weeknotes for w/c 19/08/24

inspired by jvt.me and spurred by the need to be more mindful, i've decided to keep notes about my week. this week has, in fact, been very fun! i spent most of it looking forward to my holiday in the lake district, starting on saturday.

• finished Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. it's a surprisingly good book, albeit incredibly visceral and gory.
  • picked up another book from another Spanish author, Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez. purchased it up from Waterstones on Friday.
  • planning to start Nod by Adrian Barnes next week.
• continued to learn Spanish
  • using Duolingo right now, but i feel like i'm in a weird liminal space between zero knowledge and some knowledge, so it doesn't feel very effective.
  • learning by consuming media seems a good idea, a friend has recommended Dreaming Spanish.
• continued to work on Vision 2030, my plan for the next five years
  • it covers where i want to be and what i want to do, so i can make any major-ish life decisions with it in mind.
  • it's constantly changing and constantly evolving, but i'd be worried if it weren't. things never go to the initial plan!
  • it would be nice if it were prettier, looked nicer, had its own visual identity. i'm not a graphic designer, though so i’m useless at that.
• continued to learn to drive
  • i'm working on passing theory test right now. i learnt about safety margins, vehicle handling, motorway rules and road and traffic signs.
  • got Theory Test Pro through my local library, it has been an amazing resource.
• the hazard perception test seems slightly scuffed, difficult to know when to identify a hazard. i often get docked points for identifying hazards too early?
• maintaining a car while living in London seems unnecessary and a money sink, but i’d like to move at some point so driving is a useful skill to have.
• worked on my conference talk for HalfStack London
  • i worked on some of an outline, made some notes. i'm having difficulty figuring out what i want to communicate, but it's nice getting some thoughts on paper.
  • i'm excited to continue working on this talk, as i've been swamped recently.
• would like to automate part of my weekly updates, like Akash
  • started weeknotes-upload to allow me to record private weeknotes in markdown, and filter them out. it'll also serve as a good basis to inject information from third-party apps into weeknotes
  • started recording books on Oku
• went to Ration Club at Newspeak House on Wednesday and met some very interesting people, as part of my goal to make time to go to meet-ups on things i know nothing about.
  • someone i met is learning Japanese, and had come to Ration Club directly from their Japanese class. they're watching Japanese children’s shows to learn the language.
• it gets me excited to explore the world more by learning Spanish
  • would like to do a DELE certification for each level (A1, A2, B1, B2) so I feel some sense of progress
  • nice perk is that they're valid indefinitely, in case I ever wish to move to Spain
• will get more serious about language learning after passing my theory test
• volunteered to cook with friends on the 11th and on the 18th of September
• got paid on Thursday (yay!)
  • continuing to save for a house
  • looking to purchase glasses at some point this month, probably from Ace + Tate
  • would like to invest in a good quality power bank
• been settling into Monzo incredibly well, happy with my progress thus far, had a positive conversation with my manager on Friday
  • it’s been a baptism by fire, but my probation period is coming to an end and i am happy
  • planning projects for next half at Monzo
    • incredibly exciting stuff planned
    • can’t talk about much of it, because ndas lol
• purchased Karrimor gear from Sports Direct on Friday
  • needed some quick and cheap shoes but immediately regretted it when I checked Reddit, seems like they're not the best quality
  • the raincoat seems good, though!
• made it to Lake District on Saturday, for a well-deserved holiday!
  • excited to see if I can get some Lake District pounds 
  • went from Euston to Oxenholme, and Oxenholme to Kendal
  • Euston station Pret pastries are insanely dry
  • explored Kendal a bit, made it to the hotel
  • spent tail end of the day planning the rest of the trip
• went walking on the hotel’s “Woodland Trail” during the day on Saturday, it's just some forest towards the back
  • people walking the trail can see right into the room i’m in (terrifying)
• went to the hotel's pool and steam room on Saturday evening
  • used a swimsuit dryer for the first time, was actually really cool
• went out to explore Kendal on Sunday
  • saw a cover band at Masons Yard 24, place was surprisingly packed
  • found karaoke at the George and Dragon pub
• Happy with the fact able to find karaoke anywhere
• Played a game of snooker with a Scouser, was really fun even though lost miserably