A Five Minute Instruction Is Nonprofessional Training

Training for five minutes doesn't equate to being a professional. Five minutes of instructions is not enough to be a professional. Teaching skills and knowledge requires good training, good coaching, good teaching, and good instructions. Be patient. Take the time. Do the boring grind. Learn. Practice. Drill. Repeat.

It takes ten minutes to learn how to play poker. It takes a lifetime to become a master.

Fast forward. Everything is learned. The teacher taught everything. The books are read. No additional practicing required. No more rehearsing. No more reviewing; the brain is jelly. Tests are passed. The graduation commences. What is done afterwards matters more. Use it or lose it. Continue learning, practicing, and drilling. Innovate infinitely.

Throwback Blog: Self-Esteem Blog

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 Self-Esteem Blog written on Nov 14, 2018. People must develop their own self-esteem. Support is necessary for a person to develop their own self-esteem. It's possible a person himself or herself can develop their own self-esteem. It's difficult.

The timing may be good today's throwback is self-esteem. More people have been talking about more people with poor self-esteem; for example, today's teenagers in high school. Or more people are consciously aware observing more people with poor self-esteem. Perhaps, the Information Age more people with poor social skills explains more people with poor self-esteem, and vice versa. Too much stimuli from screens can be a factor.

The Boring People

The boring people self-esteem may be strong. Never assume boring people are weak and unsure of themselves. The Sesame Street character Bert is boring. Bert self-esteem is strong. Furthermore, people who want to be alone their self-esteem are probably strong. These alone people should know what they're doing. I digress. Perform a self-analysis. Is your self-esteem strong or weak? The question is hard. The question is fair.

How does a person know he or she has poor self-esteem? It's hard for a person to self-asses himself or herself physically, mentally or intelligently, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. He or she does good living a good life for which he or she doesn't question how good. There are people who call out personal shortcomings accurately. How does a person respond when people or the world tells him or her you have poor self-esteem? The question is does he or she accepts the call out sincerely, accepts the call out politely, disagrees the call out knowing it's false, or denies the call out knowing it's true. Recognize and accept or deny. Take note of the conversation tone. It's a personal judgment call.

I'm no expert being a psychologist. I'm no expert teaching self-improvement. I know there is no quick solution to strengthen self-esteem. Time is required. Mistakes are made. Trial and error are required. Prepare to say good-bye to people, places, and things. Patience is necessary. Get healthy. Sleep well. Sitting in front of a television and/or playing video games eight hours a day are prohibited. Spend time with good people. If you don't have good people, then find good people. Good people are hard to find. Prepare for time being alone. Learn to be professional. Learn new skills. Relearn existing skills. Hope for good luck. Hope for fortunate timing.

Update On A Past Blog

Today's blog reminded me a past blog The Person Wants No Help on Mar 24, 2015. I wrote some people don't need help with their problems. Also, how long do people continue telling the problem people they need help? Helpers do the best they can. Some people accept help. Some people refuse help. Maybe the source of a person's problems and the personal choice to accept or to refuse help is poor self-esteem?

Minor Gum Irritation And Bleeding Treatment Blog Log

I needed a filling on a tooth located at my bottom right. The filling was not a typical filling on the top of the tooth. The filling was on the backside on top of the gum line. It's the best way I can describe it. The dentist used laser to remove a tiny portion of the overlapping gum covering the hole to be filled.

Unfortunately, there was minor gum irritation which lasted ten days. I was afraid I needed post filling treatment. My home treatment succeeded. I blog my treatment as a reminder for future dental problems.

Tue Aug 4, 2026. Filling operation in the afternoon. Used water pix before I went to bed. Felt pain at the resin composite. Bleeding afterwards while brushing my teeth. Saw blood on the gums.

Wed Aug 5. No blood on the gums when I woke up in the morning.

Thur Aug 6. Dental floss at night. Lowered strength for the water pix. No blood. Felt pain.

Fri Aug 7. Increased strength for the water pix to my preferred setting. I avoided spraying water at the filling. Stopped wearing my bottom retainer temporarily.

Sat Aug 8. It seemed I accidentally cut my gum flossing at the left side of the filling tooth. Maybe the cut delayed healing.

Sun Aug 9. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide. I mixed hydrogen peroxide 3% and water to ratio 1:1 or 50% hydrogen peroxide 3% and 50% water. Rinsed once.

I ate food on the left side of my mouth.

Mon Aug 10. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide two times today.

Tue Aug 11. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide three times today.

Wed Aug 12. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide three times today.

Thur Aug 13. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide three times today.

Fri Aug 14. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide two times today.

Sat Aug 15. Rinsed with hydrogen peroxide one time today.

Mon Aug 17. No bleeding since Mon Aug 10. No pain as long as I ate on the left side of my mouth. The dental floss gum cut looking like a cut on skin had been healing. I see the curve line. Wore my top retainer and bottom retainer.

Tue Aug 18. Began eating on the right side of my mouth. I continued focusing my eating on the left side of my mouth.

Two Lessons Learned When Children Learn To Tie Their Shoes

Parents take advantage of teaching their children how to tie their shoes. The advantage is two lessons for the price of one. The first lesson is obvious. Take the laces of the shoes. Tie the laces. The children tie their shoes.

There is a rhyme for tying shoes:

Make an "X", here we go. Pull one side under, now I know!
Pull the ends tight, and make a loop. Wrap around the bottom, I've got the scoop!
Push through the hole, pull it through once more. Tighten both ends, and give a whoop!

There is the bunny ears story:

Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree.
Criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me.
Bunny ears, bunny ears, jumped into the hole,
popped out the other side beautiful and bold.

There are YouTube videos. Here is a selection:

Tie Your Shoes Song | CoComelon Nursery Rhymes & Kids Songs
Tying Shoe Laces Song | Original Songs | By LBB Junior
Learn How to Tie a Shoe Step by Step | Tying Shoes Children's Song I Can Tie My Shoes by Miss Patty. Not animated.
Sesame Street - Tying Your Shoelace. Classic Sesame Street. David and Harry sing tying your shoelaces.
Sesame Street - Savion and Elmo "Tying Your Shoelace". Classic Sesame Street. Savion sings to Elmo how to tie shoelaces.
HOW TO TIE YOUR SHOES - Easy for Kids!. A child teaches how to tie shoelaces.

The second lesson is multiples. The children learn from their mistakes. The children learn practice. The children learn patience. The children learn memorization. These second lessons apply at school, at work, with friends, with family, and learning life lessons.

Update On A Past Blog

Curses Are Meant To Be Broken. I wrote the blog on Nov 5, 2010. Major League Baseball was my example of breaking curses. The San Francisco Giants broke the 56 year curse not winning the World Series in 2010. The Chicago Cubs broke their 108 year curse not winning the World Series in 2016 six years later.

However, there are exceptions. The Atuk Curse is a curse which killed actors interested in the leading role. The actors were John Belushi, Sam Kinison, John Candy, and Chris Farley. Also, Michael O'Donoghue and Phil Hartman were killed by being interested in casting.

The Atuk movie was a planned comedy about an Inuk hunter moving to the city. The film adaption from the book The Incomparable Atuk by Mordecai Richler was never produced.

Slow Down The Weekdays

Many people say they want the week to end quickly on Mondays. They want Saturday tomorrow. Many people change their desire on Saturday. They want the weekend to end slowly. They want another Saturday tomorrow. These people must change their desire from quickly to slowly on Monday.

Today's Information Age life is too fast. There is too much every day. We want more time. We need more time. More time is impossible. There is always 24 hours a day. No more. No less. Planet Earth can't rotate slower.

People must say they want the week to flow slowly. Take a deep breath. Be patient. Take your time. Do everything one at a time. No need to run to complete one responsibility. Walk to complete all responsibilities. Repeat on weekends. If people slow down and choose their responsibilities wisely, then stress levels decrease.

The Real Ramond Mar Correct Choice Is Still

The open choice continues today. The same choice real Raymond Mar is available. There's no change. I'm still a strong choice. Today's blog is an update on a past blog. I reflect past blogs on Raymond Mar from latest to earliest.

Update On A Past Blog

The statements against me dwindled from the The Real Raymond Mar Please Stand Up blog written on Dec 5, 2021. The real George Costanza is temporarily real. Nobody controls bad luck. I'm catching up narrowing the falling behind gap. I compensate my inherited weaknesses such as poor short-term memory and prone to hot temperatures. I'm reading faster. Recent successes are earned.

I Choose Raymond Mar Today written on Apr 9, 2020 is a yes 2,260 days later. The choice was a no beforehand.

Here's an update pic of me from the blog Raymond Mar 2015-2019 Looking Better written on Jan 5, 2020. I'm an example of a person who looks better aging.

The odds on favor are increasing. The payouts are higher. People who placed bets Bet On The Real Raymond Mar Coming Soon on Oct 4, 2014 being patient the long-term rewards pay off. I continue job searching, learning Python, reviewing Excel, working out physically, learning life skills, and completing housework. There's nothing to lose.

Sights Picture Camera Recorded

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

A permanent signal light is installed. 7-Eleven sells towels--dish towels. The Pokemon Table Card Game (TCG) should be a family household recognized game. Small business fabric stores exist. Cleaning the bathroom sink must include unclogging the sink. There must be a museum for school furniture. There must be reasons few restaurants install bathroom sanitary door handles. Costco sales can include produce items. Smarter people jog as a leisure activity.

Do Everything One At A Time Is A Strength

Slow down. Relax. Take a breath. Forget multi-tasking. Do everything one at a time. Multi-task one at a time. Be productive rationally. Haste makes waste. Quiet down everyone. Stop panicking. Everything is going to be completed one at a time. Hang on for a second. All tasks are completed in time. Be patient.

Update On A Past Blog

The blog Connecting My Dots Backwards written on Oct 13, 2011 the title is misleading. The blog detailed the immediate changes when I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. Any previous blogs on growing up should reference the Connecting My Dots Backwards blog.

X Is On The Clock

Patience is a virtue. Sometimes patience pays off with rewards. Sometimes patience costs with penalties. Don't know what to say. Can't respond. Too many unknowns. Processing continues. Adjust priorities. Wait for the favorable timing and luck.

Everything comes in time. The law. The system. The rules. The procedures. All is present in due time. Marriages. Graduations. Job interviews. Evictions. Championship games. Vacations. Car repairs. Medical appointments. New computers. Movie releases. Contract expirations. Academic years. Fiscal years. Full recoveries. All start in time. All end in time. Delays are likely. Cancellations are possible.

There are 24 hours a day. Guaranteed. Nobody speeds up time. Nobody slows down time. The inevitable. Give it time. Give them time. There is an end. There is the conclusion. This is it. Do you understand? Everything is coming soon.

A Garden

My dad and I assisted a family friend with routine garden maintenance. Mowed the lawn. Removed weeds. A lawn mower cut the grass. A weed wacker trimmed the grass edges. A metal rake, shovel, clippers, and loopers were tools to remove weeds. These tools existed at least a century. The front yard is maintained. The front yard is beautiful. Peace is created taking a break from today's Information Age. Effective time spent outdoors. The life lessons gardening are patience, take it one at a time, and breathe.

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.

My Generation X Sucks

Gen X is known as the forgotten generation. Gen X is between the bigger size and expressive generations Baby Boomers and Millennial or Gen Y. Gen X are people born between 1965 and 1981. Baby Boomers are people born between 1946-1964. Millennials are people born between 1981 and 1996.

Our childhood was latchkey. A latchkey kid is defined as a child left home alone or without supervision for most of the day because their parents are working. Another definition is a child returns to an empty residence after school or after other activities without supervision. We went to school by ourselves. We went home by themselves. We gathered in feral packs. We roamed the streets. The activities included riding bikes, playing baseball, skateboarding, and jumping rope. We included kids we didn't like because of inclusion. There were commercials reminding latchkey parents about their children; for example, a local news commercial said, "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?" Our parents said before we exited the front door, "Be home before dinner." Perhaps, our latchkey childhood explained no parental involvement. No guidance. No teaching. No nurturing.

Gen X prefers calls over text. We desire offline communication over online communication. We are more patient. Persistence and grit are true attributes. The process is more valuable than the result. Privacy is paramount. We prefer cash over credit cards.

Some world events included the Vietnam War, Watergate, the energy crisis in the 1970s, AIDS in the 1980s, President Ronald Regan's Reaganomics, Chernobyl, the Berlin Wall collapse, the Cold War ended, and the Apple and IBM personal computers. There were disco, MTV, and Michael Jackson.

The Gunnie Pigs

Gen X are the first people to watch educational television such as Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Schoolhouse Rock! We experienced changes in music from vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, and then mp3s. We experienced changes in communication from typewriters to word processors; from landlines, car phones, pagers, mobile phones, cell phones, and then smart phones; from floppy disks, USB storage devices, email attachments, and then the cloud.

Gen X are the first workers with defined contribution accounts. These accounts are 401(k) and IRA for which the workers are responsible for their retirements. Baby Boomers retirement accounts are defined benefit pensions for which the company funded their retirement accounts. Moreover, we are the first generation both parents worked for dual incomes.

We Gen X juggle our lives by taking care of our children and our aging parents. We care about our families. We make sure our children are active such as dance class, band practices, and sports practices. We make sure our parents arrive at their medical appointments and rehab sessions. On the other hand, our generation saw an increase in the number of divorces.

Further, Gen X struggles with personal finances. It's an economic inflation storm of college tuition, utilities, mortgages or rent, insurances, and bare necessities. Some Gen X support their parents and their adult children. The increase costs make some Gen X work in their 60s and 70s. I hope they don't lose their jobs. They experience ageism while finding employment. They experience some jobs replaced with AI.

The 2000s decade Gen X's 401(k) and IRA declined because of the dot com bubble in Mar 2000 and the real estate bubble in Sep 2008. Our retirement accounts declined during a brief inflation in late 2018, COVID-19 global recession from 2020-2022, and the present inflation. We can be the first generation to experience the Social Security collapse. The forecast is Social Security loses all funding in the year 2033. Payments are decreased by 20% to 25%.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote blogs blaming my parents for my unsuccessful life or loser life. I forgave them decades ago. It's not entirely my parent's fault. Gen X is to be blamed, too. Here are three blogs I blamed my parents: Top Ten Don't Be My Parents written on Mar 17, 2020, There Are Many Children With Parents Like Mine written on Jun 2, 2014, and Top Ten Lessons My Parents Failed To Teach Me written on May 2, 2013.

Top Ten Plus Five Equals Top Fifteen Moments From Oct 2013 To Aug 2019

Common life wisdoms. Learn from mistakes. Get better. Moments define us. We learn from moments. We grow from moments.

I'm proud no mistakes are repeated between the dates. Something good happened. These 15 moments are good moments and bad moments. There are life pains. There was a literal life pain in Apr 2017. 2016 was the fastest year. 2018 was the unluckiest year. Aug 2019 was the last time daily melancholy stopped. Patience and hard work paid off.

Here are the top ten plus five equals top fifteen moments from Oct 2013 to Aug 2019.

15. The Worst Day Of My Life (Sep 2014). There was a company located in Palo Alto, CA I worked for two days. The business activity was border line illegal. I felt sorry for the uneducated and the unfortunate who needed the job for income.

14. 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.

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

12. Pacific Mahjong League (Mar 2015-Feb 2019) and South Bay Mahjong (Aug 2015-Aug 2019 continue). Shoutouts to the Mahjong groups playing Hong Kong and Riichi styles. I include a Riichi self-promotion to intermediate level in 2017. The South Bay Mahjong continues past Aug 2019.

11. 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.

I include all job interviews in moment number 11. If you want me to share job interview stories, then we eat either lunch or dinner. Coffee is too short.

10. Steve Jobs (Feb 26, 2016). I read the late Jobs' biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Steve Jobs is my all-time favorite book. Lessons learned. Wisdom acquired. Click Steve Jobs Compilation Blog I wrote on Aug 12, 2020 to read my past Steve Jobs blogs.

9. Artisan Wine Depot (Nov 2013-Sep 2014) and Palo Alto Networks (Nov 2014-May 2015). I combine these two companies which failed to strengthen my resume. The experiences from the mistakes and the politics inapplicable on a resume were greater than the work experience itself.

8. Joaquin Miller Park (Oct 6, 2018). A friend recommended hiking at Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland, CA hills. I include the four hikes at the end of 2019. There were the San Pedro Valley Park And McNee Ranch State Park in Pacifica, CA in Aug 2019, another Joaquin Miller in Oct 2019, Castle Rock State Park in Nov 2019, and Mission Peak in Dec 2019.

7. Mission Peak (Sep 2015, Sep 2016, and Feb 2017). The Mission Peak moments receive a separate entry. I hiked the Hidden Valley trail ascending to the 2,517 feet elevation peak. Mission Peak is located in Fremont, CA.

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

5. Retired From Japanese Anime (Sep 20, 2014). Anime gave me experiences, adventures, lessons learned, and fun memories. It was time to move on. New priorities. New choices. Click Top Ten My All Time Favorite Anime Series I wrote on Sep 20, 2014 to read my all-time favorite anime series. Full Metal Alchemist is my all-time favorite anime series.

4. New Webpage Design (Jun 29, 2016). The 2015 and 2016 job training inspired me to redesign my webpage using Sublime Text, relearning HTML, learning JavaScript, and learning CSS.

3. The Real Job Training (Oct-Nov 2014 and May 2015-Aug 2019 continue). 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 continues past Aug 2019.

2. Restaurant Closed On Tuesdays (Tue Dec 4, 2018). It was the first time I saw a restaurant closed on Tuesdays. Not Mondays. Tuesdays. The event summed up year 2018. Bad luck. Bad timing. Misfortunes. Missed chances. Missed opportunities.

1. 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. I wrote the blog Top Ten Daily Changes After O'Connor Hospital on Oct 21, 2017. I changed number seven New Jobs Search Schedule to one day from Mon to Sat.

A Bonus Pic On Good Habits Three Pics Total

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

An afternoon view of cars on a freeway after driving on a freeway. Another batch of pictures of first times. The first time I saw a cigarette disposal and a freeway workers memorial; labels telling customers to microwave their food; repair sunglasses; and soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispenser secured in a hotel room shower. There are eleven pictures in today's blog because I needed an 11th picture to mention the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Spoiler alert: if you didn't read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, then skip picture number seven. Not spoiler alert: a quick lesson on oral sex involving the vulva.

Star Wars Episodes IV-VI On Wait And Patience

Here are selected dialogue quotes from Star Wars IV, V, and VI with "wait" or "patience" from iMDB Internet Movie Database. A common life wisdom is patience. Star Wars can teach waiting.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Darth Vader: [as Obi-Wan finds him and ignites lightsaber] I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: Only a master of evil, Darth.
[fights Vader]
Darth Vader: Your powers are weak, old man.
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi: You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
[fights more]
Darth Vader: You should not have come back.
[fights more]
Luke: [Obi-Wan spots him and allows himself to be killed] NO!
[stormtroopers shoot at him]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

[Luke has just encountered Yoda. Yoda is pretending to be senile to test Luke's patience; R2-D2 watches as Yoda plays with a little flashlight-like lamp. Already impatient, Luke tries to take the lamp away from Yoda]
Yoda: Mine! Or I'll help you not.
Luke: I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I need it to get out of this slimy mudhole.
Yoda: [insulted; as he speaks, R2-D2 opens a side door and extends a pair of pinchers and grabs hold of the lamp and tries to pull the lamp away from Yoda] Mudhole? Slimy? MY home, is this!
Yoda: [startled] Wha?
Luke: [Yoda and R2-D2 start a tug-of-war with the lamp; R2 beeping and humming protestingly] R2, let him have it. [Yoda grabs his cane and starts whacking R2-D2 repeatedly with it]
Yoda: [as he is whacking R2] Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Luke: [firmly] *R2!* [R2 relents, sinking his pinchers into his metallic body. Yoda uses his cane to close the side door for R2-D2's pinchers]

Luke: How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?
Yoda: Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him.

Yoda: Why wish you become Jedi?
Luke: Well, mostly because of my father, I guess.
Yoda: Ahh . . . father. Powerful Jedi was he. Powerful Jedi.
Luke: [suspicious] Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am. Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!
Yoda: [Looking away from Luke] I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: [voice-over] He will learn patience.
Yoda: Much anger in him . . . like his father.
Obi-Wan: [voice] Was I any different when you taught me?

Yoda: Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now - if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did - you will become an agent of evil.
Obi-Wan: Patience.
Luke: And sacrifice Han and Leia?
Yoda: If you honor what they fight for? Yes.
Obi-Wan: If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.
Luke: I understand. R2? Fire up the converters.
Obi-Wan: Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.
Yoda: Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.
Luke: I will. And I'll return, I promise.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi

[Aboard the Death Star, The Emperor's shuttle is greeted by hundreds of Imperial troops and officers. As the last of six red-robed Royal Guards exit the shuttle, both Darth Vader and Moff Jerjerrod kneel in reverence at the foot of the boarding ramp as the Emperor himself emerges]
The Emperor: Rise, my friend.
Darth Vader: The Death Star will be completed on schedule.
The Emperor: You've done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker.
Darth Vader: Yes, my Master.
The Emperor: Patience, my friend. In time, he will seek you out, and when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
Darth Vader: As you wish.
The Emperor: Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen.

2024 Year In Review

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

1. Analytics Research Technology. I self-trained. I passed my classes for data analysis or data science. The classes were from YouTube videos, online education, books, and articles. I blogged the graduation Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology on Apr 19, 2024.

2. Black Mesa. A fan-made remake of Half-Life. It's the video game nomination for 2024. It's the only video game I played.

3. Gym. I worked out at the gym for the first time since the global pandemic.

4. Discretionary Spending In Check. A 2018 moment nominee. I minimized discretionary spending. For example, one music CD, Steam's annual sale selected video games $1.50 or cheaper, and DVDs at public library sales. Most bare necessities purchased on sale.

5. Taiwanese Mahjong. I learned how to play Taiwanese style. I know Hong Kong and Japanese or Riichi.

Explanation: I completed my like senior year in college with a fake degree in Analytics Research Technology. The consistent and productive job training paid off. Forget the video game, gym, and mahjong. Too trivial. I could continue working out at home. A mini home gym and a full size gym were no comparisons. Keeping my expenses in check was worth mentioning given prices have been increasing. Make everything last as long as possible.

There were multiple setbacks in my physical training. One setback was sickness in July. Another setback was left calf pain solved by wearing a calf compression sleeve. I must jog with a knee brace on my right leg.

What Won: Analytics Research Technology.

What Should Have Won: Analytics Research Technology.

My Thoughts On The Winning Moment: Job training won because I completed the self training. The endgame was accomplished. The post graduate training continues today with Excel, Python, HTML, and WordPress. However, as of the blog post, WordPress is postponed indefinitely. I don't know the replacement. JavaScript is fulfilled satisfactory.

2024 Letter Grade: B-. 2023 year ended fantastic. 2024 year ended subpar. 2023 and 2024 balanced out. 2024 was boring. I could have done a better job making the boring awesome. There were no rewards for morale victories. No payouts for the process. There were setbacks. Results matter. The conclusion received attention. The conclusion was disappointing.

On the other hand, the little wisdoms and the wisdom reminders continue. I continue not taking life for granted. I seek new life skills to learn. I drill existing life skills to remember.

Past Moments Of The Years And Its Letter Grades

2023: Physical fitness. Grade B+.
2022: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
2021: Wallstreet Bets. Grade B.
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.

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Reasons Life Has Always Been Me

"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." --Steve Jobs

I've been the correct choice. It was always me. Life has been all me. Everything was me. The self-training paid off. I connect the dots backwards. I made good choices. I did it correctly. I continue making mistakes learning anything new. I continue committing mistakes when I aim high and miss. I achieved mature adulthood at the age of 45. I get it. I understand five years before age 50. I realized all since Sep 2019.

Nobody told me my path to success is correct. Nobody taught me a system. I self-discovered my system. The system is common knowledge and common wisdom: eat healthy, exercise, read books, sleep well, never stop learning, learn from mistakes, always meet new people, minimize watching TV, and ignore anything toxic. I hope timing, luck, chance, and opportunity favors me. Here are the top ten plus three equals top thirteen reasons life has always been me.

13. Be Patient And Go For The Long Run. I thought of the "be patient and go for the long run" when I was a student at San Jose State University. The wisdom was correct. The attitude was correct. The adaption was incorrect. The execution was incorrect. I did it wrong. College life was too much fun and too little learning.

I lived a false sense of getting everything done quickly. It worked in my 20s and early 30s. Somehow my quick life was successful quickly. I didn't have to be patient. I started on something. I completed it quickly.

The patience is back today. I'm doing the "be patient and go for the long run" correctly decades later. Work. Give everything time. Take everything one day at a time. Build a little every day. Add the little accomplishments for the big goals.

12. Talk. Communicate. We have a mouth under the nose and above the chin. If quiet people or introverted people speak up 20% more, then they're going to be happier 20% or more.

People said I talked too much in the past. They didn't explain why. They didn't correct me. My self-discovery was poor self-esteem, seeking attention, nobody teaching me proper social conversations, and being ignorant. All problems fixed today.

11. Steve Jobs. I follow the wisdom of Steve Jobs. I understand the "Stay hungry, stay foolish" wisdom. Trust intuition. Never settle. Be brave making mistakes. We do judge a book by its cover.

"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."

10. Adulthood Preview In Ninth Grade. I studied hard. I spent more hours learning. I spent more hours practicing. Grit. I spent more hours exercising. I spent less hours watching television. The hard work paid off with good grades. I felt smart. I felt strong.

My adulthood was established. Hard work. Motivation. Focus. Strength. Intelligence. What about fun? The fun happened afterwards. I accepted the process. I accepted the challenge.

9. R.O.T.C. In High School. I took the U.S. Marines Reserve Officers Training Corps or R.O.T.C. in high school for three years. I learned leadership attributes and leadership skills. I also learned human relations rules.

8. Physical Fitness. I jog two days a week. I strength train two days a week. I'm the most healthiest I've ever been in my life. Exercising is not an excuse to eat unhealthy in moderation; in other words, exercising and eating unhealthy don't cancel. Exercise and eating healthy must be combined.

7. Read More Fiction Books Than Nonfiction Books. I learned more about life reading fiction books. It started in Oct 2008.

6. Clean And Organize. I self-taught myself how to vacuum, mop floors, clean toilets, and organize. Less stress where there is less clutter. More time saved where there is more organization. Routine maintenance is required to keep neatness. Work is required.

5. Take The Initiative. I admit I'm gun-shy when nothing happens. I know my position at the certain place and the certain time. I know my role in a social situation. I stay within my boundaries. Time is up. Action is required. I take the initiative. I'm successful sometimes. I'm not successful sometimes.

4. Self-job Training. The blog Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology written on Apr 19, 2024 explains everything. I passed the classes for data analysis or data science. YouTube videos, online education, books, articles, and online posts are my learning sources.

3. Be A Good Person. I'm getting stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser. I'm not a nice guy. I'm a good guy. I continue catching up what I missed in the past. I'm experiencing new experiences. I'm seeking new adventures.

2. Desire Is More Important Than Knowledge. Practice, practice, learn from my mistakes, improve, progress, practice, practice, practice, . . . . "I will" is more important than "I know." The knowledge follows motivation doing something, anything. The rewards follow motivation when responsibilities are completed.

1. Growing Up. Sat Oct 4, 2008 changed my life forever. It was time to grow up. No more immaturity. No more taking life for granted. I'm responsible for my life.

Update On A Past Blog

I reference the blogs for today's blog on Update On A Past Blog.

*I Made Good Choices After All written on Jan 17, 2025. People said I did it wrong. I made mistakes. The logic was illogical. People didn't follow me. They wanted it their way. My thought process was nonsense. My actions were insincere. Ignore Raymond Mar. Connect the dots backwards. Hindsight is 20/20. I did it correctly.

*Unlearn To Be Better And Unlearn The Incorrect written on Jan 7, 2024. Forgive the past. Unlearn the past. Correct the incorrect. Retrain. Relearn.

*I Correct Be Patient And Go For The Long Run written on Dec 16, 2023. Take my time. I was irresponsible then. I'm responsible now.

*I've Been Doing Everything Correct Mostly written on Apr 12, 2022. The Shawshank Redemption was released on Oct 14, 1994. The movie is currently number 1 on IMDb's Top Rated Movie. If you didn't watch the movie, then watch the movie alone.

*Top Ten I Get It Now written on Nov 21, 2020. I listed ten life concepts, wisdoms, and lessons I understand.

*My High School Freshmen Year Was My First Taste Of Responsible Adulthood written on Jun 6, 2020. See number 10.

*I Choose Raymond Mar Today written on Apr 9, 2020. I realized yesterday's Raymond Mar was not the real Raymond Mar when he made mistakes. The people who believed the yesterday's Raymond Mar was the fake Raymond Mar. The present Raymond Mar is the true Raymond Mar.

*Going Up Or Getting Better Am I? written on Sep 8, 2019. Is my life getting better or getting worse? Is my life going up or going down? Honestly speaking, I'm one step closer to become a genius.

*When Is An Adult An Adult? written on Sep 17, 2017. It's a judgment call. Time will tell everything I'm doing today to live independently tomorrow is successful.

*Top Ten I Was Correct When I Was Young written on Jun 9, 2016. I was told wrong because nobody reinforced my good moments, nobody encouraged me to continue my good successes, and/or people were jealous of my accomplishments. Or it could have been me. I quit reinforcing my good moments to do better. I took my good successes for granted. I was a people pleaser stopping when I was told to stop to make other people happy.

*I Did It Right written on Nov 14, 2013. We experience bad days, bad moments, and bad luck. We can't control everything 24 hours a day. The end of the day we continue moving forward hoping for the best.

The Bottom Line Is A Big Change Influencer

Here's a typical scenario. A customer, client, patient, or buyer recognizes an error, discrepancy, miscalculation, or exclusion. The party converses professionally to management, agent, doctor, ownership, or seller. The talking points are clear. Tones are calm. Spoken words are mature. Everyone is patient. Unfortunately, sometimes talking points are confusing. Tones are conflicted. Spoken words are shouted. No more patience. Regardless, there is no change. The management party and the like changes nothing even if the customer party and the like are correct.

Follow the pattern. There are more errors, discrepancies, miscalculations, or exclusions. The management party and the like continue changing nothing. It doesn't matter who's correct and who's incorrect. The system is unchanged. Give it time. The best change instigator is money. The catalyst for change is profit. The bottom line is the wake up call. We see changes everyday in the business news. A company misses their forecasts. A company announces changes. We see changes everyday in the sporting news. A professional sports team with multiple losing seasons. Ownership announces coaching changes.

Money talks. Profit talks. Problems are no longer ignored.

Screwed Or Not Screwed

I ask questions about myself. I answer "screwed" or "not screwed" followed by an explanation. I choose no NSFW answer "fucked" or "not fucked." There is no 50/50 middle ground. If it's 51% screwed, then I'm screwed. If it's 51% not screwed, then I'm not screwed. Here are the self-analysis questions:

*Find a job: screwed. The unemployed readers know the truth. There are fewer job openings. There are too many unemployed seeking employment from the fewer job openings.

*Health: not screwed. I include physical fitness. I workout four days a week. I minimize eating processed foods. I sleep eight hours a night. I drink water when I'm thirsty.

*Money: screwed. All prices are going up. All costs are going up. All payments are going up.

*Job training: screwed. On the one hand, I finished my self job training on Apr 19, 2024 Self Job Training Graduation Analytics Research Technology. On the other hand, the continued job training remains too slow. There is too much to learn. There are good free learning resources. I'm skeptical on paid online training.

*Learning outside the job training: not screwed. Finding new life skills is slow and sure. An advantage being unemployed is plenty of time to learn. These skills can be useful tomorrow.

*Socialize with friends and family: not screwed. I started meeting my friends post pandemic. I started meeting new people post pandemic. I'm patient.

*COVID-19: not screwed. I wear masks. I'm updated on the latest vaccines. I never tested positive.

*Timing, luck, destiny, karma: screwed. The world has not been flowing in my favor for years.

*Time remaining to live life: screwed. My life is either paused or moving forward too slowly. I follow through everything I learned. Too many delays. Too many stalls.

*Happiness in the short term: not screwed. I wrote being a happy loser My Problems Are Nothing on Dec 27, 2024 compared to many people with bigger unhappy problems.

*Happiness in the long term: screwed. Money is not a factor to become happy. However, money helps a person become happy. I don't know the future regarding money.

*Mental: not screwed. I separate physical health and mental health. I read books. I job training. I learn life skills. Never stop learning.

Top 2023 Pics

Here are the top five pictures I took in 2023. They're sorted from the start of the year to the end of the year. The goals delaying one year are relearning from my mistakes, reinforcing my lessons, reminding myself my moments, refreshing acquired knowledge, rediscovering new wisdom, and sharing changes. Enjoy!

Update On A Past Blog

2024 is over. I shut down my life during the Mon Dec 23, 2024 and Mon Dec 30, 2024 weeks. These two weeks remind me of the blog First Time I Saw A Restaurant Close On Tuesdays I wrote on Dec 9, 2018. I declared 2018 was over. I said, "Bad luck. Bad timing. Misfortunes." Dec is ending on bad luck, bad timing, and misfortunes. I adapt the "I respond what life gives me. I go with the flow." It's time to take a break. It's time to rest. Two reasons are loss of focus and fatigue.

I took partial breaks and spread the partial breaks from Oct 2023 to Jan 2024 to finish reading Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. The time span was the last time I took any break or any vacation.