IT'S SEMBREAK, BABY!!!

Sweet, sweet sembreak! After almost five months of slaving away in my first semester of college, I am finally freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Today was the first day of my three-week long semestral break, and boy, did I accomplish what I set out to do: catch up on sleep. And I mean lots and lots of it. :) Although technically, I know people can never make up for lost sleep, I still tried anyway, and it felt so darn good to just laze around knowing I didn't have anything to cram or write or read.

There are some things I need and plan to do over the break though. My Project Sembreak 2012 consists mainly of planning important events for next semester, enlisting for 2nd sem classes, picking my brother up from school everyday (and maybe dropping by my school as well), hanging out with my high school friends, writing and sending out letters to my friends studying abroad, watching movies and TV, and discovering more music.

Here's to a memorable, productive first college sembreak spent wisely!

I'm Still Here!

Well, hello there. Yes, I'm still here; I'm alive and kickin' and still taking the Ateneo by storm.

I know I haven't written anything in here for probably more than a month now, but that's only because I've been pretty swamped with schoolwork and life. Between oral presentations, papers, meetings, and a semi-barely-there social life, I haven't really been able to find the time to just sit down...start writing...and let my thoughts flow. Today's no exception, actually, and I'm supposed to be writing an extra credit paper for Environmental Science, but I have a six-hour break anyway, so I'm taking my time. :)

I also went under the radar because I kind of had some unwanted visitors... :( I mean, don't get me wrong, I appreciate my page being viewed and read by completely unknown people because that was my goal in the first place - to be able to identify with others through my blog posts - but just please not in a predatory way. I have big personal issues with that, unfortunately. So now my blog is exclusively for other bloggers to read, but that pretty much equates to all of my two loyal followers and myself...so this is just like me talking to myself through writing. I'm so weird sometimes HAHA.

For a moment I thought about giving up this blog altogether and deleting everything in it because I felt that my privacy and security was invaded/violated. But hey, I'm still here, and I have my English 12 project to thank for that. For my final paper, I am to write 11-12 pages of creative nonfiction...on what? Well, myself.

Yes, MYSELF. I am talking autobiographical-hello-world-this-is-my-life text here.
And I have no idea what to write in it; I don't know where to start, which parts of my life to focus on... I don't even think my life is worth writing (much less reading!) about as of now.

But my professor requires us to undertake such tedious processes of self-awareness and self-celebration, so I don't really have a choice. He says we should take a tickler with us everywhere so that in the event we recall something relevant and noteworthy about our life, we will be able to write it down. He says we can and should be as creative as we can in portraying our lives. He says there is something really significant and notable and poignant in each of our young lives. You know what I think? I think we should just be able to participate - to actively live out our lives and be part of the goings-on and not just a bystander watching what everyone else is doing and enjoying. (Yes, if you were wondering, I'm currently reading and loving Perks of Being A Wallflower.) I think that simply being able to do so is enough.

SURVIVOR

Just a quick (super hyper) post: OH MY GOODNESS I FREAKING SURVIVED MY MATH MIDTERMS!!!! I can now rest peacefully and enjoy my semi-long weekend. :)

At least before I have to start studying for my Environmental Science long test and Literature midterms again. Ohwell....

Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major

Just taking a little breather from my research proposal, which is due tomorrow, but I'm only halfway done with. Well, three-fourths, maybe. But then again, I left the bloodiest parts out for last, so that I could do them in the quieter hours of the night. Strangely enough, I am trying to listen actually listening to classical, Mozart-y music, desperately trying to get my IQ level to go up even just a little. Just enough for me to survive this research paper, the Math long test on Thursday, and the Math midterms on Friday. Which isn't asking much, really.

Well, there's nothing I can really talk about right now that won't sound like I'm spilling s*&% out of my brain... so instead, here's a little inspirational thing I stumbled upon. It was written by my fourth year math teacher specifically for us, her little math nerd of a class. It's nostalgia and inspiration at its best:

My Dearest Math Geniuses, 

If there is one thought I had at the end of our regular meetings (I know I wasn't there, forgive me --- for the nth time), it was, time does fly whenever one is having fun. At the beginning of the year, I did not expect I would be thinking something along those lines. After all, I have always claimed that H4 Math would not be easy, but you would learn. 

The goal has always been to impart something to all of you. So it was a very pleasant surprise to find myself looking forward to our meetings. I mean, I look forward to each meeting because it's a chance to share wonderful math concepts, but because each of you contributed so much into making sure that you learned something everyday, and each of you went out of your way to produce interesting solutions and generalizations.  

Add to that your infinite patience in enduring my math nerd tendencies and "interesting" examples (not to mention quizzes), and I was truly enamored by your class.
Galileo Galilei once said, "The universe cannot be read until we have learnt the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language, and the letters are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without which means it is humanly impossible to comprehend a single word. With them, one is wandering about in a dark labyrinth." 

When Galileo wrote these words ages ago, they were particularly about geometry, but I think that he was able to touch what mathematics is all about. Mathematics is a tool used to solve problems. Sometimes the problems are direct, like the ones we've discussed in class about functions, or volume problems, et cetera. Sometimes, however, it is the skills or practices we have learned in mathematics that helps us solve problems --- thinking logically, exhausting all means to solve something, spotting errors and the like.  

I might have always been going about telling you how wonderful math is, and how interesting the patterns we see in mathematics are, but at the end of the school year, it is my fervent hope that I have, at the very least, imparted ways in which you can be better thinkers and problem solvers.  

Our world needs people who go out there and try to solve problems; it is my firm belief that no matter where your passion lies, you can be good thinkers and great problem solvers.
You all are talented, that much I am sure of. Your path may not be leaning towards the wonderful world of mathematics (hahaha!), but I know that you each have the capability to go out there and contribute in solving our world's problems. That may not happen in the near future, but it is my belief that you will each change the world for the better.  

Know that each one of you is in my prayers. I wish you all joy wherever life leads you, perseverance for whatever challenges you might face, and the courage to excel in whatever mathematics course you may encounter in college. ;) Never forget that your brains are the best things you can offer to the world, and that it would be a wonderful thing to share what you have (intellectually or otherwise) to those around you.  

I shall miss you all, and I shall always remain your nerdy math teacher.

Indulgence ♥

I miss these guys so much! :) Don't judge, but I absolutely love Nick Jonas ohmygoodness. ♥♥♥ (I literally can't stop smiling/spazzing right now eeeeeeeee) Allow me to indulge in a little nostalgia and fangirling for just a moment, please. 

So here are my favorite, never-gets-old Jonas Brothers tracks: Fly With Me and When You Look Me in the Eyes. Enjoy!