Positives Sat Dec 28-Wed Dec 30, 2015

*Watched A Christmas Story, San Andreas, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.

*Backed Luxor 2 Flashlight from Kickstarter.

*Ate Special K Vanilla Almond cereal, pumpkin pound cake, and Applewood Bacon broiling in the oven for the first time.

*Completed my first data analyst consulting assignment.

*Washed my hair with Head & Shoulders Old Spice for the first time.

*Purchased a Surefire 6P LED bulb replacement and an Owl Tac Flashlight.

*Played four round Mahjong (Riichi) for the first time.

*Watched training videos on Agile.

*Fixed my headliner tearing off in my car using carpet tape.

*Cleaned the house.

*Satisfied reading Key Performance Indicators by David Parmenter.

*Phone interviewed for a Business/Data Analyst position.

*Merry Christmas.

Teaser Week

I'm blogging Mon Nov 30 to Sat Dec 5 activities at Finding Raymond Mar because I promised myself no more daily activity blogs at my Innovating Common Knowledge blog. Anything goes at Finding Raymond Mar.

Job Searching. I received two calls for two promising contract jobs. These jobs add strength to my resume. I followed up with emails after initials calls and initials emails. No response back.

No Gym. I experienced sick like symptoms which were fatigue, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. No gym Tue Dec 1-Thur Dec 3. Mon Nov 30 was errands day. The end result was bloating. I started to feel better Sat evening. I worked out at the gym Fri Dec 4 and Sat Dec 5.

Hong Kong Mahjong. A Mahjong host sent a notice to local Mahjong players he was organizing a game on Sun Dec 6. He notified everyone he might cancel because he was sick. It was the second time he was sick when he sent an invite. The first time he cancelled. I didn't RSVP. He's not cancelling. A full house is expected later today.

Nobody Wants To Hang Out With Me. I emailed three of my friends to gather before Christmas. Two of the three are a no go because of other obligations. I believe it's something else which has something to do with me beyond my control. Honestly, I do my best to be good company in front of people. The third friend is on a business trip. He may be free Sat Dec 19.

On the other hand, teasers in my favor: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions after the Packers were down 20-0. The Miracle In Motown play won the game for the Packers 27-23. I predict the Green Bay Packers to be the 2015-2015 NFL Champions winning the Super Bowl.

I'm selling items on eBay. I researched sellers selling the Surefire 6P flashlight. I discovered a LED light bulb replacing the incandescent bulb. I purchased a knock-off from China for $8. I take the gamble. Nobody is buying the 6P flashlight. The primary reason is the incandescent bulb lasts for 60 minutes.

Positives Tue Nov10-Fri Nov 27, 2015

*Purchased Oont2 Angle Bluetooth speaker.

*Ate at Main Street Burger for the first time.

*Watched Kingsman: The Secret Service, Spy, and Inside Out.

*Cleaned the house.

*Phone interviewed with Aquent.

*Happy Thanksgiving!

*Black Friday 2015. Notables were drugstore.com, buy one bath sponges get two free, SanDisk 64GB USB 3.0 memory stick, motor oil, and sample hand lotion.

*Inspected flashlights, first-aid kit, and smoke detectors.

Positives Sat Oct 31-Mon Nov 9, 2015

*Happy Halloween! I went to a neighborhood haunted house.

*Watched Terminator Genisys and Jurassic World movies.

*Interviewed for a Business Analyst position.

*Passed smog check for my car.

*Ate at The Pasta Market for the first time.

*Finished reading Tableau 8 by George Peck.

*1,000 blogs at Innovating Common Knowledge.

Positives Thur Oct 8-Fri Oct 30, 2015

*Phone interviewed for a Data Analyst and a Order And Credit Analyst positions.

*Cleaned the house.

*Watched the 49ers vs. Seahawks football game at Levi's Stadium.

*Finished reading Oracle Database 12c SQL by Jason Price satisfactory.

*Watched Mad Max: Fury Road movie.

*Purchased a Clipper Card for the Bay Area public transportation.

Positives Wed Sep 16-Wed Oct 7, 2015

*Replaced the headlights in my car. I installed Sylvania 9006 Silverstar. I also replaced the car battery.

*Ate Annie's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Jack Link Beef Jerky, and Nutter Butter for the first time.

*Purchased REI Radiant Sleeping Bag and Nikwax Nubuck Suede Proof water repellant applicator,

*Finished reading Thinking With Data by Max Shron.

*Experienced the Mountain Time Zone for the first time. I updated my time watch.

*Visited Zion National Park in Springdale, UT for the first time.

*Ate at MeMe's Cafe, Texas Roadhouse, and White Kastle Burger restaurants for the first time.

*Camped at KOA for the first time.

*Backpacked at Zion National Park hiking on The Narrows Top-Down.

Positives Tue Sep 1-Tue Sep 15, 2015

*Read Data Analysis For Politics And Policy by Edward Tufte, The Adventures Of Tom Saywer by Mark Twain, and The Martian by Andy Weir.

*Hiked at Mission Peak Regional Park for the first time.

*Ate desserts at 85 degrees Celsius for the first time.

*Finished a YouTube tutorial on Oracle 12c.

*Phone interviewed for a Data Analyst position.

*Watched Clue, Superman Returns, and Mercury Rising movies.

*Purchased an exercise mat.

*Rode the Valley Transportation Authority Light Rail for the first time.

*Watched a San Francisco 49ers football game vs. Minnesota Vikings at Levi's Stadium for the first time.

*Cleaned the house. Divided the cleaning in three days. Vacuum upstairs, vacuum downstairs, and mopped the floors.

Quiz: It Took Me Long Enough Solutions

It took me too, too long to post the solutions. I forgot about the quiz I posted on Sun Dec 1, 2013. Here are the solutions:

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 Sun Aug 9-Mon Aug 31, 2015

*Made pasta in a pasta workshop at Cucina Bambini.

*Cleaned the house. I separated the cleaning in three days. The first day was vacuuming the downstairs. The second day was mopping the kitchen and foyer. The third day was vacuuming upstairs and mopping the bathroom floors and laundry room.

*Interviewed for the Lease Administrative Analyst position.

*Ate a Auntie Anne's pretzel for the first time.

*Played mahjong at the South Bay Mahjong group for the first time. I played Hong Kong Mahjong for the first time since Aug 1998.

*Finished reading Excel Data Analysis by Denise Etheridge.

*Showered with Nivea Maximum Hydration body wash for the first time.

*Watched The Five Year Engagement.

Go To Sleep Because You're Tired

I'm not tired because of fatigued. I'm tired because I'm 41 years old still living at home with my parents. I have been tired since Jan 2013. I have little friends. I'm unemployed; although, I worked two contract jobs. My household is boring. I do the best I can to bring excitement in my home.

My life is stalled. My life is limited. I require strength to live each day with energy. I job search six days a week. I learn new job skills and refresh my existing job skills six days a week. I work out at the gym four days a week. I find time to write blogs, cook, read, watch a movie, watch or listen to sports . . . do something, anything to stay active. Boredom or inactivity is a soul killer.

I'm fucking tired. All five qualities are tired of the Raymond Mar human being: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial. In particular, I'm tired earning crappy wages financially speaking. I paid my dues. I did my time working my two contract jobs. The time is now I must rise up the career ladder. I refuse data entry positions. I have nothing to lose.

There's hope optimistically speaking. The hell I'm experiencing is temporarily. I'm going to find my heaven. I'm going to find a permanent job; however, I accept a contract position as long as it strengthens my resume. I'm going to live independently. I'm going to find new friends. I'm not giving up. If I give up, then I live with my parents lonely forever. I never give up. I play my Raymond Mar biggest break life card today.

Positives Wed Jul 22-Sat Aug 8, 2015

*Phone interviewed for a Lease Administrative Analyst and an Outcomes Analyst position.

*Watched American Sniper, New In Town

*Backed Simon Best Workout Shirt on Kickstarter.

*Baked Oven French Fries for the first time.

*Attended an interview workshop.

*Applied Orajel Oral Gel on my mouth to treat sores.

*Cooked BBQ chicken with Kinder's BBQ sauce for the first time.

*Purchased Under Amour Low Cut socks.

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

What Did I Do Wrong?

Blogger's note: Today's blog is posted at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar blog because I ask myself questions.

My job searching includes applying to jobs at LinkedIn. I looked at my LinkedIn connections on Fri Jul 31. Almost everyone is successful with a permanent full time job from mid-level to senior level. I congratulate their successes. I asked myself, "What did I do wrong?" I don't compare myself to others. It's one of my daily life rules. I'm breaking the rule self-interviewing myself what I did wrong.

I'm A Late Bloomer

It sucks I'm a late bloomer. I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, 2008. I wished I grew up much earlier. I wished I wised up being a mature adult. I was an immature adult. I took life for granted. I was irresponsible. I was complacent. I felt entitled. My life was too much fun.

I lived with my parents after I graduated college. I have been living with my parents. I never experienced life living on my own. Why did I stay home? Financially speaking, I was saving up to buy a house when I started working. The housing prices continued going up. I didn't have a job during the financial real estate bubble. I never thought about moving out of the house to be a responsible independent adult.

Bad Career Choices

I thought I made good career choices. I worked in commercial real estate for 8.5 years. It was the first industry I worked after graduating college. My job was solid. The job security was high. I was an expert at my position.

I think back today. 8.5 years was too long. I should have worked in another industry when the economy improved after the dot com recession. The knowledge and skills I learned were insufficient when I started working in the technology industry in 2007.

Furthermore, I fell through the cracks. Several recruiters who looked at my resume believed I should have been promoted in commercial real estate or I should have sought new positions with challenges and growth. My weaknesses weren't the lack of job skills and knowledge. My weaknesses were lack of relevant experience and lack of advanced skills. I had the background and the attitude to move up the career ladder. Nobody gave me the ladder.

I didn't know the above. Lessons learned. I took my commercial real estate career for granted. I'm grateful I left commercial real estate despite working too long. The technology industry was a career wake up call.

Another bad career choice was learning the wrong skills. There was nothing wrong learning Visual Basic, XML, JavaScript, and Dreamweaver. I made two mistakes. The first mistake was these job skills were irrelevant to my career strengths. They were irrelevant to my current and future career paths.

I Need People

The second mistake was I learned these skills by myself. There was nobody to help me. There was nobody to provide feedback whether I'm learning correctly or incorrectly. If people provided me feedback, I learned these skills correctly.

I needed help. I needed support. I needed experts to answer my questions. I needed to expand my circle of friends. I needed networks. I needed people. I'm confident some of my connections on my LinkedIn received help which included learning new skills, networking, finding internal job openings, and expanding their circles of people.

Lessons I Did Wrong

*Late bloomer. Don't take life for granted. Be responsible. Earn your successes. Play time is over. My fun time is controlled. It's not my fault I grew up late. I need to write another blog to explain why growing up late was not my fault. Fortunately, I grew up. It's better than never.

*Bad career choices. Never settle on one job. Find the challenging jobs. Find the growth jobs. Find the jobs I'm required to learn new skills. Keep looking for a job I love. Learn new skills and refresh existing skills outside the workplace. Police, fire fighters, paramedic, educators, and military are required to learn new skills and refresh existing skills. The people playing professional sports practice their drills before their games. Every professional must follow their examples.

*Alone. Always meet new people. Always make new friends. Successful people know other people. Successful people don't succeed alone.

There Is A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Successful people must go through hell. I never went through hell before. I'm going through hell now. The lessons I learn make me stronger. The mistakes I made are never repeated. The wisdom I acquire makes me smarter.

I'm one step closer to being independent. I'm one step closer to live a life making more choices. I'm one step closer to control more of my life. Be faithful. Be proactive. My independence is coming soon.

I'm not giving up. I continue looking. Never settle. This is it. If I give up, I sit in front of the TV eight hours a day letting life past by me. I take responsibility for all my actions. I'm going to find a good job. I'm going to create new circle of friends. I'm going to find new adventures and new experiences. I'm going to learn new job skills. I'm going to live independently. I'm going to find the woman of my dreams. I'm going to avoid hoarding. I'm going to stay in physical shape.

One of these days my LinkedIn profile is a respectable profile. More job skills. A stronger career timeline. More connections. My job title gives me respect. I begin attracting people.

Positives Wed Jul 1-Tue Jul 21, 2015

*Phone interviewed for a Junior Analyst position.

*Finished reading Salesforce for Dummies by Tom Wong, Liz Kao, and Matt Kaufman and Head First Data Analysis by Michael Milton.

*Watched Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty, and Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance).

*Cleaned the house.

*Informational interviewed for a salaried professional position at Robert Half.

*Video interviewed for a Data Analyst position.

*Ate all you can eat sushi for the first time at Kenzo Sushi.

*Finished Crysis: Warhead.

*CERT training.

Did I Make A Difference?

I'm living in my middle years. I ask myself the question, "Did I make a difference?" for the first time. Did I? Many friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances, past and present, made a difference in my life. Some people I met briefly made a difference, too. They made my life better. I'm a better person today.

A friend told me bodybuilding.com to improve my gym workouts. My mom made costumes to have more fun at anime conventions when I was an anime fan. I was challenged to learn Mahjong (Riichi) for the second time; it's one of my all time favorite tabletop games. My dad showed me how to change the oil in a car. I consulted my techie friends for building a PC and buying a smart phone. Another friend introduced me to buy used books at library sales. My out of state friend shared investment knowledge. My sister introduced me to ballroom dancing. There were people who called me out my bad behavior. There were many little things: wet shaving, drinking wine, finding a good restaurant, cooking tips, learning the RMA process, downloading useful apps, suggesting a new place to visit, and much more.

I'm in debt to life. I'm in debt to people. I want to pay life and the people back for these differences. I really don't know how. The best I do is become a better person. I hope the stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser Raymond Mar pays back life helping people become better soon. I conclude today's blog quoting Steve Jobs, "Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Um, once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again."

Positives Sat Jun 13-Tue Jun 30, 2015

*Finished reading The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, The Bridge Over The River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, and The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell.

*Finished reading Teach Yourself Visually Salesforce.com by Justin Davis and Richard Wentk.

*Watched The Last Stand and Blackhat movies.

*Phone interviewed for a Data Analyst contractor position at a search engine company, a Sales Operations Analyst at a manufacturing company, and a Corporate Real Estate Analyst position at a hard drive company.

*Cleaned my car leather seats with Lexol Leather Cleaner.

*The Golden State Warriors won the 2015 NBA Finals.

*Interviewed for a Sales Operations Data Management and Governance Analyst position for a security network company.

*Backed mimoodz LED light bulb on Kickstarter.

Positives Tue May 19-Fri Jun 12, 2015

*Interviewed for a Customer Account Analyst position. Phone interviewed for a part-time data entry position and a data coordinator position.

*Participated in a user experience study.

*Watched documentaries at Documentary Storm web site.

*Purchased the Diamond Head Spot Storm head lamp, Eagle Creek compression sac, and Harbinger Pro wristwrap workout gloves.

*Cleaned the house.

*Finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel and Freaknomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

*Ate Safeway Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars for the first time.

*Ate at Gay Nineties pizza and Meadowlark Dairy soft ice cream for the first time.

*Backed Owltac A1T Endure flashlight on Kickstarter.

Life Rule Number 9: Welcome A Roller Coaster Life

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

I discover life rule number 9 today. I combine my personal life puzzle success pieces together. Here are the puzzle pieces below:

*Fight the pain, the suffering, and the struggles to keep living.

*Never stop learning. Never stop innovating. Get better every day from head to toe. Exercise your body from head to toe. Get stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser.

*Go with the flow.

*Have faith. Believe in myself.

*Trust what I'm doing now helps me succeed later.

*Control what I can control. Don't control what I can't control.

Life has many ups and downs like a roller coaster at an amusement park. It's life. People have up days, weeks, months, years, and seasons. People have down days, weeks, months, years, and seasons. Go with the flow. A person must continue getting better regardless whether a person is up or down. Never stop learning. Never stop innovating.

I control what I can control. I can't control what I can't control. Sometimes I can't control the bad events. My recent bad event is I'm unemployed. I'm looking for a job. I feel terrible being unemployed. I fight the pain and the suffering for each rejection. I struggle applying to jobs I quality knowingly there's someone better. I control my actions being unemployed. I exercise my body from head to toe. I work out at the gym to stay physically fit. I learn new job skills such as dashboards and simple linear regression. I refresh my existing job skills such as SQL and Excel. I trust what I'm doing now helps me find a job soon. I have faith I find a new job soon.

I believe my roller coaster currently going down is going up soon. I continue to get stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser when my roller coaster starts going up again. I get better physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially every day in good times and bad times.

There are other moments which cause my roller coaster going down. I lose good people in my life. I'm involve in a car accident with injuries and/or losing my car. A natural disaster affects my family. I'm sick for an extended period. My health is affected with a long-term illness. I have financial problems. Somebody filed a lawsuit against me. Unemployment has caused my roller coaster going down the most since Oct 2008. I find long-term employment soon.

I introduce my daily life rule number 9 "Welcome a roller coaster life". The companies who terminated my contracts are welcomed into my life. The good people who said goodbye to my life are still welcomed in my life. I welcome the good people who are still part of my life. The lonely feelings yesterday and today are welcomed into my life. I welcome my leisure activities. My limits buying goods and services are welcomed into my life. My boring household is welcomed into my life. I welcome cooking and cleaning at home. My job rejections are welcomed into my life. I welcome the job searching seven days a week. My Gaming PC which broke in Dec 2014 I upgraded and renamed Raymond's PC is welcomed into my life. I welcome my gym workouts four days a week.

I took a picture of my roller coaster life since 2000 not in scale:



2000 started on a bad note with the dot com crash. Fast forward to March 2007 which began the longest roller coaster descent. 2007 overall was my worse year which continued to Sep 2008. The recovery began on Oct 4, 2008 when I realized I must grow up. I found a job in Nov 2013 and another job in Nov 2014 which ended those two years on a high note. Jun 2015 is going down because my Nov 2014 contract job was satisfied.

My life daily rules in its entirety below:

1. Don't criticize, condemn, and complain, and don't compare with others.
2. Don't act like a jerk or bitch.
3. Always speak calmly and be calm.
4. Don't daydream when driving.
5. Keep your head up high . . . look at their cute face when talking.
6. Breath with your nose and stand up straight.
7. Have faith. Believe in yourself.
8. Let me think. Be discrete.
9. Welcome a roller coaster life.

We Experience Bad Years Like Actors Starring In Bad Years

Tom Hanks starred in a string of bad movies: The 'Burbs, Turner & Hooch, and Joe Versus The Volcano. Bruce Willis started in a string of bad movies: Hudson Hawk, The Last Boy Scout, and Striking Distance. The actors resurrected their careers eventually. Hanks starred in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Willis starred in Pulp Fiction. They're household celebrity actors with a good list of good movies.

My 2013 and 2014 were bad years. The last time I experienced back to back bad years was 2007 and 2008. 2013 and 2014 ended on a good note when I found new jobs. Similarly, I realized I must grow up in 2008. 2013 was a bad year because I had too much fun, made bad choices, and I took life for granted. I admit I forgot one of my life lessons which was don't take life for granted. I was reminded don't take life for granted when I found a job in Nov.

2014 started being a bad year when I got sick in May. The sickness lasted six weeks. I didn't work out at the gym. I took two days off because I was sick. I felt fatigued on some of my shifts. I failed a skills test during an interview in Jun. The failure motivated me to review my job skills in Jul and Aug. The saddest day of my life happened on Tue Sep 9 when I quit my new job after two days because of questionable business practices. I job searched six days, I reviewed my job skills seven days, and I learned new job skills seven days for each week in Sep and Oct. I reviewed Excel, SQL, and Salesforce. I learned Python. I announced my retirement from Japanese Anime in Sep which gave me more free time to prepare for my next job. The hard work paid off in Nov when I found another new job with good business practices.

The experiences I experienced and the lessons learned in 2013 and 2014 and opening myself up began 2015. Be professional at everything I do. I work out at the gym to stay in shape. Don't take life for granted. I escape my comfort zone trying new things. I completed the Community Emergency Response (CERT) volunteer training in Feb. I continue reviewing my job skills starting in Apr. I continue working on my goals: meeting new people and making new friends, learning new job skills, finding a permanent job, working out at the gym consistently, and moving out.

Currently, I'm looking for another job. My last job the contract was satisfied. I follow the same routine in Sep and Oct 2014: job searching, reviewing my job skills, and learning new job skills daily. I workout at the gym four days a week. I find time to take care of the house. I find time to take a break.

Everyone experience down years. It's life. There are some aspects in life nobody has control. Stay strong. Stay positive. Learn from the down years. It's part of getting wiser. Hope for good timing and good luck to lead us to successful ventures or to bounce back from negative events.

Positives Sat May 2-Mon May 18, 2015

*Polished my watch for the first time.

*Phone interviewed with Facebook and N.F. Stroth And Associates, LLC, and a second phone interview with Align Technology.

*Played board games at an event in Queensborough for the first time.

*Played Alchemist and Spot It board games for the first time.

*CERT training incident command and search & rescue neighborhood drill.

*Finished reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

*Watched the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium for the first time.

*Backed GameFindr app on Kickstarter.

Positives Sat Apr 11-Thur Apr 30, 2015

*Watched Sleepless in Seattle, School Of Rock, The Expendables 2, and Despicable Me.

*Purchased Dyson DC56 Handheld and superVIZOR.

*Finished reading Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck.

*Cleaned the house.
*Interviewed at TEKSystems. Phone interviewed at Align Technology.

*Attended the 2015 Unpub Protospiel at Game Kastle.

*Backed the Game Findr app at Kickstarter.

Positives Sun Mar 23-Fri Apr 10, 2015

*Purchased Eton emergency radio, Blackhawk Rapid Flex Medical Litter stretcher, 3M dust masks and 3M medical masks, and Omaker USB power backup.

*Attended my cousin's baby shower.

*Ate Special K Protein Cinnamon Brown Sugar cereal for the first time.

*Backed The Super Vizor from Kickstarter.

*Recycled electronics at Green Citizen.

*Disposed hazardous waste at the Santa Clara County Recycle. Items included expired medications, old fire extinguishers, an old ice pack, and old hair spray.

Positives Sat Mar 7-Sun Mar 22, 2015

*Played Mahjong (Riichi) with the Pacific Mahjong League.

*Shaved with Nivea shaving foam.

*Checked flashlight and smoke detector batteries. I also checked the first aid kit.

*Purchased Team Fortress 2 items online for the first time.

*Finished reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck.

*Upgraded my personal desktop renamed to Raymond's Personal Computer (RPC).

*Played Viticulture board game for the first time.

*Ate brisket for the first time.

How Do I Self-Improve My Entire Self Inside And Outside Top To Bottom?

Blogger's Note: Today's blog I ask myself questions. I post at both Innovating Common Knowledge and Finding Raymond Mar blogs.

I blog how to improve myself. I blog getting stronger, smarter, kinder, and wiser. I blog being responsible. I blog earn your successes. Don't take life for granted. Always meet new people and make new friends. Find new adventures. Experience new experiences. Never stop improving life. Never stop innovating. I ask questions questioning some of the blogs I have written those themes above. I have few answers. How can I practice what I preach with quicker and/or better results? I give myself a B- grade practicing my preaching. I want to raise the grade to a B+. Then I raise the grade to an A.

I imagine myself I'm with a group of people in a social situation. The situation can also be a professional meeting, a training seminar, or a family gathering. And the situation can be small and brief such as waiting in line at the grocery store or small talking the bank teller.

How do I improve my strength, appearance, confidence, charisma, kindness, and sincerity in any social situation? How do I get stronger? How do I look handsome? How do I communicate my gentlemen side? How do I attract more people? How do I share the goodness from my heart? Also, do I know I'm a good person? And how do I show I'm a legitimate person? There's no acting. People look at me for the first time thinking I'm the person they want in my life. I believe the older I get, the more handsome I become. I must be doing something correctly. My better look is related to my increased maturity. How is my self-awareness being myself telling me I'm being a good person? I could be a jerk not knowing it. I could break etiquette rules without my knowledge. I hope my conscious and my awareness are sharp to tell myself I must make improvements and corrections.

What do I offer with a group of people today? A good conversationalist. I enjoy conversations getting to know other people, learning, and sharing experiences. Trust. There's no faking. I communicate the Raymond Mar inside and Raymond Mar outside. I believe being true towards others is a strength. I don't need to be somebody else. How do I improve? How do I communicate a good vibe from me to others? It's like my presence is in a room of people. There's a good aura coming out of me other people feel. The feeling is having people talk about me in a positive way. The feeling is other people want to be with me.

Can I Do Better?

I stay active never being bored. I read books. I work out at the gym. I minimize watching TV. I listen to a variety of music such as classic rock, classical, and classic jazz. I cook healthy meals. I minimize eating out. I listen to four podcasts to acquire new knowledge. I completed training being a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and I continue my disaster training. I play board games. I'm open to try something new. I started a new theme this year for which I continue indefinitely. The new theme is do something out of my comfort zone.

My final thought is when I'm in a jam, I trust my intuition. My intuition saves me in an awkward social situation. Smile and listen.

Positives Thur Feb 19-Fri Mar 6, 2015

*Ate French Toast Crunch, Cheerios Ancient Grains, and Nature Valley Protein Crunchy Granola for the first time.

*Drank tea at Cafe LaTTea for the first time.

*Finished Burn Notice Season 2.

*Ate at Patxi's Pizza for the first time.

*Sold my old Gaming PC hardware on eBay.

*Happy Chinese New Year.

*Cleaned the house.

*Listened to Car Talk and Freaknomics podcasts for the first time.

*Backed Zero Hour XP tactical flashlight on Kickstarter.

Positives Sat Jan 31-Wed Feb 18, 2015

*Backed Zerohour Relic XR: Tactical USB Battery Backup Flashlight on Kickstarter.

*New fire extinguishers in the house.

*Super Bowl XLIX.

*Ate Bagel Bits, Multi-Grain Goldfish, and a fried egg for the first time.

*Completed Community Emergency Response Training (CERT).

*Rearranged my room.

*Listened to Awesome Etiquette podcast for the first time.

Positives Sat Jan 17-Fri Jan 30, 2015

*Ate at Paris Baguette, Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Bill Of Fare, and Brown Chicken Brown Cow for the first time. I ate at Cattlemen's for the first time since 2007.

*Shaved with Nivea shaving Gel for the first time.

*Cleaned the house.

Positives Tue Dec 30, 2014-Fri Jan 16, 2015

*Watched The World's End and The Equalizer movies.

*Backed Playbulb LED lightbulb at Kickstarter.

*Happy New Year.

*Updated my web page Innovate Infinitely.

*Ate at King Chopsticks for the first time.

*Attended a big data seminar.

*Purchased a book at the Friends of Campbell Library.