and the adventure continues... (at UC Santa Cruz)

I just returned to UC Santa Cruz for the fall quarter. You may recall that I completed my master's degree in June. But because I plan to apply for the Ph.D. program in October, this seemed a good time to work on the remaining course requirements. For those curious, I've enrolled in BME 205 and BME 232 this quarter. One of the instructors for BME 205 is Prof. Haussler, who is well-known in the field of genomics. I'm expecially excited to learn from him.

However, there has been some setbacks. UCSC allows master's students to transfer to the Ph.D. track on completing the requirements for a master's degree. Given that a Ph.D. is easily a multi-year commitment that could also become very expensive, I decided to get an M.S. as a "checkpoint" in the event of a life change that interferes with my studies. During our Memorial Day lunch with Prof. Kang and Prof. Eshraghian earlier this year, they and my parents all agreed this would be a sound plan.

But none of us knew I would no longer be considered a UCSC student as soon as I received my M.S. degree. Due to this, my academic status is in a bit of a limbo. I now have to apply for the Ph.D. program through the standard process and enroll in courses via UCSC Extension rather than the UCSC registrar.

Hope is not all lost as Prof. Eshraghian says he supports my candidacy and has added me to his research group. He also suggested some research areas to explore. So at least I already have some ideas for a thesis. :-)

Summer in review

I spent much of summer on research into machine learning for genomics. Even with assistance from multiple AI tools, genomics models are difficult to debug due to the complex structures in the data sets. Prof. Eshraghian has also added me as a maintainer to his snnTorch project on GitHub. I'm quite honored as I'm not yet a Ph.D. student under his supervision. It probably helps that I have five years of experience as a senior software engineer. In any case, I've been putting aside some time to go through the backlog of open issues and pull requests.

But things have also been a bit bumpy at times. As mentioned earlier, my status as a UCSC student officially ended when I received my master's degree. I now have to wait until the applications for the Ph.D. program to open up in October. However, this ultimately shouldn't have too much of an impact as I was able to get a head start on the research.

We also had to deal with a rodent problem inside our house. You can see this was a serious issue as rodents carry all kinds of diseases. Even though we quickly caught a rat after placing traps, none of us could sleep well until we were sure the rats were gone.

Mom also started having dizzy spells a few days ago. I really hope it's nothing serious. She feels better now but still experiences nausea one in a while. As you can see, the past several days were quite stressful.

I also had to miss out on some events that I had been looking forward to. For example, the UCSC Alumni Association put on a reunion event called "Return to the Redwoods" that ran from August 13 to 15. But the problem is that we already had to drive to UCSC twice for Prof. Eshraghian's group meetings, on the 17th and 25th. I decided to skip the reunion event as I felt bad about asking my parents to give me a ride to Santa Cruz so many times. Seeing that I don't have experience driving on mountain roads, my parents wouldn't have felt comfortable about me going to Santa Cruz alone.

It doesn't help that ridehailing services like Uber and Lyft are prohibitely expensive. I could have eliminated two round trips by arriving on the 13th for the event and then leaving on the 25th after meeting with Prof. Eshraghian's group. However, the campus is typically less active during summer, and I didn't want to spend a whole two weeks there with little to do. It's ultimately not a big deal because the UCSC Alumni Association hosts the event once a year.

I also have to miss on my childhood friend Connie's 10th anniversary event for her bakery as that is scheduled to take place after school starts for me. For those unaware, Connie started her own bakery during the summer of 2016. Similar to the above case, I would have to make an additional two round trips between UCSC and my house. On the bright side, there are other exciting events at UCSC in the next several weeks. It's not the same as catching up with childhood friends, but life doesn't always work out according to our plans. FOMO sucks, but c'est la vie.

In other news...

As this is the start of a new school year, I thought this would be a good time to give my blog a fresh lick of paint and a more modern look and feel. Blogger also deprecated the original theme some time ago, so this was the perfect opportunity for an upgrade. It's going to take some time to get used to the new design, but it certainly looks nice so far. One thing for sure is I'm going to miss the "Minima" theme. It has served me well.

Currently playing: Doom 64 (2020 re-release)

second quarter at UC Santa Cruz

"I plan to put the lectures on YouTube, so please don't streak in the classroom." -- Prof. Eshraghian

I moved back to UC Santa Cruz on the 4th with the help of my parents. It's hard to believe how fast time goes because it still feels like the break had just begun. But at least I'm not the only one because I've heard two other people say the same.

Christmas break report

I'd say Christmas break was mostly awesome. For starters, our family friends Jeff and Sheila invited us over for lunch on Christmas Eve. Given that I was busy on Thanksgiving due to studying for finals, this actually felt more like a make-up Thanksgiving celebration. In any case, Jeff and Sheila made lots of delicious dishes, and so did my mother. It was nice to reconnect as we hadn't seen Jeff and Sheila in a while.

Another highlight is we had my cousin Cathy over for dinner on Christmas. This was long overdue because she and Andrew both got sick last year and had to call off our get-together. Andrew didn't come this time for reasons I'd rather not go into, but Cathy and my family had a great time catching up. Cathy also told me that she loved her job so much that she plans to stay in Chicago even after Andrew completes his Ph.D. there. I'm very happy for her but am also a bit bummed that we'll probably see each other no more than once a year.

We had also planned a lunch with Mom's friend group around the New Year. However, they agreed to postpone the gathering because a group member had an emergency eye surgery and needed time to recover. I won't complain because it's so much work to host large gatherings. Mom certainly deserves to relax during the holidays!

Gatherings aside, my family also went grocery shopping several times. We got to try so much new food in the past several weeks. I also got to play RuneScape than usual because I'm usually busy due to studying otherwise. On the whole, this break was quite enjoyable.

Continuing my academic journey

To make sure I can graduate on time, I'm taking three courses this quarter. Of note is all three courses take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and three 90-minute lectures in one day are a lot to absorb. ECE 255 looks to be a particularly challenging course. I also have weekly seminars on Mondays and Wednesdays. One thing for sure is that I'll be quite busy for the next 10 weeks.

However, the good news is there is some overlap between ECE 256 and two of my current courses. I'm glad I took ECE 256 because the content from that course may come in handy soon. It was also nice to meet Prof. Eshraghian in person for the first time. He's a great lecturer and is totally hilarious. I definitely look forward to his classes.

Currently listening to: The Greatest Showman soundtrack – "A Million Dreams" by Pasek and Paul

on high school reunions

The 10-year reunion of the Los Altos High School class of 2004 was last night. This was super exciting as I hadn't touched base with most of my LAHS classmates outside of Facebook since graduation. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time!

The event was hosted at a microbrewery in Mountain View called Tied House. I counted about 50 people, including significant others. It was lots of fun even though only about 12% of the graduating class showed up. There were some unfamiliar faces, but that's probably because we never had the same teacher. At any rate, I had a great time reconnecting with people, even those I didn't regularly talk to in high school.

A math teacher who was the father of one of the students later joined us. That was pretty cool even though I never took Mr. Randall's class. Some people decided to go to another pub after Tied House closed for the night. Though I didn't want to stay up too late and went home, the reunion was awesome. I'd like to thank Derek and his fiancée Jody for making it possible. The same goes for Preeti, Charline et al. for helping out with things.

It's too bad I didn't get to see all of my classmates. The only other issue is that the venue was crowded at times. That said, the party was really enjoyable. Four hours definitely wasn't enough. I didn't take too many pictures due to the limited space, but here they are. One thing for sure is that we need to get together more often!

Currently watching: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

a farewell to UC Santa Cruz

Last night was the CMPS 101 final. I hope I didn't bomb the exam as it was quite tough. But considering that I did better than expected on the two midterms, maybe I shouldn't worry too much. In any case, the fall quarter is over!

Speaking of which, I moved out last Tuesday as my lease has ended. Connie's house is one of the nicest places I've ever stayed. It was hard to say goodbye to her cats Tommy and Zoe. They'll always have a special place in my heart.

In other news...

Tomorrow is my first day at Cisco Systems. I'm a little nervous but also extremely excited!

Currently playing: endeavor

got my master's degree

Today was the graduation ceremony at St. Mary's College of California. I can hardly believe I've completed my master's degree in financial analysis. Time certainly flies.

It was raining heavily in Moraga, but that wasn't an issue as we were mostly indoors. The commencement was held inside the St. Mary's Chapel. In a departure from tradition, the orchestra didn't play "Pomp and Circumstance" as is usually done. After we were seated, the associate dean gave a speech and congratulated us before giving us our diplomas.

All of us then headed to the nearby activity center for the reception. I got to hang out with my classmates for the last time and eat lots of food. It was also nice to meet everyone's families. There goes the afternoon!

Now that I'm done with graduate school, I should probably continue working on my CMPS 101 and CMPE 107 assignments. In the meantime, I've posted pictures and a video of the commencement on Flickr.

last day of graduate classes + farewell party

Yesterday was the last class of the MS-FAIM program. The best part is that we had a party afterwards!

We were supposed to take the FAIM 610 final on Tuesday and the FAIM 609 one on Thursday as per the original schedule. But because FAIM 609 was a tough course, everyone wanted to get that out of the way first. The professors were more than happy to accommodate our request. The other exam was indeed much easier, meaning Prof. Knapp really wanted us to pass.

A farewell party was held after the FAIM 610 final. From what I heard, the previous cohorts had a fancy dinner. However, there wasn't much for us - only light snacks and drinks - and they were quickly gone. Damn economic recession. On the other hand, the other classes were invited to join us. Katie even brought her roommate Anna to crash the party. The more the merrier!

Speaking of which, Anna kept hitting on me and Anthony the whole time. I enjoyed talking to her as she was very sociable. She and Katie even invited me to hang out at their apartment as the party concluded. That would have been an interesting experience, although I declined as it was really late.

On the whole, the party was a great way to end the program. I'm definitely looking forward to graduation. In the meantime, be sure to check out my pictures from last night.

Currently playing: My First Quantum Translocator

internship at UCSC

I recently mentioned that two UC Santa Cruz professors were interested in having me as an intern. From our discussions, they were more than happy to proceed with the plan. If everything goes well, my internship will start next week - on the 27th to be precise.

I'll be doing mobile interaction studies with the professors and their graduate students. In the meantime, I'm trying to enroll in CMPE 107 and CMPS 101 on their recommendation. I've actually already started attending the lectures. It's like being back in college!

According to Prof. Tantalo, CMPS 101 is a difficult course and many students don't pass the first time. I don't like the sound of this at all. However, considering that I already have a computer science background, this one shouldn't be too hard.

Given that Santa Cruz is pretty far, I've rented a place near campus and will be moving there in a few days. I'm a little nervous as this is my first time renting a room. But at least the landlady seems nice. *fingers crossed*

In other news...

1. I went to the Secure World Expo today with Dad. It was a very small conference.

2. Tonight is the last class at St. Mary's College of California. I'm not out of the woods yet as we still have to take the FAIM 610 final. On the other hand, I've heard there's a party afterwards. That should be fun. :-)

Currently playing: The Room Tribute

a change of plans

I mentioned in earlier posts that I was heading to UC Riverside in the fall. However, life doesn't always work out the way we want it to. Given our current financial situation, I'm no longer planning to attend UC Riverside. This was a difficult decision, but one I needed to make.

On the other hand, two UC Santa Cruz professors have shown an interest in having me as an intern. The discussions with them are looking promising so far. I guess we'll see how things turn out.

Currently playing: Depict1

one more quarter to go!

The final quarter at St. Mary's College has started. It's hard to believe I'm almost done with graduate school. Time certainly flies!

The break was short as we didn't get out until late June. Though I wish summer didn't end so soon, I'm not going to complain because it was really awesome. The 4th of July concert and the trip to Riverside were the best parts. :-)

Currently playing: Larry and the Gnomes

back from Riverside again

I just got back from Riverside again with my parents. You may remember that we went there in May to learn more about the statistics department at UC Riverside. The purpose of this trip was to get a closer look at housing options.

Day 1

It was a hectic morning because we didn't pack up. This is normally done the day before, but everyone was tired after a busy 4th. We hurried to the airport to find our flight delayed by almost 90 minutes. I could have used some extra sleep. :\

The flight to Ontario was uneventful. Dad rented a car and took us to several apartments in the area. Although I prefer living in a dorm, the apartments were cheaper and had fewer restrictions. Of note is that some offices were closed for the 4th of July weekend. I guess making this an overnight trip was the right decision.

The afternoon ended with an early dinner at IHOP. The food wasn't bad at all. As odd as it sounds, this was the best part of the trip. There wasn't much else to do, although we saw a beautiful sunset from our room. That alone made our stay worthwhile.

Day 2

The breakfast at the hotel was delicious too. Dad then took us back to the offices that were previously closed. It wasn't long before we found an apartment we liked. Two families that lived here were eager to make friends with us. One even invited us in for a chat. They were really nice people. I was getting hungry at this point but felt it would be rude to ask to be excused.

The three of us then had lunch at Coco's Bakery before going to UC Riverside to thank a professor who helped me get a conditional admission. Dad also wanted to look at furniture as the apartment is unfurnished. Our last stop before heading home was a nearby grocery store.

We arrived at Ontario International Airport to find that our flight home was also delayed, this time by about an hour. Lesson learned: always check flight status before rushing to the airport. On the other hand, I had a great conversation with a girl who was also studying statistics. :-)

Conclusions

Because the purpose of this trip was to learn more about the housing near the UC Riverside campus, our itinerary didn't include any tourist spots. That said, the dinner at IHOP and the sunset were quite memorable. Traveling is always fun regardless of the reason. I've posted some pictures from the trip.

At any rate, I'm extremely excited about moving to Riverside in September. It'll be challenging but probably nothing I can't handle. Bring it on!

Currently listening to: "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani

to Riverside and back - all in a day

I recently mentioned that I'm planning to study at UC Riverside starting this fall. To learn more about the school, my family took a day trip down to Riverside yesterday to see the campus. This was a worthwhile experience as we gained a lot of insight about the statistics program.

It was an exhausting morning as we had to get up early for our 7:30 a.m. flight. Though there was an 11:05 a.m. one available, my parents didn't want to arrive too late. The weather in SoCal was warmer than expected but too hot for the most part.

Our day in Riverside began with a meeting with two statistics professors, both of whom were very helpful. Three PhD students then showed us around while sharing their experiences. This was followed by lunch with two other students who also gave us useful information. The statistics department had generously provided the food vouchers.

Later in the afternoon, my family met two staff members who went over the dining and housing plans. They always took the time to address our concerns. I can't thank them enough for their hospitality and kindness. The visit couldn't have been more pleasant.

There was some free time, during which we went to Claremont Graduate University and Harvey Mudd College. The three of us then had dinner at Denny's before going back to the airport. Though we could have gotten home two hours earlier, there was a $80 fee for changing flights. The other thing is that I got a nasty headache on the way home. Blah.

Because I had never gone this far on a day trip, returning home on the same day did feel a little weird. On the other hand, Dad is planning an overnight stay in Riverside later this summer. I'm looking forward to that for sure. In the meantime, you can see the pictures from yesterday's trip here.

Berkeley Engineering commencement

Six years ago, my father was telling me that I was accepted into Berkeley for the fall. I initially thought it was an April Fools joke. Though I never even considered applying to such a prestigious school - let alone the idea of getting in - Dad figured it was worth a shot and sent a copy of my application to Berkeley just in case. He turned out to be right!

Today was the College of Engineering commencement. I actually received my B.S. in Engineering Math & Statistics last summer but was unable to graduate with the Class of 2009 on time. But none of that matters anymore. The most important thing is that I'm finally done with college. :-)

Graduation report

The ceremony itself was kind of boring as we had to sit through several speeches. The masters and PhD students then got their diplomas. There were more undergraduates than graduate students combined, but the process was much faster for us.

Things didn't go without a hitch. You see, Engineering Math & Statistics is an uncommon major and had less than 10 people. I somehow got separated from my group and didn't know where to go. The staff weren't familiar with my major and told me to follow the Nuclear Engineering students. I ended up being the very last person to walk across the stage. Awkward.

Everyone then split up for the receptions. Ours was the smallest and had no more than 15 people - and that's including family and significant others. On the other hand, there was lots of food. Before leaving campus, I stopped by the IEOR and EECS receptions to thank those who have helped me in my studies. It was nice to see my old IEOR 165 GSI and the IEOR 162 professor again.

The downer is that my faculty advisor Bonnie couldn't come. She had to stay home to take care of her husband John, who was recently involved in a serious cycling accident. I'm sure Bonnie would have loved to see me get my diploma. Here's to wishing John a full and speedy recovery!

Looking back

Like for most people, college had its ups and downs. A major highlight was hanging out with my suitemates Bryan, Danny and Tyler. Though I'm sometimes socially awkward, their company made for great memories.

The dances were another thing that made life at Berkeley so enjoyable. The best part is that many of them were free. The weekly activities in the residential halls were exciting too. I wish the "real world" had more social events like these.

But college wasn't all fun and games. The worst thing that happened was when my freshman year suitemates Cyrus and Andrew kept harassing me and stealing my things. The resident director couldn't do much due to lack of evidence. The academic workload was tough but nothing I couldn't handle. On the whole, I'm glad to have finished such an important stage in my life.

I can't relax just yet because of my classes at St. Mary's College of California. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to studying for the upcoming fixed income analysis midterm. In the meantime, feel free to check out my commencement pictures.

In other news...

1. Dad got summoned for jury duty last week and was actually selected for the trial. He was a little annoyed at first but is happy to have helped make our community a safer place. For those curious, the case was about a man accused of indecent exposure. It was somewhat complicated due to lack of witnesses, but he was ultimately convicted.

2. Getting into graduate school turned out be much harder than expected because we weren't aware of the low acceptance rates. At least that's the case for statistics programs. That said, I got a conditional admission into UC Riverside!

Though they couldn't accept me this year, the admissions committee said I could get in next fall by getting a "B" or above in two particular courses. I decided I was up for the challenge and will be enrolling soon. Assuming everything goes to plan, I'll be moving to Riverside in September. W00t!

Currently reading: Fixed Income Analysis Workbook by Frank J. Fabozzi

finally done with college!

The CS 61A final was quite tough and took me almost five hours to complete. Though it was almost midnight when I was done, my family didn't get home too late because we did most of the moving two days ago. Assuming I didn't fail the class, then I'll be getting my bachelor's degree.

I'm not out of the woods yet as the classes at St. Mary's College of California started last month. While they aren't a walk in the park either, I can at least catch my breath. One thing for sure is that I'm going to miss college life. But at the same time, I'm extremely excited about what the future has to offer.

Update: The grades for CS 61A and Math 128A have been posted. I didn't do as well in Math 128A as I had hoped, but my GPA is good enough. That means I'll definitely graduate. Woohoo!

The bad news is that I won't be able to walk the aisle until next May as this year's commencement has passed. Of course, that's not too big of a deal - what matters is that I'm done with college. :-)

Currently reading: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Harold Abelson

First day of graduate school

The first quarter of the financial analysis program at St. Mary's College of California has started. In other words, I'm officially a graduate student!

Unlike regular programs, MS-FAIM is intended for professionals. Though most students are my age, there are a few in their 40s and beyond. The classes aren't held on the Moraga campus, but at the American Management Association conference center at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. I have to travel to San Francisco twice a week because we meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Can't say the commute is fun.

Ant any rate, today was the FAIM 601 lecture. To tell you the truth, accounting isn't exactly the most exciting subject in the world. The fact that each session is four hours long doesn't help the issue. It's going to be hard to not fall asleep. ^_^

I'm actually still finishing up my bachelor's degree and will be taking classes at both Berkeley and the AMA for the next five weeks. The overlap is going to be tough, but nothing I can't handle. On the subject of which, I should probably continue preparing for my Math 128A midterm. Peace.

back from the graduate school orientation

I just got back from the orientation at St. Mary's College of California. It took a while to get there as the campus is 55 miles away in Moraga. Unlike my college orientation, this one only lasted a few hours.

The event began with a networking session. I got to meet the other students and enjoy hors d'oeuvres. The faculty and administrators then went over things like class descriptions and graduation requirements. The day concluded with a delicious three-course dinner. This was definitely a warm welcome to the program. You can view my pictures here.

It's hard to believe I'll be starting graduate school in six days. Damn, I feel old. ^_^

a brief 4th of July weekend report

Because I'm incredibly busy this summer, the 4th of July was mostly uneventful. I'm taking two classes at Berkeley and will be starting two others in San Francisco very soon. That means I've had to spend most of the time studying. Yeah, fun.

Other than that, my family went hiking a few times. We also saw a professional fireworks display from our house. So at least the long weekend wasn't that bad.

In other news...

Happy first anniversary to my cousin Anne and her husband Lawrence!

Currently listening to: "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

back to Berkeley for the summer

I just returned to Berkeley for the summer session. To save time, my parents already helped me move most of my things yesterday afternoon. The reason for coming back today is that I wanted to an extra day to relax at home.

For those curious, I'm taking CS 61A and Math 128A this summer. Assuming everything goes to plan, this will be my last stint in college. I'll have to work hard as both courses look tough.

Speaking of academics, I've decided to enroll in the graduate program at St. Mary's College of California. Due to a schedule overlap, there is a period of five weeks during which I'll be taking classes at Berkeley and St. Mary's College at the same time. That means I'll be extremely busy the next two months. So wish me luck - I'm going to need lots of it.

In other news...

Happy Father's Day to my dad and all other dads out there!

Currently reading: Numerical Analysis by Richard L. Burden

two new laptops and a memory upgrade!

Dad just got two new laptops: an Acer Aspire 6930 for Mom and a Dell Studio XPS 1640 for himself. They each have a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB of RAM and 500 GB of disk space. Mom frequently complains about her old notebook acting up, so the new one should make her life slightly easier. :-)

On the subject of computers, I also gave my Dell Dimension 3000 a memory upgrade. It's now faster than ever. The difference between 512 MB and 2 GB of RAM is huge!

In other news...

I recently applied for the graduate business program at St. Mary's College of California at the suggestion of my father. The good news is that I've been accepted. Woohoo!

I'm still deciding whether to enroll. If we choose the summer session, I'd have to take classes at Berkeley and St. Mary's College concurrently for five weeks. The other option is to wait until I'm done with college, but the next enrollment window isn't until December. Decisions, decisions.

Currently watching: Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Hooray for summer!

The spring semester has ended. The exams weren't easy by any means. I spent most of last night studying and only had three hours of sleep. To say I'm exhausted right now would be an understatement.

One thing for sure is that I'll miss my suitemates Bryan, Danny and Tyler. The same goes for their friend Caitlin; she often visited our suite and was one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. It was hard to part with these awesome folks. On the other hand, I'm extremely excited about my family's upcoming trip to Spain. :-)

In other news...

1. Happy 17th birthday to my cousin Cathy!

2. I went to the MBA open house at St. Mary's College of California right after leaving Berkeley. Dad is suggesting that I apply to their graduate program. That's actually not a bad idea.

3. Today is the fifth anniversary of the passing of my maternal grandmother Pi-Tan. She was an absolutely amazing person. You'll always be in our hearts, Grandma.

Currently playing: Lexicominos

one more semester to go

I've moved back to Berkeley for my spring classes. You're probably expecting another rant about how the break wasn't long enough, but I'm actually glad to be back this time!

Holiday break in review

Things started out great as I did well last semester. Hard work certainly pays off. Just after the semester ended, my family went to Tahoe to see the Nutcracker ballet. This was followed by an amazing Christmas Eve gathering at Carol's house.

Our own New Year's Eve party was canceled because most people couldn't come. But I probably shouldn't complain as we had dinner with the Shiehs instead. Though our New Year's Day party was also nice, there was nobody my age. Damn generation gap. ^_^

Aunt Cynthia and my cousins came over the next day to make bread with Mom. That was also pretty fun. However, they left shortly after lunch because Cathy was feeling stressed about her SATs. Speaking of which, I was pretty busy studying for the GRE myself - not exactly the most exciting thing in the world.

In any case, I'm thrilled to be back at school. It's so nice to see my suitemates Bryan, Danny and Tyler again. I'm also looking forward to tomorrow's dance. :-)

Currently listening to: Pure Disco