Helen Hou-Sandí

Senior Engineering Manager for the GitHub OSPO and WordPress Lead Developer

Blog

Category: Diary

  • Happy 2010, two weeks later

    Obviously, I’ve become a terrible blogger. I’m not one to declare New Year’s Resolutions, but one of my goals in this new year/decade is to get back into the groove of writing regularly, hopefully on my own blog as well as some others that are equally or more neglected. It seems counter-intuitive to be writing when I have so much else to be doing, but I hope that clearing my mind of small tidbits will help me to focus better on the big picture(s)… or that the very act of blogging will remind me of the work I should be doing instead.

    Also on the books for this year:

    • losing 20 pounds (see below)
    • getting married
    • going to China with Adrian
    • the quarter century mark
    • teaching, teaching, and more teaching
    • going back to being full-time at Eastman
    • more high-level performances as a collaborative pianist
    • a new piano (the Yamaha AvantGrand N3)
    • a pile of freelance web gigs

    It goes on, you know, like everybody’s list of “things to do this year” goes on. Anyway, this post is long enough – my plan is for more frequent, more concise posts. For now, it’s back to work I go!

  • In other news…

    My hair has gotten ridiculously long. Like, the way it was back in the first part of high school. The waves are from being up in a bun while still warm – don’t worry, my hair is still naturally pin straight.

    Long hair
    Long hair

  • Today’s outfit

    Outfit 4/2
    Outfit 4/2

    Dress: Forever 21
    Necklace: NY&Co.

    That pile of nonsense behind me is dead electronics. We call it our recycling pile.

    In other news, my hair has gotten ridiculously long and the wall behind me looks awesome with the Photo Booth comic book effect:

    Office wall
    Office wall

    If only it looked that cool in real life!

  • Today’s outfit: no snow on the ground!

    I told Vivian I would do this, even though my clothes aren’t nearly as hip, so here we go:

    Outfit 3/18
    Outfit 3/18

    Shoes 3/18
    Shoes 3/18

    Top: H&M
    Skirt: Ann Taylor
    Shoes: Payless! Don’t judge – they’re solid shoes and I won’t cry if I scuff them.

    Today I kept getting asked if I was dressed up for something. To those of you who remember me from a place where there isn’t 100 inches of snow in a season, you know that this is everyday gear for me. Unfortunately, we do get an average of about 100 inches of snow here in Rochester and so for about half of the year, I am relegated to cheap boots (though still with heels) and jeans that I don’t mind getting caked with salt. Thus my coworkers know me as a graphic tee and jeans kind of girl. Sigh.

    While we were in Boston, I realized that here in Rochester, most people dress like the weather – sloppy and dingy. I have gotten caught in the trap of not wanting to stand out just because of what I’m wearing. Well, no more! I am going to be me again!

    Also, you boys need to realize that dresses are actually the easiest way for a girl to get dressed quickly in the morning. If you hang them up right, they don’t wrinkle and it’s a whole outfit in one piece. Just toss it on, grab some shoes, put on a pair of earrings in the elevator, and you’re good to go. Heck, I even have a second ear piercing that I never remove so I always look sharp.