I'm Nurul Izzah

“There’s a thin line between confidence and arrogance.” Many share this common perception that people who are brimming with self-confidence are automatically arrogant and are constantly looking down on others. There is always that one person who stands out among the rest but why are our brains wired in such a way that we perceive that the person is showing off? If you are aware of the exact definition of “confidence” and “arrogance”, the gap is much wider than you think. The word “confidence” means  the quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future  while “arrogance” refers to  the quality of being unpleasantly proud and behaving as if you are more important than, or know more than, other people . See, once you know your definition of these two terms, they carry very different meanings and perhaps you’ll finally feel brave enough to showcase your hidden talents and abilities. While it is hard to curb the stereotype, there ar...

You know those people who have a lot of money, those who frequently go on a vacation overseas during every holiday on the calendar or even those who are simply living their best lives? On a smaller scale, what about a person who is academically smarter than you, who is the centre of attention or who is simply more attractive than you? Even if you’ve never spoken to the person you deem better than you much less exchange a hello, the spike of envy they trigger in you is natural. However, it’ll start taking a negative turn the very second we take the bait of getting ourselves into “a comparison game.” Let’s not deny it, we’re all stuck in this game that is as old as humanity. Who do you most frequently compare yourself to? How often do you feel bad about yourself after knowing that the other person is doing “better” than you?                 I’ve had thoughts like “I haven’t achieved anything worthwhile” or “I’m not...

One of the hardest things in life that most people would think of is, waking up early. You just can’t resist the temptation to land face-first into your comfy bed and the warmth of the blanket makes you want to stay in bed forever. Undeniably, we love sleeping a  little   too much. I too definitely am no exception. Waking up late has been one of my bad habits ever since I could remember. Whenever I do so, the first thing I’d hear in the morning is my mom screaming on the top of her lungs from downstairs, nagging me to wake up and start my day early. Especially during the holidays, I find it irresistible to fall back asleep after my morning prayer but when I wake up late in the end, it feels like time flies by too quickly and there are a lot of things unfinished. When I started university, I decided that I wanted to be an early riser even when my classes start late or are cancelled as well as during the holidays. It didn’t take me a week to realize how much I have changed whene...

Breakups can be one of the most painful experiences in our lives because we’ve lost that special someone with whom we’ve spent years sharing intimate moments. At first, we all tell ourselves that we’re going to be just fine but eventually, the loneliness hits you a week later because you remembered that you used to spend your free time texting that person. In this period, this is when we start thinking about whether we should stay in contact with them or not. Sometimes, after the breakup, we’d tell them niceties “We could still be friends” or “I still want to see you.” We genuinely mean them because we still care about them. Let’s all admit, it’s unthinkable for a relationship to suddenly shift from deep intimacy to complete strangers after a single declaration. It’s not wrong wanting to stay friends with your ex but you must realize that there’s a catch- both of you must be willing to admit that you both don’t work as a couple. In other words, you’ll have to get over your ex completel...

Back then, I always thought my life would be in ruins if I let a single failure take place. Surely most of us grew up in an environment where failures are unforgivable, be it at home or school. Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Back then, our sole focus was to excel in examinations. Grades were the determining factor of success - an ‘A’ means you’re smart, a ‘B’ means you’re not good enough, and a ‘C’ and below mean you’ve failed and nothing more. Eventually, this thinking has been brought to our college days or into our careers where even the tiniest reminiscence of past failures would hinder our determination to be better. I used to see a world that is only black and white. In a world where I see everything is labelled either a success or failure, I find it hard to admit my failures as a result. Why so? Here’s why - admitting a failure would make me feel vulnerable. My confidence level would plummet to the ground. Hence, I assumed that owning up to it would be the scariest thing in...