Top Ten Plus Fifteen Equals Top Twenty Five Favorite Books I Read

I update my Top Ten Favorite Books I Read blog written on Oct 27, 2019. I repeat some of the introduction: Reading books is one of my favorite hobbies. I started reading more fiction books in 2008. I learn life reading fiction books than nonfiction books. Fiction books give me wisdom. Nonfiction books give me intelligence. I read 75% fiction and 25% nonfiction. I was on volume three in the Harry Potter series at the time of the blog. Harry Potter is number five. Here are my top ten plus fifteen equals top twenty five favorite books I read:

25. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. The author did his research on the Civil War. Some aspects of life exist today such as unfair life, read books, work hard, and despair. A recommendation from my uncle.

24. All The President's Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. The Richard Nixon Watergate history is part of the book. Persistence is another part of the book. Memorizing all the politicians is not necessary.

23. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The illiterate main character stole books during World War II in Nazi Germany. Read World War II from innocent Germans point of view. Comedy, sorrow, and anger are some of the feelings the reader experiences.

22. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. I Read Dr. Seuss Books on May 2, 2025. The Places book is a top must read for grade school children.

21. Looking For Alaska by John Green. College students can both be smart and be a prankster. Best John Green book.

20. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. A random book recommendation from a source I forgot. I thought it's an adult literature. It's actually a children's book. The adventure side of a child may open up after reading the book.

19. The Invention Of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I purchased a European edition book. The author wrote the story and drew the illustrations. The main character had courage I wished I had when I was a child.

18 The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Everyone must bring a towel.

17. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. The book is more violent than the movie. The Ian Malcolm character stole the story.

16. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. If you didn't read the book as of the blog post, then don't watch the movie trailer. The movie trailer is major spoilers. I cried three times.

15. The Power Of One by Bryce Courtenay. Teenage boys and teenage girls must read the book. The wisdom is learned at the beginning of the book. The main character practices the wisdom thereafter.

14. Forever . . . by Judy Blume. All teenagers and all parents must read the young adult classic book. The sex scenes and growing up lessons are relevant today.

13. Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Follow the patterns.

12. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. A family lives in multiple cities being in poverty. The reader experiences all emotions in the emotional spectrum. Watch the movie end credits after reading the book to put a face to the family on YouTube. I enjoyed Walls' writing style.

11. The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. A book from My Self-Help Books Recommendations blog written on Jun 28, 2020. Discover core habits. Practice, practice, practice the habits.

10. A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking. I learned more than science reading the book. I learned life.

9. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. How do people become rich? Kiyosaki answers the question how. The answer is not a college degree, an MBA, or working a six-figure income.

8. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Readers adapt 20% of his suggestions increases his or her likelihood to meet more new people and create more circle of friends.

7. The Old Man And The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I loved Hemingway's writing style. Short. To the point. No wasted words. An easy and a quick read to satisfy a quick urge.

6. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. My all time favorite sci-fi book.

5. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I took me decades to read the book. I read the book three times during the COVID-19 pandemic. My house is Gryffindor. My wand is a white 10.75 inches made of oak with a phoenix feather core. My patronus is a tiger.

4. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. The last three chapters were the best last three chapters I ever read. I understand all the references in the media.

3. To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. Atticus Finch is strong. Atticus Finch is a model for a man.

2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell wrote luck and opportunity are the reasons why some people succeed.

Honorable mentions. City Of Thieves by David Benioff, Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett.

1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Jobs was a genius. Jobs was an artist. I promise everyone who reads the book becomes wiser.

Top 50 Most Memorable Moments

Number 50. 50 years on planet Earth. A life milestone. Life can be better. Life can be worse. We do the best. I do my best. These top 50 are the moments from when I was born to my 50th birthday. Each person is responsible to live a memorable life. Here are the Top 50 Most Memorable Moments:

50. 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.

49. The Golden State Warriors Won The 2015 NBA Finals (Jun 16, 2015). I was less than one year old when the Warriors won the 1975 NBA Finals. It felt good the Warriors won a championship as a conscious awareness human.

48. Neverland Album By Nirvana (Aug 1, 2025). I can't explain why it took me decades to listen to the album. There are some songs I didn't realize Nirvana sang from other medias.

47. Bonchon (Jan 27, 2021). I ate Korean fried chicken for the first time. The fried chicken is fried twice.

46. Team Fortress 2 And Final Fantasy VI-VIII (Oct 21, 2007, Dec 20, 2020, Aug 9, 2021, and Feb 2, 2022). Team Fortress 2 was my first video game I played online with other players. I took advantage of the COVID-19 global pandemic to play classic Final Fantasy games. VI is my favorite out of the three Final Fantasy games.

45. Witnessed An Eviction (Mar 6, 2024). I helped a family friend evict a tenant who took advantage of the COVID-19 global pandemic eviction moratorium living rent free without paying back rent. Lesson learned: it's coming--give it time. Everything happens in time.

44. Riichi Mahjong (Oct 2009). I played Japanese Mahjong Riichi for the first time in summer 2007. I hated it. I quit. I accepted a challenge from a friend to relearn Riichi. I accepted. Mahjong is one of my all-time favorite table top games. I also play Hong Kong and Taiwanese styles.

43. Moby-Dick By Herman Melville (Oct 17, 2023). The last three chapters are the best last three chapters I have ever read. I understand all the jokes and references from other medias.

42. Breaking Bad (Dec 2012-Dec 2014). My all-time favorite television series. The show is number one in the IMDb Top 250 TV Shows.

41. Harry Potter By J.K. Rowling (Sep 2019-Mar 2020). I can't explain why it took me decades to read a modern classic. I read the books two more times during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Harry Potter is my favorite character. Gryffindor is my house. My favorite volume is either Year 5 The Order Of The Phoenix or Year 7 The Deathly Hallows.

40. 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.

39. Rent A DVD From The De Anza College Library (Oct 2010-Mar 2011). 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.

38. 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.

37. 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, sightseeing, and real estate were our top activities. I won $100 at an Indian gaming casino along Interstate 5.

36. Anime Expo 2006 (Jul 1-4, 2006). Best Anime Expo I attended. Some of the highlights included the guest of honor CLAMP, cosplay 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.

35. 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.

34. Steve Jobs And Stephen Hawking (Feb 26, 2016 and May 25, 2022). I read the late Jobs' biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and the late Hawking's A Brief History Of Time. Two geniuses. Steve Jobs is my all-time favorite book. Lessons are learned. Wisdom acquired.

33. 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.

32. Podcasts (Various Dates). I listen to 99% Invisible, Awesome Etiquette, Damon Bruce: Plus, Freakonomics, Lex Fridman, MuggleCast, Sex With Emily, Stuff You Should Know, The Dave Ross Commentary, and The Problem With Jon Stewart. My current events podcasts are 60 Minutes and Nightline. My retired podcasts are Car Talk and NBC Sports Bay Area Happy Hour.

31. Artisan Wine Depot (Nov 2013-Sep 2014). My first start-up company I worked. My second retail company. Great business idea selling high-end wine at discount prices.

30. Palo Alto Networks (Nov 2014-May 2015). It was nice going back to a tech company. The timing was good I earned money for the 2014 Christmas Holiday. The experiences from the mistakes and the politics were greater than the work experienced itself.

29. New Laptops And New Desktops (Various Dates). My first laptop was the Dell 8600 Inspiron in Feb 2005. My second laptop was the HP Compaq 8510p in Jul 2008. My third laptop was the HP Spectre in Nov 2019. I built my first desktop in Jan 2009. I built my second desktop in Jan 2020.

28. My Bible (Aug 7, 2012). I created my bible from past blogs. My bible reminds me who I am, my strengths, and my lessons learned from my mistakes. I say with high confidence I am who I am today reading the bible: stronger, smarter, kinder, wiser, confident, and having faith in myself.

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

26. 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 Video. I lost weight. I began listening to music while I studied.

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 time in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 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. My New Face And My New Haircut (Sep 2004 and Apr 2017). My new haircut was a buzzcut in Sep 2004. I lost weight which included a new face in Apr 2017. Today is the best I've ever looked.

22. 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.

21. 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. I recognize four hikes in four months between Sep-Dec 2019. The hikes were Montara Mountain trail at San Pedro Valley Park in Pacifica, CA; Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, CA; Castle Rock State Park; and Mission Peak in Fremont, CA.

20. 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.

19. 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 experiences were satisfactory.

18. Fanime Forums Valentine's Day Gathering (Feb 18, 2006). It was my first forum gathering. We met at a bowling alley. I made lots of new friends. I keep in touch with most of them on social networking.

17. Innovate Infinitely Was Created (Nov 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, "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.

Blogger's note: Sep 2000 is incorrect in the Top 40 Most Memorable Moments. Nov 2000 is correct.

16. innovateinfinitely.com Is Online (May 1, 2004). I created 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.

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

14. COVID-19 (Mar 17, 2000-Present). California issued shelter in-place orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. I'm in the minority. My life has been improving. There are life changes such as new cooking techniques, old school boiling water to drink clean water, completing more errands in the morning, and sleeping with the windows closed. A few COVID-19 moments appear in the Top 50.

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. Washington Canada 2008 (Nov 15-20, 2008). I visited my Washington friend in his home state 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.

11. Japanese Anime (Summer 1996-Sep 2014). 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 influenced my life. I created many memories. I officially retired in Sep 2014. Full Metal Alchemist is my all-time favorite anime series.

10. The Shawshank Redemption (Sep 21, 2019). There is a reason the movie is number one in the IMDb Top 250 movies. The movie is my all-time favorite.

9. Life Skills (Various Dates). Learning life skills is part of my training to become a self-trained genius. The skills I have been learning include rope knots, paper airplanes, shuffle cards, sew a button, read a compass, and basic electricity. I'm open to new suggestions.

8. 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.

7. Zion National Park (Oct 3-4, 2015 and Sep 16-17, 2016). My first time visiting Utah. My first time in the Mountain Time Zone. My first time camping. My first time backpacking.

6. Cosplaying (Sep 11, 2004-May 27, 2013). I attended anime conventions cosplaying from Sep 11, 2004 to May 24-27, 2013. Memories were created. I made friends at cosplay gatherings. Cosplaying saved me from quitting anime at the end of 2004. I thank my mom for making the costumes.

5. Wall Street Bets And Superstonk (Jan 2021-Present). I learn more about financial investing following the two Subreddits wallstreetbets and Superstonk compared to my B.S. in Economics and A.A. in Accounting degrees combined. It's an example people learn more outside the classroom.

4. The Real Job Training (Oct-Nov 2014 And May 2015-Present). The skills include Power BI, R-Studio, Excel, Python, and SQL. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources. My self job training is completed with a graduation in analytics research technology on Mar 2024. I began my graduate self job training on Apr 2024.

Blogger's note: Oct-Nov 2013 And Jul 2014-present are incorrect in the Top 40 Most Memorable Moments. Oct-Nov 2014 And May 2015-present are correct.

3. O'Connor Hospital (Apr 2-Apr 6, 2017). I was admitted as an in-patient requiring two surgeries. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. The doctors diagnosed me with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis.

2. 50 Years Old At The Age Of 45 (Sep 2019). In my opinion, a genuine adult is a genuine adult at age 50. I became a genuine adult at the age of 45. I crossed the line four years and 11 months ahead of schedule.

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.

Throwback Blog: De Anza Week May 23, 2011

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 De Anza Week May 23, 2011 written on May 25, 2011. I reflect these three days I went back to college during the Great Recession. My goal was to earn an A.A. degree in Accounting. I hoped to strengthen my resume when the economy recovered from the Great Recession. I thought a B.S. in Economics and an A.A. in Accounting were a good combination. They didn't work.

I visited the De Anza College-Accounting Department website. Four instructors remain in the department since 2011.

Reading the blog recalled my memory as if the three days happened earlier in the week. The week was memorable with action.

Mon May 23: The bad habit arriving late to class was never eliminated. Bad discipline. I was irresponsible.

Shocked was another verb the students felt when the professor handed out more homework. I finished the initial homework assignments before Memorial Day weekend.

Tue May 24: I missed driving to Mission College every Tue night. The class was easy. Attendance counted in the final grade. Important announcements were given in-class only.

Wed May 25: I should have exchanged contact information with the California State University (CSU)-East Bay graduate. She was informative on the accounting degree. Her accounting knowledge including auditing was good. For instance, there were in-class exercises. She exceled them for which sometimes she didn't read the textbook. The reason was she took an auditing class as an undergraduate.

I mentioned above the Economics degree and Accounting degree combination didn't work. The CSU-East Bay graduate explained a reason for which I was ignorant and I was in denial. The accounting classes taught in junior colleges are the same in four-year colleges; however, some important accounting classes are taught in four-year colleges only. Companies prioritize four-year colleges accounting degrees over two-year colleges accounting degrees. A person can say a two-year A.A. degree is fraud.

I think back about the conversation 13 years and at least three months later. I should have been proactive by researching skills I could learn related to accounting, data analysis, or both. The learning should have continued after graduation.

Mon May 23

The drive to De Anza was the shortest ever. I had one red light which was the first left turn that was a short wait. I still was 10 minutes late. The time could have doubled if I had more red lights.

The professor surprised the entire class. He handed out an additional chapter 5 homework assignment due Wed. 24 multiple choice questions. That's not good for those who wanted to finish the initial homework assignments before Memorial Day weekend. My goal is to finish all homework assignments before Fri.

Tue May 24

I arrived at Mission College at 7:20pm. The instructor said the official start time for the final is 7:30pm. Students can come at 7:00pm. I was running behind in everything. I ate a Snickers candy bar at the parking lot.

I turned in the take home final and received the final. My usual seats at the back of the class were occupied. I moved to the front. The final was doable. I didn't study. I recognized some questions from the take home final and lectures. I completed around 20 minutes. I received the take home final solutions after I submitted the final. It seems I did well because the debit and credit numbers matched what I calculated.

In a small way, I'm going to miss driving to Mission College every Tue night. It was a set activity for the beginning of 2011. I can use the two and a half hours to study for auditing and work out at the gym.

Wed May 25

The professor immediately checked the students completing the additional chapter 5 homework assignment as soon as he walked in the classroom. Then he began lecturing chapter 6. Finally, we reviewed the additional chapter 5 homework. The professor made me read all the questions.

I did poorly on the assignment. I got most of the questions wrong. Most students were surprised at some of the answers to the questions. The classmate who sat on my right was absent on Mon. She got most of the questions correct when she answered the questions before the professor announced the solution.

The classmate and I went to the library after class to photocopy the assignment for her. We talked about accounting degrees and economics degrees. She corrected my knowledge on accounting degrees at the California State University (CSU) systems. An accounting degree is actually a business administration degree. The account part is the business administration's emphases. I incorrectly thought an accounting degree is a stand alone degree with more accounting classes took compared to a junior college. The correction is the number of accounting classes is almost the same between a CSU and junior college. In particular, my classmate noted there are key classes taught at CSU junior college don't teach, and that's a key factor when it comes to companies hiring a person with a four year degree and a two year degree in accounting. The accounting classes I have taken at De Anza are the same as any CSU school. If I transfer to a CSU school, then some of my accounting classes count towards the transfer and I must retake some classes I already took at De Anza.

Update On A Past Blog

I finished reading the book version of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowing, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. The story is overrated. The plot twist saved the theatre production. I watch the live action play. I prepare myself to avoid being hyped.

I add two more lessons to the blog Top Ten Plus Nine Equals Top Nineteen Harry Potter Adult Perspective Takeaways written on Apr 29, 2020. The lessons happened at the end of Year 4 Goblet Of Fire. Harry, Ron, and Hermione visited Hagrid because there was no Defense Against The Dark Arts class. Hagrid told Harry it was okay to feel bad. Hagrid also told the trio, "Known it fer years, Harry. Knew [Voldemort] was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. . . . No good sittin' worryin' abou' it. What's comin' will come, an' wel'll meet it when it does. . . ."

Instant Bullets Blog Feb 8, 2024

*The US Prison System. I read from an ex prison guard. Sex based offenses aren't tolerated in general population. The prison he worked these convicts are called SO. The SOs shower separately. SOs, severe mental illness, and ex law enforcement are separated in protective custody units.

Moreover, a lot of prisoners need help. They ended up locked up with sociopaths. Most are under-medicated or over-medicated. All are undertreated.

*Similarly, the foster care system is similar to prisons. Combining children with trauma and mental health problems don't make a nurturing environment. Foster care facilities are a jail for children.

*cordon: a line of circle of police, soldiers, or guards to prevent access to or from an area or building. Prevent access to or from an area or building by surrounding it with police or other guards. The troops cordon around the headquarters. The city center was cordoned off after fires were discovered in two stores.

I thought cordon was pronounced "corner off" when I was a child.

*The World Needs More Kind Teachers. Teachers communicate silently to their students writing notes. Next, teachers walk up to the student's desk to give additional help instead of calling out the student in class. It avoids potential shame.

*Is The Color Grey? Follow the instructions. Both blocks are the same color. Use your finger to cover the middle line. Light plays an important role in how we perceive color.

You may cover half of the middle line above or below.

*Internal Monologue. There are brain mechanisms which cause a person to hear himself or herself talk in their head without speaking. On the other hand, a person visually hears himself or herself talk if he or she doesn't hear his or her inner voice. For example, a person visually looks at a to-do list and can't hear himself or herself think.

*Aphantasia is the inability to visualize images in the brain. Mind blindness. Aphantasia is pronounced a-fan-tas-ia.

*A cow is female given birth to a calf. A heifer is a female cow not given birth to a calf. A bull is a fertile male. A steer is a castrated male calf. An ox is a fully grown castrated male.

*Miscarriage And Stillbirth. A miscarriage is a loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy. A stillbirth is loss of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. A miscarriage and a stillbirth describe pregnancy loss.

*Harry Potter. Diagon Alley is diagonally. Knockturn Alley is nocturnally. Grimmauld Place is grim old place.

*Snap Fingers. The snapping fingers sound is from the fingers hitting your palm. Specifically, the middle finger hitting your palm. The sound is not the friction between your middle finger and thumb.

Snap your fingers. Hit the palm hard with your finger.

*A Child Is Thirsty. A child asks the parents for a glass of water late night. One of the parents is lazy walking to the kitchen. The mom or dad gets water from the bathroom. The child complains he or she wants kitchen water. Water is water. Don't be fussy.

*Dear Abby Oct 24, 2023. 1. The dad is a bad cook. Her advice is the entire family cooks together. 2. Son getting married and father wants to bring his special friend because mother has dementia. Her advice is no special friend because his special friend is a wedding distraction. 3. Old high school girlfriend heard old high school boyfriend arrested wants to contact his mother. Her advice is contact approved because they continue their relationship. Click Dear Abby Tue Oct 24, 2023 to view the column.

*Rank from 1 to 5 being 1 most important and 5 least important the following: emotional, financial, mental, physical, and spiritual. My rank is 1 physical, 2 mental, 3 spiritual, 4 emotional, and 5 financial. I define my spiritual as sleep because I have no religion.

*Human beings don't know what they need until they have seen what they asked for.

*sanctimonious: making an exaggerated show of holiness or moral superiority. A sanctimonious control freak.

*omniscient: knowing or seeming to know everything. I'm the omniscient narrator.

*Can a person experience the highs without experiencing the lows?

*Make A Marriage Bet. Make a marriage wager. Look at the groom when the bride walks down the aisle in a church. Don't look at the bride. Make the appropriate bet.

Another note. Neither the bride nor the groom wants to reverse engineer or connect the dots backwards a failed marriage. The multivariant equations are weaponized.

*A Granola Person. Granola loves the outdoors, low maintenance, and conscious of the environment. The outside activities including camping, hiking, and skiing. Granola supports local businesses. Granola eats organic foods.

*Successful Marriage? Yes or no. A couple is married for 50 years. 47 of the 50 years are miserable. The couple is not divorced.

*The secret lies in the reading and the writing. You are able to read. Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read. Then she must read every day, I know this is the secret. --Mary Rommely, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Top Ten Plus Eight Equals Top Eighteen Improved My Quality Of Life I Wished I Did Them Sooner

Anything goes big or small. Never stop improving. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely. These improvements changed my life. We experience the "I wish it happened before." Better late than never. Here are the top ten plus eight equals top eighteen improved my quality of life I wished I did them sooner.

18. No More Family Guy. I donated all my Family Guy DVDs. My intelligence improved afterwards. I can't explain it.

I also donate DVDs and books I'm no longer interested. Free shelf space. Less clutter.

17. Cursive Writing. I started to write cursive again on Jul 1, 2017. Writing became faster.

16. Ambient Light. I installed an LED soft white light strip behind my desktop PC and along the wall on Dec 2019. My eyes strained less at night.

15. Harry Potter. I read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling for the first time in Sep 2019. I read the series three times.

14. Trekking Poles. I backpacked with a rented walking stick for the first time at The Narrows Top To Bottom at Zion National Park on Oct 3-4, 2015. The pole saved my ass. I upgraded all hiking equipment and purchased new camping equipment afterwards. I always hike with trekking poles.

13. No More Sunday Worries. I worried about Mondays on Sundays throughout my childhood and my young adulthood. The worrying stopped when I learned worry about tomorrow--tomorrow. Live the present.

12. The Power Of Goodbye. Be brave to retire. Be courageous to move forward. It's time to move on. People grow apart. It's time to say goodbye. It's life.

11. It's Okay To Quit. Most things don't work. It's okay to quit. Stop when something is not working out. No need to be arrogant.

10 Steve Jobs. I read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson on Mar 2016. I promise people change after reading the book. A few examples are the following: Picasso had a saying--"good artists copy, great artists steal"--we have always been shameless . . . stealing great ideas; innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have; quality is much better than quantity; and the journey is the reward. I read the book twice.

9. Run Raymond Run. One example the COVID-19 global pandemic changed my life is I jog more miles. I jogged 1.5 miles and rode the stationary bike for my cardio workouts at the gym before the pandemic. My longest distance is 6.1 miles.

8. Release The Cherish. Number eight is a number twelve extension. I was too sentimental. I was afraid to leave my comfort zone. I failed to say goodbye to people, to places, and to objects. We encountered new people, new places, and new objects. We made a choice to keep an existing cherish or choose a new cherish. Sometimes we said goodbye to a cherish to continue living.

7. Diet And Cooking. One benefit learning how to cook is I minimize eating junk food, eating processed food, and eating at restaurants. No moderation. Yes minimizing. I don't drink milk. I reduce my water intake drinking less than eight glasses of water a day. I drink when I'm thirsty.

6. The Shawshank Redemption. It took me decades to watch the movie. I mention no spoilers. There is a reason the movie is number one in IMDB's Top 250 Movies.

5. Job Training. Never stop learning new job skills. Never stop reviewing existing job skills. Learn, drill, practice, and repeat; likewise, to any and all skills and knowledge.

4. Grow Up. I grew up for the first time on Sat Oct 4, 2008. My life changed forever. It was time to grow up. No more immaturity. No more taking life for granted. I'm responsible for my life. Life is much better from a mature point of view. The changes were immediate. New clothes, new PC, new gym workouts, fiction books, new board games, and new hobbies such as ballroom dancing and hiking.

3. Timing And Luck. Timing and luck are factors to be successful. Opportunities and chances are required to be successful, too. If a person is not at the right place and the right time, then there are no opportunities and no chances.

Chances happen every second. The future is unknown. We take a chance something good or something bad comes tomorrow. We hope we are at the right place at the right time. Timing and luck are in favor. We hope we're not at the wrong place at the wrong time. Timing and luck aren't in favor. Life is unfair.

We control as much as we can to increase the odds. We can't control everything. Sometimes life decreases the odds. Stop counting the bad luck moments. Forget the bad timing instances. Add up the bad luck and bad timing creates frustrations, loses focus, depletes strength, increases stress, and forgets priorities.

2. Personal Boundaries. Set boundaries. If people don't set boundaries, then other people set the boundaries. People's lives are terrible when they worry about making their own choices and don't make their own choices. It's okay to say no without excuses.

1. Motivation. Desire is more important than knowledge. I will is prioritized over I know. Motivation is greater than knowledge.

Throwback Blog: I Celebrate My Independence Soon

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 I Celebrate My Independence Soon written on Jul 4, 2016. My number one goal freedom is clear and present. I substitute the word freedom for the word independence anytime I talk about living on my own because of preference. Freedom is coming. There is no alternative.

The working intelligently for freedom partially changed. I job search once a day from Mon to Sat. I continue learning job skills and life skills when I'm not job searching. The job skills training is the endgame or one final practice including Excel, Python, R, and Power BI. My workouts are two days strength training and two days jogging outdoors.

The working intelligently for freedom partially not changed. I fulfill household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I sleep well. I read books. I'm happy I read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling for the first time on Sep 2019. The timing was perfect I read Harry Potter three times during the COVID-19 global pandemic. I minimize watching television, eating junk food, and visiting my social media.

Today is Independence Day in the United States Of America. The Americans celebrate our independence when the thirteen American colonies became a new nation leaving the British Empire on July 4, 1776. One of these days I'm going to be independent making my own choices, living a consistent life, controlling more of my life, and being more proactive. The bottom line is freedom.

I'm working intelligently to be independent. I'm strong. I'm brave. I job search two times a day every weekday. I learn new skills when I'm not job searching. My current personal projects are learning Python and HTML5. I also stay active. Boredom is a motivation killer. Boredom defeats the reason to live. I workout at the gym four days a week. I fulfill household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I sleep well. I read books. My last book was 1984 by George Orwell. I minimize watching television, eating junk food, and visiting my social media.

My independence is not if. My independence is when. I promise to myself and I promise to everyone my earned independence is exciting. I can say my next manifesto includes an exciting independence.

Random Knowledge Or Random Trivia February 2023

We live in the Information Age. Look it up on the internet. Random knowledge or random trivia? A life improvement? A waste of time? The answer is subjective. The answer depends on the reader.

Clint Eastwood Sudden Impact Coffee scene.

C.Q.D. stands for Come Quick Danger, Come Quick Distress, or Come Quick Drowning. You may have heard C.Q.D. from the movie Titanic when the captain told a crew member to send the distress call using Morse Code.

Prince & The Revolution: Live. YouTube concert video.

11 Local TV Stations Pushed the Same Amazon-Scripted Segment

Autopsy doctors of Reddit, what was the biggest revelation you had to a person's death after you carried out the procedure?

Romeo + Juliet OST - 21 - Escape From Mantua. Song from Mundy which is The X-Files movie trailer music.

Kids enjoying cardboard slide that mom made.

Dialog by Jincheng Zhang. A background music number 1.

Airport Lounge by Kevin MacLeod. A background music number 2.

Intractable by Kevin MacLeod. A background music number 3.

Every Classroom Sketch Ever - Key & Peele. YouTube video. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele from Comedy Central.

People of reddit: what is one movie that you absolutely will not pass up watching no matter how many times you have seen it?

Albert Einstein on insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Also, two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe.

hypocrisy: a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral, or religious beliefs or principles, etc. that one does not really possess. A pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.

Rock Me Gently by Andy Kim. YouTube music video.

What Video Game was 100% amazing from start to finish?

What are dark secrets about the Porn Industry that people should know?

Dilbert comic Humans Making Decisions comments dated Aug 16, 2020.

vicarious: felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others.

altruism: the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others.

Wildest Endings in Sports | Plays that will Likely Never Happen Again. YouTube video.

A car safety advice: Relay theft criminals can capture the auto remote signal unlocks the door when you get near the vehicle the key fob is constantly transmitting a signal. Solutions keep auto keys away from the front door as far away as possible. Place in a metal box or wrap in an aluminum foil. Brass can works, too.

The four ABBA singers are Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida). Faltskog and Ulvaeus were a couple. Lyngstad and Andersson were a couple. The couples are divorced.

MLB 1 in a Billion Moments. YouTube video.

NFL "Free Kick" Compilation YouTube video.

How to find the best lube for you. Sex With Emily article.

Dunning-Kruger effect. Wikipedia article.

antagonist: a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another, opponent, adversary. The adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work.

protagonist: the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work. A proponent for or advocate of a political cause, social program, etc. The leader or principal person in a movement, cause, etc.

Those of you Redditor's in happy, healthy, and fulfilling relationships, what were the "green flags" you noticed about your partner early on in your relationship with them?

Tom Silva explains the tape measure. YouTube video.

Any Day Now by Ronnie Milsap. YouTube music video.

What popular saying is actually bullshit?

Sample 1: I tell my 7yr old son "if you tell me the truth the punishment isn't as bad" when he follows through he still gets punished, but I explain what would have happened if he lied. Tell the truth? 10 min time out in the corner. Lie? Grounded for the entire night.
Sample 2: My Fire Department’s policy was: "Tell us the truth and we'll do everything in our power to save your job. Lie to us and we'll do the exact opposite."
Sample 3: I tell new hires to tell the truth so we can learn from it. I won't lie, there certain lines that no matter of up frontness can protect you from (and at that point I'll probably know anyway!). But if we can't at least learn from your fuckup then we're all worse off for it. My philosophy is modeled off of the FAA and NASA program private pilots to self report their fuckups.
Sample 4a: People would tell me that potential employers decide if a person is the right fit for the job within the first five seconds of the interview. For years I thought it was BS until I was on the other side of the table. A candidate who walks into the room wearing a suit and carries themselves in a confident demeanor is going to make me much more comfortable than someone with a perpetual slouch wearing a polo and jeans, even if the latter is 10x more qualified. I wish we as humans had more control over that, but it’s just instinctual.
Sample 4b: Edit: For the people calling me shallow and classist, I think I need to be more clear. Someone who doesn't look or act as nice may be more qualified, but if anything in their responses gives any kind of indication that they're going to have a negative impact on the work environment, that's a deal breaker. Someone could be as smart as a whip but could be lazy or struggle to listen to authority. On the flip side though, someone could be a perfect fit but doesn't sell themselves well. We don’t know this person so we have to make assumptions based on their responses to our questions and what skills they claim to possess. Skills are important yes but presentation is what gets your foot in the door. The same goes for the better dressed person. They could say something completely off the wall that can turn the tide.

D'Nealian cursive handwriting. Wikipedia article.

misogynistic: strongly prejudiced against women.

Treasury nominee Janet Yellen is looking to curtail use of cryptocurrency. ArsTechnica article.

transcendence: existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level. Going beyond ordinary limits; surpassing; exceeding; exceeding usual limits.

BuzzFeed Answer A Few Random Harry Potter Questions And We'll Reveal Your Soulmate's Hogwarts House

How to sew with a Swiss Army knife. Learn emergency sewing with the awl watching the YouTube video.

Search life idioms. Find useful social life idioms phrases and sayings.

Update On A Past Blog

I randomly thought about the "Weird Al" Yankovic - Fat song yesterday. I remember attending his concert at the Santa Clara County Fair in summer 1996. I forgot about the concert for which I add to the Top Ten Forgotten Moments blog written on Feb 15, 2020. I recognize the moment for the blog 1996 written on Dec 5, 2013.

Top Ten Plus One Equals Top Eleven Life Changes Since The COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Everyone's life changed when the COVID-19 virus affected the world. The State Of California issued shelter in-place (SIP) orders on Tue Mar 17, 2020. California reopened on Tue Jun 15, 2021 totaling 455 days. One permanent change is trying new restaurants to support local restaurants using the Federal Government stimulus money. I begin tipping take-out orders. Anyone's guess is a good guess what the professional workplace environment post-pandemic. There are too many opinions and too many forecasts.

A long-term temporary change is coming out of video game retirement. I take advantage of additional free time playing classic video games on my Steam account. I finished Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII, and Call Of Duty: World At War. I'm currently playing Left 4 Dead 2.

Here are the top ten plus one equals top eleven life changes since the COVID-19 global pandemic permanently or temporary:

11. Reread Harry Potter. I started reading Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling in Sep 2019. I finished in Mar 2020. The pandemic closed libraries where I buy used books. I reread two more times. The third time I read backwards from Year 7 to Year 1. The series is too good.

Rereading Harry Potter may be permanent. There are some die-hard Potterheads who read the seven books once a year as a tradition.

10. Cooking Changes. I add cooking one less cup of rice per cooking on the rice cooker. I also bake more and broil less.

9. Morning Errands. There are less customers in stores during the mornings. I prioritize errands in the mornings instead of afternoons.

8. Windows Closed. I close the windows when the house is comfortable regardless of weather conditions. I open the windows when necessarily. I minimize outdoor debris. I turn on my desk fan on days windows must be closed to circulate the stagnant air; in particular, in Aug 2020 when CA experienced statewide wildfires resulting in unhealthy air.

7. Reduce Fruits And Vegetables. The common knowledge people should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables doesn't apply to my body. I reduce my fruit and vegetable consumption by 25%. Less stomach aches.

6. Set Home Air-Conditioner To 78 Degrees. I set the thermostat to 78 in the morning for a forecasted hot day. Also, we stop using the Patton fan to circulate the air from downstairs to upstairs because the additional costs outweigh the circulation benefits.

5. Reduce Laundry. I wear dark color clothes more often than light color clothes. Also, I temporary stop working out at the gym. I don't wash my gym towels.

4. Reduce Shaving. I shave two times a week instead of three times a week with cold water instead of warm water.

3. Reduce Shopping For Bottle Water. I broil tap water on the stove for drinking water. I don't buy the one-gallon Crystal Geyser bottle water at the stores.

2. Physical Training. I work out at home. My strength training is a 45 pound plate, 25 pound plate, and a set of adjustable dumbbells 5 pounds to 50 pounds each. My cardio workouts are the stationary cycle at home and jogging around the neighborhood. Core training is added to my strength training workouts.

1. Job Training. I mention the new job training schedule even though it started in Jan 2021. Two week schedule rotation. One week is a set of job skills. The second week is another set of job skills. Job reviewing is included. Excel, Python, Linux, dashboards, data analysis, and drilling Sublime Text are included. There is too much to learn. Take it one day at a time.

Update On A Past Blog

The professor in my Philosophy 10 Introduction To Philosophy class asked all students to write one question on a piece of paper to be submitted in five minutes on the last day of class. No restrictions. The professor selected questions he answered to the class. It was the 1990s version of AMA or Ask Me Anything.

The write one question is one of my Tell Me You Games I wrote on Dec 22, 2014. The blog is suggested social games encouraging people to communicate and to open up.

Donuts And Harry Potter Christmas

I thought about two going back to the past moments for Christmas Day on Christmas Eve. The first moment was going back in time when my family and I visited my grandparent's house on my mom's side in Santa Barbara, CA. Grandfather purchased donuts at Winchell's Donuts House for his grandchildren. The second moment was Harry Potter. I read the series three times. Author J.K. Rowling included chapters taking place on Christmas Day. I accomplished the two moments on Christmas Day below.

I woke up at 7:30am to purchase donuts at a ma and pa donut shop one mile away. I purchased glaze, vanilla, chocolate, old fashion, and French Culler donuts. Each family member ate two donuts.

I read the Harry Potter Christmas Day chapters. The chapters are SS ch 12 The Mirror Of Erised, COS ch 12 The Polyjuice Potion, POA ch 11 The Firebolt, GOF ch 23 The Yule Ball, OOTP ch 23 Christmas On The Closed Ward, HPB ch 16 A Very Frosty Christmas, and DH ch 16 Godric's Hollow. I included a bonus chapter DH ch 17 Bathilda's Secret which happened on the same night. DH took place on Christmas Eve.

The Real Life Felix Felicis

Felix Felicis is a potion from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The drinker becomes lucky for a period of time. Everything attempted becomes successful. The potion is also called "Liquid Luck." The drinker must not take Felix Felicis in excess which causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence.

I share three real Felix Felicis. The first is a moment. The second is a partial Felix Felicis in a calendar year. The third is a complete Felix Felicis in a calendar year. Good luck was excellent. Life flowed my way. I could do anything successfully. Good fortunes came to me.

The Felix Felicis moment happened Apr 2-6, 2017. I admitted myself to the emergency room at O'Connor Hospital for severe stomach pains. I was diagnosed with Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis. I required two surgeries which were successful. The first surgery was Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatography which removed gallstones. The second surgery was Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy which removed my gallbladder. The five days at O'Connor went smoothly. The emergency room was quiet. All tests, checkups, and follow-ups went as schedule. The only delay was waiting for the doctors to discharge me. My floor where I stayed was quiet except my last night. The victims of a major car accident stayed around my room. One of them shared my double occupancy room. They were quiet and problem free. One may say I'm still paying back the Felix Felicis Apr 2017 today.

The Felix Felicis partial calendar year happened in 2010. I attended De Anza College to earn an A.A. degree in Accounting. I earned A's in all my classes. I rented a DVD movie from the library once a week. The two anime conventions I attended were perfect. I went to a Paul McCartney concert. I played StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. The San Francisco Giants Won the 2010 World Series which was their first in San Francisco franchise history. I rode the San Francisco cable car for the first time.

Felix Felicis didn't work for my Beginning Singing class in Winter Quarter 2010 and my Cost Accounting class in Spring Quarter 2010. I should have dropped both classes. The Beginning Singing class didn't meet my expectations. It was a waste of time. The instructor for the Cost Accounting was ineffective. I should have taken the class at a future quarter with a different instructor.

The Felix Felicis complete calendar year happened in 2005. I visited Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada for the first time. I purchased my first laptop which was a Dell Inspiron 8600 on sale. I created my Innovating Common Knowledge blog.

Side note: 2009 can be the Felix Felicis complete calendar year instead 2005. I graded 2009 and 2005 an A+ from Grading My Past Years blog on Aug 13, 2018. The difference is 2009 went downhill in Dec.

Third Party Dream

Three dreams last night. I was the third-party perspective watching from above like a camera drone hovering above in the first dream and the second dream. I was a participant for the third dream.

The first dream. There were two houses next to each other. An old man lived in one house. He was an army veteran. He was late on his rent. He was one month away from being evicted. He dated an old woman who was a Harry Potter fan or Potterhead. The old man became a Potterhead. She helped pay his rent. They played Harry Potter trivia outside the front yard. The neighbor befriended the old man who was also a Potterhead. The neighbor helped the old man in Harry Potter trivia against his girlfriend.

The second dream. There was an apartment complex in a lower-class neighborhood. Colors were brownish tone. The complex was multi-floor. There was no fenced backyard for all first-floor units. One unit had a family of three consisting of the father, mother, and son around four years old. The father became a dead-beat dad leaving the apartment unit. The son didn't know what happened. The mother didn't appear in my dream.

The third dream. I was a rookie business journalist. My editor boss was the Michael Keaton character from the movie Spotlight. My first assignment was finding winning stocks to recommend. I worked hard. I made mistakes. Keaton approved my stocks. My article was printed. The song The Middle by Jimmy Eat World played in my mind. I continued writing good business articles.

There was a brief fourth dream. I walked on my neighborhood street on the opposite side of my house towards the apartments. I saw my dad driving his old white Honda Civic 4-speed manual transmission hatchback towards me.

Two More 1990s Songs

I mention two songs from the movie Empire Records. The first song is Til I Hear From You by Gin Blossoms. The second song is Liar by The Cranberries.

Raymond Mar One Liners 5

Muscle & Fitness July/August 2017 issue interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger titled "Arnold" by Peter McGough. The interview inspired me to write one liners reflecting me. There is no chronological order. I write anything I thought my mind. Here is my fifth Raymond Mar One Liners. The first was written on Jun 17, 2018. The second was written on Jun 1, 2019. The third was written on Apr 16, 2020. The fourth was written on Feb 13, 2021.

The second time in the second company I worked after I graduated from San Jose State University moved to a new building.

I walked on the Golden Gate Bridge end-to-end for the first time in my life in 2011.

The first time in the first company I worked after I graduated from San Jose State University moved to a new building.

My family and I moved to a new house two-stories tall.

Spring Semester 1997 felt like the longest semester throughout my time at San Jose State University.

Spring Semester 1994 and Fall Semester 1994 were the most boring semesters throughout my time at San Jose State University.

A big positive being a child in the 1980s was listening to the King Of Pop Michael Jackson.

I hated taking English as the last period in my high school sophomore year.

I took a day class on using technical analysis to research stocks. I'm happy to say I forgot everything.

I read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling three times.

I remember one summer day the temperature was 103 degrees. The next day 103 was the front page headline in the local newspaper.

My fourth grade elementary school I don't recall a mascot. I went to the school website. The mascot is a blue colored panther.

My sixth grade middle school mascot was the pirate. The school district changed from a pirate to a rhino because pirate was politically incorrect being violent. The school district converted the middle school to a combination elementary school and middle school K-8. The mascot is the husky.

My home mini-gym has been a success. I have maintained my weight between 155-160 pounds.

The hall of fame baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr. is my first rookie card I purchased when I started collecting baseball cards.

I discourage people taking computer programming crash courses and boot camps. Nobody becomes a profession programmer in months.

I watched President Bill Clinton's first inauguration. It was the only presidential inauguration I watched from start to finish.

I'm allergic to retail water filters. I was sick for one month. I stopped drinking the retail water filters. I recovered from my sickness immediately.

It's difficult for a new TV show to replace my all-time favorite TV show Breaking Bad. Nobody should sell their Breaking Bad DVDs.

Animal telephone was an activity my brother and I played when we were children. One of my animals pretended to telephone one of my brother's animals or vice versa for an adventure.

2021 Year In Review

The seven nominations and its explanations for the moment of the year.

1. Black Friday 2021. I reminded myself wait to buy and stock up on bare necessities on Black Friday. Many of my bare necessities were at Black Friday sale prices. Buying on Black Friday was a good approach to minimize expenses.

2. Final Fantasy VII. I completed my second Final Fantasy video game.

3. Harry Potter. I reread Harry Potter two more times. The third time I read backwards from Year 7 to Year 1. Year 7 replaces Year 5 as my favorite Harry Potter book.

4. Job training. I combined Excel, Power Point, and dashboards in one day. I added R and R-Studio training on Sat mornings. I reduced the number of training days from six to five per week. The sixth day on Thurs is not necessarily a day off. The sixth day is life training outside job training.

5. Physical fitness. My physical fitness is four days a week consistently. Good health is maintained.

6. Summer Sabbatical in Oct. I corrected the 2007 Summer Sabbatical in Oct. I also corrected the retail rotation. I wrote a blog on Dec 13, 2021 titled I Corrected My Retail Rotation.

7. Wallstreet Bets. I learned more about Wall Street and financial investments in 2021 than in the past decades and the classes when I was a student at San Jose State University and De Anza College.

Explanation: No moment of the year for the small moments Black Friday 2021 and Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII is a revolutionary classic RPG all gamers must play. Rereading Harry Potter two more times was fantastic especially noting what I missed the first time I read it. I felt like I prepare myself for a trivia contest. Trivia was not a moment of the year. Solid recognitions to job training and physical fitness because I was consistent and productive. I also improved and changed learning new job skills and adding physical workouts. My longest daily jog is 4.5 miles as of the blog post. The Summer Sabbatical was a desperate break. I corrected how I should take a sabbatical and how I should prioritize my daily responsibilities. Wallstreet Bets caught my attention in Jan 2021. I could add financial education to the learning new job skills and adding physical workouts mentality.

What Won: Wallstreet Bets.

What Should Have Won: Wallstreet Bets.

My Thoughts On The Winning Moment: No brainer. All the financial education I learned in college was a joke. Regardless, all investors including professionals and amateurs must learn the basics. Thank you Google, Reddit, Yahoo Finance, and YouTube for providing sources to learn deeper.

2021 Letter Grade: B. Three consecutive good years 2019-2021. 2010-2012 was the last time I lived three consecutive good years. There was neither financial rewards nor employment income given I'm unemployed long-term. I hope the 2021 gains pay off in the future. The COVID-19 global pandemic survival mentality continues.

Past Moments Of The Years And Its Letter Grades

2020: First responders, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. Grade B.
2019: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C+.
2018: Consistent gym workouts. Grade C-.
2017: O'Connor Hospital. Grade D.
2016: Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson. Grade F.

A Second Look At 2020

It's the time I look back at my 2020 blogs to give myself feedback. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, correcting errant blogs, and sharing changes. The 10 blogs are also the 2020 best blogs.

1. Who Cares About The High Number Of Bad Luck?
Date: Wed Jan 1
Summary: Nobody cares about a person's bad luck streak. Nobody cares about my bad luck streak in 2018. The world doesn't care.
Feedback: The unsuccessful experience the continuous bad luck only. The bad people experience the continuous bad luck only. I wonder why the unsuccessful and the bad people are unsuccessful and bad. They experience too much bad luck. I never thought I experience continuous bad luck. I write the first paragraph the wisdom of a 20 year old.

Fast forward to today. Bad luck, down on my luck, slumps, and down years. All of them can happen to anyone at any time. They happened to me in 2018. Don't take life for granted. A winner can be a loser in minutes.

I speak on behalf of the world. The world doesn't care about people consistently complaining about bad life, bad luck, slumps, and down years. The world didn't care about my 2018.

2. Do Your Sets And Do Your Reps
Date: Sun Jan 19
Summary: Never stop learning. Practice, drill, repetitions, remind, reinforce, and repeat.
Feedback: I admit I did a good job writing a blog on drills, practice, and repetition. I remind myself, I assure myself, and I reinforce myself my best learning technique is practice, practice, and practice.

I asked myself if I wrote a blog on drilling in Oct 2021. I actually did.

3. My Second Desktop PC And My Third Laptop
Date: Mon Feb 24
Summary: I built a new desktop PC in Jan 2020. I purchased a new laptop on Black Friday 2019. I summarized my hardware specs, wrote a crash course on desktop PC hardware, and summarized my laptop specs.
Feedback: Another example timing is everything. The COVID-19 global pandemic started in early 2020. My new desktop and my new laptop have helped me endure the pandemic. One instance is learning new job skills became easier using a more powerful desktop PC. Another instance is Python and Power Query ran faster. I can run Python on my laptop if needed.

The Black Friday 2021 deals were fewer compared to Black Friday 2019. The supply shortage was a factor. If I remember correctly, the Black Friday 2020 deals were fewer compared to Black Friday 2019.

More people accept computers must be used in today's Information Age. The COVID-19 global pandemic brought computers front and center.

I went to a local computer store to exchange a defective accessory in Aug 2020. The store closed on weekends. My guess was the store needed more time to complete computer repair orders. There was a sign posted at the entrance for computer repairs. The minimum wait time was seven days. The store profited during the pandemic because more people depended on computers. Moreover, knowing basic PC could prevent hiring a professional to repair a computer.

4. Most Things Don't Work
Date: Wed Feb 26
Summary: The first sentence is to the point, "A universal truth most people don't realize is most things don't work."
Feedback: I wrote 16 cynical blogs in 2020. The blog is the first of 16. I reiterate. Most things don't work. They include people, places, things, assignments, projects, relationships, inventions, . . . everyone, every place, and everything in life.

5. Top Ten Plus Nine Equals Top Nineteen Harry Potter Adult Perspective Takeaways
Date: Wed Apr 29
Summary: I shared 19 Harry Potter thoughts.
Feedback: I correct errors. Number 18 author J.K. Rowling was time pressured for volume six. I incorrectly wrote volume four. Number 18 another bad word close to swearing was "slut" in volume six. The word was written in the chapter Tom Riddle visited the Gaunt's house.

An update for number 13. Volume seven is my most favorite volume because Harry takes over the series. All questions are answered including some of the character's past. My previously most favorite volume was five. My updated volume rankings from most favorite to least favorite are 7, 5, 6, 4, 3, 1, and 2.

Rowling said Merlin the Wizard is a Slytherin.

I read Harry Potter a second time and a third time. The third time I read backwards from volume seven to volume one.

6. The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Harder To Fake It
Date: Mon Jun 15
Summary: The global pandemic reveals hidden truths.
Feedback: The pandemic continues. The new, the uncharted, and the unprecedented continue. COVID-19 continues bringing out more truths. COVID-19 equalizing continues. COVID-19 and George Floyd's death with social injustice protests were a coincidence.

Another harder to fake is stupidity. The people hiding stupidity are revealed. The people faking intelligence is called out. Bluffing being smart is called. All idiots come front and center.

I credit the omicron variant timing for those thinking about living a quiet life. Do it. If you never played the quiet life card, then it's time to play the card. Worldwide COVID-19 cases are increasing. It's another winter surge. Omicron variant is prevalent. Live a quiet life to minimize your chances of getting COVID-19. A quiet life can be boring or can't be boring. There's a good way to live quietly. There's a bad way to live quietly. One suggestion living a quiet life is take a break. Slow down.

7. Instant Bullets Blog Aug 24, 2020
Date: Mon Aug 24
Summary: These bullets are life hacks and life wisdom.
Feedback: I reiterate the Some Life Hacks bullets below:

Use a GameBoy cartridge case to carry a condom safely.
Use a colander to separate cereal dust and cereal.
Use a muffin tin to serve condiments at a barbeque party.
Check the fingernails of any person in a senior center because if the fingernails are uncut, then it's a sign of poor care.
Take several pictures before the final posing picture when you help a stranger take a picture of himself, herself, or the party because candid pictures may be better than the final posing picture.
"Fair enough" may be a statement to defuse a tension or a conflict situation.
"Familiar with" may calm or relax the other person instead of saying "know it."
Visit a potential apartment or house at night to research deeper.

8. There's An A In Overachieving
Date: Sun Oct 11
Summary: Professional championship teams must have a superstar, top coaching staff, and dedicated ownership.
Feedback: 1+1+1=3 remains valid. The Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts+Dave Roberts+Los Angeles Dodgers=2020 World Series in a shorten baseball season. Tom Brady+Bruce Arians+Tampa Bay Buccaneers=2020 Super Bowl Champions.

9. The World Has Been Changing Geometrically In Plain English
Date: Wed Nov 18
Summary: Give change time. There are more changes today compared to yesterday per a given time period such as a month, year, or five years.
Feedback: I have two feedbacks for the Four Certainties. The first is I wrote the first answer which is death, taxes, 24 hours in a day, and problems. My second is death, taxes, 24 hours in a day, and people change whether the people cause the change or life causes the change.

Another cynical blog out of the 16 in my Second Look. If you haven't been keeping up with current affairs, COVID-19 changes the world today and tomorrow. Temporary changes today. Permanent changes tomorrow. I guaranteed them.

A permanent changed unrelated to COVID-19; although, one can say COVID-19 may change indirectly. There are more people unemployed. There are more people who can't find a job. Most of them quit finding a job. All of them are forgotten. The media doesn't report on these permanent unemployed. Think intuitively. There are too many people. There are too few jobs to fulfill.

10. An Abandonment Dream
Date: Thur Dec 17
Summary: A dream lead to an irony everyone needs to slow down and take a break eventually.
Feedback: I have been taking a break or taking a staycation once a year since 2019. The primary reason has been I'm behind in responsibilities. My brain felt like jelly. My brain felt like a sponge too wet I can't learn anything new. I took a break. Everyone needs a break.

The following blogs are honorable mentions: Today Is A Lucky Day I Count My Blessings and Three Years Later Scanners For Bar Codes.

An Ignorant Workplace Misunderstanding Instance

I dreamed last night I worked at my second company which was in the commercial real estate industry after I graduated college. The managing general partner requested charts for his upcoming project. The ladies from the Administration Dept. accepted the request. The ladies came to me with questions. We conversed on the charts. The ladies created the charts from scratch and extracted the data by brute force. I told them my Research Dept. should have accepted the request because the dept. was the data source. My dept. was experienced creating custom charts.

The conclusion was real estate brokers didn't know what to ask for their clients and their projects. Also, the real estate brokers didn't know how to ask. The managing general partner should have contact someone in the Research Dept. It took time for the requestee and the requestor to communicate and to understand. Ignorance and impatience lead to misunderstandings. Time was wasted.

Never Used The Report

Another instance time was wasted the requestee never used the charts, reports, data, summaries, or analysis. One possibility was the requestee didn't comprehend the information provided. The information was too hard to understand. Another possibility was the requestor prepared the information with errors. The information couldn't be presented or couldn't be used for a presentation. Data is useless when either the source is unreliable or the recipient don't understand. Garbage in, garbage out. Prepare reports for the audience to understand in plain English.

Update On A Past Blog

I reread Harry Potter by J.K Rowling. I update Top Ten Plus Nine Equals Top Nineteen Harry Potter Adult Perspective Takeaways blog written on Apr 29, 2020. I mentioned Volume Five Order Of The Phoenix is my favorite volume in number 13 All Hell Breaks Loose. Volume Seven Deathly Hallows is my new favorite volume because Harry Potter took charge. It took Potter six years to grow up. My Harry Potter volume ranking is seven Deathly Hallows, five Order Of The Phoenix, six Half-Blood Prince, four Goblet Of Fire, three Prisoner Of Azkaban, one Sorcerer's Stone, and two Chamber Of Secrets.

Favorite Harry Potter Movie Scenes

I finished reading the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling on Mar 2020. I finished watching the eight movies on May 2020. I'm decades late to the party. I'm rereading the series. I started Book 7 Deathly Hallows yesterday. I share my favorite movie scenes in order of appearance.

#2 Chamber Of Secrets. Harry and Ron disguise themselves as Crabbe and Goyle.

#3 Prisoner Of Azkaban. Harry casts magic on Aunt Marge.

#3 Prisoner Of Azkaban. Harry rides The Knight Bus.

#5 Order Of The Phoenix. Luna Lovegood is introduced.

#5 Order Of The Phoenix. Dumbledore vs. Voldermort.

#6 Half-Blood Prince. Draco, Bellatrix, Snape, and the Death Eaters at the astronomy tower.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 1. Harry and Hermione dance.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Neville welcomes Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to Hogwarts.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Harry and Dumbledore at King's Cross.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Harry confronts Snape inside the Great Hall.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Snape meets Lily for the first time. Part 1.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Snape meets Lily for the first time. Part 2.

#7 Deathly Hallows Part 2. Mrs. Weasley vs Bellatrix.

Active, Slow, Plain, Quiet Summer 2020

Blogger's Note: May is pic month. I'm catching up posting pics from my smart phone. Enjoy!

Reading Harry Potter was a peaceful activity. The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates near zero to keep the economy moving slowly. The State Of California became planet Mars during the wildfires. More people struggled with poverty and hunger during the global pandemic. New fitness equipment was a physical peaceful activity. Follow the advice travel with towels from the book The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I laughed when I saw my last name on a Dodge Ram truck. The minimal car maintenance is open the hood for a visual engine inspection. A history reminder the 2020 US Presidential election was close.

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.