If The Age of Reading Is Over, What Comes Next?
Last night I read an article by Rose Horowitch on the Atlantic titled “The Age of Reading is Over." I expected another article blaming social media, smartphones and short attention spans for the decline of books. Instead, what I found was something much more thought-provoking. Horowitch wasn't simply arguing that people don't read anymore, instead she was asking whether we are witnessing the end of a period in history when reading was the dominant way human beings learned to
5 hours ago6 min read
The Storyteller Friend
Stories are powerful. In fact, stories are often more powerful than facts. Think about it. When a friend calls you and says they have tea, nobody responds with a demand of evidence. We immediately lean in and push for more juice. We want to know everything: who said what, who did what, who cheated on whom, who got caught, who cried, who left, and who came crawling back. It doesn't even have to involve people we know. Millions of people spend hours every day consuming celebrit
Jun 123 min read
My Water is Always Served Warm
I was watching a sermon by a famous priest from Surabaya and he called upon his ... believers to be more mindful of our actions. I have never been a fan of the guy, I think he’s a scam but that video led me to the realization of two words that despite often being used interchangeably, are describing completely different things. I've always been a big believer in simple judgments. If something feels fishy, it probably is. Life has taught me that our first impressions aren't a
Jun 83 min read
Ten & a Half Hours Later
Trying to catch a tan in the middle of work is no easy feat Ten and a half hours. Apparently, that’s how long I need to sleep for me to conjure up the will to start writing again. I stopped writing for about a month. Not because I had some dramatic existential crisis or I ran out of things to complain about. If anything, I probably had more opinions than usual. I was simply busy with life and work, and honestly, trying to catch up on my sleep. God, what I would do for a week
May 143 min read
“No Evidence” Is the Dumbest Smart Thing People Say
Arguing with people that love to say “there’s no evidence for that,” is a waste of time. I recommend that you end the conversation, because people like those just dropped the final word and everything else becomes irrelevant. It sounds intelligent, it sounds rational but it’s usually neither. Most of the time, it’s just a shortcut, one way to avoid critical thinking. Let’s get something clear first : No evidence does not mean something is false. It simply means we don’t h
Apr 76 min read
March 2026
I have been very busy that I have completely forgotten to write and that no one actually cares. Well, that was a lot for one month. War in Iran, a series of car accidents running over people in Jakarta (What's with that?), Gas prices creeping up again, Shell still out of gas across Indonesia and my birthday somewhere in between. Can we have just one normal month where nobody is trying to kill somebody? I’m sorry guys, but this is how it’s like for men approaching 40, we get d
Mar 274 min read
Chinese New Year: The Habit of Luck
I consider myself a fairly auspicious person. I care about little nuances that my culture taught me growing up, not because I necessarily I believe in what they can cause, but simply because I believe ultimately, they are good for me. If you had met me before Covid, I would tell you that those things are stupid and I would probably even mock you for saying such things (sorry, mom!) Every Chinese New Year, the idea of being auspicious becomes central. Most of us, cut our hair
Feb 194 min read
