MTH101N

One more article, this one was written solo, I didn't really have the magazine in mind when I wrote this, just came from the heart I guess. Again, no synopsis before the story(you shouldn't see the last page of a novel before reading it you know, it ruins the whole experience!!!).

Anyway, read!

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60 minutes

Arrrghh......math class. The worst hour of the day. The most devious, torturous exercise a fifth grader can be put through. I hate math class. I hate math. It’s such a boring subject. Who came up with math anyway? We should be taught something cooler in school, something like how awesome cars are. Teacher is writing something on the board. I'm too bored to concentrate, let alone copy it down and understand it. Maybe I'll take a quick nap.....

55 minutes

I look outside the class. I catch a glimpse of some parrots taking flight in the azure tinted sky. I'll be free like them soon. It’s just a matter of time. When I reach home I'll catch something on the TV or play videogames. Videogames rock. They are one of the most awesome things in the world. I can be whatever I want to be. An awesome superhero, a speedy racecar driver, a nefarious gangster, a mysterious prince. I love the thrill of high speed races, of battle with a dozen formidable foes, of quests and dungeons and monsters and princesses. I love the suspension of reality. I love leaving my world behind and entering a world where I am strong and rugged, a world where I make the rules. It makes me feel awesome. Yes that’s what I'll do when I reach home. But the stupid teacher is still droning on.........

50 minutes

A month has passed since my birthday. My birthday party was awesome. All my friends visited, we had a blast. And the best parts were the presents. I got lots of candies and cars. There was also a huge chocolate cake. Chocolate is awesome. Chocolate is the best thing that ever happened to mankind along with sports cars. I also got cars as presents, yippee! I love running around with cars, love the sensation of speed and the air on my face. Maybe I’ll be a racecar driver when I grow up……

45 minutes

But someone also gave me a doll. What kind of a gift is a doll?!! How do girls play with them anyway, it’s so stupid. I mean, they’re just boring stationary plastic figures. But girls just love braiding their hair and dressing them in clothes and managing their love lives and what not. I seriously don’t get it. I even tried playing with the doll I had but how? What was I supposed to do, dance with it?!!

40 minutes

Yesterday, I heard that our president Bush is going to continue the war in Iraq. War is such a futile thing. I don't understand how people are willing to kill each other, their own kind. That sort of stuff is fun only in videogames. No reason seems good enough to justify all the violence and bloodshed and tears and grief. War sucks. But then again I am small. Maybe these are things I'm too young to understand. Maybe it'll all make sense once I'm bigger. But is seems so useless........

35 minutes

Two weeks ago my Mom and Dad had a fight. I hate it when they fight. Mom called Dad names I've never heard before, funny sounding names. But the way she spoke them, they probably meant something mean. Dad picked up a nearby vase a threw it at Mom. He was drunk. I was in my room, a mute spectator to the exposition. I felt like crying. In fact I did cry. I hate admitting it- it's such a sissy thing to do- but I did. I couldn't hold them back. Later they came to my room and consoled me, put their arms around me, told me that they wouldn't do it again. But they always do. 'Why can't you two try not fighting for once?' I told them that night. 'For me?' Mom hugged me tightly at that instant. Dad looked down at the floor in a melancholy silence. But nobody replied. Nobody said yes.......

30 minutes

I look across the classroom. I spot Gina sitting on the first bench, her blonde ponytail resting behind her, listening attentively. Gina is the girl I love to tease most. I love cracking blonde jokes at her, love pulling her ponytail when she isn't looking, love ruining her drawing with paste. And yet she doesn't get angry. In fact whenever I'm around she kind of becomes dumb. Sometimes she mutters something incoherent, then turns away and runs. Also, the girls around her start giggling whenever I pass by her and she looks down and acts shy. Girls can be so weird sometimes.......

25 minutes

My aunt came to visit me last month. I love my aunt. She rocks. She always gets me chocolate, cars and videogames- the three things I love most in the world. She's very religious though, always wearing a pendant shaped like a cross around her neck, always talking about Jesus and the Bible. I don't get the whole deal about religion. Sometimes I feel that our holy books are just theories. I mean if Jesus was real, and the one true savior, Ram wasn't real, right? And what about Mohammed? And Zeus and Athena and Osiris......God! There are so many of them. How could they all co-exist? Maybe they had some sort of all-holy alliance. But then, who was president? I don't know.

20 minutes

Sometimes I don't agree with religion at all. If God created us, who created Him? There has to be a beginning somewhere, right? But some people value religion so highly, They are ready to shed blood for it. In fact, religion is one of the biggest reasons why blood has been shed in the past. He was reminded of the Crusades that they studied about in history class. But he wondered why. Why do people attach so much importance to faith? It doesn't even matter where God is. You should just enjoy your own life. It makes sense not to worry about something you'll never find out about. He remembered a line from a poem he had read in his textbook recently: God’s in His heaven- All’s right with the world!

15 minutes

'Ahhh what have we got here? Idling away in class, are we? Maybe you have something more interesting to think about. Get out and kneel!' Oh shit! Not again. I hate it when I get punished. I have to kneel outside the class for the whole period. My knees hurt like anything. Fortunately, the period's almost over. As I exit the class, Gina looks at me and smiles. What's so funny anyway? Outside the classroom now, I look left and right, searching for ways to pass time. Arrgh! Why does time move so slowly when you want it to fly by? Again, he was reminded of something from his text: There is never enough time, unless you are serving it.

10 minutes

OK, we're almost there. I must find time wasting strategies. Maybe I can count the number of dust particles in the air....one, two, three, four….arrgh this is too boring! Hmmm, maybe I can count the number of chocolate bars jumping over the stream in my head. No! This is so wrong! I shouldn’t be dozing off in class like this and get punished, I should be paying attention. From tomorrow onwards, I’ll be an ideal student. I’ll sit on the first bench and take in everything the teacher says and understand it all. I’ll write everything in my book and get really awesome grades. Ahhhh who am I kidding, next time I’ll just be extra careful not to get caught.

5 minutes

I'll have so much fun at home! The TV and videogames, the chocolate cakes and cookies......

4 minutes

......the toys I got for my birthday, the cars and tracks and puzzles.......

3 minutes

......all my friends in my block, they'll all be there! We'll play together for the whole day.....

2 minutes

......Oh it'll be so much fun! Why can't the stupid bell just ring??!........

1 minute

.......It's almost over! Another unendurable, tormenting, grueling lecture is almost done!!!!!!!!

Bell.

The students start packing their bags, there is a lot of commotion everywhere. The teacher comes out of the class and looks at me. ‘So mister, mathematics is not good enough for you to study, is it? Detention for 3 hours, you will sit and copy down everything I’ve done in class a dozen times.’

‘NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

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When I was writing the other articles, I would sometimes end up writing an immature statement, using words like awesome and stuff. Then I would delete it and be like, 'only a fifth grader can think this way'. So I thought, why not write about a fifth grader.

The story is kinda personal, the chap's opinions on religion, videogames and other things mirror my own. Again, your comments are totally welcome! Let me know what you think!