2016
He was walking towards our table at Liberté, Pacific Place, where we had arranged to meet for lunch.
He was dressed in a black suit, looking sharp.
I remember feeling honored that he had made time for me, knowing how busy his schedule must have been.
Over lunch, he patiently answered my endless questions about the capital market. I was particularly curious about an article he had recently published, and I had a few questions about it.
What fascinated me wasn’t just his knowledge, but his passion for sharing it.
Here was a man who, at the time, was a director of the Indonesia Stock Exchange, yet still found the time to write. Not because he had to, but because he genuinely wanted people to understand the capital market.
23rd September 2026
Tonight, I watched that same man once again.
Dressed in a suit, looking just as sharp. Only this time, he wasn’t walking towards my table.
He was standing on a stage, delivering the keynote speech at the EmitenNews Awards, an event born from something he had spent the past five years building.
His own baby, EmitenNews.
For a moment, my mind wandered back to that afternoon in 2016.
Back then, I had the privilege of listening to him across a table. Tonight, I watched an entire room do the same.
And somehow, that made me smile.
Because in many ways, he was still the same man.
Still passionate about the capital market. Still believing in the power of knowledge. Still finding ways to educate and inspire.
Only this time, he wasn’t just writing about the industry. He had built something of his own within it.
And that, to me, says so much about the kind of man he is.
Over the years, he has never been one to sit still.
Six published books. Then came podcasts, hosting, moderating discussions, and now, the EmitenNews Awards.
And just when you think you’ve seen it all, he proves you wrong.
At an age when many people might be perfectly happy doing what they’ve always done, he somehow keeps finding new things to try.
Perhaps he has never quite understood the concept of slowing down. 👀😄
Or perhaps he simply refuses to let age decide what he can or cannot do.
Ten years ago, I looked up to him for what he knew and what he had accomplished.
Today, my respect for him goes far beyond all of that.
It’s for the man I’ve come to know over the years, and the way he continues to live life on his own terms.
The New Age
And now, at 58, I can’t help but wonder what he will come up with next.
Another book? Another project? Another crazy idea that will somehow turn into something real?
Knowing him, probably all of the above.
Perhaps that is what makes growing older so interesting. Not the number of years we have lived, but how much life we continue to put into them.
So here’s to 58. 🥂
To more stories waiting to be written, more possibilities waiting to be explored, and more adventures that haven’t even crossed your mind yet.
