Hobby

Unranked List of (Selected) Hobbies

1. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
2. Photography
3. Travelling
4. Assembling and Collecting

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

I have been actively training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu with Alan Condon, a lifelong martial artist with black belts in 7 different martial art styles, since the pandemic began. I consider myself fortunate to have developed this hobby that I am passionate about. The resilience I cultivated during the training has been invaluable in helping me navigate the challenges I have encountered throughout my doctoral studies.

If you ask me, what is Brazilian Jiu-jitsu?

• The gentle art of folding clothes, while people are still wearing them.
• Involuntary yoga.

Photography

I have a preference for vintage documentary photography genre and interesting bokeh. Fuji XT3 was my primary camera when I was a Ph.D student because Fuji’s film texture and the lenses are relative small, and it is relatively cheap. Now I tend to use iPhone, or in rare cases, I’ll bring Leica.

In addition, I collect vintage M42 lenses. These are “outdated” artifacts existed more than half a century ago. However, those lenses sing unique beauty of their imperfection, such as the soviet Tair 11A 135mm f2.8 (having 20 aperture blades is just an astonishingly breathtaking art) and Helios-44 58mm f/2, which is famous for its swirly bokeh. I had sought a few mint Voigtlander lenses from eBay during my Ph.D., which are all beauty beyond measure.

I admire the gems of wisdom in the development of human technology – lenses, mechanical watches, cars, trains, planes…

Travelling

Travelling is my all-time favorite thing to do. I just love learning about different cultures, trying new foods, and experiencing different ways of life around the world. And I’m a total aviation enthusiast, so I love “travelling” itself – checking out different airlines and airports, and trying out swanky hotels.

Of course, with the pandemic, all my international travel plans have been thrown out the window. But even though I can’t travel right now, I still love thinking about all the amazing places I want to visit. And honestly, there’s something about being in a new place that just helps me unwind and de-stress, almost like I’m doing meditation.

• FUN FACT(S)
  • I’ve been living in the northeastern United States for 10 years already, but the truth is that Los Angeles is where my heart is. Whenever I feel like taking a break, I don’t even think twice about booking a flight to LA!
    PS - LA has the absolute best Korean food anywhere in the world!

Assembling and Collecting

I’m into putting together models, toys, and custom electronics in my spare time. It’s just satisfying to see the final product after putting in all the work to assemble it. To list a few:

• Large Lego sets, e.g., Technic Series
• Gundam
• Liquid cooling pc

I also love hunting for cool stuff and adding it to my collection. To list a few:

• Electronics and mechanics that show aesthetically pleasing designs
• Diecast plane & car models
• Ties & cufflinks & rings
• Books!

<<<<<< Construction Cordon - Work in Progress >>>>>

To be added… (have to rush to draft a paper/grant proposal)