A Nightmare 25 Years Ago: Two New Years in the Air

 

A Nightmare 25 Years Ago: Two New Years in the Air

— From Tropical Philippines to the Frozen Heartland of America —

December 28, 2025 (Sunday)

Exactly 25 years ago, at the end of the year 2000, I was stationed in Laguna, Philippines. I was serving as a technical advisor for the PCB assembly department at an electronics manufacturing plant.

I had been entrusted with a massive mission: launching the production of mobile phones for the North American market. We managed to complete the first shipment just before Christmas in December.

"Finally, I can rest...!"

With a sigh of relief, I headed off for my long-awaited Christmas vacation.

A Brief Moment of Peace in the Waters of Anilao

Before my assignment, I had earned my C-card (scuba diving license) near Kikugawa Station, and later achieved my Advanced certification in Hawaii. For the first six months in the Philippines, I had completely suppressed my urge to dive, prioritizing the factory startup above all else. Now, I was ready to let that passion explode in Anilao, Batangas.

But fate had other plans. The phone rang the moment I returned to my room after the very first day of diving.

My screen was flooded with missed calls from my Japanese boss. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I called back. The news was devastating.

"The serial numbers on the mobile phones delivered to North America don't match the numbers on the boxes. We’re finding duds everywhere in the sampling inspection. They’re unsellable. We've been ordered to perform a 100% inspection of the entire stock immediately after the New Year."

Normally, the packaging process fell under another advisor's jurisdiction, but he was away on a family trip and unreachable. As a bachelor with "fewer strings attached," the responsibility fell squarely on my shoulders.

The Mad Dash: From the Tropics to the Deep Freeze

My vacation in Anilao was over before it began. I pleaded with the dive shop owner to drive me back to Manila immediately. By the next morning, I was in a high-stakes three-way conference call between Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines.

A makeshift "rework project team" was assembled, and I was tapped to fly to the States with a local staff member.

• December 31: Boarded a JAL flight from Manila to Narita.

• At Narita: I met a team from Japan at a hotel to receive the serial number checking software and a crash course on how to use it.

• January 1: Boarded a flight from Narita to Chicago.

I rang in the New Year (2001) once in Japan, and then celebrated a second New Year's Day while crossing the international date line mid-flight. It was the most unsettling start to a year I had ever experienced.

Negative 20 Degrees and Lost Baggage

My final destination was Indianapolis. In the Philippines, I had been living in shorts and short sleeves. In January, Indianapolis was a desolate, frozen wasteland.

Then came the knockout blow: at the airport, I waited and waited, but my suitcase never appeared. Lost baggage.

With the few winter clothes I had brought from the Philippines now missing, I had to rush to a nearby K-Mart to buy emergency layers and heavy winter gear. The very next day, the grueling task of checking every single serial number in a cold warehouse began.

At the time, indoor smoking was already banned in the U.S. Every time I stepped outside for a break, I was hit by a wall of -20°C (-4°F) air. It was so bitterly cold that I could barely finish a single cigarette before my fingers went numb. I remember that chill like it was yesterday.

End of a Three-Week Battle

After finishing the rework in Indianapolis, we moved on to Canada to do it all over again. It took three weeks of relentless checking—serial numbers, packaging, everything—before I could finally return to the Philippines.

Today, we can look up anything in seconds. Back then, we relied on phone books. Just out of curiosity, I recently searched for a steakhouse in Chicago that I couldn’t find for the life of me 25 years ago. It popped up instantly: .

That chaos 25 years ago... looking back, the decision to leave the beach in Anilao and face that crisis head-on helped shape who I am today. It remains my most unforgettable New Year’s memory—burning with intensity and shivering in the cold.