Acquiring new knowledge, learning new skills, and trying to solve global problems through research are just some of the things that directly come to mind when I think about myself. Greetings to everyone! This is rilyaaan and let me take some of your time to introduce my precious self to you.
A Glimpse of Myself
As a pandemic teenager in the Philippines, playing online games is really common. I used to play a video game for 10 hours straight per day. But later on, I realized that managing your time is one of the necessary skills required to strive in this challenging and thrilling life. So I started to minimize my playing hours; from 10 hours a day, I suddenly only played occasionally, like I'd only play when a friend invited me or when there was a tournament.
Rather than playing video games all day, I started to read books and watch Korean dramas as an alternative to entertaining myself. Some of the books I have read are both romantic and full of suspense. Some of the Korean dramas I've been watching focus mainly on romance and medicine, in particular surgery, since my dream job is to become a general surgeon. Some of the dramas I have watched are Doctor Romantic, Doctor Stranger, The Good Doctor, and Doctor Slump.
In my 10th grade, our face-to-face classes resumed. I had zero interest in my studies or grades at all. All that was on my mind was having fun, having a good time, and enjoying my life after suffering from staying home for two long years. I often don’t take notes during class discussions, yet when there is an upcoming exam, I ask for notes that my classmate took so that I won't fail.
I may not seem to care about studying, but I don't want to disappoint my parents. Therefore, I always study the day before exams. Despite being lazy with schoolwork, I still managed to finish the 10th grade with high honors. Before our moving-up ceremony, our class adviser gave us all a letter. The letter she gave me made me realize that I can be a better person. She stated that I am gifted intellectually and can do better academically.
That is one of the main reasons why I changed the way I live. I started to study a month before the class started. It was so exhausting at first, but after some time, I started to enjoy studying. Before, I thought self-studying was so hard, and I think I can’t do it. But when I started doing it, I realized I had wasted my time avoiding studying and just having fun with my life.
I can say that studying a month before the class starts is worth it. I aced tests and participated in all class discussions, whether it was math, science, history, or language. I didn't struggle to overcome the level of difficulty of those subjects; therefore, I finished 11th grade as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) student with the highest honor.
A lot of teachers saw potential in my abilities in problem-solving, analytical thinking, and critical reading; therefore, they chose me to be a contestant in the division-level press conference as a feature writer in collaborative desktop publishing. Thanks to my teammates who were skillful enough we were able to win the competition and move on to the regional level however, we weren't able to bring home the bacon.
I also participated in the Division Science and Technology Fair (Robotics). My category was Amazing Race; for me, it is the hardest category in the fair because the competition requires programming the robot during the competition, and it needs precision and analytical skills to calculate the track and program the robot accurately to finish the race without going out of the track. It was tough because of the time pressure. My partner and I did our very best to secure the first spot.
I rattled 5 minutes before the competition ended because the other participants had already finished and I couldn’t find the right program for the robot. But a minute before the competition ended, I found the right program and finished the track with a time faster than my fellow participants, so we won first place.
Our research teacher also saw my capability to solve problems, writing skills, and research ability. So she picked me as a member of the STEMazing competition (3 hours to make a research proposal), and due to lack of practice, we failed to win the district level, but fortunately, we are a part of the division level because we grabbed 2nd place.
The school had a hectic schedule of activities set before the date of the competition, and because of that, we weren’t able to practice with my teammates. We only did solo research at home three days before the contest day. We were fortunate enough to secure first place even without proper practice. So we advanced to the regional stage of the competition.
At the regional level, we managed to give our very best in creating a research proposal in just 3 hours. My teammates and I were satisfied with our performance, but we weren’t able to win the contest. Other teams were just too good and smarter than us, so we accepted the results. Yet we are very happy for the experience we gained and hope to win next time.
I may not have won at the regional level, but I am so proud of what I have achieved so far in my senior year. I managed to fight my laziness and achieve something that I will cherish forever in my life.
My Hobbies and Likes
From spending 10 hours a day on video games, being lazy with school work, and procrastinating things, I’ve become a better version of myself. Now, I often spend the day reading a book, gaining knowledge from it, and researching some innovations created by scientists. So much for introducing myself, let’s move on with my hobbies.
Lately, I have become cautious about my health. Therefore, I invested time and some money in small gym equipment that is necessary to workout properly at home and some running shoes to jog outside and burn some calories.
I’ve been really into reading books after the pandemic, whether it’s electronic books or physical books. I enjoy reading romantic and scientific books because it is really fun to learn new things from science.
I've also been really into sports since I was a child. I can play any role in basketball and volleyball, I’m good at chess, badminton, and my favorite sport, table tennis.In fact, I’m the best table tennis player in our school.
Heather Stillufsen.
That quote reminds me of what I've done to change the way I live my life. It is relatable to many of us who are struggling in life. Changing the way you see life and reacting positively when a problem suddenly appears is one way to overcome challenges given to us by our creator. If things aren't working out, don't get disappointed to start over; it's not too late.
This summer, my aunt @naymhapz, who is like a mother to me, encouraged me to join Hive because she knew that I was into reading and writing. She’s been in Hive for years now. She invited me a long time ago to join Hive and explained everything to me, but I didn’t seem to consider it because I was really focused on studying. But later on, I realized that I could also learn here on Hive and share some places that are incredible here in the province.
Why Am I here?
Since I have some free time now, I decided to give Hive a try because I have nothing to lose if I try, right? I mean, writing is not that hard, and I can really share many places and knowledge here. On the other hand, I can also learn and explore different places and a variety of cultures from all around the world, and maybe try to visit some of the incredible places featured here on Hive one day. I am really looking forward to a wonderful experience here on Hive and I am eager to learn about different places and cultures from every corner of the earth.
That's it for now; see you on my next blog!