LIVERPOOL 2-2 MANCHESTER CITY
Rafa Benitez can count himself lucky if he gets to keep his dayjob after last night's results. If I'm right, that's 5 consecutive games without a win. What's happening to the team?! Having plenty of players getting injured doesn't help either. And what's worse is that KMB seems to be infested with United fans. Eww.

So basically last night was not the best night ever for the team, and consequently it kinda brought me down as well. But there were a few good things that happened. I got jelly beans as a birthday present from Syafiq. Whooo! I don't know how this guy guessed that I have a thing for jelly beans but this came at a good time. Thanks for the jelly beans, man! It's really very nice of you! I also managed to get most of the proposal letter for next year's Solte' a Alma event done with help from Afiq. My group's Malay A1 IOP script is finally done and we can start practicing our roles for IOP on Tuesday. I'm also at least slightly up-to-date about football now thanks to Manul. As for the best part of last night during the match, only my roommate has the privilege to that sort of information because otherwise... well, it wouldn't be a secret fetish anymore. Tee heeeeee! :)

What's another good thing that's going to happen tonight? Two words: SUBWAY SANDWICH *dies happy*

If you know what the life of an IB student in MARA College Banting is like, then you'll definitely agree that staying positive and happy is crucial if you want to stay sane. I honestly believe that the only reason why I haven't jumped off the balcony of my dorm is because I constantly surround myself with things that make me happy. It really helps me cope with life here. I just thought about it a few days back... I've actually signed myself up to dedicate 2 years of my youth in this place, to make IB the centre of my world because it demands that much of my time and attention in hopes of securing a really good future for myself ahead. It's really depressing if you think about it that way but that's really what it is. Here's what keeps me sane (in no particular order):

Random Things That Make Me Happy

1. Food. I wanted to be specific and say 'Munchy's Oat Krunch cookies' because that stuff really makes me squeal in delight like a schoolgirl but I actually just really love food in general. Thanks to my roommate, I also currently have a fetish for cherry tomatoes. And when it comes to food, I know that I'm a rather seasonal person. I'm not implying that the food at the Dewan Selera makes me happy though! I rely heavily on the food my mum occasionally sends to me through my dad though I'll admit that sometimes DS food isn't all that bad either.

2. People. The participants of the Pushing Boundaries programme are required to take a HBDI colour test (a personality test, basically) that helps indicate which quadrant of your brain is dominant. Apparently, I'm a red; meaning I'm quite emotionally-driven and a people person. There's a lot more to the test than that but I don't want to go into details. What's important is that the test reconfirmed what I already knew: that surrounding myself with people is important to me.

3. Writing. Why else would I have a blog? I don't have fantastic writing skills and neither do I have much creativity, but penning down what I think for the world to see and comment on gives me a sort of thrill.

4. Picture-taking. I am so thankful for having classmates who aren't camera-shy. If you've seen my Facebook photo albums, you'll see two whole albums of pictures taken of me and my classmates in semester one so far. And there are still four semesters to go. God knows that I'm not the most photogenic person in the world but I still love being in photos, not to mention taking photos as well. I think it's just the idea of forever immortalising that moment that really catches my fancy.

5. Hugs. Now who doesn't enjoy a good, warm hug? :)

6. Showers. I think only my roommate can truly understand how happy a nice, long shower can make me feel. Granted, my college has no heater (or even a proper showerhead) so if it's a cold morning, you don't really have any choice but to shower with cold water but it still feels really good after that.

7. Talking. Again I think this has something to do with me being a 'red' person and all. I enjoy jabbering on and on with no sense of direction to anyone willing enough to listen. My primary targets in college are usually my roommate, Dhania, and my good friend, Haqeem.

8. Badminton. Mmhmm.. I realise that I am athletically challenged but I play badminton and I enjoy every bit of it anyway. Having fun badminton team mates also helps a lot. I guess the main reason as to why I feel happy when I play badminton is because it's the only sport that I'm decent at. I also tend to get really driven to play better each time and that can really put me in a good mood.

9. Greetings. A short "Hello!" from someone familiar everytime I walk around college never fails to put a smile on my face. There have been instances when I start my day off in a foul mood because my homework's still incomplete/I didn't get enough sleep/Liverpool lost a match the night before/etc. and then suddenly I'm alright again because of a simple and sincere greeting.

10. Free periods. Need I say more?

There are actually lots more that can be listed down here because I'm such an easy person to please but nobody actually reads lists that have more than 10 items listed down. Normally, anyways. Perhaps someday I'll write another entry as a continuation to this one or I'll start listing down other random things just for the fun of it.

What IB can do to a person.

I'm in college this weekend because of JPAM and I'll still be in college next weekend because of some kind of inspirational talk that the ExCEL stdents are required to go for. The sun was merciless this morning which made me almost pass out when the JPAM officer made us jog along the whole length of the jogging track to start off our fortnightly torture session. Things got worse when we were made to sit at the cafeteria tables to listen to them give a mind-numbing talk about fire emergencies. Everyone was almost at the brink of losing their minds when they decided to finally let us off for lunch.

That's today so far. I plan to play a game of badminton with my classmates later in the evening and then allow my mind to be raped by statistics and probabilities at night. Last night though was spent doing a little bit of homework and then hanging on the phone for 2 solid hours with a fellow classmate who has, within these past few months, become a really good friend of mine. Another good friend of mine will finally be coming back from Canberra to spend 3 months here and I am thrilled! Eu-Wynn, you are so missed!

My first semester finals will be on the 3rd of December for a total of 6 days and I am freaked because I'm completely underprepared. My dad told me I need to aim for at least a 38 for this semester so that I have a stronger chance of getting the placement to my university of choice. I feel stressed and pressured and everything now but I know that this semester isn't the hardest part of IB yet. My mentor also advised me to start thinking of a good question for my extended essay. I'll need to decide on a subject and then quickly book an EE advisor. I also need to quickly start updating my notes and activating my IRP group. Gaah! :(

To my Seremban friends: I really miss you crazy people and I hope we can hang out at the end of the year together, just like that Penang trip that we had. I'm sorry for not keeping in touch while I'm here, but I'll make up for it soon. I love you guys!