On working in the public sector and decision-making in my career — I read urban and regional planning for my undergraduate course, which would translate to a career in the public sector for many Indonesian. Though the idea was never wrong, there are many aspects I wish I had known earlier, even before I started my mandatory internship in the summer after…

It was August, the month when the scorching heat was never absent. We shared a table in a small coffee shop where one of its four walls was jampacked with books from the first and second decades of the twenty-first century. Amidst the noise from the motorized vehicles that passed…

When worlds collide, just go for it — During a book club meeting, a friend told his impression about Benedict Anderson, an anthropologist who is well known for his work about Indonesia. The conversation flowed until we ended up talking some bits about archiving life. …

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…