Random things about me

  • In my "free time", I attempt to play guitar.
  • I don't listen to a lot of music, but when I do, it's usually metal (like Megadeth) or occasionally J-pop/J-rock.
  • I do like to play video games and if I were to pick a genre to be my favorite, it would be RPGs.
  • Obviously, I am not interested in just Astronomy. Some other subjects that I find fasinating are: Anthropology (e.g., the study of human evolution up to its current state), some Philosophy (I really found my undergraduate class with Prof. Francescotti at SDSU very interesting!), and a little of Paleontology (dinosaurs were amazing).
  • While I was in graduate school, I decided to start martial arts as I have always been facinated by it since I was a child. I am an active practitioner in 4 different styles of martial arts (2 of which are traditional Okinawan):
    • Shorin-ryu (specifically Shobayashi Shorin-ryu),
    • Shudokan,
    • Hung Gar,
    • Sun-style Taiji,
    • and I have also done internal training within Aikido.

If I actually had free time

  • One of my goals is to learn Japanese to the point where I can have a conversation with a native. So far, I can barely read Hiragana, some Katakana, and a handful of Kanji.
  • Even though being able to play the guitar is enjoyable, I'd also like to pick up learning how to play other instruments. As of right now, the only other instrument I have any major interest in learning is the piano.

Quotes/Life lessons

  • ''Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.'' - Benjamin Franklin
  • ''Start each day with a task completed. Find someone to help you through life. Respect everyone. Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often. But if take you take some risks, step up when the times are the toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up - if you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today.'' - Naval Admiral William H. McRaven
10 Lessons from Admiral William H. McRaven
  • Lesson No. 1: If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
  • Lesson No. 2: If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
  • Lesson No. 3: If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.
  • Lesson No. 4: If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.
  • Lesson No. 5: If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses.
  • Lesson No. 6: If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.
  • Lesson No. 7: If you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks.
  • Lesson No. 8: If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.
  • Lesson No. 9: If you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.
  • Lesson No. 10: If you want to change the world, don't ever, ever ring the bell.