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, that's for sure. ^_^
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)
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Saturday, September 19, 2026
the worst hide-and-seek game ever...
I had gotten up late last night to use the restroom when I saw a rat scurry across the floor. It seems the rat had gotten in through a loose panel under our bathtub. I managed to the trap the rat in one room when I saw a second rat emerge from the same place. To make matters worse, there were scampering sounds coming from our pantry. I didn't see anything but couldn't guarantee there wasn't a third rat in there.
As you can imagine, this was a very serious concern as rodents carry all kinds of diseases. Hantavirus is a particularly nasty bugger. I reluctantly decided to wake my parents up because I was afraid the rats would enter their bedroom and bite them. It pained me to do this because my parents are often busy and don't get much sleep, but they understood this was an emergency.
Dad and I spent much of the day checking for rats and moving our furniture around to eliminate potential hiding spots. We were able to catch and remove one rat in the evening after placing a bunch of traps. I've got to say this was my least favorite hide-and-seek game ever. However, there could be up to two rats that are still unaccounted for. I really hope they're not in the house anymore. :\
September 23 update: It's been four days, and we are confident there are no more rats inside. I'm glad they're gone as none of us could sleep well otherwise.
Currently listening to: "One More Night" by Maroon 5
As you can imagine, this was a very serious concern as rodents carry all kinds of diseases. Hantavirus is a particularly nasty bugger. I reluctantly decided to wake my parents up because I was afraid the rats would enter their bedroom and bite them. It pained me to do this because my parents are often busy and don't get much sleep, but they understood this was an emergency.
Dad and I spent much of the day checking for rats and moving our furniture around to eliminate potential hiding spots. We were able to catch and remove one rat in the evening after placing a bunch of traps. I've got to say this was my least favorite hide-and-seek game ever. However, there could be up to two rats that are still unaccounted for. I really hope they're not in the house anymore. :\
September 23 update: It's been four days, and we are confident there are no more rats inside. I'm glad they're gone as none of us could sleep well otherwise.
Currently listening to: "One More Night" by Maroon 5
Sunday, July 5, 2026
a brief entry for the 4th of July
I'll probably be very busy this summer as I just started a research project on machine learning for genomics. However, my family had a nice 4th of July as we invited the Hsuehs over for lunch at our house.
It was our turn to return the favor as the last time we had seen the Hsuehs was at their place. Alan didn't come this time as he was his other friends, but all of us enjoyed Mom's amazing food and the lively atmosphere. Of note is that Aaron is a professor at the Stanford University Medical Center and was able to suggest some research directions. I truly appreciate his help.
In any case, my hope is that my current research could be used as a topic for my thesis should I successfully apply for the Ph.D. program at UCSC. Here's to hoping for a productive summer. :D
Currently listening to: Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack – "Stickerbrush Symphony" by David Wise
It was our turn to return the favor as the last time we had seen the Hsuehs was at their place. Alan didn't come this time as he was his other friends, but all of us enjoyed Mom's amazing food and the lively atmosphere. Of note is that Aaron is a professor at the Stanford University Medical Center and was able to suggest some research directions. I truly appreciate his help.
In any case, my hope is that my current research could be used as a topic for my thesis should I successfully apply for the Ph.D. program at UCSC. Here's to hoping for a productive summer. :D
Currently listening to: Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack – "Stickerbrush Symphony" by David Wise
Monday, June 15, 2026
completed my second master's degree at UC Santa Cruz
We just got back from the commencement ceremony at UC Santa Cruz for graduate students. I'm now officially an UCSC alumnus!
You may recall that I decided to go back to graduate school as part of a career change. I'm proud to share that I've completed my M.S. in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program. It had been an arduous three quarters, but I'm glad I made it through. I certainly owe my gratitude to my parents, my professors and everyone else who supported me.
Academic year in review
One thing for sure is my learning journey at UCSC was a worthwhile experience. For me, the best part is that there was so much to do on campus. Going to my first Easter egg hunt in 28 years and my first ren faire were two highlights. However, the sheer number of events was too much of a good thing at times because they sometimes conflicted with my classes or even other events. I've definitely had FOMO due to missing out events I had looked forward to.
Another awesome thing about UCSC is how inclusive the community is. As a non-traditional student going back to school after 15 years in the workforce, my concern was that people would find it strange to have a middle-aged classmate. However, this turned out not to be the case, and even those who knew I was 40 didn't bat an eye. If anyone thought I was a weirdo, then they sure as hell kept it to themselves. I certainly felt at home during my time at UCSC.
Of note is that three graduate courses per quarter can be stressful from time to time. Topics taught in graduate school are often very abstract and not clearly explained in the textbooks or lecture slides. I definitely spent many sleepless nights working on assignments and studying for examples. However, this is par for the course for graduate students.
Commencement report
We had to get up at around 6 a.m. today as the commencement for the graduate division was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Even though the campus is only about an hour's drive from my house, my dad wanted to make sure we had enough time to get dressed and account for possible traffic. It was a pretty long ceremony because many Ph.D. students graduated this year.
As much as it pains me to say this, the commencement felt somewhat anticlimactic. At my previous schools, there were receptions after the ceremonies. It was nice to have a proper send-off with friends and meet their families, even when the food wasn't spectacular. But because the parking permits had tight time limits, there was no such event this time. A lot of us in the graduate division ended up leaving before the ceremony concluded. This was a bit of a surprise because most other events at UCSC were top-notch.
There was also a separate event for Baskin Engineering as a whole. It was open to both bachelor's and master's students according to the BE website, and the fact that the event was called a "celebration" implied there would be some sort of reception with opportunities to meet other graduates and their guests. But when we got there, the event turned out to be merely the commencement for undergraduates. We decided to leave as I didn't really know any undergrads in engineering other than my ECE 210 project partner, and the three of us felt a bit bamboozled.
I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get to properly say goodbye to people I had classes with. Contacting classmates on LinkedIn is just not the same as wishing them well in person. The good news is UCSC puts on great alumni events, and the next one is in about two months. I definitely hope to see some familiar faces there.
Future plans
Even though I've completed my master's degree, my stint at UCSC isn't quite over. I plan to work on a research project related to AI and genomics, and that could be used in my dissertation should I transfer to the Ph.D. program. Two professors have indicated a willingness to be my co-advisors, and there is a fairly decent chance we'll get seed funding from the UCSC Genomics Institute. I'm very excited to see where this takes me!
June 18 update: Grades have been posted for the quarter. I'd say a cumulative GPA of 3.83 ain't bad. :-)
Currently listening to: "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC
You may recall that I decided to go back to graduate school as part of a career change. I'm proud to share that I've completed my M.S. in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program. It had been an arduous three quarters, but I'm glad I made it through. I certainly owe my gratitude to my parents, my professors and everyone else who supported me.
Academic year in review
One thing for sure is my learning journey at UCSC was a worthwhile experience. For me, the best part is that there was so much to do on campus. Going to my first Easter egg hunt in 28 years and my first ren faire were two highlights. However, the sheer number of events was too much of a good thing at times because they sometimes conflicted with my classes or even other events. I've definitely had FOMO due to missing out events I had looked forward to.
Another awesome thing about UCSC is how inclusive the community is. As a non-traditional student going back to school after 15 years in the workforce, my concern was that people would find it strange to have a middle-aged classmate. However, this turned out not to be the case, and even those who knew I was 40 didn't bat an eye. If anyone thought I was a weirdo, then they sure as hell kept it to themselves. I certainly felt at home during my time at UCSC.
Of note is that three graduate courses per quarter can be stressful from time to time. Topics taught in graduate school are often very abstract and not clearly explained in the textbooks or lecture slides. I definitely spent many sleepless nights working on assignments and studying for examples. However, this is par for the course for graduate students.
Commencement report
We had to get up at around 6 a.m. today as the commencement for the graduate division was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Even though the campus is only about an hour's drive from my house, my dad wanted to make sure we had enough time to get dressed and account for possible traffic. It was a pretty long ceremony because many Ph.D. students graduated this year.
As much as it pains me to say this, the commencement felt somewhat anticlimactic. At my previous schools, there were receptions after the ceremonies. It was nice to have a proper send-off with friends and meet their families, even when the food wasn't spectacular. But because the parking permits had tight time limits, there was no such event this time. A lot of us in the graduate division ended up leaving before the ceremony concluded. This was a bit of a surprise because most other events at UCSC were top-notch.
There was also a separate event for Baskin Engineering as a whole. It was open to both bachelor's and master's students according to the BE website, and the fact that the event was called a "celebration" implied there would be some sort of reception with opportunities to meet other graduates and their guests. But when we got there, the event turned out to be merely the commencement for undergraduates. We decided to leave as I didn't really know any undergrads in engineering other than my ECE 210 project partner, and the three of us felt a bit bamboozled.
I'm a bit bummed that I didn't get to properly say goodbye to people I had classes with. Contacting classmates on LinkedIn is just not the same as wishing them well in person. The good news is UCSC puts on great alumni events, and the next one is in about two months. I definitely hope to see some familiar faces there.
Future plans
Even though I've completed my master's degree, my stint at UCSC isn't quite over. I plan to work on a research project related to AI and genomics, and that could be used in my dissertation should I transfer to the Ph.D. program. Two professors have indicated a willingness to be my co-advisors, and there is a fairly decent chance we'll get seed funding from the UCSC Genomics Institute. I'm very excited to see where this takes me!
June 18 update: Grades have been posted for the quarter. I'd say a cumulative GPA of 3.83 ain't bad. :-)
Currently listening to: "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC
Monday, May 25, 2026
a highly anticipated Memorial Day lunch
I was pretty busy up to yesterday due to assignments for all my classes. For one, there is both a paper and a regular homework assignment for ECE 204 due on a weekly basis. I also had to work on my final project for CSE 239B and a homework assignment for ECE 250. However, the highlight of the Memorial Day long weekend is we had a nice lunch with Prof. Kang and Prof. Eshraghian at a restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz called the Walnut Avenue Café.
Both professors had been very supportive when I decided to apply to UCSC, and we figured this was the perfect way to return the favor. For those unaware, Prof. Kang used to be the Baskin Engineering dean in the 2010s. Dad had had told me about him many times, but this was my first time meeting him in person. We also invited their significant others — both named Mia — at Prof. Kang's suggestion. Mom and Prof. Eshraghian's partner — whom we affectionally called Mia #2 — quickly became good friends as they had a lot in common.
Of note is the Walnut Avenue Café was very crowded. Because we were told the wait time would be about 45 minutes, our party decided to head to the nearby 11th Hour Coffee in the meantime. We got our coffee and returned to the café just in time to be seated. Even there was a lot of people, the food didn't take too long to arrive. I ordered a bleu cheese burger, and it turned out to be delicious.
Our plan was to get together last September, but we had to cancel because it conflicted with my graduate student orientation. At the time, my concern was that this would give Prof. Eshraghian the wrong message that I was trying to bribe him for a better grade. I guess things worked out perfectly in the end. On the whole, everyone had a great time. I definitely look forward to more get-togethers like this one. :-)
Currently listening to: "Orion Keygentune 2003" by Dualtrax
Both professors had been very supportive when I decided to apply to UCSC, and we figured this was the perfect way to return the favor. For those unaware, Prof. Kang used to be the Baskin Engineering dean in the 2010s. Dad had had told me about him many times, but this was my first time meeting him in person. We also invited their significant others — both named Mia — at Prof. Kang's suggestion. Mom and Prof. Eshraghian's partner — whom we affectionally called Mia #2 — quickly became good friends as they had a lot in common.
Of note is the Walnut Avenue Café was very crowded. Because we were told the wait time would be about 45 minutes, our party decided to head to the nearby 11th Hour Coffee in the meantime. We got our coffee and returned to the café just in time to be seated. Even there was a lot of people, the food didn't take too long to arrive. I ordered a bleu cheese burger, and it turned out to be delicious.
Our plan was to get together last September, but we had to cancel because it conflicted with my graduate student orientation. At the time, my concern was that this would give Prof. Eshraghian the wrong message that I was trying to bribe him for a better grade. I guess things worked out perfectly in the end. On the whole, everyone had a great time. I definitely look forward to more get-togethers like this one. :-)
Currently listening to: "Orion Keygentune 2003" by Dualtrax
Saturday, April 18, 2026
went to a Renaissance fair for the first time!
So there was an event called Noir Faire earlier today at UC Santa Cruz that was basically a miniature Renaissance fair. I've never been to a ren faire before but had always wanted to go to one, so this was quite a neat experience. Even though this was a small event event compared to the commercial ones, the best part is there was no admission fee. Even the food was completely free. :-)
I'd definitely like to thank the African American Resource & Cultural Center for making this event possible.
Currently listening to: "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode
I'd definitely like to thank the African American Resource & Cultural Center for making this event possible.
Currently listening to: "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode
Monday, April 6, 2026
first Easter egg hunt in 28 years!
Some background: the last time I went on an Easter egg hunt was about 26 years ago, back when I was in sixth grade. I felt I was getting too old for them and only attended the one at the Morgan Center. But this was one thing from my childhood that I really missed. Participating in virtual egg hunts in RuneScape just isn't the same. I know some places have adult Easter egg hunts, but I was never able to find one near me.
In any case, there was an Easter egg hunt today at UCSC's Graduate Student Commons. I didn't want to be too greedy and only picked up two eggs because there weren't that many laying around and that they all had the same items. However, this was still a pretty egg-citing experience. It definitely brought back some childhood memories!
Currently listening to: "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel
In any case, there was an Easter egg hunt today at UCSC's Graduate Student Commons. I didn't want to be too greedy and only picked up two eggs because there weren't that many laying around and that they all had the same items. However, this was still a pretty egg-citing experience. It definitely brought back some childhood memories!
Currently listening to: "Bright Eyes" by Art Garfunkel
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