Why this site exists

Hey, welcome to my silly corner!

I always think it’s important to understand why this site exists and why I felt the need to create it. This post is less about introducing this site to others, but more about explaining it to myself.

To begin with, I don’t come from a computer science background. But ever since I discovered the world of tech, I’ve been fascinated by it. I wanted to understand how people build apps and systems, the science and algorithms behind it all.

I used to spend time reading papers, trying to understand models and algorithms for a few months, but I’ve never really studied any of it in depth. Most of what I know is just bits and pieces I’ve picked up by exploring on my own and scratching the surface. Despite being far from an expert in this field, I’ve always had a special fondness for it.

I enjoy working on little projects, and building a personal website has always been something I’ve wanted to do. This project isn’t about putting myself on display. It’s about creating a little space of my own — somewhere I can learn to express myself, keep things I’m interested in or care about, and figure out who I am without the pressure of having to present myself to the world.

Another important reason I made this site is to help me practice my organizational and creative skills. I’m not naturally good at either, so it’s been teaching me patience and pushing me to be more intentional about how I organize things and how I represent myself.

Honestly, it’s been a challenging but genuinely fun and meaningful project to work on. It’s important to me in a way that’s hard to explain, but I’m glad I’ve spent time on it.

These days, it’s easier than ever to build a website using no-code platforms like Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, and Notion. Still, there’s something special about building my own website and being able to shape it through code.

That being said, this site isn’t my original work. Since I’m no tech expert and only know a little bit of code, I’ve relied quite a bit on templates made by people far more experienced than I am. The problem was that many of them eventually became too complicated for me to maintain, while a lot of the fancy-looking designs just didn’t feel like me.

When I came across the GitHub repository for this template and decided to give it a try, it felt like I’d finally found what I was looking for. It’s simple, easy to work with, and built mostly with plain HTML — which, as someone who’s still learning, I really appreciate.

So, a big shout-out to the author and contributors behind this repository. If you’re interested, you can find the repository here ➡️academic-homepage.

Funny how building this site makes me feel a little cool about myself. Hopefully, I’ll keep learning through it and be able to maintain it for years to come.

That’s all. Thanks for stopping by!