Mother's Day

Today is a day when people celebrate the beauty of mothers across the nation. I think it's unfortunate how we only have one day of the year dedicated to them, when in fact, they should always be celebrated. Through mothers is how we came into this world and they have done so much to raise us. My mother went through so much in her life raising three children as a single mother. Now that we are all grown up, it's time to give back to our mom for raising us to be such good individuals. Please call your mom, and tell them "I love you" on this special day.

My brother is in the Navy, my sister is currently studying to become a doctor, and I am in the Air Force. I don't think my mother can be more proud of us than now. She deserves a good life after going through all the hard times as a single mom.

I know that this is the last required post for the class. It's been truly an honour to have you all read my blog. For those of you who have finals this week, good luck! I wish you a safe and happy summer!

Cheers,
Min

Readiness

This week was a pretty good week. Despite budget cuts across the Department of Defense, I was selected to go to Field Training, which is a mandatory boot camp required if I want to become an officer in the Air Force. This year, the selection rate was 60% across the nation, which was a historically low rate compared to the other years. However, the fact that I was selected lifted much weight off my shoulders.

So the next step? It's to continue prepping for Field Training, which is going to be three weeks of physically and mentally exhausting training. I will be leaving right after finals, which puts me in a "crunch time" mode right now. I need to go through my extensive checklist, making sure that I am more than ready for this training.

The point of this blog is to emphasize readiness. Many times, we end up procrastinating the little things that we push aside without much thought. The paper that's due two weeks from now, the trash that can be taken out in minutes, the room that needs to be cleaned, the list goes on and on. Unless we take action to these things, they will always remain as something that needs to be done someday.

One day, the deadline will be right in front of your nose, and there won't be much you can do about it. This is one of the biggest struggles of students. Time management is not impossible, even amidst the busiest of schedules.

I hope that this coming week, you will all be able to manage your time well, and get things done in an orderly manner. Finals are coming up, good luck all!

South Korean Ferry Incident

On April 16, there was a very unfortunate event that happened in South Korea. The Sewol ferry, headed to Jeju Island, capsized en route to destination and over 300 students who were on their high school trip drowned in the cold water. As a nation, South Korea came to a halt. The TV stations canceled their weekly comedy programs, instead replacing it with live news, and tears were shed by citizens from every corner of the country over the dead and the missing. Even North Korea made a bold diplomatic move by expressing their grief for the victims.

It is very unfortunate that this happened, and I express my deepest condolences for the families and friends that were affected by this tragedy. This incident really made me reexamine how fragile life can be, and how we must be prepared for the worst even while things seem to be going fine. It's been a sad week for South Korea, but hopefully the country will be able to overcome this tragedy together and prevent another disaster from happening again.

Job Hunting Season

Hey everybody,

This week, I was tasked with writing a resumé during my Resident Assistant meeting. We learned some important tips and tricks into writing a resumé and searching for a job. Now that summer's approaching, many of us might be looking for a summer job to kill time, so I'd like to share some tips that I learned.

1. Reference. When asking people to be a reference, make sure you ask them to be a positive reference — and ask them before you write their name down.

2. Numbers. Try to quantify your justifications and it may impress the interviewers a lot more. For example, "I was in charge of ensuring the safety of 800 residents during my stint as a Resident Assistant".

3. Email address. Most of us should already have a formal email address due to our .edu account, but just to be sure, if you are still using your booger35@hotmail.com, it's probably time to update your email. Sound professional, look professional, be professional.

4. Updated resumés. Rule of thumb is that resumés should be updated about once every six months. As you gain more and more experience, simply add the experiences to the pages to save you the trouble when you are applying for a job.

5. Relative information. When putting in your resumé and applications, list down information that is relevant to the position that you are applying for. Connect your experiences to the position.

6. Thesaurus. Use a thesaurus when you are writing your resumé. Expand your vocabulary, but not to the point it gets way too confusing to understand. Use sophisticated vocabulary that is relevant to the position you are applying to.


These were just a few tips for job hunting. Looking for a job can be stressful, but if you find one that is suited for you, it may be just as rewarding! Good luck.

Guamie

Hafa Adai everyone,

This week marks exactly a month before the semester is over, which means it is crunch time for most of us still in school. It also means there's about a month left until summer vacation. Summer vacation, for most of us, is a time to relax, make memories with your friends, and travel. For me, however, things are a bit different due to pending military trainings set for the summer, but once that is finished, I'll be heading back to my home island of Guam to spend the rest of my summer vacation.

It's been quite busy for me lately, with all these responsibilities that I have to take care of, but I've been longing for home often lately, starting to count down the days I have until returning home for the summer.

Let me tell you a bit about Guam. The island is located at 13 deg N latitude and 144 deg E longitude. The island is about 30 miles long and 12 miles wide at its longest width. The population is about 160,000, small enough to identify most people by their last names. You can say the island is similar to the outer islands of Hawaii, but with a much more humid climate. There are about a million tourists that visit the island each year, mostly from Japan and Korea, but the natural beauty is barely affected by the tourism.

Guam's main university, the University of Guam, serves about 4,000 students - consisting of both residents and international students - and is located along the beautiful coast of the Pago Bay. The island is known for its delicious food and overwhelming hospitality.

I miss my family, friends, and my secret cliffside spot behind my home. The waters are tropical and blue, the diving is great, and to me, it's home. I suggest that if you have a chance, make sure to visit Guam! You won't regret it. Here are some fun facts about Guam:

Fun Facts
-Guam has the world's largest Kmart
-Guam's location is adjacent to the Mariana Trench, which is home to the deepest point in the ocean floor
-About a third of the island's land mass is owned and operated by the U.S. military
-Guam's unofficial motto, "Where's America's Day Begins," refers to the time zone (GMT +10:00)
-Guam's military bases (Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base) are the most important bases in the Pacific due to its strategic location close to East Asia and Hawaii
-Guam's original name in its native language of Chamorro is "Guahan"
-Guam has the highest per capita enlistment rate in the US military in the nation

Physical health

This week, I made a decision to change my life around. Ever since I sprained my wrist in December of last year (I stupidly punched a wall), I was very hesitant to hit the gym. I couldn't move my wrist, nor carry even just a small weight on it. It was inconvenient, to say the least, and got in the way of many things. Ever since then, I relied on mandatory physical training from the ROTC to keep in shape, which I think is not enough to keep the pace that I was one at.

So this week, after a realisation in my room, I decided to get back on my former regiments. I am currently typing this with a very sore upper body, because I may have gone a bit too hard yesterday. Nonetheless, I missed this sore feeling! Like the saying goes, "No pain, no gain." It's important to be physically healthy because it affects the balance of every aspect of your body from mental, spiritual, to emotional.

Speaking of balance, I want to note that it's pretty important to balance your body during workouts as well. Often too many times, we see that guy with the big, ripped upper body standing on his chicken legs. Legs are easy to forget because it doesn't seem that important. However, to have a strong upper body, you also need a strong lower body to support it. So guys and gals, don't get too lazy on those squats!

I hope all of you take some time out of your busy life to dedicate it to you physical health. It'll be worth it. Trust me!

Cheers,
Min

Spring Break

This week is the official start of Spring Break! I got my rental car, snorkelling gear, and just about ready to relax in the sun and de-stress before school resumes. This week, my girlfriend flew over from Washington, her also on Spring Break. It's been about two months since we've seen each other, and we're so happy to be here in Hawai'i enjoying the hot sun on the beach. We've been making up for the lost times that we spent apart from each other, and it feels good most definitely.

I'm sure the daily grinds of life is enough to exhaust us all, but everybody deserves a break. I know that I've been very busy, especially tackling military orders and schoolwork all month. But it's finally spring break and I've been catching up with lost sleep and quality time. I went around the island with my girlfriend, and I feel great. There's a time for everything, and I think spring break is the time to relax and get away from the stresses of life.

So this vacation, explore the nature! Hit the beach! Do everything you wanted to do without the consequences! It's time to make memories, and prepare yourself for the latter half of the semester.

Have a safe vacation, everybody. Stay safe and be happy!