047: Milestone

Reached a major milestone with RDC West! Alhamdulillah :)

046: Leave it on the road

When everything else is falling apart, run. Didnt know I had it in me but ran from maida vale to wembley! Alhamdulillah :) Heres to the start of something very very special! #rdcwest

045: She's OK

Feeling: Alright

044: Tempo

I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest.

The trees keep the tempo and they sway in time.

Quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus.

If I were to pluck on your heartstrings, would you strum on mine?

043: Penny boardin'

Moments before the epic fall.

042: #IslamicWisdom

041: Cycle the World Over

For my future reference, these are the top bike-friendly cities in the world:

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands (/)
2. Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Utrecht, Netherlands
4. Seville, Spain
4. Bordeaux, France
5. Nantes, France
5. Antwerp, Belgium
6. Eindhoven, Netherlands
7. Malmo, Sweden
8. Berlin, Germany (/)
9. Dublin, Ireland
10. Tokyo, Japan
11. Munich, Germany
11. Montreal, Canada
11. Nagoya, Japan
12. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
13. Barcelona, Spain
13. Budapest, Hungary
13. Paris, France (/)
14. Hamburg, Germany

Source

Cities/towns I've cycled in:
1. Selangor, Malaysia (where I learnt to cycle!)
2. Janda Baik, Pahang, Malaysia (fresh air and steep hills)
3. Nakuru, Kenya (bought a new bike which kept breaking apart, first ever cycle in the rain!)
4. Hell's Gate Safari, Kenya (on a partially broken rented bike)
5. London, England (first experiences on city roads, dodging cars and buses!)
6. In & around Amsterdam, Netherlands
(Amsterdam-Durgedam-Uitdam-Marken-Zuiderwoude-Amsterdam on rented Dutch bikes!)
7. Berlin, Germany (updated 27.5.14)
8. Paris, France (updated 5.12.14)

I can't wait to add more to the list! *insert excited jumps*

040: Cycle like the Dutch

Fell in love with Amsterdam. Not just because of the bicycles, but also the pretty scenery and the friendly people. Sara and I managed to cycle about 30km, visiting a couple of villages outside the city. Cycled through rain, hail and sunshine - and made it alive, just in time to catch the ferry back to the city to return the rented bikes. After 3 days, with a heavy heart, we returned to London. 

And as it was Guy Fawkes night, we saw fireworks going off from all corners of London from the plane. Never have I seen fireworks that small, but it was a magnificent sight! Alhamdulillah :) In my head, it was as if London was saying Happy Birthday Ayne!

Every year the eve of my birthday has always been more exciting than the actual day. So this year, I spent my birthday in the library finishing my essay till about 7pm. Then, the flatmates (plus Sara and Haniza) and I had dinner at my favourite restaurant! Yummy yummy.

Twas a good way of turning 22! Alhamdulillah :)

039: Survivor

"thought i couldnt breathe without you, i'm inhaling." #np

038: Headspace

Walked home today from UCL - needed space to think, and ironically my steps took me to Oxford Street which was bombarded with tourists. Hyde Park's silence didn't work in drowning reality as much as the  frantic small-talk of shopping strangers. I didn't know what it was I intended to seek, but I did find something in the end. Whilst browsing around the aisles, I realised that although the clothes I was wearing today are ones I own, they are really not mine to begin with.

Shirt - Grandfathers

Scarf - Moms

Jacket - Best friends

Bracelet - Grandparents

I guess what I found out was this: I have to have something physically close to me (something I can hold, touch or wear) for me to cope with a loved one's absence. I have lots of my late granddad's shirts in my closet - and I would be lying if I say that I don't wear them often. Its a way of keeping his memory alive.

8 weeks to home, hang in there.

037: Like Crazy

Everything and nothing reminds me...

036: The Design Adventures

I took an Illustrator online class at Skillshare. I have used Illustrator for some time now - and I thought it was high time that I attempt to master the application. The course was really good and as a project, we were to replicate a poster.

So, being a lover of all things bicycling - I took this bike poster.

And from this inspiration, I put by own twist on the artwork.

Colour is always a good thing. More experiments with colour and design will definitely be soon to follow!

035: What Funny Can Do

Absolutely hilarious!

034: Summer Internship Diaries: August

Continuing on from June and July, in August I continued designing, but I focused more on brainstorming sessions and recruitment.

Recruitment

It was pretty surreal going through the many CVs that were submitted. Being on the receiving end instead of the sending end is different cause here I was with about 60 CVs to go through and I was totally just bombarded with information from really highly qualified people. But to be frank, I gave a stink-eye to anyone who sent me their CV in word document format. Have you not heard of a PDF? Like seriously. And being a very visual person, I recommended those who had a well designed CV as well. Some just had too many words with very little substance. Note to self: simple is best.

Then there were the interviews. I sat in in all of them and asked questions when needed be. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. Although I didn't talk much, I found listening and paying attention required just the same if not more of my energy. So after my boss and I swapped notes on which candidates we liked, I went home and slept. However, at the end of the lengthy process, we finally agreed on the most suitable candidate for the team!

Brainstorming sessions

More post its and sharpies! We had a big team session to discuss branding and a small session, with only my boss and I, where we brainstormed and narrowed down the feature list. Both sessions lasted the whole day but it was fun! Mainly because there weren't any rules so we basically brain dumped all our ideas and started sifting the good from the bad. We drew them out, voted and laid out the possible user journeys.

At the end of the 2nd session, we managed to narrow it down to a viable MVP which was absolutely awesome! Then, I had to go and prepare a click-through prototype which I did on Keynote. Awesome application that Keynote - who knew it could be of use other than for slide presentations?

UX Meeting

On my very last week, my boss and I had a meeting with a professional UX designer who was super awesome. I admired the way he thinks - very wide scoped but he also had the ability to narrow down and focus on solving complex solutions simply. Like the saying goes, "It is very easy to make something complicated. It is making it simple that is difficult." So whenever I see that element of focus and simplicity in a person, they immediately get into my good books.

And people tend to not understand why in meetings/sessions I would comment things like, "Why are you suggesting that, when this is much simpler?" or "Lets focus on this 1 feature instead of 3." It is at times like these when I get told, "So you're telling me not to be ambitious?" Which is definitely not true. If you look at successful companies like Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr - they focus on one thing and they do it really well. So what I'm saying is Yes, be ambitious but at one thing. And make it into THE thing, instead of the things.

So when the UX designer said, "Narrow down 3 features that you can't live without and pick one.", I swear that I instantly mouthed "Thank you". You have no idea how happy it feels to have someone finally agreeing with your methods.

The End

I organised another design thinking workshop with the teachers, but mostly I spent my last week just tying loose ends and preparing hand over notes to whoever who will take over from me. All in all, it was an amazing experience. Meeting people so hungry for change is definitely infectious and I pray that this won't be the last time that I would be in that sort of environment.

Like I said in my previous post, one of my boss's departing words of wisdom was: "Ayne, you have too much creative energy. I'm betting that you will leave medicine and join the start-up industry because I think working in hospitals might just kill you." Although I beg to differ, I have no plans for the future just yet. 

Looking at my track record for the past few years, from Kenya to Impact to Start Ups, I have concluded that my journey has been and will be very random and spontaneous. I guess it just suits my personality. Because if your path is all laid out for you, where is the excitement in that?

033: Book Pickings

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

- John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

032: Summer Internship Diaries: July

July was a month of research and experimenting.


User research: On the Ground

I was mainly based at a major English language school in London to talk to teachers and students about their language learning experience. On my first day, I was literally (again) thrown over the deep end when I had to go to the cafeteria, walk up to students I don't know and say, "Hi! I'm conducting research on an app. Do you have 5 minutes to spare?"

Yes, I was the annoying survey person who bothered people's days. Thankfully, most of the people who I approached were friendly enough to talk to me. But there was this group of girls who were like:
'We're eating lunch'. And as I am very sensitive by nature, I took that as a personal blow and didn't talk approach anyone for the rest of the day. But all in all, throughout my stay, I interviewed about 50 students all together. Not bad for an introvert.

I also talked to many teachers and sat in during their classes. What I could conclude from these encounters is man its hard to be a teacher! Getting students interested in the subject matter is a real feat. And there is also the non-stop preparations that they have to make before each class. If you're a teacher, I take my hat off to you. When I was a teacher in Kenya, I learnt teaching the hard way with 80 kids in a class and needless to say, I sucked at it - so whoever who successfully does it well is a hero in my eyes.

Design thinking workshops

It was this month too where I started organising a series of design thinking workshops. I had been very intrigued by their methodology and pitched to my boss to try it out with groups of teachers. And by using videos of IDEO teaching design thinking to Dartmouth students as main point of reference, I constructed the workshop to be able to get the most out of the participants in that limited time frame. And Alhamdulillah, I managed to organise 4 design thinking workshops with varying groups of teachers which produced alot of interesting and insightful data. The teachers found it helpful too as they found an efficient way to visualise and share their ideas.

UX

Also quite strangely, I found myself doing a bit of UX work with my very limited skills on Illustrator. Managed to sketch up a few feature prototypes to make visualising ideas much easier. Its always good to discover new skills in the process. Through this, I found out that I really love visualising ideas or making thoughts easily understood by others. These are challenges that I find exhilarating so when I am designing something for this purpose, I become so focused at the task that I rarely talk to anyone till I'm done. And when people talk to me when I'm in the zone, I will give them one word answers. Weird, but true. Hopefully I won't bring this trait with me in medicine.

Education Fair

In between those workshops somewhere was the booth at Digital Summer Camp. If I can describe that day in one word, it would have been: chaos. The main aim of the booth was to engage the students as much as possible using music and language, so I had an idea to hold a competition where there were 25 jumbled lines of lyrics from 25 different songs - and the person who got the most songs right won an ipod shuffle. Needless to say, the booth was packed with students all throughout the day - each one of them cracking their brains and humming tunes in efforts to remember where these lyrics came from. In the end, I had to go through about 70 entries to pick a winner. But that day was beyond tiring because it was also the first week of the fasting month with 18+hours waterless and foodless in the English summer heat. Somehow rather, I survived!

And just like that, July came to an end, just like June did.

031: Summer Internship Diaries: June

Way before I signed up for the placement, I thought 3 months was way to long. Now, I stand corrected. It really went by quickly - and now its over, I find it hard to get coherent memories of my time there, so I am trying to jot down the ones I do remember before they are all gone forever.

So, June. I might have to call this month - the month of 'ooo shiny' and communication.

Google Campus decor

My usual desk set-up

Events events events

Networking give-aways

I walked in the office so excited on my first day - I've seen pictures, but seeing it live is just something else. Although it's not Google HQ, it feels like Google. People in flip flops, scruffy hair and t shirts carrying laptops, or as I call them - tech hippies everywhere I turn. I don't think I ever looked the part - but even being in their presence made me feel like one of them. Free toast, tea and coffee anytime, with free bagels on Tuesday mornings, and the occasional free ice lollies when it was hot. I was in Disneyland. Because when you're in a space where people could freely skateboard, bring their pet dogs and plonk on a couch for the day, work does really feel like play.

The website.

On the communication front, I redid the company website to make it alot cleaner, set up and managed their Twitter account as well as their Tumblr blog and set up their newsletter on MailChimp. This month was also my most active month in terms of events - went to alot of networking events on campus and around London to meet techies. And since meeting new people and small-talking is by no means my forte, I still cringe when theres a 'networking' event that I have to attend. I don't really know whether I'll ever be comfortable in them to be honest. If there is someone at the corner of the room, busy drinking water or eating the snacks provided, you can bet that it'll be me.

Oh, and there was the day where I worked from my boss's house. I think we cooked an omelette lunch and took long walks with work in between, rather than the other way round. Oh well, it was just another day at work! 

Before I wrap up June, guess what I found at the basement of campus on one of my very first days:

Since I named this blog way before I started my internship, I can confidently assume that it was just meant to be :)

030: Who Knew the Other Side Would be So Green.

Honey and the Bee - Owl City

current mood: bliss

029: The end is the beginning.

I went to the Tate again last weekend. We treaded violent rains, with me umbrella-less and wet. But I didn't care - I love rain on me. I just don't really like it if I'm cycling and it fogs up my glasses, or even worse, when the water seeps into my socks. But other than that, rain is utter bliss - a gift from God that reminds me that I am alive.

The painting above remains my favourite painting in the Tate. In the months that I have visited, many paintings come and go - but this Japanese artwork has become a permanent fixture. And for good reason, it is utterly simply beautiful.

To me, this painting shows:
a) Things - good or bad - cannot or will not last forever, so cherish them while its still there
b) Endings stay with you, it leaves marks and it is those marks  that shape you into who you are in the future
c) Endings can be beginnings - it all depends on how you look at it. You see, if you could flip that painting upside down - what can it tell you then? That the best is yet to come.

These reasons are why this particular painting fascinates me into my inner core. And what further floors me is the fact that it is so simple. Straight easy brush strokes could evoke such deep emotions.

Speaking of endings/beginnings - this is my last week of my fantabulous adventurous internship. It has been a good 3 months, but unfortunately now its time to say goodbye. I have learnt so much and have met many great and inspiring people in the process that I find myself definitely drawn to this ever-buzzing startup industry.

I had dinner with my boss today and he said, "Ayne, I don't really see you being a doctor. I would think that you would stick to it if its flexible and it pays you well which can allow you to be mostly creative outside work. But you have so much creative energy that I personally think that working in a hospital might just kill you." I laughed. But well said boss, well said.

I don't know what is in store for me in the future - but I am so grateful for what God has given me in the recent past. Alhamdulillah. Next week, I'm off doing a research placement on 3D printing for maxillofacial surgery - and yes, that means I'm not taking a breather before I start term. I emailed the school and I got a reading list, which I have never gotten before. To be honest, its very intimidating taking philosophy - something that is again a first - but that's why I chose it - when better than the present eh?

To new beginnings :)

028: Taking the Right Path

Its Ramadan. Well, almost the end of. And I am not ready to say goodbye just yet. I have learnt alot about myself, my values and my beliefs this month and I just wish its stay was just a bit longer. Of late, I have had great opportunities given to me, and although I am very humbled and thankful for them, it has made me make some really tough decisions.

"It is when you are really tested, will you know how much your values mean to you."

And especially now, can I really vouch for that. However inviting the prospect of an opportunity might be, if it infringes on your values - I don't think it is ever worth it despite many people having sacrificed theirs before you. Like the picture, the road that most people take might not be the best one. And I would like to think that the poem by Robert Frost rings true for me, especially now:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

May I always have the strength to be steadfast in my values and beliefs. Till the day I die.  Ameen.

027: Be balanced or your screwed

As I am in the midst of preparing for my fast approaching examinations, I read alot of science. And some of what I read do amuse or intrigue me at times. This time, its the female hormone, oestrogen.

Our bodies have a love-hate relationship with this hormone. Too much of it, and we'll have a high risk of breast cancer, too little and it might be overshadowed with other androgen hormones that make you sprout hairs where you least like it. I was reading on contraceptive pills (for the exam!) which for most of it, are pumped up with synthetic oestrogen. Yes, it will stop you from ovulating, but with every drug, are the side effects.

As you are pumping your body with an extra dose of hormones, oestrogen would have a risk of doing one or all of the three things below:

1. Cause an increase in good fat (HDL) and a decrease in bad fat (LDL) which would decrease the chances of artheroma formations, which decreases the risk of blockages in your blood vessels. (Yay!)
2. Cause increased synthesis of Vitamin K which increases the risk of blood clotting and forming a thrombus, which then could be dislodged and cause blockages in your blood vessels (Boo!)
3. Cause decreased synthesis of anti-thrombin III which could have saved you from blood clotting (Boo!)

So, although there is good news, there is also bad news and the scale favourably tips towards a blockage in your piping (2-1). Oh, its good to be women.

I guess oestrogen effects and your body is akin to life. Too much of a good thing is never good. Richer people aren't happier, nor are those at the poverty line. It is all about balance. A physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance. Cause if you tip the scale, all you get are blocked veins.

026: Peer Pressure and Tumour Cells

Ok. This post will be a tad geeky. But here goes.

I have been studying for finals and currently running through the genetics module.

On the topic of mutation, my flatmate Afiqah, who is also studying medicine but at Imperial, and I made up a short conversation between tumour cells (TC) which are akin to school bullies and normal cells (NC) which are more like geeks and nerds who are less popular in the social pyramid.

And it goes something like this:

TC: Hey, we are powerful. You should be like us. Cause we're cool like that.

NC: No thanks. I like the way I am.

TC: Really? You're not as fun or fast. You should try being like me.

NC: Naaaahhh, no thanks.

TC: Ok, you don't have to change yourself fully. Just change your genes a little. 

You will still be yourself, I promise.

NC: If you put it that way, I guess I could.

*NC undergoes gene mutation (a little)

TC: See, it wasn't that bad, was it?

NC: Yeah, I got to admit that that wasn't as bad as I thought. I still feel like myself.

TC: Why not change a little bit more. I assure you you will feel much better.

NC: Ok, I'll give it a try.

*NC undergoes more and more gene mutation until...

NC: Wait, what?! I have nothing left that is me! I want to change back to myself.

TC: Too late man. The ship has sailed. You're one of us now.

(insert creepy villain laugh here)

So the moral of the story is - do not give in to peer pressure.

Unless you want to be a tumour.

And no one wants to be a tumour.

025: Still into You

They still got it :)

Mood: Butterflies

024: Karipaps at the end of the Rainbow

Oh My Golly!

I just have to blog about this because this is AMAZING!

To let you know a little bit about me, I LOVE Tuk Din's karipaps.

And for the past few days, people have been giving them to me for free!

Salma has bought karipaps for the house a few times.

And when I asked Nad to get some for me, her friend's mom paid for it.

Then, in the same night, Aira brought back karipaps paid for by PwC.

So its like there is a never ending supply of karipaps!

I love how life surprises me sometimes! 

And I love how little things such as chicken in fried dough can make me the happiest girl on the planet.

Signing off now to enjoy more of this scrumptious delight! :)

023: Rights and Responsibilities

This is a picture that I took whilst on a trip to Bath, England with my flatmates. I love how it shows the beautiful synergy of people and planet, of land and sky. It gets me thinking, what if the trees demanded more carbon dioxide from the people before they gave us oxygen? What if the sky demanded a larger market share in the world before it supplied trees with sunlight and air? Its the same as people demanding more land from the trees before they carried out their responsibility to care for the planet.

If we think about our rights before we carried out our responsibilities, the scale would ultimately tip and a world which was once balanced would be no more. So, I guess before asking for women's rights or rights of a spouse, maybe think have I given them their rights by carrying out my responsibilities? Talking now in the context of religion, is it fair to ask for more rights if we do not do what God asks of us first? To think of it, who actually gave you 'rights' if it is not for God anyway? And it is what He knows that is best for us and perfect, while what we think for ourselves imperfect and limited by our cognitive ability.

Some points to ponder on on a beautiful Sunday's night.

022: I am a Princess

It is only when we constantly remind ourselves that we are princesses,

that we will never let any (useless) man treat us otherwise.

021: The Ultimate TfL Adventure

My flatmate Salma and I took a trip around London using all public transports available in London except the Overground. Here was our route:

Underground: Lancaster Gate - Bank

DLR: Bank - Canning Town

Bus: Canning Town - Royal Victoria

Emirates Air Line: Emirates Royal Docks - Emirates Greenwich Peninsula

River Bus: North Greenwich - Embankment

On foot: Embankment - Hyde Park Corner

Barclays Bike: Hyde Park Corner - Lancaster Gate

Loved going out in the crisp spring (more like winter) morning and see what this city has to offer. Really, it is a city full of surprises. Heres hoping to call it home for a long while, insyaAllah.