[Challenge] Walking a marathon: LIC to Suffolk County

Posted on May 6, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #338 : I’m glad I did this, but I wasn’t glad doing it. Story of all things that need the extra mile.

The Challenge

Walk the length of a marathon (~26 miles) in one day.

The Reason

My friend is doing a walk from the Western point of Long Island (Long Island City) to the Eastern point (Montauk point), which is about 112 miles in 4 days. His reason was to see the adventures within his own backyard. My reason was because he asked for company. Being a fellow bad idea bear, I cannot pass up on a bad idea. I adjusted it as my own parallel challenge and decided to do the 29 mile walk from LIC to Suffolk County. The whole point of this is not to race or beat any particular time, but rather walk leisurely at a good pace and complete the goal.

The Result

Starting the day at 7AM, we followed a straight route from Queens Blvd (all of it) to Jamaica Ave (until the fork to Hempstead Ave) to Hempstead Turnpike (24) all the way through Nassau County to Suffolk. We ended the day around 7:15PM after getting to the Farmingdale train station.

: starting off strong

: after our quick lunch

: pace slowing

: made it to hofstra!

: phone dying. kept walking 2 more hours.

As you can see from the MapMyWalk app (that I downloaded whilst on the first mile), we did pretty well in the beginning. It was a solid 3mph pace until we ate lunch at 11:30AM in Nassau county. From there, it went downhill. The blisters started to ache on my end because I was wearing fashion shoes with flat soles instead of walking/running shoes, and Brian was wearing out because he has bad knees. We were both a little bit tight around the thighs and calves because we forgot to stretch thoroughly in the beginning. We just figured “Hey, we’re New Yorkers going on a leisurely stroll. We’ll be fine.” We were not fine.

As you can see from my Nike Fuel band, the pace of our walk slowed down towards the end. I was swinging my arms less to conserve energy and used my hands to help push those wooden peg-legs along to meet the final few miles (making our walk extremely awkward in Hempstead). I don’t think we were out of breath, hungry, or dehydrated through any of our walk, but our legs just didn’t want to move anymore. Our pinky toes cut up against the rest of the toes and will probably swell into one large toe in a few days.

Once we got to Farmingdale, it was immensely easier. Brian continues his journey out East, but I passed out on the LIRR and used the last minutes of my battery to keep me awake for the subway. My legs are beyond exhausted and I currently don’t remember how people walk normally. What a terrible idea. What a great day.

Lessons Learned

Bring the right shoes. No on the flat stylish shoes. Yes to comfortable sneakers that are wider on the toes so they don’t rub against each other. Yes on the extra socks.
Stretch before and after the walk. Definitely do this even on your little breaks. I consciously did this slightly, but by that time it was probably too late.
Invite (Coerce) someone into doing this crazy walk with you. Doing this alone would have been tough because I would have really wanted to slow down my pace, stop completely, or cheat and say I did it anyway. Luckily, upholding the bad idea bears triumph moments are very high on our integrity list. The conversation and humor was also a good touch – I don’t think music or audiobooks would have been nearly as pleasant.
Don’t make too many stops. One of the hardest parts is getting up from the seat after sitting down. It’s one of the reasons why we didn’t lie down on the nice fluffy green lawn – we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get back up.
When you do stop, do not drink beer. As this is clearly an exception day, I felt like I deserved anything I wanted to give my body. My body, at the time, wanted a Peroni, so I delivered. This was a terrible idea. I had to pee too much and beer dehydrates further, making me drink more water and not feel too good.
Bring your phone charger and maybe an external charger. Using the app to track our walk was a good idea, but I wish we had it for the whole time. I also realized last minute that the app can run on airplane mode as long as the GPS is turned on. Regardless, 11 hours of on-time for my Galaxy Nexus is pretty good.
Think of a good cause to combine with your walk. We talked a lot about how we could have made this trip much cooler. Maybe a go-pro camera can be attached somewhere for a time lapse video? Or perhaps we could have raised money for a good cause and market this better. I don’t think we wanted to get donations, but we could raise awareness for a good cause.
Break down your walk into smaller goals. Walking about 3mph takes a long time. We wound up setting break times at approximately every 5 miles. The biggest goal for the day was thinking about the jacuzzi that was promised at the first hotel. Of course we slowed down our pace so I wound up leaving before said jacuzzi. Either way, it’s good to think about smaller segments so they seem more manageable.
Try to stay positive. If you are negative, at least be funny about it. We were both in the same boat and we knew each other was hurting. It was good to talk about lighter subjects and support each other. What really helped was Mommy Katie finding us twice and giving us a hug of support. Thank you, Mommy Katie .

The Conclusion

If you’re planning on doing this for the triumph moment, it’s not glorious at all. We were sitting on some concrete sidewalk just rubbing our legs in the saddest triumph moment of all triumph moment history. There was no theme music or sweeping accomplishment going through our minds. It was just – “Welp, that was fun. ::Handshake:: God speed.” I don’t even think we took a picture. Our cameras were stowed in our bag after mile 12, my phone was low on batteries, and none of my concerns/thoughts revolved around photography (ridiculous, right?).

Most of the conversations during the rough parts of the walk started with “Man, why are we doing this?” What I learned is that sometimes you don’t really need a reason. It’s a challenge, it’s different, it’s exciting, and I’m glad we did it. Even though I would have had a different answer if you asked me on mile 23 it was clearly epic and I wouldn’t do this again if you paid me….

~See Lemons Triumphantly Exhausted

What Cooper Needs More Of…

Posted on April 25, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random observation/comment #337: 150 years is a good run. I don’t think even water stayed free for that long. I just hoped there was at least one university left in this world that didn’t think like a corporation. Well… the other ones probably went bankrupt long ago…

Trending updates:

Cooper is no longer free.
RIP Cooper Union
I am no longer donating as an alumni
They should have never built the NAB. I miss the smell of lead pencils in the engineering building.
Well… Shit

I bled sweat and tears at Cooper for 5 years and it built the foundations of my education, curiosity, and passion towards learning. The professors challenged us, stretched us, and pushed us to achieve what I imagine can only be done after a third all-nighter in a row. And for all of this, I whole heartedly thank Cooper for its high standards and brilliant peers.

I know you were waiting for a ‘but’, however I think there has been too much negativity and we should focus on the upcoming hurdles Cooper will face:

Alumni anger. As you can imagine, most alumni’s first reaction will be “I won’t be donating to Cooper anymore.” This feeling of anger will, hopefully, subside, and people will still appreciate the level of education they received from Cooper (regardless of cost). I would suggest that the alumni association provides donation possibilities to the specific groups within Cooper. If I could donate specifically to Volleyball or JLab materials or maybe even sponsor a senior project I’ve read a proposal for, I’d gladly do that over paying into some amorphous hole that shows no results. If current students sent out an email of thank you for the donation that has given them an opportunity to complete a project, I would gladly do this continuously. This aligns with the concept of kickstarter where we follow the improvement of the specific departments we’re providing money to so it’s transparent where all the money goes.
Professors’ outrage. This is probably the most dangerous. I truly believe that Cooper Union is held together by those key 4 or 5 professors in each department. For EE’s, Fontaine, Cumberbatch, and Sable were my pillars of knowledge and if any one of them left, my education would have been drastically different (in a bad way). I probably would have gotten more sleep, but I wouldn’t have felt the challenge and trust they had given me. To soothe the professors’ anger, you must understand that all Cooper professors just want to do one thing: help their students succeed. The little things help make this possible and most of the little things do not involve bureaucracy. Please stop getting in their way.
Student body discontent. Current students will start to worry. Whether they are leaving this year or have 4 years left, it becomes even more stressful for them. Not all students are the most productive in the world, but they clearly do not need other distractions or discouragements to give them excuses. Personally, it would be nice to see closer student and alumni events to get people engaged with the possible career paths after Cooper. I’ve always become more hopeful when I know my goals.
Prospective student quality and reduced application rates. I’m not 100% sure if Cooper will get fewer applicants because it’s true that the full tuition aspect was surely not the only edge. This would be an ample time for alumni to unite and speak forth their appreciation of the Cooper education. Yes, we left college with little debt, but the outcome of our successes were truly from work ethic and passions.
Overall distrust of board and politics. Whenever a group is unhappy with their leaders, there’s always some ridiculous drama around rolling heads and electing new representatives. This will probably not be an exception. The key here will be transparency with funding and making sure that the tuitions received and calculations made for the next 3 years will improve our situation. In fact, if Cooper is indeed collecting tuition, the typical response to “hey, why can’t we get funding for this equipment?” can no longer be “mweh, I guess we didn’t pay for one.” If the new students are paying, then let them see what they’re paying for.

What does Cooper need more of now (besides money to wipe out the debt and make it free again)? Cooper needs a stronger community of alumni, student body, and professors to still stay true to what Cooper really is – a family. We’ve all suffered through the same Fontaine problem sets (or equivalent) and we’ve all dug deep to overcome obstacles of all shapes and sizes. I cannot emphasize how much Cooper has taught me to persevere when I thought all hope was gone, and I hope we can do the same here.

Two weeks ago, a master’s student, Edwin Deleon, held an alumni Yankees game outing. I had a wonderful time connecting with the current students and other alumni at this event. I bring this instance up because he said something very inspiring to me when I asked him why he organized these events. “Even if it’s a loss financially putting together this event, it’s a gain for the morale of the Cooper community. We need it now more than ever.”

~See Lemons Proudly a Cooper Union ’08 EE

Career Counseling Pt 1: Asking the Right Questions

Posted on April 20, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #336: Do you remember when someone asked you “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I think we’re always growing up and this question never gets old.

For some reason, the big talk of people in their 20’s is always around careers and aspirations. We ask people what jobs they have and see how happy they are so we could hopefully do what they do and also be happy too. I feel like happiness was never any emphasis in our lives while we were aimlessly studying through high school and college. We’d always hope that the classes would give us the answers and always guide us to the next step.

Well, there’s no guide and there’s no time like now to evaluate your life choices. Some of us are lucky enough to figure out their calling and know what they want to do with themselves for their whole life, but many others are still searching. If you’re one of us, you’re always wondering about the “what if” and “what could have been” if you’d studied harder or took that different class or met that different person. I think, for a career, there’s always a time to change and do something else.

Here are a few questions you can answer to start the change:

What do you enjoy about your day-to-day? (specifically, which tasks, projects, or interactions). This is to hone what you like to do and also see where your personal rewards lie in your value system
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (occupation or contribution to society or location). This is to see how you’re planning ahead with your life and your personal dreams/ambitions
Which industry are you interested in? (Finance? Technology? Marketing/Advertising? Interior design? Cooking?) This is to see if you like the content of the work you’re doing or the contribution.
What are your current technical skills? Financial expertise? What can you say you’ve learned in the past 3 years here? This is to know what other positions you’re eligible for.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in your personal and professional career? This is a reflection of your achievements and we can see the process you took to get to completion of that project or getting that feeling of success for the brief moment
What are your current side projects / hobbies / how do you use your free time? (bike riding? Research in specific fields?) This is just to see what you like to do when you’re not forced to do it. Your personal drive to complete side projects is very important to a healthy work-life balance. A hobby can also become a career in some cases – it’s never too late to take a leap and change directions
Who are your role models? This is to understand who you look up to and where you’d like to be. There must be certain aspects of this role model that you’d like to have yourself.
How do you challenge yourself outside of work? Outside of hobbies and fun activities, what do you do to challenge yourself? Do you make up assignments for yourself to complete? What are the subject of these assignments? This is important because this can give you problems to solve and motivation to keep working on something.

If you’re unhappy with where you are, try to answer these questions and evaluate your day-to-day. Once you know what you’re interested in trying out, the next step will be the main actions you can do to make this happen. Stay tuned for part 2.

~See Lemons Keep Searching

[Challenge] 30 Day Healthy Challenge Pt 1

Posted on April 13, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #335: The meaning of life? Health, Happiness, and Community. Our bodies are a vessel for our spirits to enjoy this life and if we don’t treat it right, our time here will be greatly shortened. Plus, being healthy just makes you feel better and gives you more energy to do all the things you dream about doing.

The Challenge

Be more healthy by trying different diets and exercise routines:

Sleep 7 hours a day
Drink 8 glasses of water every day
Eat 4 servings of vegetables every day
Eat vegetarian twice a week
No alcohol
No smoking
No caffeine – coffee / tea / soda
No junk food / snacks – chips / fast food
Push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching routine

The Reason

This may seem weird, but I have a theory that the government/corporations keep minds from reaching their maximum potential by tempting us with alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and addictive TV shows. We’ve become complacent and content consumers sedated by entertainment and toxins. I’m doing this challenge to test my dependencies on these crutches that I used to say were typical “adult” things to do. Am I truly enjoying life if my mind is clouded and my judgment impaired?

If not for just science, I’m just doing this challenge because there’s nothing bad about being physically and mentally healthy. Sometimes our bodies need a break from all the junk we throw into it – just give it a bit of TLC (Tender, Love, and Care). I’m hoping that if I adjust my diet and exercise regularly, those frequent back pains, body aches, and brain farts will start to lessen or even go away. I’m hoping my skin will feel smoother and my energy increase from within (instead of through sugar or caffeine).

From the “salads don’t make friends” perspective, I don’t think I’ll miss any “fun opportunities” nor have I dulled my life by not taking part in certain parts of these activities. I expect to still be at the party and talking like I usually do – just without a beer in my hand. In fact, I remember the last time I was sober for more than 3 weeks (which was probably close to 7 years ago), I thought it was pretty funny studying groups at bars as these socializing animals impaired and trying to find mates.

And lastly, if not for the reasons of science or health, I’m doing it to test my willpower. I know I’ve written in my previous 30 day challenge guidelines that I “don’t think the purpose of this whole thing is to test willpower.” However, I’d like to propose an exception because I don’t think I’ve actually tested my willpower in this way. What I’m suggesting is more of a cold turkey of everything toxic so I can move towards a healthier way of living. Perhaps these 30 days will adjust my routine and help me be more mindful of what I intake. After all, it’s still a challenge and Challenge Accepted.

~See Lemons More Healthy

[Travel guide] New York City

Posted on April 10, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #333: I love planning trips, but not everyone likes to do the things I do. If you don’t like alcohol, good food, taking pictures, learning about culture, walking everywhere, or experiencing new things, you should probably stop reading this blog for travel advice.

New York City is my home. It’s a metropolis of diversity and hidden fun activities for all types of people. From the authentic Dominican food in Spanish Harlem to the hipsters in Williamsburg and even to the weird people who jog every morning around central park (what do these people do anyway?), you’ll find anyone and everyone you would or wouldn’t like to meet. Your only restriction is your willingness to try new things (and money… money is important – this place can get pricy).

Things the City does well:

Food of all flavors. Sushi connoisseur? Ramen snob? Meat lover? Adventurous eater? Vegan? Whatever you prefer, you’ll find a restaurant that will exceed your expectations, or at the very least, scratch the itch. I’ve been exploring new restaurants in NYC for the past 7 years and I’m still always pleasantly surprised.
Tall buildings. I didn’t realize skyscrapers were so rare until I traveled the major cities in Europe. Of all the places I’ve been, NYC is the only place that engulfs you with this feeling of insignificance, importance, and loneliness.
Street names. Manhattan is a grid. Avenues run North and South with numbers growing to 10th Ave East to West (10th Ave is West Side Highway and near 1st Ave is FDR drive). Streets run East to West with numbers growing to 200’s at the North end near the Bronx. 1st St near East Village is Houston St. Following Broadway, which diagonally cuts North West, there are a few important landmarks: 14th St is Union Square, 23rd is Madison Square park / Flatiron Building, 34th is Penn Station / Madison Square Garden, 42nd is Times Square, 59th is Lincoln Center / the beginning of central park, 116th is Columbia University. South of Houston (or SoHo) following Broadway will go into shopping district and lead to Chinatown and Little Italy. Going further South there’s less of the grid structure and more confusing names in the Financial District.
Convenience. There’s a bodega and semi-decent restaurant on every block (or at most 2 minutes of walking). You can walk a Street in approximately 1 minute and Avenues take around 2 minutes.
Nightlife. Whether you’re going clubbing, sipping cocktails on a rooftop, enjoying scotch in a lounge, or drinking cheap beer at a dive bar, there’s a place for you. Also, restaurants don’t close at 11pm like in most cities in Europe so there’s some great night grub around the corner if you get the munchies.
Broadway shows. Although slightly expensive, these are all wonderful musicals that will get you in a singing mood for the rest of the week. You should definitely go to one if you’re a Gleek. I suggest Wicked or Book of Mormon (if you can get tickets).
Specialty shops. If you’re looking for a certain style or niche market (e.g. vinyl, books, anime, comics, etc) you’ll find a unique place to buy these and chat with passionate geeks in these spaces.

Things the City could improve on:

Driving. i don’t like driving in the City because the taxis are relentless when fighting for customers or just speeding to make the light. To be honest, I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents. If you’re not an aggressive driver, you will be honked off the road and feel like an old chinese lady driving. The worst is the one-way streets alternating every block. Even-numbered streets go one-way East and odd-numbered streets go one-way West. Major streets like Houston, 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, etc are often packed with buses and have these no-turn signs into avenues so you’ll wind up taking this weird route. Any street above 59th St is cut off by Central Park, so you’ll take forever to cross between East and West side. Seriously avoid the headache and just take the subway.
Subways. I’ve gotten used to the frequent delays and changes, but what’s ridiculous is the subway announcements. We have the technology! Why does the conductor slur all of his/her words into an inaudible series of noises? I can’t imagine the difficulty tourists have when they’re trying to understand delays/reroutes/transfers. Also, the trains that come into the station are not always the right train numbers. 2/3 numbered trains sometimes show up on the 4/5 track so the electronic subway map at the top is just says “different route”. Throughout Europe and Hong Kong, you can easily spot vast improvements.
Homeless population. It’s often saddening walking through the subways and streets of NYC because you want to help everyone, but you can’t. Everyone has a sob story worse than the next and my heart crushes every time. New Yorkers often just avoid eye contact and continue listening to their music while looking at their phone when peddlers come onto the train to ask for change. It’s very easy to get desensitized to this, but I do hope that people at least listen and be thankful for what they have.

Suggested half-day itineraries:

I’ve split these into half-day neighborhood walks and activities. These are the things I never get tired of and often use for dating. I would pick these itineraries based on the weather because walking is definitely a major plus for seeing more of the sights. My friend suggested 2-3 hours in one area, resting for lunch/coffee/tea-time, and then going to another area for another 2-3 hours.

Midtown:

Penn Station, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, and the Macy’s (where they usually have the Thanksgiving day parade with the huge Snoopy) are all in the same few blocks radius around 32nd Street. I personally have never gone up to the top of the Empire State Building because it’s so touristy, but I can imagine it’s a wonderful sunset view on a clear day. MSG is a great place to see a basketball or hockey game. Around there is also the Flying Puck, if you want to go somewhere to drink a beer and watch a hockey game (look-up when the Rangers play).
Times Square is unavoidable and probably a must-see for most tourists. Try to go outside of rush-hour (5-7PM) so you can see the famous bright lights on Broadway and gawk at the tourists always looking up and taking pictures of those billboards. You’ll probably join in with the photos. With good planning, walk through this area while heading towards your Broadway play of the night..
Flatiron building and Madison Square Park. Besides the great view of the famous flatiron building, there’s also a pretty little park and 230 Fifth for a rooftop view of Manhattan.

Lower Manhattan:

I love Battery Park’s south of Manhattan view. I remember walking from the Ritz Carlton off the 4/5 Bowling Green stop and walking North along the West side of Manhattan towards the financial area. You’ll be able to see the statue of liberty and decide whether or not to take the ferry to get a closer look. There are a lot of romantic spots in this area that I’ve always wanted to bring a girlfriend. Towards the end of the walk by the pier, you’ll be able to see the Freedom Towers construction.
Washington Square park and Soho. This is more for shopping and scenery. While you’re here, you can cover Chinatown and Little Italy as well. My usual route is to get steamed soup dumplings at Shanghai Cafe, but if you’re Chinese, skip eating Chinese food and just have some cheesecake from Ferraras.
On the West side around 23rd Street is Highline Park. Walk atop this old train rail and head South towards the Standard Hotel around 14th Street. The Standard Hotel’s rooftop is perfect for a 6PM view. Drinks are ridiculously overpriced, but the view and their live classy music is usually worth an hour.

Uptown / Central Park:

Central Park walk. Central Park is pretty huge, but it’s beautiful all season around. There are also some great museums around the area. The Guggenheim is classy, but too expensive without a corporate pass. I’ve found the exhibits there to be too abstract for my taste. The MET and MOMA are also great choices. For the MET, I personally like the Greek/Roman exhibit. I can lie down on that marble bench and stare at marble for hours.

Brooklyn:

Rent a bike and do a nice day touring NYC. There’s a fun and easy trail along the Brooklyn park looking into the city. It leads into Red Hook and maintains a beautiful scenery of the water. I think there are a few distilleries down in that area as well..
Brooklyn / Dumbo and the Park overlooking NYC. Walk along the side on the weekend and have a picnic lunch or possibly grab something from the frequent fairs they have near there.
Take the ferry from Brooklyn to Roosevelt island. It’s a free East River ferry, but I’m not exactly sure what there is to do once in Roosevelt island.
Walk the Brooklyn bridge. It gets crowded when the weather is nice, but you’ll get a great view of the Freedom towers.

New York City is a phenomenal place. I’m here for all the little underground things that give any city personality, and trust me, there is no shortage of personality here. As with any city, you need to make an effort to make the most out of it. The tourist mindset makes you purposefully try new things and explore new areas.

As a New Yorker, I feel like I’ve never really found a need to explore my own home. I’ve done all the suggestions I’ve written, but there’s so much more out there to investigate. Take a tour. Meet some new friends. Live life in the eyes of a tourist. Always interested. Always curious.

~See Lemons Love New York City

My Favorite Beer

Posted on April 2, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #332: “…it borders ice cream and can be drank as a meal in most occasions…” ~This article a little bit further down

I remember my very first beer with my Father like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 2002. I had been helping my Father do some gardening in the backyard for the day, and all I could think about was going back into my bedroom to play Counter Strike on the new cable modem. (We had just gotten off of DSL and my ping was 15 compared to 200+). Anyway, when I was excused of my duties, I ran to take one of my famous 5 minute showers so I could maybe get a few games in before dinner. I’d get to kick my brother off the computer because I had done all the chores for my personal computer-time.

When I got out of the shower, my Father greeted me with a smile and something unexpected. In his left hand was a glass of dark brown liquid mixing like a cloud of hot cocoa after it’s been swirled into a tornado. The bottom slowly settled into a black liquid that looked like one of the Chinese medicines I used to drink. My Father’s right hand was open and prompted for a handshake. He said “Thank you, son. Good work today.”

I stood there processing the moment. My Father never showed much emotion or gratitude. That wasn’t really his role in the parental tag-team psychology. I pegged their roles at an early age and so I knew how to play the sides. My Father was the final decision maker with a soft spot for electronics/cars/music, while my Mother was the nurturing one with conversations related to food/art/creativity. With this gesture, my Father had clearly crossed the boundary. It was a big deal in my mind. To this day, I wish he wasn’t holding the glass so I could have hugged him. That, of course, would have also been outside of my normal actions.

So I smiled back and returned the handshake with my right hand. I glanced quickly to meet his eyes and then looked away again. In traditional Chinese families, we don’t usually have eye contact. With my left hand, I took the cold glass. I held it with both hands and looked closer to inspect the settling split of the foam and the beer. This is still my favorite thing to watch in a newly poured Guinness. As I studied it, my Father poured his own and motioned me to join him in the kitchen.

As I walked towards him, I felt a power surge through my body. I stopped holding the glass with two hands and walking in small steps looking down at the floor. I stared up and strode towards him with the Guinness casually gripped in my right hand. My Father raised his glass and said “Cheers. All the best.” And took his sip. I smiled and said “Cheers!” and then looked at the black liquid down the barrel of my glass. It smelled foul and looked like swamp water, but for my Father, I took a small sip.

The foam tickled the top of my lip and the bitter taste opened my taste buds. It tasted like darkness. A darkness that I have come to love. It was a darkness associated with my Father’s approval and his smile. I licked the excess foam from the top of my lip and answered my Father’s expression as he examined my reaction. “Mmm… it’s good. Thanks, Dad.”

We shared stories and I finished the Guinness with him in the kitchen until dinner time. I didn’t even go up to play my video game. It was the bonding time that we never had and a time I felt connected. We were on the same level. That was the magic of a single beer.

Now I know what you’re thinking – and no, I did not become an alcoholic in college.

On the contrary, my Father started me with a $6 NYC beer filled with flavor and robust tastes. Any of the budweisers, coors, millers, etc, do not even come close to the taste of a Guinness. I associated drinking beer with the joy of the product itself. It was not the feeling of drunk that I liked, but the taste and craftsmanship. Throughout college, I only drank top-shelf beer and could only afford one glass, so I enjoyed it.

That moment when my Father gave me my first beer made me a man. He recognized me and trusted me with that one gesture and it changed my world. Today, every time I go home and chat with my Dad, we always do it over a Guinness. I tell him my stories from the week and we laugh about all the little things that we notice in our lives. As I taste that dark rich body that sometimes borders ice cream and can be drank as a meal in most occasions, I think about my Dad. I think about the smile and that handshake that welcomed me into manhood. In retrospect, it could have been any beer that I first shared with my father, but I’m glad it was a Guinness. This is why Guinness is my favorite beer.

~See Lemons Love Guinness

[Work Advice] A Better Team Player

Posted on March 26, 2013 by seelemonsonline

Random Observation/Comment #331: You can’t expect to do everything yourself. It’s impossible to know all the intricacies and even more impossible to juggle all the tasks. This is why we have teamwork – we need the collective strength and synergy between team members so the powers combined will make 1+1=3.

teamwork

How do you become a better team player and effectively lead within the team? There are 3 main qualities of a person that I believe will help earn the trust of your colleagues:

Transparency. Everyone has their own agendas. Some people want to get personal recognition, others may be affected by politics, and others are unmotivated and just doing the work given to them in JIRA tickets. What’s important in this team is that everyone is on the same page and recognizes their strengths and specific contributions. Make sure that, as a team member, you are being transparent with your personal agenda (or not have one at all). Think in your colleagues’ shoes and approach the problem with everyone’s strengths in mind.
Reliability. Show that you take account for your actions and deliver what you’ve promised. Take on tasks with your full ability and stay true to those deadlines. A reliable person is thorough with their work and helps those around them with a quest towards excellence. It’s the underlying belief of the project and the value in its success that can make a great contributor, leader, and team member. If you do not deliver on time, do not point fingers or make excuses, but instead, show progress and deliver a more thorough product.
Congruency. Treat everyone respectfully with the same attitude regardless of status. Just because someone is an intern or less experienced, doesn’t mean their ideas will not at least encourage different perspectives or new questions. Treating the team equally and not showing favors will help the team drive forward with more focus.

The main idea in all of these points is to disarm yourself from any ambiguity. Be friends with your team and work with them instead of competing for recognition or one-upping the person next to you. If the project delivers on-time and to-spec, everyone will be rewarded equally. A well-functioning high performing team will face problems together and discuss solutions from all perspectives. There’s a healthy amount of debate and sessions leading to those rewarding “ah-ha” moments. You’d be surprised how much work experiences improve when working with a motivated and capable team.

Remember: Take ownership of your work and take pride in your deliverables. Trust colleagues and let them contribute their subject matter expertise to problems. Encourage the team and contribute your own strengths (e.g. organization, documentation, diagrams, process drawing, GUI design, client contact, etc) into the project as to help the rest of the team do their work. Best of luck!

~See Lemons Team Play

See Lemons Blog

I'm taking life in every word, to the extent that it's absurd