Now I have reversed my interest. I am no longer interested in the simplest fundamental constituents of nature. Instead, I am interested in complex systems, and I am using simple models and formulations to understand these complex systems.
So, I started by using complex formulations to understand simplest objects, and end up using simple formulation to understand complex systems!
But I always attracted, somehow, to simplicity. I didn't mind dwelling in complex theories, as long as I can get to simplicity in the end. And I believe that the nature of things is simple, by nature.
Essentially, what I am trying to do is to understand the dynamics of a complex system simply by looking at the structure. Well, I am always interested in the structure, but I am also like to understand how the structure changes. That's why I guess, I always like to listen, and to play, jazz. Jazz is improvisation, but it also has a structure. The structure dictates the improvisation, but the improvisation has the power to change the structure also.
Most of my life, I've been dwelling in the noisy and hectic activity in jakarta. But for the time being, I am enjoying a quite time in a little town in florida. Eventhough I really want to be back in the crazy life in jakarta, I guess it would be necessary for me to stay here for a while.
I'm just an ordinary man. More than 99% of the world's inhabitants are ordinary people. Is there any point in reading a sketch of an ordinary person? I suppose so! Each of us is unique, only one of its kind. We are ordinary because we share many common universal qualities. But each of us also has many things that no body else has. We can always learn something from anybody, no matter how ordinary his or her character may be.
As for me, I am an Indonesian. I was born at a small town in Java, Indonesia. I was thin, and very shy, always had a lot of difficult times with other kids. But I was a kid with an inquiring mind, and have started to read books since very early. That was the reason why I chose to study science. Right now, I am a writer, student, and a researcher. But I used to do many kind of things, including playing music at restaurants, teaching, editing, administration, etc.
I decided to enter Catholic Church when I was at the high school. But I do not consider myself as a catholic in its traditional sense of the word. I like to see catholisism as a way of life, not as a religion. Actually, I dislike the term "religion" as it is referring to institutionalized rules and fixed way of thinking which tend to deaden the creative side of human mind. I love to read and learn. I went to lectures on theology and philosophy, learned french, music, etc. I also write poems, essays, and I also like to watch movies.
What I dislike most is narrow mindedness, fixed way of thinking, any kind of fundamentalism, fanatism, or fatalism. I like to see the world as a universe of unlimited possibilities. I like to enjoy life, good food, good music, good humor, and good sleeping. I read any kind of book, such as heavy, hardcore-science, novels, science fiction, comics, spiritual, philosophy, etc.
Sometimes I get so lazy, loosing motivation to do anything. Sometimes I just don't care anymore, depressed, feeling blue, and blame everybody but myself. Fortunately I can just sleep on it, and get up the next morning feeling ok again. Sometimes I just couldn't make a firm decision, afraid of making commitment. But then, only narrow minded, fanatic, person can make firm decisions easily. Difficulty in making a decision is a characteristic of an open mind.
Indonesia, my homeland, is a country in crisis. I believe that the crisis is the result of the inability to change, and the inability to depart from traditional and fixed way of thinking. There are so many narrow minded, fanatic, fatalistic, persons in Indonesia. If only we can get them to be open minded, may be our problem will be over soon!