Midday Check-In: Yoga, Coffee, SSO, and the DP Battle
It’s 12:15 PM, and this is my update until midday.
One thing I’ve learned during this layoff-to-level-up season is this:
Progress isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it’s quiet, repetitive, and built through routines that don’t look impressive to anyone else — but change everything.
Today is one of those days.
Health First: Building Strength Before Anything Else
This morning, I stuck with what I’ve been prioritizing consistently:
✅ My health
I did one full hour of yoga as part of my daily functional training routine.
Not because I’m trying to “stay busy.”
Not because I’m trying to distract myself.
But because I’ve realized something important:
When life feels uncertain, your body becomes your foundation.
And when the foundation is strong, the rest becomes easier to hold.
Back at the Same Coffee Shop
After yoga, I found myself back at the same coffee shop again.
Same place… but not the same person.
I found a quiet spot, settled in, and I’m ready to keep going.
There’s something oddly powerful about showing up to the same place day after day with the same intention:
Learn. Build. Grow. Repeat.
Today’s Learning Focus: How SSO Works
My deep dive for today is:
“How SSO works”
SSO is one of those things everyone uses, but not everyone truly understands end-to-end.
Today I want to go deeper — not just surface level definitions, but the real flow:
- who redirects who
- what tokens are created
- what gets validated
- where trust actually comes from
- how it all stays secure
This is part of my upskilling journey — building expertise that’s not just theoretical, but interview-ready and real-world applicable.
DP Programming: Palindrome Problem (Round 2)
I’m also continuing my DP programming practice today.
Yesterday I paused on a palindrome DP problem because I couldn’t fully understand the DP grid.
That part frustrated me, honestly.
DP can feel like that sometimes — you understand the idea, but the table feels like a different language.
But here’s my mindset today:
I don’t quit just because it didn’t click yesterday.
I return with more patience and finish it.
So today, I’m focusing harder, completing it, and then moving on to the next LeetCode DP problem.
One grid at a time.
Career Moves: Referrals + Resume Tweaks
I’m also applying to a couple more job openings today where I have referrals.
That means I need to do this the smart way:
Not just apply.
Apply intentionally.
So my plan is to tweak my resume to highlight the exact areas those roles care about most — and make it obvious that I’m strong in those spaces.
Because in this market, clarity wins.
Today’s Theme: Consistency Over Chaos
This is what my journey looks like right now:
- yoga and functional training
- eating right and staying grounded
- upskilling with deep learning topics (SSO today)
- grinding DP and improving one problem at a time
- applying with intention and leveraging referrals wisely
Some days are exciting.
Some days are just disciplined.
But every day I show up, I’m leveling up.
This is my update until midday.
Back to work now. 💻☕🧘🏽♀️
Layoff2LevelUp — in progress.
Evening Check-In: 5.5 Hours of Focus, SSO Done, DP Finally Clicked
I’m ready to wrap up my day of studying at the coffee shop — and honestly, I’m proud of today.
I got in 5.5 hours of focused study, the kind of deep work that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, discipline, and showing up even when the mind wants to wander.
The Coffee Shop + My Study Ritual
Today’s fuel was very on brand for me:
☕ My favorite Quartermoon coffee in the first half of the day
🍵 Jasmine green tea for the last 2 hours to stay awake and focused
It’s funny how little routines like this start to feel like anchors during a reset season.
Same place. Same grind.
New version of me every day.
SSO Deep Dive ✅
One of my key goals today was to go deeper into:
How SSO Works
And I completed it.
I didn’t just watch something and move on — I actually deep dived, understood the flow, and made notes.
This kind of learning matters because I want to be able to explain things clearly, confidently, and end-to-end — not just “know the terms.”
DP Progress: Longest Palindromic Subsequence ✅
DP has been my mental gym lately.
Yesterday, I got stuck trying to understand the DP grid for the palindrome problem.
Today, it clicked.
I worked through Longest Palindromic Subsequence, understood it properly, and wrapped it up by writing the code in Java.
That feeling when something finally makes sense after struggling with it the day before?
That’s not just coding progress — that’s proof of growth.
Today’s Win
Today wasn’t about doing everything.
It was about doing the right things:
✅ focused study
✅ real learning
✅ progress on DP
✅ consistency
✅ staying present and finishing what I started
This is what Layoff2LevelUp looks like in real life.
Not flashy.
Just steady.
And forward.
That’s it for today.
Time to wrap up, reset, and come back stronger tomorrow. 💻☕📚
Layoff2Levelup 
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