Monday, April 24, 2017

Random : Vloggers' Era, Are Indonesian Bloggers Losing Audience?


After getting a lot of views on my previous article about how thirsty some Indonesian bloggers are (click here to see and read the article in Bahasa Indonesia), now I am deciding to post a new article which is so relatable to Indonesian Bloggers for the past 1 year. I know that some of bloggers here might think the same as me. 

I can't lie. It is true that some of bloggers are losing some audience or views. I don't get mad about that. How could I know? Because I saw from some of blogger friends' blog stats. I also have seen a lot of them are moving to another platform such as Youtube to share their updates with their followers or audience. Youtube market is way bigger than blog (I think for now and in Indonesia). 

Personally, I also do youtube but it's just for documentation gallery of my life during my travel period or living overseas or doing little / mini makeup tutorial. Overall, I am not really a youtube person. I don't even have enough time to write, how come I have spare times only to edit my own videos? Kind of impossible at least for me. Because I am working and studying at uni at the same time. I am finishing my thesis and trying to build small education service and business through Korean101 Indonesia (a platform to learn and discuss about Korean culture and cross cultural experience, click here to see the official IG!

But there is something wrong about this trend or era. Because so many people are moving to youtube only to gain more popularity, money, or even free stuffs. Few days ago, I watched one of my online friend's youtube video. Many people I believe already knew him and I personally knew him since he started his life career on the internet. His name is Reza Oktovian, most of the people called him Arap. I think, not only me and some of my friends in this online community who ever think this way. But even bigger people in this online community think in the same way.

You can check his video, click here!

Also another reference from Singaporean Youtuber named Dee Kosh (Salute for you dee! ILY!)


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Personally, I am really enjoying myself to be a blogger. Write things into an article for people to read. But sadly in Indonesia, the reading culture is pretty low (no wonder why people here are slower than people in other countries even among our own neighbor countries). I don't really care about fame (I might sound a bit hypocrite but it's true). I am doing this because this is my hobby and this is what I like. Trust me, everything does need process.

I would not be able to come along the way until today if I didn't enjoy every single process. I started my blog by borrowing camera to my parents. It's just a less 10MP digital pocket camera. Even I didn't have enough clothes to stay fashionable. I borrowed my mom's stuffs to take a photo with. I tried to mix and match with old stuffs to be able to post something new to my blog and write a great content. Until I ended up with this "casual" concept and "do not need to spend  a lot of money to look fine" concept. My target mostly are students and young people. That's the reason why I want to share info and good influence to them. Not only to persuade them to be a shopaholic and being a newbie blogger without knowing anything about the basic.

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  • It's funny to see some people online (for example: on instagram) trying so hard to gain followers by DM-ing other people to do "followback" and at the end unfollow that person. 
  • It's funny if they claim themselves as fashion blogger but they don't even know what is "fast fashion" and don't know how to differentiate between "fast fashion brands" and "non fast fashion brands". 
  • It's funny they claim themselves as fashion bloggers but they don't know the differences between jeans and denim. And it is not only for fashion bloggers but for all bloggers who are not even knowing the basic of certain topics based on their blog's theme.
  • It's funny to see them acting to have certain lifestyle but they are not willing to afford that by their own or working hard for their own. They use their parents money but proudly showing off those stuffs online, hypocrites. They are going to say like this, "It is our parents' money... we can do whatever I want." Okay. That's your decision. But until when you want to live life that? Being proud of something that it's not even yours, it is not okay.


Also I know, some people might think I am too critical towards other people. But trust me, I miss the good old days where I came to bloggers' garage sale and I could see the exclusivity of them because they are genuinely love to write and smart in their own way.

Do you know how am I able to earn my own money? I am teaching skills to my students. I am giving tutor to my students. I also open partnership and sponsorship, but I never beg to get partnership and sponsorship deals. I am working part time here and there. Helping my father to do data input to computer and I got pocket money from there. LEARN TO WORK TO GAIN THINGS THAT YOU NEED / WANT.

For example : 
  • I went back to South Korea by using my own money. My father gave me some pocket money because he wanted to be responsible as my father, but mostly I tried to saved my own money.
  • I bought the limited edition sukajan bomber jacket designed by my favorite artist with my own money.
  • I didn't ask my parents for extra money if I want to give my boyfriend a pair of nice leather shoes.
Try to work hard and you will earn it. Do not lick other people's asses gurl.


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Nowadays people are easily calling themselves SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER or BLOGGER or VLOGGER (WHAT EVER). Then, I want to ask back what did you influence to other people? Are you solving poverty? Provide good education? what positive impacts that you gave to them? If you never done anything big then do not ever call yourself a SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER. Also about calling yourself a blogger, ... do you know how long did it take to be able to call myself a blogger? More than 3 years. I can proudly call myself a blogger. Why? Because I did some things and supporting society to solve certain issue. I am not showing off, but please see the differences. Please....

Even some of articles are going up online that "Blogger and Vlogger" both are professions for millennial generation. NO, IT IS NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THAT. Now, everything about being blogger or vlogger is losing its own identity. I am totally sick of it. 

Yesterday one of my friend told me, "I hope you passed 10K followers really soon. So, you can get invited by this brand ...." Okay my friend was not wrong. Followers definitely a big market for bloggers or vloggers. Comeback to the point where I do everything that I love for not pleasing anyone. I will not buy instagram followers or forcing someone to follow my account only for my own sake / advantage.

Try to Keep Up With University Life and OOTD Update






Crop Top Bomber Jacket in Navy - sponsored by Cartexblanche, Top - ZARA, Black Legging, NYC Cap - New Era, Bag - Berrybenka, Shoes - Adidas Superstar Leopard Core Black

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Hi, welcome back again to my blog. Wah, long time no see. I miss writing something on my own blog. This time, I have a little bit spare time to spend here. 

I honestly feel that I am getting older and older. I can't believe that I am already at my final semester in my university. I am still finishing my thesis and all projects. Last 2 semesters were epic but I did fail in some parts. In the early 7th semester, I went to Thailand to be a teacher there / volunteering myself to do that job. After that, I was working as Research Assistant of my lecturers.  In 7th semester, I still had several classes but everything was online classes. Everything was fine until I submitted my research paper for one of the main lecture in 7th semester.

I did the research by myself and it was a great research in my thought. I submitted via email and hard copy for my mid term exam. Because I didn't have regular classes, I submitted everything via online and all of students with the same program as me didn't have seat in exam / classes. My concentration is International Media and Middle East is my regional concentration in International Relations major. I contacted the lecturer but there was something odd about her. Maybe because she was sick at that time, but she was not acting friendly like usual to me. Suddenly, I just got B as my final score. I usually got an A for my own concentration lecturer.

Maybe this might sounds over reacting. But if I got B as my final score and it's for my main concentration lecturer,... my GPA will straight forwardly goes down. Usually my GPA is up to 3.8+ and I just wanted to do my best for my parents as well. I feel this is not fair at all. Some of my friends got an A and I believed they were not doing any kind of real research to finish their paper. I don't know the standard in my lecturer's head, but this is kind of a joke for me. I spent several days with no sleep at all and I just got 78/100 (B) for my score.

I was scrolling my university website and discovering my score,... I was just like "wtf?".

It's true tho, being smart is not just about getting a great score in uni. Because basically you can get a low or high score depends on who the lecturer is. Some of male lecturers prefer to give great scores for female students and some of female lecturers prefer to give great scores for male students. Or it might depends on how you are being close with your lecturer.

Can I get a high five here about this condition? I believe this story is so relatable for some of you as students :( I am so disappointed with the result. It's not because I didn't work my best... but it was because my lecturer is giving me an awkward and hard situation even I didn't do anything wrong to her. 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

My Journey to Thailand - Living and Being a Teacher in Thailand






I decided to make a blog post because I just finished watching someone's Instagram story. I am here sitting and thinking like,... It's funny how people are talking about changing our world condition online (especially some media influencers) but they exactly are not doing anything in real life. They are talking how important to change the world to be a better place but exactly they are not doing anything to change our world condition to be a better place. 

Some of them are criticizing government, mentioning how important the education is, how important to protect the environment, and many more bullshits that they shared. Well, I don't know why I can feel if someone is just acting they like they care. In fact, they are not even care and keep going with their own life without even care to give their other hand to help people who exactly need their help. Actually, helping some people who really need our help is not that hard. You can do a lot of small things to make a change. It's such a bullshit if you are using your popularity to promote social events, acting like you care about supporting each other, but you are not. You just use that to make a great image for your own sake.

I am not saying that I am better than those people. But at least in my thought, I don't really need to speak up about something that I don't do and I prefer to speak up about things that I actually do or I really do care about. In the end of 2016, I flew to Thailand to a small province and stayed in a small village to teach English. I also did volunteer job here and there in Indonesia to improve education among children. But I don't have any free time to tell all of you about the complete story. I earned so many life value and learnt so many things from the new place where I worked at.

I am glad that I am changing to be a better person of myself. I started to appreciate things in my life even more because I was there in a place where everyone is trying to get a proper education / even proper food to eat. I just want to mention to all media influencers who always act fake everywhere they go, including "acting care" in addressing social issue. Better you shut up if you don't do anything to change the world. It is just making me and other people who actually work hard to make this world to be better mad... okay?

Remember,
Help people are not that hard. Starting from simple things will help!