citbike
I use citibike basically everyday, mostly for running errands around the neighborhood and to get to and from the subway (last mile problem). As of spring 2025 I've used 150+ unique stations, which is not even 7% of the total stations! When I commute to and from work I typically use my personal ebike.
Here is a picture of a rug I got off marketplace and brought home on a citibike.
nyc mesh
I maintain a node on the NYC Mesh, a peer-to-peer, community-owned, network which aims to provide free internet access to New Yorkers. The networks is built on a hub and spoke model, where the majority of connections are made using long-range directional wifi antennas. My connection looks like this:
Me <--(directional wifi)--> Hub <--(directional wifi)--> 375 Pearl St. <--(fiber)--> Internet
Typically I get 150+Mbps up and down with a 30ms ping, but during high traffic times or when the weather is bad the connection can degrade.
climbing
I started climbing several years ago after my brother took me. This is the first fitness-related activity that I've been able to consistently maintain since becoming an adult, so I'm very happy to have found it. I think the problem solving aspect of climbing, which I enjoy a lot, plays a big role in this.
I mostly do indoor bouldering. I've tried climbing outside a few times, but I find it painful, I don't know where to put my feet, and the holds aren't colorful 😭.
dissertation preface
The following is the preface of my dissertation.
At night, my apartment looks out to a thousand illuminated windows. I'm drawn such views because they make me feel an isolating sense of closeness; behind each window is a person---a family enjoying dinner, a student working on their homework, a cleaning person ending their shift. I do not know them and they do not know me, yet we are all connected in this moment of existence. This is sonder, a concept for which we find a definition in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows:sonderSonder, even with the accompanying melancholy, has been the single most consistent force driving my success throughout my tertiary education. It only fitting, then, that it receives mention in my dissertation, the symbolic culmination of my formal education.
n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own
food
My favorite resturant in the world is Yume Wo Katare in Cambridge, MA. They have only two items on the menu: ramen and ramen with extra pork. The style of ramen (Ramen Jiro) is pretty different from typical ramen---the noodles are thick and chewy, the broth is very rich, and there is lots of raw garlic on top. More broadly, I'm a big fan of chewy noodles, especially biang biang noodles.
I also love essentially any type of fried chicken. I especially like McDonald's 麦辣鸡腿汉堡, which is easily the best fast-food chicken sandwich (but is unfortunately only available in Asia).