Hafidh
For our tenth conversation we sat with Hafidh, known in full as M. Abdul Aziz Hafidhuddin, a medical student in Samarinda who was drawn from childhood to the idea of being useful, offering not only his knowledge but his hands, his time, and his energy to the people who need them. Outside medicine he found a second passion that seems, at first, unrelated: fragrance, which fascinates him for how effortlessly it stays in memory. He can forget conversations and dates, yet a certain smell brings everything back at once. We spoke about a warm childhood morning, the floral and the woody he wears by day and night, and why curiosity is one of the most underrated forms of intelligence.
Growing up, I was always drawn to the idea of being useful to others. Medicine felt like the path where I could offer not only my knowledge, but also my hands, my time, and my energy to people who need them. Outside of medicine I found another passion that seems completely unrelated at first: fragrance. What fascinates me about scent is how effortlessly it stays in my memory. I can forget conversations, dates, or the details of an event, but a certain smell can bring everything back in an instant.
Your relationship with fragrance
My relationship with fragrance started with fascination rather than curiosity. I have always been intrigued by how powerful our sense of smell can be. Among all our senses, it feels uniquely connected to memory. A particular scent can bring me back to a place, a season, or a chapter of my life long before I consciously remember it.
That is what keeps me interested. Beyond the artistry and the materials, it is the idea that something invisible can stay with us for years and carry so much meaning. I think that is why fragrance never became just a hobby for me. It became a way of remembering.
Sometimes I remember the smell of a moment better than the moment itself.
A scent that takes you somewhere
Whenever I meet warm, rice-like, comforting, slightly airy scents, I am reminded of my childhood. The memory is surprisingly simple. It is an early morning at home, the sunlight already beginning to warm the day, a gentle breeze moving through the front porch, and the smell of freshly cooked rice coming from the kitchen where my mother was preparing breakfast.
There is nothing particularly extraordinary about that moment, yet it has stayed with me for years. Maybe because it represents a time when life felt uncomplicated, and everything I needed was already there.
What you are wearing now
Lately I wear The Grand Traverse almost every day and William John Evans quite often at night. What fascinates me about The Grand Traverse is how unapologetically floral it is. So many floral notes are woven into the composition, yet instead of competing for attention, they come together as something grand, elegant, and cohesive. It reminds me how complexity and harmony can coexist in a single fragrance.
At night I reach for William John Evans. Its woody character gives me a calm that is hard to describe. The closest comparison I can think of is the silence of an empty room, a space where nothing demands your attention and you are finally left alone with your thoughts.
A daily ritual
Choosing what fragrance to wear before leaving the house. No matter how busy the day ahead may be, I always take a moment for that decision. It may seem small, but it helps me set the tone for the day. I also start every morning with prayer and a quiet conversation with myself, reminding myself that I have made it through difficult days before, and that today deserves the same effort, gratitude, and optimism.
On good taste
To me, good taste begins with understanding yourself. It is knowing what genuinely resonates with you instead of simply following what everyone else likes. When you truly connect with something, you naturally become curious about it. You want to learn more, to understand it more deeply, and to discover why it speaks to you in the first place. Good taste is not about having all the answers. It is about having the curiosity to keep asking questions about the things you love.
One belief you would defend
Curiosity is one of the most underrated forms of intelligence. It is not about having all the answers, but about keeping the appetite to ask, again and again, of the things you love.
Some people keep journals. Some keep photographs. I think I keep scents, markers of memory that help me remember not only where I was, but who I was.