More About Me

Questions You Might Wonder About Me

Curious about me? This is the page for you!


Fun Questions:


Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?


A: Extra time. I think and work constantly, and I like to keep myself occupied by working on something that interests me. However, when I get really engrossed in something, I can easily work away the entire day but still feel like there's more that needs to be done. More time would let me continue that work without having to stay up late doing something cool (many of my best ideas occur at night).



Q: What are the top three things on your bucket list?


A:



Q: If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one type of food, what would you choose to have an endless supply of?


A: Chili. Along with canned pineapple and some other canned citrus fruits, chili is one of the few foods that tastes great in canned form. While I could pick other canned soups, chili is very nutrient and calorie-dense; I think I could live off it for a pretty long time!



Q: What's the oldest thing in your room?


A: A time capsule. When I was in fourth grade, I decided to mush a slice of banana and seal it inside a small plastic bag. I placed it inside a container I created out of popsicle sticks, a cardboard tube, and other bits and bobs held together by many pieces of masking tape. At the time, I jokingly said to the boy I was working with that we would open the time capsules when we grew to be old and sitting in rocking chairs. As the days pass, I think more and more that what I said so many years ago may very well become true.



Q: What's the weirdest feedback a teacher has given you?


A: "I think you might be smart" - verbatim. This comment was written on a rubric in eighth grade by my literature teacher after I presented a speech to the class about the nuances of grading in education. When I saw that comment, I immediately chuckled. While that teacher did go on to talk in class about my "smarts", I've made sure to never let it get to my head. There's always more for me to learn, and certainly a lot that I can improve in.



Q: When did you first get in trouble? What happened?


A: It's been a very, very long time, but I still vividly remember an incident at an afterschool. I opened the top door of a wooden toy refrigerator, accidentally hitting a girl in the head. When the afterschool supervisor saw what had happened, she told my mom - who promptly asked me if I had done it on purpose. At the time, I didn't know what "on purpose" meant, so she explained to me the difference between doing an action intentionally versus by accident. Suffice to say, it became obvious to everyone that I was just a clumsy lad with no ill intentions. Even though I know what I did was a simple mistake, I still have some guilt over what happened that day.


Obligatory Questions:


Q: What is your favorite book/movie/TV show?

A: Book: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Movie: Up (2009 Pixar Film) TV Show: Breaking Bad


Q: If you wanted to right now, where would you travel to?

A: Australia. I absolutely love the outdoor-oriented lifestyle there, and from the couple of videos I've seen of their animals, I am intrigued by their wildlife. I also find the names of some of their brand names very amusing (Bunnings, MooGoo, etc.) - I would fly there just to see that.


Q: What is a skill you've worked on to improve?

A: My cooking abilities. This is somewhat of a lifelong goal I've been honing recently, and it's been working out great! I genuinely believe you should try cooking something occasionally - being able to make and eat good food is the quickest and easiest way to improve your life.  


Q: Do you have any pets?

A: Currently, no. In chronological order, I had a betta fish named "Dynaco", two goldfish that I received from a 2nd-grade science experiment, waxworms, darkling beetles, two African Dwarf Frogs*, a small saltwater crab, Sea-Monkeys, a Roborovski Dwarf Hamster, and a baby house gecko I fittingly named "Geico". Unfortunately, the previously mentioned pets have passed away. 

* It's been years, but I specifically remember that I only had the frogs for 3 days. After my mom read an article about a kid getting an obscure disease from their dwarf pet frog, she had me return them to the store.

 

Q: I saw on your 'About' page that you like gardening. What are plants that you've grown? Your favorite?

A: There are a LOT - besides the plants I listed on that page, I've grown the following: Catnip, Rhubarb, Plum Tomatoes, Alpine strawberries, Dwarf potted sunflowers, Jerusalem artichoke, Miner's Lettuce, Butterhead Lettuce, Aloe Vera (and many other succulents), Lychee, Welsh Onions, Shallots, Potatoes, Radishes, Carrots, Ice plants, and more. Out of all the plants I've grown, mammoth sunflowers (Latin name "Helianthus Giganteus" - they really live up to the name!) stand out to me as the fastest-growing, most robust plant. They produce massive blooms, have 1.5" diameter stems, and grow very, very tall. I also enjoy how birds decimate the seeds once they bloom and fly off plump and happy. 

While they are not biologically defined as plants, I've also grown 1 lb. of oyster mushrooms from a Home Depot bucket. That was very fun!

In my room, I have grown two "ZZ" plants for about four years. I am currently training a Pothos plant to climb the walls of my room around a window. I've also recently acquired a Peperomia plant that I am excited to tend to.

Q: What's your favorite gardening experience?

A: One of my favorite plants in my backyard wasn't even mine at all - I actually took it! When I was walking through a public street, I noticed an abundance of little plants attached to a large plant by thin stems. I recognized them as the spider plant, and pinched off one of the offshoots. After potting and repotting over the course of three years, I finally transplanted it into the ground. It's been doing very well since.


Q: What are some unique skills you have?

A: I have a very good memory. I can vividly recall certain events in kindergarten (like the blocky computers we used to play games on, and specific times I struggled to differentiate writing d's and b's). I can also map out the campuses of all three schools I've attended growing up in my head from a top-down perspective, and remember the first and last names of many of the students I was in class with. I took the human benchmark website verbal memory test to test my memory. My highest score was 157, which falls in the 98.34th percentile.

According to the website above, my typing speed is 113 WPM - this is considered very fast.

I also have a very good sense of time - after completing a long task, it is not uncommon for me to guess the time and be exactly correct, down to the minute. My guesses of what time it is when I wake up can sometimes be uncannily accurate.

As for more interesting skills, I can...

Additionally, despite what my physical appearance might suggest, I am deceptively strong and fast.

 

Q: Favorite school memories?

A: Elementary School: A biology unit where we observed crayfish and fed snails carrots and celery.

Middle School: A shift in the school's schedule allowed my cooking class to make french fries, other goods, and eat it all while watching Gordan Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen Show on a comically blocky TV.

High School: Creating JAVA 101 during my junior year (I mean it! :) ). 


Q: Favorite school subject besides computer science?

A: Macroeconomics (and other business-related classes). I find it fascinating how so many economic principles apply to human life. For example, the PPC (Production Possibilities Curve) demonstrates how every gain has a tradeoff (loss) in another area. Notice how similar the PPC is to the saying, "If you invested as much time into X as you did into Y, you'd be far better off"? Business/economics classes teach you more than just how to be financially successful - the topics transfer to living productively and making the best of your time.


Q: What is something you'd like to improve about yourself? In other words, what personal challenge have you struggled with for a long time?

A: My sleep schedule. Because I will be in college soon, I know I need to change my bad habit of staying up late. Typically, the primary cause behind this behavior is trying to work on a project - whether it be coding or a creative DIY idea. It's a little unfortunate that my best, most interesting ideas come at night!


Q: Favorite quote?

A: "It's not over until I win" - Les Brown


Philisophical Questions:

Q: Is luck real?


A: No. Probability is (hence statistics), but luck is not. Apologies for the cheesy personal anecdote, but when I was in middle school, I remember always passing by a motivational quote on a wrestling poster that read, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity". That stuck with me. And I can say definitively that, just like success itself, "luck" is merely a product of hard work. Natural talent exists, but even the top in their field only appear lucky because they go out of their way to seek new chances for success. It comes down to simple probability - the more times you try something new, the more likely you are to succeed and be "lucky". I'd compare it to throwing putty at a wall - it's a messy process, but with enough time and effort, it will eventually stick.


Q: Why are other people so much more successful than me?


A: If you've ever checked out someone else's LinkedIn account, or seen a peer in your class consistently outperform you, you know that feeling of inadequacy that results. However, please remember two things:


1.) People only show the best parts of themselves. No one outside of therapy tells others about their weaknesses or insecurities. 


2.) Performance-wise, they may indeed be superior. But you are not as far from achieving success like theirs as you think. 


The above two reminders are things that so many people talk about in regard to the false-reality that social media portrays. However, they are so frequently overlooked as truths when it comes to life outside the internet too. 


Q: Is there a point in trying to do something I know I'm going to fail at?


A: Absolutely! You fail the instant you give up. I first realized this not in the classroom, surprisingly, but in PE Basketball. I was surrounded by a class of very tall, athletically-talented people. I practically gave up the moment I saw people effortlessly making three-pointers with one hand. But I realized that despite the height and skill difference if I really put my mind to it, I would be able to do much more than others would expect. Whenever I faltered or simply told myself that the ball was lost to the other team, it would always happen. But when I ignored logic and simply went all-out, I would almost always manage to steal the ball or save it.


Computer Science Questions:

Q: What is the point in learning JAVA?

A: A major benefit is that you can learn other programming languages far quicker.


Q: What is your favorite Java topic?

A: Overall: Loops Conceptually: Recursion Most Fun: All things GUI

Let me explain:

1.) Loops are great. Loops are great. (Sorry, I had to). Loops are great because they condense so much code into an easy package. 

2.) Recursion is an incredibly fascinating concept. I love how it works.

3.) While the common JAVA libraries associated with GUI are notoriously difficult to use, making   applications is always very cool and rewarding (when they work, that is!)


Q: What is your favorite non-Java concept in the computer science field? Favorite techy-gadget?

A: My favorite concept in CS is cybersecurity. I've always been fascinated by malware and how people try to mitigate its impact. I've even tried creating test programs of my own in Java (and only tested them on my own computer) to see the effects of such programs. 

As for hardware, the Raspberry Pi (a credit-card-sized fully functional computer board) is easily my favorite. It has a lot of nostalgic significance to me - my first experiences getting into programming and CS were done on these! I remember that my uncle gave me a knockoff version of one of these for my birthday, and ever since I've used a similar Raspberry Pi to create so many cool projects. The Raspberry Pi is in no small part a reason why my passion for computer science, and Java 101, all began. It's really neat how such a small thing can lead to something so much bigger, huh? :)


Q: What are three traits you think lead to success in computer science?

A: 1.) Resilience 2.) Creativity 3.) Experience/Practice



Q: Do you teach JAVA 101 for the money?

A: Yes. (I value transparency and straightforward, honest answers). I also value my time. I would never spend hundreds of hours on something for money unless I truly loved doing it, and believed that it would help others. Furthermore, I value the time of others. I don't waste students' time by having them work on the coding projects I create completely unaided. I ensure each session is productive and valuable by offering appropriate guidance.

Why Do I Teach?

1.) I love JAVA! Like many teachers, I want to give you passion and knowledge for the subject that I take great interest in

2.) I want you to find programming fun, and not go through all of the struggles I went through in class.