Category: Boston College

Reflections on My Time at Shearman & Sterling

Below is a reproduction of my departure memo.

After seven and a half years at the firm, this is my last week at Shearman & Sterling.  It’s been an amazing run.

When I look back on my time at the firm, I realize how tremendously blessed I’ve been.

To Entitled Eagles: You’re Not Special

Dear Entitled Eagles,

Despite attending a prestigious university called Boston College, there are certain things that you are not entitled to.

First, you’re not entitled to any particular grade.  Certainly not an A or a B, or even a C+.

Grades measure your knowledge and abilities, however imperfectly.  If you exhibit superior capabilities, you get high marks.  If you exhibit deficiencies,

I Mock, Because I Don’t Understand

I am opinionated about a whole range of topics with little knowledge on a very small number of things.

The result of this less-than-ideal combination of personality and intellectual (in)capacity is that I have a tendency to mock, rather loudly and proudly, things I don’t understand.

Take art.  I am an uncivilized philistine, so it is probably fair

I’m Available to Give a Lecture on So Many Topics

One of the things I remain mystified about is why no one has ever asked me to give a lecture.  I would have thought that a person like me with an opinion on a whole range of topics would be hounded to share just a small portion of all the invaluable insight.

The only explanation I have for

To Underclassmen Eagles: Make Not Just Friends, But Friends Who Are Different

Dear Underclassman Eagles,

After you graduate from Boston College,  you'll realize that your years at Chestnut Hill shaped many aspects of your life.  The liberal arts education that instilled a sense of public service is one.  The life-long friendships that you formed is another.

As an underclassman, you're likely still building your circle of friends, and to those who

There is So Much to Love About Autumn

For me, the fall will always mark the beginning of a new year.  For nearly two decades, September is when I progressed one year in the educational ladder.  Now that I'm working,  fall is when I tack on another year in my experience as a working professional.  I've always loved this season because it's when

Living Life Without Regrets

I don't have a lot of regrets in my life.  If forced to name them, I have a list of three to choose from, but people laughed at me the one time I talked about how I forever regret choosing to study for my constitutional law exam instead of attending my very first Brad Paisley concert,

Two Life Lessons From Failure of Johannes Kepler

I had one of the most deeply reflective moments about life in college in, of all places, math class, from a professor who shared a story about a failure of Johannes Kepler before he discovered that the planets orbit the sun in an elliptical curve.

Back in Kepler's days, scientists were aware of only six planets.  Kepler

To Overachieving Eagles: How to Inflate Your GPA

Dear Overachieving Eagles,

Being a natural overachiever, many of you will seek to become the cream of the crop of American society by obtaining a degree that's even higher than the Bachelor of Arts, like M.A., M.D., J.D., M.B.A. or Ph.D.

As an overeducated double Eagle myself, I have some experience with knowing what it takes to

In Memory of John Ezzard (1984-2012)

John was a couple years behind me at Boston College.  I don't exactly recall how we initially met, but we quickly became close friends because I was Japanese and he was interested in Japan.

John had a great laugh.  He and I come from a different political mold, he of the moderate left and I of

Reading Isn’t What It Used to Be, and That’s a Good Thing

For the longest time, I had no interest in reading.  

I swear it started in high school, when novels like "The Grapes of Wrath," "Walden Pond" and "The Old Man and the Sea" sent me into temporary comas.  I think my experience proves that just because a book is a "classic" doesn't mean kids in

Music Tied to My Life Moments

My life consists of obsessions and it's no different with music.  When I buy new music, I listen to it over and over (and over and over) again until it is playing in my head and driving me insane.  I then find the next music to obsess about.   Because of this, many of the songs

In Defense of My Education…

A couple months ago, I defended lawyers. To show that I can make myself even more lovable, today I defend my educational background, which I thought spoke for itself.  For this show of narcissism that's paralleled, y'all can thank my office neighbor, who, upon hearing the details of my academic history,  questioned whether I slipped through the

Oh How I Love Myself

I love myself.

This blog is all about me, which is why I love it and I need people to read it, comment on it and love it.

If I'm partaking in a conversation, I need to be the center of attention.  I need people to laugh at my stories and show interest in what I say

From Baseball Cap to Handgun: Story of Joe’s Rebellion

My parents are typical Asian parents.  They are controlling and overbearing.  That I was their oldest--and only--son probably didn't help much.

I think it's psychologically healthy for every child to go through a rebellious period against his or her parents (within means, of course), but I fear I missed out on that experience when I had

It’s March Again and It’s Madness, Frozen and Fantastic

It's March again and you know what that means.

March Madness

Frozen Four

Fantasy Baseball

The sports trifecta.

It's sad to know that I've reached a point and career in my life where no one bothers to invite me to fill out a bracket unless I beg.  So I just created a league and cajoled my colleagues to join.  As

I Try to Kid, But I (Sometimes) Have a Point

For better or for worse, I seem to leave a distinct impression on people, although I can't tell whether the impression I leave is good or bad.  One week into my foray into law school at the particularly liberal Rutgers of Newark, people started coming up to me and saying, "So you're the new conservative,

To Future Eagles: It Does Indeed Suck to B.U.

To a Future Eagle,

Congratulations on your acceptance to Boston College!

The odds are that in the past year and a half, you carefully researched BC's academic program, spoke with the students already attending, and toured the school to get a feel for the campus so your choice to attend the school is a result of thoughtful

Where Juku Took Me, Despite Myself

My college professor once sarcastically remarked that I'm a collector.  That I am.  I don't just collect the popular, and the more common sensical, baseball cards or foreign money.  No, no.  I collect crap like movie stubs and hotel card keys (which I eventually stopped because I realized that's not crap, it's trash).

Then there is

“Bond, James Bond” My Name Ain’t

James Bond is a cool name because it's short, crisp and balanced.  The last is important.  You can't suavely pull off a "Bond, James Bond" if it's "Bondessville, Jim Bondessville."

My name, on the other hand, is long and unbalanced, with a one syllable first name and a four syllable last name.

Maybe This March Will Be Mad Enough For BC To Make A Real Run

It's that wonderful time of the year again, when America's economy loses an estimated $4 billion in productivity with no help from a recession because employees obsess about college games to which they have little to no connection.

And it's not just at work either.  I remember when I was in high school, classmates brought in

Law School Rejection That Was Well Planned

It's that time of the year again when college and grad school applicants are beginning to get anxious.  Law schools, with their rolling admissions, tend to decide the fate of the applicants several weeks earlier than others.

I am happy to report that the two friends I know were applying to law schools were admitted to

Eagles in SI, Memories of an Umbrella and Business Attire

I received this week's issue of Sports Illustrated yesterday.  I read SI on my commute, always in the same order:  the back page column, the front page photos, and then the "Players" section, which is increasingly becoming my favorite after the departure of columnist Rick Reilly.

For the first time that I can recall, the topic

Futility in Writing Effort

When you're an attorney, you're almost expected to be published.  In two law-related jobs that I've held, one of the first questions I was asked was "Were you on a law journal?"  I managed to survive at the law firm and with the judge despite my answer in the negative, but I could always see

If You Don’t Eat a Whale, Don’t Complain About Whaling

While I was in Japan, I read a story along these lines about Australian sailors' efforts to stop Japanese whaling practices and an editorial in a newspaper by an European objecting to how Japan is raping their seas.

I can think of no issue that pisses me off more than the Western objection to Japanese whaling,

On the Debacle Firing of Boston College Football Headcoach

You can't make this stuff up.

Boston College football's head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, affectionately known as Jags, will be fired by Boston College after proceeding to interview for the New York Jets' vacant head coach position even after Athletic Director Gene DeFelippo warned him doing so would lead to his termination.

This bizarre turn of events came

On Random Thoughts BC

$10 million for each ACC team?  Wow that's a lot of cash.  And I know exactly where that $10 million went.  A million bucks on a staircase and now $10 million on a building that's already standing...  Hmmm...  All kidding aside, $10 million on restoration of Gasson Hall is a money well spent.  The building

On a Good Shellacking Leveled Against BC Football

This one was just painful to watch.

I knew the Eagles were in trouble when V-Tech marched right down the field with little resistance on its first drive.  The BC offense just isn't built to come back from big deficits, and the first drive was just too easy.

On BC’s Thanksgiving Win

It was an impressive win.  It wasn't miraculous, like last week at Wake Forest.  It wasn't dominating, like the week before at Florida State.  But the victory sure was methodical, the defense dominating, the offense sufficient, converting two turnovers while committing none, and the coach making aggressive calls.  It wasn't an easy win, but it

On Holy Shit (Part II) Boston College Football Victory

24-21, BC over Wake Forest.

Yesterday, I would've told you this is as expected.  After how the game transpired today, this is another "Holy Shit I Can't Believe They Pulled It Off" game.

Which victory was more unlikely?  BC's come from behind victory at Virginia Tech last year that required two touchdowns and an onside kick in

On the Many Things Making My Life Suck Right Now

My dad sent a random e-mail yesterday, reminding me  of the series of unfortunate events that have been taking place:

1) The Yankess did not make the playoffs; 2) The Patriots, sans Brady, is mediocre at best ten months after blowing the Super Bowl; and 3) The GOP got whacked earlier this month.

I also reminded him that the

On a Job Well Done by the Boston College Football Team

"Well done" best summarizes what I want to say about BC's 27-17 victory over the Florida State Seminoles, the team that ended BC's unbeaten streak last year and the team that seems to perennially underperform.

Against a team that wins on the running game, the defense's performance was extraordinary.  FSU's leading rusher of the game was

On Thoughts About the BC-VTech Game

Whether you call the ACC mediocre or competitive, the result is the same: BC has a shot of making something happen despite Crane at QB because anyone can beat anyone in the conference (and yes, that includes Duke).

To say that I was pleasantly surprised by the game's result is an understatement. I made the four
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