Health

Exercise and Diet

Everything that happens to our outer self results from what is happening in our inner self. Hence, we should take good care of our health. This is also a reason why I started this blog post by reflecting on my health and habits.

Getting enough quality sleep is essential for maintaining focus and staying energized throughout the day. Currently, I average about 6.5 hours of sleep per night, but I’m aiming to increase this to 7-8 hours. I’m also trying to have a consistent schedule of 6 AM to 11 PM. In addition, I’m making an effort to wake up early every day to master my morning routine, helping me stay mindful and productive throughout the day.

Exercise is a crucial part of maintaining both physical and mental health. For my birthday last year, I bought myself a pair of running shoes to challenge myself to develop a running routine. I started running 3-4 times a week earlier this year. At first, I struggled with leg pain and controlling my breath while running, but I embraced the challenge and made a point to reflect on how I could improve after each session. After a few months, I noticed improvements in my breathing control and running pace.

From April to August, with a busy work and travel schedule, I reduced my exercise intensity, which negatively impacted my physical health. I felt out of shape, so I began motivating myself to rebuild the habit in September. In addition to running, I purchased a jump rope for cardio and set up a small gym in my room for weightlifting to build muscle. I’ve now been consistently running and lifting for four months, and I’m feeling a noticeable improvement in my physical health.

Aside from exercising, healthy diets are crucial for keeping my body in good condition. I’ve started having nutritious breakfasts and incorporate more salads and lean meats into my meals, while ensuring I get enough vitamins. I’ve also switched from cow's milk to almond milk in my morning coffee. To support these, I visit a nearby grocery store every week to select the foods that align with my diet. Staying hydrated is another priority, so I make sure to drink enough water throughout the day. I also follow the "just-enough" principle to help control portion sizes of my meals. Furthermore, I’ve researched the benefits and potential side effects of what I eat and drink, leading me to experiment with vitamin supplements. I now take fish oil daily, as I’ve noticed positive effects on my brain function and general health.

Mentality

Life is full of uncertainties and unexpected events, but I don’t let them become excuses. Instead, I view them as valuable lessons for personal growth. To manage this, I focus on maintaining my mental health through relaxation, self-motivation, and reflection. I also practice meditation during breaks from work, which helps me focus more deeply on specific things in the moment. Moreover, I make sure not to skip essential activities like exercise and other habits, as they help clear my mind after intense focus. At work, I practice time management and task delegation effectively to reduce mental stress while still achieving strong results. Through my personal growth, I’ve come to realize that there isn’t enough time to do everything at once. Therefore, I practice prioritization and encourage those around me to do the same. I believe that being surrounded by people who respect each other's time and have a clear sense of prioritization is key to managing my time effectively.

I’ve also learned to produce high-quality outcomes within a limited amount of time. To do this, I realized that I couldn’t force my brain to focus on work constantly. Instead, I allow it to rest by incorporating activities like reading and engaging in various forms of entertainment (such as watching videos, playing games, or exploring non-work-related topics that spark my curiosity).

I’m also learning to control my emotions in all circumstances. To achieve this, I’ve been researching ego and obstacles, as well as learning to separate feelings from actions. For instance, when faced with unexpected events, it’s natural to feel unpleasant—that’s our emotion. However, we shouldn’t let that emotion influence our objective goals or decisions—that’s our action. Many poor decisions arise not from objective reasoning but from emotional responses. It’s important to note that bad decisions often lead to negative emotions in the end. Moreover, we can always allow ourselves to feel in the moment without needing to act or decide immediately. There is always a pause between our emotions and our actions. Taking that pause also allows us to think more clearly about the situation and come up with effective solutions to the problem.

Knowledge and Skills

PhD Journey

I completed the first year of my PhD journey with many valuable lessons. Early in the year, my first survey was rejected by the IJCAI conference (A*). I took the feedback constructively and revised the survey with more detail, improving its structure and narrative in the process. Following that, I worked on two technical papers and submitted them to conferences, including the AAAI conference (A*). While I passed the first phase of review for AAAI, I received two rejections in the second phase. Through this experience, I gained an understanding of the review processes of major conferences, conducting experiments for technical papers, crafting effective narratives, and writing rebuttals. Furthermore, I completed my Confirmation of Candidature (CoC), where I developed skills in defining research problems and constructing clear, compelling research narratives for my presentation.

During the research process, I learned that,

• Reading is essential for defining research problems and gaining new knowledge. However, setting a goal or establishing "just-enough" criteria before each reading session helps focus the scope of work and makes the search process more efficient. Note that we tend to forget the majority of information if we don't use them for our purposes.
• Writing helps to organize and clarify thoughts and procedures.
• Coding helps to think deeper into a problem in terms of technical concepts.

I've been working on the following research topics:

• Multi-agent Systems
• Backdoor AI
• ML Model Reduction
• Fundamentals of LLM and RAG
• System Design for LLM Agents

Entrepreneurship Journey

I have developed an understanding of prioritization and effective delegation, which has enabled me to manage multiple teams more efficiently and optimize my time for achieving quality outcomes. In addition, I’ve gained valuable experience in working with clients, writing project proposals, and delivering projects.

Importantly, I continue to encourage team members to think critically about problems, adapt to new concepts and technologies, and take ownership of their tasks' outcomes. Furthermore, I’ve learned to minimize my involvement in areas outside my main responsibilities while still obtaining the necessary information to make informed decisions.

Education

Educating is another way to learn and create a positive societal impact. Since October, I have been creating content focused on my research area, multi-agent systems, as well as other topics within the AI field. My goal is to help professionals from diverse industries gain a deeper understanding of AI agents and their applications.

My content includes:

• Insights on various AI topics, such as generative models, multi-agent systems, context-aware systems, AI privacy, decentralized AI, ML model reduction, and more.
• Concepts related to research and development.
• Discussions on innovative ideas and AI applications

The purpose of my content is to assist professionals in:

• Effectively managing AI projects.
• Choosing the right directions for AI research.
• Applying AI to solve the appropriate problems.
• Providing consultations on AI solutions.
• Building reliable and robust AI products.

In addition to creating content, I’ve been learning how to reach a broader audience through social media platforms, as this is another way to create a societal impact. Just like a product, knowledge or content needs to be shared to foster growth. It’s important to note that we don’t need to wait for perfection before sharing, but we must ensure the accuracy of the information to avoid spreading misinformation. This approach also contributes to expanding our knowledge base.

One of my goals on this journey is also to build a community where members actively engage in research, development, and innovation. I believe it’s crucial for more talented people to participate in the innovation cycle to address real-world problems through the application of AI. By fostering such a community, I also aim to create more opportunities for capable and responsible people to contribute meaningfully to solving real-world challenges.

On the other thread, I’ve also launched two other social media accounts—one dedicated to sharing moments captured from my travels and experiences, and the other focused on sharing meaningful thoughts. The content on these accounts aims to offer a different perspective on the world around me while also addressing mental health and inspiring resilience in people as they navigate unexpected challenges in life.

Quotes of the year