G rateful in 2020

Grateful in 2020

2021 just started, and I wanted to take a moment to look back at 2020. It was a tough year for everyone, but there were still things worth being thankful for. This post is my way of remembering the good stuff — big or small — that happened to me last year.

Started Writing Again

One thing I’m happy about is getting back into writing. I started on Medium, but then moved all the posts to my personal site.

My first post in 2020 was about working at a tech startup, especially my experience at Bukalapak. If you’re curious, read it here.

Writing helps me learn better. Turning thoughts into words makes ideas stick. So instead of keeping things in my head, I blog about them.

Office Staycation Before Covid Hit

Right before the pandemic reached Indonesia, our team had a staycation in Lembang.

Staycation

We stayed at Villa Aloka for a night — it was fun and really brought the team closer.

Transition to Full WFH

When the pandemic hit, Bukalapak quickly shifted to full work-from-home. Thankfully, we were already used to remote work, but this time it was permanent.

I learned a lot about communicating clearly in writing — whether in chat, email, or docs. It made me a better teammate and engineer.

Released Kartu Prakerja

Our first big project during WFH was Kartu Prakerja. It was chaotic — unclear requirements, tight deadlines, adapting to remote work — but we pulled through.

Kartu Prakerja

We launched ahead of competitors, and users could use their cards at Bukalapak first. That was a proud moment.

Released BukaRumah

We also launched BukaRumah, a collab between Bukalapak and Bank Mandiri for online home loan applications.

BukaRumah

Despite working remotely, the team delivered on time. Check out the product here.

Became a Webinar Speaker

It started with an invite from a college friend for a campus FGD session. From there, more speaking gigs came in.

  • Shared Vue at Anak Teknik Academy

    Vue Talk

  • Guest lectured at POLTEKBA

    POLTEKBA

  • Talked about async JavaScript at PENS

    PENS

Never thought I’d be back speaking again — but I’m glad I did.

Stayed Covid-Free

Super grateful that my family and I stayed safe from COVID. Working from home really helped minimize exposure.

Hope you all stayed healthy too.

Kept Investing

I kept up my investments in stocks and government bonds.

When the market dropped early in the pandemic, I took the chance to invest in solid stocks. I also bought SR012 and ORI018 bonds, and kept up with mutual funds too.

Got Into Running

Never thought I’d get into running, but here I am — 100KM in 4 months!

It started as a monthly challenge with office friends. First 10KM, then 15KM, and it just kept going.

Running Log

That’s my 2020 — a year full of surprises, lessons, and small wins. Let’s keep going strong in 2021 💪