I used to count the stars in the sky. I used to count the leaves of my notebook. I was even awed when Mr. Bean counted the sheep in the painting. Everything I know started at 1, 2 and 3. I would brag to my classmates that I memorize the multiples of five. Then I tell them about the words “googol” and “googolplex”.

The world of numbers is yet to be another exploration for me. Googol and googolplex are just number 1, added a number of zeroes. Now, I only know of the simple operations, those nearly complex equations and the formulas for perimeters and areas. Some say Mathematics is as easy as pi. I don’t think Math is easy, maybe pi is. It’s just a constant, which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It’s 3.14159. Sound a little nerdy? Trust me, I’m no mathematician.

Whenever I listen to a noise-filled, equation-related class in Math, my ears widen: they become open for more details. I don’t make use of these details, anyway. At the end of the day, I’d still be looking at a test paper having zero over thirty. I don’t know why but it’s always very distracting to think “How did they get this answer?”. If calculators were allowed, I’d probably be the happiest ever to solve an equation.

For me, Mathematics is knowing how to count. Period. Nothing else. I don’t get it why we have to learn these Fibonacci sequence, Pythagorean theorem or the one Newton invented: Calculus. I remember that time when I answered a quiz in Algebra. The moment I took a glance at the quite-brownish test paper, I forgot everything I have studied. Yes, I study Math. That was when I learned how to make self-constructed formulas. It had its own downsides and advantages. The answers I got were close enough, though. That’s enough to keep me on the road.

Maybe, numbers aren’t really for me after all. Math and I are not meant for each other. I have learned to hate Math. I hated it. But I also managed to learn how to love it. If it weren’t for Math, I’d never be able to mentally solve for my change when I buy something or tell what time it is. I have really developed a sense of appreciation for Math.

How can I help myself transform that zero over thirty? Math has helped me. So I better get even. Then hopefully, I’d also get an even score. An even better score. Maybe that which reaches a googol? Or googolplex? Either way, I now know how to count. I know Mathematics.