Between Then and Now

Image by Natalie Gunawan at her Farm in Melbourne Suburbia

It's been almost six months since I last blog, and this morning I thought to myself if I don't start again then I would forever lose my interest in lady macaron...and there are a lot of macaron bakers these days in Jakarta but you know what gotta stay true to yourself right...

Two of my closest friends, Revka & Putri with Minami whom I just met this week.

Work has been fun, intense, and has its up and downs but most of the time is really FUN/ no joke. I had my first year anniversary at work on the 21st of October, didn't really celebrate it but I had some terrifying thoughts of what I've achieved in the past year and whether this has all been worth it. Now that I'm slowly writing and contemplating my thoughts...let's see...

One of the things I love to do is exercise, and sweat it all out. It keeps me sane and it really does lift my moody mood 'slightly'. As strange as it may look I run around the pool in my ghetto 80s aerobic get-up every morning. Bikram Yoga is also a luxury and when you have the time, DO IT!

As much as my conscience is oppose to what I do at work, I am having a blast...it whispers at night, asking me why am I doing this when my passion since I was growing up is making beautiful clothes..designing, finding inspirations, and being alone in a studio...cutting fabrics, jotting down ideas and befriending my own thoughts... So you might ask what is it that I actually do at work?

Halloween Sunday Food Market at Potato Head outdoor patio.

The university of Potato Head as my mom calls it, when you graduate out of it, then you can practically conquer anything the world kicks back at ya! It is a Restaurant & Bar in Jakarta and it's one of the best place in town for cocktail, food, ambiance and everything else in one cool capsule. My second home...as I tell the occasional strangers and friends who frequently ask me "Are you here everyday? everyday??!!! really EVERDAY???!!!!

This is an example of our flyer, we have a graphic team who designed the image, but all the context and ideas all comes from Potato Head.

My morning routine usually starts with me walking in to the bar- straight to the end of the bench, put my laptop on the round table, my bags down and mobile phone next to my mac. I checked the reservations for today, see if all the promotional flyers we currently have are on display on each and every tables. Then off I check my emails again... Although my business card says Public Relation Manager, I also manage our internal events with my tight-knit team and our director is very much involved in all the initial ideas right on through the implementations. As anyone successful in their profession would say communication is essential and I can't agree more. Used to be my biggest challenge as I tend to keep things inside emotionally and not let everyone worry or get stressed out but in the end it didn't help much...

This is Glass Candy performing Live at Potato Head on Saturday Nov. 6th. Ida No and Johnny Jewel of Glass Candy/Chromatics rocks! The most down to earth guy and Ida No danced her spirit away...They're a cool band I think, very psychedelic and different than the mainstream, however I find the music market here is either categorized as the indie young kids or the older types who goes for David Foster and friends...I still haven't figured out what the "yuppies" are into, and it's a challenge to bring artists here that would appeal to Potato Head young adult audience. Or perhaps they just don't care?

Since I love to write, I do most of the writing for the promotional flyers, I'm not an experienced copywriter, I have no background in professional writing, but fortunately I have a very good boss who is very articulate and checks what I write, corrects them and revise things to sound more edgy and appropriate. I make sure they are printed on time to be distributed and we do a big event check list to make sure when the artists come to town we are prepared for the big day. Why I'm still doing what I'm doing is because you get an instant self gratification when the event that your team and yourself spend so much on preparing and promoting does very well. It's jam packed, our guests are enjoying the music, cocktails, food, ambiance and at the end of the day you know it is a successful event and judged by the target sales the restaurant achieved. If I go back to being a fashion designer, there's an indefinite process of being shelled in a studio, spending similar long hours on a collection/project and at the end of the show can you really tell that the audience will love it, buy them and stocks them in their boutique. Do I want to go back living my days running around town looking for fabrics, chasing my tailor, going back and forth perfecting the right cut and at the end of the day will they sell? and it all comes down to how much do I want all that back...

This is the plan of what the shop one fine day will look like. With installations, pop up projects, artist exhibitions, and challenging the classic notion of the shopper experience. A gallery, a shared space or just a cool boutique all in one. Emotion is a big thing for me, to feel all your senses juxtaposing in all directions when you enter the space, intimidated, awed and shocked. Surprised, happy and sad.

I still have so much to learn from Potato Head, as I said I have not graduated yet, it is still a learning process and I love love love everyone at work. Why would I quit now when there are still so many things I can challenge myself, give myself more responsibilities, test my strength and lead a bigger team...Potato Head has open doors for me, I've been introduced to so many people in different genres of music, art and fashion. It's been whirlwind year, and people say I work too much, maybe sometimes I do and I need to spend more time alone and go out with my friends more often. Hopefully by getting back to writing here I can balance my life more productively and emotionally.

This is Potato Head Beach Club Bali, my brother and his partner current BIG PROJECT. A massive space with three restaurants, bars and a basement concept store (MY SECRET PROJECT). Measuring 150sqm the shop will sell everything from fashion to furniture. Think Merci in Paris, Corso Como in Italy and Anthropologie in LA. Yes that is my personal aim that it will be a shopper destination in Bali promoting Indonesian designers and produce.

So you might ask me now, am I happy, I don't know, am I enjoying my job, yes I am...isn't there a quote that goes something like if a man does not love his job than it is the saddest thing in the world...or what makes life worth living if a man does not love his job....and I could only use my brother as the perfect example. His work is his life, they embodies his spirit, joy, excitement, sadness, all the five senses and he lives for his work. And because they are all his passions and hobbies, everyone always tell me that "Oh your brother never works, or he should start doing some real job" and gosh I can tell you I hear that almost every day. But you know what now that I think about it, he doesn't need to show that he 'works' the conventional way to people because he only has himself and God to prove and the results is proven at the end of the day.

So salut to him and his partner who I have the utmost respect...and what I can only advise to you and myself having doubts at work is...

To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth. Pearl S. Buck.

My fountain of youth is having smoother skin and slimmer figure then I can say I am truly happy...ha ha ha