A review of salmiakki (Nordic salty licorice)
I absolutely loathed the first bite - it tasted something like slow-cooked soap and vomit. By day three, I was addicted and had to stop myself from eating as I'm pretty sure eating a ton of licorice isn't good for me.
I am helping organize the DBML 2026 workshop at ICDE
The DBML workshop at ICDE has featured research at the intersection between databases and machine learning - in both directions - since 2022. More information at https://dataintelligencecrew.github.io/dbml26/.
Re-organizing my deep work nook
I bought a small desktop organizer from Amazon to control the mess of my stationery and books. Alongside the motivational scientific posters on the wall in the background, this corner of my desk now serves as a pleasurable hideout for deep work.
A review of Taichi Bubble Tea's unagi (eel) bowl
The unagi and teriyaki sauce is a piece of art. Too much rice. 4.5/5.
A review of “Crazy Cat Lady”
It's less of a toy than a decoration. For-cat-lovers-but-definitely-not-for-those-that-own-cats out of ten.
Common yarrow and bugs
Common yarrows are one of the few native, large, perennial flowering plants that I found in my back yard growing on its own. The colony just blooomed, which attracted quite the selection of bugs. I observed many adult and larval ladybugs, some native-looking flies and bees. It reminds me why I am doing this project in the first place.
Forget-me-not
Most species of forget-me-nots (Myosotis sp.) are non-native to North America. This colony, which occupies wide swaths of my back yard through its rhizomous spread, is most likely the highly invasive Myosotis scorpiodes from Europe, which has become commonplace around here in the Great Lakes region. I will most likely need to resort to herbicidal control. It's a shame, since it is quite the pretty flower.
Charles Darwin's Letters
Some time ago, I was able to visit the exhibition "Charles Darwin's Letters" at the New York Public Library. Darwin is my original idol; it was the next best thing to meeting him in person!
Common Yellow Woodsorrel
I recently started cataloging and identifying all plants that live in my back yard. One of the most prevalent are, fittingly, common yellow woodsorrels. This plant is considered a weed to gardeners due to its rapid rhizomatous propagation. I think it is pretty.
SIGMOD Demo Paper "Plutus: Understanding Data Distribution Tailoring for Machine Learning" has been accepted!
The paper will appear in SIGMOD 2024 Demonstration track.
This work was made possible thanks to my advisor Fatemeh Nargesian and Matthias Boehm of TU Berlin who developed the original techniques, as well as collaborator Christina Dionysio.
VLDB Journal Paper "Data Distribution Tailoring: Cost-Efficient Acquisition of Representative Data" has been accepted!
Paper will be published in VLDBJ after editing processes are complete.
This work was made possible thanks to my collaborator Bohan Cui, authors of the original conference paper Fatemeh Nargesian, Abolfazl Asudeh, and H.V. Jagadish, and the Schwartz Discover Grant for Undergraduate Research.
Our journal paper significantly extends upon the conference paper with new and modified analysis and algorithms.
I will also publish additional materials (e.g. laymen's abstract, poster) about our work soon.
See also: laymen's abstract and poster
A Morning of Scavenging the Bargain Bin
Physical bookstores have that magic of picking up random books that I never would have found from an online review.
I found several gems on this haul for about $10 total.
What's Old is New
Living the early 2000s life for focus and calm.
My Millipede Friends
This terrarmium houses three Orthoporus ornatus millipedes.
I like watching them crawl around.
They munch of leaves and wood.
Touching dirt makes me feel alive.