times i've said "wow"

2024

Attended Dr. Mark Walters and Christelle Salomon’s seminar on curative treatments for sickle cell disease (SCD). I was deeply moved. Christelle spoke as both a patient and medical student, sharing her journey before and after her stem cell transplant. What struck me most was a self-portrait she shared—a raw, visceral image of herself screaming surrounded by handwritten words describing her emotions during pain crises and how SCD made her feel. It captured the helplessness of living with SCD in a way medical textbooks never could. She was candid about the brutal reality of chemotherapy and transplant treatments, yet emphasized that even those intense challenges were preferable to continuing life with SCD. Being at Berkeley, I’m immersed in the science but rarely get to hear directly from patients. Her story bridged that gap, reminding me of the human impact behind the research we do.

For being in the Bay Area (again). I’ve met many interesting people, energetic aliens, and some of my “heroes” (i.e. people whose writing/work I find fascinating and that I’ve been following for a while)—these three categories often overlap—just by being a bus ride away from SF + putting myself out there (i.e. attending events and reaching out to folks).
I love this city, its energy, and the people it attracts. And how, despite taking their work very seriously, people often don’t take themselves as seriously.
Of course, I also love the weather, diverse food choices (compared to where I lived before), and access to nature.

For being in the Bay Area (see PG’s Cities and Ambition), being at UC Berkeley, getting to work with and learn from people I look up to and meet more of them in person! (a;lskdjfal;ksdjf 🤯)
For cool conference swag lol

For cool people, as curious as they are kind, who aren’t afraid to reach out :)
- I realized showcasing and documenting my thoughts and what I’m doing is just as important as getting out there and doing things, so I started writing on this website in July 2023 to increase my surface area for serendipity. Thank you, JT, for being the first person to reach out / meet up after checking out this site.

For California’s accessible natural beauty (hike @ Lower Fire Trails, right next to campus). Went in between classes on a random Tuesday afternoon.
For getting the chance to attend TechCrunch Disrupt! My first exposure to TC Disrupt was through Silicon Valley (the HBO Show. Jared is the best character) in high school. Used to think TC Disrupt was a fictional event. 😅
For getting that sweet deal on the DDJ-400 after it’d been discontinued + speakers from Camila.
For having a really kind Uber driver (Korean-American man from Arizona). We talked about the NBA (The Redeem Team documentary on Netflix), growing up as an Asian person in a predominantly white area in the 70s, barbecue places, his daughters, and more. Thank you, John, for making the drive from Camila’s place in Sausalito back to Berkeley memorable.