Baking & Programming & Reflections

I love to bake. I spoil my PAL students by giving them something home-made each session. I made over 500 cookies last year and about 30 pizzas, as well as cakes, brownies, curries, cupcakes, pancakes, etc.

So today, when someone made the comment "Do you only bake to try to make people like you?", I reflected upon why I love to bake. Of course, I have a sweet tooth and my baking does make people happy - which I enjoy!

I know it may make me seem a little odd but I think one of the main reasons is because I enjoy following instructions. Following steps and patterns until something wonderful comes out!

In the programming books I have read, there are many analogies to recipes. And I think that is also why I so very much love programming. Setting out instructions that are carried out to the T. In fact the way I lay out my C++ code is pretty similar to how I actually think (which might explain much)!

From a very early age, I was told I had a mind for maths and patterns. My mother often reminds me of when I was an avid chess player at 6-9 years old, and could recite matches almost perfectly. If I see a tiled surface, or anything with a pattern, I will come up with games to play with my imagination, with logical rules and restrictions.

Reading Game Programming Patterns by Robert Nystrom has been fascinating, and I have included some of the things I have learned into my next game project. I have also been quite amazed that I have made something similar to some of the patterns, just by doing what seemed natural to me!

Of course, that comment I received did make me sad, hence the reflection and this blog post. I have always had trouble talking to people, but when I bake, I can make people smile. The process of baking - following each instruction - is relaxing to me. I also bake too much for me to eat it all myself, so I need to give stuff away! It's all a mutual benefit.

I worry a lot about what people think of me. But I am learning to stand up for myself and be proud of myself. I have to keep reminding myself that I am talented - I wouldn't have got the top grade of my year, or the Residential Impact Award, or Outstanding Rep of the Year if I wasn't.

Meeting Duygu Cakmak of Creative-Assembly was also a very inspirational moment. Seeing this wonderfully intelligent lady in a position that I dream of reminds me that I can do this. And her words of encouragement are certainly something that I will remind myself of often too.

#personal #baking #programming #paterns