New ideas pass through three periods...........

...
1) It can't be done.
2) It probably can be done, but it's not worth doing.
3) I knew it was a good idea all along!

I talked with my friend, who hanged out with me in China today, ust to hear the great news. It's not anything big, but it made me so excited!
When I was in China, one friend asked me to help them put with one thing. He and his friends were opening a small hotel, rather hostel, if I may say. Even before opening the rooms were somehow reserved. It's a mystery how they conducted advertising, but no matter what it was, it worked. They opened a hostel-hotel in a nice style, the interior and everything was done by them personally. Those friends have two different shops already, one is called 木里 and is a nice cafe, decorated in a very raw style. Another one, which was actually the first thing they started was a small flower shop, whichh luckily was located close to the place where I was staying in China. Actually this small flower shop started everything.

The Flower Shop.

Everything that I experienced in Xiamen, started from this small Flower Shop. People I met, places I saw, friends I made. It's all thanks to this special place. The name is 花骡子, which is partly a name of an owner. But of course, Chinese names have their meanings, so if I were to translate it literally, it means Flower Mule (you know, Mule like an animal).

So, what I was saying is, the guys who started the Flower Shop, opened a hotel this time. And I suggested them to put it on hostelworld.com website to get some foreign guests too. They conceded and I was asked to help with correcting English desciption of the hotel. And so I did it. I uploaded photos, added my description and I was waiting for my friend to do something more with it.

My time in China passed by quickly, and everyone forgot about hostelworld. As I said, the hotel's business was doing quite good, but it was popular mostly by Chinese tourists.

Here is the hostelworld page about my friends' hostel. It's called Shop No 2, as it was created in a style of Flower Shop, which is the first shop. The interior design is very unique and a bit of an Asian style but a bit modern in a way. It's hard to explain in words, the photos on hostelworld might not be enough either, but click HERE and check it out yourself!

And the good news I heard today was that the first reservation came! Apparently my friend added updated rates and prices on the website, and today they recieved the very very first reervation, made by two UK girls. I already gave some piece of advice to my friend, making him angry almost. Well, but the first foreign guests! It's going to be a big day! 13th of February!

Today is a good day~!

I had a dream that I was awake and I woke up to find myself asleep.

Here I am, first night shift (and first in general) in my new workplace. It's not as fascinating as one might want to, but not as boring as I expected it to be either. Time is moving slower and slower ever since it showed midnight and I'm here, accompanied with one nice security guard, who's quite eager to chat, sometimes maybe too eager.

Till now, I talked with a few guests. With one only through the intercom, when he asked to open the door for him. Then his girlfriend came. On the reception desk, in a place where the guests' eyesight doesn't reach we have a tv, which looks like it experienced a lot, which showes the security camera's view. After letting the guest in, letting his girlfriend in, I could see like a movie scene in the tv, where Mister-Room-No-003 and his Lady were hugging in front of the room for around 3 minutes 45 seconds, kissing a bit and then moved inside the room.

Then, a drunk guest from room no..... somewhere on the second floor, came down to ask about some convenience store or a place where he could buy cigarettes. It was no top secret that he was a bit tipsy (ok, 'a bit' is too diplomatic), as the vodka-smelly breath reached my nose which is big enough to smell all. Mr Security Guard showed him the way, but before it happened the Vodka-Breath-Guest showed me his membership card for our hotels group with pride reflected in his eyes. 'Yes, sir. We are very happy you are staying with us'.

Another guest passed by the reception quickly hiding his face, but both me and Mr SG saw that the guest must have had been in a fight, and he probably hadn't won. But as scary as his face looked like, he seemed very nice, because he properly greeted me with 'Good evening'. I want to believe it was not him who started the fight. I bet someone must have been in trouble, and he just wanted to save the person in need, so he got punched in his face. For a good cause!

It's still only half past one, so I need to take my time doing things. Till 5 am, I have no real job to do, so I'm going back to reading blogs about night shifts in a hotel. They have some nice stories to tell. If you're interested go there:

1. Graveyard Shift Chicago

2. Tales from the Night Shift

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Today, I managed to succeed in a tiny, little thing, which is getting the job. I was having training for a few days and today I had to write a test, which was supposed to check whether I am ready to work. For 79,5% I am ready, it seems. After getting my results, I was told about all details concerning contract and job itself.

My favourite place in Japan - Osaka Castle.

To be honest, it's not a good job. I mean, it's not anything big. But, it's a job connected with what I want to do, so I consider it as a small step towards the things I decided for myself. So! Wish me good luck!

I still hope I will be able to move to another workplace, where I had an interview at the beginning of January. It was for a hotel, which is still not opened, so even though they were interviewing people, they could offer employement only from the end of March, which means that till March I won't know if I go the job or not.

The contract that I am to sign soon is for 3 months, till 26th of March. Till then I can concentrate on what I'm doing now, but in March I will have to make another decision. Should I stay or should I go?

That's how the kindergarden children are taking their first steps...... to take over the Osaka Castle.

This is a nice quote, which I found somewhere by accident:

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

My year 2012 was a year in Asia. Year which will become my inspiration and motivation for the next year - 2013. And now, two first weeks past and I found a job. Tomorrow I will start new stage in my life. I already started few things, which will occupy me this year, and that is Japanese folklore dance, job in a hotel and saving money for a trip to Japan.

The first meeting of Soran bushi dance group - Sakuramai Poland.

For now, I'm slowly getting used to living in Poland - eating bread instead of rice, going to buy vegetables and going back empty-handed, because the vegetables looked bad, talking in Polish and waiting for bus, which comes late, looking for a job and expecting a low salary.
But it's alright. Because now, that I have a PLAN for this year, I will live well and do well. I'm very nervous because of tomorrow. I will have the first, initial training at work. The first 4 hours in new workplace. I will do my best~!

Let the Year of Snake begin! (Wait, it's too early, the Year of Snake begins around February....?)

If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am.

Here it is - year 2013. And it follows year 2012, which was full of emotions, adventures, feelings, new people, reconciling with people from the past, learning, struggling, fighting, crying, laughing...
This past year was full of everything, which can be called a part of life. I grew up a lot. I don't regret anything. I do have thoughts sometimes, what would be if I had made a different decision now and then. But I decided to look forward now. Maybe the thing that I call my dream, which I became aware of in 2012 is not actually my dream, but it became my direction for now and I don't want to loose sight of it.

Start of work that I came to love!

This year, I have one main New Year's Resolution and a few smaller to accompany it. The job that I started in China, I want to become a professional in it. That's why I want to work in Poland in the same industry for now and I want to study about it on master course too. This year should be full of only this work related things. Work & Study. Other than that I wish to go on AIESEC internship again, but this time maybe to Japan. Decision about moving the area of my studies to a different direction was very difficult for me, as I love Japanese studies and the language, which I'm gradually starting to forget unfortunately. That's why I wish to gain as much knowledge about my job as I can, so that I am able to work in Japan too one day.

Friends that I came to love!

This year, just like the year before, I will slowly but tenaciously go forward to reach my dreams!
And I wish everyone to be able to realise their New Year's Resolutions this year too!

Happy New Year!