So, it's that time of the year - my birthday! 🎉 As I sat down this morning with a cup of coffee (+ oat milk [as a treat]), I've began to ponder on last years events and accomplishments and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on past year. It's been quite a year, full of growth and new experiences.
Just recently I've ticked off one of the major bucket list trips - visiting Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. Standing in front of these massive slabs of stone create surreal and powerful reminder of the incredible human abilities, though ingenuity and teamwork. It's these experiences that fuel my passion for exploration in both travel and technology.
- Great Wall of China
- Petra, Jordan
- Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
- Machu Picchu, Peru
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Chichen Itza, Mexico - Colosseum, Italy
- Taj Mahal, India
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Giza Pyramids, Egypt
On the tech front, I've passed AWS Solutions Architect certification (after months of postponing it), which am incredibly proud of passing, with just 4 days of prep (thats what happens when you leave things last minute, does it work? Absolutely). It's quite a milestone for me, considering how much I love tinkering with AWS services and building serverless applications. Alongside this, I become proficient in writing better IaC using CDK (AWS Cloud Development Kit). It's been amazing to transform projects and streamline workflows with CDK, in comparison to my old time favourite - Serverless Framework - which I have now completely ditched. I'm excited to push further my knowledge of what's possible with CDK in coming year.
Early this year, I had a great opportunity to become a mentor, and for a few months Mentorship become a big part of my work life. It's extremely rewarding, guiding and budding developers as they navigate their own tech journeys whilst sharing your knowledge and industry experience. It's been a two-way street too - as I've solidified understanding and filled the knowledge gaps, gaining fresh perspectives.
I've also had a chance to sit on the other side of the table screen and become an interviewer. It's awesome, learning about different journeys and skills of different candidates - and believe me - it ain't easy - when the game is strong. It's also a great reminder of how important it is to keep honing our tech skills and staying curious within tech industry.
On the personal note, at the beginning of this year I've made some lifestyle changes, losing weight through consistent 14-16 hour water fast. It really has improved my overall health, energy, memory, concentration as well as loosing weight. It's really motivating to see the progress you can make in relatively short amount of time though consistency and discipline - and it's a reminder that we can achieve anything we set our minds to - really hoping to get back to it as soon as summer is over.
So, as I'll blow out the candles on this year's birthday cake, I'm filled with gratitude for all the experiences, lessons, and growth that the past year has brought. Here's to another year of challenges, adventures, and achievements—both big and small.
Cheers to version 32.0 🎂🎈🎉
PS. Cheers to all of you for being part of my journey, and for all the support and encouragement you've given me along the way. 🙏🏼