Indonesians Are Friendly and Polite; Buffet PR Is a Fun Media Agency That Loves Pantun

On Thursday (July 30), there was a special event at Media Buffet Public Relations. Usually, we come to the office just to work, but that day we felt really energized and enthusiastic because Media Buffet PR held an internal competition called Pantun Fest. In addition to testing our pantun-composing skills—which is part of Media Buffet’s culture—this event was held to strengthen team bonds, both among consultants and interns.

Pantun Fest is entertainment by us, for us.

Three interns—Hani, Savira, and Shereina—were appointed to organize the inaugural Pantun Fest. They handled everything from the concept and technical details to serving as the event hosts. Shereina opened the event by explaining the rules and logistics of the competition, which consisted of three rounds and a peer-scoring system on a scale of 10–100. In the first round, all participants took turns reciting two pantuns on the theme of the agency. Interestingly, many of the pantuns expressed complaints about working from home and demands for pay raises. Of course, Mas Bima, as CEO of Media Buffet Public Relations, was the perfect target audience!

Chinese people usually call her “Cece”

My next-door neighbor has a cece named Inem

They say the agency kids are all so cool

They just don’t know our eye bags are already dark

Eating fruit, eating papaya

I’m on a diet so I don’t get fat

I’ve been working so hard

But the revisions just won’t get done

In the second round, the theme remained the same, but there was a mandatory word to include: “riding a bike.” Participants were given three minutes to come up with a pantun on the spot. Since they had to think fast, many of the Media Buffet team members looked confused. Was this a significant challenge? Of course not, because as agency staff, the Media Buffet team is trained to think creatively, spontaneously, and on point. Long live agency staff!

Buying skincare costs a lot of money

Just chip in with the neighbors

Working feels like 24 hours isn’t enough

Hey, don’t forget to rest your mind and body

The second round was won by Chiki, Reyni, and Kiara, who earned the right to advance to the finals. Bima, Yoga, Runi, Sinka, and Savira, who failed to make it to the finals, could only watch from the sidelines while enjoying a variety of fried snacks and rujak that had been specially prepared as refreshments.

In the final round, these three had to compose and exchange pantuns on the theme of investing. Hmmm, I don’t think there’s ever been a pantun theme as complicated as that…

After three minutes of thinking, Kiara kicked things off by reciting the pantun she’d written about cell phone installments. Chiki and Reyni followed suit; it turned out their pantuns both discussed saving for a wedding reception. They exchanged pantuns back and forth, and the winner was ultimately determined by the number of claps from the audience. Did the winner get a prize? Of course! The three grand prize winners of Pantun Fest were each awarded a T-shirt from REALIZM87.

Flowers bloom in the morning

While listening to an Afghan song

Want to party? Head to Melawai to buy a watch

Oh, but I still have 6 months left on my phone installment plan

Flowers bloom in the morning

Oh, there are so many caterpillars

News about Jouska echoes in my heart

I’m torn—should I invest first or get married first?

And the winner of Media Buffet Public Relations’ inaugural Pantun Fest was Reyni! Kiara and Chiki took second and third place. The award for funniest pantun went to Runi, the wittiest pantun to Sinka, and the most forced pantun to Yoga.

Pantun Fest succeeded in providing a brief yet memorable refreshment for the Media Buffet team that week. Although it was short-lived, this event—which was originally intended as a side activity—successfully served as a means to foster camaraderie and strengthen the team spirit of Media Buffet.

All the way to Mayestik to buy brocade fabric

The fabric was sewn into an outfit for a formal event

We recite pantuns to keep our spirits up

May you stay motivated too, even during the pandemic