To be an Officer or not to be

This past week I have been thinking about making the transitions from enlisted soldier to a commissioned officer.  There are lots of perks for being an officer as opposed to staying as an enlisted soldier. Some of these perks include: respect, involvement in decision-making, more administrative work as opposed to "dirty" work, leadership responsibilities, better pay and greater chance of securing an attractive civilian job due to the leadership nature of the job.
I talked to my wife about the decision and she was supportive.
Officer career track was the route that I would have followed if citizenship status was not a hindrance when I was enlisting.
Unfortunately the latest regulations on becoming an officer have lowered the maximum age to enroll to Officer Candidate School to 28.  This was very disappointing to me, but I will continue to progress in the enlisted levels as far as I can for the duration of my contract.

"G. IN SERVICE SOLDIERS IN THE ACTIVE COMPONENT (AC) MUST NOT HAVE REACHED THEIR 28TH BIRTHDAY ON THE DATE OF SUBMISSION OF THEIR OCS PACKET. AC SOLDIERS SHOULD BE AWARE THE TIME GAP FROM SELECTION TO ATTENDANCE IS 6-15 MONTHS."

Some good news that happened this week: I finalized my application for graduate school; I took the DLPT (Defense Language Proficiency Test) and scored the highest point on the pay scale, so I will be getting a little boost to my monthly salary.

I had my wisdom teeth pulled on Monday.  It was not as bad of an experience as I thought it would be. I was given two days off from work to recover. I still have two more teeth to remove, but that wont take place till March.
I am enjoying a four day weekend thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. 

Doing Things That Am Passionate About

Wow! Its almost a year since I posted anything on this blog.
I do not feel bad though, cause I would rather not post than post useless material that are not important in my life.
So what I have been up to since my last post?  Well, a whole lot and I will share those events as I post regularly.
I remember watching the last lecture by Randy Pausch...a former Carnegie Mellon professor.  The lecture was titled: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo. Professor Pausch was on the verge of saying goodbye to this world due to an illness.  In the lecture he shared the things he dreamt of doing/becoming when he grew up..and then he told the audience how he managed to achieve those dreams.
As I watched the lecture, it inspired me to look within: what were my childhood dreams?  Have I achieved any of them?
I sat down and wrote the few childhood dreams that I could remember and promised myself that I would work to achieve them.

The dreams were:
To be a soldier
To be a martial artist

Other ambitions that came along as I was growing up were:
To attain a high level education
To travel and see the world
To own my own business
To have the most fantastic wife/marriage ever.

I managed to achieve quite a few of these dreams in 2012.
I met a lovely lady whose charm, kindness, warmth, love and care won me over in a very short period.  I got engaged and married in the same year and its been the greatest decision and the best addition to my life.  I wake up everyday with a smile when I think of my wife.

I joined the US Army in May 2012....Its a great feeling to become something you have always fantasized about.  Being a soldier has exposed me a different lifestyle of following orders, following a strict schedule, being sent wherever and whenever deemed necessary.  Its an honor to be part of the the greatest military force in the world.

In Jan of this year I was asked to participate in Taekwando training by my unit. I was more than happy to participate in the training.  This was my opportunity to achieve another childhood dream.  In 40hrs of intense training, I became quite proficient in basic martial arts. I love the training so much that I have signed up for more classes.  I plan to use the training to become a self defense trainer to supplement my income once I am out of the Army.

I enrolled back to school; I am currently taking two refresher courses before starting my MBA in entrepreneurship.  This degree and the business plan that I will be working on while pursuing the degree will empower me to start my own business once I am done with the Army.

I have managed to travel to Rwanda, Uganda, Japan, S. Korea and I have entered UK and Netherlands so far. I plan to travel more when my schedule is not overly controlled.

2012 was a year of great achievements.
Getting married, joining the army, getting out of debt, getting closer to my family, overcoming some fears, getting in better shape and much much more.
I have great plans for 2013 and I hope to share my journey with you through this blog.

How was 2012 for you? Did you have any newsworthy events?