Seréna - About

Serén here 👋

This page is admittedly sort of self-indulgent—a space to introduce myself via this tiny space on the internet.

I am a big fan of manga and comic art. Reading is a passion, writing is an effective coping mechanism, and cycling helps to clear a cluttered mind. I believe a job is just one part of life; we are more than what we do for a living.

Nerd at heart, I try to learn new languages and wonder about how the world works; how humans think, behave, and shape the world as we know it. I find it fascinating that in terms of ideas—excluding exact sciences—the opposite may also be true.

Here's to find out what I'm doing right now.

A brief context ⌄

And a little history.

I was born in Ende, home of the magical color-changing Kelimutu Lake, and grew up in a cold, small, peaceful town—Salatiga.

Mom bought our first computer circa 2007. I explored the intriguing tube square machine with gusto while our technician kept coming back to repair it. It was the time I got introduced to operating systems, how software works, what viruses are, how to surf the internet, and tinkered with graphic design.

My path after is anything but conventional.

I earned my bachelor's degree in forestry science, which was predominantly crammed with environmental youth activism in IFSA, notably in the Local Committee. Along with my time as a student teaching assistant in the Forest Spatial and Mapping Lab, I learned about human-environment dynamics and unsurprisingly, overexploitation of natural resources, which more or less brought us to the ongoing climate crisis. Here was also where I built friendship(s) that I hope would last a lifetime.

Armed with mediocre CorelDraw proficiency and a dash of English comprehension, I started gigs in graphic design, copywriting, and translation services. My early creative pursuits definitely weren't masterpiece material, just sufficient to cover daily needs. Serving delicious food at Pothz was my initial entry to small-scale industry and customer service; the latter became helpful knowledge for building great user experience as customer specialist with wonderful peers at tech startup Hostinger.

The random skills I scraped up along the way were unexpectedly useful for my role as project assistant for Forest Investment Program 1, where my responsibilities vary from correspondence with foreign funding agency and created government presentation materials to field visits and monitoring implementation progress.

I currently work at MUTU, ensuring clients's business operation compliance with established standards in sustainable forest management, GHG, and related sectors.

The people I've met, conversations I've had, books I've read, and experiences through several industries have led me to acknowledge that learning is exponential growth. I've come to enjoy my journey forward, connecting the dots.

Trivia ⌄

You may pass a friendship quiz about me.

I'm an introvert

... despite some people's first impressions. I don't mind meeting new people or talking to strangers on the bus. Introversion doesn't always mean social shyness; I think there are still misconceptions about this. I'm still a human being who thrives better as a social species. I enjoy solitude and having a 1-on-1 conversation. Sharing laughs with a group of my close friends would be the cherry on top.

Learning new ideas, concepts, and perspectives through reading is my favorite part. I love the feeling when it clicks, when I delve deep into my interests: exploring, creating, asking questions, finding answers, and synthesizing patterns. Aside from writing, reading, and city-cycling, I also enjoy watching movies and listening to experts (documentaries, talks, etc.), particularly on simplifying complex concepts.

I adore slow-living 🐌

The first time I realized that I don't prefer living in a fast-paced environment was when I got stuck in traffic. For 15 minutes. On a motorcycle. In Yogyakarta.

"Itu bukan macet, Ren, itu namanya ngantre (that's not traffic, Ren, that's a queue line)" said a friend, wealthy of experience from the busy capital. I couldn't agree more. I can certainly handle high-pressure schedules when necessary, but I'll always prefer a more intentional pace.

I'm a somewhat minimalist

Clutter is painful to watch. Goodbye, Things is one of my favorite book. To quote Alice, one Goodreads user: "It felt very cleansing, like taking a shower at the end of a long day." I try to be mindful and deliberate of the things I own.

Sharing some tips from the book:

If you lost it, would you buy it again? If you don't remember owning it, you probably don't need it.
Stop thinking that you would need it "someday". That someday might never come. If it does come irregularly, consider borrowing or renting.

I try to care deeply about little

Commit to a few people who are dear to me, doing things one by one, holding up priorities. I once tried to pursue them all at once and it didn't end up pretty. I don't want to spend my remaining years living insincere life.

The small stuffs:

I love to drink tea. It's an obsession.
I dislike spicy foods. This makes me a minority in a spice-loving (an understatement) country like Indonesia. I only feel the burns on my tongue; it extinguished any other taste of texture and seasonings, thus the act of eating becomes an unpleasant experience.
I believe in mercy and non-violence, but this quote still challenges me from time to time.
I deleted the big 3 social media accounts in early 2021, it just became too much noise to manage. I still keep Pinterest and LinkedIn.
Movies I enjoy the most are often of ensemble cast, action, crime, comedy. Psychological thriller is okay too. No supernatural horror, its visual lingers in my head and drives me paranoid.
I watch Lord of the Rings once a year then feel the urge to follow-up with The Hobbit, the cycle goes on. The energy, dedication, skills, and enthusiasm the acting unit and production team put on were beyond, everyone gave their 300%.
After years of vaguely describing my music preference, I've come to terms with: miserable lyrics, (rather) cheerful beats.
I'd listen to any of their songs on shuffle: Highlight (formerly B2ST) | BtoB | Monkey Majik | Homemade Kazoku | Maiko Fujita | Kana Nishino | Unlimited tone | 安儿陈 | 西瓜JUN | CNBlue | 2BiC | B.A.P | MLTR | Avril Lavigne | Epik High | Bruno Mars | Marcy

Core Values

Personal guiding principles.

On focus and sustainability

It's easy to get lost in impulsive consumerism. I think it's important to periodically re-evaluate our efforts, choices, and possessions to ensure they still serve meaningful values in our lives. And of course, I still collect comics—they bring me joy ✨

On mindful technology and digital wellness

Technology should be a tool that promotes humanity at the center, not the other way around. Trends of digital environment are being designed to monopolize attention. Be aware of what personal information we are willing to compromise as digital footprints. Consider checking the privacy-centric and FOSS options whenever possible. At least, know what we're dealing with; for example, I host this site on Google services for reasons of accessibility, maintenance, and cost. I acknowledge the irony, and I understand what I compromised.

On responsible eating habit

The first step is to make sure to clean our plates. Global food waste is a depressing irony it's almost hilarious while we have hundreds of millions starving people on the other side.

On diversity, equity, and inclusion

I stand against violent oppressions of the LGBTQ+ community and against hatred and discrimination of any kind. I realized that it's a natural reaction to initially fear what we don't understand. And thus, we need to actively create spaces where people are safe from blind hatred, to take our time to develop patience and understanding that we could and are allowed to have differences that happen by choice and differences that happen by nature. Nature thrives in diversity.

On global humanity

Terrorism and war only lead to death and suffering of innocent people. There are 100+ ongoing armed conflicts in the world. We don't need more fear, hatred, and violence.

Right now grief is all around; lots of nation have to continue living with traumatic disorder. In the Gaza war alone, 40% of the death toll were children—these are the facts that are devastating to know. It's a major humanitarian crisis.

Still, there are people working tirelessly to assist peacebuilding. I believe our support, no matter how small and in whatever shape it might take, is not wasted.

Stay safe and healthy🍀

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