Adventures

CrossFit

I have been really enjoying CrossFit since 2025. I found a great box near me to workout at, and the people there are awesome. I am interested in improving my strength and doing WODs (Workout of the Day) while still maintaining my cardio fitness, if not also improving my endurance. As they say, if you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it, so I am tracking my progress with a dashboard. Thanks to Ajay for the cool idea to dashboardize my CrossFit sessions! You can check out my CrossFit stats on this interactive dashboard (last updated: December 2025) here.

Running

Over the years, I have run 10+ (ultra-)marathons in different places, terrains and altitudes. In particular, one of my goals has been to run a marathon on every continent. Because why not combine extreme physical exertion with jet lag? So far I have marathoned in 6 continents.

Here is a sneak peek into the details of each race, from the bustling city marathons to the serene countryside trails.

In 2019, I also qualified for running the Orsières-Champex-Chamonix 2020 (OCC) Ultratrail from the UTMB family of races; however, unfortunately, the draw was negative. I also have a road bike which I use for cross-training frequently. Another mind-blowing experience I was part of was a 10-day/ 100-hour meditation retreat last year, which felt like an marathon exclusively for the mind. Here I learned a bit on how to observe my mind objectively.

Travel

I love traveling to new places, and learning new cultures and hanging out with people from different parts of the world. I travel during the weekends, holidays for leisure and multiple times for work every year. So far, I have travelled across 6 continents and 60+ countries. Among my travels, some of the most otherworldly experiences were exploring the Great Barrier Reef and the Peruvian Amazon, and I will absolutely cherish these memories. I have been to Great Wall of China, Colosseum, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, and Christ the Redeemer which are now in the New 7 Wonders of the World. Traveling to the Pyramids of Giza and Petra Jordan is on my cards

Epic hikes and bikes

I have done some really cool hiking and biking trips with my friends and also during my travel. Here are the epic ones that I thoroughly enjoyed:

Plant-based diet

I have been following a plant-based lifestyle for the past 11 years and have found it great for my overall health and well-being. I also gave a podcast with coach Karina Inkster on plant-based food, running, and importance of critical thinking in diet choices. You can listen to the episode here.

Books

I love reading books, and I believe that constant learning helps keep my mind sharp. For books I have read or will read, see my Goodreads page. I refrain from purchasing new books and usually read from kindle or get second-hand books. Occasionally, I also listen to audiobooks.

Movies

Watching movies is only second to reading books for me. I have watched over 3000+ contents in different languages. I hope to update my favorite titles on IMDb sometime. Hopefully, I beat procrastinating this at some point.

Other

I have been learning to play the keyboard and violin on and off over the past decade. This hobby is largely for leisure and usually takes a backseat when work takes over. In the past, I tried to get myself a skydiving license but left it halfway through due to PhD workload. I hope to resume it sometime in the future.