Posts from @macchiata

The Things Hive Taught Me That Doesn't Quite Translate Anywhere

macchiata — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 02:23:06 GMT

On Hive, I learned to value the process behind people's writing and their voice. Originality above all else.

Unfortunately, that isn't valued in the current environment I am in. Picture this, in a society and environment focusing on survival, most of the people expect speed to get the job done. They added dash of "what looks good" on paper to increase the fake value of something/someone. Whether that person understand it or not, they do not care. Most people won't audit/attempt to poke at where they get the idea from. In such a world, it is impossible not to get help from any tools. You can but you either get left behind or make nothing at all.

Now, enter AI in the picture.

When I was starting to get into the Indonesian market, I am surprised people use it to draft ideas, generate ideas, and write. Those are considered accepted and my friends actually make a living doing it that way. I was stunned and question, am I the stupid one or do I have such unrealistic standard and too autistic?

While since 2017, I've been keeping my writing raw and I research everything manually, I think through before I draft/write something. The train of my thoughts can be jumbled at times and especially in a reflection post like this. AI would rate my writing piss-poor for its incoherency and the grammatical mistakes its made. But I am proud of it ( you can argue otherwise).

Do that long enough and especially during one's formative years, it's a habit to do so. To expect originality, process, and quality. Apparently, those are something I need to unlearn in my current industry where I am allowed to use any tools I can in the world to work on a project. They do not care if it's AI, human, or something in between. What people care is the polished product behind it and the cosmetics of it. Even on sites like Linkedin, everyone is writing AI content, style, and nobody question it all.

I actually questioned it a long time ago. I thought that a writing piece have to be original, like it really comes from our brain. But you can see a lot of these influencers get rich of paraphrasing articles, news, and get rewarded for it over web2 and unfortunately, I am back to that kind of world and has to adhere to the standard there (sucks to be me) but hey, one's got to do things to survive so I can afford writing my hearts out over here 😄 without having to censor my thoughts and my writings.

So, nowadays I am still re-learning to live in the environment I am especially since early of this year. It takes quite a while due to the stuff and standard I learn here could not be translated to the world I currently in. The mismatch between here and there are day and night.

And this is where I choose to keep my 100% personality and voice. A place where a human journey has a value.


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

[Music] Monica By Jack Harlow The Album of The Year For me

macchiata — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 04:59:00 GMT

I probably live under the rock because only today I discovered truly Jack Harlow. Some of you perhaps have listened Lovin On Me. He is also known as a rapper but through Monica, he transition into neo soul, R&B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq8h3GEe22o&list=RDIq8h3GEe22o&start_radio=1

This year, I thought Ariana Grande's latest album, Petal would be the tracklist of the year but the other day, I was discovering Jack Harlow and stumbled upon Monica.

Throughout the whole tracklist, Harlow's is showing his no-cussin and mellow side compared to his previous album and single with other artists.

I hate to say it too but sometimes this is like Post-Malone, a rapper who also explores country scene and it was such a miss. But for Harlow, I have to say, the transition is quite beautiful because now we get to listen more melodic neo soul R&B like Prague, through Monica.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFf5SSqRd5Y&list=RDlFf5SSqRd5Y&start_radio=1

This sounds like neo-soul back in the 90's and perhaps why it sounds soothing because it evokes certain nostalgia to its listener. For someone who used to listen this clean-ish RnB melody, Prague from the whole tracklist do the justice.

Then there's also Trade places as an intro to Monica that sounds best when you work from a cafe and needed something in the background. It's soft and fun. If it was a place, I'd picture a cozy quiet cafe in the middle of city.

Now that it's almost November, this song Living Alone by Jack Harlow will hit different. It has that cozy winter-ish vibe to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJol0mMQUzY&list=PLPk3o2y1Lr7pLyzc7uo-jwOb_tlQZlTuH&index=7

That living alone feels more like situationship and one-sided love in terms of the lyrics but if you listen the melody, that is one beautiful beat.

So as you see above, through the contrasts, from Lovin on me to Monica as an album is quite a difference.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Originally posted through scrobble.life/music.

How To Get Ahead in Exploitative Environment

macchiata — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:13:36 GMT

Yes, I woke up in the wrong side of the bed today

My long time friends and everyone who read me here might know where I stand. For those who don't, I walked away from the Indonesian workforce years ago because of its work culture and the people who perpetuate it. There is no better word to say it but it’s an exploitative, dog-eat-dog environment where people are expected to fight for survival on peanuts.

There is barely merit embedded in the system. Power, connections and the ability to play the game often matter more. Until that changes, even raising salaries alone won't fix a culture that rewards exploitation. In bahasa Indonesia, we have the word " Pintar cari Peluang" to describe someone who knows how to find ways to exploit people. Simultaneously, we have "Terlalu polos" to describe someone that gets exploited because they have no ability to understand the game. Since it's already embedded in the language, it is deeply rooted and even more challenging to uproot. But this is not just isolated in the workplace case, this is also embedded in its society and how it functions as a whole.

Think of my experience as a hotel game experience. I used to check-out of this entire society because numerous lists of expectations that did not meet my expectations. I learned that even studying at top institution in the country does not guarantee you will sit with academically gifted students. What I eventually realized is that, that was actually the place to learn how to survive the game in Indonesian society, the dog-eat-dog environment. So, I checked-out only to find I wasn't smart enough to play the entire game which resulted in myself back to the check point, to check-in to the game.

You can just leave right? Yes I can but I have to be more strategic this time. Since the game I played resulted in a game over where I am being sent back to the same checkpoint, to check-in into this society and play the game all over again.

I honestly consider this a second chance but I do not want to compromise my values. So, to avoid getting exploitation to the bone, I dealt with the cards given to me and make it my game. Here are some of the things I learned :

Some of the ways to get ahead in this exploitative environment is to not be too loyal. These people do not deserve your loyalty.
Never feel guilty to leave and negotiate. They can just find anyone to be exploited.
Always have multiple exit strategies.
Or just exit completely with all the risks involved.

But what if it's your own family and family owned company? That gets more challenging right?

The first step if you are in my position is that to establish clear professional competence. In my case though since the field I am entering is highly credential based. So, formal education, experience and professional certifications matter more than anything.

I learned my lesson and even through a game I played the other day, 1 in 8 billion game, this person comes from Nigeria and the key to this person success what because I chose education and less caring about the toxic family and society environment. I also opt for a balanced stocks and investing.

So, I would say that some of the ways to get ahead in exploitative environment is get educated, find source of money as much as possible, diversify that income, do not excessively help people. If there's possibility of moving abroad, do it, as long as it is slightly better environment. While no county / society is perfect, we have to recognize, there is a ranking between them and it's true. Also follow this rule " Go where you are treated best." If someone from Russia or other countries to go places like Bali & think it's great, that is because their rubel and $ stretches a long way & they are treated best because their economic advantage. At the end of the day, Indonesia isn't environment for the weak, its tropical climate, the workforce environment and the overall dog-eat-dog world. It's highly vicious once you understand what lies behind the friendliness, saving face culture and the warm heartedness of its people.

Read the full post

BREW FROM HOME | ARUTALA ARABICA GAYO

macchiata — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:14:30 GMT

It all comes down to preference....

But if you ask me, among many recent roastery in Indonesia that is worth trying, I'd always recommend Arutala. I forgot when I actually found this brand as usually I only drink product from Semekar, one of its main competitors. Apparently, once I tried Arutala, I never look back anymore.

Arutala selection is slightly more expensive than its other competitors in the market but the flavor that it generates truly worth the price. I don't have any favorites since I always try different flavors. But this time, I tried their Arabica Gayo.

As seen above, it is medium body with medium acidity as well. You can see the flavor notes that it's perfect base for latte as it has the profile combination of dark chocolate. Also, they are best for espresso and anything made with a moka pot. Since I use moka pot, I never look back anymore. It is simply the best way to make coffee with more depth and intensity.

You can see that it creates rich crema as well despite it's not an espresso machine. For me these days it's more economical to buy ground beans and work from home. I rarely go out to a cafe unless I am paid to do so. Afterall in a cafe all I was looking was good quality coffee and the AC. In the future, I think it is best for me to invest in AC since that would help as well.

Do you agree that it's more economical to buy ground beans and brew it from home?


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

Sit With Discomfort

macchiata — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:44:48 GMT

Sitting Through The Uncomfortable

When did the last time you left your phone at home or read a physical book? Maybe some of you guys here are not a good sample size of my questions since I believe you guys still read a physical book and left your phone at home at times. Yet for the majority of people out of this bubble, that seems like a mission impossible. If you still have a trouble with leaving your phone around or getting slightly addicted to it, it's time to switch back.

From the past couple of weeks, I have been slightly addicted to my phone. I binge watched K-drama and spent a lot of time on it watching youtube. As an effect of that, some of my work were halted and I ended up becoming unproductive. While it is not something bad, a little productivity is fine but I noticed my attention span and impulsivity slowly increase. Since I felt that my brain was starting to melt and my productivity was going through the drain, I decided I had enough. It's not easy to get off phone addiction but I did a few things including sitting through the uncomfortable.

First of all, it sucks not having an access to your phone. Due to it, I was feeling even more frustrated that I wanted to work from a cafe. But that wasn't an option either. So, I had to deal with whatever was on my table, working from home and with all the clutters and discomfort. Strangely, after an hour of doing it, my brain adapted. It felt like I was back to normal where I can live without my brain and it got a refresh it needed.

The lesson is that, when you want to quit a bad habit, just sit with the uncomfortable, your brain will adapt to its new baseline.

The same goes for working out and everything else that you want to get in this world. Think of it as training your brain muscle. Slowly, they'll get better at it. Another thing I noticed is that I do not reach for my phone during the Sunday sermon. I brought my own bible and just highlight the old fashioned way than the using my phone. Hate to admit but most of the time, if I open the bible through my phone, I find it hard to concentrate. Today, I was able to concentrate more and had a great time at Church. I recommend to just ditch the phone and bring a physical bible.

I suppose today was a Sunday well-spent. I managed to reset my baseline and brain. Now, it's time to do it all over again with all the new tricks and tips from the reflection I did last week. When you find yourself spending too much time online or even wanting to change your habit, revisit this post and sit with any discomfort you're experiencing.

Have a great Sunday everyone!


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

[TV] Again My Life A Second Choice & Legal Fantasy

macchiata — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:39:21 GMT

Back again with another Korean Series Recommendation from me, Again My Life which was released back in 2022. This series can be found through VIU and has 16 episodes, a typical long episodes from series released around that year. This shows centered around the lives of Kim Hee Woo ( Lee- Jo Gi) an aspiring prosecutor who got murdered and got a 2nd chance in life to turn unveil an intricate corruption.

This was one of the series that took me a while to finish but it's got all the ingredients for a comfy series. Talk about motivation, intricacies, law and drama tossed into the story,

This drama is meant to be enjoyed if you want to learn about corruption and for someone living in one of the most corrupt countries in the world, I enjoy watching justice gets its screen time.

Recently, I do not watch too many film but I have the habit of revising old series especially about law and corporation. Would I recommend this one? I'd suppose if you enjoy watching a series that helps you think. It's going to be a little painful to actually go through the episodes but you'll learn something new in between.


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

Originally posted through scrobble.life/tv.

The Hidden Advantage of Studying “Useless” Degrees

macchiata — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 05:51:18 GMT

I finally understand why some successful billionaires or millionaires are drawn to humanities or social sciences major

I am one of those people who chose those so called unemployable degree. The degree that I chose was considered impractical and the highest level can someone make it in life is by becoming an English professor. So, naturally for an ambitious person, that doesn't sound too sexy. Many statistics throughout the world also noted that having an English degree are less likely to put you in the 1% and even less if you have other seemingly impractical major such as creative writing, history and even philosophy.

That being said, those aren't necessary the major that a teacher would suggest to their students if money is their orientation. They'll tell you to take something more practical and major with more job opportunities. But it remains quite a curiosity to me when I learned that some billionaires have either Humanities or Social Science Major. And in that same post, you can see from the graphic presented, more than 80 of them has an MBA. I know, some are dropouts but they get the headlines because people get curious to the extreme and hoping that they can do the same. Well, not really. There are many nuances to these dropouts who made it in life and even poor people who made it in life. It is rare to find the combination of a poor parents ( background ) and dropout that truly made it in life. Anyhow, after entering a more technical academic environment, I began to understand something I wished I truly understand 13 years ago or more.

It took about 13 years to realize what I am about to share but first, I have to say that Business is about people. (Something I learned from my encounter with successful entrepreneurs) which will give us the prelude to what I am about to share.

My thoughts was first recorded this morning after I attended a class on Method of Analysis. It was then sparks me a word "framework" and ways of thinking. Especially when the topic was mixture of how to pick the right location for your next factory?

I come with the assumption that we all need money. And actually to make considerable amount of money in whatever field you're in, we have to understand what people want, need, and fear and their source of motivation, including how people make decision. I didn't struggle at all understanding the class because indirectly, through my English degree, I learned all of that. When I read and analyze literature, it helps me with learning to look for pattern, understand context and why people behave they way they do. So, spend quite some years it in and you'll develop a certain framework. The thing is with an English degree, we were mostly focused on the human. We see human as human not just number in spreadsheet or data. But in engineering and econ, we see them as numerical data.

Throughout the class, I noticed different ways of people solving problems. Some of my peers come from various background but mostly engineering. They approach by listing the components, applying methods and evaluate the result while for me, I question how the problem was defined and then how history and society intertwine which then help shaped the situation. Now, I learn to see both human as human but also numerical data on a pretty spreadsheet. But most importantly, I start seeing it in less isolated ways of solving a problem.

One of the people I used to closely examine was Elon Musk. He comes from a combination of STEM and Social Science Major ( Physics & Econ). That combinations build interesting framework in the way he thinks. He doesn't come from a rigid software engineering background or computer science but his physics degree gave him the foundation. Then, the social sciences (Econ) helps him understand people.

What's amazing nowadays is that perhaps you don't have to go to university anymore to learn ( depending on your learning style, you can opt for a degree). And I can say that if you are still in 20's major in both. Have a STEM background and MBA, or a combination between the two even in the age of AI. And throughout my classes recently, I finally learned more on how to code, how to build rather than just think and analyzing it. For me, switching to engineering really helps with putting things into practice. As opposed to in the past when I was just a literature student and I think a lot. These days, I build more than I think.

That was the reflection for the day. Something I wished I knew sooner😄

Read the full post

Joy Of Missing Out

macchiata — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:09:30 GMT

Learning to apply JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out).....

This afternoon, there were multiple things I notice. First, Indonesian Rupiah plummets to 18,000/1$. Second, the air quality around me is unhealthy and it will only get worse. Third, I saw Tesla is testing flying cars but some parts of the world, they're struggling with more natural disaster and it just gets unthinkable. And amidst of it all, I have dozen of list of homework, a job to review a government project and some other responsibilities that despite everything else going in the world, life continues.

As you can see here, around Indonesia and its surrounding neighborhood, due to forest fires, the haze clouds the area and affects the overall air quality. Sometimes I wonder, what does it feel like to breathe a fresher air?

Today, afterclass, I decided to take a breather. I decided to clean up what needs to be done, distract myself from everything else happening around me and eventually, come back with a list to focus on. Maybe the world will end tomorrow or maybe it won't but all these distractions certainly gets to me.

Whenever I fail to refocus, I'd turn off everything else, including my laptop. I'll forget I have a task to do and dozen of lists. I just sleep, watch movies and cook a comforting meal. The next day, I'd wake up refreshed. But this time around, I'd love to simply practice more on JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). I don't have to know everything that's going on in the world. And that's enough of story for the day, I have a class to catch up tomorrow morning.

What's your thought on the Joy of Missing Out?


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

Teaching Online From A Cafe

macchiata — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:31:27 GMT

When you can't rely on your coffee shipment.......

The other day, I was expecting my shipment of fresh coffee to arrive but as the title suggest, it was late. When I tried to have a productive day without a drop of caffeine, I knew it would be an unmotivating day.

The thing is, I need not only a place where I can have coffee but also sit down while teaching my students from afternoon to almost 9 PM. There is certainly a cons teaching from a cafe but I found a reliable place called Arah Coffee, a well-established franchise with no frills. Their cafe feels like a giant box of freezer for to keep things fresh for a long time and I was apparently one of the things. I kid you not, there are more than 7 AC in such a small room, all blasted the entire day 24/7. I am not really sure what their deal is but it's a walk-in freezer that will serve you coffee.

Anyway, when I was there, I tried to make the best of it for cheap. I conducted 4 of my classes there without any internet problem. The internet in that cafe is the fastest in town hovering around 300mbps. All I need was to pay 2.5 for the big size Americano and lounge for hours (no shame). I mean, I am a regular and bring my friends there so in my broque days, that should be justified that I only spend that much 😂

I ended up going back home at around 9 PM after my last class. Typically working from this cafe made me extremely tired once I go back home. However, I felt insanely productive because I finished many tasks in that walk-in freezer. Sometimes I wonder if I am not meant to live in tropics due to my love of cold weather 🤣 and anything insanely cold.

For my other class, I also asked them a question. " Have you ever thought about adjusting the work situation based on our tropical climate? Say a nap for 1-2 during the day when the heat is at its highest?"

That was quite intriguing question for them because they never think about how environment should actually shape our decision. Where I live, we based a lot of our design, system thinking to western standard in which some things aren't particularly helpful. At the end of the day, my classes aren't only teaching language but also to teach them critical thinking skills and question the norms.

And I am still patiently waiting for my coffee shipment :')


	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴? 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺.

How to Activate Microsoft Office 2024 on a New Laptop

macchiata — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 07:18:57 GMT

Why pay when you can have it for free? .

Before this laptop, I was subscribing to Microsoft 365 with a payment about $8/ month. It's quite significant and since Microsoft Word is something I use daily, it's one of the thing I have to get a subscription for. But when I purchase the new laptop, they come with a lifetime Microsoft Word 2024. The only problem was I wasn't able to claim the freebies due to my exisiting subscriptions to Microsoft 365. It takes me 2 months to finally figure it out.

Here's the checklist that you can do.

Ensure that the account that you use to sign up first is readily availble and is signed in to your microsoft store.
If you have an existing subscriptions, just uninstall it and once you finish, go to microsoft store and click on claim.
You will notice that now you have to re-download the microsoft office. Let the operation finish.
Voila, you have successfully claim the Microsoft 2024.

The overall look is different from Microsoft 365 but if you're used to it, there shouldn't be significant changes. Most importantly, if it's a new laptop, you get the product for free and it's a lifetime license. (Not all laptop deals are like this, so make sure to find one that offer this best deal).

As long as you don't click on upgrade, that should be fine. Now, I do not have to pay $8 and can use it for other necessary subscriptions that helps me with my work instead.