Gracias, Dos Mil Dieciocho

2018 was "Year of Preparation"

Well at least that's what I said when I welcomed the year.

Initially it was about preparing to living abroad. Preparing for masters degree, preparing for working somewhere outside Indonesia, preparing for THAT!

But then as you know, life usually has its own, preparation.
So instead of preparing for those dreams I've been dreaming for,
I ended up preparing for something else this whole year.

Which apparently, was

Preparing for Greater Goods

As it turns out the term was beyond just around traveling context, or career context, or of course way so far from academic context—it's about all of those, in one.

Let's take a short, one year ride back to the beginning of 2018.

It began oh so pleasantly. In January I just finished my trip to France. My first ever European trip, which I couldn't really successfully move on from. Too grande, too beautiful, and I gotta admit that this trip, along with the fact that I was on the brink of getting tired of my work, made me think that this year would yet be another one dedicated for traveling. And oh was I so true about that!

Throughout the year, after France, I did six fucking more trips! SIX, for God's sake! I didn't even know how I could cope with that! Financially, bureaucracy-wise -giving the fact that my EX-company only grant me one annual leave per month, and more than that would mean that I got my salary cut- not only about the policy, but about getting the permission for my boss, because, HELL, what I do at work, it's a team work so the more I traveled the more I ruined the pace. But then again, I underwent all six trips nicely, with not much drama -as far as I know... So yea all those trips, I guess it helped me prepare myself to be oh so much better in the world of traveling. And negotiating, and compromising, and hard working, GOSH, a lot, really!

Like my trips to Bali. Oh yeah, I did twice of them this year. One during the religious day of silence, and the other one is for a friend's friend's wedding. See those motives, really uncanny, eh? People who don't travel a lot see me as a very avid traveler, that I now am on the stage that I go to Bali no longer for holiday purposes, but for something, greater!

Then my trip to Korea, who seemed to be normal, actually, but giving the fact that it happened two months from Bali, and a fucking three weeks after Macao, damn, my colleagues start questioning me if I was overpaid -which pissed me off, actually, because it wasn't for my salary cuz I had one of the suckiest paycheck on the company so it totally thanks to my saving skill in which I didn't go out and hangout and buy food and snacks as much as they did, GOSH, I feel like I wanted to slap them for saying that.

So yeah, back to my trip to Korea. It was my annual trip, actually, so like any other annual trips I ever done, I haven't been there. But it turned out to be so amazing, so socially and personally powerful that my five-month streak of can't-seem-to-move-on from France suddenly vanished! I did stuff people don't usually do when in Korea, made friends out of my solitary holiday, and it was always been fun to see how people would react the way I travel.

The same thing applied to my trip to Japan, too. Which happened five months after Korea, and only a month after my second Bali. At this stage I really didn't care about how my friends would react anymore, because I think I was already hinting of leaving the company anyway. I didn't care about how many days of leave I needed to request, how much works I needed to abandon, FUCK, I didn't care anymore! And it turned out to be one of the most refreshing escape I ever done. And on top of that, this trip to Japan was to fulfill my thirst of F1 -yet another fucking uncanny reason to visit Japan I bet not a single Indonesian had ever thought about it before, and to have this amazing social visit here and there -which I'm pretty sure NO ONE could ever equal the way I treated Tokyo as if it was my hometown.

And here's one more trip I didn't know would leave a mark on me. I didn't even see it coming: Macao. Not as a traveler, but as an influencer. Gosh, those days of being treated as royals... I just discovered how life as influencers were totally amazing. At first I thought this could be the life I wanted. I've been working so hard building my travel writing career, and being a travel influencer could be the peak of all, and all this shit of "preparation" blah can switch from preparing what I've always tried to prepare, to preparing myself in becoming an influencer. Turns out, it was a silly consideration. The trip opened my mind about how, -should I use that word?- well, unsuitable a life as an influencer to me. The trip eventually prepared myself to become a more, let's say, pure, unfake, and smart traveler I knew I would always enjoy being.

And that, leads us to other things I achieved this year. My fifth book, the one with Australia. It was out this September. Followed by my FIRST EVER DestinAsian article, on October, right before I flew to Japan—see? All this year was all mostly about traveling! And these works specifically, they helped me prepare to be the more ambitious travel writer I've always dreamed of becoming.

But hey, that didn't mean that I ditch work at all. To my surprise, I actually did well on my advertising side. My ideation skill got honed, my presenting skill got loosened, some of my thoughts and ideas were actually come to life that really helped building my portfolio, I got more chances to work with the company's high-ups and with clients, I won pitches, but as the cherry on top of everything, it was when I made it through to Young Spikes finals. It's the fucking major proof that I'm a worthy adman, and it helped me preparing myself to be a better one.

But again, as I mentioned before, it was money that had me thinking twice to stay. My urge to learn and do more of ideation and advertising grew oh so big, and hell yeah Ogilvy could provide me even more. But I got to be realistic, so out was I of Ogilvy—a decision so big and so brave, but I know it's a part to prepare that GREATER GOODS for me so, yeah...

The resignation marked the end of my 2018 journey.

I quitted the company with no fixed plan of what to do, and which company would take me, after this. I just wanted to show the world that I had all the courage to do whatever I thought I was afraid of, and to show that my preparation had been completed that I'm now ready to embark something greater.

So here I am in Madrid, in the middle of my 21-day-long Spain-Africa journey which is the longest I ever done, waiting for the clock to strike twelve and 2018 turns to 2019, unemployed yet celebrating my bravery to move on.

But before that,

Muchas gracias, 2018.I really enjoyed this year!

Whoa.

I've never ranted this much about my achievements.
But I'm sorry I can't help but being so proud of myself.
Because I've done such great preparations all year long.
And I know next year, something big is coming along.

Guess it's time for some
Redemptions?

Goodbye, David

"And this time I'm convincing myself not to go anywhere else, unless it's for the master degree. I've explored enough, and this company I'm now working at, is too hard to get and too big to ditch."
.
-- an imbecile, somewhat 2 years ago.

And that imbecile, was me.

That's the line I told myself on my second day of work at Ogilvy. Well, did I tell you already? That Ogilvy is actually a company I used to dream of working for.

Since my college days, the name was on top of my list. To work here and live life as a copywriter, was like a combination I'd kill for. When it was time for us to seek for internship program, this company was the one I approached though it didn't go as planned.

No, no, I got the interview call, indeed. It was like only one step to acceptance, then I think my chance got blown away when I told them I only had two months to do the internship—whence they required three -thanks to my already-booked Bali trip, but then, I would never regret it because it became a very memorable trip! BBDO was eventually the one accepted me.

Then came the actual professional phase. When all college bullshit ended and real shit came greeting. Again, Ogilvy was among the first I sent out my -enhanced and super beautified- portfolio. And again, I got the freaking call. I nailed the interview too, I guess. With two expats I remembered them vividly even until now. But their offers weren't really appealing it seemed they looked down on me. Well no matter how much I adored them, I still have dignity no? So I went for SOGO instead.

I quitted SOGO, went for my amazing internship in Japan, and came back home once again, unemployed. And once again too -and I guess I claimed to myself that it'd be for the last time- I turned to Ogilvy for yet another application. This time for the Social Department.

One interview -with both supervisors- nailed. Interview two, now with the boss of social, well, nailed that one too. Final interview was with the creative director, and my senior in college, so I guess I totally nailed that one. Plus two given assignments submitted on time -and on point too, I assume- plus rather smooth negotiation plus a bit of luck this time,

I got the role.

Fuck man, finally. I'm an Ogilvy-an. Three attempts for three different role in just one company, and only got accepted on the third try, well, I guess in this case third time's a charm.

See my fight to get into this company I really dreamed of, wasn't quiet easy. It took me three fucking years! No wonder if at the end of the day -during my first days, exactly- I promised myself that I wouldn't ever want to leave the company unless I was to get my masters degree eh? No other job, no other abroad internship and no other thing could steal my attention this time!

It seemed so easy to convince myself to do that though, at the beginning, because life was oh so amazing back then. I could get to live my dream copywriter life, and at the same time learn as much as I could to be a good digital-social media practitioner slash amazing creative. Overtime works were totally bearable, company benefits were really enjoyable, parties was crazy, and, don't forget about the incredible outing to Hong Kong and Macau that was interestingly exclusive to Social Team only. Yes, others didn't go because it was only us that reached our KPI.

Coworkers were another reason why I enjoyed my life in Ogilvy. Oh my God how we were like playmates at the office. Works seemed like playing, and clients were like teachers we could make fun of on their backs. Things could get tough sometimes, but with them, it felt just fine and, weirdly, fun.

But then I guess good things couldn't last forever, eh?

Tables turned gradually. Good life started slowing down to such sorrowful hole, works became too much and depressing, colleagues began leaving, and I felt like it was getting too much.

I might still look happy from the outside, but I couldn't lie, I burnt out from the inside. I didn't know what held me back from leaving, because everybody else seemed to be doing it so easily. Well I guess I know: it's my super soft inside that kept me there. You know, when you feel like you're so solid with your decision, and then some minor joy at the office -like, making it to an award finalist?- restored your faith for the company and the next thing you know, you procrastinated your resignation.

Well... I guess that's just not all.

It's my old me, me from campus life, me who got rejected for the internship, me who got disappointed for the offers, THAT me who adored Ogilvy so much I promised myself not to leave the company—yes, he was the one who held me back from leaving.

At some point I owed him so much for his struggle to get me this far. At some point I felt like I hold accountability to keep his trust for not leaving. At some point, I just, don't want to disappoint him...

But also at some point, it was him who came to me,

Telling me that it's time to let go of my stupid ego.

So I made my decision.
I quitted from Ogilvy.

It wasn't easy, I swear.

But I know it was the right decision.

I've proved myself that I could get what I wanted, and it meant that I could do that again in the future. And in order to do that in the future, I needed to get out of whatever I was clinging at, no?

So yea all my struggles to get a spot inside the company, all the lessons I've learned from literally everything I encountered there, all the sweats and tears and bloods I shed during my service, all the memories, all the fun, all the laughters, fuck, I would cherish it all.

Just some snaps from my last day in Ogilvy.

There are actually tons more, with several other people special to me but
these bunch are the ones that stick with me from the very beginning,
til the very end so... yea.

Thank you, Ogilvy, for those amazing stuff.

And no thank you for the shitty parts, really.

Goodbye.