Pentium 1

Posted on April 26, 2008 at 3:06 pm | 10 Comments
Filed under Daily Dose

It’s inevitable, isn’t? There will come a time when the disk drive that we have will be in critical level, in other words, there will be scarcity with the available disk space that we have. That only means that we have to add more space, or delete a few programs and files, or move them to an external disk. And in my case, the unused space that I have is starting to deplete. To make matters worst, I don’t know which files and programs that I have to throw to the recycle bin. I also don’t own any external devices that I can use. The only means to backup the data that I can do is by burning files in CDs or DVDs and you know how unstable they are.

Moreover, I’m starting to feel that the physical memory that I have is not enough. Even though my physical memory that i have is a whooping 1 GB, I can feel that my computer is acting sluggish sometimes. During simple tests, I still have to wait for a few seconds or even minutes before my computer will respond.

I also have to upgrade a lot of things. Not only hardwares but also the programs that are currently installed in my computer which also contribute to the sluggishness of it.

Oh, it’s not my laptop that I am referring to but my brain. For more than 18 years, my brain has been abused, damaged, and over-used especially nowadays where I have to memorize a lot of things. Seriously, I badly need to shut down or just even hibernate it for a while. My brain hasn’t rested for almost a year now from school work. My brain cells are dying. And if I were to sell my brain, I’m sure, I would only earn a few cents because no one would like it and it’s overused!

A couple of weeks ago, I had to subtract something. Yeah, simple Math. God, I wasn’t able to get the right answer. The thing is, it took me five minutes before I realized my mistake: I used the minuend as the subtrahend, and the subtrahend as the minuend. How stupid is that?

All I want now is a very long vacation in a quite place far from civilization where I can rest for weeks, I don’t have to think about school related work, annoying blockmates, read unreliable text books, incompetent instructors, and avoid eating in fast food chains1 so that my brain could have all the rest it needs.

Of course, if someone out there is willing to lend me his or her brain, I would really appreciate it!

BTW, I’m now hosting Kathrin’s blog. She’s one of my oldest friends in the Internet.

  1. Since last semester, I eat in a fast food chain at least once or twice a week. God, they should abolish the branches of McDonald’s and Jollibee near our school. [↩]

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The Isaw Vendor Slash Mathematician

Posted on December 22, 2007 at 2:43 pm | 12 Comments
Filed under School Sabotage

Most of you perfectly know that I love Math. Back in my final year in High School, I was able to aced two out of my three Math-related subjects and consequently, I bagged the Best in Math and Best in Physics awards. Math has been my favorite subject since fifth grade. Math was my best friend since then. I’m not sure if I’ve already posted here that before I’ve reached Grade 5, Math has been my biggest waterloo. I hated numbers. I used to get red marks in Math. I thougt Math would be my problem every school year.

Don’t ask me what I did to work harmoniously with numbers because I don’t even know what happened to me. Haha. My skills in Math just came out from nowhere! I’m so thankful that I don’t have any problems with numbers nowadays. Ironically, until now, I still haven’t memorized the multiplication table. If you would ask me what is eight multiplied by seven, I would not be able to answer you instantly. Lol. Yes, that’s a fact… and it’s weird.

Yes, I know, we would not be able to apply most of what we have learned in Math. An isaw1 vendor (Yeah, I’m quoting the joke that spread through SMS a year ago) wouldn’t answer you “It’s tan452 times 5 per stick.” when you would ask him how much are the isaws. A knowledge in simple Math plus knowledge in integers and decimals is enough3. But will you believe me that I have classmates that don’t even know how to round-off to the nearest hundredths? Eek. They’ve reached college, and still, they don’t even know simple Math. The thing is, these have been taught to us since grade school… and until now, they haven’t learned how to perform these simple and basic Math skills.

It’s so sad that after this semester, I wouldn’t encounter numbers as often as now. Basic Statistics is the last Math-related subject that I would take (unless I would shift to another course). Even though I don’t have any background knowledge about Statistics (since we didn’t have it back in high school), I can still get how to solve this and that even though our professor does not know how to clearly discuss whatever she has to teach us. Actually, from what we have already discussed, I can say that Statistics is a lot easier than Algebra. Besides, we are allowed to use calculators. Haha.

Finally, I also want to rant about our prelims in Statistics. I wasn’t able to finish it, thanks to the very limited time. Even the Math geniuses who can solve with their eyes closed would not be able to finish it in ninety minutes because there were so much to answer. We had to make an array composed of 50 raw data. And according to my unreliable Statistics book, the process is tedious especially if raw data are numerous. And then, we had to do a frequency distribution table of it, then, graph the data in various graphical forms. There were other types of tests, but this was a shocker, despite the fact that my professor perfectly knows that our examination was tedious and very time-consuming, there was also a find-a-word puzzle included in our exams.

What the hell?!

  1. I don’t eat isaw but I want to know how does it tastes like. [↩]
  2. Tan45 is equal to one, by the way. [↩]
  3. Did I forget something? [↩]

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Let’s Talk About Grades

Posted on July 28, 2007 at 8:47 pm | 22 Comments
Filed under School Sabotage

When I was in first grade, I was a no one, I don’t get into the list of the brightest pupils. I hated my subjects especially Math. My grades were between 80 to 88, sometimes they even go lower than that.

And then, in grade two, I had two friends, unlike me, they always got in the top ten, but I was not never treated as an outcast. They accepted me like a real friend. Actually, we didn’t talk about our grades much. We just discuss them during the first time we see them, having me with the lowest average. But that did not really matter.

It was only during my fifth grade when signs had started to came out that I have an aptitude in Math. I can still clearly remember that our lesson back then was about prime and composite numbers. I was the only one who was able to identify that a very high number was in fact divisible by seven, thus, making it a composite number.

During the gap from second to fifth grade, I really struggled very hard with my subjects especially in Wika and Pagbasa, where I always get a grade of line of seven in my report cards. I also had a hard time with English, History, and even — believe it or not — in Computer. Sometimes, the thought of having to go to school during summer haunted me. Fortunately, I didn’t fail in any of my subject. Throughout the years, my best friends were always there for me. I did not feel that I was alone no matter how low my grades were at that time.

And then, I graduated from grade school satisfactorily. Having Math and MAPE as the subjects where I really excelled at. But my persistence in studying was not enough to earn an academic award. What I only got was a Loyalty Award.

That wasn’t really enough, what I want was an award that is related with academics. But at least, that was a good start, isn’t it? I had the feeling on how to go up the stage and receive my award. Unconsciously, I had set my mind to aim for high grades… be conscious with my grades. I think I was inspired by my best friend to aim for an academic award. And I didn’t know about it until I was in Fourth Year High School.

When I was in third year High School, I noticed that there were significant changes in my grades. No more line of sevens, lesser grades of line of eights, and more of line of nines. At the end of junior year, I think I was the top 11 of the batch. It was really good.

And then, in my fourth year, suddenly, everything has changed. From the first quarter of that school year, I was already the top three of my batch. I was acing most of my subjects. And that continued until I graduated. And all of these had resulted to a sweet and delicious fruit… I graduated with honors, I was the First Honorable Mention of my batch. But that was not all, I even got the Best in Math and Physics, another Loyalty Award, and other certificates. On the day I graduated, I was smiling all the time, stretching my muscles wide as I can. It was a splendid day.

I’m sharing this not because I want to brag, I wanted to — I don’t know the word — shall I say, inspire you with my story. I was able to prove to my self that you can reach what you like if you really want it. Every hurdle would just be chocolates in our eyes, ready to be munched and devoured. All we need is an inspiration. There’s no harm in trying, there’s nothing wrong in dreaming, because you don’t know that someday, that dream that you have tried to achieve will become a reality. But most of all, we have to remember that God is always there, He is just a prayer away, ready to help us.

PS: Yes, I know, this is not timely. I don’t know what made me think to write this and as I will lose my interest in writing this if I would wait even just for a day, I chose to share this to you now.

LSS: The Postal Service - Suddenly Everything Has Changed

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The Perfect Duo: Chemistry and Zoology

Posted on February 26, 2007 at 5:13 pm | 18 Comments
Filed under Random Realities • School Sabotage

What am I after all? Who am I? A mere creature of God. Yes, a creature made out of clay and molded skilfully by the powerful hands of Him whom we call Father. He made me just like that, and for what reason? To suffer the temptations herein? Am I really important? What am I in this world? To eat, play, drink, and study? Study. Why do we have to study? To gain knowledge and be superior overall beings here on earth? Or do I study merely because of pride so I may not be counted among the ignorant idlers. Why do we have to study and take examinations? Why not let life be only for eating, sleeping, or pleasure. Why do we have to suffer the pains of the damned? Why was I born? Why babies have to leave their mother’s womb when it is much secured there than outside. There you’re kept warm and you don’t have to bother about food, clothing, or shelter. Lastly, why do mothers have to suffer just so we can be brought out into this world. They love us, and yet, very often we fight them when we are grown-up. I don’t think that is right. One should never give his parents cause for worry. God created us in order to be happy with him after death… why do we have to die before we can see God?

Anonymus

That was a piece that I got from a book (actually, it were some of my high school classmates who discovered it) when I was still in high school for an oral examination in English. If I’m not mistaken, the author of this piece is unknown, but if you know who he or she is, please let me know.

Have you asked yourself with those kind of questions. In my case, yes. And most of the times, I don’t get the answers. And if I have, it would lead to yet another question. One of the questions that I always asked myself is the one that I bolded.

Yes, okay, it is a fact that we should learn in order to know something. But why do we need to know those unnecessary things? Let’s have Math for example, even if I like it so much that I would gladly trade it with Philosophy if given the chance, I still don’t get the point why do we have to know algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and other stuffs that has something to do with Mathematics when simple MDAS — the four basic Math skills — would make you survive life even without those complicated Mathematical skills. Besides, what’s the use of calculators? Lol.

*****

Chemistry and Zoology are driving me crazy! With tons of jargons to memorize, who would not turn into a lunatic? But hey, I’m not one yet, I’m still in the process of becoming one. Lol.

Yesterday, I was memorizing the frog’s bones (e.g. humerus, occipital condyles, fenestra, mento-meckelian, astragalus1). And this morning, I had a test about them. Boy, it was brain damaging! There were even some bones that I did not recognize because they were cut and chopped into pieces. For instance, the pectoral girdle that has ten (more or less) parts was cut, making it too hard for me to recognize as pectoral girdle that consists of clavicle, fenstra, epicoracoid, coracoid, episternum, and other parts that I’m sure you don’t want to know and don’t care about.

And later, I have to review for Chemistry because I have a test tomorrow about lipids. Yes, about those fats you have in your body.

Until now I still don’t know why do we have to study all of this things. Why do we have to memorize names of chemicals such as “acetic acid” (IUPAC name: ethanoic acid) when you can simply say it as “vinegar.” I’m sure, nobody from you would go to the nearest sari-sari store2 and ask the owner “Do you have acetic acid (or ethanoic acid)?” If you don’t want him to pour vinegar on you! Yuck!

On the lighter side, there are some interesting things that I knew this semester, thanks to my excellent Chemistry instructor3 and Zoology laboratory instructor. My Chemistry professor told us that you can create diamond (synthetic) out of methane gas which consists of one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms. (Are you already getting bored? Or am I already killing you with all these terms? Haha.) She even also told us that putrescine (IUPAC name: 1,4-butanediamine) and cadaverine (IUPAC name: 1,5-pentanediamine) are reasons why dead animals have unpleasant odors. (So the next time you smelled an unpleasant odor, just simply say “Gorss! It smells purtescine and cadaverine!4) And oh, you could also make vinegar (or any other carboxylic acids) have a pleasant odor just by adding alcohol (this process is termed as esterification).

With all of these, I’m just so glad that I’m doing great with these two subjects… and I’m still alive!

PS: Hey! Want to earn money? Join BlogToProfit now! Please put harry07[at]gmail[dot]com as your referrer. Thanks.

  1. Hey, it’s only the word “humerus” and “occipital” that the spell checker of Firefox has recognized as correct. [↩]
  2. My English instructor last semester said that “sari-sari store” is already included in the English lexicon so I’m not going to italicize it. Lol. But a simple search of it in Dictionary.com would not give me a positive result. [↩]
  3. Who enters the classroom with only her chalk box. All of the things that she teach are programmed into her brain. Lol. [↩]
  4. But who would understand you? Lol! [↩]

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Irony

Posted on June 22, 2006 at 8:21 pm | 21 Comments
Filed under School Sabotage

I love Math; I was the best in this subject during my senior HS days. And now, I dunno what’s happening to me. I was able to get a failing score in our test which according to our instructor is the easiest. Here are my theories why I failed that test:

  • During my HS days and even GS days we were thought that -22 is equal to four. And now, our instructor told us that it should be -4 and it will only be positive if it is (-2)2. See the difference? Sometimes, I still find myself confused about this. I need time to set my mind that -22 is equal to -4.
  • I was not practicing my Math skills during the holidays and now, I still need to condition my mind.

Now, where is my notebook during my last year in HS? I badly need it.

During the morning of this day, we had Chemistry (laboratory). Of all the branches of science, Chemistry is the branch I loathe most. I don’t really mind the computation part, besides, we are allowed to use calculator. But if you are talking about the memorization part, I’ve got a big problem; I hate memorization. And mind you, I still need to transfer my notes on a bond paper if I want to finish fast! I can hardly memorize if I’m memorizing directly from a book or notebook with all of the important terms underlined or marked plus some more notes scribbled on the margins of the book.

Guess what? Me and my group mates had a perfect score in our first ever lab experiment (and I think we were the only group who got top marks). Actually, I enjoyed it! I like the glass manipulation part where you have to bend glass tubing (of course, with the aid of fire).

Wow! I can’t believe that I found time to blog. You see, I have a very hectic schedule. Not like during my HS days, I can surf the internet everyday, even if we have major exams, but now, I think I can’t do that anymore. Time management is a must!

Oh, my parents asked me to look for an apartment near the university that I’m currently attending. Everyday when I arrive home, I already feel sleepy, thus, I can’t do much during evening and obviously, I can’t stay awake up to 11:00pm (my usual sleeping time during the holidays). And when I wake up I have to rush because I still have to allot 1.25 hours or else, I will be late (yeah, the university that I’m currently attending is 1.25 hours away from our house). You see, It’s not normal for me to commute everyday for 2.5 hours because during the six years of my school life, I only walk the distance between our house and school. But I haven’t started looking for one, besides, I can’t also find a friend who can bunk with me. Oh, don’t ask me to look for a dormitory instead because I don’t want to sociallize with other people especially if they’re a few years older than me.

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