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

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 it was completely free. Even the food didn't cost anything either. :-)

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

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

my first "real" spring break (and a very busy one) in 16 years

I'm back at UC Santa Cruz for the spring quarter. Given that I had been out of school since 2010, this was my first spring break in 16 years!

Because my ECE 255 comprehensive exam on the 19th was my last exam of the quarter, the break started a day early for me. We went to Davenport on the 21st as it's become one of our new favorite places. The three of us then headed to West Cliff Drive and went for a stroll there. One interesting sight we came across was the natural arch at Lighthouse Field State Beach. It seems no one really talks about this feature because the natural bridge at Natural Bridges State Beach is a lot more famous. Our plan was to go see that one afterwards, but all of us were a little tired and wanted to go home.

We were pretty busy for the next few days as we had to file taxes. The funny thing is I ended up helping my parents with their taxes even though it's usually the other way around. It turned out TurboTax could pull the required information directly from stock brokers, and this saves a lot of time because manually entering the data would take much longer. Because I'm more well-versed with software, my parents asked me to do the rest of their taxes for them. :P

Some time ago, the UCSC Genomics Institute put out a request for proposals for seed funding awards. Dad suggested I apply because genomics is closely linked to AI and data science, and that could be helpful in case I decide to pursue a Ph.D. It wasn't just writing a paper because I also had to do research on how AI could be applied to genomics. Even with help from my father, getting a decent draft took many hours.

Both the taxes and the proposal took so much time that I didn't get to do much else last week other than check out the new Havenhythe expansion in RuneScape and shop for groceries. However, the break ended on a high note as our family friends Jeff and Sheila invited us to their house for lunch on the 30th. It was also nice to see Sheila's brother Howard's family for the first time in over seven years. We couldn't stay too late because I needed to head back to campus, but everyone overall had a good time.

For those curious, I'm taking courses on bioelectronics, AI security and digital signal processing this quarter. Only the DSP course has exams, although the other two are heavy on papers. In any case, these are the last ones I need to pass to graduate. :-)

Currently listening to: "Buy Me a Rose" by Kenny Rogers

a great Lunar New Year + meeting some famous people!

We had a good weekend as our family friends Jeff and Sheila invited us to a Lunar New Year lunch on Sunday at their house. Our last time celebrating the Lunar New Year with others was six years ago, so this was nice for a change. Another highlight is I got to meet a few famous people this week at UCSC. :-)

I was pretty busy during the weekend as I had a homework assignment for my error control coding class. However, the good news is I managed to finish the assignment shortly before we left for Jeff and Sheila's place. It's nice to not have to worry about ECE 255 while enjoying the company of our friends. Jeff and Sheila made lots of good food like they always do. We couldn't stay long afterwards because I needed to head back to campus, but this weekend was overall enjoyable.

Of note is I got to meet two well-known people this week so far. For starters, Grant Sanderson — better known as 3Blue1Brown — came to UC Santa Cruz on the 17th to give a lecture. I admittedly had no idea who he was, but he runs a well-known YouTube channel with over eight million subscribers. I really appreciate that Prof. Eshraghian told us about this event and rescheduled the ECE 210 lecture so that they don't conflict with each other. For those curious, Grant's lecture was about deriving the surface area and volume of an n-sphere. It was pretty cool for sure.

Former actress and model Kaila Yu also gave a talk at UCSC earlier today. She mainly discussed the objectification of Asian women in today's culture, but she also talked about her book Fetishized and gave away signed copies to those in attendance. Even though I wasn't familiar with her either, this was also a neat experience. One great thing about UCSC is there are many opportunities to meet interesting people. I'm certainly looking forward to similar events in the future.

Currently listening to: "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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

another quiet New Year's Eve + a look back at 2025

As you can probably guess, my New Year's Eve was the same as last time. We hadn't hosted or attended a party on the 31st in over a decade, and things were no different this year. However, last night wasn't too bad otherwise as I got to watch The Batman vs. Dracula on YouTube Movies. It seems that superhero movies have become a new tradition for New Year's Eve. I also did my dailies in RuneScape while waiting for the Times Square ball drop and the countdown to midnight on local channels. Looks like some things never change. :-)

It's true that most people just want to stay home these days. For example, this article from Real Simple says only around 24% of people are interested in New Year's Eve parties. So at least I'm not missing out on much. But man... I still miss the feeling of counting down the seconds with friends. Doing it online just isn't the same.

Of note is my cousin Cathy does like to celebrate the New Year. We couldn't see each other last night as she already had plans with someone else, but the good news is we did get to have her over for dinner on Christmas. She also says she'd love to celebrate New Year's Eve with us next time. It's certainly something I'm looking forward to.

2025 in review

On the whole, I'd say 2025 wasn't too bad of a year. Getting accepted into graduate school at UC Santa Cruz was one of the best things to happen to me, and I already had a great first quarter. I'm confident that I can complete the program and graduate on time.

For me, the worst part is that I developed a major toothache during the summer. I had to wait a while to get it checked out because the dentist was booked pretty far ahead. It turned out I had a huge cavity and needed a root canal done. I then had to wait one more week for the procedure, and then another two weeks for the crown to be made. Because the temporary crown was fragile, the dentist told me to only chew on the other side until the crown was replaced with the permanent one.

Around the same time, a tooth on the other side also started to hurt because the old filling had cracked. I could not eat "normally" until both the new filling and crown were in place. It was a miserable two months, not to mention the huge bills because I didn't have dental insurance.

Furthermore, the economy hasn't gotten much better. Food prices are still on the rise, and that's probably the reason we didn't have our annual block party last year. I mean... parties aren't fun without food and drinks.

However, the good news is that many people are saying that 2026 is going to be a great year. I really hope that's the case. On a related note, I've decided to go back to New Year's resolutions because my predictions for 2025 completely failed. So for this year, my goal is to complete my master's program at UCSC by summer. It's going to be a challenge for sure, but nothing is impossible. :-)

Currently watching: The Batman vs. Dracula

level 120 Invention in RuneScape

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

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

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

starting over at 40

"I can assure you... I'm not secretly an ageless vampure." -- me, after my suitemate Anthony said I don't look old

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. It was pretty special for me because I turned 40 on the 10th. Can you believe I've been on Earth for 40 years?

People have told me you will always feel "young" after a certain age. In my experience, this is quite true. I still feel like a twenty-something all the time, and only stopped feeling like a fresh college grad in recent years. However, the latter is no longer true given that I'm now back in grad school. If only my body could stay the same age. :P

It's been a while since I've had a birthday celebration with people my age. However, that's not a problem because I got some nice presents again this year. For starters, my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew sent me some cool new socks. I want to save them for special occasions, but they look really comfortable. Definitely can't wait to see Andrew and Cathy again during the holidays.

I also got a birthday cupcake from Nob Hill Foods. It was pretty sweet but otherwise delicious. On a related note, my parents bought me a birthday card while there. It's very high-quality and quite beautiful too.

Dad also ordered a TI-89 Titanium graphing calculator for me. I actually already have a TI-89 that I used in high school and college. It turns out ECE 238 and ECE 256 both involve a lot of calculus, so we spent much of Saturday looking for my old calculator. Because the original model is not supported anymore, my father figured this was a good time for an upgrade. It's pretty funny because the TI-89 was partly a present for my 17th birthday.

We also went to Nob Hills Foods and Ranch 99 Market this morning for groceries and snacks. Our plan was to the stores yesterday after dinner, but I was pretty busy due to an assignment for my statistical signal processing class. However, the good news is I managed to finish the assignment a few hours ago. It was not easy by any means!

One downside is that there were some events at UC Santa Cruz that I had to miss. I would have loved to check them out if I didn't already have plans to come home. You literally can't have your cake and eat it too. On the whole, this was an enjoyable weekend.

Currently reading: The Martian: Lost Sols by Andy Weir

returning to graduate school: two weeks in

It's been two weeks since I moved to UCSC for the quarter. I survived the first few classes and thought I'd share an update. :-)

One thing I noticed is graduate students have more autonomy and freedom when it comes to academics. We get to choose an area of study as opposed to just following a specific curriculum with "core" courses. Professors are also more lenient when it comes to assignments. For example, the exams in ECE 256 are open book and open notes, and the quizzes in ECE 238 allow unlimited attempts. If only college was like this!

Of course, technology also helps. UCSC uses a learning management system called Canvas that is useful for keeping track of assignments, grades and course materials. Online platforms like Discord make it easier to stay connected with classmates. I decided to give ChatGPT a whirl and found it to be quite accurate. It's certainly a lot different than being a student in the 2000s.

I'm considered a "non-traditional" student because I worked for almost 15 years before coming back to grad school for a second master's degree. One of my concerns was that people would find it weird to have a classmate in their late 30s. However, this turned out not to be the case. Everyone seems friendly and unconcerned about my age, and I've already become good friends with my suitemate Yuxin. It's nice to know UCSC is so welcoming and inclusive.

Of note is there is always so much to do on campus, even when the economic situation is terrible. I'm not going to lie: work life is so mundane in comparison. I'd be lucky if a company had one holiday party and one family picnic a year. We actually have so many events at UCSC that I often have to miss them due to schedule conflicts!

Going back to school as a middle-aged person is a very surreal experience. On the whole, I'm glad I made the decision to continue my studies at UCSC. It's going to be challenging and sometimes difficult journey for sure, but also rewarding at the same time. :-)

Currently playing: Redneck Rampage

moved to UCSC for the fall quarter

I just moved to the my graduate student apartment at UCSC. It definitely feels a bit strange to be back at university after 15 years. I was a bit nervous at first but am already starting to feel at home. :-)

Our department-specific orientation is in two days, and the general graduate student orientation is two days days later. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting the faculty and fellow graduate students before classes start on the 25th.

For those curious, I'm taking a medical imaging class and a statistical signal processing class this quarter, as well as two seminars. Graduate school will be challenging at times, but I'm confident this is something I can handle. So wish me luck because I'm going to need it for sure. :D

Currently listening to: "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

level 120 Archaeology in RuneScape

I just reached level 120 Archaeology in RuneScape and now only have two more 120's go!

Archaeology is an interesting skill as it is both profitable and also ties into the lore. It's easily one of the best-designed skills in the game. However, the downside is some items some items needed to complete certain achievements are dependent on luck and take a very long time to drop. For example, I've spent hours at the praetorium and still don't have all the pages needed for the Shadow Fall and Decimation mysteries. I won't lie — this can be quite frustrating at times.

However, the grind can be worthwhile because I've already earned a lot of chronotes. I'm really looking forward to completing the other dig sites after this. But someone please tell Jagex to add bad luck migitation to the journal pages. :-)

Currently listening to: "The Blueberry Shuffle" by Douglas Wood

moved my stuff to UCSC today

I just finished moving most of my belongings to UC Santa Cruz with the help of my parents. Even though this took a few hours, the process was simpler than had expected. There are still a few things we need to bring on my next trip, but the good news is the hard part is over. Of note is there was so much stuff that our SUV was packed to the gills. I certainly don't remember this being the case when I was an undergrad at Berkeley. It almost felt like I was preparing for a mission to Mars. :P

One nice thing about the graduate student apartments is we get single-occupancy rooms. It's nice to have some privacy — which often isn't possible when you have to share a space with others. I also don't have to worry as much people stealing my things. From what I've heard from family friends, this can definitely be an issue at times.

As mentioned before, my original plan was to begin doing research with Prof. Eshraghian during the summer so I could get a head start in my studies. However, he recently informed me he would be away from UCSC until around August as he is busy attending a workshop. So my family decided that I would move back into the dorms when Prof. Eshraghian returns to campus. At least I'll be able to relax at home for a while. :-)

Currently listening to: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston

bits and pieces

Just some personal updates I want to share. I didn't feel like making a separate post for each of those events, so here they are:

Level 120 Herblore in RuneScape

I'll start by saying I got level 120 Herblore in RuneScape on the 4th. I now only have three more 120's left before I have all the skill levels needed for the completionist cape. Jagex does plan to increase the other skills to 120 in the future, but that is expected to take several years.

I'm planning to get 120 Archaeology next as I have less than one million XP to go. However, that will have to wait because the membership on this account expires in like an hour or so. It'll probably be a while before I resubscribe as I'm going to be busy preparing for graduate school in the next one or two months.

A literal trip down the memory lane

Dad decided to take us to Sanborn County Park on the 7th as we realized we had never been there in all the years we've lived in the Bay Area. Even though we didn't stay here for long as it was a bit hot outside, this was nice for a change. It's always fun to explore new places. However, one highlight of this day trip is it brought back childhood memories.

For one, our route took us through the area in Cupertino where my late maternal grandparents used to live. Mom and I would always stop by their house after my horseback riding lessons on Saturdays, and I'd spend the afternoon watching cartoons. I certainly still miss my grandparents from time to time. It's hard to believe they've been gone for over 15 years.

I should mention our old family friends, the Liangs, lived fairly close to my grandparents in Cupertino. It's been a long time since our families have gotten together as we had gradually lost contact over the years. I don't think I've seen Stacey in person since 2010, and Emily since the year before. It's apparently quite common for adults to grow apart from childhood friends. :-(

Of note is Sanborn County Park is located close to Walden West and and Via West — the latter formerly known as Camp Costonoan. Walden West was very popular among my old classmates at Springer. I didn't attend Walden West but did go to Camp Costonoan in sixth grade. On the whole, this day definitely brought back some childhood memories.

A few shots

I mentioned a few times that I'll be taking courses at UC Santa Cruz later this year. Due to the university's immunization requirements, there were a few shots I needed to get before I could register for classes. I first got the updated COVID-19 vaccine on the 14th. The side effects didn't become apparent until the evening and lasted all of Sunday. However, everything was back to normal by the 16th.

The university also requires two doses of the MMR vaccine. We looked through all my medical records and could only find evidence of one dose, so I had to get the second dose on the 17th. It wasn't without side effects as my arm became pretty sore afterwards. However, that went away after a few hours. I still have to get two chickenpox shots — one for July and another in August — so hopefully those go without issues.

On a related note, I'll be moving to Santa Cruz in less than two weeks. It's both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!

Currently listening to: "War" by Edwin Starr

a nice Memorial Day "staycation"

It's hard to believe Memorial Day has come and gone. For a while, I actually thought it was still mid-May or so. It's often said that time goes by faster as you get older. So true. In any case, our long weekend wasn't too bad.

Friday

I was pretty busy even before the long weekend started. So my father has been building an enclosure in our backyard to protect our fruit trees from birds and rodents, and he needed my help for certain jobs that require two people. However, the nature of this type of work means that times can be unpredictable. What my dad estimated to be a 30-minute job ended up taking up all morning and then some. I could swear I had barely finished breakfast and sat down when it was already 1 p.m.

Gardening can be rewarding but also demanding at times. I was helping my dad put up a wooden beam when it fell and hit me square on the head. Ouch. Good thing it wasn't serious because I've had worse before.

Mom was also busy as she had to prepare a picnic lunch for Saturday's day trip. I also had to help put some cabbage leaves out to dry later in the afternoon as Mom wanted to try out some new recipes for cabbage dishes. We were all a little tired and decided to forgo our daily stroll around the neighborhood. However, that wasn't an issue as I made sure to get plenty of exercise on my own time.

Saturday

Dad decided to take us to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park as we hadn't been there in a while. We encountered some traffic along the way but still managed to get there on time. I should mention we didn't hike as far as we did last time because we were all a little tired. It's probably because of all the yard work we did the day before.

On the way home, my mom wanted to stop at Nob Hill Foods for groceries. We took the opportunity to get some ice cream as it was a little warm outside. I could hardly believe how much the prices had gone up. For example, Ben & Jerry's was over $7 a pint at the original price. However, there was some Dreyer's ice cream on sale. :-)

Sunday

Some time ago, I received a $25 gift card for Target for attending my health insurer's orientation session. Dad figured this would be a good time to use it up and took us to the new Target store in Sunnyvale. I wanted some snacks but ultimately decided that frozen meals were healthier. It turns out $25 was barely enough for a small pizza and three other items, and all the portions were smaller than the pictures indicate. Food prices are insane these days!

We then went to Costco afterwards. Of note is there is usually a lot of samples around this time of day. This was nice for a change as it's been a while since I went to Costco. It was again past 1 p.m. when we finally had lunch.

Monday

Having done so much in the past few days, I spent much of the time studying for the classes I'll be taking at UC Santa Cruz later this year. There is so much to learn about AI and neural networks. However, I did find some time to play RuneScape and managed to complete the "It Still Should Have Been Called Aetherium" and "Work on Your Artisan II" achievements. It was quite a grind to smith all that armor after mining the required ores.

On the whole, this "staycation" was quite enjoyable. The only downside is I started getting a toothache a few days ago. I certainly hope it's nothing serious. Pretty sure a root canal operation would be unpleasant and expensive.

Currently listening to: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

going back to graduate school after 15 years in the industry

It may come as a surprise to some, but I've decided to return to school after almost 15 years. In recent months, circumstances led me to decide to pursue a second master's degree as part of a career change. I'm thrilled to share that I've been accepted into the master's program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz for the fall 2025 quarter. Woohoo!

UCSC is a world-class research institution with many opportunities, so the decision to continue my studies there was not hard to make. Unlike pure computer science, ECE is a field that combines software and hardware. For those curious, my focus will be on artifical intelligence. I also hope to do research on spiking neural networks with Prof. Eshraghian and his Neuromorphic Computing Group.

You may remember that I took some courses at UCSC as an intern during the fall 2010 quarter. I had planned to apply for the graduate program in statistics after the internship. However, that changed after I received a job offer from Cisco. I figured a job was more important than graduate school at the time and made the difficult decision to back out after the quarter ended. Fast forward 14 years, and now I'm preparing to continue my studies at UCSC. Sometimes life comes full circle.

Because AI has now become such a major field in recent years, my dad and I agreed this was the perfect time for me to go back to school catch up. UCSC doesn't offer graduate course during summers, and the fall quarter starts in September. However, the graduate student apartments are open as early as July according to the university's website. I'm going to see if it's possible to move in early and connect with Prof. Eshraghian before the quarter officially starts. This will give me a head start and hopefully allow me to save a quarter. Tuition isn't cheap these days!

One thing for sure is this will be a major change in my life. I'm admittedly a bit nervous as I've been out of school for almost 15 years. However, the excitement outweighs the nervousness as there are many opportunities on campus. In my experience, there is so much more to do at school than in corporate environments. It goes without saying that it's much easier to make friends in college. I also hope to reconnect with my old landlady Connie and her daughters. So yeah... exciting times ahead. :-)

Currently listening to: "National Anthem of South Africa"

level 99 Necromancy in RuneScape

Just a short post to share that I've reached level 99 Necromancy in RuneScape and can now enter the Max Guild again. Given the Necromancy skill just came out less than a year and a half ago, this was my fastest 99 to date. Of course, all that bonus XP from the recent Christmas event definitely helped. In any case, the free alteration glyph from the Necromancy cape is quite useful when it comes to rituals. :D

Currently listening to: Pachelbel's Canon

a quarter century into the millennium

One of my most vivid memories was counting down to the year 2000 at our family friend Carol's house. At the time, the biggest concern was that the Y2K problem would cause worldwide chaos. I remember switching on my Windows 95 laptop right after midnight to make sure it could still start up. It's hard to believe it's been 25 years. We are now actually closer to 2030 than 2020. How time flies.

A bittersweet holiday season

So the holidays were a bit of a bummer. We had invited my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew over for lunch on the 29th and were really looking forward to seeing them for the first time in two years. However, the couple both got sick during the holidays, as did my cousin Connie and her kids. I've been told this flu season has been especially bad. We decided to be safe and reluctantly canceled the get-together. I did get to catch up with Andrew and Cathy over FaceTime instead — which was nice but just wasn't quite the same as meeting in person.

But the holiday season had its highlights. One of my mom's friends in New Jersey sent us some high-quality candied cashews and mixed nuts. Mom did some research and found out those weren't cheap. Our neighbor Bob also gave us a box of See's Candies. We certainly appreciate all the love.

I also reached level 120 Dungeoneering in RuneScape on the 28th. I didn't actually have that much time for RuneScape as I was busy studying for cybersecurity certificates, but the XP rewards from the Christmas event definitely helped. Only four more 120's to go!

New Year's Eve report

Like the past several years, my family didn't host or attend any New Year's Eve parties. People just don't seem interested in celebrating the New Year anymore. It also doesn't help that food is pretty expensive these days. I mean... parties just aren't that fun when there's no food to share!

However, my New Year's Eve wasn't that bad otherwise as I got to watch Shazam! Fury of the Gods with my parents. I personally liked the first movie more, but the sequel definitely had its highlights. We also have a few other movies checked out from the library — those should keep us entertained for a while. :-)

2024 in review

Some say 2024 was a tough year. For one, the economy hasn't really gotten better. Food prices are still increasing and are expected to continue to rise. It also doesn't help that there are major conflicts all over the world.

We also somehow managed to elect Donald Trump again. I tend to avoid political topics, but Trump has certainly done many questionable things during his first presidency. I'm not at all confident that things will be better this time around. It's probably going to be even worse based on what I read about Project 2025. :\

Of course, there have also been personal challenges. For me, the worst thing that happened is that I was rejected in October by a company I had greatly looked up to. I felt I aced the interview and was fairly confident I'd get the job. It's no secret that the job market is extremely competitive, but that stung for a while.

I was also looking forward to a few events that ultimately didn't pan out for one reason or another. As mentioned above, my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew had planned to come over for lunch. But that didn't happen because they both got sick after catching the flu from my second cousin Desiree. I was also eagerly anticipating the 20-year LAHS class of 2004 reunion. However, that event never progressed beyond the planning stage. It seems people in my generation don't want to meet in person anymore.

Another unfortunate thing that happened is my MSI gaming laptop suddenly died after the PSU went bad and apparently fried the motherboard. I was not immediately able to recover my data because I didn't realize the laptop also had an SSD in addition to a hard drive. It turned out the SSD had survived the power surge. I didn't have to spend a few hundred dollars on a data recovery service, but having to re-install everything on my new laptop set me back several weeks. That was a stressful month for sure.

However, that is not to say 2024 didn't have its good moments. For me, the best part was getting to see the northern lights. It's nice to not have to travel all the way to Alaska or Iceland. I also got some very nice presents for my 39th birthday in October. That was certainly one of my best birthdays in ages!

On towards 2025

A common prediction is 2025 is going to be a bad year as well. It definitely seems like the case so far, especially given what happened this morning in New Orleans. We're also less than three weeks away from Trump's second term. But as John Connor famously said: the future has not been written. We can certainly do our best make 2025 as good of a year as possible.

I'm also going to try something a little different this year. Instead of making a New Year's resolution — which I know I'm going to fail — I've decided to share my predictions for 2025. Here's what I think will happen in the near future:

1. We will see an improvement in the U.S. job market
2. I will get the opportunity to catch up with childhood friends
3. Donald Trump will be removed from office. He has already been impeached twice, so maybe the third time's the charm
4. I am not going to win a million dollars from the lottery

I don't expect all or even any of those predictions to come true, but I am nevertheless excited to see what 2025 has to offer. :-)

Currently watching: Shazam! Fury of the Gods