A new start

I’m starting my first full-time job tomorrow.

damn…Damn…DAMN

I’ll be working at Datadog as a product designer in NYC. For the past few weeks, I’ve just been settling into my new place. Designing the space on Figma; looking at 100+ furnitures; assembling them: The usual move-in process.

As I’m much more settled in, I wanted to take some time to note down some thoughts before work. These are a bit scattered - so bare with me.

Joining Datadog

Last summer, I worked as a product design intern there on the Logs Management team. It was my favorite internship thus far. So, I’m super excited to go back.

I will work under Carl Nelson on the Data Observability team.

Finding a community

I may or may not write another post about this. But here is a quick glimpse into how I thought about this.

For me, it’ll be a mix of re-finding my old self and entering a new stage.

Re-finding my old self

What do you mean? Which part of your old self?

Running

Well, it’s the me who, back in high school, obsessed over running. I wouldn’t call myself a running fanatic back then, but I was quite close. During the season, I would compete with my teammates to see who ran most during the weekends (e.g. 18km run on a Sunday). One time off-season, we even decided to run 34km together. And we did do it.

Was it tiring? Absolutely. But was it one of the best times I’ve had in high school - HELL YEA!

To me - running is a lifestyle. A lifestyle of discipline, routine, and the willingness to push your body a little more. And I absolutely love it.

A few days ago, I did a speed workout with a running club called no more lonely runs at a park track.

We did 6 x 800m. And I vividly remember in one of the last sets, I thought to myself:

HOLY F THIS IS TIRING. MY STOMACH IS REALLY CRAMPING UP. BUT MAN IT FEELS SO DAMN GOOD TO RUN WITH SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND!!!!

At that moment, I knew that running will be a strong anchor in my after-grad life.

Guitar

I used to play a decent amount of guitar. Nothing fancy - mostly just playing chords so I can sing over it or sometimes solos.

But, it’s been a while since I consistently practiced guitar. And I want to get back to it.

I’m planning to mostly focus on guitar covers (no-vocal) of j-pop/anime songs. If I feel like it, I may learn some songs to sing. But that’ll be rare.

Why anime songs in particular?

Hmm.. mostly just because I like anime…? Plus, I used my internship money to buy my first ever electric guitar after watching Bocchi the Rock. Yes - I did.

Now, on top of re-finding my old self, I noted that I’m entering a new stage.

Entering a new stage

A new stage of self-exploration. A stage where I try to meet as many people. A stage where I explore new hobbies. A stage where I fully push myself as an introvert.

Talking to more people

To do so, I intend to go to as many situations as I can where I’ll be in a room with lots of strangers. I want to push myself to open up conversations and talk to more people.

I read about this in a book titled “This is so New York,” and I think the writer (Jason Diamond) wrote it brilliantly:

It’s so expensive [in NYC], but talking to people is free. It’s also free not to talk to people, but I don’t really understand why you’d come here and do that. [The] thing that makes New York City wonderful is and always has been the people, and we love to talk. You do that and I think you’ll do fine.

In terms of new hobbies, I haven’t thought that much about this yet. But some I can think of are:

• Latte art
• Volleyball (for the lolz since I just finished watching Haikyu - so insanely good)
• Going to sauna (I loved the sauna in Oslo, Norway)

Photography

This is a newly picked up hobby. And I love it.

As of right now, I don’t have a camera. I use an app called ProCCD, and I paid $0.99 for a filter. I post my photos on my new Instagram account - 018_guo.

I mostly photograph to document. I’m not obsessed over a perfect angle. But I do try to take good pictures (aiming for vibes only). My main inspiration is Daniel Simmon’s vlogs.

Game on!

And that’s a wrap for my recent thoughts. I am extremely excited to start work. And if you’re in NYC and want to chat, shoot me a message on Twitter (I will not say X). Will love to chat!