One day, when I was 5 years old, my mom gave me a toy. It was a Rubik’s Cube. This Rubik’s Cube was a 2x2 (two by two), it had 2 layers and 8 pieces. It could twist and turn and it was pretty satisfying to see. However, I didn’t really think much about it.

A few days later, I found it lying on my desk, and a small piece of paper with something printed on it. Taking a closer look, I realized it was a manual. I picked up the cube, gave it a few experimental twists, and realized just how much fun it was. As I was turning it, I accidentally scrambled it!

I panicked. I tried to make sense of the manual to solve it. Even though the diagrams were confusing at first, I grabbed the cube and followed the instructions step-by-step. I twisted the layers exactly as the diagrams showed, and in about one hour, I solved it!

“Finally!” I sighed.

I scrambled and solved the cube many times, until I was hooked. I also thought it was satisfying to solve while seeing the colors red, orange, green, blue, white, and yellow moving around. I asked myself, “What if I memorized the algorithms on how to solve the cube? That would be very cool.”

A few days later, in my free time, I read the manual many times and tried to memorize the moves and steps. After many trials and errors while turning the cube, I finally managed to solve the cube without looking at the steps! I was so excited! I did that many times and it was so fun.

Later that day, I watched a video on how professional cubers solve a Rubik’s Cube. They were so fast! People solved the 2x2 in a second and the 3x3 in 4 seconds! I realized that I could time myself. So on my iPad, I downloaded a Rubik’s Cube timer app and timed myself. I was pretty slow at the 2x2, averaging around 40 seconds, but it was still pretty good for my first try.

But then, I remembered that there was a bigger cube, the 3x3 (three by three) that my mom bought me. I rushed to my desk and found the 3x3 sitting there also next to a small piece of paper which was the manual on how to solve it. I scrambled the cube and also tried to solve using the instructions on the manual. After an hour, I managed to solve it. I again wanted to memorize the algorithms. It took many days, but I still managed to memorize it. I also wanted to time myself and I averaged around 2 minutes.

Rubik’s Cubing was then one of my favorite hobbies. I used to cube for about one hour each day. My mom noticed me making a lot of banging noises on my iPad every time I dropped the cube to stop the timer. To help me improve (and keep the house quiet!), she got me an actual timer for my birthday. She also got me a better cube so I can improve. I thank my mom for supporting me in my passion.

After that, every day in my freetime, I practiced solving the cube. I learned different techniques and strategies so I could get better times. Over the years, I improved my times by a lot, now averaging around 6 seconds on the 2x2 and 25 seconds on the 3x3. I also learned how to solve a Pyraminx later and I now average 15 seconds on it. Even though I can’t solve some puzzles like the twelve-sided megaminx, I am still proud of the huge improvements I made through my 4 years’ journey of Rubik’s Cubing. Through this journey, I learned that the Rubik’s Cube isn't just a toy, it’s a lesson in patience. It taught me that true success only comes to those who are willing to practice one turn at a time.