Friska Notes

I visited Batam for 4 days and interested to buy electronics there since people always saying about how cheap those stuff. I came to Nagoya Hill at first day then Lucky Plaza Batam and both tried to rip me off, gave me digital camera price higher than the original.

I've browsed the original standard price in google and amazed how the sellers trying to cheat on us, buyers. They are trying to sell electronics from black market in higher price. How come! I'm intended only to buy camera when the price is lower than the original standard price, that's why I want to buy it in Batam. One example of their scam was: the seller offer me a digital camera Rp 1.500.000,- where the original standard price was Rp 900.000,- :O

Once, I've set the deal to buy the camera within Rp 2.000.000,- but the seller tried to rip me off by asked me to buy memory card Rp 350.000,- He said the warranty is given if I use that memory card only. When I refused to buy the memory card, he said that there was no more camera stock in his store. Wasting my time!
So people, just a suggestion for me when you are shopping in Batam:

1. Do you a safe player and want to have licensed warranty for your electronic buying in Batam? If your answer is YES, cancel your plan. Do not hope to buy the electronic in lower price but have the warranty. Warranty is valid when you buy it in official store and the electronic box have a seal. There is no such seal.
2. If you have no time to research more about your electronics-to-buy, cancel your plan. Knowledge is power. Those sellers would know whether you know about things you asked for or not, immidiately. It's such a very stupid thing when you buy something in Batam in higher price than in Jakarta-the expensive city.
3. When you do bargain, the last deal price from one store to other is not differ significantly. It's about Rp 50.000,-  to Rp 100.000,- Why? Because the store owners know each other, they could be friends, relatives, or even one person could own several stores. They even put CCTV connected their all stores so they could observe what stores we, buyers have visited.
4. Make sure you already know what you want, what is the specification, original standard price, and how to check its quality. Be sceptic in hearing what those sellers are saying.
5. Pay your transaction with cash (beware of pick pockets in Lucky Plaza Batam) or debit card. Never pay by credit card. Something weird within my transaction where the seller flipped my debit card, and he saw the back of it. If it was a credit card, he definitely would know my CVV number! Have no idea why he have to flip my card! Be careful for your transaction in Lucky Plaza Batam.
6. Bring local person to help you bargain the price.

At the end of the day, I bought my camera Rp 2.200.000,- from the original standard price is Rp 2.650.000,- and there is no seal on the box. Just praying the camera would be fine for many years.


Padang, 6 May 2013.

Hello readers,

Have I told you I've moved to another job last December 2012? This time I'm working in my expertise : records management. More 'bonuses' for this job : I move to Surabaya city, kost for the first time in my life, would travel a lot throughout Indonesia, and salary raise up. Plus plus bonus: somehow I got bonus (literally it was a bonus) 1 full month salary in December 2012, hahahahaha. What a great gift for christmas and new year 2013.

I accepted this opportunity and left my just 2 months working contract in relocation services company at Jakarta. People said I'm crazy to left my permanent status since my working project in Surabaya is only for 6 months. I believe I have to take this opportunity since it would enrich my life. And yes, working here really enrich me.

I am working in well established company which have good working flow, system approval, and everything under control. I've been working in petroleum company before and they also have very good IT system but I worked as librarian at that time. So I was not really involved throughout the IT System. Here in my current company, I totally involved moreover I'm working in Information Services Department.

I supervised for our records warehouse in Pandaan, Malang for three months and prepared for RIM (Records and Information Management) training program, contacted our area offices in Jawa Tengah, Kalimantan, and Sumatera. There are only 2 persons traveling around Indonesia for this program, Ibu Ayu and me. FYI Ibu Ayu is a very cool person! She is quite old but her smartness, motivation, and passion for working is superb!! Moreover she is very nice and caring about others. Never met anyone like her, and I hope in my future time I could be someone that could do minimum as good as her. Respect to Ibu Ayu.

So, my area offices target are :

1. Sampit (8-9 March 2013)
2. Pontianak (3-4 April 2013)
3. Muara Bungo (5-6 April 2013)
4. Pangkal Pinang (8-9 April 2013)
5. Surakarta (12-13 April 2013)
6. Lahat (17-18 April 2013)
7. Pati (26-27 April 2013)
8. Bukit Tinggi (29 April - 1 May 2013)
9. Batam (3-4 May 2013)
10. Padang (5-8 May 2013)

10 area offices should be visited in 2 months. So could you imagine how is my life fly through from one airport to another airport? Sometimes I have to catch first flight, or have to continue the transportation from airport by road trip in hours to my area office destination, or sometimes there is no other hotel option where the best and only hotel is below three stars standard hotel.

Padang would be my last visit in next week. After that I have to follow up several things-result after the training given before my contract ended at 31 May 2013.

I am really grateful for this opportunity given by God and here my tips for you: sometimes you know what the best thing for you without listen to other person negative comments. My make your own decision whatever the result is, you are sincerely could accept it whether positive or negative. If it's a positive result you'll really grateful not regret to take the decision. If it's a negative result at least you would not blame it to others. We learn to be responsible and would use it as experience to face problem in the future.