MBA, 5+ years later!

Holy crap, it's been over 5 years since I graduated from Pepperdine. It was April of 2009 that I had my graduation and went to celebrate at the NKOTB concert with my sis and bro (they now have three kids each). It's amazing how fast time flies and after 5 years...surprise, surprise, I am still asking myself, "now what?"

Since my last blog, I had left Advanced Video Communications for a job opportunity in Sydney Australia and of course wrote about my adventures down under! I'm still in shock that I was able to move to Australia and live there for two years.  Felt like an impossible dream that came true! I made a lot of great friends and got to spend quality time with my auntie, uncles and cousins in Australia. Unfortunately the job wasn't what I expected and I honestly missed LA and my family and friends.

Since coming back, I've had a few freelance producer/account manager jobs at various agencies. The first was a really cool agency with cool projects, but the hours were a bit insane.  The second was working for the coolest boss, but some crappy clients and partners.  I'm at my third agency which I've been at for 9 months now and finally moved back to the Westside.   I like my roommate, she's really cool and we get along well. I like my job for the most part (after all it is WORK and you always have them days!)  Every Thursday I go to family dinner at my sister's house where I get to play with my adorable nieces and nephew. I have great friends and a pretty active social life. I am also training for a marathon in March, which I'm both excited and scared about.  Overall things are pretty good, but I still feel a little lost sometimes.  I am honestly not where I thought I would be at 32.  I am still unsure about my career, having fallen into project management after doing marketing for 7 years and frankly still unsure about life and what I'm doing! It's funny how you can feel just as lost at 32 as you did when you were 25.

Hopefully I figure it all out soon!

Update

It has been a while since I last blogged.  Lots has happened. Its been well over a year since getting my MBA which is pretty crazy, and I'm still asking myself, "now what?"  I feel like time is flying by so quickly. It's like the Kenny Chesney song, "don't blink, just like that you're six years old and you take a nap, wake up and you're 25...Don't blink, life goes faster than you think."

I've been working at Advanced Video Communications for the over 6 months now, and things have been going well.  While it is not a "dream MBA" job, I can't really complain.  My company is really chill and my commute is awesome - 10 miles each way.  I've gotten to go to free concerts, Clippers and Kings game and even managed to go to a first round Lakers playoffs game.

I have been a bit busy with weddings these past few months. My brother and cousin both got married in May and June, which brought some of our Australian relatives over.  The weddings were super fun with drinking and dancing. I got to hang out with my cousins Quy and Maram and meet their adorable boys.  In the past few months, I have traveled a bit to Pittsburgh for work and Boston/Cape Cod for another close friend's wedding. Next wedding will be in New Jersey in August, so I have a little break.

Now that I have a little bit of time to myself, I've been thinking a lot. I've had my MBA for over a year now and I will be 28 in less than a week.  My 10 year high school reunion is coming up and I have to be honest when I say, I am no where where I thought I would be at 28.  It's not necessarily a bad thing but its amazing how your perspective on life can be so differently.  When I was little, I thought I would be married by 25, have a kid by 27.  I'm going to be 28 soon and I want to move to Australia for a year.  I leave you with this quote from the great Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

2010 Resolutions

I still can't believe another year has passed and its 2010.  With a new year comes a new set of resolutions.  I make them every year, some are accomplished, some fall by the wayside.  So this year, I'm hoping to make more reasonable resolutions that I can actually keep,  so in no particular order, here are my resolutions for 2010:

• Eat healthy and continue to exercise regularly
• Walk at least 30 minutes every day
• Be better with my finances and save money
• Bring lunch to work and cut down on eating out
• Read more books
• Work hard towards my dream job - whatever that might be 
• Take better care of my teeth 
• Eat less candy and brush more
• Learn basic mandarin via CD in the car
• Keep up to date with the news and important events

To be a kid again...

I spent the last few days hanging out with family and all the cute little kiddies.  My cousins Lee and Scott are here visiting from Australia with their adorable son Rufus.  Since half our family lives in America and half in Australia, we all obviously don't get to see each other too often. My cousin Audrey also came to visit from up north and brought her cute little boy Ethan.  My cousins Sam and Thanh also have three cute kids, including their newest little edition Megan.  You throw in my favorite little one year old Alexis, and its a PARTY!   We had a big family dinner and had a great time eating and catching up.

Here are the cute little kids hanging out on the couch

Mini Audrey, Mini Candace, Mini Lee & Mini Sam

Seeing all the babies interact and play with each other got me thinking.  Being a kid is so great and so simple. You're just learning how to talk and walk.  People applaud when you finish your food or learn a new word. When you're a baby, you can do no wrong. If you stare at a stranger or take someone else's toy, its funny and cute.  Your biggest worry is getting that balloon at a party or eating your food and drinking your milk.

As I get older and realize how much responsibility I actually have and that I am actually an adult, it makes me wish for those simpler times.  When I was little, my biggest worry was taking a quick bath so that me and my cousin Amy could sneak out to buy candy at the nearby liquor store.  As you get older, the priorities start to change. In high school, it was about finding a date to the school dance or running for student council.  College was more of the same, studying for a midterm or trying to sit through class with a hangover.  Now its about paying bills, not only finding a job but a career and finding a person to share your life with.   It's about figuring about what the hell you are doing with your life and what decisions you have to make next.  It used to be that your parents worried about that stuff for you and suddenly, you're worried about being success enough to take care of you parents. I accept getting older and becoming an adult, but I really miss the simpler times.  What I wouldn't give to go back to kindergarden and have cookies and milk and nap time.

Things are looking up!

When I decided to go back to grad school in 2007, I never imagined the economy being this bad.  I always thought that I would graduate, find a kick ass job and then finally start my career.  Graduation was April 18, so it's been 175 days since I finished my MBA education.  The past 6 months consisted of job searching, doubting myself and wondering what I was doing with my life.  Of course, its also been 6 months of playing with Alexis, reading books, working out and enjoying this time off, so I am by no means complaining.  I went to Hawaii, I got to see my niece learn to crawl and walk and I had a lot of time to soul search and reevaluate what's important.

Alas, the time has come and I am happy to announce that I have a job.  Not just any job, a job that I am so excited for, with a company that I love.  I actually have a long history with Fanscape.  I interviewed back in the beginning of 2007 and was offered a great position in the business development department.  I knew that it was an awesome opportunity, but I ultimately decided that I wanted to go to Business School.  Fast forward two years later...I've kept in contact with Kristin.  We had lunch a few times and I asked her to participate in a Marketing Society Panel.  My strategic marketing group also did a project on the company.  We had many conversations and I knew that I wanted to work for her and Fanscape.  Thankfully the timing was right and here I am, working in the business development department that I had interviewed for two years prior.  Its funny how things work out.

In addition, my dad agreed to quit smoking once I got a job.  He's been tobacco free for over a week now! Like I said, things are looking up!

Oh, That Places You Will Go!

Dr. Seuss is a wise man...he wrote this children's book that is so universal and is applicable to any age...My sister actually got this book for me when I graduated from UCLA.

Alexis also has a copy of her own.  Candace and I were reading this book to her the other day and we both chuckled as we read this part:

You can get so confused

that you'll start in to race

down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

and grin on for miles across weirdish wild space,

headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting

Waiting for a train to go

or a bus to come, or a plane to go

or the mail to come, or the rain to go

or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

or waiting around for a Yes or No

or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

or waitng for wind to fly a kite

or waitng around for Friday night

or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

or a string of pearls, or a pair of paints

or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting

The next part says that you don't have to give in to the waiting room, that you can escape.  Of course there are tough times:

You'll get mixed up, of course

as you already know.

You'll get mixed up

with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's 

a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

and never mix up your right foot with your left

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guarenteed)

I think its funny and so true that we all have to wait at many stages in our lives.  We all have to just get past the waiting room and take a step forward.  This book really puts a simplistic spin on life and is a great way to look at life.  I can't wait for the places that I will go!

I Just Haven't Met You Yet...

One of my favorite singers, Michael Buble has a really great single out that is upbeat and I really like it.  It's an optimistic song about love that I can relate to. It's nice to know that there's somewhere out there...waiting to meet me? Haha

I'm not surprised

Not everything lasts

Have broken my heart so many times

I stop keepin track.

Talk myself in

I talk myself out

I get all worked up

Than i let myself down.

I tried so very hard not to lose it

I came up with a million excuses

I thought I thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out

You make me work so we can work to work it out

And i promise you kid that I'll give so much more than I get

I just haven't met you yet

Mmmmm ....

I might have to wait

I'll never give up

I guess it's half time

And the other's half's luck

Wherever you are

Whenever it's right

You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

I know that we can be so amazing

And baby your love is gonna change me

And now i can see every possibility

Hmmmmm ......

And somehow I know that will all turn out

And you make me work so we can work to work it out

And I promise you kid I'll give so much more than I get

I just haven't met you yet

They say alls fair

In love and war

But i won't need to fight it

We'll get it right and

We'll be united

And i know that we can be so amazing

And being in your life is gonna change me

And now i can see every single possibility

Hmmm .....

And someday i know it'll all turn out

And I;ll work to work it out

Promise you kid I'll give more than I get

Than I get than I get than i get

Oh you know that will all turn out

And you make me work so we can work to work it out

And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get

Yeah I just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet

Oh promise you kid

To give so much more than i get

I said love love love love love love love .....

I just haven't met you yet

Love love love .....

I just haven't met you yet