SINUSOIDAL WAVES

Learning is never easy. I realized that the day I started to study harder. Some say that it’s a job for students to do, but I don’t believe them. In fact, I would be more than willing to say that learning is my hobby.

Learning is not limited in school or in class. It is omnipresent. Perhaps, most of the time, you are oblivious that you are learning something. Also, it is not true that learning is for geniuses only; everybody can learn anything if only they would love it. That is why, I really don’t believe in bobo, tamad lang siguro.

Studying, on the other hand, is like a sinusoidal wave. The ups and downs of your grades are like the crests and troughs of the wave. The wavelength alludes to the period of time you have spent to earn that grade. Every person has his/her own sinusoidal wave; all would surely experience to fail and to succeed. I believe that even the brightest person in this generation had experienced failure at least once in his/her lifetime.

A sinusoidal wave has no ending. Studying also doesn’t stop. You may stumble upon series of failures and successes as time pass by. And if you would like to reflect on your studying progress, you can always check your graph. Whatever the graph of your sinusoidal wave might look like, it was you who draw it. You are responsible for having a graph with more troughs than crests or vice versa. Meaning to say, you can never blame others for the failures in your life. But you can always thank those people who assisted you on your way.

Indeed, graphing your own learning cycle is a big responsibility. But you don’t have to be afraid of it because you are guided by others to draw it with care. With the aid of the people around you, lots of things can be smoothly learned. Just be patient in studying and wait for God’s next move for you.

CATASTROPHISM

“The earth has been affected by sudden, short-lived, violent events that were sometimes worldwide in scope.”

- George Cuvier, Principle of Catastrophism

Buti na lang nag-UP ako. Now I can really see the benefits of being a Taga-UP. I’ve come to meet the cream-of-the-crop students of our country as well as the world class professors and instructors of our nation. And buti na lang nag-Math 17MTHFV5 ako… because I’ve found all these benefits in this class. Kaya lang end of term na… at least we had our farewell party.

One of my classmates asked “Pano natin mapapasaya si Sir?”. Hala! Pano nga ba? We are on our trek to our venue, yet we haven’t planned for the right things to do. All thanks to my classmate who brought a deck of cards which we used to play ungguy-ungguyan and one-two-three pass on the first hour. In an instant, our place was filled with shouts, screams and laughter. It was an enjoyable start, I dare say.

After few sets of games, finally, it’s time to eat. We took this chance to plan for our next move. Right after munching all the pizzas and brownies brought by my generous classmates, we’ve decided to play charade. While the others perform some weird actions, the rest give out the names of our classmates who often do those actions. We never stopped laughing at how they mimicked the others.

Seeing as they were energized by our preceding activities, we then settled on changing everyone’s hyper mood to sentimental. Having an open forum was the peak of our night. Individually, we told our first impression about Sir and the unforgettable moments in class. The mood had in fact changed; I can see that my classmates and Sir cherished the night we have spent together. All reflected gleefully from what each one has to say.

As the concluding part of our open forum, we finally gave our special gift to Sir. Our gift is an artwork painted by our very own hands. Scribbled on it are our dedications of gratefulness for the magnificent job he has partaken in our lives. As he receives the gift, his glittering eyes have told me how much he values the efforts we have exerted. Finally, it was his time to speak. He thanked us for making his first semester of teaching memorable. He even shared part of his life to us. And I won't really forget it when he said, "Sobrang nag-enjoy ako, ayos talaga ang class nyo."

To bring back our cheery spirit, loads of us have given out far-fetched jokes. Again, laughter and smiles filled the entire place. These only faded away when we said our farewell to one another. The rest of us were able to get home through my classmate’s car. About nine of us were able flex our bodies just to return home. Although my body was aching when I got home, I still have mustered the energy to smile and recall what happened that night.

Life is so unfair that we focus our attention more on catastrophic events. Indeed our world has been shaped by countless pains and problems. But little did we know that untold joyful moments have also made life stronger and better. Instead of counting all the problems of the world, why don't we count the good things? Despite of the existence of misfortunes in my life, I know that something as good as this party can tattoo an unfathomable mark in my heart.

I’m bored. I’ve got to do something that would spice up my remaining vacant periods. This upcoming semester, my schedule will be tight and I see myself na nagbi-busy-busy-han. I want to spend this big break wisely. Enjoying the stuffs that I wasn’t able to do when I’m still on the go in school is my top priority in this month-long vacation. It’s pretty ironic that when I was at school, I prayed for the end of the term to come. But now, I’m eager to start my new term na. Ayoko na sa bahay!

This newly-ended semester has been a success, I suppose. I know I messed up the start of the term. I relaxed too much or rather I miscalculated my school. Thanks to God for He permitted me to recuperate from my early errors. I was able to retrieve satisfying grades through my succeeding subject requirements.

That is my Bituminous Coal, a geologically old igneous rock. I got it when I topped my second long exam in Geology 11. My instructor usually gives prizes like that for those who will top her exams. At least, that exam was able to pull up the sickening (a line of 7) result of the previous one.

Another pinnacle of the recently finished term was my autobiography. I had to endure a night without sleep just to finish that paper. As well as I had to stumble on all the resources, like birth certificates, baptismal records, etc., just to fill up all the necessary contents. I never expected a high grade but by God’s grace, I have garnered a reasonable satisfactory mark.

Those are my Math 17 exam bluebooks. Just to acquire towering (?!?) grades, I had to squeeze out my entire mathematical prowess. This subject opened my eye to the reality that I am mediocre in Math. But I know I have improved a lot.

Speaking of improvements, I believe my volleyball skills have also got better. I’ve learned how to properly execute overhead service, spiking, blocking and setting of the ball. I can now do the stuffs which I never imagined that I could do.

Ayoko na sa bahay… kasi… I’m yearning for more developments and more “miracles” in my life. Exploring my concealed abilities would give me a sense of accomplishment. After all, it is my responsibility to sculpt my own statue of success. Let’s just say that these simple improvements are the stepping stones in reaching the triumph destined for me.

At long last, Math 17 is over. Haha! Tapos na ang panalong final at long exams.No more math!!!

*Hala! Biglang nagparamdam si Nostalgia.*

Ay oo nga noh? Ang bad ko talaga. End of math 17 means hindi ko na makakasama yung mga friends ko sa class na yun. May sadness din pa lang naidudulot ang ending ng math 17. Teka bat nga ba ako nasa-sadden?

Kasi naman di ba, isang term ko rin naman silang kasama. Sino ba naman ang hindi maha-heart-to-heart sa kanila? Kumbaga, sa very short span of time, nagkaroon kami ng close connections sa isa’t isa. Nakakalungkot lang kasi yung daily na nagpapatawa sa akin, eh, hindi ko na regularly makikita. Add mo pa yung instructor na the best talaga magturo. Natupad naman nya yung sinabi nya nung first day na “Don’t worry, hindi ko kayo pababayaan”. I’ve learned a lot sa subject nya coz sa palagay ko ang aking mathematical skills ay na-improve. Medyo nabawasan na ang aking carelessness. Thanks talaga kay Sir Leyson.

Of all my classes this term, ito na ang pinaka-intact. As in solid pala kami. Akala ko kasi dati ay patay sila kasi few lang ang kumakausap sa akin. Partida, most of them ay back seaters pa. Pero, through time din pala may mga nagbabago. Nadaragdagan ang mga friends ko habang nadaragdagan din ang math burden. Ayos din pala silang kasama. Kung anu-ano ang pinag-uusapan. Hindi lang puro math, minsan… ay madalas pala, teacher-student lovelife, tapos ang mga pasaway na profs sa UP at pati ang mga

depressing games ng UAAP.

I guess ma-mi-miss ko talaga sila. Sino ba naman ang hindi makaka-miss sa mga madadaldal kong classmates? Kaya nga career mode talaga ang karamihan sa amin para sa upcoming acquaintance/ farewell/ tribute party. And siyempre ang natitirang consuelo ko na lang sa math na ‘to ay ang class picture na yan kaya buti na lang ay naka-secure ako ng copy. At least, may memento ako ng isang math class na mahirap kalimutan.