This is a submission for the New Year, New You Portfolio Challenge Presented by Google AI
About Me
I am Sonu Suresh.
A Solution Lead who builds reliable, event driven systems using Node.js, Kafka, PM2, and BPM. I focus on designing software that scales without turning into chaos.
I prefer callbacks over tight coupling. Automation over manual effort. Simple architecture over clever hacks.
My approach is straightforward. Break problems down. Design clean flows. Write code that is easy to read, test, and maintain. Ship fast, but ship right.
In short, I build systems that keep working at 2 AM without waking anyone up.
Portfolio
How I Built It
I used Google Antigravity to build and deploy the complete app.
Retro look. Modern muscle.
Built using plain Vanilla JavaScript, HTML, and CSS with zero frameworks. No shortcuts, no abstractions, just direct control over the browser. The app is served through Nginx and deployed on Google Cloud Run, giving it a secure, scalable, and fully serverless backbone.
It looks like 1998 on the screen, but under the hood it runs on modern cloud infrastructure. Fast startup, reliable scaling, and production grade performance.
Old school aesthetics. New school engineering. A dial up era interface running on jet engines.
What I'm Most Proud Of
Building a Desktop in the Browser
I built a complete window management system using plain JavaScript. Windows can be dragged, focused, stacked, and managed with proper z index behavior, just like a real desktop OS. I avoided heavy desktop simulation libraries and implemented the core logic myself, which made it both challenging and satisfying to get right.
The CRT Experience
This project is not only about functionality but also about nostalgia and feel. I created a CSS only CRT effect that simulates scanlines, slight screen curvature, and subtle flicker to mimic old monitors. The goal was to make it feel like you are actually sitting in front of a late 90s computer.
Interactive Easter Eggs
Instead of static icons, the desktop includes small playable games like Minesweeper and Snake built directly into the system. These are fully interactive and run inside the window manager, turning the portfolio into something you can explore and play with rather than just read.
Cloud Native Retro
While the visuals look like 1998, the infrastructure is modern. The app is containerized using Docker and served through Nginx, then deployed on Google Cloud Run. It is secure, scalable, and loads fast, even though it pretends to belong to the dial up era.
The result is a mix of old school aesthetics with modern engineering. Retro on the outside, cloud native on the inside. A time machine powered by containers.
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