Dear fellas,
It's been a long time I don't write anything right here. I've just realized that it's been almost a year I have this blog, too bad I abandoned this. Before I'm saying anything, I would like to apologize for not being active on this blog. Life has been pretty rough and I'm having a hard time to manage everything at once. Life has been pretty overwhelming nowadays.
So, how was your day, guys? Hope you're having a great time.
So, how was your day, guys? Hope you're having a great time.
How about me? Well, I'm doing...... fine. I actually doubt it when I said that because I've been facing pretty complicated days lately. Since I've been MIA since months ago, I have so many things to tell you right here but I don't know exactly where to start. Believe it or not, I put a sticky note on my laptop consists of several topics that I would like to write in this blog such as my latest trip, my art journey, my watching-concert experiences, how the 'influencers' affect the whole generation, how I see millennials nowadays, the main problem of our education system, victim-blaming on sexual harassment, and many more. Since I'm not a good writer, it really takes time to actually write one article because I have to make sure everything is well written and stick with the topic. The struggle to write anything right here is actually real. Since one day only consists of 24 hours, I haven't really put this as my first priority. And that sticky note still remains on my laptop and I just see it as a speck of dust. From the topics that I've mentioned, well I might graduate as a designer, but I like analyzing social issue especially when it happens in Indonesia.
So first thing first, now I'm working as a freelance interior designer and also a cafe owner with my brother. Everything that I do right now is basically a family business. My mother is an interior designer too and in a short-term, I would replace her: continuing her career as well. I have a cafe called Better Than Your Ex (BTYE for short) and you can check it out on Instagram @betterthanyourex.id. Our favorite dish is Salted Egg Chicken Rice and Ice Thai Tea. To tell you the truth, we expected the coffee would be the best seller ones when it turns out it's not but it's okay anyway. We were very selective with choosing the kind of coffee beans when it turns out people love our rice boxes and Ice Thai Tea. Since nowadays food delivery service is around the corner, people prefer to order with Go-food instead of dine-in. We've been struggling to decorate our place as well but most people prefer staying at home and choose the delivery order. Haha. My part on BTYE is handling social media, doing digital marketing, as a graphic designer and a photographer too. Thanks God I graduated from design school so I have skills and knowledge about branding image or visual branding. No need to spend expenses on hiring a graphic designer or a branding consultant. Scrolling through Pinterest and other photographer's social media has made me gaining knowledge about the best composition of food photography too. BTYE is still like a baby, it needs an extra care to grow up.
My life after graduate is more like emotionally adapting with the new phase. I must say that this year has a huge turning point in my life, many differences are made compared to the previous years, so many unexpected things happened yet so many things to learned. Graduating from the university means that every decision that I make would likely affect the rest of my life. Birthday is no longer about throwing a party or blowing up candles but mentally growing up. The pressure from your peers or your family is real. Being 20s are super sensitive, we might start on the same starting line but it turns out each person has a different path that leads us to the different finish line too, and some of us don't even recognize our path. Sometimes, life after graduation is about racing with others: racing to which one is successful first, where each person has a totally different meaning of "successful". Society expects us to reach the "ideal life" such as getting married as soon as possible, having kids on 25, having landed house before 30, working in a sophisticated company, be 'successful' before 30, and many more. It only requires a common sense to comprehend that everyone has their own timeline, and it's up to them.
Being a freelancer has its pros and cons. Thank God I live in the internet era where it provides me with more opportunity with flexibility when it comes to working. But you know what? It's not always as good as it seems. Being a freelancer means that I'm only working with myself most of the time. To be honest, I feel lonely, sometimes. Yeah I know I have flexible working hours even I can watch a movie in a cinema when everyone is in the office or I can take days off whenever I want. But I enjoy it all alone. I have to admit that I miss having a great talk during lunch with my peers, or working overnight together, or going to office events, or having a coffee together after office. The feeling of isolation makes me feel bad sometimes but it's something I have to deal with no matter what.
Being a freelancer means that there's no certainty in your life. You don't know whether you'll be paid this month, you don't even know whether you have something to work on every month. Every day is about waiting for the proposals to be approved. You don't work 9 to 5, but 9 to 0.00 and sometimes more. You don't know whether your cafe would be filled up with customers every day, you don't know how much income you would likely to get every month. You can get thousands dollar in a month but you don't even know how much money you would have next month. Every day is basically is a mystery. Sometimes I can't even relate how wonderful the beginning of the month (awal bulan) is because every day feels the same.
Life after graduate makes me learn to DEAL with a variety of people. When at school, people were basically under the same frequencies, you would more likely have the same thought, ideas, surroundings, the differences are not that matter. When in real life, I'm facing the 'real people'. There was a time a customer came to our cafe not ordered anything but mocking us. Yeah, only mocking us and saying that this cafe was no good. There was a time that I felt being underestimated of continuing my mother's career and suggested to work in an office as an employee instead to have kepastian hidup.
Last not least, life after graduate feels like being in a land of anxiety. I'm worried about anything, about where my life takes me in the next few years, about the adult shits I have to deal for the rest of my life, about the decisions I've made in the first place. I'm worried about my life purpose in this world and why do I have to be in this world if it doesn't mean 'something' to this world (yeah I know it sounds too much or too philosophical). The anxiety creeps me in until my head is going to explode. I'm worried about what I've done so far and compared to the others that makes me think that I don't really achieve that much. I thought teenage years would be the most complicated phase in my life when it turns out adulting is way more confusing.
Yeah, so much to deal with. My current day is more likely about emotionally and mentally growing up. The adjustment between school life and real life makes me insane sometimes. But everything that I do today is basically what I decide in the first place after all.
It's getting late, I need to have some rest to deal with tomorrow. Have some rest too my dear friends.
LR
My life after graduate is more like emotionally adapting with the new phase. I must say that this year has a huge turning point in my life, many differences are made compared to the previous years, so many unexpected things happened yet so many things to learned. Graduating from the university means that every decision that I make would likely affect the rest of my life. Birthday is no longer about throwing a party or blowing up candles but mentally growing up. The pressure from your peers or your family is real. Being 20s are super sensitive, we might start on the same starting line but it turns out each person has a different path that leads us to the different finish line too, and some of us don't even recognize our path. Sometimes, life after graduation is about racing with others: racing to which one is successful first, where each person has a totally different meaning of "successful". Society expects us to reach the "ideal life" such as getting married as soon as possible, having kids on 25, having landed house before 30, working in a sophisticated company, be 'successful' before 30, and many more. It only requires a common sense to comprehend that everyone has their own timeline, and it's up to them.
Being a freelancer has its pros and cons. Thank God I live in the internet era where it provides me with more opportunity with flexibility when it comes to working. But you know what? It's not always as good as it seems. Being a freelancer means that I'm only working with myself most of the time. To be honest, I feel lonely, sometimes. Yeah I know I have flexible working hours even I can watch a movie in a cinema when everyone is in the office or I can take days off whenever I want. But I enjoy it all alone. I have to admit that I miss having a great talk during lunch with my peers, or working overnight together, or going to office events, or having a coffee together after office. The feeling of isolation makes me feel bad sometimes but it's something I have to deal with no matter what.
Being a freelancer means that there's no certainty in your life. You don't know whether you'll be paid this month, you don't even know whether you have something to work on every month. Every day is about waiting for the proposals to be approved. You don't work 9 to 5, but 9 to 0.00 and sometimes more. You don't know whether your cafe would be filled up with customers every day, you don't know how much income you would likely to get every month. You can get thousands dollar in a month but you don't even know how much money you would have next month. Every day is basically is a mystery. Sometimes I can't even relate how wonderful the beginning of the month (awal bulan) is because every day feels the same.
Life after graduate makes me learn to DEAL with a variety of people. When at school, people were basically under the same frequencies, you would more likely have the same thought, ideas, surroundings, the differences are not that matter. When in real life, I'm facing the 'real people'. There was a time a customer came to our cafe not ordered anything but mocking us. Yeah, only mocking us and saying that this cafe was no good. There was a time that I felt being underestimated of continuing my mother's career and suggested to work in an office as an employee instead to have kepastian hidup.
Last not least, life after graduate feels like being in a land of anxiety. I'm worried about anything, about where my life takes me in the next few years, about the adult shits I have to deal for the rest of my life, about the decisions I've made in the first place. I'm worried about my life purpose in this world and why do I have to be in this world if it doesn't mean 'something' to this world (yeah I know it sounds too much or too philosophical). The anxiety creeps me in until my head is going to explode. I'm worried about what I've done so far and compared to the others that makes me think that I don't really achieve that much. I thought teenage years would be the most complicated phase in my life when it turns out adulting is way more confusing.
Yeah, so much to deal with. My current day is more likely about emotionally and mentally growing up. The adjustment between school life and real life makes me insane sometimes. But everything that I do today is basically what I decide in the first place after all.
It's getting late, I need to have some rest to deal with tomorrow. Have some rest too my dear friends.
LR
