Why Social Media Makes Me Awkward

On my routine of checking social media apps on my phone today, I found out I got a new follower on Instagram. Normally I get one or two random followers upon posting a photo, but most likely they just want a follow back and will unfollow within a week or so if I don't do it. This is different. A friend in real life just followed me on Instagram! How unusual!

Okay, it's not like 99% of my Instagram followers are strangers, but when I get a new follower, they are either the aforementioned or friends who just joined Instagram recently. This finding got me thinking: how did this friend find my Instagram account? Did they see my Instagram post on Facebook and followed me from there? Or did they have so much free time in hand they actually used the "Find Friends" feature on Instagram? But why? Is there a hidden motive or is this just a random occurrence that I may ignore?

Look, of course getting a new follower is a pleasure, and I do not mind this person following me at all. I even followed them back! But my point is: what they did is something I'm really unlikely to do. I find it awkward. Because if I just follow my friend on Instagram without asking the person, I'm scared they will think all the above thoughts. See what I mean now?

Sometimes a thought comes across my mind when I look at my friends' Instagram profile and find that they have thousands of followers, compared to my mere 400 followers. How could that be? How can I have so few followers compared to my friends? I'm not the type to follow strangers on social media (anymore! *blush*) so following random accounts who do #followforfollow won't work. Maybe I could find my friends on Instagram and follow them, secretly hoping they'll know who I am and be kind enough to follow back.

But... Would they be okay with that? I don't really know this person all that well... Maybe they wouldn't really want me to follow them and see their photos? Ah well, just follow them and see I guess. But wait! What if they think I'm stalking them? They could think that I have a crush on them or something. NONONO let's not do this. I'd rather have fewer followers than being branded as a stalker!

The same concern occurred on Facebook too. You know that little section on the home page suggesting people you may know? Yes. That one. It makes me go "whoa I have hundreds of mutual friends with this person I think I've met them once or twice at some event but should I really add them as a friend or actually will they even remember meeting me or at least if they forgot my name hopefully they recognise my face but there is a possibility they completely forgot and don't know that I exist and think I'm a random stranger who added them just to get more friends on Facebook or have a crush on them and want to hit them up"

On Snapchat as well. Got that one classmate in my contacts. Found they have a Snapchat account. Don't know if it's really okay to follow them. Maybe they wouldn't really want me to have a look on their personal daily life as I only did one group work with them and never talked to them anymore.

Why can't it all be not awkward? I wish I had the guts to just click follow. Maybe they will follow me back and like a couple of photos.

On that note, please feel free to follow me on Instagram at @dessskris now before I think it's too random and you might be stalking me. Add me on Facebook if you know me, and you can add me on Snapchat by the same username @dessskris. Thank you for stalking my blog and go back to work!

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The Future of Unspoken Words (Revisited)

Wow, it's been two months since I last updated my blog. I don't even remember what my last post was about. Apparently it was a self reflection on why I wanted to keep this blog up and running, instead of abandoning it altogether like many other people did, and how I would do that.

I guess my absence for the past two months goes to show that I'm not all that serious about this blog. I didn't make time for it, I don't try and think of what to write on my blog, I didn't even remember I wanted to revive this blog. But why did I come back now?

I started a new chapter in my life two months ago. I'm now pursuing a master's degree in a subject which I genuinely have passion in and wouldn't at all mind doing for the rest of my life. It's such a huge change, yes in terms of the coursework and timetable too, but more importantly in a sense that it makes me more conscious about my future. I keep asking myself, is this what I'm gonna do in my future career? Will I be able to get a job as soon as I graduate? Am I good enough to be what I wanna be? Can I? Will I?

I feel that my course has a very busy timetable, but not very many opportunities to practice. I guess that's the difference between an undergrad course and a master's course. I used to have a marked worksheet for each subject every week (even though they do not count towards my grades), but now I get a tutorial sheet which is not marked, and doesn't take as much time to complete as my undergrad worksheets. That means I'm left to find other means to revise on my own. Other than that, I get 5 practical coursework (or, I'd rather call projects) this term and a few other assessed coursework.

Even though the tutorials are short, I find the projects take a bigger portion of my time. Perhaps not because they are hard, as some other people have completed the project within a few days, but because I need to revise the materials, learn some of the things that weren't taught in class and figure out what I'm supposed to do. People say that once you know what you need to do, it's not as hard to put it together and build the program. Unfortunately for me, I'm still on that first stage...

Outside of my study, I'm very excited about attending tech talks, workshops, or hackathons. I actually spend my weekends looking through Eventbrite to find interesting events I could go to. And damn, there are SO many events in London! It's such a shame how I have lived my three years in the UK without ever attending any of this kind of event. I can't believe I wasted all those time. I could have learned so much from attending free events like these.

Well, now is my chance! As it's my last year of studying in the UK, I'd like to make the most out of it. Every time there is an opportunity, I would go to a tech event. Fortunately London has an amazing transport system which allows me to go to all these far away places for those events. My university also organise various events regularly and invite companies to give a talk on campus. I feel like I've just started living my life. I feel like I've been dead for the past 21 years and just started living now!

It is amazing how these events could connect students with people from various companies and startups to share their views and ideas. That's why I don't wanna miss it. I don't wanna miss it coz I know that if I do, I'd miss an opportunity to learn something new and build a connection.

However, sometimes I also feel that it could get too much. At least three days in my typical week I would have an event to go to. That doesn't leave me much time to revise and do work, as coming home from a 30-min tube ride would wear me out and beg for some time to chill and rest. Am I doing this wrong? Should I revisit my life priorities and get it straight? Maybe I should spend more time revising than attending these tech events. I'm a student after all. Isn't it a student's main responsibility to study? But these events also offer learning opportunities. The kind of learning that I may not get at university. Am I wrong for wanting to attend a lot of events?

I spend my nights thinking of these things before bed. I would look at my calendar and plan my next three days. What time to get up, whether I'll have time to eat at home, whether I could go home first or wait on campus or go to these events straight after lecture. Also, whether I should really go to this event at all, how much time I'll have left for doing work, whether I should cancel this other event or not. The list is endless.

I have only recently realised that one of the biggest reasons why I can't sleep is because I have a lot of things in mind. It's bad, but I don't know how to control it otherwise. I'm an anxious person by nature. I tend to overthink things. Every little thing makes me nervous and leaves me restless.

Sighs.

That's when I remembered about this blog. I thought writing out my feelings and thoughts would relieve a little stress, and it's about time this blog gets an update anyway lol.

I guess that's the answer. I would never be able to maintain a blog that would sell and get millions of followers (are you kidding? I don't even have 20 lol). I can't afford to regularly publish updates. I don't have a specific theme that I can write well on. But I can keep this blog as a personal notebook. I'll know I can write my heart out here whenever I want to. And this is why I want to keep this blog up and running.

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The Future of Unspoken Words...

Why did I revive this blog and what do I want to do with it?

That day I was looking for the lyrics to a new song by my favourite YouTube singer Alex G. To cut the story short, I wanted to keep the lyrics somewhere and remembered I used to post the lyrics to my favourite songs on my blog. So I thought I'd add to the collection!

I also felt that I often have certain thoughts that may be worth sharing but I don't really have an ideal place to share it. As a result I decided to get this blog back up and running to take notes of my ideas and personal views and present them to the world. 

It has been around 4 months (1/3 year!! Gosh time sure flies) since that decision and I haven't really made that much use of this blog. For starters I have revamped all the layout and design although to be completely honest I'm not 100% satisfied with it and would consider adapting a new layout, but hopefully this should do for now. I have also tried posting some of my stories, thoughts, and ideas but every time I find it quite a struggle to write a good post and I still don't really know how to make a good blog.

I have thought about posting a gratitude journal, to take a step back and think of things that I have in life that I shouldn't take for granted. Simple things really, like waking up to find myself and my loved ones in good health, eating good homemade food, and being able to sleep under a roof. Or having someone I could share with, an opportunity to study abroad, and experiencing new challenges in life. I want to be able to read this journal yeeears later and smile at it. :) Or hopefully inspire and remind others to be grateful in life. 

However, I'm not really sure how to present it, how often to post, how to make it an interesting read for others to keep wanting to see more, and whether I would be able to commit to it. Yeah, I'm the kind of person who likes to plan, plan, plan and complicate things. Why can't I just start doing it? Umm, I don't know why, I just can't. :( I need to have it all planned out before I start. Haha. Please tell me if it's a good idea to start a gratitude journal!

On another note, I've been reading really interesting blogs and it reminds me of how much I want to get my own blog running but I don't know how to make it work. Many interesting blogs have a certain focus or theme targeted to a certain group of audience. Can I do that? What focus should I pick? I don't really have anything I'm particularly good at, or like to write about. I like to think that I'm quite a diverse person (except in sports) in that I find every little subject interesting, but I don't really have a specific huge passion in any field. Sighs. :(

There are many other difficulties in maintaining a blog, but I can't think about them if I don't even have a good blog in the first place right? I need to plan out what sort of content I should present on my blog and what style I'd like to adapt. Having a too diverse blog wouldn't be the best thing to do, so I hope I could come up with something. 

This post is an example of how clueless I am about blogging. LOL. 

At least I'm trying! 

Please do help! Let me know what sort of content you'd like to see me write. Looking forward to hear your inputs. :)

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Good Bye and See You Again!

This post is the third and final part of my internship experience series. If you haven't, please check out the first and second parts beforehand!

The past five weeks went by really fast. Every restless day was filled with joy, laughter, sweet memories, but also stress, tiredness, and challenges. It all feels like I just started this internship a week ago! It is now time for me to start a new chapter in life and go back to being a student. :)

Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can't, Teach.

I am reminded of this famous quote about teachers. The first time I came across it I thought I misread it, but no. It means that those who are capable of doing something well, can do it for a living; while those are not capable of doing anything that well, make a living by teaching.

I have to admit that my experience in the past five months have made me realise that my brain has become dull. (Or hopefully I'm just overworried! Haha.) I find myself unable to do certain tricky questions that are meant for gr10 students, which leaves me quite embarrassed as a maths graduate. (T_T) I don't know if that's because I've been exposed to so many deeper concepts at university that I tend to overcomplicate things and fail to see how simple a question might be, or my brain has simply become dull.

This leaves me quite worried as I am about to start my Master's study and this time it will be really tough, no joke. Imperial College London is no game. But at least this time it will be a course that I genuinely enjoy and like. I'm gonna use the remaining time I have left to really prepare for the course. Please wish me luck!

Back to topic, I am left questioning a teaching career. To me, teaching is actually a very difficult job. Those who have kids at home may find two kids already troublesome. How can teachers handle more than 20 kids in a classroom? Not only that, they have to engage those kids so they will be interested to listen to them and able to utilise their thinking skills in class.

The principal told me that teaching is not merely about transferring knowledge to our students, but we have to teach them how to think. They need to see the thinking process behind it all. We can't just give them the answers.

Yes, teaching takes certain skills and characteristics. Not everyone can do it. But why does the aforementioned quote imply that teachers are no good at anything?

Surely teaching is one of the most important occupations in life. At this stage I still don't know whether I make a good teacher. I am introverted by nature and so find it hard to make eye contact with my students, or try to engage them in class. This is an area that I still need to improve. Other than that, communicating what I have in mind to other people is a huge challenge for me. Some people say I tend to overthink and my way of thinking is too complicated, which makes me worried I won't make a good enough school teacher.

I really think that teachers are people who can. They can make kids sit down and listen for 30 mins or more. They can help kids utilise their abilities in the best way possible. They can nurture kids to behave well and become good people. They can make a difference. And they can do it all very well.

Can I?

Leaving People I Love Behind...

Many people asked me how I felt. Was I sad? Was I indifferent? Well, I certainly had mixed feelings. I've just started to get used to my colleagues and students here, but now I have to leave them. T_T On the other hand, I'm also excited to return to the UK. So..... It's hard for me to say!

I'm gonna miss going to school with some teachers and staff. One of them likes to knit and I enjoy watching her knit some really beautiful patterns in the car. I'm gonna miss morning greetings with my colleagues. I'm gonna miss exchanging ideas with other teachers. I'm gonna miss scolding and having fun with my students. I'm gonna miss helping my students with their work, where I also get to learn new things from them. I'm gonna miss after school tutorials with my hilarious students. I'm really gonna miss this school very much!

The teachers and staff in this school are very friendly I feel so close to them even though I've only known them for 5 weeks, or I've known them before but wasn't very close to them. I'm glad for their kindness and for teaching me something new everyday.

My gr10 students are the sweetest. I really hope I could see them again next year! Though I guess they would be even more difficult to handle. Haha. My gr12 students will have graduated next year but hopefully if some of them go to university in the UK we'll be able to meet in September 2016. :) I wish them all the best with their study! Please do not contact me to ask for help... Kidding! Please stay in touch! I'll spare some time to help you guys. ^_^

However, I also feel relieved in that I'm finished with my internship. Working is really the toughest stage in my life so far. I wish I could stay a student all my life! Lucky I still have one year of study. Hehe. Surely what I experienced now is still far from what it's like for full-fledged teachers, so I know I'm not ready for when I have to work next year. It sure will be very tiring and stressful. But hopefully I'll be able to enjoy it!

I'd like to say thank you to everyone at ACS Jakarta. Every encounter I made with someone taught me something new. I also had to strive through new challenges and problems every week. I am taken aback by how my work life is so dynamic and full of surprises. It's as if my whole life so far was just a breath and I've just started to live! I'm looking forward to returning next year. Please keep in touch and wish me luck with my study! The best is yet to be.

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Gojek vs GrabBike: Dapatkah GrabBike Menyaingi Gojek?

Kemarin siang jam 12 gw ada janji di daerah Kuningan, tapi pagi tetep masuk kerja sampe jam 10. Berhubung gw belom bisa bawa kendaraan sendiri dan tempat kerja di Setu, gw bingung cara yg paling efisien untuk ke Kuningan. Gw gak bisa telat untuk janji ini, jd gw harus musti wajib sampe di sana paling enggak 11.30. 

Dua hari sebelumnya, gw kepikiran pengen nyoba layanan taxi online Uber atau GrabTaxi. Yang gw bingung keduanya ga ngasih tau kira2 durasi perjalanan berapa lama. Ok, Jakarta itu macet dan mereka pasti susah memperkirakan seberapa macet perjalanan nanti. Namun, alangkah baiknya kalo mereka bisa tulis durasi minimal dan perkiraan tingkat kemacetan, yang sebenernya disediakan oleh beberapa layanan peta seperti Google Maps atau Waze. Dari pengalaman gw pake Uber di UK juga mereka ngasih perkiraan durasi perjalanan. Kenapa mereka di sini gak bisa?

Terus gw juga keinget, kenapa gak naik Gojek aja? Coba ngecek Gojek keinget ada kode referral dari temen buat dapet Rp 50,000 credit gratis. Wah lumayan lah, bisa dapet transport gratis. Setelah tanya temen juga ternyata dari Setu ke Kuningan naik Gojek cuma 50 menit, dan supirnya pasti tau rute jalannya berhubung mereka gak bisa lewat tol.

Membandingkan harga taxi yg kisaran 50-80rb (belum lagi biaya toll) dibandingkan 15rb (yang sebenernya gratis karena ada referral), ditambah kemungkinan macet yg gak bisa dihindarin kalo naik mobil dibandingkan motor yg bisa nyelip-nyelip, akhirnya gw memutuskan untuk naik Gojek. 

Itu merupakan pertama kalinya gw naik Gojek. Maklum, baru dua bulanan balik di Indonesia. Gw buka app Gojek yang sebenernya udah lama gw download dan meriksa credit 50rb masih utuh. Gw masukin alamat asal dan tujuan gw. Kebetulan ada beberapa Gojek keliatannya yg posisinya gak jauh dari sana, jadi mudah2an gak lama nunggunya. Setelah masukin alamat, akan ditunjukkan rute yg akan diambil, beserta jarak dan perkiraan harga. Setelah confirm order, akan muncul screen loading mencari supir Gojek dan kita bisa langsung menutup app Gojek kalau mau. Nanti kita akan dapet notif kalo supirnya udah ada yang confirmed. Kita juga masih bisa cancel order kita seandainya berubah pikiran. Nah setelah supirnya ditemukan, kita akan dikasih tau nama dan foto supir, serta ada tombol untuk SMS atau menelponnya. Kita juga bisa melihat di mana posisi supir itu sekarang, menuju tempat kita, dan berapa lama lagi mereka akan sampe. Yang saya sayangkan, perkiraan durasi sampai mereka tiba itu gak direfresh setiap kali kita cek. Jadi kemarin gw bingung ini sebenernya dia berapa lama lagi nyampe nya sih? Soalnya gw masih di dalem ruangan dan belom absen apa segala. 

Akhirnya driver itu tiba dan gw dikasih tau satpam. Tadi setelah pesen gw udah ngasih tau satpam kalo bakal ada Gojek dateng dan minta untuk dibolehin masuk. Wah! Seneng juga akhirnya bisa liat langsung supir berhelm hijau dan berjaket hijau bertuliskan GOJEK. Setelah mengkonfirmasi nama dan foto supir, gw dikasih masker dan hair cap, juga dipinjemin helm. Awalnya gw bingung itu apaan soalnya sebelum dibuka bentuknya gak kayak hair cap sama sekali. Hahaha. Akhirnya gw pasang dan naik di belakang dia. 

Belum ada 5 menit, itu supir Gojek udah ditegor satpam gw gara2 ngelawan arah di jalan one way, padahal gak ada kendaraan lain di sana. Terus dia bilang sama gw, satpamnya ketat banget ya di sini. Terus dia nanya jalan, gw bilang gw ga tau dan dia bingung karena order Gojeknya hilang di HP dia. Di HP gw tulisannya udah completed. Katanya petanya jadi hilang. Tapi dia buka Google Maps dan cari rutenya. Lalu kita ngobrol2 sedikit, meskipun gw agak bingung soalnya ga gitu bisa denger jelas dia ngomong apa. Maklum pake helm dan emang jalanan ribut. Gw yang kurang bisa bergaul ini akhirnya diem saat 85% perjalanan, dan selalu supirnya yg ngajak gw ngobrol. Haha. Ngiri juga sih sama cerita2 orang yg ngobrol2 sama supir Gojek untuk cari tau sistem Gojek dan kenapa mereka gabung di Gojek, dll. Tapi gw sudah lumayan banyak baca blog post orang mengenai itu, jadi agak males juga nanyain lagi. -__-

Umumnya, menurut gw dia agak kasar sih nyetirnya, dibandingin adik gw atau mama gw. Kalo belok dia agak ekstrim, atau kadang berani banget nyelip2 di antara mobil. Sampe tiba2 CRASH!! Gojek gw nabrak motor depan! Pas itu gw lagi sibuk mikirin kerjaan, jadi gak nyadar apa yg terjadi. Katanya sih motor depan itu tiba2 ngerem dan dia jadi kaget gak sempet belok atau berhenti. Plat motor depan sampe copot sebelah. Gak ada yg jatuh sih, dan semua baik2 aja. Motor depan bingung2 dan ga marah sama sekali, jadi kita langsung kabur. Toh salah dia juga mendadak ngerem. Trus supir Gojek gw minta maaf sama gw dan nanya keadaan gw. Gw gpp sih jadi gw gak marah, cuma dalam hati terpukul aja karena gak pernah ngalamin tabrakan. 

Gak lama setelah itu di sisi jalan ada rame2. Wih, ada orang berhelm yg berbaring, helmnya berlumuran darah dan bajunya koyak di beberapa tempat. Di depannya ada mobil yang bagian depannya penyok. Kecelakaan. Hiiiy, ngeri banget. Langsung bersyukur deh gw hari itu gak ngalamin kecelakaan yg parah.

Akhirnya sekitar jam 11 kita nyampe juga di daerah Kuningan, tapi gw yang jarang ke Jakarta berhubung tinggal di luar angkasa a.k.a. Bekasi ini gak tau gedungnya yg mana. Supirnya juga gak tau karena order Gojeknya tiba2 ilang tadi. Akhirnya nyari2 jalan makan waktu sekitar 30 menit lagi karena ternyata salah arah dan harus muter. Akhirnya sampe juga di tempat yg dituju jam 11.30. Gila, baru nyadar gw ternyata keringetan banget. Emang panas bener Jakarta hari itu. Gw balikin helm dan masukin masker dan hair cap ke dalem tas berhubung lagi gak ada tempat sampah di situ dan gw gak mau buang sampah sembarangan. Gw cek sama supirnya kalo gw bayarnya pake credit Gojek bukan cash, terus dia bilang ok dan minta nomer HP gw buat jaga2 kalo ditanyain bosnya mengenai order yg tiba2 hilang di HPnya pas pickup tadi. 

Janji gw selesai jam 1.30 dan jam 3.30 gw harus pergi lagi ke tempat lain di daerah Sudirman. Awalnya rencana mau naik Gojek lagi, tapi keinget ada temen yang pernah ngasih tau mengenai GrabBike. Gw google lah mengenai GrabBike. Oh, perusahaan negeri tetangga. Banyak banget blog atau review yang membandingkan Gojek dan GrabBike. Hmm, menarik juga sih.

Penasaran gw cek deh di app GrabTaxi cara pesen GrabBike. Masukin alamat asal dan tujuan, terus nanti ditunjukin peta rute, estimasi jarak dan biaya. Widih. Masa 25rb?! Setu ke Kuningan yang jaraknya 21.3 km durasi 1.5 jam harganya cuma 15rb, tapi ini yang cuma 4 km durasi 15 menit harganya bisa 25rb?? Canda. Itu kayaknya emang flat rate deh. Yang menarik adalah GrabBike lagi ada promo goceng sampe akhir bulan. Jadi transport ke mana aja asalkan di Jakarta cuma bayar 5rb. Ya pilih GrabBike lah. Ada sedikit penyesalan tadi ga pesen GrabBike dari Setu ke Kuningan. Tapi sebenernya tadi naik Gojek gratis sih karena ada referral. Haha. 

Anyway, promo goceng membuat gw tertarik untuk nyoba GrabBike. Seberapa berbeda sih kedua perusahaan ini? Apa bener review2 yg gw baca? Lebih worth it yang mana?

Akhirnya gw pesen GrabBike. Sebelum pesen juga ditunjukin supir2 GrabBike yang posisinya deket situ. Anehnya setelah masukin kode promo Goceng, tulisannya promo udah dimasukin tapi estimasi harga masih 25rb. Setelah klik confirm ada screen loading nyari supir. Bedanya yang ini gak nyuruh kita close app. Jadi gw ngeliat, dia pas loading tuh nunjukkin beberapa supir Gojek terdekat beserta jarak mereka dari tempat gw. Kalau gak salah inget ada plat nomor dan nama supirnya. Terus kita dikasih tau kalo supirnya udah dihubungin, mereka tertarik ambil orderan kita, dan lalu ada yg confirmed. Lalu muncul foto, nama supir dan plat nomor motornya. Sebenernya tadi gw emang gak ngeliat sih kalo Gojek pas loading ditunjukkin kayak gitu atau nggak, secara tadi sambil beres2. Tapi perbedaan yg gw mau point out di sini adalah GrabBike ngasih tau plat nomor supir yang akan jemput kita. Bagus juga kan? Selain itu sama sih, kita dikasih tau berapa lama lagi dia nyampe dan lokasi dia. 

Gak lama dia nyampe dan langsung SMS gw lokasi dia. Inisiatif yg bagus sih. Berhubung gw nunggu di pintu yg salah, gw jalan lagi dulu ke pintu tempat dia nunggu. Tapi dia gak ada. Gw cari2 orang berjaket dan helm ijo, tapi cuma nemu dua orang yg mangkal, yg kayaknya bukan supir yg gw cari. Jadi gw SMS balik deh nanya kepastian lokasi dia. Akhirnya dia nelpon dan akhirnya nemuin gw. Wah, bener juga rumor yg gw baca dari review orang2. Dia pake jaket GrabBike, tapi helmnya helm dia sendiri. Dia juga ga nyediain mask atau hair cap. Untung yang dari Gojek tadi masih ada. Jadi gw pake lagi deh. Konfirmasi lebih gampang karena ada plat nomernya. Sebenernya gw sempet bingung karena tampangnya gak mirip2 banget sama yg difoto. Tapi kayaknya orangnya bener deh. Yaudah lah. Gw juga cek lagi sama supirnya bener gak ini bisa promo 5rb. Soalnya kalo 25rb gw berasa rugi. Haha.

Tanpa banyak cingcong, atau sebenernya bahkan tanpa ngobrol sedikit pun, kita langsung cabut dan gak lama nyampe. Mungkin cuma kebetulan, supir Gojek tadi lebih mau ngobrol daripada supir GrabBike ini. Namun, supir GrabBike ini nyetirnya lebih halus daripada supir Gojek tadi. Tiap orang kan beda2 ya tapi. Belum tentu semua supir Gojek atau GrabBike kayak gitu kan. 

Perbedaan yg gw notice lagi adalah email. Dalam satu pemesanan, GrabBike udah ngirim gw dua email. Satu pas confirm order, satu lagi adalah receipt pas udah nyampe di tempat tujuan. Menurut gw it's a nice gesture, tapi gak penting2 banget sebenernya berhubung kita juga bisa dikasih tau lewat app. Orang yg sering pake GrabBike mungkin bakal males dapet email itu 2x sehari. 

Nah, jadi inget. Kalo Gojek, seusai kita kelar diantar, pas kita buka app Gojek kita akan disuruh rating. Kita harus ngasih antara 1-5 bintang buat supir Gojeknya dan boleh nambahin komentar. Berhubung tadi error dan ordernya completed sebelum gw nyampe tempat tujuan, gw buru2 ngisi ratingnya dengan 3 bintang dan gak nulis komentar. Soalnya pas itu dia udah ngelanggar one way di tempat kerja gw, jadi gw takut ngasih bintang 5. Seinget gw pas itu kita ga bisa exit ato balik ke order. Wajib musti ngisi ratingnya saat itu juga. Sedangkan di GrabBike, kita gak diprompt untuk ngisi review, cums ada pilihannya kalo kita buka order history. Menurut gw sistem yg diterapkan Gojek bagus buat manajemen supaya mereka benar tau supir2 mereka itu bagus gak kerjanya atau selalu mengecewakan pelanggan. Tapi sistem wajib rating itu mengesalkan karena gak semua orang suka rating dan beberapa yg ga suka akan ngisi asal2an. Misalnya kayak gw tadi, karena gak sempet jadi asal ngasih bintang. Padahal sebenernya gw suka ngasih review dan pengen ngasih ulasan yg bermutu. Coba kalo bisa balik dulu, terus nanti pas gw mau ngisi baru klik leave feedback. Sistem ini juga bisa disalahgunakan karena supir Gojek gw kemarin bilang nyuruh gw kasih komentar yg bagus2. Mungkin ini salah satu insentif mereka untuk mencoba friendly, sopan dan ngajak ngobrol. Jadi sistem feedback Gojek ada bagusnya juga. Hanya saja menurut gw sebaiknya jangan dibuat wajib, tapi tetep prompted.

Mengenai jaket dan helm, sebenernya gak bisa juga kita bilang GrabBike banyakan yg gak pake full jaket dan helm. Dalam perjalanan itu gw ngeliat banyak supir Gojek maupun GrabBike yg lagi mangkal, dan ada juga bbrp supir Gojek yg cuma pake jaket Gojek tapi helm sendiri. Jadi bukan cuma GrabBike ya. 

Untuk penyediaan hair cap sama mask, memang Gojek menang di sini. Keduanya penting karena menyangkut kebersihan dan kesehatan. Namun, bukan berarti itu tanggung jawab mereka dong. Kalau kita tau kita bakal naik ojek, alangkah baiknya kalo kita bisa siapin sendiri hair cap dan mask kita. Toh ojek pangkalan yg sudah ada dari jaman baheula gak pernah nyediain yg begituan buat pelanggannya kan?

Kesimpulannya? Bagi gw Gojek dan GrabBike ada kekurangan dan kelebihan masing2, tapi mereka lebih banyak mempunyai kesamaan daripada perbedaan. Perbedaan mereka gak sesignifikan itu bagi gw. At the end of the day, faktor yang paling menentukan adalah..... Harga. 

Ya, kembali lagi ke prinsip ekonomi: meraih hasil yang maksimal dengan pengorbanan yang sesedikit mungkin. Selama GrabBike masih ada promo goceng, kayaknya gw akan lebih tertarik untuk pakai GrabBike, tanpa lupa untuk membawa hair cap dan mask sendiri. Kalau misalkan promo itu udah habis, gw akan pake Gojek karena masih ada credit 35rb. 

Bagaimana dengan kalian?

Kalau mau dapet free credit, masukin kode berikut ini ke app kalian ya!

Gojek: I'm spreading the GO-JEK love. Download the GO-JEK app at "http://go-jek.com/app" and input this referral code "543016746" to get Rp 50,000 free credit to your first booking. #gojekgotmehere

GrabTaxi/GrabBike: Hey! Try GrabTaxi for fast and safe rides. Check it out at https://invite.grabtaxi.com/desy96868?a=WU1DUF5BUFBAVFBB 

Uber: Use my invite code, desyk2ue, and get a free ride up to Rp75,000. Redeem it at https://www.uber.com/invite/desyk2ue  

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