"Don't you dare splurge," my dad said as he handed me a folded piece of paper. His eyes were bulging.

I unfolded the paper and found a gold card with my name on it.

"A credit card? Why?" I asked. I know I know, you'd expect me to react with a little dance or a scream. But I was puzzled. I never ask for money aside from my weekly allowance. And even for that, I don't ask. What would I need a credit card for?

I didn't get much of an answer. I just heard a mumble. I could buy four beat up cars with just a swipe, and they were trusting me with that little piece of plastic? OK. As puzzled as I was, I wouldn't really want my parents to take it back now, would I?

For now, it'll sit at a pocket of my wallet as I figure out which car to get. :p

***

Today was the final day of the semester. During Calculus, the instructor got as far as one review problem and stopped. He whipped out the OHP and illuminated a transparency. He apologized for keeping the class for that long when most other classes were over.

He gave us a little life lesson beyond Calculus. The acetate showed a list of the deeper lessons we should have learned like the dignity of labor, honesty, etc.

I actually liked it. Over the semester, Calculus has grown to be one of my favorite subjects, and he, my favorite teacher (A lot of you want to whack me on the head, I know). But there's just nothing like getting lost in a Calculus problem and successfully solving it in the end.

Plus, the instructor seemed like an evil sadistic bastard at first, but he loves his students. He does his best to make him succeed. He's quirky but he comes up with interesting analogies that we grasp the lecture immediately. Plus, he's sarcastic, it's hilarious.

He took out his camera and snapped photos of us. And the most amazing part of it all is that I absolutely don't find it cheesy at all. You just can see the guy's love for teaching, what with his ME degree and his endurance for a meager teacher's salary.

We were his last class. For a veeery long time, at least. He's going abroad. But damn, I have NEVER in my life understood math like I did in his class - and this includes algebra and trigonometry classes.

In the end, he left us with this poem of sorts (READ IT, DAMN IT):

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Crikey, I will never miss a class this much.

I am such a GEEK.

***

I'm playing cupid. God help me.