Journeys for Knowledge

The past week has been a fairly calm one, with just research during the day and relaxing in my room at night. The days have been getting noticeably shorter, to the point where the sun is almost setting by the time I leave lab at 5. Eventually I will be coming home at nighttime, so I will need to invest in bike lights. For the time being though I have been making good progress on my work, and even sat in on conference calls with our collaborators in Texas. As for my back, it has slowly been getting better. By Monday I should be well enough to bike again but otherwise there have been no major issues.

Now that mundane is taken care of, I shall delve into my experience visiting London Friday night for the British Film Institute Film Festival. I had purchased a ticket to view a four hour documentary about UC Berkeley and how they dealt with the budget crisis, but since the viewing was at the same time as my matriculation, I had to quickly transfer my ticket to another movie, namely a Japanese film called “Why Don’t You Play in Hell”.  The film was being shown in Hackney, a region in East London, but since I had taken the day off to rest my back I decided to leave for London a little earlier so I could visit my cousin and his family for dinner.

After a rather hasty goodbye, I took the tube to Liverpool Street Station, which had a rather interesting glass ceiling, as my one photo of the day shows. After finding the correct bus I rushed into the cinema just in time for the opening credits. I was so flustered from trying to make it on time that I forgot that the seats were assigned until a couple came to claim the seat I had hastily sat in. After the film I made my way back to Liverpool Street,and after a couple hours of traveling via bus, train, and taxi, I was home again.

As for the film, the basic premise was how a group of ametuer Japanese filmmakers aspire to create a truly great movie in an era of commericalied and cheap entertainment. Through a series of events I will not spoil, they cross paths with two warring Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) clans and create a truly masterful movie, which involves ample amounts of blood and gore. On the surface, one could compare this to a movie by Quentin Tarintino and leave it at that, but clearly that would be unfair. Though the Yakuza dominate the film, in the end it is the filmmakers that are the true protagonists, and it is their story arc that presents the film’s question of whether motion pictures are simply entertaining movies, or artistic films. On top of that, the film managed to prove hilarious through its clever humor, epic through well choreographed sword fights, disgusting though gory moments, and downright sad as several major characters die unnecessary deaths. Very rarely are all of these aspects contained in one film, and it made for a truly gripping experience. As I left the theater I almost forgot I was in London, both from the escapist entertainment and the thought provoking material. Clearly films and movies are not mutually exclusive, but each should appreciated in their own context.

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While the past weekend was mostly spent at home or running errands around town, a few events did occur that will have lasting repercussions. The most important of these was matriculation on Saturday, which is a rather sophisticated way of describing orientation. Apart from a rainy class photo and sitting through talks on administrative affairs, the purpose of the event was to sign two forms confirming our status as students, for both the college and the UK Border Agency.

Earlier that day however, I attended a rowing club practice which was open to new comers. We practiced proper form on rowing machines before setting out in actual boats to row down the river. While I had wanted to try rowing for a long time, I did not realize how enjoyable it would be, to the point where I was truly tempted to join the team. The next day I was assigned to a novice team (though I do not recall giving my affirmation on this), and will meet my teammates on Thursday at a social.

I have not decided on rowing because I still had to consider Ultimate Frisbee, which has their practice session on Sunday. While the field was a bit wet and my skills a bit rusty, overall playing with the team was fun. That is, until I fell and hit my back hard. I was certainly done for the day, but the pain is taking its time to subside so we shall see what happens this week. The doctor said it is nothing serious and I agree, but rest is required so that is what I shall do.

Now that I’ve taken care of the major concerns with setting into a new school, I can finally get around to working on my thesis here. Monday was my first full day in the lab, though safety interrupted the middle of week so very little progress was made until Thursday. Now would be an appropriate time to elaborate on what exactly my research for the next year will entail.

The devices my research group builds are designed to detect light in many different frequency bands, for use in astronomy. Since I only have a year I do not have time to design and build my own device, so instead I will be working on a new device called a KID that has just been designed by a scientist in my group. My work for now is to program some simulations in MATLAB to demonstrate some interesting physics behind the operation of the KID, and make some predictions on its performance. In the new year I will use these models to evaluate the actual performance of the KIDs we build and figure out why they work. It’s the kind of after-the-fact question that only a scientist would ask, whereas most people would be content that the device just works.

I have not had much experience with simulations, and even though I’m building off of the previous work of a PhD student, I was definitely in over my head on Monday. The common solution to this problem is to read research papers over and over until they finally make sense. Luckily in the meantime I had safety training to entertain me, where I saw a man electrocute himself, another man drink vodka for science, and a flower shatter due to being frozen with liquid nitrogen. And yes somewhere in there I learned about safety too.

On a less formal topic, I’ve slowly been getting to know more people both within my fellow Churchill grad students and my lab group. Most are still acquaintances just because I have not spoken to them very often, but I can definitively say that I have a few friends as well. I even signed up to learn how to operate the graduate bar, so some nights I’m not feeling too tired I can volunteer and bartend there.

The final welcome event tonight was a formal dinner at hall, which was a nice change of pace from all the wild activities. There were many interesting traditions that went into the event, such as being summoned to dinner by a gong, and standing as the professors, and their families left the high table. We also toasted to the Queen and Sir Winston, for how could we not thank the benefactors that built this college.  A fitting end to my welcome to Cambridge, and the start of routine living in England.

As I said in my first post, I do not intend to post on a regular basis given the irregular nature of my time abroad, in case anyone was confused by the gap between posts. I have now just about settled into my house in Cambridge, after a few days of orientation and welcome events.

Nothing really kicked off until Thursday, when I went to the lab to finalize my thesis project and meet my fellow students within the lab group. I did not stay long, since I needed to purchase a bike and more importantly, food. There was little to do but read and relax before the first welcome event that night which included free pizza. I met quite a few people that night from all over the world, and bonded with my fellow lab mate Tejas over video games.

Over the next few days more events took place, from eating fine cheese, to poling boat along the river (called punting), to a BBQ by the chapel far away from everything else. The details of these events are too lengthy and troublesome for this medium, but overall the events felt a lot like my freshman year at Berkeley. One big difference was that I proactively interacted with people more this time around. I no longer had the social buffer on my high school friends, so I had to go out and make friends on my own. I would say after this first week, I have been successful in that endeavour, and the coming weeks will reveal how these newly formed relationships will grow and prosper.

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So as I alluded to on Sunday, a lot has happened between leaving London and arriving in Cambridge. To summarize my journey in brief, I traveled to Edale via Manchester to start hiking the Pennine Way, England’s oldest National Trail. From there I hiked 16 miles to Crowden to spend the night, and another 11 miles the next day to reach Marsden, from which I returned to London via Leeds. After one final night with my cousin, I packed my bags and finally moved to Cambridge and spent most of today getting settled.

Now back to the hike. To get to the starting point in Edale, I had to take a bus to Manchester and from there take a local train to Edale. I did not have much time to explore Manchester, so I hope to return one day soon. In Edale I found the path with a simple marker and started walking. All around me were rolling green hills and plenty of sheep for company on a sunny day. Soon I reached the main ascent of the day’s trek, Jacob’s ladder, which was essentially a large stone staircase that brought me close to the top of the hills.

Once at the top, I was simply blown away by the view, and of course the howling winds passing over them. The wind some of the strongest gusts I had ever felt, and they did not let up as I hiked along the hilltops for miles. There were times when I forgot I was 500 meters above the ground because the top was so open and vast. Just when I thought I was completely alone, a fellow traveller would come by to remind me that I wasn’t.

Eventually, I made it to the last stretch, a walk along the edge of a steep hill before dropping down into Crowden. I was completely alone for this part, with only some goats staring at me along the way. By the time I made it to Crowden I was exhausted and somewhat out of sorts. Thankfully a kind English couple gave me some water which gave me the strength to make it to my hostel for the night. After a simple dinner and a quick shower I collapsed in bed and slept.

I decided to just get an early start, so after an early breakfast I hit the trail at 9 to get to Marsden as fast as possible. Overnight the fog had rolled in so the trek became a little more mysterious. The wind as always did not let up over the hills, especially along another steep edge. At times I would simply kneel down and wait for the wind to subside before pressing on. Before long the hill sloped down and brought me into moor country.

Even though the actual elevation was not noticeable, it somehow felt good to be on the lower ground again, following a creek as it winded through the fog. Today’s hike had a very somber tone, with no company but the occasional sheep and the footprints of those who came before me. Once I passed the last pinnacle of my journey, Black Hill, I spotted a road and green pastures, signs of civilization again. The rest of my journey was relaxing and steadily downhill, passing a few reservoirs before ending at Marsden.

Unfortunately, I had arrived extremely early, and since my train ticket could not be preponed, I simply took my time refueling and relaxing. I had forgotten about this, but I had booked first class tickets to London, a fitting way to end a long challenging journey. The hike was mostly certainly harder than I expected, but that made the finish all the more rewarding.

Today felt mundane in comparison, even though it was quite important. My cousin dropped me off at train station and soon I was back at Churchill College, this time for good. I came to find my house empty and quiet, so after unpacking I decided to walk into town to explore some more. By the time I came back I thought I heard some people inside, but it wasn’t until after dinner that I met the first of my housemates. One studies engineering, but the other studied Renaissance Literature, so I imagine there will be some interesting conversations in the future. Overall today felt like freshman year at Berkeley, but without the closeness or familiarity of the Bay Area.

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I apologize for not posting about the last couple days, but I’ve mostly been resting with family and relaxing before school next week. As a final hurrah, I am hiking along the Pennine Way near Manchester for today and tomorrow, so I will be out of contact for the most part. However, you can expect a big update on Tuesday, about my adventure and moving into Cambridge.

Today marks the final day of my planned London adventures. That doesn’t mean to say that my adventures are over, simply that I will need to improvise for the next two days. I saved the best for last in my plan today, that magnificent collection of history that is the British Museum. I arrived just as the museum opened so I could snag tickets to the Pompeii Exhibition, but my entry time was in the afternoon so I had 4 hours to explore the rest of the museum.

The best place to start was with Egypt, since the British Museum is known for their collection of Egyptian artifacts, most of all the Rosetta Stone. I continued on through Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome before taking a detour for some small galleries on Japan, Korea, and China. By 12:00 I had finished about 2/3 of the museum so I decided to take a break for lunch and some tea. The museum restaurant had a special high tea service but with the price of 20 pounds I opted for a simpler cup of sencha tea from the cafe. I quickly wrapped up the rest of the museum by 1:30 with just enough time to queue up for the exhibition.

While the exhibition was supposedly about Pompeii, it was really looking beyond the disaster and focusing more on everyday life in the Roman empire. Many artifacts that would have otherwise been lost to the ages were preserved within the volcanic ash and rock. It was a good way to wrap up my time at the museum, being reminded that even the mundane aspects of the past can be revealing. If one is to trace the progress of humanity, should it not be by the progress of the everyday person? Versus the brightest and wealthiest people of an age. The few can be uplifted by the many in any society, but for humanity to progress, we must learn to uplift each other.

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Starting the day early, I took the underground all the way out to Tower Hill to see the Tower of London. The goal of today’s trek was to start out as far from home as possible, and slowly make my way back while stopping at various points of interest. After crossing Tower Bridge and getting a good look at the river Thames and a shiny new City Hall, I followed the Queen’s Walk along the river. Along this walk I encountered the HMS Belfast and the Borough Market again, but sadly I had to refrain from tasting their food once more.

Further along the river I encountered my next destination, the Tate Modern Art Gallery. In the past I haven’t really appreciated modern art, but walking through the galleries today taught me a valuable lesson. Many claim that modern art is simplistic, that a mere child could create what is being lauded around the  world as genius. To them I pose the question; is that so bad? Is it wrong to view the world through the eyes of a child, unbiased and untainted by worldly experiences. While the skill of creation may have declined, the importance of meaning has risen in response. Most of the time this meaning isn’t obvious, so we’re forced to read the information that accompanies each piece. But once we do, the piece of art suddenly becomes more than a simple object, and we are forever changed by the meaning we draw from it.

Taking this experience with me, I pressed on for a more classical gallery in the National Gallery by Trafalgar Square. The gallery was filled with European paintings from 1250 onward to the present day, with most subjects being Christian in nature. It dawned upon me that most of these paintings, while remarkable in skill, were simplistic in their meaning. There must have been at least 20 paintings of the Nativity scene, across 600 years of art. Where is the meaning beyond celebrating a key moment in Christianity? What message is being told beyond that of the Bible? While Christianity was indeed a driving force for art in the past, immense skill was needed to create these realistic scenes and portraits, skill that can be perfectly replicated by the photograph. Logically, by the 1800s art began to evolve beyond realism, pushing the limits of what could be done on canvas. By the time we reach the 21st century, the canvas has disappeared altogether.

The Tate Modern and National Gallery are two of the top places to visit in London, yet they have very different views on what they consider art. This duality of old and new permeates all of London, from its buildings to its people. The quintessential example was right in Trafalgar Square, where a young man was playing bagpipes right across from a breakdancing show. Ultimately, art is a form of expression that speaks to us without words. We do not always take away the same message as the artist intended, but what is even worse is not even taking the time to try.

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After an exhausting few days, I decided to slow down and actually relax this morning. Most of it was spent simply organizing papers for Cambridge and tinkering with my phone to unlock it. After a quick lunch I set out on a nice stroll through town. Today’s walk led me to Hollard Park, which was more residential compared to Kensington and Hyde Park, but still hid some gems of its own.

Passing by a youth hostel, I encountered my first batch of Americans since I left Fremont. Needless to say, it felt nostalgic to hear a familiar accent. Just around the corner I discovered a set of small gardens within the park, including a Japanese garden. I have a certain attraction towards Chinese and Japanese gardens. Their emphasis on pleasing arrangements of plants rocks and water sets them apart from most other gardens. To my surprise I not only found this, but also a set of peacocks. It took a few tries to take a proper picture, but it was worth it.

I took a different route back just for some change in scenery, when I encountered a Police Box on the side of the road. For those who are unaware, Police Boxes were places you could call the police and wait safely for their arrival. More importantly, it was chosen as the outward appearance of the TARDIS, a ship that travels through space and time with  Dr. Who, England’s top science fiction show.

Once back at home I got around to reading the papers I need to understand before I can begin my research. That didn’t last too long as the arrival of my nephews from school distracted me most of the afternoon. While they share common interest in Legos and Star Wars, what really brought us together was an appreciation for Top Gear, a British automotive show. My other cousin who lives near Wimbledon even stopped by to say hello, though he kept debating with his brother whether I looked more  like my dad or my uncle.

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As I mentioned yesterday, there are certain advantages to living in a real family home. One disadvantage however is the morning chaos when everyone is getting ready for the day. After saying bye to my nephews and eating a quiet breakfast, I waited for my cousin to hastily get ready do he could drop my at the nearest tube station. From there I literally crammed into a rush hour train to reach King’s Cross Station, where I would embark for my first visit to Cambridge.

Conveniently the train ride was a nice 45 minutes with no stops until Cambridge, and after another quick taxi ride through town, I arrived at the Cavendish Laboratory. My research advisor Stafford met me in the lobby and showed me around a little bit. We spent the next 3 hours discussing various projects I could work on with two other members of his group David and Chris. After some more introductions to the rest of the group I decided to work on basic physics tests involving Kinetic Inductance Detectors. I can’t go into any more detail just yet, it will have to wait until I get started, but I am excited this coming year of research.

After a brief walk around the lab I made my way over to Churchill College, my home for the next 11 months. Luckily the graduate student secretary was more than happy to help me get started on introductory paperwork. By the time I move in next week I’ll have internet access set up and be ready to hit the ground running. I didn’t realize how close my house was to the college and lab, which will make life very convenient.

Opting not to call a taxi, I slowly walked through the heart of Cambridge to the rail station. The town is definitely bigger than I imagined, around the same size as the outskirts of Stanford. People kept telling me that Cambridge was a small place, but I guess they never saw how condensed Berkeley was. I will definitely need a bike to get into town, but that’s business for next week. Once I reached the rain station it was quite easy to make my way back home, where I rested and ate a simple dinner with my cousin while the kids slept.

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