It's now or never

As I was leaving the office last night, eventhough I was in a hurry to catch the last train, I couldn't stop myself from looking back and taking a last glance at my own little space and the area around it where I have spent 4 years of my life.

As I was waiting for the lift, I couldn't stop myself from taking a glimpse of the hallway where I have walked on every working day for the past 4 years.

I couldn't help reminiscing about the good old days --

* the first time I set foot on that floor to meet my sempai* who I think is the greatest sempai ever (dba Krish?)

* the first package I made which I did not only check twice but did it more than five times just to confirm that the package is perfect before copying it to the server (so that when my sempai asks me if he can release the package I created, I can answer back a strong and firm "YES" ... and when he says "Are you sure?", I won't reply "Yes, I think so ... wait, let me check it again") ... on second thought, it was not only for the first package but also for the succeeding ones; although checking was not done as many times later on

* the first boo-boo I committed which caused my sempai a headache (but not enough to make him send me packing ... actually, he never raised his voice at me; he just has this way of making me feel guilty if I have done something stupid)

* the many talks and laughters I shared with the friends I have made during my stay here (it broke my heart to see them cry when we had to say goodbye last night)

* the first time I set eyes on this cute guy with a nice butt (something you don't often see here in Japan) who my friends and I named "Hardy boy" because he belongs to the hardware team (and not because of what you might be thinking)

* the lunches and coffee breaks I took with some friends where we talked about the latest news (mostly about AI recently)

* the time when I accidentally pressed the "Help" button inside the special comfort room which made someone outside ask if I was okay to which I can only shout back "はい、だいじょうぶです！ (Yes, I'm okay!)" (By the way, I forgot to mention that that incident sent some security persons coming to check that area. Well, I was already out of the CR when they arrived so they never knew it was me who caused the minor excitement.)

... and many more wonderful and the note-so-great but enriching memories I gained these last 4 years in Japan.


And as the lift was going down, I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I can't help myself from feeling sad for the life that I was leaving behind. But then, change is the only thing that's constant in this world of ours. I would just have to move on and look forward to the new things ahead. However, the memories of the past will never be forgotten and will always have a special place in my heart.

----
*sempai - boss or mentor