Interests...
...in part define people. Describe the essence of the person. During my time here at the University of Washington, I felt like I was exposed to a chain-reaction of ideas, ideas that often piqued my interest...
For reference. The above picture is from Princess Mononoke, an Japanese animation film by Studio Ghibli.
For reference. The above picture is from Princess Mononoke, an Japanese animation film by Studio Ghibli.
Reading
At the beginning of college freshman year, I stopped reading for leisure. Three years later, I rediscovered (regained?) my interest in leisure reading. I usually read what interests me. If I could break down my reading leisure time, 20% on popular science books, 60% on history-related topics (music, linguistics, ancient history, etc.), and 20% on miscellaneous topics.
Music
I started playing the piano when I was seven and was involved in many competitions, winning a few. Nowadays, I play the piano for leisure, using to take a break from academic work. Sometimes, if I'm not careful, I'll end up practicing/playing for an hour before I know it. My current goals for music is to be able to play by ear; in other words, I want to be able to hear a song and immediately play it on the piano. I think it's wondrous ability and often envy a certain friend who does so easily. Part of that goal is developing perfect pitch.
I usually enjoy playing classical music and jazz. But over the years, I've started enjoying playing anime music, particularly Studio Ghibli music.
I usually enjoy playing classical music and jazz. But over the years, I've started enjoying playing anime music, particularly Studio Ghibli music.
Cuisine
As the time of this writing, I can't cook, but I do enjoy trying out different cuisine.
Good cuisine is an art form. There's a certain beauty in good food.
It certainly was the case when I tried out food in my travels to China and Taiwan.
Good cuisine is an art form. There's a certain beauty in good food.
It certainly was the case when I tried out food in my travels to China and Taiwan.
Anime
Japanese animation. I remember my perspective on anime before watching it. I thought it just involved a lot of perverted material.
It was kind of an accident that I got into anime. I was listening to YouTube music while doing my homework, and the music switched to Studio Ghibli music. The music was quiet, beautiful, introspective, maybe with some influence from classical music. It caught my attention. Curious, I decided to watch a Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away.
The film caught me by surprise. It was fantastically creative; I felt myself being pulled into another world, a world where magic still exists. I ended up watching most of Studio Ghibli's films, including Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises, etc. I was fascinated by the creativity; I felt myself plunging into different world. Not only that, I really appreciated that the films didn't resort to shallow entertainment. It was deep. It required introspection. Because the films often addressed certain aspects of life. Moving on, I continued watching films like Studio Ghibli. 5 Centimeters Per Second. Your Name. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Summer Wars. Wolf Children. The Boy and the Beast. I often noticed that common themes in these movies often emphasized transience. Nothing is forever, constant. Life is always changing. A related concept is bittersweet aspects of life. I think these films really taught me to live and enjoy the present instead of constantly looking forward into the future, which I had been doing every since elementary school.
I moved on to anime series. Some were bad. Some were good. One that I particularly enjoyed was Your Lie in April (Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso, 四月は君の嘘). It combined classical music and emphasized the transience of life. It really resonated with me because my piano playing experiences was reflected in the protagonist's piano experiences. What it means to be a musician. What it means to overcome fear. It also resonated with me because of the theme of transience. Nothing was forever, which I had began to realize reflecting on past experiences.
It was kind of an accident that I got into anime. I was listening to YouTube music while doing my homework, and the music switched to Studio Ghibli music. The music was quiet, beautiful, introspective, maybe with some influence from classical music. It caught my attention. Curious, I decided to watch a Studio Ghibli film, Spirited Away.
The film caught me by surprise. It was fantastically creative; I felt myself being pulled into another world, a world where magic still exists. I ended up watching most of Studio Ghibli's films, including Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises, etc. I was fascinated by the creativity; I felt myself plunging into different world. Not only that, I really appreciated that the films didn't resort to shallow entertainment. It was deep. It required introspection. Because the films often addressed certain aspects of life. Moving on, I continued watching films like Studio Ghibli. 5 Centimeters Per Second. Your Name. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Summer Wars. Wolf Children. The Boy and the Beast. I often noticed that common themes in these movies often emphasized transience. Nothing is forever, constant. Life is always changing. A related concept is bittersweet aspects of life. I think these films really taught me to live and enjoy the present instead of constantly looking forward into the future, which I had been doing every since elementary school.
I moved on to anime series. Some were bad. Some were good. One that I particularly enjoyed was Your Lie in April (Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso, 四月は君の嘘). It combined classical music and emphasized the transience of life. It really resonated with me because my piano playing experiences was reflected in the protagonist's piano experiences. What it means to be a musician. What it means to overcome fear. It also resonated with me because of the theme of transience. Nothing was forever, which I had began to realize reflecting on past experiences.
Linguistics
I remember being fascinated with linguistics, actually evolutionary linguistics, during Honors in Rome the summer after freshman year. I had written a brief research paper outlining the evolutionary descent from the first hypothetical language to Latin to the Romance languages. Writing that research people sparked an interest in evolutionary linguistics.
Sophomore year, I was particularly fascinated with the Romance languages. How similar they were. The vocabulary and grammar were so similar because they were descendants of Latin. I was also fascinated with how English is essentially a pseudo-descendant of Latin. English is a Germanic language, but it has heavy French influences (look up Battle of Hastings in 1066).
Junior year, I was particularly fascinated with Japanese. In particular, its relationship with Chinese. Modern Japanese has its roots in Chinese. Learning some Japanese and being a relatively proficient speaker of Chinese Mandarin, I quickly noticed that many Japanese words have its roots in Chinese. Modern Japanese also incorporates many loanwords (like a lot) from English, and some from the Romance languages (e.g. pan, in Japanese and the Romance languages means "bread").
Sophomore year, I was particularly fascinated with the Romance languages. How similar they were. The vocabulary and grammar were so similar because they were descendants of Latin. I was also fascinated with how English is essentially a pseudo-descendant of Latin. English is a Germanic language, but it has heavy French influences (look up Battle of Hastings in 1066).
Junior year, I was particularly fascinated with Japanese. In particular, its relationship with Chinese. Modern Japanese has its roots in Chinese. Learning some Japanese and being a relatively proficient speaker of Chinese Mandarin, I quickly noticed that many Japanese words have its roots in Chinese. Modern Japanese also incorporates many loanwords (like a lot) from English, and some from the Romance languages (e.g. pan, in Japanese and the Romance languages means "bread").
Language
My time in Italy and my interest in linguistics prompted me to take up foreign language for leisure.
Sophomore year, I dabbled with the Romance languages. Junior year, I started learning Japanese using Duolingo.
Sophomore year, I dabbled with the Romance languages. Junior year, I started learning Japanese using Duolingo.
Ancient History
I've always been interested in ancient history. Ancient Egyptian. Ancient Greek. Ancient Roman. I'm also interested in Ancient Chinese and Japanese history. But most of all, I'm interested why and how cultures evolve.
I'm currently reading Guns, Germs, and Steel, which provides a fascinating narrative on why certain cultures are more advanced than others.
I'm currently reading Guns, Germs, and Steel, which provides a fascinating narrative on why certain cultures are more advanced than others.
World Cultures
I usually enjoy traveling to other countries and exploring, particularly their historical artifacts, their language, their cuisine, and their social culture. I remember having my perspectives changed while I was in Italy where I learned to how to be content with life, have to fill fulfilled, instead of constantly chasing after the things I didn't have. That's why I enjoy traveling to other countries. To explore their cultural perspectives and perhaps them into my own.
I think a thing to keep in mind is that no culture is perfect. Oftentimes, I've seen friends who have been too enamored with another culture and neglect to properly examine that culture's shortcomings. Yet, there are many potential things to learn and adopt from other cultures.
As the time of this writing (Spring 2018), I have been to Italy, China, and Taiwan, and hope to visit Japan sometime soon.
I think a thing to keep in mind is that no culture is perfect. Oftentimes, I've seen friends who have been too enamored with another culture and neglect to properly examine that culture's shortcomings. Yet, there are many potential things to learn and adopt from other cultures.
As the time of this writing (Spring 2018), I have been to Italy, China, and Taiwan, and hope to visit Japan sometime soon.
Other Interests
I like the outdoors. Hiking. Fishing. Airsofting.