whoami: Philip Peng (Keripo)

Keripo, pronounced /ˈkeˈriˈpo/ (sounds like “curry-poe”) or ケリポ
Like most, I am a wearer of many hats. If I had to summarize, I would probably be described as a programmer, engineer, gamer, and otaku. But since you came here expecting more, here’s the list. My professional profile can be found on LinkedIn.

Programmer:
Hacker: My programming roots started in hacking embedded devices. I am mostly self-taught, learning C at the start of high school when I joined the iPodLinux team (hacking oldschool clickwheel iPods), then later moved on to Android and have been tinkering around since. I code primarily in Java and C/C# and work in both Windows and Linux. On the odd occasion, I’ll post programming rants here.

Professional: I am a professional software developer, focusing mainly on Android app development. I currently work at Grab on the GrabExpress team. Previously I worked at Microsoft on the SharePoint and OneDrive mobile apps. See my LinkedIn for my professional profile/history.

Game Dev: I work on various personal projects during my free time. Beats for Android and iPodLinux/Project ZeroSlackr for old-gen iPods were my two major past projects. All of my open source projects can be found on GitHub or SourceForge. I am currently working on developing Beats2 (cross-platforms).

Engineer:
Engineer: I am an engineer at heart. The world is my playground, and xkcd is my guidebook. Hardware excites me. My enthusiasm lies in tinkering stuff. Designing stuff. Making stuff. Breaking stuff. Then hacking it back together. When not thinking about computers or electronics, my mind wanders towards aerospace, the cross-discipline field that brings together CompSci, EE, and MechE to explore the reaches of space.

UPenn: I graduated from University of Pennsylvania (class of 2012), with a BSE in Computer Engineering. While doing my undergrad, I was a Teaching Assistant for CIS 542 “Embedded Systems Programming” and CIS 191 “Linux and Unix”. Beats was actually created in the very first PennApps hackathon. I was also the student IT Manager for the college dorm Kings Court English College House.

STWing: I am a proud member of Science & Technology Wing (STWing). Lived on KC2 for all 4 years, served as Cronos for 2, recorded Richard Stallman’s 2011 on-campus speech, won third, second, and first in the 2009/2010/2011 Rube Goldberg competitions respectively, painted the Duel of Gundams wall mural, organized the very first series of STWing Friday Night Anime events, masterminded the Silly Putty Gundam JPF proposal, and had the best underclassmen I could ever ask for ;3

Gamer:
MMORPGs: I am a semi-hardcore online gamer who frequently stays up til 4am gaming. I mainly play asian-style MMORPGs, with a strong focus in organized group PvP (faction/guild/open world). PvP battlefields present ever-changing new challenges that PvE could never deliver. Usually roll ranged classes since they often have the best spike/AoE skills and because I find melee boring (I practice martial arts in real life). Despite my competitive bloodlust, I mostly still enjoy the games and follow the moto, “You have to look good when you PvP“. Expect me in top PvP guilds theorycrafting/strategizing group PvP tactics or modding around in every MMO I play.

YouTube: As part of my MMO gaming community involvement, I also often record and post group PvP videos on my YouTube channel. There’s a saying in the PvP world that is, “FRAPS or it didn’t happen”. Following this dogma, I frequently record planned PvP fights, edit out the boring parts using Adobe Premiere Pro, drop down a random anime/trance song that I like, upload it to YouTube, then share it with the community/forums, regardless of whether we won or lost. As a tactician, it also helps with reviewing and improving strategy for the next fight.

Rhythm Games: Offline, I mainly enjoy playing rhythm games. DJMax Technika, jubeat, and Beatmania IIDX are my favourites, but I’ve more or less tried out every arcade rhythm game ever created and I actually wrote a short paper describing/comparing a few of them as part of my UPenn senior design project. I played a lot of StepMania on my PC and DJMax Portable on my PSP in the past, which was what originally inspired me to develop Beats. A want for a jubeat+Technika simulator on my phone was what kicked off Beats2. Apart from rhythm games, I play fighting games on occasion (mostly Melty Blood and the like), Touhou casually, and used to play console JRPGs (lots of Final Fantasy) before I entered the world of MMOs.

Otaku:
Anime: I have a strong interest in Japanese anime. I regularly follow currently airing seasons and have built up an impressive watched list over the years. I’m a hardcore TYPE-MOON otaku; Arcueid Brunestud is mai waifu. I’m also a pretty big Gundam fanboy ever since watching Gundam Wing in elementary school (Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and Card Captor Sakura were my first animes, but Gundam Wing, Escaflowne, and Witch Hunter Robin were my first shonen series). I’ve also visited Japan a few times and dream of one day living in Akihabara. I frequently attend local anime conventions and often amateur cosplay when I can. Once in a while I’ll post an anime/otaku rant here. I also love nigori sake like how ZUN loves beer.

Collector: I am a figure collector and Dollfie Dream owner. I started figure collecting during/after my first trip to Japan and Dollfies during my second. I actively keep track of my growing collection on MFC and regularly take photos and post reviews. Over half my collection focuses on TYPE-MOON (with a 100% completion goal for Tsukihime/Melty Blood), for which I branch off into collecting various related merchandise including plushies, games, artbooks, doujinshi, etc. (see the complete list and gallery). I currently own three Dollfies, Saber Lily (Fate), a custom Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), and a custom Rem (Re:Zero), which I’m still learning how to photograph properly. I also enjoy building gunpla/model kits but haven’t built many recently due to lack of free time.

Photography: As part of my various otaku activities, I end up doing a lot of amateur photography, most of which gets uploaded to Flickr (see the “Gallery” menu up top). My current camera is the Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100, which I chose mainly for it’s pocket-able form-factor; I’ve seen way too many of my friends struggle with lugging around their large DSLRs around their necks and fumbling with swapping lens while traveling. My photos archive my travels (i.e. Japan trips, conventions, cosplayers, etc.), figure collection (reviews, displays, loot, etc.), Dollfie Dreams (photoshoots, items, etc.), and various other random odd stuff (events, scenery, etc.).

Links:

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