Who are you?

Here’s the part where we get to know each other. Or rather, you get to know me. So I suppose I should start with the basics. I was born in Los Angeles 20something years ago. Raised in south Orange County after my parents split when I was 8. I grew up being really active, playing club soccer, snowboarding, traveling with my mom and younger brother, Drew. My mom hustled her ass off to support Drew and me through designing and manufacturing bikinis. She’s forever my inspiration to persevere and stay strong no matter what life throws your way.

I suppose I inherited my wanderlust from my mother. My travels thus far pale in comparison to her epic journeys through Europe, Asia, Africa and everywhere in between, but I plan to follow in her footsteps. A big part of me loves the security and stability that home provides, but I have such a thirst to see everything in this world during the short time I have here. After I graduated from California State University, Long Beach with my bachelor’s in journalism, emphasizing in public relations I did not hesitant to pack up everything I could fit in two suitcases and move my life to Toronto.

Before I give myself too much credit, I should note that it was for a boy. My boyfriend at the time was a canuck and after a year and a half of long distance, I decided to go for it and start my life up there with him. Moving to Canada in the middle of winter not knowing a soul really put me to the test. All and all, I feel like I passed. I found it pretty easy to develop new friendships (thankfully), I met a few wonderful girls who I really hope will remain my friends for a long time. I realized that the perfect PR job is not going to land in my lap and despite sending out dozens of resumes and (customized!) cover letters. All my voodoo law of attraction positive energy did not materialize into public relations success for me, but either way I am staying positive and hoping my network of friends and family will help me manifest my dream job this year.

Now that I have boomeranged back home from my half year excursion in the great white North, I am really focused on creating a life that I am truly happy with. I want to be challenged and stimulated daily and have the opportunity to create work I am proud of. I want to nurture and develop my friendships and appreciate every day I get to spend with the people I love. It’s so easy to take it all for granted, but being away from the people and places I love has me seeing life through rose colored glasses now that I am back with them.

Home sweet home.

Start Blogging -------->

In the social media-obsessed climate of today, it seems everyone is clamoring to shout his or her opinion from the rooftop. The millennium's proverbial rooftop is the internet. Most of us 20somethings are particularly obsessed with publishing each passing thought through various takes on "status updates" on sites like Twitter, Myspace and Facebook. We talk about everything from what we eat for breakfast, our plans for the evening, how drunk we got last night or solicit advice from friends and sometimes strangers. We chronicle our lives through photos and comments, getting immediate feedback from friends that we may not have expressed face to face. Social networking sites stroke the ego of their owners, turning everyone into an author being published on a daily basis.

I want in.

I just told my mom I'm starting a blog. "What about?..." is her skeptical response. I told her I'm not quite sure.

It's about me, I suppose. My thoughts, my journey (me me me!)—the trials and tribulations of being a 20something starting out, trying to avoid a quarterlife crisis.

My No. 1 goal for the moment is to land my dream job get an entry-level position at a large public relations agency in southern California. Many articles I've read about how to garner respect in the public relations industry and look attractive to prospective employers recommend keeping up with social networking sites and creating a blog. It is a healthy experiment for me to polish my writing skills and challenge my creativity by starting to blog. I haven't decided whether to make this personal or keep it professional. I suspect I'll blur the line between the two. I want to document this time in my life—the time where I'm shaping my future and making big decisions. Whether this blog helps jumpstart my career or simply spark conversation between friends (or strangers) and I, I will be pleased.

Nice to meet you, I'm Vanessa.