Following the hell of a year that was 2023, this year 2024 felt like a breath of fresh air—but you’re, like, inhaling in the middle of the city and you sucked in a lot of pollution that sent you coughing. Yep, perfect analogy! If I thought 2024 would be freeing, that somehow things would just take off and everything would turn out the way I wanted them to, well, I was clearly delusional. It ain’t as easy as all that, kid, and you’re on your own.
That being said, I never looked back on my decision to go freelance one bit. While monetarily, I suppose this career path did put me in a tough position—what with my obligation to sustain my household—in all other aspects, it was exactly what I thought it would be. It gave me the chance to draw more, explore art styles and stretch my artistic muscles. The biggest development that I love is my YouTube channel, which has become a huge part of 2024. So, let’s take a walk down memory lane through the past 12 months, shall we?
Following the hell of a year that was 2023, this year 2024 felt like a breath of fresh air—but you’re, like, inhaling in the middle of the city and you sucked in a lot of pollution that sent you coughing. Yep, perfect analogy! If I thought 2024 would be freeing, that somehow things would just take off and everything would turn out the way I wanted them to, well, I was clearly delusional. It ain’t as easy as all that, kid, and you’re on your own.
That being said, I never looked back on my decision to go freelance one bit. While monetarily, I suppose this career path did put me in a tough position—what with my obligation to sustain my household—in all other aspects, it was exactly what I thought it would be. It gave me the chance to draw more, explore art styles and stretch my artistic muscles. The biggest development that I love is my YouTube channel, which has become a huge part of 2024. So, let’s take a walk down memory lane through the past 12 months, shall we?
January
Unlike the previous years, I feel like January this year is the first January that I’m making a fresh start. Of course, as per tradition, I spent NYE at Agung‘s place in Bekasi. The next day—the first day of 2024—we decided to go exploring to Vida a little bit before I was to head home. This is where we met a little kitten we would name Lavi.
Over the New Year’s, Agung and I cooked a little pasta at his house. It was one of the first successful recipes we’ve ever cooked together—without anyone else fussing about, without much of a drama on my part. We used this one-pan pasta recipe and it was so good that I decided to cook it at home for breakfast most days at the start of 2024. Some adjustments were made, of course, but I’m so happy to go back to cooking again.
Unlike the previous years, I feel like January this year is the first January that I’m making a fresh start. Of course, as per tradition, I spent NYE at Agung‘s place in Bekasi. The next day—the first day of 2024—we decided to go exploring to Vida a little bit before I was to head home. This is where we met a little kitten we would name Lavi.
Over the New Year’s, Agung and I cooked a little pasta at his house. It was one of the first successful recipes we’ve ever cooked together—without anyone else fussing about, without much of a drama on my part. We used this one-pan pasta recipe and it was so good that I decided to cook it at home for breakfast most days at the start of 2024. Some adjustments were made, of course, but I’m so happy to go back to cooking again.
For a week, I felt a little lost on how to proceed with my life without a full-time job or an awaiting project. But then I kickstarted my productivity again through “One Art a Day” challenge—for a whole week! It was a really interesting, yet straining experience—especially to vlog it as well—and I feel like I learn a lot to hopefully be applied in my future works. It was the perfect challenge that I put upon myself to kickstart a creative year. Soon after, I also found “The Great Outdoors” art challenge by They Draw + UPPERCASE Magazine and decided to join in as well. That one took up the second half of the month to finish, but definitely a lot of fun!
Speaking of career, going back to freelancing and illustrating full time means a lot of headspace when I’m working. That has made me return to my old love that has been largely forgotten since I was working as a copywriter at an office: listening to podcasts. Podcasts have accompanied me while I work this whole month—some of which are just juicy stories, others are intellectual pondering. It has filled me with great joy to listen to them while letting my muscle memory take the rein to finish an artwork. Please do feel free to check them out as well!
For a week, I felt a little lost on how to proceed with my life without a full-time job or an awaiting project. But then I kickstarted my productivity again through “One Art a Day” challenge—for a whole week! It was a really interesting, yet straining experience—especially to vlog it as well—and I feel like I learn a lot to hopefully be applied in my future works. It was the perfect challenge that I put upon myself to kickstart a creative year. Soon after, I also found “The Great Outdoors” art challenge by They Draw + UPPERCASE Magazine and decided to join in as well. That one took up the second half of the month to finish, but definitely a lot of fun!
Speaking of career, going back to freelancing and illustrating full time means a lot of headspace when I’m working. That has made me return to my old love that has been largely forgotten since I was working as a copywriter at an office: listening to podcasts. Podcasts have accompanied me while I work this whole month—some of which are just juicy stories, others are intellectual pondering. It has filled me with great joy to listen to them while letting my muscle memory take the rein to finish an artwork. Please do feel free to check them out as well!
At the second half of January, one of my favourite printing company, Qualita Company, held an exhibition to celebrate the launching of their risograph counterpart, Risocycle. They collaborated with 20 local and international illustrators to showcase their work printed in risograph at their office in Alam Sutera. Not just an exhibition, the launching itself also includes a string of risograph workshops with the experts and local artists. At some point, I decided to make my way to the exhibition and sneak into one of their workshops. It looked like so much fun!
That wasn’t the only exhibition that I managed to visit this January. Agung and I also stopped by Emte’s Impawsible Exhibition at SLAB Wisma Geha Lv. 3. The building was filled with numerous art galleries that we stopped by a few other exhibitions while we were there. The weather has been pretty rainy this entire month, but we made the most of it by getting cozy with nutritious warm beverages and desserts. Things always feel better when we are together.
Things started taking a turn for the worst when a call for stray cat raids was announced in my neighbourhood. I became so stressed and worried for some of the stray cats that have become great friends to me and my cat Bobon. The whole program was up in the air for a while that even Bobon seemed to be in danger of being captured by the raiders. In the end, however—thankfully—all the cat advocates in the neighbourhood did their part to make sure that the strays with whom we’d formed a bond remain in the neighbourhood—including the 3-4 of my favourites. Meanwhile, the rest that were captured were sent to Rumah Singgah Clow—a local shelter—to be properly taken care of.
At the second half of January, one of my favourite printing company, Qualita Company, held an exhibition to celebrate the launching of their risograph counterpart, Risocycle. They collaborated with 20 local and international illustrators to showcase their work printed in risograph at their office in Alam Sutera. Not just an exhibition, the launching itself also includes a string of risograph workshops with the experts and local artists. At some point, I decided to make my way to the exhibition and sneak into one of their workshops. It looked like so much fun!
That wasn’t the only exhibition that I managed to visit this January. Agung and I also stopped by Emte’s Impawsible Exhibition at SLAB Wisma Geha Lv. 3. The building was filled with numerous art galleries that we stopped by a few other exhibitions while we were there. The weather has been pretty rainy this entire month, but we made the most of it by getting cozy with nutritious warm beverages and desserts. Things always feel better when we are together.
Things started taking a turn for the worst when a call for stray cat raids was announced in my neighbourhood. I became so stressed and worried for some of the stray cats that have become great friends to me and my cat Bobon. The whole program was up in the air for a while that even Bobon seemed to be in danger of being captured by the raiders. In the end, however—thankfully—all the cat advocates in the neighbourhood did their part to make sure that the strays with whom we’d formed a bond remain in the neighbourhood—including the 3-4 of my favourites. Meanwhile, the rest that were captured were sent to Rumah Singgah Clow—a local shelter—to be properly taken care of.
February
February, obviously, started with #HourlyComicDay—now that I was a full-time freelancer, I thought there was no reason I should miss it. Learning from last year’s mistake, I thought I would just go straight to digital this time—no traditional sketch beforehand, which was the normal workflow for me. Still it took me a long time. Gosh, when am I ever going to be good and somewhat effortless at this? Didn’t end up finishing the whole day, but I really liked the result that I did finish.
It was also the month I started taking care of some admin stuff now that I was no longer an employee—on the way to which I tried a burger joint I’d always wanted to try, but then I got diarrhoea the next day. Look, I’m not saying it’s their fault, but I also can’t say that it wasn’t them—who knows. In spite of that, Agung and I still went to see the Cerita Kaca exhibition at Dia.lo.gue Artspace that weekend. It was part of Indonesia’s lost art history—I didn’t know there was even this type of art before!
February, obviously, started with #HourlyComicDay—now that I was a full-time freelancer, I thought there was no reason I should miss it. Learning from last year’s mistake, I thought I would just go straight to digital this time—no traditional sketch beforehand, which was the normal workflow for me. Still it took me a long time. Gosh, when am I ever going to be good and somewhat effortless at this? Didn’t end up finishing the whole day, but I really liked the result that I did finish.
It was also the month I started taking care of some admin stuff now that I was no longer an employee—on the way to which I tried a burger joint I’d always wanted to try, but then I got diarrhoea the next day. Look, I’m not saying it’s their fault, but I also can’t say that it wasn’t them—who knows. In spite of that, Agung and I still went to see the Cerita Kaca exhibition at Dia.lo.gue Artspace that weekend. It was part of Indonesia’s lost art history—I didn’t know there was even this type of art before!
This year February also meant the presidential election. After months and months of relentless campaigns from all the candidates, I just wanted to finally get it over with. It was both nerve-racking and exhausting. After voting in the morning, I managed to take both Bonito and Ardo—remember him?—to get groomed at the vet. Ardo was super cute—when I opened the carrier door, he didn’t even question it and walked right in. He even managed to get vaccinated, yay! Obviously, I learnt my lessons and let him go straight after.
Towards the middle of the month, I received a picture of my illustration—commissioned by a friend of mine—printed on an acrylic plate and a mug. It was the birthday present for a friend and she finally received it—and seemed to love it! It probably wasn’t anything much, but I’m always happy to know someone likes what I make for them. That’s the ultimate validation, I feel. Thank you so much for tagging me in the photo, Melody! Featuring your cute little doggos too 😍
This year February also meant the presidential election. After months and months of relentless campaigns from all the candidates, I just wanted to finally get it over with. It was both nerve-racking and exhausting. After voting in the morning, I managed to take both Bonito and Ardo—remember him?—to get groomed at the vet. Ardo was super cute—when I opened the carrier door, he didn’t even question it and walked right in. He even managed to get vaccinated, yay! Obviously, I learnt my lessons and let him go straight after.
Towards the middle of the month, I received a picture of my illustration—commissioned by a friend of mine—printed on an acrylic plate and a mug. It was the birthday present for a friend and she finally received it—and seemed to love it! It probably wasn’t anything much, but I’m always happy to know someone likes what I make for them. That’s the ultimate validation, I feel. Thank you so much for tagging me in the photo, Melody! Featuring your cute little doggos too 😍
Around the same time—actually, literally on the same day—I finally visited Pasar Santa after missing out on the whole indie scene phenomenon, with Agung in tow as my resident indie expert. Despite having lost its reputation considerably, the place still felt pretty iconic and unlike anywhere else I’d been to before.
My initial goal was to visit Post Bookstore, which is one of the most popular and renowned indie bookstores in Jakarta. I’d followed them on Instagram for ages, but hadn’t visited until now. What a haven!
Please mark this moment as the time I bought of one the best books I read this year—care to venture a guess? Or do you already know? LOL
Around the same time—actually, literally on the same day—I finally visited Pasar Santa after missing out on the whole indie scene phenomenon, with Agung in tow as my resident indie expert. Despite having lost its reputation considerably, the place still felt pretty iconic and unlike anywhere else I’d been to before.
My initial goal was to visit Post Bookstore, which is one of the most popular and renowned indie bookstores in Jakarta. I’d followed them on Instagram for ages, but hadn’t visited until now. What a haven!
Please mark this moment as the time I bought of one the best books I read this year—care to venture a guess? Or do you already know? LOL
Actually, though, the major thing that happened this month was…I GOT A (part-time) JOB! It was at a smaller agency that my friend recommended for me, as he was also working there. From early on, I set up a schedule of only 3 work days a week, in the hopes that I could focus on my freelance projects for the rest of the week. This didn’t turn out to work out, but we’ll get to the details later.
On the freelance front, I was able to start two of the biggest projects I’d worked on this year. The first one is a book project with my friend Divina—which we already discussed the last time we saw each other—while the other one is a branding project for an art studio in Bali.
I don’t think I’d ever taken on projects as huge as these two before, so I was both excited and nervous about them. They sure taught me a lot along the way.
Actually, though, the major thing that happened this month was…I GOT A (part-time) JOB! It was at a smaller agency that my friend recommended for me, as he was also working there. From early on, I set up a schedule of only 3 work days a week, in the hopes that I could focus on my freelance projects for the rest of the week. This didn’t turn out to work out, but we’ll get to the details later.
On the freelance front, I was able to start two of the biggest projects I’d worked on this year. The first one is a book project with my friend Divina—which we already discussed the last time we saw each other—while the other one is a branding project for an art studio in Bali.
I don’t think I’d ever taken on projects as huge as these two before, so I was both excited and nervous about them. They sure taught me a lot along the way.
March
I feel like the first notable thing I did in March was go to Pear Market, because this was the chance for me to get a lot of really interesting books and, again, one of the best books I’d read this year. My friend Uta also came to the event—although separately from me.
The first cool thing that I was able to do this month, however, was when I met up with my client/new friend Evekoss who’s got an exhibition at Senyawa+. It was our first meeting and already she was so friendly, she asked me to join her in painting a mural at the event. How fun!
This was also the month I decided to start my Patreon! Eep! A huge step for sure—and one I’m still hesitant about, to be honest—but I’d like to thank my loyal reader and patron Michael for supporting me with this decision. I’ll get a better grip of it in 2025, promise!
I feel like the first notable thing I did in March was go to Pear Market, because this was the chance for me to get a lot of really interesting books and, again, one of the best books I’d read this year. My friend Uta also came to the event—although separately from me.
The first cool thing that I was able to do this month, however, was when I met up with my client/new friend Evekoss who’s got an exhibition at Senyawa+. It was our first meeting and already she was so friendly, she asked me to join her in painting a mural at the event. How fun!
This was also the month I decided to start my Patreon! Eep! A huge step for sure—and one I’m still hesitant about, to be honest—but I’d like to thank my loyal reader and patron Michael for supporting me with this decision. I’ll get a better grip of it in 2025, promise!
The fun continues with Artket 02! This was one of the most fun events of the year, since I was able to meet up with a lot of illustrators I’d become online friends with—cool names, such as weirdoinpink, kemasacil, sign.vic and Isa Indra Permana (remember this last one for later months!).
What’s even cooler is Agung and my encounter with Ardneks—you might remember that he’s one of Agung’s favourite artists and, in turn, became mine too. He instantly recognised me…BECAUSE HE READ THIS LITTLE OL’ BLOG! Specifically this little post I wrote a while back. INSANITY! We ended up conversing for a little bit because of it.
This was also around the time I finally switched out my older Realme 3 Pro with a Zenfone 10—since the previous one has gotten a lot slower, it was testing my patience and wasting my time. Do you notice the better photo quality?
The fun continues with Artket 02! This was one of the most fun events of the year, since I was able to meet up with a lot of illustrators I’d become online friends with—cool names, such as weirdoinpink, kemasacil, sign.vic and Isa Indra Permana (remember this last one for later months!).
What’s even cooler is Agung and my encounter with Ardneks—you might remember that he’s one of Agung’s favourite artists and, in turn, became mine too. He instantly recognised me…BECAUSE HE READ THIS LITTLE OL’ BLOG! Specifically this little post I wrote a while back. INSANITY! We ended up conversing for a little bit because of it.
This was also around the time I finally switched out my older Realme 3 Pro with a Zenfone 10—since the previous one has gotten a lot slower, it was testing my patience and wasting my time. Do you notice the better photo quality?
Ramadan snuck up on us and took us by surprise. The first weekend of the holy month, Agung and I went to our favourite artist collective TEMPA’s first solo exhibition in Jakarta (that we know of). We were reminded of why we love their work so much. Then we broke fast in Jalan Sabang, which offered such a quaint and cozy experience in the holy month. It was a great first date to welcome Ramadan together!
As per my own tradition, this Ramadan I also made some Eid hampers to gift to my dearest friends and family. For that, I’d need labels—and also labels for my Stepmum’s Eid cookie business—which I designed myself and recorded the process in my Ramadan vlog. Despite the slow process influenced by fasting, the results turned out to be much to my liking! Really proud of this year’s batch.
This year I also shared iftar with a lot of friends—some of my recent co-workers, my best friends, my Germany friend and my partner-in-crime, so to speak, Mawan. The last one ends up leading to the third biggest project of the year—which I would share more about in a later month.
Ramadan snuck up on us and took us by surprise. The first weekend of the holy month, Agung and I went to our favourite artist collective TEMPA’s first solo exhibition in Jakarta (that we know of). We were reminded of why we love their work so much. Then we broke fast in Jalan Sabang, which offered such a quaint and cozy experience in the holy month. It was a great first date to welcome Ramadan together!
As per my own tradition, this Ramadan I also made some Eid hampers to gift to my dearest friends and family. For that, I’d need labels—and also labels for my Stepmum’s Eid cookie business—which I designed myself and recorded the process in my Ramadan vlog. Despite the slow process influenced by fasting, the results turned out to be much to my liking! Really proud of this year’s batch.
This year I also shared iftar with a lot of friends—some of my recent co-workers, my best friends, my Germany friend and my partner-in-crime, so to speak, Mawan. The last one ends up leading to the third biggest project of the year—which I would share more about in a later month.
April
April started with the most fun event hosted by Gramedia Pustaka Utama called Sampul Manusia, in commemoration of their 50th anniversary. The event consisted of a massive exhibition of book covers published by them in the past 50 years, held in two separate buildings but located pretty close to one another.
We really got to see the development of book covers—often of the same title—over the years. We could see the first book published by GPU and how book covers were created before computers came along—through original artworks displayed at the exhibition. It was so satisfying to explore!
Other activities at the event included competitions, film screenings, workshops and talkshows by significant figures in the book cover and publishing world. I planned my visit on the day of Emte’s talkshow and it was such an eye-opening session! If you don’t know, Emte is a veteran in the world of book covers and designs, so he knows his shit very well.
After the talk, some of us stayed behind to ask for autographs, photos and, for me, conversations. I had a great time talking to him and picking his brain about the illustration industry. He was very friendly and easy to talk to. I even talked to the publisher’s many, many editors.
April started with the most fun event hosted by Gramedia Pustaka Utama called Sampul Manusia, in commemoration of their 50th anniversary. The event consisted of a massive exhibition of book covers published by them in the past 50 years, held in two separate buildings but located pretty close to one another.
We really got to see the development of book covers—often of the same title—over the years. We could see the first book published by GPU and how book covers were created before computers came along—through original artworks displayed at the exhibition. It was so satisfying to explore!
Other activities at the event included competitions, film screenings, workshops and talkshows by significant figures in the book cover and publishing world. I planned my visit on the day of Emte’s talkshow and it was such an eye-opening session! If you don’t know, Emte is a veteran in the world of book covers and designs, so he knows his shit very well.
After the talk, some of us stayed behind to ask for autographs, photos and, for me, conversations. I had a great time talking to him and picking his brain about the illustration industry. He was very friendly and easy to talk to. I even talked to the publisher’s many, many editors.
Although I no longer remember, I imagine it must have been a hard hustle at the office around this time—so I wouldn’t say time flew, but suddenly Eid was upon us. Everyone else seemed to be going back to the hometown (or mudik)—our parents went back to Semarang, Agung went to visit the relatives in Sragen—but my siblings and I stayed put in Jakarta. We had a pretty low-key Eid holiday, just the way we liked it.
Art-wise, I was pretty much on fire 🔥 I had just recently bought a sketchbook around this time and I was determined to start doodling to stretch my creative muscle. I tried out various techniques, including Heikala’s very unique blob doodle technique—it was a lot of fun! Otherwise, I also shared a little behind-the-scenes of my Eid cookie hampers.
Although I no longer remember, I imagine it must have been a hard hustle at the office around this time—so I wouldn’t say time flew, but suddenly Eid was upon us. Everyone else seemed to be going back to the hometown (or mudik)—our parents went back to Semarang, Agung went to visit the relatives in Sragen—but my siblings and I stayed put in Jakarta. We had a pretty low-key Eid holiday, just the way we liked it.
Art-wise, I was pretty much on fire 🔥 I had just recently bought a sketchbook around this time and I was determined to start doodling to stretch my creative muscle. I tried out various techniques, including Heikala’s very unique blob doodle technique—it was a lot of fun! Otherwise, I also shared a little behind-the-scenes of my Eid cookie hampers.
Since I didn’t really have anyone to see or anywhere to go, I used up the Eid holiday to catch up on some freelance work—sketching for various clients. Something small that I ended up being super happy about is a commission from an ex-co-worker of mine. She asked me to create very specific sticker sheets laden with inside jokes for her last day at the office. Mmm…SOUNDS FAMILIAR?? Gosh, I’m super happy this tradition caught on! Needless to say, that commission was a lot of fun to do. If you have something similar in mind, please do hit me up!
There was also my submission for Difference Engine’s Open Call. SPOILER ALERT: I GOT REJECTED! This was the moment I learnt that I should never underestimate the process—and trust me, I do that all the time. The novelty of the experience, although brief, was intriguing to me, though. I hope to join another open call in the future—not necessarily by them.
In real life, the month wrapped up with Agung’s sister’s baby shower. Unlike the Western kind, our baby showers are really prayer circles mostly attended by women—praying for the health of the mother and the health of the baby. And not without a little lecture about marriage, through which Agung and I exchanged looks the entire time.
Since I didn’t really have anyone to see or anywhere to go, I used up the Eid holiday to catch up on some freelance work—sketching for various clients. Something small that I ended up being super happy about is a commission from an ex-co-worker of mine. She asked me to create very specific sticker sheets laden with inside jokes for her last day at the office. Mmm…SOUNDS FAMILIAR?? Gosh, I’m super happy this tradition caught on! Needless to say, that commission was a lot of fun to do. If you have something similar in mind, please do hit me up!
There was also my submission for Difference Engine’s Open Call. SPOILER ALERT: I GOT REJECTED! This was the moment I learnt that I should never underestimate the process—and trust me, I do that all the time. The novelty of the experience, although brief, was intriguing to me, though. I hope to join another open call in the future—not necessarily by them.
In real life, the month wrapped up with Agung’s sister’s baby shower. Unlike the Western kind, our baby showers are really prayer circles mostly attended by women—praying for the health of the mother and the health of the baby. And not without a little lecture about marriage, through which Agung and I exchanged looks the entire time.
May
Then Agung and I went to our first concert of the year: The Drums! It was thanks to my friend Uta that we were even aware of this at all. We hyped each other up about it leading up to the d-day itself. It was so funny, though—Uta decided to go to their Thailand show for her birthday, while Agung and I went to their Jakarta show. Even in separate countries, we shared in each other’s fun and excitement.
May kicked off with a fun gathering/reunion with some old co-workers on Labour Day. Initially, we only planned to have a little catch up over Japanese food followed by some teh tarik and toast, but somehow we continued on to my friend Igor’s apartment—where we talked about pretty much absurd shit until the sun went down.
Then Agung and I went to our first concert of the year: The Drums! It was thanks to my friend Uta that we were even aware of this at all. We hyped each other up about it leading up to the d-day itself. It was so funny, though—Uta decided to go to their Thailand show for her birthday, while Agung and I went to their Jakarta show. Even in separate countries, we shared in each other’s fun and excitement.
May kicked off with a fun gathering/reunion with some old co-workers on Labour Day. Initially, we only planned to have a little catch up over Japanese food followed by some teh tarik and toast, but somehow we continued on to my friend Igor’s apartment—where we talked about pretty much absurd shit until the sun went down.
Uta also introduced me to The Intersectional Environmentalist, which got me thinking and re-thinking sustainability and how we show up for it. The book went on to become one of my best reads of the year, while the thought that haunted me bloomed a revisiting of zero waste lifestyle—how we could improve it and make it more inclusive for people of all physical capabilities, social and economical backgrounds. I urge you to read that post, if you care about this planet we live on.
Art-wise, May means #Mermay and I was really excited to join this year. However, since I also technically had a day job, I thought I would only participate weekly. Not gonna lie, though, it didn’t live up to my expectation—and that got me really frustrated. That being said, I did record the process of the entire month on my studio vlog. Initially, I posted all four of the works I made for this on my Instagram. However, in the end, I was so unhappy with the result that I only kept one and archived the rest—including this one you see here.
Uta also introduced me to The Intersectional Environmentalist, which got me thinking and re-thinking sustainability and how we show up for it. The book went on to become one of my best reads of the year, while the thought that haunted me bloomed a revisiting of zero waste lifestyle—how we could improve it and make it more inclusive for people of all physical capabilities, social and economical backgrounds. I urge you to read that post, if you care about this planet we live on.
Art-wise, May means #Mermay and I was really excited to join this year. However, since I also technically had a day job, I thought I would only participate weekly. Not gonna lie, though, it didn’t live up to my expectation—and that got me really frustrated. That being said, I did record the process of the entire month on my studio vlog. Initially, I posted all four of the works I made for this on my Instagram. However, in the end, I was so unhappy with the result that I only kept one and archived the rest—including this one you see here.
By pure coincidence, the month closed with weddings. I kid you not, this was the year with the most weddings that Agung and I had ever attended. We never really liked weddings before, but for some reason we almost never missed out on one now.
The first one is the wedding of a friend I know from Germany. We were never very close and hardly ever talked, so I was actually surprised to get invited. We arrived very late too and practically missed out on all the food—except for a bowl of soup.
The second one is a big one—my partner-in-crime Mawan’s wedding! I’ve known him and his girlfriend for so long, that I was super happy to know of their nuptial. His wedding ended up becoming a sort of reunion opportunity for a few of our mutual friends from work, and it was really nice to see and catch up with them again. What a lovely way to end the month, no?
By pure coincidence, the month closed with weddings. I kid you not, this was the year with the most weddings that Agung and I had ever attended. We never really liked weddings before, but for some reason we almost never missed out on one now.
The first one is the wedding of a friend I know from Germany. We were never very close and hardly ever talked, so I was actually surprised to get invited. We arrived very late too and practically missed out on all the food—except for a bowl of soup.
The second one is a big one—my partner-in-crime Mawan’s wedding! I’ve known him and his girlfriend for so long, that I was super happy to know of their nuptial. His wedding ended up becoming a sort of reunion opportunity for a few of our mutual friends from work, and it was really nice to see and catch up with them again. What a lovely way to end the month, no?
June
For me, June has always been filled with birthdays—I just happen to know a lot of Geminis, you know. This year I had the honour of adding another little birthday on the list: my friends Cindy and Slava’s little boy Vinci. They came to visit Indonesia to celebrate his first birthday and a few friends were invited—including myself. I hadn’t seen Cindy and Slava in 10-11 years, so it was really nice catching up with them again—plus a few other friends who also came to the party. Vinci, obviously, stole the show with his cuteness! What’s more cute is that his birthday is exactly a month before his Mum’s.
Unfortunately, birthday celebrations in my family this year was pretty bleak, since my brother contracted tuberculosis (TBC). Not only did it reduce his appetite (for food and life) considerably, it also prevented him from taking on a new job he was offered recently. It truly broke my heart—and stressed me out because sandwich generation, you know. Meanwhile, my sister stayed in Bandung for a little while longer and would come to Jakarta after these birthdays. So, yeah…unfestive.
For me, June has always been filled with birthdays—I just happen to know a lot of Geminis, you know. This year I had the honour of adding another little birthday on the list: my friends Cindy and Slava’s little boy Vinci. They came to visit Indonesia to celebrate his first birthday and a few friends were invited—including myself. I hadn’t seen Cindy and Slava in 10-11 years, so it was really nice catching up with them again—plus a few other friends who also came to the party. Vinci, obviously, stole the show with his cuteness! What’s more cute is that his birthday is exactly a month before his Mum’s.
Unfortunately, birthday celebrations in my family this year was pretty bleak, since my brother contracted tuberculosis (TBC). Not only did it reduce his appetite (for food and life) considerably, it also prevented him from taking on a new job he was offered recently. It truly broke my heart—and stressed me out because sandwich generation, you know. Meanwhile, my sister stayed in Bandung for a little while longer and would come to Jakarta after these birthdays. So, yeah…unfestive.
First tradition of the year alert! June obviously also means Europe on Screen. Another thing I wasn’t going to miss now that I’m a part-time freelancer, so I as determined to see as many films as I could.
Agung and I saw the first movie together, but I ended up watching 3 more films by myself—and the last one on MUBI, actually. It was a fun experience through and through. Not all the movies were great, but I definitely saw a couple that made me feel things.
This year I decided to take the EoS experience a step further by making a project out of it—every film that I watched would be turned into an illustration. I recorded the whole process of this project in my studio vlog—a second vlog of the month after a Day in the Life video I uploaded earlier. Two videos in a month? Wow, who even am I?
First tradition of the year alert! June obviously also means Europe on Screen. Another thing I wasn’t going to miss now that I’m a part-time freelancer, so I as determined to see as many films as I could.
Agung and I saw the first movie together, but I ended up watching 3 more films by myself—and the last one on MUBI, actually. It was a fun experience through and through. Not all the movies were great, but I definitely saw a couple that made me feel things.
This year I decided to take the EoS experience a step further by making a project out of it—every film that I watched would be turned into an illustration. I recorded the whole process of this project in my studio vlog—a second vlog of the month after a Day in the Life video I uploaded earlier. Two videos in a month? Wow, who even am I?
When my sister finally came to town, she brought her own cat (called Kopi, which means ‘coffee’ in English). Unfortunately, Bobon turned out to be scared shitless of him, so would growl to no end and avoid him like the plague. It made for a little bit of headache. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a lot of quality time exploring the city, like going to Blok M Square. It’s always nice to catch up on our (now) separate lives.
The month pretty much closed with the lovely ZIGGURAT exhibition by Agus Suwage at ROH Projects with Agung. The exhibition was dominated by gold, but everything felt serene and peaceful somehow. I’d never been to a Suwage exhibition before, so I was pretty excited. Fun fact: Agus Suwage is actually my friend Zahra’s uncle. You may remember her as an old friend of mine from Germany. What a small world!
When my sister finally came to town, she brought her own cat (called Kopi, which means ‘coffee’ in English). Unfortunately, Bobon turned out to be scared shitless of him, so would growl to no end and avoid him like the plague. It made for a little bit of headache. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a lot of quality time exploring the city, like going to Blok M Square. It’s always nice to catch up on our (now) separate lives.
The month pretty much closed with the lovely ZIGGURAT exhibition by Agus Suwage at ROH Projects with Agung. The exhibition was dominated by gold, but everything felt serene and peaceful somehow. I’d never been to a Suwage exhibition before, so I was pretty excited. Fun fact: Agus Suwage is actually my friend Zahra’s uncle. You may remember her as an old friend of mine from Germany. What a small world!
July
July came in like a lion when my sister and I were swept away to Semarang—okay, we did the sweeping ourselves—for our cousin’s wedding. To make it worth our whiles, we decided to make a whole weekend trip out of it.
We stayed by ourselves in a capsule hotel in Kota Lama and, since the wedding was to happen in the evening, we spent the entire day exploring this area of Semarang. It was a really fun day! After the wedding, we spent almost the entire night having a heart-to-heart…despite having to wake up really early in the morning.
We also stopped by Yogyakarta to visit two exhibitions in one day—one taking place at the Keraton and the other one is Artjog. Personally, I preferred the last Artjog I’d visited earlier, although I could still find a lot of remarkable artwork—including one by Agus Suwage (again).
Before we left Yogyakarta homebound, we had the honour of meeting up with my illustrator friend and role model Isa Indra Permana (remember this name from March?) along with his wife Mbak Incha and their cute daughter Suri. It was our first time really having the chance to hang out and talk, but it was really cozy already.
July came in like a lion when my sister and I were swept away to Semarang—okay, we did the sweeping ourselves—for our cousin’s wedding. To make it worth our whiles, we decided to make a whole weekend trip out of it.
We stayed by ourselves in a capsule hotel in Kota Lama and, since the wedding was to happen in the evening, we spent the entire day exploring this area of Semarang. It was a really fun day! After the wedding, we spent almost the entire night having a heart-to-heart…despite having to wake up really early in the morning.
We also stopped by Yogyakarta to visit two exhibitions in one day—one taking place at the Keraton and the other one is Artjog. Personally, I preferred the last Artjog I’d visited earlier, although I could still find a lot of remarkable artwork—including one by Agus Suwage (again).
Before we left Yogyakarta homebound, we had the honour of meeting up with my illustrator friend and role model Isa Indra Permana (remember this name from March?) along with his wife Mbak Incha and their cute daughter Suri. It was our first time really having the chance to hang out and talk, but it was really cozy already.
Of course, everything becomes a project for me this year—and this trip is no exception. I decided to turn our experiences into a little travel diary. There are a lot of things we didn’t take pictures of or couldn’t really share on our socials, etc., but I tried to convey them through this diary. As usual, it was a pain to finish, but I’m very happy with how they turned out. I suppose, you could say this is also another tradition of mine.
I think it was around this time that I’d finally had enough of my part-time position at the smaller agency I worked at. The wallpaper has peeled considerably, so to speak, and all the mould underneath has begun to show itself. My desire to balance good working hours at the office and freelance hours at home didn’t quite pan out—in fact, the previous bled more and more into the latter. Disillusioned, I started to weigh other options and planned an exit route.
Of course, everything becomes a project for me this year—and this trip is no exception. I decided to turn our experiences into a little travel diary. There are a lot of things we didn’t take pictures of or couldn’t really share on our socials, etc., but I tried to convey them through this diary. As usual, it was a pain to finish, but I’m very happy with how they turned out. I suppose, you could say this is also another tradition of mine.
I think it was around this time that I’d finally had enough of my part-time position at the smaller agency I worked at. The wallpaper has peeled considerably, so to speak, and all the mould underneath has begun to show itself. My desire to balance good working hours at the office and freelance hours at home didn’t quite pan out—in fact, the previous bled more and more into the latter. Disillusioned, I started to weigh other options and planned an exit route.
When we got back from Yogyakarta, I was met with good news: Agung’s sister finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Although Agung said we should just visit once the mother and daughter came home, I insisted to visit them at the hospital.
While we were happy to see the little newborn, the journey to and from the hospital was HELL! It took us around 2 hours to get from the hospital to get to South Jakarta—and that’s practically WITHOUT traffic, it was just that far. We ended up dropping anchor at Burgreens to enjoy their newly reduced menu price. It was a cozy compensation, to be honest.
July wrapped up with a few notable experiences. The first was an unexpected encounter. When Agung and I went on a date to Taman Brightspot, my cousins Mbak Nina and Diar were apparently also there—somehow we ended up seeing the same Efek Rumah Kaca concert from opposite ends of the park, since it as THAT crowded. It was the first time they met Agung, so that was a happy accident.
The second one…I finally got an interview! My friend Guntur was kind enough to recommend me to his office after I sent in my portfolio. That was the first time I met Mas Ken and, well, the rest was history.
When we got back from Yogyakarta, I was met with good news: Agung’s sister finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Although Agung said we should just visit once the mother and daughter came home, I insisted to visit them at the hospital.
While we were happy to see the little newborn, the journey to and from the hospital was HELL! It took us around 2 hours to get from the hospital to get to South Jakarta—and that’s practically WITHOUT traffic, it was just that far. We ended up dropping anchor at Burgreens to enjoy their newly reduced menu price. It was a cozy compensation, to be honest.
July wrapped up with a few notable experiences. The first was an unexpected encounter. When Agung and I went on a date to Taman Brightspot, my cousins Mbak Nina and Diar were apparently also there—somehow we ended up seeing the same Efek Rumah Kaca concert from opposite ends of the park, since it as THAT crowded. It was the first time they met Agung, so that was a happy accident.
The second one…I finally got an interview! My friend Guntur was kind enough to recommend me to his office after I sent in my portfolio. That was the first time I met Mas Ken and, well, the rest was history.
August
A major contrast to last year, this year’s August was the absolute best! It was the month of new beginnings and one that I was really excited for all over again. When I started my part-time position at the small agency, I was pretty nonplussed about it. My Dad even questioned my excitement, was I forced to make this decision? I thought my reaction was normal, but now I understood that I could still be excited for new opportunities—if they’re the right one. More on that in the next month.
Obviously, August is also the month of Independence for Indonesia. You could feel it in the air—the public’s trust issues with the government since they’re running this country to the ground. When Rukii called for submissions for an “Anti-Corruption” zine, I was driven to contribute. While the zine (and exhibition) didn’t pull through, I finished my piece as a commemoration for Independence Day.
A major contrast to last year, this year’s August was the absolute best! It was the month of new beginnings and one that I was really excited for all over again. When I started my part-time position at the small agency, I was pretty nonplussed about it. My Dad even questioned my excitement, was I forced to make this decision? I thought my reaction was normal, but now I understood that I could still be excited for new opportunities—if they’re the right one. More on that in the next month.
Obviously, August is also the month of Independence for Indonesia. You could feel it in the air—the public’s trust issues with the government since they’re running this country to the ground. When Rukii called for submissions for an “Anti-Corruption” zine, I was driven to contribute. While the zine (and exhibition) didn’t pull through, I finished my piece as a commemoration for Independence Day.
On the blog, for Independence Day, I refused to celebrate the government and the jack squad they’ve ever done for us. Instead, I relished in the new world that I entered with the new office that I joined—and I made a tribute to local indie musicians. It happened to pretty much coincide with Cipete Creative District too, so it was perfect. Their music is written by the people for the people, not dictated by any sort of regulations—with the sole goal of resonating with someone whose thoughts and experiences may echo with the music itself. It was a pinch-me moment that now I am at the periphery of this music scene.
On the blog, for Independence Day, I refused to celebrate the government and the jack squad they’ve ever done for us. Instead, I relished in the new world that I entered with the new office that I joined—and I made a tribute to local indie musicians. It happened to pretty much coincide with Cipete Creative District too, so it was perfect. Their music is written by the people for the people, not dictated by any sort of regulations—with the sole goal of resonating with someone whose thoughts and experiences may echo with the music itself. It was a pinch-me moment that now I am at the periphery of this music scene.
The second half of Augsut was spent much of the time celebrating friends’ birthdays and reuniting with those I hadn’t seen in a long time. I’m not sure if it showed to them, but now looking at these photos, I realised I looked much happier than before. Finally, life in my terms, you know.
First I met up with Alitia, one of my closest friends from the previous office. It shows in how she is still, to this day, a regular presence in my life—despite not working at the same office anymore. She came to visit me and Guntur at work and we had an early celebration of her birthday. It was short, but really sweet.
Later on, I also met up with my best friends Uli and Mimin for after-work dinner. Mimin happened to be in town, so of course we had to catch up. This was also an opportunity for an early birthday celebration—of Mimin’s. It was truly a barrel of laughs!
The second half of Augsut was spent much of the time celebrating friends’ birthdays and reuniting with those I hadn’t seen in a long time. I’m not sure if it showed to them, but now looking at these photos, I realised I looked much happier than before. Finally, life in my terms, you know.
First I met up with Alitia, one of my closest friends from the previous office. It shows in how she is still, to this day, a regular presence in my life—despite not working at the same office anymore. She came to visit me and Guntur at work and we had an early celebration of her birthday. It was short, but really sweet.
Later on, I also met up with my best friends Uli and Mimin for after-work dinner. Mimin happened to be in town, so of course we had to catch up. This was also an opportunity for an early birthday celebration—of Mimin’s. It was truly a barrel of laughs!
Wrapping up the month with a neat little bow is the Pesta Literasi event with Agung. While the event itself was quite literally a flop—a far cry from the Sampul Manusia event in April—we still had a great time at our date. I’m pretty chuffed to be able to show Agung a few book covers on display at the little exhibition that they had. Yeah, but other than that, it was actually pretty chaotic. That being said, all in all it was a pretty awesome month!
Wrapping up the month with a neat little bow is the Pesta Literasi event with Agung. While the event itself was quite literally a flop—a far cry from the Sampul Manusia event in April—we still had a great time at our date. I’m pretty chuffed to be able to show Agung a few book covers on display at the little exhibition that they had. Yeah, but other than that, it was actually pretty chaotic. That being said, all in all it was a pretty awesome month!
September
The fun in August continued on to September—with Agung’s birthday! I’m super happy to receive my first paycheque from the studio, since it allowed me to buy my love his birthday present 🧡 We celebrated this year by visiting Artket 03. There were a lot more names we hadn’t known before this time and a lot less friends that I saw, but we were happy to discover new names—especially Mcmurs Letterpress YK (whose owner turns out to also be named Agung lol).
We bumped into a few people from work—current and previous—which was so funny. When I told them that I came prepared with a wishlist in Notion to curb my spending, they seemed to be really impressed (lol). Also, this was the event that introduced me to Bethania Brigitta—which will become significant later on.
The next week we indulged in Agung’s newfound interest in interior design—since he’d been working in the property-adjacent industry for a couple years now. We stopped by The Colours of Indonesia: Summer Home, a biannual interior design exhibition hosted and designed by a collective of 12 prestigious local interior designers.
It was a nice change of pace from the usual artsy or illustrated events we would attend, although we obviously understood less about what we saw. The rooms were all so stylistic and gorgeous—nothing looks ordinary, mind you.
This time it was Agung’s turn to run into someone he worked with, since one of his clients sponsored the exhibition itself. That’s how you know Agung’s in the scene now—the interior design scene.
The fun in August continued on to September—with Agung’s birthday! I’m super happy to receive my first paycheque from the studio, since it allowed me to buy my love his birthday present 🧡 We celebrated this year by visiting Artket 03. There were a lot more names we hadn’t known before this time and a lot less friends that I saw, but we were happy to discover new names—especially Mcmurs Letterpress YK (whose owner turns out to also be named Agung lol).
We bumped into a few people from work—current and previous—which was so funny. When I told them that I came prepared with a wishlist in Notion to curb my spending, they seemed to be really impressed (lol). Also, this was the event that introduced me to Bethania Brigitta—which will become significant later on.
The next week we indulged in Agung’s newfound interest in interior design—since he’d been working in the property-adjacent industry for a couple years now. We stopped by The Colours of Indonesia: Summer Home, a biannual interior design exhibition hosted and designed by a collective of 12 prestigious local interior designers.
It was a nice change of pace from the usual artsy or illustrated events we would attend, although we obviously understood less about what we saw. The rooms were all so stylistic and gorgeous—nothing looks ordinary, mind you.
This time it was Agung’s turn to run into someone he worked with, since one of his clients sponsored the exhibition itself. That’s how you know Agung’s in the scene now—the interior design scene.
Somehow, September is also the month I got back to sketching in my sketchbook. I think I was inspired by various artists on YouTube who could make such gorgeous spreads and I wanted to make one of my own. So, one Saturday morning, I stretched my creative muscles and decided to just go to town with my recently bought pens. It was such a therapeutic experience—to be able to draw without feeling like my life depends on it as much. It ended up becoming a little habit I kept for a while.
Well, it turns out this little habit paid off, because a few days later my boss Ken Jenie—the guitarist and leading man of the band Jirapah—asked me to doodle on their set list for a show at Krapela later that night. It was probably no big deal, but I was super nervous and happy to be asked. The set list was meant to be given away to a lucky winner, so someone who loves Jirapah somewhere out there might be in possession of my work. Hope you like it!
After a month working at the studio and getting pretty much settled, I finally shared about this little turn my life took in my Life Update vlog. It was definitely unexpected—I surely didn’t plan for it—but it was a decision that I’m happy with (so far). However, since I’d been sharing my journey with everyone on my channel, I felt like I owed it to my audience to explain my reasoning for this development. It’s a realistic look into my life—which I hope helped put things into perspective. This ended up becoming my first vlog (of many) that my co-workers watched. Their support is overwhelming.
We closed the month with the wedding of Agung’s office best friend. It was pretty special for two reasons. First: I finally got to meet a lot of Agung’s co-workers. I love how they seemed to be as excited to meet me as I was to meet them. Second: Agung designed the photobooth frame for the wedding. We were really excited to see the result in the flesh, so to speak. You can now see it too in this photo below. Super happy for mylove 🧡 what a way to end his month!
Somehow, September is also the month I got back to sketching in my sketchbook. I think I was inspired by various artists on YouTube who could make such gorgeous spreads and I wanted to make one of my own. So, one Saturday morning, I stretched my creative muscles and decided to just go to town with my recently bought pens. It was such a therapeutic experience—to be able to draw without feeling like my life depends on it as much. It ended up becoming a little habit I kept for a while.
Well, it turns out this little habit paid off, because a few days later my boss Ken Jenie—the guitarist and leading man of the band Jirapah—asked me to doodle on their set list for a show at Krapela later that night. It was probably no big deal, but I was super nervous and happy to be asked. The set list was meant to be given away to a lucky winner, so someone who loves Jirapah somewhere out there might be in possession of my work. Hope you like it!
After a month working at the studio and getting pretty much settled, I finally shared about this little turn my life took in my Life Update vlog. It was definitely unexpected—I surely didn’t plan for it—but it was a decision that I’m happy with (so far). However, since I’d been sharing my journey with everyone on my channel, I felt like I owed it to my audience to explain my reasoning for this development. It’s a realistic look into my life—which I hope helped put things into perspective. This ended up becoming my first vlog (of many) that my co-workers watched. Their support is overwhelming.
We closed the month with the wedding of Agung’s office best friend. It was pretty special for two reasons. First: I finally got to meet a lot of Agung’s co-workers. I love how they seemed to be as excited to meet me as I was to meet them. Second: Agung designed the photobooth frame for the wedding. We were really excited to see the result in the flesh, so to speak. You can now see it too in this photo below. Super happy for mylove 🧡 what a way to end his month!
October
Woohoo! Here comes my month, baby! And it started out with something sweet and something bitter.
Early on in the month, Agung and I visited M Bloc Design Week—which, I believe, was our first time. It had an array of activities, including a sustainable exhibition, workshops, talkshows, an art market and music showcase. It was pretty small and quaint, which is a nice change of pace for Jakarta.
Not too long after, I had to say goodbye to Jugo, a co-worker I had quickly bonded with. Ever since I started working here, a lot of people have said that we looked alike—even Jugo himself admitted it, although I still couldn’t see it—and somehow they treated us like we were siblings.
He decided to quit his job to pursue his music (as far as I know lol), so I would highly recommend giving his songs a listen.
Woohoo! Here comes my month, baby! And it started out with something sweet and something bitter.
Early on in the month, Agung and I visited M Bloc Design Week—which, I believe, was our first time. It had an array of activities, including a sustainable exhibition, workshops, talkshows, an art market and music showcase. It was pretty small and quaint, which is a nice change of pace for Jakarta.
Not too long after, I had to say goodbye to Jugo, a co-worker I had quickly bonded with. Ever since I started working here, a lot of people have said that we looked alike—even Jugo himself admitted it, although I still couldn’t see it—and somehow they treated us like we were siblings.
He decided to quit his job to pursue his music (as far as I know lol), so I would highly recommend giving his songs a listen.
Although short, the quick bond I formed with my desk mates—Jugo, Opang and Ito—have formed the first couple months of my time at the office. We had a pretty interesting dynamic that seemed balanced from two generations—1992 and 1995. It was a memory frozen in time, but fun while it lasted.
Meanwhile, work has started to pick up the pace, now that we had an event brewing and social media projects are on an all-time high. It was stressing everyone out, but I think we were also excited about it—or, well, some parts of it. Sadly, I couldn’t share too much by this point.
We were running Make Over‘s social media and it required constant production—as in photoshoots or filmings. That was often a lot of pain, but when we see the results, we’re pretty happy about it. Somehow, I became more well acquainted with makeup through this project.
Although short, the quick bond I formed with my desk mates—Jugo, Opang and Ito—have formed the first couple months of my time at the office. We had a pretty interesting dynamic that seemed balanced from two generations—1992 and 1995. It was a memory frozen in time, but fun while it lasted.
Meanwhile, work has started to pick up the pace, now that we had an event brewing and social media projects are on an all-time high. It was stressing everyone out, but I think we were also excited about it—or, well, some parts of it. Sadly, I couldn’t share too much by this point.
We were running Make Over‘s social media and it required constant production—as in photoshoots or filmings. That was often a lot of pain, but when we see the results, we’re pretty happy about it. Somehow, I became more well acquainted with makeup through this project.
Before I knew it, my birthday had arrived! It kind of snuck up on me this time. My sister, of course, came home to celebrate and my brother, thankfully, has healed a lot better from his illness—so off we went to grab cheeky coffee together at this little coffee shop that was currently running a pro-Palestine campaign. Perfect place for a birthday celebration, no? I also took that celebration online through a chatty studio vlog that was a pain to edit—glad that a lot of people liked it, though.
My dear friend Iva came home this month…with her husband! Eep! The last time she was here, she was prepping to get married—and now she is! For months and months we made plans to go on a double date and now it finally happened. Meeting Lennart and reuniting with Iva was a lot of fun. Since Lennart wasn’t fluent in Indonesian and Agung couldn’t speak German, we spent the entire day in English. It was brief, but it was such a blast—I’m glad Agung thought so too. Until next year, va!
Before I knew it, my birthday had arrived! It kind of snuck up on me this time. My sister, of course, came home to celebrate and my brother, thankfully, has healed a lot better from his illness—so off we went to grab cheeky coffee together at this little coffee shop that was currently running a pro-Palestine campaign. Perfect place for a birthday celebration, no? I also took that celebration online through a chatty studio vlog that was a pain to edit—glad that a lot of people liked it, though.
My dear friend Iva came home this month…with her husband! Eep! The last time she was here, she was prepping to get married—and now she is! For months and months we made plans to go on a double date and now it finally happened. Meeting Lennart and reuniting with Iva was a lot of fun. Since Lennart wasn’t fluent in Indonesian and Agung couldn’t speak German, we spent the entire day in English. It was brief, but it was such a blast—I’m glad Agung thought so too. Until next year, va!
November
Since I had to work half the weekend, Agung and I pushed our weekly date to Sunday where we decided to go visit ICAD 14—our annual tradition, you know. Despite only being able to see half of the exhibition, we enjoyed our time there since the works were to our liking and there were less people around.
Fueling Agung’s love for fragrance, this month we also visited the opening of Layr’s first flagship store. Agung traded in one of his old perfume bottles to get a discount on their store-exclusive fragrance, Empty Room. I love seeing Agung shine with his passion.
Since I worked that previous Saturday, I was able to take one day off in lieu—which was nice. I used that time to catch up on (and finish) my reading at Smiljan Space.
November was the most eventful month and it started with an absolute bang! The studio that I work at had the opportunity to organise the Move Your Mind with ASICS @ ROW 9 event—which was a total riot. It was my first experience at an on-ground activation project, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
The event consisted of various activities, including the SKYHAND™ OG van (where you can try on the shoes), creative workshops (i.e. shoe charms, personal colours, and nail art), SKYHAND™ OG exhibition (collaborating with 4 local artists, including Bethania Brigitta who I recommended), fashion show and breakdance battle. I was so happy that a lot of our friends came out to see our creation—plus, I had the chance to introduce Agung to a lot of my co-workers, and it was the absolute best!
November was the most eventful month and it started with an absolute bang! The studio that I work at had the opportunity to organise the Move Your Mind with ASICS @ ROW 9 event—which was a total riot. It was my first experience at an on-ground activation project, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
The event consisted of various activities, including the SKYHAND™ OG van (where you can try on the shoes), creative workshops (i.e. shoe charms, personal colours, and nail art), SKYHAND™ OG exhibition (collaborating with 4 local artists, including Bethania Brigitta who I recommended), fashion show and breakdance battle. I was so happy that a lot of our friends came out to see our creation—plus, I had the chance to introduce Agung to a lot of my co-workers, and it was the absolute best!
Since I had to work half the weekend, Agung and I pushed our weekly date to Sunday where we decided to go visit ICAD 14—our annual tradition, you know. Despite only being able to see half of the exhibition, we enjoyed our time there since the works were to our liking and there were less people around.
Fueling Agung’s love for fragrance, this month we also visited the opening of Layr’s first flagship store. Agung traded in one of his old perfume bottles to get a discount on their store-exclusive fragrance, Empty Room. I love seeing Agung shine with his passion.
Since I worked that previous Saturday, I was able to take one day off in lieu—which was nice. I used that time to catch up on (and finish) my reading at Smiljan Space.
November also means time for another Joyland! Woohoo! After being deprived of the festival for months, Agung and I decided to blind buy the tickets this time—and it was literally the best decision. Unlike the last couple times, this year’s Joyland felt like coming home. We bumped into SO MANY friends there—especially my office friends who worked closely with the festival organisers themselves. There were so many unforgettable experiences. It was the most magical weekend! I can’t believe it was all happening in Jakarta. I definitely wouldn’t forget it all in a hurry.
That weekend was made even more festive, since I was offered to participate in SHElebrate x KataHukum.id by IJRS. It was an exhibition that focused on supporting women in the face of violence against women—empowering victims and encouraging them to seek justice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the exhibition myself, but they were kind enough to keep updated throughout the process and event—and also sent my work to me once the exhibition was finished. Thank you so much, Neka and the IJRS team for inviting me!
The month closed with the first brand collaboration video on my channel—with Pacdora! I think it was mid or early October when Pacdora contacted me about a collaboration and I was so psyched, since I’d been using their services for a while. It was perfect, since—as you know from earlier months—I had a packaging project going on right now. It took me a month of filming to really show the progress—and also, since I was swamped with office work. In case you missed it, you could still get 20% off your Pacdora subscription using the code “ALIVE” at checkout. Thank you so much for the opportunity!
November also means time for another Joyland! Woohoo! After being deprived of the festival for months, Agung and I decided to blind buy the tickets this time—and it was literally the best decision. Unlike the last couple times, this year’s Joyland felt like coming home. We bumped into SO MANY friends there—especially my office friends who worked closely with the festival organisers themselves. There were so many unforgettable experiences. It was the most magical weekend! I can’t believe it was all happening in Jakarta. I definitely wouldn’t forget it all in a hurry.
That weekend was made even more festive, since I was offered to participate in SHElebrate x KataHukum.id by IJRS. It was an exhibition that focused on supporting women in the face of violence against women—empowering victims and encouraging them to seek justice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the exhibition myself, but they were kind enough to keep updated throughout the process and event—and also sent my work to me once the exhibition was finished. Thank you so much, Neka and the IJRS team for inviting me!
The month closed with the first brand collaboration video on my channel—with Pacdora! I think it was mid or early October when Pacdora contacted me about a collaboration and I was so psyched, since I’d been using their services for a while. It was perfect, since—as you know from earlier months—I had a packaging project going on right now. It took me a month of filming to really show the progress—and also, since I was swamped with office work. In case you missed it, you could still get 20% off your Pacdora subscription using the code “ALIVE” at checkout. Thank you so much for the opportunity!
December
After a chaotic and overly eventful month, December gave me the chance to truly wind down and reflect on the past year—and, I guess, also prepare for 2025. The first memorable thing of the month was the launch of my friend Divina’s book Proyeksi Pikiran. I was super psyched about this, because we worked on it together for months and months and months—she did the writing, I did the designing—and it was finally here! Well, to be honest, it was launched in November, but the pre-order was still available until early December. Vina delivered my copy herself as we met up for lunch at the end of last month.
After a chaotic and overly eventful month, December gave me the chance to truly wind down and reflect on the past year—and, I guess, also prepare for 2025. The first memorable thing of the month was the launch of my friend Divina’s book Proyeksi Pikiran. I was super psyched about this, because we worked on it together for months and months and months—she did the writing, I did the designing—and it was finally here! Well, to be honest, it was launched in November, but the pre-order was still available until early December. Vina delivered my copy herself as we met up for lunch at the end of last month.
Agung and I spent the first weekend of the month visiting Meet Things Room 02, which is a knick knack/art market held in Brickhall Fatmawati. Before we even came into the venue, we bumped into Alitia and her now-boyfriend (and ex-intern at my office) Biaggi. Accidental double date? I think so.
We explored the area in separate groups—and I bought a couple things from an artist I’d never heard of—before Agung and I went outside to grab a bite. Here we bumped into Tiga Mata Sapi—who we first discovered at Artket 01—but was now selling cakes and snacks. She remembered me, since I tagged her so much on Instagram lol. I love their carrot cake and panada–despite my raging toothache. It was painful to chew, but you know good food when you’re eating one.
Agung and I spent the first weekend of the month visiting Meet Things Room 02, which is a knick knack/art market held in Brickhall Fatmawati. Before we even came into the venue, we bumped into Alitia and her now-boyfriend (and ex-intern at my office) Biaggi. Accidental double date? I think so.
We explored the area in separate groups—and I bought a couple things from an artist I’d never heard of—before Agung and I went outside to grab a bite. Here we bumped into Tiga Mata Sapi—who we first discovered at Artket 01—but was now selling cakes and snacks. She remembered me, since I tagged her so much on Instagram lol. I love their carrot cake and panada–despite my raging toothache. It was painful to chew, but you know good food when you’re eating one.
All of a sudden it was Friday the 13th, which means our 5th anniversary! Woohoo! We never do anything particularly special for our anniversaries, as long as we spend time together. This year we developed quite a hobby of recording occasional OOTD videos—inspired by Aki and Koichi—so we did just that for this year’s anniversary.
I guess you can say the year closed with 2 memorable dinners: the office year-end dinner and a special dinner with my (and Agung’s) family. I’ve forgotten the warm and cozy feeling of sharing a meal with your co-workers. We had it at a nearby Dutch restaurant, Dijan’s. It was my first time and everything was simply divine. We even did a cheeky Secret Santa.
Then, sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, Agung and I got both our families together over lunch. It was the first meeting and introduction between two families. We were initially so nervous, but it all went very well. Everyone was deep in conversation and we had so much laughter—I’m so happy!
All of a sudden it was Friday the 13th, which means our 5th anniversary! Woohoo! We never do anything particularly special for our anniversaries, as long as we spend time together. This year we developed quite a hobby of recording occasional OOTD videos—inspired by Aki and Koichi—so we did just that for this year’s anniversary.
I guess you can say the year closed with 2 memorable dinners: the office year-end dinner and a special dinner with my (and Agung’s) family. I’ve forgotten the warm and cozy feeling of sharing a meal with your co-workers. We had it at a nearby Dutch restaurant, Dijan’s. It was my first time and everything was simply divine. We even did a cheeky Secret Santa.
Then, sometime between Christmas and New Year’s, Agung and I got both our families together over lunch. It was the first meeting and introduction between two families. We were initially so nervous, but it all went very well. Everyone was deep in conversation and we had so much laughter—I’m so happy!
Online, the year was wrapped up in two not-so-little contents. The first one is my annual Best Books List, of course. It has become a tradition since 2017—although I used to do it in vlog format—and, apparently, a lot of my friends (and readers) look forward to my list every year. Wow, that is so sweet! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my annual post. This year I included a few books without ISBN, even though I couldn’t log them onto Goodreads and Fable—a newly discovered app recommended by my friend Sade.
As for the last vlog of the year, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and recounted every milestone I managed to pass this year—especially in regards to the new path that I took, namely freelancing. It was all summarised neatly in my Income Breakdown vlog, inspired by Hannah Witton‘s video. It allowed me to look at how far I’ve come and what could still use a lot of improvements. And, with that, the 2024 book is finally closed.
Online, the year was wrapped up in two not-so-little contents. The first one is my annual Best Books List, of course. It has become a tradition since 2017—although I used to do it in vlog format—and, apparently, a lot of my friends (and readers) look forward to my list every year. Wow, that is so sweet! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my annual post. This year I included a few books without ISBN, even though I couldn’t log them onto Goodreads and Fable—a newly discovered app recommended by my friend Sade.
As for the last vlog of the year, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and recounted every milestone I managed to pass this year—especially in regards to the new path that I took, namely freelancing. It was all summarised neatly in my Income Breakdown vlog, inspired by Hannah Witton‘s video. It allowed me to look at how far I’ve come and what could still use a lot of improvements. And, with that, the 2024 book is finally closed.
It's a Wrap, Everyone!
If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how to feel about 2024. On the whole, I don’t know how 2024 became like the second 2016—remember that year? The year world politics pretty much crashed and burnt. The Israel-Palestine conflict is nowhere close to reaching a ceasefire, let alone peace. Controversial presidents got elected—both in Indonesia and the US. The crazy rich got away with murder, yet when they got murdered, there was hell to pay. People were getting laid off left and right. Natural disasters seemed to wreak havoc all around the world. It. Was. Scary. Unfortunately, it may continue to do so in the coming year.
From my personal standpoint, however, it wasn’t a remarkably fantastic year, but it also wasn’t awfully terrible either. To me, this was the year I got to start over on my own terms. I got to explore as much as I was driven to do. I could finally own my time back, to dedicate my life to something that mattered to me again. After starting over too many times, this year wasn’t so scary after all. If I have to pick a word for 2024, I can honestly say it is ‘uncertainty.’ This applies both to my personal life and to the situation in the world out there. But, being able to live with that, I think, is the strongest thing we can do.
So, let’s take a look at my 2024 wish:
1. Never stop exploring ✓
Exploring is the one thing I did constantly in 2024. Trying to figure out my freelance career, yet at the same time striving to make and sustain a living—that obviously requires exploring. I feel like I was more open to experiences this year, more open to meeting new people and joining activities I wouldn’t otherwise had known before. In a way, my exploring allowed me to take whichever path felt right in the moment. I didn’t have to commit to it for the rest of my life, only until it no longer serves its purpose. Next year, however, I’d like to commit to something for the rest of my life.
I don’t think I want to set a resolution for 2025 anymore. I’ve got a set of goals that I’d written down—and perhaps a plan to reach them. That, for me, is enough. As they are too personal, I will not be sharing them soon. We’ll see in 2025.
I hear 2025 is going to be rough, especially for us the middle class.
Here’s me holding your hands tight, we shall overcome this together.
See you soon in 2025!
If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know how to feel about 2024. On the whole, I don’t know how 2024 became like the second 2016—remember that year? The year world politics pretty much crashed and burnt. The Israel-Palestine conflict is nowhere close to reaching a ceasefire, let alone peace. Controversial presidents got elected—both in Indonesia and the US. The crazy rich got away with murder, yet when they got murdered, there was hell to pay. People were getting laid off left and right. Natural disasters seemed to wreak havoc all around the world. It. Was. Scary. Unfortunately, it may continue to do so in the coming year.
From my personal standpoint, however, it wasn’t a remarkably fantastic year, but it also wasn’t awfully terrible either. To me, this was the year I got to start over on my own terms. I got to explore as much as I was driven to do. I could finally own my time back, to dedicate my life to something that mattered to me again. After starting over too many times, this year wasn’t so scary after all. If I have to pick a word for 2024, I can honestly say it is ‘uncertainty.’ This applies both to my personal life and to the situation in the world out there. But, being able to live with that, I think, is the strongest thing we can do.
So, let’s take a look at my 2024 wish:
1. Never stop exploring ✓
Exploring is the one thing I did constantly in 2024. Trying to figure out my freelance career, yet at the same time striving to make and sustain a living—that obviously requires exploring. I feel like I was more open to experiences this year, more open to meeting new people and joining activities I wouldn’t otherwise had known before. In a way, my exploring allowed me to take whichever path felt right in the moment. I didn’t have to commit to it for the rest of my life, only until it no longer serves its purpose. Next year, however, I’d like to commit to something for the rest of my life.
I don’t think I want to set a resolution for 2025 anymore. I’ve got a set of goals that I’d written down—and perhaps a plan to reach them. That, for me, is enough. As they are too personal, I will not be sharing them soon. We’ll see in 2025.
I hear 2025 is going to be rough, especially for us the middle class.
Here’s me holding your hands tight, we shall overcome this together.
See you soon in 2025!