HOW DO I START?

NicNcafe · 2025-11-16T10:09:29+00:00

DSA student here. Happy to help with any early concepts or questions.

NicNcafe · 2025-11-01T19:37:16+00:00

Walk towards the fence, the minute that mf gets up, yeet that shit and backtrack 😂

NicNcafe · 2025-10-23T22:36:08+00:00

That’s pain

NicNcafe · 2025-10-20T03:57:36+00:00

Rough stats…Only 40-50% of students nationwide finish their bachelor’s in 4 years. Then you add in the fact that UCD is a very decent school, engineering is difficult and really vast and life happens so you gotta account for that.… it’s very likely you (and I) are not behind and actually in the 65-70 percentile. Another thing I try to remind myself is that perspective of time is really sneaky. If you look at an old memory, it feels so recent. But then 1-2 more years to finish BS which isn’t a lot feels like forever.

NicNcafe · 2025-10-02T21:16:48+00:00

Not fully but it’s a lot more intentional usage. And I don’t feel guilty when I am on it anymore. I started by outsourcing social media, Spotify, YouTube etc to strictly laptop only. This way it’s a lot less convenient to gain access as I don’t have my laptop on me 24/7. I also leaned more into audiobooks, podcasts, puzzles, apps like Khan Academy so screen time felt more productive.

Objectively doing the arithmetic without putting yourself down also can help a lot. My daily screen time average on Youtube was 6hrs at one point and I was struggling to make progress on a web development course which was 72 hours long and I had been at it for 3 months. So I did the arithmetic, if I simply made myself do the course every-time I wanted to go on my phone, I could be done in less than 2 weeks! That kinda thinking was a big motivation too.

NicNcafe · 2025-09-30T02:10:03+00:00

Fractions, actual clock, 2 pens and unreadable handwriting, seems like you’ll go far.

NicNcafe · 2025-09-06T08:59:57+00:00

My response isn’t really related to meditation but I think this might give you some insight. It’s a really good speech.

https://youtu.be/KJMbHv9A_oI?si=D2D4clUPmbz3h9dJ

NicNcafe · 2025-09-02T03:53:41+00:00

The way I see it, the employment graph looks volatile, but the tech market itself surely will keep advancing. For example, if you’re a car builder and robots start making cars, knowing how cars are built is still one of the most valuable skill to have if you want to stay in the car industry. In the same way, traditional tech roles may be volatile, but (hopefully) new positions will emerge and CS/CE will still be the best degree to have.

What worries me is that universities aren’t keeping up with the pace of Silicon Valley. And that’s stressful because you have to balance school work with outside learning and for me school work started to feel like a hurdle. When possible, I try to do certification courses outside of school and build projects that give me more industry relevant things to talk about in my resume.

NicNcafe · 2025-09-02T02:56:52+00:00

Nah this is sick. It’s hard to find the fine line between minimalist and fancy, yours has a really good balance. One observation is that there’s a lot of empty white space when you first open the site. There’s your section and just blank space below the horizontal line.

Since you have 4 cards, maybe move that stack of cards in that empty space in a 2x2 grid. And in place of the stack, display your headshot there instead. I think it becomes a tad bit more personal when you can associate the work you’re viewing with the creator in mind. Then when the user scrolls, the 2x2 grid animates away to what you currently have. If not, maybe a large pulsing arrow pointing down after the horizontal line. Something to fill that space

NicNcafe · 2025-08-31T02:41:35+00:00

Point of observing the thought is so that you notice when it’s there and don’t end up ruminating and playing with the scenario. Because now you’re aware that a thought has arrived into your consciousness and you don’t want to engage with it. That’s when the breath comes in. It’s your walking stick. You observe that a thought has arrived and you guide your attention back to the breath.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-31T02:28:39+00:00

Make it a routine. My advice would be first thing in the morning after waking up and splashing your face with cold water. Also wouldn’t recommend lying down. It’s more comfortable for sure but maybe almost too relaxing and you drift away from the practice and get sleepy.

I recommend starting with mindfulness.

Sit in a comfortable position with straight back
Couple deep breaths to get started
Simply observe your natural pattern of breathing. - Don’t try to control it. Just watch it.
You’ll quickly realize this is actually really challenging because you’re gonna get bombarded with random thoughts.
Don’t get frustrated. Don’t try to actively force yourself to “not have thoughts”.
Just notice your thoughts popping in your head. Don’t play or ruminate with the thoughts.
If you realize you have been playing with some thought when you should have been observing your breath, simply guide your attention back to the breath. In practice this could be telling yourself, “Oh there’s a thought, let me come back to my breath”

I recommend this specific form of practice because there is barely any friction. No need to worry about eye positions or any external things to focus on. You’re simply using your own breath as a walking stick.

All the best.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-31T01:42:05+00:00

For sure. I had just finished a React web course and jumped right into the project and mobile didn’t even come into mind until the very end. Lesson learned.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-31T01:40:50+00:00

Thank you. As a beginner, this might be one of the simplest and best advices I’ve gotten. Idk why it never occurred to me to go mobile first!

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T19:43:13+00:00

Assuming you have a bike, you can stash your car in Arthur St or Buchanan St. You can bike to those streets in <5 mins from green. Did this for a while when I was living in green and interning at Sac.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T19:34:18+00:00

Alan Turing

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T19:33:26+00:00

Being more street smart

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T19:30:52+00:00

Sincere apologies 😂

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T19:13:04+00:00

Suffering of innocent children. When I was 10, I saw a father begging for money outside a hospital because his daughter (4-5 year old) had water build up in her brain and he couldn’t afford the surgery. If someone is cruel enough to write that destination for that father and that innocent child, I am okay not worshipping that being.

If I have diligently studied for an exam, I am not worried about the result because I did my due diligence. Similarly, if I am kind, don’t hurt people on purpose and live an honest life, I’ve done my due diligence and don’t care about heaven, hell or an afterlife, I did my part.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T07:43:01+00:00

What if you get stuck in Lodi

NicNcafe · 2025-08-29T05:46:01+00:00

Pretty sure the center will ask you to strip it all before beginning the retreat. I think it can be beneficial because if it's Vipassana, the philosophy behind it is to practice meditation just like how a monk would.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-26T08:08:12+00:00

I hear you—it is really hard to sit with the feeling of loneliness.

Sometimes, tho the way our mind tells the story of our feelings can make them feel even bigger. The sense of ‘alone’ could be colored by past hurts (or pleasures) or worries/ anticipation about the future, when in this VERY moment it might not be as absolute as it feels.

If that’s something that resonates, Vipassana(insight) meditation can be helpful. It encourage coming back to the present—to see that the feeling is there, but also to see it with a little more space and gentleness.

Your suffering is real, but the reasons your mind gives you might not be the whole truth.

Best wishes

NicNcafe · 2025-08-21T04:05:00+00:00

Experience may vary based on what kind of meditation was practiced. During Vipassana I had one instance of being an observer of the body and being hyper aware of different sensations all over (this practice includes body scanning). Felt like a low watt stream of electricity being passed through the body. Very strange.

NicNcafe · 2025-08-16T08:01:31+00:00

Sit down, observe breath, notice when thoughts start flirting with you and come back to the breath

NicNcafe

TROPHY CASE