September, 4 Months to Go...

Hey there.

Time flies, doesn’t it? We’ve officially entered September, which means… there are only 4 months left before 2026 comes to a close. Btw, I wrote this on September 5th, hope it’s still relatable!

Entering September always brings a mix of taking a deep breath and realizing just how fast time moves. So much has been happening lately—from social media noise, personal growth, work goals, to ongoing environmental issues.

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Forest Fires, Haze (Jerebu) in Malaysia, & Netizen Meme Culture

If you’ve been living in Malaysia over the past few weeks, one of the hot (and smoky!) topics has been the haze (jerebu) caused by forest fires (karhutla) from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

As an Indonesian living in Malaysia, this situation puts me in a unique and amusing position, haha. On one hand, my eyes sting and throat gets itchy from the haze. On the other hand, my social media feed is flooded with Malaysian netizen memes teasing Indonesia and the government.

A Perspective as an Indonesian in Malaysia

Facing this barrage of satirical memes, the most realistic response as an Indonesian expat is… to smile and roll with it, haha.

We all know forest fires are a serious environmental issue affecting people in both countries. At the same time, dark humor and memes become the public’s way of coping and expressing the humorously complicated love-hate relationship between both nations.

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Random September Screenshots & Quotes

Amidst news headlines and internet chatter, I gathered a few quotes and personal note images that reflect my mood and mindset stepping into this month.

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Disappearing into the Jungle

The social media noise and heavy haze solidified my desire to take a step back. I spent four days at a camp with Greenpeace Malaysia in Perak, right around palm oil plantations and rainforest areas.

Four days of gathering with locals, hiking, seeing an absurdly vast amount of palm oil trees, and doing plenty of outdoor activities.

When I got home, my body immediately sent the bill:

• Sunburned skin
• Fever
• Cough & flu

The complete combo, haha. But strangely enough, I really needed that break.

For those four days, I was completely disconnected from the digital world. No signal, no phone, no endless notifications. At one point, I even got lost for a bit inside the jungle.

Yet surprisingly, it was one of the most peaceful moments I’ve had all year. Without a screen constantly demanding my eyes, my mind finally had space to breathe—time to think, pray, look around, and simply exist without pressure. Seriously, taking a tech fast is so important.

Being disconnected is sometimes the best way to find your way back to connecting with yourself.

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The Brain not braining — zzzz

Honestly, lately there’s been so much clutter bouncing around in my head: work, career goals, personal stuff, continuing master’s studies, learning, blogging, travel plans, even silly things that shouldn’t matter but somehow take up headspace anyway.

It feels exactly like a browser with way too many tabs open at once. And unlike a laptop, our brains can’t just hit close tab without resolving things first.

Processing all of that takes a serious toll on mental energy. I felt a bit overwhelmed and realized I needed some quiet.

Not because anything terrible happened. Not because I’m mad at anyone. And definitely not because I want to cut ties with people. I just need time to clear my mind, pray, and decide what actually deserves my attention—one thing at a time. Setting them straight, one by one.

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Daily Screentime

So yeah, I’ve decided to deactivate my social media again for a while.

I want to spend more time in the real world:

• Writing and keeping a personal journal
• Traveling and turning those experiences into blog posts
• Learning new things and working out
• Spending more time outdoors enjoying fresh air
• Basically doing things that don’t require refreshing a feed every five minutes.

To make sure this isn’t just wishful thinking, I recently bought a small physical lockbox.

The plan is simple: my phone, tablet, and other entertainment devices go inside that small lockbox “jail.”

The rule is straightforward: outside work hours, the phone stays locked.

I’ll only use my phone in the morning and during work hours. Once the workday ends, the phone goes into the lockbox until the next morning.

No more mindless scrolling before bed, no more opening useless apps, and no more trap sentences like: “Let me just check Instagram for 5 minutes.” We all know how that story ends, haha.

I want to reclaim my evenings. Instead of spending hours watching other people’s lives on a screen, I’d rather live my own life in the real world.

Don’t worry though, my laptop stays out. I’m not going back to the Stone Age. The laptop stays for writing, learning code, blogging, and productive stuff.

This isn’t about being anti-technology. It’s about taking back control over when technology gets to take our attention.

Not sure how long it’ll be. Might be short, might be longer than expected. This moment might be my last story post of 2026.

We’ll see. Maybe next year I’ll come back with a new surprise—or at least as a better version of myself than I am right now.

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Continuing Master’s Degree ??? REALLYYYYY ? WHAT THE ?

Yep, you heard that right, haha! This unique creature has chosen to pursue a Master’s degree (S2) this time.

Do you know what the plot twist is? As I wrote in my 27 So Far post, I mentioned that nobody knows where destiny will take you, right? Allah keeps His promise to answer all prayers—some are granted immediately, some are postponed, and some are replaced with something better. In my case, I used to pray and fast every Monday and Thursday hoping to get into S1 Information Technology Education at UNY. I failed back then. But now, hilariously, after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Management, I boldly switched fields, rejected a linear path, and registered for the Master’s in Electrical and Informatics Engineering Education at UNY, guys! Hahaha! Again, Allah is the best Planner. Hand over your burden~

who knows where life will take you, right? Hahahah.

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So yes, goodbye guysss ^_^

Before anyone thinks I’m going off to live as a hermit in a cave: don’t worry, I’m not isolating myself from the world.

I still want to know what’s happening out there. The difference is, I don’t want the world’s noise living inside my head 24/7.

I’ve set up my own AI workflow that gives me a weekly summary of essential news. So key events stay on my radar, without me getting sucked into mindless social media drama.

• Important news? I’ll know.
• Doom-scrolling at 2 AM? Hopefully never.

Also, I’m still reachable! Please don’t feel awkward or pretend we’re strangers now.

I’m still active on WhatsApp, Bluesky, and Discord, so I haven’t vanished off the face of the earth.

If you need anything, want to catch up, need a hand, want to share a funny story, or just ask how I’m doing, drop a message on WhatsApp.

My reply might not be as instant as usual, but I’ll definitely reply.

And yes, I’m still open for freelance coding gigs. That’s rezeki, no way I’m saying no to that, haha!

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So, yes, four months left ~

I don’t want to spend the remaining four months of 2026 chasing social media algorithms.

I want to slow down. Write more, read more, travel, learn, move my body, build cool things, and of course pray a lot.

Enjoy sitting quietly somewhere without feeling the urge to take a photo and post it to a story.

Turns out the digital world doesn’t need to know everything we do. And likewise, we don’t need to know all the noise on the internet.

Besides, with only 4 months left, it feels like my IELTS target that I mentioned in my 26th birthday reflection here won’t be reached—in fact, I haven’t even started a single British-English speaking practice session yet. But well, it got replaced with continuing a Master’s in Engineering, guys, haha!

So if I seem quiet lately, don’t worry. I’m doing just fine—just enjoying life in a calmer space. Thinking about a lot of things, and how to make sure these good intentions are accomplished well too.

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Oh God, I wish…

If I am not yet ready to receive my own victory by the end of this year, then let me become a messenger of Yours—someone who carries Your victories to others.

Let victory still find its way to me, even if it is not meant to be mine. Let me become a path through which Your blessings reach someone else.

Like the simple food I buy—something ordinary to me, yet perhaps a source of livelihood and blessing for someone else. If You have not entrusted that blessing to me yet, then let me be the means through which You deliver it to another.

So if I do not get to experience my own victory by the end of this year, at least let me carry one to someone else. Let me be the person who brings good news, opens a door, helps someone make it to the finish line, or simply becomes a small part of someone’s story of triumph.

Aamiin…

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See you around. Don’t forget to step outside and touch grass once in a while, hahaha.

See you.