Remembering 20 Years

Konichiwa! My name is Lynn Le. I am 34 years old as of... well, however many months ago my birthday was. Time to remember what my life was like 20 years ago...

My high school years were... great, I guess. I went to the same place my brother did: High Tech High Media Arts. I remember hanging out with our friends--both my brother's friends, who quickly became my friends or were already my friends, and my friends from middle--at our own little place every lunch. That is, when I wasn't busy being a work-a-holic like I always did... So much happened in high school! And it wasn't that typical or stereo-type thing they show on TV...

I got my first boyfriend. Wow... okay, it's a bit strange at first. I went for cliche romance, hehe. I also got a good-paying job in high school. Too bad I didn't have time for community service at the old elementary school-those were the days! But, now I get payed... it's hard finding a job! I kept it till high school was over, luckily. I still drew and sung for fun, and tried to learn more languages on my own... that was hard. Also, I got my first booth at a convention to sell my art during high school... how fun. I found out how good an artist I was through that.

Anyway, after high school came college. It was hard choosing, and I knew I wanted to go to a good school in southern California, to stay near my family. I wanted to go to a school that taught not only art, but some architecture, writing, graphics, animations, and language. What? I knew I couldn't learn everything on my own. That would kill my brain! So I applied to UCLA. It had most all of that! But it was hard finding the art studies courses that I wanted. I had to study really hard to get accepted! In the end, I got in.

I took arts and print media as my main courses, and Japanese (language, reading and writing, etc.); and I went to the animation workshop, game/programming class, and graphics class when I could (meaning the least... I killed my brain when I stayed up really late to go to those classes and finish assignments!). I also took some extension classes on writing, architecture, web design, music (voice, instrument, etc.), and fashion design; just in case I couldn't make it in the other fields of my choice. I had hoped to become a successful manga-ka (comic maker), either in the US or Japan. I was passionate about all of these subjects, they all either connect and are something that could help me out in any of my other career choices. I remember hoping when I was younger to go to Japan to work and debut as a manga-ka or work at TOKYOPOP, a manga publisher in the US. I remember pursuing all of these subjects at one point!

Of course, my life wasn't all work and no fun. I kept in touch with all my friends! And my boyfriend--yeah, high school sweetheart. I believe in true love and fate and all that stuff, I always will (but that doesn't mean I'll have just one boyfriend my whole life, yes?). As for my social life, I had some college friends and acted and looked as random as I did in high school and middle! And there was my job... but that's not the point. Oh yeah! On my free time, when I wasn't hanging out or working, I was working and entering Tokyopop's "Rising Stars of Manga" competition! I got in once, and that got me a cash prize and I got to pitch my ideas to Tokyopop.

Anyway, when I graduated (with the Fine Arts and Graphics Design degrees) when I was 22, I stuck around LA for a while, sold some art, and took on that job at Tokyopop (thanks to "Rising Stars of Manga"!). It wasn't as exciting as I expected, but hey, I got to see manga everywhere! And my idea was being made into a graphic novel. That was exciting! It only paid enough for me to live, though, but I made it.

I stayed in LA for about 5 years or so, in my own apartment (a small one), visiting San Diego often. I went to my big brother Jon's wedding to his high school sweetheart Kat (she's an awesome sister[-in-law]!), my little brother Andy's graduation, and the birth of my niece Hana and nephew Andy. I went to visit Japan with my current boyfriend, too (I met him in one of my Japanese classes in college, we were friends at first)! He's Japanese, so that was fortunate. We stayed there for a few weeks, then came back to America. It was fun living the Japanese life for a while.

When I was 26, my sister graduated from college. She came to live with me for a while, like we promised when we were younger, practically our whole lives. After a year and a half of letting her learn what life's like on her own (I didn't do much, she had to get a job and learn how to cook and everything on her own), we went to live in Aoyama in Tokyo, Japan. We lived there for a few years in a small apartment, I published a few graphic novels. My friends came and visited for a while too, we were neighbors for a year or two. Then my boyfriend came and proposed, in one of those cliche romance ways, just like I like it, hehheh. After a few months, we all went back to America, I moved back to LA to get my job back at Tokyopop. I took a few months to get back to life, and planned the wedding, and then got married.

My wedding was wonderous! It wasn't the traditional Christian wedding, but my mom made me have a Asian wedding (once again, it's lucky my fiance was Asian too). What was cooler is that Cassie, my great friend since middle school, was also getting married in the same year, so we planned to have an after-party together (after the honeymoon, etc.), to celebrate our new lives and just ot hang out with our friends.

I've been married for a few years now, and I'm making my way to be an independent manga-ka in America, with my husband as my partner and manager, and assistant. My little sister Amanda is an assistant too, and she's living with us! But she pays, like living in an apartment. And my brother Jon, another great artist, is a partner, too! When he's not busy with his own life... Oh, we own a house in LA. A decent one where I can work independently (with my own studio!). Besides Tokyopop, I sell art, but not as a job... more for fun and a little extra money. And lets not forget conventions! Being an adult makes it a bit easier to get a booth at conventions... And I always get to meet my idols and everything!

My fondest memory over all this time was one time in high school--my friend from Thailand, who I hadn't seen in about 10 years at that point, came back to America after spending those 10 years in her homeland. I was so happy! Actually, happy nor any other word can describe what I felt then. She came back during my freshman year, and we both worked on getting her into a school for her sophomore year. Actually, our parents did, we just did a lot of begging and convincing, heheh. And so for our sophomore year, we both went to school together! It was our dream come true; we kept talking about it over email, I remember. I was reunited with my best childhood friend, and that's why this is my fondest memory.

I think my biggest impact on the "world" (or maybe just some countries) was my published work. I am proud of everything I've ever done, and I'm glad my work was good enough for people to read. I'm glad they all enjoyed it and were entertained.

Vignette//A point in time

Vignette: A description of a certain event or point in time.

This is something I was thinking at some point. My thoughts, my feelings, my vignette.

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I remember, during some times at HTMMA, where people were a bit two-faced. Don’t get me wrong, HTMMA is a great place, I love it, it’s just sometimes it’s not so nice.

One time, I performed at a talent show, and I felt so proud because I worked so hard to try and sing a foreign song well and right and I thought I had done that.

The second time was during Resilience Café, it was a night to honor people, a fun night. I had performed there too; with a song I had written myself.

The next day, my friend told me people laughed at me. Not only during Resilience Café, but at the talent show too. They laughed at my voice. It shot me down a little.

When we did Resilience Café the second time, somebody asked me if I was going to sing again, and after I answered and turned away, I heard laughing.

I had heard people liked my songs, and some people came up and complimented me the first time they heard me perform. But nobody told me they didn’t like it, or criticize; instead they talk about me behind my back.

Now, I don’t mind if they didn’t like it, I know not everybody would like everything, and I’m not perfect, I don’t expect everyone to like me or my songs; but I did mind they didn’t tell me directly.

I know they might be trying to spare my feelings, but I didn’t want that—I wanted honesty. If I sucked, I wanted to know, so I could find out how I could get better. I’m used to criticism.

I was thinking about thins a lot—people didn’t like my singing, they made fun of me for getting up on stage and making a fool of myself when I wasn’t trying to.

But I continued singing, I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop doing something I loved to do and had fun with just because of what some others said; if I cared about what others thought about me, I wouldn’t be doing anything. Doing what I want, and not trying to fit in with the latest fashion or technology or anything.

I also knew I had the courage to get up and sing. How can everyone sit there and laugh at me for doing that when none of them who are laughing at me had the bravery to do it, too? How many of them could write a song and go and record themselves singing; without being embarrassed about it? So why laugh?

I could laugh at them for not doing what took me a lot of courage to do what I do, but I don’t. That’s disrespectful, mean, and not right. Who would ever like someone who does that?

After singing Japanese at a school that’s supposed to appreciate and learn about other cultures and take interest in it, and singing something I put time and dedication into to a school that’s not supposed to be segregated, I wonder why this school isn’t. But I still enjoy my time here, I ignore the two-faced compliments when I need to, but still acknowledge the insults.

I hope some people realize my feelings, and even be considerate of not only me, but others as well. I don’t cry or get angry when people criticize and insult. I move on, get better, and keep on singing.