Sunday, June 30, 2013

A New Beginning


Tomorrow's will be D day.
   First of July
      First day of the second half of the year
         First day in my new chapter

         Not as nervous as I imagined though
      Not  as obsessed as I was a few weeks before
   It's just something natural
Not unusual

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hesitation


Remind me again why...
Why I decided to answer the knocking on the door
'Coz it's hazy sometimes
Being surrounded by those who find a hard time letting me go
It's not your fault
Nor theirs
It's merely my choice
And the knocking sound that wouldn't leave me alone
Don't ask why
For I may not be able to answer correctly right now
In case you haven't figured it out,
Every major change means a little death
And my mind starts to haunt my days and nights
While trying to catch just the precise image of you

Monday, June 24, 2013

Starting Over

H-5...
Perasaan gue makin ngga keruan. Antara excited dan cemas, mikirin bagaimana kelanjutan gue di tempat baru. I'm really leaving my comfort zone. Wow... this is big. Meskipun gue masih di bank yang sama, tapi pindah gedung dan pindah divisi ini feels as if I'm converting my faith. Haha...
This is big, because it's gonna be the first turning point in my life. The point where I eventually make a choice of my own. It's the second chance I could only dream of. It's the major I didn't afford to take some 15 years ago. And suddenly, the road is opened before my eyes. Tanpa gue rencanain, tanpa gue sangka-sangka. Makasih Tuhan.

Tapi rasa takutnya ngga bisa dipungkirin. Kadang pas lagi bengong di mobil gue mikir, gue udah ngambil keputusan yang beresiko banget. Karir gue di finance yang udah bertahun-tahun, sekarang gue belokin. Gue banting setir, ke jalur yang ngga gitu nyambung sama background pendidikan gue. Hmm... lebih tepatnya ngga nyambung sama sekali. Gimana kalo divisi baru gue ngga lebih baik dari divisi yang gue tinggalin? Gimana kalo kerjaan gue nanti ngga jelas? Gimana kalo unit gue ditutup karena satu dan lain hal? Gimana kalo bos gue ternyata ngga suka ama gue? Or worse, dia manipulatif dan cuma mau memanfaatkan gue. Gimana kalo orang-orang di sana ngga cocok sama gue? Segudang pikiran negatif wara-wiri di kepala gue. Dan somehow, entah kenapa hari ini kecemasan gue nyampe ke titik puncaknya dan turun. Alhasil, gue jadi pengen ketawa terus. Gue sendiri juga ngga tau hal lucu apa yang gue ketawain di samping fakta bahwa gue bisa aja mati gaya di tempat baru dalam waktu dekat ini. 

Out of the blue, I told myself that I should behave correctly in the new place. Why? Because lately, gue berkhayal kalau gue bisa jadi bintang. Gue terlalu bersemangat dan berpikir kalau gue pasti hebat ngerjain kerjaan yang baru, karena gue punya minat besar dan visi yang gue pikir cukup mulia. Yeah...right...
Darling, here's what you should remember:
One, you're a newby. And a snobbish newby is a major turnoff. Lupakan untuk jadi seperti loe di tempat yang sekarang, yang orang-orangnya sudah mengenal loe dengan cukup baik. Yang seluk-beluk pekerjaannya udah khatam di kepala loe. Bukan karena loe pinter banget, tapi karena loe nyaris jadi barang antik saking udah lamanya nangkring di situ.
Two, jam terbang loe di tempat yang baru = nol koma nol nol. Jangan pernah berpikir untuk jadi sotoy (sok tau), karena loe jelas belom tau apa-apa. Ngga ada yang lebih menyebalkan dari orang sotoy yang sebenernya ngga tahu apa-apa.
Three, jangan kebanyakan curcol. Loe belum tahu siapa yang bisa dipercaya dan ngga ember bocor.

Jadi, kesimpulannya: be subtle, be quiet, and just learn as much as you can. Oh, and one more thing: be patient. Mungkin, belom dalam waktu dekat gue bisa merasa nyaman dan enjoy. Mungkin, gue akan banyak melakukan kebodohan karena banyak ngga tahu ini itu. Tapi seperti spirit yang selalu ada di dalam hati kecil gue tiap kali gue melangkah ke tempat asing: I believe one day I will 'Conquer them all!'

Good night Jekardah!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Estranged Freak

Jakarta, on its 486th birthday

So...akhirnya plaza kuningan udah di depan mata. Tinggal seminggu lagi gue bakal pindah ke sana. Sebagai preliminary visit, kemaren gue pergi meeting ke sana, ketemu Bayu (calon bos gue), bukan buat ngebahas kerjaan gue di HR. Gue dateng ke situ masih sebagai duta besar Procurement, yang strukturnya pending di tangan gue.
Pagi-pagi gue udah dibikin disoriented ama salah satu pejabat Procurement kesayangan sang pimpinan (panggil aja si A). Gara-gara dia punya agenda buat nyuruh gue bikin slide tentang project2nya dia yang mau di-present ke baginda CEO hari Selasa minggu depan. Gue langsung manyun, dan bilang kalo gue ntar siang mau pergi ke Plaza Kuningan buat ngebahas struktur. Trus dia langsung pasang muka sok bingung plus heran, sambil nanya, kenapa jadi eloe yg ngerjain struktur ya Wi?
Dan pertanyaan dia spontan bikin gue ikutan bingung plus heran. Iya ya, kenapa gue yg repot banting tulang ngurusin struktur organisasinya Procurement? Tiba-tiba gue ngerasa jadi orang kepo dan sok penting, mentang-mentang bentar lagi bakal pindah ke HR ngurusin hal-hal yang exactly looks and smells like struktur procurement yg lagi gue kerjain. Entah apa intensi si A, yang pasti kalo tadinya dia berniat spy gue bantuin dia bikin slide, dia udah ngambil langkah yang super salah. Alhasil gue jadi hang hong, and kaga berhasil konsen sedikit pun ke slide yang lagi dia dikte-in. Ga lama kemudian, while I'm struggling buat nge-defrag isi kepala gue yg suddenly tumpang tindih, telepon pun berdering, dan suara Amalia orang audit (SKAI) bikin gue makin lemes. Dia ngingetin gue soal audit findings yang perlu di-follow up. Great!
Akhirnya, gue putusin buat nelepon Bayu to cancel the meeting. Krn gue pikir, siapa gue gitu loh? Struktur organisasi harusnya dikerjain ama Procurement Head, or at least seseorang dg level wakadiv. Knp gue? Yang cuma cecurut dan ngga punya kapasitas decision making. Gue kasih alasan gue ke Bayu sambil ketawa2, as if it didn't bother me too much. Tp di luar sangkaan gue, si Bayu kayaknya ngga agree, meskipun dia ngomongnya sih 'terserah'. Trus dia jelasin tujuannya meeting itu sbnrnya buat apa. And it all suddenly make sense. So...meetingnya ngga jadi batal deh.
Taking Mega's advice, gue ajak successor gw ke PlazKun buat nemenin gw meeting.

Sumpah bagusan GSI. Gue heran knp danamon mindahin isi GSI ke gedung dengan toilet imoet2 begitu, meskipun liftnya lebih lega dikit sih...
Pas pintu lift ngebuka di lt. 4, hati rasanya makin galau. Beda bgt ama GSI yg lebih cakep. Again, and again gue ngebandingin urusan ngga penting itu. Maybe it won't bother me that much kalo aja gue kenal baik semua orang-orang yang ada di situ.
Anyway, kita nunggu bentar di sofa deket pak satpam, sebelom akhirnya masuk ke working area. Pas masuk gue udh ngeliat someone yang dari dulu selalu gue anggap a bit irritating. Her name starts with M. We met several times in several cross divisions events, and I don't believe she doesn't recognize me. Yet she acted as if she didn't see me, let alone know who I was. Kegalauan meningkat, dari siaga 1 ke siaga 2. Nyampe dalem, gue ketemu Re dan ngerasa lega sedikit karena pembawaannya yang warm and always familiar. Gue ngeliat sekeliling and felt intimidated by the quietness. Ini orang2 pada belom balik makan siang (hellooo, udah jam 3 gitu bo), atau memang banyak bangku yang kosong?
Re nganterin kita ke bangkunya Bayu (yg juga kosong). Ternyata dia nempatin cubicle khusus, kayak yg ditempatin JW di MBD. Kita pun duduk di situ, nungguin partisipan meeting lainnya.

Buat yang kesekian kalinya, gue ngeliat-liat lagi ke sekeliling, and still didn't feel good. I felt estranged. belom apa-apa gue udah homesick. Gue kangen MBD, dan suasananya yang kayak pasar di area Procurement. Gosh!

You know, waktu gue akhirnya masuk jadi pegawai di MBD lebih dari 6 taon yang lalu, gue banggaaaaaa banget bisa kerja di gedung sekeren itu. Di sebelahnya hotel JW Marriott yang super cool, deket hotel Ritz Carlton yang bahkan lebih cool lagi. Sebulan (atau bahkan lebih) setelah mulai kerja, gue masih mimpiin gedung MBD yang indah itu, di tengah gedung-gedung pencakar langit laen yang tetanggaan sama dia. Glowing under the night stars...
dan penghuni lantai 6 yang begitu terasa familar, bikin suasana MBD makin pas di hati. I told myself I think I can work here forever.
Tapi ternyata cerita berubah dan gue sampe di satu titik di mana gue struggling abis-abisan untuk keluar dari MBD tanpa ada 1 orang pun yang berhasil menggoyang tekad gue yang udah bulet.

About a month ago, Plaza Kuningan terasa jauhhhh banget. As if it only exist in my dream. I didn't care if the building wasn't as good as MBD. But now, I know I will miss my beloved MBD, at least for a while... I also realize that,
There's something about MBD that kept me there for more than six years...
There's something about the building, how it's situated at one of few favorite spots in Jakarta
And there's something about JW's aura that fills the environment with joy and spirit...

So after numerous trials of leaving, I finally managed to move.
And here I am, facing my old enemy, who hates changes as much as a cat hates water.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

No Love Story


I can’t think of a love story that suits you best
As I find myself caught up in this frustrated city
With emptiness as the only loyal companion

It’s overwhelming, to see the world roves in exactly the opposite direction
Like a parade of circus waving at your presence
Your still, unseen and vague existence…

I gasp from beneath the ruins of what used to be complete
Battling for air and freedom
For the fulfillment my soul longs to own
Searching for certain minds that would meet mine
A group of embodied thoughts that would find their ways to a firm and unquestionable foundation

Perhaps it’s merely an illusion
A funny, strange illusion
That leads me to a tempestuous curiosity
Of a dozen of what-ifs
Of a bulk of what-would-it-be-likes

Thus in my sober time I seek for some love stories
To exclude you from a bundle of absurd imagination that plays with my mind
And still…
No love story suits you
Not even close…