About

Athletics

Fitness has been a hobby since I was an undergraduate. I regularly lift and play Judo, and enjoy the challenge and the satisfaction of both. Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo, proposed the Principle of Maximum Efficiency: One should generally seek the action which results in the greatest efficacy for minimum effort. Moreover, he extended this principle beyond the dojo to the rest of life as well; I aim to do the same (and I believe this principle is univocal with the search for balance between robustness and efficiency in statistics). I also enjoy other athletic activities such as camping and hiking, and I do the Spartan obstacle courses occasionally as well.

Some of my most recent accomplishments are as follows:

  1. Gold medal, 2023 Westlake Open Judo Tournament. (Novice women -48kg)
  2. Gold medal, 2022 Dallas Open Judo Chamiponships. (Novice women -48kg)
  3. Gold medal, 2022 President's Cup. (Novice women -48kg)
  4. Orange belt rank (SMU Judo Club & Eastside Dojo)
  5. Gold medal, NTX Summer Slam. (Novice women -52kg; uncontested in -48kg)
  6. Silver medal, NTX Spring Slam. (Novice women -48kg)

Music

Before I started on the statistics path, I was a cellist; I performed tours, solo recitals, and a few symphonic solos as well. Highlights included soloing a C. P. E. Bach Concerto at the Kleiner Golden Concert hall in Berlin, receiving a glowing newspaper review in Juterborg, playing an invitational solo with the Couer d'Alene Symphony, receiving a fellowship from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and advancing to the National Finals of the Canada Music Competition three times. I also have a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance, which I obtained from SMU under Andres Diaz.

 

While my music tastes have evolved, and I no longer play the cello, music continues to be an essential part of my daily life. I also write for a heavy metal news outlet called "Metal Exposure" (some examples here and here), and have both published in and reviewed for the Journal of Metal Music Studies.

Other Art Forms

I enjoy a variety of different art forms in addition to music, particularly books and visual art. In my down time you can frequently find me working on some constructive project, buried in a book, or at an art gallery. I particularly enjoy abstract and semi-abstract art, as well as impressionism and any style where the texture of the paint is visible.

 

I grew up loving sci-fi and fantasy novels (and actually spent a large amount of time learning and analyzing one of the Tolkeinian elvish languages - Quenya- back in the day).  I still enjoy YA/Adult sci-fi and fantasy, as well as philosophical non-fiction, particularly philosophy of science. I try to keep my Goodreads account updated with my latest reads.