Lennie Waite
August 25, 1999
RLA

Growing up in Switzerland and Texas the Chinese Horoscope was never really important to my family,
or to me. My mother had always thought that I was a Tiger according to the Chinese Horoscope, as I
was born in 1986, the year of the Tiger. Then I moved to Singapore, where Chinese Horoscopes are
believed in and considered important. Never having the chance or any reason to check my Chinese
Horoscope symbol, we never did. We thought that since I was born in 1986, the year of the Tiger, I
was a Tiger. Last Christmas my parents bought me a present of a Chinese Horoscope poster with the
symbol of the Tiger on it. A few months later while my mom was surfing the Internet she came across a
web site of Chinese Horoscopes. She went to the site and typed my birthdate in, and was soon
shocked to find out that I was actually an Ox. My birthday fell just five days before the start of the year
of the Tiger. Hollering to me from upstairs, she showed me what the web page said. I was disappointed
to find out that I was really an Ox, because I had always considered myself to have the personality of a
Tiger, that of being adventurous. After reading over the character of an Ox, I came to the conclusion
that I was a ‘Tox’, a combination of a Tiger and an Ox. Therefore, I feel that the Chinese Horoscopes
are accurate to a certain extent, but I think that I am more than just an Ox, I am a ‘Tox’.

There are a small number of traits that fit me as an Ox, but the ones that do really mean a lot to me.
Like an Ox, I consider myself to be a very dedicated person. Once I set my mind on something I go for
it. Dropping out of sports, or extra curricula activities, has never been an option in my opinion, I will
only do it if it is absolutely necessary. When I join a soccer or basketball team it is not a transitory thing,
it is for the entire season. Once I start to do something I will stick to it like bubble gum sticks to the
bottom of a shoe. Furthermore, I am very dedicated to my schoolwork and set high expectations for
myself. After soccer practice I constantly make sure that I get all of my work done on time and
correctly. Also, I regard myself as a tireless worker, just like the Ox. I rarely get home before 6:30
after school, due to the after school sports that I participate in. That only leaves me with three hours to
eat, shower, do my homework, and get ready for bed. This is a strenuous task but I seem to be able to
get through it, and still wake up with a smile on my face. Running is a big part of my life and
occasionally I will have a day off from soccer practice, but that doesn’t mean that it is time to relax, it
means that I have an extra hour to go out for a run. Lastly I think I am like the Ox because I am
deserving of my victories. When I made it to the Junior Olympics and placed silver in the 800m run, it
wasn’t because I got there by luck or chance, it was because I worked hard. I spent my summer
afternoons out sweating on the track, while my friends were out at the mall, or watching TV. Making
good grades also doesn’t come by just sitting around and wishing, you have to do your work. Since I
do my work I am rewarded for it, for example last year I achieved the suma cum laude award.

Occasionally I will come across some traits of the Ox that clash with my character. Being around
people is a big part of my life. I always have to have my friends or my family around me so that I can
interact with them. This shows that I am not an introvert like the typical Ox. I am always loud, and let
everyone hear my opinion. Competitiveness is also a quality that I posses, I am constantly yelling out
directions on the soccer field. Naivete, a quality attributed to the Ox, is a distinction I don’t have. I have
always been careful, and regularly check my facts. When I was little my mother told me stories about a
girl who was kidnapped because a stranger came to her and told her that he had candy in his car, so she
went back to his car and was never seen again. That story put me off being naive for life. Finally I
would not consider myself someone who is over sensitive; I don’t let what others say get in my way. If
someone calls me a rude name I pay no attention, I don’t let it get to me; otherwise it would make that
person happy that it upset me.

There are a few qualities that I have from the Ox and a few that the Ox possesses and I don’t. One of
these Ox qualities that I have, and am none too proud to own up to, is that I am occasionally
materialistic. Money and clothing are possessions I like to have, I sometimes don’t think about other
more essential, fundamental things. I can be rather superficial in that aspect. Dissimilar to the Ox I do not
have much patience. When I have to do something, I want to get it done fast, and don’t like people to
obstruct or impede me. Waiting in long lines is not something that I would consider one of my strong
points, or teaching someone something that they don’t understand. Patience is something I need to learn,
otherwise I get frustrated quickly and bite peoples heads off. I want to be able to relax, and learn
something completely without getting agitated by the amount of time that it takes. In my heart I want to
be able to do one particular thing that the Ox can do, and I find next to impossible. The ability to stand
up in front of a crowd without getting butterflies in my stomach is a quality I would like to attain. When I
am asked a question, or if I have to stand up and talk in front of a crowd, I turn red in the face, my heart
beats fast and all I want to do is sit down again.

Chinese Horoscopes are fun to read but they are not precise. I feel that they are not exact and that no
one person has exactly the profile of their birth year. I do not entirely fit the profile of an Ox. I have
some of the traits and values, but I do not fit my animal completely. Still there are some very important
qualities that apply to me that also apply to the Ox. These include dedication, perseverance and being
an industrious person deserving of her victories. On the other hand there are characteristics of a typical
Ox that I would consider my self not to have. These include the qualities of being introverted, being over
sensitive, and being naive. There are also specific characteristics I would like to change about the Ox.
Akin to the Ox I am materialistic; I would like to remove this value from the Ox. On the other hand,
there are a few components the Ox enjoys which I would like to include in my traits, like patience and
confidence.

There are twelve signs in the Chinese Horoscope. Do you know yours? Are you an absolute Ox or
what?