IT Milk: entry

My mom is visiting from Korea, and she’s whipping my life back into shape. Just last year I could describe myself as neat, organized, disciplined, and in shape. That’s until I decided to go to Penn State University instead of West Point.

My goal all throughout high school was West Point, our nation’s military academy that produces the ultimate army officers. And I stepped foot into this dream starting with attending the Summer Leadership Seminar in the summer of 2005, receiving my congressional nominations from Senator Rick Santorum and Congressman Paul Kanjorski, and finally receiving the glorified “acceptance plaque” in the mail in January 2006.

But no, I am now a Penn State University student studying for a degree in Information Sciences and Technology. I didn’t choose this major and this school until very late in my college application process. Fate and my own decisions put me on a completely different life path. My point is that my self-pity overturned my personal philosophy of discipline and idealism. No more running 2 miles and hitting the push-ups and sit-ups everyday. No more making my bed with arduous precision. Most notably, the burning fire of patriotism rapidly cooled down.

I still have what-if dreams about West Point. I even let out a muted sigh of distress yesterday when I drove past the exit to West Point on my way to the Woodbury Commons Outlets in Central Valley, NY. On the other hand, I am fortunate to have found a major that I agree with 100 percent. I am passionate about working with computers and technology, and all of my IST courses are on topics that I would study on my own anyway.

I really do want to return to my previous pure state of mind. The dirty thoughts of money are now frequently clouding my mind. But that must be what happens when you suddenly find yourself under pressure to find a way to support your newly created family. I need to dig out my Hagakure from the basement. I used to worship that little book.