I was born in Ende, home of the magical color-changing Kelimutu Lake. Approximately 10 months later, I was brought and grew up in a cold, small, peaceful town—Salatiga. Mom said I learned how to crawl on the ship, backwards🐤

Mom bought our first computer circa 2007. That tube square machine was intriguing. Our technician kept coming back to repair it, reinstalled Windows, upgraded everything; apparently I kept installing heavy softwares above its capability and brought viruses along. It was also the time I awkwardly stumbled upon graphic design.

I went to earn my bachelor degree of forestry science. My university years were full of International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA) activities, most importantly in IFSA LC UGM. Here was also where I built friendships that I hope could last a lifetime—please stay folks, making friends in adulthood is hard.

I was 1/6 student teaching assistant in the Forest Mapping laboratory. I started gigs on graphic design and translation services, served happiness (read: delicious food) at Pothz, and helped people make the best web hosting experience with wonderful peers at Hostinger. Currently I'm a trainee external auditor for sustainable forest management at MUTU Certification.

While I found environmental sector to be critical, it is not my only interest. The people I met, conversations I've had, books I've read, and experiences through several industries led me to acknowledge that learning is exponential growth. I'll let them bloom.

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 many misconceptions about this. I'm still a human being who thrives better as a social species.

I enjoy solitude or having an 1-on-1 conversation. Sharing laughs with a group of my close friends would be the cherry on top. If I'm not careful, I could stay in my own room for weeks, only going out to buy food 😂

I read, write, city-cycling, learn languages, and daydreams. It's no mere hobbies, it's a way of life. Learning new ideas, concept, and perspectives through reading is my favorite part. I love the feeling I get when I delve deep into my interests; exploring, creating, asking questions, finding answers, double-checking the answers.

The daydreaming in particular could be making MVs in my head, internalizing slow motion when I look at breathtaking landscape, conversations and story prompts that appear out of nowhere in my head, wondering about random topics like trivia jukebox. I also enjoy watching movies and watching experts talking about their expertise (documentary, etc).

I adore slow-living 🐌

The first time I realized that I don't prefer living in a fast-paced surroundings 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 my friend Miko, wealthy of experience from the busy capital. Another friend, Sigit—also a Jakarta survivor—sighed in disbelief. Now that I had lived in #30 City with Worst Traffic Congestion—Jakarta, I couldn't agree more.

Please let me vent the frustration. The temptation to leave the motorcycle just right there and walk away home. The inexplainable urge to mute everything around me. If I can pay someone to drive it for me, I would. We have on-call drivers, why can't we have a professional job where someone trades place with us during traffic? (Probably impossible because how do we get them there in the first place, but still, one can have a bit delusion).

I'll handle crowds and full-packed schedules only when it's necessary.

I'm a somewhat minimalist

Clutter is painful to watch. I'll squint my eyes with judgment if I see you don't clean your plates (I might not say anything, but my burning gaze would tell). Especially if people consciously choose the food themselves, not by any force.

Goodbye, Things is one of my favorite book. "It felt very cleansing, like taking a shower at the end of a long day," reviewed Alice, one Goodreads user. 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, didn't end up pretty. Running away. Broken trusts. Broken promises. Broken relationships. False words. Superficial. Shallow results. Burning bridges. The guilt still haunts me sometimes. I don't want to spend my years living insincere life.

More trivias:

• I love to drink tea so much, 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 lost count how many times I've explained this, and how everyone looked at me with pity.

• I want to learn lots of stuffs. Literature, languages, approaches to life, and why the world works like it does.

• I believe in mercy and non-violence, but this quote bothers me. 

• I deleted big 3 social media accounts in early 2021, it just became too much noise to manage. I still keep Pinterest (for the lols without being social) and LinkedIn (you know, to bait recruiters).

• Aside from reading, I also love watching movies. Genres I enjoy the most are often of ensemble cast, action, crime, comedy. Psychological thriller is okay too.

• My ultimate favorite is Lord of the Rings trilogy. I watch them once a year. The energy, dedication, skills, and enthusiasm the acting unit and production team put on were beyond. They know they should never mess up Tolkien, it's like everyone gave their 300% for it.

• After years of vaguely describing my music preference, I come to terms with: sad lyrics, cheerful beats.

• I'm a K-pop stan for Highlight (formerly B2ST), BtoB, and Super Junior. Casual listener for all 2nd generation.

• Other musicians that I trust-listen to all songs blindly: Monkey Majik | Homemade Kazoku | Maiko Fujita | Kana Nishino | Unlimited tone | 安儿陈 (An Er Chen) | 西瓜JUN | CNBlue | 2BiC | B.A.P | MLTR | Epik High