1. Your shoes should be darker than your trousers. It makes your outfit look balanced and put together.
2. Fit is more important than brand. A cheap shirt that fits your shoulders perfectly beats an expensive oversized one every time.
3. Your clothes should follow your shoulder line. If the top hangs off your shoulders, it instantly looks sloppy.
4. Match your metals. If you’re wearing a silver necklace, keep your watch and belt buckle silver too.
5. Stick to 2–3 colors in an outfit. Too many colors ruin the look.
6. Clean shoes >>> expensive shoes.
7. Your trousers should slightly “kiss” your shoes. If they're too long, they fold, if they're too short, it looks odd.
8. Grooming is part of fashion. Haircut, trimmed beard, clean nails. Clothes can’t save bad grooming.
9. Balance proportions. If your top is loose, keep the trousers slimmer. If trousers are wide, keep the top structured.
10. Accessories should complement your look, not fight for attention.
9 years ago, i watched a guy get fired for doing the right thing... he built the team, trained everyone, fixed the messes, stayed late, took no credit. the kind of employee companies claim they value.
then he questioned a policy that was quietly screwing junior staff, didn’t insult anyone, didn’t shout. he just asked why... two weeks later: HR invited him and served him some papers saying he’s not a culture fit... then laptop seized, access cut. goodbye.
the manager who created the policy got promoted, the company posted a linkedin thread about psychological safety... bro lost his job for speaking up.
in most companies and workplaces, ethics are tolerated until they challenge authority... you can be loyal, competent and ethical but none of that matters once you threaten someone’s power, ego or comfort.
the system will protect itself first, always and people are replaceable but control is not.
No one knows you. No one has a story about who you are. No one is waiting for you to be the person you were yesterday. You're just a stranger in a chair by the window, watching a city that doesn't need anything from you.
It's the feeling that anything could happen. That the world is bigger than the walls you built around yourself back home. That the life you've been living is just one version of a life, and there are others, and they're not as far away as you thought.
At home, you're fixed. Known. You fit into a shape that other people recognize, and after a while, you forget you're even in a shape at all. But here, alone, somewhere new, the shape dissolves. You could be anyone. You could be more of yourself than you've ever been. No one is watching to see if you stay consistent.
Broooooooooooo, Neverrrrrrrr Everrrrrrrr look desperate in life. Remain calm during hard times. Understand it's just your time to suffer like every great man before you.
ORANG LUAR NEGERI KE INDONESIA
"Hello, where are you from?"
"I am from the US."
"What are you going to do here?"
"Vacation."
"Great, you just need to pay IDR 500,000 for a Visa on Arrival."
"Here."
"Have a nice vacation."
***
"Hi, you're late to the online meeting."
"Sorry, it's 2 AM here. I have to adjust my schedule."
"Where are you now?"
"I stay in Bali now. It's cheap, the living cost is only a tiny fraction of my salary. I can save A LOT, and by A LOT I mean A LOOOOT."
"Wow, you don't need a work visa for that?"
"I just stay in my room. No one knows that I am working. As long as the internet works."
"Local tax?"
"No, I am on a tourist visa."
***
"Having a nice vacation? You stayed a whole two months."
"Yeah, my visa is almost expired, so I have to leave."
"Kuala Lumpur? Must be another vacation."
"Yes, only for three days, I will be back again after that."
***
"Hello, where are you from?"
"I am from the US."
"What are you going to do here?"
"Vacation."
"Great, you just need to pay IDR 500,000 for the Visa on Arrival."
"Here."
"Have a nice vacation."
***
"Having a nice vacation? You stayed a whole two months."
"Yeah, my visa is almost expired, so I have to leave."
"Bangkok? Must be another vacation."
"Yes, only for three days, I will be back again after that."
***
"Hello, where are you from?"
"I am from the US."
"What are you going to do here?"
"Vacation."
"Great, you just need to pay IDR 500,000 for the Visa on Arrival."
"Here."
"Have a nice vacation."
***
"It's been almost two years since you stayed in Bali, how is it?"
"Amazing, cheap, and tax-free!"
ORANG INDONESIA KE LUAR NEGERI
"Halo mbak, saya perlu urus visa Schengen buat ke Belanda."
"Untuk keperluan apa?"
"Saya ada konferensi ilmiah di Rotterdam. Buat S3 saya, wajib hadir presentasi biar papernya bisa terbit."
"Oke ini jadwal yang tersedia."
"Mesti nunggu 2 bulan?"
"Iya mas, penuh soalnya."
"Aduh, mepet ya."
"Coba dulu aja mas. Ini syarat dokumennya."
***
"Kenapa uang tabungannya cuma segini? Mas perlu sekian ratus juta mengendap."
"Saya adanya cuma segini."
"Mas perlu surat pernyataan gak akan kerja di sana."
"Lah, itu surat undangan dari konferensi gak cukup?"
"Gak cukup, harus ada tabungan sama pernyataan."
"..."
***
"Ini tiket pulang pergi juga udah harus ada."
"Jadi tiket PP udah harus saya beli, tapi visa belum tentu keluar?"
"Iya"
"Hah?"
"Memang aturannya begitu."
"Kalau nanti abis visa keluar gimana?"
"Visanya bisa gak keluar."
***
"Halo, visa Anda ditolak."
"Hah kenapa?"
"Kami gak bisa kasih tahu alasannya."
"Haduh, terus paper konferensi saya gimana?"
"Maaf ya Mas. Saya harus layani antrian selanjutnya."
Fyi aja, populasi dunia ada 8,3 miliar manusia dengan perjuangan yg beda2. Banyak yg terlalu sibuk bertahan hidup sampe ga sempet ngikutin isu2 terkini. Kalo semisal ketemu org yg ga tahu apa2, cukup beri tahu aja, ga perlu ngehujat. Edukasi itu merangkul, bukan memukul.