Things that made me happy

In true second semester fashion, academia has begun to wear me out even though were only in only week 3.

I suppose it’s because I know that what’s waiting at the end of all this is a 3-month long summer break. I can’t help but want it to come as soon as possible. I’m just yearning for it to be December so I can swap my coats for t-shirts and my trips to uni for trips to the beach instead.

It also very easy to get lost in the exhaustion and demotivation as a result of this. So to keep my optimism up, I made a list of all the things that made me happy these past two weeks – some of them small, some of them big.

1.    My dream headphones finally came in the mail! I’ve been wanting the Sony XM4s in beige for a while now – since April to be exact but I kept going back and forth on it. I mean, I had to, especially if I’m about to commit to a $300+ purchase on a pair of headphones. As expected, I’m loving it a lot (and no, I’m not saying that just because it burnt a hole in my wallet).
2.    Got my hands on some Ben&Jerry’s ice-cream, specifically the Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavour which has been sold out for ages. 
3.    There’s something so comforting and entertaining about watching celebrities interact with each other for the first time. And by celebrities, I meant remove the late-night show hosts, comedians, and the media-trained ones out of the mix. In other words, the awkward ones like myself. I saw a recording of an Instagram live interview between Phoebe Bridgers and Paul Mescal. That was the first time they’ve ever talked to each other I think and my goodness, the whole interaction was so awkward yet so adorable that I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. It remedied my insecurity over my awkwardness!
4.    The 3 days of sun we got after being stuck in the rainy and windy weather for weeks on end – seriously, the wind here has no mercy. It will scoop you up like Mary Poppins given the chance. 
5.    Speaking of Paul Mescal, I’m also super excited to pick up my copy of the Normal People script I ordered from Dymocks last week! If you don’t already know, I love that show and that book so much I could probably recite some scenes word-for-word. It was easily one of the best books I read in 2021, so it was only right that I get the script too.
6.    Being featured on Fresher Magazine for their student style file series – treating school like it’s a fashion show really does pay off, kids. 
7.    Celebrating my friend’s birthday with lunch at Valentino’s 101. It’s a new Italian trattoria that serves some well-priced and yummy food. Oh, and of course I had a lot of fun shopping for her gift!
8.    Two strangers complemented my outfit.

Pretty sure there were other minor occasions that gave me a boost of serotonin too but somehow got lost in my hippocampus. Nonetheless, I think it’s important to step back for a bit and get a good look at the bigger picture. You might find out that it’s not always academic stress and deadlines after all!