Marvin Sum

I'm Marvin

Here's who I am and what I do.

I'm a 24-year old web developer, entrepreneur and Christian. I love everything web and mobile.

I began my internet journey in the publishing world. For a season, I worked with two high-profile Apple blogs to help its writers develop unique content and improve their readership. Gradually, I gravitated towards web design and development, and have never looked back since. Each new project gives me the opportunity to push the boundaries of what is possible.

The past 5 years have been incredibly rewarding for me. I've spent time taking on freelance projects, consulting on the web, leading a cell group and mentoring younger entrepreneurs. I was even a police officer for 2 years. I've worked at a web design agency, as well as one of the world's largest game publishers. Today I run Basement2, and a host of other little projects. I can't wait to see how the next 5 years pan out!

I live in Singapore, although I spent 7 years of my youth in beautiful New Zealand. When I'm not coding, I like kicking back to a good podcast, or hunting for a hipster cafe.

What I'm Passionate About

Today I wear many hats, so I figured it might be a good idea to list them down somewhere.

  • Web & Mobile Development
    I've been creating websites for 5 years now, and I just love it. Even with technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and responsive web design springing up every now and then, I still find joy in learning new things. I enjoying challenging myself to create elegant code and creative user interfaces.
  • Changing The World
    I'm all for impacting people's lives and putting a dent in the universe. As I look out in the world today, I see a lot lacking in our lives. I picture a day where life can be better and more meaningful for all of us. I support several social enterprises, and mentor young minds who share this passion.
  • Personal Development & Productivity
    I love todo lists, notebooks and just being very efficient at life in general. I spend unhealthy amounts of time reading lifehacks, listening to Merlin Mann talk about productivity and reflecting on my todo lists every now and then. We can spend an entire day talking about GTD, Moleskines and everything in between.
  • Music
    I enjoy playing Top 40 tunes by ear. I play keys (apparently that is the hipster way of saying keyboard) really well, though I'm still struggling on guitar. Next time you're in town lets sing to tunes like “Someone Like You” by Adelle or “The Lazy Song” by Bruno Mars.
  • Hipster Cafes
    Whatever little free time I have leftover from the above, I spend it in search of the next hipster cafe. I've visited dozens littered all over Singapore and only a select few have created a lasting impression. To me, cafes are special places where I have ignited or rekindled my passions.

“What's with the Rockstar?”

I get asked frequently why I call myself an “Internet Rockstar”. After all, it's all over my website and my business card. Is it just branding? I think it's a whole lot more. Here's the deal.

The term "web developer" or "web designer" is all too-often assigned to anyone who can open a text editor and churn out some HTML/CSS. Rather, the Rockstar signifies a bunch of forward-thinking folks who have embraced open standards, semantic markup, microformats and are actively looking for new ways to develop for the web. I'm excited to push boundaries and be a part of the Rockstar generation.

Find Me Online

  • I only add people I've met (in real life) to Facebook.
  • I tweet about all kinds of things.
  • I have a professional resume, which I should update more frequently.
  • I snap photos with Instagram, and broadcast them to my Flickr account.
  • I'm checking out and getting used to pinning stuff on Pinterest.
  • I used to Digg somewhat, but haven't bothered since the site's decline.
  • I have a Github account, which I should use more of.

About This Site

This website was created on a Mac, using great tools like Coda, Photoshop, Chrome and numerous caffeinated beverages. It's hosted on the rock-solid webservers at Webfaction.

This blog doesn't run on Wordpress, Movable Type or Drupal. Instead, it runs on Priscilla, a static-HTML generator I created. I write all my posts in Markdown and store them in plain text files. Priscilla periodically grabs all these text files and generates the website you are currently viewing.

Priscilla also watches my Twitter and Flickr account and grabs any new content for the blog. It's all automated, so I don't have to do a thing. Yep, she's pretty smart.

The Coda

When all is said and done, I live life very simply: “Do what you love, and love what you do”.