I'm a native Californian of Chinese heritage with dark hair sweeping my shoulders, warm brown eyes, and a flash of dimples that can dissolve into infectious laughter. On the rare occasion I wear jewelry, small studs rest on my earlobes, winking in the sun as if to clutch onto as much light as they can. The most vulnerable thing I can tell you is that I pretend I'm not a romantic, but I really, really am.