Passion VS Paycheck

Many people got "slapped" on the face since the "Lentera Jiwa" episode came out in Kick Andy Show, including me!. People are questioning (again...) is this the kind of life that I want? Is this the job that I really like? that I really want to do for the rest of my life?. Why do I feel very comfortable about what I do for living, I have the skill, the power, and barelly have challenges left...and the scary part popped into our mind = What is my contribution to the world?.

Phew, that last question is quite hard to answer, since not everyone is doing something for world peace, or to stop whale hunting, and making miraculous descision to end the middle-east fight.

So let me get back to me, since this is my blog ya...I haven't been really the kind of person who chase my dream of having an off-mainstream job, living in an almost too good to be true life. Well, who wouldn't want to be a famous singer-song writer who sold millions of records, who lives by the beach, surf everyday, having coconut pudding, and mango smoothies for breakfast like Jack Johnson? Boy, what a life! Not only he can do things that he really likes, he also made contribution to environment, making song about recycle and stuff & even his environment fund-raising campaign went well.

No matter hard I wish, I'm still just a regular guy, living in a big city, doing account management in Advertising Agency for living, not listed in any environmental organization, doesn't care about urban people social problem ( because thinking about my OWN social problem is quite distracting). All I know is that I gotta find a job to survive this mean world, to pay my shitloads of bills, to have fun sometimes, and thats it.

What do I know about passion? I am just too scared to go with my passion, since It may not seem real. Am I a coward! Yep, I chose to be this ordinary because I'm scared to be edgy.

I hate risks.

So Advertising is not my passion? Unfortunately yes. I've this 'thang' for advertising. I dont know why, but it seems like such fun (until i worked and felt the stress). But the road wasn't always smooth. Before I'm in the game, I was held up as a customer service officer in an express shipping company, boy! I had a handsome living. They have this incentive scheme which made paycheck doubled up or even tripled every month!. But then under the name of "passion" and "comfort zone", I had an affair with the HR Dept of a prominent Advertising Agency. I had the "oh-god-thank you-thank you" moment when I finally got the job. I thought yupe, my Kick Andy moment has finally arrived.

Or soo I thought, after really jumped in to the industry, I like it, it's very dynamic and fluid and also full of areas to be creative -even in Client Servicing - but, the enjoyment cant cover my being stressed when I realized that I really have to cope-up with the salary.

It's not like is not that good, it was not bad actually, but my previous job made it clear that I was living a manager's paycheck though I'm only the smallest fish in that pond. I even managed to get me a crib - though just a tiny one - but my lifestyle is turning upside down when I started to pay for my mortgage. Really, I hardly could make ends meet. I cant buy things or do stuff that I can usually do without hesisating whether I have enough cash or not.

So I guess, following your passion doesn't necessary mean that you can get a pretty pay check. I begin to questioning again about that passion, the guide to your soul that makes you really want to live this life. I thought what a crappy concept!.

Yup thats the end of my writing. I know it's crappy, as crappy as what I've explained, maybe crappier, or even the crappiest crapp you'll ever read in your crappy-crappy life

REGAL COFFEE FACTORY

Sebenarnya saya tidak terlalu doyan ngopi, karena entah mengapa selalu membuat perut terasa tidak enak sesudahnya (mungkin bukan salah kopinya, tapi karena kebanyakan rokok yang selalu hampir selalu menyertai ritual minum kopi, sehingga membuat saya mual...). Tapi yang pasti, tempat ngopi baru selalu menggelitik rasa ingin tahu saya, tidak selalu karena kopi-nya, bagi saya yang "suasana" oriented, sekadar duduk-duduk sambil leyeh-leyeh di sofa sudah cukup membuat senang.

Motivasi itu juga-lah yang melabuhkan saya di Regal Coffee Factory di Pacific Place Mall, disuatu sore yang cerah...Karena bosan dengan kopi yang menurut saya 'begitu-begitu' saja, akhirnya saya mencoba icip-icip hidangan beratnya. Pilihan jatuh pada Turkey sandwich dan Nasi Goreng Kampung, di tutup dengan a simple Chocolate Cake. Sempat muncul keraguan apakah sebuah coffee shop mampu menyajikan hidangan yang memuaskan diluar 'specialty'nya.

Pelayannya cukup helpful dan yang saya suka, saat ditanya lebih enak mana chocolate cake dengan chocholate mousse, dia menjawab : "saya lebih suka chocholate cake...!", saya senang mendengarnya dibanding bila ia menjawab "semua yang disini enak2 mas.." hahaha...



Turkey sandwich-nya tampil cukup sederhana dengan setumpuk potato chips sebagai alternatif dari kentang goreng. Dari gigitan pertama basically rasanya berpadu cukup harmonis, tidak greesy, segar dengan potongan lettuce dan tomat, serta gurihnya cheddar cheese dan tentunya tekstur turkey ham-nya yang pas, tidak over-cooked, cukup menyenangkan buat saya, meskipun kurang mengenyangkan.







Kemudian datang nasi goreng kampung yang tampil cukup malu-malu kalo tidak mau dibilang porsi diet...dilengkapi dengan ayam goreng dan telur mata sapi, entah kenapa ada embel-embel "Kampung", karena menurut saya rasanya lebih mirip nasi goreng jawa yang sarat terasi...Nasinya sendiri pas, tidak pulen, terasi-nya sedikit kebanyakan tapi masih bisa diterima. Ayam gorengnya gurih dan crunchy diluar namun empuk di dalam. Seandainya porsi nasinya ditambah sedikit lagi, saya tidak perlu mampir ke Mc Donald's karena masih kelaparan...



Penghibur hati saya yang sedang gundah pun datang terakhir, simple Chocholate cake yang juara, tidak terlalu manis, tidak terlalu moist, coklatnya pun terasa pahit-pahit sedikit, dan sponge cake yang terdapat di lapisan dalamnya juga menambah kekayaan tekstur dan rasa this chocholate cake yang baru saja menjadi 'comfort food' saya yang baru, suap demi suap pun berlalu, tak terasa cake-nya habis tak bersisa, begitu pula ke-gundahan hati saya.

Pacific Place Mall, 5th floor # 5-10, Kawasan SCBD, Jl Jend Sudirman Kav 52-53

watch watching : Hot Offer everyday at Melawai

A few days before Lebaran, I bought a watch at Melawai... Many people told me I should go there to get cheaper price, well, I have to say : the offer was Krraazzzy!

I was prepared to hunt a Fossil watch that I fell in love with, after some research to a shopping mall and browsing around at jam-tangan.com I had the price platform on my head,

it was possible enough to get 30% less of official price in Melawai. So I wandered around had my eyes set for the Fossil watch I wanted badly, I had 2 choices but they're at the same price. The price at jam-tangan.com was actually cheaper than the official price, But you could get it +/- 20% less. It was not that hard to find a desired item, especially the ones that's just been released, while back-dated stuffs are quite hard to find, so you better rushed over to Melawai as soon as the watch u wanted hit the store shelves.

So when I thought i was sooo going to get that Fossil watch, I got strucked by the quite stunning Swiss Chronomaster watch, it has black rubber, not so big but just the right size for me and fit my wrist perfectly,

at first I hesitated because it wasn't leather, but my friend told me that after time. leather could cause disctintive smell, rubber on the other hand - because it's synthetic - wont. Actually what really dragged me is the price! The guy opened up by 650K - by that time I didn't aware the jam-tangan.com price so I bargain to 300K , and I got laughed at, he looked at me and said : 400K, final!, I was quite shocked but i didnt stop bargain, and finally we had an agreement for 375K! When I got back home, i checked on jam-tangan.com and their price is 561K. WOW, I even get 30% less of their price in Melawai. This is maybe one of the most worth to buy item I've ever had in my life (along with 65K pants at (x)sml sale, the 45K each long-sleeve shirts at Executive shop in Pekanbaru and a 35K t-shirt i bought in a distro in Jakarta haha3x, we'll talk about my hunting frenzy for cheap stuffs across Jakarta later on...). Meanwhile, I'm planning to get my delayed Fossil watch anytime soon...so stick around, Melawai here I come!....