And they’ll be boys forever....

Since I was a little girl I always find a different comfort & fun in boys. To me they’re less complicated than girls & in many ways..more adventurous!  So now, being the only woman in my creative team isn’t a problem at all (there’re 10 us). They tell funny stories, do exciting things, have outrageous ideas & they always seem to manage to make things around them fun. I love being among them.

Brainstorming sessions often ended up as a hilarious team bonding time. We would tell each other life stories, even secrets. None of the stories were dull, coz they’re all unique individuals. Like this guy, he quits doing drugs coz he felt “lonely” since most of his friends died of OD, other got bullied in junior high and still trying hard to be a “bad boy” since he was in college, 1 guy doesn’t want a relationship unless it’s with a suicidegirls kinda gals and the other one admits that he never had girlfriends in college coz he was stoned all the time.       

We always go out & have lunch together. Unlike having lunch with the girls, we never make a fuss about where to eat, if it’s too hot outside or the food court would stink.  We would say “Up to you; is fine with me” 1 thing is important though : the seating arrangement. It has to be in a "strategic" place so they would have a "nice" view of cute carreer women.  Sometimes a visit to the nearest mall could be a joyride too. They would run to the toys aisle & examines the matchbox cars, immediately check out the latest MAC & other gadgets & argue about which one is better & the other would put his arm on the conveyor belt & let himself be rolled to the cashier while I queue. At the office they compete with each other, who got the latest and the coolest, if possible the most expensive, gadget (preferably MAC. Now 3 of them have their own Powerbook ), make action figures posing in various sex positions, play football between the cubicles & other silly stuff I can't mention here.

So you see… I do feel like I’m babysitting a bunch of teenage boys most of the time. Forget about the fact that they’re over 27 years old, has won creative awards, married with children or has a pregnant wife. Boy will be boys!

English: The Language of The World?

Recently a couple of Xangans sent me e-mails and told me how they've enjoyed visiting my blog. They found my postings nice and fun to read (Thanx!!  ). Other than giving me lovely compliments, they also asked me a favor which I find quite interesting. They asked me not to write in indonesian anymore...or at least not that often. The reason is obvious: coz they couldn't understand a single word of it.  What I think interesting is that I never had the intention to write in english. But it just...happened! I couldn't help but wonder..why is it that to me writing in english is far easier than writing in my own language. And FYI I'm a real indonesian woman.

As an indonesian copywriter this becomes a big problem for me. It's easier for me to write copy or find the big idea in english term. Not to mention if I have to write jingles for commercials. Man!!!  I would spend days and days to get the right words. If it's a fun kinda jingle it would be easy (I made a jingle for a snack product tv commercial at the shoot location in 10 minutes!!) But if it's a corporate thing...for a national bank...THAT would be a hell kind of a task!! Not that my english is P E R F E C T.. But you know what!?! I'm not the only one here who thinks that indonesian is a difficult language to "play" with. Even my boss has this problem.  Good excuse, eh?

So, if you have the chance to learn a foreign language, why don't you challenge yourself and pick indonesian instead of spanish for a change? Then maybe you'll know what I'm talking about. And who knows? Maybe I'll join you myself!!

If you want to know how many love I have in my life, then I would proudly say “2”. A big half of my heart belongs of course to my husband whom I love more than anything in this world. And another half belongs to someone that I love more than words can say… My big, beloved brother.

I remember how proud I was to have a brother like him since I was a little kid (I’m 9 years younger). I remember how much fun we always have when we’re together. I remember how much I missed him when he was in Tucson for a very long time. I remember how I cried every time I read his letters. And I remember how happy I was when he finally came home.

Although we still can’t see each other as much we want to, we’ve always managed to stay “connected”. Until this very day we send each other SMS saying: I love you; I miss you” and “blow” kisses on YM or Skype. My friends tell me that we act more like lovers towards each other than siblings. They say they can hear “the love’ in my voice and see it in my eyes every time he calls me on the phone.

The weird thing is…we don’t tell each other’s personal stuff that often. But we know that we can always trust and count on each other without have to say anything. I always feel happy when he’s happy. But I also cry when he’s sad or in despair. He doesn’t have to tell me what it is that makes him sad. I can already feel it and the next thing I know tears are running down from my eyes. I never realize how someone could love her brother this much… Do you love your brother as much as I love mine?

Reza, the best brother in the whole world