Thoughts on education

I never, truly understood the value of a college education until I started working. It suddenly really hit me why my parents wanted me to study hard, do well in school.

From the moment grades mattered, I guess middle school, I just plainly did not understand why the heck I should get A's when I could be passing with a C. There was definitely confusion and slight resentment toward my parents who expected nothing less than an A. It was frustrating as a kid because you do these things and don't have the capacity to understand why.

As I got older, I looked back and it all really hit me when I started working: that those A's got me into a good high school. Those A's and AP classes from high school got me into a good University. Because of those grades, I got to choose where I wanted to take my life. Studying Biomedical Engineering gave me an advantage during job hunting because it's not a degree or area that a lot of people know. Getting those A's in middle school helped build the foundation for the kind of lifestyle that I can afford because of my work. Getting those A's gave me stability, comfort, food, shelter, and all material things that make life pleasant. (I'm not addressing the mental/emotional well-being portion yet)

Do well as kid = higher chance of doing well as an adult-- this is the simplest way I see things right now.

What we pay for when we go to college is NOT (entirely) the course work. We are paying to learn HOW TO LEARN. Each discipline challenges the brain in a different manner. Engineers are trained to problem solve; and no, I don't mean differential equations; they are taught to think about problems logically. Real-life engineers rarely spend their entire day on technical math problems; this is what computers are for. But the process of how to get the answer; that's real-life engineering. I would imagine that it's a similar idea for other disciplines.

OK, so what about emotional/mental fulfillment from all this?
Everything's connected, and this is how I see it... Being educated generally gives you an edge in the job market, allowing you to make life for yourself, not be a burden on your family (become financially independent) and honestly, this takes a lot of worry and stress out of your life. People can say that money doesn't matter, love and family is all you need, but when it comes down to reality, are you truly happy when you can't live comfortably and eat well? Being able to satisfy these basic human needs REALLY helps your mental state.

The bottom line is that I am extremely, extremely thankful and grateful for the opportunities I've been given, and it would be a crime to squander what I have when there are so many others out there dying for a similar chance.

I hope that if you are stuck wondering why you're doing what you're doing, this post helps nudge you a little to work slightly harder now for a better future.

And really, it DOES NOT MATTER what you do, so long as you are fulfilled by it, makes you happy, and allows you to live the kind of life you want. You CAN be a successful artist, blogger, what not-- and you CAN make this your lifestyle-- but educate yourself in whatever you do so you can really make the most out of it.

Am I done rambling? I think so, for now. I don't often write these posts a lot because I don't want to potentially offend anyone; but this is a topic close to my heart and I wanted to share my thoughts. My intention is good!

Does anyone feel the same way? Or drastically different? Would love to hear from you. Please feel free to email if you don't want to post your comment.

Toodles.
Lisa
lisaHQCD@gmail.com
SHOP MY HANDMADE GOODIES!

Of recent happenings :) Fitness and Art

Greetings! In Mushu's verbiage...

Been quite a hiatus for me and blogging. This sounds dramatic but it almost feels like I'm at some cross roads in life so I have been focusing on that.... that and keeping up with my health and fitness goals for Tough Mudder.

Speaking of Tough Mudder, training recently has really been dominated by Zuzana's Workouts as can be seen on her YouTube. She is amazing. AMAZING. We have dramatically increased our overall fitness and cardiovascular endurance as a result of this training. And you don't have to work longer (in fact, we have worked shorter sessions), you just have to work harder and smarter. Our workouts are now 30 minutes on average, most of the time more around 20, but it's ridiculous and we're completely exhausted by the end, can not do another rep, and will be sore the next day. As people who work full time (and as an artist during the other times..), the more time efficient things we can do, the better!

Here's one of my favorite workouts from Zuzana.

!!!!
Burpee Torture!! 

Remember, good form! And it's totally OK to modify movements; I still have to modify a lot of my movements to keep my form good / to avoid injury. Filming yourself or working out with your partner is a great way of becoming more aware of your form. Most of us have no idea what we actually look like until we see ourselves from a different angle; totally normal-- it's a learning process!

We've increased our workouts to 5-6 days/week, mainly actually  because it just feels great, not because we're trying to push push push or whatnot.

Our diet has also undergone a few changes. We are eating a more protein based diet with less simple sugars/carbs. Avoiding carbs (like white rice) at dinner if possible. We feel really, really awesome.

Dare I say.. bf and I are getting addicted to these workouts?

Next post I'll share my super healthy (yet delicious) banana bread recipe with you all.

Meanwhile on the creation front I have still been busy!

I was recently accepted as a member of the Artisan Group and have joined a gifting to Mariska Hargitay, from Law and Order: SVU!

When I was a freshman in college, the roomie and I used to watch SVU all. the. time. So much it was kind of ridiculous actually. It was kinda fate that I was able to prepare the following goodies to gift her:

I went on a cuff binge over the weekend and created these cuffs:

I think it's funny how art comes in phases.

Also these earrings have been in the works for a long time, but I needed a few hours of free time to sit down and make them..

I have had requests to do Super Nova earrings for seriously 2 years now. I am finally committing to the idea, and am so glad I did. These are quite intricate, very flashy. I'm going to have to find an excuse to make myself a pair in crystal clear and wear them to work with a plain shirt...

I also have some potentially exciting news but since I don't know anything for certain yet I can not share :X

HOW IS EVERYONE?!

Lisa
SHOPHEQI
lisaHQCD@gmail.com

Home is where the heart is.

I love being at home. Honestly, there are few things in life that make me as happy as being at home. It wasn't until I started working full time that I realized truly how much I enjoyed being home.

Comfort plays a huge part in why I feel this way. I'm absolutely spoiled at home!

I have a wonderful kitchen for me to whip up delicious goodies on the whim:

Lovely bathrooms for bio breaks. Quite sure no picture necessary...

Versatile activity space where I can shove the furniture aside for workouts or lounge on the couch with a book and some tasty drink...

An awesome office / nerd center for us to game to our hearts' content, and make things as I desire.

A cozy entertainment room, and place to relax, watch movies, socialize.

Space for the kitties to lounge and enjoy, keep us company.

And our newest addition... a pull up bar!

We are extremely aware of how lucky we are to be able to have this kind of lifestyle. We've worked hard to get here and it is absolutely worth it.

Living costs in Sacramento are much lower than the Bay Area (where I grew up)--- if we were working in the Bay, no way would our quality of life be like this.

I'm such a homebody. Honestly, I come home from work and just have no desire to leave. On the weekends, I just want to relax at home as well.

Anyone else feel this way? Is this a result of .... working? Result of real life? I honestly don't think I've ever appreciated a home as much as now.

toodles,
Lisa
SHOPHEQI
lisaHQCD@gmail.com