Are we back on?

I finally received my Schengen visa yesterday, after waiting for 50 days. No complaints though. I get that bureaucracy can be tricky and summer is peak season for Europe, but 1.5 months without my passport felt like a really long wait. Heading to NL 🇳🇱 tonight. Who's around?

I was hesitating to share these presentation slides. I’m currently in the middle of searching for a job in the Netherlands that can sponsor me. It's brought up old insecurities & memories of rejection. But then I found meaning in it: I've grown. This time, it will be better!

Now, more than a decade later, I found myself back where it all began, speaking to 58 students at Hogeschool Utrecht, sharing how I’ve aligned my work with my ikigai. Have I ticked every box on the ikigai chart? Not yet. But that's the thing; it's journey, not a checklist. ↘️

Bali journey started with a cold email I sent to @hubudbali in April 2014. Hubud replied. They invited me to interview in Bali. What got their attention? Apparently… my CV photo with a bowtie 🎀. ↘️

Honestly, it was a bumpy ride at the start. My degree had a broad scope. International Communication and Media, which meant I studied everything in between: marketing, media, PR… you name it. No clear specialization. After a string of rejections, I eventually went back to 🇮🇩↘️

Last week, I was invited by my alma mater, Hogeschool Utrecht, to speak to 4th-year students of Creative Business about my professional journey after university, and how I’ve managed to align my work with my passion. That invitation made me reflect on the last 10 years. ↘️

Monday at BWork Bali & Tribal. The photo at Tribal was taken when the power went out this afternoon. The government is rotating power shutdowns this week to manage the grid after Friday’s outage. People left their laptops and ended up chilling in the pool instead.

I'm taking a break from Bali and spending the weekend in Jakarta 🏙️. This afternoon, my mum took me to her current favorite mall, where she and her colleagues often go for lunch: ASHTA District 8. I really love the place. It made me realize that I’m a city boy at heart.

I get it, but yo, don't be a donkey 🍑. I'm not canceling, sir. You are! @gojekindonesia

The heat in Bali is intense, even at night. The air conditioning barely helps. Counting down the days until I’m in fresh winter weather! ❄️

And so it is: November is peak season for coworking in Canggu. I visited two coworking spaces in Canggu this week: BWork and Tribal - both were packed. @BWorkBali alone welcomed 11 returning Dutch members this week, proving my point above 👆🏼.

Last month I had an incredible two-day event in Fukuoka 🇯🇵, where I had the honor to ... 1) give a workshop, 2) moderate a panel, 3) lead an unconference, 4) and deliver the welcome speech! Big shoutout to @ryosera_jp & #ColiveFukuoka crowd for making it happen. Arigato! 🙏

Tried booking @cathaypacific for my mom’s Christmas flights. Four times I got to the final step before payment, and the page didn’t load. I gave up & ended up booking @qatarairways, which was $165 more expensive - but it's worth it to not have errors. Cathay, fix your website!

Three earthquakes hit on three Saturdays in a row while I was asleep. And Bali was the epicenter for all of them. During two of them, I jumped out of bed and just stood there, staring at the shaking window, not knowing what to do. But seriously, what should I do?

Heartbroken 💔. Grieving 🖤. All my flight history (dating back to 2007) and the flight data of 6 million users - gone. Goodbye @appintheair! Thank you for your service 🫡

Just found my new favorite coffee spot: PICCO Coffee. Love how the air conditioning is always on full blast 🌬️. Thanks @flaviajessicaa, for the recommendation! ☕️

https://t.co/SBsxQtoQ0p Oh they are serious about digging to create subway tunnels!

Here’s a glimpse of Pererenan, taken by Google Street View in 2015 vs 2024. In just a few years, the area has changed drastically. And they’re planning to run subway trains through Pererenan?! Scary!

🌟 Get ready for the #CUAsia reunion at Colive Fukuoka 🇯🇵 on 24-25 October! Reconnect with Asia's top coworking minds, explore how coworking supports digital nomads, and bring back the CUAsia spirit to East Asia! Get a 20% disc on your passes at https://t.co/H45wjnaPXz