A bleak morning reflection on waking with crushing dread and catastrophic thoughts, and the slow, deliberate effort to confront them — recognizing that these fears are just unproven futures, products of a lifelong negativity bias. Choosing to challenge them, strip them of authority, and begin the day with cautious, deliberate resistance against the mind’s darker tendencies.
Morning Catastrophizing Read More »
A week in the Swiss Alps was a whirlwind of breathtaking beauty and unexpected anxieties. In this article you’ll find the most stunning photos I’ve taken to date, and would well satisfy you without reading a single word. Hiking through stunning landscapes like Oeschinensee and the challenging Jegertosse-Fisialp pushed me to my limits, both physical and mental. The tranquility of the mountains was often interrupted by the absurdity of human behavior, from the man who shamed his friend for not swimming to the unsettling realization of my own anxieties and weight of my current circumstances. Despite these moments of darkness, the sheer beauty of Switzerland and the kindness of strangers offered fleeting moments of grace, leaving me with a bittersweet longing for a simpler, more fulfilling life true to my innate nature.
Kandersteg, Switzerland: Emerald Heaven Read More »
2024 was a year of significant personal and professional growth. Key achievements included successfully defending a PhD comprehensive exam, publishing research papers, and organizing a large-scale cybersecurity event. Musical pursuits flourished with the completion of original songs and the production of the @Hack 2025 theme song. Alongside these accomplishments, a deeper understanding of self was cultivated through practices such as meditation and studying Advaita Vedanta. Looking ahead to 2025, the focus will be on completing the PhD, further developing musical skills, and cultivating a life of greater mindfulness and intentional decision-making.
Memories, Revelations, and Dreams Read More »
In this article I take you through my experience presenting a collaborated work on our newly discovered 0-day vulnerabilities in IoT firmware at DIMVA 2024 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Par for my usual narrative style, it contains connections to and small commentary on the infinite consciousness, encounters with objects of desire, and the difficulty in finding our path in life.
DIMVA 2024: Lausanne, Switzerland Read More »
This article is a retelling of my experience at DFRWS EU 2024. It tends to focus on my internal dialogue and thoughts as opposed to the academic and scientific lessons (which I believe the attendees have all been exposed to already). My target audience is the spiritual-leaning who have a taste for dark and dry humour, and thus the article has been so written. For the first time, I’ve decided to include excerpts written by my newfound companions Antonia, Charles, Dominique, Olivia, and Lux.
DFRWS EU 2024. Zaragoza, Spain Read More »
In hindsight, this event nearly exactly follows the “Hero’s Journey” as outlined by the late Joseph Campbell that was later abstracted to a more cohesive structure. This article will delineate the event’s planning and execution through the guise of Hero’s Journey in 12 distinct steps as seen in the diagram below. Call to Adventure and
@Hack 2024: The Timeless Meta-Narrative Read More »
Eventually I fully arise and entered a warm bath. I asked myself, with purpose this time, “Why does this mechanism exist inside you? Why did you once need it? Why do find little enjoyment in fun? Why is it so difficult to untense your body and enjoy the full breadth of being?” Without forcing any thought processes or lines of reasoning, I let the thoughts come as they please… like waiting on the wind to arrive. It may have been 15 minutes to an hour later that a particular memory vividly presented itself from nothingness; an aged memory that I believe came with answers.
Discomfort “Permits” Disengagement Read More »
Entering Annecy by its main train station, I immediately felt the warm embrace of the city. The orange street lights, quiet streets, slight bustle of night life. A man approached me and within the first few words out of my mouth, he asked “T’es Canadien, eh?” He told me the rest of his family currently lives in Montreal. We had a small exchange and finally bumped fists and I ventured off to take the 60 bus towards my small AirBnB, located some distance from Annecy in a commune called Veyrier-du-Lac, for the next three days.
This article, which contains “R” rated content, is a continuation of my trip that began in Bonn for academic purposes, and continued forth to Berlin, and later, Oświęcim to visit Auschwitz. I distinctly recall an ex-girlfriend (can’t remember which, unfortunately) scrunching her face in confusion at my mentioned desire to visit such a death churn;
Big Berlin, and Oświęcim. Read More »
This year, my first paper, co-authored with my research partner and best friend Anis Lounis, was accepted at DFRWS EU 2023 (Digital Forensic Research Workshop). Perhaps not a great deal for veteran academics, this was a milestone for us. We worked for a year, side-by-side, in our empty lab during COVID-19. When the paper was
DFRWS EU 2023. Bonn, Germany Read More »