April 2026; Post Marked.

A solo trip to Edinburgh, the perfume I can't stop wearing, a book club update, and starting Naruto at 29.

May 15, 2026

Hi! Welcome to the first Post Marks by me, Zeenia. Before I get into the juice, I wanted to share a little about me, and why I started this Substack.

I'm a designer, creative technologist, and content creator. I've been working in design for almost 12 years, but in 2024 I quit my 9-5 to go freelance. I talked about this journey in much more detail on my YouTube channel if you’re interested.

I moved to London (from Sydney, Australia) one year ago: May 2025. It had been my dreammmm for almost a decade and I finally made it come true. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.

I also run a design studio & club called SANS. As a creative person, I hated being put in a box or trying to mould myself to fit a job description. SANS is the antithesis to that. No labels, no rules, creating for the fun of it. If you’re curious, check it out here.

Unsurprisingly, I love well-designed things — products, spaces, software, etc. I’m the friend who always has a recommendation.

Every month I plan to recap what I’ve been up to: where i travelled, what i did/bought/read/watched, and what i’m working on (designs, projects, videos). All with the hope to inspire people to get out into the world and notice how beautiful it is.

This newsletter is me trying to remember it all. I’m a nostalgic person and I want a record of this chapter while it’s happening, not in retrospect. Also very much trying to get over a fear of writing, so this is for that too. Let me know what you think <3

April marks 12 months of living in London. No better time to start this Substack. I went on a solo journey to Scotland, flew to France and back twice in one week, and read a lot. Here’s my Post Marks.

A Solo Trip To Edinburgh

I went on my first solo trip after 7 years! Last time I was in Europe, I solo travelled Copenhagen and Stockholm. I loved the cities, not so much the solo-ness. I was just too anxious. I couldn’t even muster the confidence to ask a stranger to take a photo of me.

Since then, I have spent a lot more time with just myself, and found ways to enjoy the peacefulness that comes with it. I worked in Perth (Australia) for 5 months back in 2020, which got me very comfortable with travelling and staying in hotels on my own. I lived alone for 1.5 years. And I spent a lot of time in recent years going on solo dates, exploring Sydney and London myself.

So this time I was prepared. I chose Edinburgh for the simple fact that it feels like an introspective city. Filled with bookstores, parks, and rich history. It seemed small and safe enough to do on my own. London has felt overstimulating at times, and Edinburgh felt like a reprieve from that.

edinburgh, photography, film — Edinburgh, shot by me (Fujifilm x100vi)

3 days filled with drinking matcha at every cute cafe, reading in multiple bookstores, journalling in parks, and doing 18k steps around all the quaint Scottish streets = my perfect trip.

It was peaceful, reflective, and everything I needed this month. Highly recommend a solo trip to anyone thinking about it.

Upcoming YouTube Video: A Solo Trip to Edinburgh

Attending The Monte-Carlo Masters 🎾

If you’ve met me, you know I’m a huge Tennis fan. (Djokovic is my Goat, and has been since 2007). One of my big bucket list items is to attend all 4 Grand Slams, and another was to attend the Monte-Carlo Masters.

This month I travelled to Monaco to do the latter, and also celebrate my lovely Fiancé’s birthday in style. Few things more luxurious than Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

We stayed at the incredible Hotel Metropole, enjoyed day 3 of the Masters at Centre Court, and saw an unreal sunset.

Had the amazing opportunity to see Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Gael Monfils play on the same court, on the same day.

Such a unique experience. It was interesting to see how the other side lives. Stunning, but in a way that felt almost staged.

Monte-Carlo was a place you go to be seen. London is a place you can disappear in. I think I prefer the disappearing kind.

monte carlo, monaco, photography, film, fujifilm — Monaco, shot by me (Fujifilm x100vi)

Faves From This Month

Thought I’d also share some recent purchases I use almost every single day, and love.

Unspoken Gesture by Jorum Studio (perfume) — the most unique scent I’ve ever found. Nutty, woody, with a hint of fig and musk.
Apple TV (tech) — Apple never fails when it comes to good UX. I can’t believe it took me this long to invest in an Apple TV. Good bye bloatware, data tracking, and ads.
Cardigans from Sézane (clothing) — the only outerwear that got me through the colder months. Such high quality wool. I know ‘Emile’ in the electric blue colourway hates to see me coming.
Fujifilm x100vi (camera) — obvs my new camera would be on this list. So worth the hype. Definitely a little pricey, but there’s nothing else quite like it.

And here’s a list of spaces and places I can’t stop thinking about:

tipo (restaurant), Edinbugh — a small but wonderful restaurant. I dined solo and the staff could not have made the experience more comfortable. Not to mention basically everything on the menu was delicious (guanciale potatoes 🤤), and they made all the dishes gluten-free for me.
Dean Village (area), Edinburgh — my favourite slice of Edinburgh. A lovely little village with a walking path along the water. Straight out of a storybook (Harry Potter)!
Noisy Oyster (restaurant & bar), London — even though I’m not the biggest seafood or oyster girl, my jaw dropped when I saw the interiors of this restaurant. 10/10, gorgeous, no notes. Loved the spicy marg, mini martinis, and crudo trio. My Fiancé also said it was the best oysters he’s had in London.
Berenjak (restaurant), London — Persian food has officially entered one of my top cuisines. Berenjak is highly popular - and for good reason. Everything we ate was a 10/10. The lunch set menu is only £34 and you get all the good stuff, great value for money imo. Tiny space + long lines, so book in advance.

Reading Update

This year I decided to read as much as I could. I want to increase my reading pace, improve my vocab, and broaden my horizons. So far I’ve read:

A Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) — Suzanne Collins
A Thousand Splendid Suns — Khaled Hosseini
Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) — Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games (#1) — Suzanne Collins
The Creative Act — Rick Rubin
Catching Fire (#2) — Suzanne Collins
The Alchemist — Paulo Coelho
Mockingjay (#3) — Suzanne Collins

The feeling of reading a physical book is unmatched. Given all our travelling though, my Kindle has come in clutch. Curious what you all prefer.

This month’s Book Club read

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho): ⭐️⭐️

My least favourite book club read so far. Preachy, boring and shallow. Hated the writing style, none of the characters had depth, and everything felt contrived. Maybe if I was a teenager when I read this I may have enjoyed it more.

I did like this quote from the book though:

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

Next month’s Book Club read:

One Golden Summer (Carley Hunt)

The girls think it’s time for something lighter. A romance, just in time for summer. Not my typical genre of choice, but I’m excited to give it a read.

Currently Watching

Naruto + Naruto: Shippuden

I can’t believe it took me over 2 decades to finally watch Naruto! Strong contender for top 10 favourite shows of mine. I haven’t finished Shippuden yet, but from everything I’ve watched so far, this show is life-changing. I've grown an unhealthy attachment to all of these characters — especially Gaara, Naruto, and Kakashi. An anime that deserves all its flowers.

Summer House

Another show I waited far too long to watch. Got to binge some quality reality tv for a few months (it’s 10 seasons long + still going!). Lightning in a bottle effect.

Design & Tech Projects

Alongside my freelance client projects, I have a few personal projects I’m working on / recently completed.

Streaks (Mini Web App)

Streaks started as a fun side project for a YouTube video. I wanted to build something small that turned habit tracking data into a year-at-a-glance heatmap (a la GitHub).

I love data, and I especially love visualising it. It’s so satisfying to see how many days in the year I did the small habits that make my day feel better.

Most habit trackers bury the visualisation inside their own app or behind a paywall. I wanted something free and standalone, so the year you built is yours to look at.

It’s also been a good excuse to keep the design and dev tools sharp. Still very much a work in progress. Keep an eye out for my May Recap (on Substack) to use it for yourself. I’ll also chat all about the behind-the-scenes of building it in a future YouTube video.

Upcoming YouTube Video: The anatomy of a perfect day

Branding for Naruto Characters

I love making personal branding for all my favourite fictional characters. A brand identity is such a fun way to express a character’s unique personality and quirks. Here’s my take for Naruto:

Branding for a Padel Club

I also worked on a fun brand concept: Ace Padel Club. I wanted it to feel dynamic and bold. Almost like you’re joining a community, not just booking a court.