What's Up, World(wide)?

Hey there guys, I'm back!

Whoa.

You know where have I been to? Traveling. Two weeks. In Vietnam and Cambodia, where things are way way different from here in Indonesia. And not everybody speak English.

Whoa. Whoa.

Never thought I made it. You know, things got more spontaneous the more I continued traveling. I booked only the first three days of my trip. And the rest? I just dragged my ass to nearby hostels and there I go. I kept rescheduling my itinerary, adding cities to stay, crossing some others off my list... So. Damn. Spontaneous.

Whoa. Whoa. Damn, whoa!

You know what the best part was?

I met tons of people all around the globe. Some just for temporary accompany, some others ended up appearing on my Facebook friends list. These people, well they can be my asset because someday, someday soon I'll be visiting them right on their places of living.

Whoa.

One post can't take it all.

Need to break it down to some parts.

Like what I've always been doing in my blog.

Saigon Town Hall and Bayon

But you might be able to guess the bottom line yes?

Joyful abroad trip experience, meeting global people at once,

Yes. It's the beginning of my own Worldwide Fun.

Spontaneous worldwide fun

Resolution, Again

Welcome, 2014.

As I always NOT do every year -well if you pay attention, I don't always do this- this year, I sense something special and I guess I can use a little resolution.

So, 2014.

You know what big will happen this year? World Cup. Something I adore so much about football. About sport. International sport. Get back to 2010's World Cup and you'll see like thousands of posts about the whole league from the very beginning to victory euphorias. See, international matches turn me on. Stakes are on your pride. Because the party, is an international fiesta.

Well, 2014.

Up till now I have two abroad trip plans: Indochina and China. I still have like eight more months idling, waiting for more spontaneous abroad-ish plans to come by. Yea you know, things couldn't be easily predicted lately. Like last year on April my friends suddenly invited me to their delegates and the next thing I knew, we were at US already by October.

Maybe there's this overseas outing held by my office this mid year, or by the end of the year I get this chance to be transferred to overseas branches because the agency I'll be working to is a worldwide one, I don't know. Anything could still possibly happen.

Okay, 2014.

Now you get what's so special about it?

Yes. As far as my mind can predict about it,

It's the year of

Worldwide Fun

Now, 2014.

Surprise me!

Journal Closing

I thought 2012 was the sweetest one.
But I was wrong. Until I met 2013.

Which turned to be the year

I learned more about myself.

All year long, I'm telling you, all year long.
I kept exploring hidden potentials inside of me.

Potentials I thought were strong enough but eventually,
I kept exploring something bigger as days and months went by.

Flying Solo -- January - February

Never once in my mind, back then, that I'd actually ever gone traveling alone to some new places I never even been to. But I did. I completed the challenge I set to myself. And it was not only me, but my parents were also proud of what I did, my friends applauded me. A regular trip, supposedly, but the extreme touches I sprinkled, made it more interesting. I began to love myself.

First Real Jobs -- March - April

Things got more serious and it was more than just a traveling thing. So I got a freelance copywriting offer from my lecturer. To a guy in his junior year of college called "me", it was considered tremendous. I couldn't stop praising myself because, umm, she trusted me? :')

"The Field Trip" -- June - August

More about the professional world, yea as you knew I was called as apprentice by BBDO. One big, noted advertising agency worldwide. What I liked myself about this part was, I did everything by myself. Applying for the position, calling in the interview, doing the whole internship program ALTHOUGH, I have a relative who works for Lowe, I skipped the advantage and worked it all myself.

Getting American -- October

This, could actually be the highlight of the year and placed the last in this list. But after all, traveling should be placed one step below education and career so, it's placed fourth.

But still, this was the one I won't ever deny. The thing that makes me see myself higher. Although the success of this was achieved with my friends, I can't ever take myself for granted anymore. Or underestimate myself. So starting from US, when I felt down, I would just say to myself "dude, at least you been to America" :)

Done and Ready -- December

So as you know, the peak of my achievement was about myself in college. Yes. My degree. My title I worked myself to get. The phase where I could finally take a break from campus stuff. Well, the last break. Before I finally have to feel the real professional world. Not just an underdog freelance jobs. Nor a semi-real jobs called the internship.

But a real job.

That recently, has been haunting me too much.

Causing me lots of lots of thoughts and considerations.

Which actually, doesn't necessarily have to be like that tho.

Because I know somehow I can make it eventually.

Because I possess something greater than I ever even known.

I thought 2012 was the sweetest one.

But I was wrong. Until I met 2013.

And I hope I'm wrong again.

After I see 2014 :)

The Ulterior Motive(ation)

You know about the final thesis assignment I'm currently working on? The one with Whiskas? Yes the thing that lately distracted me from the real world? Yea? Yea it's getting intense.

I'm reaching the end.

My thesis adviser thought that it's about time. I'm just this close to being ready facing the trial. She kept rushing me about the date and stuff, and I'm so glad that she looks so excited.

When I imagine about the trial day, I swear I'm not ready.

But if I remember what I'm going to do by January, I'm super moved.

Mhmm, it's another trip.

To Vietnam and Cambodia.

Here's to get the picture of Ho Chi Minh, and here's to get to Phnom Penh.

Okay so I'll fly to Ho Chi Minh City on January 21 and will be back on February 4, just 4 days before the ceremony of my graduation. Get it? Four days. I won't have enough time to take care about the administrative shits, unless I have it all settled before I depart.

The same thing also goes to my thesis. After my trial, there will be a major revision I have to finish at least for a month. So if you do the math, the trial should be done no later than December 21!!

So now here I am, -instead of- rushing myself to finish everything like EVERYTHING -I just sit in front of my laptop, blogging- so I can go traveling with peace! And you know what, I'm gonna make an oath out of it.

"I, Rifky Ramadhan Amin, will officially announce that on LAST term of my college, I will rarely spend my TIME for flash-term pleasure things such as watching movies, eating out and buying things prodigally, AND HAVE MY THESIS DONE SO SOON."

-Indochina Trip Oath-

And I really meant it.

I want everything to be done by Christmas.

So I can "Ho Ho Ho" all the way

殆どそこに - Almost There

Let's update about my Japanese skill.

Anybody's dying to know??? I do, I do!

Since next year or so I'll be going to Japan -AMEN O LORD ALMIGHTY, I been working my ass off to master how to speak Japan. I bought the textbook, I watched Naruto like everyday, reinforced myself with a dictionary, got to admit I began to know some words, how to use it and... I still can't speak Japanese.

So I asked to myself, where did I do wrong?

Apparently, it's because I skipped the basic part.

手紙 - The Letters

Yea stupid me, I started everything just knew some Japanese letters. I constantly forgetting certain letters it made me lose my will to get to know what words those are forming and at the end of the day, I earned no progress.

But call me Vickette if I quit so soon.

For the last four days, I gave myself an intense letter-memorizing-session every night. It was identical to common student studying at night with books and papers everywhere, trying to memorize some math formulas or historical chronological orders by writing it down time and time and time again.

A note I made to easily memorize katakanas.

To be honest, the method was kinda helpful tho because now,

I know each and every single letter of both Hiragana and Katakana!

So next stop: Kanji.

Okay, that's just it. Told you it'll just a brief update.

Now if you excuse me, Vicky needs to learn some kanjis.

Or should I call myself, フイキ ?

Japanese, A New Level

So today, I felt this massive urge to bookshop.

Hm. Not really in mood to write in English.

Ya jadi gatau kenapa tiba-tiba gue merasa terdesak banget buat beli buku. Apapun itu. Gue udah lama banget gak ngerasain sensasi beli buku di toko, pulang bawa gembolan, bongkar kresek, buka plastik bukunya trus cium bau lembaran barunya. Sumpah. Kangen :'(

Trus pergilah gue ke Gramed. Karena gatau mau beli apa, gue keliling dulu sebentar sampe akhirnya berenti di depan rak bertuliskan "Kamus".

Oke inget project akhir taun gue? Ya, belajar Bahasa Jepang. Akhir-akhir ini gue gak nyentuh sama sekali itu buku BasJep gegara tugas kampus yang menggila. Gue butuh motivasi baru buat lanjut belajar. Dan kayaknya kamus bisa ngebantu. At least nanti jadi ada dua buku yang kalo gue telantarin, panggilannya untuk dibaca pasti bakal jauh lebih kuat daripada cuma satu buku.

Tapi gak semudah itu gue ngambil keputusan buat beli. Gue berdiri di depan rak buku lamaaaaaaa banget, mikirin manfaat dan mudharat kalo beli itu kamus. Bukan karena harga loh ya. Pilihan gue malah antara beli kamus kantong yang paling mahal, atau nggak sama sekali. Ngga ada pilihan buat beli kamus yang murah *branding biar gak dianggep pelit*

Alasan kenapa gue lama banget membatu di depan rak itu,
Adalah... Karena... Google Translate.

Jadi selama ini, pas gue lagi belajar atau nonton Naruto trus tetiba nemu kata-kata baru, pasti langsung lari ke Google Translate. Nah yang gue takutin adalah, pembelian kamus ini jadi sia-sia karena ujung ujungnya gue bakal tetep pake Google Translate.

Tapi jiwa konvensional gue lagi menggelora. Gue pengen punya kamus kecil yang bisa gue bawa kemana-mana, dan bentuknya buku, bukan apps. Plus akhir-akhir ini gue baru baca artikel soal media fisik yang ninggalin kesan emosional lebih kenceng daripada media digital.

So did I buy the dictionary? Yes.

Semoga pembelian buku ini tidak sia-sia ya Rabb.

Jauhkan hamba dari godaan era internet yang kejam ini.

Well I promise, Baiburu -yes I name my dictionary that

That wherever I go, whenever it is, inside my backpack,

You'll be there

P.S. : Therefore, I name my Japanese learning book "Seisho"

A Road To New York

Hi. So umm New York? Am I travelling to New York, you supposed?

Well, hopefully I am. And please, please wish me luck!

http://modejunkies.blogspot.com/2013/03/off-to-new-york.html

So yeah, my friends asked me to join them being a part of their team. We'll be participating in Columbia Model United Nation in New York on October this year. But damn right, there's a whole lot of things to do. For the conference preparation, also for our academic needs because umm, you know, this is our last year in campus.

We made it for the campus approval. And also, we have gladly finished our mid term exams. Next thing to do, we'll have to deal with sponsors hunting, visa proposal, conference preparation and stuff. Yet, we also have to finish the rest of our term, face our final exam, do the internship program, and the epic part is, the thesis trial for our final paper.

So what, one, two, three... Okay, it's seven steps away.

And I'm so gonna update every single things we will be done.

To appreciate our work, to New York

The Living Plan

Real life is just a couple of years away. Setelah lulus, dapet kerja dan punya penghasilan sendiri, baru deh tuh dimulai kehidupan yang sebenarnya.

Kemaren pas lagi kuliah Bauran Promosi: Hard Sell, dosen gue si Mbak Anne nanyain ke kelas, pada udah punya rencana keuangan buat nanti atau belum. Gue, yang kebetulan rencana 'hedon' nya udah setengah mateng, gak bisa tinggal diam dan akhirnya ngebeberin semuanya.

Nah karena udah terlanjur go public, jadi sebelum rencana agung mahakarya gue itu ditiru orang lain, gue mau patenin plan gue itu di blog ini. Dan ini juga sekalian buat bapak gue nih, biar besok-besok gausah nanya-nanya lagi dan ketar ketir lagi kalo gue mau beli apartemen.

So Dad, here's my plan.

Buy A Matic Bike

The first baby step! Berubung gue gak ngeliat adanya prospek transport umum jadi lebih baik, yaudeh mending gue beli motor aja ya gak sih?

Buy A Satellite House

Udah nabung agak banyakan, saatnya gue beli rumah buat investasi. Tapi gak langsung rumah gede di tengah kota juga sih. Gue mau cari rumah murah di daerah pinggiran Jakarta, yang agak pedalaman lika-liku seluk-beluk gitu. Tapi nih, gue gak akan tinggal disitu -gamau, mama :'( Itu rumah bakalan gue kontrakin buat banyakin tabungan gue. At least gue punya tanah gitu kan, in case of unexpected things.

Buy The Place of My Dream: The Apartment

Selang beberapa taun, tabungan makin banyak, it's time to move to the place I've been longing to stay at. The place where my Dad is so against about. Kyaaaahahahaaaaaargghh gara gara F.R.I.E.N.D.S nih ah! Sumpah salahin mereka gue jadi pengen banget bangetan tinggal di apartemen!

Buy A Car

Tempat tinggal udah punya, transport udah punya, saatnya aktualisasi diri dengan membeli sebuah Mini Cooper. Ih lucu gak sih? Keluar apartemen trus ke kantor di daerah Senayan atau Blok M atau Pancoran pake Mini?? KABULKAN IMPIAN INI YA RABB.

Buy A Bigger, Settled House In Town

Udah tajir nih ceritanya, trus udah puas gitu menggila membabi buta di apartemen, saatnya move on ke tempat tinggal yang lebih manusiawi dan lebih mapan. Itu si rumah satelit mau dijual kek, mau masih tetep dikontrakin kek, atau dibikin kos kosan kek, biar diriku di masa depan yang menentukan.

Cool gak sih rencana gue? Kata Mbak Anne sih canggih haha. Emang sih kesannya foya-foya banget beli motor iya, beli rumah iya, apartemen iya, mobilnya mahal pula. Tapi yaa gapapa deh ya, toh nanti gaji gue kan tak terhingga (AMIN ALLAH!!) jadi ngayal dikit gapapa kan?

Now Dad, what do you think?

It's not that I don't think well about my future.

I do consider every single details I possibly meet, but

I just want a more challenging life

Cause I Rap With The Best, For Sure

Let's talk about hobbies. Well, I like singing. Discreetly. Like inside the bedroom, inside the bathroom, inside my heart, or among the crowds, but when nobody sees me tho. After all, I sing for myself.

And talk about singing. You know I like Pitbull. And Nicki Minaj. And Jason Mraz. And Black Eyed Peas. See the things in common from those singers?

Yes, they mastered wordplays. They rap.

Now talk about rapping. I like rapping. I do rap, sometimes. Well, most of my times. Especially in Pitbull's songs. In each and every single song of his, there's always the rap verse. And I can do that, some of that. Actually, I'm a shy bird and showing-off-not-of-a-kind guy. But when it comes to Pitbull's raps, I can't help but sing along.

Some of my friends noticed my rap skill. One of them even suggested me to develop my own YouTube channel of my own rap covers. Well that wasn't a bad idea. In fact, I've been thinking to do that.

It's not because I want to be famous, oh Lord, no way! I'll earn my fame in my own way. It's more like to, you know, distribute this uncontrollable desire of rapping somewhere decent. Also for me later on my old days, to remind the old me that when he was younger, he could do such cool raps.

Well, what do you think guys?

Geez no, ain't talking to you.

I was asking them instead.

Here are the links for Jason's, Nicki's, Pitbull's and BEP's pics

Well,

I do like singing.

After all, I sing for myself.

But for rapping, I can consider go public.

Haha who cares what others think.

Uncle Pitbull once said in one of his songs,

"It's my life,

Imma do what I do.

And if you don't like it

It's cool, f*ck you" :)

Rough Street Saga

I will never forget today.

March 7th, 2013. The day of traffuck.

Serius, hari ini jalanan kayak be'ol. Keluar rumah macet. Abis lampu merah masuk Perintis Kemerdekaan macet. Masuk Cempaka Putih macet. Keluar Cempaka Putih Macet. Keluar Cipinang macet. Masuk Pemuda macet. Nyari jalan tikus di Pondasi macet. Depan Sevilla macet. Depan Superindo Pulomas macet. Eh gila kali ya!?

Udah gitu yang paling apes, gue nyerempet mobil orang. Keluarga Batak gatau diri yang culas. Untung nyokap jago nego, master silat lidah -sumpah ya, ilmu ini mesti banget gue dapetin dari nyokap- sehingga masalah cepat selesai meski keluar uang 200rb -Mom, Dad, I swear I'll repay this, and if possible, double.

But with what happened today, now I'm sure--no.

Now I'm WHOLEHEARTEDLY, UNDOUBTEDLY sure that:

Virtual karma does exist

Jadi pas sebelum kejadian serempetinawati itu, gue ngetweet begini, "Jalanan kayak t*i, mobil mobil kayak ta*, terkutuklah lalu lintas Jakarta siang ini." Dan nyatanya, bukan lalu lintas Jakarta aja yang terkutuk, tetapi gue pun terkutuk sehingga terjadilah kejadian sebagaimana tersebut diatas.

Ruined mood ruins all

Sebelum berangkat, mood gue sebenernya udah gak beres. Pas di mobil, makin gak beres sama semua ketidakberesanperlalulintasan Jakarta itu. Ditambah lagi, nyokap mendikte segala gerak-gerik gue di belakang bangku kemudi. Feel me?

Staying calm helps

Dulu di kampus, sebuah quotes bijak beredar di circle gue. "Kalo lo nggak deg-degan, berarti gak kejadian apa-apa." Nah itu gue terapin tadi pas si bapak Batak minta gue buat menepi setelah nyerempet. Gue stay calm, stay cool, stay cute -padahal dalam hati udah ketir mau kabur dari Jakarta- dan Alhamdulillah segalanya diperlancar oleh Allah SWT.

I'll move out of the country. Very soon.

Orang lokal itu brengsek. Licik. Picik. Kasar. Oportunis. Aji mumpung. Kampungan. Jujur kalo disuruh milih pengen jalan di sekitar crowd orang Jawa atau crowd Chinese, gue lebih milih yang kedua. Makanya gue doyan tinggal di Gading. Dan gue bertekad banget buat pindah keluar. Malaysia kek, Singapur kek. Dimanapun itu, gue bakal pindah kesana sampe masyarakat Jakarta, plus kondisi dan segala kekacauan yang ada di dalamnya, udah gak seliar sekarang.

Otherwise, I'll hire a driver

Kalopun gue gak bisa ninggalin Indonesia, gue bakal nyewa supir. Gue gamau tiap hari ngantor ngadepin macet dulu. Pulang ngadepin macet lagi. Mending gue bayar orang buat menuntun gue menghadapi kerasnya lalu lintas DKI. Toh duit gue bakal banyak ini -Amin Ya Rabb, AminAllah!!

Udah seyakin itu.

Pelajaran hari ini bikin gue udah seyakin itu.

But there is one last thing

That I'm positively very sure of.

It is that my mother, my supermom,

Is the best woman ever

A Whole Month Long of Slacking Off For Me, From Proud Me

Oke masa liburan udah mulai. Walopun hari-hari terasa berat gegara kemunculan pernilaian masih menggantungi nasib kami para mahasiswa, entah kenapa tiba-tiba libur udah hampir dua minggu aja gitu. Padahal gue belum siap ninggalin Januari penuh ceria ini.

Bukannya karena gue pengen berlama-lama di Januari -gue pengen cepet cepet Februari malah, karena gasabar pengen perform the magical solo trip. Bukan juga karena gue enggan masuk kuliah. Jujur, gue pengen cepet cepet semester 6 karena di term ini gue terbebas dari segala kepanitiaan, dan gue udah berhenti dari FISIPERS :') 

So why?? Why, Vicky, why don't you want to leave this month so early??

Because somehow, I turn to be a complete lazy ass this month. 

Parah. Jam bobo gue tambah berantakan. Tidur sih masih disitu situ aja, jam 1 atau 2. Tapi bangunnya... Makin geser jadi jam 9. Plus gue makin gak ada niat olahraga, makin nganggur ga karuan, makin makin makin payah deh.

Intinya, gue pengen lebih produktif sebelum Januari usai!

So, you don't want me to be a pro couch potato, eh?
Now January, please grow me some motivations

Yak. Tadinya gue mau nulis keluhan itu buat postingan kali ini.

Tapi setelah berpikir panjang, diskusi batin dan solat Istikharah,

Kayaknya gapapa sih gue berleha-leha di liburan kali ini.

Karena ternyata, sepertinya liburan ini adalah liburan panjang terakhir buat gue sebagai manusia merdeka. Coba deh liat liburan selanjutnya. Gue udah harus magang lagi. Dan liburan setelah itu, gue udah harus gesit mencari pekerjaan. Dan liburan setelah setelahnya, paling lama cuma sebatas liburan lebaran atau natal taun baru yang cuma semingguan :')

Pembenaran gue yang lain, pan liburan kemaren gue full magang kan ya. Dan pas semester 5, gue ditimpa sama kewajiban kewajiban fana di kepanitiaan kampus. Jadi sekali lagi, gue rasa emang saatnya buat gue di liburan yang sekarang ini nih, buat jadi kebo rumahan.

Dan pembenaran ketiga gue, adalah mengenai nilai semester ini. Walopun kemaren hectic sampe segitunya di acara kampus, tapi gue berhasil survive dan IP IPK semester ini pun lebih tinggi daripada semester lalu. Agila Vick, sumpedeh gue bangga banget sama eluu kyaa sini cium dulu :*

So yeah, Vick, you don't have to be feeling bad about this.

The universe is compiling to spoil you as a brand new couch potato.

Now January, you stay as long as you want

Japan(ese) Here I Go!

New year usually came along with new resolutions. I'm not a type of guy who made resolutions every year -except last year, when I was totally bummed- but this year, I have one tho.

First of all, gue lagi males pake bahasa Inggris.

Oke. Jadi buat kalian yang nggak follow Twitter gue -ebuset berasa populer banget nih mas piki :')- pasti kalian gatau kalo gue lagi mulai belajar bahasa Jepang.

Single fighter. Otodidak-ly. Gaikut les. Cuma pake buku--
Yaudah intinya gue lagi berusaha coba belajar bahasa Jepang!

Pas semester 5 kemaren, yang Alhamdulillah udah beres itu, karena gue super disibukkan dengan segala kepanitiaan fana nan nggilani, jadinya gue gak fokus gitu deh belajarnya.

NAH sekarang kan udah selesai nih. Plus semangat liburan, plus semangat taun baru, saatnya melanjutkan apa yang udah gue lalaikan!

So yes! Mastering Japanese, is something I have to achieve before the closure of this year.

Or if possible, by the middle of the year.

Because somehow in one of those old months,

I'll be going to Japan

P.S. : Amen o Lord!!

Yearly Myth

So Happy New Year 2013, everybody!!

Postingan pertama di 2013 nih wuwuwuwuwu ya Allah 2012 beneran deh ya, gak kerasa banget tiba-tiba udah abis aja fufufu. Tapi emang deh, itu taun kebesaran gue haha banyak banget nikmat serta karunia Allah SWT yang gue rasain -tadinya gue pikir itu kan taun terakhir kita di bumi, makanya dikasih happy ending gitu :')

Jadi ada satu hal yang pengen gue sampaikan. Yaitu soal malam tahun baru. Sejak taun baru 2008 ke 2009, gue menemukan sebuah pola nan unik yang mengantar gue ke sebuah spekulasi spektakular -jir apa banget sih bahasa gue.

Yodeh mari ditelaah satu per satu.

New Year 2009: Bandung, Friends of X-2.

Di rumah Khobbab nih ceritanya, bareng rombongan anak kelas X-2 SMA 68 angkatan gue pastinya. Seru kan tuh bareng temen-temen, ceqaqaq ceqiqiq dengan segala ups and downs nya. Nah gotta tell ya, all year long in 2009, I learned a lot, A LOT, about friendship. Backstabbing, loyalty, togetherness pas kelas XI, comfort zone, team work from BAZKOM, independency from Baduy pas kelas XII. Shocked? Not yet.

New Year 2010: Singapore, Family.

Kala itu, pas jam 12 tiba, warga Singapore sudah siap dengan perkakas canned foam mereka dan mulai nyemprot-nyemprotin senjata mereka ke siapapun, bener-bener orang gak kenal sekalipun, pokoknya semua orang yang lagi nongkrong di Orchard Rd. Fun? Banget!! Berasa selebrasi kemenangan apa gitu deh gila kacau serunya. Dan apa yang terjadi selama 2010? Graduation. Selebrasi kelulusan yang, ya Tuhan, gabisa diungkapin gimana senengnya. Di taun ini juga gue mulai ospek di kampus. Seru-seruan sama total strangers, temen-temen baru yang sama sekali gak kenal sebelumnya, tapi bisa-bisanya nyatu dan jadi sebuah keluarga baru.

New Year 2011: Bali, Family.

Meskipun di Bali, gue mumet banget sama NYE yang satu ini karena ujan. Pulangnya pun harus nunggu taksi berapa lama baru bisa cabut dari Discovery Mall. Alhasil, setaun penuh selama 2011 itu gue ngalamin hal-hal yang yaaahh gak ngenakin deh.

New Year 2012: Jakarta, Mom and Dad.

Di Bunderan HI, ngeliat kembang api dan langit bersahabat. I didn't quiet enjoy the atmosphere tho, but one thing I liked was, I spent the night with my parents. Mungkin karena itu Allah ngasih setaun penuh kecerahan buat gue di 2012 haha! Emang deh restu orangtua gak ngalahin apapun.

The point is, subconscious matters. Suggestion works. You got one belief, and you put faith on it, then there you go. You'll surely have that.

So start from now, I'll see a bright side from each year, and hope the positive side for the next one. No matter how suck the NYE could be, I'll just make it fun, for the sake of my whole upcoming year.

Wets bentar dolo, satu lagi nih.

New Year 2013: Home, Alone.

Gatau sih ini pertanda apa, tapi yang pasti, awal dari 2013 ini akan dimulai dengan trip gue ke KL - Bangkok which I'm gonna be... Alone.

So could this year be my single-trip-all-around-the-globe-alone year?

Let's just hope that's true :)

Baby, I'm A Firework

Last year, after I succeeded surviving the worst year I thought I had ever faced, I told myself that the following year would be a whole lot better year to walk through.

God saved something good for me, I entertained myself. Way good enough that He made 2011 that suck to give this year a nice one to be grateful about.

And I was right.

2012 was so wonderful.

Can't even stand to say goodbye.

I experienced a lot.

I learned a lot.

I felt a lot.

I explored myself high, like a firework.

And sparked while the world enjoying.

Now I'm ready for 2013.

Another amazing year I'm sure I'll have.

So welcome, the year of human-race-survival-celebration.

Goodbye, 2012 :)

Once Upon A Time

Dahulu kala, hiduplah seorang lelaki muda idaman diriku. Rambutnya unyu bergelombang, tubuhnya kurus macem susunan tulang. Meski begitu, dia lincah dan sering olahraga. Yaa bukan olahraga macem futsal atau basket sih, tapi paling nggak dia punya hasrat untuk bergerak.

Bukan raganya aja yang sehat, imannya juga kuat. Rajin solat, rajin ibadat. Otak pun diberi asupan yang cukup. Hampir tiap minggu jajan buku di Gramedia. Kebanyakan emang buku hiburan, tapi paling nggak dia masih nyisihin waktu buat baca tulisan lewat kertas, bukan gadget.

Siapa sih dia?

Vicky namanya.

Iye, gue. Gue yang jaman dulu tepatnya. Gue yang masih segar bugar, yang tidur lebih dari jam 12 itu gue anggep dosa, yang masih bisa bangun pagi buat jogging atau latian Parkour, gue yang seharinya paling sedikit solat 4 kali, yang doa-doanya lengkap banget selesai solat.

Ya gitu deh. Gue ngerasa akhir-akhir ini kualitas manusiawi gue menurun. Terutama masalah tidur. Sekarang paling cepet tidur itu jam 1 malem. Bangun jam 8, turun ke kamar nyokap trus lanjutin lagi sampe sesuatu dalam diri gue teriak, "EGILA KALI LO YE, BANGUN!" baru deh gue bangun.

Trus olahraga. Jujur gue seneng banget latian Parkour. Tapi setelah bulan Juni, setelah pulang dari Singapur, udah gitu selama libur gue magang, selalu aja ada alesan buat gue gak ke Senayan. Apalagi abis motor dijual. Magerwati deh pagi-pagi bangun trus busway-an kesana, pulang naik bis lagi dengan badan lengket penuh kotoran dan rerumputan.

Padahal tiap Minggu gue selalu baca tweet anak-anak yang baru ikutan Parkour, mereka kayak seneng-seneng euforia anak baru gitu kan trus gue jadi semacem ketampar gitu. Tapi yaudah cuma ketampar sama janji-janji palsu minggu besok mau latian lagi aja. Pas Minggu dateng lagi, boro-boro bangun buat latian. Mau bangun dengan motivasi nonton Sinchan aja gak mempan :'(

Masalah buku juga. Udah lama banget gue gak beli buku. Dulu tuh gue inget banget gue punya amplop uang yang isinya khusus buat beli buku doang. Trus gue beli komik The Simpsons yang gapernah gue baca dan akhirnya cuma buat koleksi doang.

Tapi...

Hari ini semacem dapet angin surga gitu. Intermezzo aja sih, hari ini cuaca bersahabat banget. Pagi-pagi gerimis sabi gitu, siangnya adem ayem. Agak sorean gue ke Gading dengan riang gembira dan pulang jalan kaki nenteng kantong plastik isi buku.

Ya, akhirnya gue beli buku lagi. Soal branding yang gatau kenapa akhir-akhir ini gue jadiin salah satu tujuan hidup gue nanti selain jadi Copywriter.

Nah mungkin ini bisa jadi turning point buat gue. Siapa tau aja tiba-tiba ntar malem gue tidur jam 10, bangun jam 5 trus gapake mager gue naik busway ke Senayan buat latian Parkour kan? Yaa siapa tau loh, siapa tau.

Now this post is getting nowhere, unthemed.

Yea well after all, what I'm trying to say is

I miss the old me

Image source: here.

If Only, If Only...

Here's the deal.

"All these things in this post, let's say I'm sharing it hypothetically.

So Dad -if you're reading this- please remain calm."

You remember one day, I thought when I grow older I'd love to pet a cat. Yea. Uhuh. Okay well now I don't think it's gonna work. As time went by, I learned quiet well about myself and I know I'm a lazy ass guy.

Owning a cat will make my life... you know, we both will just sit together, eat chips and watch some lame cartoon all weekend long. We'll grow older and spend our last times in front of the TV--Shoot, stop! That's, when I realize I'm not a cat person.

So yeah -here comes the part where I'm sure my dad's gonna freak out reading this- a dog will do. Dogs are active, fun, and protective. They'll bite my un-movable ass and force me to walk him down by the apartment park. They'll howl at me, try to wake me up and force my vulnerable feet to take him down to the jogging track. See, my life would be much healthier with a dog by my side.

But then I thought to myself, what kind of dog? A big one will cost me hell and effort because I gotta be wiping all his spits and poops. So then a small one it is. But still... What kind?

Okay you know how teenagers nowadays love to stalk others through the social media. In Bahasa we call that 'ngepo', from the word 'kepo' or 'kaypoh' in Singaporean. So yea basically we now have needs to ngepo somebody else.

I happened to stalk many people of BBDO Agency. Ya you know, they work for BCA and I happened to meet some of them. While doing the ritual, I found someone who has this adorable dog.

It's a Schnauzer. And I fell into a sudden love seeing him for the first time.

http://www.wallcoo.net/animal/Pet-Miniature-Schnauzer/wallpapers/1024x768/Miniature-Schnauzer-puppy-photo-83470_wallcoo.com.html

See? Geez look at his innocent face, and those spineless eyes... Who could say no to him? I may spend more money on him than on myself.

And his cute, crushable little figure... I can keep him inside my backpack and go inside places where pets are not allowed. Yea I'm sure I can't stand even one minute without him. Cause you know, I'll be attached to him real quick.

Then he'll be switching the role of my alarm. Every morning he'll jump to my bed, bark by me and weakly pull my blanket to wake me up. I'll stay in bed but once he starts his desperate yelp, I give in tho.

Ooo can't wait to have my own place to live. Can't wait to see a tiny four legged creature wander around my living room. Can't wait to show him to my friends and they'll all be like, "Aww what a cute dog! Can I hold him?" or "Aww you guys look marvelous together!"

Yea time flies, I get it. Maybe the next thing I know I'll be having like tons of them, breeding like uncontrollable beasts. Or maybe I'll only have one because he'll be loyal enough to walk me down my days? Well I can't tell.

What I know now is,
This post is just hypothetical

Note Eight: Farewell

Day Goodbye

A friend of mine once told me, several days before our summer off ended, that when we had something to do by the time we were off studying, going back to campus would be a suck thing to do.

And that's just so right.

I've done my internship period weeks ago. Said goodbye and thanked everybody there, from the Public Relation Aspect to Consumer Communication Aspect to the Media Communication Aspect to the agencies I was interfered with. It was so hard, yet exciting because finally I would feel the true holiday.

Until today, I went back there to drop the report I was required to do. And they still welcomed me like I was still working there. So warm, so fun, so supportive.

Ah, goodbyes. I never liked farewell. Especially to a place where I once said it was the best choice I've ever picked. Saying goodbye, for me, is a total awkward. And writing it is a bunch of wasting time.

So yeah, I'm done with this post and stuff.

I'm done referring myself as an apprentice.

I'm done being treated as an underdog.

But I'm not done keeping the memories.

From left to right, Bu Niken, Pak Tim, Bu Litani, Kak Sonya the secretary, you do know me, and Pak Matthew

Now it's time to face the truth.

Say hell-o again to campus life

P.S. : Too bad Bu Norisa wasn't there on the photograph... She's like the boss of the bosses of mine, and it feels like awkwardly impolite without her. Sorry, ma'am ._.

Note Seven: Best Decision Ever

Day Thirty Nine

It's been two weeks since the last time I posted about my internship journal. Now in this eighth week, gotta tell ya, I had gone through so many things I never even thought about before.

And yes, those things, are the best path I've ever taken.

With my own consideration. My own effort. My own courage.

You remember about my decision to take the first offer as the apprentice of Public Relation? I appreciate myself for my bravery. Though I have no idea at all about that field, I kept doing what I had planned. So as the reward, I sort of knew a little bit about PR. And better yet, I met some new best buddies.

So joining the PR army, was the best option I made

You also remember about my decision to move to MarComm? That was on top of all. No regrets at all. I don't have to tell you every single detail of it. Too many lovable things to be shared.

So moving to MarComm, was the best choice I picked

Then you remember about my decision to extend my internship period, eh? I was so right about that. The only project I handled from the scratch wasn't close enough to the end, when I was still on my old time plan. Now that I extended it, I can have it finished right several days before I say bye-bye to everyone.

Aside from that portfolio thingy, last Thursday and Friday, the last two days I actually had if I stick with my previous timeline, were the worst days ever. I couldn't imagine if I have to end my internship facing those days...

Hell yes. I went through some bad days along my extension. I was there when my bosses were busy with themselves, when my fellow apprentice were a bit more popular than me, when I was absolutely stuck by the bottom of the wheel. This was priceless, the lesson I earned.

So prolonging my internship period, was the best deal I took

Therefore I suppose you remember about my decision to fight against the new apprentice? No doubt, I shouldn't not do that. Now I know a bit about her capability, and the fact that her strengths aren't something I have to be jealous about. We're good in our way, in our own skills.

So facing the rival of mine, was the bravest thing I did

Five more days 'till I packed my stuff out of that office. I'm not feeling well, actually. I mean, my emotions are blending. I even sense that this post is dull -with most word selections are common and cliche.

But the thing is, I win this game.
I beat my own laziness, unlock some cool potentials I never knew I had.

Now you remember about my decision to pass my holiday
And take a long long long internship program instead?
Well, this was better than having a vacation.

So accepting the challenge of apprentice,
Was the best decision ever

Note Six: What If...

                 "... I extend my internship period and

                expand more insights about this field of mine..."

Day Twenty Seven

So yeah, something below my subconscious encourages me lately. I felt like needing to have more of this. I have to propose like one or two additional weeks so this hunger of advertising world could be fulfilled.

But you know, it's Ramadhan already. I need to check myself out first, whether am strong enough to deal with these internship things while shutting my crumbling tummy up. Besides, I need a couple of weeks off to rest my brain and this tiny vulnerable body.

Knowledge. Physical capability. Needs of vacation.

Too much to be compared. Too much to considerate.

Until yesterday, I stopped calculating.

A brand new apprentice showed up in my aspect. I repeat, IN ADVERTISING ASPECT I'm currently in love with. She uh, she's like *sigh* stealing my thunder as the youngest. And I freaky felt discomforted.

Sounds ridiculous, eh? I'm this all worried yet she hasn't even done anything. She seemed haven't found her rhythm yet, but...

What if... She's more qualified than me, and everybody prefer to work with her rather than me? If I quit later I will see her ruling the office, forcing me to witness people loving her more than me? Or

What if... I stick with my schedule, quit early and leave that girl whose competences I have no idea about? I mean, if she is good, and people like her, I'm okay because I'm out already. This is safe for my soul.

But I guess my ego wins. My curiosity conquers. It's not only because I haven't had enough Advertising experiences. It's more about me, with the help of that girl's appearance, testing myself to face every single possibilities emerging in future. And let people know that I can pick the best for myself.

So umm, I'm continuing this internship.

This is fascinating, damn nerve-wracking! But keep in mind, fair ones.

It's not that I want to explore her bad sides and make her look worse.

It's more that I want to challenge myself and make myself look better.

After all, we're both still learning

Note Five: I Belong Here

Day Twenty Four

Earlier this week, I drifted off my last stop and started my fifth week of internship as the Advertising and Media Aspect apprentice. This has been my major dream, far before I applied to the program. And I must say that, yeah, it came true.

Feel how it is like to be on client's side, that's what I wanted to explore. And so, all I ever done this week were somehow client-ish. First day went dull yet things went so much better by the second day when I was asked to join some meeting with Proximity.

Third day was full of new stuff. I learned how to make calls, follow up things, request some job orders to the agencies, go back and forth to the internal studio, coordinate layouts and designs, edit what the agencies gave to my team, proposing the final artwork and approvals, and things.

But actually, the peak happened today. Aside all those works, my new colleague Pak Timothy invited me to join him supervising some video shoot for video contest at some celebs workplace. Nah, I was so not interested to meet these celebs, I was more eager to see how the shooting went instead.

Now tell me and be honest. Those sounds technical, eh? But I don't know, I enjoyed these. So much that maybe there are some possibilities of me extending my internship period.

And on top of that, my new supervisor is the best boss I've ever met. Bu Norisa's just so instructive, having no hesitation in giving me tasks and responsibilities I have never done, and... Gorgeous. Yeah, she's chic.

No doubt, I guess.

This is my place.

P.S. : The day after, it went so so. Not as hecticly-pleasure as the previous three days, but there was this presentation held by GREY agency. Those name cards, were what I was grateful that day about.