EPTMaybe I should have just played the piano and never quit when I started it when I was about five years old. But I quit after measly two years because I wanted to watch TV about how animals behaved. My brother played the piano longer than me even though he also liked to watch the same animal program from TV, but he quit about after the sixth grade; then, he was too busy studying because South Korea is terribly competitive in everything.
I had a friend during the fourth grade. We liked to play a lot on a playground near Jam-Won Hansin apartments, and Shin-Dong Elementary School was like five to ten minutes walking distance far away. We would get some other friends together and play BB-gun fighting on the playground and sometimes in an underground parking lot. I had a Glock model BB-gun, and I can't remember what type of a BB-gun my friend had. We ran hours and hours shooting BB-guns against our opponents and panting and hyperventilating in fear as if this were a real war. In fact, we were significantly at disadvantage because some of our opponents had an Uzi BB-Gun and a shotgun BB-gun. I was damn scared to get hit because I thought those would hurt like hell.
Then one day, some guys from the other team stood close to me and asked if he could burrow my glasses. He would observe them carefully and wear them for a while. Then, he shot his BB-gun through one of my glasses' lens, and it got broken. I cried angrily, and they ran away. Then, I went home and told my parents what happened. It sucked that they had to spend money to replace one of the lens.
I asked what my best friend thought about the release of StarCraft:Brood War. I can't exactly remember what he said, but he didn't seem that excited about it. Then, I asked my best friend what instrument he plays. He said that he played the flute. So, I thought that was cool, and I asked my parents about it. Then, I got my flute lessons from a private teacher nearby the apartments. She said that I had a natural talent; I didn't think about it too seriously and just practiced. Then after the fifth grade, my dad decided to move to the US.
I kept playing the flute during middle and high school years. Marching band sucked, but I liked playing inside a band room. I was placing higher chairs for District Band Auditions: 8th in the 9th grade, 6th in the 10th grade, and 2nd in the 11th grade. I was placed third alternate chair for All-State Band Auditions in the 11th grade, but that didn't matter that much. Then, I quit auditioning for these honorary bands 'cause I realized that I was not good enough. But I played in a flute choir and played as the Principal Flutist in Philharmonic East Orchestra from Youth Symphony of Kansas City for a year during junior. Then, it was time to study ACT to get into a college.
I wasn't good at taking ACT. No matter how many hours I spent, I got the same composite score: 23. I didn't even think about taking SAT, and my parents didn't seem to care. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to be in the future nor what college to go to. I just filled out the application form that was mailed from the University of Minnesota. No serious essay to write; just fill out the form and wait for the confirmation. Sounds easy; let's do it.
Then, hell it's SO cold in Minnesota during winter. I had some decent winter clothes from my parents and some winter parka coats, thick gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Tunnels were heavens of course, but I hated going outside. Sometimes, my lips dried so bad that I had to cut off the dead skin with a fingernail clipper.
I wish I had my own car that I could use in college, but I hadn't thought about getting one during high school years. But that didn't matter; campus shuttles took me everywhere I can go. But I lost tons of sleep during freshman year because my roommate, aerospace engineering major who aced every physics exams, won't go to sleep because of late-night parties until like 2 a.m. when I had 8:00 a.m. physics class every morning. But the best part was his girlfriend who was super gorgeous with D-sized boobs who liked to do sexual activities with him. Then, she broke up with him months later when he threw her cellphone at a party and he hit her for being like a bitch. They fought in our room that night, and I couldn't sleep. I would never see that roommate again during the next college years. But he was the one who suggested to me about becoming an actuary on the last day of living together.
Today's lunch menu was good-old ramen. My mom talked about the conversation she had with her friend a while ago. Her friend was asking if there are any computer related jobs in California so her son, a UC Berkeley Computer Sicence major graduate, can get a job who's been unemployed for like a year. My mom didn't tell her friend that there is one because of my brother. My brother has been working for a company in Wisconsin in computer science field on contract basis for 3 years and is still working there. My mom wants my brother to have a full-time job in California so that he can have a better income and a secure job plus a girlfriend for his future. My mom then suggests my dad to talk about my brother to the manager from that computer company in California, and then she wants my dad to never talk about that company when her friend's family comes to a big party that we are having in August. This sounds like we are going to have an awesome party with a secret competition going on in our lives. Indeed, life is like StarCraft.
My mom used to be a registered nurse doing dialysis treatments to patients but doesn't work anymore because she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer when I was at home studying the SOA Exam P: Probability during summer vacation after my Sophomore year at college. I eavesdropped one night talking about how she was going to go through chemotherapy. I was standing in my room, my shadow almost touching barely the outside of my room fearing to be discovered by my parents. A couple of weeks later, my dad had to break the silence. He called my brother and told the news and eventually told me to sit down with me and hear the news. My dad trembled his voice and sobbed a little, and my brother sighed a lot. And I cried silently. Her hair was all gone, so she had to wear a hat or a wig when going outside. She went to chemotherapy treatment a couple times during the week, and she took some medicines which made her make nauseating sounds. She had to have a surgery to cut part of her breasts to get rid of cancerous cells and around lymph nodes, and fortunately, the doctor said that the surgery was successful. But she still has to take a medicine for ten years since the cancer can come back. I hope it never comes back.
My mom said to me that she thought about creating a restaurant so we can work together someday. She likes to cook a lot, and her food tastes awesome. It's just a thought though. Who knows? If the restaurant is a big success in California area, then we will be filthy rich. Otherwise, we will be so-so. Then, I jokingly said to her that I should create a PC-bang in California since StarCraft II is coming out soon and it will be very popular. My dad chuckled and didn't say much. My mom then was concerned about crazy kids that could come to my PC-bang. Some will not pay, some will steal some things, and some can bring a gun and kill people including me. But those things happen everywhere anyways, even in the office. We can't live in reality with no risks.
The End
