Future tense

Here's one thing that i could not resist to ask when i'm involved in a good conversation, with anyone: future plan. Anyone really means everyone: female, male, student, employee, unemployed people, stay at home mom, entrepreneur, director, smart, not so smart, shallow, extrovert, introvert, christian, atheist, free thinker, moeslem, buddhist, 13 years old immature ABG, DJ, politician, heiress, bule, asian, anyone whom i thought i have a chemistry with.

I remembered talking about this issue 3-4 years ago with my closest girlfriends. All of us were still sitting in college chairs(i was doing my bachelor and the rest of my friends were doing their masters) All of us were doing "a start-up" office job: You know assistant manager, office admin, intern accountant, but none of us did a "real" job at that period of time. We did not work for the money, we work for, i dont know, experience may be? or more pocket money for holiday? or we tried to live the image of so called "perfect, smart, independet, can have it all" woman? or probably competition with friends?

See, all of my girlfriends are smart, bright, determined women. When one of us had scored a glamorous job, while juggling between school amd ministry, it has becoming an "inspiration" for the rest of us. Suddenly all of us are sending resume and CVs to all of prestigious companies all over perth. Scoring an office job in perth is already an achievement itself. It is so hard even for an Australian citizen to score a job in a dead city that only have limited job vacancies. But you know, "girl power" and "healthy competition" (we have to keep up with each other) roll up in one had made us to succeed to score the job. All that i can remember is all of us ended up being employed for an office job at the same year.

Anyway, during those years we thought works are easy, of course they were easy because we did not have any pressure to save for mortgage or child's education. We did a great job in the office and earned good money to dine in Terazza every week and shop at Subiaco whenever we want. Scoring Distinction at UNI and being the part of the "so-called " ELITE group in church. We were happy with what we had and we thought, life is easy and beautiful. We could have it all. We were a naive idealist at that time, really.

Why did i say that we were a naive idealist? because when we asked each other about what we have planned for the future, all of us could easily say that "I am so confident that i could be a CEO at a prestigious company in 5 years time". or " i want to have a fashion house, a multi national brand of clothing line" or "i want to have a worldwide ministry" . ya ya, you got the idea. We thought at that time that we have gone through half way to achieve those dreams.

When we met each other again these days, given the condition that all of us have actually been in a real world now, we would say different things when talking about future plan. Living in a real world, by my definition means, that you stop depending on your parents for financial provision, you got married and started a new family on your own, you work because you have to not because you want to. Now when you put yourself on that position, all that i can say is: Life is not so easy anymore. It is scary. You will start to realise that work is hard. No matter how much you earn, it is never enough. Any kind of job that you are doing is not good enough. Because you have a projection of what you want to achieve, and it seems so far far away from the reality that you have been living in at the moment.

Of course our monthly salary is enough for one week holiday in Singapore and could buy that Prada bag in Socialite boutique if we want to. But if you want to start acquiring property and business venture, you have to save up all of those money for Gucci sake. And i'm like, damn! susah yah ternyata cari duit. All of those money that you spent so easily back in high school days, correction: your parents' money, seem to be so priceless right now. And eventhough all of my girlfriends, i know for a fact, actually do not have to work to live if they choose to live by their parents' provision, all of us actually wanted to (at least) try to see how it feels like to start a career from the very bottom. None of us work for our parents' company, but we tried the office job. And it is so damn very very hard. You know with the minimum payment, kerja rodi and office politics. We want to quit, but then realised that all jobs in indonesia are like that. Minimum payment, kerja rodi and backstabbing. *sigh*

I remember talking to Christine, Tirzah and adeline at different separate times, we were like, "gila yah dulu cita2 angan2 pengen jadi CEO pengen punya ini itu, kayanya gampang banget. Sekarang udah ngalamin kerja beneran, baru juga setaun, udah kaya mati berdiri. Kerja susah yah. Kalo ada orang yang bisa sukses starting from scratch hari gini mah, they really deserve a round of applause.

Lagian model jaim2 kaya kita orang mah, maunya yang instant terus. baru mulai business harus langsung sukses keliatan hasilnya. buset mana ada yang kaya gitu. at least 5 taun pertama emang harus kerja rodi dulu kali.

Udahlah jangan naive jadi orang, kalo udah dikasi kerjaan sama bonyok yah udah ambil ajah lah. itu udah paling enak paling gampang. Ato kalo bisa milih, jadi ibu rumah tangga ajah lah. Gak usah gengsi2an lagi mau career ini itu. Kerja tuh susah amit2. "

and in the end we all agree: untung kita perempuan. at least even if we dont work, we still have another option of being a housewife (aint life beautiful? haha) yah kalo bosen2 di rumah, ya udah buka butik ajah, gak usah running profitably juga gak apa2 asal ada kegiatan. ckckck... kasian amat yah, jauh banget dari angan2 masa lalu. but hey that's life. reality sucks.

But who knows, may be 5 years from now, kalo kita semua udah lebih dewasa, lebih kuat dan lebih stable in terms of living in this dunia yang keras, mungkin kita udah berubah pikiran lagi. mungkin at that time, kita bener2 udah siap to take on the world and living the dream.who knows? 30 years old sounds like a good age to sit in the corner office and having our names printed in SWA or TEMPO Or whatever. hahaha. Afterall, all of my girlfriends are smart, bright and determined women. I never doubt it for a day that all of them will succeed in every aspect of their lives. Just watch and see.