Music – Notes & Codes

Thank You 2020!

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021 by Andrea Gonzales

Year 2020 had been the most unexpected year I ever had. A lot of things may have happened, but I wouldn’t say it’s the worst year for me. Sure, there’s the pandemic that caused almost a lot of planned activities to go unplanned and heartaches that resulted in wet pillow and puffy eyes, but there are always things to be grateful for.

Developer Journey 💻

Firstly, I have achieved my goal to win Google Code-In programming competition. Although my prize trip to Google Headquarters in San Francisco, California was cancelled (and boy, it caused more tears than I ever shed), I get to have satisfactory alternative prizes. What’s more, it helped me gain confidence to join more hackathons and coding competitions, and I realized that I can actually do it.

Speaking of hackathons, 2020 also enabled me to focus more and join online hackathons that are held from the other parts of the world. I get to meet people with the same interests as I and helped me learn. I also get to win a 1-year hosting and domain name for my website portfolio from a hackathon that is sponsored by Qoom.

Last but not the least, I started learning PHP and Laravel Framework after being blessed with a part-time work as a freelance web developer! It’s challenging at first (considering I have college to focus to as well), but I got through it alright, and get to enjoy my first salary by buying donuts 😋.

Student Stuff 📝

College life changed pretty much for 2020. For one, we get to conduct lessons through online means because of the pandemic. Being a person who was homeschooled for the whole duration of my elementary and high school years, I’m used to studying at home, so there’s no problem with that. The biggest challenge with online classes is perhaps the group assignments, as they are “harder” to execute without face to face discussions.

As for the lessons, we get to study OOP concept using Java (the language I always try to learn but keeps procrastinating), and PHP lessons aren’t bad, especially my part-time work helped me understand the language more and put them into hands-on practice (though combining school and part-time do require more effort, time management, and sacrifice from too much gaming 😂).

One last thing to add, I got my results for my last semester this January 7, and I can happily say I got my third Dean’s list award 💖

Musical Hobby 🎹

Being in quarantine made it easier for me to play my piano, and at the same time, to NOT play it (my dad works at home so I can only play during his breaks). I’m happy that I get to play the songs I’ve been wanting to play, which includes the Voltes V Theme Song and Silhouette of a Breeze from Emma: A Victorian Romance anime.

Though youth choir at my local Church was postponed (thus, I cannot sing there for now), I was given a Karaoke Microphone for Christmas. Time to SIIIING!

Family Life 👪

Of course, I get to spend more time with my family because of the pandemic. They were the ones who helped me grab opportunities and comfort me during 2020’s heartaches. Even though outings are minimal, we get to have a nice picnic near the seaside every once in a while. Late night movies are also frequent, and I also get to learn new recipes to cook for my family!

Final Thoughts

Once again, 2020 is a lot, even if it’s mostly spent inside my house. As I welcome 2021 and continue improving in different aspects of my life, I won’t regret being a part of 2020’s adventures 😉

Music, ramblings

Music: The Part of Me that Keeps Me Sane

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Andrea Gonzales

There is always a time when I don’t feel like coding. Those are the times I don’t understand a single line of code on my console. The language in my computer screen feels like a stranger. I get distracted easily, and there’s this longing to get as far away from my computer as possible. It’s a time where coding doesn’t make any sense.

This is also the time where music comes in. I would feel a sense of longing to sit on my piano, and to play the songs on my sheet music collections. I would also pop in my earphones and scroll through YouTube to listen to classical, Celtic, or modern music (depending on my mood). It’s a time where my musical side “awakens”.

After spending a huge amount of time (and days) playing my piano and doing music-related stuff, I will soon come to a point where I’ll lose my interest on those musical notes, and longed to see my black IDE, with its colorful lines of codes. I wouldn’t know what songs to play and to listen to. It will be the time where I want to code again.

And the cycle goes on.

I guess liking both programming and music is perfect. They “balance” each other. While programming exercises my brain and helps me become more analytical, music gives me rest and keeps me sane from the ever-overwhelming lines of codes. Although I chose programming as the main career path to take, I can never leave my love for music behind.

Music also keeps me from burning out my passion for programming. I found that I can easily think of solutions to problems in my code after playing my piano. It makes me feel refreshed, and it “de-clutters” my mind, thus giving it space for new ideas and solutions. Music doesn’t take my attention away from programming; rather, it brings back my interest and love for it.

I may focus more on harnessing my programming skills and knowledge, but somehow, I still need a moment to stop, chill, and play the piano. I’m lucky to have these two interests as a part of me, and it’s hard for me to imagine my life without both of it.

Well, I better stand up and head over to my piano, I’ve been in my computer for too long! 😉

Music, Sheet Musics

Piano Sheet Music: Resolution (A Duet)

Posted on August 18, 2019April 24, 2020 by Andrea Gonzales

I just want to share a piano cover I made from one of the background music I heard from a game that I used to play.

I’ve been wanting to play this song ever since I heard it, but I couldn’t find a single sheet music for it. So I decided to create one, and I shared it to anyone who wants to play it as well. Enjoy! 🙂

Resolution (A Duet) Sheet Music Download

P.S. Aurelia Ember is my music name.

Music, Programming, ramblings

Finally starting my own blog…

Posted on August 9, 2019April 24, 2020 by Andrea Gonzales

Like what the title says, yes. At long last, I’m starting my own blog.

Actually, I’ve been planning on writing my own blog ever since I was 13 years old. Just to write about my programming/music/teenage life journey. My mom gave me the idea to name it as Notes & Codes (Notes to mean musical notes and Codes for programming) and I thought that is pretty cool, so why not start it? After all, nothing bad’s going to happen and a simple blog won’t harm anyone, right?

Well, years passed, and I’m a 16 year old girl without a single blog post.

So why didn’t I start it?

Or more to the point, why didn’t I start writing on that day, a 13 year old girl beginning her journey as a programmer and a pianist?

Because I doubt myself.

I doubt that anyone will be interested in what I have to say. There are tons of blogs out there about programming and music and the like. What would anyone gain from me, a girl who is just starting out in this path? Also, I doubt that my skills are enough for me to share, and for everyone to know. I doubt that I will ever be ready to share.

And suddenly, after 3 years, I’m writing my first blog post.

I guess it finally hit me, that writing about my experiences is essential in my chosen career path. I come to realize that although I consider my projects as “unpolished” and “not perfect” yet, sharing it will help me get feedbacks, which will help me become better. And who is to know if someone might find my blogs useful? I would never know unless I try…and start writing.

So yeah, welcome to Notes & Codes 🙂