Facebook – Week 3
March 16, 2014
Monday was a public holiday to celebrate Mr Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement, however today I would still be going in to work. Facebook was off for the day, but I had arranged to spend the day hacking away at my project in order to facilitate taking a Friday off to get to UPenn to see friends, the Glee Club Spring Show and to check out the PennApps hackathon. I did however treat myself to a ‘sleep in’ waking up at 8AM before my usual gym routine. I worked pretty hard in return for my sleep and ended up tiring myself out substantially, forgetting that I had arranged with Sandy (another intern) to cycle to work at 11AM.
Sandy and I were to meet approximately forty minutes by bike from me in Mountain View and ten minutes from him in Menlo Park and together to ride the remaining twenty mintues to Facebook campus. I grabbed my gear and bike, turned on the turn-by-turn navigation on my phone and set out to take the longer bike trail to our meeting point. Having not cycled in a number of years, and already exhausted my pool of energy this turned out to be highly ill advised. A short way into the trip I was ready to keel over and searched madly for a drinking fountain in the vicinity of my route. After around forty minutes I came across one, dismounted and checked the GPS to see how close I was. It was then I realized that I was only half way there. I let Sandy know that I might not make it to the meeting point on time and cycled onwards.
The path itself was quite easy going and full of sights to see. It wound around the bay before eventually crossing the highway on a pedestrian overpass. At around the one hour mark the path ended and I had to cycle on the main road, soon encountering Highway 101. This was terrifying as there were multiple entryways and exits from the highway with cars coming on and off at full speed. Thankfully I made it through despite a few errors on my part that were highly ill-advised.
I arrived at Facebook a good hour and a half after setting out, and when I got off my bike every muscle was burning. I felt I would fall apart. I collapsed onto a couch with Sandy, who had gone ahead to meet me there, grabbed a few snacks from a microkitchen and sat down to work for a few hours.
My lunch break today consisted of a bowl of cereal consumed while giving a brief speech over skype as to why I was the ideal candidate for Director of Education for my volunteer work with Hineni Youth and Welfare back home. After a vote on that left my candidacy behind, I then worked till around six pm when I was to cycle to the CalTrain. However just as I was about to leave, I was called by Hineni to let me know it was time to speak as a candidate for a general board position and so I delayed my departure. After the fastest speech I’ve probably ever given I rushed off into the dark streets. This was my first time ever riding at night, and as the monster of the highway approached I trembled a little. Eventually I ended up dismounting and walking over the crossings with as many lights on as I could muster, praying I’d make it over.
This delayed me a little, and getting lost moreso, and thus I reached the CalTrain just as it pulled into the station. I awkwardly hopped on with my bike, into a carriage with no room, so figuring that I was only a ten minute ride away, I stood with my bike in the entryway. As my luck would have it, the rails on this particular route had failed just as our train was due to reach my station and so we pulled up short and waited. And waited, and waited. About thirty minutes later the driver announced that we would in fact be skipping my station and pulling up to the next one, a good thirty minute bike ride away. By the time we arrived I had ‘had it’ and found a cab driver who would take both me and my bike to where I was meant to be meeting Linda, one of the other Facebook interns, for dinner.
I met Linda about forty minutes after we had arranged, with a dead phone, my whole bike and a very very tired me. Thankfully, though she’d wanted to just quickly grab something, she took the time to sit with me as I recovered. It ended up being quite a pleasant evening once I had made it home but I was most glad when I was able to lie down and sleep.
The rest of the week passed in something of a blur. Tuesday was a straight day of my normal routine but thanks to the previous day I was already a little tired. However things seemed to be moving well with my project and this was a great feeling. The internal tools were becoming more familiar and I need to ask for help a little less frequently.
Wednesday we called an extra rehearsal for acapella to make up for the lost Monday but fewer people showed up, and there were more new people than old, so we decided to try a new piece and see how we liked it. Though the music was not my usual style, I was really enjoying seeing a few faces outside of those of my team (not that they aren’t fantastic, just good to have some variety). I was learning a few more names and hearing a few more different stories. Though he wasn’t there that day, the other baritone, Brian, a visiting professor, was particularly friendly and also seemed to have a good number of years of musical experience under his belt. This ensured that learning our part was always little easier.
I always felt a little guilty taking an extended break with acapella and lunch together eating up an hour and a half, but I found that I was able to work a little later without mentally exhausting myself if I had a bit of variety in the day. This was particularly true for Thursday.
Thursday I broke up my usual routine and went to gym a little later, catching the second shuttle of the morning. It was also the first day that most of my team had made it in before me! I was intent on putting in some good work to make up for the later start, and though I did many things, they weren’t as impactful as I would’ve liked, due to having to go over and fix a number of things I had done that were less than optimal previously, rather than breaking new ground.
Overall my productivity seemed to go in waves. Though I was always working, some days it just seemed that I did a great job of it and others I would sink into a bit of a quagmire. The bad days weren’t fantastic but I was left with a really good feeling after the productive ones.
Lunch on Thursdays was always another acapella rehearsal, and potentially due to some internal advertising, our numbers were much bigger than they had been previously. More old faces and more new faces. Both good things.
In the afternoon Brian Jew, one of the members posted on the groups Facebook page that there was an intro to improv class in the evening (for a series that would cost a bit over a hundred dollars) and that we were welcome to join. I was hesitant at first, due to already having taken a longer lunch and having arrived later, but I resolved to stay in the office till the last shuttle to make up for it.
The class was quite a lot of fun, nothing in terms of theatre that I hadn’t done before, but it was a good chance to relax a little, improve my skills and again, meet more people.
A recurring theme in my life has been constant movement. Between schools, universities and even countries. One thing I’ve found repeatedly to be of value is finding low friction environments in which to meet people, otherwise the travel can get lonely very quickly. At Penn this had been the OCP and Glee Club, in NYC Marie’s took the part, however only now was I discovering where at Facebook these environments existed.
After some umming and ahhing, I decided to sign up for the series, figuring that if I didn’t spend my salary on things that would make me happy and that I’d enjoy, there wasn’t much point in earning it in the first place. I tried, unsuccessfully, to convince Bear, one of the more talented (and very friendly) members of the acapella group to sign up too, but other commitments made it an unsuitable option for her. Thus, it was another chance to start afresh with all new people!
Friday I worked really hard and slowly edged my way to progress, though my project was getting a little behind due to focus on a number of side tasks, but I endeavored to finish all the things I had started. The late afternoon was a little crazy with company happy hour being celebrated in ‘style’ by the interns, but it brought a welcome close to the week.
Saturday was quite a lot of fun this week as I decided to walk until I dropped. This allowed me to make it all the way to Stanford University on foot (about two hours away) and check out the grounds, meet a few students and enjoy the atmosphere. I even walked by 267 College Avenue, my home from when I lived in Palo Alto as a child. I still had a few memories of that time, though to my six year old self, everything seemed a lot bigger.
Sunday I made a trip out to the Stanford mall. a medium sized shopping center, and requisitioned for myself a new pair of runners and shorts for use at the gym, two new t-shirts and assorted undies and socks. This was also much needed as on Friday I had accidentally left my washing at work (yup, we get laundry service!). Arriving home I worked for a while and prepared some course materials for a subject I would hopefully be tutoring back in Australia. At around five PM I called a friend at home (with a cheap calling card) and ended up speaking for about three hours (no longer so cheap) before Linda asked for an escort to the nearest ATM for her bank, located a mile away.
After returning I was done so I turned in for the night, and before I knew it, it was back to work for another week.
Facebook – Week 2
March 9, 2014
Another early start, back at the gym. Today I tried out a smattering of different weight machines, unsure which I should be trying. The treadmill again proved an easy way out so I limited my time on it and tried a few new things that left me almost dazed. My friend Roman had given some healthy encouragement and a few tips the night before but importantly, now that someone else knew about the plan, I felt obliged to stick to it.
Before I knew it I was back at my desk, earlier than any other day prior. However today there was a brand new MacBook Pro sitting there with me. This was pretty exciting as I hadn’t been a Macintosh user since the mid 1990s. After an hour of setup, I checked out my schedule. I had what I thought were a few simple things to clear up before getting started on my ‘intern project’ but the things weren’t as simple as they had seemed. I spent hours fixing up code from the previous day as per my mentors comments but still felt I wasn’t getting anywhere fast. Over lunch I managed to eat something quickly, leaving time to visit the bank on campus to open an account with a bank more appropriate to my current needs.
More code… more frustrations. But I did manage to submit another ‘diff’ (code submission) with some of the day’s work and, finally was able to start on a new task.
A surprise event that afternoon was a visit by Zac Efron of High School Musical fame. It was a good way to unwind from what had been a frustrating day. There was a thirty-minute Q&A with him and the cast of his new movie and it was thoroughly entertaining, if not intellectually stimulating.
After yet more code and dinner, I caught up with a few other interns for DDR (an arcade game) and a run of Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano.
With something of a routine set, my early morning wake ups are now a little more tolerable and less unexpected. One curious thing however is what seemed to be a phone ringing nearby at all hours. Thankfully as I wasn’t in the apartment much it isn’t yet bothering me so much.
Work was mostly the same as always, though I’m definitely getting a little better at things. However, there seems to be something particularly enjoyable extra most days that I can occupy myself with during lunch. The next afternoon it was a series of three speakers, briefly talking on security related issues. One of them was a little like a detective story, and the audience (and I) responded enthusiastically to it. I’m enjoying getting to meet all the engineers, but the security types particularly stand out. My only disappointment is that while Pieter is still off enjoying his wedding and honeymoon, my row of desks stands but with one occupant.
Thursday was Tu B’shvat, the Jewish New Year for the trees, and as much as it isn’t a particularly widely celebrated festival, I thought it fitting to go for a run around a nearby park in the morning before continuing on with some weights.
The whole Facebook experience has been a really good opportunity for me to refocus on a number of things that would likely be left behind were I at home. Eating healthily, sleeping enough and exercising are all too easy for me to neglect normally and particularly after recent health issues in my life, it’s fantastic to take some time to try and get back to a good regimen.
After breakfast on campus, I noted something a little worrying however that seemed to defeat my best efforts to stay well for the entire time. The left corner of my mouth felt a little sore and when I examined it a little further, I felt an extra tooth poking out. Disaster! This would be a terrible time to need my wisdoms out!
The USA does a number of things better than Australia, however health care is not one of them. I asked around on how I’d find a dentist with whom I would be covered but didn’t manage to find an answer. I’m in the position that I can afford to pay for a dentist without insurance if it came to that, however finding out how much things cost in the US was a shock, and my heart really went out to all those who weren’t in my fortunate position.
Lunch on Thursday was again a highlight due to the acapella @facebook rehearsal again. It’s so much easier to make friends when you share something significant in common, and I was slowly getting to know the group a little better. Laolee, the founder of the group and I had lunch afterwards and I was so happy to get a chance to talk to someone a little different, as the vast majority of my conversations over the past few weeks had been with engineers.
Today I decided to catch the early shuttle, having eaten a quick dinner and arrived home to speak to the family in Australia for a little while. Also managed to speak to a few other friends and as a result I went to sleep pretty well contented.
One more day until the ‘long’ weekend. When I arrived in after the usual routine, I had a chat with my manager and arranged to ride to work on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and trade in the holiday for a Friday off in February. The plan was to catch a flight early that morning and arrive at Penn in for the Penn Glee Club spring show, PennApps, and some time to see my friends from the community there. However, I failed to book my flights early and this ended up costing me a good chunk later.
The rest of the day I worked really hard, trying to get a good foot forward on my intern project. Given the short duration of my stay, I had to make every day really count if I was going to make a real impact. At around 3PM things suddenly started to go awry. Some of my files wouldn’t load up. I thought to ignore it for a while and see if the tech team would get around to dealing with it, worked on some other stuff and then called it a day.
Sunday I was up and started coding a little, before realizing that as I wasn’t taking the holiday the next day I should be strict with myself and not spend yet another day working. To that measure I arranged to meet with Varun and take the CalTrain into San Fransisco. $14 and an hour and a half later, we were on the Embarcadero, taking a leisurely stroll and looking out along the bay. We both decided ice-cream was appropriate and so walked along the piers till about an hour later we came across an good location to stop and chill. Ice-cream on one side, loud and smelly seals on the other. K-dock at pier 39. One other location of note along our walk was “Wharton West” – the University of Pennsylvania MBA campus in SF where I had performed with the Glee Club. I was reminiscent passing it and would’ve walked in had I not been with Varun.
Getting back in the evening was a little rushed as we tried to navigate the public transit system to arrive back at the CalTrain station however, we made it just in time!
That evening I decided I needed to keep up the routine and went to gym before bed, finally noticing some real improvement. This was a much-needed motivational boost and steeled my resolve to keep it up.
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday – Days 14-18
January 17, 2014
Tuesday felt much more useful. I arrived on the first shuttle in and had a smoothie and some fruit, checked out the campus a little more and then headed to my next onboarding session. For many of us engineers, we come in very practically minded, so as much as I appreciated the ‘Welcome’ shtick, actually getting my hands dirty and setting up a development environment was much more satisfying. It took a good few hours to actually get set up, and a few more to learn our way around what we needed to know to get started.
For lunch I met up with Zach and Alexey from Penn, Alexey whom I had never met. However, it was a real joy to have that sense of familiarity and to talk about professors, classes and people we all knew. Zach is a very down to earth kind of guy and it was good to hear his perspective on working at Facebook. Alexey has experience in startups and consulting and so it was good to hear from him too, as I’ll have to decide in the near future what step I wish to take next following graduation.
The afternoon I finally got to build something! Though it was a very simple web application, it was good to be back in the game. Both I and another good third of the class continued for a good while at home indicated by the surprise on our mentors’ faces the next day. They asked how far along we were and many of us raised our hands to show we’d already completed the whole thing!
We then had about an hour’s break, to watch a series of videos on various technologies, and I used this as a chance to meet my manager. Scott was so friendly and also radiated the sense that he really knew what he was doing. We had a brief chat, and then it was back to the videos for me. After one more session, the day was over.
I managed to get home by about ten past eight and then fell asleep almost immediately. All this new information to absorb and people I was meeting seemed to be draining me pretty quickly.
The next morning I was out on the first shuttle again, had what was becoming my usual breakfast and then went straight to the ‘Rainbow Room’. The Rainbow Room is Facebook’s official music room, complete with a nice piano, a few guitars/basses and an electronic drum set. I was so glad to have that space as it really helped me to relax and I knew it would continue do so throughout my internship.
Our next few hours were again spent in onboarding sessions, thankfully technical, and the material was of a good standard. Some of the engineers were also good communicators as well as being excellent technically. We received two assignments, one easier and one harder. I also came across my first frustrating bug that I only resolved a half week later when I was in a different mindset and had a little more experience.
After lunch we continued on with the sessions, one technical and one on ethics, finishing off just after five. At that point I decided to go back to my desk and hack away on my assignments till six thirty. At the desk next to me was a guy named Pieter with a very dry sense of humor and expansive technical knowledge. Both of which I enjoyed. He was also very helpful whenever I needed something and would take time out of what he was doing to help me navigate my way around all the new things I was required to learn. Dinner was a ‘dinner meeting’ with a fellow intern, to work on an assignment related to advertising and we designed a strategy to help out my mum’s tourism business. As per usual I stayed to catch the middle of the three night shuttles, and then spent the next two hours at home doing my washing and hanging up my clothes properly.
Thursday was my first full day at my desk! Over the course of the day I tried tackling two separate tasks, one of which was complete by the end of the day and the other on which I made good progress. At lunch I discovered the Facebook Acapella Group and joined them for a rehearsal. Most people there could sing pretty well already and it was nice to inject a little more music into my day. The rest of the afternoon I hacked away, slowly getting a feel for how everything worked. By the end of the day I was pretty pleased with my progress, and it wouldn’t be till the weekend that I’d discover it was mostly for naught.
Friday was our final official day of onboarding and that meant that after my morning meeting, it was all talks for the rest of the day. One that was particularly fascinating and inspiring was from the infrastructure team talking about how they had ‘open-sourced’ (made freely available) the design of their servers and data centers. This to me was an indicator of good work being done by good people and used in good ways. Late in the day, our entire intern group walked down to Café “Living the Dream” which was now thoroughly guarded with chairs laid out and bedecked with cameras and screens. To the side stood the man himself, Mark “Zuck” Zuckerberg. For the next hour he gave a Q&A session with the company, carefully listening to peoples’ questions and providing what seemed like incredibly well thought out answers. After the talk I quickly hurried back before sunset, set the lights in the apartment and promptly fell asleep.
My weekend was relatively relaxed, lots of chilling around the apartment. I cleaned up the apartment a little, read the last of Ice Song of Ice and Fire for the second time and generally recovered from the previous week. Saturday night I went out with a bunch of the interns, spent a little time in the pool and enjoyed my locale. Sunday morning I was up at nine AM and decided that as I had nothing planned until the afternoon, I would work for a little on the past week’s unsolved problems. Unsurprisingly problems that had previously seemed intractable to me now came easily. To my distress however, I discovered while searching though some files, that some other individual had already completed one of the tasks I’d been so hard at work on the previous week and that my efforts were in vain. I closed off my laptop and decided I wouldn’t do more till Monday. Better to separate life and work a little more anyhow.
At 1PM I met up with a bunch of other bay area interns (non Facebook) at the CalTrain station. To my delight there was another Australian there, a great guy called Varun. We bonded over the fact that we were the only ones we knew of around. As a group we went to get sushi for lunch but there were a few too many of us for the place to support so we ended up splitting into two groups and meeting again afterwards. After our bills were paid we joined again at a local coffee shop and chilled for a good bit of the afternoon before all going our separate ways. When I got home I took a nap and then took my first supermarket trip since leaving home. Dinner was a simple sandwich, with the TV on some cheesy romance movie in the background and then an early night. I was planning on starting something new early the next day.
At 6:00AM my alarm went off, and I sprung out of bed trying to get into my clothes as quickly as possible. I bounded down the stairs and walked over to the housing complex’s gym. I was anticipating disaster, and my lack of sit-up ability confirmed my worst fitness fears, this was going to be a heck of task. I managed a good fifty minutes before falling over myself and heading back to shower and was pleased I’d at least taken a first step.
Monday was a straight day of work. I struggled a little in the morning learning how to deal with Unicode and UTF-8 code points (international character encodings) and felt I’d wasted a good few hours when 12PM arrived and I had to head off to rehearsal. A few more people were at acapella today and the music was much easier to sight read, making it a bit more of a jam session. I tried to eat a quick lunch and managed to get back to my office for another 45min before meetings till four thirty. I managed to pump out a good bit of work the rest of the day and rewarded myself with a slightly early finish for dinner, skipping some of the queue.
I played piano for a bit before my shuttle arrived but when I arrived home my energy was drained and after a call home, I showered and went right to sleep.