Bye Bye, the Year of Rabbit!
AKA 2023 Recap - continued!
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to the new year 2024 so far!
It may seem odd that I am continuing the 2023 recap in my first post of 2024, but since I also celebrate the Lunar New Year on Feb 10, that's my excuse. LOL. Let's call this post the "Year of the Rabbit Recap!" - Continuing from the 2023 recap...
July
I visited my family in Hong Kong and spontaneously traveled to Shanghai for book research. My cousins met with me in Shanghai. We had a blast!
The trip home and the visit to China are very special to me. I missed my family dearly, and it was so lovely to meet my niece for the first time and reconnect with relatives whom I haven’t seen since I was a kid. I'm feeling creatively energized and inspired. As a bookworm, I renewed my Hong Kong library card and set up an account with China's online bookstore. I'm super excited because now I can easily access new and latest Chinese books for research! YAY!
August
August is a month full of first-time experiences for Piglet!
It’s Piglet’s FIRST TIME to:
Visit Portland, Oregon
Fly on a plane
Ride a Uber
Ride on a bus
Ride on a train
Long road trip from Oregon to Los Angeles
Cross the Oregon and California state line
We were worried she might freak out on the plane, but she did surprisingly well despite feeling a little nervous during takeoff.
We flew to Portland to visit our friends and then drove back to Los Angeles together. It was a last-minute, spontaneous road trip and the longest we've taken. Since we didn't plan it well, there were times when we had to stay in hotels with bed sheets that smelled like old sweat. We made countless unplanned stops and visits during our journey. We encountered a massive accident on the freeway when we were close to home.
However, amidst all this, we shared many laughs and stories during the long ride. We also had the chance to eat and sample lots of tasty food along the way!
It's a perfect way to end the summer.
September - October
Fall is a season marked with new milestones and memories - a new book released and meeting One Perfect Plan editor Bunmi in person.
One thing I missed the most during the pandemic was the street and cultural fairs around town. With the return of the fairs, it's time to explore the various festivities and celebrations. It's also our favorite time of year to hit the hiking trail as the weather gets cooler.
Our neighborhood has many hidden historical gems. We finally checked off hiking to California's first commercial oil well from our bucket list!
I received a special package from Japan containing the Sakura Medal for Marshmallow and Jordan. Although I learned about receiving the award over the summer, it didn't feel real until I held the medal in my hands. I am incredibly grateful for this recognition.
Although I know that many other countries and the US produce excellent comics, Japanese Manga was my childhood for a kid growing up in Asia. Receiving the Best of Graphic Novel Award from Japan holds a special place in my heart. The little me from the past would be jumping with joy!
As a child, other kids often teased me for speaking "funny" and mixing up words from various languages. I often felt insecure when expressing myself in words, and I never dared to imagine becoming a writer someday. Marshmallow and Jordan is my debut. Receiving an award is huge for any artist. To me, receiving this award signifies not only professional achievement but also personal growth, overcoming fear, and self-limitations.
November
We usually spend Thanksgiving in November at Mammoth Lakes, CA, which has become our new tradition in the past couple of years. This year was also the first time in a long while that I resumed travel sketching. I used to do a lot of travel sketching whenever I went on a trip, but life and work were overwhelming in the last few years. Therefore, whenever I had free time, I allowed myself to unplug and enjoy the moment.
I separate my art into two categories: fun art and work art. Travel sketching falls under the category of fun art for me. During fun art time, I give myself permission to play and not judge my work too harshly. I allow myself to make mistakes and enjoy the process. However, when I find myself slipping into work art mode during my fun art time, I know that I am under too much stress. This is when I hit the pause button and take a break to rebalance myself. This strategy helps me prevent severe burnout. The last few years have been crazy, and it takes me longer to hold that pause button. Now that I am recharging, I look forward to more fun art time!
Returning from my Thanksgiving break, I was delighted to find a few fan emails from readers overseas expressing their love for Marshmallow and Jordan. It was even more exciting to discover that the book has made it to the shortlist of Hong Kong Battle of the Books and has been one of the most popular titles on this year's reading list.
Despite being released two years ago, Marshmallow and Jordan is gaining more attention, particularly among international schools in Asia. As an author, I am incredibly grateful for the support of librarians and teachers who have shared my book with their students and for the love from all my readers.
As for Jordan and her friends, I know they are doing a happy rain dance with Marshmallow and cheering along as well!! On behalf of the KMS teams, Terima Kasih! - Thank you for your love and support!
December
It's Love Like Chocolate's book birthday month and the end of the Fall semester. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, also my native year. In traditional Chinese belief, one's native year implies completing a cycle and beginning a new one. It is a year of growth and reflection, so it's usually a more challenging year. A lot has happened in 2023, and it has been a super busy and exhausting year (in a good way). I am grateful for the few days of rest during the holidays to spend with my friends.
