All of my long-form thoughts on programming, and more, collected in chronological order.
As you can tell looking at my post history, it's been many years since I've really done anything with my website. Recently I've been motivated to get into technical writing, and what better place to do that than my personal website... after a much needed coat of fresh paint.
In this post, I explore the concept of working with raw queues in Laravel, highlighting the flexibility and potential drawbacks of using Laravel's built-in queue service. By delving into the framework's inner workings, I demonstrate how raw queue data can be processed with Laravel, offering a more efficient alternative than reverse-engineering 'unserialize', while still leveraging the power of the framework.
Reflecting on 2015, I recount the year of future planning that included making significant strides towards my financial security and investing in a house. As I welcome 2016, my intent is to strike a balance between planning for the future and savoring the present, making this the year I learn to live in the here and now.
As the final day of my Indian adventure dawned, I found myself both eager to return home and grateful for the enriching experience this journey has been. The day included a smooth passage through airport security, a last meal in London at Hoxleys, and an entertaining plane ride featuring some Minecraft gaming, all culminating in my reflections on this trip and hope for similar experiences in the future.
On the tenth day of my trip to India, I embarked on the first leg of my journey back home, feeling anything but great on zero sleep, but the adventure continued in London. From my first ride on the tube to authentic fish & chips at The Swan pub and a breathtaking spin on the London Eye, it was an exhilarating day filled with amazing sights, but now, with my body clock still on Bangalore time, I'm looking forward to the final flight home tomorrow.
In my last day in India, I found myself caught between work and farewells at the Bengaluru office of Perk.com, followed by last-minute shopping and a humorous attempt at bowling at Orion mall. It was a day tinged with the bitterness of goodbyes and the anticipation of a long journey home, but the gratitude for this incredible experience permeated every moment.
Combining the accounts of days seven and eight of my trip to India, these were primarily work-focused days, but not without their memorable moments, such as a visit to a Jimi Hendrix themed bar, which left me nursing a hangover, and indulgent meals at luxurious hotels like Leela Palace and ITC Hotel. As the exploration part of the trip wound down, I shifted my focus to work, with a growing anticipation of the journey back to the states, including a 23-hour layover in Heathrow.
Day six of my trip to India began with some soreness from the previous night's dancing but thankfully no hangover, and I even got to enjoy room service for the first time. The day was relaxed and included a visit to Orion Mall where we caught a movie, did some shopping, and grabbed lunch at Chili's, amusingly finding that malls in Bangalore are quite similar to those in the US; the day ended back at the hotel, gearing up for another work week.
On day five of my Indian adventure, I visited a local orphanage sponsored by Perk.com, an emotionally stirring experience that gave me newfound respect for my company's commitment to community outreach. The day culminated in a high-energy company outing that allowed me to further immerse myself in Bangalore's vibrant culture, resulting in a night of winning tug-of-war, dancing till my legs ached, and getting momentarily lost on the way back to the hotel.
On my fourth day in India, I traded coding for cricket and enjoyed a match with the Bangalore team, followed by a vibrant Holi celebration that left me covered in bright neon chalk. The day concluded with a visit to a stunning rooftop bar, a satisfying dinner, and great conversation with my boss and the company CEO, setting the stage for the excitement of the following day.
On day three of my trip to India, I found myself pleasantly surprised that the fatigue wasn't as bad as anticipated, despite a long and productive workday. After a huge breakfast, I created a Hyperlapse video showcasing the local traffic, enjoyed some quality time with the team, and am now eagerly looking forward to tomorrow's office cricket tournaments and Holi celebrations.
On my first full day in India, I managed to get some work done, enjoyed my first experience with local food at a hotel restaurant, and even managed to snap a photo of my office setup. Despite missing a full night's sleep due to blogging, the day went smoothly, and I'm bracing myself for what my boss warns will be the worst day for jet lag.
Day one of my trip to India with Perk.com began with a long journey from Austin to Bangalore, including a layover in London. After 23 hours of flying, we finally arrived, and I was able to enjoy an impressive hotel, meet my colleagues at the Bengaluru office, navigate through India's entertaining traffic, and indulge in a dinner at Barbeque Nation, a place filled with meat despite advice to avoid it. The excitement for the trip and gratitude for the opportunity permeated the entire day.
While working on APIs, I used to rely on the Google Chrome extension POSTman, but recently I've shifted to using the Map application Paw. In this blog post, I describe my process of creating a UUID generator extension for Paw in CoffeeScript, and I provide the code and installation instructions for others who might find it useful.
During the Laravel Austin meetup this month, I gave a talk about the repository and decorator pattern, demonstrating their usefulness. In this blog post, I discuss how repositories allow abstraction away from the database layer, and how decorators can extend functionality without editing the original class, with examples specific to Laravel, and the concept of using caching to enhance efficiency.
I've been inspired to try my hand at writing by bloggers like Chris Fidao and Phil Sturgeon, so I'm revamping my personal site to share my experiences with programming and work. Occasionally, I might also delve into personal matters if inspiration strikes.