Humble Beginnings

There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths in life.

For a long time, I thought I would be off at law school by now. I have recently completed my undergraduate studies - an Honours Bachelor of Arts with a double major in History and Criminology & Sociolegal Studies - a suitable preparation for any law school considering I graduated on the Dean's List with High Distinction at the top school in my country (I'm a nerd who got a lot of A's).

With the rise of COVID-19 and the great exodus to the Internet, however, my interests had shifted. I had built my first computer during the pandemic - an exhilarating experience that I'll never forget. From that day on, the urge to constantly tinker with computer parts and build systems as if it were some sort of "Lego for adults" has never subsided. From there, I began to take a number of computer-/technology-related classes as my electives, which ranged from an introduction to computer science with Python to the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence.

I had become engrossed in all things digital - my interest in the nature of crime and human rights had transformed into interests in digital rights, privacy, cybercrime, how these topics and discussions are continually affected by new technological inventions and endeavors, and the dire need for more cybersecurity professionals and education.

I had also become more interested in cryptocurrency - a logical rabbit hole to dive into once I began looking more into cybercrime and digital rights. The more I researched the more I began to see the benefits of DeFi and stablecoins, the pitfalls of centralized web services, and so forth.

I dove head first into learning cybersecurity and #100DaysOfCode on January 1st, 2022. The day prior, I had written a beautiful article, which I had largely repurposed for the first couple paragraphs of this blog post. I was so full of awe, diligently researching and coding day after day...until I tore the ligament in my thumb so hard that the tendons ripped off my bone. I was unable to code for a couple of months and I was devastated. I continued to watch educational videos here and there to no avail.

Once my hand had healed, I began to code with a staunch ferocity. I struck fear with my keyboard, mastering JavaScript and TypeScript in a short time span. I began to experiment with React.js and Node.js, broadening my skillset. I was lucky enough to find a mentor early on - shoutout to Ansel, for I am forever indebted to him for my coding career. I began to work with Ansel on various contracts until I was hired at Solape Finance as a Full-stack Developer. And from there, it has been a wild ride into the Web3 dev ecosystem.

What's with the Site?

My intent with this site is to consolidate my personal portfolio and blog into one slice of cyberspace that can be traversed in a surreal browsing experience. From the UI's familiarity, harkoning back to the early days of the Internet, transposed upon the futurist embrace of what is to come in our digital world, this site acts as a bridge between the old and the new - a comfortable way to engage in the knowledge and culture of this new hyperreality found throughout my blogposts. It's also way cooler for employers to look at instead of a boring old resume and cover letter.

I plan to start releasing articles in the coming months regarding topics within Web3, cybersecurity, computer science, and technology in general. You can expect articles in the future such as: optimizing Solidity smart contracts, common Solana/Anchor security vulnerabilities, how a computer works, public goods and quadratic funding, etc. Coming from a non-traditional background, I feel my own experiences and struggles can be helpful for those also looking to make a similar jump into the realm of technology, or provide a differing perspective to those already in the field.

The Future Ahead

Expect more blog posts, and CTF writeups in the near future. In the interim, I'll have my head down studying as much Solidity and Rust as I can to become a smart contract wizard. I'll also be working on some interesting Rust/C# gaming infrastructure, which I'm not entirely sure I can divulge.

If you want to keep up to date with my latest ramblings my Twitter is a good place to start.

If you've actually read this far, thank you! I appreciate you following me in this exciting new endeavor.