Misc

Moving Around

I spent years wrestling between warm and cool climates.

I was born and raised in Xiamen, a warm and humid coastal city in southern China.

I spent my undergraduate years in the greater Boston area and fell three times on icy slopes during my first year.

My six years in graduate school spent in the Sunny San Diego was a blessing, but the constant weather can feel a bit boring sometimes.

Recent brief stays in Pittsburgh, Seattle, and the SF Bay Area have made me appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons.

Not Computing

I spend a lot of time not thinking about computers.

As a kid, I studied classical piano for 8 years and flute for 8 years, playing solo, in ensembles, and in competitions; I have been back to piano since 2021.

I also enjoy learning languages: I learned Cantonese from Hong Kong TV shows, Hokkien from my family, and French from my college years. I can read and write Kana and Hangeul. These interests have eventually led to my second major in Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences during my undergraduate years.

My childhood dream was a career in air traffic control. It obviously did not happen, but I still know the phonetic alphabet and different aircraft types from distance.

These days I am very into figure skating. The ice has sustained me through the more challenging times of life.

Making First Steps

I did not start programming until my first year in college, I did not know I wanted to pursue grad school until senior year, and I did not start figure skating until my third year in graduate school. Catching up is not easy, but I believe a little bit of slope makes up for a lot of y-intercept. You never know unless you try. Perseverance will make a difference.