Arrived At Last

For over a decade now I have felt like I was behind everyone else around me. I felt the constant need to catch up to them—make twice, maybe even three times the effort to even get to where they currently are. It has resulted in my impostor syndrome that convinced me that I wasn’t doing enough, not even when I was doing more than anyone else I knew. It is the reason why I am constantly juggling several things at once, why I don’t know how to stop and relax, why I keep on taking up more. And that’s what has been going on for at least 12 years…until now.

This year I finally feel like I’ve arrived. I’ve been running, running, running this whole time—trying hard to catch up with everyone else—but this year I finally feel like I’m exactly where I need to be. Finally, I feel like all my hard work has paid off and I’ve come to the point that I’ve wanted to reach this whole time. For the first time in such a long time, I feel like everything was falling into place. This is where I’ve been headed this whole time and now I’ve arrived.

It wasn’t all smooth-sailing, mind you. The year started out very roughly, still from the residue of the previous year. The first half of 2022, in fact, felt like such an uphill battle that I almost gave up midway. But things started looking up afterwards and, finally—FINALLY!—everything started to fall into place. I’m glad that I turned 30 feeling like this.

For over a decade now I have felt like I was behind everyone else around me. I felt the constant need to catch up to them—make twice, maybe even three times the effort to even get to where they currently are. It has resulted in my impostor syndrome that convinced me that I wasn’t doing enough, not even when I was doing more than anyone else I knew. It is the reason why I am constantly juggling several things at once, why I don’t know how to stop and relax, why I keep on taking up more. And that’s what has been going on for at least 12 years…until now.

This year I finally feel like I’ve arrived. I’ve been running, running, running this whole time—trying hard to catch up with everyone else—but this year I finally feel like I’m exactly where I need to be. Finally, I feel like all my hard work has paid off and I’ve come to the point that I’ve wanted to reach this whole time. For the first time in such a long time, I feel like everything was falling into place. This is where I’ve been headed this whole time and now I’ve arrived.

It wasn’t all smooth-sailing, mind you. The year started out very roughly, still from the residue of the previous year. The first half of 2022, in fact, felt like such an uphill battle that I almost gave up midway. But things started looking up afterwards and, finally—FINALLY!—everything started to fall into place. I’m glad that I turned 30 feeling like this.

January

The year opened so well through spending New Year’s Eve at Agung’s place—with his family and all. In just a day, I finished reading the first book of the year. If that wasn’t a good sign, I don’t know what is. Meanwhile, Agung got his first haircut of the year—done by his Mom. Little did we know, it would be his last haircut in a looong time.

January also kickstarted the distribution of Take It Slow. This was the month I started to ship it to different zero-waste and bookstores across the country. Today you can grab the book from Saruga Indonesia (Jakarta), Matalokal (Jakarta), Kedai Boekoe (Bekasi), Bukumee (Bekasi), Numpang Liwat (Bandung), Pustaka Steva (Padang) and Zero Waste Indonesia (Bali). I’m still looking for more, though, so please don’t hesitate to recommend me a store.

Work continued from December of last year—which was utterly and completely draining. Honestly, January has always been hard for me, but this year’s  took the cake.

The year opened so well through spending New Year’s Eve at Agung’s place—with his family and all. In just a day, I finished reading the first book of the year. If that wasn’t a good sign, I don’t know what is. Meanwhile, Agung got his first haircut of the year—done by his Mom. Little did we know, it would be his last haircut in a looong time.

January also kickstarted the distribution of Take It Slow. This was the month I started to ship it to different zero-waste and bookstores across the country. Today you can grab the book from Saruga Indonesia (Jakarta), Matalokal (Jakarta), Kedai Boekoe (Bekasi), Bukumee (Bekasi), Numpang Liwat (Bandung), Pustaka Steva (Padang) and Zero Waste Indonesia (Bali). I’m still looking for more, though, so please don’t hesitate to recommend me a store.

Work continued from December of last year—which was utterly and completely draining. Honestly, January has always been hard for me, but this year’s  took the cake.

Being the only copywriter at the office, I had to juggle 6-7 projects at once—two of which I was in charge of, while the rest counted on me to sell. Needless to say, I was super burnt out, especially since I only took two days off during New Year’s. Seriously, it wasn’t pretty. So much so, that when a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit, I initially thought I was losing it and was about to faint. And here’s the real kicker: that earthquake didn’t stop me—or anyone else on my team, for that matter—to continue working. A deadline is a deadline, I guess.

Being the only copywriter at the office, I had to juggle 6-7 projects at once—two of which I was in charge of, while the rest counted on me to sell. Needless to say, I was super burnt out, especially since I only took two days off during New Year’s. Seriously, it wasn’t pretty. So much so, that when a 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit, I initially thought I was losing it and was about to faint. And here’s the real kicker: that earthquake didn’t stop me—or anyone else on my team, for that matter—to continue working. A deadline is a deadline, I guess.

After gallivanting around in December and due to the heavy mental load, Agung and I spent most of our weekends in January just going to our usual haunts and hanging out. The constant rain also doesn’t help us go out and about—all we wanted was a cozy spot somewhere to converse endlessly, you know.

On the blog, I spent the majority of the month slowly doling out posts from the previous year, including the Thinking Room Exhibition and a Chinese-themed lunch with my siblings. I also shared first impressions of some zero-waste self-care products that I stumbled upon in 2021—a lot of these I still use to this day!

While January is stressful, for the most part, there are undoubtedly times of joy and cheer this month too. First of all, I’m so glad for the awesome team I got to be stuck at work with. We always have so much fun! Secondly, I can never express enough gratitude for Agung, who’s always there to push me to try new things. Segue to the next one.

After gallivanting around in December and due to the heavy mental load, Agung and I spent most of our weekends in January just going to our usual haunts and hanging out. The constant rain also doesn’t help us go out and about—all we wanted was a cozy spot somewhere to converse endlessly, you know.

On the blog, I spent the majority of the month slowly doling out posts from the previous year, including the Thinking Room Exhibition and a Chinese-themed lunch with my siblings. I also shared first impressions of some zero-waste self-care products that I stumbled upon in 2021—a lot of these I still use to this day!

While January is stressful, for the most part, there are undoubtedly times of joy and cheer this month too. First of all, I’m so glad for the awesome team I got to be stuck at work with. We always have so much fun! Secondly, I can never express enough gratitude for Agung, who’s always there to push me to try new things. Segue to the next one.

February

This month marks the start of my venture towards making my own food—which is something that I’ve always wanted to do—as I learn to make my own tempe! Thanks to Demibumi’s Tempe Kit, I was able to do it myself at home. Gosh, it felt absolutely magical! In fact, Agung and I did it together, which made it twice as special. Once the tempe was ready, I cooked it two ways—and made guacamole—and we went on a picnic. The tempe wasn’t perfect, but I loved tasting it—even raw!—since we made it from scratch.

I guess the picnic got me feeling quite sentimental, because the next day I was determined to have my analog photos developed—ones I took way back in 2017! The camera has somehow gone through changes in its appearance—fungi? discolouration?—but the film is intact and can be safely developed. This little move cemented my desire to document my life analogously, as you probably have seen.

Wow, I kickstarted a lot of things this month!

This month marks the start of my venture towards making my own food—which is something that I’ve always wanted to do—as I learn to make my own tempe! Thanks to Demibumi’s Tempe Kit, I was able to do it myself at home. Gosh, it felt absolutely magical! In fact, Agung and I did it together, which made it twice as special. Once the tempe was ready, I cooked it two ways—and made guacamole—and we went on a picnic. The tempe wasn’t perfect, but I loved tasting it—even raw!—since we made it from scratch.

I guess the picnic got me feeling quite sentimental, because the next day I was determined to have my analog photos developed—ones I took way back in 2017! The camera has somehow gone through changes in its appearance—fungi? discolouration?—but the film is intact and can be safely developed. This little move cemented my desire to document my life analogously, as you probably have seen.

Wow, I kickstarted a lot of things this month!

Let’s not stop there! That same day I also started thrifting all over again. The last time I went thrifting was probably in 2019—and it was on a garage sale. This time I found a new-to-me thrift shop near where I live. I was so excited, I planned a trip to drop by. Ah, I miss this so much!

Although undocumented, this month I also stumbled upon The Great Greenwashing Machine pt. I report by Eco-Age, which made me rethink everything I knew about sustainability—and shared them with you. I also shared what I learnt from self-publishing Take It Slow and its behind-the-scenes.

I guess I was on a self-improvement kick and was so determined to try and catch up with my 30 Before 30 list—because it still mattered back then, you know. It drove me to try cooking sorghum grain and sharing the recipe on the blog. Moment of truth: the dish I ended up making didn’t taste too great, to be honest, but I’m still determined to make it again—but not right now.

Let’s not stop there! That same day I also started thrifting all over again. The last time I went thrifting was probably in 2019—and it was on a garage sale. This time I found a new-to-me thrift shop near where I live. I was so excited, I planned a trip to drop by. Ah, I miss this so much!

Although undocumented, this month I also stumbled upon The Great Greenwashing Machine pt. I report by Eco-Age, which made me rethink everything I knew about sustainability—and shared them with you. I also shared what I learnt from self-publishing Take It Slow and its behind-the-scenes.

I guess I was on a self-improvement kick and was so determined to try and catch up with my 30 Before 30 list—because it still mattered back then, you know. It drove me to try cooking sorghum grain and sharing the recipe on the blog. Moment of truth: the dish I ended up making didn’t taste too great, to be honest, but I’m still determined to make it again—but not right now.

Some exciting things happened this month as well. First of all, one of my oldest friends Uli got married! Eep! I’ve known her for over 18 years now and I’ve also gotten to know her now-husband as well, so it felt like such a big thing for me—and for them too, of course. While the ceremony was done online, they planned to host the reception offline later on in the year—and even sent me fabric to be made into a dress as well. Sadly, that never ended up happening. Nonetheless, I wish them nothing but a happy life together!

Secondly, I visited my friend Maya again after 2 years! The last time was shortly before the pandemic and then we went on lockdown mode. If you remember, Maya is my friend from whom I always borrow books—she has one of the most immaculate personal library I’ve ever seen. This time, not only did she let me borrow her amazing books, but she also treated me with her homemade scones—as a tester for an online business she would later on develop. What a scrumptious way to end the month~

Some exciting things happened this month as well. First of all, one of my oldest friends Uli got married! Eep! I’ve known her for over 18 years now and I’ve also gotten to know her now-husband as well, so it felt like such a big thing for me—and for them too, of course. While the ceremony was done online, they planned to host the reception offline later on in the year—and even sent me fabric to be made into a dress as well. Sadly, that never ended up happening. Nonetheless, I wish them nothing but a happy life together!

Secondly, I visited my friend Maya again after 2 years! The last time was shortly before the pandemic and then we went on lockdown mode. If you remember, Maya is my friend from whom I always borrow books—she has one of the most immaculate personal library I’ve ever seen. This time, not only did she let me borrow her amazing books, but she also treated me with her homemade scones—as a tester for an online business she would later on develop. What a scrumptious way to end the month~

March

March started with me taking a day off work, which felt very much needed. Why did I do it? For nothing other than to take myself out on a date. It feels like something I haven’t done in such a long time—and when I got a taste of it at the end of February, I thought I would do more during the weekdays. Gosh, I really miss being able to do that from before I had a full-time job! I spent the day getting Lococo Creamery, having lunch with Agung and donating a book at a Book for Good corner. Really satisfying!

The next day I got my third dose of covid vaccine a.k.a. booster. Last year I got injected with AstraZeneca vaccine for my first dose, which resulted in a 48-hour fever and sore left arm for a week. The second dose wasn’t as bad. This time I got boosted with the Pfizer vaccine—which I heard gave off stronger symptoms—so I was ready to get knocked out all over again. But it didn’t turn out to be bad at all—in fact, I almost didn’t feel anything. Here’s to getting healthier and stronger against covid!

Since getting into tempe last month, I decided to expand my choices and tried making more with different kinds of beans. While the tempe itself is yet to be perfect—still pretty brittle and unevenly fermented—I still enjoy eating it, whether raw or deep fried seasoned only in salt.

March has also been a time to discover new places to eat, such as Ooma Kitchen and Pasta, Bitte! The latter has become my number one favourite pasta joint, although pretty pricey so I haven’t been back since. Not only was it so delicious and the place itself so cozy and charming, the area also lends itself to cute little stores that feel absolutely unique—such as this leatherwork store you can see below.

This month Agung and I also picked up a new healthy hobby that has brought us closer—badminton! I hadn’t really played badminton since middle school or so, as I recall. I’m not particularly good, so I enjoy our little intimate, non-competitive sessions.

March started with me taking a day off work, which felt very much needed. Why did I do it? For nothing other than to take myself out on a date. It feels like something I haven’t done in such a long time—and when I got a taste of it at the end of February, I thought I would do more during the weekdays. Gosh, I really miss being able to do that from before I had a full-time job! I spent the day getting Lococo Creamery, having lunch with Agung and donating a book at a Book for Good corner. Really satisfying!

The next day I got my third dose of covid vaccine a.k.a. booster. Last year I got injected with AstraZeneca vaccine for my first dose, which resulted in a 48-hour fever and sore left arm for a week. The second dose wasn’t as bad. This time I got boosted with the Pfizer vaccine—which I heard gave off stronger symptoms—so I was ready to get knocked out all over again. But it didn’t turn out to be bad at all—in fact, I almost didn’t feel anything. Here’s to getting healthier and stronger against covid!

Since getting into tempe last month, I decided to expand my choices and tried making more with different kinds of beans. While the tempe itself is yet to be perfect—still pretty brittle and unevenly fermented—I still enjoy eating it, whether raw or deep fried seasoned only in salt.

March has also been a time to discover new places to eat, such as Ooma Kitchen and Pasta, Bitte! The latter has become my number one favourite pasta joint, although pretty pricey so I haven’t been back since. Not only was it so delicious and the place itself so cozy and charming, the area also lends itself to cute little stores that feel absolutely unique—such as this leatherwork store you can see below.

This month Agung and I also picked up a new healthy hobby that has brought us closer—badminton! I hadn’t really played badminton since middle school or so, as I recall. I’m not particularly good, so I enjoy our little intimate, non-competitive sessions.

Towards the end of March, I started picking up a new hobby of my own—microgreens! Way back in February I decided to finally join a workshop by WeGrow, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. However, the workshop got postponed for some reason or another and I didn’t end up being able to join after all. Thankfully, they gave us the recording of the session and I managed to plant the microgreens anyway—it’s a caisim/chinese cabbage. Next chapter!
Towards the end of March, I started picking up a new hobby of my own—microgreens! Way back in February I decided to finally join a workshop by WeGrow, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. However, the workshop got postponed for some reason or another and I didn’t end up being able to join after all. Thankfully, they gave us the recording of the session and I managed to plant the microgreens anyway—it’s a caisim/chinese cabbage. Next chapter!

April

Picking up from the end of March, April started out with the flourishing state of my beloved micro-caisim. It was my first experience growing my own food—unless you count the mung beans experiment from primary school—so I was really excited to take good care of it everyday. By the end of the first week of April, the caisim was ready for harvest and I was so giddy to finally do it. The caisim became the perfect garnish for my bowl of instant ramyun, yum! Afterwards, I also tried to plant micro-sunflowers, which didn’t turn out as well. The soil has lain dormant since, sadly.

The start of April also marked the start of Ramadan. Before that, though, Agung and I managed to visit JPO Pinisi, which is this gorgeous pinisi boat-shaped crossing bridge in the heart of Jakarta. A lot of people believe it is more beautiful than functional, but I personally adore it. Although Ramadan has started, the crazy workload—that felt quite nonstop since December/January—didn’t seem to decrease at all. There were a lot of long hours, endless brainstorming sessions and deadlines after deadlines. Honestly, I felt like I was driven towards my breaking point.

Picking up from the end of March, April started out with the flourishing state of my beloved micro-caisim. It was my first experience growing my own food—unless you count the mung beans experiment from primary school—so I was really excited to take good care of it everyday. By the end of the first week of April, the caisim was ready for harvest and I was so giddy to finally do it. The caisim became the perfect garnish for my bowl of instant ramyun, yum! Afterwards, I also tried to plant micro-sunflowers, which didn’t turn out as well. The soil has lain dormant since, sadly.

The start of April also marked the start of Ramadan. Before that, though, Agung and I managed to visit JPO Pinisi, which is this gorgeous pinisi boat-shaped crossing bridge in the heart of Jakarta. A lot of people believe it is more beautiful than functional, but I personally adore it. Although Ramadan has started, the crazy workload—that felt quite nonstop since December/January—didn’t seem to decrease at all. There were a lot of long hours, endless brainstorming sessions and deadlines after deadlines. Honestly, I felt like I was driven towards my breaking point.

Like many people, Ramadan has become the chance to find my way back to God. I’m so happy to have so many of my friends join me for prayer on this holy month. There’s a certain atmosphere to Ramadan that brings warmth and togetherness to all, I feel. And I was so happy to bring that vibe to the blog by sharing some of my favourite Muslim content creators, books on Islam I recently read and my personal relationship with Islam. It has been such a productive and insightful time.

In the midst of my crazy work situation, I’m glad I had time to squeeze in some time to hang out with some of my friends for iftar. This month I had the chance to reunite with some friends from my previous office, an old friend and an ex-intern. We don’t see each other often, so I’m glad to catch up again.

Other than that, I was sent a shampoo bar by Control Zero to try out this month. It was seriously the best shampoo bar I’ve had so far. I’m looking forward to the next time I get to purchase it again.

Like many people, Ramadan has become the chance to find my way back to God. I’m so happy to have so many of my friends join me for prayer on this holy month. There’s a certain atmosphere to Ramadan that brings warmth and togetherness to all, I feel. And I was so happy to bring that vibe to the blog by sharing some of my favourite Muslim content creators, books on Islam I recently read and my personal relationship with Islam. It has been such a productive and insightful time.

In the midst of my crazy work situation, I’m glad I had time to squeeze in some time to hang out with some of my friends for iftar. This month I had the chance to reunite with some friends from my previous office, an old friend and an ex-intern. We don’t see each other often, so I’m glad to catch up again.

Other than that, I was sent a shampoo bar by Control Zero to try out this month. It was seriously the best shampoo bar I’ve had so far. I’m looking forward to the next time I get to purchase it again.

Of course, April is always about Fashion Revolution—with Fashion Revolution Day on April 24th. For the past few years I had been doing a series of ethical fashion-themed posts, and this year was no exception. Although it wasn’t a series, I decided to take it way back to basics now in introducing ethical fashion and what any of us can do to revolutionise fashion—one of which is learning more on the topic, perhaps through my book. It’s still available, by the way, so feel free to grab a copy!

As April came to close, Eid was approaching and that could only mean one thing—hampers! Since last year, I was determined to make Eid hampers for some of my closest friends. It would seem like such a good idea at first, but I would most likely regret it towards the last week before Eid. This year I decided to make Kue Sagon for my family and friends. I believe in giving yummy-yet-healthy treats to my loved ones, complete with a little info on the cookies I send out. The packaging was entirely designed by me, which is so extra. Cue Eid holiday!

Of course, April is always about Fashion Revolution—with Fashion Revolution Day on April 24th. For the past few years I had been doing a series of ethical fashion-themed posts, and this year was no exception. Although it wasn’t a series, I decided to take it way back to basics now in introducing ethical fashion and what any of us can do to revolutionise fashion—one of which is learning more on the topic, perhaps through my book. It’s still available, by the way, so feel free to grab a copy!

As April came to close, Eid was approaching and that could only mean one thing—hampers! Since last year, I was determined to make Eid hampers for some of my closest friends. It would seem like such a good idea at first, but I would most likely regret it towards the last week before Eid. This year I decided to make Kue Sagon for my family and friends. I believe in giving yummy-yet-healthy treats to my loved ones, complete with a little info on the cookies I send out. The packaging was entirely designed by me, which is so extra. Cue Eid holiday!

May

For the first few weeks of Bobon’s time living with us, all of us became obsessed with her—something that never really died down. She learns to adapt to our home and we really love bonding with her so much!

After Eid things started to pick up. For a while, work was still hectic as hell, but—after voicing my concerns—I could feel things starting to change. Slowly but surely, I knew the uphill battle would soon end and I could finally see the view from above. It would hopefully lead to being able to breathe and just take things in stride.

This month Agung and I started to have the desire to explore new areas of Jakarta that we almost never visited before. We started out in Cikini and Pasar Baru, only to snow ball to other parts of the city in the coming months. On the pandemic front, things have started to settle down here in Jakarta, so we felt a whole lot better about going out and about. Soon, we would be able to visit exhibitions!

May kicked off straight away with Eid! Our family (mostly) decided to stay in Jakarta this holiday, although many other people had opted to go back home. This year I created a full-grid illustrated Eid greetings inspired by Islamic art. I’ve just been on a roll with illustrations lately. I spent the first day of Eid at home with my family and went on to stay with Agung’s family for the second day of Eid.

A little surprise awaited me when I got home: a little kitty paid us a visit. Usually, our Dad would shoo stray cats from our garge, but with him off in Semarang at the time, my sister started thinking about adopting the little girl. We decided to wait and see if she would come back the next day. And she did! Without a second thought, my sister bought all the stuff she would need, then she and my brother took her to the nearest vet to get tested and vaccinated. Little did we know, she would later on become the blessing of all our lives—the little rascal named Bonito Brilia (a.k.a. Bobon).

May kicked off straight away with Eid! Our family (mostly) decided to stay in Jakarta this holiday, although many other people had opted to go back home. This year I created a full-grid illustrated Eid greetings inspired by Islamic art. I’ve just been on a roll with illustrations lately. I spent the first day of Eid at home with my family and went on to stay with Agung’s family for the second day of Eid.

A little surprise awaited me when I got home: a little kitty paid us a visit. Usually, our Dad would shoo stray cats from our garge, but with him off in Semarang at the time, my sister started thinking about adopting the little girl. We decided to wait and see if she would come back the next day. And she did! Without a second thought, my sister bought all the stuff she would need, then she and my brother took her to the nearest vet to get tested and vaccinated. Little did we know, she would later on become the blessing of all our lives—the little rascal named Bonito Brilia (a.k.a. Bobon).

For the first few weeks of Bobon’s time living with us, all of us became obsessed with her—something that never really died down. She learns to adapt to our home and we really love bonding with her so much!

After Eid things started to pick up. For a while, work was still hectic as hell, but—after voicing my concerns—I could feel things starting to change. Slowly but surely, I knew the uphill battle would soon end and I could finally see the view from above. It would hopefully lead to being able to breathe and just take things in stride.

This month Agung and I started to have the desire to explore new areas of Jakarta that we almost never visited before. We started out in Cikini and Pasar Baru, only to snow ball to other parts of the city in the coming months. On the pandemic front, things have started to settle down here in Jakarta, so we felt a whole lot better about going out and about. Soon, we would be able to visit exhibitions!

Okay, another thing about Eid is the beautiful, beautiful holiday bonus! It has enabled me to invest on things for myself, including a brand new harddisk—can never too many of that—and a swimsuit. The last time I bought a swimsuit was in 2011 and my body has gone through some changes since. Needless to say, that swimsuit no longer fits me anymore and a new piece is much needed. Nobody told you how hard it is to look for affordable, large-sized swimsuits in this country (honestly!). So I was really happy to find Kerokoo‘s reversible swimsuit—and it comes in mustard! Since getting this two-piece, I’ve been swimming more and more—and comfortably too! Ah, what a great way to start summer~
Okay, another thing about Eid is the beautiful, beautiful holiday bonus! It has enabled me to invest on things for myself, including a brand new harddisk—can never too many of that—and a swimsuit. The last time I bought a swimsuit was in 2011 and my body has gone through some changes since. Needless to say, that swimsuit no longer fits me anymore and a new piece is much needed. Nobody told you how hard it is to look for affordable, large-sized swimsuits in this country (honestly!). So I was really happy to find Kerokoo‘s reversible swimsuit—and it comes in mustard! Since getting this two-piece, I’ve been swimming more and more—and comfortably too! Ah, what a great way to start summer~

June

June started with the arrival of a package that I’ve been waiting for. It’s Atlas des Mondes Fantastiques! It’s basically a book full of fictional maps created by various French illustrators that you can use to role play with your friends ala Dungeons & Dragons. I found this project back in May 2021 through two of my favourite illustrators, Amélie Flechais and Yohan Sacré. Without thinking, I decided to fund this project straight away. Gosh, I love backing illustrative projects on Kickstarter! Hope to do more soon.

Also, June is the month for exploring as Agung and I kept venturing to different parts of the city. We went to Jalan Surabaya, which is a small street in the heart of Jakarta lined with antique stores. We also visited a book event at Post Bloc just across the street from Pasar Baru, after which I made a date to drop by the train station and meet up with my friend Zahra—remember her?—who finally came back to Indonesia after 3 years…and with her Korean boyfriend this time. Although brief, we got to catch up a lot and it was fun!

June started with the arrival of a package that I’ve been waiting for. It’s Atlas des Mondes Fantastiques! It’s basically a book full of fictional maps created by various French illustrators that you can use to role play with your friends ala Dungeons & Dragons. I found this project back in May 2021 through two of my favourite illustrators, Amélie Flechais and Yohan Sacré. Without thinking, I decided to fund this project straight away. Gosh, I love backing illustrative projects on Kickstarter! Hope to do more soon.

Also, June is the month for exploring as Agung and I kept venturing to different parts of the city. We went to Jalan Surabaya, which is a small street in the heart of Jakarta lined with antique stores. We also visited a book event at Post Bloc just across the street from Pasar Baru, after which I made a date to drop by the train station and meet up with my friend Zahra—remember her?—who finally came back to Indonesia after 3 years…and with her Korean boyfriend this time. Although brief, we got to catch up a lot and it was fun!

Something really big happened in June: Europe on Screen is finally back offline! Agung and I have been meaning to go this film festival together—since 2019!—so when we found out it was going to finally happen, we marked it on our calendar (lol). Out of the 10 days of the offline event, we went to three days and watched 3 movies together. It was really so much fun! I personally didn’t stop there, though, and continued screening the available films online—making up a total of 9 films watched this year. That’s a couple’s bucket list checked!

Since I went to Goethe for the offline screening a couple times, I took advantage of the moment to actually apply for a membership at the library and checked out a few books. It kickstarted my reading marathon that spanned a few months, resulting in a total of 6 German books read this year—although one of which was actually lent to me by a colleague.

Something really big happened in June: Europe on Screen is finally back offline! Agung and I have been meaning to go this film festival together—since 2019!—so when we found out it was going to finally happen, we marked it on our calendar (lol). Out of the 10 days of the offline event, we went to three days and watched 3 movies together. It was really so much fun! I personally didn’t stop there, though, and continued screening the available films online—making up a total of 9 films watched this year. That’s a couple’s bucket list checked!

Since I went to Goethe for the offline screening a couple times, I took advantage of the moment to actually apply for a membership at the library and checked out a few books. It kickstarted my reading marathon that spanned a few months, resulting in a total of 6 German books read this year—although one of which was actually lent to me by a colleague.

June also marks the birthday of Jakarta. Usually, I don’t really pay attention to it, but this year the city council was kind enough to make the public transport and local museums free of charge. Although it was actually a weekday, it coincided with our office’s WFH schedule and I made the time to stop by Gedung Joang 45 museum during lunch break. It’s one of the museums I’ve always wanted to visit—if for nothing else, at least due to the architecture that I adore.

Agung felt left out when I told him about my solo museum visit, so we made a point of stopping by Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi before we would catch our last offline EoS screening at Goethe Institut. Seeing how small the museum is, I didn’t expect it to quickly be my favourite museum in the city. Highly recommend everyone to stop by!

Earlier that same day, I was invited to be a speaker for Minimalist Moms’ webinar, where I shared a little bit about slow fashion. It was a really fun first experience!

June also marks the birthday of Jakarta. Usually, I don’t really pay attention to it, but this year the city council was kind enough to make the public transport and local museums free of charge. Although it was actually a weekday, it coincided with our office’s WFH schedule and I made the time to stop by Gedung Joang 45 museum during lunch break. It’s one of the museums I’ve always wanted to visit—if for nothing else, at least due to the architecture that I adore.

Agung felt left out when I told him about my solo museum visit, so we made a point of stopping by Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi before we would catch our last offline EoS screening at Goethe Institut. Seeing how small the museum is, I didn’t expect it to quickly be my favourite museum in the city. Highly recommend everyone to stop by!

Earlier that same day, I was invited to be a speaker for Minimalist Moms’ webinar, where I shared a little bit about slow fashion. It was a really fun first experience!

As someone who would barely ask a question at a webinar, given the honour of speaking in one feels absolutely wild for me. I created a presentation, practiced presenting it, planned the outfit for d-day and made sure all the equipments needed were working. It was really nerve-wracking, but by the time I started talking, I just kept on going. By the time I finished, there were already a lot of questions from the participants waiting for me. Oh my God, their excitement and curiosity made me weep inside 😭 It was really, really fun and I ended up making connections that would be valuable for me later on.

Thank you so much, Minimalist Moms! It meant a lot to me.

As someone who would barely ask a question at a webinar, given the honour of speaking in one feels absolutely wild for me. I created a presentation, practiced presenting it, planned the outfit for d-day and made sure all the equipments needed were working. It was really nerve-wracking, but by the time I started talking, I just kept on going. By the time I finished, there were already a lot of questions from the participants waiting for me. Oh my God, their excitement and curiosity made me weep inside 😭 It was really, really fun and I ended up making connections that would be valuable for me later on.

Thank you so much, Minimalist Moms! It meant a lot to me.

July

Back in April/May my friend who I knew from Germany suddenly contacted me to create an illustration for her son’s third birthday. The process was rather quick and simple and I really enjoyed making it. Apparently, she planned to turn the illustration into merchandise for his birthday’s goodie bag, and she said she’d send me one—which was extremely kind of her. Fast forward 2 months later—to the start of July—the package finally arrived. Oh my God, I was so thrilled—my illustration was turned into a beautiful embroidery! I had never seen my work translated in quite that way before. Thank you so much, Ola! Hope you liked it!

Back in April/May my friend who I knew from Germany suddenly contacted me to create an illustration for her son’s third birthday. The process was rather quick and simple and I really enjoyed making it. Apparently, she planned to turn the illustration into merchandise for his birthday’s goodie bag, and she said she’d send me one—which was extremely kind of her. Fast forward 2 months later—to the start of July—the package finally arrived. Oh my God, I was so thrilled—my illustration was turned into a beautiful embroidery! I had never seen my work translated in quite that way before. Thank you so much, Ola! Hope you liked it!

This month another of my friend got married. It was Acid from the office this time—and it was held offline. Agung and I attended the wedding, which made it the fourth wedding we attended together. My work friends finally met Agung, who had so far been a mere legend among them. It was pretty fun, but I still enjoy our time alone afterwards more 🥰

Since it was already the middle of the year, I decided to compile a midyear TBR to remind myself of all the books I already hoarded. It should keep me on track of the books I should read next and hold me off buying more in the near future. It worked, you guys! By the end of the year, I would already read each and every book on this list. Yaay!

On the flip side, I also decided to sell a lot of my books this month, though I think only a small few actually got sold in the end. I love selling books after I finish reading them, if I don’t think I will ever flip through them again. It makes space for the next copies to come.

This month another of my friend got married. It was Acid from the office this time—and it was held offline. Agung and I attended the wedding, which made it the fourth wedding we attended together. My work friends finally met Agung, who had so far been a mere legend among them. It was pretty fun, but I still enjoy our time alone afterwards more 🥰

Since it was already the middle of the year, I decided to compile a midyear TBR to remind myself of all the books I already hoarded. It should keep me on track of the books I should read next and hold me off buying more in the near future. It worked, you guys! By the end of the year, I would already read each and every book on this list. Yaay!

On the flip side, I also decided to sell a lot of my books this month, though I think only a small few actually got sold in the end. I love selling books after I finish reading them, if I don’t think I will ever flip through them again. It makes space for the next copies to come.

And we are back with exhibitions, baby! For our first exhibition of the year, we went to see Cipta! Kapita Selekta Cikini Raya 73 at the new Taman Ismail Marzuki building complex. I don’t remember why we decided to go there in the first place, but we ended up enjoying it thoroughly. The exhibition displays various posters, documents and marketing collaterals from the Jakarta Arts Council’s archive—which means we got to see the exhibitions an artistic events of the olde. There were a lot of interesting ones!

Who knew that we would get a 2-in-1 exhibition experience when we went to TIM? There was apparently an installation by Mahavisual going on in the next room. It was basically a room painted entirely in such a gorgeous, unicorn-like gradient, with quotes from the Jakarta Art Council’s archives written on the 3 walls.

And we are back with exhibitions, baby! For our first exhibition of the year, we went to see Cipta! Kapita Selekta Cikini Raya 73 at the new Taman Ismail Marzuki building complex. I don’t remember why we decided to go there in the first place, but we ended up enjoying it thoroughly. The exhibition displays various posters, documents and marketing collaterals from the Jakarta Arts Council’s archive—which means we got to see the exhibitions an artistic events of the olde. There were a lot of interesting ones!

Who knew that we would get a 2-in-1 exhibition experience when we went to TIM? There was apparently an installation by Mahavisual going on in the next room. It was basically a room painted entirely in such a gorgeous, unicorn-like gradient, with quotes from the Jakarta Art Council’s archives written on the 3 walls.

That exhibition left us feeling hungry for more. Sadly, there were no big exhibitions going on afterwards, but there are little ones we could visit. We decided to stop by RUCI Art Space to check out their Kebun Memori exhibition. It was smaller than we expected, and there were so much less people visiting. At the end of our visit, we even had the entire space for ourselves.

Towards the end of the month, something that was a long time coming finally happened: I GOT COVID! After being able to avoid it—like the actual plague that it is—for two years, I really didn’t think I would ever contract the disease. So here’s what happened.

One week in mid July, my sister said she had a sore throat and—for whatever reason—decided to go for a swab test. She was declared positive and proceeded to go into self-isolation. It wasn’t until a week later when I caught a fever and sore throat too. When I got myself PCR tested, the result came back positive. I couldn’t believe it.

That exhibition left us feeling hungry for more. Sadly, there were no big exhibitions going on afterwards, but there are little ones we could visit. We decided to stop by RUCI Art Space to check out their Kebun Memori exhibition. It was smaller than we expected, and there were so much less people visiting. At the end of our visit, we even had the entire space for ourselves.

Towards the end of the month, something that was a long time coming finally happened: I GOT COVID! After being able to avoid it—like the actual plague that it is—for two years, I really didn’t think I would ever contract the disease. So here’s what happened.

One week in mid July, my sister said she had a sore throat and—for whatever reason—decided to go for a swab test. She was declared positive and proceeded to go into self-isolation. It wasn’t until a week later when I caught a fever and sore throat too. When I got myself PCR tested, the result came back positive. I couldn’t believe it.

August

Needless to say, August started in self-isolation. With the fever and heavy symptoms behind me, I was back to work almost instantly—remotely, of course. Otherwise, my time was completely free. I couldn’t go anywhere or meet anyone; I was stuck in my room practically 24/7. Thankfully, this time all to myself has allowed me to feel creative again and it inspired me to start drawing comic strips of my time in quarantine. It encapsulates my despair at not being able to be physically close to Bobon.

I think the reason I was so inspired during this self-quarantine situation is because of the content I’d been consuming around this period. There are a number of illustrators who like to vlog—and I’ve loved watching them! Seeing them work, loving their work and literally living my dream life motivates me to create art of my own as well. It gave colour to my life, and I’m so glad I did it. Little did I know, this will lead to something big this year, but more on that later.

Needless to say, August started in self-isolation. With the fever and heavy symptoms behind me, I was back to work almost instantly—remotely, of course. Otherwise, my time was completely free. I couldn’t go anywhere or meet anyone; I was stuck in my room practically 24/7. Thankfully, this time all to myself has allowed me to feel creative again and it inspired me to start drawing comic strips of my time in quarantine. It encapsulates my despair at not being able to be physically close to Bobon.

I think the reason I was so inspired during this self-quarantine situation is because of the content I’d been consuming around this period. There are a number of illustrators who like to vlog—and I’ve loved watching them! Seeing them work, loving their work and literally living my dream life motivates me to create art of my own as well. It gave colour to my life, and I’m so glad I did it. Little did I know, this will lead to something big this year, but more on that later.

When I got covid, I was super anxious for two reasons: 1) I planned to watch a movie with Agung and 2) I planned a trip to Solo with Agung. Thankfully, I was declared negative just in time to be able to do both.

Agung and I went to watch Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion—which he had been looking forward to all year—the first weekend after it came out. I had never watched the prequel, so I didn’t really have anything to compare it to. Even so, I wasn’t very fond of the sequel. The jumpscares were definitely scary, but they didn’t seem to go anywhere. After watching the prequel a few days later, I can definitely say the sequel didn’t hold a candle to its predecessor. That being said, I’m so glad to have shared this experience with Agung.

Before long, I was back at the office and was welcomed with post-production. I was in charge of directing the voice over of a campaign video. Although it was pretty back-and-forth, I love a change in my routines like this sometimes.

When I got covid, I was super anxious for two reasons: 1) I planned to watch a movie with Agung and 2) I planned a trip to Solo with Agung. Thankfully, I was declared negative just in time to be able to do both.

Agung and I went to watch Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion—which he had been looking forward to all year—the first weekend after it came out. I had never watched the prequel, so I didn’t really have anything to compare it to. Even so, I wasn’t very fond of the sequel. The jumpscares were definitely scary, but they didn’t seem to go anywhere. After watching the prequel a few days later, I can definitely say the sequel didn’t hold a candle to its predecessor. That being said, I’m so glad to have shared this experience with Agung.

Before long, I was back at the office and was welcomed with post-production. I was in charge of directing the voice over of a campaign video. Although it was pretty back-and-forth, I love a change in my routines like this sometimes.

In mid-August Agung and I had the pleasure of visiting the MANIFESTO VIII: Transposisi exhibition at Galeri Nasional. This exhibition showcases a lot of works from local artists who respond to the pandemic—or the goverment’s non-response to it. The displayed works take on various media, shapes and sizes—ranging from the traditional to the futuristic. It was also my chance to have an Independence Day OOTD documented—my second one at Galeri Nasional. This exhibition will be the first of many that feature new works by the artists, and I will soon be able to see recurring names and styles and begin to recognise players in the scene.

In mid-August Agung and I had the pleasure of visiting the MANIFESTO VIII: Transposisi exhibition at Galeri Nasional. This exhibition showcases a lot of works from local artists who respond to the pandemic—or the goverment’s non-response to it. The displayed works take on various media, shapes and sizes—ranging from the traditional to the futuristic. It was also my chance to have an Independence Day OOTD documented—my second one at Galeri Nasional. This exhibition will be the first of many that feature new works by the artists, and I will soon be able to see recurring names and styles and begin to recognise players in the scene.

Come Independence Day Agung and I took a 4-day trip to Surakarta/Solo, Central Java. It was our first time there and we were so excited! I’ve always wanted to go to Solo for years and years. We planned the trip meticulously, so we would leave no time wasted. We went to see Artjog (in Yogyakarta), De Tjolomadoe, Puro Mangkunegaran and Keraton Hadiningrat. Every single minute in this small town felt magical. We ate the best food. We admired the town and people. We were even ambushed by a town parade that caused a traffic anomaly. By the time we had to leave, I didn’t want to let go.

For this trip, I wanted to create a travel journal. I tried doing it once for our Cirebon trip in 2019, but didn’t end up finishing it. This time I was determined to power through. And I did! It was definitely a trip worth remembering in many different ways.

When I came back from the trip, something exciting awaited my return! I was given the opportunity to speak at yet another online event—Cuma-Cuma vol. 06 by LamaLama, a slow fashion store that focuses on thrifted and upcycled clothing based in Surabaya/Sidoarjo. This time the event was held on Instagram Live, which was an entirely new platform for me. There were some technical difficulties, but Ellen the host was really friendly and accommodating—which made the experience really fun! You can watch the whole session here, if you missed it.

Towards the end of the month, I made a very significant purchase: a laptop backpack. After using a tote bag to carry my laptop for at least 2 years, this bag was such godsend. My right shoulder was saved a lot of weight that it wasn’t supposed to carry for so long—not to mention it comes in mustard.

Come Independence Day Agung and I took a 4-day trip to Surakarta/Solo, Central Java. It was our first time there and we were so excited! I’ve always wanted to go to Solo for years and years. We planned the trip meticulously, so we would leave no time wasted. We went to see Artjog (in Yogyakarta), De Tjolomadoe, Puro Mangkunegaran and Keraton Hadiningrat. Every single minute in this small town felt magical. We ate the best food. We admired the town and people. We were even ambushed by a town parade that caused a traffic anomaly. By the time we had to leave, I didn’t want to let go.

For this trip, I wanted to create a travel journal. I tried doing it once for our Cirebon trip in 2019, but didn’t end up finishing it. This time I was determined to power through. And I did! It was definitely a trip worth remembering in many different ways.

When I came back from the trip, something exciting awaited my return! I was given the opportunity to speak at yet another online event—Cuma-Cuma vol. 06 by LamaLama, a slow fashion store that focuses on thrifted and upcycled clothing based in Surabaya/Sidoarjo. This time the event was held on Instagram Live, which was an entirely new platform for me. There were some technical difficulties, but Ellen the host was really friendly and accommodating—which made the experience really fun! You can watch the whole session here, if you missed it.

Towards the end of the month, I made a very significant purchase: a laptop backpack. After using a tote bag to carry my laptop for at least 2 years, this bag was such godsend. My right shoulder was saved a lot of weight that it wasn’t supposed to carry for so long—not to mention it comes in mustard.

September

After coming back from Solo, Agung and I were still itching for more exhibitions to visit. Without wasting much time, we visited a puppet exhibition at Galeri Salihara in the start of September. We both wanted to go, because we knew Papermoon Theatre‘s giant puppet was showcased there. I, for one, wanted to see it in person. The exhibition turned out to be smaller than we expected, but it was really interesting and introduced us to a significant artist we would otherwise never have known. His work will pop up in our lives again later this year.

Soon after it was Agung’s birthday! It was our fourth time celebrating his birthday together. We didn’t do anything extravagant—just went to grab burger at our favourite burger joint in the city.  On the weekend, Agung chose where we would go out. We went to see Tromarama‘s exhibition, PERSONALIA at ROH. He said he wanted to share one of his favourite visual artists with me—I’m happy to oblige.

After coming back from Solo, Agung and I were still itching for more exhibitions to visit. Without wasting much time, we visited a puppet exhibition at Galeri Salihara in the start of September. We both wanted to go, because we knew Papermoon Theatre‘s giant puppet was showcased there. I, for one, wanted to see it in person. The exhibition turned out to be smaller than we expected, but it was really interesting and introduced us to a significant artist we would otherwise never have known. His work will pop up in our lives again later this year.

Soon after it was Agung’s birthday! It was our fourth time celebrating his birthday together. We didn’t do anything extravagant—just went to grab burger at our favourite burger joint in the city.  On the weekend, Agung chose where we would go out. We went to see Tromarama‘s exhibition, PERSONALIA at ROH. He said he wanted to share one of his favourite visual artists with me—I’m happy to oblige.

The next day I was whisked off to Makassar, South Sulawesi. Okay, let’s back up a little bit!

When we were in Solo, an offer came to me via Whatsapp. Someone from Indonesia Corruption Watch asked me to collaborate with them and create art—specifically comic strips—to educate the greater public on corruption issues. Part of this collaboration was a field observation in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Personally, for me, this was interesting on so many levels. First of all, I had never been to Sulawesi before and visiting a new Indonesian island is one of my dreams. Second of all, ICW is a legit organisation that I’ve always admired, and I believe in what they stand for as well. Lastly, I get to meet and work with fellow comic artists—if I can call myself one. Without a second thought, I accepted the offer.

Okay, so we flew to Makassar together—there were 6 of us. Mostly, we would visit local organisations and discuss their ongoing cases we could probably turn into stories for our comics. Afterwards, we would go do our field observations, talk to the locals involved and dig for more information to enrich our stories. It was a truly magical trip—and I even ended up making friends with someone I’d admired for years, Maghfirare.

Not going to lie, things kind of went downhill from there until the end of the month. The only thing keeping me feeling even remotely cheerful is everything related to Bobon. Towards the end of the month, I finally got the time to help out my Stepmom with her occasional business. My Stepmom is a cook and she would often sell frozen food, such as spring rolls or wontons. For so long, she has managed to market her products with only her words—and maybe some subpar images—to her friends and neighbours. This time, though, I finally took some professional photos for her that she could use to help market her products to a wider audience who might not want to just take her word for it. What do you guys think?

The next day I was whisked off to Makassar, South Sulawesi. Okay, let’s back up a little bit!

When we were in Solo, an offer came to me via Whatsapp. Someone from Indonesia Corruption Watch asked me to collaborate with them and create art—specifically comic strips—to educate the greater public on corruption issues. Part of this collaboration was a field observation in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Personally, for me, this was interesting on so many levels. First of all, I had never been to Sulawesi before and visiting a new Indonesian island is one of my dreams. Second of all, ICW is a legit organisation that I’ve always admired, and I believe in what they stand for as well. Lastly, I get to meet and work with fellow comic artists—if I can call myself one. Without a second thought, I accepted the offer.

Okay, so we flew to Makassar together—there were 6 of us. Mostly, we would visit local organisations and discuss their ongoing cases we could probably turn into stories for our comics. Afterwards, we would go do our field observations, talk to the locals involved and dig for more information to enrich our stories. It was a truly magical trip—and I even ended up making friends with someone I’d admired for years, Maghfirare.

Not going to lie, things kind of went downhill from there until the end of the month. The only thing keeping me feeling even remotely cheerful is everything related to Bobon. Towards the end of the month, I finally got the time to help out my Stepmom with her occasional business. My Stepmom is a cook and she would often sell frozen food, such as spring rolls or wontons. For so long, she has managed to market her products with only her words—and maybe some subpar images—to her friends and neighbours. This time, though, I finally took some professional photos for her that she could use to help market her products to a wider audience who might not want to just take her word for it. What do you guys think?

October

October was also my birthday month—and it was a big one! This year, counting down to the big day, I shared several things on the blog: A Love Letter to My 20s, the final update on my 30 Before 30 List and—finally—my birthday OOTD. In real life, I took the next day off—a Friday—and went on the hunt for a new place to live. I was determined to get out of my parents’ house at this age—okay, I might’ve been influenced by the current negative state of my mood. I also had dinner with my dear friends Uli and Mimin.

Oh my God, October was such a doozy! Safe to say, I hit the ground running. The first week of October alone was so stressful and draining, yet also fulfilling. There were 3 deadlines that week. The first deadline was for the ICW project and I had to hole up in McDonald’s the previous night, thanks to the never-ending rain. The very next day I was to depart for Purwakarta at 6am for a client meeting. That night I had to stay up until midnight at the office, for another deadline early the next day. What a marathon!

Oh my God, October was such a doozy! Safe to say, I hit the ground running. The first week of October alone was so stressful and draining, yet also fulfilling. There were 3 deadlines that week. The first deadline was for the ICW project and I had to hole up in McDonald’s the previous night, thanks to the never-ending rain. The very next day I was to depart for Purwakarta at 6am for a client meeting. That night I had to stay up until midnight at the office, for another deadline early the next day. What a marathon!

October was also my birthday month—and it was a big one! This year, counting down to the big day, I shared several things on the blog: A Love Letter to My 20s, the final update on my 30 Before 30 List and—finally—my birthday OOTD. In real life, I took the next day off—a Friday—and went on the hunt for a new place to live. I was determined to get out of my parents’ house at this age—okay, I might’ve been influenced by the current negative state of my mood. I also had dinner with my dear friends Uli and Mimin.

Otherwise, October was mostly spent trying to catch up to the frequent deadlines of the ICW project—and I’m so glad I wasn’t alone. Adel and I would often exchange news with each other on our respective progress in the project. We even met up to work together at a café, since we lived around the same neighbourhood. I also got to know his husband/manager as we would spend time the three of us together all the time—and sometimes we would share each other’s stories. The last focus group discussion was held right before my birthday, becoming one of the last things I did as a 29-year-old. After this, it was only time for finalisation for the exhibition.

If you’ve been here long enough, you will know that Halloween costume is a tradition here. This year was no different—and, just like the years before, it was also pretty last minute (lol). I actually dressed up twice this year—once as Anne of Green Gables for my office’s Halloween party, once as Dorothy of Oz for this little ol’ blog. May next year finally be the year I give enough time to actually plan a deliberate Halloween costume

Otherwise, October was mostly spent trying to catch up to the frequent deadlines of the ICW project—and I’m so glad I wasn’t alone. Adel and I would often exchange news with each other on our respective progress in the project. We even met up to work together at a café, since we lived around the same neighbourhood. I also got to know his husband/manager as we would spend time the three of us together all the time—and sometimes we would share each other’s stories. The last focus group discussion was held right before my birthday, becoming one of the last things I did as a 29-year-old. After this, it was only time for finalisation for the exhibition.

If you’ve been here long enough, you will know that Halloween costume is a tradition here. This year was no different—and, just like the years before, it was also pretty last minute (lol). I actually dressed up twice this year—once as Anne of Green Gables for my office’s Halloween party, once as Dorothy of Oz for this little ol’ blog. May next year finally be the year I give enough time to actually plan a deliberate Halloween costume

November

For my birthday, Agung bought me sport shoes in the hopes that I would pick up running to improve my health. Finally, at the start of November, running became a new healthy habit of mine. Every other morning I would get up, change into my workout outfit, put in my wireless headset, put on my shoes and run out the door.

I would run the entirety of my neighbourhood, making up a total of 2 km. I would record my runs on Strava and keep track of how much I’ve improved. My motivation also lies in being able to see so many chonky babies in the neighbourhood during my runs. I always stop by to pet them should they let me.

Aside from running, I also started to regularly swim again. This whole workout thing has snowballed into new healthy habits that I am determined to keep. By the end of November, I had run a total of 11 times—could’ve been more if it wasn’t for the incessant rain. I also swam at least once, although unrecorded.

For my birthday, Agung bought me sport shoes in the hopes that I would pick up running to improve my health. Finally, at the start of November, running became a new healthy habit of mine. Every other morning I would get up, change into my workout outfit, put in my wireless headset, put on my shoes and run out the door.

I would run the entirety of my neighbourhood, making up a total of 2 km. I would record my runs on Strava and keep track of how much I’ve improved. My motivation also lies in being able to see so many chonky babies in the neighbourhood during my runs. I always stop by to pet them should they let me.

Aside from running, I also started to regularly swim again. This whole workout thing has snowballed into new healthy habits that I am determined to keep. By the end of November, I had run a total of 11 times—could’ve been more if it wasn’t for the incessant rain. I also swam at least once, although unrecorded.

After a month being absent from exhibitions, Agung and I finally made our way to another one: Kemang 12730—which we also visited the year before. This year’s installment was more to my liking, to be honest, since there were a lot of explorations in sustainable materials that resulted in unique, amazing solutions. Most of them are created through the power of international collaborations—between material and product designers. Other than that, there were also a lot of interactive installations that piqued our interests. Although it rained hard previously—it always seems to be during this exhibition—we really enjoyed it.
After a month being absent from exhibitions, Agung and I finally made our way to another one: Kemang 12730—which we also visited the year before. This year’s installment was more to my liking, to be honest, since there were a lot of explorations in sustainable materials that resulted in unique, amazing solutions. Most of them are created through the power of international collaborations—between material and product designers. Other than that, there were also a lot of interactive installations that piqued our interests. Although it rained hard previously—it always seems to be during this exhibition—we really enjoyed it.

A month or so earlier, my work friend Igor asked me to try something new with him: join the Daun Muda challenge by Citra Pariwara. It is an advertising challenge that would require us to come up with the sickest creative action to fulfill the objective stated in a brief. According to the rule, the participants should be under 30 years old in September—which means this would be our last chance to join, if ever.

There is a very specific time frame for this challenge. The brief will be accessible to the participants on Friday at 9pm, and the final presentation should be submitted to the website by Sunday at 11.59pm. This means we only have the whole weekend to work on it—which we chose to do at the office. Yeah, we came to the office on the weekend…by choice.

I’ll save you the suspense: we didn’t win—or get shortlisted, for that matter. I don’t think either of us believed we could win, but it was pretty fun to stretch our minds creatively.

A month or so earlier, my work friend Igor asked me to try something new with him: join the Daun Muda challenge by Citra Pariwara. It is an advertising challenge that would require us to come up with the sickest creative action to fulfill the objective stated in a brief. According to the rule, the participants should be under 30 years old in September—which means this would be our last chance to join, if ever.

There is a very specific time frame for this challenge. The brief will be accessible to the participants on Friday at 9pm, and the final presentation should be submitted to the website by Sunday at 11.59pm. This means we only have the whole weekend to work on it—which we chose to do at the office. Yeah, we came to the office on the weekend…by choice.

I’ll save you the suspense: we didn’t win—or get shortlisted, for that matter. I don’t think either of us believed we could win, but it was pretty fun to stretch our minds creatively.

Last but not least, the end of November was the time to finally wrap things up on the ICW project. It felt really good to finally be finished with the artwork and deliver my part of the collaboration. The exhibition was fast approaching and I couldn’t wait to see my work displayed on the venue. With a leaping heart, I awaited the coming of December.

Last but not least, the end of November was the time to finally wrap things up on the ICW project. It felt really good to finally be finished with the artwork and deliver my part of the collaboration. The exhibition was fast approaching and I couldn’t wait to see my work displayed on the venue. With a leaping heart, I awaited the coming of December.

December

The next week was the event I’ve been waiting for—the Uncorrupt Fest exhibition, starring works by yours truly! Eep! After working on this comic for, give or take, 3 months and labouring away trying to catch deadline after deadline, it was so satisfying to be able to see my work—along with others’—finally printed and be displayed on the wall. On top of that, I was so touched by the visitors’ responses. I don’t think my work has ever touched anyone else on this scale.

For years, joining an exhibition has always been something I thought could only happen in my dreams. Yet just when I was ready to give up, the opportunity presented itself to me—in the most unexpected way too! Not only that, I also got to create work about an issue that I truly believe in and support. If that wasn’t living the dream, I don’t know what is.

Thank you so much, ICW, for making two of my dreams come true in one fell swoop. I truly cannot be more grateful!

The last month of the year turned out to be the most exciting one. Every weekend seems to be filled with event after event, it was truly mind-blowing—and the perfect way to go out with a bang!

First, I was invited by yet another event to be a speaker for slow fashion. This time, however, the event was to be held offline—my first ever! You best believe I was extra nervous this time. It was called Swappiness, an event organised by Slow Fashion Indonesia in collaboration with TukarBaju. It was basically a clothes swapping party that opened with a talkshow session starring yours truly.

While online events are great, offline events truly are something else. It was so overwhelming to meet people who have enjoyed or are looking forward to reading my book—people with the same passion in slow fashion as me. I also made 6 purchases from this event alone. It was crazy! Thank you so much to everyone who came, it was a pleasure meeting y’all!

The next week was the event I’ve been waiting for—the Uncorrupt Fest exhibition, starring works by yours truly! Eep! After working on this comic for, give or take, 3 months and labouring away trying to catch deadline after deadline, it was so satisfying to be able to see my work—along with others’—finally printed and be displayed on the wall. On top of that, I was so touched by the visitors’ responses. I don’t think my work has ever touched anyone else on this scale.

For years, joining an exhibition has always been something I thought could only happen in my dreams. Yet just when I was ready to give up, the opportunity presented itself to me—in the most unexpected way too! Not only that, I also got to create work about an issue that I truly believe in and support. If that wasn’t living the dream, I don’t know what is.

Thank you so much, ICW, for making two of my dreams come true in one fell swoop. I truly cannot be more grateful!

The last month of the year turned out to be the most exciting one. Every weekend seems to be filled with event after event, it was truly mind-blowing—and the perfect way to go out with a bang!

First, I was invited by yet another event to be a speaker for slow fashion. This time, however, the event was to be held offline—my first ever! You best believe I was extra nervous this time. It was called Swappiness, an event organised by Slow Fashion Indonesia in collaboration with TukarBaju. It was basically a clothes swapping party that opened with a talkshow session starring yours truly.

While online events are great, offline events truly are something else. It was so overwhelming to meet people who have enjoyed or are looking forward to reading my book—people with the same passion in slow fashion as me. I also made 6 purchases from this event alone. It was crazy! Thank you so much to everyone who came, it was a pleasure meeting y’all!

On the third weekend of December, I was whisked off to Bali for a company outing. It was a three-day weekend, starting with a screening of Citra Pariwara’s Awarding Night. The next day was pretty much left free for us to peruse any way we please, so I decided to meet up with my dear friend Mimin. We had known each other since middle school, but she currently lives in Bali. She would come back to Jakarta every now and then, but I had never visited her in Bali. The only time I had been in Bali was 22 years ago, you know! We had a blast visiting some Bali spots I’d been wanting to visit—no gentrification for me, thank you—and chatting about all sorts of things. Can’t wait to return there this March and see Bali in its true colours!

Afterwards, things have pretty much quieted down. Not much has happened since then—perhaps a lot of torrential rain. It was suddenly Christmas Eve and now here we are at New Year’s. Work is as hectic as ever, but it can still hold off for a couple days. Ah, what a nice way to wrap the year.

On the third weekend of December, I was whisked off to Bali for a company outing. It was a three-day weekend, starting with a screening of Citra Pariwara’s Awarding Night. The next day was pretty much left free for us to peruse any way we please, so I decided to meet up with my dear friend Mimin. We had known each other since middle school, but she currently lives in Bali. She would come back to Jakarta every now and then, but I had never visited her in Bali. The only time I had been in Bali was 22 years ago, you know! We had a blast visiting some Bali spots I’d been wanting to visit—no gentrification for me, thank you—and chatting about all sorts of things. Can’t wait to return there this March and see Bali in its true colours!

Afterwards, things have pretty much quieted down. Not much has happened since then—perhaps a lot of torrential rain. It was suddenly Christmas Eve and now here we are at New Year’s. Work is as hectic as ever, but it can still hold off for a couple days. Ah, what a nice way to wrap the year.

That's All, Folks!

From what I heard, 2022 was not the best year for a lot of people, but for me, it was such a profound year. You know, yearly recaps like this have always been such a pain in the ass to write—it takes a long time, and I’m always anxious that I’m forgetting something—but when a memorable year like this happened, it’s so pleasant to look back on. That being said, emotionally, this year wasn’t perfect. There were definitely bouts of insecurities and “depression” throughout the months, yet the good still outweighs the bad. And, generally, most of the positive changes I’ve undergone happened internally. Only I know the impact 2022 has on my mindset and general outlook—and I am thoroughly grateful.

This year has been so much about growth for me. Seeing how far its start and its end are, I almost cannot believe they belong to the same year. After running for so long, I can finally cool down a little bit and take in the view around me. Because—by God!—I’ve arrived. And with that, let’s review my resolution for 2022:

1. Always remember who you want to be

Honestly, I didn’t remember feeling lost at the end of 2021 until I re-read the yearly recap in preparation for this one, but I guess I was so determined to own my sense of self again that I got the ball rolling early on. The big thing about 2022, for me, is exactly this resolution. I explored so much of my personality, my interests and my self this year. Who knew that this strong desire to remain who I am, to never give myself wholly to an institution or to someone else and to refuse to settle for less ended up leading me to something bigger than myself? I don’t know what I imagined I would get if I were to stick to this resolution, but I’m pretty sure the actual outcome was larger than even my wildest imagination.

For 2023, I only have two wishes:

1. Never stop being you
2. Think more of others

Growth is an important thing, even when I thought I would stop learning. With a new heart, a new mindset and a new decade, I’d like to welcome 2023 with a warm hug!

thanks for reading

From what I heard, 2022 was not the best year for a lot of people, but for me, it was such a profound year. You know, yearly recaps like this have always been such a pain in the ass to write—it takes a long time, and I’m always anxious that I’m forgetting something—but when a memorable year like this happened, it’s so pleasant to look back on. That being said, emotionally, this year wasn’t perfect. There were definitely bouts of insecurities and “depression” throughout the months, yet the good still outweighs the bad. And, generally, most of the positive changes I’ve undergone happened internally. Only I know the impact 2022 has on my mindset and general outlook—and I am thoroughly grateful.

This year has been so much about growth for me. Seeing how far its start and its end are, I almost cannot believe they belong to the same year. After running for so long, I can finally cool down a little bit and take in the view around me. Because—by God!—I’ve arrived. And with that, let’s review my resolution for 2022:

1. Always remember who you want to be

Honestly, I didn’t remember feeling lost at the end of 2021 until I re-read the yearly recap in preparation for this one, but I guess I was so determined to own my sense of self again that I got the ball rolling early on. The big thing about 2022, for me, is exactly this resolution. I explored so much of my personality, my interests and my self this year. Who knew that this strong desire to remain who I am, to never give myself wholly to an institution or to someone else and to refuse to settle for less ended up leading me to something bigger than myself? I don’t know what I imagined I would get if I were to stick to this resolution, but I’m pretty sure the actual outcome was larger than even my wildest imagination.

For 2023, I only have two wishes:

1. Never stop being you
2. Think more of others

Growth is an important thing, even when I thought I would stop learning. With a new heart, a new mindset and a new decade, I’d like to welcome 2023 with a warm hug!

thanks for reading