I just reached level 120 Invention in RuneScape on my main character. It's one of the last 120's I needed to meet the skill requirements for the completionist cape!
Jagex increased the Thieving level cap to 120 in a recent update, so there are now still have two more 120's to go. However, the good news is that Thieving and Necromancy both give high XP rates at higher levels. I definitely hope to get 120 in those skills this year. :-)
In other news...
It turns out I did quite well at UC Santa I received an "A" in ECE 238 and ECE 256 and also passed the comprehensive exams for both classes. Hard work has its rewards, that's for sure!
Currently listening to: "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page
Welcome to my little corner of the Internet — the place to read my random ramblings. Feel free to drop a comment or two. :-)
Monday, December 22, 2025
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
done with my first quarter at UC Santa Cruz
So the fall 2025 quarter at UC Santa Cruz is over. I finished the ECE 238 final exam last night and am now packing up my things while waiting for my parents to pick me up. It's nice to be able to catch my breath after all those sleepness nights!
I'm confident that I did well on all my exams. Even though there were some challenging questions, the exams weren't too hard otherwise. Of note is the ECE 238 final also counts as the comprehensive exam for that course — this meant I only had to study for three exams rather than four. It made things a bit less stressful for sure.
One nice thing is the winter 2026 quarter doesn't start until the 5th. I'm going to relax a bit before I start to prepare for next quarter's courses. :-)
Currently listening to: "Moonlight on the Colorado" by Slim Whitman
I'm confident that I did well on all my exams. Even though there were some challenging questions, the exams weren't too hard otherwise. Of note is the ECE 238 final also counts as the comprehensive exam for that course — this meant I only had to study for three exams rather than four. It made things a bit less stressful for sure.
One nice thing is the winter 2026 quarter doesn't start until the 5th. I'm going to relax a bit before I start to prepare for next quarter's courses. :-)
Currently listening to: "Moonlight on the Colorado" by Slim Whitman
Monday, December 1, 2025
a fairly simple Thanksgiving
I'll start by saying that Thanksgiving was a little different this year. It was the first time since 2021 that my family didn't have anyone over, nor did anyone invite us. However, the upside is it was a lot less work because we didn't have to clean up the house. Even though it was just the three of us, Mom still made us a nice dinner. One thing for sure is the leftovers will last a while.
We went to San Jose on Friday and checked out the fall foliage before going to a Grocery Outlet store. I really like Grocery Outlet because it has so many good deals, and there is always a wide variety of items. Our purchases were limited this time because we don't have that much space in our freezer, but we certainly plan to go back during the holidays. Otherwise, the past four days were uneventful as I mostly studied for the ECE 256 final and comprehensive exams.
This year, I'm thankful that I got the opportunity to go to UC Santa Cruz and continue my graduate studies. I've learned a lot so far, and all the professors are very kind and knowledgeable. UCSC is certainly one of the best schools for sure.
I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but Thanksgiving didn't feel like Thanksgiving this year. As mentioned earlier, there are several upcoming exams that I needed to prepare for. UCSC requires master's students to pass three comprehensive exams, and we are only allowed six attempts, so the stakes are very high. The other reason is that it was just me and my parents this time. Even though we some quality time together, I do sometimes miss having parties with other families.
On the bright side, my cousin Cathy is coming back to the Bay Area in mid-December and plans to stay until after the New Year. I certainly look forward to "properly" celebrating the holidays with her. :-)
Currently listening to: "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon & Garfunkel
We went to San Jose on Friday and checked out the fall foliage before going to a Grocery Outlet store. I really like Grocery Outlet because it has so many good deals, and there is always a wide variety of items. Our purchases were limited this time because we don't have that much space in our freezer, but we certainly plan to go back during the holidays. Otherwise, the past four days were uneventful as I mostly studied for the ECE 256 final and comprehensive exams.
This year, I'm thankful that I got the opportunity to go to UC Santa Cruz and continue my graduate studies. I've learned a lot so far, and all the professors are very kind and knowledgeable. UCSC is certainly one of the best schools for sure.
I don't mean to sound unappreciative, but Thanksgiving didn't feel like Thanksgiving this year. As mentioned earlier, there are several upcoming exams that I needed to prepare for. UCSC requires master's students to pass three comprehensive exams, and we are only allowed six attempts, so the stakes are very high. The other reason is that it was just me and my parents this time. Even though we some quality time together, I do sometimes miss having parties with other families.
On the bright side, my cousin Cathy is coming back to the Bay Area in mid-December and plans to stay until after the New Year. I certainly look forward to "properly" celebrating the holidays with her. :-)
Currently listening to: "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)" by Simon & Garfunkel