Personal Identity: A Short Story

I appear like an average simpleton: I do not look like a pulchritudinous goddess from the heavens, nor am I an unsightly abomination. My small, round eyes look like dark pits, but they glisten like amber gemstones in the sunlight. My black, thick-rimmed glasses cover up my unkempt, bushy eyebrows as well as a quarter of my face. My chipmunk cheeks as well as my broad jaw and square face makes my face appear as wide as a barn door. My hair appears as dark as the night sky; but, when the light shines on it, my long locks glow as russet as the sunset. My skin looks like the color of a coffee stain that would never quite come off the white tablecloth with golden-honey undertones.
One can say that I am vertically challenged as I am not taller than a toadstool. I stand at five feet and one inch tall, after all. My abdomen sticks out from my waistline like a hill on a flat plain. I am obviously not the fittest person in the world. Additionally, I simply clad in a T-shirt and jeans, nothing too special in what I normally dress in.
My kindness, my generosity, my diligence-- these traits ultimately make me the person that I am. I respect people’s thoughts and opinions, even if I do not agree with them. I always try to lighten someone’s day when they feel dejected. On the other hand, I am incredibly sarcastic and cynical around my
friends. I am not too sardonic that I wind up hurting other’s feelings.
As I pass them, I look into the eyes of strangers and smile. In this way, I can give from my heart to theirs; sometimes, they returned it to me through a smile and a greeting back. I take as many opportunities to bandy with strangers, no matter how minor. I try to project that I care about them by showing an interest in their lives. As something free, Smiles, greetings, and a show of interest do so much to uplift those around us. I try to spread my love and kindness wherever I am. It brings me so much joy to see another person respond so quickly. I try to keep a carefree and elated mood. However, I am far too worrisome and I feel stressed out about everything. I feel like I am an 18th century wooden bridge groaning under the weight of modern trucks crossing over; I am destined to splinter, crack, and ultimately succumb to my stress. Periodically, I would drift into a depressing slump, contemplating if my existence possess any meaning and where exactly do I fit in the scheme of the universe. Even though I occasionally feel anxious and melancholy, I always try to maintain optimistic for the sake of my friends and family and even for the sake of my mental health.
My defining characteristics of integrity, practical logic, and tireless dedication to duty makes me bound to rules and standards. I enjoy taking responsibility for my actions and take pride in the work I do. When working towards a goal, I hold back none of my time and energy completing each relevant task with accuracy and patience. I express a no-nonsense attitude, and when I make a decision, I will relay the facts necessary to achieve my goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action. According to some of my friends, I can become noticeably angry as deadlines tick nearer. When I say I am going to finish my work, I do it, meeting my obligations, no matter the personal cost, and I am extremely baffled by people who don't hold their own word in the same respect. The combination of laziness and dishonesty quickly brings me to my bad side; consequently, I often prefer to work alone, or at least own an authority clearly established by hierarchy, where I can set and achieve my goals without debate or worry over other's reliability.
I prefer autonomy and self-sufficiency to the reliance on someone or something. I see the dependency on others as a weakness, and my passion for duty, dependability, and impeccable personal integrity forbid falling into such a trap. This unfortunately makes it difficult for me to work in large group for projects when no one participates and do not do their fair share of work.
My core, my sense of personal integrity, goes beyond my own mind.
I adhere to established rules and guidelines regardless of cost, reporting my own mistakes, and telling the truth, even when the consequences for doing so could be disastrous. I always answer honestly, even if it seems more logical to lie in certain situations. I value honesty more than emotional considerations, and my blunt approach leaves others with the false impression that I am cold, or even robotic. I tend to struggle when it comes to properly expressing emotions outwardly, but the suggestion that I do not feel or, worse, not possess any personality at all, deeply hurts
me. I strive to achieve the best grades and scores possible, I will bend over backwards to earn the position of valedictorian in my class. I pretty much live to the Asian stereotype: I earn high grades, I rarely receive bad grades, and I take all honors classes. Then again, my parents’ upbringing resulted me into becoming the student that I am. They expect nothing lower than an A; however, if I do earn a lower grade, they would slap me into the next week. My parents always points out that some distant cousin or family friend’s child or a prodigy trotted out as a paragon of perfection that I am falling short of. My parents taught me that if I fail, I am a shame to the family name. I am taught to be a perfectionist and I should strive to earn the best grades possible; therefore, I do work hard to become the best student that I possibly can. Because I am hard at work at school, I do receive awards and certificates along the way: It consists of certificates for art shows, for the achievement of high grades, or for perfect attendance.
I did participate in art club during middle school. All the club members stayed after school on Thursday and drew or painted for two hours. I also participated in an interact club during my freshman year, where I volunteer and provide service or aid to the community or to the school. Otherwise, I did not join in many clubs, for I did not possess any means of transportation home due to the fact that my parents worked the entire day.
My interests and hobbies include animation, drawing, painting, films, sewing, bicycling, crafting, swimming, and cooking. I love animation because, when I watched Disney and Pixar films, they brought life from nothing but paper and ink. It feels great to make something out of virtually nothing. While I am sewing, it still amazes me that I can turn ordinary fabric and some thread into something I can actually wear. Furthermore, Just like writing in a visual form, painting and drawing allows me to express myself without any limitations to hold me back. The same goes for crafting. I love cooking because it involves taking a variety of food items, things that would be disgusting on their own, and combining them in a way that results in something delicious. I enjoy swimming and bicycling because I find it pleasurable.