Oh hi, i’m Annie Hoang. I’m a User Experience Designer and Educator working in Japan.
In Vietnamese culture (oh yes, i’m from Vietnam), we have this concept of “năm tuổi”, which can roughly be translated to “the year of age”. It is when the lunar year coincides with a person’s zodiac animal.
So when you’re 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, so on.
It is believed that your “year of age” will bring many misfortunes and bad luck, so people abstain from doing big things in this year ー such as getting married, building a house, buying a car, etc.
And yet, people also expect you should be able to achieve certain things when you turn this age ー Live in a certain type of house, work in a certain type of job position, prepare for a model type of life.
And for the past 23 years, I have never followed a model timeline — skipping junior high school at 14, becoming financially independent before 18, giving a TED Talk when I was 21. I have always been walking on my own untraditional path.
I constantly overthink and over-worry, I still don’t have a car and I am still trying to make ends meet. But despite all that, I live a life that’s fulfilling for me.
Take it from me: you are the creator of your own timeline, so you shouldn’t let a year in the calendar or a digit in your age dictate what you should do and when you should do it.
Life is full of surprises and unexpected twists, and often, the best moments come from embracing these uncertainties and charting your own path.
And to kick off this chapter in life, i’m starting this newsletter. Let’s see where it takes me to.