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Weeknotes 2

TL;DR: Johan turns British; New friends at the Think AI for Government event; First User Test and opening night at 081 pizzeria’s Shoreditch location; Manakish, my new favourite food item?;

This week felt packed (but in a good way)! I somehow ended up stepping out of the house all seven days. Some outings were work-related, others just for fun. Overall, it was a fun week with plenty of ‘peopling’. By the time the weekend hit, my social battery was definitely running low.

Highlights of the week

🇬🇧 Tuesday: Johan is British (and Portuguese)!

My partner, Johan, officially became British this week. The citizenship ceremony was at the beautiful Kensington Town Hall. Other than the officiant forgetting to call on Johan for the Affirmation of Allegiance, the ceremony was lovely. Imagine him standing in a quiet room with about 80 pairs of eyes all staring at his back (we were in the first row) while he pledged his loyalty to the King and the country. This would have been fine, except this is a man who forgot his own name at our civil ceremony (thankfully he did remember mine, otherwise it would have been an episode from Friends).

The rest of the evening was wonderful. We got dressed up, I finally took my new Polène bag out for a spin, and we celebrated with drinks at the Stables Bar. Highly recommend for the cozy vibe and food-inspired cocktails. I have not shut up about this one called ‘Kaos’, which combines flavours of tzatziki and olives. I know it sounds weird, I was sceptical too, but it was incredible! I’m already planning to go back just for that one cocktail. I am still kicking myself for not trying ‘The Rooster’, a pizza-flavoured cocktail and the PB&J fizz. Ah, maybe next time?!

🤖 Thursday: Think AI for Government

By Thursday morning I was exhausted and very nearly bailed on this event. I had to drag myself out the door. But I’m so glad I went. In my 8 months in government, this was probably the first event I have been to where the room was packed with public sector folks. It was energising to see some familiar faces and make some news friends.

🍕 Friday: First user test + pizza celebration

At work, I am leading the development of a new product (can’t share details just yet, but soon!). It has been so exciting. I have had a lot of autonomy, and I am approaching it like a mini startup. This week, I ran my first user test with a prototype of the MVP, and it was such a validating experience. It has been so rewarding to talk to potential users and build something grounded in real needs. Looking forward to more conversations and iterations of the prototype in the coming weeks.

We wrapped up the week with pizza. But not just any pizza. We went to 081 Pizzeria’s newest location in Shoreditch (no more trekking all the way to Peckham!) for their opening night. This place is at the top of my list in London, and I say that as someone who lived in Italy (and may have turned into a bit of a pizza snob). Their dough is a light, airy, pillowy perfection. This time, we ordered the Pistacchiosa, Pumpkin, Capricciosa, and Diavola 2.0 (and no, it wasn’t just the two of us demolishing four pizzas, we were with friends).

🥙 Sunday: Manakish for breakfast

We found ourselves in West Ealing this morning. After finishing up some work, we were not quite ready to head home, so we decided to go for breakfast. After debating between the familiar comfort of Gail’s and trying something new, we opted for an adventure. We stopped by a tiny hole-in-the-wall spot called Zeit and Zaatar and had a delicious zaatar and cheese manakish. The crispy edges, the zaatar flavors, and the gooey akawi cheese were the perfect combo. This is definitely a place I’d go back to.

🌪️ Other bits and pieces

  • I coined the phrase “fog of the MoG” this week to describe the chaos around all the Machinery of Government changes. Felt quite proud of that one.
  • We somehow managed to pack for our India trip early! This is very off-brand for us, but with a busy few days ahead it just made sense. Bonus: the store room no longer looks like a disaster zone (for now).
  • The light fixture meant for the dining table is still in its box in the hallway (this is the fourth week since it was delivered). It is basically furniture at this point.
  • Did not read much this week, aside from a few pages of The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo on the tube. But I did find this post by Peter Yang, titled ‘An Opinionated Guide on Which AI Model to Use in 2025’. The summary table at top of the article is particularly useful.