Math! Math! Math!

Math is a science dealing with the logic of quantity, shape and arrangement. In our everyday lives, we’re almost always dealing with numbers. Be it in the business, hospital, industry, school, or even at home, math has become a part of our way of life. In school, it is a major subject with two units that students are always trying hard to study. But how can we study math? Studying this really needs one’s comprehension. Unlike history, it doesn’t require memorization of names and dates of persons, places and events. It is a life subject that only needs our thorough understanding and deep analysis of the problems. It also needs a lot of patience while learning and a bunch of scratch papers and pen in order to master it. Most of the time, it is like a puzzle that gives never ending questions which requires many computations. Later on it will lead us to see a pattern or a connection behind all these computations. It always gives us great satisfaction whenever we’re able to arrive at the right solutions. Math really contributes a lot to our knowledge that we may apply in our daily lives.

Though math is very important, it is one of the subjects that most of the students today really hate. For one thing, students hate it because they couldn’t catch up with it and so regard it as a burden. For me, I don’t really hate math. But that doesn’t mean math is too easy for me. I remember when I was still in the elementary, math was just something that adds, subtracts, multiplies and divides numbers. I would often recite the multiplication table starting from the multiples of 2 to 9 in Chinese together with my parents. So it became simple and easy. Later on, when we became used to these things, fractions and percentage were introduced. It became a little confusing sometimes but it was still fine. Now that we are in high school, as what has been expected, more things come up, more complicated than before that continue to rack our brains. In my first and second year, algebra was like a puzzle. When I first encountered it, I really did have a hard time. Others would always ask me why I was having a hard time because it was just “so easy” but I was just too careless with the positive and negative signs.

Then geometry came. I found proving interesting and so it became easy for me. I got high scores during that first quarter. But at the end of that quarter, proving became fewer. Areas, volumes, and sequencing were taught. Luckily, I was able to overcome all of them and still get good grades (though not as high as that in proving). This year, with advance algebra and trigonometry, I have learned a bunch of new things. I find synthetic division very easy. Aside from that, I have learned to graph functions which are cool but take a long process sometimes. In general, I find math to be an interesting subject. In fact, I’m always challenged by it. And I feel that if one wants to excel in math, he has to treat it as their good friend. Indeed, if we befriend math and have the determination to learn and solve more problems, we will definitely improve our skills and eventually learn to appreciate and enjoy math.

Ang Dati at Ngayon

Ang buhay nga ngayon, paano mo maikukumpara sa dati e hindi naman ito higaan ng mga rosas? Iyan ang madalas kong marinig kapag ang pinag-uusapan ay tungkol sa hirap ng kabuhayan. Kung sabagay, ito’y lubha namang totoo. Tulad na lang ng isang banana cue na dati-dati’y nagkakahalaga lamang ng limang sentimo, ngayon ang humihigit pa dito. Ang isang sakayan sa dyip na dati ay labinlimang sentimo, ngayon ay umaabot na yata sa limang piso. Ang renta sa isang bahay na dati ay animnapung piso lamang, ngayon ay ilang libo o milyong piso na. Ang matrikula sa kolehiyo na dati ay ilang daang piso lamang, at ang marami pang iba na dati ay libre-libre lamang, ngayon ay magkano na? Marahil ang mga ito’y nagkakahalaga pa ng higit sa doble ng dati. Samakatuwid, napakalaki talaga ng pagbabago sa panahon ngayon. Kung pagmamasdan, ang presyo ng mga gamit ay patuloy na tumataas habang ang kita naman natin ay nananatiling parehas o di kaya’y bumababa. Ang lahat ng bagay ay hindi na tulad ng dati, sapagkat ang lahat ay may halaga. Walang libre, lahat ay may bayad. Bagsak din ang negosyo. Ang resulta, maraming mga tao, lalong-lalo na ang mga kaawa-awang bata, ang paliguy-ligoy sa daan, nanlilimos dahil walang makain at matirahan. Dahil dito, maraming masamang nangyayari. Laganap ang krimen, nakakatakot ang kapaligiran.

Tunay ngang natitira ang malalakas at naiiwan ang mga maihina. Kaya pala sa bawat kutsara ng kanin na ating isinusubo sa ating mga bibig ay sinasabi ng ating mga nanay na huwag mag-aksaya. Ang hirap ng panahon ngayon, isipin na lang ang ibang tao na walang makain, maswerte na tayo.

Bakit nga ba ganito? Sino nga ba ang dapat sisihin? Nung isang araw, pilit kong hinanap ang sagot sa mga tanong na ito. Tiningnan ko ang kapaligiran, pinagmasdan ang mga pinaggagawa ng tao at hayop, pati na ang mga tahimik na lupa at mga inosenteng tubig. Sinu-sino lang ba ang maaaring kumilos? Ang tao at ang hayop. Ngunit ang tao lamang ang may tamang pag-iisip. Kaya sa aking paghahanap, nalaman ko na iyon ay dahil sa hindi tayong mga tao handang tumulong. Hindi lamang ang gobyerno, ang iba sa atin (kung hindi ang lahat) ay iniisip lamang ang ating mga sarili. Walang pagkakaisa na nakikita kaya walang tagumpay na nakakamtan. Walang ibang pwedeng sisihin kundi ang ating mga sarili.

Paano nga ba ako makatutulong? Minsan kong itinanong ito sa aking sarili. Tulad ng iba, gusto ko ring makatulong kahit papaano. Gusto kong magkaroon ng magandang kinabukasan hindi lamang ang aking sarili, pati na rin ang lahat. Ngunit papaano? Siguro, dahil sa isa akong mag-aaral, ang isa sa mga magagawa ko ay ang pag-aaral ng mabuti. Ang sabi nga ni Rizal, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.” Tayo ang susi sa kinabukasan. Kaya magsisikap ako, mag-aantay, at hindi mawawalan ng pag-asa. Sa pamamagitan pag-aaral ng mabuti, marami akong matututunan at mas magiging handa akong harapin ang lahat sapagkat alam kong may kinabukasan na nasa harap ko at may pag-asa. At kapag nakapagtapos na ako ng pag-aaral, maghahanap ako ng maayos na trabaho at magbibigay ng serbisyo para sa ating bayan.

Three Days to Live

Three days would be a very short time. To think that you only have seventy- two hours left to continue breathing on this world and do the things you can, you would actually want to do something that you have never done before and make others remember you.

If one day I were told that I had only three days left for my entire life, I would not waste one single second of it doing nothing and divide it into three parts.

One the first day, I would wake up early in the morning, climb at the rooftop of my home to see the sun as it rises slowly from the east, and observe everything. I would like to hear the sounds that nature can make, to see the beauty of it that I have never appreciated before, and to feel the peace that everyone tries hard to find so. I would feed the birds that stop by the rooftop of my home, clean the leaves that fall from the trees, and sketch the view above my home.

When the sun had fully risen, I would attend the church with my family. I would stop for a moment in front of it to remember how the door looks like and walk around to see how it is constructed. I, together with my family, would sit in the first bench and listen to the preacher just like the way before. Then I would give half of the money that I have kept to the church.

On the same day, I would also visit the orphanage with my family. I would donate some of the things that I have never really used and the other half of the money that I have kept. I would like to see the faces of the children, how they could smile and laugh with each other. I would like to bring with me that kind of memory. It makes me feel happy and lucky.

At night, I would have dinner with my family. I would like to be the one to serve them. I would tell them everything that I have never said before.

The next day, the second day left for my entire life, I would open my eyes and smile as the morning sun greets me another happy day. I would call my friends and ask them to go out with me for the whole day. I would bring them to Tagaytay, treat them a lunch, taste all the foods that they are famous for, smell the fragrance of all the flowers, and swim with them over there. I would also take a picture with my friends.

In the afternoon, I would bring them to Baguio. I, together with my friends, would eat of their famous sweet corn, strawberries, and blueberries, buy some of them for my family, and have horseback riding. We would also go to the butterfly garden, take shots of all the kinds of butterflies and see how they make their cocoon.

When evening comes, I would go home and tell my family what happened. I would stay at my room and watch the beautiful lights on the streets.

The following day, I would pray first thing in the morning. I would thank God for giving me these three days to spend with my family and friends. I’m so happy that He gave me enough time to do the things that I wanted to do. I would also ask for forgiveness. No one is perfect except God. I would say sorry to my parents, whom I’ve never obeyed sometimes, my brothers, whom I’ve shouted sometimes, my friends, whom I’ve ignored and hurt sometimes. I would remember all of their happy faces, just like the children in the orphanage.

I would also clean my home. I would sweep the floor, wipe the cabinet, fold the clothes, and arrange the books. I would put away all the things that cannot be used anymore and help my mom in washing the dishes.

Before the sun sets, I would once again climb at the rooftop of my home. I would want to witness the sun as it sets to the west. I would stay there until the moon and stars can be clearly seen and look at the patterns that the stars could make. Then, I would want to make my last will: to donate my body to the hospital, to take everything that can be taken out of my body in order to save other people’s lives.

The Longest Minute I Ever Spent

In case you don’t know me, I am a sixteen years old female student of my school which is Jubilee Christian Academy, daughter of my dad and mom whose names are Tennyson and Gloria, and sister of my brothers who are Melvin, Byron, and Ivan. I started to exist on the eleventh day of April 1988 in the Makati Medical Center. I have eyes which can be compared to that of an owl and teeth which can be compared to that of a rabbit. I grew up in a world full of love and care. I never felt that that time is too long for everything except in one thing.

That thing that I was talking about actually just took a minute, a minute that we could have spent so easily if we are not aware of. It looked so long because it made me feel that every second was like a minute. It happened in a three by four square meters room covered with pink tiles.

“Patience…patience…patience…it will only take one minute…”

The place I want to get into was not vacant so I tried to keep the object inside my body. Thirty seconds was enough already to stop it from going out but there was still another thirty seconds. I wanted to open the door if I could. At last! The person came out and saw me standing in front of him. I immediately went in and got what I want.

“Success!”

I got up from the toilet bowl in the comfort room.