A Milestone and a Realization
A hundred commits. The number stared back at me from this site’s GitHub page. A small, yet significant milestone. That first commit, dated , was simply labeled 'Initial commit'. In hindsight, ‘humble beginnings’ would have been far more fitting.
More than three years have flown by since then. In that time, my growth has been a journey from knowing nothing to knowing just enough to appreciate how much I don’t; a literal embodiment of the idea that “the more you learn, the less you know.”
The Origin
No frameworks or bundlers, just plain HTML and CSS. Clearly into minimalism since the start!
This site’s origin isn’t a heroic one, but rather a slow-burn admiration for the digital gardens I’d find online.
For the longest time, I was caught in the classic trap of waiting for the “perfect moment.” I told myself I’d start a site after I implemented that one thing from scratch, or after I had something truly profound to write about. I’d get consumed by a topic, diving headfirst into a research rabbit hole for weeks. Eventually, I would emerge blinking into the light, disoriented, having completely forgotten why I started. This website was my attempt to fix that, to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so I could find my way back.
Additionally, I’ve always felt that explaining concepts helps me understand and remember them better. It helps clear up misconceptions, fueled by a modern take on Cogito, ergo sum: I post, therefore I am (and hopefully, I am not wrong on the internet.)
The Cost of Silence
Despite those goals, staying consistent was a challenge. Life happened, and this site sat dormant for two years. During that time, I explored so many fascinating ideas and learned countless new things. However, looking back, I can only recall the few “big” learnings that made a major impact. The smaller, equally interesting learnings have vanished because I didn’t reserve time to lay down those breadcrumbs.
That’s a silence I’m now committed to filling. Going forward, this site will serve as my journal. Who knows? Maybe one day it’ll make its way into something like GitHub's Arctic Code Vault, preserved for future generations. For now, it’s a place to log those smaller, fleeting thoughts. It’s a reminder to myself that not every post needs to be a complex treatise; sometimes, the simple act of pinning down a thought before it vanishes is enough.
A Learning Tool
I’m embracing this site as a work in progress. When I started, I was focused entirely on aesthetics, knowing nothing about web accessibility. I played with colors, fonts, and layouts to create something visually appealing because, like most people, I was introduced to web development as a purely visual medium.
For instance, I used to think heading tags like <h1> through <h6> were just for styling text sizes; I had no idea they carried semantic meaning. Looking back at an early Web Archive snapshot, I can see that I started with an <h2> and skipped straight to an <h4>. Accessibility was a concept I only discovered through my professional work, and I’m glad I did. I also got to know that digital inclusivity isn’t just a best practice; organizations must adhere to WCAG guidelines to ensure equal access and avoid legal challenges.
This site became the perfect playground to experiment with HTML semantics, ARIA, Keyboard navigation, and the finer details of inclusive design.
Beyond accessibility, maintaining this site introduced me to the invisible technologies that hold a modern page together: from performance tweaks like post-processing CSS, minifying JavaScript, using system fonts, and optimizing images, to discoverability tools like Schema.org, Open Graph protocol, and modern browser features like the View Transitions API. These are the details that often go unnoticed, yet they are what ultimately transform a simple visual website into a production-ready one.
Yet, I fear the next generation of developers will become heavily dependent on AI, potentially missing such foundational things. While what they build might be functional, it will lack structural integrity. It brings to mind the proverb, “A little learning is a dangerous thing”, which is also famously known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. Only time will tell how this pans out.
A Coracle in the Digital Sea
I find that personal websites have a distinct feel in a web full of centralized platforms and social media. In this age, finding a personal site is like discovering a Coracle Boat in the vast sea of the internet. They are a deep reflection of what the author truly cares about.
I started this site because I was inspired by someone else’s little corner of the internet. If this resonates with you, take this as your sign: go build your own corner of the web. The web needs less uniformity and more personality. It needs more passion projects, and more of what makes you, you.