Update blog theme: Stripe-style colors, IBM Plex Sans font, Azure accent, improved typography, updated about page with resume content

Author: chkry

public/assets/ProfilePhoto1.jpg

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ const isActive = (path: string) => {
   >
     <a
       href="/"
-      class="absolute py-1 text-xl leading-8 font-semibold whitespace-nowrap sm:static sm:my-auto sm:text-2xl sm:leading-none"
+      class="absolute py-1 text-xl leading-8 font-semibold font-heading whitespace-nowrap sm:static sm:my-auto sm:text-2xl sm:leading-none"
     >
       {SITE.title}
     </a>

src/components/Header.astro

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 export const SITE = {
   website: "https://www.chakrireddy.com/",
-  author: "Chakri Reddy",
+  author: "Chakradhar Reddy",
   profile: "https://www.linkedin.com/in/chkry/",
-  desc: "Product Guy and Senior Software Engineer G4, Full Stack @GRAB",
+  desc: "Senior Software Engineer G4, Full Stack @GRAB and AI Evangelist. Passionate about building scalable web applications and exploring the latest in AI technology.",
   title: "Chakradhar Reddy",
   ogImage: "astropaper-og.jpg",
   lightAndDarkMode: true,

src/config.ts

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export const SOCIALS: Social[] = [
   },
   {
     name: "Mail",
-    href: "mailto:chkryreddy@gmail.com",
+    href: "mailto:ChakradharReddyPakala@gmail.com",
     linkTitle: `Send an email to ${SITE.title}`,
     icon: IconMail,
   },

src/constants.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 author: Chakri Reddy
-pubDatetime: 2023-03-01T22:40:32Z
-modDatetime: 2023-03-01T22:40:32Z
+pubDatetime: 2025-03-01T22:40:32Z
+modDatetime: 2025-03-01T22:40:32Z
 title: My Journey as a Product Advisor for Era Interfaces
 slug: product-advisor-era-interfaces
 featured: true

src/data/blog/product-advisor-era-interfaces.md

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 ---
-import { Font } from "astro:assets";
 import { ClientRouter } from "astro:transitions";
 import { PUBLIC_GOOGLE_SITE_VERIFICATION } from "astro:env/client";
 import { SITE } from "@/config";
@@ -61,10 +60,12 @@ const structuredData = {
     <link rel="canonical" href={canonicalURL} />
     <meta name="generator" content={Astro.generator} />
 
-    <!-- Load Font -->
-    <Font
-      cssVariable="--font-google-sans-code"
-      preload={[{ subset: "latin", weight: 400, style: "normal" }]}
+    <!-- Load Fonts from Google Fonts -->
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
+    <link
+      href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=IBM+Plex+Sans:ital,wght@0,400;0,500;0,600;0,700;1,400&display=swap"
+      rel="stylesheet"
     />
 
     <!-- General Meta Tags -->
@@ -140,7 +141,7 @@ const structuredData = {
     <!-- Minimal inline script to prevent FOUC - sets theme immediately -->
     <script is:inline>
       (function () {
-        const initialColorScheme = ""; // "light" | "dark"
+        const initialColorScheme = "light"; // "light" | "dark"
         const currentTheme = localStorage.getItem("theme");
 
         function getPreferTheme() {

src/layouts/Layout.astro

@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ const backUrl = SITE.showBackButton ? Astro.url.pathname : "/";
 <main data-backUrl={backUrl} id="main-content" class="app-layout pb-4">
   {
     "titleTransition" in props ? (
-      <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold sm:text-3xl">
+      <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold font-heading sm:text-3xl">
         {props.pageTitle[0]}
         <span transition:name={props.titleTransition}>
           {props.pageTitle[1]}
         </span>
       </h1>
     ) : (
-      <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold sm:text-3xl">{props.pageTitle}</h1>
+      <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold font-heading sm:text-3xl">{props.pageTitle}</h1>
     )
   }
   <p class="mt-2 mb-6 italic">{props.pageDesc}</p>

src/layouts/Main.astro

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ const nextPost =
   >
     <h1
       transition:name={slugifyStr(title.replaceAll(".", "-"))}
-      class="inline-block text-2xl font-bold text-accent sm:text-3xl"
+      class="inline-block text-2xl font-bold font-heading text-accent sm:text-3xl"
     >
       {title}
     </h1>

src/layouts/PostDetails.astro

@@ -4,19 +4,80 @@ title: "About me"
 ---
 
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chkry/">
-  <img src="/assets/ProfilePhoto.jpg" alt="Chakri Reddy" style="width:150px;height:auto;border-radius:50%;margin:20px auto;display:block;" />
+  <img src="/assets/ProfilePhoto.jpg" alt="Chakradhar Reddy Pakala" style="width:150px;height:auto;border-radius:50%;margin:20px auto;display:block;" />
 </a>
 
-Hello, I'm **Chakradhar Reddy Pakala**, a Senior Software Engineer G4, Full Stack and Product Guy at [**GRAB | GxS Bank**](https://www.grab.com/sg/).
+## Hi, I'm **Chakradhar Reddy Pakala**, 
 
-I've been working in the tech industry for over 10+ years, and I've had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from small startups to large enterprises. I'm passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems, and I'm always looking for new ways to improve the user experience.
+ a Strategic Product Leader and Full Stack Engineer with **10+ years** of experience scaling FinTech, Digital Banking, and IAM solutions. Currently, I'm a **Senior Software Engineer IV**, FullStack at [**Grab**](https://www.grab.com/sg/) in Bengaluru, India.
 
-In my current role, I'm responsible for the product roadmap for a suite of fintech products. I work closely with stakeholders from across the company to gather requirements, prioritize features, and ensure that we're delivering products that meet the needs of our users.
+## What I Do
 
-I'm also a strong believer in continuous learning and development. I'm always looking for new ways to improve my skills and knowledge, and I'm always happy to share what I know with others.
+I specialize in building end-to-end products and platforms that scale to millions of users. My expertise spans:
 
-I'm excited to be using my skills and experience to help shape the future of fintech. I believe that technology has the power to make financial services more accessible, affordable, and transparent, and I'm committed to using my skills to make a positive impact on the world.
+- 🚀 **Languages & Frameworks** — JavaScript, Go, Java, React, Redux, Spring
+- 🔐 **Identity & Access Management** — OpenID, OAuth 2.0, WebAuthn, MFA, SSO
+- 🤖 **GenAI Tools** — GitHub Copilot Enterprise, GitLab Duo, Cursor
+- ☁️ **Cloud & Infrastructure** — AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, Kafka
 
-In my blog, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the latest trends in fintech, as well as my experiences as a Software Engineer and Product Manager. I'll also be sharing tips and advice for aspiring developers and product managers.
+## Career Highlights
 
-I hope you'll join me on this journey!
+### At Grab (Jan 2022 - Present)
+
+As a **Founding Engineer** at GXS Bank, I've built the customer experience platform serving **3M+ users** across Southeast Asia:
+
+- Designed and implemented **GXS Help Center**, AI Chat-bot, GXS Flex Credit Card, and GXS Debit Card services using React and Go
+- Built **Phoenix** — Grab's internal high-throughput support platform serving millions of tickets and 1K+ concurrent users
+- Built **XtraMile** — A distributed internal operations portal used by 500+ users across 5 countries
+- Engineered a **rightsizing engine** based on the Goldilocks Principle, delivering **$60K** in annualized infrastructure cost savings
+- Decreased Help Center API response time by **30%** through code optimization
+- Led and mentored a team of 3 engineers for PAX Lending modules
+
+### At HID Global (Jan 2018 - Jan 2022)
+
+**Senior Technical Consultant** in the IAM Business Unit:
+
+- Drove product vision and development for the **HID-Temenos IAM Integration**, generating **$5M in annual recurring revenue**
+- Built and presented hands-on product demos for Authentication as a Service — MFA, TOTP, Biometrics, Hardware Tokens using React & Spring
+- Architected reusable authentication components for Mobile (KONY) and Web (Temenos UXP) platforms
+- Created technical demos and POCs that accelerated product adoption and revenue
+
+### At LG Soft India (May 2015 - Jan 2018)
+
+**Software Engineer** building mobile software:
+
+- Architected and deployed **HAKIM**, a custom automation framework achieving **40% reduction** in manual sanity testing
+- Built Telephony Android apps and Android framework for LG smartphones
+- Led UI design for LG smart devices, implementing internationalization for global users
+
+## Skills & Certifications
+
+**Architectures:** Microservices, RESTful APIs, Distributed Systems, Event-driven Architecture
+
+**Tools:** Git, Docker, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, Jenkins, Terraform, Kafka, Redis, Elastic, Grafana
+
+**Methodologies:** Agile (Scrum), SAFe® 5 Certified Agilist
+
+## Awards & Recognition
+
+- 🏅 **University Gold Medal** — Academic Excellence (Nov 2023)
+- 🦁 **Lion Award** — Critical security issue resolution in Temenos Integration (May 2021)
+- 🏆 **Innovation Award** — HAKIM Automation Test Suite for LG Smartphones (Aug 2016)
+- ⭐ Multiple **Spot Awards** — For exceptional delivery on KONY, Temenos UXP, Digital Persona, and HID-Temenos Integration
+
+## What I Write About
+
+On this blog, I share:
+
+- Insights on **full-stack engineering** and system design
+- **AI tools and automation** in developer workflows
+- **Product development** lessons from building at scale
+- Curated **tech newsletters** with interesting reads
+
+## Let's Connect
+
+I'm always excited to discuss technology, collaborate on projects, or chat about the latest in tech!
+
+📧 [ChakradharReddyPakala@gmail.com](mailto:ChakradharReddyPakala@gmail.com)  
+💼 [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chkry/)  
+🐙 [GitHub](https://github.com/chkry)

src/pages/about.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+---
+layout: ../layouts/AboutLayout.astro
+title: "About me"
+---
+
+<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chkry/">
+  <img src="/assets/ProfilePhoto.jpg" alt="Chakradhar Reddy Pakala" style="width:150px;height:auto;border-radius:50%;margin:20px auto;display:block;" />
+</a>
+
+## Hey there! 👋
+
+I'm **Chakradhar Reddy Pakala**, a Strategic Product Leader and Full Stack Engineer with **10+ years** of experience building scalable FinTech, Digital Banking, and IAM solutions. Currently, I'm a **Senior Software Engineer (G4)** at [**Grab**](https://www.grab.com/sg/) in Singapore.
+
+## What I Do
+
+I specialize in building end-to-end products and platforms that scale. My expertise spans:
+
+- 🚀 **Full Stack Development** — React, Redux, Go, Java, Spring
+- 🔐 **Identity & Access Management** — OpenID, OAuth 2.0, WebAuthn, MFA, SSO
+- 🤖 **GenAI Tools** — GitHub Copilot Enterprise, GitLab Duo, Cursor
+- ☁️ **Cloud & Infrastructure** — AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform
+
+## Career Highlights
+
+### At Grab (2022 - Present)
+As a **Founding Engineer** at GXS Bank, I've built the customer experience platform serving **3M+ users** across Southeast Asia:
+
+- Designed and implemented **GXS Help Center**, AI Chat-bot, and GXS Flex Credit Card services using React and Go
+- Built **Phoenix & XtraMile** — internal platforms serving millions of tickets and 500+ operations users across 5 countries
+- Engineered a **rightsizing engine** delivering $60K in annualized infrastructure cost savings
+- Reduced Help Center API response times by **30%** through optimization
+
+### At HID Global (2018 - 2022)
+Led the **HID-Temenos IAM Integration** generating **$5M in annual recurring revenue**:
+
+- Architected reusable authentication components for Mobile and Web platforms
+- Created technical demos and POCs that accelerated product adoption
+- Served as the bridge between engineering, pre-sales, and sales teams
+
+### At LG Soft India (2015 - 2018)
+- Built **HAKIM**, a custom automation framework achieving 40% reduction in manual testing
+- Developed Telephony Android apps and framework for LG smartphones
+
+## Awards & Recognition
+
+- 🏅 **University Gold Medal** — Academic Excellence (2023)
+- 🦁 **Lion Award** — Critical security issue resolution at HID Global
+- 🏆 **Innovation Award** — HAKIM Automation Test Suite at LG
+
+## What I Write About
+
+On this blog, I share:
+
+- Insights on **full-stack engineering** and system design
+- **AI tools and automation** in developer workflows
+- **Product development** lessons from building at scale
+- Curated **tech newsletters** with interesting reads
+
+## Let's Connect
+
+I'm always excited to discuss technology, collaborate on projects, or just chat about the latest in tech!
+
+📧 [ChakradharReddyPakala@gmail.com](mailto:ChakradharReddyPakala@gmail.com)  
+💼 [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chkry/)  
+🐙 [GitHub](https://github.com/chkry)