E for Evi

I am a user experience designer, maker and curious explorer all within 5'2". This is a Scrapbook of Makes, Thinks, & Sees.

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Weekend hike to the summit of Cone Peak elevation of 5155’.

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From dirt road to stick road - a rainstorm washed away the dirt road and locals built a temporary stick road through the jungle. It was a bumpy ride and a lot of fun! Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, December 2013

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Floating on the water during sunset in Hạ Long Bay. Wake me up, I’m dreaming. 

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We spent half of an afternoon kayaking in Hạ Long Bay. The rock formations were spectacular. Too bad it was too cold for swimming. 

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The sky was often hazy. This was taken on the morning of my birthday in Hanoi. 

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Pregnant boar in Cat Cat Village, Vietnam

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The hike to Love Waterfall in Sapa Vietnam

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Back alley train track in Hanoi, Vietnam 

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In the first decade of the twentieth century, France's colonial administration in Vietnam encouraged French commercial enterprises. They built railways, roads and hydraulic works to serve these enterprises.

We took an overnight train to Lao Cai, and from there we made our way to Sapa Village in the northwest mountain range of Vietnam.

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The adventure started in Hanoi City. I had a giant backpack on, a map in one hand and my camera in the other. This is the Turtle Tower in the middle of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which is also the historical center of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. 

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Hello there and Happy New Year!

It’s been a 7-month blogging drought but I am delighted to say, I am back with some juicy photos and inspired thoughts. I have recently gone on an 18-day Asian adventure visiting Vietnam, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

For the next 18 days, I will be sharing a photo for each day of the trip. I hope you enjoy it!

This is me at the Cat Cat Village waterfall located 4921 feet above sea level in Vietnam’s remote northwest mountains. This area is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and its rich cultural diversity. The surrounding region is host to many hill tribes, as well as rice terraces, lush vegetation, and Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. In Cat Cat we met people of the H’Mong ethnic group who make spectacular indigo dyed textiles.

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Makerfaire in San Mateo

Some highlights: Massimo Banzi introduces an Arduino easy start beginner's project kit, one of many crazy costumes I saw, awesome wooden structures and inflated asparagus!  

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It's been a while since my last blog and a lot has happened! I've moved across the country from New York City to San Francisco for a position as a Designer at Adaptive Path. At AP I will work as a design consultant for industries such as healthcare, finance, and hospitality. The great thing about working in a consulting firm is the exposure to many different industries - you learn something new about the world on each project :)

Between leaving NYC and moving to SF I went home to Toronto for Christmas and vacationed in Turkey. 

After new years I went to Turkey and spent a few days in Istanbul before travelling south to the Aegean Sea. Istanbul is a city of complexity, beauty and change. The history is incredible and it's a place where East meets West. 

I learned a lot about the local culture and what most surprised me was the women's role in society. I noticed this the most when traveling outside Istanbul, I stuck out because women are not usually outside alone and mostly men were out after dark. Women tend to stay at home and have traditional roles within the home. This was fascinating and often made me wonder what it might be like to grow up in such a society. The younger generation of women are leaving home to pursue higher education and move to larger cities, you could say they are Westernizing. 

One other adventure I had while on the Mediterranean was Paragliding! My pilot and I ran off the mountain side and soared for 20 minutes up around the mountainside and the beach! It was spectacular :D

<3 

Upon returning from Turkey, I attended my first IxD Conference (interaction design) in Toronto - I'd like to thank Adaptive Path for sending me! It was a delight to get together with the design community and hear the latest thoughts in the industry. The theme of this year's conference was Social Change and there were many presentations about the impact of interaction designers on society, the internet of things, data visualization, and ethics related to how design effects human behaviour. I think attending the conference was a great introduction and a kick off to my new role in San Francisco. Nearly 50% of the people I met are designers in the Bay Area! I guess that's where it's all happening!

A few days after that I moved to SF and started my new job! Moving made me realize how much I have collected over the last few years, most of the things I own are from travel adventures or are pretty and well designed items. These things I have are inspiring, hold fond memories and remind me of who I am and my values. 

I'm really excited for my new position at AP, I will be doing a mix of design research, strategy, interaction and service design. Life is pretty exciting - new job, new city, new coast, new friends, so delightful~ :)

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At Karabatak Cafe in Istanbul.

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January 2013 reading list :)

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Forgot how much I enjoy drawing... thanks Levan.

@ Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art-School, Lower East Side, NYC  

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Jellyfish have no brain, no blood, and no nervous system.

@ Monterey Aquarium, CA