Hi everyone,
I know this post is a bit early, but I’m going to be taking a well deserved break from the end of this week and I’ll only return towards the end of January 2022. This was the second year of my blog and things have changed quite a bit. I found myself writing a bit more about things I was passionate about and less about technical works in my main blog posts.
This past year was quite a bit of work for me, starting with all the new blog posts (even though there weren’t a ton this year), and the continuation of the walkthrough section which was a ton of fun. Once again, there were a large number of drafts that did not make it, some of which will be completed next year. I also FINALLY finished the automation series which I put off for way too long.
Looking Back
On a more personal note, 2021 did still not go the way I (nor I guess the entire world) expected, and there were a few things that added considerable stress to my life. I’m still waiting to emigrate to Canada and join my other half with no idea on when immigration will actually be possible again. I was meant to go there on holiday over December, but the newest Covid variant ensured that that was, once again, not possible.
There have been a bunch of positive experiences for me during this past year:
- From a work perspective, I switched focus and started skilling up in AWS. I’ve managed to obtain a few different cloud certifications and I’m hoping to continue this trend next year,
- From a health perspective, I gained a bit of weight but I also gained muscle as my training intensity increased.
- From a self-improvement perspective, I continued writing this blog which also made me focus on learning new techniques from HackTheBox, I read almost 20 books (which might not sound like a lot but I’m happy with that number on top of everything else), and I also managed to complete a bunch of personal admin that I’ve been putting off.
All in all, 2021 was a pretty decent year for me even though it did not go the way that I would have hoped. I think the entire population is dealing with some type of Covid fatigue, and it is important to stay positive if you can and reach out to others if you are going through a rough patch. I wrote a post on mental wellbeing last year which I honestly believe contains some useful information and, since it’s almost the start of a new year, it might be helpful to read the post (even if you have read it before).
Looking Forward
Alright, enough with last year. Next year I plan to bring you more of the same: technical and non-technical writing, more challenge VM walkthroughs, as well as a new and improved interface (eventually). Additionally, I have an idea for a soft skills and critical thinking series which I believe will benefit most people within information security if they are not comfortable with those areas.
If there’s something you’d specifically like me to take a look at and write a blog post on, you are welcome to message me. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas break and a wonderful 2022!