what started as curiosity about how packets move across networks became a full career. 5+ years deploying palo alto ngfw, cisco asa, arista switching, and zero trust architectures. the thing i love most is that the threat landscape never stops evolving — there's always something new to learn, break, and defend against. currently sharpening the offensive side through ethical hacking coursework alongside day-to-day defensive work.

if a task happens more than twice, i automate it. n8n is my primary tool — i've built pipelines for content scheduling, receipt processing, birthday messages, and more. the intersection of ai and security engineering is what genuinely excites me right now. things like using llms to triage alerts, generate incident summaries, or accelerate threat hunting feel like they're going to fundamentally change security ops in the next few years.

shooting with a sony alpha a6700. started with street photography and architecture — both suit the patient, observational mindset that security work also demands. there's something satisfying about finding the right frame in a chaotic scene, which maps surprisingly well to reading logs. germany has been full of incredible subjects — the architecture, autumn light, the people. you can follow the photography work at @pixel.hokage →

training is a non-negotiable part of my week. mostly compound lifts — consistency over intensity. a structured gym routine does more for my focus and energy than almost anything else. i treat it like i treat security: you don't notice it when it's working, and you really notice when it isn't.

learning german since relocating. using anki for vocabulary and structured lessons for grammar. my goal is conversational fluency — enough to operate comfortably at work and in daily life. german is a logical, precise language which honestly fits well with how i think. still very much a beginner, but making steady progress every week.

long-term focused. investing in ucits etfs with german tax optimization in mind — understanding teilfreistellung, withholding tax rules, and broker selection for germany-based investors. heavily influenced by naval ravikant's philosophy on wealth creation: own equity, not time. goal is financial independence through compounding, not shortcuts.