2023 in 85-ish pictures here
2023 was the buildup I had expected; however, it surpassed my expectations.
The year began with me resuming my role as an AppSec engineer at a Web3 company, this changed my perspective of cybersecurity (I mainly only pen-tested before). This change drastically improved my Opsec skills, coding abilities plus a better understanding of organization-level infrastructure/architecture, security standards, blockchain tech, cutting-edge cryptography, devs and vulnerabilities (business logic vulns have become easier to find). The duality helped set the tone for the rest of the year. I also secured the permanent red teaming gig with Maxhedrum. Setting up a 24hr light supply helped increase my productivity.
Much later in the year, I ended up building a product (in just 5 days of free time) that onboarded about 500 active users in a week and reached a 7-digit market cap in two weeks, making some friends millions. I also made sure to feed my inner red teamer. Among other achievements, I managed to completely pwn a bank remotely, physically sneak into the headquarters of a multinational organization and pwn it, and pwn a top 5 Solana token website (all legally, of course). I also helped organize a CTF (Capture The Flag) competition, which went surprisingly smoother than I had imagined (I did most of the coding during a 10+ hour flight)
I was lucky enough to immerse myself in Thai culture and Asian cuisine. The similarities were interesting ( it's rude to pass or hand something with your left hand. Thais love pepper) and the differences were even more fascinating. Some of which I've adopted, like sometimes preferring a spoon and fork over a fork and knife (Southeast Asian style). Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds made me even prouder of my own Yoruba heritage - I’ve since started reading more about Yoruba history. And yes, I also got to try cannabis in Thailand (legal ofc).
I picked up Muay Thai (it was that or Jiu-Jitsu), I picked the former due to a personal preference for striking martial arts and the ease of shadow boxing over shadow grappling. Makes for fun, short sparring sessions against Sh3nokam3's Taekwondo style. I've also started playing chess more frequently, currently hovering around 1400 on chess.com in 5-minute blitz games. As for fitness, I've begun practicing basic calisthenics, including elbow levers, pistol squats, and the true Frog Stand. Plus, I installed a pull-up bar.
I missed more hangouts than I wanted to this year, (I was looking forward to meeting Muzec and R4t). But on the flip side, I ended up learning a lot about people in general. Had a blast throwing a few #0 invite-only parties in IB with AB – (tax them; these bros be balling, XD), memories I’ll cherish. Maybe next year, we'll open some of these parties to the public.
M4xHedRum has been evolving impressively. The range of skills and proficiency among the five of us is truly mind-blowing. I’m honestly proud of how much we’ve grown. Looking ahead to 2024, I’m certain it will be filled with more team activities, and maybe even an expansion – still in the works.
This year, I had a long-awaited conversation with my Dad, or at least what I hope to be the start of it. I’ve made some new connections and rekindled old ones, but most importantly, I’ve formed a new bond that I truly hope to maintain.
2023 was an intense year with exponential growth on many aspects of my life but it is still a buildup.
2024 will be interesting.