When I Grow Up

When I grow up, I want to be an architect.

     I used to hear this sentence echoing loudly in my ears everytime I saw spellbinding classic and modern buildings in big cities. Through my own eyes, I saw architects as ingenious designers who magically made palaces out of bricks and mortar. I don't know where this came from--none of my parents are artists--but art has always been my passion. It kind of startled me right away when I accidentally read the sentence again a few days ago from my own writing back then in 2010. Because somehow here I am now, studying economics by choice. And then all the old memories came up and I realized how so many things have altered over the past few years.

The Words That Were Left Unspoken

Dear AIESEC Fair 2013 team,

      There were actually so many more things I would like to tell you in the closing last night. What I wanted you all to know was so much more than everything I could say. Too bad I'm not known for having a way with words, so I guess I'd better write it all down here. I don't expect you to read this, but at least I could feel relieved anyone else knows how really, really grateful I am to be given a chance to work with all of you.

Between the Pros and the Cons

    At the end of the year 2012, there were mass labor protests all over Indonesia demanding higher wages and better work condition. Raising the minimum wage has been one of the most controversial issues nowadays, and many debates have heated up regarding whether it will bring more harm than good. Starting from 2013, the governor of DKI Jakarta has eventually decided to raise minimum wage by 44% from 1,56 to 2,2 million Rupiahs. Many parties claim the decision is irrational and that it will burden employers, while some others believe labors deserve a higher standard of living as their value of wages have remained constant over the past 10 years.