One Complaint About Life Which Is Bullshit

I took a week vacation from Mon Oct 5 to Fri Oct 9. I titled the week vacation, "Recover From Fatigue, Catch Up, And Smell The Roses." No self job training. No exercise. Rest. Recover. Don't get sick. The last time I took a vacation excluding the Christmas holidays was the Summer Sabbatical October 2021 from Wed Oct 13, 2021 to Thur Nov 4, 2021. There was a Moby-Dick Vacation where self job training days were halved due to reading Moby-Dick by Herman Melville from Oct 2023 to Feb 2024.

In addition, the unseasonably hot days and warm nights convinced me no physical workouts. The destiny, life, karma, go with the flow, and intuition said take a week off. It was time to catch up on unfinished tasks.

Finishing tasks and closing outstanding personal assignments were unsuccessful. There was a serious family situation which altered my vacation plans. I accepted both the altering plans and the distracting losing my concentration. I couldn't control it. I got little done.

Physical Priority Over Mental

My takeaway from last week was equally balance the physical with the mental. The takeaway could be logical or illogical. Emotion, financial, and spiritual were important, too. The days I plan cardio or strength training physical activity is prioritize over mental activity. I anticipate some days the priority is cancelled for whatever reason. A life bullshit is today's Information Age the mental is overprioritized over physical. Today's typical daily work, family, commute, and/or education require the most dedicated time in human history. Most days the person is legitimately too fatigued for physical exercise. Physical fitness is important. Good physical fitness helps mental sharpness. The converse good mental sharpness makes the body move is false; the knees and elbows don't move when working on a desk. Is construction a legitimate physical activity?

I'm lucky my current life gives me free time to workout four days a week. If I'm working, then I prioritize physical workouts over reading books on weekdays and weekends.

Graduate Students Likely Teaching Bullshit

I experienced graduate students as teaching assistants teaching lower division classes when I attended San Jose State University. Almost all of them meant well. They wanted to teach their students the correct way. The course material taught was likely bullshit.

One class taught by multiple graduate students was the Academic English II laboratory from the Linguistics And Language Department. Students attended the laboratory two days a week and the lecture two days a week. Academic English II was the second of two English remedial classes. I was lucky I didn't have to take a full year of Academic English I and II.

One of the graduate student instructors emphasized his students to "think." There was a piece of paper on the table saying "think" in small font. Students must bend their heads down on the table to read "think." It was bullshit. Most successful people don't think. The late Steve Jobs is a good example. Trust intuition.

Academic English II, English 1A, and English 1B failed to teach me how to write. My Economics Writing Workshop taught me how to write.

Update On A Past Blog

The Real Life Match Game blog written on Jun 12, 2019 can be interpreted literally as a match or an equal. I wrote matching relationships between people, places, and things. In particular, relationships between people among friends, dating, and family.

Two people are in a dating relationship. Two people are engaged. Two people are married. The five general categories to determine a matching relationship are physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial. Physical includes body shape and sex. Mental includes intelligence and wisdom. Emotional includes calmness and self-esteem. Spiritual includes religion for those practicing a religion and/or sleep. Financial is defined as money discipline.

People are different. Two people with their differences can find matching similarities. Some people are hard. Some people are soft. Some people are strong. Some people are weak. Some people are beginners. Some people are advanced. Some people are loud. Some people are quiet. Recognize the deal breakers. Stand by the deal breakers--be honest with oneself. There are reasons we don't get along with everyone. The deal breakers cause the mismatches. Person A finds another person. Person B finds another person.

New Sights And New Experiences

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

I was lucky I got a free bottle water using my intuition. New Mahjong sights a portable automatic table and English translation Japanese Riichi tiles. Another new sight was apartments and industrial buildings by the bay water. Also, I saw 116 minutes from the home dishwasher for the first time. All workers should read The Peter Principle to minimize incompetence and to maximize worker habits. The family ate at a new Chinese restaurant for the first time for which the inside included a big picture.

Throwback Blog: Where Does Bad Management Come From?

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 Where Does Bad Management Come From? written on May 30, 2023. The answer is stress. The absolute answer is stress. The final answer is stress. Him or her must not do everything. He or she stresses out doing everything. Bad life choice. Doing everything is impossible.

I'm not a management consultant. I have no management experience. I speak from intuition. Bad management comes from stressed-out people. Bad management is the symptom from stressed-out people; in other words, stressed-out people cause bad managers.

Stress is one of many causes of bad managers. Another possibility is rough times outside the workplace. Bad managers dealing with family problems. Bad managers with chronic physical ailments. Bad managers tight on personal finances. Bad managers working too many hours. Long commutes, poor diets, lack of sleep, behind in responsibilities, and little leisure activities influence managers becoming bad. Outside influences can affect a bad manager such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, the economy, and politics.

The workers are the punching bag. The workers are the stress relief. The workers are the receiving end of the managers releasing their anger, stress, fatigue, etc. The workers' tolerance is limited. Give it time. The workers respond appropriately quitting, requesting transfers, decreasing quality work, and/or informing the higher up management.

Update On A Past Blog

It took me 2.33 years to proactively continue my financial education. I model financial education from one of my grandfathers in the blog My Two Grandfathers written on Jul 3, 2018.

Steve Jobs Quotes

Here are some quotes from the late co-founder of Apple.

I began to realize that an intuitive understanding and consciousness was more significant than abstract thinking and intellectual logical analysis . . . intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That's had a big impact on my work.

I say Microsoft and Google have a lot in common. Microsoft never had the humanities and the liberal arts in their DNA. It was a pure technology company. And they just didn't get it. Even when they saw the map, they couldn't even copy it well. How dumb do you have to be to not see it--once you see it, you know. But Google is the same way. They just don't get it.

If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will.

Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.

Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Um, once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.

Picasso had a saying--'good artists copy, great artists steal'--we have always been shameless . . . stealing great ideas.

Some people say, "Give the customers want they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page."

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

The journey is the reward.

When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life--and your life is just to live inside your world. Try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money. That's a very limited life.

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns, just like grooves in a record, and they never get out of them. I'll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I'll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I'm not there, but I'll always come back. . . . If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you've done and whoever you were and throw them away. The more the outside world tries to reinforce an image of you, the harder it is to continue to be an artist, which is why a lot of times, artists have to say, "Bye, I have to go. I'm going crazy and I'm getting out of here." And they go and hibernate somewhere. Maybe later they re-emerge a little differently.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

You're born alone, you're going to die alone. And what exactly is it do you have to lose. There's nothing.

The last quote is three paragraphs.

"I sort of look at us as two of the luckiest guys (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) on the planet cause we found what we loved to do. And we were at the right place at the right time. We gotten to go to work every day with super bright people for 30 years, and do what we love doing. It's hard to be happier than that. Your family and that. What more can you ask for? So, I don't think about legacy that much. I just think about being able to get up every day and go in and hang around these great people and hopefully create something that other people will love as much as we do. And if we can do that, that's great.

"People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you're doing. And it's totally true. And the reason is because it's so hard that if you don't, any rational person would give up. It's really hard. And you have to do it over a sustained period of time. So if you don't love it, if you're not having fun doing it, you don't really love it, you're gonna give up. And that's what happens to most people actually. If you really look at the ones that ended up being successful *in air quotes* in the eyes of society, and the ones that didn't, oftentimes, it's the ones that are successful loved what they did so they can persevere when it got really tough, and the ones that didn't love it quit cause they're sane. Right? Who want to put up with this stuff if you don't love it. So, it's a lot of hard work. And it's a lot of worrying constantly. And if you don't love it, you're going to fail. So you gotta love it. You got to have passion. And I think that's the high order albeit.

"The second thing is you got be a really good talent scout. No matter how smart you are you need a team of great people. And you got to figure out how to size people up fairly quickly, make decisions without knowing people too well, and hire them, and see how you do and refine your intuition and be able to help build an organization that can eventually just build itself cause you need great people around you."

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Lessons Schools Don't Teach

Schools teach ABC's and 123's. Schools teach 1+1=2, water is H2O, verbs, animals, and telling time. Schools don't teach manners, wisdom, and money. There is too much to learn. There is not enough school funds. There are not enough teachers. Parents must supplement their children's education. I wrote a blog FYI, Parents You Are Teachers, Too on Jul 30, 2009. I said, "Parents, find time to teach the soft skills schools don't teach."

There are multiple ways children can learn some lessons because we live in the Information Age; for example, YouTube. Parents must be aware some sources are wrong. Parents and children must use their best judgement they're getting accurate information.

Here are the top ten plus three equals top thirteen lessons schools don't teach:

13. Etiquette, Politeness, And Manners. It's unlikely teachers teach thank you, please, share, honesty, respect, more listening, and less talking. Teachers say them. Teachers don't teach them.

12. Financial Education. No person with a teaching credential knows the stock markets, interest rates, consumer price index, gold, cryptocurrency, and mortgage rates. Otherwise, the teacher works in another industry avoiding children five days a week.

11. Physical Fitness. Put the video game controller down. Turn off the phone. Get out. Move the knees and elbows. I include healthy eating for number 11.

10. Sex. The school districts policies teaching sex are a joke.

9. Depression. Welcome depression. Depression is okay. Do you feel better? If the answer is yes, then solve depression long-term. It's the deal.

8. Intuition. The late Steve Jobs said, "I began to realize that an intuitive understanding and consciousness was more significant than abstract thinking and intellectual logical analysis . . . intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That's had a big impact on my work."

Trust your gut feeling.

7. The World Is Not 100% Successful. Some dreams don't come true. Some people fail. Most things don't work out.

6. Don't Take Life For Granted. Self-explanatory.

5. Earn it. Success is not given on a silver platter.

Bonus: Time is the ultimate judge. Time will tell what you're doing in the present results in something good or something bad in the future.

4. Life Is Unfair. The first rule in Bill Gates' 11 Rules For Real Life is "Life is not fair - get used to it."

3. Bad Timing And Bad Luck. Timing and luck are factors to success and to failure. Most successful people never admit timing and luck are factors to their accomplishments. However, they're not the only factors themselves to be successful. Hard work, intelligence, repetition, and grit are factors, too.

2. Stop complaining about your crappy life. Life doesn't care about your problems. Too fat? Get physical. Eat healthy. Poor grades? Self-teach outside the textbook. No friends? Learn social skills. Get help.

1. Change. If you don't want to change, then life finds a way to change your life. You may not like life's choice for change.

Update On A Past Blog

I mention FYI, Parents You Are Teachers, Too written on Jul 30, 2009 for the second time. I started learning both the soft skills and the life skills in May 2015. I can't explain I consciously follow the lesson daily starting in Sep 2019.

I asked a question, "How do teachers teach failure is good?" in Reward Failure In Schools written on Nov 20, 2018. Did any professional educator find a way to teach students failure is good? Reward failure. Reward intelligent mistakes. The professional educator is a millionaire if the answer is yes.

Harder To Make Other People Angry

Most people do a poor job making other people angry. It's unnatural to piss off other people. These people are raised and behave to avoid confrontations. It's better to reason or to negotiate than being angry at each other. Proactive is better than reactive.

There are times the anger emotion is valid. The default "fuck you, asshole" rarely works. The other party is unconvinced. The other party thinks, "do better pissing me off." The other party thinks you're not the person to make me angry. Talking anger smart-ass is an art. Trash talking with malice is an art. Communicating degrading criticism is an art. It's like a master sharpshooter intentionally missing the target which is harder than hitting the target. It's like a professional singer singing offkey which is harder than singing on tune. If you want to make other people angry, don't think. Use intuition. Pretend to behave like a professional bully. Be a Homer Simpson. Don't be a Ned Flanders.

Two simple actions may work. One action is ignoring or keep silent; although, passive aggressiveness rarely succeeds. The second action is counterintuitive. Give a thumbs down instead of the middle finger. The PG movie rated family friendly reaction may be better than the R movie rated mature audiences only reaction.

High School Campus Is A Teenage Day Care Center

I dreamed last night I was a student in high school. One class was like a Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) class. It was taught like a ROTC class. Most of the class material was ROTC. The instructor was like a ROTC who was a retired Marine officer.

The students and I were outside the classroom. The instructor told us to go inside the classroom which was like a mini gym. The ceilings were tall. The classroom was four times bigger than a standard classroom. The students were given a yellow piece of paper with questions. There were a few multiple choice questions. There were two fill in the blank. The rest were short answers.

My dream immediately fast forward to the instructor handing back the yellow piece of paper to the students. It turned out we were given a surprised test. All students did poorly. I scored a 73. The instructor punished the students by telling us to go outside and correct our mistakes. I woke up.

High School Is A Joke

My cynical thinking the ROTC like class was a waste of time. I thought back to my high school years. Many classes were a waste of time. Teenagers need to learn mathematics, learn reading, and learn writing. The deeper question is "How much depth do teenagers need to know US history, world history, geography, science, foreign language, and fine arts?" Parents are told by the government these classes must be taken to graduate with a high school diploma. US citizens should know the civil war, World War II, the capital of the USA, and water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. I reread a few literature books in high school as an adult such as The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Red Badge Of Courage by Stephen Crane, and Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. Most of the books stank. Physical education was a joke. I don't know today's physical education curriculum.

My high school is a joke opinion may be weak. College bound high school students must take college requisites. I accept. Otherwise, my opinion has merit. Music, art, and cooking do nothing to get a good paying job in today's Information Age. Students who are lazy may have a point. They're bored. The high school standards and high school policies are a mismatch. I admit they're not perfect.

Start The Conversation

Education is passing knowledge to future generations. Any other definition is probably bullshit.

Update On A Past Blog

I add another lesson learned taking R.O.T.C. in high school. The blog is High School R.O.T.C. Leadership Lesson Another Viewpoint By Rank written on Oct 24, 2020. Here is the lesson on words.

*What is the one most important word? We.
*What are the two most important words? Thank you.
*What are the three most important words? If you please.
*What are the four most important words? What is your opinion?
*What are the five most important words? You did a good job.
*What are the six most important words? I admit I made a mistake.

The Democrats Are Unhappy They Won

Today's blog likely makes no sense to the reader. It's okay. I'm not a political scientist. I'm not an expert in government. I didn't take any classes on constitutional law. I write an unprofessional opinion on the US politics.

The Democrats won. The liberals won. The left side won. The victories happened decades ago. The best examples include The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, legal abortion maintained, fewer racial discrimination or greater equality or DEI Diversity Equity Inclusion, LGBTQ+ rights acknowledged, and more people gaining wealth. More people earn incomes to live a comfortable life.

The victories were too victorious. The wins were too good. The Democrats are unhappy. The Democrats lost their motivation. Bring on the chaos by the Republicans. Bring on stirring the pot stew. Bring on the uncomfortability. Bring on the unprecedent firsts. Bring on the new laws. There are changes. President Donald Trump won the 2016 election against Hiliary Clinton and the 2024 election against Kamala Harris; although, some people say the Democrats lost the 2016 election and lost the 2024 election instead of the Republicans winning. Perhaps, the Democrats took for granted they win the 2016 election and the 2024 election. I digress. Abortion is unprotective on a federal level. Tariffs are back. Obamacare is changed on the federal level. Illegal immigrants are being deported. DEI setbacks. Federal health policies are changing.

There is no impeachment against Trump during his second term as of today. I read past news articles a congressman or a congresswoman began the impeachment process. Nothing happened thereafter. There were rallies hosted by the Democrats to convince the US citizens to oppose President Trump and the Republicans. Nothing happened thereafter.

Winners are supposed to be happy. Losers are supposed to be unhappy. Losers can be happy by learning from their mistakes. Winners can be unhappy with an irrational reason. The Democrats are unhappy.

Throwback Blog: 500

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 500 written on Aug 6, 2010. I wrote blog number 500. I didn't write a top 50 blogs. I reposted my top 30 blogs from 300 written on Dec 7, 2008. Today's blog is number 1,930.

I update my top 30 blogs. There are changes. Mistakes made. Lessons learned. My life changed. New knowledge. Intelligence expanded. Wisdom changed. Increased strength. Here are the top 30 blogs with updates in italics, strikethroughs, and my remarks noted with RM:

1. Never take anything and anyone for granted.
2. Trust my gut feeling.
3. My [earlier] daily top five rules for living: (1) Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others. (2) Don't act like a jerk or bitch. (3) Always speak calmly and be calm. (4) Don't daydream when driving. (5) Keep your head up high . . . look at [their] cute face when talking. RM: Sometimes comparing with others is positive.
4. Continue to live life finding what you want to do.
5. Never judge a person by their appearance.
6. Remember to learn from [your] failures as well as your successes.
7. It takes patience to learn who a person is for long-term family, friend, business, and romantic relationships.
8. Do something else to take your mind off something you hate.
9. Meet new people and make new friends continuously.
10. It's OK to be alone.

11. You must earn what you want in life.
12. You are responsible for yourself.
13. Schools have summer vacations; life doesn't have summer vacations. Life has vacations. Life has seasons like sports and TV series. Fiscal years, resets, endings. Life can say one continuous life; however, there are chapters, volumes, parts, checkpoints. RM: Everyone needs a break. Everyone needs a vacation. Everyone needs days off.
14. Age is just a number. RM: Age is a factor in most situations.
15. Have courage to say goodbye to anything precious.
16. First years, first impressions, first go-around, and first successes are equally important as second years, second impressions, second go-around, and second successes.
17. Everyone has the right to find happiness. Pursue happiness to find happiness.
18. Be patient. Never rush.
19. Take life one day at a time. Have fun, learn, and enjoy. Increment.
20. If you talk the talk, you must stand by your talk.

21. Do something to receive something.
22. Money is a way to help people, create action, and show appreciation.
23. Fight the pain, the suffering, and the struggles to keep living.
24. Use your mind to see.
25. Time is the ultimate judge.
26. Live the present. Live the moment intelligently.
27. Wait 24 hours for goods or services less than $100 and 48 hours for greater than $100 to avoid the urge to splurge.
28. Do the little things and they add up in time.
29. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
30. When you in a jam, go back to the basics. Go remind yourself the basics which is what I'm doing :D :D :D

Number 500! This blog is number 500 and the 5th anniversary for Innovating Common Knowledge. Good timing. I average 100 blogs every twelve months. That's too low. On the other hand, 100 is a good number because I spread my time writing blogs and many other activities. There are both sides to the discussion whether I spend too much or too little time writing blogs.

On my 300th blog, I shared my top 30 blogs. I choose to repost the top 30 blogs instead of creating a top 50 blogs. The reason is the lessons I learned and the wisdom I gained from my top 30 blogs applies to today's living--and tomorrow's living. They are powerful for me. The lessons and wisdoms are both old lessons such as life is a marathon, not a [sprint] and new lessons such as age is just a number. The timing is good for another review.

I continue to write blogs promoting change, improvement, and innovation. I continue to write blogs to open myself up and to experiment what I can and what I can't do. The Sign Of My Times (SOMT) and Accutane blogs continue as I reflect how life is changed now and when I was a child and my acne treatment, respectively.

Here is the summary of my top 30 blogs:

1. Never take anything and anyone for granted.
2. Trust my gut feeling.
3. My [latest] daily top five rules for living: (1) Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others. (2) Don't act like a jerk or bitch. (3) Always speak calmly and be calm. (4) Don't daydream when driving. (5) Keep your head up high . . . look at the cute face when talking.
4. Continue to live life finding what you want to do.
5. Never judge a person by their appearance.
6. Remember to learn from you failures as well as your successes.
7. It takes patience to learn who a person is for long-term family, friend, business, and romantic relationships.
8. Do something else to take your mind off something you hate.
9. Meet new people and make new friends continuously.
10. It's OK to be alone.

11. You must earn what you want in life.
12. You are responsible for yourself.
13. Schools have summer vacations; life doesn't have summer vacations.
14. Age is just a number.
15. Have courage to say goodbye to anything precious.
16. First years, first impressions, first go-around, and first successes are equally important as second years, second impressions, second go-around, and second successes.
17. Everyone has the right to find happiness.
18. Be patient. Never rush.
19. Take life one day at a time. Have fun, learn, and enjoy.
20. If you talk the talk, you must stand by your talk.

21. Do something to receive something.
22. Money is a way to help people, create action, and show appreciation.
23. Fight the pain, the suffering, and the struggles to keep living.
24. Use your mind to see.
25. Time is the ultimate judge.
26. Live the present. Live the moment.
27. Wait 24 hours for goods or services less than $100 and 48 hours for greater than $100 to avoid the urge to splurge.
28. Do the little things and they add up in time.
29. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
30. When you in a jam, go back to the basics. Go remind yourself the basics which is what I'm doing :D :D :D

My first blog was posted on Thur Aug 4, 2005. The 300th blog was posted on Sun Dec 7, 2008. Click 300 to read the entire 300th blog detailing the top blogs.

Take The Chances Being Alone

There are many articles published during the COVID-19 global pandemic more people are living alone. More people live with fewer friends. People come and go in our lives. However, it's harder to meet new people. It's harder to find friends. More people are choosing to live alone. More people are choosing to live with minimal friends. More people are choosing to minimize their time with family.

My unprofessional and unscientific reason more people take their chances of being alone is average intelligence declining. More people are getting dumb. There are fewer strong people. There are fewer smart people. The strong people don't want to be with weak people. The smart people don't want to be with dumb people. They don't want to waste their time with other people who drag themselves down. If a person is making them feel dumb, then the person is out. No idiots in our lives. No morons in our lives. These alone people take their chances by themselves. Rational people avoid crazy, uncomfortable, and rude people. Minor Moby Dick by Herman Melville spoiler alert: "Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."

The common answers work, too much technology making more people anti-social, family responsibilities, and depression are valid. I add lack of strength to the list of common answers people are alone. I add weak goodness to the list of common answers people are alone. Be a good person--don't be a nice person.

Learn By Example

I remember the first time I learn by example. It was in fourth grade English. I didn't know I learn by example at the time. Every homework exercise the teacher assigned the first question which included the answer at the bottom of the page. I understood the English concepts clearer following the first question and answer than the teacher lecturing on the chalkboard. My best example was learning subject-verb agreement. The singular and plural are opposites, unmatched, or not equal. A singular noun is followed by a plural verb. A plural noun is followed by a singular verb. One noun is followed by more than one verb. More than one noun is followed by one verb. For example, Tom runs to the store for which Tom is a singular noun and runs is a plural verb ending in s. Another example, Tom and Jane run to the store for which Tom and Jane are plural nouns and run is a singular verb without ending in s. It may not be grammatically logical. The logical fits my thinking process.

The learn by example continued in my high school math classes. I completed the homework assignments. I checked the answers at the back of the book. If I got the answer wrong, then I corrected the mistake by figuring out my incorrect calculations. I thought the answers at the back of the book was for students to cheat. I admit I was naive. The answers helped students check their work for students to confirm they solved the problems correctly.

Moreover, most of my high school math teachers believed in learn the concepts instead of practicing and drilling. These math teachers assigned fewer problems covering the section for which they believed if the students understand how to solve the fewer problem, then they understood the concepts. Any problems could be solved. I was in the minority. My learning process was practicing and drilling. The more I practiced. The more I drilled. The more I find patterns. The more I thought instinctively. The more I understood the concepts myself.

Practicing and drilling with examples are my best way to learn being an adult. My intuition becomes stronger. My reflexes become stronger. I think quicker.

Update On A Past Blog

I remind Beelzebub continues to collect the bills from the blog Times Are Changing written on Sep 17, 2020. People who made deals with Satan better pay up. Never overestimate or overspend. Know the limits. Nobody imagines the consequences.

There Is Truth Serum During COVID-19 And After COVID-19

Governments declared the COVID-19 global pandemic ended in 2023. However, the COVID-19 virus is clear and present indefinitely people need an annual vaccine like the annual flu vaccine.

Sodium pentothal or the truth serum was administered during the global pandemic. There is more sodium pentothal administered afterwards. Living a life with lies has been harder. Anyone lying maintaining the lies are difficult. Resilience faked during the pandemic is not faked afterwards. Calling out dishonestly has been easier. People waiting for the evidence to prove lies must be patient. It's impossible for 100% of the people globally their lives change for the better because life is unfair. There are winners. There are losers. The losers are identified. The percentage applies to me and everyone I know. The truth is coming soon from the lies I notice. The equalizer is coming soon for the appropriate situations or moments.

Social media is untrustworthy overall. I go with the information present. Lies? Maybe. Deceit? Maybe. Give them time. The lies and the deceit are exposed.

The truth serum is administered anywhere at anytime. It's given at the workplaces such as nurses and the hospitals, teachers and the schools, first responders and the stations, and postal employees and the post office. It's given at the supply chains. It's given in manufacturing. It's given in retail businesses. It's given in the public sector. It's given in governments. It's given in the banks. Money decreasing. Stress increasing. Respect decreasing.

My Second Boss Was Fired

I experienced a manager was fired for the first time in Sep 2002. She was my second manager overall. It happened at my second company after I graduated at San Jose State University. She was hired in Sep 1999 to replace my first manager who hired me at my first company and my second company. I warned the office manager the replacement was a poor choice. The office manager ignored my warnings like many office managers disregarding worker concerns.

My intuition told me the managing partner needed to layoff staff due to the dot-com recession and the brokers complained about my manager's performance. The managing partner told the office manager to fire my manager. The office manager came to the Research Dept for an impromptu meeting to acquire justification. The meeting lasted ten minutes. The final question was, "Is Research going to be affected if she leaves?" The co-worker and I said the answer "no" immediately.

The office email stated she found another job. I received inside information from a broker's assistant my manager was informed her firing beforehand. The office fired her after she found another job. The broker's assistant also told me my manager's salary was "very high."

I learned a life lesson from my manager firing: have nothing, do nothing, get nothing, be nothing, and people treat you like nothing. Never be a nobody.

Afterwards

The next 4.5 years another office manager was the Research Dept's manager. The previous office manager admitted her mistake to me in 2003. My co-worker maintained the database. I ran the operations. The managing partner wrote the quarterly newsletters. All was peaceful. Why? Everybody was winners. Each year were record setting revenues. Each year brokers surpassed their previous year's sales targets.

Staff members began to leave the partnership and my office starting in late 2006. I worked at Cisco in Mar 2007. My co-worker worked at another commercial real estate company in Jul 2007. Winning hides weaknesses. Winning ignores problems hoping they go away. Problems were clear and present starting in late 2006.

More X, Less Y, Too Much Z, Too Little A

Intuition is great when questioning more or questioning less. Two million dollars to combat a social problem. Need more money. The land is rezoned to residential to alleviate the housing demand. The new home supply is not enough to solve the housing crisis. Tax breaks for companies bringing tax revenue. Too much for the rich. 3.6% unemployment rate in a region. The percentage is too low representing many people finding jobs difficult.

The total number of people infected with COVID-19 is underreported. The total cost for college education is higher than what most people believe. There are too few job opportunities for every graduating high school year and college year. More people are going to be unsuccessful. There are too many people. There are not enough natural resources to sustain planet Earth tomorrow. There are too many podcasts to listen. There are too many apps for the phone and for the computer. The supply quantity is too little to last for a year.

Always question the summaries. Keep the back of the brain thinking higher or lower. The chances it can't be correct probably isn't correct.

Update On A Past Blog

I want to take another look at Trust Time And Trust Life written on Jul 10, 2018. A common statement "everything happens for a reason" is too broad. It's too general. Everything happens for a reason is ambiguous. Any answer satisfies its reason. Any answer makes the person feel better. Perhaps, the statement is meant to relax the person or reduce stress. I'm 100% confident I said the statement myself to assuage a bad moment.

I Understand The Truth By Identifying The Diversion

red herring: 1 someone who or something which misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question. 2 someone or something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue. 3 a fact, idea, or subject which takes people's attention away from the central point being considered. A diversion.

Someone hides weaknesses. Someone hides ignorance. Somone laughs too loud and/or too much. Someone hides he or she is losing. Point out the contradictions. Question the possible lies. Look past the facade. The timing of changing the subject is questioned. Immature behavior is inappropriate at the present moment. The mistakes are intentional. There is clear and present ignoring the topic. Use intuition if necessary. Identify the red herring. Acquire the facts. Analyze the data. Combine the knowledge. Discover the truth. Actions speak louder than words. The rewards are earned appropriately. The consequences are administered to the guilty.

Update On A Past Blog

I read my May 2006 blogs to select the Aug 2024 Feature Post. The One By One Guilty blog written on May 25, 2006 is about the guilty convictions and guilty pleas from the energy company Enron. Enron declared bankruptcy on Dec 2, 2001 due to conspiracy and fraud. Enron used accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting to hide debt. I wrote in the blog Another Start-Up Business Is Out Of Business on Aug 14, 2021, "Give it time. The truth is exposed. . . . Punishments are administered." Be patient. It took four years and five months for the Enron executives to be found guilty.

Make The Choice To Be Fast Or Be Slow

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

Think fast. Think slow. Businesses close fast. See beauty slowly. Learn simple automobile maintenance slow. Japanese goods conveniently fast. Japanese anime in the past slow. Japanese anime in the present fast.

Update On A Past Blog

O.J. Simpson past away on Apr 10, 2024 due to prostate cancer at the age of 76. The football hall of fame player was acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman on Oct 3, 1995. I remember the day Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings drove in a white Ford Bronco chased by Los Angeles Police on Jun 17, 1994. I was watching the San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago Cubs at Candlestick Park. I add the day to my Top Ten Plus Six Equals Top Sixteen Moments Never On A Top Ten Before blogged on Jan 11, 2024.

No Job Breaks During My Job Search

I share my no breaks job search being long term unemployed in descending order. I forget all phone interviews. Phone interviews are phone interviews. Most of the phone interviews are recruiters instead of hiring managers for contract positions. Long-term unemployed can get job interviews.

*Dec 2019. I was interviewed for a data analyst position in a hardware networking company. A second interview was scheduled in Mar 2020. The reader should know the outcome given the date Mar 2020--the COVID-19 global pandemic. The company announced a hiring freeze.

*Feb 2019. A US based temp agency arranged a phone interview for a six-month data analyst contract. The company produced hardware chips for Internet-Of-Things. I requested a person-to-person interview because I needed to fulfill my due diligence. I experienced bad job opportunities because I failed my research. I was given an offer. I completed the paperwork. The 11th hour the agency said the contract was cancelled. I suspected a director in the division cancelled the contract.

*Aug 2018. The same US based temp agency arranged a business analyst contract for another hardware networking company. I passed the interviews. I passed the Excel test. The hardware networking company choose to hire a contractor internally.

*Nov 2017. A hospital interviewed me for a Customer Product Analyst. The hospital rejected all the candidates. I saw the same job ID with a different job title weeks later.

*Oct 2017. Google interviewed me for a Reporting Analyst II. I found out I was the sixth candidate to be interviewed. The five candidates previously interviewed were rejected because they failed the interview skills test. They must have failed intentionally. I realized why after the interview.

Side note: I took an Excel test during an interview for a low paying contract analyst position decades ago before my current long-term unemployment. The recruiter told me the contractor position was open for weeks. The recruiter must be desperate to fill the position. I arrived at the job site. I realized why the previous job interviewees intentionally failed the Excel test 30 seconds inside the building. High cubicle walls. No sound. Dull air. I forgot the idea of taking any position to strengthen my resume. The contract analyst position likely weakened my resume.

*Nov 2016. I interviewed for a four-month contract position at a software company for hospital information systems. I was interviewed for the incorrect position. Also, the job agency submitted my resume modified to the hiring manager.

*Jul 2016. A Canadian based aerospace company interviewed me for a database coordinator position. The panel interview consisted of all the department employees. The questions didn't match the job description. The technology used was outdated. It was a dead-end job.

*Aug 2013. Interview for a sales support position for a Taiwanese technology and manufacturing company at their Fremont, CA location. The interview was short. The questions asked were irrelevant to my experience. I suspected the hiring manager interviewed the weakest candidates to hire a specific worker. My interview was dead on arrival.

*Aug 2013.. Interview for an analyst position in the accounting department for a Japanese technology and manufacturing company. The interview was at their South San Jose campus. The hiring manager was fired for doing something illegal.

*Oct 2012. The position was a Contract Support Specialist for a biotech company in North San Jose. A friend helped me forward my resume to human resources because she knew someone responsible for hirings. I was approved for a first interview. Unfortunately, there was no interview because the San Jose location was incorrect. The correct location was in the East Coast.

*Sep 2012. I interviewed for an analyst position at my alma mater San Jose State University. I passed the Excel 2003 and Access 2003 exams administered to all job candidates. The actual interview half of the job requirements were not mentioned in the job description. I was unqualified. My interview was dead on arrival.

The 10 Percent Physical Is Much Bigger With 90 Percent Mental

A common success formula is 10% physical and 90% mental. The formula applies to sports, to many physical activities, and professional action activities. The 10% physical mathematically speaking is 10% out of 100%. However, the 10% is much bigger conceptually speaking.

Many people believe mental health is the most important in a human. Many people say good mental status is the top priority. A common knowledge mind, body, and spirit are important for a successful life. Many people neglect body and spirit. My easy definition of spirit is sleep. Sleep eight hours a night.

I speak counterintuitively. The body or the physical is below the brain. The physical or the body is the most important. I include oral hygiene, bathing, grooming, and body nurturing as part of them. A poor physical health makes mental health maintenance difficult. Exercise. Eat healthy. Minimize processed foods. Do all the above sincerely. Motivation is strengthen. The chances of depression decrease. Never stop learning. Innovate infinitely. Earn happiness with courage.

The person's look doesn't lie. The physical appearance tells the truth. The story is told by presentation.

Rename Past Blogs Titles Because The Original Title Are Incorrect Or Misleading

I rename 26 past blogs because the title is deceptive. The title doesn't explain the blog content. The title relating to the text makes no sense. 15 of the 26 or 58.70% blogs are between 2007 and 2009. 18 of the 26 or 69.2% blogs are between 2007 and 2010. Four blogs reference cooking. Three blogs reference taking life for granted. Technically speaking, these past blogs are updates on a past blog.

Update On A Past Blog

Original Title: Free Bird
Date Written: Apr 15, 2007
Renamed Title: Cooking Solves The Problem Being Stressed And Do Something Solves The Problem Being Bored
Explanation: I posted two life tips still valid today. The first tip is cooking destresses a person. Cooking is an activity to take a break. Cooking minimizes eating processed foods. The second tip is avoid being bored doing something out of the ordinary. For instance, I became sick in Apr 2022. I relaxed such as catching up writing blogs, watching old DVDs, and listening to old CDs to recover.

Further, I wrote, "Do something, anything, . . ." which became a life motto when I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008.

Original Title: A Lesson On Life Yesterday
Date Written: May 5, 2007
Renamed Title: Practice Personal Responsibility
Explanation: I learned personal responsibility on my second month working at Cisco. Nobody was going to help me with my assignments. I was responsible to learn what I didn't know. Asking for help was the last resort.

Original Title: A Moment Being Selfish
Date Written: Jul 12, 2007
Renamed Title: My Dream Home
Explanation: I thought how I live life owning a home. I cook my meals, park my car in the garage, and invite friends and family for social activities. The last paragraph is true today: . . . I think about the millions of people who can't afford a home. It's sad, yet life is unfair.

Original Title: Something New To Me
Date Written: Aug 6, 2007
Renamed Title: People Thanking Me Is New To Me
Explanation: The first time in my life people thanked me. The first time in my life people helped me. The first time in my life people appreciated my presence. Beforehand, I thank other people, I helped other people, and I appreciated other people.

Original Title: One Lunch Day In 2000
Date Written: Aug 9, 2007
Renamed Title: I Saw A Homeless Person One Lunch Day In 2000
Explanation: The specific lunch day I saw a homeless person with a sign saying all hope is loss. I should have purchased a sandwich for the homeless person.

Original Title: A 12 Year Mistake
Date Written: Aug 12, 2007
Renamed Title: Making No New Friends Was A 12 Year Mistake
Explanation: The renamed title is self-explanatory. I failed to make new friends from college to beginning cosplaying at anime conventions.

Original Title: I Wake Up, Now What
Date Written: Jan 5, 2008
Renamed Title: What Am I Doing In My Life?
Explanation: The renamed title is self-explanatory. I questioned how I lived my present life. I worked at Cisco, I lived at home with my parents, I watched anime, I worked out at the gym, and I read books. Marriage and moving out of the house were afterthoughts.

Original Title: Runners Stop And Walk
Date Written: May 31, 2008
Renamed Title: Run To Get One Done Or Walk To Get Them All Done
Explanation: Physical fitness is irrelevant. I paraphrase the last paragraph: Two choices. The first choice is run completing tasks hastily increasing the chances for errors. The second choice is walk completing tasks one at a time decreasing the chances for errors.

Original Title: Straight From My Gut
Date Written: Oct 18, 2008
Renamed Title: Straight From My Gut Trust Intuition
Explanation: I realized my intuition helped me through fearful moments. I realized my intuition saved me from tough situations.

Original Title: Point A to Point B. Where's Point C, D, E, F, G, . . .
Date Written: Oct 26, 2008
Renamed Title: Don't Take Life For Granted
Explanation: I shared past moments I took life for granted. Never stop improving. Never stop learning. Never stop innovating. Innovate infinitely.

Original Title: How Do They Do It? How Do They Do It?
Date Written: Jun 4, 2009
Renamed Title: Some People Have The Charisma, Good Vibes, And Good Looks
Explanation: There are people who attracts other people to them. I questioned my charisma, good vibes, and good looks.

In particular, one friend attracts people at anime conventions. High school educated, worked in retail, overweight, talked slowly, learns slowly, and a standard geek. I saw him conversing with new groups of people most of the time I saw him. The same friend watched an anime convention masquerade from the side stage because he got a press pass.

Original Title: My Solution To Solve Problems
Date Written: Jun 20, 2009
Renamed Title: Cooking Skill Can Solve Some Problems
Explanation: Cooking may not solve world problems. Cooking can solve some personal problems. One less personal problem is one less problem the world deals with.

Original Title: I'm Keeping The Door Closed
Date Written: Dec 27, 2009
Renamed Title: I Say No To Death
Explanation: I'm not ready to die.

Original Title: Gratitude
Date Written: Dec 28, 2009
Renamed Title: No More Taking Life For Granted
Explanation: Another reminder don't take life for granted.

Original Title: Riding On Bad Luck
Date Written: Dec 31, 2009
Renamed Title: Riding My Car's Tire On Bad Luck
Explanation: I shared past moments I had a flat tire.

Original Title: A Lesson Learned Tonight
Date Written: Feb 2, 2010
Renamed Title: There Are No Guarantees In Life
Explanation: I learned the life lesson when Conan O'Brien agreed to a $45 million settlement to leave "The Tonight Show," with $33 million to O'Brien and the staff receiving $12 million from NBC. The Jay Leno Show and O'Brien hosting The Tonight Show were failures.

Original Title: Dumb and Dumber
Date Written: Mar 28, 2010
Renamed Title: Don't Spend Time With Dumb People
Explanation: You may become dumb if you spend time with dumb people. I repeat, "[Don't] lower yourself to get along with the friend or group. Whether you continue to spend time with the friend or group is another discussion.

Original Title: A Frozen Dinner
Date Written: Jul 9, 2010
Renamed Title: Try Eating New Foods
Explanation: Eating new foods can add a little excitement. Eating a new junk food is approved.

Original Title: 23 Is Too Short
Date Written: Jan 28, 2011
Renamed Title: A Friend Died At Age 23. 23 Is Too Short.
Explanation: A friend died from sickness complications at age 23. I blogged what my life was at age 23.

Original Title: I Know It Lifestyle
Date Written: Dec 9, 2011
Renamed Title: A Dynamic Life Or A Predictable Life
Explanation: There's no right way or wrong way to live life. Either choose a predictable and routine life or a dynamic and "on the fly" life.

Original Title: Ice, Ice, And More Ice, Baby
Date Written: Mar 13, 2013
Renamed Title: Ice Is Important In A Residence
Explanation: Every freezer must have ice.

Original Title: What Is Wrong With This Picture?
Date Written: Apr 4, 2013
Renamed Title: What Is Wrong With The 2003 Raymond Mar In This Picture?
Explanation: This picture refers to me. I critically analyzed my appearance in 2003. The short answer is I looked pathetic.

Original Title: What Happened?
Date Written: Jul 28, 2013
Renamed Title: Connect The Dots Backwards Life From Mar 2007 To Jul 2013
Explanation: I looked back at in my life from Mar 2007 to Jul 2013. There were mistakes including taking life for granted, failing to earn my successes, and being weak. I corrected a few. The mistakes I failed to correct continued to affect me.

Original Title: Frustrating, Adjusting, Taking Action, Changing
Date Written: Aug 13, 2013
Renamed Title: The 2013 San Francisco Giants Adjustments
Explanation: I wrote my opinions how the Giants took action to adjust and to change.

Original Title: Bringing Home Meals
Date Written: Oct 30, 2014
Renamed Title: Meal Preparation Describes A Person Or Family
Explanation: Pay attention to the meals when people meet other people for the first time and families meet other families for the first time inside their residence. The meals are signs how the person or people live their daily lives. People or families who cook are more happier. People or families who don't cook are less happier.

Original Title: There's An A In Overachieving
Date Written: Oct 11, 2020
Renamed Title: The Oakland A's Are Overachievers
Explanation: The professional baseball team lost 10 of its past 11 postseason series on Oct 2020 when the A's lost to the Houston Astros. Management trades its star players at the prime of their careers; in other words, sell high, buy low for which buy low is acquire young baseball talent at low salaries or old veterans at the end of their careers. Ownership is cheap.

I also wrote 1+1+1=3 which is one superstar plus good coaching plus good management or good ownership equals a championship.