Welcome to my little cyber den!

I’m Jichen Xu, though some call me Kyo. I tinker with the cloud, an industry full of fancy buzzwords. But at the core, I’m just a code monkey.

I hail from a small border town in northern China, known for producing tanks. Growing up, it wasn’t unusual to see Type 59 tanks clearing snow off the streets after a heavy snowfall in winter. The city even has dedicated tank lanes.

After high school, I rolled my way into Japan for studies and ended up staying in Tokyo for 12 years. Eventually, by a twist of fate, my company relocated me to Canada. Now I’m based in Toronto, and I’m liking it here enough to call it home for the long haul.

In my free time, I enjoy playing guitar. Kiesel is my favorite brand, and I’m a big fan of the local band Archspire. If there’s a live show featuring similar bands, chances are you’ll spot me there.

Being in a band is a luxury. Not many adults can carve out regular time every week for hobbies. When I’m not playing guitar, I turn to solo activities like cycling.

I can cook, and I’m pretty good at it too. Not because I love cooking, it’s a survival skill. If the food outside weren’t so expensive and tasteless, I wouldn’t bother with it!

My current dream is to buy a house with a yard to bring my creative projects to life. I’d love to take up woodworking and build myself a guitar. I also want to get a 3D printer and a CNC machine to create some cool stuff on my own.

Curious about my professional background? Check out my LinkedIn.