You may remember our street had a block party last summer. Because that was our first such event in 28 years, everyone was more than excited to get together. People had such a great time that Saeed — whose family helped organize the party — said he wanted to plan another similar event in the future.
Saeed apparently made good on his promise because we just had our second block party since 1995. It's hard to believe how fast a year goes. We saw some familiar faces, as well as a few other neighbors who we had not talked to before. Just like last time, people brought lots of good food. Our homemade oyakodon was especially popular.
But one thing I noticed is there were fewer people from younger generations this year. I think the biggest reason is that school has already started for the college-aged kids, especially if their school uses a semester-based schedule. However, some teenagers who did show up didn't stay long except to get food. It seems younger generations don't go out much these days.
Even though the novelty factor had worn off — and most people didn't stay quite as long — this event was still pretty enjoyable. I'm definitely looking forward to the one next year.
Currently listening to: Ultimate Doom soundtrack – "Nobody Told Me About id" by Bobby Prince
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Friday, May 24, 2024
got a new Dell G16 gaming laptop
First some bad news: the MSI GL75 Leopard laptop that I got in 2020 went "kaput" all of a sudden two days ago. It suddenly shut down and will not turn on again. I also heard a popping sound before smelling some smoke. As you can imagine, this is not a good sign.
Based on what I found online, the most likely cause is a blown capacitor. But because computers are relatively cheap these days, my dad figured it would be better to get a new one as opposed to taking the MSI laptop to the repair shop. We settled on the Dell G16 because it both had great specs and wasn't too expensive.
To my surprise, the G16 showed up on my doorstep after just two days even though the ETA was three days. I just finished setting it up. The laptop has a Core i9-13900HX CPU, an RTX 4070 GPU and 16 GB of memory. One thing for sure is it'll be quite useful for my AI projects. I do have re-install everything and recover the files from my old laptop, which I'll probably do in the next few days. Crossing my fingers that the hard drive is still in good condition.
Another thing is that Windows 11 will take a while to get used to. Of course, this is a relatively small inconvenience. In any case, getting a new computer is always nice!
June 2 update: Some bad news. I'm not able to access the data on the hard drive. Even though there is no visible damage, the PCB was likely fried in the power surge. Looks like I'll have to send the drive to a data recovery service. Based on the information I found online, this will not be cheap.
June 18 update: I send the HDD to a data recovery company and was told the data was unrecoverable. However, the good news is data may actually be on the SSD. It turned out the laptop actually had two drives. Hope the SSD didn't get fried too.
June 22 update: Good news — the SSD was in working condition. I was able to grab all the data without issues. But as you can imagine, the past month or so has been stressful. Serves me right for not making backups. :\
Currently listening to: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
Based on what I found online, the most likely cause is a blown capacitor. But because computers are relatively cheap these days, my dad figured it would be better to get a new one as opposed to taking the MSI laptop to the repair shop. We settled on the Dell G16 because it both had great specs and wasn't too expensive.
To my surprise, the G16 showed up on my doorstep after just two days even though the ETA was three days. I just finished setting it up. The laptop has a Core i9-13900HX CPU, an RTX 4070 GPU and 16 GB of memory. One thing for sure is it'll be quite useful for my AI projects. I do have re-install everything and recover the files from my old laptop, which I'll probably do in the next few days. Crossing my fingers that the hard drive is still in good condition.
Another thing is that Windows 11 will take a while to get used to. Of course, this is a relatively small inconvenience. In any case, getting a new computer is always nice!
June 2 update: Some bad news. I'm not able to access the data on the hard drive. Even though there is no visible damage, the PCB was likely fried in the power surge. Looks like I'll have to send the drive to a data recovery service. Based on the information I found online, this will not be cheap.
June 18 update: I send the HDD to a data recovery company and was told the data was unrecoverable. However, the good news is data may actually be on the SSD. It turned out the laptop actually had two drives. Hope the SSD didn't get fried too.
June 22 update: Good news — the SSD was in working condition. I was able to grab all the data without issues. But as you can imagine, the past month or so has been stressful. Serves me right for not making backups. :\
Currently listening to: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens
Sunday, May 12, 2024
I saw the northern lights!
As you're probably aware, there were a series of solar storms over the past few days. Due to the intensity of these storms, the resulting aurora was visible in much lower latitudes — even as far south as Texas. It's not often this happens!
The cool thing is that I got to see the northern lights on Friday. I didn't actually see the aurora with my naked eye, but did catch a faint glow on my iPhone. You could see the unmistakable colors in the photos.
Mom and I tried to look for the aurora again last night after hearing the solar storms would continue into the weekend. The two of us stayed up pretty late last night but didn't see anything as there was a bit of a cloud cover. We had heard there was yet another chance to see the aurora tonight at around 10 p.m. However, there again wasn't much to see as the moonlight was too bright this time.
Even though I only saw the aurora once — on Friday evening — this was a neat experience. The next time this happens may be decades away. Seeing the northern lights was something that had been on my bucket list for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got the chance.
On a side note, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. :-)
Currently listening to: Clair de lune by Claude Debussy
The cool thing is that I got to see the northern lights on Friday. I didn't actually see the aurora with my naked eye, but did catch a faint glow on my iPhone. You could see the unmistakable colors in the photos.
Mom and I tried to look for the aurora again last night after hearing the solar storms would continue into the weekend. The two of us stayed up pretty late last night but didn't see anything as there was a bit of a cloud cover. We had heard there was yet another chance to see the aurora tonight at around 10 p.m. However, there again wasn't much to see as the moonlight was too bright this time.
Even though I only saw the aurora once — on Friday evening — this was a neat experience. The next time this happens may be decades away. Seeing the northern lights was something that had been on my bucket list for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got the chance.
On a side note, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. :-)
Currently listening to: Clair de lune by Claude Debussy
Friday, April 5, 2024
completed my AI certificate from Berkeley
I'm thrilled to share that I've completed the Professional Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence from UC Berkeley Executive Education. You may recall that I started the program last summer. It's been a challenging six months, but I can safely say I gained a lot from this course. Of note is that I also got a perfect score on all the assignments. :-)
But I must admit — online school can be a bit lonely at times. It's definitely not the same as being in high school or college. Even though we have office hours and Slack channels, there are only so many options when you can't meet face-to-face. The last day just seemed so anticlimactic. In other words, no walking across the stage to collect my certificate, meeting fellow students and their families, or a fancy farewell dinner.
I understand that the knowledge I gained from this course is more important than anything else, but it kind of sucks that you can't truly connect with your peers. However, the good news is several AI-related groups that are local to me have appeared on Meetup. I've been pitching them in Slack and the office hours. Hopefully I can attract interest from fellow Bay Area learners.
In other news...
I didn't feel like making a separate post about this, but I obtained the Guildmaster qualification with the Archaeology Guild in RuneScape two days ago. Completing this achievement allows you to buy all the permanent rewards from the Archaeology Guild Shop. In particular, the master archaeologist's outfit comes with several useful abilities. I'm sure this will make the grind to 120 Archaeology a bit easier. :D
Currently listening to: "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce
But I must admit — online school can be a bit lonely at times. It's definitely not the same as being in high school or college. Even though we have office hours and Slack channels, there are only so many options when you can't meet face-to-face. The last day just seemed so anticlimactic. In other words, no walking across the stage to collect my certificate, meeting fellow students and their families, or a fancy farewell dinner.
I understand that the knowledge I gained from this course is more important than anything else, but it kind of sucks that you can't truly connect with your peers. However, the good news is several AI-related groups that are local to me have appeared on Meetup. I've been pitching them in Slack and the office hours. Hopefully I can attract interest from fellow Bay Area learners.
In other news...
I didn't feel like making a separate post about this, but I obtained the Guildmaster qualification with the Archaeology Guild in RuneScape two days ago. Completing this achievement allows you to buy all the permanent rewards from the Archaeology Guild Shop. In particular, the master archaeologist's outfit comes with several useful abilities. I'm sure this will make the grind to 120 Archaeology a bit easier. :D
Currently listening to: "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce
Thursday, March 28, 2024
level 120 Farming in RuneScape
I just reached level 120 Farming in RuneScape today. This is actually my first level 120 skill ever!
It's worth mentioning that getting a skill to level 120 requires about eight times as much XP as level 99. However, the grind wasn't too bad because RS3 has pretty good XP rates. It also helps that I got a lot of experience rewards from the daily challenges and Treasure Hunter keys alone. I definitely can't imagine getting a 120 on an Ironman. :P
I'm also reasonably close to level 120 Dungeoneering and Slayer, and hope to reach them in the not-too-distance future. Can't wait to get that master Slayer cape!
Currently listening to: "Garden Song" by John Denver
It's worth mentioning that getting a skill to level 120 requires about eight times as much XP as level 99. However, the grind wasn't too bad because RS3 has pretty good XP rates. It also helps that I got a lot of experience rewards from the daily challenges and Treasure Hunter keys alone. I definitely can't imagine getting a 120 on an Ironman. :P
I'm also reasonably close to level 120 Dungeoneering and Slayer, and hope to reach them in the not-too-distance future. Can't wait to get that master Slayer cape!
Currently listening to: "Garden Song" by John Denver
Monday, February 26, 2024
another certificate down :D
I'm thrilled to share that I've completed my certificate program in natural language processing from Carnegie Mellon University. Like the other programs, this one was entirely online. Of note is that this has been the most challenge course to date. However, natural language processing has many applications, and this was overall quite a worthwhile experience.
In other news...
I recently hit level 99 Hunter and also 2,700 skill total in RuneScape on my alternate account "ixfd64 rs2" during Double XP Live. As you can see, this has been a productive week for me.
Currently listening to: Old School RuneScape soundtrack – "Harmony" by Ian Taylor
In other news...
I recently hit level 99 Hunter and also 2,700 skill total in RuneScape on my alternate account "ixfd64 rs2" during Double XP Live. As you can see, this has been a productive week for me.
Currently listening to: Old School RuneScape soundtrack – "Harmony" by Ian Taylor
Monday, January 1, 2024
a year of many ups and downs
Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. It's hard to believe 2024 is already here!
I'll start by saying this has been an eventful holiday season. One highlight is the Hsuehs had us over on Christmas Eve. Lily made us a nice hot pot dinner, and all the food was delicious. It's not often that we get to spend Christmas Eve with other families. I'm grateful the Hsuehs decided to invite us.
Also worth mentioning is that our neighbor Bob gave us a box of See's Candies on Christmas. I didn't expect any Christmas presents, so this was quite nice. It's definitely something I appreciate. We're lucky to have him as our neighbor.
I didn't feel like making a dedicated post about this, but I completed the Wharton School's AI for Decision Making program on the 28th. Unlike the MIT course that I finished in October, this one focused more on the business aspects of artificial intelligence. One nice thing about this program is that it's not time-gated — which means you don't have to wait for a course to unlock on a certain date. I was able to finish all the videos and do the quizzes well before the course is due to end.
Of note is that the Wharton program includes several complementary courses. I spent much of the holidays catching up on the lectures because the courses expire in less than three weeks. It would be a shame to let them to go to waste because they are worth several hundred dollars — and more importantly — cover a lot of concepts. I certainly hope to put that knowledge to good use in my future career.
Dad has also been working on a huge home improvement project in the past several weeks. You see, our street has had a huge rat problem in recent years. Because they often get into our backyard and shit all over the place, my father decided to convert the gazebo — which he built in 2020 — into a greenhouse for storage. This would prevent rats from getting in and making a mess. I occasionally had to help out because there are tasks that require two people. There's still much work left to do, but the greenhouse should keep the rodents out once it's complete.
New Year's Eve
Like the previous nine years, my family did not host or attend any New Year's Eve parties. It seems few people are interested in celebrating the New Year nowadays. I miss the feeling of counting down to midnight with friends. Even though there were some public New Year's Events in downtown Mountain View and elsewhere, hanging out with strangers just isn't the same. It certainly doesn't help that food has gotten pretty expensive.
However, the nice thing I got to watch the 2023 movie The Flash on Blu-ray after dinner. It had over-the-top action as well as some hilarious scenes. I'm a huge Flash fan and really enjoyed the movie despite the critical reviews. Sometimes I think it would be so cool to have super speed.
New Year's Day
Our original plan was to participate in the New Year's Day Pathways Walk in Los Altos Hills. However, this seemed a little risky due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. We ultimately decided to play it safe and just go for a walk in our neighborhood.
Otherwise, this has been a busy day as I continued to catch up on the video lectures. I also had to help my dad with the greenhouse every so often. As you can see, this was an eventful two weeks!
2023 in review
You're probably aware that the past year had many challenges. For one, the economy is still in a bad state. The most unfortunate thing that happened to me was I got laid off in June. Even though I started my own data science consulting firm right after leaving Energous, finding customers is not easy either. Hopefully that changes once we have a website.
Another thing is that COVID-19 cases have gone back up. Looks like some people were right about the pandemic lasting more than three years. Furthermore, food has gotten pretty expensive as I mentioned earlier. It's been predicted that prices will continue to rise. Good thing my family has our own vegetable garden.
However, this doesn't mean 2023 didn't have its highlights. Perhaps the most important thing is I've completed two AI certification programs. I'm also around halfway through two others. Those will look good on my resume, that's for sure.
Furthermore, there were many social opportunities last year. For example, the block party in August was pretty fun. We also had several other get-togethers with family friends this summer. Let's hope the trend continues. :D
Of course, no New Year is complete without New Year's resolutions. For those curious, my goal for 2024 is to switch to an AI career. I also hope to get at least two skills to level 120 in RuneScape soon. There are also a few other nice things that are slated to happen this year. For example, Derek — the LAHS class of 2004 president — has started to plan our 20-year reunion. I'm definitely excited for the future!
Currently watching: The Flash (2023)
I'll start by saying this has been an eventful holiday season. One highlight is the Hsuehs had us over on Christmas Eve. Lily made us a nice hot pot dinner, and all the food was delicious. It's not often that we get to spend Christmas Eve with other families. I'm grateful the Hsuehs decided to invite us.
Also worth mentioning is that our neighbor Bob gave us a box of See's Candies on Christmas. I didn't expect any Christmas presents, so this was quite nice. It's definitely something I appreciate. We're lucky to have him as our neighbor.
I didn't feel like making a dedicated post about this, but I completed the Wharton School's AI for Decision Making program on the 28th. Unlike the MIT course that I finished in October, this one focused more on the business aspects of artificial intelligence. One nice thing about this program is that it's not time-gated — which means you don't have to wait for a course to unlock on a certain date. I was able to finish all the videos and do the quizzes well before the course is due to end.
Of note is that the Wharton program includes several complementary courses. I spent much of the holidays catching up on the lectures because the courses expire in less than three weeks. It would be a shame to let them to go to waste because they are worth several hundred dollars — and more importantly — cover a lot of concepts. I certainly hope to put that knowledge to good use in my future career.
Dad has also been working on a huge home improvement project in the past several weeks. You see, our street has had a huge rat problem in recent years. Because they often get into our backyard and shit all over the place, my father decided to convert the gazebo — which he built in 2020 — into a greenhouse for storage. This would prevent rats from getting in and making a mess. I occasionally had to help out because there are tasks that require two people. There's still much work left to do, but the greenhouse should keep the rodents out once it's complete.
New Year's Eve
Like the previous nine years, my family did not host or attend any New Year's Eve parties. It seems few people are interested in celebrating the New Year nowadays. I miss the feeling of counting down to midnight with friends. Even though there were some public New Year's Events in downtown Mountain View and elsewhere, hanging out with strangers just isn't the same. It certainly doesn't help that food has gotten pretty expensive.
However, the nice thing I got to watch the 2023 movie The Flash on Blu-ray after dinner. It had over-the-top action as well as some hilarious scenes. I'm a huge Flash fan and really enjoyed the movie despite the critical reviews. Sometimes I think it would be so cool to have super speed.
New Year's Day
Our original plan was to participate in the New Year's Day Pathways Walk in Los Altos Hills. However, this seemed a little risky due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. We ultimately decided to play it safe and just go for a walk in our neighborhood.
Otherwise, this has been a busy day as I continued to catch up on the video lectures. I also had to help my dad with the greenhouse every so often. As you can see, this was an eventful two weeks!
2023 in review
You're probably aware that the past year had many challenges. For one, the economy is still in a bad state. The most unfortunate thing that happened to me was I got laid off in June. Even though I started my own data science consulting firm right after leaving Energous, finding customers is not easy either. Hopefully that changes once we have a website.
Another thing is that COVID-19 cases have gone back up. Looks like some people were right about the pandemic lasting more than three years. Furthermore, food has gotten pretty expensive as I mentioned earlier. It's been predicted that prices will continue to rise. Good thing my family has our own vegetable garden.
However, this doesn't mean 2023 didn't have its highlights. Perhaps the most important thing is I've completed two AI certification programs. I'm also around halfway through two others. Those will look good on my resume, that's for sure.
Furthermore, there were many social opportunities last year. For example, the block party in August was pretty fun. We also had several other get-togethers with family friends this summer. Let's hope the trend continues. :D
Of course, no New Year is complete without New Year's resolutions. For those curious, my goal for 2024 is to switch to an AI career. I also hope to get at least two skills to level 120 in RuneScape soon. There are also a few other nice things that are slated to happen this year. For example, Derek — the LAHS class of 2004 president — has started to plan our 20-year reunion. I'm definitely excited for the future!
Currently watching: The Flash (2023)
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