about

i'm iyaad arshad — 15 years old, sri lankan by origin, born and raised in dubai. i spend most of my time exploring three things: technology, finance, and endurance sports. i like to think i've gone reasonably deep in these fields for someone my age — though i'm far from an expert in any of them.

i'm not a genius, and i don't claim to be. i'm just someone who likes to explore a bit further than surface-level. i learn through experimentation rather than manuals or tutorials — those tiny details you discover by trying things randomly are what really make the difference in understanding how things actually work.

one of the earliest hobbies i can remember is running a newspaper business called Jokin News Inc. i'd write funny newspapers reporting on made-up events where teachers were in ridiculous scenarios. my classmates — and the teachers, including the ones i was reporting on — found it entertaining. i even created a currency for people to purchase the newspapers with, and controlled the circulation and supply of the notes.

a few years later, i found Wix from an ad, built my first website, then discovered WordPress and made over 300 sites during covid as side projects. i found free domain providers like freenom and registered over 70 domains, using free hosting on infinityfree and profreehost with cpanel. those days taught me a lot about hosting, domains, and how the internet works under the hood.

the pandemic years were also peak gaming — fortnite chapter 2 season 2, CTR on the PS4 shared with my siblings and dad. i still have the entire fortnite map memorized. my first ever in-game purchase was a battle pass bought with my eidi money.

i overthink quite a bit — especially when writing things like this. i prefer not to be delusional, though maybe believing that is itself delusional. i tend to test things by experimentation: if i can't figure out why something works, i'll put in $5 and see what happens. it's how i've built most of my understanding.

i'm not perfect and should never assume i am. my perspective today could be the opposite in a few months. i'm always open to learning new things, listening to people who know more than me, and taking criticism appropriately. at the end of the day, we're just people — constantly learning, growing, and trying to make the world a little better, one step at a time.

one pattern i've noticed in myself: i start hundreds of projects and finish very few. i always want to add extra features and make things perfect before launching. i've learned the hard way that you need to ship a minimum viable product first, get feedback, and iterate. it's something i'm still working on.

losing 90% of a $500 crypto birthday gift taught me more about scams than any article could. i tried copytrading, derivatives, forex, options — and encountered many scams along the way. these days i like to say i have a sharp eye for them, though that doesn't mean i'm immune.

i sometimes intentionally test scams. if i understand the mechanism and can see how they profit, i drop it immediately. but if it's something new from a source i trust and i can't figure out the angle, i'll put in a small amount and learn. if you can't explain how someone profits from a deal, it's probably a scam.