During my free time, I go for walks and runs, lift weights, eat healthily, do yoga, meditate, journal, and read. I sometimes play hockey and soccer, ski, snowboard, skateboard, and play golf.
When I was growing up, I played with legos and Lincoln Logs, built model cars and rockets, put together puzzles, folded origami, and played a lot of video games. I had a chess teacher and played in chess tournaments. My USCF rating is 1377, but it's been a while since I've played tournament chess.
Ice hockey is probably my favorite sport. It's so much fun. I think I started playing when I was like five years old. I played travel youth ice hockey mainly for the Mid-Fairfield Blues out of Darien Ice Rink, but one season (I think 1998–99) I played for the Southern Connecticut Stars out of Milford Ice Pavillion. Youth ice hockey was so much fun. I especially loved playing in the travel tournaments (like the ones at Lake Placid and Providence, RI) and playing knee hockey in the hallways outside our hotel rooms. In high school: at Staples High School, I played one season of varsity ice hockey, and at Kent School, I played one season of junior varsity (JV) ice hockey and then two seasons of varsity ice hockey. In college: I played junior varisty ice hockey, which was basically like club ice hockey, and I tried to walk on to the varisty team a few times but never made it, although I did score once during a scrimmage one year, and I got to play with Alex Killorn a bit. Since college, I haven't really been playing ice hockey that much. Sometimes, I go to rinks that have stick time and practice my skills. It's a great way to exercise.
Here I am on 2017 November 17 practicing my skills during stick time at Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, CT. My mom came to watch and did some filming with her iPhone. Thanks, Mom! :-)
My mom who's really good at piano got me piano lessons when I was growing up. We also had a Steinway stand-up piano in our house that I love. It's the one I'm playing on in the videos below.
I took more piano lessons at Kent School where I did piano as one of my extracurricular activities. I performed in a few recitals there too. These are some of the songs I performed:
Unfortunately, I don't remember how to play those songs anymore, and I suck at reading sheet music, so it'd be difficult for me to relearn them. Also, I never took a video or audio recording of me playing Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca or Chopin's Prelude Op 28 No 20. The former song I wasn't a huge fan of, but my piano teacher at Kent School picked it for me to learn. I do love Yuja Wang's variations on the Turkish March though. The latter song, also chosen by my piano teacher at Kent School, isn't a very difficult song, technically speaking, but I still think it's beautiful.
I also know how to play the song Heart and Soul and parts of a few other songs, such as the piano arpeggios in the beginning of Coldplay's Clocks.
I also was the first cellist in my middle school's orchestra. And I took one oboe lesson because I think it's a cool instrument.
Here I am at different times playing piano. I think I just recorded myself for each video by propping up my phone or camera on something.
Here I am on 2014 October 24 skateboarding at Heath Eiland and Morgan Moss BMX Skate Park in Austin, TX. I asked a guy nearby (who I think was also skating there that day) to take a video of me skating, and he was nice enough to do so.