Assignment 2: Emotional Journal

That's what I have to do for one of my classes this semester. Since it's an official assignment, I need to also include journal articles and references but the basic idea is the same; write about one particular event that made me feel one particular emotion and analyse it, as one usually does when one keeps a journal.

I was really excited when I found out that this was the assignment. Here's why.

That's it. This right here, this blog. It's basically the entire assignment.

I write my thoughts down all the time. I talk to myself like this and at least half the time, I'm analysing emotional events. This will be a fun assignment, I'm sure. The tough part will be looking for journals but I think that won't be too bad because once I pick which three emotions (or emotional events) to write about, journals will be easy to pin down.

I just need to start going through my posts and things I've written these past two months. There isn't much this year compared to the previous years but I still have some pretty decent paragraphs. I can't wait to do this (once I eventually get started la... which will probably be sometime in the middle of March).

For now, I have an exam on Tuesday to worry about. I still have lots to read for this particular subject and I've not made any progress at all. I've been putting it off. What I do have is a bunch of excuses and complaints about why it's so difficult to get any studying done with the incredibly complicated notes that we have (notes that have been scanned and uploaded for us because the textbook is so bloody expensive and our lecturer is really kind to us).

I really need to work on this productivity thing (and typing without looking at the keyboard. I'm still a novice typer).

***

We talked about emotional regulation today. As predicted, we covered Freud's ego defense mechanisms: denial, displacement, projection, rationalisation, reaction formation, regression, repression, suppression and sublimation. We also talked about emotional coping strategies such as situation modification and cognitive strategies.

Basically, how to handle your emotions.

My favourite forms of coping with extreme emotional tidal waves are sublimation and rationalisation. Rationalisation is basically what I've always done. Going through a situation or event and making sense of it. That sounds easy to do and it sometimes is but also take a lot of thinking and analysing.

Sublimation is the more creative approach. When you sublimate, you channel the strong emotions into something productive like writing poetry or making any kind of art. Using those emotions as an energy which you then transform into something creative (or nice. Just... be productive).

I think that's a smart thing to do with your emotions. I think everyone should be exposed to these coping strategies. Many people are not familiar with the idea of emotional regulation. In fact, some people may not even realise that they can control or cope with their emotions. We are not soda cans that have been rolling around the backseat, just waiting to explode when we're popped. We are intelligent mammals who have undergone many years of evolution in order to be where we are today, with the most developed cerebral cortex of any animal in the known world. So, it should stand to reason that we are capable of managing our emotions.

We just need to be taught.

The Lecturer's Fangirl

It's that time of the year again. Time for the shortest month of the year! Which also happens to be my favourite month... for obvious reasons.

This semester has been going quite well. The subjects are interesting, the assignments are not as taxing (or maybe I've just gotten used to handing in 15 pages for each assignment every semester), and the lecturers are brilliant.

I get to see Dr. Eugene for 2 classes every week. That's 6 hours per week! This has to be the best semester I've had since I began on this psycho path. Needless to say, I'm a little bit of a fan of Dr. Eugene. His classes are always interesting and I love listening to him speak. It sounds to me that sometimes his brain wants to get the words out a lot faster than he his vocal cords can keep up with so he stumbles. Or he sounds like he's about to stumble. He's brilliant and no one can change my mind about him.

I also have Mr. Alex who is a joy to have, especially since he's the Biopsychology lecturer. He explains things really well, in my opinion and his notes are concise. Mr. Alex is to me in HELP what Pn. Nik was in secondary school. I love Bio and he makes me love it more each class. I'm actually caught up on all my biopsych readings! I was quite surprised when I realised it.

Now all I need to do I keep up with all the readings that Dr. Eugene gives us. Seriously, almost every scientific research journal is a bore to get through. The introductions are sometimes interesting but when they're not, 6 pages of a scientific prologue can be a little too much. After that, I get lost somewhere around the Methods and Results sections. The discussions are fine if you know what you're looking for. And of course, the conclusions are the best part but also the most useless section of the journal if you're looking for a line or two to explain the gist of the paper.

Anyways, this post is really just something I wrote because I feel like writing. And I really needed to get all my excitement over Dr. Eugene out to somewhere other than Davina's ears. The poor lass has been listening to me fangirl over him for the past 3 weeks now.

Happy New Year, y'all!

Dreadful Subjects, Really.

Well, here I am, sitting on my bed with my laptop (his name is Benjamin and I shall refer to him as Benji from now on) trying to study.

In fact, I've been trying to study for the better part of the last 24 hours. I have an exam on Saturday. Two, in fact. Malaysian Studies and Moral Studies. Both are subjects I'd rather not do but I have to as it's compulsory. 

Both are also extremely boring subjects that make me question why these subjects are required in the first place. I mean, ok. I get why Malaysian Studies. I need to know the basics; what this country is founded upon, the current economic policies and budget, the way a government ministry functions and the twenty five different ministries in the Malaysian government. Fine. You want the younger generation to be well informed. But do we really need to have in depth knowledge on the traditional Malay kingdoms? Do we really need to know what a laksamana does? WHY? This information is irrelevant in this century.

And then there's Moral. Full of ethics and morality. Different teachings and theories, views and beliefs. Ways of thinking. Do you really think I'm going to benefit in any way from knowing the basis of the principle of duty. Do i really need to know the difference between deontic and aretaic judgements? Really? Is that something that a person would use in every day life?

I get that you want us to learn and be well rounded individuals. I get it. But teaching, hell, cramming, twenty different principles, theories and formulas of decision making based on morality is not going to help. Not really. Sure, we learnt a little bit of this and that but none of us is really going to employ any of this new found moral knowledge. I don't think I'll ever use the Hedonic Calculus when making any decisions. 

So, tell me again, why are we being tested on this? 

Oh that's right. This is what it all boils down to. 

A grade. A CGPA. 

In which case, I'm not doing too well. I don't know what my current status is with Malaysian studies but if I had to guess, I'd say I'm passing by a hair. As for Moral, I know for sure I'm only passing by a hair. If I get less than half for my final paper, then I'm done for. I'll need to resit subject. Not a happy thought. 

However, I know this is all my fault. I should've put more effort into it. Read more for Malaysian studies. Focused more on Moral. I was never one for keeping up with current affairs. I suppose this is my lesson. 

Ergh. 

Only Benjamin can save me now. I have notes to read. I can deal with Moral. The notes are quite helpful. In depth stuff. But Malaysian studies will be hell. I have a rough guide, rough notes. I just hope that they're enough to help me score a pass.

Funny, isn't it? How a mere pass was almost an abomonation when in primary school but as you get older, a pass is acceptable, desirable even. Is it because the subjects are tougher or is it because we stop trying so hard?

Whovistically Exciting!

The first day back at uni was pretty good. I was happy to see them all again. It was really nice. Everyone looks pretty much the same as they did last year only a little more tanned. I guess everyone had a little fun in the sun over the break.

Class was interesting. I like our lecturer. He's funny sometimes, and strict although not unfairly so. He's young so I guess he connects with us in a way. I'm actually excited about this subject because we get to design our own experiment AND we start with the whole SPSS stuff. I already know a bit so I'm not as worried as the others may be. I'm happy.

I'm also excited about our career guidance subject. Firstly, because it's only for the first seven weeks (yay!) and secondly, because this will be, finally, a perfect opportunity for me to explore my options for the future. After all, it's career guidance! :)

Anyways, as I've mentioned before, there's a lot going on this year. I'm merely 2 semester away from finishing my first year (yay!) and entering my second year as a psychology student (2nd year electives seem a lot more fun than 1st year electives). Also, I'm turning 21!!!

It's a big deal. Finally, an "adult" according to the law and societal standards. It's really cool. I cannot wait!

I was looking through Amazon and I found Doctor Who merchandise! Sonice Screwdrivers: Ten's (blue LED with invisible ink pen), Eleven's (green LED with prongs that extend like the real thing), River's (blue and red LED) and a trans-temporal one that looks really cool. Also, I found The Master's Laser screwdriver. I added them all to the wishlist with some notes (ehhehehe!).  

ALSO, while I was looking at them screwdrivers, I found the Van Gogh 'painting' from the Vincent Episode. The one of the TARDIS exploding. It's a real poster on canvs like thingy! It's so cool! I added that to the wishlist too because it's so pretty and Vincent is one of my favourite episode:)

Study Week

Ahh!

I tried mind mapping for 113. It does help but it also makes the entire subject look so skeletal and incomplete. So, it's weird.

And there's an essay  for the exam too, which is freaking me out. I mean, sure, I can write but I don't think I'll be able to cite anything and that worries me. How do you write an academic paper without references? So, that's going to be though.

Grr.

Also, studying alone is not at all very motivational. I feel like I'm forcing myself to study and it's not what I like to do. Forcing myself to study, I mean. I want to study because I want to, you know? As opposed to studying because I'm forced to. It's just no fun at all.

Ergh.

The Christmas tree is up though. So that's good.

Oh, I think I'm sabotaging myself. I'll tell you more once I'm done reading about it in 113. 

Till then. Adieu.
I has reading to do!

Upstairs Cafe & Benji

So mama and I went to the Upstairs Cafe just now. It's a really cool place. It's like a combination of Starbucks and Baci Cafe (in Citta Mall); jazz music, delectable desserts and a calm atmosphere. It's not at all dim like Starbucks but not as bright as Baci either. It's a good balance. The prices are quite reasonable as well.

I've actually seen it before and always wanted to go in but never did on account of it being upstairs (duh!). But a couple of weeks ago, mama and I saw 2 of the guys from the cafe (they were wearing chef jackets with the cafe name on it) in PJ looking for plates. They were smoking hot (you can blame Peter for my sudden increase in expressing my thoughts about hot guys). Add to that the fact that HELP has trained me to climb a few flights of stairs each day & there I was!

I really like it there. The coffee doesn't come close to beating Baci but the food and atmosphere makes up for it. I felt really indie, free and calm while I was there. I also felt a sudden urge to express my creativity! :) Of course, it also helps that the guys who work there are super nice, friendly and oh so good looking.
I'm definitely going back there again.

On another note, I cut my hair! It's feels goooood!

On a sadder note though, my laptop (which I've christened Benji) needs to stay at the doctor's for another week. I really want him back :(

AND, if you're interested, I've updated my Bucket List:)

EDM: Reaction Formation

We were talking about stress levels in class today. Mr. Justin mentioned creative tension. That's when a leader utilises the stress he/she is feeling and channels it into achieving the goals that were set out. He said that we all need to have is the right amount of stress to get us going. We need to be just stressed enough to want to achieve our goal and strive towards it. Not too little (may be anxious but don't work towards the goal) and not too much (too stressed out to function properly).

Mr.J used the LLS assignment as an example. The assignment is due next Monday and he asked us to imagine how we would feel if the assignment was due on Friday instead; and what it if was due tomorrow. Many people said that they'd be on stress overdrive, which sounds about right. I, on the other hand, said that I wouldn't be stressed, which isn't far from the truth. I actually wouldn't be as stressed as the rest of the class.  I mean, sure it's important to my overall CGPA but I think I'd be able to finish it in time and even if I didn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

So then I asked him, what if someone wasn't the type to feel stressed? He said it most probably meant that whatever needed to be done wasn't important to that person. He went on to explain but my brain went into overdrive right then and I didn't catch what he said after that.

Is that why I feel demotivated? Is this not important enough to me? Is that why I'm so laid back? I mean, yeah, I'm relaxed because I know I still have time and that I'll be able to complete the assignment but does disinterest also contribute to this lack of stress?

I feel substantially upset right now. Am I doing the right thing here?

I don't know. I really don't know.

The next part of the lecture was about positive reinforcement. Mr. J showed us a video about a man who validated parking tickets and his customers. He became well known and he spread positivity around the world (his community) by saying nice things to people to make them smile. One day, he saw a woman and fell in love at first sight, but try as he may, she just wouldn't smile. He gave up for a while.

But then he rediscovered the joy of making people smile. He went back to spreading positivity. Later on, he saw this woman again and she was smiling. She said that when she was young, her mother became sick and she hasn't smiled since then. But one day, a man made her mother smile. And she knew it was him. Her mother was smiling again and so was she.

The rest, they say, is history.

The point he (Mr. J) was trying to make is that everyone wants to be heard; we want people to really see us. Sincerity is important. Nowadays, if someone says something nice to us, we don't take it so well. It may not be true for all of us, but it is for most. The fact is, we aren't used to people being genuinely nice to each other and so we are natural suspicious. It's sad.

And I guess what I'm trying to say is that we don't reinforce people enough. Today, all I really needed was some positive reinforcement. I just wanted to feel all warm and fuzzy inside, you know.

That's all.

Kelab dan Persatuan, Bro!

Hello there! So, it's been more than a week. And it's not that I don't have anything to write, I just didn't feel like it :P

Anyway, I'm here now. So let's get down to business.

I'm currently working on the first PSY 111 assignment. It's kind of driving me crazy. I have no earthly idea if I'm writing what needs to be written and I don't know if my paraphrasing is good enough. The Turnitin thing is kinda confusing me and scaring me too. Also, it's due next week and I'm only halfway done!

Then there's also the LLS 101 assignment  It's a report on 2 leaders (of my choice). I have to write about their leadership styles and 2 of their dominant Big 5 personality traits. Bad news; I haven't chosen my two leaders yet, let alone start researching them. Oh no.

I think I'll survive, though. So no real worries.

I went for the Help Therapy Club meeting today. I joined 'cause they mentioned art therapy and play therapy, both of which I'm really interested in. It was ok but not what I expected, really. They seem to focus more on laughter yoga and bringing in speakers. I don't know if that's what I really wanted. I actually thought that they have regular art therapy sessions and play therapy too. But apparently not.

And I got the concept wrong too. When they mentioned play therapy, I thought of play acting not actual playing with toys. I was wrong. When they say play therapy, they mean actual playing. I dunno. I probably won't join the committee but just take part in the different therapy sessions that they conduct.

I want to be active in a club but I don't think this is it. I'm looking out for the go kart club, the CSS (they were supposed to contact me but nothing so far. Hmm..) and the mind games club. See how it goes la. I want something interactive and something I can be passionate about. Those three clubs mentioned above seem to fit the profile for now.

Why mind games? Because I love puzzles and of course games are fun. Also, I'm interested in merging psychology with games. So, this is a good setting for that. At the least, I'll be having fun:)

Why CSS? I owe it all to La Salle. My love for CSS started there and I want to be part of a CSS again. I really miss it as part of my life. I feel it adds to who I am; somehow completes me.

Why go kart? I have a need for speed! :)

*sigh*

Ok, that's it for now. More to come:)

Oh! One last thought, I really want to eat at a gourmet restaurant one day. Just to try the good food in a posh environment. Just once la.. :P

One Gobsmacking Week

Here I am, sitting in front of the desktop after just finishing with my assignment, still riding the high of completing the first assignment of my university life, being totally gobsmacked, if it is indeed at all possible to be totally gobsmacked, at how much can happen in just a week.

Let me start at the beginning, for where else can I start but at the beginning. But then again, it's not that I start at the beginning but that the beginning starts where I choose it to begin ("Stop beating around the bush and get to the point" I bet that's what you're thinking). My last post was a week ago and since then, much has happened.

First off, I dropped my laptop (talk about getting straight to the point). My innate clumsiness, in league with Newtons precious gravitational force, was all out with a personal vendetta against my laptop. I was trying to get from the hall to my room while carrying a textbook and the laptop. Whatever happened next happened so fast that before my neurons could connect to other neurons to make sense of it all, the laptop was lying face down on the ground. 

I was, of course, in panic mode. I collected my things and went into the room to assess the damage. Bad news: the textbook's front cover was folded and oh, there's a huge dent on the laptop. OMG! Panic mode went into hyper drive. Everything seemed fine except for the obvious dent. But the next day, the mouse wasn't working. And so, my barely 2 weeks old laptop is now at the doctors for some minor surgery. They say it's treatable but she'll have to live with the scars. I just hope she makes it. 

Moving on, I had my first taste of biological psychology last week. I was a little apprehensive about it which, as it turns out, I had every reason to be but as complex as the subject seems, it's a hell of a lot interesting as well which makes up for the 32 new words I had learn in the span of 3 hours. The brain really is an amazing thing. Just learning about it makes me appreciate God even more. Even the most beautiful sunsets pale in comparison to the wonder that is the human brain. I can't wait to delve deeper into this. Also, Mr Alex played a clip from Pinky and The Brain during class. It was the one where Pinky sang the brain song. It was stuck in my head for days. *Brain stem! Brain stem!*

Another awesome creation of God which I feel compelled to mention is none other than the incredible Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A few of us went to watch Premium Rush on our day off. I have to say, I never though that watching a bike messenger cycling around the streets of New York trying to escape villians could be so exciting. He was great, as only JGL can be. He's good looking in the guy-next-door-with-a-twist kind of way. He's also got this charming smile and certain je ne sais quoi which makes him oh so attractive.

It was a really good movie. The actors were all great. Sure, the story line was quite basic but the movie was delivered in such an entertaining way. It was funny and emotional as well as action packed, all at once. Basically, all you need to make a great movie. I read somewhere that the director, Rian Dawson, wrote the part of Wilee specifically for JGL. I guess that helped a lot with the success of the movie.

One last thing. There's a freshman lunch that the new psych students have to attend this Saturday which has got me looking for a wand. It's a formal lunch and the theme is 'Harry Potter'. So you can understand why I'm excited. I mean, c'mon, it's Harry Potter! How can I not be excited? :) We're supposed to come in formal attire and they're giving us robes to wear when we get there. So cool, right! I can't wait:)

Anyways, that's it for now. I think I had more to write but it's now past 1am and I'm getting sleepy. Ciao.

World Suicide Prevention Day

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.

The colour: Yellow. 

The WHO estimates that about a million people commit suicide each year. That's one death every 40 seconds or 3,000 suicide deaths every day. For every person who dies by suicide, 20 people attempt to take their own lives. The number of lives lost to suicide exceeds the number of lives lost due to homicide and war combined. Even so, the number of suicide could be more due to the fact that many suicides are hidden among other causes of death such as car accidents and unwitnessed drownings.

This is a serious issue. It need just as much exposure as breast cancer awareness and any other causes we've been fighting for over the years. It is especially important for young people. According to the WHO, suicide is one of the leading causes of death among the young.

In conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day, the IASP (International Association for Suicide Prevention) has drawn up a list of things we can do to be part of this cause. Most of these ideas revolve around conducting exhibitions, conferences and forums for the general public. If these are too big a scale for you, the IASP also has smaller ideas that might work.

Among those ideas are, wearing Yellow on the day (10th Sept, TODAY!) to promote the cause and bring awareness to the issue. Also, you can light a candle by the window at 8pm in support of WSPDay, bringing awareness about suicide prevention and in memory of loved ones, or just anyone, lost to suicide.

This is an important day to me. I do not personally know anyone who has committed suicide or attempted to. But I know some people, friends (if you would allow the use of the term), who go through a tough time and are cutters. They are depressed and some have tried to end their lives. Naturally, this hits close to my heart.

So, I'm going to don the yellowest clothes I have and tell anyone who will listen about WSPDay. I'm lighting a candle at the stipulated time and I hope you could do the same. This is one of the biggest social issues we are facing now. It needs as much exposure as possible. 

My prayer goes out to everyone. :)

Going in Blind!

I have no class today so, I thought I'd get a start on one of my assignments. For the Into to Psych class, we have to choose one of the six theories given and write an essay about it. We have to write a clear description and an explanation of the theory as well as provide sufficient research evidence as support.

Sounds easy, or so I thought. I have no idea what to do! I thought I'd write about the Loftus Theory of False Memory. Sounds interesting enough. But I cannot figure out how to write about this. There's something called EBSCOhost which we can use for our research but I don't really know how to use it.

I can put words in the search engine and find related journals but I don't know what I'm supposed to use. I don't know which journal relates to my essay nor which part of a journal I have to cite. There are so many! Hopefully, things will be a lot clearer once I have the textbook. At least then, I'll have some point of reference.

There's also the whole APA formatting thing. I looked it up and I don't think it'll be much of an issue, but still, it seems intimidating.

I'm going to have to pluck up the courage and ask for help. But then again, who do I ask???

Survival is Imminent.

The second day of orientation was a good one. I don't feel so dumb any more! The admin staff explained a lot of things to us. They told us about the online portals and elearning sites. They also explained the PTPTN application process and finally, how to read the schedule! :)

That was what I dreaded. The schedule they gave us was a terrible mess. It included the schedules for all three years. All in one! So naturally, it seemed like there were classes that were overlapping and stuff. And there were tiny little alphabets and numbers on the lower right corner of each little box. So, they pointed out to us which classes were ours and how to understand those little alphabets and letters.

Now, I understand! I know where and when my classes are and I know all the important details. At least, I know enough to move forward. Everything else, I'll figure out as I go along. It helps having those little booklets that the student commission made for us. It's a survival guide. Pretty neat idea, I think. It's got more than enough information to help us around. And the so-called Peer Support Group members are all very friendly. They said to keep in touch and feel free to ask them about anything at all, especially if we need help.

So, I'm heading to class on Monday, full of excitement and a little apprehension of what's in store. It's going to be good. I'm sure it is. :) First class is Leadership and Life Skills (sounds interesting enough) followed by Social and Business Communication (don't know what to think of that). So, 2 lectures on Monday; back-to-back. That's quite a stretch for the first day. I hope I can write fast enough to catch all the important bits of my lectures. I don't want to miss anything. I also for-see myself doing plenty of reading. This should be an interesting week :)

I also can wait for the days when all the clubs and societies are gathered in one place for us to explore. So far, I've set my sights of the Go-Cart Club and Dance Club. I know, I know. Neither clubs have anything to do with psychology, but hey, I want to have fun while I'm here. So, don't worry, I shall make sure I get involved in some psych activities as well.

As for now, I'm going to enjoy my weekend. I hope you do too.

HAPPY MERDEKA!

Bambi-esque

Oh Em Gee!!!

Today's the first day of orientation. We got a tour of the campus, heard a speech from the Dean of Psychology, had the entire staff introduced to us via power point by the Head of the Department and then took an English Proficiency Exercise.

I started out as I expected to. Meaning, I was quiet and reserved. I stayed out of big groups and I just listened to everything. I spoke to a few people and I kept trying to calm the butterflies in my tummy. Pretty standard stuff. But then I realised that the file they gave me was not supposed to be empty. Or actually, that it was supposed to be filled with papers and stuff.

That's when I started to panic. I managed to get what I need from the office but I was already too far gone by then. During the Dean's speech, he ended with a few example cases. Like, there's a 6 year old male who is being disruptive in class and does not pay attention. You have to come up with a diagnosis. Does he have a learning disability, if so, which one. And you have to come up with learning programme that suits his needs.

BAM!

That's the first taste I got. Definitely interesting. And totally new. I had no idea what my answer would possibly be. The Dean said that the point is, Uni is preparation so that by the end of 3 years, we should be able to answer these questions.

And then we went on to the English Proficiency Exercise. I thought, yea, I can do this. I mean, I'm not being cocky or anything, but I can read, write and converse in English pretty well. So, there's a high possibility that I'll do well in this and not have to take English for Psychology 101. We had to answer one of three questions. It was a short essay question. Our answers were to be between 200-250 words. Piece of cake; or so I thought. I saw the questions and my heart dropped.  (Cue second BAM!)

Q1 was the easiest question on the screen. Why did you choose psychology and what do you see yourself doing after you graduate. Questions 2 and 3 had me stumped. They were more psychologically based. I can't remember the exact questions but they were something along the lines of this: What psychological problems do you think this country faces and what do you think is the best way to overcome it. Something like that.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I chose to answer question 1. Why? Because I didn't feel intellectually capable of answering either one of the other 2 questions. I have no idea what I think are the psychological problems this generation faces nor do I have any clues or ideas as to how the problem could be tackled.

I felt dumb, to be honest. I felt totally, and completely incapable of answering those questions. I don't know enough. Heck, I don't know anything! I don't read non-fiction books. I don't read psych books. I read fiction. Ask me about how to stop a genius, evil pixie from taking over the world or what a thestral is; those questions I can answer. So, ever since I saw those questions up on the screen, the butterflies in my stomach refuse to calm down. I managed to submit an answer to question one which I hope is good enough to exempt me from the EP101 class.

However, I still feel too dumb. I don't know why on earth I thought I could do psychology. I mean, sure, I did pretty well in STPM but I did Pengajian Am, BM, Econs and English Lit. Non of those subjects have anything to do with Psychology. So, what on earth was I thinking? What did I get myself into?

Here's what popped into my head: That West Wing episode when Josh got shot and had a flashback to when Bartlet just won the elections. Donna was interviewed by someone from a magazine and the writer commented that Donna had a Bambi-esque quality about her. She was told my a White House staffer that there's a nuclear warhead in the Rose Garden, which Donna then told the interviewer who promptly included that piece of information in the magazine. When Donna realised that it was a prank, she said; "I'm too stupid to live!"

Oh man. I hope I can get over this. I really, really hope I can get over this. I want so badly to learn more. My brain is just waiting to be supplied with information. I'm just itching to learn and discover things. HELP encourages their students to not just accept whatever is given to them in the classrooms but to be inquisitive and explore things for themselves as well. I can't wait for that. I just hope I work hard enough to process all this awesomeness. Basically, I hope I don't crash and burn.

Anyway, it's all so exciting. I need to get a laptop soon though, I think. It seems I'm going to be using the computer a lot. So much money. Hmm..

I'd like to end this post with a music recommendation. The band is called "Of Monsters and Men". I know the band name sounds like they sing heavy metal or something but they don't. They make very good music. So, go! Listen to them on Youtube. Try listening to the song "From Finner" first. Bonus: They're Irish! :)

Me lost. You help?

I'm having a little bit of a cosmetic issue with my blog right now. I want it to be colourful and the header to reflect who I am, but it's not going too well. I've changed my layout and template so often; even I don't know what my concept is anymore. I need some serious help!

It used to have a black background with colourful text and what not. I've changed that to white for a lighter look but I'm suddenly lost on the colour. What should I do? Which way should I go? Colourful? Or pick a theme? Should I keep the white background or maybe add some colour? Maybe add a lot of colour??

And what of my header? I can't think of a suitable header or blog title. Right now, it's "A Big Bowl of Something". I chose that in an attempt to capture the variety in my blog but it sounds so... alphabet soupy. I cannot remember what I called it when I first started but I know that for the most part, my blog title was "One Day at a Time", which is really a reflection on how I live my life.

I've toyed around with the idea of just using my name as the title but that seems so generic when I do it. I've tried other stuff too, like "Words" ('cause I my blog is basically a writing blog. No picture, just thousands of words) and "Bloop Bloop Bloop" ('cause Mina says I sometimes look like a fish). These titles I am not satisfied with. They're flat. There's no real life in them at all.

I need something that really pops. Something with some life and some pizazz! Something enticing that will make you go, "Hey now, this sounds like it could be an interesting blog to explore" or "I don't mind spending sometime reading something with a title like that!"

I need a header that captures the essence of who I am and therefore, what my blog is like. I am an idealistic, old fashioned, food loving over thinker with an unusual love of words who is sort of anti social. How to I get that all in a few short words? This is going to require the help of many brains at work.

Anyone, anyone at all who has any suggestions whatsoever as to what might work in this part of cyberspace, please drop a comment! :) Anything at all will be helpful. Maybe you have some ideas on a title or even a theme I could consider. All is welcomed. I just need some fresh ideas to get my own juices flowing.

Cheers!

Kaleidoscope.
Yes? No? Maybe?