On fiction and science communication — For years, I’ve heard many times about the importance of fiction works of literature as a bridge to introduce heavy topics. While directly jumping into textbooks might be not everybody’s cup of tea, the fiction realm could help it. In Indonesia, the launch of “Kesatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh (KPBJ)”…

These past eighteen months brought me into discoveries that I never expected before. I no longer work in a conventional office setting, which brings some significant changes in my lifestyle. One of them is rediscovering the joy of reading. When I was still a commuter, the void of the daily…

A little lesson from how stories behind policies are created and told — Often, I assume that environmental issues aren’t tempting enough to gain voters. They tend to be seen as entities that should be prioritized the least compared to the ones that are more familiar to people’s lives in a practical context, such as food, job, and healthcare. There might be only…

Another episode of navigating life — After having some intense discussions with friends from different circles, I think the urgency to respond to contemporary issues is getting stronger. Personally, to me, it would be good to gently push myself out of my comfort zone. Even though for years my personal interest has been revolving around more…

Some notes about Twyla Tharp and her book — When people around me discuss creativity and creative workers, I often hear them portraying that those two entities are closely knitted to an unstructured life. Through the years, I have been familiar with the notion that activities that are identical to art are created purely under a chaotic yet exquisite…

On normalcy, identity, hope, and memory — During my young adult days, the portraits of Japan (and South Korea) are more likely brought through comics, cartoon shows, and popular music. They could be accessed at the nearest book shop or broadcasted freely nation-wide by the television stations. Books were sort of unfamiliar until I met friends who…

Snapshots of 2020 — Starting 2020 with a bunch of optimism still left a weird tingling sensation to me. I thought it could be a very great year, with me seeing myself going to another country to pursue another degree, attending my friends’ wedding ceremonies, traveling for an annual photography trip, or even as…

Things I’ve learned from Kolektif Agora — If I am allowed to mention only one entity that has successfully transformed my value about knowledge through informal approaches, well, I would definitely say Kolektif Agora. Since my involvement in August 2018, I have been exposed to a variety of first-hand experiences that luckily still meets my expectation of…

A reflection after reading “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” — Some friends lately have been expressing their confusion about the government’s decision in handling the pandemic. Almost every week the government surprises us through their press conference. What has been puzzling my friends’ mind is the lockdown policy that is implemented (again) in Jakarta. This combination made me quiz myself…