Recently, a creeping fear has taken over my being. How do my readers perceive me? Am I a Debbie Downer for writing opinions that critique every little thing? Or am I Superwoman for writing about the things that we all feel a common bitterness towards?

Unsure of what my writing makes me, this week I decided to write something rather pleasant. Here are a few things that I love in life.

Olives: Who couldn’t love olives? Actually, I can name half of my hall, but I often choose to ignore it.

Black olives always take the cake for me. I suppose this is because it was the first type of olive I ever tried. Not to mention the fact that black olives are always on veggie pizzas and we all know that’s the best.

Green olives are more like the new love of my life; the pimentos make them so wonderful! But not to worry. My allegiance will always be with black olives.

Music: I honestly can’t imagine what I would do without music. It seems music has a place in every moment of life. There’s rock, punk, rap, hip-hop, pop, classical, world, and yes, even country. It all just makes me happy. I like to tell myself that there are certain types of music that I’d rather not be exposed to, but the truth is, no matter what type of music I hear, my fingers and toes respond with a sense of giddy rhythm.

Heroes: In a world full of CSI and Law and Order, it’s a good change to see a show like Heroes. I mean, what adult doesn’t want a grown-up comic book series? It’s not only reminiscent of our childhood, it also gives us the joy of action-packed drama. What’s not to love?

Hulu: Need I say more? I have got to hand it to the makers of Hulu: I love them. Yes, yes, we all know we can watch television shows online for free. But this is a legitimate way for us to stay up-to-date on our favorite NBC and FOX shows, not to mention documentaries, movies, and political announcements.

Perhaps there are some things that are just wonderful in this world and deserve praise from every direction.

But there are also things that deserve constructive criticism. If we never comment on those things that are in need of improvement, we will never get any further in life.

So, my fellow SMUers, I stand my ground. You will definitely see more positive articles coming at you, but you can expect some more constructive criticisms as well.

Nureen Gulamali is a freshman advertising and sociology double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].