well, i've finally done it.

after years of lurking in forums and consuming endless content, i'm stepping out from behind the digital curtain. this blog? it's my new sandbox, my laboratory for ideas. as you can tell from my title, i'm not too sure what to talk about, but let me introduce myself at least.

i've spent nearly a decade since 2014 dissecting the stock market's dna. while the new wave of traders cut their teeth on commission-free apps, i remember when a single trade cost more than a decent dinner. those experiences shaped my approach along with right time and place.

what do i mean by that? well, let me list out what i've witnessed day by day, tick after tick, until my 25th birthday:

• biotech boom
• chinese housing market pop
• oil price crash
• trump tariff wars
• xiv implosion
• covid-19 market crash
• crypto boom and bust cycles x 3
• federal reserve policies
• brexit referendum
• faang stocks surge
• gamestop short squeeze
• spac boom

having graduated from northwestern university in 2018, i've fully immersed myself into the world of trading. the endless hours staring at screens, day and night, including weekends. 5-6 full years after graduation yo. that's a long time and you'd think i did well...

at 25, i understood what "health over wealth" truly meant

it's funny how adults give you advice early on, but you never listen. the long hours took a significant toll on my body at a really young age. in a twist of fate fueled by passion, i also found myself nursing a motorcycle injury to my left knee and leg in 2019. as if that wasn't enough, i've also undergone calcification treatment with electro-shockwave therapy on my left shoulder. fun times, indeed.

but here's the thing: i'm not just here to reminisce. i watched my body losing its spirit, but then i thought of something - tech was the solution to my needs. like this thing can really help me out one day. scalability and autonomy. that's the golden ticket. with some high-level mathematics combined with scalability and automated systems, that sounded like a pretty good tradeoff to regain my health. so it drew me in. do the dirty work early, and reap the rewards later, right?

as of this writing, i'm pursuing a master's degree in computer science at depaul university. i plan to use this space as a crucible for pushing my boundaries and challenging my long-held assumptions. sure, i could stick to what i know but where's the thrill in that?

in fact, this quote really stuck with me:

"What do you do when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?"

as the tech industry advances beyond what the human population can fully grasp, these advancements can be used both for and against us. to achieve true good, one must sometimes understand the nature of evil. there are lessons to be learned from it.

it's all fair game and im here for the ride :)

-- david