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!

CouchSurfing

This week, I had an opportunity to host a CouchSurfer for the very first time. Before I get into this topic, I would like to briefly explain what CouchSurfing is: CouchSurfing is basically a network of travellers who post inquiries on a database to find hosts that can lend them a couch for the night. It's a method of saving money and meeting new people for travellers who are open-minded and willing to try a new thing. Anyway, my very first surfer's name was Sebastien Peter, who is a traveller from Essen, Germany. Hawai'i happened to be one of the destination out of almost 20 so he sent me a "Couch Request" requesting to spend a few nights in my dorm.

Although with a few disclaimers, I clicked "Accept" and formally welcomed his invitation for a bid to crash at my place for a few days. I didn't think much of it, however, since he has been here, things have been pretty awesome.

We clicked as soon as we met each other, with our mutual levels of respect level guiding our actions and politeness. As we sat down and winded down from the day, we shared some brews and talked about everything, from politics to both of our military service to the different experiences that we shared. He is an interesting guy with plenty experiences, and that I can vouch for. We spent the next few days hanging out with friends, grabbing meals, sharing more brews, and playing ping pong on the table outside my dorm. The more time I spent with this traveller, the more I seemed to learn about how humanity is really similar, no matter where you are from or what you do. Humankind share so many similarity.

Some people may seem to be appalled by the idea of CouchSurfing: meeting a stranger online and sharing a living space with them for a few nights. Sometimes, that can sound like the creepiest thing. But with just a little bit of trust in humanity, it can be such a memorable experience. For myself, I love meeting new people. I've partaken in this CouchSurfing journey once myself (in Seattle) and my host was an awesome guy, who showed me so much gratitude hosting a stranger such as myself. But the level of humanity I felt through him was extraordinary. I asked him how I can pay him back for this favour, but his answer was simply "Pay it forward."

From then on, I had a desire to help a fellow traveller and one day host a traveller at my place. It seems to be the perfect timing that I met Sebastien, and my experience with him has been absolutely incredible. From a simple act of kindness that a traveller showed me, I hope that travellers that I host will one day pay it forward and make this world a better place to live in.

If you're interested, the website is http://www.couchsurfing.org.

People person

This past week, I've been very busy completing the latter half of my military orders. Specifically, I worked in the Hickam Passenger Terminal dealing with customers who are trying to catch a space-available flight. In a nutshell, space-available flights are free flights provided to DoD servicemembers and their family and also to retirees where you can catch a free flight on a cargo airplane - provided that they have seat released. Working as a passenger service agent dealing with passengers, I've experienced a wide range of emotions this week.

Working with people is something most people do not really enjoy. But it was completely different for me. I enjoyed helping others out and being able to point to the right direction all with a smile on my face. At first, I thought I was going to get sick of it, too, but that never dawned on me. I served many customers and they thanked me for my smile and happy attitude.

However, some of my coworkers were the complete opposite. They would have the most dull look on their face as they spoke to these customers, talk in insensitive tones, and this one supervisor would even mock and talk negatively about customers as soon as they left their counters. I was absolutely disgusted. This was not the face of the Air Force that I thought I was in, and although they may be just bad apples, they are still representing the Air Force to civilians.

Then I thought to myself. Their attitudes really make what their jobs are to them. If you have a generally negative outlook to the job, then every single person - no matter how nice the customers may be - will be just irritating to you. You need to empathize with customers, step into their shoes, and help them out to the best of your ability.

There is this one lady that I recall. She was 32 weeks pregnant, and had just gotten off a flight. She rushed over to me to sign up for a flight that was headed to Jacksonville, FL. As she brought her paperwork, my "negative" supervisor gave her a hard time with correct documentations, but I dealt with her and made sure everything was alright. She thanked me and walked away.

I ended up seeing her for the next three days, as her flight kept getting delayed. I helped her find another flight going to a nearby destination, and helped her as much as I could. As she finally got on her flight to Meridian, MS., and left, I felt satisfaction that I was able to help someone out to the utmost of my ability, and that was enough for me.

I found out that she had left me a positive comment in the comment box, which made its way to the ears of my superintendent. He gave me a ride home that day and told me that he would email all my supervisors as well as my ROTC cadres! I was stoked beyond words as I left his car to step into my room.

Good attitude can generate good consequences. Although you should never do something to get something in return, it pays off to have a smile on your face. :)

Time Management

Hey folks!

This week, I want to write about time management. This week has been one of the busiest weeks of the semester. I had physical training and classes in the morning from Monday, and also spent the rest of my time moving out of my dorm into my new dorm which I was assigned as an RA. Immediately afterwards, I had to catch the bus to report to Hickam Air Force Base because I am on military orders for two weeks. This crazy schedule led me with no time for any leisure whatsoever, nor did I even get a full night's rest for a bit. But I'm still alive! And that's because I learned how to manage my time wisely.

Time management is a skill that must be acquired, and it's not easy. It's easy to fall victim to procrastination (I still do) and distractions on the internet and such, but the first thing to remember are your priorities. My priorities include the Air Force, school, and sleep. Partying is not so much my priority right now because it's a crucial time for me. The Air Force provides me with a job, and school is a must. Getting enough hours of sleep allows me to function and do what I need to do throughout the day.

It's easy to become overwhelmed, and like I learned in Professor Giano's COM201 class last week, breaking point is very real. I take on many roles, but I am learning how to manage them. Sometimes, I just need to take a step back and look at all the things I need to prioritise in order. That gives me a sense of relief at times.

When you are met with so many things to do, you need to tackle them one by one. A baby does not run as soon as he or she first starts to walk. A baby takes little steps at a time, and eventually learns how to run. Just like that, when you accomplish things one by one, you start to feel a sense of relief and accomplishment, and it's a sweet, sweet feeling.

So take a deep breath, and start managing your time wisely! Time is money, and that is all.

Dealing with Stress

Hey people of the internet, this is my first blog entry! To start off, my name is Min Kim and although I'm doing this as an assignment for class, I really enjoy writing and see writing as a means to somehow blow off my steam from the hustles of everyday life. It's pretty awesome to be writing about basically whatever I want! No restrictions, no set guidelines... I'm not used to this but I already love it.

Stress management. That's what I want to discuss this week. I like to uplift people with my words, and with this past week being one of the most stressful weeks I've encountered, I want to share my experience in hopes of reaching out to someone who may be going through stressful situations.

I couldn't get a good, single night's rest this week, because I was up worrying so much about my future. I was waiting for a medical waiver that would've determined the path for my future as an Air Force officer, and the waiver had not come in. The deadline was approaching, and as each day went by, I was just left with a scrambled state of mind, constantly thinking about the worst case scenario. I did not have energy to smile, nor the mindset to think positively about this situation. I was deteriorating.

At this moment, I knew it was out of my control, and my only hope was my God. I prayed and prayed, hoping to get an answer. But with prayer, I realized that I shouldn't worry about things I can't control, as long as I gave it my all. And I had done that. Eventually, my waiver arrived on the morning of my deadline, and I was one of the lucky ones. There were a few others who still had not heard back about their status, and I can feel their agony.

Through this experience, I came up with a few tips to deal with stress:
   -Exercise! Waking up for physical trainingat 4:30 am was a bit stressful in that itself, but as soon as I hit the track or some weights, I stopped thinking about anything else but my body. Exercise releases dopamine, which makes you feel good.
   -Think positively! Positivity is pretty much the only thing that you should be thinking about. Count your blessings. There are billions of people around the world who'd rather be in your position than what they are going through.
   -Don't overthink! When you overthink, you tend to think about the worst case scenarios. While it's good to plan and be prepared for the worst, don't let this thought destroy you. I struggled with this over the week and experienced how harmful this feeling can be.
   -Be occupied! Don't allow your mind to crawl up into a hole and start eating itself. Keep yourself occupied with things you love to do. I understand that when you're in this situation, things may not be so appealing to you. However, once you start occupying yourself, you will start to forget about what you are worrying about and maybe even look at it in a more positive perspective. Take a hike, watch the sunset, do your favorite things!
   -Pray! If you consider yourself spiritual and believe in a higher being, this can do wonders. As a Christian, I prayed fervently over the week and not only this helped me cope, it also led me to think about things in a better perspective and see the larger picture. Try analyzing the Serenity Prayer from St. Catherine McAuley: God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.