The November Review
I wanted to begin by noting that there will be a slight modification in style with these blogs moving forward. I love writing and have enjoyed this blog project, but when I encounter writer’s block or simply lack the time, it becomes challenging to continue writing the long stories I wish to tell. Oftentimes, I also write the blogs well past the date I claim they were written, which means I have to remember the nitty-gritty details for a longer period. So, to preserve my limited memory, which I will need for school, some changes will need to be made. Therefore, due to academic challenges and my new life as a Ph.D. student, I think it’s better to write shorter blogs that are of higher quality. Usually, the quality is quite good, as I have a free editor in ChatGPT who keeps my writing polished. I hope you understand… Now, back to the original topic.
November is the month of being thankful, and I have many reasons to be thankful this year. But before delving into why I am thankful, a quick note about November—it’s a time of noticeable change. As the days grow shorter, casting long shadows early in the evening, there’s a tangible shift in the rhythm of life. This is especially true in academia. For me, in graduate school, November marks a time when studies intensify, blending the theoretical aspects learned in the early quarter with more complex, practical applications. Assignments become more demanding, research more intricate, and expectations higher. Yet, amidst this academic crescendo, I find myself now fully in control of the graduate school routine. I’ve adapted to the pace, embraced the challenges, and honed my time management skills to a fine art. This mastery over my schedule and responsibilities, despite the shorter days and longer nights, is a significant reason for my gratitude this November.
Now, this blog again marks the iteration of a new era. For the past 15 or so blogs, we have maintained the structure of the Top Three Highlights of the Month, which I would usually touch on in the next section after my brief introduction. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and November, we are changing just for this month to The Three Reasons to Be Thankful.
Top Three Reasons to Be Thankful (2023 Edition)
1. All Around the World
2023 started off horribly. I left Switzerland because it was too much. My ex-girlfriend from the previous summer didn’t want to see me, and I wondered what awaited me in the future. Confused and lonely, I would just walk around the streets of New York City, wondering if things would go my way. This somber start to the year, however, was not reflective of the year as a whole, which soon turned out to be quite amazing.
I started the year off by traveling to Hamburg to spend time with Philippa in her native country, before being stranded in Istanbul’s airport, which was beautiful but hellish. After being stuck in the airport for nearly 22 hours, I made it to my new home of Boston, Massachusetts, where I would be living for the future. I learned many things on the job from my manager Mukund, Fred, Greg, and even from my more intimidating co-workers Noah and Nico. Khoi and Laura were also very helpful during my time at Celsius, always inviting me out for drinks when I felt out of place. Outside of my new work, I met Lauren, who invited me out all the time all around Boston. Unsuccessful lovers, we became really good friends. She took me to museums, restaurants, bars, and clubs, and it was nice to have the first person I met be such an amazing friend. While adjusting to Boston’s cold weather was quite difficult, nothing was as bad as the day it was -8 degrees outside, and I decided to walk 30 minutes to work. At some point, I got so fed up with the cold that I began traveling around the world, where I would rekindle with old friends.
It began with visiting Miami, Florida, a legendary city which lived up to every word ever spoken, and then stopping by Orlando to play top golf with Tiffanie. Soon after, I went to visit Ali in Toronto, where we got to explore the 6ix, go to the top of the CN Tower, and take a bus tour to Niagara Falls and go maple syrup tasting. Upon returning and working some more, it was time to go again. I road-tripped with Osagie from Northern California to Southern California, hitting all the stops from SF to LA/SD. After escaping the winter from all this traveling, I began my extravagant dating life, where I would not just go to meet a potential partner but also just look for FRIENDS. I can announce that I was successful in making friends, establishing a point of contact with many people from the hundreds of universities centered in Boston. From Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, BU, and the list goes on, there was a plethora of opportunities for me to meet and greet many new friends.
At some point, I found a bigger role at Harvard when I met Camilla, thanks to helping her with a school project. This led to a sequence of events into the “luxury club” like experience that Harvard really was. I danced at socials, attended concerts, and went to many of their spring formals (college proms). It was all fun and to end it, they recruited me to go to Japan with them in June. So, once June hit, I traveled to Japan, clubbed with them but ultimately traveled from Tokyo all the way down to the bottom of the connected island. I saw caves, waterfalls, volcanoes, and all types of beautiful terrain, and I felt really lucky to explore the whole country. To conclude the trip, I climbed Mt. Fuji, seeing the view from the top of the world. However, there are many other worlds that I’d like to see from above, so climbing them is a future mission. After leaving Japan, I trekked over to Taiwan and met a local, Joanne, who was a sweet girl with good, fun energy. She took me to Din Tai Fung, to the top of Taipei 101, and bought me a drink at the bar ;)
Once back home from my trip, I saw the end of a company, and everyone was going to lose their job. Though it was tough to see everyone lose their job, it took them no time to recover. However, losing my job meant I had to go home, so it was farewell Boston and hello SF/WC. Living at home before moving to graduate school was a nice change of pace, as it had been a while since I had been home. But I got bored being at home, so I went to hella concerts, seeing BLACKPINK, YOASOBI, and ODESZA (again). Once the quick month passed, it was time to move to LA to begin graduate school. It was a familiar environment, and it became extra familiar when I started working with my undergraduate PI for the real deal this time. This catches you up on the timeline, but it on the timeline but it truly was an amazing year around the world.
2. Another Opportunity with Graduate Education
As I alluded to at the end of the previous section, I am grateful to have begun my journey as a Ph.D. student. Pursuing a Ph.D. was never really in my plans, but here I am. This time around, however, I am focused on finding grace and enjoying the grind of graduate school. EPFL was an amazing experience in its own way, but it became overwhelming in the end. Now, I am presented with a brand-new opportunity, starting early in research. A month before my program officially began, I had already started exploring Large Language Models, Natural Language Processing, and representation learning; all topics that were completely new to me. I learned how to use AWS, NVIDIA GPUs, loggers, and various hardware/software engineering practices. While I expect the research intensity to only scale up, I am just happy to be able to learn so much in an environment that’s better suited for me. On another note, school is interesting, and not having to commute by boat for 1.5 hours is a relief. It really feels like I’ll be okay, no matter how long it takes to complete my degree. I’m excited for what’s ahead, but overall, I’m just thankful to be back in this academic environment and at this school.
3. Collette
Last thing I’m thankful for is my new girlfriend Collette. She makes me happy. I can go on and on and on but my feelings aren’t your feelings and they also don’t need to be shared to the public… lol. But I am thankful for her, how we met, and what the future will look like for us.
One thing I learned this Month
You Are Meant to Be Where You are Supposed to BE!
I’ve probably talked about this a lot in some previous posts, but it’s really awesome to see life just work out. Leaving EPFL posed a lot of risks for my future, and my time at Celsius was never a long-term objective. However, even back in January, I won’t lie, I was very stressed about what was next for my life. I contemplated so many decisions, like possibly returning to EPFL, finding better work in Boston, or job searching in New York. But coming back to grad school has brought me a lot of peace about my future, and it helped me enjoy my time in Boston instead of pondering what was next for me. Regardless of my luck, I think life puts you in positions that you are supposed to be in. Therefore, even if the future is uncertain, it’s better to let life work itself out and just live in the moment. If you’ve worked hard for something, someone will notice, and you will be rewarded. Stay strong. Stay disciplined. And just do your best!
Quote of the Monthly
“Living Happy is good revenge” - Unknown
Contact
Simon Lee
simonlee711@gmail.com
simonlee711@g.ucla.edu