My name is Sun-Yi Jiang. I am thirteen years old. I like bubblegum, peanut butter, and rock'n'roll. I love martial arts films-Jackie Chan is awesome-but I hate romantic comedies. I find myself screaming at the screen, "Hook up already!" Maybe this is the reason why my sister doesn't like to go to movies with me. I perform in the single hand balancing and plate-spinning acts. I can also juggle, walk on stilts, and I am learning the teeterboard. I started studying acrobats when I was two. I first appeared on stage when I was seven. My act was folding myself into a barrel. I mostly played the role of the miniature clown, you know kind of like Matsya. My father is the coach for the Chinese Acrobats and my mother is the costume maiden. Both are incredibly strict about, well, everything. I'm not allowed to date or wear makeup (except for performances) and I have to keep my hair long. What I'd really like to do is cut it real short, streak it purple, then spike it. My favourite colours are purple, red, and black. Most of my wardrobe consists of these colours. I often sneak out wearing a black dress, a long hooded red coat, purple prom gloves, my combat boats with the purple shoestring laces, and lipstick so bright, fire engines use it as a model. My parents would flip. I know what you're thinking: I'm not the typical Chinese girl. From my performances in which I'm a light, dainty china doll, you'd think I was but I'm not. I love to talk, I can yell pretty loud if challenged, and I have a stubborn streak a mile wide. People have the stereotype that an Asian girl is shy and retiring; I am the total opposite of that. I love eighties rocker chicks like Siouxsie Sioux, Lita Ford, and Pat Benatar. If you're wondering what life is like for a circus kid like me, it's not too different from yours. We go to school, we practice, and in our free moments just hang out. I usually hang with Lakshmi-she's the closest to my age-though she usually has to bring along her cousin, Matsya. He's pretty cool for a kid, though. My sister hangs with some of the older kids including her precious Li Hao. Ugh, the way she gets all moony-eyed over him makes my stomach churn. Why can't she just ask him out and stop following him around like a puppy dog? Oh yeah, Mom and Dad forbid dating. They have incredibly high standards for both of us. They push us to go up and beyond what is expected. If one of us gets a B, they'll ask why it isn't an A. If we complain about their standards, they'll give us the "this is America, Land of Opportunity," lecture. If given a choice between the lecture and a two-by-four to the head, bring on the board! Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't what to please my parents, it's just that I want to find my own place in the world. I don't know if I'll be with the circus forever, maybe I'll become a fashion designer. Sky's limit, you know.