Alternate Endings

What if I did this instead of that? We think back the different choices we could have made which could have changed our lives. Why do we think back in our pasts to think about alternate choices? I'm no psychologist. I believe there are two reasons. The first reason is to learn from our mistakes. The second reason is to make us feel better in a sad moment.

We are human. We make bad choices. Sometimes there are bad moments that happen beyond our control. Bad timing and bad luck are part of life. We must continue forward. The world didn't come to an end.

Here are some past moments and the possible alternate endings:

Graduated At Prospect High School. I attended Blackford High School for three years. The Campbell Union High School District made the decision to close two schools because of the recession. Blackford High School closed for my senior year. I finished my high school at Prospect High School.

What if Blackford High School remained open? 1. My classes were easier. The teachers at Prospect were more challenging than Blackford. 2. No driver's license. I lived within biking distance from home to Blackford. 3. I could have been the senior cadet officer in my R.O.T.C. class. 4. I saw all my friends at Blackford instead of seeing half my Blackford friends at Prospect. 5. I could say I attended a school for at least four years. I attended my junior high school for three years. I attended three elementary schools for two years each.

Graduated With An Economics Degree. I started my education at San Jose State University majoring in Mathematics and minoring in Economics. I changed my major to Economics and my minor to Mathematics.

What if I graduated with a different major? Accounting and Geology were also my new major choices. If I majored in Accounting, I had a better chance finding a job quicker after I graduated and I had a better chance finding a job if I lose my job because of layoffs. I might have earned a CPA because it was much easier earning a CPA back then compared to today. And a major in Accounting and a minor in Economics were a good combination of business knowledge and analytical thinking.

If I majored in Geology, then I'm likely in the same job situation with an Economics degree. It was hard to find a job and it was hard to find a job in a recession.

Finished De Anza College In Spring '11. My A.A. degree in Accounting was completed at the end of the Winter '11. I finished De Anza in Spring '11 because I wanted to take the Auditing class which was offered only in spring quarters.

What if I ended De Anza in Winter '11? I could have started job searching three months earlier. I could have took a mini vacation three months earlier. I could have realized how the job market changed and how job searching changed since 2008 three months earlier. The bottom line was my new life started three months earlier.

What if I didn't attend De Anza? I might have found a job. My friends who looked for a job during the recession found a job. I experienced job searching in a tough market for the first time in my life. I didn't experience real student life I should have experienced back at San Jose State which included making new friends, having fun, making mistakes, and being youthful again.

Attended Anime Expo '07. Anime Expo '07 was held at the Long Beach Convention Center temporarily for one year. Their contract at the Anaheim Convention Center ended in '06.

What if I skipped Anime Expo '07? I didn't experience another bad con. I saved money. I saved my vacation time. I didn't get sick after the Fourth Of July holiday. The Long Beach Convention Center was too small for a big attendance. There were not enough hotel rooms. The hot temperatures made the experience worse for outdoor events and the lines for events.

I should have listened to my intuition which said Anime Expo '07 was going to be a bad convention. I wanted to keep my Anime Expo attendance streak intact.

Full Metal Alchemist Anime Saved Me From Quitting Anime. One of Fanime Con '04's programming was the Full Metal Alchemist Midnight Marathon. The anime series was popular in Japan. It was my opportunity to watch the series.

I talked to a friend who graduated college the day before the marathon. He told me he was phasing out of anime. I thought about quitting anime the rest of the day.

What if I didn't watch Full Metal Alchemist? I quit anime at the end of '04. I watched 17 episodes from midnight to 7am. I choose to wear a costume of the main character at the end of episode eight. I continued being an anime fan from '05 to '14. Full Metal Alchemist is my all time favorite anime series. I met lots of new people and made lots of new friends. I have little friends today without continuing anime.

Contract At Cisco Terminated On Nov '08. I was a Business Analyst from Mar '07 to Nov '08. My contract ended because the real estate financial bubble bursted.

What if I continued working at Cisco through '09? I didn't experience a blessing in disguise when my contract was terminated. I didn't take a break from life. I didn't experience being a beginner again. I didn't experience correcting the mistakes I made before I realized I must grow up on Sat Oct 4, '08. I never attended De Anza College from '09-'11 to relive college life.

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