What’s new!

February had gone by so quickly and before I knew it March arrived.Time really flies. There has been quite a lot going on this past month. A lot has changed on my placement as well.But First I would like to share this amazing pictures of M&M heaven.

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(That is a lot of sweets!)

I have recently changed projects and my role is quite different now, which I like very much. It’s a mixture of everything. I mainly work on front end development but I occasionally help out with the back end application as well. Web development used to be something I never thought I would want to do but it has turned out to be quite interesting. There is definitely a lot more than what meets the eye!

My new role has given me the opportunity to see how to build end-to-end applications and how important it is to have skills in lots of other areas which at first do not look directly related to web development. I am so happy to see where all the concepts we learned in university about memory management, concurrent programming and even how the operating system’s scheduler all play an important role when designing good applications. I have started learning new frameworks as well, like AngularJS, for example. It lets you extend the HTML vocabulary and helps you create not only fast and responsive applications but also makes the code much readable and simplifies testing. If you have some spare time I would suggested looking into it. If it catches your eye and you would want to learn more you are in luck because codeschool has a free course, which will let you develop an application while learning the fundamental concepts.

https://www.codeschool.com/courses/shaping-up-with-angular-js

Since my tutor visit from University is approaching I hope that I have managed to do a good job in the company so far and that my feedback will also be positive. Fingers crossed! 🙂

Outside of work London has been pretty much the same. And by that I mean there is always new and exciting things to discover. Recently I had the chance to visit the Hampton Court Palace – where Henry VIII has lived during his reign. The palace is truly magnificent and worth seeing. The tour is good and the audio guide helps you learn about the palace’s history in a unique and fun way – your tour guide is Thomas, playing the part of one of Henry VIII’s closest aides. And, if you are really lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the king himself or perhaps cardinal Wolsey! Even more stunning than the castle though, are the gardens! I am definitely coming back during spring time to see everything blooming and waking up to life!

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(Like a postcard 🙂 )

 

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(Hampton Court Palace – one of the many palaces of King Henry VIII 🙂 )

As luck would have it I even found myself in Manchester for a bit – visiting some friends. I could not help but go and see the renovated Whitworth Art Gallery and I was truly amazed. Contemporary art is usually not my cup of tea but to my surprise I loved the exhibitions. One of my favourite parts would be the war room, which walls and ceiling were covered by blood red sheets – leftovers from the factory that makes the poppies every autumn for remembrance day. It is truly amazing how beautiful and creative it is. I think what I love the most is that whilst in the gallery you feel like you are taking a stroll through Whitworth park itself. The park feels like it’s part of the gallery – showing that nature is life’s most breathtaking expression of art.

I just could not help but share a picture I took during my visit. If you have some free time or you want to take a break from all the studying – I would definitely recommend visiting it. I will definitely do it again!

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(The War Room – covered in stunning blood red sheets)

Finally, I would like to wish you all “Chestita Baba Marta!”. In the beginning of March in my home country we celebrate Baba Marta or Granny March – a mythical woman who brings with her the spring and marks the end of the cold winter. Her holiday is celebrated by exchanging martenitsi – a small piece of adornment made by interweaving red and white yarn. It is also given as a token of good health and one usually wears martenitsi until the end of March or until a stork or a budding tree is seen. So lets welcome the spring and “Chestita Baba Marta!” everyone!

Veneta

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(A simple Martenitsa)