This is happening 🤔

Wow! My first blog post. I’ve always read other people’s blogs but never expected myself to be actually writing my own. No idea how to do this or where this will go. I guess that’s part of the fun of it. Plan is to give myself one hour each day to just write whatever. Will try my best to not make egregious grammatical and spelling mistakes but no promises. Also just discovered this nifty emoji plugin from VSCode so that should be fun and add some 🔥 to this blog.

Who am I 😃

Who’s asking? The simple answer to this is that I’m Ivan. Currently a student at Harvard College (although I feel like saying this first makes it seem like this is the most important/cool thing about me) studying Computer Science. Hmm whenever someone asks me what I study I usually say Computer Science mostly to provide them with a definitive answer that they can attach me too. Not sure I like that. I mean I’m good at Computer Science (not to toot my own 🎺).

Ok back after 100 push ups, 70 squats, 50 situps, and a four minute plank. Playing a new beer pong game made by some of my more innovative roommates. Think beer pong with a square minus the beer plus the exercise. Safe to say I lost a lot. But now its 2:24 AM and I have 45 minutes to go. This is the optimal period to write. It’s late at night, I’m slightly tired but just perfectly so where I can understand what I’m writing but also don’t give a fuck. So this blog should be a fun adventure.

So I’m good at Computer Science. More so the applied sort of stuff like building apps, website, infrastructure, and just things that can be put out there and put to work. I mean I know that theoretical stuff is important and kind of fun sometimes but something about building an app and seeing others derive value and fun from it just feels more satisfying. But I’m not just Computer Science. I just like to learn about anything really. My favorite classes are Business of China and ES94 (when I’m not just coding the entire class, sorry Prof. Lerner). I also just like to take a break, zone out, and look at my surroundings. For me it lets me appreciate everything in life. Its beauty, interconnectedness, and perfection.

On a deeper level though, who am I? That’s something I’m still trying to figure out. Part of the fun of life. I don’t really know yet but I have a general idea. The big picture is that I’m going to start a company, create a lot of value for people, probably make a lot of money in the process (although value doesn’t always equal money - fulfillment and happiness are also a part of the equation), start a dog sanctuary, and then donate it all to charity. Money has never been a big sticking point for me. I mean it’s to own a nice Ferrari or a nice beachside estate but it wouldn’t make me happy. That’s what I want to optimize for and I think the best way to do that is by giving to others and doing good because it what I should do. Another aspect of this is to do good (by donating money, volunteering your time) not to boost your own ego but just because its the right thing to do. I find myself struggling to accept this idea at times but try my best to have it guide me. I want my kids to grow up comfortable but also live life. If you can solve all your problems with money or lean on money for support, you are not facing the challenges, stresses, and suffering that makes life exciting, scary, and lively. At lot of this sounds idealistic but I know I can achieve it. What’s the point of living life if I don’t give it a try? I’d rather try and fail then live a comfortable life regretting what could’ve been. Sounds extreme but that my take on it. I will die happy if I was able to make people’s lives better and push humanity in a better direction. Like a wave in the vast sea of progress.

Why Am I Writing 📝

I don’t really know. Part of it is because I want to get out of my comfort zone. Writing and then sharing my blogs makes me feel vulnerable and open as I open up my brain to others. But I’m also excited. Thoughts are just ideas waiting to be shared. I think I’ll have a lot of fun hearing what other people think about the topics I write about and in turn learn something about me (and maybe even themselves.)

Another side of this is so that I can better focus myself. I don’t have anything specific I want to write for this blog. Right now just general musing and thoughts about subjects that pique my interest. But I’ll make a few more technical posts about some of the things I’m learning. The current learning agenda is heavy on design and smart contract security. Will update you on progress incremently. This blog will help me hone down some of these ideas as I learn them and teach them to you guys!

What I Hope to Get Out of This 🔑

It wouldn’t hurt to be a better writer and become better at communcating my ideas. I think that a pretty important skill that can always be worked on. For the people that read this blog, I hope you enjoy it and look forward to reading the next. Please share any ideas and comments you might have at my email ivanzhangofficial@gmail.com. I also want to learn more about myself. Writing gives you this window into yourself and helps you understand how you think and feel. Like writing this blog post has showed me that I can be more certain about somethings. I can also be more organized. On the topic of being more organized, I love chaotic-order. Think disorganized desk but orderly too (i.e. like pens in a messy pile in one corner, notes not neatly stacked in another). The chaos leaves room for imagination and creative which is reined in by the order.

How Frequently ⏲️

I intend on making one blog post a day on things I’m thinking about throughout the day. No specific time for publication. A little randomness never hurt anyone.

Style 🖊️

The goal is makes the blog posts fun and enjoyable to read for myself and others. I’d hate to fall asleep reading my own blog posts. I’ll try to keep these posts short and readable in 10 minutes but that depends on how fast you read. Overall no specific style. I’m just free writing and typing whatever pops in my head (for better or worse). I’m also not revising these posts in the slightest so yeah 🙃.

Peace 👋

I’ve got 5 minutes left so this is a perfect thing to end things. I don’t know how you found this but I hope you’re just as excited as I am to partake in this journey. Don’t know what we’ll encounter but I’ll try my best to keep things fun, casual, and exciting. Note sure what I’ll write about tomorrow (or I guess tonight) but I’ll figure something out. See you then!