What I Learned from my MBA

In October 2011, I celebrated my 28 birthday and my release from an MBA program and a full time job regimen.

I took one of those programs with the "back to back" semesters that allows you to keep your full time job and get it all done under two years. Sounds pretty neat, right? You study on Thursdays until late at night and on Fridays mornings. Which basically means you are dooming yourself to a life without weekends and a full "head on" neglect of your family and loved ones.

Yeah, but you learn new stuff and develop both personally and professionally, no?
Na, not quite. I googled a lot so my googling skils have improved considerably. Other than that I used to focus on youtubing travel videos, reading recipes, envily following up on personal stories from runners' world (while feeling oh so sorry for myself) and when the going gets hard (and it did. quicker than I would like to admit)- catch up on all the latest hollyeood.gossip. Especially fashion police items. I heart those.

But you learn from these prestigious professors who have both business and academic backgrounds.
Oyyyy. That's a painful topic. I only truly admired a very limited sample of whoever taught me. As for the rest, my facial expression and depth of sigh would be as if you asked me how my salary benefited from this.

So why the hell did you do it? For all of the practical and pragmatic reasons. Not that I recommend or unrecommend this experience. For me, it did very little professionally.

But every now and then, life throes a bone in your direction. For me, it was my classmates. We were an eclectic group but a real smile came up my face every time I came into class. One in particular kept me sane (and not hungry) throughout the whole MBA ordeal. I knew we would get along as we both simoltaneously said "that is SO 80's" at a picture in a slide in organizational behavior.

I am by no means saying that you should inflict an MBA stressful path upon yourself simply to find extra friends. But if you have chosen to do this to yourself (and your spouse, and your family and friends etc.) - at least know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Well, that and graduation.

P.S. If that fails to help, use foul words. I did. And a lot of them. True, it is not lady like. But, crap, it felt GOOD.

New year resolutions

Ok, i know i am a bit behind, but it is never too late for some new year resolutions, right?

Ok, i hereby declare on my resolutions:
1. write more. Which is why i started a blog in the first place. Plus, now that i joined modern times and got myself a smartphone, i really ran out of excuees.
2. Get my running bug back on. I now noatalgically remember the last summer, when i ran almost every night and was probably in the best shape i have ever been. Sigh :-)
3. Start practicing yoga. Serious practice. I know within me that i could really "dig" yoga, but for some reason i never did take on ot seriously.
4. Last but truly not least: gain better balance of home, work, family, friends and self.

i read a post today in the blog "no meat athlete" (BTW, grat blog- check it out) on new year resolutions. In his post, matt really bashes.  the "educated" way of goal setting. You know, goals should be "SMART" and whatever. He says that you should set goals that get you butterflies and that will get you going.

I promise to update on my progress. I can say i am off to a good start: this post was written at the end of a walk/ jog.

I jusr hope i dont have any typos. I hate typod.

Happy 2012, y'all !!

Food is GOOD.

I come from a family of people who love to eat and to enjoy food. Even so, my knowledge and understanding of the food I eat and the choices I make have most definitely evolved throughout the years. I have always been interested in food, and "what is good for me?", but through the last 3 to 4 years, I have invested the extra energy into the subject. This was done through reading food labels, watching special TV shows, internet research, conversations with friends on the topic, and going to dieticians and a naturopath. As you can see, I am not a certified professional to discuss food, but I have learned a lot through finding solutions to problems I had with my diet and digestion. 

What it boils down to it this: I never lived on fast food as a little girl, but I also did not think of my food in terms of carbs vs. protein, complex carbs to refined carbs, the variety of fruits and vegetables I ate etc.

I feel as if two, very different "Litals" live within me: One is all about health food- quinoa, complex carbs, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, nuts and seeds etc. Case in point: you will not find heavy cream, fatty cheese, sticks of butter, pints of ice cream, chips and snacks and the rest of the good/bad stuff.

My pantry is stocked with raw Tahini sauce, different nuts, beans, seeds, a variety of veggies (I get slighly anxious when we are out of veggies at home. It's a disturbing sight) 

The other Lital is something completely different, and an evening of pizza and ice cream for dessert is definitely up her alley.

I know this really strikes a chord with a lot of people out there, and I may not be the first person you read that has written on this topic. But, nevertheless, it is a real challenge for people who live in Western society, especially women, who try to balance their choices and maintain a healthy, yet fun, nutrition and life style.

Although I am by no means a role model to nutrition, and everything I write here is based on my experiences only, I have learned the following on myself and what really helps me:

P.S. - I promise to start attaching more pictures, especially of what I prepare (and devour !).

Am seriously considering buying myself a fancy smartphone to help me through the process of documenting

Dilemma

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

Lately, this famous poem- "the Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, has been on my mind. I, too, am at a path that diverges, and I must choose my destiny. And the dilemma is weighing heavily on my mind. I have been working in my current job for the last 4 years and (almost) 6 months. I started out as a student, nearing her B.A. graduation, when I interviewed and got accepted to the job. I have held my position since then. During my time here, I moved in with the boyfriend (now husband), did my GMAT, got married, bought an apartment, started and completed my MBA. Now, that I am an MBA graduate and have freed myself from the burden of combining a full time job with an academic degree, I feel that if I am about to make a drastic change- the time is now. Ok, I tell myself. Now is the time to make a change. A career change. But to what?? What do I want to do? I turned 28 in October, which is not old, but is not young, either. I know I can a lot of things, really well, but I am struggling to pick one, or find the one that speaks to me the most. Basically, it's all boiling up to the question we've all heard a thousand times: What do I want to be when I grow up? And there is the practical side of me- Can't I just do something "for the soul" as a hobby and keep my day job, or a similar job? I won't lie- After 4.5 years, my wage is providing me with a financial security, that, unfortunately, not many jobs in Israel- whether as an employee or as your own boss- can provide. But, if not now, when? Won't I regret holding tight to my comfort zone later on in my life? And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.            I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. I took a theater class in my B.A. and the professor there said that there is "solution" for a dilemma. You just pick one side and go along with, despite its inherent disadvantages. As for me, I have yet to fully choose my path in life.

So why am I doing this?

Hey,

Why did I start to blog? What am I looking to get out of it?
These are questions that i found myself struggling with before starting this blog. I mean, who would want to read about the stuff that interest me? Who would 'dig' the weird combination of topics that truly me make me "pop"?

Honestly, I have always loved to write and  read, so i was always playing with the idea of writing a book or a story or something like that. However, having no concept for a 'full' book, blogging looked like the easier option. Heck, I'll just write of whatever gets me going, in the hope that other people would like to follow.

Second, I have been a follower of several blogs in the last year, and I have grown quite attached to them. They are the first tabs that I open in my work computer when I get in the office every morning, and I like to re-visit them during the day. I started with Tina, continued with Kath, and Caitlin, and i like to occasionally check-up on Angela and Mama Pea's.

Third, having to blog/report of my daily activities and thoughts will sort of push me to change me a bit in a positive way. I mean, for those instances in which I debate whether to go out for a walk/ run, knowing I will write about it will drive me through the door. Blame it on social approval, but if it helps me to keep motivated, it is a very good thing.


Time will tell if some, or all, of my wishes would come true.

Hesitating once, twice, and blog !

hey there,

My name is Lital, I am 27, and I have been playing with the idea of blogging for a long time.
I even thought of a name during this week, until the urge got the best of me and I just sat down, and, well, just started my own blog !

In here, I will write about the things that interest me, hoping to make it interesting for you guys, the readers.


A few basic facts on me: I live in Israel, have been married for two years now to my dear husband (who should be named hereinafter "the husband".
I like to eat, especially desserts (hence, the blog's name). I studied economy for my B.A. in Israel's Institute of Technology and have recently graduated an International Executive MBA program in the Haifa University.

Not-so-basic facts:
1. I LOVE everything with the country of Japan and its culture- traveling there 15 months ago was a dream come true
2. I am seriously addicted to watching "the amazing race". I watched all 19 seasons of it. the first 15 I finished watching in a mere few months. Would LOVE to do one.
3. Other addictions:  Nigella Lawson's cooking shows- that woman is truly AMAZING, and I would heart to have dinner at her place (I like her cooking !)
4. I love Studio Ghibli's animation movies (of course, the fact that this is a Japanese studio really helps), especially Totoro, "the keeper of the forest', that was first introduced in the movie "My neighbor Totoro".

I can assure you that I have other quirky features under my belt, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The picture above was taken in the Philosophers' Path in Kyoto, Japan, during the famous Sakura ("Cherry Blossom") season of 2010 (a year before the horrifying earthquake and tsunami)