September, Please Be Quiet

Hi.

Has life been feeling a little crazy lately?

There are 4 months left in 2026, and sometimes I feel like the world is getting louder and has completely forgotten how to slow down. Everyone is rushing, everything demands instant attention, every platform wants engagement. Political noise, endless forest fire haze, and non-stop petty arguments on social media timelines.

And strangely, we’re expected to keep up with all of that while still trying to keep our own little lives together.

Honestly? I’m exhausted.

Disappearing into the jungle

A few days ago, 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 popping up. 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 any pressure.

Disappearing for a bit doesn’t mean running away. Sometimes it’s just the best way to find your way back to yourself.

Too many tabs open in my head

Honestly, lately there’s been so much clutter bouncing around in my head: work, career goals, personal stuff, studies, 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.

Taking a break from Instagram

So yeah, I’ve decided to deactivate Instagram 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.

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 calmer version of myself.

Putting my phone in “jail”

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

The plan is simple: my phone, tablet, and extra gadgets go inside that lockbox.

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

I’ll only use my devices 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.

Still staying reachable

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. Useless drama? Skipping it. Doom-scrolling at 2 AM? Hopefully never.

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

Feel free to reach out!

Please don’t feel awkward or pretend we’re strangers now.

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!

Four months left in the year

I don’t want to spend the last four months of 2026 trying to catch up with social media algorithms.

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

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.

So if I seem quiet lately, don’t worry. I’m doing just fine—just enjoying life in a calmer space.

Take care out there. Don’t forget to step outside and get some fresh air.

See you around.