September 29, 2020 โข Life
September, For Me
![A photo of Leeds along the canal.](http://18.132.103.141/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6081-1024x768.jpg)
Main Highlights
Online
- ๐ For Inspiring Figures this month, I spoke to Temi Olukoko who shared her experiences on getting into technology, #100DaysofCode challenge and more! ๐ You can check out our full conversation on YouTube or read the write-up here.
- ๐ On the blog, I wrote about finishing my BT Graduate Scheme and my final 6 months, how I create my podcast as well as shared Temi’s story and had a guest post from the lovely folks at The Girl Code.
- ๐ On the podcast, I spoke to Clark Narvas about creator anxiety and how I get over feeling uninspired.
Personal
- ๐ฎ I got a Nintendo Switch and so have spent a lot of my spare time playing on Animal Crossing. It’s been relaxing building my island from scratch! ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ I also have been playing with my sister which has been equally fun too especially now we’re apart.
- ๐ก I’m back in Leeds!
- ๐ I was honest with some of the clothes in my wardrobe that no longer sparked joy or made me feel very good about myself. I also invested in some sustainable clothes from Organic Basics because I’ve overused my tech tees I’ve been using whilst WFH.
- ๐ฉ I made the decision to cut out excessive sugar in my diet recently because of a health scare earlier in the month (long story short: I thought I had COVID-19 but thankfully tested negative)
- ๐ช๐ผ I’m really enjoying working out at home. I tried working out at our apartment’s gym but with the anxiety of people being around, it didn’t feel like it was worth it.
- ๐ I was inspired by two books this month: “Fuck Being Humble” and Ben Greenfield’s book, “
- โ๏ธ The September sun has been so wonderful
Community
- โจ Code Fest 2020 by Code First: Girls kicked off this month! I was honoured to be a part of three sessions – future stars panel, switching to tech panel and careers navigation panel.
- ๐ For work, I also attended my first virtual careers fair with Bright Network where I had the opportunity to speak to students about the various opportunities at BT.
![Code Fest 2020](http://18.132.103.141/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6029-1024x485.jpg)
Work
- ๐ป WFH could be the norm for longer than I thought. I don’t mind it because I’ve enjoyed working remotely and definitely see flexible working in my future!
- ๐ฅ My key learnings at work this month has been the importance of cloud security, a better understanding of lambda functions and more general career awareness and direction.
3 Things that made me happy
1) Being able to relax and connect with family
My mental health and mood tracker, Youper, informed me that out of all the months during lockdown, August was my happiest month. I correlated this to being at home with my family where I felt a lot more shielded and less affected by everything going on in the world.
![Animal Crossing with my brother and sister](http://18.132.103.141/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6870-1024x576.jpg)
Now that I’m back in Leeds, I’ve been trying to stay connected with our video calls but also through Animal Crossing (especially with my brother and sister!) It’s been nice jumping on calls or texting each other on various Animal Crossing-related things. The wholesome vibes I wanted to keep up ๐
2) Contributing to communities
I had the opportunity to contribute to communities which is always something that makes me feel whole and happy. Being able to help the women that get involved with Code First: Girls as much as I can (the same way the same community helped me) excites me and reminds me why I love doing what I’m doing. Knowing that I can help others and lift them up along my own journey into technology is such a wonderful feeling.
3) Consistency on health-related changes
After experiencing some COVID-like symptoms, I had a bit of a wake-up call of my eating habits. ๐ฌ To ensure that my immune system is in the best shape that it can possibly be in, I committed to cutting excessive sugar from my diet.
Although there was the odd ice cream here and there, I’ve been pretty consistent which I’m happy about. Even though I tested negative for COVID, I want to keep this habit up as long as I can because I’m feeling pretty energised.
September in Photos
![A collage of September 2020 including walking around Leeds, exercising at home, new skincare and gifts for myself.](http://18.132.103.141/wp-content/uploads/IMG_6043-COLLAGE-1024x1024.jpg)
September Favourites
- ๐ฌ The Social Dilemma was a very interesting watch. I also enjoyed Enola Holmes this month (because I’m a Henry Cavill fangirl!)
- ๐ฎ Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch has been a lot of fun.
- ๐ I bought several oils from Fushi Wellbeing which have been my go-to for my skincare/ hair routine ๐ Maybe I should write a more detailed review of how I’ve found it!
- ๐ I invested in some new clothes from Organic Basics to add to my comfy clothes at home as well as a new tee from Pinay Collection (to celebrate my Filipino-ness ๐ต๐ญ)
- ๐ง I have had this song on repeat recently…
Quote of the month
Next month
- ๐ If everything goes according to plan, I’d love to spend a few weeks back at home if possible. My month with my family was the month I saw a positive impact on my well-being and mental health. Being around them is what I need during this uncertain time!
- โ๏ธ I want to focus on taking my time next month. I feel like I’ve been a little overwhelmed with everything going on constantly. I need to take a few steps back!
![PN in Greek](/_next/image?url=%2Fsignature.png&w=256&q=75)
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