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, ...

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 ...

Minami Ikebukuro Park Sign Years ago, the mayor of Toshima City had a dream to create a safe, walkable city for everyone. He started to build 4 parks around Ikebukuro and connect that place with Ikebus, the Toshima tourism bus. Minami Ikebukuro Park is used to be an ordinary yet dangerous, dirty park. It was unsafe for the citizens because it became a place for homeless people, prostitute, even drug dealers. As a result, local residents didn't want to come to this park. City government began to redevelop this place and open for public in 2016, after Toshima City Hall.  Mr. Tatsuya Hiraga, founder of Landscape Plus CO., as well as landscape architects who helped design the Toshima City Hall, is one of the men behind this successful redevelopment project. He said that the park is not just a place with trees or flowers. Park is ‘living room’ for local people, a park is a place for nature and social interaction. Thus, the park should provide a place where we can do both...

Aku kembali! Aku memutuskan untuk memulai menulis kembali di laman ini, selain untuk melatih skill menulis juga untuk menorehkan kenangan seperti yang aku lakukan 12 tahun yang lalu, di negara ini juga. Setelah kebingungan mencari konten yang cukup bagus untuk ditulis di laman ini, akhirnya mendapat ide dan pengetahuan baru yang sayang jika tidak dibagikan. Semoga flow nya enak untuk dibaca ya, maklum sudah lama sekali tidak menulis hehehe. Enjoy! Alhamdulillah kemarin (19/10) mendapat kesempatan untuk mengunjungi beberapa tempat unik di Ikebukuro, Kota Toshima, Tokyo. Mendapatkan banyak ilmu dan perspektif baru dalam membangun kota dengan konsep eco-friendly , yang melibatkan masyarakat dalam prosesnya. Tur kali ini dipandu oleh Suzuki Sensei dan Mr. Tatsuya Hiraga, pendiri Landscape Plus CO., serta arsitek lansekap yang turut merancang Toshima City Hall dan Minami-Ikebukuro Park. Post kali ini khusus membahas Toshima City Hall. Minami-Ikebukuro Park? Nantikan di post selan...

Otsu, 2007 This will be my first post after many years. Happily announce that finally, I'm back to the place I miss the most, Japan. There's a lot of things I need to sacrifice to get to this place. Moments with friends, families, and other things that can't be described. But I'm sure this experience will be more thrilling and exciting. Do I feel afraid? Of course. I'm afraid that I lost every moment in my origin country. I'm afraid that I couldn't do anything without my family. I'm afraid that I couldn't catch up with the high standard. I'm afraid that I couldn't hold the responsibilities on my own. But here I am, standing on my own feet, carrying luggage on my own, ready to face the world. Saitama, 2019 Twelve years have passed, I still remember how I step out of my boundaries and mingle with local students. When I bravely introduced myself in front of many people on orientation day, thanks to my mom who taught me h...