Whew! This week was a crazy marathon. Trying to get to the finish line of the sprint whilst juggling through hurdles made of build and merge conflicts as well as a maze of 100 meetings a day. But hey, every victory over a merge conflict is a high-five moment, and every meeting survived is a celebration in itself!
Let’s add some colour to that picture. I spent Tuesday and half of Wednesday knee-deep merge conflicts, fighting for my task’s life as I tried to fix the mess that was in my branch. And just as I thought I was making headway, my code spaces broke and Git decided to ghost me, disconnecting from my code editor (visual studio code). So now I had another task of scouring StackOverflow in desperate need of a beacon of hope in the form of a solution from another developer somewhere ,who had gone through the exact same errors as I was and was kind enough to document exactly how they fixed it. After fixing that little bad boy, I was back to my merge conflicts. The gift that keeps on giving, and not in the good way. But here we are now, and every setback is just another chapter in the exciting tales of a software engineer.
Merge conflicts fixed, pull request with my code changes checked in; I mean is there a better feeling! The forces of chaos had other plans for me however. Turns out one of my changes, tests, were reverted by our build system. For my non engineering readers, that means my changes were booted from the main codebase and I needed to re-add them. Imagine getting a standing ovation for a performance and then having to go back to the audition room for the same performance. So, armed with determination and a sprinkle of resilience, I rolled up my sleeves and re-added those tests with a vengeance. No way was my feature going to be left out without its tests. All’s well that ends well ey.
The sheer volume of meetings is enough to make even the most seasoned professionals raise an eyebrow in disbelief. As I navigated the maze of back-to-back meetings, a thought couldn’t help cross my mind more than once. How do managers and leads keep their heads above water and still deliver when most of their days are overflowing with meetings? The struggle was real. The fight for balance between collaboration in the meetings I was in and concentration to get my code in. I know wellness gurus preach being fully present, but do they consider that sometimes multitasking is the only way to make sure your work won’t spill over to the next sprint?
Despite the craziness, I still managed to carve out a couple of mornings for a cherished tradition, breakfast dates with my boyfriend. Starting off the day with someone I hold dear infuses each moment with an extra layer of warmth and meaning. It’s a reminder that amidst the chaos, there are pockets of serenity to be found. 10/10 recommend.
On International Women’s Day, amidst the whirlwind of work and exhaustion, a delightful surprise awaited me: a beautiful bouquet of flowers. It’s remarkable how something as simple as a bouquet of flowers can wield such transformative power. In an instant, my weary mind was rejuvenated, my tired soul uplifted. This is a sign to get yourself a bouquet of flowers, or gift someone one.
Guess what? This Friday, I did something completely out of character – I went out to a club! Now, for those who know me well, they understand just how rare of an occurrence this is. We’re talking once or twice a year kind of rare. But you know what? Against all odds, I actually had a blast! I didn’t catch the DJ’s name but let me tell you she had one of the best mixes I have ever heard! One thing’s for sure – I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for another opportunity to hit the club and dance the night away. After all, life’s too short not to seize the moment and embrace the unexpected.
Well, that’s the end of the little summary of my week. See you next time!
Current read: Lord of the flies by William Golding
Breakfast spots: Pallet cafe, CJ’s Karen
