Hobbies

There is something deeply satisfying about shaving tenths off a lap time through precision and repetition. What started as casual racing games evolved into a full-blown obsession with telemetry, racing lines, and tyre management. My rig is built around a SimMagic Ultimate Wheelbase with the FX Pro Formula Wheel, mounted on a full aluminium profile racing cockpit. Every component was chosen to get the force feedback and pedal feel as close to reality as possible. It is the closest you get to a real race car without leaving the house, and the competitive online leagues keep the stakes real.

Wheelbase

SimMagic Ultimate

Wheel

SimMagic FX Pro Formula

Cockpit

Full aluminium profile

Favorite Sim

iRacing

Favorite Track

Spa-Francorchamps

Track days are where sim skills meet reality. There is nothing quite like the G-forces, the sound, and the precision required when you are pushing a real car on a real circuit. The transition from simulator to track is surprisingly smooth — racing lines, braking points, and throttle control all translate directly. Every session on track sharpens your instincts in a way that screen time alone never could. The raw physicality of it — the heat, the vibration, the smell of hot brakes — is addictive.

Type

Formula single-seater

Experience

Track day sessions

Top Speed

200+ km/h

Jumping off one of the tallest buildings in the world is a very efficient way to put everyday stress into perspective. The Sky Jump from the Burj Khalifa area in Dubai is a controlled descent from a dizzying height, and the seconds before you step off the edge are the longest of your life. Once you leap, the rush is pure and overwhelming. The city shrinks below you and for a few seconds, nothing else in the world matters. It rewired my relationship with fear in a way nothing else has.

Height

260 metres

Location

Dubai, UAE

Type

Controlled descent

The Macau Tower bungee is one of the highest commercial bungee jumps in the world. Standing on the edge of a platform 233 metres above the ground, looking straight down at the city, is an experience that tests every instinct telling you not to jump. The freefall is pure adrenaline — about five seconds of weightlessness before the cord catches. It is the single most intense physical sensation I have ever felt. The whole experience lasts under a minute but the memory is permanently etched.

Height

233 metres

Location

Macau Tower, Macau

Freefall

~5 seconds

Operated By

AJ Hackett

The discipline that translates most directly from work to life. Consistent training and intentional nutrition are how I maintain the energy and focus that long engineering days demand. The gym is where I reset — it is the one part of my day where the feedback loop is immediate and purely physical. Over the years, I have experimented with different training splits, tracked macros, and iterated on recovery protocols the same way I iterate on code. The compounding effect of showing up every day is the closest thing to a cheat code for sustained performance.

Training Style

Hypertrophy + strength

Frequency

5–6 days/week

Focus

Progressive overload

Nutrition

Macro-tracked

I play flute and guitar — two very different instruments that scratch different creative itches. The flute demands breath control and precision; every note is exposed with nowhere to hide. The guitar rewards improvisation and lets you build layers of harmony on the fly. Both are a welcome counterbalance to the analytical side of engineering. Music engages a completely different part of your brain, and after a long coding session, picking up an instrument feels like switching to a different operating system. It is meditative in a way that few other hobbies manage.

Instruments

Flute & Guitar

Flute Style

Classical / Indian

Guitar Style

Acoustic fingerstyle

Fast reflexes, sharp focus, and the satisfaction of a perfectly placed spin serve. Table tennis is my go-to for competitive fun that doubles as a mental reset. The speed of the game forces you into a flow state — there is no room for distraction when a ball is coming at you at 100 km/h across a 2.7-metre table. It is the perfect blend of physical and tactical, and the skill ceiling is deceptively high. What looks like a casual game can quickly turn into an intense strategic battle.

Play Style

Offensive spin

Favorite Shot

Backhand flick

Setting

Recreational + office

Teamwork and endurance on the pitch. Football is social in a way that solo work rarely is, and a reminder that competition is supposed to be fun. Playing regularly keeps cardio fitness sharp and forces you to think on your feet — literally. The team dynamics are what make it special: reading the game, anticipating runs, and executing a well-timed pass are deeply satisfying in a way that individual sports cannot replicate. It is the best antidote to spending too much time behind a screen.

Position

Midfielder

Play Style

Possession-based

Setting

5-a-side + weekend leagues

The homelab is where engineering curiosity lives without deadlines or stakeholders. A Mac Studio, a Linux server, a Windows gaming PC, and a network tying it all together — running everything from self-hosted services to AI experiments. Side projects are how I explore technologies I am curious about without the constraints of production systems. Some turn into useful tools, some teach me something new, and some are just fun to build. The setup has evolved over years, and tinkering with it is a hobby in itself. It is the closest thing to a playground for someone who builds software for a living.

Core

Mac Studio M4 Max

Server

Linux (self-hosted)

Network

Tailscale mesh

Projects

AI, infra, open source

Monitors

Multi-display setup