About me

  • My name is Basfin Siregar
  • I am 31 years old
  • I grew up in holy city of Kaliwungu, a small village known for its great numbers of traditional Islamic boarding school
  • I hold a BA degree in literature. I graduated from English Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Diponegoro in 2003, majoring in 20th Century Anglo-American Poetry (the modernist movement)
  • I now live in Jakarta and work as a journalist for Gatra weekly magazine

Contact

  • basfin_s[at]yahoo[dot]com

Influences:

  • Nahdlatul Ulama
  • Existentialism
  • Sufism

Random (and contradictory) facts:

  • I'm a Batakese by tribe, but I can't speak Batakese language. Both my parents speak Batakese language fluently since they grew up in North Sumatera province. But I was raised mainly in Indonesian and Javanese language.
  • I'm gentle to small animal like ants. But if they mess up with my coffee, no mercy for them.
  • I like japanese comic (anime, manga) very much. My favorites are Samurai-X, Legenda Naga, Kungfu Boy, and Legend of The Wind.
  • I like playing chess. My favourite player is Bobby Fischer, the legendary chess player who became World Champion in 1972. My first move is always e4 which often leads to The Sicilian Opening (when playing the white side).
  • I'm a great fan of Al Pacino. The scene I love very much is when Al Pacino threatened Robert De Niro politely in Heat.
  • I'm a book collector. I have approximately 200 books in my private library in Semarang (I haven't thought of moving it here in Jakarta). Most of them are about literature and philosophy (in english).
  • I'm very quick to sense insult and irony around me. In fact, when I'm in a miserable situation, I see the irony first, then the pain. But this skill has a price. Sometimes I got my friends mad at me because when they tell me their sad stories, I usually see an irony quickly and couldn't help laughing.
  • I'm a smoker. I became an active smoker since 3rd year of high school. Objectively, I know smoking is bad for my health, but (at least for the moment) I don't feel like to stop.
  • I don't drink alcohol. I prefer not to.