In Everything That We Do, There Will Always Be A Tiny Little Things that Need Attention

Here I'm talking about the jobs that we work in. Some of my friends, maybe most, already step their feet on to their first job, or second, even third job after graduate from university.

I always remember a phrase that stated "Do what you love, Love what you do". I don't even know who said that. But the only thing I know is that, now the phrase has deeper meaning than I thought I knew. Especially when I already taste what it feels like to work.

The idea of an ideal work or working place that mostly influenced by my lecturers in university and people I follow on twitter, like @ReneCC or @yoris, kind of shape my mind that: we should do what we love. Well at least if we still couldn't found it and maybe too tired (or too lazy) to look again for it, we need to love what we do. In words, it is that simple.

But not that simple in action.

No, I'm not trying to persuade you with negative thought, in fact personally I try to avoid negative mind, but reality is sometimes too complex to be simplified. I'll take myself for the example. I work for a multinational market research consultants/agency in Jakarta, when first I found out about market research I found it extremely interesting to work with the data, information, knowledge, insight, and so on. I knew about market research from a marketing magazine named "Marketeers".

Until now I still find it interesting, but...

The reality is not only about big flashy facts that we usually read on newspaper, magazines, books, articles, or whatever. Those big interesting facts need a lot of hard work than I thought before. More attention to detail. Tiny little things need to be done before we can pull the insight. Before the presentation is ready to be presented. Before the infographic is ready to be published.

Lucky me, I work in a company where learning process is praised. Everybody is encouraged to learn more everyday. To learn new thing is a challenge.

An ideal work is a state of mind. We are the one who decide what the definition of ideal is and how to get there. The company you work in will never able to shape the ideal framework of the workplace. Of course they're trying to, but the concept of ourselves lies in our mind.

So I think for fresh graduates out there, the thing that all of us need to realize is that in everything that we do, there will always be a tiny little things that need attention. Sometimes it's so much you wanna get out from the tasks. Even in something that we love.

I think I love economics, so I need to be ready to face everything. I mean, everything. Obstacles, screwed up research, you name it. To earn the point and to climb the ladder to get that BIG FLASHY FACTS!

So don't turn your back when you face this kind of situation.



Have a great day! :)

Cerita Pagi

Pagi ini di depan kantor gue ada perbaikan jaringan Telkom yang lebih masif dibandingkan hari-hari sebelumnya sehingga pedestrian dari halte busway Karet (lama) ke Wisma Metropolitan (WTC) sulit dilalui orang. Ada galian jaringan di sana-sini.

Tiba-tiba pas gue jalan ada bapak-bapak yang kerja untuk proyek perbaikan jaringan itu jalan di depan gue dan dia merunduk.

Menyingkirkan batu di depan gue yang mengganggu jalan.

Dari Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu ‘anhu,ia mengatakan, Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda, ”Setiap persendian manusia ada sedekahnya setiap hari di mana matahari terbit di dalamnya, kamu mendamaikan di antara dua orang adalah sedekah,kamu membantu seseorang untuk menaikkannya di atas kendaraannya atau mengangkatkan barangnya di atasnya adalah sedekah, kalimat yang baik adalah sedekah, pada tiap-tiap langkah yang kamu tempuh menuju shalat adalah sedekah, dan kamu membuang gangguan dari jalan adalah sedekah.”(HR.al-Bukhari ,no.2989 dan Muslim, no 1009)

Sekian cerita pagi ini. :)

Have a great day, y'all!

Gue sih Nggak Mau

Tertantang gue rasanya ketika ternyata banyak orang di sekitar gue yang sangat antipati terhadap pemerintah. Pemerintahan yang saat ini tidak mampu hanya untuk sekedar membuat masyarakat mendukung pemimpinnya, mendukung pemerintahan.

Soekarno bilang: "Beri aku sepuluh pemuda, maka akan aku ubah dunia."
Besar harapan Soekarno pada pemuda, dan harusnya memang pemuda mampu memberi harapan ke arah yang lebih baik. Sesederhana orangtua yang menaruh harapan kepada anak-anaknya agar dapat hidup lebih baik dibandingkan orangtua mereka. Dibandingkan pendahulu mereka. Sesederhana itu.

Generasi Y. Generasi yang lahir pada periode 1980an dan 2000an, dikenal juga dengan istilah millennial generations. Pada tahun 1987, Strauss and Howe menggunakan tahun 1982 sebagai awal tahun kelahiran dan tahun 2004 sebagai akhir tahun kelahiran generasi milenial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials). Generasi yang familiar dengan teknologi mutakhir, tech-savvy, bahkan start-up teknologi banyak sekali yang dibangun oleh orang-orang dari generasi Y.

Iya, itu generasi gue. Generasi kita. Generasi yang dalam 10-20 tahun lagi akan jadi orang-orang yang berperan jadi penyelenggara negara, pemegang kepentingan besar, dan banyak hal besar lainnya.

KITA PUNYA KEKUATAN BESAR.

Kekuatan untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan kita, sesama masyarakat, kepada pemerintahan.
Kekuatan untuk menyuarakan apa yang seharusnya jadi hak dan kewajiban pemerintah, hak dan kewajiban warga negara, dan menyejahterakan warga negara. Mengejar pertumbuhan ekonomi dan mengurangi angka koefisien gini.


KEKUATAN, bukan Ketakutan.

POSITIF, bukan Negatif.

PARTISIPATIF, bukan Apatis.

Ayo bareng-bareng kita ubah diri sendiri untuk lebih baik, jadi lebih baik untuk diri sendiri dan kepentingan bersama. Emang masih mau nanti ketika punya anak-cucu lalu Indonesia masih gini-gini aja? Masih ngga layak untuk disebut sebagai negara besar?

Gue sih nggak mau.

Ngga ada yang bilang ini mudah, tapi ngga ada yang bilang ini mustahil.
Barangkali memang sulit, tapi MUNGKIN.

Welcome (to myself)! Eerr..

Dear all,

After my exchange program to lovely Hong Kong I've been enjoying my new job in a market research company for 1,5 months, approximately. And, what I miss? My nap time. lol.

Well, I miss economics. Like.. I don't know. Anything.
I wanna involve myself in such economics thingy. Dear!

But the interesting about working in a market research company is now that I look people in a different way. An observer. That's exciting! Everything that we see in everyday life is basically about market, about the people. How we behave, how we decide to buy brand A for toothpaste, brand B for cereal, brand C for cars, everything. To observe on why people use specific brands, how to communicate brands to people, that kind of thing. That's what I'm doing now. :))

So yea, I'm kind of welcoming myself into this new world. And trying to increase my interest in a beautiful knowledge called economics.

Ciao.

Second Hello from Hong Kong!

It's almost a week since I wrote my last post "First Letter from Asia's World City". So, straight to the point let me tell you something: I am happy, excited, shocked, sad, and grateful here.

I am happy because finally I can realizing this exchange which already became my plan since years ago.
I am excited because I found new things, new friends, and for sure new experiences.
I am shocked because I need to deal with "unusual" things. lol. (actualy it will become usual when I get used to it)
I am sad because I need to stay far away from my family for 6 weeks and especially in Ramadhan month.
I am grateful because God still give me chance for me to live, to make up my life, and let me live my life in a good (read: the best) way. What else I can ask for more? :)

Enough about me.

I have many friends here!! (oh, why still about me. :p) Not only 6 (the EPs, in AIESEC we call it exchange participants) but a lot, including The Organizing Committees and the students.
People said "Surround yourself with positive people". That's true! Because your friends create big impacts in your life. You can do trial and error session with yourself if you don't believe in that words. lol.

Well, so I'm gonna share about my culture shocks:
1. University students in PolyU can go to campus only using shorts and sandals/flip flops.
That's very raaarreee in Indonesia. Or maybe it only happen in my campus? Because even I need to wear shirts/polo shirts only to enter faculty's library. And we are not allowed to wear shorts (moreover hotpants for girls!) to enter the class. Maybe because Indonesian people consist of more than 80% moslem? Or because of the "eastern culture"? I don't know. But, I'm impressed and shocked.haha.. It's just fun.

2. All I can find about food is: PORK.
I can't eat pork, so it's kinda difficult to enjoy every meal. One day at Pizza Hut in Macau, me and my friends ordered chicken soup. When I was about to start to eat, my friends told me: "stop, don't eat it. There is ham in it. Ham usually made from pork." And later on, the waitress told us that there was pork in it. Even in Pizza Hut. -___-
Honestly I like Chinese food, because it's also common to find Chinese food in Indonesia. I just can't bear the pork.haha..
If any of you, my Indonesian friends, want to go to HK for quite a long time, I suggest you to bring instant food like "abon", "bumbu pecel", or anything. Though it's not that hard to find Indonesian food here, but it's FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE. Gado-gado lontong is sold for HKD 86, Kripik Tempe will cost you for HKD 30, while Rendang is approximately HKD 120. What a price... Cooking skill will be an advantage.haha..

3. People here are...what should I say, hmm..fashionistas? Because it is very common to see people wears something "unusual". Like fur thingy, or anything. It is also very common to see girls wear boots. FYI, it's summer. And HK weather is hot (more or less similar with Indonesia), but very humid. And the boys usually carry tote bags. Something that only happen in some big cities in Indonesia. It's too trendy la!
And for you fashion people: you can find any fashion brands from A to Z here in HK! Maybe that's why HK people like to dress uniquely.

4. The next thing is people here live in apartments because the land price is soooo expensive. One of the most expensive place in the world! (yes, the world. Not only in Asia.)
While for us, Indonesian people, we can enjoy the wide range of land from Sabang to Merauke as we want. And cheap. We should appreciate our beloved land, a paradise in South East Asia. :") Cursing our country wouldn't make any situation gets better, right?

5. While most of Indonesian people live with religion, half of HK people (as one of my friend told me) don't have any religion. Some of my friends believe in God, but they don't have any religion. So different with Indonesia. :)
They kinda shocked when knowing that me and my two friends whose also moslems (from Egypt and Turkey) need to "fasting" for a month in Ramadhan. Without eat or drink anything since before sunrise until after sunset.





Note: I got two challenging and one challenging-but-quite-awkward questions from the students who attended the workshops:
* First was from a high-school student whose her grandmother is a Chinese-born-in-Indonesia: Why Indonesian people discriminate Chinese people?

* Second was from university students who asked: Why moslem do terror?

The third question is challenging and creates an awkward moment for me at that time:
From a high-school student: Is that true that Indonesian people do black magic?



Thought? :)