My Game Over Is Coming Soon

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

I'm running out of time. I'm running low on the number of chances. Resources and support dwindle. Permanent quitting time is near. I've exhausted everything I can think to earn my freedom. There are winners in life. There are losers in life. I belong to the losers. Nobody's fault. Blame life. I receive bad advice. Some knowledge are acquired incorrectly. I reverse setbacks as much as I can. I did my best. The narrative is I didn't do enough.

I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I think of my past self job training from today to 2015. Some may say my training was too good. Completing some training faster didn't guarantee a job. Time is no longer my friend. I'm not going to succeed.

No Longer Awesome Boring

I'm running out of ideas to keep my life fresh. There are more stale days lately. There are more rotten days recently. The present life is getting old. The general routine is unchanged for decades. I fear the present general routine becomes too comfortable I'm unable to adapt to better changes.

Reject The Alternate Life

Fortunately, the otaku life or the anime and video game life is forbidden. No fat man life. No eight hours of video games a day life. The lifestyle eating healthy and exercising is clear and present. I read books. I maintain the household. Self job training continues; although, what else can I learn which matches my strengths? My choices are few. I sleep well. I move forward.

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote an honest blog Permanent Unemployment on Jan 24, 2024. I spoke for some long-term unemployed people like me frustrated with the job hiring system. I mentioned AI replaces human jobs. Job training costs continue to increase which includes money and technology tools. Timing and luck are factors getting hired and getting rejected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top Ten Plus Three Equals Top Thirteen Random Historical Events I Wanted To Be Present

I randomly thought of ten plus three equals thirteen historical events I wanted to be present. I use a time machine to go back to the past. I could be present at the event or I could be present at a memorial location such as at a college student union, at work, at home watching TV, or vacationing. No changes in my body inside and outside. All knowledge remains with me.

13. San Diego Comic-Con 1998 (Aug 13-16, 1998). Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi made her first US appearance.

12. Governor Bill Clinton Visits San Jose State University (Fall Semester 1992). I was stupid. I went home during a presidential campaign rally. It could have been a lifelong memory participating in US history. Number 11 is a do-over. I blogged my mistake The 1992 Presidential Election Bill Clinton At San Jose State University on Oct 28, 2021.

11. President Richard Nixon Resigns (Aug 8, 1974). Nixon is the only US president to resign from office. Vice President Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon. The Watergate scandal was the reason for the resignation. Five men broke in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office building during the 1972 presidential election.

10. Star Wars VI: The Return Of The Jedi Opening Night (May 25, 1983). The third movie in the original Star Wars trilogy. Self-explanatory.

9. Korean Armistice Agreement In Panmunjom (Jul 27, 1953). The Korean War ended. A 4 kilometer or 2.5 mile wide demilitarized zone was established to separate North Korea and South Korea.

8. Japan Surrenders To The United States In World War II (Sep 2, 1945). The surrender was held on the USS Missouri. Japanese officials signed the Japanese Instrument Of Surrender.

7. The Dot-Com Stock Market Crash And Dot-Com Bubble Burst (Mar 2000). I worked in commercial real estate during the dot-com era. A senior executive broker told me a financial analyst on a radio told his listeners to sell everything when the NASDAQ closed at 5,048.62. A staff co-worker told me to "load up on Cisco" in 1999. The staff co-worker was correct. I could have made a fortune buying Cisco in 1999 and selling Cisco in 2000.

Number 7 is not necessarily a do-over; however, I could say I go back to 1997 when the stock market hit records numbers. I could have purchased stocks in 1997 and sold in 2000.

6. The Berlin Wall Fell (Nov 9, 1989). The Peaceful Revolution happened which led to the wall destruction and the fall of communism in Central Europe and Eastern Europe. Germany was reunified in Oct 1990.

5. Michael Jordan Wins His 6th NBA Championship (Jun 14, 1998). Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won a second three-peat NBA Finals Championship during the 1997-1998 NBA season.

4. The Catch. Joe Montana Game-Winning Touchdown To Dwight Clark (Jan 10, 1982). The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-27 at Candlestick Park at the 1981 NFC Championship Game during the 1981-1982 NFL season. The Catch symbolized the end of the Cowboys' domination and the start of the 49ers' domination in the 1980s.

The 49ers defeated the AFC Champions Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI.

3. Michael Jackson The Dangerous Tour in Bucharest, Romania (Oct 1, 1992). The concert took place at Bucharest National Stadium. 90,000 in attendance at the sold-out stadium.

2. The Beatles 1965 Tour in New York, New York (Aug 15, 1965). The concert at Shea Stadium was the first musical band at a major stadium concert in musical history.

1. Steve Jobs Debuts iPhone (Jan 9, 2007). A phone, a musical player, and internet access in one.

First Time Observation Pics To Remember

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

$9.88 for gas. I saw a fire insurance company fulfilling their obligations. Japanese Miffy bunnies and gashapons. Automotive maintenance pics to remember. There are many Star Wars novels. I got sick in Jul 2024 which was not COVID-19. A falling down pic to remember.

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.

Top Ten Plus Fourteen Equals Top Twenty Four Favorite Black & White Movies

The classic movies. The black & white classic movies. The best movies established today's movies we see today. Take a break from the fast pace Information Age life. Do something different. Slow down. Watch the classics. They're true today. Here are my top ten plus fourteen equals top twenty four favorite black & white movies. There is no restriction on the release year.

24. Why Worry? (1923). A Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston classic.

23. Some Like It Hot (1959). Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon are the names. A comedy and a musical.

22. Modern Times (1936). My only Charlie Champlin movie I watched. No need for green screens. The rush society in the 1930s was a turtle compared to today's rush society.

21. Psycho (1960). An Alfred Hitchcock classic. The ending twist is fantastic.

20. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939). My second James Stewart movie. The politics in the 1930s were the same today.

19. It Happened One Night (1934). Clark Gable stood his ground. You may not laugh out loud during the comedy scenes. A funny romantic comedy a family enjoys.

18. Harvey (1950). James Stewart could do comedy.

17. The Grapes Of Wrath (1940). The movie about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl did a good job adapting 67% of the book written by John Steinbeck. The ending in the movie was not the ending in the book.

16. Schindler's List (1993). It's bad timing Liam Neeson who played Oskar Schindler lost to Tom Hanks from Philadelphia for best actor. The movie should have double best supporting actor nominations Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth and Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern.

15. Raging Bull (1980). A movie where a person is the best at something and the best at being a terrible person. Robert DeNiro won an Oscar for best actor.

14. The Philadelphia Story (1940). My first Cary Grant movie. The movie included one of the greatest of all time actor James Stewart and actress Katharine Hepburn. It should be a movie all student actors and student actresses watch.

13. All About Eve (1950). A movie about a fictional biography of a successful Broadway star. The movie watchers realize she's ruthless.

12. Seven Samurai (1954). A poor village hires samurais without pay to protect them from bandits. I watched the movie in two days.

11. Roman Holiday (1953). My critical opinion is Gregory Peck didn't have enough charism. Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress.

10. Metropolis (1927). A science fiction classic with no time boundaries. The futuristic city with dividing social classes. A four star movie.

9. The Apartment (1960). It's all about affairs and adultery in a comedy and romantic way. They existed in the 1960s. They exist today.

8. Citizen Kane (1941). Rosebud.

7. Young Frankenstein (1974). I read the book by Mary Shelley and the 1931 movie before watching Young Frankenstein. Hilarious.

6. Rebecca (1940). A classic psychological thriller. Maybe horror. An early black and white mind twist movie. The only Alfred Hitchcock movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

5. Sunset Blvd. (1950). I heard students majoring in film watch the movie in their undergraduate classes.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). There is a reason why Gregory Peck portraying Atticus Finch won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Finch was a model strong man and strong father.

3. Paper Moon (1973). Father Ryan O'Neal and daughter Tatum O'Neal are the lead actors. Tatum won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10. She's the youngest to win an Oscar as of today.

2. 12 Angry Men (1957). If your date says 12 angry men is about a movie about 12 angry men, then end the date immediately.

1. Casablanca (1942). Too many movie quotes: Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship; Here's looking at you, kid; Play it once, Sam; We'll always have Paris.

Personal Reminders To End 2023

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

Khan Noonien Singh read Moby-Dick in exile. A cash register is needed to buy household necessities, lighters, and breakfast cereal. Fear is a natural response seeing a dinosaur wearing a Christmas hat. No fear needed remembering the 1980s. All bad restaurants eventually close. Learn vocabulary shipping words.

Update On A Past Blog

A reminder for everyone including myself. My opinion on finding a number one person is Be Strong, Be Useful, Strong Self-Esteem All Relationships written on Jul 27, 2020. My opinion on being a number one person is the same answer. Be strong. Be useful. Self-esteem is high. Be smart and be wise can be included.

Top Ten Plus Ten Equals Top Twenty All-Time Favorite Movies

There are 32 movies in my all-time favorite list from my About Me at my personal webpage Innovate Infinitely. I reduced the list to 20. It's time to rank my all-time favorites because I wrote The Shawshank Redemption is my new number one movie on the Update On A Past Blog on Apr 12, 2022 I've Been Doing Everything Correct Mostly replacing Good Will Hunting.

Here are my top ten plus ten equals top twenty all-time favorite movies.

20. Wall Street. A favorite for investors and salespeople. Michael Douglas won Best Actor for portraying Gordon Gekko. "The most valuable commodity I know of is information," said Gekko.

19. Office Space. The cult classic is a must watch for all white collar workers. Aged well.

18. Clerks. The cult classic is a must watch for all retail workers. Aged well.

Side story: I worked at Blockbuster Video in college. The store manager kept Clerks in the new releases section years after the movie was released on VHS.

17. Hot Fuzz. A comedy, action, mystery, and plot twist combined. I laughed for a long time during the beginning.

16. UP! An underrated Disney and Pixar movie. The people who say UP! is an all-time favorite other people gives them shocked looks. The movie needs more love.

15. Parasite (2019). The rock is just a rock at the end of any day. The first foreign language movie to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars.

14. A Few Good Men. I watched the movie for the first time in May 2017. Beforehand, I watched the famous Jack Nicholson "You can't handle the truth" scene every time I see A Few Good Men. I understand the quote. Tom Cruise is a good actor.

13. Stand By Me. Four kids with too much time in their hands took a weekend trip to find a dead body. I realized Stand By Me was my first coming of age movie as an adult. I wished I had their life wisdom when I was a child because they were wiser than my childhood.

12. Aliens. My personal four star science fiction movie. A 100 out of 100.

11. Toy Story. The only movie I watched in the theater nobody stopped laughing. A movie experience is positively strengthen when audience members react with everyone else.

10. Black Hawk Down. The movie producers did a good job adapting the book. I read the book. If the producers followed the book, then the movie was too complicated. Too much flow interruption. Too much politics. Too many characters to remember.

9. Titanic. The only movie I watched three times in movie theaters. I watched the movie twice in 1997. The third time was IMAX 3D on Apr 2012.

8. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. A family classic for all ages. Watch the original version.

7. Casablanca. Schedule a night with your significant other to watch the romantic drama with the most quoted movie lines in history. I'm sad to say I watched the movie once.

6. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The movie should have won Best Picture instead of Annie Hall.

5. Saving Private Ryan. My personal all-time favorite war movie. The movie should have won Best Picture instead of Shakespeare In Love.

4. The Dark Knight. The movie was all Heath Ledger. A 100 out of 100. If I name my favorite evil character, Heath Ledger's Joker comes to my mind first.

3. The Godfather. I include The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. Organized crime, drugs, power, greed, revenge, and the past. The Godfather Part II takes the upper hand because we see Vito Corleone in his early years.

2. Good Will Hunting. I watched the movie for the first time in Feb 2014. I believe if I watched the movie between 1997-2000, I could have experienced my grow up moment then instead of Sat Oct 4, 2008. "It's not your fault," said Sean Maguire.

The 12 remaining movies for honorable mention: 12 Angry Men, A League Of Their Own, All The President's Men, Ben Hur, Breaking Away, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, La La Land, Little Miss Sunshine, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Princess Bride, and The Sound Of Music.

1. The Shawshank Redemption. A friend in college watched The Shawshank Redemption in the theater. He told me the movie was boring. I watched the movie 9,108 days later from the date of release Oct 14, 1994 on Sep 21, 2019. No spoilers. There is a reason the movie is number one in iMDB's Top Rated 250 Movies.

Random Knowledge Or Random Trivia June 2021

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

Co-worker eats part of a cake in the break room. Never eat unpackaged foods or partial foods for health reasons.

Qwake Technologies. The companies makes C-Thru Ironman AR for Firefighters technology. Firefighters see through smoke fighting fires.

Esophageal Manometry. A friend experienced problems digesting foods. Esophageal Manometry is an outpatient test used to identify problems with movement and pressure in the esophagus that may lead to problems like heartburn. The esophagus is the "food pipe" leading from the mouth to the stomach. Manometry measures the strength and muscle coordination of your esophagus when you swallow.

Power to the Penis! With Dr. Edward Karpman. A podcast from Sex With Emily on the penis.

Greatest American Sports Moments of the Decade [2010-2019]. Sports YouTube video.

Aaron Gordon Dunks Over Tacko Fall - 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Probably the best dunk in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest.

feebly: In a way that lacks strength or force. In a way that fails to convince or impress.

Life by Ludovico Einaudi.

Physicists Freeman Dyson past away at 96. ArsTechnica article.

Is it better to retire one year too early than one year too late?

Ceiling fans turn clockwise for cold days or counterclockwise for warm days.

plinth: A slab-like member beneath the base of a column or pier. A square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal.

What Monta Ellis told Steph Curry after trade from Warriors to Bucks. There's nothing to worry. The Warriors is your team. NBC Bay Area article.

Teachers, what's the darkest thing you've seen from a student? AskReddit post.

A legal prostitute in Nevada named Molly Sinn. AMA Reddit post.

A personality quiz to find fictional characters similar to you.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Major Kong survival kit contents check with his crew.

Survival prepper skills with pantyhose.

Life In A Northern Town by The Dream Academy. Ah hey ma ma, ma-me doo-de din-day-ya.

Top Ten Worst Movies I Watched

My top ten are not the worst movies in the history of movies. It's good because some of my top ten worst could be another person's top ten best. These worst movies I watch there is no connection between the movies and me. Be honest when sharing opinions on good movies and bad movies. Don't like a movie because of peer-pressure. Good movies and bad movies are opinions.

I reserve the opportunity to update my top ten when I watch another worst movie I become angry I waste my time watching the bad movie. Here are my top ten worst movies I watched.

10. Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. An entertaining Skywalker vs. Kylo Ren battle could have saved the movie. I stopped caring about future Star Wars movies.

9. Dune. I remember two college friends and I watched the movie. One of them read the book. He said great book. The movie sucked. Too many voiceovers. I was bored watching the movie. The three of us entertained each other making jokes on the voiceovers.

8. Superman Returns (2006). I remember the big promotions at sci-fi conventions. The movie flopped at the box-office. I yawned.

7. Batman & Robin. Unfortunately speaking, the movie was my first thought when director Joel Schumacher past away in Jun 2020. Nipple shots. No! Butt shots. No!

6. Spider Man 3. Good bye to your acting career Tobey Maguire.

5. Chariots Of Fire. I enjoyed the cinematography more than the movie. Raiders Of The Lost Ark should have won best picture. Chariots Of Fire should have won best cinematography.

4. The Five Year Engagement. The Elmo and Cookie Monster was the only good scene. I forgot about the movie, Emily Blunt.

3. Slumdog Millionaire. My opinion is biased. The book is fantastic. The movie sucked. An Indian friend said some parts of the movie is Hollywood influenced. The parts are not real life.

2. Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. I recognize the movie as a cult classic. I'm in the minority. The movie never connected with me. I wasted two hours of my life.

Honorable mention. Megaforce. I loved the movie when I was a kid because of the armed with rockets and machine guns motorcycles and the dune buggies. I'm an adult. The movie is stupid. The final battle scene all the enemy tanks missed the motorcycles and the dune buggies in linear bunch formation. The flying motorcycle scene was ridiculous.

Another mention is Run (2013). I stopped watching at the 23rd minute. I can't remember another movie I stopped watching. Run is the first movie I stopped watching anywhere in the middle.

The rest of the honorable mention are the following: Punch, Drunk, Love; After Earth; and Kids In The Hall Brain Candy.

1. Annie Hall. The first half of the movie is Best Picture quality. The second half of the movie is awful. Star Wars should have won Best Picture at the 1978 Academy Awards.

Ten Random Blogs Jul 2020

Here are ten random blogs in order of randomly chosen. The restriction is the blog dates Dec 31, 2018 and earlier. 2019 blogs are A Second Look blog in Dec 2020. I include a brief description and an update remark.

1. One, Two, Three (Feb 13, 2007). I blogged three topics. The first blog was visiting a friend's apartment for the first time. My friend and her husband at the time were sci-fi fans. I saw the biggest sci-fi collection in my life consisting of DVDs, figurines, board games, and books. I arrived home thinking about time and their sci-fi collection. If I spent more time on sci-fi and anime, then I had a bigger collection.

Update remark for the first blog: I'm happy and I'm fortunate my anime and sci-fi collection didn't reach my friend and her husband at the time biggest sci-fi collection. There is more to life than watching television. I retired from anime in Sep 2014. I sold 50% of my DVDs, 67% of my books, and 90% of my toys on eBay from 2015-2018 and at swap meets from 2008 to 2012. My time away from anime and sci-fi collection were spent wisely.

The second blog was all families have problems. My family had been consistently late to engagements. I compared my family's lateness problem to other family problems. Being late was not a family problem worth making a big deal.

Update remark for the second blog: My family continues to be late. Sometimes my family and I make a big deal. Sometimes my family and I don't make a big deal.

The third blog was keep our residence clean. It was hard to keep the house clean because my parents were hoarders. The minimum was organization. Maintain organization to maximize keeping the house as clean as possible.

Update remark for the third blog: My parents continue to be hoarders. I do my best to keep the house clean which is a challenge.

2. The Second Pics From My Smart Phone (Jun 29, 2012). I purchased my first smart phone in Jul 2011. I started to blog pics from my smart phone. Here's the second batch of pics.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

3. Another Batch Of Pics (Sep 13, 2012). Another blog with pics from my first smart phone.

Update remark: I continue to blog pics from my smart phone.

4. Accutane Day 236 (Sep 29, 2009). I started taking Accutane on Feb 5, 2009. The dermatologist said Accutane shrinks the oil glands to prevent acne and blackheads; however, I continued getting acne and blackheads. The dermatologist gave me an option to double to dosage from 20mg to 40mg for which he discouraged doubling. There was no timeline when I stopped taking Accutane.

Update remark: I eventually doubled my dosage because acne and blackheads continued. The dermatologist said there are cases patients undergo a second round of Accutane treatment. I may need another acne and blackhead treatment because marks on my face which disappeared after Accutane treatment are reappearing again.

5. Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces (Sep 2, 2009). I blogged my top ten moments I wore braces from Jan 24, 2007 to Aug 17, 2009 totaling 936 days.

Update remark: Wearing braces helped me look handsome with a perfect smile. Nine of the top ten are in my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments written on Sep 27, 2016.

6. My Spirituality Discovery (Jan 11, 2015). I have two spiritual practices. The first practice is sleeping eight hours a night. The second practice is reading my personal bible once a week.

Update remark: I have a confession. I wrote a blog Why Do I Pray? on Aug 3, 2014. I answered I pray reading my personal bible once a week to remember the mistakes I made. Don't repeat my mistakes. My guess is I stopped praying once a week at the end of 2018. The result has been my productivity increased. The last two times I prayed was during the week of National Day Of Prayer in May 2019 and May 2020.

7. Life Goes On (Sep 23, 2017). I reminded myself and my readers the world didn't come to an end. Life moves forward for better or for worse.

Update remark: The blog applies to today's COVID-19 life.

8. A Full Week (Jan 12, 2006). I prepared to take a night class on how to write a business plan at De Anza College.

Update remark: I should have dropped the class. The class was a waste of time. Conversely, I dropped Beginning Japanese in Spring Quarter 2009 which was moment number two in my Top Ten Moments Wearing My Braces. Dropping Japanese didn't make my Top 40 Most Memorable Moments.

9. Go Get My Life (Jan 31, 2015). I remember one day as a senior in high school I was in the library with a classmate. I was depressed. I said, "I need a life." She said, "Then go get it." I understood the meaning decades later. Don't take life for granted. I'm lucky I discovered I must earn my successes. I'm lucky I discovered I must never stop learning.

Update remark: The classmate was a junior named Thanh. She played volleyball on the varsity team. She hung around the library with me during the lunch hours consistently. I wonder if she liked me.

Six days a week I'm doing my best to earn my successes. My personal projects are reviewing Excel and SQL; learning Python and Git; and learning life skills such as basic land navigation with a compass, Morse Code, and make paper airplanes. I exercise four or five days a week. I minimize eating processed foods. I read books, write blogs, and cook.

10. I Live To Reach The 90 Club (Jul 21, 2011). My grandmother on my dad's side was my oldest living grandparent. She died at 90 years old. Her mind was sharp at an old age. She didn't have Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, my grandfather on my dad's side died from Alzheimer's. I vow to keep my mind sharp to minimize my chances from getting Alzheimer's disease. I vow to keep my mind sharp to maximize my chances living at least 90 years old.

Update remark: I refer to the update remark at number 9 Go Get My Life. Use it or lose it. Use my brain or lose my brain. Use my knees and elbows or lose my knees and elbows; in other words, exercise. I'm not going to be an old fuck.

Pictures Today Reflect Yesterday

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

Let's go back at least 20 years. Pocky was $1 a box. People listened to music on boom boxes. Sailor Moon was the top anime. Consumers did judge a product by its cover. Homes were built with care. There was worker company loyalty. We had more time for peace; we breath cleaner air. Star Wars IV-VI were the best yesterday. Star Wars IV-VI are the best today.





















Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Top Ten Movies I Can Watch 100 Times

Blogger's Note: I wrote a similar blog titled Top Ten Movies I Can Watch Again And Again on Apr 14, 2017. My list must be revised.

Everyone has movies which touch them. There's something which attracts us to watch 100 times resulting in the satisfaction entertainment or better to outstanding entertainment. It's like we are investigators who look at evidence videos or professional sports players or coaches who look at past game tapes numerous times getting something new. These movies cheer us up when we feel down. These movies prevent being bored. These movies bring people together.

Shout-outs to TV series Breaking Bad all seasons and Malcolm In The Middle season one and season two. I can watch these episodes 100 times.

Here are the top ten movies I can watch 100 times:

10. Grease (1978). The movie cheers me up when I'm depressed. I like the music. I pictured myself attending high school in the late 1950s during one movie watch. I consider Grease a family movie.

9. For Your Eyes Only (1981). My personal all-time favorite Bond movie. It was the first Bond movie I watched. Humor, action, gadgets, car chase, and a great opening Bond scene.

8. Up (2009). My all time Disney Pixar movie. A family movie children and adults enjoy. There are mature scenes perfectly made for children to understand.

7. Wall Street (1987). The movie about Bud Fox who wanted to be Gordon Gekko realized he was just Bud Fox. Most of the movie regarding business is true today.

6. Aliens (1986). An honorable mention movie in my Top Ten Movies I Can Watch Again And Again blog which shouldn't. The dialogue was written intelligently.

5. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982). An alien was abandoned on earth, a child befriended the alien, and the child helped the alien go home. I wished I had the child's courage when I was in grade school.

4. Stand By Me (1986). Four boys took a journey to find the body of a missing boy before they begin junior high school. It was my first coming-of-age movie.

3. Star Wars IV (1977). Destiny arrived for Luke to leave Tatooine. The farmboy couldn't stay cooped up with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru forever. My favorite scene is Obi-Wan gave Luke his first lesson in The Force inside the Millennium Falcon.

2. A Few Good Men (1992). The only scene I watched was Jack Nicholson taking the witness stand. I watched the scene randomly when I channel surfed in hotel rooms. The last time I watched the scene I was a hospital inpatient. I watched the movie in its entirety after I checked out of the hospital. I can't explain why it took me decades to watch the entire movie. Tom Cruise is a good actor. I'm happy I have the DVD.

Honorable mentions: Gravity, The Dark Knight, Toy Story

1. Good Will Hunting (1997). I watched the movie for the first time in 2014. It's another movie I watch when I feel depressed. I tell myself I'm a good Raymond Mar sincerely. My all time favorite ending and end credits. "It's not your fault." - Sean Maguire

Update On A Past Blog

I wrote a blog titled No Help For Those Behind on Apr 11, 2018. I visited a Bank Of America branch understaffed, card readers couldn't accept embedded chip, and older ATMs in a building built in the 1980s. My regular Bank Of America branch is fully staffed, card readers accepts embedded chip, and ATMs are the latest. Business is unfair. Good branches receive help. Bad branches need help.

I visited an old Bank Of America branch in another city earlier in the week. The city per capita income is higher than my home city. I was shocked to see the same characteristics comparing the two branches including an old building built earlier in the 1970s. I expected a better looking branch with the latest and greatest at least inside. Perhaps the branch was a low performing branch. Ironic.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

Top Ten Movies I Can Watch Again And Again

One positive watching movies is selected movies each person can watch again and again. These movies we watch infinitely connect with us. We calm down. We laugh. We reflect. We learn. We discover. There is something in the movie we relate in real life. Been there, done that. We are always 100% satisfied watching the movie from beginning to end or watching selected scenes.

Grease (1978) is one movie I can watch again and again. The movie cheers me up when I'm depressed. I like the music. I pictured myself attending high school in the late 1950s during one movie watch. If I have children, then I'm comfortable they can watch Grease with no worries. I consider Grease a family movie.

Here are the top ten movies I can watch again and again:

10. The Dark Knight (2008). The movie was all Heath Ledger. If I name my favorite evil character, Heath Ledger's Joker comes to my mind first.

9. For Your Eyes Only (1981). My personal all-time favorite Bond movie. It was the first Bond movie I watched. Humor, action, gadgets, car chase, and a great opening Bond scene.

8. Hot Fuzz (2007). I remember watching the first 15 minutes at a friend's house. We all laughed our asses. I exited the house because there was another commitment. I watched the movie for the second time from start to finish at the end of the year. I like movies which go full circle.

7. Beverly Hills Cop (1984). Eddie Murphy's breakout movie. No green screen special effects for the action and comedy movie classic.

6. Wall Street (1987). The movie about Bud Fox who wanted to be Gordon Gekko realized he was just Bud Fox. Most of the movie regarding business is true today.

5. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982). I wish I was more like Elliott when I was a child. He had more courage and more attractiveness towards girls. E.T. was the first movie I watched in an outdoor movie theater decades later.

4. Star Wars IV (1977). I was a child who smiled at every battle scene and every special effect. I didn't understand the plot. My favorite scene is Obi-Wan gave Luke his first lesson in The Force inside the Millennium Falcon.

3. Stand By Me (1986). Four boys took a journey to find the body of a missing boy before they begin junior high school. It was my first coming-of-age movie. I include Breaking Away (1979) in number #3 because it's another good coming-of-age movie.

2. Saving Private Ryan (1998). My personal all-time favorite war movie. The movie should have won best picture instead of Shakespeare In Love.

Honorable mentions: Aliens, Clerks, The Princess Bride, and Toy Story.

1. Good Will Hunting (1997). I watched the movie for the first time in 2014. It's another movie I watch when I feel depressed. I tell myself I'm a good Raymond Mar sincerely. My all time favorite ending and end credits. I like the tagline: Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

My Dream Playing High School Basketball

I dreamed last night I played basketball in my high school basketball team. My PE teacher told me to join the team. I joined the team without tryouts. The coach said I'm in the team. The basketball team was co-ed.

The coach entered me in the game with five minutes remaining. The tallest player in the court was 5' 10". I was the tallest in my team on the court at 5' 8". The players for my team and the opposition team were short.

The score was close. Both teams struggled making baskets at the end. We scored the last basket down by two points. My long sleeve sweat jacket hindered my dribbling. I didn't know why I wore a sweat jacket over my jersey. I called timeout with 4.2 seconds. My team was in defense at the opposition side of the basket. Why did I call timeout? I didn't know. I called timeout. The coach drew up a play. The coach assigned me to stay at their basket for the opposition to inbound. Play resumed. The opposing player moved side-to-side keeping the ball without inbounding. I called timeout with 0.2 seconds remaining. The coach said I made a mistake. I said the opposition is holding the ball to run the clock out. The coach said each team has four seconds to inbound the ball. Really?!? I thought inbounding is five seconds, and 0.2 seconds is not enough time for a tap and shoot. My team lost the game.

I exited the gym. I saw the coach. I asked when's the next practice. He looked at me for three seconds. Then he walked away. I was puzzled. I asked a teammate the same question. She said we don't practice. We actually "hang out" somewhere. The somewhere was a comic book store and a pizza restaurant next to each other. The co-ed basketball team consisted of geeks, nerds, and sci-fi fans with average looks and weak bodies. We were not the typical high school cheerleader beauties and high school football players with big bodies. Then she taught me how to fill out the timecard for playing a high school sanctioned game. Four or five more teammates came to complete their timecards.

I was sad because the next basketball game was the final game of the season. I was a senior. I was the only senior in the team. I joked to the teammates I intentionally fail Physics to be a fifth year senior to play again. The teammates invited me to come to the next practice which was at the comic book store and pizza restaurant. A team chemistry was developed during my five minutes of playing time. Perhaps, a friendship chemistry, too. I make sure I get everyone's Facebook before I graduate.

What I got out of last night's dream for those who analyze dreams is we live only one life. I wished I played basketball with the co-ed team earlier. The best case scenario was at the beginning of my freshmen year. The minimum was at the beginning of the season as a senior. I make the best of the current situation which was make memories and make friendships for the game I played and the final game next week.

Email: feedbackininblog@innovateinfinitely.com

A Thought On Star Trek Movies

I consider myself a casual Star Trek fan. I haven't seen all the Star Trek TV episodes from original James T. Kirk to Enterprise. I'm not even a general Star Trek fan. I watched all the Star Trek movies except Star Trek: Nemesis. The Star Trek summer'09 movie is a must watch from casual to die hard fans. I think Star Trek II is the best and Star Trek I is the worse.

Before Star Trek summer'09, there were ten Star Trek movies. Nemesis was the tenth movie. There were good Star Trek movies such as Star Trek II, Star Trek IV, and First Contact. There were bad Star Trek movies such as Star Trek I and Star Trek V.

Just like life, the Star Trek movie franchise is not 100% good; likewise with Star Wars and many other movie franchises. There are going to be good movies and bad movies. Everyone has good years and bad years including people in sales, owning a business, college classes, and sports. I had good years and bad years. If you had a good year, make next year a great year. If you had a bad year, realize the mistakes and make next year a good year.

I'm growing up Finding Raymond Mar

One, Two, Three

Hello, everyone. It’s been a while. Everything is O.K. I had too much in my mind the last two weeks. That’s O.K. I’m still living -__- Let’s do a one-two-three ~~~

One: A Collection In The Present

On Saturday February 3, a group of friends and I went out for dinner at a cafe. After the cafe, we headed to one of our friends’ apartment. It was my first time visiting. After settling in, I was speechless at their entertainment shelf. OMFG!!!! What a collection of sci-fi and music CDs, DVD, toys—even board games. The collection is a combination of her and her husband. For their video game collection, they even have the Jaguar =__=

We stayed for two hours playing board games. We played Apples to Apples, Cranium, and Scattagories (sp). From time to time, many of us who were first timers kept looking at their entertainment collection. Their entertainment collection beats my small collection hands down. Their collection is a top ten for many of us. Their classic rock CD collection is 100 times bigger than mine, and I started my collection in early 2006.

The couple’s collection is one example of living in the present. The DVD collection include Star Wars (of course), Star Trek, Firefly, Simpsons, Stargate, and even The Adventures Of Bristco . . . (forgot the rest). I’m a casual somewhat sci-fi fan. I watch Star Wars, know the basics of some Star Trek since I never got into Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, and, gee, that’s really it regarding TV sci-fi titles. If my friend, her husband, and I went to a sci-fi convention, I guarantee I’m going to be the quietest person because almost all of the attendees talk about sci-fi shows and movies I never seen nor ever heard. I’d be out of place at the convention.

One can say my friend and her husband are living in the present right now. They are sci-fi fans and they’re enjoying their free time devoted to their favorite sci-fi titles and playing video games and board games. Are they in debt? I never asked because it’s none of my business. They get into anything sci-fi quickly.

After leaving the apartment, the rest of the night I thought about myself and how I live my present. I think what if I die tomorrow. My collection of anime is, in my opinion, conservative. The number of DVDs I purchase is going down for the past three years. In a way, it’s good because I have more money. I sell anime DVDs I lost interest at half.com. I have been watching fewer anime series because I less time.

Time?!? Interesting. Time. Is time a higher priority to money when living in the present? I’m not the richest person in the world. I have some money to spend on anime and video games, two of my all-time favorite and longest hobbies, yet when it comes to time to spend watching anime, reading manga, or playing video games, the time is rarely available today. I spend about 30 minutes in my lunch hour work day reading manga. Since my time to anime is decreasing, I spend less and less money because I know I little time after work and on weekends devoted to anime and manga.

I believe if I spend more time on anime and video games, my collection in anime and video games grows. Now that’s living in the present. So what the heck do I do after work? I typically read books to improve my job skills and career, cook dinner for my family, and wash dishes. On some work nights, I go to the gym two nights a week, work on my Blog, do laundry, and complete random errands and activities such as grocery shopping and go to the bank, and some one time stuff to do such as install a wireless router for home and help other family members. I check my email during my free time at work. I just realized my work nights I rarely devote to my favorite fun hobbies. Am I really living in the present? I must re-evaluate my daily life of living. I’m missing out. Interesting.

Two: Family Being Late Is Really Not A Family Problem

Every family has problems. Every family. Full House TV show families are non-existent. My family has a problem of being late to almost anything. We have a problem leaving the house late such as parties, appointments, starting on errands, anything. For instance, yesterday, my Mom and Dad were late to a dance party.

Always expect my family to arrive late. Who knows why they were late yesterday? Late always happens. I don’t know. Something always happens before we leave. It seems time moves forward faster when we get ready to go.

Every family has problems. When I think about it late last night, being late must not be a family problem for any family. Why? One reason is the family does activities together. Family doing activities together is good. Another reason is there are worst problems that being late such as financial problems, health problems, and conflicts within family members.

I have been taught to pick and choose our battles. One battle a family should not engage is being late. If the family is typically 10-15 minutes late, forget it. It’s not worth adding to the battle plans. On the other hand, if the family is hours late, then it’s a family problem . . . a minor family problem for which the family has an activity, a common goal to accomplish which is improve on time readiness.

Don’t be late.

Three: Time To Clean Your Residence? At Least Keep It Organized

We live in the Information Age. Look around and many people are busy with, family, friends, work, and personal lives. One may say the technology today is making us more busy and less time to relax. I agree somewhat; however, the debate is another Blog entry *__*

In our busy lives, some of us rarely have time to keep our place of residence clean. I’m one of them. My parent’s house is somewhat clean. There is lots of junk and stuff in the house, and, for the record, most of the junk and stuff are my parents *__*

If your place of residence is organized, then I believe it’s good enough to live in. If the trash is picked up, bathrooms are stained free, floors are shiny, carpets are dirtfree, and rodent free, then one must feel good the residence is livable. The Information Age has been changing our lives for the past 10 years. One change is the expectations of our households. Today’s living brought use lots of techie goodies such as video games, laptops, and DVDs. Where are people going to put the techie goodies in addition to the books, dishes, and clothes? Anywhere in the residence as long as the people know where they are.

And remember to dust ;-)