Jakarta Tales Vol 5 (contd)

YOU ROCKED MY WORLD, YOU KNOW YOU DID...

And now comes the really rocky part. I think 2006 is my Year of Accidents or the Year of Being Unlucky. And this is a precursor to either a really big calamity or a huge windfall that's heading my way. Obviously, I'm hoping for the latter. It's just that the signs seem to keep getting worse.

What would you expect from someone who has never lost a single penny, a wallet, a hand phone or any other valuable, as far as he can remember? Well, you should expect that after not having lost his first phone for 5 years, his 5-month old hand phone gets stolen - within a matter of minutes - outside the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi in March this year. You should also know that he forgot his wallet (with Rs 1500) in a taxi in Kolkata soon after he returned from New Delhi.

This is just the beginning. Furthermore, you should also trust that this person would manage to lose his wallet in his boss's car in Indonesia when he thought he had it in his trouser's pockets all the time. It turned out, he had his boss's wallet and his own was missing. A few weeks later, he decided to move to a cheaper accommodation in hope of saving some money. The new house was more challenging than the previous one but not uncomfortable. His neighbour was a pretty Indonesian girl and his landlord was a friendly Indonesian too. He slept well the first night there. The next morning, he woke up when his hand phone alarm rang and went out 1 metre from his room to have a shower. He got back. His hand phone was gone. The friendly landlord and the pretty neighbour said they had no clue. The poor guy moved out immediately not wanting to live with people he couldn't trust if he stepped out just a metre outside his room.

He went back to his old kost. The sweet li'l caretaker was beaming when she saw him and said he never should have left. He thought so too. He tried contacting the landlady to tell her he was back and that he would pay again at the end of the month. But she was always away and also unwell so he informed the caretaker in his broken Bahasa. Although everything seemed perfect, something went wrong.

A few nights later, when this young man got back from work in the wee hours of the morning, he found himself locked out of his own room! There was a note from his friendly Austro-Indonesian neighbour saying that the landlady was upset that he hadn't informed her of his return. She thought he wasn't going to pay. He didn't have a phone so he couldn't call the landlady. Desperate, he somehow managed to wake up his neighbours and spoke to the landlady. His neighbours convinced the landlady to allow him to sleep the night. The landlady, however, made it clear she didn't want him the next day onwards.

So it was. The next day, even though this young Indian's boss, some of his AIESEC friends and he tried to enquire from the landlady her newly found cause for hating him, it didn't work. He stayed over at a colleague's house for the next one week. The colleague's old mother loved him. But that was exactly the problem. He didn't want to cause too much trouble to an old lady so he started looking for a new house. After 9 searches, none.

Finally, a ray of hope came in the form of Martin's Casa Grande :) a small little piece of paradise (at least for this young man) in Bendungan Hilir (also known as Ben Hil). Martin, a friendly German working for Allianz had a room empty amongst three. The young man asked if he could move in. Martin asked his Chilean wife and two darling little children. They said ok. He was in. A nice bar-b-q was organised as a welcome party for the young Indian. He was overjoyed.

Life was beautiful again. But just when things were looking too bright to be true, disaster struck without warning. At about 1am one night, this young man was going home from office. He was riding an ojek when a police officer stopped him. The cop asked the ojek driver where they were going and asked the Indian for his passport. The young man said he didn't have it. And in any case, what was the problem? The policeman, who obviously didn't speak much English, asked the young man not to question him and said if he didn't have the passport then he should come to the police station. The young man was shocked and also a little angry. Why should he go to the police station for not having done anything? He repeatedly asked the cop what was his fault. The cop did not reply, instead, he started searching the young man. The young man grew suspicious of the cop's intentions but didn't say anything. The cop pulled out his handphone and said he must accompany him to the police station to get it back. This was unbelievable. The Indian asked the cop to give him back the phone, but the cop refused to relent. Instead, he asked for 100$ and when the young man asked why, he pushed and kicked him on the legs.

This was getting out of control. The young man now really wanted to know what the hell was wrong. He threatened the cop to report him to the Indian Embassy. The cop seemed unperturbed. He wanted to hit the cop back but that was the last thing on his mind - imagine being in prison in a foreign country because you hit a law enforcer. So he offered the cop money, 1$ to start off with and then 10$. But the cop now seemed uninterested. He got to his bike quickly, asked the ojek and the Indian to follow and before the other two could say a word, he was gone. The Indian shouted for his phone but there was no one around. The cop had vanished, disappeared, evaporated, waned away. In short, he had fled.

The young man and the ojek sped around the neighbourhood as fast as they could trying to look for the nearest police station where they might find the cop. But everything was closed. There was no other cop on duty. They raced back to the young man's office. His boss immediately tried to call his phone. Switched off. They rushed to the nearest police station, lodged a report and they were told, "Tonight, there was no one on duty in the area you just mentioned. And it wasn't a cop who took your phone. He was a fake. There's been a few recent incidents involving girls and foreigners being stopped at night by unidentified policemen and their belongings have been taken away."

If things weren't bad already, then came the bureaucracy. They were told that the theft had happened in an area that wasn't under the jurisdiction of this police station. The young man, his boss and the ojek driver rushed to the one that had the jurisprudence over the area. They repeated the same story, for the third time now. The report was taken and they were asked to return the next morning.

The young man was there, bang on time the following day. He was told the officer on duty last night hadn't yet processed the report. To speed up matters, he was requested to go straight to the criminal reports department and lodge a fresh complaint. He did so, for the fifth time now. The cop on the other end of the table just grinned with a stupid smile and said, "We'll do our best". The young man gave up all hope. He knew nothing would happen. The bureaucracy and corruption in Indonesia is as bad or as good as in India. In fact, at times, its worse.

Since then, there have been no more accidents but you certainly hope there shouldn't be any more, don't you. And that's it. Now you know the "young man's story". What would you now say about my luck? But never mind, we all have our phases. And even though I was so angry that night I ended up cursing myself for having chosen to come to Indonesia, the country, the people and everything around me, I realised it was just a test of my patience and character.

Apart from life on the rocks, it's been pretty smooth otherwise. No complaints. Thank God for everything - the good, the bad and the ugly.

And finally, we come to the end of this manuscript. I thoroughly hope you enjoyed this rollercoaster and look forward to being part of it again. And yes, if you're ever in a situation like I was, listen to yourself, God and Louis Armstrong. It helps. Btw, to make my mails a little more interesting, I'm also sending two mails a few snaps post this one. Hope they really express what they are supposed to - a thousand words.

Alright then, sampai jumpa, and as I should have listened to everybody earlier, hati hati (take care).


Cheers
From your favourite "rocking and rocky" Indian
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 5 (contd)

WHAAASSSSUP... NUTHING MUCH...

Apart from Bali, I haven't been doing too much because of limited funds. Had to really cut down on expenses to survive the month. In fact, had to borrow some money from mom and dad. They didn't mind, but I certainly did and will try not to do this again. I did go playing paintball which is awesome fun but hurts as well.. oooowwwww!! But you must try paintball if you haven't already. It's a fantastic sport! Of course, if you're a peace lover and against guns, then it's not really your cup of tea but if you're okay with guns as long as there's no bloodshed and you wanna fulfill your childhood dreams of making it to the army, paintball is the closest you'll get to it!! I went playing with my boss, his friends and a Swiss friend of mine, Fabian. And we had a blast. The arena in Serpong was great with three different fields, broken helicopters, army trucks and killing people was fun ;) well, not literally but get a shot on your butt and the mark stays and hurts for at least two weeks!!

I also went to the Botanical Gardens in Bogor (really beautiful, green, calm and peaceful), to Surabaya in August for an office trip and then to Malang (that was a memorable trip but more on that in the next volume) but that's it. Also, work has been killing so haven't had all weekends off to go out.


Bored
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 5 (contd)

WELCOME TO PARADISE... BALI!!

Let's now move to my experiences in what was voted in July (Travel America survey in 88 countries) by 100,000 people all over the world as "THE WORLD'S BEST ISLAND" - BALI!!!! Yups, you can go green in envy. And believe me, if I were you, I'd take the next flight to this beautiful island and live the experience for itself.

Where do I start? It's just fascinating. The golden beaches (although some can be dirty), the blue water, the reefs, the volcanoes, the deep sea diving, the surfing, the culture, the dances, the food, the massages, the nightlife, the temples, the hotels, the markets and most importantly, the people (especially women in bikinis ;)) - Bali has something for everyone.

We (Btw, the "WE" in this Bali chapter are the notorious gang of four - Dorien, Sebastian, Sascha and me) started our trip on a Friday evening in July (don't ask me the dates, please). I was 20 minutes late in getting back home from work and boy, let me tell you that the Germans are very particular about time! Sascha was really angry with me because he thought we might miss our flight. Later, on our way to the airport, Sebastian told me that in Germany and, for that matter, anywhere in Europe, being 5 minutes too late is considered very rude and could raise tempers. I apologised even though it wasn't me but the Jakarta traffic to blame and that we still got to the airport well in time for our flight to Denpasar, Bali (I always knew we would... after all, try India's traffic and you know where you can be in how much time anywhere in the world).

After a small pre-takeoff technical snag, our Air Asia Indonesia (the Air Deccan of Indonesia) flight took off for Denpasar, Bali. The 1.5 hr flight was hardly memorable, except for two of the airhostesses who caught Sebastian's and my attention when they bent down with their low cleavages and short skirts (btw, this mail is for adults only, so children... its bedtime now!) to ask us if we wanted to order something from the food cart. We ended up ordering them.. oops, I mean a light snack to eat!

Soon we were about to land at the International Airport at Denpasar, Bali. Let me tell you something amazing about the Denpasar airport. When you're about to land (preferably during the daytime because you can see outside then), you get the feeling that the plane is about to land into the sea. The runway is so close to the water that you can see the waves crashing into the walls of the embankment. Needless to say, it's beautiful. At night, though, when we landed, the view was not so terrific but we could still see the white surf of the waves shimmering under the lights of the plane. Those who land during the day, of course, find it incredible.

We were picked up by an Allianz SUV (see, this is the advantage of having friends from companies like Allianz) and were swiftly driven to Sunset Villas, Seminyak. Btw, before I go on, I have to tell you about Bali's roads. They are awesome! It's unbelievable how clean and smooth they are considering it's such a small island. Of course, it's an international tourism hotspot so the infrastructure has to be world-class but considering Indonesia's maintenance levels in general - barring Jakarta - Bali is exceptional.

The joyride was just beginning. When we arrived at Sunset Villas, we realized our stay was going to be luxurious. It was actually the bungalow of the CEO of Allianz Indonesia and goes without saying... it was awesome! We got to stay there for quite cheap and thoroughly enjoyed the open air shower (not together) and chill out sessions by the pool.

The first day, we went for breakfast to the Kudeta, which is bloody expensive but worth every penny! It's a spacious open-air bistro-cum-lounge-cum-bar by the seaside. And though the Seminyak beach is certainly not the most breathtaking in Bali, it still offers a great view of the deep blue sea, the airport and the reefs in the distance. Following breakfast, we looked up the Lonely Planet (a helpful but expensive and biased way to know something you can easily find out from the locals) and going by our hunch, headed off to Sanur.

Sanur, initially, turned out to be quite a disppointment because although the water was crystal blue, the beach couldn't be dirtier (according to Bali standards). Hmmm, God does need some cleaning services in paradise, doesn't he? Anyways, we made the most of it by finding a relatively cleaner spot to lie down and soak up the sun. While Dorien attended to her feminine side by getting some manicures done, we - the boys - headed out for canoeing into the sea. It was the first time I did it and it was crazy fun! The water was calm 200 metres into the sea, the 3000 metres high Gunung Agung (Mt Agung) rose majestically above the clouds in the backdrop, and the 10ft high waves in the distance provided the perfect setting.

Slowly but steadily, we got really close to the waves and then Splaaaash!!! As the waves started getting bigger and bigger, we tried turning our canoes but in vain. It was the smallest wave that got us all and we all were in the water within seconds. It was hilarious to be drenched in the middle of the sea with our canoes overturned! I also hurt my knee a little and three tired rowers returned to the beach soon. After having spent the whole day at Sanur and then at a Bonsai garden, we returned home for dinner at the Kudeta (I repeat, really expensive) and then to bed.

The next day began with us heading off to the sea temples of Tanah Lot. Before we could get to the main temple, the exterior complex had us rooted to the ground: there was a man with snakes around his body! Well, not that this is something unusual for an Indian but I haven't seen someone kissing pythons right in front of my eyes, putting them inside his shirt, then getting Dorien to take a snap with one of them around her neck and then even putting one on my neck!!! Aaaarrrgghh!! I was so scared I screamed and ran!

Phew!! I told you I've had some rocking and rocky times but snakey, ooooooohhh, didn't expect that! After our rendezvous with the reptile world, we came to the main temples of Tanah Lot. Honestly, it's not such a fascinating piece of architecture (we have much more beautiful temples in India) but the landscape there is captivating. After a short tour, we headed back to the kitsch of the temple market where you can get everything from fake Billabongs to real farmer hats. If the snakes weren't enough, we were taken aback when - after our shopping spree - we saw a fruit bat hanging from a small tree right in front of a shop!! And what's more, we even fed it with some papayas! This country is unbelievable, believe me!

From Tanah Lot, we were off to the Monkey Forest where monkeys roam about in the open and gleefully accept all that you have to offer them and even what you don't :) and then to the greens of Ubud, aplenty with terraced rice fields, beautiful wooden souvenir shops (I must admit that Indonesians are very very good with wood. You give them any piece of wood and they can do wonders while sculpting it. In fact, they often don't cut a tree but just carve beautiful engravings in the shape that it is) and the ancient mountain shrines of Gunung Kawi. Again, not so impressive (Ajanta-Ellora are much better) but worth the time and fun, especially considering we were all wearing sarongs (like a lungi but colourful and shaped like a towel) and looking ridiculous! Also, what was impressive was the fact that while Islam has the undeserved reputation of being non-tolerant all over the world, this centuries-old Hindu shrine and many more have been preserved untouched and are respected in the world's largest Muslim country. On our way back, weathered and beaten, we were rejuvenated when we saw a traditional Hindu wedding procession on the road. It was heading to the Gunung Kawi shrines and was quite a colourful experience.

What was most conspicuous for me throughout the Bali trip was the difference in the way Hinduism is observed on the island. It is completely different from what we know as Hinduism in India. The temple architecture, the names of most gods and goddesses, their idols, the form of worship, the clothes for worship are so heavily immersed in Indonesian culture one could hardly call it Hinduism. For example, you can't go into a temple in Bali if you're not wearing a sarong. In India, I've never known any particular dress code for going into a temple!

Actually, this applies for the way all religions are observed in Indonesia. Even Islam! Yes, being a Muslim, the last thing I expected in Indonesia was a culture shock from the religious perspective... haha. But I did get one! Only 15% of the 83% Muslim population practices the religion, you can never tell from the name of a person if he/she is Hindu/Muslim/Christian/Buddhist and ask a Muslim in Indonesia what Shi'ite or Sunni is, and they'll ask, "Apa" ("pardon me"). Even the names for some basic rituals are different! It truly sets me thinking, "Are they right or we? Or are we both right in our own ways? And does it actually matter so much?"

Anyways, now back to Bali. We had dinner at one of the best Indonesian restaurants in the country - Warung Made, partied the night away at Club 66 and The Paparazzi, walked home by the beach and next day, we were in Dreamland! Yes, we truly were coz that's the name of one of the most beautiful, not-so-explored beaches in Bali and is true to its name. It's towards the southern coast and is actually hidden from the road. But when you decide to head off the beaten track down into the empty spaces near Griya Alam Pecatu, you discover Dreamland. The infrastructure is basic but the beach is heavenly - golden sand, green-blue water, surfers' paradise! Seriously, it is quite a sight when you see an army of surfers riding the 10-15ft high waves crashing into the shore!

We were so thrilled because we had finally found the Bali we had been looking for! We all tried out wave boarding and it was thrilling, to say the least! I almost drowned as well when I had gone far too deep into the sea and the waves kept pushing me further away from the shore. When I tried to swim back, my waveboard got entangled around my right arm and I couldn't move it. So I couldn't float on it and couldn't swim either. I cried for help and within minutes, an American and an Indonesian guy helped me out. Rocky and rocking, ain't it... An early dinner by the magnificent sunset, fishermen's boats standing out on the horizon against the orange rays of the sun and off we were. Dreamland had turned out to be the beach of our dreams!

We were told later, of course, that Amed, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran Bay are far prettier but we didn't have the time to go there. And of course, if you really want to see arguably the best in the world, then get out of Bali and head off to Nusa Lembongan, Lombok and the Gili Islands - pure, virgin territory with idyllic beaches and marine life you only see in films, books and fairytales.

We all slept on the late night flight back to Jakarta. That's it. We were tired. We were upset. We were worried. Jakarta, again? Monday, again? But there was something else in store, at least for me. Campione Del Monde!!! I headed straight from the airport to a sports bar and saw the soccer World Cup finals. And whoa! What a moment it was when Cannavarro lifted the Cup! I was in tears and couldn't stop crying. Had waited for this for God knows how long. '94, didn't happen. '98, didn't happen. Euro 2000 was cruel. 2002 and Euro 2004 were forgettable. But 2006 was the year of The Azurri. It was written. Marcello Lippi lived upto what Sir Alex Fergusson had once said about him, "He's the only man who doesn't need to step on the field to destroy you." Indeed, the world was at his feet that night. And if there's one person every Italian or Italian supporter missed at that moment, it was undoubtedly the legendary Paolo Maldini. This victory was for him. Cheers!!


Campione del Monde
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 5: It's getting rocky in here...

Hello there!

Please welcome back the unannounced return of Jakarta Tales and give up a huge round of applause for Vol 5! Actually, I never announced any hibernation so the "unannounced" bit might sound strange.

As you know and have felt it, the sabbatical this time, has been longer. And I know you've missed me (alright, don't squirm, blame it on my bloated ego - the one that I don't reveal too often). And since my absence from your inboxes is directly proportional to the length of my emails and blogs, prepare yourself for a nice, long ride once again.

At times, I do feel it might be unfair for you to read so much at one go, but the brighter side is that I don't write so often. So instead of reading many not-so-long mails at frequent intervals, you get to read an epic once in a blue moon, except that this moon is not so blue and does show up once in a month or two.

ROCKING OR ON THE ROCKS?!?

Anyways, let's get on with it. The past two months have been very interesting and challenging. Rocky and rocking is how I would really want to put it. In other words, I went from "wow" to "what the bloody hell" in a matter of days.

Let's start with work, for a change. I hope you remember that we were facing financial issues at Exigo. Although we did manage to get one client to survive July, we didn't get another. In fact, one of our apparently most-likely-to-stick clients decided to part ways with us in mid-July. And believe me, it wasn't a pretty day that it happened.

There was something unusual about that morning. I woke up late - even though I knew we had an early morning meeting, skipped breakfast, had a fight with a bajaj driver, another one with a tarif lama (old tariff) cab driver who refused to start the meter (the first one like this I've met in Jakarta), then took the right cab but the wrong road so ended up in a traffic jam, was upset with myself so missed the client's office building (even though it's a towering 30-storeyed skyscraper), I ended up paying 60% more than I should have, didn't have change so had to broker the money for smaller notes, was in a massive hurry so took the wrong lift that led me right up to the top floor when I needed to go to the 10th, came back to the ground floor, took the right lift, got out on the right floor, walked in to the meeting 45 minutes late and the client said, "Welcome Yousuf, I was just telling Dacil that unfortunately, we won't be able to continue working together." I almost ended up saying, "Perfect! Thanks Mr Irawan, that's exactly what I needed to make my day better."

Honestly, had never felt so disappointed during my entire stay here. I felt it was my fault that we lost the client. My responsibility at Exigo is to consolidate the existing base of brands/clients and acquire new business and strengthen that base too. But one of our most trusting clients (although they didn't pay so much) had chosen to say goodbye. Why? Was it me? Was it Exigo? I was furious with my team when we got back to office. My boss calmed me down saying there's a lot more that went in (client team politics, lack of our resources, etc) behind that decision. He said he knew that and, in fact, he was happy they left us because he was really frustrated with the way they used to operate on shoestring marketing budgets and conservative thinking.

From that perspective, he was right. We realised it gave us more opportunities to explore better and bigger brands in the real estate sector. The market was booming but because we were stuck with this client, we could never approach any other. This is changing. Now, after a month of trying we have almost been assigned to launch one of Jakarta's most premium residential apartment projects.

Moreover, I was determined to get the old client back, even if on a project basis. So, two weeks ago, we decided to proactively provide them with a concept, design and implementation plan for an event that's coming up. And believe me, the client loved it! They weren't so thrilled with the budget, as usual, but we don't mind giving up on some of the bucks if they decide to do this project. Will be moral victory for us and more importantly, the idea really is special. So, will get the market bees buzzing about which agency did it.

There's lots more action that's been happening at work. We decided to invite some investments from some interested family members of my boss and our financial boat is sailing again. Not for long, though. We need to keep acquiring new business every month to generate hefty returns for our new investors lest they decide to withdraw thinking its a failed enterprise.

For that, I've put myself into "bullfighting" mode. Wherever I see opportunity, I charge! In fact, we all do. My teammate, my boss and myself have got hold of a usually elusive business directory. Everyday, we look up a company listed in it, do some basic research on it and call or email their chief marketing personnel to try and fix up an appointment to introduce ourselves and make a credentials presentation. We've had mixed results so far.

We did manage to meet Adidas Indonesia (the brand manager we met had such a cuuuuuuuute smile, I almost ended up falling in love with her during the meeting and I was foolish I decided to concentrate on the meeting and not her... haha), La Salle College International and a medium-sized tobacco manufacturer/seller in Surabaya (East Java) but we've faced closed doors with all others. The good news is that La Salle was pretty impressed, invited us for a pitch last week, we slogged our asses off for it and they said we really went beyond the brief and did much more than expected. So there's a darn good chance of us getting it!! And this one is big!!

The workstation Mahabharata doesn't end here. In fact, it gets better and more interesting now. No, there's no Shakuni Mama or vastra haran scene of Draupadi, but a fascinating tale nevertheless. Personally speaking, I finally faced what I had expected would happen some day or the other: lack of team bonding due to communication and cultural differences.

For a few weeks, I could sense a vibe that some of my colleagues did not associate with me even one bit. And I was right. Misunderstandings began to take place, tempers began to fly and work and productivity began getting hampered. We started talking lesser and that too, only about work-related stuff. Before this phenomenon could take mammoth proportions, we all decided to kill it. A small late night introspection session and everyone came out with everything.

I, in particular, faced a lot of criticism for pushing everyone too much to work faster when that's really rude according to Indonesian culture (I think Indonesians are very very slow), being too high-handed and inaccessible that made my team members hesitant to talk to me and share their professional/personal problems with me (now this was really surprising because in my past experiences at AIESEC and Bates, I've been told by people that they can really trust me and pour their hearts out. Not to boast but I have received great compliments on my leadership style) and that I was too work-focused and serious, never chilled out with my colleagues or made an effort to hang out and be part of team Exigo.

Of course, I had my side of the story too. I am new, I would take time to dapt to the culture, the surroundings and the city. And I also don't wanna spend 23 out of 24 hours everyday with my colleagues. That's not what I came to Jakarta for. I want to meet new people, make new friends, learn about other countries and cultures and that can only happen if I hang out with other people, obviously not my colleagues. And what about the quality of people I have been given to work with in my team? They can't understand what I want to say, how will they work and have fun with me? How am i supposed to give my teammates freedom to do whatever they want when they don't even understand "brands"? What about the number of people? How am I supposed to chill out with my colleagues when they are never ready to travel or go out (except the first few weeks when everyone was really excited)?

Anyways, the conversation ended on a positive note with all of us accepting that we all had made mistakes somewhere down the line. We promised to make more efforts to understand one another and in fact, for the past month have been chilling out a lot more (playing pool, going clubbing, shopping, coffee sessions, etc).

What is intriguing about this experience is what it has taught me. What works in one country may not in another. Well, everyone knows that... so what's the big deal, you might ask? The difference is what you do about it. More often than not, I was trying to steer everyone's thinking to what I thought was right. And on most occasions, it was influenced by past experiences in India. THAT IS WRONG! The best way to deal with such kind of situations is to let people work the way they do and try and mould not their thinking or actions, but their results in a manner such that it is mutually beneficial for you and for them. How? Just be around, identify what you don't know and don't interfere. When you know what you didn't, verify your initial suggestion with the current reality and then suggest or implement. Sounds like rocket science? It isn't. You'll get to know this like the back of your hand if you're studying or working abroad. Ahemm... I take cheques so please send me your fees for this free lesson in "managing cultural diversity" to my bank account in India... hehe :)

Honestly, team management in a foreign country and culture is tough, bloody tough! I thought I was a good team leader and manager. Maybe I am. But in an alien environment where I needed to adapt myself to the surroundings, adjust to the people and then build a team according to the local culture, I think it took a lot more doing. If you still ain't convinced, try it. Cultural diversity/sensitivity is the worst fucking bug that ever hit management sciences. And I rarely see B-school text books or any management guru doing something about it. Maybe I should. What do you people suggest?

And yes, there is a lack of resources at Exigo and I'm also getting drained out with the late nights every week, but it's challenging and fun in its own way. I wasn't expecting this back in India and I'm not really enjoying it all the time but it's enriching my understanding of how small units can be started and more importantly, be managed on a profitable basis.

The last most interesting thing about work right now is the future of Exigo. It seems it couldn't be brighter. A friend of my boss quit TBWA Indonesia a few weeks ago because he was getting bored with the kind of work he was doing: clients always complaining about hefty agency budgets with little returns and compromising on the quality of advertising. He wanted to do something pathbreaking and put Indonesia on the global marketing map.

So, he came along with this idea of merging Exigo with an international agency. Why? Are international agencies scared of us? Certainly not. It was to set up Jakarta and Indonesia's first digital marketing agency as the international technology and new media arm of any reputed international agency. The digital agency's core work would be to use technology to improvise conventional advertising media, utilize new mediums (mobile phones, Internet) of communication for marketing and also develop newer mediums. My boss was excited. This would be a giant leap... IF we took it. He discussed the entire proposal with us. We did take it! (PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NAME OF THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THIS BLOG BECAUSE OF PRIVACY CONCERNS. THAT'S THE SHITTIEST AND MOST COWARDLY THING I'VE HEARD IN AGES NOW AND THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY AT WHOSE BEHEST I'M DOING THIS, I THINK, IS STILL LIVING IN THE STONE AGE! I MEAN CMON, THIS IS BLOGGING! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MY SPACE, I CAN WRITE ANYTHING! WHERE ARE IPR IN THIS COUNTRY! AND IPR WATCHDOGS ALL OVER THE WORLD, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS!

Investment talks are now in progress, strenuous day-long business plan meetings are on and I'm certainly going to be proud of my CV next year when it reads: Founding Member of "XX INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY" Jakarta. But I'll hold on to my horses just yet and so should you. Hopefully, the merger will be finalized by November 2006. And when it is, I'll certainly let you'll know.

Phew! Work is exhausting, ain't it. Even when one writes or reads about it :)


Disappointed with "this international agency"
Yousuf