my first car in May. On the one hand, I have a new smile when my braces were removed in Aug 2009 and my car is still in good condition. On the other hand, my job was terminated in Nov 2008 because of the financial real estate bubble.

I was introduced to Japanese MahJong or Riichi in Aug. I quit because it was too hard. A friend challenged me to relearn Riichi in one week on Oct 2009. I play Riichi today. Also, I was introduced to social live chatting at AOL's AIM. I created social networking accounts Facebook in Apr 2009 and Twitter in Nov 2009.

I played The Settlers of Catan board game for the first time. The game reintroduced me to board games as a top hobby. Click Top Ten Favorite Board Games to read my all-time favorites which includes Puerto Rico, Chess, and Dominion.

I played Team Fortress 2 (TF2) video game from Oct to 2011. TF2 was the first time I played online with other people. Side note: I played Starcraft offline and with people on a local network.

2007 was a foolish year I acquired life wisdom. Don't take life for granted. Don't take life too easy. I didn't take responsibility seriously. I didn't earn my successes sincerely and honestly.

Is 2007 the second worse year in my life? I wonder is 2007 actually a bad year?

2008. 2008 was one of three years which started bad and ended good. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4. 2008 continued 2007 taking life for granted, living with too much fun, being irresponsible, and being dishonest. I made changes which impacted my life immediately. Some of the changes included new clothes, new desktop PC, new mattress, and new blog Finding Raymond Mar. I started to read fiction books. I found new hobbies such as hiking, ballroom dancing, and listening to classic jazz. Taking ballroom dancing class in college resulted in earning an AA degree in Accounting in Mar 2011. Almost all the changes and new interests positively influenced my life today.

2013. The second of three years which started bad and ended good. 2013 was too much fun. It was like I graduated from college to take a long vacation. Some memories were created. There was nothing to write home sharing those memories. I continued getting calls and interviews for jobs; unfortunately, no offers.

One mistake I made was job training at Accountemps' self-taught courses. Some of the courses I enrolled were business analyst, Excel, PowerPoint, and accounting. The courses were a waste of time. I learned nothing. However, I corrected the self-taught attitude by watching YouTube tutorial videos starting on Aug 2014. I have been learning new job skills such as Python, CSS, and JavaScript on YouTube today.

2013 ended good because I found a job working at a retail start-up which sold wine. I drank wine for the first time on my second day. I learned almost all wine sold at supermarkets and drug stores are terrible. I drink wine on special occasions only. Also, I wrote work blogs which continued at my next job on Nov 2014.

2014. The third of three years which started bad and ended good. The accounting degree I earned in 2011 helped me at my retail start-up such as purchase orders and accounts payable. The start-up went downhill in May. My contract was terminated in Sep. 2014 ended good because I worked at Palo Alto Networks in Nov learning SAP and Salesforce.

I retired from anime in Sep. The free time is devoted to new interests, new adventures, and new experiences. For instance, more time to read books, more time to workout at the gym, more time playing MahJong, and more time learning new job skills.

Two small events affecting me today were watching Breaking Bad and podcasts. I rarely watch TV. Breaking Bad sets my standards which TV series I watch. I listen to four podcasts which are Sex With Emily, CarTalk, Awesome Etiquette, and Freakonomics.

2016. It's too early to say how 2016 affects my life as of today. 2016 life continues today: job searching, learning new jobs skills, reviewing existing job skills, working out at the gym four to five days a week, reading books, minimizing eating processed foods, and writing blogs. Social life can be more active. 2016 is the worse year of my life because I'm not independent. I'm not giving up living independent.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Instant Bullets Blog Feb 6, 2018

*My Mahjong quote playing professionally or casually. "Mahjong is an evil game people love to play." --Raymond Mar

*New York Yankees radio play-by-play John Sterling. Click 2009 Yankees Extra: John Sterling calls all five Yankee home runs vs the Red Sox (08.23.09) to hear a sample of Sterling's home run calls.

*Used book sales. Click booksalefinder.com to find places to buy used books. Many of the places are local libraries.

*Vocabulary word "facade." 1. the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one; any side of a building facing a public way or space and finished accordingly. 2. a superficial appearance or illusion of something.

*Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer. I have another viewpoint on the popular Christmas story. Rudolph was teased by the other reindeers for his red nose. The teasing stopped when Rudolph's red nose helped Santa Claus deliver gifts to children. How do bully victims stop being bullied? My opinion is the victims find a way to stop being bullied like Rudolph. The bully victims have the responsibility to prevent being targeted. The bullies aren't at fault. My opinion can be controversial.

*Some people are blessed with a bed inside shelter, an income, and meals. Never take them for granted. Avoid wasting money buying useless crap blocking walkways and hallways. No hoarding.

*Autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward. These are the three qualities to have satisfying work written by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers. Outliers is a book about why some people succeed.

*Color Hex Color Codes. Visit the website Color-Hex to find all color codes including RGB and CMYK. The website also posts pallets or color combinations by themes.

*Three-Letter Country Codes. Visit Wikipedia ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 to look up three digit country codes; for example, EGY is Egypt, CHE is Switzerland, and CHN is China.

*Bookmarker Icebreaker. A bookmarker can be an ice breaker to a meet new book readers. Some book readers don't have a bookmarker. Give a bookmarker to a book reader without a bookmarker.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

2017 Year In Review. 2016 and 2017 Were Two Consecutive Bad Years.

I stopped my year in reviews a long time ago. I don't remember the last time I wrote a review. Reviewing past years were a waste of time. I believed the reviews brought me bad luck. I never understood why people do personal yearly reviews. 2017 was another bad year. I revive reviewing my past year because I want to learn what I did wrong. Could I have done something different? What were the good choices? What were the bad choices? I select my 2017 Moment Of The Year first. There were highlights. I reflect my 2017 second. I hope 2018 is not a bad year resulting in three consecutive bad years.

2017 Moment Of The Year
Nominees: Intermediate Level Mahjong (Riichi) And Tenhou.net; Learning And Refreshing Job Skills Such As Python, SQL, VBA, And Data Analysis; O'Connor Hospital; No Money Worries; The Unemployed; Whistle
Explanation: I self-promoted my Mahjong (Riichi) level to intermediate when I won my first hand with three potential tiles. I also signed up at tenhou.net to play Riichi online. My days being unemployed included learning new job skills and reviewing existing job skills to prepare for the next job. I was a hospital inpatient for the first time because I had Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy surgeries. I have no credit card debt because of my strong money discipline. I dedicated a nomination to all of the long-term unemployed who have been experiencing unfairness, bad timing, and bad luck. I learned how to whistle with my mouth.
What Won: O'Connor Hospital
What Should Have Won: O'Connor Hospital
My Thoughts Jan 2018: The winner O'Connor Hospital was another no-brainer like Zion National Park in 2016. There were life changes starting the day after I was discharged such as less browsing online, better dental hygiene, and a better understanding of personal responsibility. I posted my changes at Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital on Sat Oct 21, 2017.

Reflect 2017

2017 was another bad year. 2016 and 2017 were the first time I experienced two consecutive bad years. In all honestly, O'Connor Hospital should have been the only nominee. The two surgeries were bad; however, I acquired wisdom after my hospital stay. Otherwise, 2017 was like 2016. My life was on pause during the two years. I need timing, luck, and opportunity to earn freedom. A paused year is a short reflection.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Wrapping Up Summer 2017

There is always activity no matter a quiet summer or an active summer. Never be cheap on appliances used daily. No need to panic when water is dripping under your car. Surgery victories feel good. Parents need extra work to raise their children in today's information age. Also, teach your children to stay out of the water during storms. And encourage your children to go outside. Don't tell them. Encourage them. I feel peace when everyone is equal. I also feel peace when I see white.





















Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com