Beat up THE "CRISIS"

Memoir

PART 1. BEEN THERE.

The business of Muir Lodge had been gone very smoothly. Every thing had been just as I originally calculated and expected when I bought the lodge in1990. With hard work and saving our family should manage to spend good life comfortably in years to come.

In 1992 the business had been with growing rate 15~30% increase of revenue.
We spent 2 times vacations a year in Las Vegas staying In Cesaes Parles. Emi asked me in summer:
"Dad, would it alright to invite my classmate and good friends from Tokyo?"
"Well, they are all welcomed. Just tell what is your plan and how many people are invited?"
"About 10 all are girl friends. We intend to spend 10 days in America."
" Ok. You work out itinenary. The air plan tickets are not included in the invitation, You know. The rest are on us."
"I know. But we can't afford to stay in the hotel. Would be all right to stay our home?"
"You are going to arrange that." I told her that our house only have 7 rooms and how to accommodate all of them its all up to her.
So I gave her a green light and the invitation had been arranged well.
Our Glendale home was seated on the upper northern side of mountain hill.With 180 degree view over the whole Glendale city you can enjoy the city light view beautifully. The house consist of 5 bed rooms on the 3nd floor with one guest room in the 2^nd floor and one maid room on the ground floor. The house was huge. Mari, had been complaimed occationally about taking too much time to clean the rooms. I understood that 6000 square feet house plus big size swimming pool it did take too much time. But this is American life style you wanted to enjoy it you will have to pay for it.
So the invitation party went on well we all had a good time.
We spent 2 nights home and day time did shopping in Hoollywood Beverly Hill and Westwood. On the 3nd day we headed to Las Vegas. Because there were 12 of us we had to rent a medium van. I served as their main driver and my daughter and her friend Mie some time took turn to replace me.
I enjoyed mingling with youngster. They sung all different Japanese sounds talking and jiggling on the long journey from Vegas to Kingsmen and them to Grand Canyon.
The life looked perfect well and I guess our family are enjoyed every bit of time together.
I remember someone said about perfect life style is

"Living in America house, Married with Japanese wife Eating Chinese Food and Driving Mercedes Benz" What else you want in your life? I had all of them one time.

Life is beautiful, itsn't?

Part 2. Dark cloud looming. 瀏覽24｜回應0｜推薦1

2006/03/15 02:36:04

Part 2. Dark cloud looming. I had good year in 1993 when sales earning almost double the figure of 1990. Things could not be better than this. I had a full time manager plus 5 house keepers and 1 maintains man in my payroll tax list. The money I made I used to reinvest on real estates. I bought a commercial income property in San Gariel and 2nd house in Glendale. Every thins seemed rosy pointed to a prosperous future. Emi was working in high tech soft ware company in Japan. Marco, my son still studied In Chemical Engineering Department of Berkeley. They both made me proud of them for their academic achievements. After our family got green card in August 1993 in Tokyo. There came a b ad news. My health was falling a part. I could no longer make a full time job taking care of motel business. Thinking about the mortgage payment almost $9,000.00 a month plus the chronicle illness, I was double punched to the floor waiting for the ring bell to bail me out. All I could think of was "What I am going to do next." I am not that kind of people to surrender to the pressure. Perhaps that should attribute the military training I obtained through the services. When you have trouble or situation, try to deal with it. I map out the plan to sell those properties I obtained thru the investment. Angela like our San Gabriel commercial property and asked 5000 dollars monthly lease to buy. I immediately took the offer and proceed with the contract. That cut off almost half of our monthly mortgage which reduced a heavy burden. Still, another residential property seated in Glendale was also on the listing book. As reader of this blog can see that I am trying to encourage people with financial problems to "dealing with the situation not sit there to moody the out come which is already there." I concentrated my effort to put health first in my future schedule. You heard the saying"You keep the forest mountain and you do not worry about no wood to burn." However, the situation of my health was still improving. I could not think something else except to keep the forest mountain.

Part 3. Crisis. 瀏覽46｜回應0｜推薦3

2006/03/15 09:50:35

The Crisis. To maintain the forest mountain is too costly. In about 5 years you saw your dreamed accomplishments crushed like a bubble one after another. The properties like San Gabriel commercial and Glendale residential were in the hand of other people. To retreat to the last strong hold, we decided to change the big house to smaller one which was less than half size of our mountain resort-Glendale million dollars home. That were a big shock to every member of the family. Mari was not happy about it but maintained supportive with life changes.Kids were grown up adults with understanding and trying to help but not much they could do to assist their aging parents. They had their future ahead of them to meet their challenges. In 1999 I made a trip to Taiwan to visit my friends. I did not ask any favor but enjoyed warmest hospitalities. In the trip, I found there was a small light at the end of the tunnel. The new medicine that could save me from liver transplantation. Epivir were still not available at that time in Taiwan and Alan checked with their Hongkong office with good news. When I came back to Muir Lodge, I found most of our fortune were exhausted. With the sales record hit the all time low we could barely make both ends meet. That was like 7 degree strong earth quake. The tremor were so strong that might destroy the last foundation of our family.You still had to pay the mortgage $3000 a month plus $2000 for the house in Fullerton. I talked to Marco in Tokyo and asked what he would do if he were me. "Sell it" the reply was simple and firm exactly what I had in mind. Yet, if you were in the shoes of those credit debt slaves you would understand how desperate they were to borrow money from credit card companies. 10~19% interests would squeeze them hardly breathing. In the States, the law has no mercy. If you do not pay your mortgage in time, the late payment will be charged 5% more. If 3 months none payment in a row, you would end up the propert with foreclosure. In that case you will have nothing left. Very cruel society. I even asked the note holder-George A Huber trying to understand the situation and consider low down the high interests. You know what. He was a doctor degree preacher used to practice preaching in Santa Monica. "Sorry, Michael, I got my bill to pay and if you do not pay mortgage in time I 'd have to foreclose the property." "I talked to the bank even they said the rate was ridiculous high. If its bank loan we will consider giving the rate cut to 8%." "Sorry to say, then you better go the bank." I was so angry that I almost going to call his name. So Marco rushed back Fullerton home to help arrange the sale from Tokyo. In the meantime, I started borrowing $20,000 from credit card. In order not to make late payment, I sold Mari's Lexes car and even my 30 years dimond Rolex. That was a CRISIS. Part 4.turning point 瀏覽32｜回應0｜推薦2 2006/03/15 14:22:30 Part 4. Make crisis a turning point. Thank my son's help. We had Bill Templin as manager from 5/30/1999 to 5/29/2000. Bill used to work in Suburban Propane division manager. He lost his job after got kidney cancer removal operation. I got to know him when he worked part time as repairmen of gas appliances, He was honest and decent man who needed help some sort of. I decided to offer him a free lodging plus $650 a month job taking care of the motel. Of the job, it was our understanding that his wife will work as receptionist with fee included in the contract. Both of them were happy about this arrangement due to Bill's capacity being able to work 2 hours a day. Unfortunately, his cancer cell spread to other part of his body. He passed away before his term. This increased my burden to run this motel by myself. We had our house in the market about late 2000. California housing was in a stage of taking off. Thanks God, we soon got an offer. The price was good and we made about 80% profit. After tax deduction, we still would have about hundred thousands in our pocket. I decided that it was time to live in the premises and run the motel our self.Here came the problem. Mari was tired of this unending retreats and could not see the light in the future. She wanted out and go back to Japan. I did not want to force her to stay here to live a life without light. As a man, I had to responsibly point out what possible way of life in front of her. She will have Japanese National pension at age 65. I never asked her how much. But I figured it would not be a whole sum much for a decent living. With the money she got from escrow, it would not be enough to foot the utilities bill. She said "This kind of life was enough". I did not think that what ever I persuaded her she will accept it. I made final decision to sell the motel as well so that she would have money in hand to live a poor life at least. I knew the big guy who being famous in town with money.When I spread the words he immediately came up with an offer. The contract was signed with 3 months to close escrow. However, I was very much clear that the crisis can be turned into a turning point in our life. All we wanted to do was to try the hard ship for a couple of years. Then the luck will turn into our favor. Of course, there is not guarantee for what think. She would not believe it. So the deal was in processing as usual. In the night I called Marco and had father and son talk for more than one hour. I asked him to pursuit his Ma to work with me for at least 2 more years. Marco spent two nights to analysis the situation and put everything on the table. I did not know how he did do that. She agreed to move every thing from Fullerton to Yosemite Muir Lodge.I was thrill that Marco could do such a difficult job. By the time, Jerry failed in coming up with the money (in private, I deeply believe that he might have the cash, but like most of American business man wanted to squeez more blood out my already poor body.) I wrote a letter to Escrow company to terminate the sales. Barry called me in the same night that he would carry the half million cash and came to my Fullerton home. I kindly turned him down and said:"The dead line is reached and our decision is final. No deal, period!" I was told later that Jerry intended to suit me for breach of contract, I could care less. I think that Jerry would kick himself for not pay me immediately. To day, the market value is over 2 millions dollars.4 times of his offer. Part 5. Finally Life is Changed for better. 瀏覽50｜回應0｜推薦1 2006/03/17 03:18:13   When Mari wanted out to be independent, I know that she is the mother of our two kids and important individual and has right to enjoy her entirety. However, since we have been living together for almost 40 years, the separation would mean disastrous for both of us. We could live our life. But living separately without common goal, both of lives would be down graded financially and spiritually. After moving to Lodge, in 2002 our sales iwas ncreased 25%. After all the expenses including monthly mortgage, we were still having a little, but not huge, profit.That was different ball game. Now after we worked hard together harmonly. I could concentrate my self to move forward for future planing. I gradually took back the management from outsiders. The same year, I fired Duane and managed the motel myself. That job its self saved me $15,000 a year. My health had been greatly improved because of the Epivir. Mari and worked full time in the motel that saved the house keeping expenses for another $15,000. With the economized life style, there were no leak of the money to other people's pocket. The next step I was doing is thinking to increase the property value by application of re-zoning. I planed to retire by the year 2008. The application has drawn some attention to this small populated resort community. Since I refused the sales at last moment, I think I made an enemy by offending that muscle man in Town. The DHS people suddenly came all the way from the capital of California demanding the water being up to California standard. They even demanded a new well being drilled to meet the requirement or shut me down. I could have had filing a law suit against the California government for discrimination on the aground that Muir Lodge being a Grandfather clause motel. This motel had been operated more than 60 years without any water problem what so ever.But I did not take action to invite more trouble. After careful thinking, I decided not to fight against government because its costly and could mean years of lawsuit. What is more, that may create uncertainty to my steady income. I had to borrow money again to save the motel. But this time I was well prepared. I withdrew the stock money for the emergent new well drilling. If that was not enough I made the credit card as my last measure.In the mean time, when the government official came here, I told them I had to tape record all the conversation between me and their personnel. I intended to file the law suite only if any wrong doing in their part is found, and it will be dealt with proper law if they make any mistakes. I have kept all e-mail with government transaction. I wanted to send out the signal that they better prepare to back off the pressure. I would not be easily intimidated and surrender. Some one already warned me before that some guy was out to get me and drive me out of business. To cope with this kind of situation, I had plan in mind. I do keeping in touch with my friends both Prof. and Bob working in Court House and let them know my situation. I know if something happen I can count on American's judicial system. I have been trying to build alliance with my neighbor Bug Hustle.When the application of re-zoning were in County, the words already spread out. One day Douglas Shaw came to see me. That changed our life and luck. I offered to sell him and Caroline 25 acres land next to his property. The total sales could help me pay off all mortgage. After careful consideration for a couple of days, we made the deal. By 2005 August, the escrow were closed and Mari and I were out of debts completely. Another good news is the sales jump to 75 % from 2004 to 2005. All those people out there with credit card debts or lost job should take a look at our living example. When enounter the crisis just hang in there. The life is full of unexepted events and when time comeYou can make a Crisis to turning point to a completely new life. Then your luck will change for the better.