AliXD

I'm Back Again!

Ali Lotfi — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A year ago I published my first post here. Looking back, I honestly didn't expect this much to happen in just twelve months.

Building Things

Most of my time went into building projects instead of just learning from tutorials.

One of the biggest ones was PoliTest, an interactive political personality test. It wasn't just about writing code—it involved researching political ideologies, designing questions, improving the UI, and making the results meaningful.

Alongside that, I built lots of smaller experiments. Some succeeded, some failed, and some were completely rewritten from scratch. Every project taught me something different.

Web Development

This year I spent countless hours working with modern web technologies.

Some of the things I explored:

Astro
Tailwind CSS
Alpine.js
WordPress Theme Development
Git & GitHub
Deployment and DevOps basics
UI/UX Design with Figma

I realized that shipping a project is much harder—and much more rewarding—than simply finishing a tutorial.

Beyond Programming

Programming wasn't the only thing I explored.

I spent a lot of time reading about politics, different systems of government, history, and political philosophy. I also became increasingly interested in military technology and strategy—not just the hardware, but how decisions, logistics, and leadership shape outcomes.

Understanding different perspectives has become just as valuable as writing better code.

Improving My English

Another long-term goal was improving my English.

I'm still learning every day, but I'm much more comfortable reading documentation, watching technical talks, and writing content directly in English than I was a year ago.

It's a slow process, but definitely worth it.

Lessons

If this year taught me anything, it's this:

Build more than you plan.
Finish projects, even imperfect ones.
Read outside your field.
Stay curious.
Keep learning.

Progress isn't one big breakthrough.

It's hundreds of small improvements that quietly accumulate over time.

I'm excited to see what the next year brings.

Stress is your freind.

Ali Lotfi — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Today I wanna talk about stress, something every person has experienced at least once. First things first, stress is often seen as harmful — at least that’s what we used to think.

Stress and Health Studies

Let me start with a study. This research tracked 30,000 adults in the US for eight years.

They asked people: “How much stress have you experienced in the last year?”
And also: “Do you believe that stress is harmful for your health?”

People who experienced a lot of stress in the previous year had 43% increased risk of dying.

Interestingly, Oxytocin, the so-called “hormone of stress,” affects your brain and body, protecting your cardiovascular system from damage that stress might cause.

So generally, stress is your friend — until you believe it’s harmful.

Helping Others Reduces Stress Risk

Another study tracked about 1,000 adults in the U.S., aged 34 to 93.

They asked how much stress participants had and how much time they spent helping friends or others.

Stress Event	Risk of Dying	If Helping Others
Major stress	+30%	0%

For each major stressful event, the risk of dying increased by 30% — but not for those who helped others.

Helping others can actually protect us from the harmful effects of stress. Being together is a key way to manage stress. Stress gives us access to our hearts, both literally and metaphorically.

Mindset Matters

When you change your mind, you can change your body’s response to stress.
Stress isn’t inherently bad — it’s our perception of it that determines its effect.

:::tip Engage in social activities, help others, and maintain a positive mindset to turn stress into a tool rather than a threat. :::

:::note Even though stress can feel overwhelming, remember that it can also boost resilience and strengthen connections with others. :::

Understanding stress this way can transform how you deal with it daily.
Next time you feel stressed, think of it as your friend giving you access to your heart and helping you grow.

Blog Features Overview

Ali Lotfi — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I wanted to make a post showing the features available on my blog, so you can see what’s possible when reading or writing here.

Theming

The blog supports different visual themes. You can use light mode, dark mode, or other color styles, and your choice will be remembered when you visit again.

Basic Formatting

Bullet lists
Bold text
Italic text
~~Strikethrough text~~
Clickable links

Quotes

“Some endings are bittersweet. Timing is everything.” – Gossip Girl

Tables

Name	Age	City
Alice	30	New York
Bob	25	Los Angeles
Charlie	35	Chicago

Images

You can add images with captions:

Or show pixelated graphics in their original style:

Notes and Highlights

:::note This is a note for readers. :::

:::tip This is a helpful tip. :::

:::warning This is a warning. :::

Emojis

You can add emojis like :coffee: ☕ or :star_struck: 🤩 to make your posts more expressive.

Math Support

Inline math and formulas are supported, for example:
$ \frac{a}{b} \cdot b = a $

HTML Elements

Posts can include interactive HTML elements like buttons, forms, and more.

<button>Click Me</button>

That’s a quick look at what’s possible here. I’ll use these features in future posts to make them more engaging and fun.