Life in Pixels

haud ignota loquor

Blog

  • Here Be Dragons

    Psalter World Map, c.1265 (from Wikipedia)

    The early explorers used to inscribe the words “Here Be Dragons” at the edge of their maps to mark uncharted territory – to denote the dangerous and the unexplored. It’s both a daunting and tantalising prospect: to venture forth, to see for oneself what lies at the edge of the unknown.

    This is where I find myself midway through 2024: on the precipice of an exciting, but also daunting, new chapter. I have left my known world behind, the world of architecture that I was so embedded in for nearly 12 years. I embark on a new career voyage, one to waters partially known, and one where I feel my pursuit of that elusive sense ikigai lies.

    In August, I started a new role as a UX designer for a rapidly-growing finance company based in Cape Town. It’s an entirely new world, a new language and environment for me to acclimatise to. But the prospect of the new, of plunging into the unknown, is exhilarating. Parts of this journey aren’t entirely unknown to me: I’ve long held a passion for the tech world, for designing digital user experiences. My work on the MyDojo platform for SKKSA exposed me to the full spectrum of digital product development. And after deep introspection (I don’t embark on such dramatic life changes on a whim, and of course have been carefully planning and studying this career shift for a while now), I realised that this is where my purpose lies: in harnessing my passion for tech, design and problem solving towards crafting a career that can be fulfilling, exciting and one where I can thrive.

    Getting there

    Once I realised that the UX space is where I wanted to be, I began to bridge the knowledge gaps I needed to make the leap. Fortunately, my architectural background held me in good stead: as architects, we are problem solvers using space to create physical user experiences that are functional and bring a sense of joy and delight into users’ lives. UX Design is essentially being an architect for the digital, rather than physical, world: organising digital structures and crafting experiences for users in the digital world, and reducing the friction for users between their needs and the tools they’re using to achieve those needs.

    I took the Google Professional Certificate in UX Design via Coursera, which is a 7-course certification that I felt provided a solid foundation for entering the UX world. It was challenging as I was still working as a professional architect, managing a demanding job during the day, and finding any tiny gap of free time, evenings and weekends to get through the modules and activities. But once you discover your passion and purpose, a new sense of energy is injected, and the deeper I went into the programme, the more I realised that this is the world I wanted to be in. That fuelled my desire to push through those moments of doubt and get me to the finish line.

    The Sunk-Cost Fallacy

    Shifting careers is a big decision. The hardest thing to get through is not the coursework, but a shift in mindset. It’s about getting through the sunk-cost fallacy, whereby one is reluctant to pursue a major change because of the amount of time or effort invested in their current trajectory. My years in architecture were not wasted, but rather set me up with a solid design-based foundation, and practical experience in a dynamic, professional environment that equipped me with the tools and techniques to solve challenging problems, overcome obstacles and, above all, operate with the user’s needs foremost in mind.

    Searching for Ikigai

    The Ikigai Diagram (Government of Japan)

    This is perhaps my biggest takeaway from undergoing this major career shift: mindset is paramount. Understanding your “why” is central to charting your journey through the unknown. For me, that “why” was discovering what my professional purpose was, and then designing the journey to get me to that point. It’s unique to each person, and unique to what you’re seeking out of your professional life. For me, purpose, balance and, ultimately, seeking ikigai in my own life, is what drove me towards a career in tech and the field of UX. Solving user problems through design excites me, and being able to play a role in how people navigate their daily challenges – and in reaching millions of users through my work, hopefully bringing some spark of joy through the interactions I craft – energises me.

    The journey continues, and I look forward to chronicling bits of it here on the blog, as well as exploring topics around UX, design and tech. I am learning a whole new vocabulary, learning how to engage with different kinds of thinkers, stakeholders and voices, and so dragons still lie at the edge of my own world map.

    But as Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote:

    “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”

    These words have guided me through this journey, and continue to do so.

    And as the tagline for this blog remains: haud ignota loquor – I speak not of unknown things. I look forward to chronicling this journey as it unfolds, understanding and exploring the things that remain unknown. There’s lots to unpack, and I look forward to taking you along with me.

  • Re-entering the Writing Mode, Reading Updates and Reflection on Q124

    It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end of the first quarter of this year. I started 2024 with some lofty ambitions, and am pleased that much of what I intended has indeed been set in motion.

    After a few weeks of putting writing off, I want to rekindle that energy as we enter autumn and the days turn cooler. Work on the new novel was paused, but I’m excited to get going once more. Writing by hand is liberating, but sometimes tedious. Perhaps my newfound love of typing with this new mechanical keyboard is subtly pulling me back into the realm of Scrivener, and I find myself constantly reminding my writerly self of the reasons behind doing the first draft by hand: namely, clarity, dissipation of distraction, and freedom to just create without pressure of word count and perfecting each sentence.

    The goal is still to get the first draft done by mid-year, so let’s see how well I can manage that. I’ve found myself a little busier in my personal time recently with the advent of things I can’t mention just yet on the blog. But balance has become a critical aspect of my time, and part of the reason for pausing the novel writing for a bit was to reset a little, to slow down. It’s no use burning out when the year has just started.

    But with the cooler, shorter days, I relish in the cosiness that autumn, and winter, brings: there’s a sense of creative spark that these seasons ignite.

    On the reading front, I’ve completed Meeti Shroff-Shah’s “A Matrimonial Murder”. It was a decent read, but I must admit preferring the first book. I’m curious to see where she takes the character and ideas in the next one.

    I was meant to start Shubnum Khan’s “The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil”, but somehow found myself downloading the preview for Dune by Frank Herbert onto my Kindle, and devouring the first few chapters. So now… not sure if I’ll proceed with that first, then get back to the schedule I set myself (namely: the Khan book, Horowitz, then LoTR: 2).

    But I’m also looking forward to Anthony Horowitz’s “Close to Death”, the latest Hawthorne, set to release in early April. Much to be excited about on the reading front, then!

  • February 2024

    We’re almost at the first quarter of this year (yes it’s still another month to go, but time flies and all that). I am gratified that, whilst not all complete, my intentions for this year are already in motion. Hence I thought it might be nice to do a small reflection on a few things so far.

    The (new) Book

    Firstly, writing goes steadily on my next novel. Whilst I’ve been thrilled to complete a full manuscript (in the form of Devanagari), I’ve placed that novel on hold, letting some distance form between me and those words that I toiled over for over two and a half years. Since July last year I’ve been plotting a new novel, a new series, in fact. The ideas excite me, and my learnings from the process on Devanagari are definitely paying off.

    For this new draft, I’m writing entirely in longhand. I’ve bought some cheap A4-sized exercise books, which I’m diligently filling up daily with lines, paragraphs, entire chapters. Writing longhand, as I’ve waxed on before about, is a freeing experience. I’m not encumbered by word count and other digital distractions. It’s just me and the words. Using cheap exercise books is also intentional: I’m less precious about how neat I work; this is a first draft after all. The primary purpose is to get words onto paper, to transform the tendrils of thought into ink.

    I’m aiming to get this draft done before July. This is an ambitious goal, but I’m adopting Mr. Gaiman’s approach of consistency: setting aside a fixed time, every day, at the same time. Sitting before my pages, and having only two options open to me: to either write, or do nothing. Eventually, writing becomes the more attractive alternative.

    I’ve also recently got into mechanical keyboards (yes, I know, my writing tools just get more arcane by the month…). I got myself a Keychron K8 Pro, which feels great and looks nice, enticing me to write more. I’m now torn between using the Meisterstück and this new keyboard, having to remind myself that the first draft is meant to be messy and longhand, and distraction-free. So if anything, the new keyboard is motivating me to complete that first draft so I can type up the 2nd draft in Scrivener and really put this thing to use. I’m not deep into the mech. keyboard hobby (just yet…), but I think it might be fun to share a bit more about it in a future post, perhaps alongside the writerly tools I’ve curated over the years.

    I look forward to telling you more about this new book, but until that first draft is done (at the very least), I’m keeping it to myself. Watch this space.

    Reading

    My reinvigoration of the reading habit continues. After starting the year off finishing The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith, I devoured Tom Hanks’ novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece. That was a fun, if sometimes convoluted, read.

    Since then, I’ve been reading a classic that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while now: A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul. It’s a riot: funny, emotional, frustrating at times and beautifully written. Given to me as a gift by my uncle a few years ago when I moved into my new place, this book holds a special place in my personal library. I’m almost done with it, and will have some reflection on it here in time.

    Up next? A Matrimonial Murder by Meeti Shroff-Shah. It’s the second in the Mumbai author’s Temple Hill series. I discovered her by chance via the Kindle algorithm last year, and really enjoyed the first book. I love how she brings the city to life, as if it’s another character. The mystery itself is also fun, and I’m looking forward to devouring this next in the series.

    I have a little list of books I want to get to this year, and really put my Kindle to good use. A few that I’m looking forward to?

    • Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz (the next in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series by one of my all-time favourite writers)
    • The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil by Shubnum Khan, an author from my hometown whose latest novel is making waves globally and which I’m dying to read
    • We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, a new series from an author I’ve grown to enjoy from his Thursday Murder Club series. Looking forward to being at the start of this new series!

    The Year Ahead

    It’s only going to get busier for me from here on out. The new book occupies a lot of my time, and I have some other personal things I’m working on, which I’ll hopefully share in due course. Reading has been (and indeed always was) a great respite for me, a retreat to other worlds that calms and centres me amidst then chaos of daily life. I hope to continue to use this blog to share some of the literary adventures I embark upon from time to time.

    All for now.

  • ‘The Running Grave’ by Robert Galbraith (JKR)

    I’ve been a fan of the Strike crime thriller series by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) since the first one (The Cuckoo’s Calling) came out in 2013. And recently it seems like JKR is churning out these books on an annual basis, making it a new tradition for me to pick up the latest one for my December break.

    The Running Grave is the seventh in the series. Whilst I enjoyed the previous one (The Ink Black Heart), the numerous chapters of chat transcripts became frustrating. So it’s good to be back to a relatively ‘normal’ style of book, albeit another tome coming in at over 900 pages.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It feels like the entire series has been building to this crescendo, where the stakes are raised, the action more intense, and the mystery as convoluted (in the best way possible) as ever.

    This book sees Strike and Robin investigate a cult wherein their client’s son is trapped. They have been tasked with finding him, and trying to extract him from this commune, requiring Robin to go undercover at grave risk to her and the agency.

    I found the world-building of the cult to be extremely well done. JKR crafts a terrifying group of antagonists, and articulates the danger both heroes face expertly. There were moments when I felt terrified for our heroes, and the crafting of the villains was some of the author’s best work yet. Throw in some cryptic mysticism, epigraphs at the head of each chapter referencing foreboding quotes from the I Ching or Book of Changes, and this is a book that is haunting, gripping, at times funny but mostly unputdownable.

    The sheer number of suspects, the twisted backstories and the multilayered split locations did, at times, become tricky to follow. Especially when the plot is so action-packed and relentless, that you find yourself indulging in long reading sessions, becoming slightly fatigued and then struggling to remember or connect character threads. But I see this as a kind of positive-negative aspect: it makes for a compelling set of characters and a depth to the novel that’s become quintessential of the series.

    How the main characters come to the conclusion about who the killer is, is also a bit complex, and JKR does a fine job hiding this from us. Which in one way is a good thing, adding to the allure of the murder mystery. But it does rob us of the payoff for trying to figure out the mystery alongside the Strike and Ellacott Detective Agency.

    As ever, and something I’d like to maybe expand upon in a future post, the allure of these mystery-thrillers for me lies not in the crime being investigated (the murder, the theft etc), but in the characters, their relationships, and the world-building. And this, of course, is something JKR is expert at, proven from her days with the Potter series. Strike and Robin’s relationships, the multifaceted construction of their unique characters – hell, even the depth of character for some of the minor players – all make this series feel so visceral, so real. This, more than the mysteries at the heart of each book (and those are, of course, well-crafted), are what make me a massive fan of the series, and of this book in particular.

    At present (given we still have maybe three more books in the series go), this one ranks up there for me alongside Book 5 (Troubled Blood). Like that one, The Running Grave has this ineffable quality to the victim, the murders, the mystery… the story haunts you long after you finish the end of page 945.

    My rating: ★★★★✩

  • Reigniting the reading habit (or, an ode to the Kindle)

    Over the past few years, I felt like my reading habit was on a decline. Perhaps it’s a combination of social media distractions and my life becoming increasingly busy, but despite the copious amount of books I own, and my love for the written word, I realised I just hadn’t been reading enough. By reading, I don’t mean scrolling through countless banal articles in my Feedly RSS feeds, Reddit posts or Tweets (are they still called Tweets? I don’t know anymore). By reading, I mean actively sitting down with a good book, and getting totally lost in its narrative.

    Then in August 2023, I started considering what I once scoffed at: the ebook. I was firmly in the camp of physical books, and I still adore the feel of a real book, the scent of the pages, the beauty of the design and typography. But the convenience of the Kindle kept persistently gnawing at the back of my mind. And I came to the conclusion that perhaps dabbling in a new format of reading, one that peculiarly straddles the line between the analogue and digital world (more on that just now), might be just the thing to get me back into the reading habit.

    The Kindle I ended up getting was the base model. I find that its simplicity in singular functionality the best thing about it. Unlike the Paperwhite, it’s smaller form factor is also nicer to hold and lighter. It’s really good at reading ebooks, and that’s about it. No Instagram to distract. No competent web browser to trawl. Just an e-ink screen, and words. Perfection.

    Speaking of e-ink, I find it really easy on my eyes. It does a good job mimicking paper. Rather than looking at a screen, with light shooting out at your eyes, the e-ink display has no backlight, but a few LEDs that illuminate the surface.

    Perhaps the biggest take-away from the few months of use has been a noticible increase in my reading speed. In the span of about 3-4 months I found myself blasting through 8 books, including discovering and devouring Richard Osman’s delightful Thursday Murder Club series. Whilst this number might seem low to most self-proclaimed avid readers, I was never one to read a copious amount of books to start with. But the instantaneous nature of online shopping, the almost addictive-like feel of tapping to the next page, and the little progress percentage in the bottom corner – coupled with the clever reading-speed and time-remaining-in-chapter line – have all contributed to me moving through books a lot more fluidly.

    Of course, there’s the argument of quality over quantity. Fewer but better books rather than rushing through novel after novel. But reading more is always a good thing, and returning to a more regular habit of unwinding my mind with words on almost-paper has been good for me. I think that the act of reading, rather than being ensnared by the quick-dopamine hits of mindless scrolling on the ‘gram (although I’m not immune to the occasional social media binge) helps to calm the mind, to escape from the minutiae of everyday challenges, and, in my case, a way to also explore ideas that are directly feeding back into my writing projects.

    Having extolled the virtues of the e-reader, I must admit that for the last two weeks, after waiting until I had a good block of free time, I’ve been hefting through the mighty tome that is Robert Galbraith’s The Running Grave, the latest Strike novel, in paperback. I had told myself upon getting the Kindle that I would still return to the printed page for some special books, and the Strike series is one of them, one of my favourite modern mysteries.

    But as 2024 unfolds, I look forward to spending many hours with my Kindle as I work through my reading list for this year. I might even post a little about my impressions of some of those books. Stay tuned.