About Me

Tangentially, on the topic of craft, I consider myself to be a programmer and I love building quirky and/or meticulously crafted web UIs. At the time of writing, I occasionally find myself gravitating towards compilers and functional programming, so I’m trying to dedicate time to understand them better.

Previously, I had a game-dev phase, during which I learned to use Unreal Engine for developing games, designing environments, and creating cinematic sequences. Attempting to build a full-blown Soulslike game greatly influenced my relation with projects and how I manage them.

In a past life, I was a professional badminton player. Yes, you heard that right. Yes, I know I don’t look like I was ever an athlete. Thanks for that, you weren’t hurtful at all. Let me take a look at my highlights so that I feel better.

I think the kind of music I like is quite bland, but I’m trying to venture out and explore music that’s outside of my taste palette. I’m mostly into hip-hop. Huh? Who could have guessed? Why do you sound sarcastic? Urghhh, where was I? Oh yes, especially back in 12th grade, I was obsessed with the lore surrounding a creator more than their discography itself.

Listening to an album from start to finish is something that I’d never done before. It’s really cool that some artists weave stories and experiences throughout their albums, but I’d never bothered to try. However, I’m making it a point to try new things. So, I decided to have a crack at it!

This is a newfound hobby. I’m a homebody, but I tend to get bored sometimes. So, to switch things up, I now visit the theater if there’s something playing that I find interesting. As a fun activity, I make a mental note of things I like or dislike about both the theater and home watching experience. Usually, I get my sister or a friend to accompany me. But, nowadays, I try to go alone sometimes, which is something I’d never done for the first 24 years of my life!

My first (and only) console was a Gameboy Advanced. As a pesky 5 yo, I bawled my eyes out dedicatedly everyday until my parents finally were fed up and caved in. My older cousins had one, and I used to be supremely jealous of them every time I visited them. Once I got my own, they kindly gifted me some of their older catridges. And that’s how I became fascinated with RPGs. It’s been ages since I last touched a multiplayer game, but I did have an MMORPG phase from ages 10 to 13. I used to play a lot of Adventure Quest Worlds, and occasionally a bit of Runescape and Fiesta, because my friends preferred them.

The first game that drew me to RPGs was Legacy of Goku II. I was mesmerized by the Cell Saga, and being able to re-live it through this game brought me immense joy. I’m enamoured by games with a high fantasy backdrop. And that’s how I eventually came across the Soulsborne series. I’ve not played any of them yet, but I’ve played an indie Soulslike title before.

Shortly after, probably while watching Dark Souls lore videos, I caught the Metroidvania fever. Metroidvania is a subgenre of RPGs that was spearheaded by 2 games that launched way back, called Metroid and Castlevania. Metroidvania games evoke a sense of overwhelm and void; you’re stuck in a vast world that you know nothing about. They encourage you to let your curiosity guide you. The world usually branches out a lot, and if you have accquired the necessary locomotive skills (that sometimes shadow as supplementary combat techniques) to reach certain corners, ex. a double jump, a lot of these branches suddenly become accessible. It’s euphoric when you magically appear back at an area that you were struggling with a few days ago, after walking through an entrance. The realization that the world loops upon itself, breezing through enemies that previously gave you such a tough time, understanding the biome of the universe you’ve inhabited, the conflict and politics. This explosion of information, it’s magical.

In the future, I hope to explore the Roguelike genre. Hades seems interesting to me!