🎄 to conclude this december
experiences, interests, next month's action items
👋🏽 Welcome Back!
Thanks for coming back to my newsletter!
If you are new - Hi, my name is Alysha Selvarajah. I’m a 15 y/o space enthusiast who’s looking to make an impact!
I’m also an Innovator at TKS, a human-accelerator program that focuses on developing one's expertise in emerging technologies (i.e. Space Exploration, Gene Editing) that can be used to solve global problems.
📚 Reflections & Reading
December proved to be a much needed break for me. After wrapping up various projects, I found time to attempt various activities I’d been wanting to do. From consulting for a company to baking almost everyday, it was nice to relax and unwind with my family. Still, I managed to get a head start on a few new projects (once completed, you’ll find them in future newsletters).
🔥 Favourite Experiences
Instacart Challenge
In early December, my team and I completed our recommendation deck for the online shopping and delivery company, Instacart. In order to help Instacart better manage their data, we chose to implement IoT devices that would not only collect data more efficiently, but display this data in real-time (which would aid both the shoppers and customers at Instacart).
I was (and still am) blown away that we were able to consult for a real company in order to solve their problems! Thank you Ammielle Wambo Becker and Saanvi Dixit for being the best teammates I could ask for!
Check out our slide deck here!
🔑 Here are a few of my key takeaways: 🔑
Setting Guidelines - I would recommend having one meeting with your team to set rules. This allows for a better, more efficient work environment. As well, everyone can get a better understanding of people’s ideologies.
Deciding On a Problem - This was something that our group struggled with. A company will face many problems, but it is important to understand one’s deadlines. We spent too much time looking into the data for the problem (and ended up finding more problems) without realizing the amount of time left to complete our solution. Lesson learnt!
Cooking Everyday…Almost
During one of my TKS sessions, we discussed the mindset of appreciation. It made me realize that I don’t often show appreciation for the people around me, particularly my parents. To show thanks, I wanted to do more for them - to ease the stress of the pandemic and allow them to have more free time. I strove to wake up early each morning to cook breakfast for my family. Sometimes, I would cook other meals as well.
Cooking for them made me realize how time-consuming it is. Often, I found myself too tired to get out of bed or my feet beginning to hurt from standing by the stove. I realized this is something that my parents go through daily. So for 2021, I want to continue this to alleviate some of the pressure they may feel.
✨ Top Picks
Most Played Songs 🎶
"Side by Side" by BewhY - My brother and I often read webtoons (online comics). One of our favourite thriller webtoons, Sweet Home was released as a Netflix show. This song was one of my favourite from the soundtrack!
"Take Me Down" by The Rose - This live rendition of The Rose’s song is honestly so ethereal!
Film 🎬
wholeheartedly, clahrah - Whilst this isn’t a movie/tv show, I wanted to spotlight one of my favourite YouTubers. She does daily vlogs which often include her university life (however, she has graduated now). Her videos are so calming and filled with nice study tipss~
🎯 Action Items
For next month, I plan to:
Exercise - In 2021, I plan to complete Chloe Ting’s 2020 2 Week Shred (hope it doesn’t kill me).
Articles - I will be releasing a series of articles related to one theme (check out my Medium account soon).
The End
As the year comes to an end, I just want to leave a special thank you to all those who have helped me along this journey. You all made 2020 so much easier to manage!
And to you, the reader, thank you for supporting me through this newsletter! It means the world to me.
Happy New Year! Hope 2021 brings you yet another adventure!
Thank you for reading my newsletter!
See you next month!💞
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