Positives Sat Dec 14-Mon Dec 30, 2013

*Recycled technology hardware for a fund raiser.

*Cleaned house.

*Drank Soda Chanh for the first time.

*Ate Belvita Soft Baked Oats & Chocolate for the first time.

*Applied Burt's Bee Foot Lotion on my feet.

*Merry Christmas!

*Finished Breaking Bad Season 2.

*One of my uncle's family from Southern California visited.

Positives Thur Nov 21-Fri Dec 13, 2013

*Drank wine (and my first alcoholic beverage) for the first time in my life.

*Ate at Izumiya Restaurant where I ate Okonomi Yaki for the first time. I also ate at Gyu-Kaku restaurant.

*Played Escape From The Mysterious Room, a reality escape game.

*100 blogs at my Innovating Common Knowledge blog. The last time I wrote at least 100 blogs was in 2010.

*Happy Thanksgiving!

*My Black Friday purchases were Breaking Bad Seasons 3-5, Charlie Brown Holiday Hits CD, Dragon Shields transparent counters for board games, air filter, Nike Dunk Low shoes, motor oil, a red color CFL, and The Simpsons Season 10.

*Donated selected Japanese comic books to a library.

*Helped a friend update his resume.

Quiz: It Took Me Long Enough

I've been a late bloomer such that I've experienced many experiences later than I should have for my entire life. I selected eleven moments I should have done much earlier in my life. I forgave my parents for failing to introduce some of these experiences earlier in my life. Don't use the quiz to guess my age employers and recruiters because age discrimination is illegal. Here we go.

1. My cousin started collecting baseball cards when my brother and I were kids. How many years did it take my brother and I start collecting?
a. Two Years Later
b. Three Years Later
c. Four Years Later

2. How old was I when I purchased my own car?
a. 25
b. 32
c. 35

3. How old was I when I ice skated for the first time?
a. 30
b. 32
c. 36

4. One of my friends introduced Japanese Anime to us when we were in high school in 1992? When did I become an anime fan?
a. 1996
b. 1998
c. 2000

5. Which of the following activities did I finally do in San Francisco after the age of 30?
a. Ride the cable car
b. Visit Angel Island
c. Ate an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli Square
d. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
e. All of the above

6. Which of the following statements is true?
a. I visited a foreign country which is Canada.
b. I visited a foreign country which is Mexico.
c. I visited a foreign country which is England.

7. Cooking is an important skill everyone should know. What age did I start cooking for myself?
a. 28
b. 30
c. 32
d. 35

8. The City of San Jose, CA constructed an indoor arena that is home for the San Jose Sharks hockey team. The arena hosts many entertainment and sports events, too. The arena was constructed in 1993. When did I finally walked inside the arena?
a. 2000
b. 2004
c. 2007
d. 2011

9. How old was I when I wore dental braces for the first time?
a. 28
b. 32
c. 35

10. The Orange Box PC video game was released in 2007. The box contained five video games for the price of one. How many years did it take me to finish all the games?
a. 4
b. 6.5
c. 7
d. 8.5

11. What year did I watch Star Wars V, The Empire Strikes Back?
a. 1984
b. 1985
c. 1986

Bonus question. There are a few experiences I consider myself experiencing much earlier than most people. How old was I when I kissed a girl for the first time?
a. 14
b. 16
c. 17

Positives Fri Oct 11-Wed Nov 20, 2013

*Won $5 in Google Play credit from the Kit Kat Android Nexus 7 promotion.

*Watched Dead Presidents, Gleaming The Cube, Welcome To The Dollhouse, Foul Play, and Gone In 60 Seconds (1974).

*Ate at Mil's Diner, Pieology Pizzeria, and Ruby Thai Kitchen for the first time.

*Joined the South Bay Job Search Network.

*Revised my job searching Excel file. I combined all the jobs I applied in one Excel spreadsheet.

*Attended a resume review workshop.

*Interviewed at multiple job contract services, temp agencies, and Artisan Wine Depot.

*Visited Tiburon, CA for the first time.

*Relearned SQL, Visio, and PowerPoint.

*Cleaned the house.

*Signed up and attended the Connect and Nova job services EDD in Sunnyvale, CA.

*Voted in a special election for my school district.

*My car passed the smog check.

*Learned Salesforce.com.

*Finished Shingeki No Kyojin.

*I found a job. Artisan Wine Depot hired me.

Positives Tue Sept 24-Thur Oct 10, 2013

*Cleaned my house.

*Marathoned Space Brothers for 13 episodes and Shingeki No Kyojin for 12 episodes.

*Hiked at Coyote Hills Regional Park and Villa Montalvo County Park for the first time.

*Rearranged my room.

*Began listening to hip-hop music when working out at the gym with weights.

*Exercised with the Life Cycle for the first time. I also started exercising with the Life Cycle first and the treadmill second.

*Finished reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

*No more slips in the bathroom. Purchased a new bath rug.

*Finished Servant X Service.

*Updated my resume by including a timeline.

Fear

Blogger's note: Today's self interview blog is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

What do you fear?

I have four fears.

What are they?

They are living with my parents for the rest of my life, no job, being lonely, and not knowing what I'm going to do with my life.

Let's discuss the first fear which is living with you parents.

I've lived with my parents my entire life. I lived with them even when I graduated from college and worked full time. I didn't move out. I don't pay rent. I live at home rent free. I was never independent.

Why did you choose to live at home your entire life?

I wanted to save money to buy a house. I thought it was a rational choice. I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world to live at home and save money. Home prices continued to skyrocket. The thought of owning a home vanished. I just stayed at home.

Did you have any inspiration, any motivation to move out and live an adult life?

I didn't. Speaking candidly, I was immature, naive, and not wise for my age as an adult. I was weak and I really didn't know what I was doing. I just went to work and came home to my parent's house. The idea of moving out and living on my own never happened from the time I convinced myself I couldn't afford a home to recently.

You parents encouraged you to move out?

Nope.

Now you want to move out.

I want to move out. I want to be independent. I'm a mature adult ready for the world. I want to make my own choices, live my own way consistently, control my life, and be proactive. All of these feelings of independence and living on my own I should had those feelings in my mid 20s. I have the desire to continue finding out more about who I am. The best way is living on my own. The independence inside me is coming out.

You're realizing you're ready to leave your mother's nest. Good for you. Make sure you're a good and strong person. You attract people. You must remain strong to overcome your fears. Let's talk about the second fear which is not having a job.

Sure. My last job was at Cisco. My contract was terminated because Cisco couldn't afford me. I went back to school earning an AA degree in Accounting at De Anza. I have been searching for a job since I graduated.

How's the job search going?

It's really tough. Times have changed since the last time I job searched and found a position at Cisco. Job searching was easier back then because companies were hiring. Today, job searching has significantly changed. Many people are unemployed and few positions are available. Some people say the job market is improving and some people say the job market is not improving. I interviewed for four job openings this year. I interviewed for seven opening s last year. Each year I don't get a job weakens my marketability for a job because I have work experience gaps.

What about your AA Accounting degree at De Anza?

Employers and recruiters overlook the gap going back to school. There is nothing more I can do. I choose to go back to school instead of job searching during the financial recession. Blame the system.

Blame the system?

Millions of people like me are out there. We have work experience gaps. Companies want job candidates with recent experience and lots of years working at the position. It's an employer's market. Employers can pick and choose from a big selection. Times have changed.

Good luck and never give up. If you stop job searching, you give up. And always continue to improve your resumes, cover letters, and applications.

Thank you!

Let's continue on with your third fear. We can discuss the job market for a long time. The third fear is being lonely. Explain because you do have friends you spend time with.

Yes, I do. The fear of being lonely is related to living at home with my parents and indefinite unemployment fears. First, when you live at home, you're limited to meeting new people and having them spend time at my home. Nobody new wants to spend time at a parent's home, let alone, my parent's house; moreover, my parents are closed, not open people. Second, since I'm unemployed, I can't meet new people in the workforce whether it's co-workers, managers, and clients or customers. Friendships are created at work sometimes.

Having said those, my circle of friends is limited. My friends in my immediate circle have additional circles. I really don't. Some of my other circles are out of town and I rarely see them. People change and their circumstances change. I fear one of these days I'm going to say good bye to my friends one by one as they pursue their goals and ambitions. I remain with my life static living at home and searching for a job.

Moreover, my static life is inhibiting me from meeting new people. I don't think people want to make friends with an unemployed person living with his parents.

I think you summed up the third fear very well. Let's finish up with the fourth fear which is not knowing what I'm going to do with my life. Explain.

*long pause*

Umm, I believe the fourth fear is the strongest fear. I don't know what I want to do with my life. I'm doing my best living life one day at a time. If I know what I want to do, I pursue that goal now.

Recently, I made significant changes to my daily priorities. From a priority viewpoint, I know what I'm doing. The top priorities are job searching, online classes, taking care of the home, checking email, working out at the gym, completing errands, writing blogs, social life, and listening to music. One of my longest hobbies, anime, is a third priority. I'm losing interest in watching anime.

I really don't know what I want to do long term. My best explanation is living a descent and honest life taking care of myself and the people I care for. I want to find a job and live on my own. I always meet new people and make new friends. I seek new adventures and experience new experiences. I continue to learn everything in life. Never stop learning. Never stop innovating. I want to overcome my weaknesses such as holding back. There is much to do in life. I have lots to catch up from what I missed a long time ago. I really don't have anything specific.

It's okay not knowing what I'm going to do with my life. Many people older than me don't know their answer. I don't want to die without answering my question. Again, I live life one day at a time.

You also need to have faith to overcome your fears.

You know I made that discovery today. I think I don't believe in myself. I have strength, intelligence, and growing wisdom. I didn't have faith. Starting today, I have faith in everything I do. I believe in myself to overcome my fears. I have faith to find a job. I find a job and then I move out of the house. My independence is stronger when I meet new people and make new friends. In time, I find what I want to do with my life. Again, today, I live one day at a time with faith.

I'm happy you made the faithful discovery in yourself. Some of us forget about the power in a person's soul including hope and faith. In particular, when you job search, you concentrate on the best resume such that you include the best words and correct grammar. Also, you concentrate on finding openings on multiple job opening web sites. Hope and faith are important. Finally, let's review your four fears. I wish you the best to overcome them. In time, new fears arise as you continue to live life.

Thank you. The first is living with my parents for the rest of my life. The second is not finding a job. The third is being alone. The fourth is not knowing what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.

How Has Your Life Changed Five Years Ago?

Blogger's note: The Q&A blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

Today is the five year anniversary I realized I must grow up on Oct 4, 2008. I self-interview myself how life changed since.

How's your life now?

Life is good. The downside is I'm unemployed. I continue to meet new people. I have the most friends ever. I experience lots of new experiences such as food, new hobbies, and reading fiction books. I used to read non-fiction books before Oct 4, 2008. I seek new adventures. My life motto is, "get up and do something, anything".

Describe what it means to you being "grown up"?

Being a grown up is being a mature adult. Wise up. No more acting like a child complaining and hating. I'm responsible for myself. I'm responsible for my actions, surroundings, and interactions with people. I'm living life being mature. I live with an experience, a perspective, and a new viewpoint. I don't life as an immature, naive, asshole adult.

So it's like a wake-up call?

Yeah, good way of saying what's like finally realizing it was time to grow up. Another way of saying I must grow up is I must take my head out of my ass. I never went back to being a naive, immature adult. I have been getting better. I have been getting stronger, wiser, and smarter. I have been experiencing new experiences and seeking new adventures.

What were some of the immediate changes?

I downloaded new gym workout plans. My old workout was wrong. I donated all my old clothes. No more polo shirts and plain white t-shirts. I wear sports shirts and beautiful t-shirts. And I wear good gym shirts and shorts; no more t-shirts and cotton shorts.

I built a new PC for myself. I want to thank my dad and my friends Appu and gmontem for their help.

And I created my second blog "Finding Raymond Mar".

What were some of the lessons you learned?

Never take life for granted. Always meet new people and make new friends. Never stop learning, never stop innovating. I'm responsible for everything in my life. I must earn my successes. And find new things to do.

How did you feel losing your job at Cisco?

It was a blessing in disguise. It was the life reset I desperately needed. I took a break from my life. Reset, regroup myself, and refocus. Get my life back together. Find who the real Raymond Mar was. I didn't expect being unemployed for a long time.

Was going back to De Anza College planned or was it an opportunity that happened?

It was an opportunity that just happened. I was introduced to ballroom dancing from my sister. She encouraged me to take a class at De Anza College. My first quarter was ballroom dancing and strength training. The strength training class was a good opportunity to practice more workout plans. I continued ballroom dancing for most of my time at De Anza.

I continued enrollment at De Anza taking accounting classes starting at my second quarter. I finished with an AA degree in Accounting hoping I find a job with my BS in Economics at San Jose State and my AA combined. They look really good together with business knowledge and a field with analytical thinking on paper. As of now, I'm still looking for a job. Today's job market is an employer's market. Almost all jobs want a BA in Accounting and experience instead of an AA in Accounting.

Going back to college was a mulligan. I wanted to experience college life I should have experienced at San Jose State. I was more sociable. I met lots of new people and made new friends. I didn't take my classes seriously. A few of my classes I studied lightly. I participated in more study groups. I checked out DVDs from the library. De Anza was a significant part of my personal processes to grow up. Growing up involved living an active life in the 20s. I had an opportunity to experience living in my 20s again at a college environment.

You consider yourself lucky you grew up in your 30s. You missed a lot of your life in your 20s. Obviously De Anza helped you catch up what you missed.

Part of my motivation living the best life I can possible do is catching up what I should have experienced, learned, and done earlier in my life. The last five years I've been catching up what I failed to do in my 20s. De Anza was huge because, as mentioned before, I got to relive college life I should have experienced when I was at San Jose State. Moreover, technology today with emails, cell phones, smart phones, and social networking helped me keep in touch with the people I met. At San Jose State, email just started and only a handful had cell phones.

Anyways, I've done a lot in the last five years. I was living life as a 20 year old something. I took a class on ice skating. I visited the Charles Schulz museum. I played video games late night. I marathon TV shows in the late night. I went canoeing on the Russian River. I visited Carmel. I met lots of new people. I ate new foods, lots of new foods. The best example is I tried clam chowder for the first time this year. I went hiking. I shaved with a razor instead of an electric razor. I learned how to play Mahjong (Riichi). And I have a girlfriend.

When you see people act immature for their age, what are you thinking?

Good question. I believe there's going to be a moment, a situation, an event that wakes up that person. When that person wakes up, he or she says it's time to grow up. I believe no matter the age, a person still can grow up. The hatred, the stress about life treating them like shit, and the complaints disappear immediately. The person enjoys life as it's meant to be. I believe the world can be a better place for every human being if everyone just wise up and grow up.

The person's circumstances, personality, personal attributes, and life situations are taken into account. For example, if a person is a jerk, a loner, and can't hold a job, then the chances of him or her growing up is really, really slim. Part of my growing up self-discovery is being with people. How well do people treat me? I'm lucky I have good self-awareness to realize most people didn't treat me well. When I grew up, people started treating me well.

The bottom line is some people are more likely than others to realize they must grow up sooner instead of later. It depends on a number of factors to increase or decrease the likelihood. And there are some people who die not being a mature adult. I observe those immature people and make a guess.

What are you looking forward ahead?

Simply stated, find a job and live on my own. My life moves at normal speed. Currently, my life is either paused or moving in slow motion since I'm unemployed.

As we continue to live, mature people get wiser, smarter, and stronger. It's like we infinitely continue to grow up since we age and get older. We meet new people. We experience new experiences. We seek new adventures. We find new interests. People come and go in our lives. We make mistakes. We continue to make mistakes. We continue to learn from the mistakes. We continue to learn something new. We don't say grow up anymore because we commonly say growing up is good bye to the youth and hello to adulthood. We say wise up or growing older.

Life changes every day. We should change to be better. Change for a reason. I don't think I ever stop growing up. I continue to grow up every day when I experience new experiences, seek new adventures, learn something new, and discover a new attribute in Raymond Mar. I continue to grow up because I'm getting stronger, smarter, and wiser. I'm more open and I listen.

Quiz: Pop Culture Solutions

Here are the solutions for the quiz posted on June 20, 2013.

1. Which 1980s action TV show did my brother and I watch religiously and play with their toys?
a. The Dukes Of Hazzard
b. The A-Team
c. Knight Rider
d. T.J. Hooker

2. Which of the following TV series did my girlfriend introduce me? I watched at least one season of each series. (Choose two.)
a. Band Of Brothers
b. The Big Band Theory
c. Blue Bloods
d. Breaking Bad
e. Burn Notice

3. Name the artist I purchased my first CD?
a. Mariah Carey
b. Celine Dion
c. Michael Jackson
d. Billy Joel

4. Name the band I watched live at AT&T Park in July 2010?
a. Paul McCartney
b. Steve Miller Band
c. Bruce Springsteen
d. U2

5. How many times did I watch Titanic in total?
a. 2
b. 3 (Two times in 1997 and one time in 2012.)
c. 5

6. Identify the year I did the following:
a. First time I watched a movie at a drive-thru? 1986
b. First time I watched a movie out of California? 1997
c. First time I watched a 3D movie? 2009
d. First time I watched a movie outdoors excluding drive-thrus? 2011
e. First time I watched Batman Begins? 2009

7. What is my favorite ballet?
a. Coppelia
b. Swan Lake
c. The Nutcracker

8. What anime series did I watch in the USA that made me become an anime fan?
a. Starblazers
b. Robotech
c. Sailor Moon
d. Noozles

9. My parents took me to see a movie while I was sick. If I wasn't sick, I could have attended a birthday party. Name the movie.
a. E.T.
b. Tron
c. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
d. The Secret Of Nimh

10. I saw Star Wars episodes 4, 5, or 6 in the movie theaters?
a. True
b. False

11. Bonus: How many AFI's Top 100 Films from their 1997 list did I watch? (+/-5 range) The answer is 50.

Positives Wed Sept 11-Mon Sept 23, 2013

*Completed Access 2007 online course.

*Ate at Dim Sum King, The Habit Burger & Grill, and Dish n Dash restaurants for the first time.

*Hiked at Sanborn Trail and Skyline Trail for the first time.

*New foods and drinks: Frosted Mini Wheats Crunch, Kern's Nectar Soda, and Costco Tortilla Chips.

*Finished Sharin no Kuni, Himawarino Shoujo visual novel.

*Interviewed for a Data Analyst contract position.

*My nephew and niece's birthday at an indoor soccer facility.

*Watched After Earth movie.

Positives Sat Aug 31-Tue Sept 10, 2013

*Purchased Under Armor short sleeve running shirt and shorts.

*Reinstalled Gingerbread OS on my Droid X2.

*Ate Vanilla Chex cereal for the first time.

*New restaurants. Ate at Chef Yu for the first time.

*Played Dixit Odyssey board game for the first time.

Positives Wed Aug 21-Fri Aug 30, 2013

*Updated my web page Innovate Infinitely.

*Ate at Red Lobster, Tu Mero Molo, and ToBang restaurants for the first time.

*Celebrated my dad's birthday.

*Interviewed for a sales support position at a tech company in Fremont, CA.

*Tried a Yorkie chocolate bar for the first time.

*Purchased Tiddlywinks game.

*Upgraded my smart phone to the HTC One.

Positives Tue July 30-Tue Aug 20, 2013

*Interviewed for a contract position in San Jose.

*Ate 100% Natural Whole Grain Old Fashioned oatmeal and Wavy Lays for the first time.

*New restaurants: Back A Yard Caribbean American Grill, Thai Basil, Villa Del Mar, and Yet Wah restaurants for the first time.

*Learned the slip knot and Trucker's knot.

*Visited the Historic Murphy Street in Sunnyvale, CA, Ukiah, CA, and Downtowns Santa Rosa and San Rafael, CA for the first time.

*Cleaned the house.

*Read Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein.

*Canoed along the Russian River.

*Attended a friend's gaming and geek gathering.

*Played Ticket To Ride, Munchkin under tournament rules, Dungeon Roll, and King Of Tokyo board games for the first time.

*Purchased Masques card game.

*Phone interviewed for a sales support position in Fremont, CA.

Quiz: 2012 Solutions

The solutions to my quiz on 2012.

1. How many companies interviewed me for a job?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7

2. Which of the following juvenile books did I read?
a. Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
b. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
c. The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
d. All of the above

3. I read The Hunger Games trilogy in ten days?
a. True
b. False

4. Name the characters I cosplayed at Fanime. Choose two.
a. Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alcheimst
b. Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach
c. Medic from TF2
d. Chrono Harlaown from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

5. What book did I purchase to relearn and keep my job skills refreshed?
a. HTML
b. Excel
c. MySQL

6. Which professional sports team did I attend to watch a live regular season home game?
a. San Jose Giants
b. Golden State Warriors
c. San Jose Sharks
d. Oakland A's

7. What new furniture did I purchase?
a. New computer chair
b. New sofa
c. New desk
d. New television stand

8. Choose which statement is false regarding board games?
a. I won my second Mahjong (Riichi) match at Fanime.
b. I won my first Dominion card game.
c. I won my first Bingo fund raising game at the San Jose Japantown Obon Festival.
d. I won my first RISK Legacy game.

9. I went on an urban hike along The Embarcadero in San Francisco. Which of the following activities were highlights?
a. We visited China Basin and South Park for the first time.
b. We ate an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli Square.
c. I rode a trolley for the first time.
d. We walked inside Coit Tower for the first time.
e. All of the above.

10. My HP laptop went crazy during shutdown. How did I fix the problem?
a. Reinstalled Windows XP.
b. Installed 256GB SSD and Windows 7.
c. It was a virus. Ran a virus scan to remove the virus.
d. Fixed the drivers.

My Own Commentary On The Daily Life Of Raymond Mar

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Finding Raymond Mar and Innovating Common Knowledge blogs. The self-commentary blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

How Do You Prepare Your Day?

I eat breakfast. It's very important for me to start my day. I fail to understand people waking up without eating breakfast. How can people function on an empty stomach? I read my Tweets or the newspaper while eating breakfast. I brush my teeth after breakfast. I shave every other day; however, when I start working, I shave every day.

What About Searching For A Job?

I alternate days job searching. One day I take an online class to refresh or to learn new job skills. Another day I search for a job. Fridays and weekends are included. Job searching and online classes are a high priority seven days a week. I can't sit around doing nothing. I can't sit on a chair watching TV eight hours a day. I have to do something to move my life forward.

You Can't Job Search All Day Long.

That's absolutely correct. I have a life regardless of my job status. I have expenses regardless of my living situation. I have a social life despite living at home with my parents.

I write blogs, read books, watch anime, and workout at the gym. I also spend time playing video games, checking email, watching some television series, and listening to a variety of music. And then there's the here and there activities including paying bills, grocery shopping, buying gas, posting a Yelp review, and changing the sheets on my bed.

I keep myself busy doing something. I help take care of the house. I cook meals, vacuum the carpets, mop the floors, wash dishes, clean clothes, and contribute to the home's basic necessities. I take care of my own car including car washes, oil changes, and routine repairs. Arguably speaking, I have too much to do.

What's Your Most Frustration Part Of Your Life Now?

The most frustration part is living a life of inconsistency. I can't establish a consistent lifestyle. The best example is working out at the gym. There were weeks I worked out four days a week, including weekends. There were weeks I worked out two days a week. And there were weeks I didn't go at all.

The irony is I'm unemployed and I have all the time in the world. Something comes up beyond my control that forces me to adjust my priorities and my schedules. Lots of little bad things happened in 2013. Add those little bad things and I get behind easily. It's like I need more time as if I'm working at my job and can't meet my deadlines, and I'm not working full time.

What Is The Retail Rotation You Call It?

Like working in retail, employees have shifts that rotate. They work morning, afternoon, or closing. For me, I rotate my activities, priorities, and obligations. I mentioned earlier about one day job searching and another day taking an online class. That's an example of retail rotation. Another example is one day I read a book and another day I write a blog. For TV, I watch two episodes of Family Guy and another day I watch an episode of Justified. I do a little of something every day. It's like living in moderation.

What's Your Ideal Weekday? Describe, If You Have 100% Control, How You Want To Live Your Life?

Well, I like to work full time, lol. I don't work now. Here's my answer:

8am. Wake up and eat breakfast. Settle into the day. (This applies even on weekends if I have nothing planned.)
10am. Being my day job searching or online classes.
1pm. Cook lunch or eat lunch from last night's leftovers.
2pm. Continue job searching or online classes. Or I fulfill errands outside the house and other obligations.
6pm. Cook dinner or eat dinner from the lunch I cooked earlier.
7pm. Stretch out and prepare going to the gym.
8pm. Finish anything I didn't finish earlier in the day. I may be eating dinner after stretching out.
9pm. Workout at the gym.
11pm. Come home, shower, and prepare the sleep.
12am or 1am. Go to sleep.

Side notes: I go out with my girlfriend on Wed and Sat. I go out with my friends on Fri. My ideal schedule is flexible on Wed and Fri. Sometimes I do the above on weekends. Writing blogs and reading books & articles are spread out weekdays. I watch most of my television, including sports, on the weekends.

How's Your Social Life?

It's satisfactory. On the one hand, I have a girlfriend and a close group of friends. I spend three days a week with them. On the other hand, I like to expand my circle of friends and meet more people. The downside to the latter is I have less time for myself such as reading and working out at the gym. I admit finding some time to check my Facebook to read what the rest of my friends have been doing is hard.

I believe there is no such thing as having enough friends or knowing enough people. Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with people in your life that includes professional, long-distance, seeing once or twice a year, and close and long-term relations.

What Do You Fear The Most Now?

I fear my life changes too much. I fall behind. I fear when I work again, then I lose time on my other favorite activities. I fear I stop something--maybe stop writing blogs or stop being an anime fan. I have to make a difficult choice. The bottom line I must make a mature choice when the time comes.

How About Money?

Money has not and continues to not be a problem, at least in the continued short-term. I live a frugal and cheap life. That's good. I find ways to keep myself entertained and busy with as little money as possible.

Living at home has benefited me. As long as I help around the house and keep good relations with my parents, I don't have to pay rent.

Is 2013 A Good Year For You?

I don't like to answer questions about having a good year and a bad year. I say 2013 has been inconsistent and frustrating so far. There is still five months remaining. I take nothing for granted. If I want the last five months to be good such that I live with consistency and create big memories, and hopefully an overall 2013 good year, I must earn it.

Are You Ready For Your New Life? I Mean Finally Living On Your Own Being An Adult.

I'm ready. I need a little luck and timing in my favor.

Positives Sat July 13-Mon July 29, 2013

*Visited the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, Mountain View Obon Festival, and the Computer History Museum for the first time.

*Ate at Shanghai Garden Restaurant in Cupertino, CA for the first time.

*Updated my reading wish list.

*Consolidated my job search queries to reduce duplicate search results and to save time job searching.

*Cleaned the house.

*Microwaved vegetables for dinner for the first time.

*Washed my car at a self-serve car wash for the first time.

*Purchased a pair of hiking socks from REI.

*Ate a ice cream sandwich at Cream and drank a Jarritos both for the first time.

*Finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

*Completed the Excel online classes from Accountemps.

*Hiked at Castle Rock Regional Park for the first time.

*Celebrated my mom's birthday.

*Finished watching Suisei No Gargantia and Hataraku Maou Sama anime series.

What Happened?

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar blogs. The Q&A blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

The question is straightforward. What happened? I want to discuss and explore the answers. I'm currently unemployed and looking for a job. I had past success such that I was on my way to living a good life. I had a job, a car, friends, and some money in the bank. Somehow, I failed to reach the next level in my life. Let's find out what happened, why, how did I screw up, when, and where.

Let's set up the discussion. Start with the year 2007.

The beginning of 2007 was great. I worked at Cisco, purchased my own new car, and started my orthodontic treatment. The exception was my grandfather passed away. The wind was blowing behind my back. Everything went well. Nothing stopped me.

I lost control of my life starting in the summer of 2007. I didn't know what I was doing. I regained control on my life starting on Sat Oct 4, 2008 at Los Altos, CA, when I realized I must grow up. My new life started.

I lost my job in Nov 2008 because of the real estate bubble and financial crisis. I went back to college to earn an AA degree in Accounting. I graduated in Mar 2011. I finished college in Jun 2011. I'm currently looking for a job.

So, what happened?

I took life for granted. I failed to earn my successes. I say at least 90% of my successes before Nov 2008 were luck and timing. It seems life caught up with me currently living with no luck and bad timing.

Most of the way I lived in the past caught up with me. I'm currently correcting the mistakes and learning from them. I'm breaking bad habits and bad lessons. I have been self-discovering and finding who I am. One lesson I learned is always meet new people and make new friends. The people I know in my life can help me when I have a problem. I was taught to do everything by myself. Wrong. To be successful, I need people to help me. In other words, nobody can live being alone.

You worked at Cisco, you owned your car, and you had some money in the bank, all in 2007. How come you didn't move out of your parent's house?

I believed in living life for the long run. I was saving money to buy at house since July 1998. The housing market continued to get more expensive. Then the dot-com bubble burst in March 2000. I had been saving money throughout my jobs with no thought of moving out.

What's the honest reason you stayed at home with your parents?

I wasn't a mature adult. I acted, behaved, and thought of as a naive person. I was immature. I was weak, a coward, and lacked wisdom for being an adult.

What about living life in the long run?

That was a bad life lesson I learned. Life is short. I must live a life experiencing new experiences, seeking new adventures, and innovating my life continuously. Live the moment.

Do you think your life is different if you moved out when you had the opportunity?

Absolutely yes. I believed I could have been a mature and responsible adult.

What do you think your life was terrible from the middle of 2007 to that day when you realized you must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008.

I hated the world. I hated my life because life was not the way I wanted to be. I either failed or took too long to adjust to a new career, new work environment, new commute, new co-workers, new responsibilities, and new obligations. I didn't want to change. I wanted to keep my old life.

The most disappointing part was I continued to be naive or an immature adult.

If you had a life mulligan, when do you use it?

August 1992, my first semester at San Jose State. I wanted to re-do my college years. I failed to live a good college life making new friends, joining clubs and extra activities, and doing new things. I failed to seek new adventures and experience new experiences. I should have worked part-time throughout my college career. And I didn't discover the real Raymond Mar.

Going back to college to earn your AA degree in Accounting partially fulfilled the mulligan.

It did. I was happy. The AA degree was part of the reason going back to college. The other part was correcting my mistakes and reliving my life in my 20s. I met new friends, I created memories in and out of the classroom, and I met my current girlfriend. I tried new things. Going back to school was a satisfactory chapter in my life.

How's life being a grown up?

Life is great. I'm wiser, smarter, and stronger. I don't hate the world. I consider myself lucky I realized I must grow up. I know people older than me who are still immature. I have a friendly and attractive personality.

I'm currently catching up with my life, and I'm not done. I'm experiencing new experiences and went on adventures I should have done in my 20s. I have the most friends ever and I have a girlfriend. I have new hobbies such as hiking, ballroom dancing, and playing Mahjong. I expand my interests such as classical jazz and movie classics.

How do you convince yourself, eventually, everything is going to be okay?

I continue to live my life. I continue to learn from my mistakes. I continue to live a better life. Never stop learning.

Trust what I do today for tomorrow. Steve Jobs said it best when it comes to connecting the dots. Jobs said, "You can’t connect the dots looking forward . . . trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” The future is unknown. I know I continue to grow up, learn something new, and find new adventures. And because the future is unknown, live life in the present. Create memories today.

Trust what I do today, and with my past life, they give me a bright, successful, and happy future.

Positives Sat June 29-Fri July 12, 2013

*Caught up with D. Gray Man manga.

*Ate at Maria Maria and Shanghai Garden restaurants for the first time.

*Attended a wedding engagement party in Woodside, CA.

*Sold all my items I wanted to sell on eBay.

*Anime marathon. Catching up with Space Brothers.

*Fourth Of July. One of my uncle's family visited.

*Showered with Old Spice High Endurance Pure Sport body wash for the first time.

*Read the visual novel Planetarium.

*Ate Special K Protein cereal for the first time.

Positives Wed June 12-Fri June 28, 2013

*Finished editing and uploaded Fanime 2013 cosplay pics.

*Installed Windows 7 for my cousin's laptop.

*Cleaned the house.

*Ate cinnamon and butter on toast.

*Finished reading The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

*Used Backyard Brick Oven cooking spice for the first time.

Quiz: Pop Culture

I read an article on the San Francisco Bay Area pop culture that inspired me to blog today's quiz. Good luck!

1. Which 1980s action TV show did my brother and I watch religiously and play with their toys?
a. The Dukes Of Hazzard
b. The A-Team
c. Knight Rider
d. T.J. Hooker

2. Which of the following TV series did my girlfriend introduce me? I watched at least one season of each series. (Choose two.)
a. Band Of Brothers
b. The Big Band Theory
c. Blue Bloods
d. Breaking Bad
e. Burn Notice

3. Name the artist I purchased my first CD?
a. Mariah Carey
b. Celine Dion
c. Michael Jackson
d. Billy Joel

4. Name the band I watched live at AT&T Park in July 2010?
a. Paul McCartney
b. Steve Miller Band
c. Bruce Springsteen
d. U2

5. How many times did I watch Titanic in total?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 5

6. Identify the year I did the following:
a. First time I watched a movie at a drive-thru?
b. First time I watched a movie out of California?
c. First time I watched a 3D movie?
d. First time I watched a movie outdoors?
e. First time I watched Batman Begins?

7. What is my favorite ballet?
a. Coppelia
b. Swan Lake
c. The Nutcracker

8. What anime series did I watch in the USA that made me become an anime fan?
a. Starblazers
b. Robotech
c. Sailor Moon
d. Noozles

9. My parents took me to see a movie while I was sick. If I wasn't sick, I could have attended a birthday party. Name the movie.
a. E.T.
b. Tron
c. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
d. The Secret Of Nimh

10. I saw Star Wars episodes 4, 5, or 6 in the movie theaters?
a. True
b. False

11. Bonus: How many AFI's Top 100 Films from their 1997 list did I watch? (+/-5 range)

Positives Thur May 30-Tues June 11, 2013

*Spring cleaned the entire house.

*Ate a Roti Bun at Honeyberry for the first time.

*Finished watching Saki Episode A Achiga Hen.

*Anime marathon and mini marathon to catch up for the Spring season.

*Visited the Union Street Festival in San Francisco. I rode a MUNI bus for the first time.

*New places I ate dinner were Spice Kit Restaurant and Margarita's.

*Auto repairs. I got new brake pads and resurfaced brake rotors. I also got new freon for my A/C and changed my cabin air filter.

*Watched Star Trek: Into Darkness movie.

*Purchased Stand By Me on DVD.

What Is Your Short Term Goal?

Blogger's note: The Q&A blog entry is written with limited editing for grammar and content.

What's the answer to your question? I want consistency in my life. The entire 2013 has been inconsistent. It's frustrating. I'm unhappy. I have been struggling to live a consistent normal life.

Consistency is important to live a good life. I wrote a blog that consistency, control, choices, and being proactive are the four keys to life a good life. I have been lacking consistency. I want it back.

Here's the link to my blog: The Three C's And A P: Choices, Consistency, Control, Proactive

Another way to answer the question is I'm catching up. I'm significantly catching up in my life. It's time to cross out the items in my to-do list that was supposed to be accomplished months ago.

What are you doing to live a consistent life? I'm being more proactive. I'm focusing to accomplish my goal and my list of tasks. At the same time, I do my best to help out in the house including washing dishes, laundry, and cooking. I plan ahead for the next 24-48 hours and I plan ahead for the weekend. Having the short-term goal is making all of these easier.

What are the results so far? The results are immediate. The first result was big. I cleaned the entire house including vacuuming and mopping the floors. I was recovering from allergies I experienced in the middle of May. I started cleaning the house after Memorial Day. The house is much easier to breath. I plan to clean the house every three weeks because the house gets dirty easily. It's prevention to avoid allergies and getting sick.

The last weekend of May I watched eight episodes of anime to catch up on the Spring 2013 season. That was huge. I fell behind many episodes in various series.

I started going back to the gym on the first week of June. I got my breaks repaired, added more freon to my car's A/C, and replaced my cabin air filter. I went to my dentist appointment for my regular checkup. I'm selling DVDs on half.com priced to sell. I resume reading books and writing blogs.

How do you feel so far? Stress free, being professional. Life is good. I live life with a personality. I'm not making little mistakes anymore. I made too many in April and May. I feel my life is going back up instead of going nowhere. I feel accomplished.

When did you start working on the short term goal? I started on Tue May 28, the day after Memorial Day and after Fanime Con 2013.

How long do you need to succeed? I like to accomplish my goal in 3-4 weeks. I accept finishing the first week of July after Fourth Of July.

What inspired you to create the consistent life goal? I was inspired on Thur May 23 when I realized I needed to clean the entire house. The house was dirty and dusty. I realized my allergies I suffered starting in mid May was the result of my dirty and dusty house. I devoted time to clean the house. I might as well devote additional days and weeks to take a break, relax, and recuperate. I have a fresh mind when my life begins with consistency.

What about job searching? I thought of changes to my job search; for example, consolidating searching for analyst positions. I used to search for business analyst, research analyst, data analyst, etc. When I resume job searching, I search for all analyst positions. I consider bringing back searching for accounting jobs.

I have been receiving inquires about positions that match my job skills for the past 10 days.

You don't believe in goals, at least short term goals. Obviously, your biggest goals at the moment are getting a job and moving out. This is my opportunity to really reset, refocus, and free my mind. When I'm ready and settling in to a consistent life, I'm ready to job hunt with a new mind refreshed and renewed.

How much do you think you spend? The biggest expense is gas because some of what I'm doing is outside the house. Dentist and auto repairs were costs already budgeted before the short-term goal was established.

I do my best to save money, take advantage of sales should I need to purchase anything, and avoid splurging which I'm very good at.

Is this the 2007 summer sabbatical that failed? Absolutely not. I'm going to earn my consistent life. I'm not going to take this opportunity for granted. I'm not going to repeat what happened in 2007.

This is like getting back to Winter 2009 after you lost your job at Cisco. Definitely yes. I remember the beginning of 2009 was like a blessing in disguise after my contact was terminated. It was a period when I need to grow up and find the real Raymond Mar. I needed a life time out. I was confused, lost, and I didn't know what to do.

Similarly, I need to find consistency. I need to fulfill my obligations I neglected for at least a month. I only had one interview so far this year. The break for job hunting can benefit me such that I can think of smarter and more efficient ways to job search, as mentioned earlier. I already thought of a couple ideas. I take advantage of being jobless to find my life consistency just like in 2009 finding Raymond Mar, who is now the grown up, wiser, stronger, and more mature Raymond Mar.

Like in 2009, you found new hobbies such as ballroom dancing and hiking. Is there anything new you want to do? Yes, I want to play more Mahjong. Yes, I already know the basics. The new part is I want to play with more people and have more opportunities. I met a person at Fanime Con who hosts Mahjong on Meetup. I used my old account and signed up for Mahjong Meetups in the Bay Area. This is a good opportunity to meet new people.

Another kinda new thing is I want to sell some personal items on eBay and half.com. I already have an account. I haven't sold online in years.

I want to catch up on D. Gray Man Japanese comic. It's going to be a first I'm caught up on a current comic series. I finished reading Fullmetal Alchemist, my only comic series I finished.

And I plan to visit the city of Pacifica and the Computer History Museum both for the first time.

What are you going to do after you succeed? I'm going back to job hunting with new perspectives, stronger focus, and changes to how I search for a job. I'm going to find time to take online training classes starting with basics Excel and Access. I want to learn salesforce.com and Oracle.

I continue reading books, working out at the gym, spend time with my girlfriend and my friends, taking care of the house, and, as always, finding new adventures and experiencing new experiences.

Do you have any advice for people in your similar situation? Enjoy life. Even unemployed people deserve time off or a vacation. Take a break, refocus, and come back with a new perspective and a refresh mind. The job market is improving very slowly at best. In my opinion, the job market continues to be tough for at least two years. Hundreds of people apply for open positions. That's my mindset, and its reality.

The bottom line is to find something you always wanted to do. Then do it. Take advantage of your unemployment. Find a week or two and go on vacation. The world is not going to end tomorrow.

Somehow, someway, everyone is going to pull through and survive the current tough economic conditions.

Positives Sat May 11-Wed May 29, 2013

*Finished reading Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

*Watched Life Of Pi.

*Car maintenance: replaced my air filter and performed headlight restoration.

*Purchased a digital tire air pressure gauge.

*Ate at Jeffrey's Hamburgers and BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse for the first time.

*Went to the Maker's Faire at the San Mateo Fairgrounds.

*Finished watching Burn Notice Season 1.

*Attended Fanime Con 2013 at the San Jose Convention Center.

Positives Fri May 3-Fri May 10, 2013

*Watched Batman Mask Of The Phantasm movie.

*Ate at Sprizzi's Restaurant for the first time. We celebrated Mother's Day early.

*Went to the Friends Of The Los Altos Library book sale and the A La Carte & Art festival in Mountain View.

*Poured fuel injection cleaner in my car.

*TriedMexican Vanilla flavor yogurt.

*Updated my resume and cover letter.

*Read The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Quiz: Las Vegas Solutions

The solutions to my quiz on Las Vegas, my favorite vacation place.

1. What year did I visit Las Vegas for the first time?
a. 1994
b. 1997
c. 1999

2. Which casino did I stay for the first time?
a. New York, New York
b. The Mirage
c. Treasure Island
d. None of the above (Excalibur is the answer.)

3. I went to Las Vegas again in 2003 and 2004. Which of the following hotels I stayed at for both years?
a. Excalibur
b. Paris Las Vegas
c. Treasure Island

4. Which of the following casinos is my favorite?
a. Paris Las Vegas
b. Bellagio
c. Wynn

5. I won money playing craps at which of the following casinos? (Choose two)
a. Tropicana
b. Bellagio
c. Luxor
d. Mandalay Bay
e. O'Shays

6. I played $2/$4 Texas Hold'em at Binions. I lost money playing for about 30 minutes. How many hands did I win?
a. 0
b. 1
c. 3

7. Las Vegas entertainment includes shows. How many times did I watched Tropicana's Can-Can Show?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 0 (I was underage to watch nudity.)

8. Which of the following attractions did I visit?
a. Bellagio's water fountain show and inside garden.
b. Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower
c. Luxor's Egyptian Museum
d. Caesar's Palace's The Forum Shops mall
e. All of the above

9. My friend and I visited Fremont Street in 2004. How did we get back to The Strip?
a. Taxi
b. Bus
c. Walk

10. What are my favorite souvenirs I like to buy? (Choose two)
a. Casino playing cards
b. T-shirts
c. Cups and glasses
d. Magnets

11. Bonus question: Name the gambling game my friend and I played in Luxor for which I won at least $50 all in quarters? It's not the usual slot machines, blackjack, roulette, etc. Camel Races.

Positives Tue Apr 23-Thur May 2, 2013

*Ate at Armadillo Willy's BBQ and Sushi Hana for the first time.

*Watched Silver Linings Playbook.

*Changed the oil in my car.

*Another anime marathon to being the Spring 2013 season.

*Tire rotation and tie balanced my car.

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Nobody knows everything in the world. I don't know everything in the world. I need to know more about living life. Ever since I realized I must grow up back in Oct 4, 2008, one of my life pursuits is catching up what I missed in my 20s. I felt I was behind in everything from life experiences, wisdom, adventurers, and knowledge.

I realized life is much better opening myself up. Stop the daily life criticisms. Forgive the people who gave me and I myself a bad time. Take responsibility for my thinking and actions. Life is really not that bad. I see life from a mature point of view. I'm growing up. I'm getting stronger, wiser, and better as a person. I'm meeting more people and making new friends. My circle of friends are expanding and growing in numbers. I'm visiting new places. I'm eating new foods.

I want the world to tell me something I don't know every day. I want my brain to grow bigger, sharper, and think quicker. I never stop learning. I never stop innovating my life.

Positives Thur Apr 11-Mon Apr 22, 2013

*Board games. Played Chutes & Ladders from 100-1 and ladders going down and slides going up. Used marbles for additional pieces on my Chinese Checkers board. And played YINSH for the first time.

*Ate Girl Scout Cookies Lemon Wedge cookies for the first time.

*Finished War Games video game app.

*New restaurant. Ate at PPQ Restaurant for the first time.

*Better living. Purchased a shoe rack to reduce clutter in the house.

*Used Ped Egg and with a pumice stone to remove callous effectively.

Quiz: 2012

We're still alive. 2012 was not a bad year. Here's a quiz on what I did last year:

1. How many companies interviewed me for a job?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7

2. Which of the following juvenile books did I read?
a. Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
b. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
c. The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
d. All of the above

3. I read The Hunger Games trilogy in ten days?
a. True
b. False

4. Name the characters I cosplayed at Fanime. Choose two.
a. Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alcheimst
b. Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach
c. Medic from TF2
d. Chrono Harlaown from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

5. What book did I purchased to relearn and keep my job skills refreshed?
a. HTML
b. Excel
c. MySQL

6. Which professional sports team did I attend to watch a live regular season home game?
a. San Jose Giants
b. Golden State Warriors
c. San Jose Sharks
d. Oakland A's

7. What new furniture did I purchased?
a. New computer chair
b. New sofa
c. New desk
d. New television stand

8. Choose which statement is false regarding board games?
a. I won my second Mahjong (Riichi) match at Fanime.
b. I won my first Dominion card game.
c. I won my first Bingo fund raising game at the San Jose Japantown Obon Festival.
d. I won my first RISK Legacy game.

9. I went on an urban hike along The Embarcadero in San Francisco. Which of the following activities were highlights?
a. We visited China Basin and South Park for the first time.
b. We ate an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli Square.
c. I rode a trolley for the first time.
d. We walked inside Coit Tower for the first time.
e. All of the above.

10. My HP laptop went crazy during shutdown. How did I fix the problem?
a. Reinstalled Windows XP.
b. Installed 256GB SSD and Windows 7.
c. It was a virus. Ran a virus scan to remove the virus.
d. Fixed the drivers.

Positives Tue Mar 26-Wed Apr 10, 2013

*Interviewed for an Accounts Receivable Analyst position.

*Crammed 12 hours of online Accounting classes.

*Finished reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

*Mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors with a new mop I purchased.

*Anime Series. Finished Kotoura-San and Shinsekai Yori. Caught up with Space Brothers. An anime marathon helped.

*Drinking water with a Brita pitcher filtered water.

*Watched Taken 2 and Gone With The Wind.

*Resharpen my razor blades with the Razor Renew.

*Checked my first aid kit and batteries in the family flashlights and smoke detectors for expirations dates.

*Transferred my photos from the early 2000s into a photo album.

*Slept on 500 thread bed sheets for the first time.

*Finished watching The Big Bang Theory Season 1.

*Ate Cinnamon Brown Sugar Belvita for the first time. I also ate thankuberrymuch Girl Scout Cookie.

*Listened to Vocaloid RE: Mikus CD for the first time.

*Installed Evernote app for my smart phone.

*Purchased Re: Dial and Re: Mikus Vocaloid CDs.

Positives Tue Mar 12-Mon Mar 25, 2013

*Finished watching The Shield Season 2.

*Movies: Lincoln, Battleship, and Sherlock Holmes 2.

*Updated my LinkedIn profile.

*Anime mini marathon and a marathon.

*Ate an Oatmeal Pop Tart for the first time.

*Successfully backed two Kickstarter projects which are board games. These are my first Kickstarter projects.

Positives Thur Feb 28-Mon Mar 11, 2013

*Red Egg & Ginger Party. I attended a traditional Chinese party celebrating my cousin's first child.

*Watched Argo movie.

*Ate at Mardini's Cafe for the first time. It's not vodka.

*I also ate at Henry's Hi-Life for the first time since 2001.

*Went ballroom dancing for the first time since 2011. The dance of the night was the Hustle.

*Purchased Jockey advanced stay dry undershirts and underwear. I'm looking forward to try boxer briefs.

*Finished reading Mystery Of The Fat Cat by Frank Bonham.

*Updated my web page Innovate Infinitely.

Quiz: Las Vegas

My favorite vacation place.

1. What year did I visit Las Vegas for the first time?
a. 1994
b. 1997
c. 1999

2. Which casino did I stay for the first time?
a. New York, New York
b. The Mirage
c. Treasure Island
d. None of the above

3. I went to Las Vegas again in 2003 and 2004. Which of the following hotels I stayed at for both years?
a. Excalibur
b. Paris Las Vegas
c. Treasure Island

4. Which of the following casinos is my favorite?
a. Paris Las Vegas
b. Bellagio
c. Wynn

5. I won money playing craps at which of the following casinos? (Choose two)
a. Tropicana
b. Bellagio
c. Luxor
d. Mandalay Bay
e. O'Shays

6. I played $2/$4 Texas Hold'em at Binions. I lost money playing for about 30 minutes. How many hands did I win?
a. 0
b. 1
c. 3

7. Las Vegas entertainment includes shows. How many times did I watched Tropicana's Can-Can Show?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 0 (I was underage to watch nudity.)

8. Which of the following attractions did I visit?
a. Bellagio's water fountain show and inside garden.
b. Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower
c. Luxor's Egyptian Museum
d. Caesar's Palace's The Forum Shops mall
e. All of the above

9. My friend and I visited Fremont Street in 2004. How did we get back to The Strip?
a. Taxi
b. Bus
c. Walk

10. What are my favorite souvenirs I like to buy? (Choose two)
a. Casino playing cards
b. T-shirts
c. Cups and glasses
d. Magnets

11. Bonus question: Name the gambling game my friend and I played in Luxor for which I won at least $50 all in quarters? It's not the usual slot machines, blackjack, roulette, etc.

Night or Day?

Here are some activities I prefer either night or day:

Drive: Night. I like long drives during the night time.

Exercise: Night. There are less people and cooler inside the gym.

Study: Night. I focus and concentrate better when I was a college student.

Read: Night. Likewise just like I study.

Blogging: Night. Likewise just like I study.

Breakfast: Night. I eat breakfast in the morning or in the evening. Breakfast tastes better as the day goes by.

Video games: Night. I need to mellow down from a hard day.

Friends: Day or night. It depends on the activity.

As a person: Night. I'm a night person, except when going to work.

Work: Afternoon. If I had a choice, I prefer to work in the late morning and go home in the early evening.

What are my daytime activities? Job search, cooking, and household chorus for the time being.

Positives Sun Feb 10-Wed Feb 27, 2013

*Family portrait pictures.

*Happy Chinese New Year!

*Ate a Angus hamburger from McDonalds for the first time. I also ate ostrich meat at a Chinese restaurant.

*Baked Ghirardelli brownies for the first time.

*Happy Valentine's Day!

*Ate at Sam's Chowder House for the first time. I also ate a sip of clam chowder.

*I also ate at Fu Lam Mum for the first time.

*Urban hiked at Bernal Heights Park.

*Purchased Skyfall on BD and DVD combo pack.

*Finished playing Half Life 2: Episode Two.

Positives Tue Jan 22-Sat Feb 9, 2013

*Finished watching Breaking Bad Season 1.

*Saw Gilbert And Sullivan's HMS Pinafore with a Star Trek: The Next Generation theme.

*Ate Fiber One Original cereal for the first time.

*Watched Les Miserables movie.

*Cooked with a fryer for the first time.

*Super Bowl XLVII. I ate Cost Plus potato chips and Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate for the first time as part of the party food.

*Visited at Mi Pueblo super market and at their super burrito for the first time.

*Ate at Dichey's BBQ Pit and Pho Garden restaurants for the first time.

Positives Mon Jan 7-Mon Jan 21, 2013

*Ate at Bangkok Bay Thai Cuisine for the first time.

*Played Innovation card game and Oasis board game for the first time.

*Purchased a new computer chair.

*Attended a friend’s two year old daughter's birthday.

*New cereal. Ate Weetabix for the first time.

Quiz: San Francisco 2 Solutions

The solutions to my second quiz on San Francisco.

1. What year did I attend my first San Francisco Giants baseball game?
a. 1987
b. 1989
c. 1991

2. I watched a San Francisco Giants baseball game on the same day fugitive O.J. Simpson was in his Ford Bronco in 1994?
a. True
b. False

3. Who was the opponent when I watched my first San Francisco 49ers football game?
a. Denver Broncos
b. Miami Dolphins
c. St. Louis Rams
d. Seattle Seahawks

4. What event took place in Treasure Island, one of two times I visited the island?
a. A concert
b. An anime costume gathering
c. A wedding
d. A family reunion

5. Angel Island is a . . .
a. County park
b. State park
c. Federal park

6. My mom and aunt took my younger brother, cousin, and I to San Francisco from the East Bay. How did we travel round trip?
a. My aunt drove all of us.
b. We took BART.
c. We took AC Transit, a bus.
d. We took a ferry.

7. I attended the California Academy Of Science in Dec 2008, [years] after it reopened. How many times did I attend afterwards?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3

8. When was the first year I participated in the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Parade?
a. 2006
b. 2008
c. 2010

9. Choose two of the five years I attended New Year's Eve?
a. 1997
b. 2000
c. 2005
d. 2009
e. 2012

10. My company enrolled me in a software training class in 2001 and 2006. What was the program?
a. Excel
b. Crystal Reports
c. SAP
d. Oracle

Positives Sat Dec 29, 2012-Sun Jan 6, 2013

*Ate a Ritter Sport biscuit for the first time.

*Watched Across The Universe, The Expendables, and The Hobbit.

*Checked batteries in the flashlights and medications in the first aid kit.

*Happy New Year!

*Created a Gmail account.

*Ate at Main St. Cafe & Books for the first time.

*Drove on Highway 84 through Sunol for the first time.

*Shopped at the Livermore Outlets for the first time.

*I purchased a new pair of Nike shoes for the gym and a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix.

*Finished watching Chuunibyou Demokoi Ga Shitai aka Chuu2.