I recently started the Professional Diploma in UX Design at the UX Design Institute. After many years working primarily as a frontend developer, I want to deepen my understanding of UX research, product thinking, and user-centered design to better connect design thinking with the interfaces I build.

Alongside the course I’m building small mobile apps end-to-end to strengthen my practical skills. I’m currently experimenting with React Native and Expo, focusing on taking ideas all the way from concept and design to a working app.

Outside of tech, I’ve also picked up Rocket League again after a long break. I’ve been grinding ranked matches again and working toward reaching Grand Champion.

Fitness continues to be an important part of my routine as well. I’m currently training for a full marathon in May while continuing regular strength training and running sessions throughout the week.

This spring I completed the 75 Hard Challenge, which I started on April 1st and finished in mid-June. The program revolves around discipline and consistency, requiring two workouts every day, one outdoors, strict nutrition, daily reading, and a handful of other non-negotiable habits for 75 consecutive days.

My routine consisted of a daily run regardless of weather, combined with alternating 10km rowing sessions and full-body strength workouts. Over the course of the challenge I ran every single day and completed several half marathons along the way, while also steadily improving my fitness and overall conditioning.

The structure of the challenge turned out to be the most powerful part. With clear rules and no room for negotiation, there was no decision fatigue, just show up and do the work. It pushed me far beyond what I previously thought I was capable of and forced me to build real daily consistency.

I finished the program without missing a single day. The experience fundamentally changed how I approach discipline, training, and habits, and many of those routines are things I plan to keep long term.

I’ve been experimenting with game development in Godot, building several small games to explore different mechanics and workflows. These include Jurassic Jump, a jump-and-run prototype, and superVIMus, a grid-based puzzle game designed to train muscle memory for the hjkl navigation keys.

The projects are built with Godot and GDScript and helped me get familiar with concepts like scene architecture, game managers, particle systems, audio management, sprite sheets, and level design.

I’m currently working on another prototype called Hypertype, a typing-based game focused on speed and accuracy while continuing to explore gameplay systems and rapid prototyping in Godot.

After some thought, I decided to move away from Sony’s full-frame system and try the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system. The change has been a game changer for me, it’s lighter, more portable, and fits my needs perfectly. Here’s the gear I’ve added to my setup:

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO
• Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
• Meike 50mm f/0.95

To expand my creative possibilities, I’ve also picked up a few exciting tools. The DJI Air 2S drone lets me capture aerial shots, while the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 has been a great companion for stabilized footage on the go.

It’s been a refreshing experience diving into this new system, and I’m excited to see where it takes my creative work.

I recently moved away from Adobe’s subscription model and started exploring more cost-effective tools. I’m now learning and using Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher, which have turned out to be excellent alternatives. For photo editing, I’ve explored Luminar Neo, and for video editing and effects, I replaced Adobe After Effects and Premiere with DaVinci Resolve Studio. It’s been refreshing to embrace these new tools and workflows.

I’m currently deepening my understanding of 3D web graphics through learning Three.js. I’ve been working through the Three.js Journey course by Bruno Simon, which has been incredibly insightful and keeps pushing the boundaries of what I thought was possible in web development.

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Currently practicing:

Musically, I’ve taken on the challenge of learning "Only Time" by Enya on the piano. It’s a beautiful melody and a nice, calm counterbalance to screen-heavy work.

I’m currently exploring the capabilities of Astro.js and Tailwind CSS to build efficient and responsive web applications. In fact, these are the same technologies used to build the website you’re looking at right now.

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Currently practicing:

I’m also practicing the piano piece "Comptine d'un autre été" by Yann Tiersen, best known from the movie Amélie.