About Me
Summary
I am originally from Montreal, Quebec. I am an alumnus of the University of Waterloo, where I hold a bachelor's degree in Software Engineering completed in May 2019. I also hold a college diploma after completing Computer Science and Mathematics at Champlain College Saint-Lambert over three years from 2011 to 2014.
I have been exposed to programming since Grade 7, when there was a computer science course offered at high school; it let me get some prime exposure to HTML. It was from there that eventually I learned Java when I started attending college. Since then, I got some exposure to CSS, C, C++, Python, jQuery, and Backbone.js.
Whenever I am in relax mode, I usually watch a whole bunch of YouTube videos. I also have an interest into computer games, as I explicitly mention what games I like below.
Personal Goals and Objectives
- Learn some technologies and tools used to make the latest video games and websites
- Experiment with some peripherals and work on a few projects to test them out, such as a 3D view app using the Google Cardboard, or a simple game to run on the Nintendo Switch with input from the JoyCons
- Practice solving some software problems using coding, following along experience from programming challenges from HackerRank, Cracking the Coding Interview, and so on
- Build some experience and specialty in video game development and web development, including cloud technologies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure
- Become a LinkedIn evangelist and speaker, taking advantage of networking opportunities whenever I can
My Interests and Hobbies
More about my interests
I have been playing video games since 1996 when my parents bought for the whole family this IBM Aptiva PC, where on it was Microsoft Windows 95, a floppy drive, and a CD-ROM drive. From there, we would be playing so many games on that thing. My childhood console was the Nintendo 64 where I played so many games including Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye, and so many others.
Over the years, I played games on various systems including PlayStation, GameCube, PS2, Game Boy Advance, all the way up to when the Nintendo Wii U came out where I couldn't own a video game console for a few years. In 2006, I started watching videos of different gameplays on YouTube after spending a trip with my dad and my brother in Vermont and New Hampshire. I was curious to find out more of Namco's Rave Racer, where I came across a gameplay video of it.
Nowadays, I watch more than just old video games on YouTube. I've watched different speedruns, game trailers, educational videos, and so on.
Personal Catchphrase & Explanation
"Curse you, Sephiroth, curse you!!"
(This is based on Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII developed by Square [now Square Enix Co. Ltd], produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi and directed by Yoshinori Kitase.)
Personal Quote & Maxim
Stay fresh! - Callie & Marie, Splatoon, 2015 (Nintendo, written by NOA's Localization Team)
I never would have guessed that such a simple saying in a game I absolutely love would make an impact to the way on how I treat myself. There is a meaning in using it in the game, but I want to give out my interpretation.
The way on how I resonate it is simple: you need to keep yourself so calm when battling through an intense amount of work and involvement, especially when you want to achieve something in life and fulfill your desires and wishes. Go out there and ask your friends to help you out, because your own self-esteem is a lot more important than just pushing yourself on to be better than someone else.
You definitely need to get rid of bad habits that stand in your way, because only then will you be able to progress and thus take on this opportunity to learn a lot. In addition, it opens up your mind for some creative ideas, just like the meaning of the word "fresh", which is being pure and clean.
Foods
What I love:
- Tomatoes
- Homemade pizza
- Hamburgers / Chicken burgers / Fish burgers
- Fish 'n Chips
- Potato chips
- Salads from romaine / iceberg lettuce
- Sausage
- Vegetable cocktail
- Orange juice
- Pork ribs
- Corn on the cob / Corn kernels
- Different cheeses: Mozzarella, cheddar, cheese curds, cream cheese, swiss cheese, parmesan, emmental, feta, bocconccini, halloumi
- Oven-cooked / smoked salmon
- Chicken / turkey breasts
What I like:
- Restaurant / store-bought pizza
- Hot dogs
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Tilapia, cod, tuna
- Poutines (fries with cheese curds and gravy)
- French toast
- Bacon
- Ramen noodles and soups in restaurants (Itadakimasu!)
- Chicken / turkey stuffing
What I dislike:
- Sauerkraut
- Cabbage
- Beet
- Kale
- Soft drinks
- Steak
- Shellfood (crab, lobster, mussels)
- Radish
Movies, TV Shows, Music and Games
Movies:
- James and the Giant Peach
- GoldenEye
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Space Jam
- Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Toy Story
- The Aristocats
- Speed
- Austin Powers in GoldMember
TV Shows:
- Looney Tunes
- Cyberchase
- Peep and the Big Wide World
- CatDog
- ZOOM (WGBH)
- Rugrats
- Pokémon
- Stickin' Around
- Uh-Oh! (YTV)
- Flying Rhino Junior High
- LazyTown
- Wheel of Fortune
- Dexter's Laboratory
Music (Entertainment Industry):
- Ricky Martin - Livin' la Viva Loca
- Toto - Africa
- Chumbawamba - Tubthumping
- Gamble Rumble - M.O.V.E. [Initial D]
- Pink - So What
- Happy - Pharrell Williams
- Eiffel 65 - I'm Blue
- Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
- Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run, Born in the USA
- Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It
- Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
- The Beatles - Boys
- Pet Shop Boys - Paninaro
- Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)
- Los del Rio - Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)
- Haddaway - What is Love
- Caesars - Jerk It Out
- DJ Paul Elstak - Rainbow In The Sky
- Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam
- The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star
- Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation
- A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran So Far Away
- Britney Spears - Ooh La La
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge
Music (Video Games):
- Splatoon - Split and Splat, City of Lights, Ink Me Up (Help a Squid Out) [Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii, 2015]
- The Legend of Zelda - Overworld Theme [Koji Kondo, 1987]
- Final Fantasy VII - Cloud's Theme, "Hurry!", "Fight On!", "Victory Fanfare", "Fort Condor", "Highwind Takes to the Skies", "Let the Battles Begin!" (Battle Theme) [Nobuo Uematsu, 1997]
- Super Mario Land - Chai Kingdom [Hirokazu Tanaka, 1989]
- Mario Kart 64 - Koopa Troopa Beach, Rainbow Road [Kenta Nagata, 1996]
- Mario Super Sluggers - Daisy Cruiser [unknown, 2008]
- Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Credits [John Vogel, 1991]
- F-Zero X - Title Theme, Mute City, Big Blue [Hajimi Wakai, Taro Bando, 1998]
- Star Fox 64 - Bolse, Venom, Corneria, Prologue [Koji Kondo and Hajimi Wakai, 1997]
- Snowboard Kids - Grass Valley [Isao Kasai and Tomohiko Satou, 1997]
- Pokémon Black & White - Castelia City [Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Shota Kageyama, Hitomi Sato and Minako Adachi, 2011]
- Raiden II - Metal Storm [game by Seibu Kaihatsu, Inc., 1993]
- Raiden Fighters II - Gigantic Enemy [game by Seibu Kaihatsu, Inc., 1997]
- Gran Turismo - Everything Must Go [Manic Street Preachers, 1998]
TV Songs:
- Friends - Theme Song (I'll Be There For You) [The Rembrants, 1994]
- Donkey Kong Country - Theme Song [Pure West, 1996]
- Family Guy - Theme Song [Walter Murphy, 1999]
- The Flintstones - Theme Song [Hoyt Curtin, 1960]
- Animaniacs - Theme Song [Richard Stone, 1993]
- Pokémon Theme Song [John Siegler and John Loeffler, 1998 (vocals by Jason Paige))]
Video Games:
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Splatoon
- Carmageddon
- Gran Turismo (series)
- Final Fantasy VII
- Time Crisis 3
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Sega Rally Championship
- Sega Rally 2
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Mario Kart Wii
- Star Fox 64
Songs I dislike:
- Juventio Rosas - Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves)
- Jonas Brothers - S.O.S.
- Zedd - Clarity ft. Foxes, The Middle ft. Maren Morris & Grey
- Ellie Goulding - Lights, Love Me Like You Do
- Three Dog Night - One Is The Loneliest Number
- Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
- Will Smith - Miami
- Kris Kross - Jump
- New Kids On The Block - Step by Step
- NSYNC - Tearin Up My Heart
- Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
- Britney Spears - Sometimes, (You Drive Me) Crazy, Toxic
- Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
- The Pussycat Dolls - Buttons ft. Snoop Dogg, Don't Cha ft. Busta Rhymes
- Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), Hips Don't Lie, Whenever, Wherever
- Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer
- Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
- OutKast - Hey Ya!
- Ke$ha - TiK ToK
- Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
- Nena - 99luft Balons
- Katy Perry - Hot & Cold
- Christina Aguilera - Genie in a Bottle, What A Girl Wants
- Spice Girls - Wannabe
- Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World), What's My Name?
- LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock
- Lady Gaga - Just Dance, Alejandro, Bad Romance, Telephone ft. Beyoncé
- Charli XCX - Boom Clap
- Avicii - Hey Brother
- Beyoncé - Crazy in Love ft. Jay Z, Baby Boy ft. Sean Paul
- Linkin Park - Numb, In The End
- Madonna - 4 Minutes ft. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland, Hung Up
- Garbage - I think I'm Paranoid
- Timbaland - If We Ever Meet Again (feat. Katy Perry)
- Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love
- Taio Cruz - Dynamite, Break Your Heart
- The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
- No Doubt - Hey Baby
- Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
- Adele - Someone Like You, Rolling In the Deep, Hello
- ABBA - Dancing Queen
- Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are
- Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back
- Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend, Complicated
- Ellie Goulding - Lights, Love Me Like You Do
- Alessia Cara - Scars To Your Beautiful
- The Human League - Don't You Want Me Baby
- AC / DC - TNT, Highway to Hell
- Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
- Simple Plan - Untitled
- Pink - What About Us
- Band Aid 1984 - Do they Know It's Christmas
- Bananarama - Cruel Summer
- Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape ft. Akon
- KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
- Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman
- Michelle Branch - All You Wanted
- Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head
- LeAnn Rimes - Can't Fight the Moonlight
- Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Get Low
- Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me, Blank Space
- Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
- Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCX
- One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful
- Maroon 5 - Sugar
- Calvin Harris - This Is What You Came For ft. Rihanna
- Major Lazer & DJ Snake - Lean On
- Ed Sheeran - Shape of You
- Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Mario's Theme (Super Mario World), Battlefield Theme
- Final Fantasy X - Macalania Temple Cloister of Trials [Nobuo Uematsu, 2001]
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - Boss Theme [Yoko Shimomura, 2009]
- Splatoon - Quick Start, Sucker Punch [Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii, 2015]
- Super Mario 64 - Dire Dire Docks [Koji Kondo, 1996]
- F-Zero GX - Green Planet [Hidenori Shoji, 2003]
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Starshine Beach Galaxy [Mahito Yokota, 2010]
- Front Mission 3 - Fort Invasion [Hayato Matsuo and Koji Hayama, 2000]
- Super Smash Bros. Melee - Brinstar Depths, Final Destination, All-Star Rest Area, All-Star Menu Theme [2001]
- Pikmin - The Forest of Hope [Hajime Wakai, 2001]
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - Sherbet Land [Kenta Nagata and Shinobu Tanaka, 2003]
- Mario Kart Wii - Maple Treeway [Asuka Ota and Ryo Nagamatsu, 2008]
- Animal Crossing: Wild World - 8 PM [Taro Bando and Junya Osada, 2005]
- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver - Azalea Town, Route 29, Cherrygrove City / Mahogany Town [Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Shota Kageyama, Hitomi Sato and Takuto Kitsuta, 2009]
- Pokémon Stadium - Free Battle Menu [Hajime Wakai, Kenta Nagata and Toru Minegishi, 2000]
- Brain Age - Main Menu [Minako Hamano and Akito Nakatsuka, 2006]
- Wii Fit - Results 2 [Toru Minegishi, Shiho Fujii and Manaka Tominaga, 2008]
Quotes
It starts with vision, and the clarity of vision.
Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn Corporation
We are all capable of way more than we give ourselves credit for.
Heather Moyse, Gold Medallist of Sochi 2014 Women's Bobsledding
Passion, toil, and training can help you to soar.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Corporation
I do think there is an important artistic component in what we do. As a technology company I've tried to really stress that.
Larry Page, co-founder of Google
If everything's a dream, don't wake me.
Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII, 1997
My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about makin' games.
Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo of America, Inc., 2006
I don't want my thoughts to die with me. I want to have done something.
Temple Grandin, Colorado State University professor, date unknown
A University should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning.
Benjamin Disraeli
Are you ready for another new challenge?
Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Puzzle League, 2000
The Force will be with you. Always.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Played by Alec Guinness), Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa
If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.
Barack Obama, former President of the United States
Biography
I grew up playing various computer games mostly in my time. I also watched numerous television shows, featurettes and movies on VCR and DVD, and felt kind of enthusiastic when going out with my family to museums and attractions.
My childhood video game console was the Nintendo 64. Aside from having some of the "must-have" games, including Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Wave Race 64, because we had a very suitable income, we also went out to rent various games for the console as well, ranging from EA Supercross 2000 to Quake II, from Mario Tennis to South Park, and from MegaMan 64 and PilotWings 64 to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. We also did own a PlayStation, but we never went out to rent some of the highlighted games there. In addition, I loved playing various arcade machines, where my shooting favourite was Namco's Time Crisis II, and my racing favourite was probably Sega Rally 2.
On the television and cinema side, I was into Star Wars, Pokémon, Winnie The Pooh, archived lottery game shows like Family Feud, Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune, and several music videos and documentaries. I was also exposed to various movies produced by the Walt Disney Company, such as The Aristocats. Other television shows I was exposed to include Stickin' Around, Uh-Oh!, a few on Teletoon, Cyberchase, ZOOM, Arthur, Postcards from Buster, and even Seven Little Monsters. My own brother was more into Animaniacs.
Eventually, I went on to check out games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, and done so many look ups on the World Wide Web. I started watching YouTube videos after watching an in-game recording of Namco's Rave Racer arcade machine in 2006. I was also a user of RuneScape for seven years, where most of the time I was known as Bammer 300. (I really do miss playing that online game. On the other hand, I had to give up playing it because I found out in 2010 that I became incredibly busy it was worthless to keep on spending $7 a month on membership.)
My interests were so beyond my parents' control. It was only through continuous efforts with my educators and teachers that I was able to get through elementary school, high school, and CEGEP. Because of my performance in mathematics and how I was bonded to computers at the time, I decided to move on to doing mathematics, physics, and computer science.
What made me get into Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo was that I had a more solid understanding of software development in practice instead of the underlying theories, including those from the Turing machine, and Russel's paradox. It also had to do with the amount of detail I can get, especially when I focus more on the underlying tasks at hand instead of those in general and abstract. Plus, it had to do with the university's immense co-op program, as it would enable me to build myself up into a software developer.
I was nervous during my last college term because I knew I would face so much trouble. Yet somehow, with the right support from my professors and my connections, along with encouragement from UWaterloo itself, I was pretty safe.