Throwback Blog: Today I Want To Talk About Taking Care Of Yourself

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 Today I Want To Talk About Taking Care Of Yourself written on Oct 28, 2018. The timing is perfect during the global pandemic. The blog reminds people work and effort are required to take care of ourselves. I continue practicing consistently what I wrote today. Take nothing for granted. Earn successes. Inside maintenance and outside maintenance are musts to live a happy life. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely.

Self-responsibility. Self-respect. I'm serious. Everyone can live better lives working on themselves. Everyone can achieve one step closer to become happy. Take care of yourself honestly. Take care of yourself sincerely. Don't take life for granted. Don't take your body for granted.

Take care of yourself head to toe. Take care of yourself inside and outside. Everything is important. Physical health is important. Eat healthily. Be physical move your body. Mental health is important. Read books. Learn new skills such as job related skills. More knowledge is required in today's information age. Surround yourself with good people to be emotionally stable. Be honest choosing your circle of relationships. Sleep well to practice good spiritually. Our bodies must sleep to recover. A good recovery is required for good physical, mental, and emotional well being. Finally, control your spending. Make good financial choices. Minimize eating out. Buy the best mattress you can afford.

I've seen people and I've heard of people stressing out. In particular, stressed out mothers and fathers affect their children. Stressed out people forget who they are. Stressed out people become weaker, think slower, lose patience, self-esteem becomes poor, and spend more money on processed foods. They fail to take time to take care of their bodies. No self-responsibility. No self-respect. It's ironic intelligent hard work is required to take care of our bodies which includes family time and leisure time.

2020 Year In Review

Let's start with the nominations. I provide feedback in the thoughts section.

Seven nominations for 2020 Moment Of The Year

1. COVID-19 changes. I grouped all temporary changes and permanently changes caused by the pandemic. They are the following: making homemade bread, boiling water instead of buying water in the supermarkets, working out at home with dumbbells and plates, jogging in the neighborhood, closing windows on hot weather days, opening windows on hot weather evenings, shaving two days a week, trying new restaurants, supporting more local businesses, increasing productivity because more free time, decreasing obligations outside the house, roasting tri-tip or round roast in the oven, exercising in the afternoons instead of the evenings, job training in the evenings instead of the afternoons, reducing laundry, filling my car with gas less often, and setting the air conditioning to 80 degrees instead of 78 degrees while turning off the Patton fan. I admit my neighborhood supporting local businesses is tough because most of them are terrible. Three examples of increase productivity were not driving to the gym saving me 56 minutes weekly, faster job searching because there were fewer job openings, and shopping less often because no need to buy water.

2. Final Fantasy VI. I come out of video game retirement. I completed my first Final Fantasy video game.

3. Harry Potter. I finished reading the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. It took me decades to read the books.

4. Job training. I continue my self-job training adding finance, adding dashboards, and combining the Sublime Text practice drill, Git, and Linux practice drill in one day. I wrote my first API which is a Twitter API downloading tweets.

5. Life skills training. I self-taught myself how to use a navigational compass. Learn life skills now instead of later. There are more life skills training coming soon. My self-training genius is included.

6. New desktop. I built a new desktop because Microsoft ended Windows 7 support on Jan 2020.

7. The first responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. These are the people helping other people deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. They are worth my personal nomination. I can't do any of their jobs.

Explanation: The obvious no chances of winning are Final Fantasy VI, job training, and life skills training. Nobody cares about video games and trainings. The trainings are my daily life until I find a job; otherwise, I'm a dumb bum. Harry Potter is inappropriate for an adult to win the moment of the year. Timing and luck are part of the reason my new desktop deserves recognition. I changed my job-training schedule, my new desktop is faster, my new desktop doesn't freeze, and desktop hardware deals for Black Friday 2020 was fewer compared to Black Friday 2019 when I purchased most of the hardware. More COVID-19 temporary changes are becoming permanently. I want to recognize the people working directly with COVID-19 saving lives.

What Won: The first responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff.

What Should Have Won: The first responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff.

My Thoughts: I'm in the minority. 2020 was a good year despite the COVID-19 global pandemic, global recession, and unprecedent pandemic life. The year slowed down. I was productive. I relaxed. I was boring. I anticipate boredom as a nominee for 2021. Boring could be good. It was boring at first. It's exciting at last. The successful people don't say the process is boring. Patience is a virtue.

I maintained my body weight around 165 pounds. Luck was in my favor not getting the virus and not getting sick. Physical workouts were consistent with my mini home gym and cardio workouts. Luck was also in my favor no traumatic events changed my life in a bad way. Watching one movie a week, eating healthy meals, minimizing junk food, and reading books continued.

2020 Letter Grade: B. 2020 was a good year since 2015. 2019 was barely a good year 51% good and 49% bad; although I could reward myself 60% good and 40% bad. Two good years in a row. The last time I had two good years in a row were 2011-2012.

2020 was another 2008. 2020 was another setup year for something big coming soon.

Update On A Past Blog

I factory reset my Samsung Galaxy S7 on Tue Mar 23, 2020. I wrote a blog I Purchased The Samsung Galaxy S7 Five Years Ago Today inspired from factory resetting. I found out later in the day there was a bug on Google's WebView on Android. Sources: The Verge and XDA Developers. The bright side factory resetting my S7 is my phone runs faster and battery time improved.

I'm changing my 2015 Moment Of The Year and my 2016 Moment Of The Year. The 2015 Moment Of The Year written on Jan 14, 2016 is changed from New Feelings to Zion National Park. The 2016 Moment Of The Year written on Feb 5, 2017 is changed from Zion National Park to Steve Jobs' biography written by Walter Isaacson.

I Purchased The Samsung Galaxy S7 Five Years Ago Today

One of Murphy's Law is the following: If anything can break, it will. One by one apps crashed on my Samsung Galaxy S7 phone yesterday. I factory reset today. Today is also the five year anniversary I purchased the phone.

There is an advantage using the latest and greatest technology. Better hardware. Better software. Devices are built better. Devices are improved. Previous mistakes are corrected. Innovate infinitely. All are true in theory. However, there is a disadvantage using the latest and greatest technology. There are increased chances of broken components and/or software glitches. There are more opportunities of failures. There is more resulting in more possibilities something can go wrong.

My present situation my S7 satisfies the daily minimums consisting of phone calls, text, internet browser, GPS for maps, email, mp3 player, and a camera. My most useful apps are the following: file manager, YouTube, scanner, first aid, IMDb, Amazon, banks, SoundHound, local news, Reddit, social media, and Stitcher. No games. No videos outside YouTube. No physical retail stores apps. I buy a new phone when my S7 stops working.

She Doesn't Belong Here

I dreamed last night I ate at McDonalds. The McDonalds resembled a location without the indoor Playland on Homestead Rd. in Santa Clara, CA. I parked my car perpendicular to the building and shading from the sun. I ordered two McChicken sandwiches and a small coke. My finished order was four plain toast and between seven to ten pieces of French fries on separate paper plates. I complained to the white female manager in her 20s. She corrected my order.

I sat down in the seating area to eat. Minutes passed. The manager checked on me. I said everything was okay. I played the race card. I requested to ask a personal question. She said yes. I asked, "What are you doing here? You don't belong here." She replied I'm a single mom with no education. She lives with her mom who provided babysitting and a roof over their head. I woke up.

Update On A Past Blog

I add the movie Risky Business starring Tom Cruise to the list of Top Ten Movies I Watched Late on Mar 1, 2014. I didn't behave like Joel Goodson when I was a high school teenager. It was impossible because my parents never went on vacation by themselves. I could have been exposed to materialism, prostitution, and capitalism when I was young.

Timeout Good Raymond Mar III

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

Blogger's note two: Today's blog is overdue. The vacation happened in Dec 2020-Jan 2021. I was supposed the write the blog in Feb 2021.

I took a vacation from Dec 20, 2020 to Jan 15, 2021. The last time I took a planned vacation was Jul 14-19, 2015. I blogged the Jul 2015 Timeout Good Raymond Mar. I took an unplanned vacation on Apr 6-21, 2019 Timeout Good Raymond Mar II. Honestly speaking, I forgot about the Apr 2019 vacation. I discovered the Apr 2019 vacation when I searched for past Innovating Common Knowledge vacation blogs. Was my latest vacation overdue?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is no. My Dec 2020-Jan 2021 vacation was not a 100% vacation. It was not 100% fun. I job trained on some days. I caught up watching documentaries. I sold eBay auctions. I cleaned the house. I cooked the meals. I wrote blogs. I job searched. I exercised. There was work to be completed. I was responsible for my obligations.

I didn't take life for granted. I learned lessons from 2007 Was Actually A Bad Year, The Year Was 2007, and Top Ten Wisdom Acquired In 2007 I Failed To Follow. The Dec 2020-Jan 2021 vacation was the correct 2007 Summer Sabbatical.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to update three blogs I wrote in Apr 2019 with a COVID-19 pandemic perspective. The first blog is The Homeless People Rolled Too Many Snake Eyes written on Apr 8, 2019. I wrote more homeless people are not the stereotypical losers and laziness. There are too few opportunities for the homeless people. The fewer opportunities, the fewer chances to find shelter and to find a good paying job. I can rewrite the title to "The Homeless People Have Fewer Chances To Roll The Dice." The fewer opportunities, the fewer chances to roll the dice.

The second blog is Global Fatigue written on Apr 14, 2019. I wrote we're tired because there is too much to do. I have low confidence the world recovers from global fatigue during the pandemic. I have low confidence the world is ready for normal life pre-pandemic. Most people recovered from global fatigue incorrectly. The pandemic fatigue replaced the pre-pandemic global fatigue. No fatigue recovered.

The third blog is Win A Few, Lose A Lot written on Apr 27, 2019. I wrote the opposite of the common success wisdom "win a few, lose a few" is true. There are less people winning the fewer and more people losing a lot more during the pandemic such as unemployment, businesses shutting down, homelessness, and fewer opportunities to satisfy the global overpopulation.

My First Inception Like Dream

My dream last night was like the dreams from the movie Inception (2010). The base dream contained two levels below the base dream. I call the base dream Level 1, the first dream below the base dream Level 2, and the second dream below the base dream or the dream below Level 2 Level 3.

The Level 1 dream took place inside a big room the size and shape of a football field viewed vertically. I'm on the near-side end-zone. The farthest far-side is the opposite end-zone. The surface was natural grass. A jumbo jet with four engines was the size proportional to the football field. The jet prepared to take-off on the 30-yard line near-side. The jet lifted off on the 30-yard line far-side. The number two engine exploded. The jet landed at a 45-degree angle propped up at the nose section unexplainably on the 15-yard line. People exited below the tail.

The Level 2 dream took place in a cool autumn countryside surrounded by small hills and trees without leaves. I sat on bleachers like the bleachers at a high school football field. There was no event. Few people attended. All parties practiced social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Level 3 dream took place at my old neighborhood on a cold rainy night. I was at the Cupertino side of the San Jose and Cupertino cities border. I exited my car parked on the curb to the right in front of a retail building. It was the only retail building in the neighborhood surrounded by single family homes.

I came back to Level 1. Four repairmen arrived to investigate and to repair the crashed jet. They asked me questions. One question was, "Why are you here?" My answer was going to sleep. My dad and brother appeared at the 5-year line near-side with a ladder and level tool. The gaps or holes on the level tool to hold the level with hands were used to attach the level on the ladder unexplainably.

I woke up.

Give It Time The Winners Remain Standing

Time is the ultimate judge. It's a common wisdom. It's one of my favorite wisdom. Give it time. Be patient. Time separates the winners and the losers. Time filters the qualified and unqualified. The quitters quit. The losers drop. The idiots fired. There are exceptions. There is a mismatch the person quits legitimately. Few losers stay for whatever reason such as bad management, politics, luck, or timing. The winners are happy when the losers are out.

The winners are strong. The winners are intelligent. The winners are wise. The winners are attractive. Winning attracts. The winners are team workers. The winners have the instinct to achieve goals. Responsibilities are checked off. Winners are examples of professionalism. Never stop learning. Make mistakes. Learn from the mistakes. Add more knowledge indefinitely. Innovate infinitely. Winning attitude. Mental focus.

Life is good being a winner. Life is good being with winners. Life gets better. Life gets challenging. Challenges are not a problem. There are opportunities to learn more. Winners move forward without stopping.

The progression is automatic. The results are displayed. The transgression is obvious. There is no joke. Winners earn their successes.

Side note: The late Steve Jobs fired 25% of the senior managers and executives when he came back to Apple in 1997. The 25% were the people in his "bozo" list.

Shelter In-Place COVID-19 Blog February 2021

California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I have been logging the highlights and lowlights. February was a fast month. February was a low-key month. February was a productive boring month. Infection rates and death rates were decreasing. Vaccination rates were increasing.

Fri Feb 5. Shopped for groceries for Super Bowl Sunday at Costco, Lucky, and Safeway. Minimal crowds at Costco and Lucky. Costco brough back the sample booths without free handouts. The sample booths are advertisements only.

Mass vaccination sites planned in the Bay Area. The locations announced were Moscone Center in San Francisco, Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, and Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

The NFL announced all stadiums can be mass vaccination sites.

Sat Feb 6. Santa Clara County banned all indoor activities.

Sun Feb 7. Super Bowl LV.

Mon Feb 8. Congressman Ron Wright (R-TX) died from COVID-19. COVID-19 cases down 20% in the USA. Hospitalization rates down 17% in the USA. Retail pharmacies received vaccines.

Wed Feb 10. CDC recommended people wear two masks to slow the COVID-19 spread. Wear a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask or nylon covering mask. State Of California reported the South Africa variant.

Thur Feb 11. Wore two masks shopping at The Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Sat Feb 13. The San Jose Sharks played a home game for the first time since Mar 2020.

Sun Feb 14. Mass vaccination site at the Moscone Center paused because lack of vaccines.

Tue Feb 16. The USA variant discovered.

Wed Feb 17. My parents received the first of two Pfizer vaccines.

Thur Feb 18. Midwest and Southern States slammed by winter storms delayed vaccine shipments.

Sat Feb 20. Governor Gavin Newsom reserved 10% vaccines for teachers and school staff starting in Mar. Schools can reopen as late as Apr 15.

CA Department Of Public Health announced outdoor high school sports at counties where the per-capital case rate is 14 or lower per 100,000 residents. Local counties can override state guidelines.

Mon Feb 21. 500,000 people died in the USA.

Tue Feb 22. Newsom signed the CA $7.6B stimulus package. Marin and San Mateo were the first counties in the Bay Area to move from the most restrictive purple tier to red tier in the state COVID-19 guidance and restrictions.

San Francisco lifted the 10-day travel quarantine order.

Wed Feb 23. 50,000 people died in CA.

Fri Feb 26. Shopped at Safeway and Costco. Costco's two people per membership allowed in the warehouse keeps the number of customers inside down. I saw a line at a CVS for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Sat Feb 27. Santa Clara County loosen outdoor activities restrictions including youth sports.

The average weekly cases in CA were the lowest since Nov 2020. Hospitalizations in CA were below 6,000 since middle Nov 2020.

FDA approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use.

A Second Letter To 20 Year Old Raymond Mar Now 21

Today's blog is an update on a past blog.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote a blog writing A Letter To 20 Year Old Raymond Mar on Apr 26, 2015. I told my 20 year old self three lessons. They are never stop meeting new people, get a part time job, and don't take life for granted. I write a second letter containing three more lessons one year later. The letter is below.

Hi, young 21 year old Raymond Mar. It's your old Raymond Mar one year later. I hope you made new friends and earned spending money to improve your life. Use some of the money to seek new adventures and experience new experiences. Here are three new lessons you must practice for a better life. I promise your 30s and 40s are stronger, smarter, and wiser when you learn three more lessons.

The first lesson or fourth lesson overall is be useful. The lessons, the education, and the knowledge you learned in the classrooms were garbage. Yes, the economics helped you find a job. Yes, the economics helped you read between the lines in the business newspapers. The economics doesn't help you find new friends better than your current friends. The economics doesn't help you in survival situations. The economics doesn't help you find a wife; although, if your wife is an economist, then more power to you. Learn how to change the oil. Learn how to tie knots. Learn Morse Code. Learn how to cook. Learn how to make paper airplanes. Learn basic computers such as building a PC from scratch. Learn basic land navigation with a compass. Remember the toy electronics set? You were not dumb when you read the instructions. The electronics set was broken. Correct the mistake. Learn basic electronics.

The second lesson or fifth lesson overall is trust your intuition. I mentioned trust your intuition in the first letter. I emphasize intuition here. You may not realize you have been using intuition. Most of the problems solved are using your intuition. Most of the time you don't know what to do. Intuition tells you the answer. Follow your gut feeling. You might have dodged many past problems when you used intuition.

The third lesson or sixth lesson over is desire is more important than intelligence. I will is more important than I know. The first time I saw the "I will is more important than I know" was math tutoring at a high school. Ironically, I said don't apply to become a math tutor. I still mean it. Don't apply to become a math tutor. Continue working at your part time job. Anyway, motivation is more important than knowledge. You don't need to be smart to be motivated to become smart.

I repeat the last two paragraphs to reemphasize. Simple, to the point, and true. Stop believing you live a good life nothing negative happens to you. You're going to experience bad moments. You're going to have times in your life you need to stop. Time out and checkpoints are part of your life.

Be responsible for your actions. Earn your successes. Learn from your mistakes. Be a good person. Be professional. Work to be a champion. Trust your intuition. Grow up.

Sincerely,

Raymond Mar

P.S. Did you understand the two meanings to "stay hungry" and stay foolish?"