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TONO's top 7 in 2009 ... from the first time in the Eastern Time Zone!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou for the 2010 New Year!

I had my ranking for the top 7 personal stories completed on Christmas Day.  I thought it was really solid.  However, when my Sunshine sent me her ranking of me, I had to change it.  I guess you could say that it was a perception of what I think of myself –vs- what the one closest to me thinks of me! 

<7>

Trips to Northern Atlanta: El Pollo, Costco, IKEA, and Buford Marketplace.  My wife and I plan on making the trip to this area once a month.  We don’t have these chains in our hometown.  It’s sad because we’d visit these chains on a regular basis.  There’s nothing like a place where you can find the crazy chicken.  It’s always good to get out of town about every month, just to get away for a while.

<6>

The return to two tracks, at Texas and Bristol Motorspeedway, on the NASCAR circuit.  Sunshine and I took a break from visiting a NASCAR race in 2008 because of the expensive trip last year to Hawaii.  Making that trip was very expensive and it left no other possible activities.  It was good to finally get to visit another NASCAR race live.  I have pictures on the left side of this post.  I wasn’t very happy with the outcome of the season, though.  It was good to visit the Dallas area again.  (The first time was driving through from California to Tennessee.)

<5>

Working with new colleagues, a new boss.  It’s always a new experience of proving one’s self when we are placed in a new work environment.  Not only is it another city, but there’s new co-workers to get to know, and a new boss to prove my abilities and skills.  And, of course, they have to get to know how uniquely I communicate with others.  I realized that!  Just like everywhere else where I have worked, I have met some really interesting people.  I really don’t know if they really understand me, really want to get to know them or not, but I’m here now, and they and I need to make the best of the circumstances.

<4>

Move from Memphis.  I didn’t think that we’d move from the diverse city, but we finally did.  The opportunity for new adventures moving farther east opened up.  I remember thinking when I first arrived in Memphis, thinking: this is the farthest east that I would be living.  And now I have move farther east than Memphis.  I am somewhat sad that we moved because there are some good people that are still in Memphis, trying to make the city a better place to live.

<3>

Weekend to Remember conference.  In the month of November, it was a two-day conference that my wife and I attended.  It’s another starting point of building more of our marriage.  No marriage will ever be perfect.  There is so much to learn and so much to put into practice, through the actions of our behaviors.  I can really tell that 2010 will be a very compelling year full of many interesting married changes.

<2>

Joining Facebook. I will find whatever way to communicate with my friends and family.  A year ago there were 140 million users; this December, there were 350 million users.  I believe that it’s one of the most important activities to nurture for the rest of my short life.  I realize how difficult it is to stay in touch with everyone.  Just to let you know, even though I do say that I am putting Facebook as high as I do on my stories of the year, it’s not without some of the things that I have against it.  There are too many ads.  Some of the ads are not type of ad I would support.  That is one of the reasons why I have chosen to keep my TypePad blog account, and post most of my inner thoughts there. 

And .... the number <1> story of the 2009 year ...

In Search for Colors trip: Blue Ridge, Connecticut & Washington D.C. trip.  I have always looked forward to traveling across the USA.  It’s one of the primary reasons why I moved from growing up in Hawaii.  There is no doubt that the pictures that I took will be those to be remembered.  The colors on the trip were vivid and spectacular!  It marked many firsts in my life, traveling through Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut.  That is why this year’s vacation will be very special, especially since I spent the journeys with my Sunshine, and a trip to be remembered.

The Middle and private sector is really getting squeezed … demanded to do more, especially if you are a salaried manager!

I am really concerned about the current climate of what’s happening in our workplaces across our country, the shift of responsibility of who’s accountable for results and performance of a company.

I’m thinking of the challenges I deal with at work now.  I’m not only thinking of the company that I am working at right now, but I can say the last two before, too!  I have always heard that we are rewarded for our performance.  I don’t see that as a whole.  The middle management always has to work more hours, get the results because we are in the trenches, and have the overall understanding on what’s really happening.  It’s really frustrating when whether from superiors or from employees they have a very simple and disinterest in communicating more than less.  And the superiors who are not at the location manage the details how it fits their own ideas of what will work—and gives us more work to do!

As a manager, I noticed that the executives always talk now about how it’s our accountability for all the results of the store.  It’s almost as if the employees have no sense of accountability.  If our employees don’t come in on time, have some flexibility, give them some time.  However, when that is done, we are asked to fill in to their position, or locate a replacement.  Meanwhile, we end up not completing the managerial duties that is also required.

As long as I have worked in the private sector as a “middle” man in the mix of a corporation, I noticed that we are always asked to increase sales, think of the customers first, productivity levels needs to be higher, yet I haven’t really heard the same expectation out of the public sector (any job position that is funded by taxpayer money).  I have always worked many hours—most positions, more hours than required.   This conclusion is usually why I have such a negative impression of any government job create whether by the city, state and/or federal government.  I am so against any government job, because it requires government to spend more money to keep that job filled.  And I definitely pay too many taxes already!  Let me choose where my money is spent!

I don’t understand why the work ethic has changed since the generation before.  I will continue to work smarter to achieve the ever more demands of corporate America.  It’s the way of life now for a steady income.  I wish that more will listen to my suggestions and solutions of what would work for corporate America.  I’ll have more to say about that in my TONO world category.  If I had my own business to profit from as a way of life, this is what I would commit to do.

Arrived safely at home from Christmas

We are home!

Rank my top 7 personal stories of 2009 for a prize!

I thought that I would challenge all of you to rank my top seven stories of 2009. 

 

These are the seven stories to consider in no particular order:

• Move from Memphis;

• The return to two tracks, at Texas and Bristol Motorspeedway, on the NASCAR circuit;

• Trips to Northern Atlanta: El Pollo, Costco, IKEA, and Buford Marketplace;

• “Weekend to Remember” conference;

• Working with new colleagues, a new boss;

• Joining Facebook;

• “In Search for Colors” Blue Ridge, Connecticut & Washington D.C. trip. 

 

There is a prize at the end, if anyone dares to even try to read my mind.

2009 Mele Kalikimaka!

Mele Kalikimaka!  It’s always good to reflect upon the place I grew up.   Remember it’s not about the presents.  It’s about the people in each of our lives.  Sunshine and I are presently in Central Florida for the second year in a row.  It’s always an interesting journey.  Last night on the way to the hotel, we ended up driving longer than what we expected.  We ended up driving through a ritzy neighborhood because we neglected to make a turn at one of the state highways.  We also turned too soon into our hotel, which didn’t have any outlets off the street we turned, so we ended up making a circle around the entire block.  And that was only Christmas Eve.

Away from Home for 2009 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

It’s been a long two weeks, ever since I started to work the eleven straight days in a row.  It’s really been a challenge to do just that.  Add in the mix the stuff associated with the holidays and the expectations of the season.  And today, it was another one of our few hundred-mile driving trip to Central Florida.

I am finally glad that my Sunshine and I reached central Florida earlier this evening.  Yesterday when I was at work, I was a little concerned about making it here in time for the Christmas occasion.  It has turned out to be a very busy twenty-four hour.  Believe me, I have been waiting for this day off, but it’s been with four-hours of sleep.  My Sunshine hasn’t slept really well in the last thirty-six hours; she drove for five hours today with no sleep early this morning.  We once again experienced another twenty degrees drop in temperature while driving.

It’s the second time in the last two years.  Last year it was from Memphis.  Who knows if my Sunshine and I would be able to repeat this experience next year?  Is this a start of a tradition for my wife and me?  That is provided that I’ll be able to get two days in a row, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, at least.

Seventy-two hour workweek delays Homebuilders and TONO world posts

So many topics to write about, however, this week’s work schedule of working in the building for seventy-two hours for this past week (from Saturday to Friday), hasn’t allowed me to do so. I wanted to put my next lesson on the Homebuilders series, and another vision in the TONO world. Even my Sunshine hasn’t seen me this past week, too! I am praying for what I wrote earlier this week: discipline to focus on what needs to be done to complete all my overall missions. Pray with me.

Four days worked, seven more to go!

Eleven straight work days till off on Christmas Eve! That is what I’m on right now. For others, they might have other issues to deal with, but for me it’s always been working more days than anyone else. Thank goodness I am doing work for my Savior, Jesus Christ, not anyone else, because we all have to a good job for our bosses.

The mother-in-law of one of my colleagues was rushed to a hospital over 100 miles away, so he's out of town.  I had pick up one of his work days.

I was hoping to get a Homebuilders post and another entry of my TONO world, but I have to keep the economy moving! It’s not from more wasteful government spending!

Smarter than I …

It’s my vision that one day my Sunshine will be as free to express herself as I am.  I know that she’ll have more interesting stuff to share because there is no doubt that she is smarter than I am.  It would be more interesting to know what a woman’s point of view is, rather than just my own male STUBBORN point of view.  I had a vision to have a continual public dialogue with her on my blog.  And as she wrote on her blog I would comment on hers.  It’s too bad that she’s a little shy!  LOL ... Maybe you all can encourage and inspire her!

Top 3 hoped for career occupation … TONO style!

I thought that I would share with you what three occupations that I thought would pique my long-term interest.  We can all dream and hope, can’t I?

• Business Owner: If I had the start up money that would be the start of something to ignite a passion of doing good for communication and promoting things not of this world!  It’s not about getting rich, but it’s just being able earn a decent living, and targeting helping those people or non-profit organization that I would support.

• Celebrity Autobiographer: To be trusted to write an individual life’s story.

• Sports Agent:  Help to market a sports figure … maybe a NASCAR driver.

Let me know your thoughts and comments that you have about the three occupations that I chose.