Toprak Kilic

As of September 28th, 2026

I really need to get my work-life balance down, school isn't too hard at the moment but I can really feel the pressure. Last weekend I went on an impromptu trip to Manhattan to stay at a good friend of mines house, it was so cool seeing Manhattan again after my first visit in 2023. Personally, it's the best city in the world, taking the best and the worst of cities around the world combining it into one beautiful mess. We visited some landmarks, got lost, late night eats, music, and tons of unnecessary amounts money spent. But alas, money is meant for memories and stories, not just sitting around. Now that I'm back to school, I really have to lock in and do my work or I probably won't have a fun time at the end of the semester.

September 14th, 2026

I've been getting into the rythm of university slowly, made a friend group I really like, and have started exploring opportunities and events around me. Everything seems like it should be overwhelming, but surprisingly, I'm quite happy with where I am. I like going at my own pace and exploring, getting deeper intro amateur radio, I went up to Mount Greylock last weekend for the ARRL VHF contest, it was super fun. I've been working on creating a club since I'm into networking and self hosting, but we'll see where it goes. Overall, I can say im quite happy.

August 27th, 2026

My first few days of university have been an incredible experience, from events almost every hour, exploring around campus, meeting new people from various backgrounds, and attending my first classes have been an absolute blast. From what I have heard from everyone, this feeling of euphoria tends to only last a couple weeks before being replaced with miserable work. I believe though it's what you make of it that counts. My favorite part so far would probably be exploring all the "tech dumps" on campus which are boxes of discared technology that you can rumage through, and I've gotten really lucky. Besides university, adjusting to the American way of life has been surprisingly easy, though my blood sugar is through the roof. The things my mom used to say I couldn't have or eat turns out, to be not all that bad (within moderation). To summarize, I am just living in the moment.

August 18th, 2026

"You never know what you've got till it's gone" is a proverb thats been resonating with me more and more as I count down the days. My flight is on Friday and I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with my friends and family, spending my last times with them. I went to a club, firing range, ate at my favorite restaurant, and saw my last movie. For some reason I've begun feeling more dread than excitement, which is interesting. In terms of projects to keep me busy, I created an IRC server for my university, while there are no users at the moment, it was fun learning about a protocol long past it's prime and the surprising support it still has. Writing here in the now page has been really enjoyable, I might actually turn this into a blog, we'll see what the future holds.

August 10th, 2026

I have made quite a bit of progress with my website. Before, it was hosted on Cloudflare Pages, but now I've moved it to a VPS hosted by netcup. I'm quite happy with their prices, and while their UI has a some room for improvement, it was easy to use and intuitive. Besides that, I'm still at my grandma's house getting some final things done before I begin my move to the United States. I'll miss her.

August 6th, 2026

As this is my first ever now post, I will give a little disclaimer. The "As of..." refers to the latest entry and is valid until changed. When it's changed, the old post will get kicked below with the original date it was posted for archival purposes. I believe recording your life, leaving a trace, collecting memories and capturing moments is crucial, as it allows me to look back on them, learn from them, and reminisce on fond memories. That's why I have decided to start this now page.