Goal Setting

I think one of the reasons that I have been very upset with the way my life is going is that I feel very stagnant. When I was in the military I set educational goals so that when it was time to move on with my life I had something to show for the time spent in the military. Now that I am a working civilian, I find that I am no longer moving forward, but instead I am working simply to pay the bills. Granted, unlike before I joined the military, I actually enjoy doing my job. The last few weeks I have been focusing on making my life happier. I suspected that I was unhappy because I was away from my hometown friends and my family. But I don't necessarily think that is the case. I have spent the last six years of my life away and most of the time, I was quite happy. Obviously, the big issue here is that I haven't gotten my foundation here in Oklahoma city yet. So although this isn't a firm decision, I have leaned towards staying with the company and continuing to do the work that I enjoy doing. Along with that, I have decided to set educational goals. Right now, a masters degree seems a little out of reach due to my scheduling, but what is a lot more realistic and obtainable is two very critical certifications. I have my CCNA, Cisco Certified Network Associate already but it is time for me to get my CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional). Unlike the CCNA which everyone and their mother has, the CCNP requires four separate tests. I suspect that I can easily prepare myself for each test in five weeks or less each. Concurrently, I believe that I can also work on getting MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator). I have already taken three months worth of classes, I have years of practical experience, and I have all the self study guides for the tests. There are about 7 tests I must pass to get that, but likewise I think I can prepare myself for each test in under five weeks each. So, when I achieve my certification goals, along with adding two additional years of experience, I can move into a position in California more prepared and better qualified for the types of positions I am really looking for.

I know I can do this. When I was going to college online, everything was pretty much self taught by reading for hours every day. The only difference here is that I will have to set my own deadlines. Now, for doing two certs at a time... that might be tough, but I used to do two and sometimes three classes at a time. I hated it, but I cant say that I regretted it.

HA!

Opening scene of the new House... all the nurses are on strike.

Humorous.

드디어 가정 (Home at Last)

My two week journey has come to an end. I'm not exactly certain what is to come next, but I know that I am ready to be home, for a short while anyways. While I had a lot of fun in Korea, it seemed to me that I wasn't doing anything of value, I spent all my time downtown at the bars just hanging out or shopping, spending too much money none the less.

I think what hooked me to downtown was that I just needed to feel wanted, and down there for about ten bucks you can get all the attention that you want. Not to say prostitution, but you wont find a shortage of attractive women who are willing to start up a conversation, play a game of pool, or just sit back and relax in your arms. Of course, I didn't opt for that easy route. My dumb ass decided to go back to what for what I had been missing since I left. Boram worked as a bartender at the Station and she was quite the sweetest thing... actually she was quite a pill and has a very American attitude when it comes to women. I am not exactly sure what attracts me to her, but for some reason I just cant seem to get myself away with the exception of going home. Now that I am home, I can use an out of sight, out of mind mentality. Anyways, my point here was that she had me on the hook, and there was nothing I could do to get away. The most difficult part was that she wasn't a "juicy girl" that I could pay to get the attention that I wanted. So it wasn't like I could ignore her like she was a money hungry ho, she wasn't, she has always proven to be my friend. So thus, its no different than any other girl in my life who considers me a friend and I want a little bit more except that this time I would only be there for a week. And hence, I wasted all my free time downtown with this girl who I couldn't have conversation with because she was just too busy working or just didn't understand what I was trying to say.

Anyways, the overall trip feels like a success. The work portion was very successful I think, and on top of that I got see a whole lot of people who I have not seen for a very long time. Of that, the most surprising visit has to be Heather.

Well, I suppose that my next trip will be Panama City, Florida. I am supposed to be doing that one next, but it seems that Edwards AFB is heading into install phase and its quite possible that I can be part of that too, which would be good because then I will be in Southern California again.