Journal

I like to share my ideas with others, so I use an app that records my voice memos and saves them for later. I use GPT to help me make sense of what I have been thinking about and organize my thoughts. If you want to try to use your own AI powered Journal check out my new app Journal

2023-03-30

Missed Opportunities and Time Challenges

Demos and Gym Classes

Today was an interesting day. I can't help but feel disappointed with myself for missing the demo day at the office. I know it's important to attend events like this, but I just couldn't make it there in time.

On top of that, I missed another gym class today. I've been trying to keep up with a regular exercise routine, but it seems like something always gets in the way.

Challenges with Time Zones

On a more positive note, I've been making progress with my work. However, one challenge that I've been facing is dealing with time zones. It's been a struggle to get it right, even with the help of libraries like moment.js and Temporal. I'm feeling a bit stuck at the moment, but I'm hoping to find a solution soon.

Taking Breaks and Self-Care

After a long week, I decided to take a break and get some fresh air. It was nice to step away from work for a bit and recharge my batteries.

Overall, today was filled with missed opportunities and challenges with time, but I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of my day. I'm grateful for being able to spend time with loved ones and for the progress I've made with work. I'll continue to work on improving my time management skills and finding solutions to the challenges I'm facing.

2023-03-29

Reflecting on Balancing Work and Life

Career Focus

  • Felt optimistic about exploring opportunities to advise startups and invest
  • Accomplished a successful day of coding and personal growth
  • Was rushed due to rescheduling job interviews before an upcoming trip to Japan

Pursuing Passion

  • Felt conflicted about finding balance between work and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice
  • Set goals to continue pursuing passion while incorporating relaxation and self-care

Relationships

  • Celebrated a mini-milestone birthday
  • Felt grateful and reflective during the celebration
  • Want to make sure I am being a good partner

Overall, I experienced a lot of different emotions this week. I felt optimistic about the direction of my career and managed to accomplish a lot with both my personal growth and coding. However, I did experience some stress with rescheduling job interviews before my upcoming trip to Japan. In terms of my passion, I am still trying to find the right balance with my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice and work-life. On a personal level, I celebrated a mini-milestone birthday and felt grateful for my life. I'd like to bring more focus to my relationships and make sure I am being a good partner.

2023-03-27

Reflecting on My Birthday

Today's Highlights

  • Celebrated my birthday
  • Spent the day reflecting on my life and achievements
  • Feeling grateful for the people in my life

My Career Goals

  • Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the instability of my work life
  • Looking to focus on setting clear boundaries and priorities
  • Working towards having a more clear plan in place for managing my time and energy

Upcoming Interview

  • Feeling some anxiety about the upcoming interview with Prompt Engineering
  • Planning to practice mindfulness and focus on my past successes to help boost my confidence
  • Prioritizing rest and self-care before the big day

Looking Forward

  • Excited to explore new opportunities and start fresh in the upcoming year
  • Focusing on gratitude and being a good partner to those closest to me

2023-03-26

Reflection on a Productive Day

Interview Preparation

  • Followed up with interviewers regarding scheduling and feedback

Development

  • Successfully connected a database to a user interface
  • Continued development on my web app

Work-Life Balance

  • Balanced work and passion projects
  • Took time to relax and recharge ahead of my birthday

Relationships

  • Met my girlfriend's father for the first time
  • Worked on being a better partner

Personal Growth

  • Conducted mock interviews to improve my skills
  • Explored different options for journaling and chat apps

Overall, today was a busy and productive day. While it was full of different activities and projects, I was able to balance everything and take time for myself as well. I learned more about my girlfriend's family and took steps towards my personal and professional goals. I'm looking forward to implementing some of the feedback from my mock interviews and continuing to develop both myself and my projects.

2023-03-24

Navigating Job Interviews Before My Trip to Japan

Rushing to Meet Deadlines

  • I had to schedule my job interviews before my upcoming trip to Japan.
  • Scheduling them right before the trip felt like a rush, but I had no choice.
  • I felt a bit anxious as I knew I might not have enough time to rest before the interviews.

Rescheduling a Coding Interview

  • I thought I had a project review interview scheduled but it turned out to be a coding interview.
  • It was a bit frustrating, so I had to reschedule the interview to avoid doing it while traveling or feeling tired.
  • I hope to hear back from the interviewers soon, so I can figure out if I need to adjust my travel plans.

Managing Stress

  • The thought of juggling job interviews and a trip to Japan is stressful, but I am trying to stay calm and take things one day at a time.
  • I've considered reaching out to the interviewers to see if we can adjust the schedule to better accommodate my plans.
  • It's important for me to manage stress and stay positive throughout this process.

2023-03-23

Making some progress

Database Connection

  • Successfully connected database to UI
  • Able to view all content

Next Steps

  • Allow edits of content and title
  • Clerk permissions making the process easy

2023-03-22

Discussion about Advising Startups

Interview and App Launch

  • Interview went well
  • Focused on launching web app past two days
  • Still more to do

Advising Startups

  • Considering advising startups
  • Wondering about the long-term goal as an advisor
  • Can advisors also be angels?
  • Asking for equity instead of cash

Conclusion

  • Overall, feeling good about potential opportunities in the future
  • Aiming to provide value and build relationships in any advising or investing pursuits

2023-03-21

Thinking about Work-Life Balance

Finding a Balance!

  • Feeling conflicted about taking time off for myself
  • App getting more popular
  • Interest in pursuing more BJJ
  • Struggling to balance work and BJJ practice

Solutions Discussed

  • Setting aside specific times for work and BJJ practice
  • Incorporating other hobbies or activities for relaxation and self-care
  • Taking a test at Helicone to explore the potential of LLMs for personal growth

Overall, I'm struggling to find a balance between my work and personal life. I've been feeling guilty about taking time off for myself, especially because my app is becoming more popular. I've been interested in pursuing more BJJ, but it's been difficult to balance my schedule with only classes at noon and 6pm. In talking through my options, I've considered setting aside specific times for work and BJJ practice and incorporating other hobbies or activities for relaxation and self-care. I've also thought about taking a test at Helicone to explore the potential of LLMs for personal growth.

2023-03-20

Looking forward to Anthropic Interview

Interview Day

  • Feeling great about the interview
  • Prepared by studying, doing mock interviews and researching the company
  • Interview is important because of the large-scale societal impact

Interview Experience

  • Thought interview went okay
  • Waiting for next interview if pass the first one
  • Feeling anxious about waiting process

Moving Forward

  • Trying to focus on strengths from the interview
  • Practicing self-care and being kind to myself during the waiting period

2023-03-19

Interview Preparation for Anthropic

Mock Interviews

  • Conducted mock interviews using GTP4 to prepare for the interview with Anthropic.

Thoughts on ML Safety

  • Considered ML safety as a potential topic of discussion during the interview.
  • Explored the idea of malicious tool injection and local smaller LLMS for anonymization.
  • Discussed how these ideas relate to ML safety and how they could be implemented to improve safety measures.

2023-03-18

Insights from a survey on journaling and chat applications

Preferences for Journaling

  • 80% of respondents journal to write out their ideas and plans
  • 60% use journaling to track their progress, growth, and manage stress and anxiety
  • 80% prefer using pen and paper for journaling

Preferences for Chat Applications

  • 70% of respondents would prefer a web application to chat with their AI copilot
  • 50% would prefer a custom iOS/Android app
  • 50% of respondents want to access their writing via a mobile app

Desired Features for Journaling App

  • Top-valued features include habit tracking and follow-ups, mood tracking and analysis, and using AI to reflect on past writing
  • Respondents envision an AI-powered journaling app enhancing their writing experience through personalized prompts, reflection, organization, and feedback.

As someone who is exploring different journaling and chat application options, I found a recent survey to be quite illuminating in terms of how others approach these tools. It turns out that many people prefer using pen and paper for journaling, while at the same time, highly value different features that an AI-powered journaling app can offer, such as habit tracking and personalized, reflective prompts. Similarly, many survey respondents preferred a web application for chatting with an AI copilot, but also expressed interest in accessing their writing via a mobile app. All in all, these insights have given me a lot to consider in evaluating which journaling and chat solutions may be best for my needs.

2023-03-17

Reflection on My Jujitsu Practice Today

Injury

  • Soreness in neck after practice due to a big guy cracking my neck

Future Plans

  • Considering seeing a doctor or consulting with my Jujitsu instructor if pain persists or worsens
  • Thinking about reaching out to Jujitsu communities or groups for networking and mentorship opportunities

Previous Experience

  • No coaches or mentors presently, have always practiced Jujitsu independently

Overall Thoughts

  • Enjoy practicing Jujitsu despite occasional injuries
  • Grateful for opportunities to learn and grow, both physically and mentally

Next Steps

  • Prioritize self-care and listen to my body
  • Keep practicing Jujitsu and pursuing other hobbies and interests

2023-03-16

Exploring the Potential of LLMs for Personal Growth and Self-Reflection

Reflecting on the Wii and LLMs

  • Thinking about the novelty and limitations of the Wii as a unique video game controller
  • Comparing this to the potential and challenges of LLMs for chat interfaces

Balancing the Risks and Benefits of LLMs for Personal Development

  • Discussing concerns around users feeling like they are just being told what to think when interacting with LLMs
  • Exploring ways to balance these concerns with the potential benefits of LLMs for self-reflection and personal growth

Ideas for Gathering User Feedback

  • Brainstorming ways to solicit user feedback and pricing information through surveys and posting on Product Hunt and Reddit
  • Discussing the value of creating a Discord community for users to connect with each other

Overall, I'm excited about the potential of LLMs for personal growth and self-reflection, but I'm also aware of the risks and challenges associated with the technology. I'm eager to explore ways to balance these concerns while still leveraging the benefits of LLMs. I'm also considering ways to gather feedback from users and create a more accessible way for people to connect with me and each other.

2023-03-15

Discussing Support and Productivity

Today's Accomplishments

  • Went to the new Marcelo gym
  • Practiced BJJ
  • Got some work done

Thoughts on Fitness Routine

  • Enjoying the new gym with more classes
  • Able to catch up on missed classes and attend more regularly

Personal and Work Productivity

  • Feeling good about catching up on missed gym classes
  • Concerned about supporting friend with work stress
  • Would like to explore quantified self using journaling

Future Plans

  • Continue attending gym classes
  • Incorporate more strategies to improve productivity
  • Explore options to support friend with work stress
  • Investigate quantified self using journaling

2023-03-14

Busy day, haircut, dinner, bjj!

A Busy Schedule

  • Today, I have a pretty busy schedule ahead of me. I plan on going to Jujutsu in the morning and then I have a haircut appointment that I'm feeling pretty excited about.
  • Later in the day, I'm looking forward to seeing my friends Linda, Kelly, and Pedram for dinner. It's always great to catch up with them.

Balancing Work and Social Life

  • Lately, I've been feeling lucky to be able to see my friends frequently, but I've also been noticing that I'm not getting as much work done as I would like.
  • I know that I need to prioritize my responsibilities and prepare for my upcoming meeting with the VC on Thursday. However, I'm excited to have picked up Tailwind UI, and I think I'll be spending some time later today or tomorrow working on a landing page for my journaling app.

Keeping Up With My Essay

  • It's important for me to continue working on my essay on sticks and ropes paper. I got some tips from Chris, but I haven't had the chance to incorporate them yet. I need to remind myself to keep going and not let it fall to the wayside.

2023-03-11

BJJ and VC Thoughts

VC Conversation with Chris!

  • Chris helped me think more deeply about the VC space and provided me valuable insights about my writing and tools.
  • He was open to reading my ideas and gave me constructive feedback, especially around my word selection.

Meeting With Yusuf

  • Met Yusuf, the ML Infra guy from Spc, and discussed his work in Machine Learning Infrastructure.

BJJ Training

  • Today, I plan to do more BJJ training, which is a key part of my routine.
  • In the past, I have experienced frustration with "spazzy white belts" but have recently switched to Marcelo Garcia gym in Manhattan for better training.
  • My previous gym did not teach passing or any kind of guard, so I decided to make the switch.

Overall, I am excited about my progress in BJJ and working hard to improve my writing and work in the VC space. Both areas are important to me, and I am grateful to have supportive mentors and coaches to help me grow.

2023-03-10

Great Conversations at Spc

Meeting Yasir and Chetan

  • Spent time helping unpack ideas related to GPT/LLM related work
  • Offered insightful commentary and suggestions

Personal Strengths and Areas for Growth

  • Identified a strength in technical feedback development
  • Noted interpersonal relationships as an area for growth

Conversations with Chris

  • Had great conversations about life and technology
  • Felt comfortable and open with each other
  • Developed a connection and potential for future friendship

Overall, I had a great day at the Spc. I had insightful conversations with Yasir, Chetan, and Chris about various topics. It felt good to be able to contribute something valuable to the GPT/LLM related work with my technical feedback. At the same time, I was able to identify some areas for improvement, particularly around interpersonal relationships. My conversations with Chris were particularly enjoyable and it seems like we could become great friends in the future.

2023-03-09

Discussing BJJ, Demo Day, and Other Topics with Orate

BJJ Training and Thoughts on Finding the Right Instructor

  • Good training session
  • Some frustration with spazzy white belts
  • Realized previous gym didn't teach passing or any kind of guard

Challenges with Database Issues

  • Frustration with ongoing database issues
  • Issues randomly resolved themselves

Excitement About Demo Day

  • Planning to attend demo day with friends Chris and Pedram
  • May showcase work around YouTube summarization and text editing
  • Not feeling nervous, if presentation happens

Recap

  • Reviewed topics covered in conversation, including BJJ training, database issues, and demo day excitement.

Attending Demo Day

  • Heading to demo day to showcase work
  • Wants advice on how to network with others at the event

2023-03-08

First Day at SPC

Meeting at SPC

  • Had my first meeting at SPC and I am super excited about the people around me
  • Felt like it maintains the collaborative culture of SF building
  • People I met were passionate and involved with COVID relief and agriculture startups
  • Looking forward to learning from everyone here

Other Thoughts

  • Going to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Ray tonight, which I am stoked about
  • Excited about expanding my horizons beyond building small apps
  • Plan to travel to Japan in April
  • Interested in injecting context into our previous conversations and searching past conversations in the future.

2023-03-07

Back to New York

  • Flew back to New York today after spending time in San Francisco
  • Looking forward to seeing Linda again soon
  • Plan to watch "The Last of Us" and have dinner with friends tonight

Gym Struggles

  • Had a great day of BJJ training, but starting to feel like my current gym isn't the right fit for me
  • Value a gym with a good culture and focus on improving techniques
  • Decided to switch to Marcelo Garcia gym in Manhattan

Upcoming Travel Plans

  • Planning a trip to Japan in April
  • Open to exploring and seeing where the adventure takes me
  • Will do more research over the weekend to plan the trip better

2023-03-06

Struggling with a database connection issue

Background

  • Been making a lot of progress with my TypeScript application
  • Tried connecting to a database in Vercel, but it just wouldn't connect
  • Frustrated and unable to solve the issue for the past three hours
  • Two other apps connected to the same database without issue
  • Feel silly for wasting so much time on what turned out to be a premature optimization

Lessons learned

  • Need to learn to write tests to prevent issues like this from happening
  • Copilot can be both a blessing and a curse, making it easy to overlook important details
  • Looking forward to doing BJJ again as stress relief and to burn off excess energy

2023-03-05

Learning TypeScript, Prisma, Planetscale, and Nextjs

Introduction

Today I started working on building a full stack application using TypeScript. Although I thought about doing it in Python, I decided to go with TypeScript to learn something new.

What I'm using

  • TypeScript for the chat agent
  • Prisma for database management
  • Planetscale for cloud-hosted SQL database management
  • Nextjs for front-end development

Learning trade-offs

I'm finding it difficult to determine the trade-offs between focusing on productive work and spending time learning the language. I also realized that my productivity had improved due to my use of GitHub Copilot.

Conclusion

Overall, I'm excited to learn new technologies while building a full-fledged application. However, I need to be mindful of balancing productivity and learning.

2023-03-04

Spending Time with Family

Recap

Today, I spent the day with my family before leaving for New York. We had good food and played mahjong together. I also got a massage and played ping-pong with them.

Thoughts

It's always great to spend time with family, especially since I don't get to see them very often. Despite some losses, we had a lot of fun playing mahjong, and it was great catching up with everyone.

Future Plans

I'm excited to go to South Park Commons and start my LLC, which I've been planning for a while now. I'm also considering rewriting the telegram bot with TypeScript and Next.js to improve my skills. Overall, I'm looking forward to what the future holds.

2023-03-03

Training BJJ, Organizing My Flight to Japan, and LLC Updates

BJJ Training Session

  • Spent most of the day focusing on training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
  • Focused on perfecting my technique and positioning
  • Worked on pressure passing and submissions
  • Had a good session overall

Organizing My Flight to Japan

  • Spent some time organizing my flight to Japan
  • Booked my flight through a travel agent
  • Went over my itinerary and made sure everything was in order
  • Excited to explore Japan and immerse myself in the culture

LLC Updates

  • Spent some time on LLC updates
  • Made sure all of my paperwork was in order
  • Checked my email for any important updates
  • Made a to-do list for the week ahead to stay on top of things

2023-03-02

Productive Day with Exciting Updates

Upgrading Study Notes App

Today, I worked on upgrading the Study Notes app, and I am excited to use OpenAI's whisper instead of my own modal endpoint. However, before making the switch, I decided that it would be prudent to perform a performance/cost analysis.

Ordering Pizza through Langchain

I was curious to see if anyone had ever ordered a pizza through Langchain, my latest project. I confirmed that no one had, so I attempted to order a pizza to test out the platform.

Progress with YouTube Summerizer

I also had a productive conversation with Hassan, which gave me the confidence that we'll make some progress with YouTube summerizer.

Applying to Speak.com

After discovering speak.com, I applied to become a speaker on their platform.

Setting Up OpenAI Transcriptions

Finally, I was able to set up OpenAI transcriptions, which opens up new opportunities for the projects that I'm working on. Overall, it was a productive day, with some exciting updates and progress to look forward to.

2023-03-01

Getting VC Emails from Updating my LinkedIn

What Happened

  • I finally got around to updating my LinkedIn profile to reflect the fact that I'm currently focused on building my project.
  • After updating, I surprisingly received emails from three Venture Capitalists expressing interest in my venture.

What I Learned

  • Updating your LinkedIn to reflect your current project can attract potential investors.
  • There are many people on LinkedIn who are actively searching for investment opportunities and may come across your profile.

2023-02-28

A Weekend of Ice Diving

Ice Diving Trip

  • Had an amazing trip ice diving over the weekend
  • Experienced plenty of underwater ice formations

Work

  • Going back to work tomorrow
  • Need to do a lot of due diligence for startups
  • Planning to build more features for YouTube Summarizer
  • Lots of work to do for LLC and fractional leadership

Journaling

  • Thinking about writing a journal entry about the ice diving trip