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.