The Power to Change Things

Prayer is really a powerful instrument in this world. It can change a great number of things even though it seems impossible at times, it can heal the worst diseases that doctors can’t even cure, it can solve the most complicated problem in this world and…it can make a student pass a Math 17 exam.^^

Just last Tuesday, August 12, we had our second long examination in Math 17. The night before, I prayed hard asking the Lord for guidance and help to make me pass tomorrow’s test. And when the moment of our examination came, my nose began to bleed (this is to be taken figuratively…hehe!). Some questions were tricky while others were really challenging but all problems were totally brain-twisting! As I was answering the test, I still kept on praying saying “Lord, please help me solve this problem”. And as an hour and a half passed, it was finally over.

The following day, my professor showed the solutions of all the problems in the exam on the board. I then started counting the possible correct answers that I had. But to my dismay, my estimation only reached 26/50 which was still a failing grade. I needed at least 4 more points to pass the exam. I suddenly had a sad mood and felt weak for a moment but I still had some hope left deep inside of me, a hope that somehow, my professor might give some considerations that would help pull my score up. I continued to pray asking God to give me a passing grade.

It was Friday when my friend and I went to the Math Building in order to get the results of our second long test. With my nervous heart beating fast and my face in a worried look, we waited for our professor near the faculty. As moments went by, we were finally able to get the results. As I looked at my blue book, I saw my score and… I PASSED THE EXAM!!! Oh gosh, I was so happy! I thanked the Lord so much because I knew that somehow, divine intervention happened. At first, I thought that I would fail and I dread to repeat Math 17 next semester or next academic year. But with the help of powerful prayers, I did pass the second exam!

Actually, we still have three long exams, a midterm exam which was taken last Saturday (and again, I am praying to pass it) and a final exam ahead of us. I must not be afraid of what might happen in the future or be worried about the grades I would get as long as I study and really practice a lot, and of course, pray hard.

In this entry of mine, I just want to show how effective prayers really are. Sometimes, we lose our hopes in life and think that there is no more way out. But we must always bear in mind that in times of confusion, in times of great struggles and in times of hopelessness, prayer has the power to change things.

JAPFUN Experience

Last month of July, an event called “JAPFUN” was held in the University of the Philippines, Diliman in line with the celebration of the 18^th anniversary of Tomo-Kai, a Philippines-Japan Friendship Club.

One morning, as I entered AS to attend my English class, I happened to see a poster of the schedule of activities to be held during the JAPFUN month. I then became interested in the said event and started reading what was in store for the days to come. I saw that there would be JDoramathons (Japanese drama marathons), paper folding lessons, tea ceremony, crash course in the Japanese language, culture and dances of Japan, and the most interesting event for me was the anime cosplay.

Before I go further, I would first tell you the reason why I became so interested in this happening. Since I was young, I was fond of watching anime shown in local channels. But there came this time that a channel called AXN aired anime dubbed in Nihonggo with English subtitles. It was then when I got interested in their language, culture and the country itself. In addition, I watched not only anime dubbed in Nihonggo but also their dramas which are really interesting and full of humor.

Going back to the main topic, I planned to go to the anime cosplay which was held last July 31 in the Aldaba Hall for I had never seen such a great event live. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera on that day and moreover, my cell phone was “lowbatt” so I could not take pictures of their cute costumes. Luckily, I had a friend who had a cell phone with camera and with that, we had took few shots. At least I had some memorable pictures of my first time watching an anime cosplay.

The following day, I was invited by my two Japanese friends named Miki and Eno, who happened to be my classmates in PE, to watch their performance of a Japanese cultural dance. Since it was a Friday, I accepted their invitation. Also, I made sure that I had a camera with me.

As I saw them, they were stunning in their colorful kimonos and make-up. They really looked like Japanese (Duh!!! They are Japanese! :p ). I really enjoyed the various performances held that night.

Those 2 days were really great and memorable for me because I experienced things I’ve never experienced before. Also, I was blessed to have Japanese friends which I actually dreamt of! It was really a dream come true to watch a live anime cosplay and witness the Japanese culture myself. In a short span of time, I felt like I was in Japan for those two splendid days of my life.