Sent my business cards to the printers! I'm going to go in the style of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman and outline the details of the cards: it's printed on 100% cotton, 32 pt thickness; letterpress (aka debossing); half in black ink and half in blind deboss. Keeping it minimalist. Nice burn to my wallet though! yeah, you wont see me tossing them in the air.

HAHAHA...sigh :(

Summer is more than half over. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! Sometimes I feel like Joey on Friends when he goes "Why God WHY". I hate when times flies when there is plentiful to-dos to complete; I call it, the punishment of aging. 

It's been awhile since I last typed a letter on this blog. Felt like this page deserves an update. 

Currently, I am frustrated with time management. Sometimes I feel isolated from the rest of the working population, in terms of our timeline. I wish I can start the day at 8:30 and work continuously and efficiently till 5; like "regular" jobs. But I always have to remind myself, creatives work differently. Don't fret. When ideas don't flow, it's just as clogged as a toilet. There is nothing that can speed up the process once we hit the cul-de-sac but I can guarantee when the idea is realized, it's non-stop, tiresome process; no sleep no eat, just 100% pure, non-concentrated procrastination-driven work. Yes, 90% of the time it is wasting time, 10% hard work. The ironic bits come as we achieve productivity and the important matters and distractions decide to make their appearance (meanwhile the 90% procrastination is uninterrupted). Nothing bursts our bubble more than distractions, especially for the creatives. Somehow it breaks our pattern like a sleepless night (sleep, wake, sleep, wake). The stereotype of a maniac artist, locked in his/her studio for weeks, unfed, dirty and unresponsive, is convincing. 

Here is 22 things creative people do differently (from multiple sources):

1. They get inspired at the least expected moment.

They can’t decide when the next big idea will come. It just will, in the least expected way, at the least expected moment.

2. They daydream. A lot.

They are here, but they’re not. They can fly away with their mind at any given moment during a conversation. Don’t be mad at them, it’s just the way they are.

3. They get easily bored.

They need to stay stimulated in order to stay active. They won’t focus on something they don’t like. Call them ADHD or whatever you like, this is just part of their genius.

4. They watch the world with the eyes of a child

There’s a part of them that never grows up, and maybe this is the real secret, observing the world with the eyes of a child.

5. They will fail, and you can be sure they will try again

Life it’s not always easy for a creative, especially for the professional ones. They will fail one thousand time in their life, then they will rise and succeed, only to fail again. Every creative, even the most successful one, has failed and has been rejected one million times. But they finally did it.

6. They are told to get a real job

It’s not easy to be accepted as a creative, especially when your loved ones expect something different from you. Real creatives will follow their dreams.

7. They will follow their heart, even if often their mind thinks otherwise

It’s said that creative people are more likely to worry less about problems and take more risks. This can brings to a thousand fails, but a million satisfactions.

8. They get lost in time

When they are creating they get lost in time and space, they can forget to eat, to drink and even to sleep. When words, colors or ideas start to flow out of their mind there’s nothing else that really matters to them.

9. They work when you sleep and they sleep when you work

Like we said at n. 1, inspiration comes at the most unexpected times. Just take it and make something great out of it.

10. Where most people see a difficulty, they see an opportunity

They can see the bright side of things, and brilliantly come out of troubles in unusual ways.

11. They fall in love with their pieces of work, and hate them the day after

This is still a mystery, but there is some kind of process that makes them extremely fickle about their creations.

12. They hate what they’ve just created, but will totally love it 12 hours later

Just like n. 11, this can happen too.

13. They are humble and proud at the same time

They are always willing to learn, but will be extremely proud and confident when it comes to their ideas and creations.

14. They are always looking to new ways to express themselves

Both if you do it as a job or you are just a creative person, you know there isn’t just one way to express creativity. If you are a photographer you’ll probably love to create in so many other ways. The same applies to painters, art directors, writers and every creative person in general.

15. They procrastinate

Give them a deadline and they will comply with it, but you can be sure they will do 90% of the work the night before the term.

16. They see the other side of the coin

They can always observe situations from a different point of view.

17. They don’t like boundaries

Rules and boundaries are not for them. Many popular creatives in history have even been labeled as rebels.

18. They often don’t like numbers

They are brilliant and can really amaze you at times, but try to let them do the math and you will be surprised by how much they dislike numbers.

19. They are great observers

They often are great people watchers and notice even the smallest detail. People and basically everything can be the inspiration for their next idea.

20. They always make new experiences

As we said before, they need to be stimulated to stay creative. Is there a better way to escape from routine by trying something you never did before?

21. They do it all over again

No matter how far they’ve come with their last creation. If at a given point they don’t like, they won’t think twice and will trash it just to start all over again. And again. And again.

22. They love

They love. Everything. They love life, they love people, they love emotions, they love animals, they love beauty. They can stay in silence watching the most beautiful sunset they’ve ever seen, or be excited for the next big art exhibit in town.
No matter what, their love for life is contagious, and if you have some friends like this, stick with them. They will make your life a little more beautiful.

----- C'est Fini Mes Amis! -----

(accidentally deleted this post so here it is again *awkward*) 

Here is my finished logo. This is the spec work, showcasing different versions

of my logo for any occasions.

Currently I am designing my logo. It has been an ongoing project spreading across many seasons, filled with much struggle, procrastination and consistent blockage. I assume many outsiders would easily reply: why, you're a graphic designer, this should be a stroll through the park for you. However, it isn't the case. It's like helping a friend resolve their issues, meanwhile you're struggling with the exact issues in your life but can't seem to tackle it the same way. The pressure on yourself through a client versus through your own is surprisingly two different sides. Your expectations for yourself is generally much higher because you expect the best of the best for yourself. If you can't do well for you, how will you do it for others? It's that tearing mentality. Which leads me to an article where I extracted a section, explaining why this studio hired another studio to design their logo.

"We are often asked why we didn’t design our own brand – and we’re a little surprised as to the interest this fact generates. Unfortunately there’s no great mystery, as founder James Bull explains below: 

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).

1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”

- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

I'm not saying I should go hire someone to design my logo; financially, it's illogical and, personally, I like a good challenge and I can be a control freak. Simply said, it's a heavier weight on our shoulders. So good luck to me!

We are often asked why we didn’t design our own brand – and we’re a little surprised as to the interest this fact generates. Unfortunately there’s no great mystery, as founder James Bull explains below:

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).
1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”
- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

We are often asked why we didn’t design our own brand – and we’re a little surprised as to the interest this fact generates. Unfortunately there’s no great mystery, as founder James Bull explains below:

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).
1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”
- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).
1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”
- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).
1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”
- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

“There were a few factors (and all pretty simple and practical).
1. We were far too busy – and therefore attempts at designing our own brand always got pushed back for paying client work
2. We felt that it was going to be very hard to contain our own thinking, and as such believed that an external ‘voice’ would help us in doing that.
3. Bibliotheque were our friends (and still are) and were just starting out, so the work was a good project for them – we paid them of course!
4. If we expect our clients to willingly go through a branding process with an outsider (i.e. Moving Brands) then we should be prepared to do it ourselves.
5. No agency that has designed its own logo has created something as good as the work they do for clients (for precisely the reasons listed above).
Oh and yes we ran with their process – didn’t challenge it or try to make them do it our way – it was a really great thing to go through, a very freeing process.”
MB co-founder and chairman Ben Wolstenholme added his thoughts, building on Jim’s fourth point of the importance of working with someone who can bring objectivity to the process.
“For me the most important part is the outside perspective. It’s hard to define or redefine yourself from first point perspective.”
- See more at: http://www.movingbrands.com/insights/from-the-archive-bibliotheques-identity-for-moving-brands/#sthash.gFnPC3Ao.dpuf

The troublesome (a pretty annoying) part of creativity, particularly in design, is that one person's idea is another person's as well. The likelihood of an idea being twins or quadruplets are essentially quite high. Why? Because we live on the same planet. Our inspirations comes from the same sources. Searched high and low, unique concepts are hard to come by, but when they do, they will hit you hard in the face and the stomach that the only thing you can do is spill a smile. The most irritating factor of it all, like the chicken and the egg situation, which one of the two was created first, provoking obvious questions, such as, "Was it copied? Was it stolen? Was it influenced by it?"; they come pouring out, quite generously and vocally. Gasp! OMG! WTF! Ew! Ouch! Uh... No!

For the designer, who obviously went through a semi-thorough research didn't come across it, know nothing of its existence, is now deemed a copycat and a "criminal". And, needlessly, have to (must) restart or at least dig extremely hard in their brain's crevasses to find an adaption or alteration. 

 

Sometimes our brains play games as well; popular online sites like Pinterest, Tumblr makes so easy and forgettable as we're saving ten thousand images into our "Inspiration" folders that the memory of something we saw gets rendered into something we think we thought of on our own. It happens. Like everything else in our lives. Was it dream sequence or did it actually happen? Was it her who told me the story or was it his? 

 

Solution? Nothing scientifically. Just basic sense: delete and startover; erase and startover. Pour me another coffee and sleepless nights. Thanks. 

----- Pengasm -----

Hi, my name is Vivian and I have an addiction to finding good pens and abandoning ones I hate. A conversation about pens (and notebooks) among friends gave me an idea to write about it today. When it comes to pens, I would like to say i'm a pro at telling you when to jump ship paper when you're holding a bad one. It is all in the consistency in the ink flow and the smoothness as it glides along the lines of the paper. Too much ink, the curves becomes blotchy and you will find your handwriting look ugly and angry. Like typography, your writing has character, so sometimes I find pens either compliment your writing or rebels it. Here are my criteria to a good pen:

1. good glide

2. good flow of ink

3. sturdy grip

4. nib size: 0.5 mm - 1mm 

5. weight: light.

Growing up, Papermate pens were and still are the best bang for your buck but they are unpredictable; it's like the lotto, if you're lucky, 1/5 in the box will be the winner pen. Bad ones, leak and leak till your pencil case and/or paper goes through a menstrual-like leak. 

Bic are good for everyday note taking in class or even writing cheques. Not the skinny boring one, you have to get the curvacious, clicking Bic pen with grip—Reaction, 1.0mm. 

My preferred brand is Muji. Good glide, good flow, and numerous choices in nib size. Plus, they're pretty affordable. 

check out this tumblr site... its devine:

goodpens.tumblr.com

Lookie look, we are finally starting a new year! I hope y'all had a wonderful two weeks holiday-ganza. Did you fill up your tummies; satiate your sweet tooth; and topped up your quota of visiting relatives? I certainly ate my way through the weeks while catching up with old friends. I can now hibernate. As for the new year,  I truly have no grand expectations towards my twenty-fourteen prospects and I'm not going to start a carbon-copy resolution speech; I hold an ordinary wish: finding the path to happiness and overcoming the fears to get to it.

; )

soon.

be eating.

be seeing.

be walking.

be crazy.

----- Premiere Pro -----

Videos editing in the process...sh*t looks alien to me.

 ----- Happy Blurg-Day -----

As another year of my life comes near to an end and a new one about to begin, it's hard to resist from reflecting over the years of that path; things I didn't do; things I did—of course dwelling mostly on the things I didn't do. Instead of looking forward, I'm looking backward, simply saying. Why is that? My siblings once said to me when I was younger, once you hit twenty-five, the speed picks up and goes a lot faster. To me, it sounds like the peak of the roller coaster ride where the only way down is, down. I could not agree more. Days and weeks go by faster. So the ride isn't as exciting. I'm hoping aging and maturity aren't exclusive to being wiser. I want them to be about gaining the self-confidence to not care anymore; to not be self-critical and negative anymore; to be comfortable in their own skin. Make the most out of the remaining time left of the ride without wasting it on the insecurities, like constantly complaining about the ride. It's easier to criticize than it is to live it up and play it up; learn to make it un-boring. Then when the ride comes to a stop, as I get up from the seat, the only thing marked on my face is a smile—and really tangled and messy hair—not a frown and disappointment in sight. That's all I wish for.

ok macbook.

------ Lord of the Rings. And Sweaters -----

Zara, H & M, AA, Zara

Clockwise: arrow ring, Miju by You; Apple ring, M by MJ; set of Cheap Monday rings; feather ring, House of Harlow; black cage ring, H&M; Bird silver ring, Harakiri; large gem, Top Shop; Boulder ring, Low Luv;  Two finger ring, Old Gold; silver cage, Low Luv.

Meow

Felt a little narcissistic today and fashion bloggish, so i wanted to post my collection of rings and the four sweaters that i wear regularly this season. Plus a special guest who I'm currently taking care of until it meets its owner.

Friends think I have this enormous collection of rings but honestly, I only started seriously collecting rings four years ago (im not counting my 4 late teen purchases which quality is good as 25 cents rings) and i usually add one or two new ones every year. Rings to me are like little art work I can wear on my fingers, and I curate the ones I find unique.

Sweaters: can't get enough of them! Like a smoker, I try quitting but when I see a unique knit or print, I can't resist.

The cat is handmade by ouistitine.com with used wool sweaters. This adorable thing made my cousin and I squeal in lots of awwww's. Figured we can't buy it for ourselves because as tempting as it is, we know it will sit and eat dust. So we knew we had to get it for a special owner.

------ Goddamnit! -----

So the deadline for a Threadless submission literally slipped through my hand. Rushing to complete my work, and even though I could have submit it as it is, I took the risk to edit my design some more. I know Threadless gives at least 15 minutes of leeway before submission ends. I went over. Anyway, aside from my cramping hands, I'm not aching in sadness; this gives me more time to clean the design up. I'll just submit it here on my blog:

----- We're A Constant Walking Cliché -----

What I mean by that is us, being in our twenties, constantly bombarded by the same stereotypes that define us as the twenty-somethings. Constant worriers. Constant undeciders. Constant party-ers. Constant whiners. And this list called Twenty Something Ways to You're Twenty-Something is the perfect corroboration. (i highlighted the ones I relate)

Twenty something ways to know you’re twenty something

1)      There is a nagging suspicion in your brain that there’s something missing. Not missing as in “Shit I lost my cell phone.” But missing as in, you wake up in the morning not really sure of your path in life, if this is really what you want to do, and if this perpetual hangover is really how life is supposed to feel.

2)      Your finances are constantly subject to new “budgeting” attempts, new excel spreadsheets, new financial plans, and yet never really seem to accumulate as quickly as your friends say theirs do.

3)      Your friends’ jobs are all better than yours

4)      Your friends’ apartments are all better than yours.

5)      If you’re single you are worried you’ll die alone, if you’re in a relationship you’re constantly worried if “this is the one” and otherwise you’re newly engaged and everyone else is jealous but you’re worried about becoming a divorce statistic. Really though, everyone just lives with each other.

6)      One night stands seem way less appealing than they did approximately 15 months ago and you’re not sure what changed (except your unexpected new devotion to hygiene).

7)      Your hangovers last 3 days, but you love dark and dingy bars. They make you feel artistic.

8)      Your hangovers are no longer just a headache but defined by ‘booze blues’ and ‘shameover’ symptoms (re: what am I doing with my life?!; oh my god why did I drink so much?;) and losing your wallet/phone/coat/pride no longer seems as funny as it did when you were 20. You find yourself staring teary-eyed into the mirror at your smudged eyeliner wondering if this is really what you should be doing with your time. Then you slowly, and quietly whispering, start singing yourself a Celine Dion song.

9)      Suddenly staying home with a bottle of cheap vino, a blanket, a tear jerker, and your cat seem a substantially better way to spend your Saturday nights then standing in line waiting to spend $100.

10)   Oh yah, now you stand in line because bouncers don’t find 20-somethings as attractive as just-turned-19’s.

11)   Your head suddenly feels crammed with numbers:

a)      Cell phone bills

b)      Student debt payments

c)       Monthly income

d)      Booze costs

e)      Coffee costs

f)       How many centuries it will take to afford a house

g)      Etc.,

12)   You remember a simpler time.  It included such heart-warming and moral shows as Breaker High, Saved by the Bell, Fresh Prince, CITY Guys, Wishbone, Ghost Writer, Captain Planet, and the Smoggies. A major part of you suspects that your morals and values were shaped by the lessons in these cartoons.  Another major part of you suspects the lack of morality in youth these days stems from their inability to watch the same programming you did.

13)   You have thoughts that start with, “Kids these days… When I was a teen… In my day…. When I was younger…” and other such statements you never thought would come out of your mouth.

14)   You start parenting your parents.

15)   You remember a time before the internet.  You remember when your family got its first computer. You remember, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?,” “Encyclopedia Britannica on CD-ROM,” and the first Apple computer on the block.  You also remember the evolution of social media because you were there for it all.  BBS – ICQ – MSN - Yahoo Chat – Forums – Chatrooms – Email – Facebook – Perez – Twitter – Blogs - ?

16)   You find yourself sad sometimes because you actually feel like the Internet’s become a bad place.

17)   Everything is solved by brunch. 20-somethings love brunch. Post-break-up brunch, post-night-out brunch, before-flea-market brunch, before-shopping brunch, happy brunch, birthday brunch, gossip brunch, ‘wanna go to brunch and catch up’ brunch?

18)   Time goes by quicker than ever before, for an unknown reason, and the more you try to slow it down the faster it goes.

19)   Going travelling versus paying off your student loan versus buying property is a serious legitimate conversation in your head. Backpacking is as legitimate a rite of passage as college/university.

20)   You have a niggling suspicion that someone lied to you and that your twenties are not the huge party previously assumed.

21)   You are also starting to suspect that the rumours going around about your thirties being the REAL party are just a ruse to get you through your twenties.

22)   You’re favorite saying is, “What am I going to do with my life?” This is usually followed by self-assuring statements that you’ve done a lot more than most people, you’ve got memories if not experience, and that’s really all that matters in the end because YOU won’t have regrets.

23)   You find yourself making lists more often because your forget more things: to-do lists are your new bible.

24)   There’s something about HBO shows, like unreal shows that seem real, and you HAVE to watch them every week.  This is especially true if the shows involve vampires, drug dealing moms, drug making teachers, doctors, or police/fire fighters.

25)  You suddenly understand what people meant by, “Generation Why.

That's a lot of orange highlighter... à la sigh.

----- Threadless Love Gap Kids -----

TAH DAH! Final design. Vote "Ring Around the Earth," to help it get printed on Threadless!

There was a 50 Million loto draw this week and I'm more anxious for this to win. The theme is Gap Kids. Drawing from my research instinct, since the target includes kids, the design needs to be simple and straightforward, funny and adorable. I decided immediately to not use any text, even though the design is open for the adult t-shirts, toddlers still won't be able to read (or want to).

I went through several ideas and scrapped a few that didn't hold well for the theme albeit still funny and cute. I went through nursery rhymes and  "Ring Around the Rosie" came up and an idea sparked! A space/solar system concept is gender neutral; kids can identify the characters and learn about it.

----- A Sneak Preview -----

Pssst. A preview to something awesome.

un ans après. tu me manques encore.

----- Worst College Majors for Your Career -----

As reported by highly reputable reliable scholars of Yahoo! I can always rely on their headlining articles written on stupid topics that are either really general, biased or based off common sense.  Anyhoo, this article, http://finance.yahoo.com/news/worst-college-majors-for-your-career.html, is quite a softy for me and I've been meaning to express myself since.

Anthropology, Fine Arts, Film, Photography, Philosophy, English, Graphic Design, Liberal Arts and Sociology are among the list of worst college majors for a career. Seeing my field among the list definitely ticks me yet it's all too common and true...ish? Right? We laugh at those liberal art, fine art and philosophy students as portrayed in pop culture, politics and reality; condoning stereotypes that follow them too. Is it because they're unintelligent, undecided or day dreamers? Or are they lazy and rather waste time outside their books and libraries? It would be as acceptable as saying that all science and math students are overly intelligent and studious, sacrificing social lives and lacking any real-life survival skills. So the answer is, no. It comes back to asking, what is higher education for? "To learn how to learn."—a quote from a source I don't remember. To me, studying these low-salary careers is about learning beyond the books; how to interpret and criticize society; finding answers to questions about human nature and the universe. It's like giving someone all the best baking equipment and ingredients without instruction manuals or recipes. The gorgeous Kitchen-aid mixer is rendered useless as will the world.

For me, I chose arts and design because since I was child, it was the only thing I loved and had a passion for—I guess it's easier as a kid with a crayon and no responsibilities—I was encouraged by my teachers, peers, friends and some family members; with their support, I felt mattered. In grade 5, my science project was about forensics science. My first email address (circa 1997) was set up to interview a real forensics analyst—that went on my list of what-i-want-to-be-when-i-grow-up. Then high school happened. Low marks appeared under math and science. Underneath the struggles, I was disappointed, not discouraged. i knew there were other things I could consider, like computers. I feel early education should provide better preparation and guidance for students like me; encouraging the options outside of medicine, engineer and science. Showing that to succeed you don't need to follow society approved formulas. Some individuals are born incapable of succeeding math and science. Some go to trade schools, a rising popularity in the 21st century, as people are rushing to find reliable jobs with guaranteed return. And surely, trade schools are not elite in the eyes of the elite and parents, who wants what is best for their kids. Carpentry, cabinet making, car mechanics, etc are far too commonly overlooked and looked down (mocked usually as an institution for high school drop outs and stupid people who couldn't go to University). With an overflow of entry-level Bachelor candidates, trade workers are lacking. Like I always say to my dad, if it is easy, everyone would be a doctor or a scientist. Even my friends with science backgrounds aren't working in their fields; it is a social pandemic; Forbes says 60% of Americans college grads.

Do people need to choose their majors from a list of high-paying careers or articles such as the one with Yahoo? Do people need to sacrifice their talent and/or passion? Some do. Every person live in a different situation but unfortunately, money often does determine our paths, which explains the common factor for people with establish careers to have panic attacks and life crisis; wishing they had followed their passion. Look at reality competition shows. How many contestants' life stories mention they are following their forgotten dream. Money feeds your hunger but passion keeps you alive.