The Holiday Season in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Ahhhh the holiday season--the time for lights, food, family, and giving, and for me, cleaning out my room after a semester of hard work and extracurricular projects. Now, cleaning my room is a bi-annual task that takes months and months of training, strategizing, and NUMEROUS trash bags. It is a battle that takes the eons (or maybe just 3 days) to win. Unlike most monotonous and drab clean up sessions, this one was different--I had stumbled upon a hidden gem in my room--legos. Just seeing the familiar sea of plastic made me reminisce about "the good old days". I imagined being picked up and thrown into a holiday galaxy far, far away (also known as my childhood)...

When I was 7, holidays at the Pandya household were a lot different--there would be lights outside the house, inside the house, and as far as the eye could see. Why, the lights were so bright (or so it seemed) it felt like it was constantly daytime! My sister would put up a Christmas tree every year and decorate it with all of our old school made ornaments. And of course this holiday was made possible and a bit more joyful (well maybe more than a bit) due to break starting and the stresses of schoolwork ending. I vividly remember the day break would start--the second I reached home, I would anxiously tear open my lego boxes, and my room was officially "Lego 24/7". My room was like a minefield (a minefield of legos, that is)--there would be my imagination immortalized in legos as far as the eye could see--dragons, quinta-engine spaceships, all terrain vehicles, and much much more.

Opening this box of legos and seeing the seas of color after all this time put a smile on my face and made me remember all the fun that I'd had as a little kid. The plethora of pieces threw me back to the constant sunlight and the dragons and minefields in my room--and though I enjoy what my holiday break has become, it was nice to be 7 again.

El Club de Fútbol de Kevin Moran

It was the beginning of summer, and homecoming was in full steam--and as a matter of fact, so was the FIFA World Cup! In all honesty, I had no clue what the World Cup was before summer, but given that my boss spent our lunch breaks streaming the game on his computer in 1080p (instead of sitting at his desk and working like usual), I decided that this had to be something big. So I got in on the frenzy as well--and boy was it exhilarating--this wasn't like normally watching a sport on TV...there was something different about this--a certain excitement that just kept jumping out at every moment. Then one afternoon after a skit practice, me and a good friend of mine were talking about the excitement of soccer, when he happened to mention that a group of Lynbrook kids played soccer at Kevin Moran Park. I was ecstatic! Now, I hadn't played soccer since I was 5 and continuously kicked the ball at the opposing teams' faces, but I was sure that I could learn! When we'd first arrived, the only thing that could be seen was chaos--there were 10-15 people per team, and no distinction between them--if someone scored on their own goal, they would just laugh it off and keep playing. That was what I saw as the beauty of the game--everyone played in harmony; we played for fun; and we played for the best summer ever. We all laughed together and had the time of our lives. On the first day that I'd been there, I knew nobody, but through all the laughter, fun, and sweat of summer, walking home on the day of the last game I realized I was walking away with 30 new friends and memories that I'll cherish forever.

The Beginning in an End

6 weeks of fun, cuisines, friends, and programming--what can I say, this was definitely a defining moment of my high school career. Be it having the greatest ping-pong tournaments known to history to programming in Python and Java all day long, I had a blast. I met and connected with so many different people and learned so many different things about Silicon Valley start ups--for example: I learned about looking ahead and adapting a business to where the market will be in 10 year; I learned about different kinds of businesses and their similarities and differences; I learned about different ways of protecting your product; but most importantly, I learned about passion for what you're doing. If you believe in what you're working towards and if you believe in yourself that what you're doing is right, you're unstoppable. DataTorrent's employees are much like you and I--I've seen their fun side as well as their hardworking and studious side. Once, when the boss had left, one of the programmers went to the ping pong room and brought the table out to have a tournament in front of everybody! Unfortunately, he was caught in the act by the boss (who had forgotten some of his papers), and everybody got a good laugh out of it. For the longest time, I've been wanting to create real code--real, in the sense that real programmers in the field would create, and that I did. Looking back on my time at DataTorrent, I now realize that this is what has solidified my passion for CS. Though the internship is now over, it has opened a new door for me--I have found a beginning in the end.

HC Script with a Side of Salsa

I remember my freshman homecoming...it was a mix of fear, excitement, and pure adrenaline--and it turned out to be one of the best parts of freshman year! Aside from the actual performance, one of the highlights of homecoming was being in charge of the script. Meeting so many different people with awesome ideas, writing skills, and acting skills was truly amazing. And guess what!? I get to do it again this year (but with a year of experience in my pocket)! The creativity involved in writing the script has always been a favorite of mine--I love thinking of creative ideas and making figments of my imagination a reality. Much like a dictionary in python, a value (in this case, memory) is not directly accessed...there is a key that triggers the value to be brought up. For me, it was my mother's salsa--no matter how frustrated the team was, or how much fun we were having, the one thing that would always make us stop what we were doing and run to the kitchen was salsa. I will always remember the conversations that we'd had around the bowl; Harry Potter, The Legend of Korra, you name it--we've talked about it. For some reason, the salsa was the thing that brought us all together and actually "gave" us the best ideas for the script! For many years to come, I know that I will always remember my mom's salsa and the sweet, delicious, and savory memories that it brings.

Week 3 & 4 Shenanigans

What can I say!? Life's been going great, and I feel like I am soaking in knowledge (programming AND ping-pong) by the minute! One of my personal favorite highlights this week was our company barbecue--we went to an employee's house for an afternoon of delicious roasted delights and plenty of chips and soda--we even had hummus! Aside from the food, they had a pool and two dogs! Everyone came dressed for the occasion and took a few leaps from the diving board. I even overcame my fear of dogs--I spent a good portion of the afternoon feeding the dogs chips! Not only was this outing fun, but also very eye opening. As the fun and food started winding down, all the company's employees sat in a circle for our weekly company meetings. Instead of the usual demonstrations, we talked about what the company was up to and what our future looked like. I learned a lot about company life and what opportunities and risks to take as the CEO gave a company update about what deals and partnerships we were working on at the time. After this, we all drove back to the office while listening to musical melodies and chatting about school life and ideal summer vacations. But the fun wasn't over yet! After returning to the office, some of the other employees invited me to play a game of ping-pong with them--a doubles game! Instead of the usual games that I tended to play, this game followed the strict rules of the ping-pong (the employees played recreationally). It was a lot of fun, and I finally figured out how to smash the ball and get it over the net! After a week (or two) of hard work, this was the perfect Friday to end it with. I honestly can't believe that 4 weeks are already done--this wonderful experience is going by so quickly! I look forward to finishing my work and to the rest of my time at DataTorrent--not to mention another game of ping-pong!

My First Scoutmaster Minute

In all my time as a Boy Scout, a Scoutmaster Minute (SM) has been something the wise scoutmasters would present. Now, a SM is a minute for the scoutmaster to expound an experience in their life that has shaped their skills and personality for the better--a SM is words of wisdom from years of experience. So when I was asked to present the SM for an upcoming meeting, I was shocked (I was neither a scoutmaster OR adult) yet immensely excited. Ever since I had joined my troop, I had always wondered what it would be like to  stand in front of my friends and younger scouts and share my experiences. Now, I had gotten an opportunity to do this as Senior Patrol Leader (SPL), but that had a different feeling to it--while a SPL organizes and informs the troop, as many had done before me, a SM is a precious thing that very few are given the right to say, and I was honored to present it.

The message: Initiative is everything. Nothing in life will be brought to you on a golden platter--the only thing that you can be certain the future holds for you is something that you have taken the initiative to get. In my minute, I talked about taking the initiative to talk to people, and how these impressions and friendships you make will be your network. I said that the network that you make will not only be the group of friends you have, but will also be the group of people who will be your colleagues and recommend you for jobs. You are only as strong as your network, as they elevate you and give you a platform to start from (as opposed to ground 0). Networks are everything--and the root--initiative. 

Week 2 Shenanigans

My, my, time really does fly fast when you're having fun! This week has been full of new concepts, new code, and new business strategies that I can't wait to apply in the real world--where do I start?! I've been learning so much about strategies for a successful business this week, I feel like I could start my own company! So far, we have covered three of the main concepts of successful businesses, how to protect your software products, how to track your employees progress for their work, and how to predict what the "hot" fields will be 10 years from now. Its amazing--depending on the different types of products, different methods are used. For example Microsoft only uses simple licenses to sell their software, but the problem is with the license, anyone else can also use their software. The thing is, Microsoft sells its software for around $100 and has over a billion clients, so not only would it not be worth it to sue anyone, but it would be extremely time consuming to check up on each of the clients. On the other hand, there are companies like Oracle who sell their software for 15 million dollars, but have only 5,000 clients. Companies like Oracle have an encryption protecting their code, and constantly check to make sure the encryption isn't being broken/messed around with. If it is, they would take their client to court to protect their software and not go bankrupt. For monitoring employee progress, different websites are used for people to post on what they've been working on. This is much more efficient that checking on each employee individually. As for "hot" fields, cloud computing is the way to go, and lucky for me, thats what DataTorrent is all about! All these lessons will really help me grow as a businessman, and I can't wait to put my newfound skills to the test! Along with Python, I have also been focusing a lot on HTML and CSS (for website development of course)--along with some other projects, I have started building my own website! I really love website development, as there are so many different possibilities to create and so many different ways that you can achieve the aesthetics that you are going for--the flexibility of the code is really nice. Today is a very special day, and I am very, very excited! That's right, its Friday, which means we get take out food, compliments of the boss of course! We'll be having pizza from a new restaurant today, and I'm looking forward to pleasing my palate. But thats not the only reason today is a special day--TRANSFORMERS 4: AGE OF EXTINCTION IS COMING OUT, and I'm watching it tonight! I can't wait! 

Looking Back on Week 1

Week 1 of my internship accomplished, and I am glad to say, all of my body parts and organs are still intact! At the beginning of the week, I was afraid to even look up from my desk, but looking back now I think of my fear as silly. Every day, all the employees made their best efforts to talk to me and make me feel comfortable. The one part of my (old) impression of companies that was true was the employees--they're actually really cool! They make games, play foosball, and play ping pong! Most importantly, they are great friends with each other, something that makes me look forward to getting a job. While I had previously thought that nobody talked or joked with each other, I now realize that it was just the first day jitters talking. After each day, I felt that everybody started talking more and more, and the I could see the fun that everyone was having with each other. There were always stressful and frustrating times, as is the nature of  coding and debugging--but they always knew that there was a room of friends ready to help them with their work. The magic of success in the Silicon Valley is team work and close interaction with co-workers and customers.This was a great week for me--instead of just sitting around at home I was able to do something that I love and improve my skills! And of course, whenever I got tired or couldn't debug a piece of code, I could always take a quick snack break or foosball break! I feel that in just this week, I have improved as a programmer and learned a lot more techniques and efficient coding methods. I have also been sitting in at company meetings, teaching me a lot about company mechanics, hiring techniques, and how to get more business--its amazing! This is going to be a awesome experience, and as an extra perk, the company gets take out food every Friday! I cant wait for what the next two months will bring, and I cant wait to code some more!

My First Day on the Job

The first day of my internship was not quite as I had expected--now, I had seen my fair share of movies from which I had come to a "realization" of what start-up and company life was like--and DataTorrent was nothing like it. Thinking back now, I realize that my idea of company life was VERY far off from reality, as no company has swimming pools and 5 star gourmet meals (and large TV watching sessions). Although these things were lacking from my first day, I had a lot of fun--the entire environment of programmers coming together to work on a project was truly amazing. Everyone was working hand in hand and silently joking and laughing together. Now, I say silently because at the time, I expected eruptions of talking and laughter, but only heard one thing--silence; in fact, when I dropped my water bottle on the table, I heard echoes for what felt like hours and felt a few glares as well. It was when I was eating lunch that I realized the friendship and stories that everyone shared. Then I got a tour of the facility, and I got more and more excited by the second--kitchens full of tasty treats, tables full of different flavored tea, and the greatest of all, a foosball table, or as I first thought it was, the table of heavenly golden light. It was after 7 hours of being in the office that I realized that I was STILL adrenaline-high (which is a good thing for me), and that the internship was going to be one of the best experiences of my life. Albeit the foosball table and the kitchen had a small fact to play in this realization, I found that the environment itself--all the people working together with mutual respect for each other, the friendships being made, the experiences and feelings being shared-- that is what makes being a part of a something that you helped build with sweat and tears (luckily no blood!) so precious. And that is why my mother kept asking me why I had a stupid grin on my face the car ride home.