In OOTD

Looking Good








"You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover nor a man by his appearance, but let’s face the harshness of reality: We all do it. We make decisions about people within the first few seconds of meeting them while we spend the next few minutes trying to validate our initial impressions.

Hey mate, I'd like to say a

Happy Merry Belated Christmas

everyone!. I wish you had a wonderful christmas. And we're 2 days short of 2014!

These days, in our overcrowded and highly competitive world, the only way to be remembered is to really stand out. Being able to make a lasting impression on people is one of the single most important talents one can attain in life.

Putting more thought into your appearance however is one of the easiest ways to improve your social prospects and the way people see you. There’s also more to it then just dressing well, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to be noticed for your graceful attire. The truth is that people are constantly going to be looking at what you are wearing and how you are wearing it. If they notice something they like or respect, they will remember it and in turn remember you.

A considerable amount of you now are probably saying, “I could care less what people think of me”. And to be fair, I myself am no flag pole, standing short as a 5”2 (158cm) guy, I realize how hard it is to find proper clothing for me to look good. Because most men’s clothing lines are designed for those who are at least 5”7 (170cm). So, due to that painful fact, couple of years ago I ignored the way that I looked whenever I go out, because I believe that neither shirt nor pants will look good on me. But then a friend of mine said 
"no matter how short, fat, or unattractive you are, there is no excuse to ignore the way you look, the moment you step out of your room".
That's simply because you will never know who you are going to meet, where you are going to meet them, and most importantly, when you are going to meet them. The mystery within these concepts is just another reason why you should always be on your "A game" when it comes to your daily get-up. Whether you are going to work, to a party, to an event, or even down the street to your campus, you need to find a way to look sharp.

When I talk about looking better, there are two degrees of this. The first is to just get yourself looking half-decent and eliminate any blatant appearance-related mistakes. I'd have a hard time arguing that someone shouldn't at least do this. There aren't any downsides at all to it.

The second level would be to put the effort into becoming more fashionable than average. There are a lot of benefits to doing this, but it takes more work. You have to learn about clothes and style, devote time to shopping, and possibly spend more money. 

You may think you don't know much about fashion, but you likely have an idea deep down about what looks good. A rigid self-image can make it hard to admit to yourself that you can wear these attractive clothes yourself. And please, Don't judge anything until you try it on and see if it looks good on you. Many clothes look a lot better than you'd think from just seeing them hanging on the rack or sitting folded up on a table.

For me personally, I have always things to notify for about clothing, and they are

Don't wear the same outfit two days or more in a row.
Don't keep wearing your clothes after they've become ratty or faded.
Don't wear clothes that are overly wrinkled. 
Don't keep wearing an item if you've dirtied or stained it. 
Don't wear shirts that are too big and baggy, or too small and tight. 
Don't wear white socks with dark shoes and vice versa. 
Don't wear socks with sandals. NEVER. 



Here are some of my 2013 Campus and Semi-Formal looks 


CAMPUS

Campus Look #1 | Yellow Shirt by POLO | Jacket by TX | He by Mango Jeans | Oxford Zara 
Campus Look #2 | Denim by UNIQLO | GAP tee | Levi's 501 Jeans | Converse 
Campus Look #3 | Mint Denim by TX | Coconut Island Tee
Campus Look #4 |  Red V Long Sleeve by TX | He by Mango Jeans | Zara Oxford | Duffle Bag 
Campus Look #5 | Brown Shirt by H&M | GAP Tee | Levi's 501 | Converse


OUT AND ABOUT
Semi Formal #1 | TX Jacket | Zara White Shirt and Green Tie | Zara Teal Trouser| Pedro Oxford Shoes

Semi Formal #2 |  TX Premium White Shirt | Tie bought in SG | Ambrogio Sweater | He by Mango Jeans | Pedro Oxford Shoes 
Semi Formal #3 | Fred Perry Shirt | Bershka Long Sleeve Sweater | Esprit Watch


Semi Formal #4 | Unbranded Blazer | Salt&Pepper Shirt | The Executive Pants | Pedro Oxford Shoes
Semi Formal #5 | TX Jacket | Bershka Tee | Levi's 501 | Converse


So always remember: Before you walk out that door, stop, look in the mirror one last time and ask yourself, “Do I look good? and Do I feel good? Because 

“Elegance is not about being noticed, it’s about being remembered” – Giorgio Armani

PS: I guess I'll make more of fashion post for my 2014 blog resolution lol





Till Next Post

Marcel

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In Competition

Unilever Future Leaders League 2013


I don't know why, but I'm all in the mood for sharing these days. #Holiday + #FreeTime no?

Anyhoo, this post is related to my previous post #RECAP, where I promised that I'm going to share my experience in joining one of the biggest business challenge competitions in Indonesia, Unilever Future Leaders League 2013.


-this post actually was supposed to be published like, weeks-weeks ago, as a request of my mentor in the competition, Mbak Irma :"). due to some reasons, I finally got the chance to share it just now. forgive me if this post is going to be a bit, long-


So, before jumping into the main part, what is #UFLL2013? (using hashtag to make your point is cool lol). It's a Business Case Challenge given to 30 best selected students from all universities in Indonesia to join the very first league of global future leaders by winning the prestigious country level competitions.

The 30 selected individuals will then be invited to a five day U-Camp in Unilever Learning Center in Megamendung. Once they enter the U-Camp, they will be grouped into 10 diverse teams and compete to represent Indonesia in the Global Future Leaders League.

- Singkatnya, UFLL 2013 adalah Business Case (yang biasanya diranahi oleh anak" Ekonomi, Akuntansi dan Manajemen *ngapain gw disini dong*) pertama kali yang diadakan oleh Unilever Indonesia. Pemenangnya akan berkesempatan untuk mewakili Indonesia di tingkat dunia, keren yes? -

So, what were the processes that I had to complete? Here they are

#1. SUBMISSION and APTITUDE TEST
At first, we were given a task to send 6 Powerpoint slides answering provided questions ranging from 5 different functions that were available to choose. Function disini itu ada lima, antara lain Human Resource, Customer Development, Finance, Supply Chain -dan pilihan gw- Marketing.  Waktu itu kasusnya mengenai salah satu produk dari Unilever Indonesia, yaitu Buavita. Siapa yang ga kenal jus dari buah asli satu ini coba? Nah, pertanyaannya untuk marketing adalah 

"Imagine yourself as the Brand Manager of Buavita, what activity would your create as a part of the marketing activation of Buavita? Explain your answers"

Singkat cerita, with little knowledge of Management (thank God that I got Pengantar Manajemen Bisnis di semester 2 kemarin), dan modal nanya sana-sini, gw nekat kirim slide ke Unilever, hoping to be accepted as finalist. Abis itu ternyata kita dikirimin link where we had to follow some Aptitude Test. Apaan tuh? kayak Psikotest? NOO. Jauh dari itu. Aptitude test ini adalah test angka, tapi bermain dengan grafik,chart, dan istilah" bisnis yang gw buta sama sekali. Coba test di sini. Soalnya ada 20, waktunya kalo ga salah ada 20 menit. Desperate udah pasti lah, kirain udah pasti ga masuk. Eh ternyata, tanggal 26 Oktober, dapet deh emailnya bahwa I was selected as top 30 out of 350 submissions from all across Indonesia. Dan hanya 2 dari Binus yang lolos! yay? belum dulu. Karena the real fight had just begun halah.
My Marketing Slides Submission
#2. THE CAMP
Here we go, to the most exciting part. Jadi ceritanya kita diajak ke yang namanya U-Camp (Maybe it stood for Unilever Camp? I don't really know, it should've been) dari tanggal 10-15 November 2013. We were asked to gather around in Fave by Aston Hotel for one night, karena kita bakal diajak keliling keliling ke sebelah, which is where Unilever Indonesia's office is located. Pas nyampe di hotel, langsung ketemu sama beberapa finalists yang udah nyampe duluan. Terus kita dapet banyak banget goodies! Right after, kita diajak ke kantor Unilever untuk sesi bonding with 30 finalists yang keren-keren dan bikin jiper. Ada yang Abang Jakarta, ada yang sering menang lomba Business Case sampe tingkat Internasional, ada juga yang exchange kemana mana sampe ke Barcelona :o.  Tapi ternyata, they are all nice and awesome in their own ways! #tetepjiper
some finalist yang on time (atau kepagian)
goodies goodies goodies (macbook's not included) 
Right after finalist bonding session, we were grouped in 10 diverse groups, consisted of 3 people in 1 group. Nah, kalo kelompok gw, dapetnya sama Sony Radithyo (master business case dari Universitas Indonesia) dan Widyastuti Kusuma Wardhani (Ibu Lingkungan Indonesia dari Universitas Diponegoro).
9th Team - Irresistible!

Nah, keesokan harinya, sampe tanggal 15 kita diajak ke State-of-the-art Learning Centernya Unilever di Unilever Mega Mendung Learning Center (MMLC) di Puncak. Kirain bakal kayak villa villa gitu kan? I was wrong. Tempatnya kayak buat rekreasi 2 keluarga besar, bahkan lebih. Ada 4 kolam renang, gym, karaoke, hall, lounge dll deh! Pokoknya super keren astaga. Kita bisa makan semua produk Unilever yang disediain, kayak Lipton Tea, Buavita bahkan ada 2 freezer Walls khusus, isinya Magnum, dan eskrim lainnya yang bisa kita ambil sesuka hati, serius. (No, I wasn't charged at all kok haha). Masalah makanan yang biasanya jadi masalah, bukan masalah disini. *apasih* Lots, and Lots of foods, snack, you name it!
kamar sendiri layaknya hotel bintang 3
the hall
lounge section
movie section
karaoke & wii section
Nah, for more than 5 days, we were taught on how Unilever runs its Businesses, yang menyangkut kelima functions diatas especially about Marketing 360. Mulai dari yang namanya concepting produk baru untuk linenya Buavita, mikirin stok buah untuk produksi, marketing activation plans, target pasar, semua-muanya kita pikirin. We stayed up ampe jam 2 pagi, but it was very fun and challenging, jadi ngantuknya ga kerasa sama sekali loh.

Challengenya ga cuma di MMLC aja, kita juga diajak untuk ngerasain gimana sih produk itu dibuat, langsung di Pabriknya. And we were being taken to Walls Factory di Cikarang! Free Ice Cream! Dan kita disana juga ada Factory Challenge, mulai dari Packaging Ice Cream Feast, Tester rasa eskrim, sampe Quality Control eskrim kita kerjain semua. Seru!

infront of Walls Factory - Cikarang
We were also asked to do some selling to test our sales skill. And lucky us, we sold 3 box of Buavita boxes in just 15 minutes after we reached the spot haha.

kapan lagi harus ngerayu mbak mbak centil buat beli Buavita?
Nah, akhirnya tiba pada saat yang ditunggu tunggu, The Judgement Day. On the 4th day, we were asked to do some presentation regarding the product that we made. Singkat cerita, our group didn't make it to the Top 3. Nonetheless, we got great experience along the way. Sudah selesai? Belum! Finalists yang ga masuk top 3, di assign untuk ngebantuin 3 tim yang masuk ke final untuk do some commercial, yang harus dibuat viral di Youtube.

Setelah capek-capekan, we were given treats. With a Super Amazing Tropical Party featuring 2 original Zumba Dancers didatangkan langsung dari Colombia! *no, not Sofia Vergara, no*

The last day, we watched 9 of our friends defended their product infront of Unilever Business Leaders. And my best friend won 3rd place with her team, congrats Natalia!
Arya UI, Natalia Binus, Lintang UGM
And here are the winners that are going to represent Indonesia di Future Leaders League Global! Congrats Iyo, Nasha, dan Tari! Go make us proud!
Nasha ITB - Tari UI - Wisnu Aryo ITB
But we didn't go home empty handed. Our team won Best Factory Challenge and Best Humorous Team! Voucher MAP jadi hadiahnya :") 
We closed UFLL 2013 by taking pictures with all the finalist and committee of the event.

Grateful is the right word to conclude UFLL2013. I never thought that a Computer Science student like me was able to follow all materials yang erat hubungannya dengan Bisnis which I have never heard of. But the committee executed all materials neatly so it can be followed easily by me. It was -hands down- the best competition I have ever joined, ever. Dan ini ada sedikit bonus video biar ada gambaran jelas kita ngapain aja disana



Be sure to catch Unilever Future Leaders' League 2014 next year buat temen-temen yang masih berstatus S1. Gw aja masih pengen ikutan kalo masih bisa. It's going to be Bigger, Better, and Louder! Lastly,

Be sure to believe in yourself, because if you don't believe in yourself, who else would?



Till Next Post


Marcel

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In Thoughts

#RECAP



Hey people! It's been a while since my last -introduction- post which wasn't necessary, but I had to, since everyone seems to be doing that on their blog haha

Well, we're just 3 days short from Christmas (the best holiday, like ever) and 10 days short from letting 2013 to go away. This post is just a random post (but with certain purpose) to tell you all how my 2013 treated me so far. 


We like to say "[insert month], please be nice" but have you ever thought that it's not about how months are treating you, but more on how you treat them.

I had a lot of thoughts and comparisons, on how 2013 has changed my life. Because this year personally for me is a year of accomplishment. I always thought that "what I have is not enough", but when I revisited every month, every post on twitter, every picture that I have grouped in specific folder by month, I realized. I got so many things to be grateful of. Have you revisit your own months?

2013 for me is also about self-proving. And my 2013 is full of surprises. Wanna know why? Let's start from

JANUARY 
  • The beginning. Had college in my 6th semester. And everything went well. 
  • I also got a chance to host JURNAL19 Anniversary with my partner, Rindu Puspakasih on Binus TV

FEBRUARY
  • Had the best Sincia with BNEC! We played Running-Man in Plaza Senayan and Senayan City with a set of clues that we needed to collect. It was fun!

  • Back again to THE2013AEO after a disappointing performance in THE2012AEO last year. Became the leader in the Tabulation from OctoFinals until the Semifinal, and ended up as the 2nd Runner Up and Best Live Reporter. I managed to beat Phillipines and Malaysian participants! Best moment was when Arief Suditomo (senior news Anchor from RCTI) told me that my performance was flawless, and he offered me a job in RCTI shortly after. Ah, and I finally fulfilled my promise to Dalton Tanonaka (senior news anchor from MetroTV) that I'm going to interview him on the Grand Final, and I did! 
  • Just a day after the Grand Final of THE2013AEO, I woke up the day after at 5 AM to join ALSAUNPAD2013 in Bandung. Same field, Newscasting. Funny thing, we were supposed to study news script that was given weeks before, but the committee didn't inform us to study it. Screwed right? And the first round began in the very first day. Thank God I managed to overcome my fears, and came out with the highest score (330, and the margin was like 40 with the 2nd best score!) in the preliminary round. Performed the performance on my life (yes, it was, everything was so smooth) in the Final. Found out that I won the 1st place, and it was mind-blowing!
MARCH
  • Got a Call to do Interview with Microsoft for MACH (Internship Program) in Microsoft Singapore for 6 months starting from June! But because some reasons, I had to let the opportunity go away :")
  • Got into StudentsXCEO selection program, passing the FGD and Interview phase. But because other priorities, had to let it go, again
  • Outing Program with BNEC! We went to Bandung and stayed at Villa Ungu. We had rafting, and paintball games! We stayed for 2 days and 1 night. Spent around 300k, but it was worth every penny


APRIL
  • Did my project, Astra1st Enhance - Train - Challenge or AstraETC (as one of the requirements of my scholarship from PT Astra International) in Trisakti School of Management involving more than 700 people! The event consisted of Seminar, Workshop, Training and Business Case Challenge for selected applicants. And it went great! 
  • Continued the journey to Binus University, in Astra1st Binus. The event involved more than 500 people. The difference was, we got Leadership Camp for 2 days in Binus Square. And the reception was beyond expectation!

 

MAY
  • Nothing special this month, a month break of crazy activities. Just had a chance to have a meet up with JHS besties with Ifka, Yonathan, and Desi 
                                            
JUNE
  • Got the chance to attend Binus University - Appreciation Day. A special day given by Binus to students with National and International Achievements (like 'Mapres Night' kalo di kampus lain).
 
  • BNEC Birthday Party in HOTTENCOLE Bar, PIK! And got several awards lol




JULY

  • The Month of having fun! Had a lot of meetings with SHS mates, and College mates. Fat fat tummy, from Sands Dimsum Restaurant, McD, Starbucks, Harvest, Bamboo Dimsum, JCo, and many more!
  • My 21st! I am officially an Adult! Spent it with my besties in college by treating them.

AUGUST
  • The month of establishment. on 14th. I am in a relationship with Eleonora Nicky!
  • Becoming Event Coordinator of BNEC Farewell Party

SEPTEMBER
  • Back to ECOM2013 with vengeance. Ended up in 4th place as well as getting The Most Favorite Newscaster in ECOM2012. This year, had a rocky start by placing 12th in Top 20. But turned the tables by topping the tabulation in Octo - Semifinals. And ended up as 1st Runner Up. I finally conquered Binus ECOM! (joined the competition for 3 years in a row :") ) We also got The Overall Champion for 3 years in a row!
  • Reunited again with Astra1st Family. Extended my scholarship for another year, yet I had to become a mentor for newly elected Astra1st Batch 3. We had so much fun in Puncak together

OCTOBER
  • Made a surprise for my buu. Happy 20th dear
  • Concert! Attended Java Soulnation 2013 for 4 years in a row to watch the Mighty Karmin, Westlife's Shane Fillan and Far East Movement, with some Indonesian line-ups as well. Last year's line-up was better
  • Got 2 good news in one day. Made it as Unilever Future Leaders' League 2013 Top 30 from all across Indonesia, and got into top 200 of Merry Riana Campus Ambassador 2013

NOVEMBER

  • The busiest month ever. Had to hold BNEC Farewell Party as a Coordinator of the event, thank God everything ran smoothly though we had some techical difficulties along the way, but the review was great! (from BNEC BoMs twitter posts :p) 
  • A day after, I joined 2 different competitions in 2 weeks in a row. Meaning? I had to skip all classes on that weeks. Nonetheless, in the first week of November, I joined IndonesiaMUN as delegation of Singapore with Kalyana Dewi. Though we didn't win anything, but the experience was awesome. We had a lot of laugh, before, during, and after the conference!


  • Shortly after, I joined one of the best competitions in my life. Held by Unilever Indonesia, one of the most admired FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies in the world. It's my first business competition so I was a bit nervous. Joined the competition with my best friend, Natalia as representatives from BinusThe 30 selected individuals were invited to a five day U-Camp in Unilever Learning Center in Megamendung. Once entering the U-Camp, we were grouped into 10 diverse teams and compete to represent Indonesia in the Global Future Leaders LeagueOver the course of five day competition (U-Camp), we got to experience leadership and business challenges within the fast moving consumer goods industry, particularly in Unilever. We competed on a real business challenge and convince senior business leaders of Unilever Indonesia. More details of the event on the next post. :)


DECEMBER

  • Went 3 of the most defining moments this year. First one is about my thesis. Me and my team have reach the 3rd chapter, but we're still unsure of our own thesis progress. But turned out, when our thesis was being revised, we got great reviews by our Lecturer. We got minor revision, and he told us that everything is safe to be brought in our Thesis Defense on February next year! #fingerscrossed
  • I went through Unilever Leadership and Internship Program, Focus Group Discussion and Interview Phase. Being grouped with 12 different candidates including le Girlfriend and le Best Friend. And after couple of days, found out that I become one of 3 Human Resource - Leadership and Development Interns in Unilever Indonesia! More details on the next post :)


  • And finally, not long ago, I reached the last phase of Merry Riana Campus Ambassador 2014 - Batch 2. Out of 3000 applicants from all across Indonesia, I managed to become one of top 180 finalists. The selection phases were a bit different with what I usually experienced. We were being judged by our performance in some of group sessions, on how we give our contributions in the group. It was a unique experience, when you get to know Merry Riana up close, and have the chance to talk to her personally. She's very humble and warm. For this one, I'm still waiting the result, whether I make it as one of 60 Merry Riana Campus Ambassadors. Fingers crossed hard for this one :)

There, there. My 2013 in a glimpse. Sometimes, it's good to actually gather your moments, and organize it neatly so it'll be easier for you to remember your own moments. And yes, at time like this, before we close 2013, why don't you try to revisit your own 2013? I'm sure that you'll have more moments and things to be grateful of. And remember, 


-it's not how months are treating you, but it's more on how you treat the months-


Till next post

Marcel







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