One
early morning on June 14, 1980, I was born to a very surprised couple
in Dallas, Texas. They had been expecting a baby boy, and there I
popped out, screaming my head off and missing aƒ well, you know what.
My parents were wise in their ways and instead of giving me a traditional
Asian name that would've tied up anyone's tongue, they named me Linda
on the advice of a friend who said that the name meant "pretty" in
Spanish. Many people confuse me for being Hawaiian, Filipina, or even
half Mexican and half Japanese (huh?), but I am actually half Vietnamese
(mom's side) and half Chinese (dad's side). I only lived in the Lone
Star State for about a year when my family packed up and moved to
Las Vegas, Nevada, in search of better job opportunities. It was there
in Sin City that I thrived for the next eighteen years, and despite
all the stereotypes, my life did not revolve around gambling, drinking,
smoking cigars, and going to dollar peep shows - though I must admit
that I've had my great share of fun and adventure on the infamous
casino "Strip!" My parents split up when I was very young, so I only
remember being raised by my mom and stepdad, though my real dad and
I see each other often. I was an only child in the household (my half-brother
lived in Vietnam with our relatives at the time), so I was a spoiled
brat, to put it bluntly. I was showered with all sorts of family attention,
toys, clothes, and pets and grew up in nice neighborhoods with lots
of playmates. I was also somewhat of a troublemaking tomboy until
junior high, when I ditched my grass-stained jeans and high-tops in
favor of sundresses and sandals. (Hey, that's when I learned a few
things about boys!) Nevermind the wardrobe change, though, because
I am still a troublemaker at heart! My parents are strong believers
in education and want me to have a better life than them, so they
pushed me to succeed all throughout grade school. I was the ultimate
goody-goody, always turning in my homework on time, volunteering for
community service projects, running for student office, and organizing
club fundraisers. I was the type of person who always juggled a million
tasks at once, took on new challenges everyday, stressed out constantly,
and survived on only four hours of sleep a night, and guess what -
I still do! I was also taught to be extremely independent at an early
age; basically, I was on my own by the time high school rolled around.
There weren't too many teenagers out there like me I filed my own
taxes, knew how to change a flat tire, taught myself basic HTML programming,
and packed a mean punch in my kickboxing class. I thank my parents
now for pushing me to exceed what I thought were my limits My most
life-changing decision to date has been my big solo move to New York
City at age nineteen. When you have to leave half your life behind
to start a new one, it can be a scary experience, especially in an
unsympathetic, fast-paced city like the Big Apple! I am currently
on a full academic scholarship (yes, even models can be pretty damn
smart), pursuing my first passion (art and design), and live the typical
life of a starving college student. When I'm not running across campus
to my next class or staying up late to finish last-minute design projects,
I'm either on the computer (checking e-mails, working on my websites)
or on the phone (driving up my long-distance bill) - or even both!
If I'm lucky, I get to fly home on the weekends to see my family and
friends. They are the most amazing people, my infinite support network.
I love each and every single one of them!
