May 17, 2014

Work Made Easy | 'Microsoft Office 365 Personal' Review

L-R: Ines, Arif, Dila, me, and a very nice MC whose name I clumsily forget -_-

What software do you have in mind when you have to do a paperwork, say like... a school essay, a presentation, a budget report, a contract / agreement letter, etc.? I myself have to say Microsoft Office because I've been using it since 2001!! Yes, it's been 13 freaking years, ladies and gentlemen, our relationship goes WAY back. ^^v

The thing I'm gonna share to you today is that Microsoft recently launched a new, cloud-based product:

Yes, designed especially for us, high mobility individuals who travel a lot or like to work outside the office and NEED to get the paperwork done without the fuss; Office 365 Personal is now available in store with very affordable price. The IDR 71,999* package includes ALL seven Microsoft Office daily heroes: Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and Publisher.
*monthly auto-renewal package price
**the 1-year auto-renewal package price is IDR 719,999 /year

Complete top features you'll get out of this deal:
• 1 year subscription includes the latest full Microsoft Office applications
• Office on 1 PC or Mac plus one iPad or Windows tablet
• Easily access your docs with Office Mobile apps for iPhones, Android, and Windows phones
• Free 20 GB OneDrive online storage
• Free 60 minutes Skype calls per month for over 60 countries

Pretty neat, huh?

So anyway, few weeks ago I was invited to Office 365 Personal launching event at Crematology Coffee Roasters, Jakarta. I was also being asked to be one of their key opinion leader (KOL), together with Arif Rahman, a very famous yet friendly Indonesian travel blogger; sharing our opinions about the product on public. Being a loyal user of Ms Office (as I mentioned before ^^), I eagerly joined the opportunity and became one of the first few lucky peeps to own and try out this awesome product!

From my experience using Office 365 Personal, I gotta say that the feature I like the most is the synchronized data that allows me to use across devices.
Yup, as the presentation sheet says up there: "Go mobile. Stay productive."

I travel quite a lot and this synchronization feature would really help with my blogging activities; not to mention managing my online store from a distance! XD See, I had this problem when I was in Hongkong a couple months ago. I needed to send my assistant GOWIGASA's daily finance report so she can proceed with the shipping. But it was an unexpectedly hectic morning so I had no time to do it until I reached the MRT. So, among the crowd inside the train (I was lucky I got a seat!), I pulled my laptop out of my luggage (needed to skip to another town that morning), found that it only had 13% power left (O_O;;;), dimmed the monitor light to the last bar, did everything in a flash and......... luckily managed to send it right after the power reached 2%! *whew*

Well anyway, imagine if I had this Office 365 Personal already then, I wouldn't have to go through all those troubles! I'd just do it all on my phone and send it in a jiffy. Wait, I wouldn't even HAVE to send it because it automatically syncs with my PC back home (okay, my assistant doesn't have the access to my computer but I can always ask my brother to copy the file and give it to her ^^)! Saves a lot more time and energy, huh?
P.S. The free Skype calls would also help a lot with the business, while the large *also free* 20 GB online storage PLUS additional 7 GB SkyDrive personal cloud storage allows me to roam around without my USB. It also lets me compile large sized photos and files securely before finally printing them on paper or publishing them to the blog. ┌( ˆヮˆ )┘

GOWIGASA Fuzzy Sweater, Floral Perforated Leather Skirt

Took a quick OOTD shot and then...

A cute barista (the one on my left) came over and asked me to take a group picture before I finally took off. ^^v

Okay then, thank you so much for reading and see you guys on my next post~ ;D ♡

XOXO
Jessica Yamada
By ELLE JESS at 1:03 PM 8 comments
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Rail Truck (トロッコ / 軌道) | WAKUWAKU JAPAN Movie Review

Elle and I recently watched this Japanese movie at WAKUWAKU JAPAN TV Channel (#168). It is a family drama called Rail Truck (トロッコ / 軌道).

Synopsis
Yumiko Yano, with sons Atsushi and Toki, travels from her home in Tokyo with the ashes of her late husband to his parents' home, a mountain village in the south of Taiwan. Having been raised in the big city, the boys are wide-eyed at the verdant rural scenery...and waiting for them is a Taiwanese grandfather who speaks Japanese.
Yumiko, who married against her parents' wishes, has struggled on in stubborn determination since his death. Her son Atsushi, strongly conscious that in ethnocentric Japan he is ‘different', is in a state of rebellion against both the society in which he has grown up and his mother. In the verdant rural home of his grandparents, who have lived through vast changes in the political landscape and the values that prevail in society, the family rediscovers the bonds that unite it.
Setting out on a journey aboard an old-fashioned hand-powered ‘rail truck', Atsushi discovers a world outside of his family and his school, and is forced to confront the question of what it means to be both an ‘elder brother' and a ‘son'.

Review
Heartwarming as a family drama should be, this movie remind us to our late grandfather. (TᴗT) The grandfather figure in this movie is a disciplined yet loving man, and so our grandfather was. Nostalgia aside, Rail Truck displays the contrast between an urban city life and a modest village life, similarities and differences between Japanese and Taiwanese cultures, a bridge that connects them all, and the bravery to embrace yourself and choose your own path after knowing and making peace with life's bittersweet facts.
The lush green mountain forest and the village that lives in it were beautifully captured, but unfortunately, the emotions in the film weren't. There are several scenes that could have squeeze our tears out, but none were shed that night because…… something was just….. off. It might be Machiko Ono (Yumiko)'s rather emotionless face, the bond between the people that doesn't feel quite right or something else but that's that. It's such a waste, though, because the plot is a rather good one and it could've been a more heartfelt and memorable movie.

We dig the scenes with the boys, though, because they remind us of our childhood. Atsushi (Kento Harada) resembles Jess as a curious, rebellious, protective and choleric (leading) elder brother. The little brother Toki (Kyoichi Omae) resembles Elle's childhood persona, which is an easygoing, happy-go-lucky naive crybaby lol. (≧▽≦)づ♡
Directed by Hirofumi Kawaguchi and based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 1922 short story, Rail Truck is a rather fine movie which teaches us to respect the elders, protect and love our family, and above all, embrace ourselves despite being 'different' and be grateful for the choices we have made.

Thank you, WAKUWAKU JAPAN TV for bringing this movie up. We can't wait to watch another ones! :D

XOXO
Jessica Yamada
By ELLE JESS at 9:38 AM 1 comments
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May 16, 2014

What to Wear: Casual Business Meetings + 5 Tips!

You know those days when you are meeting someone for a business discussion in a cafe or restaurant? You start thinking to yourself, "Is this a meeting or a lunch? Are we going to talk about business or do they want to get to know me first? But most importantly, WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?"

There are various types of business meetings and you got yourself the "Casual Type" meeting. It can be quite tricky because you don't want to look too serious, but you also have to maintain a level of professionalism.

Today I'm going to share with you the outfits that I would wear for casual business meetings! :)
I Beige Your Pardon
Tips #1: Do not over dress. Don't wear a business suit or anything too fancy unless you want to look like a pompous arse.
Tips #2: You can let your hair down but make sure it doesn't look like you just got out of bed. I'm a firm believer that your hair is part of your outfit! ;)
Tips #3: Keep it simple on the accessories for a clean, professional look.
What I Wore: GOWIGASA Cream Fuzzy Knit Sweater and Plaid Pencil Skirt | C&K Bag | Topshop Necklace | Comfit Heels

Not Everything is Black and White
Tips #4: If you want to play with patterns, keep them to your bottom half. Keep the top half plain and simple. And vice versa.
Tips #5: Do not dress down too, of course. A casual-type of business meeting is still a business meeting. No t-shirt with inappropriate messages, no sweatpants, no ripped clothing, and no sandals!
Remember: A meeting is truly casual when you are with your good friends. :D
What I Wore: ALL GOWIGASA (new items!)

 I hope my tips work for you! And if you have more tips on what to wear for casual business meetings, please share them in the comments below! xoxo

Elissa Yamada
By ELLE JESS at 2:22 PM 11 comments
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