What is your biggest flaw? Please elaborate.
The Japanese term Yujyufudan is used to describe someone who can never seem to make up his or her mind. While I generally feel certain about some subjects, such as my love for literature or my favorite color, purple, I frequently find myself to be a very Yujyufudan person.
Yujyufudan is one of thousands of four character idiomatic compounds that exist in the Japanese language. The first two characters, Yujyu, mean nice and soft, and the latter two characters, fudan, mean never ending.
The way Japanese is composed of an infinite mixture of Chinese, hiragana and katakana characters is one of the most difficult, yet most beautiful qualities of the language. Japanese is said to be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and I have experienced that first-hand. I began learning Japanese over five years ago, and I have become fluent now; nevertheless, I am still discovering new aspects of the language in different situations and nuances. One thing that has remained consistent from the moment I began studying Japanese until today is my fascination and infatuation with its delicacy and the exquisite culture it represents.
My yujyufudan nature can make even the simplest circumstances seem troublesome. When shopping, I probably take more than double the average time on deciding what clothes to purchase: a tendency that has surely caused inconvenience amongst my friends while accompanying me on weekend trips to the mall. Even in serious situations, I tend to struggle to make quick decisions. I remember staring into space for at least two minutes deliberating an adequate answer to the straightforward question, "What is your favorite word?" during my entrance exam interview for high school. After the interviewer impatiently prompted me, "Well?", I reluctantly settled with the word 'flummox', simply because it sounded funny. The interviewer responded to my apparently unintelligent answer and sheepish smile with a disapproving grunt.
In my defense, however, I don't think having a yujyufudan character is always a negative thing. My inability to make immediate, clear-cut decisions is almost always the result of my abundant interest in diverse areas. I simply cannot decide on a dress because they are all so pretty and appealing. I can't choose just one favorite word because there are so many unique words out there and so many reasons to love them. I also enjoy thinking deeply and contemplating in various ways, so I guess being yujyufudan is an inevitable consequence of this habit.
I am hoping that when I enter college, my ampleness of curiosity and interest will give me an advantage rather than work against me. Naturally, I'm not sure about the details of my future career; but I'm hoping that college will be a place where I can use my yujyufudan nature to explore vast areas of study and discover where my strongest passions lie.
You know what? I'm beginning to feel like being a yujyufudan person isn't that much of a flaw after all. In fact, it might even be one of my fortes. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to opt for a different flaw to answer this essay prompt... Perhaps my stubbornness... or maybe my risk-taking tendency...
Hey Kristy, even I think so.It's more like your strong attribute than a flaw(as u explained).However, its up to you to decide.
Japanese is said to be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and I have experienced that first-hand
Not required in this essay.
I began learning Japanese over five years ago, and I have become fluent now; nevertheless, I am still discovering new aspects of the language in different situations and nuances.
What is the limit?
Kristy, on the contrary, I believe that you have described a unique flaw in your personality. It is because of the many fields of interests or extreme excitement about new things that you are prevented from promptly and accurately making decisions about things presented to you. This is a major flaw in a personality once you know how to spin it. Within the essay, skip everything explaining about your interest in Japanese culture and how long you have been studying Japanese. Instead, focus on the weakness that the word connotes, that "flaw" in your decision making process. Explain how you are unable to make up your mind because of the many ideas in your head and how that has led to some very uncomfortable situations or failures in your life. Like i said, the "spin", or how you use a term to make it either positive or negative, is what is important in this essay. Your reasons may be positive, but the outcome of the inability to decide on your part has for sure, resulted in missed opportunities, failed attempts, and confusion on your part in certain instances. Show us that side of your personality, that weak side brought about by your indecision and you will have successfully discussed the flaw in your personality :-) I suggest keeping the Japanese term to describe indecision. It makes for a very interesting hook in the essay :-)
Ok! Thank you so much!!
I will remove the irrelevant areas you suggested and edit a little more :)
I was wondering if the last paragraph illustrates the point clearly enough that I am being Yujyufudan even with this partuicular essay? Or should i try to make the hint more obvious?
The limit is one- to two- pages, so i dont think I need to worry about limits.
Kristy, the last paragraph is actually entertaining and is an obvious dig at your inability to make a decision so there is no need to add more hints to it. Ending the essay this way closes the paper on a fun note. Denoting that even though you are filled with indecision, there is one thing you are certain about, you know how to have fun with that flaw in your personality :-) Adding more hints could remove the effective humor that the paragraph now contains. So if I were you, I would leave it alone. Unless you want to try something new for the closing paragraph, while keeping in mind that you can still use the original one that you wrote. Experiment, but don't go all Yujyufudan on me. Otherwise we may never finish editing the essay :-)
Vangiespen,
Thank you for your great feedback! Im glad the message is clear in the last paragraph, so i guess i wont be changing that part much.
