For Xaverians, the biggest event of the year is the Variety Show. For ICAns, the big enchilada is their school fair. However, the Philippine Science High School, more commonly known as “Phi-Sci,” has a yet again a different agenda. Theirs is the Youth Math, Science and Technology Week.

      During this Science week, there are no classes and no lessons; just activities and games. These include science workshops, exhibits and an inter-disciplinary quiz contest. All these, except the contest, were prepared by students, and a few chosen Xaverians were sent here to participate and experience something new.

      The exhibit, which was the first thing we went to, was (there is no other word for it) cool. One would have to be amazed at the things science can do. One of these exhibits was called Baloonique , which used the principle of tension to spear a BBQ stick through the balloon. Another one is the Magic Hanky, wherein surface tension was used to prevent water from flowing out of the glass using nothing but a hanky. The most memorable of the exhibits was the great Balancing Act. Even with a cliché for a name, it was by far the most astonishing among the exhibits. It featured a toothpick balancing perfectly upon the brim of a glass with its end outside the glass spearing a cork, which in turn has two forks stuck into it. Even if one burns part of the toothpick, it still stays perfectly balanced. No glue, no strings, just perfect balance. Amazing!

      The symposium was next in our agenda. The guest speaker, Catherine Genevieve B. Lagunzad, Ph. D, gave a talk about finding business opportunities through science. I learned many fascinating tidbits from her, like the fact that we could have had a multi-million dollar business from nata de coco , among other things.

      Finally, the science workshop that I participated in was entitled Sight and Sound. From the workshop, I learned how someone recognizes someone else. I also learned the concept of beauty and the many different effects that colors have in our lives. Furthermore, I learned about how music actually has a great influence in our lives, how we keep our balance because of our ears and that voices can truly be deceiving.

     All in all, the Phi-Sci trip was inspiring. What was most amazing was that the whole thing was prepared by students! It would be good to take it as a challenge to show that we are also capable of great things!

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