I used to be a member of the Ann Arbor Chinese Traditional Music Ensemble, where I played bamboo flute. The sound of Chinese music often creates a time tunnel, bringing me back to many years ago, while I was in my hometown.

I am a harmonica hobbyist. Harmonica can become a "pocket piano", with advanced techniques such as octave, split, vibrato, and violin. I played tremolo harmonica when I was a graduate student, and later learned chromatic harmonica. My starting gear was the Suzuki SU-21H Humming — bright timbre, like a brass instrument. I also have a maple-combed Tombo 1521, which features a mellow, more pleasant tone for octaves. Interestingly, these two tremolo instruments have counterparts in chromatics: the bright-toned Seydel Saxony and the silky Suzuki Sirius S-64C. Personally I think chromatics are more powerful but less expressive than tremolo — I'm working on migrating tremolo techniques to chromatics to overcome this.

At the University of Toronto, I played foosball almost every day before lunch with friends in the graduate student lounge. My best record: winning two labmates using a single hand, 8–0.

I learned Tai Chi during my undergraduate years and still practice it from time to time in the morning. It helps me start each day with peace of mind.