I survived Sunday. in my neighborhood....you can't imagine, the cacophony of noises...the kids..oh, so many kids in my neighborhood, who think it's perfectly fine to be screaming at the top of their lungs. Parents that don't care. Kids, their friends, kids from other blocks. I think one of the major motivations for coding, is the belief that tomorrow is going to be a better day.

And this idea that the best days are coming is something that a study based on 30 years of studying the rich and wealthy believe. For more fun reads check this link. Over at The New York Times, I was checking out houses in Westchester, a cute stone house --in the suburbs, nice and quiet, surrounded by trees and green stuff --that's where I can totally see myself. Just have to get out of my 'hood. It's just not doing it for me anymore.

In any case, I've been ploughing through a Python course on edx.org . Spent two weeks doing that and getting back to Free Code Camp's bonfires. I was totally excited last night as I managed to get 3/4 of the answer on my own until I got stuck at one point. Totally excited that my brain is starting to "get it." Back to coding now.

I also spent like a week reviewing html\css and Bootstrap. I was geeking out over successfully implementing a Google font design on my website. I also found some really cool (and free) icons that I can install on a website, which can come in handy if I'm going to be creating website (for $$$).

Here's what I have so far (it's a work in progress):

Add caption

Just 6 more bonfires to go! Hope to complete 3 more this week and 3 next week.

It's been a while since the last post. Still coding. I'm putting more time into the Free Code Camp challenges. I'm halfway through the lower level challenges, referred to as bonfires. It's an ongoing process. The point of the exercises is to use the concepts and construct algorithms in order to solve the challenges. For me, the hard part is putting together the code in order to solve the problems. Free Code Camp is JS-based. (Javascript). It's basically the language that powers the web, so very important.


For those who get stuck on the challenges, there are a few options:

• pair-program (working with someone else to solve the challenge)
• research on the net (Hello Stack Overflow!)

It's just a matter of keeping with it, being disciplined and putting the necessary hours. This is a free bootcamp with an amazing community. And did I mention that it's free? Free Code Camp (FCC) makes you job ready. From what I've seen, that's no exaggeration. 

Oh and a month or so ago, I went on an interview for a startup. Let's just say the position was to help users find stuff. Let's just say that they help users with fulfilling any kind of request, pizza, tickets, whatever. The interview was on one of the hottest days. Based in Tribeca, I was sweating, drenched in sweat, lost and had to walk up the stairs to the 3rd or 4th floor. Actually before I was even there, the position didn't really sound that appealing to me, but went anyways. It sounded like a glorified butler, but app-based. 

Apparently, the people that I was interviewing with had seen like 800 people but only hired 8 so far. Not really right for me. But it got me thinking about the kind of life that I want. I'm starting to want something different than what my parents had in mind--you know stability, life-long job....I've started to look at cars....that I want.... Never mind that I don't have a license. In the past, I just didn't see what the whole point was, since there's no place to park on my block....

Definitely, a Mazda 3. Red. Maybe a hatchback.... so this is kinda like my motivation. Just owning stuff, having assets, that's kind of what I'm moving towards. 

An Ode to......

S.W. She's my mentee/tenant's kid. Her family, like mine's is Chinese. They've emigrated from China, spent some time in the Dominican Republic and landed in New York.  I think I've mentioned her on this blog. She was five and a half when she first introduced herself to me and she's now 8. This post is going to be unlike the others in that, It's been a difficult month. In some respect, it's going to be difficult not seeing her face practically everyday. In the beginning, her parents were both working and each got one day off and never on the same days. I was the person who would look after her. Often, her dad didn't get home until 9pm and her mom didn't get home til 10:30pm at night, which meant that she's see her parents for maybe an hour or two. I'd imagine she didn't get any decent home-cooked meal, considering that her parents would be dead-tired getting home. And you know what, a lot of kids are in her situation:

"The Rise of Extreme Daycare"

Can you imagine sending your kid to sleep overnight in a day care facility? I really feel for these kids and it's not something the parents want to do, but due to the time schedule of their jobs, are left with few alternatives....

Thinking back, I still remember S.W. falling asleep on our couch around 9pm-ish waiting for her dad to get home. A short while later, her mom decided to stay home to carry her baby full-term. She relayed that in a few months, she'd put her baby daughter to daycare, just like how S.W. was raised. That to me, is so, so sad. Her mom, like many immigrant women works in the nail salon industry.

The New York Times recently wrote an explosive and powerful investigative piece here. The number of women in this industry who no longer have fingerprints or have experienced miscarriages is no coincidence. No wonder, her mother decided to take a hiatus from her job there.

It was heartbreaking hearing how much S.W. had missed her mom so much so. You feel so bad for the kid.  But everyone has their responsibilities, even S.W. Her main responsibilities was to do well in school. Her parents had put her in an after-school program whose main focus was to help with homework, in addition to the once a week private tutoring session in English/grammar and Saturdays were for swimming. There were days that I'd help her with the tutoring homework and other assignments with reading. As much as it sounds like this partnership was one-sided, S.W. taught me a lot.

It's weird, because before meeting her, I wanted to become a "Big Sister" to someone, maybe impart my knowledge and be their "cheerleader." Synchronicity, I tell you. It's not just New Age hokum. But things happen for a reason. I always thought of myself as not being very good with kids. I am not one of those people who talk to kids in that awful baby-language. I'm straight-up with them and honest. Thinking back, as a kid, I used to be afraid of adults. I was really guarded as a kid, and in some ways, I still I am, but less so now that I've known S.W.

Some mornings, she'd knock on my door, while I'm half-asleep and she'd climb into bed with me, with her iPad blasting cartoons, and she'd tell me the going-ons of her life. I'd make her scrambled eggs with toast and ketchup. She was a peanut-butter fiend. Loved peanut butter sandwiches and the way I cook spaghetti.

I guess, in this post, is my farewell to S.W. She just up and left and I hadn't seen her in a month before then. I was privileged to have been a part of her life. She was this warm and bubbly person, the total opposite of me. Her cousins who were around her same age, 7 and 10 (I think) were like that too. They'd sometimes would visit and I'd interact with them. S.W. would often say that we were "twinsies" when we both liked something. And the times that she'd join us for dinner at home, she'd say that we were just like a family. I hope she found solace in our company.

Although her mom said that S.W. would visit, things won't be the same any more. My little girl is growing up, I guess. In the beginning, she would cry all the time, and I'd sit with her, try to understand what was making her cry. Often, there was a deep emotional reason (i.e., she didn't know what her talent was, her parents pressured her to study harder, threatened her by sending her back to the Dominican Republic, pitting favorites of her baby sister over her). Taking care of S.W. was for me, good practice of when I have kids. Single parents have it so hard. Parenting is no joke, it's tiring but you kind of live for the little moments.

And just thinking back during this 2.5 year period, S.W. isn't the same person as when she first came to us, she's more mature and self-confident and crying a lot less. As for myself, I finally managed to complete my thesis (try babysitting and working on your undergrad thesis at the same time), graduate and work on my life post-college. She was this wacky kid who liked "Jeopardy", thought I was "smart" because I knew stuff about science and was my own "cheerleader."
We would talk so much when I was helping her study, so much so that my mom would inquire on the status of her homework. She was everything I wasn't. Good at drawing, an adorable and cute kid (I looked like a tomboy growing up). I relayed my knowledge of how things were "back in my day", which she wasn't a fan of...No internet, the horror!

Memories is a funny thing. I try hard to think about my grandmother who passed away several years ago. I've got photos of her but the good times I've had of her was the way she took care of me, and how I'd hear stories of the Japanese occupation and her childhood (and how she totally favored me over my brother). She was definitely not a fan of my co-habitation with my then "significant other" as she told me after I had broke up with my ex (so wise!).  She was trying to hook me up with her mahjong friend's son who was a dentist as a suitable match. Due to the passage of time, it's hard to put the picture of her face. I just hope the same thing won't happen with S.W.

One of S.W.'s drawings of us

A second grader's view of the classroom: happy, happy kids

S.W.'s rendering of Halloween with her cousin's. I added in the glasses. 

Rough morning

Employers are now asking for applicants to leave a voicemail and explain why they're the best fit for the position. It's incredibly hard but I did it. I hope I don't sound like I was rambling on and on. I talked about what my responsibilities were in the bank but this job opportunity which I found on Lynxsy was with a management consultancy firm. It sounds like a great opportunity (not saying that just because the pay is a lot more than my old job), but there's a lot of growth with the company.

While banking isn't the same as management consultancy, I think there are some similarities (i.e., client service). I hope I get an interview. 

It's weird how life works out sometimes....

Just thought I'd put that out there, first.
This has been a crazy month for several reasons.
My aunt, a very nice lady wanted to go to Las Vegas in June, which didn't give me a lot of time to plan. After coming up with an amazing itinerary (suite upgrade!).  There's good reason. Her mind was understandably on other matters: her two college-age sons.
The older one was attending Temple University in Philadelphia, was in his last semester and was supposed to graduate. But he'd announced that he had failed all his courses, wasn't going to graduate and he had racked up hundreds of thousands of student loans. Furthermore, he was supposed to go to medical school, I think because he wanted to be a dentist or physical therapy, I forget which one....

To add more fuel to the fire, the younger son, announced that he too would not be returning to his school because he couldn't get his grades up. He's only in his freshman year, but he's going to go back to community college, which actually might not be the worst idea....It's a lot to take. I heard my uncle was actually crying. It's an unfortunate situation. The self-righteous behavior of the older son is what got me. When prompted by my aunt/uncle on the upcoming loans and how to pay for the hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loans, my "cousin" said that the house could be sold in order to pay for the loans. That's just lunacy and entitlement....Needless to say, the Vegas trip is off.

Moving on, I finished the first part of the horse-racing event (Kentucky Derby), which was actually pretty fun, intense and busy. I got paid with a check on the same day, at $15/hour, which I didn't anticipate. In fact, I had a dream of something eerily similar a few weeks back. Weird, like serendipity.... So, with the paycheck I plan to pay off part of my credit card bill and I also purchased a nice smartphone. My first. I went with the moto g (first gen) and serviced by Republic Wireless. I've heard great things about them. They're whole motto is wifi-first. So, I went with their $10 plan that comes with 100 minutes, unlimited wifi calling/text/data. So if you're connected via wifi, you can make calls without using your minutes. I'm going to try it out and see how it goes.

And now, this week, I'm working again for the Preakness Stakes. Oh, and my little mentee is moving away... :( She'll be just a few blocks away, but it's for the best. With a newborn baby sister, I think they need the room. I'm not really the type of person who are into kids, but because I've known her since she was 5 and a half (she's now 8), it's going to be hard not seeing her every week. I remember in the beginning, how she'd stay with us (since her immigrant parents were working long hours) and it's gratifying seeing how much she'd grown. But on the other hand, I'm glad, she's leaving because now she gets more room, and hopefully a more quiet street. My block has so many kids, I hate it. And some of the kids don't even live on this block, making a mess, ugh. I sound like an old fogey but geez, I have no idea where the parents are. If I could just move my parent's into a nice, detached house a few blocks away, that'd be awesome....nice and quiet.

Lastly, I've started this new programming bootcamp taught online (Coder Manual) by Rob Dey who also teaches at General Assembly. I saw this amazing deal, like 90% off (retail price $399) plus I used a discount code, so I just paid $37. That'a amazing! At first, I wasn't sure about these bootcamps online and there's no way I'm paying like $10-12k for the well-known bootcamps. I also tried Skillcrush's free 10-day bootcamp (retail price $400) and I really liked it. But $400.....I'm really loving Ruby-on-rails....I really want to believe that I can make a living doing this...

Almost there.....

It's almost May 2nd....Kentucky Derby and of course, the epic fight of the century, Maywether vs Pacquiao. I attended 3 days of training for the customer support gig for the gaming startup site, and it was pretty great. I couldn't help but compare the difference between a start-up and my old job at a corporate office. This place was based in what I guess, was a renovated apartment in the city, a wall of fine spirits, literally, a wall of booze. Seemed like a fun place. Meanwhile, I got word that my ex-colleagues were being let go in Stamford.

In the meantime, I've been getting more and more job openings from Lyxnsy and I've been "shortlisted" for 3 of them, which is the farthest I've ever gotten so far. I've also updated my LinkedIn profile today with the customer support gig and added HTML/CSS skills as well. This morning, I was heartened to receive an endorsement for writing from an ex-colleague from Mexico, which was really unexpected considering that I had left that job 2 or 3 years ago....

I just hate to be floundering though. Not here or there, in some sort of limbo. Trying to stay positive though. And just continue to keep coding. 

Just some thoughts

One million dollars just doesn't go as far as it used to. At least, that's what I think. What led me to this conclusion is that the house across the street from where I live, is selling their house....for $1.25 million dollars. Keep in mind that in 1998, the same house was purchased for something like $300k. I get that, house prices have increased, but the selling price seems high to me in my "broke" self.

Just walking around my neighborhood, there's like 3 properties for sale. Keep in mind that where I live has large pockets of Asians. Sadly, I would not be able to purchase a house in Brooklyn in the near future. It's a hot borough. I mean, even Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton has leased a building for her headquarters in Brooklyn Heights. It's the epitome of coolness. Sure, if I'd won the lottery, I'd definitely opt for a brown house in Brooklyn Heights, it's classically cool. Well, one can dream I guess. 

In the meantime, working on my current plans which actually is sort-of coming along. I've managed to get a temp gig working for a few days as phone\email support for a tech start-up since they need people for the horse races coming up. The startup is a gambling app. The additional money will come in handy to pay off my credit card bill. 

I also have been getting more Lynxsy alerts in my mailbox. When I first signed up with Lynxsy, I was only receiving ONE job alert every month or so, now it's like everyday. Some of job alerts are ok...I received a few alerts that sounded really cool, such as Project Manager and Legal Funding Central Managing Editor. I've gotten to step two which is the last step of the application process, but haven't yet gotten further. I'm sort of optimistic that I'm a better fit for these two positions. Onwards to the waiting game....

And ugh, I heard through the grapevine that my cousin's family is about to have their third kid or something....I'm pretty sure this is the case because they've got two girls already. <Eye roll>. That is all I have to say. 

And on the programming front, I'm still working on it when I can get enough time to concentrate, that is....Dedicated like 2 and a half days towards helping Shelly, that's my neighbor's kid on her spring break homework. She's 8 and writing is not her strong suit. Between getting her giant-size appetite (scrambled egg sandwich followed by two waffles), helping her with to finish her math homework (which is not my strong suit) and trying to explain the difference between subtraction and division, I was seriously exhausted. Then, came reading comprehension followed by a writing "essay". 3 of them....Thinking back, as a kid, I didn't much trouble with creative writing. Came pretty easy until college.