The Best/Worst Graduation Speech I've Ever Heard

You know it's graduation season when your social media feeds are inundated with videos/text from various graduation speeches. A number of well-off engineers I know shared this particular speech, which resulted in strong, conflicting mixed reactions on my part. I haven't felt this uncomfortable reading something since the Any Chua Wall Street Journal article.

Here's a copy of the "speech" here: Dear graduates: Don’t follow your dreams (A commencement speech for the mediocre) 
 
I can't decide if this is the best or most arrogant commencement speech I have ever read. Basically, author Tim Donovan states that people should err on the safe side when making career decisions and not pursue non-financially lucrative dreams because they will most likely not succeed. In his opinion, it's better to live a stable life than risk failure, and that passions should be relegated to hobby status.

To a certain level, I can understand where Mr. Donovan is coming from. On one hand, not everyone can succeed as an artist, musician, writer, [insert humanities field here]. The author himself worked as a waiter for many years before making it big. Even fields in the social sciences (such as social work) don't always provide livable incomes. Safe degrees in fields like computer science, engineering, medicine, and business generally guarantee enough disposable income for people to pay their bills and live comfortable lives. On the other hand, I find it ironic that a humanities major who ultimately became successful by following his dreams is telling the rest of us to simply take the safe route.

Tim Donovan targets the general student population in his "speech" - the mediocre. A question I can't help by ask is this: Who are the true mediocre in this situation? Is it people who play it safe and potentially live mundane yet stable lives, or those who risk their financial security in hopes of doing something great or achieving their dreams? While some of the biggest risk takers I know could have higher incomes and larger nest eggs, these individuals are the ones who seem to be having the most adventure, seeing the world, and making the most out of life.

On a personal note, I'm someone who tried to balance dreams (studying music) with stability (a college counseling job) but ultimately erred on the side of practicality (a job in the medical sector). My job is fine, but I regularly wonder if I'd be happier if I pursued something even less financially pragmatic than social work. Maybe I'll get that music degree someday (to the horror of my family/friends), but for now I'll be part of the mediocre.

Obama Says He Wants More Young People To Become Social Workers

It's been a while since I've made a social work related post!  I'll try to do a better job of throwing in social work related material among my product reviews and shopping/deal/travel articles.  I am still a social worker after all!
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Nice feel good article from Social Workers Speak, but certainly easier said than done:

Obama says he wants more young people to become social workers | Social Workers Speak

Let's face it, despite the increasing demand for (geriatric) social workers, there is decreasing incentive for students to go into the social work field.  In this economy, why would a practical student take on loads of debt to get a graduate degree in a field with low returns?

If we want more social workers, then we need to provide financial incentives for students to enter the field.  For me, that would include reducing student loan debt (which President Obama touched on) and higher wages.  It's a deterrent to pay someone with a masters degree and a license the same wages as someone with a 2 year degree.  As I've stated many times on this blog, the best way we can ensure this is to pass federal title protection laws so non-social workers can't take our jobs.

It's great to see the social work profession acknowledged by the President.  However, we have a long way to go before we receive the respect and compensation we deserve.

Thank you, LUSH Cosmetics!

I love getting mail!

As mentioned in my previous post, I won LUSH's #freshnewlush contest during Generation Beauty.  My prizes came in the mail, and I thought I'd share some pics and thoughts on each product!

LUSH sent me 6 full-sized products!  So generous of them!

LUSH sent me a total of six products: African Paradise Body Conditioner, Zeste Medium to Short Hair Gelly, D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap, Granny Takes a Dip Bath Bomb, and bar soaps in Parsley Porridge and Mangnificent.  Since LUSH products tend to have slightly shorter expiration dates because they have no preservatives, I went ahead and opened them up!

Granny Takes a Dip

Granny Takes a Dip is an invigorating bath bomb with lemon oil, ginger, and pepper.  Its psychedelic look reminds me of a bubble gum flavored popsicle I used to eat as a kid!  I still need to clean and disinfect my bathtub before I try this out, but in the meantime check out this video of it fizzing here: Granny Takes a Dip

Magnificent (left) and Parsley Porridge soap bars from Generation Beauty for reference

Mangnificent and Parsley Porridge soap bars were also in my swag bag during Generation Beauty.  Mangnificent, made with natural ingredients such as mango and various fruit oils (including neroli) has a candy-like citrus tropical smell.  Perfect for aromatherapy after a stressful day at work!  Parsley Porridge, on the other hand, is made with ingredients such as tea tree oil, aloe vera, thyme, and parsley and has a refreshing herbal scent.  Intended as a detoxifying soap, I'm looking forward to see if it has any clarifying effects on my skin! 

D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap

D'Fluff has a sweet floral chocolate covered strawberry scent.  Makes sense since the product is made with strawberries, rosehip oil, and cocoa butter.  While I usually epilate (saves on the cost of razors and shaving), I gave D'Fluff a try and found that it made my skin slippery enough for a smooth shave.  However, be careful that none of the product accidentally washes off prior to shaving!  I'd turn off the shower before using this.

Zeste Medium to Strong Hair Gelly

Zeste is made with avocado and citrus oil and smells like guacamole according to my boyfriend.  Personally, I like the avocado citrus scent, but it may be too strong depending on your environment/workplace.  This will be a product I use when I'm not in a hospital setting.

Zeste on my hand

At first, I was confused as how to use Zeste because I couldn't seem to get any on my finger.  Then I read the directions and dumped the entire container onto my hand, which came out as a dense, conglomerated blob of gel.  Passing the blob between my two hands coated them with just the right around of product.  Zeste does provide decent, non-crispy hold, but I'd recommend not using too much to prevent oily, bogged down hair.

African Paradise Body Conditioner

African Paradise Body Conditioner is chock full of moisturizers (aloe gel, shea butter, cocoa butter), natural oils (almond, moringa, marula, baobab, Kahari melon, ylang ylang, clove bud, and sandalwood), and mango juice.  Its complex scent is something I can best describe as an earthier version of a moringa shower gel I use.

At first, I had trouble getting the product on my body and made a huge mess in my shower.  This is definitely another product where I'd recommend turning off the shower or stepping away from the water stream before using.  However, a quick rub and rinse of African Paradise reveals smooth and glowing skin that eliminates the need for lotion.  Also 24 hours later, I still can't believe how soft my skin is!  As someone who hates applying lotion after a shower, I plan on repurchasing this product (and all its iterations) over and over again!  By far my favorite prize of the bunch!


I will admit that LUSH is not the most affordable cosmetics and body care company out there.  However, they are certainly one of the greenest with their use of natural ingredients, recycled packaging, non-animal/human testing practices, and environmental activism.  This, coupled with the quality and longevity (especially in the case of their solid shampoo) of products makes it worth the occasional splurge!  Thank you again for the prizes, LUSH!  I will see you at next year's Generation Beauty and really soon at my nearby mall!

*Disclaimer* I am not affiliated with LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in any way, shape, or form.  I am simply an excited fan who won a prize from them!

Proactiv Skin Purifying Mask

My skin was not in good shape last week. The combination of Amtrak/bus travel, lack of sleep, and new products tested on my face has caused me to break out so badly that I was questioned at the dinner table, despite wearing concealer. It was time of an intervention, even if meant a mask so I could eat my dinner in peace. Going through my Generation Beauty haul, I found a sample of Proactive Skin Purifying Mask.

I've pretty much struggled with acne for as long as I could remember. My childhood consisted of numerous trips to the dermatologist, tubes of various creams smeared on my face, and bottles of antibiotics down my throat. Recently, I've gone as far as having costly, painful, but effective acne extractions to keep the pesky red bumps at bay. Given the cost of acne facials and topical antibiotics (which I must pay in full thanks to my health plan), I've been looking into lower cost over-the-counter options. The Proactiv mask seemed promising because it uses sulfur, an ingredient I've had success with in the past.

Sulfur, also known as the 16th element, has been used since ancient times to treat various skin ailments due to its antibacterial properties. While sulfur usually has a pungent smell I could barely detect it, possibly because I'm desensitized from all the sulfur-based products I've used in the past. In fact, I found this product to have a refreshing, clean scent!

The nice thing about this product is that it can be used as both a mask and an overnight spot treatment. I ended up doing both, and while I didn't wake up with miraculously clear skin, the acne on my face did diminish in size and redness!

Overall, I'd recommend Proactiv's Skin Purifying Mask if you have oily, acne-prone skin. Currently, it's only available as a free gift if you buy a kit on Proactiv's website.  I hope they start selling this product individually as I'd like to add to my weekly skincare routine!

*Disclaimer* I am not affiliated with Proactiv in any way, shape, or form.  I just happened to receive a free mask and felt like sharing a review!

Much Needed Self-Care: Generation Beauty 2014

Wow, am I behind on posts!  I think for the sake of keeping at least one blog somewhat updated, I will just write here from here on out!  I may consolidate posts from other blogs in the future, but for now I will just link to them as needed.

It's been a rough couple of months, mentally, physically, and financially.  After an emotionally draining trip to the Philippines I promised myself that I would not cancel any of my planned trips for this year, even if it meant a big dent in my bank account.  One of those trips happened this past weekend, when I attended Ipsy's Generation Beauty in Los Angeles with one of my good buddies!

Generation Beauty is essentially a cosmetics convention with workshops, branded booths, and meet-ups with popular beauty bloggers and youtube personalities.  While I wear makeup and spend way too much money at Sephora and Ulta, I consider myself a novice when it comes to anything cosmetics related.  I figured this convention would be a learning experience.  Also - let's be brutally honest here - I wanted swag.  Who doesn't like free stuff, especially when it's makeup!

Here's a brief pictorial summary of my weekend:

Here's the event venue at L.A. Live!  While it looks empty here, there were actually several thousand people in attendance.

Not so cheap Los Angeles gas prices.  Makes my Bay Area gas look like a bargain!

Back to the convention!  Generation Beauty really promoted the use of social media.  This particular Proactiv vending machine dispensed a product if you tweeted certain hashtags.  Other companies had twitter contests, from which my friend won a Temptu airbrush machine worth over $200!

Cargo was one of my favorite booths.  The staff members were super nice and did a really thorough job in finding products that worked with my problem skin!  They also gave me tons of samples and a few full-sized products.  I'll be using this brand a lot now, since I used Cargo's Generation Beauty online 30% sale to buy most of their HD line!

Lush Cosmetics is one of my favorite places to get soap and hair care products.  Several days after posting this image on Instagram I received a message that I had won their #freshnewlush contest!  More reason to love Lush!  I'll share pictures once my prize arrives.

A cheesesteak sandwich because I was hungry after walking around all weekend.

Swag!

Generation Beauty was a great way to get away, hang out with my friend, and try out new beauty and skin care products.  With all the swag I got, there's really no excuse for me not to put more effort into my daily makeup routine (which currently involves slapping SPF and powder on my face and running out the door).  Except maybe sleeping an extra 10 minutes every morning.

More posts to come!  Let's see how I do in keeping this blog updated.