2025-09-01 // First CS lecture

CS 1XD3

• What happened: Walked into my first CS class and immediately realized “writing code” is really “managing state and edge cases.”
• Challenge: Keeping up with new terms (state, side effects, invariants) while still trying to write working code.
• Takeaway: Slowing down to draw diagrams before coding helped everything click a bit more.

2025-10-12 // First JavaScript labs

CS 1XD3

• What I built: 8Ball and MathQuiz labs that reacted to input and updated the DOM.
• Challenge: Remembering that the browser keeps state between button clicks instead of “restarting” my script.
• Takeaway: Planning variables and possible states before coding saved a lot of console.log debugging.

2025-11-03 // Debugging like a detective

CS 1XD3

• What I did: Used browser dev tools (Elements + Console) to trace why styles weren’t applying the way I expected.
• Challenge: Realizing that a missing class name can break the whole layout even if the CSS is “correct.”
• Takeaway: Inspecting elements live and toggling classes is way faster than guessing in the editor.

2025-12-10 // Shipping SEED for MillHacks

HACKATHON

• What we shipped: SEED, a judge-facing site explaining a climate-tech idea (drones + ML + spectral imagery) in a clear story.
• Challenge: Balancing visuals and readability on no sleep while still keeping the CSS organized.
• Takeaway: Good spacing and typography matter as much as the idea when someone is skimming your project in 3 minutes.

2026-01-20 // PantryCheff prototype

PERSONAL

• What I built: First version of PantryCheff with a basic UI and mocked data, just to prove the flow (scan → match → generate).
• Challenge: Deciding what should live in the front end vs. Supabase vs. Edge Functions.
• Takeaway: Having a clear “data contract” between client and server made it easier to swap in the real AI calls later.

2026-02-05 // NSS Healthy Living win

PERSONAL

• Context: Entered the NSS Healthy Living competition mostly for fun and to push myself to live what I talk about.
• Result: Won the grand prize out of 9k+ participants across 11 countries.
• Takeaway: Consistency (training, eating, sleeping) is the same idea I use when iterating on projects.

2026-02-20 // Balancing Muay Thai & code

LIFE

• What changed: Started taking Muay Thai and BJJ more seriously while classes and projects ramped up.
• Challenge: Showing up to training tired after debugging late-night layout issues on PantryCheff.
• Takeaway: Having something physical to reset my brain makes me better at both code and communication.

2026-03-01 // Dark mode & polish

E-PORTFOLIO

• What I refined: Added dark mode, micro-animations, and journal pagination to this portfolio.
• Challenge: Keeping things “retro” while still feeling modern and fast on mobile.
• Takeaway: Small details (hover states, scroll reveals, cursor animation) keep a static site feeling alive.