Celebrating a Personal Milestone: Launching a Minimalist, Handcrafted Website After Two Years of Dedication

After two years of perseverance and meticulous effort, I am thrilled to unveil my latest project—a simple yet meaningful personal website that truly reflects my vision. This milestone isn’t rooted in technological complexity but in the intentional approach and dedication I poured into bringing it to life. I invite you to read this journey—it’s a bit lengthy, but perhaps you’ll find a nugget of inspiration or a perspective shift.

The road to this launch was paved with self-discovery. I possessed the skills and creative ideas, but I lacked the mindset necessary to see this project through to completion. For years, I collaborated with organizations that prioritized “innovation” but often stumbled when it came to focusing on meaningful, focused development or engaging with challenging questions. These experiences were draining, both mentally and emotionally.

Determined to create something authentic for myself, I crafted a platform that serves my need to be seen and heard—a personal digital space built with intention and care.

This website is intentionally simple, avoiding a complex tech stack. Instead, I embraced minimalism and focused on core functionality. The primary tools include straightforward React.js combined with Markdown—nothing more. No CSS frameworks, no analytics, no tracking scripts, and certainly no SEO gimmicks. This is a tool for expression, not for manipulation or data collection.

Here are some of the key features I integrated:

• Customized Markdown Styling: Ensuring that the content remains visually engaging and aligned with my personal aesthetic.
• Procedural Backgrounds: Generating dynamic backgrounds procedurally, initially CPU-bound, with plans to optimize using WebGPU for smoother performance.
• Theme Awareness: Implementing theme switching that adapts seamlessly across browsers; still exploring ways to improve contrast and accessibility.
• Embedded PDF Viewer: Using Mozilla’s pdf.js to display documents. I welcome suggestions on making style customizations more robust and consistent across platforms.
• Easter Egg & Hidden Features: Hidden surprises designed to engage and delight visitors—feedback and discoveries are encouraged.
• Content as Version Control Commits: Structuring posts like commits to track edits and evolution, with potential future integration of a full-fledged CMS.
• Motion Effects: Incorporating dynamic visuals, with plans to add a “low motion” mode to accommodate sensitive users.

While the website is still evolving and occasionally glitchy, it is live, and I couldn’t be prouder of this labor of love.