Reflections on technology, education, travel, and life experiences from places like Singapore and the Himalayan foothills.
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Shera
For two years, I lived in the Himalayan foothills at a boarding school tolerated by nature. I don’t know anywhere else that has a superior combination of leopard density and wireless download speed. The wilderness was not just on our doorstep but inside our house. Spiders and scorpions the size of s...
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Master of Computer Science
When I wrote my [last blog post](/writing/2022-a-few-seasons-in-singapore) in January 2022, I was starting my Master's Degree in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, and I was 4 months from becoming a father. That I haven't written since then is one measure of how consuming those have both been! Unlike...
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A Few Seasons in Singapore
My [last reflection](/writing/2020-30) was on my 30th birthday, and a lot has happened since then! I celebrated with my family and then boarded a very empty flight to Singapore, where I was locked in a hotel room for 2 weeks with Leaf. Soon, we moved into an apartment, and our new furniture and old ...
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30
Ten years ago, I had just returned to my parents' house after working on an organic farm on the coast of Maine, and I was about to join my brother on a road trip down the Rocky Mountains from Calgary to Grand Teton. In my downtime, I was learning how to slackline in my backyard, putting heel in fron...
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War in Peace
I've never known war. Never did bomb shelter drills in school, never worried about being drafted, and none of my friends have died on the battlefield. This makes me a lucky one, I know, and I'm grateful for how safe my life has been. But from what I've read, heard, and seen about war, I can see a fe...
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Mountains and Temples
For most of monsoon, the walls of fog around us felt a little suffocating. In rare moments, we caught glimpses of India beyond our small community, but most of the time, we stayed on campus and adventured only to the nearest bazaar for errands....
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Modern Friendship
Almost ten years ago, I got an email unlike one I'd ever gotten before. It was from my friend Patrick who had written a personal missive about the recent ups and downs of his life. In a world where people were almost competitively busy, conversations often didn't have the time or space they needed t...
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Highlights: Mar 4 - Jun 30, 2017
Here's my update from the past.. long time! It's over 2500 words, so I'll make an executive summary here at the top: ...
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Highlights: Feb 13 - Mar 3, 2017
Here's my update from the past few weeks - this one includes February break, so there's a lot!...
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Reflection on 2013
Almost a year ago, I wrote a speech that embodied the most important and salient points I had learned in college. I tried to distill that into some sort of worldview about the coming post-graduate years that I could share with those around me as we left the comfort of our university pond to navigate...
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The Monk and the Philosopher
Among the books that have molded my identity, this one did perhaps the most in the spiritual dimension: *The Monk and the Philosopher*....
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Call of the Wild
Before college, I had always loved playing outside and fraternizing with the natural world, but only in the past few years have I begun really probing that. Through Pittsburgh Connections and the Explorers Club, I've gone skydiving, rock climbing, caving, horseback riding, hiking, camping, skiing, w...
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D'Artagnan, Atticus, Bond
Fictional characters often have a distinguishing characteristic in a way that real people don't. Whether it's their fatal flaw or their quintessential credo, their lives and experiences are tied to it. So while an individual character is usually not well-rounded enough to be a wholesome role model, ...
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Reflection on 2012
I did this [last year](/writing/2011-reflection-on-2011) and it felt great. So, again. What set this year apart?...
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Reflection on 2011
Another year etched in stone, the next, a blank slate. Living in the northern latitudes, I welcome with slight resignation this reliable herald of the passage of time: Winter. Each year brings its own, recognized by foggy breath, shedding clouds, and holiday spirit. However, the season alone doesn't...
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On Storytelling and Hugo
Source: [www.xkcd.com](http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_corliss_resolution.png)...
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