Pahirap sa buhay: Math

Sa hindi ko malamang dahilan, ipinanganak akong mahina sa math. Grabe, nung elementary hindi ako maka first honor, parati lang second kasi yung nag first ay parang calculator mag-isip.

Nung highschool napapunta ako sa science class, ang mga kaklase ko ang gagaling. Mas lalo lang nahalata ang kagalingan ko sa math. Actually kaya hindi ako nag honor nung high school dahil sumablay ang grade ko sa math nung third year. Grabe naiyak talaga ako. Gusto ngang tisurin ni mama yung teacher ko na yun. Haha!

Kaya, biyahe agad ako pa Laguna at nakipagsapalaran sa elbi.

Sa elbi, naipasa ko ang math subjects ko sa practice at dasal. Wala na akong ibang ginawa sa mga free time ko nun kundi magsolve ng algebra problems. Kaya pag nag-exam, aba, na solve ko na ito, not necessarily na naintindihan ko siya. Hahaha!

At sa di malamang pagkakataon, ang kinuha kong minor ay economics at ag econ. Matataas na economics ang kinuha ko. Yun, kulang na lang ay umikot ang mga mata ko sa mga graphs na gumagalaw. Sabi ko, ang likut-likot naman ng mga graphs na ito, bat ayaw pumirmi sa isang pwesto lang.

Naalala ko pa sa isang lecture room ng stat na may lampas isang daan ang laman, bigla na lang akong magsasalita, “Pakiulit po yung explanation, di ko po naintindihan.” Tinginan sila lahat sa akin.

Bakit ba?

Si Jaime yun na taga-devcom.

Hay, nakakatawa.

Hanggang ngayon, sa jeep pag mga may .50 na ang suklian at kailangang magmultiply ng three digits, OK na lang.

“Hijo, tama ba sukli mo?” sigaw si Manong driver. Para di na ako magcocompute, magmumukha akong busy sa diyaryo na hawak ko, at reply: “OK na ho ito”

Bakit nga ba kasi may math? Essay writing na lang.

At sea

While inside the boat going to Zamboanga from Jolo my friend saw someone in dextrose.

She was 18 years old, her mother said. She added it’s been a week since they were observing her. They thought the girl had typhoid fever. So they would be at peace, they decided to bring her to Zamboanga City.

All throughout the night the mother would wipe her with warm towel to make sure that she’s comfortable. On the other hand, the father did not sleep—walking back and forth inside the boat big enough to contain some 200 passengers.

That was a very sad scene. Imagine a girl being traveled in a boat in dextrose for 8 hours because they do not have access to a decent medical care in her province? My Muslim friend told me that the girl must be from a well-off family. Otherwise, they will just let old cures do the trick for her in Sulu.

Different images entered my mind following that scenario. What about other emergencies like giving birth? Treating contagious diseases? What about those who do not have PhP 400 for a one-way ticket to Zamboanga City? And what about those who can no longer afford to travel for 8 hours? What about them?

I stopped thinking. I did not like the images that followed.

At 4am, the boat docked in Zamboanga City port. Everybody was excited to go out of the boat. And the girl, at last, would have the chance to be treated at a decent hospital—after waiting for 8 hours.

Basic medical care is among the basic needs of humanity, and yet there are many who do not have access to it. Not just in Sulu, but in many parts of the country.

I have long been asking myself why. Why is poverty so persistent? Why is inequality so pronounced such that many have gotten used to it?

Alas, the answers must have drifted away at sea.

Preface

….Going back on me and my friends’ comfort zone

Whew! It’s good to be back. Thanks best, for welcoming me again. You really made me feel light. Well, I supposedly have a lot of stories to tell. It has been ages since I post on our blog.

A long list of things happened since July 15 (date of my last blog), I celebrated my 25^th birthday, got a dinner meeting with Matell and Jaime, assisted as wedding planner for Chee and Jonas’ wedding, facilitated sports activities in the office – basketball, bowling, badminton- name it, bonding moments with my family, watched a good number of films like GI Joe, the Proposal, Up, attended a Psychogenetic Retreat, celebrated with my family on my cousin’s first birthday and my uncle’s graduation as military reserve corps, and still a lot number of things.

For sure, this would be sooo free style. My thoughts are shooting anywhere.

How will I start my post? I don’t know

What will I post? A lot of things

But how can I put in a short time? Just write

Well , I just missed my two good friends here, Matell and Jaime. The atmosphere is very very welcoming. Matell urged me to post first. And Jaime too, he wanted me to post my draft “When Anger breaks”. It is the draft I started when Jaime and I were not so “in good terms”. I told him earlier that the post will be too emotional and maybe full of angst which I believe would be unfit if I would post it.

Anyways, I missed writing here.

Perhaps, this will serve as a “preface” on the things that I would be writing soon (or simply an acknowledgement to my two good friends).

“Meet new friends. And keep the old.

One is silver and the other gold”

My nephew

On our way to Bicol last year we passed by the dinosaur statue along the national highway in Lucena City. My nephew who was 3 years old then said, “may kapatid yan nag school. Yung magulang niya nag work pareho kaya mag-isa lang siya.” We were all stunned by what he said. JM is turning out to be a very loving person. He is so attached with people around him.

Last long weekend, I decided to go to my brother’s house in Cabuyao where I lived for 4 years in college. Fortunately, my sister, now living in Quezon City, also decided to go there. It was like a reunion. My brother sort of missed me. It’s been a few months since I last visited him. And there was JM. He was just so happy to see us.

We did not have time to waste so I raised the idea of us going out. Just to go out. My brother agreed and in a few hours we found ourselves traveling to upper Laguna. We went to Caliraya Lake, the Japanese Garden (awesome!, very peaceful), and we ate in Kamayan in Bay. It was a splendid day. My brother also waited until I met my friends in the same place. My Ate Ping (my kitchenmate taking her MS in UPLB) celebrated her birthday last Sunday.

Then Monday came. My sister and I were busy preparing ourselves to travel back to our bases—she to QC, me to Nueva Ecija. We hugged and kissed each other, was so noisy immediately scheduling our next meeting. That was it. Time to go.

JM was all of a sudden silent. He was so snobbish. My sister-in-law said he is like that.

He hates goodbyes.