Yes, It Happens at the End of the Year Party

“Drink, Drink! C’mon in” ,said my co-worker, pushing me into the party room.
These are the words that signal the kick off of the-end of the year party. Everyone knows that someone, including themselves, will take off their shirt and start belly-dancing. Drinking to the point of unconsciousness is a ritual at this party. No one has a curfew on this fanatical and foolish night. This event seems to erase the boundary between the juniors and the seniors.
However, nothing can bridge the gap between these two factions. The young employees or juniors must not forget to be respectful to their elders or seniors.
In the Japanese culture, age deserves respect whether a senior administrator is highly competent or incompetent or he or she deserves respect. Why? Because senior members of a business behave age rules. That is the way it always has been and continues to be.
Alcohol will never erase the truth. The juniors always have to remember their place in the business hierarchy.
Young versus old, and never the twain do meet. The next morning, it’s business as usual. Last night’s old belly dancer might make you today’s outcast and shamed you in front of everyone for your behavior at the drinking party.
Whether we work in the States, or in Japan, a proper Japanese junior never forgets his culture.

The New Year Coming Up!

Every year, as far as I remember, I spend New Year with my family and my relatives. I loved the fact that all of us who have the similar face gather and joke around at my grandparents house.
However, from this year my New Year might be different. For the first time, I will spend my New Year and Holidays with my friends in Philadelphia. I am grateful that I have my "second"family in Philadelphia, but also, I feel some kind of invisible distance between my family, relatives and friends and me.
It was a ritual that I see my immediate friends whenever I go back to Japan. I let them know what date I was coming back. We were all excited about what we would talk about over coffee and dinner. My friend called every classmate in high school for me when I visited Japan last year. My best friend showed me "what's hot" spots and food in the fancy Department. I miss them and wish we could spend some time together this year too.
The reason why I chose not to go home is simple. It is the politics. From January elect-president Obama might change some of the immigration policy that might affect my status in the U.S. With my visa, I am allowed to go to any country and come back to the U.S., however, because of this turmoil in the world, the computer system that is responsible for keeping individual's visa status document might act improperly. Thus, there is a possibility that the re-entry to the U.S. might become harder for non-U.S. citizens.

Japanese 'Bonenkai"

At the end of the year, most of the Japanese companies host the end of the year party called Bonenkai. It is all about getting away from the stressful work and relaxing. Those liberated employees drink and joke around over funny events or something nothing that happened that year.
Well, the end of year party for our company happened a little earlier. I can say that we had pre-the end of the year party, and it happened in one of the conference rooms at the office. Preparation started around 4 p.m., and pne of the co-workers started to stuff the fridge with bunch of Sapporo.
I was not sure of what was going to happen until two hours later, after our supervisors left the office, a couple of colleagues were making splashing sounds with opening beer cans. I was in total shock. I never thought nor heard that employees would party at their work place.
However, before I knew it, I became the loudest and craziest happy camper. People see me that I am a quiet and diligent, and I do so because I am not still used to how to act like and as Japanese as I used to. I have lived in the States for the last five years, and I seem to have lost the "Japaneseness." So, everyone thought that I was going crazy and losing my sanity when I revealed my true identity with a couple of tasty and sweet Sapporo.
To my co-workers, my act might have looked funny, but, for sure I felt great, feeling accepted for who I am, knowing that it might last only for the next couple of hours until the party ends, but we talked and joked around, which I never had done before.
However, this pre-end of the year party made me realize that they will accept me and I should accept them for who they are and who I am even if we know that we all have different attitudes, notions and perspectives from each other.
From the party, where everyone sincerely worried that I lost my mind, I learned that if I change, they will change too.

Grand Central Illumination

I was walking back from the attorney's office. The attorney is our company's personal lawyer.However, My boss gave me an advice when I deal with him from now on.
He said, " just nod, and do not ever talk back." Also, he started telling me about pet peebs of each clients that he has been working with.
I was following him around because my boss is leaving for Japan due to his personal issue. He has ten major advertisement clients, and has been in the industry for the last eight years, and here I am, a newbie, who joined our company a month ago, is about to take over all of his tasks.
I was filled with anxieties, and he was telling me about the detailed information about each clients on the way back.
Today is Dec 16th. 9 days to go for the Christmas. However, neither of us noticed that the vibe in the Grand Central Station was special and different. Looking around, I saw many different colored lights reflecting the walls around us. I looked up. The blue and yellow lights was moving and filling the large dorm style ceiling. When I turn my head around, I noticed that lights were surrounding us. I felt as if I were in the planetarium.
We needed to go back to the office, so the excursion short. Yet, it surely made me cheerful and joyful.

To the 9th Avenue

I will move most of my belongings from my friend’s house to my new apartment on 9th Avenue in Brooklyn tomorrow.
I have butterflies in my stomach. This is quite similar to how I felt when I was first coming up to New York for my first job.
I did not want to leave Philadelphia. I did not want to have nor to expect to have a post-graduate life in New York. However, the reality was that I did not have any choice.
One of the reasons that I feel still unsettled in New York is that I have only acquaintances, a couple of them in Brooklyn, Queens and even the Long Island. I am still very attached to Philadelphia where I have immediate friends, mentors and most of all, my lifestyle that I loved.
When I was at work, I read the article that there is some kind of a disorder for some New Yorkers. I canot recall its name, but its recognizable symptom is simple; feeling lonely completely alone in the crowd. One of my good friends left New York because he was not able to stand being assimilated even though the crowd surrounded him.
Also, my former professor said, “There is nothing worse than feeling alone in New York. Make friends or get a boyfriend. ”
I laughed at his comment, but I think in a way it makes sense to a certain extent.
Another chapter of my life will start from tomorrow. I will be leaving Astoria, the place that I end up liking and wishing to stay, to all the way down to the 9th Avenue in Brooklyn, the area called “the second China town.”
I am nervous, but I will find the way out to entertain myself and enjoy each moment in New York, staying away from having the disorder!

The Sushi Restraunt

One of my friends finished his internship today at the newspaper company I work for. He has much more experiences than I do. I have worked only for two weeks, and he has worked for six months.
To learn from him about the job and to celebrate the successful ending of his internship, we decided to go to a sushi restaurant that is close to our workplace. Then, I found a peculiar thing that I did notice before.
He did not talk at all while we were eating delicious sushi. I thought I was making uncomfortable, so I asked him why he was quiet.
He said, "I am a quiet person. I just pretend to be a happy camper at the social settings. It is only for business, and it is only for my success."
I was amazed how he could control his emotions and behaviors so easily according to situations, especially to make himself look more appealing and marketable for the network.
On the other hand, I am not good at putting a mask on my face to be someone that I am not, or that I wish to be to be "more sociable." I tried in the past, and I failed. I just felt chocked.
I strongly feel that I wish I could be accepted for who I am and receive credits from others, and go clime up the ladder.
However, he gave me the most important assets to become successful.

He said, "Just be careful of what you say, and respect others."

I thought, ... that I can do it!

Tap Tap Tap!

At the Grand Central Terminal, every night musicians, artists and dancers entertains the pass-bys with their talents and skills.
Three days ago, it was a tap dancer. He danced a long with high-speed famous classic music songs. His tap was sharp and fast. It was as if I were hearing a secretary crazily punching her typewriter. Tatata tatatatata. I wish I could have written down the rhythm and beat. More than anything else, the tap dancer was releasing the powerful energy that heated every audience. Outside was 26 F, but he was in sweat.

Businessman, children and stood in awe, kept moving their eye balls up and down and right to left.

That show was definitely worth good amount of money. I felt uncomfortable not being able to donate money to them, but also felt lucky to have had a chance to hear this astounding performance at the subway station in NY.

Laying Off, Laying Off

Tonight, I read a news report about the Tribune Company filing for bankruptcy. My friend who works for Sheraton told me that about twenty of her co-workers got laid off. Apparently, some of the soon-to-be-former Sheraton workers are now worried about how to support their families.
I am horrified that other companies will also downsize. I never lived during such unpredictable times. Not having enough savings to make myself feel secure, I am losing my mind because of this "second depression."
I am sure that people have a lot of trust in president-elect Barack Obama. They want to believe that he can change their lives. However,the most important thing to remember is knowing how to change your life by yourself.
My mentor once said, "You are unfortunate when you allow misfortune to affect and destroy your life."

Life in Astoria and Kensington

The bridge over the broadway station in Queens looks very similar to that of Kensington in Philadelphia. Kensington was the area that I needed to cover for stories for my Journalism capstone class.

This area in Queens is called Astoria. It could be called "fishtown" of Queens. It is busy in the day time, but it is very quiet at night time. Supermarkets, tailers and flowershops fills the street. The Christmas illuminations in the air are beautiful.

However, there are some garbage, old magazines and used toilet papers on the street, and they remind me of the streets of Kensington.

I remember how warm-hearted and ambitious Kensington residents were, at least the ones that I met and interviewed. They were trying to become better than who they are. The area was labeled as one of the notorious areas in Philadelphia and so are they. However, I do know that it is the resources that the people need to improve the quality of their lives. It is not entirely their fault who create social problems in Kensington.

Most likely, very few people from the place have been to Astoria and to "new york" where the opportunities for careers and dreams await them. I do know that life is not fair, but I just wish that Kensington residents have a chance to come this place and have the life they deserve.