Why I got into web development
I first started “coding” at 11 by editing Team Fortress 2 (video game) HUDs. I loved tweaking the colours and animations, editing files that were similar to CSS. I’ve always enjoyed editing aesthetics and making things I use look nice (ricing). It’s why I love using Android and Linux.
Years later, this is probably what made me choose to study UX design an uni. I enjoyed learning to design and building simple sites using HTML and CSS.
UX Design
I studied UX design at The University of Sydney (Bachelor of Design Computing). I had so much fun learning about user research, prototyping, and user testing. Working together to design new innovative products was my favourite part of the course.
It also changed the way I approach building things. I became much more aware of design principles and user psychology, and started considering things I would not have thought about before.
Something I really saw the importance of was user testing. I learned that you can never be completely sure about a design. Other people will always notice things you would never have considered, which is why it’s so important.
Misconceptions about coding
At university, I had actually convinced myself I didn’t enjoy coding, and focused more on UX design. I had expected the classes to teach me everything and babysit my learning, and when that did not happen I lost interest.
Towards the end of my degree, I realised how passionate and productive I was when learning by myself and not relying on learning in class. Much of what I was taught in uni already felt outdated, due to how quickly the industry moves. So I started teaching myself to code, and learnt so much in such a short period of time. I rebuilt my foundation, learning React, Next.js, and Svelte while building personal projects and have enjoyed every step of it.
I use Arch btw
I installed Linux at the end of 2025. I have since installed it on every computer/laptop I own. I love the simplicity of it, and how its so modular and customisable. I have the ability to configure and script whatever I want.
I’ve become much more productive since switching to Linux and adopting a completely keyboard-centric workflow. I use a tiling window manager (hyprland) that lets me switch between workspaces and applications with a single key press (and my setup looks really good). I also adopted using the terminal for many tasks, which has made me much faster and more efficient (especially with tmux). For coding, I use Neovim because it’s also highly customisable and fully keyboard-driven.
This setup lets me move through codebases and applications super quickly without ever taking my hands off the keyboard. The trackpad on my laptop is actually broken, but it hasn’t bothered me because I simply don’t need to use it anymore.
Hobbies
I love to play tabbletennis. It’s so addicting and the skill ceiling is so ridiculously high. There are so many elements to it (spin, technique, and different playstyles) that gives it so much depth and complexity. It also demands fast reactions and reflexes, which makes every rally give off so much dopamine. The more I play, the more I realise how much there is to learn and improve. I recently built my first custom racket, and I’ve been enjoying playing with it so much (Blade: Yinhe Y10s, FH: DHS Hurricane 3 Neo, BH: Yinhe Mercury II).
I’m a big football fan and have been supporting Tottenham Hotspur since 2019 (biggest mistake of my life). I love watching the best players in the world play against others who are the best in the world. The level of tactics, teamwork, mindgames is so crazy to me. And on top of that, the players still need to be so skilled individually. There is so much depth to it and the mentality and work ethic of certain players has really inspired me in my own life.
