dreaming

Where do I come from?

I come from a city where the streets fall silent before the clock strikes double digits.

I come from a city where the nearest skyscraper to be found is only 264,000 feet away.

I come from a city populated with middle class families, enjoying the day to day, steady beat of

suburban life.

And it’s a city far different than that of The Concrete Jungle, New York City.

Traveling to New York City as a solo wanderer was an absolute dream. As an avid photographer and risk free adventurer, NYC provided the perfect platform for me to truly be myself. To pause… and feel the heartbeat of the city and to listen to the melodic cacophony of honking taxis, the swooshes of underground subways, and the high-C notes of guitarists, trumpeters, and violinists. Like the piercing winds that cuts through the skins of those who roam its streets, New York City ingrains a spirit of ambition, hope, and unwavering confidence to any who dare to enter.

Its a jungle unlike any other. A couple steps in the wrong direction can rightfully lead you into a completely different world of people, food, music, and traditions.

It’s a playground for every single one of senses to come alive. Remembering to take in a breath is of importance, as you would otherwise suffocate from the myriad of times you become breathless by the sights that surround you.

But simply enough, it’s New York. And the dream to be part of this magical experience has never burned as passionately and longingly as before.

And that dream will come alive, just like it has for millions of people across every corner of this earth soon enough.

-AL

STOP!

Weary Feet

Silhouettes

Wanderer

Overshadowed

Dreaming, bigger.

What do you see?

Just waiting

Last Goodbyes

Halal Smoke

Streaking Lights

Taxi please

It still feels a little odd being associated with the word Google. It’s a word that you see not only in your modern dictionaries, but also across the web, the news, and in a holistic point of view, the world. It’s a word that when mixed with terms like work, colleagues, and future, can produce some really unexpected expectations.

Here are a few observations that I gathered during my first week here.

Have you ever had a dream that was cut too short? A dream that you wished lasted just a little longer so that you could squeeze every ounce of its magical powers out before having to face life’s realities? Enter, Google.

The first day was the best. From jumping on a conference bike, (see picture, use imagination), eating ribs, seeing the iconic T-Rex and Slide, and just allowing my sensors to be overloaded, I felt like I was at an adult Disneyland. There’s a special aura that fills the air that is filled by happy employees, (like, everyone is happy here, smiles on smiles on smiles) and a surge of intelligence that is both awesomely inspiring as well as intimidating.

It was fascinating to see the direct correlation between all the perks and amenities that Google provides for its employees and the productivity that followed. It’s a simple formula really. If your workers are happy and their basic needs of health and nourishment are provided, more time and more energy can be maximized into keeping the Google engine running.

The employees here, as well as my colleagues all think on a faster, efficiency-driven track which proved to be a bit dispelling for me at first. It’s not easy being “smart.” During these past few months prior to hearing about Google, I had not done a good job in exercising my brain. My life was on autopilot. I was focusing too much on physical rewards and avoided opportunities to challenge my mental and cognitive state of mind. There’s a switch that needs to be turned on in your brain when you step into onto the Google campus. It’s a choice to think quicker just like it’s a choice to be lazy and succumb to complacency.

I’m a work in progress. I will probably never reach the same level of natural intellect as many of the employees here, but at least I’ll be one step closer. And just like being culturally immersed in a country is the best way to learn a language, I believe being surrounded constantly by the world’s best will and hopefully do wonders to the way I think and learn.

The people here will be my greatest asset. It’s just a manner of exposing myself now and being bold to initiate conversations to those around me. I need to remind myself that at the end of the day, beneath all those layers of genius and Googley-ness, people are simply, just people.

That’s all for now, more posts to come.

Cheers,

Albert