Introduction
It's that time of the year again, end of 2023, 123123. What a crazy journey I have had. I'm going to review this year; truly one of the years ever.
Last semester at Uni
The last semester was really stressing me out because I have several other jobs, which I will elaborate on later in the blog. Wow, it was totally crazy, guys. At first, I really couldn't comprehend my own thesis. By the way the title is "Blockhain Data Sharing System For Audio Player In Metaverse". A very flashy title for me, not only that, I don't have the resources to do it. It is necessary to use Unreal Engine 5, and I only have a potato laptop that can't even run GTA IV properly.
My thesis
The topic is Blockchain, which I've never learned before. Plus, it is done in the Metaverse, which will use Unreal Engine 5. Fortunately, in my campus's lab, there is an unoccupied PC with an RTX 2070 Super, perfect for the project. Then, I tried to remotely control it via NoMachine through my uni's VPN.
It was quite laggy, which angered me, lol. Then, I browsed the internet and found ZeroTier. Basically, I set up the PC and my own laptop, and it still lagged, but it was way better than before. However, I still had no idea how the thesis should be done.
I researched the internet and asked some people on Discord about the library I was planning to use, and thankfully, they answered it precisely and helped me so much I can't thank them enough. Somebody even made a youtube video about it. It paved my way to finish my thesis just in time. I worked on my thesis alongside other jobs, which I will explain later on.
Work
Starting this year, I have worked in several companies, notably Komunal Indonesia, and I interned at Apple Developer Academy @UC too. There are others but I will not mention it here, for some reason.
Komunal Indonesia
I was contacted by the HR of Komunal Indonesia. At first, I hesitated to join, but I gave it a chance because I was interested in their technology stack, which is TypeScript—something I'm fond of. After the user interview, I was accepted, but because I had not yet graduated, I was considered an intern. Nevertheless, I did the job and worked on full-stack development with Nest.js and React.js, with a bit of Angular in the legacy code. I also learned a lot about SQL in general because I wrote some heavy SQL for the Business Intelligence team, assisting them in creating reports. After graduating from university, my status changed from internship to associate.
During my tenure at Komunal, I concurrently engaged in various responsibilities. This included diligently working on my thesis, actively participating in the enriching programs offered by the Apple Developer Academy, and managing additional commitments. Balancing these diverse tasks was undoubtedly challenging, and the demands of such a multifaceted routine were indeed exhausting. However, this period of juggling multiple roles and responsibilities played a pivotal role in fostering my professional development. The challenges I encountered not only honed my time management skills but also provided valuable insights that have significantly contributed to my growth as a versatile and resilient professional.
Apple Developer Academy
I was absolutely thrilled and overjoyed when I received the news of my acceptance into the Apple Developer Academy. This moment brought not only excitement but also contemplation about life, given the reasons I had mentioned earlier. Despite these considerations, I embraced the opportunity, dedicating time to preparation. The anticipation leading up to the first official invitation was an unforgettable and significant experience in my journey.
I got a new Banger device which is MacBook Pro M2 13 inch. I got a new MacBook Pro M2, 13 inches. The performance is significantly, I mean significantly, better than my old laptop. It's truly awesome, especially considering the persistent lag challenges I faced when coding. With 16 gigs of RAM, I can multitask, open numerous VSCode tabs, and get my job done faster than ever.
The Apple ecosystem is also very nice when you have some of the devices. I was lent an iPhone 14 and Apple Watch SE 2, so it was a truly awesome experience. The synchronization between the MacBook, iPhone, and Apple Watch creates a cohesive and efficient workflow, making each device complement the other seamlessly. With the new phone I was able to run Genshin Impact smoothly and enjoy the game.
I made many new friends and learned a lot during my time here. My house is in East Surabaya, and Ciputra University is located in West Surabaya, so every day I must spend about 2 hours commuting. It's pretty bonkers for me.
I want to tell you guys about one of my project I've done here. It's quite cool I believe.
Moco Kids
When I was in the Macro Challenge Phase, the final project of Apple Developer Academy, I formed a group of 6, in which consist of 4 Coders, 1 Designers, and 1 Project Manager. They are very awesome people. I was lucky to be part of the team. We decided to make a game to tackle the problem of kids being unable to comprehend texts even though they already had the ability to read.
The main idea is a story book concept, and that is the concept we use until the end. At the first development stage, we include some minigames on certain pages in the story. These minigames involve tasks like finding the correct balloon color, discovering hidden honey, and using Object Detection to locate designated objects, such as a chair.
We received feedback during the User Testing process, prompting us to introduce additional game mechanics. These include the Maze game, utilizing gyroscope controls for player interaction, and an AR world for immersive play. We discovered that kids enjoy physical activity and movement, so incorporating these elements was a success. In the final development stage, we decided to introduce a new mechanic: the flash card. Users answer questions in the story by scanning the cards, making the experience highly interactive and engaging.
The app is available on App Store and it also has a website so you can view and learn more about it.
I want to thank my awesome team members, Carissa, Daniel, Azizah, Natasya, and Vania. Kudos to you guys for going above and beyond in delivering high-quality work. The project's success is a testament to your skills and commitment.
New PC
At the end of the year, I built my new PC, and I can tell you it is a total banger. I tried to play some triple-A games, and it never lagged. The specification is as follows:
- Mobo: ASRock Z790 Pro RS
- CPU: Intel Core i5 13600K
- GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070
- RAM: Corsair DDR5 Vengeance 2x16GB
I'm using the PC to play games and make some YouTube videos from the recording of my playing. I also planned to use Linux on it to do some cool stuff, and write a blog or two about it. So be sure to support me and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Here's one of my video:
Next Step
I will create more blogs in 2024, if possible lol. I will also keep developing my skills and keep producing more videos, hoping it will be profitable someday. Aight then, see you in the next blog, or video.