Everybody struggles inside

A few years ago, I had a new manager who was confident, kind, and easygoing. He is the type of person you could open up to and trust almost instantly. He carried himself with warmth, cracked jokes in meetings, and made the workplace feel lighter just by being there. But

The slow decline of joy

There was a time when every action came with a second thought: how would this look online? Life stopped feeling like something to live and started feeling like something to perform. Somewhere along the way, the luxury of doing things just for joy slipped away. The simple pleasure of playing

Modern friendships are about the intention

Over the years, I have come to realise that friendships evolve as we grow. When we are young, friends are always close by. We laugh together, share everything, and see each other almost every day. When life moves on, many things change. We finish school, start working, move to new

Tiny steps and a long walk

People often say life is a marathon, not a sprint. But I think neither is quite right, because life isn’t even a race. It’s a long walk, and we’re free to run when the mood strikes, to take tiny steps if that’s what feels right, or

I was a money-printing machine

For years, I lived like a money-printing machine.  Each morning started early, with long and monotonous commutes through traffic and crowded trains that set the tone for another tiring day—at my desk, the hours blurred by in meetings and working on tasks that seldom made sense.  When the day

How to slowly become a better person

There is a comfort zone where everything feels safe and familiar. We wake up, go to the same job, visit the same coffee shop, and talk to the same people. Life here is predictable. We know what will happen, and nothing surprises us. It feels easy, and we rarely worry.

How are you, really?

“How are you?” That question is simple, but it sometimes feels awkward. It can even seem a bit mocking. Most people expect a quick answer, something easy, because they want the conversation to move along and not pause to look deeper. But sometimes I pause and think. Honestly, I don&

The days are long, the years are short

I’m 32 today. But yesterday, I was 18. The days stretch on. The years slip away. Yesterday’s battles were exams. Today’s struggles are at work. Yesterday, I wondered how to talk to a girl. Today, I think about how to show my wife that I care. Not

If only "joy" could pay the bills

I read about a café that closed down recently. It was run by two elderly couples who were known to be kind. They remembered everyone’s name. Their coffee was simple, not expensive, not fancy. They made everything feel like home. But one day, they had to close the café.

When flowers bloom

It is spring now. All around, some flowers have bloomed—bright and open, ready for the world. But maybe you look at yourself and see only a small bud, still waiting, still wondering: “Will I ever be like them?” For a long time, I asked myself the same question. I

Don't give up too soon

There was a time when I looked at people who reached their dreams and felt amazed. I thought they had something special, something I did not have. Back then, many goals felt impossible for me. When I tried to follow my dreams and things got hard, I would stop. I

I regret being afraid

I used to be afraid of going to the gym. From the outside, it seemed intimidating—everyone looked fit, confident, and ahead of me. I worried that if I walked in, people would spot how out of place I was, how little I knew, and judge me for being a

Ordinary days

After a weekend trip with my wife, I realised how much comfort I find in my daily rhythm. While travelling brought excitement and surprise, it also made me appreciate the calm of my everyday life—the routines that give me a steady sense of home. Most mornings begin the same

Living beyond regret and worry

Over the past few weeks, I've been having trouble sleeping. You know that feeling when you've been in bed for hours but you couldn't fall asleep? In those moments, I often think about two things: the past and the future. There’s a heaviness

You’re still you when everything changes

Sometimes, life presses pause on the things we thought defined us. Maybe it’s a job that ends, a role that shifts, or a routine that disappears. Suddenly, the labels we’ve worn—worker, manager, creator—don’t fit quite the same way. It’s easy to wonder: what’s

The inheritance we can't give

I recently learned that fireflies may become extinct in the coming years. I then realised that future generations might never have the chance to witness the awe of hundreds of glowing insects flying in the dark of night. There's something haunting about being part of the last generation

You haven’t seen the best version of yourself

Trigger warning, this post will address some aspects of suicide/self harm. Have you ever wondered about your impact on this world? I sometimes find myself asking these questions: If I die, who would be sad? Who would care? Who would cry? However, I have recently been contemplating two distinct

The quiet liberation of being unimportant

For the longest time, I felt like I was digging in the dark. There was no light, no end in sight—just the constant, scraping effort against an unseen wall. My hands were raw, my muscles ached, and my only thought was to keep digging. If I stopped, what would

Why do people need so much money?

Lately, I find it difficult to sleep, not due to a health problem, but because my conscience can no longer bear it. How world leaders, superstars, and influencers remain silent about genocide. How the Indonesian government seems to think it's acceptable to destroy Raja Ampat—one of the

There's no avoiding sadness

There's no avoiding sadness. So you should embrace it. At least, don't make it worse. So... Hang out with your friends while being sad. Take care of your health while being sad. Work hard while being sad. Do everything while being sad. Because... There's

The world is so busy, and then there's me

The world is always moving. Everyone has something on their plate—work, family, dreams, worries, and deadlines that chase them through the week. And then there's me, standing still for a moment, watching it all go by like a river that never stops flowing. I scroll through my

We might be too obsessed with metrics

For a long time, I thought I needed to become "someone special" to matter in this world. I was always waiting—waiting to feel good enough and waiting to start really living. But the truth is simple: I am already someone. I am me, right now. In 2022,

We need to talk more about our pain

I've been thinking a lot about silence lately—not the peaceful kind that brings tranquillity and zen, but the heavy kind that isolates. The kind where words get stuck in your throat because you're afraid of being judged or, worse, being a burden. We live in

Keeping the fire in you

There’s a quiet magic in how a single candle can light up a dark room. That tiny flame stands firm against the shadows, much like our motivation and determination can guide us through life’s most challenging moments. But when problems keep piling up and progress feels slow, it’

The lonely road to the life we want

There’s a truth we don’t talk about enough: chasing your dreams is often a lonely place. When you decide to move closer to your goals, things start to change. Some people drift away. Some mock you. Others try to pull you back down, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes