Jimmy’s Blog

As a follow-up to the last blog about my random observations of Tokyo, here’s a few thoughts about Hong Kong and the Philippines:

Hong Kong

–          Hong Kong has one of the best airports in the world.   Their Airport Express, r.e. train from the airport to downtown Hong Kong is my favorite one of any of the major cities.   Once you get through customs and claim your bag, you simply purchase a ticket for about $20 dollar and the ride from the airport to the downtown Central station is only 20 minutes away.   And, it’s even better on the way back … you can check-in for your flight at the train station … then simply ride the train with your carry-on without the hassle of lugging around your luggage.

–          Similarly to other major cities that are built on islands – such as Tokyo and New York – the number of skyscraper is mind-boggling.  But, it makes total sense since HK doesn’t have the land mass.  So, instead of spreading out, it has to build up.  This is particularly interesting to a person from Washington, DC since there aren’t any skyscraper buildings in DC.

–          The Star Ferry is a great way to get across the Hong Kong Bay … for about a quarter you can ride from Hong Kong’s Central to the Kowloon side.

–          Victoria Peak is a must-see for people coming to HK for the first time.  It’s cool to ride the trolley up the steep peak.  The views are staggering and beautiful.

–          The one-hour turbo boat ride from HK to Macau is also very easy and enjoyable.   Macau has now surpassed Las Vegas in terms of total dollars spent gambling.  It doesn’t have the Vegas strip … and LV has many more shows … but Macau is definitely now a gambling mecca (although I don’t gamble or bet).

–          They have superb tailors in Hong Kong.  I went to visit my favorite tailor for the first time in 5 years at the Mandarin Oriental.  I purchased 3 – 4 suits from them back then and just ordered two new suits.  I normally go suit shopping with a lady friend but this time I went solo – hope I did okay in picking out the right colors and texture.   LOL.

–          Love Lan Kwai Fong, which I refer to as the “Georgetown” of HK.  So many fun restaurants and bars.  And, in particular, I love the Filipino cover bands that belt out the pop, R&B and rock hits.

–          A one-hour Chinese foot massage for only $20 is a great bargain.  So relaxed afterwards.

Philippines

–          This country reminds me very much of Brazil with the disparity of income levels.  There’s definitely a clear distinction between the “haves” and “have-nots.”  But, what I love is that similarly to the Brazilians, the Filipinos, despite a vast majority of them not having much income or material goods, have a “joy and happiness about life.”

–          I still can’t figure out how their traffic flows so smoothly without many accidents … it’s a confluence of cars, trucks, buses, jeepney’s, motorcycles, motorcycles with side cars and bicycles.  Somehow, there’s a flow and they roll along without many horns honking or people cursing – pretty much the opposite of how Americans drive in the US.

–          Similarly to the favela’s in Rio de Janeiro, Manila has so many poor areas.  It’s hard to describe the huts and shacks that abound in Manila and its’ outlying areas.   But, as noted earlier, the citizens seem happy and live life with what’s been given to them.

–          NBA jerseys everywhere.  And, the Filipinos seem to love the LA Lakers.  I was there in Manila while the Lakes were defeating the Celtics for the NBA Championship.   But, not just Lakers jerseys, I also saw jerseys everywhere for LeBron, D-Wade, Ginobli, Shaq, Rondo, etc.  Soon, they’ll be sporting Wizards jersey with John Wall’s name on the back.  J

–          The food wasn’t as good as in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but that’s also probably because I grew up eating Japanese and Chinese food.

–          The prices are ridiculously low … for nearly everything.  It’s odd since it seems you’re paying a lot for items with the Pesos, but when you calculate it, it’s very inexpensive.

–          I went to my friend’s cousin’s wedding in a city called Tarlac – which is two hours from Manila and where the current President is from.  One of the groomsmen didn’t make it so I filled in.  What a memorable experience – wearing the barong and taking in my first-ever traditional Filipino wedding.  Fortunately, the families were so gracious and warm – they instantly made me feel at home.  For that, I’m thankful.

Okay, back to DC now …

I’m leaving Tokyo today to head back to Washington, DC.   It’s been a terrific nearly two weeks here in Asia.  I’ve split my time among Tokyo, Hong Kong and Manila.  The trip was a combination of business development meetings for my strategic advisory sports business, JLynn Associates, and Georgetown Univ’s Sports Industry Management program as well as spending time with relatives and friends.

Here’s a few random observations about Tokyo (will write up a separate one about HK and Manila):

– definitely one of the most efficient airports in the world.  Despite being such a heavily-trafficked airport, one’s bags are waiting for you at the baggage claim within 20 minutes of arriving at Narita

– the Japanese people are so courteous.  You are welcomed warmly at the airport … even the baggage handlers for the airport express bus bow and wave to you as you depart

– I don’t how these bus drivers navigate the congested and crowded roads in Tokyo — especially the narrow side streets.  But, they expertly do so with grace.   And, when they exchange drivers, the drivers bow and thank the customers as they leave the bus (compare that with some of the surly bus drivers we have in the US)

– Talk about tall buildings?  Just like Manhattan, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and other major cities — everywhere you look there are skyscrapers

– Although I’m half-Japanese / half-Caucasian, I definitely feel in the minority here (no knock – just like living in the US — the only place I’m in the majority is in the land of the hapa haole’s … Hawaii

– Coolest toilets in the hotel (Prince Park Tower Tokyo) … when you open the door, the lid automatically opens up … and the toilet has heated seats and a bidet built in (which includes water temp and directional capability) … and when you close the door, the lid and seat automatically close (this is good for guys since they won’t get yelled at for leaving the seat up!)

– Went to two of our family cemeteries to pay respects … amazing … over 600 years old … I get an incredible amount of strength and spirit from these yearly visits to pay my respects (it was particularly special this year to visit both the Tobari and Matsumoto family cemeteries)

– Love my relatives … my Mom’s sister, Aunt Yasuko, is a special lady.  It’s neat for me to visit with them since she and her husband live on the same plot of land that my mother’s family grew up in Setagaya.  They’ve lived on that land since ’39. I used to regularly visit my grandmother and great aunt in Setagaya (including many summers).  My aunt and uncle had a new house build on that land but they’ve kept many of the old stones.

– The food, the food, the food.  NY Times article said NY has the most restaurants of any US city with 25,000 places.  Article said there are over 150,000 restaurants in Tokyo!  Yes, it’s expensive here, but there’s so many options it’s easy to eat find inexpensive food here (I love the ramen noodle shops).

– Harajuku is such a cool, hip and fun spot.  The youngsters there are so experimental in their clothing designs and outfits.  Also love Roppongi (and Roppongi Hills).  It’s cool to see the mixture of new hip spots combined with the Japanese temples and shrines that hundreds and hundreds of years old.

– The hotel service is impeccable.  You are greeted with friendly and warm gestures throughout the hotel — they’re appreciative of the patronage.   For one who travels frequently and often runs into surly or unhappy hotel staff, this is a welcome change.

I could write so much more but I’m going to take one more long walk outside of the hotel before I depart for Narita Airport.

Peace.

Yesterday was a special day as AOL celebrated its’ 25th anniversary on the Dulles, VA campus.  Major kudos to AOL’s CEO, Tim Armstrong, and his management team for making the decision to celebrate the anniversary in a special way — by dedicating three buildings on the campus to former AOL CEO and Chairman – Steve Case, former AOL Vice-Chairman – Ted Leonsis  and AOL Founder – Jim Kimsey.

I had the incredible honor of serving as one of three former AOL’ers (along with Jim Bankoff and Danny Krifcher) to make remarks and introduce Ted.  We had 4 minutes to make our remarks — in front of over 2,000 people (including over 500 AOL alumni)!  I’m used to public speaking but I was a bit nervous during rehearsals since it was such a large space.  But, as the time came near to make our remarks, I felt an incredible amount of positive energy — I think due in part to the fact we’d be addressing so many long-time friends.  Internally, I said to myself, “… it feels good to be back home.”   That’s how I felt in seeing so many of the wonderful people that helped build AOL into a powerhouse in the 1990’s.

I’m also still amazed at how wonderful Steve and Ted are in making public remarks.  While Danny, Jim and I had a script — which we rehearsed a number of times — Steve and Ted spoke with no script — and spoke directly from their hearts.   Simply spectacular.   This must be a great feeling for these three executives to have buildings named after them (HQ is named after Steve, CC-1 is named after Ted and CC-2 is named after Jim).

It was also terrific to see how Tim Armstrong, who was named CEO in March 2009, embraced the management team that built AOL into an industry leader.  He also called out a number of the execs who each played a key role in the ascension of AOL.  I’m sure that a number of AOL alumni appreciated the acknowledgment of the past as well as the intent to re-connect and kick-start AOL into becoming an industry powerhouse once again.

As I’ve written in the past, the thing that was most special about AOL was the people.  AOL was full of terrific people — smart, driven, caring, compassionate, competitive, etc.  Much of this emanated from the terrific leadership in place at the time.  Steve and Ted inspired and motivated us.  We worked long, long hours to build AOL into a great company.  But, we didn’t care about the long hours since this was our passion – we were creating a new medium.  So, in summary, yesterday was a special day — it was special in that deserving people were so highly honored by having the main buildings named after them — and it was special to see so many of the AOL family — past and present — there to participate in this joyous celebration.

Saturday was a special day on the Georgetown University campus as graduation ceremonies were staged throughout the day.  I loved walking to campus — and seeing so many smiles as families were surrounding their soon-to-graduate son or daughter.   Pictures were being snapped everywhere one went.

I got there about one hour early to the Leavey Center to prepare for the ceremony and to interact with the students and fellow faculty members.  I loved seeing the energy of our students as they were lining up and getting ready to walk on the stage to receive their diploma.   Along with Professor Bobby Goldwater, who was just awarded our Professor of the Year for the SIM program, I had the great honor of serving as the “hooders” for our large class of students.   Our Associate Dean of SIM, Matt Winkler, called us on stage as our students lined up to have their name announced, then they were hooded and the congratulated by Matt, Bobby, myself and our Dean of the School of Continuing Studies, Rob Manuel.

Congratulating the students on the stage was a highlight but the other big highlight for me was meeting the parents.   As I told the parents about their outstanding son or daughter, the pride and smiles on the faces of the parents was simply priceless.  Is there greater joy than the pride of a parent?  This was particularly poignant for me since it took me back many years to when I received my MBA.  My father was more of the strong, silent type vs an exuberant and excited type, but I clearly vision the great pride and joy on his face as I was conferred my graduation degree.  Since my father passed away over two years ago, these type of special memories are more important than ever to me.   With those great memories in mind, I wanted to make sure to meet as many parents as possible over this past weekend.

In addition to my many graduate students that I teach / advise / mentor, I also wanted to congratulate and meet the parents of my undergraduate students.  But, since both the MSB and SCS ceremonies were held at the same time, I couldn’t be at both places — fortunately, I was able to seek out and meet the families of some of my undergrad students at the MSB reception.

As I’ve told these students over and over — just because they’re graduation doesn’t mean this will be the last time we’ll see them.  Instead, they’re now part of our large and growing Sports network and family.   My hearty congratulations to all of the graduates — and congratulations to all of the loving parents and family members I met this weekend.    Hoya saxa.

I’ve written a few blogs recently about the importance of mentoring and philanthropy — as well as about the terrific partnership we created between Georgetown University’s GAMBLE (Georgetown University’s Minority Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs) and Year Up — one of the best non-profit organizations in the greater DC region.

Here’s a link to a guest column about these subjects that is now on WashingtonPost.com — http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/guestinsights/2010/05/business-mentorship.html.  I encourage your input and thoughts.  Thank you.

This past Tuesday evening, I was given a fantastic honor — I was selected as one of the recipients for Mayor Fenty’s 2010 Community Service Award for my efforts in the Asian and Pacific Islander community.  The award recognizes the recipients for their “pioneering spirit, commitment to community, and exceptional leadership and community service.”

Unfortunately, I was out of the country and not able to attend the award ceremony at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library.  This was part of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration.  Fortunately, Rosetta Lai, our outstanding Executive Director of Asian-American LEAD was there to accept the award on my behalf.

My gratitude goes to the District of Columbia’s Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs for honoring me with this wonderful award.  I share this award on behalf of the my fellow board of director and advisory council members of Asian-American LEAD and the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholar Fund as well as the many staffers, volunteers, mentors, donors, etc that all play such an important role in helping create a more level playing field.   Thank you to everyone for your tireless energy and terrific efforts in helping so many deserving youths in the greater Washington, DC region.

Here’s my latest download on the Washington, DC sports scene:

– Nationals:  it’s great to see how the team is playing.  4 games above .500 and in second place in the highly competitive NL East.  More importantly, the team is headed in the right direction … they’re building a terrific farm system, have added a number of core veterans – especially Pudge, who is their early-season MVP, and have added speed and defense – which absolutely helps the pitching staff pitch with more confidence.  Then, in June, we’ll most likely see the additions of Strasburg and Storen – and maybe even Wang, which should have a great overall effect on the entire pitching rotation.   Looking forward to a good, entertaining summer at Nats Park!

– Redskins:  really like what Shanahan and Allen are doing in re-making the roster.  The draft was fine – the selection of Trent Williams was a no-brainer.  The trade for McNabb should turn out quite well – especially in terms of leadership, additional wins and improved team chemistry.  The only downer for now is Haynesworth.  His attitude is poor and ridiculous.  He is the highest paid player on the team – heck, in the league — yet, he’s not a team player — too selfish.  It’s a bummer to see since he is so highly talented – he is simply a force on the field.  Yet, he can’t even get into great playing shape (as he admitted last year).  Give me a less talented but more motivated player any day of the week.

– Capitals:  yes, it was disappointing to see how the season ended – especially with such lofty expectations for the play-offs.  But, the team is still young and they need to learn how to win in the play-offs.  The Edmonton Oilers went through this in the early 80’s and the Chicago Bulls went through this in the late 80’s – especially w/ their play-off losses to Detroit.  Then, both teams went on to win multiple championships.  The same can happen here with the Caps.  And, they did provide us with the best sports experience in DC over the past year.  They became a “must-see” experience.  Congrats on a superb season.

– Wizards:  yep, a very hard season to stomach.  But, I’m extremely optimistic that they’ll have a good off-season and will drastically improve the team.  They have over $18 million in cap space to target free agents, two first-round picks – including a high one, two mid-cap slots available, and a core of young talent that should hopefully continue to improve.  Unlike the other major sports, it only takes 1 – 2 additional core players to make a rapid improvement.   The new ownership group did a great rebuilding job with the Caps and they will do the same with the Wizards.

– United, Mystics and Freedom — DC is fortunate to have so many professional teams.  Although these teams may not get as much coverage as the others in DC, they are all entertaining and a terrific family value.  DC United is the most successful team in MLS history – they’re off to a slow start but it’s a long season and they will bounce back.  The Mystics brought in Katie Smith and have added a couple of good, new young players.  And, the Freedom showcases the leading American player, Abby Wambach.   All of these teams are entertaining and well-priced for young adults and families.

Another good and interesting week this past week.

– Mon, Apr 19th — attended a terrific meeting at the home of the Rockefeller Foundation at 30 Rock Plaza.  I’m working on a strategic partnership opportunity with Legacy Connect — a terrific business that is aiming to “digitize philanthropy.”  And, it was great to be in the offices of one of founding families of philanthropy.

– Mon, Apr 19th — attended a dinner in the honor of President Kikwete of Tanzania.  This was a special and unique experience — my first-ever dinner for a president of a country.  Among the guests at the table I sat was Phil de Picciotto, President of Octagon; Kevin Liles, former President of Def Jam Records; Chaka Zulu, the manager of Ludacris; the head of tourism for Tanzania, etc.   The focus of the dinner was on improving the education system in Tanzania.  They are making remarkable strides under the leadership of President Kikwete, but there’s much more work that needs to be done.  It was definitely a memorable evening.

– Wed, Apr 21st — had a great dinner with two of my mentees, William and Mike, as well as a former co-worker from AOL, Rodney.   I’m so proud of the growth and maturation of both Will and Mike.  Mike graduated from Hampton a few years ago and is doing quite well.  Will is only a few classes away from getting his degree from Bowie State.  The focus of the dinner conversation was the importance of Will finishing his degree by the end of this year.  His graduation ceremony will be one of the great thrills of my life (I’ve been his mentor for 10 years).

– Fri, Apr 23 — we held our business case competition for the Year Up students at Georgetown University.   This was a spectacular day … our Georgetown Univ students from GAMBLE (Georgetown’s Aspiring Minority Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs) mentored / advised Year Up students on how to put together a business case.   There were 16 groups presenting to the judges — comprised of Georgetown faculty, MBA students and local corporate executives.   After a highly competitive and successful 4 hours of competition, we held an awards luncheon.  I was given the great honor of delivering the keynote speech.  I stressed the importance of mentoring as well as why both Georgetown University and Year Up have both been so important to me.  I made a pledge at the lunch to write a check for $2,500 for the first Year Up student to attend Georgetown.  We also had terrific speeches from Zaneta Chionuma, GAMBLE’s President, Dean Norean Sharpe and Assoc Dean Patricia Louison of GU and Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, the Exec Dir of Year Up.    It was a special day … one that I will cherish for a long time.

What a terrific week this past week has been … I wrote earlier this week about our first-ever Asian Leadership Forum.   Other notable highlights from this week:

– Wed, Apr 14th:  the Greater Washington Board of Trade hosted a session on the importance of  “leveraging strategic partnerships.”  Jim Dinegar, the outstanding CEO of the BOT hosted the sessions — the three panelists were Leslie Thornton of Courtesy Associates, Jim Van Eperen of the Washington Group and myself.    We had a terrific exchange, then a robust Q&A with the BOT members.  And, I’ve received over 10 terrific emails … in the process of scheduling follow-up meetings now.   The BOT is a great place to meet new friends and to generate new business.

– Thu, Apr 15th:  I delivered a presentation on “Working and Networking in the Sports Industry” to about 35 – 40 students from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.  The class I teach is comprised of seniors — who are terrific — but this group was made up of mostly freshman and sophomores.  This was a home run of an event.  The questions they asked were terrific and some of the emails were absolutely tremendous.  Some of the ideas / thoughts generated from the 19 and 20 year olds blew me away …. so impressive.  I’m going to work with many of them in an advisory capacity in the coming years.  Then, maybe someday I’ll end up working for a couple of them.  🙂

– Fri, Apr 16th:  I wrote last week about the terrific partnership between Georgetown’s GAMBLE and the Year Up organization.  On Friday morning, we hosted approximately 100 Year Up students on the Georgetown campus.   GAMBLE members advised / mentored the Year Up students on how to construct a business case — in preparation for the business case competition next Fri, Apr 23.  It was absolutely inspiring for me to see how well this partnership is working.  So looking forward to next week’s case competition.

– Sat, Apr 17th:  Took my mentee, Sally, to the dog park at 17th and S.  Sally has always wanted a dog but no pets are allowed in her apartment.  So, we went to visit with my friend’s dog.  That was my first experience in a dog park – what an experience!  So many dogs running around and chasing each other.  The look on Sally’s face was priceless – she loved hanging out with the dogs.  I’ve told her I may get a dog – but I also told her she’ll have to help me take care of it from time to time.