Rays and Days

  They say what crosses your mind in the quietest hour of the night is the most honest truth. It has been exactly 182 days since I posted my 2 AM Thoughts series. Half a year has passed, and perhaps this is the perfect time for another one, to reflect, to rewind, and to look back on everything that has unfolded lately. *** Saying "Yes" Still Scares Me I said yes to another opportunity to stand under the spotlight, more than one, actually. Three different events within six months. Still feels unbelievable. What I always seem to forget is that every "yes" comes with extra nervousness, anxiety, and, occasionally, a complete mental breakdown before the camera even starts rolling. To everyone who had to witness that version of me, I’m truly sorry. I know I wasn’t the easiest person to be around during those moments. The emotional roller coaster was... a lot. But your presence, patience, reassurance, and quiet confidence in me—right until the floor director finally said, ...

Na Willa adalah film keluarga yang hadir pada libur lebaran tahun ini. Awalnya, aku tidak menyangka film penuh warna ini justru membuatku banyak berefleksi, dan bahkan mendorongku untuk langsung menuangkannya ke dalam tulisan. And to write 1.056 words, draft, even publish it under 24 hours? Unbelievable. So, here are my thoughts on Na Willa. Innocence We Once Had First of all, Na Willa and I share the same childhood dreams;  going to school and getting married hahaha. Lucu ya, anak kecil yang polos, dengan minim pengalaman, justru punya semangat menggebu untuk menuntut ilmu. Orangtuaku bahkan sering mengingatkan (bercanda… atau mungkin tidak?) bahwa dulu aku tidak sabar kembali ke sekolah setiap kali liburan berakhir. There’s something precious about that kind of innocence, a treasure that we need to keep in mind throughout life Sebuah semangat yang seharusnya tidak hilang, bahwa belajar bukan hanya untuk satu fase hidup, tapi sepanjang hayat. Film ini mengingatkan bahwa dulu kita...

They say what crosses your mind in the quietest hour of the night is the most honest truth. If that’s the case, then I must admit: 2025 was a tough year. So much happened—the fun parts, the exhausting parts, the joyful parts, and the deeply vulnerable ones. There were times I laughed freely in crowded rooms. There were times I screamed silently in the very same rooms I once enjoyed. I cried in the car. I bawled at my desk. I sobbed in bed. I wept in the bathroom. Peak quarter-life crisis, isn’t it? Have you noticed how every light is always accompanied by shadow? How the sun must set so the moon can have its time to shine? Here are my personal takeaways from 2025—both the beautiful and the painful. *** 1) Be Brave There is a rare kind of privilege in being tired from building the life you want—and that exhaustion is worth every unpaid minute. A simple “yes” turned into something unimaginable. I was incredibly grateful when someone scouted me to join their hackathon team. I ...