Building Fastbooks: Reflections on 2025 and embracing the joy of creation

It’s been a while since I’ve found the time to sit down and write something here. The last time I shared my thoughts here was back in July 2024, during the finals of Euro, as I watched Spain face off against England. In that post, I laid out some raw, unfiltered ideas about the prospect of an independent Scotland. A lot has changed since then.

I’ve bid farewell to Scotland and embarked on a new chapter in Malaysia, primarily to align myself with a more favorable timezone for work. No more 3 am or 4 am wake-up calls for me! Now, I have the luxury of a few peaceful hours each day before the chaos of work descends upon me (well, to a certain degree, of course).

In a significant milestone, I took some time off during the last week of December - my first real break in three years. This much-needed respite granted me the opportunity to reflect deeply on various aspects of my life. At my core, I’ve always been a builder, and I’ve come to realize how much I miss the hands-on experience of writing code and bringing ideas to life. Over the past three years, I’ve found myself juggling a myriad of roles, from Product Owner/Manager to Scrum Master, People Manager, and even a pseudo-sales person. While these experiences have been invaluable, they can also be incredibly exhausting after a while.

As I pondered my path forward, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement about the current state of the AI space. From Large Language Models (LLMs) to AI Agents and a plethora of other groundbreaking developments, there has never been a more thrilling time to be an engineer. Every single day, new and fascinating innovations emerge, leaving me with a serious case of FOMO. I sometimes feel stuck, yearning to get my hands dirty with the latest technological advancements.

So, I made a decision. In 2025, I will embark on the journey of creating an indie/micro-SaaS product. While I’ve always collaborated with others in the past, the advent of cutting-edge IDEs, Code Assistants, and AI-powered programming and design tools has empowered me to take on this challenge solo. To document this exciting venture, I’ve created a separate X account called @BuildAfterDark, where I’ll share my progress as I dedicate my evenings (5-9 pm) to building this indie project. Admittedly, most days, I find myself utterly exhausted by 6 pm, ready to crawl into bed. But the passion for creation keeps me motivated.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Fastbooks - an AI-assisted bookkeeping tool. It’s a simple product, nothing overly fancy or groundbreaking, but rather an incremental improvement in its domain. My goal with Fastbooks isn’t to change the world, but rather to keep my skills sharp and up-to-date. It’s an opportunity for me to explore and experiment with new technologies and tools that I haven’t had the chance to play with before.

I hope to return here in a couple of months and share an update on my progress with the Fastbooks project. In the meantime, feel free to follow along on X (@BuildAfterDark) to witness the highs and lows of my journey.

Until next time, dear readers. Here’s to embracing the joy of creation and the endless possibilities that lie ahead!