Author: Maika

5 Coding Lessons I Learned This Summer

  I’m working as a research intern for 10 weeks in the Gates building at Stanford University.   (There’s quite a bit of technical jargon in here. I’ve tried to link to explanatory websites and posts.)   It’s nothing like the fantasy of stuffy basements, spending hours standing over glass cases in clear white lab… Continue reading 5 Coding Lessons I Learned This Summer

Bare-metal Programming from the Ground Up

I’ve never come across a class with such polar opposite reviews. When I mentioned taking CS107 at Stanford, the reactions were nearly all the same. “Oh, good luck,” “Get ready to not have any time this quarter,” “That class is a doozy.” People hated it, and people loved it. It’s a class that anyone involved… Continue reading Bare-metal Programming from the Ground Up

Juice Cleanse – Impressed By Branding Brilliance, Otherwise As Expected

Finally. After years of watching the juice cleanse craze come and go, reading dozens of articles on it, scrolling through Instagram gawking at aesthetic bottles of magical green elixirs, I had the chance to try it myself. While performing, it wasn’t really an option. First, I didn’t want to risk messing up my energy levels… Continue reading Juice Cleanse – Impressed By Branding Brilliance, Otherwise As Expected

Design Thinking for Social Innovation

This spring break, instead of jetting across the world, I decided to stay and volunteer for one of Stanford’s ‘Alternative Spring Break’ programs. In collaboration with VIA, Volunteers in Asia, the Design Thinking for Social Innovation program worked with 14 exchange students from various Japanese Universities to tackle sustainability issues in the Bay Area. My… Continue reading Design Thinking for Social Innovation

A 15,000 ft. Valentine’s Day

What is something you’ve always wanted to do? Look to your bucket list, or the things that you’ve said, “I’ll do that someday,” without ever considering when ‘someday’ may be. Why haven’t you done it yet? For me, that was skydiving. Always the thrill-seeker, it’s something that was added to my list of desires very… Continue reading A 15,000 ft. Valentine’s Day

Peet’s Cold Brew – Taste Test and Review

Peet’s Coffee, a San Francisco-based coffee company has recently launched a new line of packaged cold brew. There’s six main drinks and I’ve taken the time to taste them all… for the love of coffee! The following is a completely biased, unscientific study conducted in my dorm room and around campus at Stanford University. Peet’s… Continue reading Peet’s Cold Brew – Taste Test and Review

Stanford: Second Attempt

Have you ever had a moment of Déjà Vu? As if you’ve been there before, had the same conversation, or experienced the same series of events? This happens to me more often than i’m comfortable with, but this time specifically, it’s not just a case of deja vu… It’s New Student Orientation week, and just… Continue reading Stanford: Second Attempt

On Tour With Totem – Brussels, Belgium

The end is near. Maybe it’s goodbye forever, maybe it’s a temporary break while I complete a degree. Only time will tell if I’ll ever return to the circus stage, and my emotions have been swinging back and forth about it for a while now. I arrived in Brussels after a long journey, starting in… Continue reading On Tour With Totem – Brussels, Belgium