What I'm Doing Now

👨‍💻 What I'm Working On

I've been diving deep into rebuilding my personal website and blog using Next.js. What started as a simple refresh turned into a complete overhaul. I've added tag filtering, category systems, improved the design, and made everything more organized and searchable. It's been incredibly satisfying to see it all come together.

Work-wise, I'm still at Xendit in the Experiments team. I can't really talk about what I'm working on (corporate life and all that), but I'm proud to say I successfully graduated a project from Experiments. Felt pretty good about that one.

Right now I'm thinking hard about how to upgrade our PgBoss from the old version without downtime, or at least with minimum downtime while avoiding any potential fires. The challenge is that the PgBoss API interfaces have changed quite a lot between versions, so it requires careful planning and migration strategy.

I've been writing more technical blog posts lately, especially focusing on LeetCode problems and algorithm solutions. There's something really satisfying about breaking down complex problems into understandable explanations. I'm trying to document my learning journey and share insights that might help others.

On the PC side, things have been... eventful. My Ryzen 7600X decided to fry itself on my ASRock motherboard. To make matters worse, the motherboard's B2 RAM slot was also malfunctioning. Went back to the shop and they replaced the motherboard for free with a B850M Pro Rs Wifi variant. Since the 7600X was out of stock, I decided to treat myself and upgrade to the Ryzen 9800X3D. Of course, that meant the cooler needed an upgrade too, so I went with the Thermalright Frozen Warframe SE. Silver linings, I guess? The new setup is an absolute beast, and honestly, I'm not even mad about the forced upgrade anymore. Still running everything in my compact Deepcool CH260 case with my weird collection of mini figurines inside that my wife thinks is ridiculous.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family Life

Being a dad continues to be the most rewarding experience of my life. Kiara (kiaraasteria.me) is now over 1 year old, and every day brings new discoveries. She's at that stage where she's learning to walk, which means I spend a lot of time hunched over holding her hands as she takes her wobbly steps. My back is absolutely paying the price for this, but seeing her face light up with each successful step makes it all worth it.

My wife and I are still navigating this parenting journey together. We've gotten better at the whole work-life balance thing, though it's still a constant challenge. Late-night coding sessions after Kiara goes to sleep have become my norm, and honestly, I've learned to appreciate those quiet hours for focused work.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that perfection isn't the goal. Showing up consistently is. Whether it's being present for my family or delivering quality work, consistency beats perfection every time.

🎮 Gaming

Gaming has taken a backseat lately, but I still fire up Football Manager and FIFA occasionally when I need to unwind. There's something therapeutic about managing a virtual football team. It's a nice break from the real world.

I'm still following Dota 2 esports pretty closely, even though I haven't played in over a year. Watching The International and following the competitive scene is enough for me right now. Maybe I'll get back into playing someday, but for now, being a spectator works perfectly fine.

I recently learned about Where Winds Meet, and I think this game could actually stray me away from my initial plan to buy Black Myth: Wukong. It looks incredibly promising. Oh, and I'm totally into Total War: Three Kingdoms right now! The strategic depth and the Three Kingdoms setting just scratches that perfect itch.

🎵 Music

My music taste is still all over the place, and I love it that way. Here's what's been on repeat:

K-pop groups: aespa, IU, Twice, Red Velvet, Girls' Generation, Itzy, Nmixx, NewJeans, and (G)-IDLE. There's something about K-pop that just hits different. The production, the choreography, the whole package. If they ever need a backup dancer, I'm ready (though my wife might disagree).

On the rock side: Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Dream Theater, Slipknot, and Bring Me the Horizon. These are my go-to when I need to focus or when I'm coding late at night. There's something about heavy riffs that helps me concentrate.

Indonesian music: Isyana Sarasvati, Noah, Dewa 19, and Gigi. These bring me back home and remind me of where I come from. Music has this incredible power to transport you, and these artists do it every time.

On a sadder note, I'm absolutely devastated by ADOR's decision to terminate Danielle's contract with the label, along with NewJeans. It's heartbreaking to see one of my favorite groups go through this. The whole situation has been a mess, and I'm genuinely hoping the girls land on their feet and continue making music somehow.

📚 What I'm Reading

On the manga side, I've been keeping up with Jujutsu Kaisen, which recently finished. Now I'm continuing with its sequel, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo. I also just finished Kaiju #8, and I'm currently on my way to read My Hero Academia while keeping up with Dandadan. Does this make me a "weeb"? I'm not really sure about that, to be honest.

I'm also re-reading Naruto for what feels like the hundredth time. It's my comfort read. There's something about the themes of perseverance, friendship, and never giving up that always resonates with me, especially when I'm going through challenging times.

On the technical side, I'm constantly learning new things through solving LeetCode problems and writing about them. Each problem teaches me something new about algorithms, data structures, and problem-solving approaches. I'm also exploring system design concepts and trying to document my learning journey.

📺 What I'm Watching

Watching shows has become a luxury I don't have much time for these days. Between work, family, and working on my blog, there's not much room left for binge-watching.

I recently found UFC incredibly interesting. It really boils me up because I've always wanted to do it. I used to do MMA back in my university days, but honestly, I felt like shit during that time. Watching UFC now brings back those memories and makes me wonder about the path not taken.

I still have a growing list of K-Dramas that people keep recommending, but I've learned to be more selective. Once I start one, I can't stop until I finish the entire series, which means my productivity disappears for a week. It's a dangerous cycle I try to avoid during busy periods.

I'm slowly working through my Marvel movie backlog when I get the chance, but honestly, I'd rather spend that time coding or writing blog posts. Priorities have definitely shifted.

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Sidenote: The AI hype causing PC parts prices to skyrocket is really frustrating. I had plans to add more SSD storage, upgrade my RAM from 2x16GB to 2x32GB, and eventually build an Intel system for my wife. All of that has been scrapped because of how ridiculous the prices have gotten. It sucks, but I guess those upgrades will have to wait until the market calms down (if it ever does).