My First Experience in a Badminton Competition

Aside from music, there is the second love of my life. This one is not about playing
different kinds of musical instruments which I find always at home with. This one is done in the
court. This is playing the game of badminton.

I have already played competitive badminton many times since I was in high school. And
the competitions were always very exciting. It makes me feel nervous and feel happy as well.
Badminton brings a kind of fun and satisfaction that is different from what I experience when I
play a trumpet, or a trombone or a guitar. Both of them are enjoyable but playing badminton is
different because it squeezes perspiration out of me. It makes me physically fit.

And as far as playing badminton is concerned, there was one experience I had that will
always be in my mind forever. It happened when I started to play badminton when I was in the
elementary. I was one of the players in boys doubles that will represent New Lucena in the
Second Congressional Meet at New Lucena, Iloilo. But the games were played in Leganes
because there was no venue for badminton in New Lucena.

Zaren and I did not expect to win our matches because we were first timers. But in every
match we had, we just played the best we can. Before we realized it, we had already beaten all
our opponents in our bracket. To our great surprise, we were already going to play in the
championship match against the team of Leon which is the defending champion. When the
game started, I felt nervous. I know my partner was nervous too. But we just played and played
until we came to a point where we had already forgotten our fears. We just played. And Lo! We
bit Leon in the first game. We cannot believe it. We did not expect to win even just a game in a
match. But we did it.

During the second game, the exchange of play lasted longer than expected. We gave it
our best but we got tired so we were beaten. But although, we lost the second game, what is
good is that we lost also our nervousness. We seemed to have forgotten we were playing the
championship match.

During the final game came the greatest exchange of play we never thought we can do.
We played so well that team Leon came trailing at the start. But the exchange of scores
continue until we were outmatched in just a very slim difference. I was thinking we will lost easily
but I was wrong. Although we were first timers, we played well that even seasoned players of
team Leon got surprised with our play. I think, it was a match I will never forget because it was
during that match that I realized that when you have a partner and you both do your part in a
team play, you become strong. It was then that I realized that what prevents us from doing our
best is our fear within. I realized that there is that power within us that we can use to do things
that even ourselves cannot believe we can do.

As I look back to that match many years after, I still cannot stop smiling just like what I
did right after that match. That match made me realize how enriching sports is. It made see my
inner self as an adolescent and brings me the kind of joy I cannot explain even until now.
 My Classroom Experience with Mass, Momentum and Velocity: A Simple Reflection

Honestly, I am not a love of science especially physics. It looks like an alien to me. No
matter what I do, I find it hard to understand the lessons in this field. I felt I do not belong to this
world. But despite all these, I am also excited because I am also curious about the things I do
not know.

When we had our lessons about mass, I cannot relate. I find it hard to digest the lesson.
When we were given formula to be used for some computations we have to make, I do not
know what to do. I cannot understand how to use the formula by substituting the given values to
compute what is required. I was very confused. But looking back at that lesson, what I can
remember is that mass is the amount of matter that a body contains. At first I thought mass is
weight. But in the lesson I got that mass is different because weight is the pull of gravity on the
mass itself.

Then, came momentum. As I listened to the explanation of our teacher, I learned that
momentum characterized the motion of an object. Our teacher said it is a product. It is a product
of the mass of the object and its velocity. I will tell you what velocity is later. Let me continue first
with momentum. Momentum according to our teacher is a vector. I cannot explain very well
what a vector is but I remember that a vector has magnitude and direction. I know what direction
is. But magnitude seems not clear to me. I think it has something to do with size.

Another topic that I have studied and I cannot explain very well is velocity. My classmate
recited to class that it is the rate of linear motion of the body toward a certain direction. Perhaps
rate means speed. In other words, maybe velocity is speed and direction. Maybe if an object is
going to the north, that is the direction. The speed in going to that direction is the rate. So
velocity is this rate and this direction. Well, I supposed that is what I know about it. Just don’t let
me solve a problem about this. You will get frustrated with me. I do not know to be honest about
it.

I know what I know is lacking. But no matter how I study, it seems that what I can absorb
is just limited. Well maybe, I need more time to digest these complicated ideas. Or maybe I just
cannot tune in to science that easily just like my classmate. Perhaps, the best I can do is just to
persist. If I give up, I will never know at all.