A few days ago, I woke up with a headache.

I was trying my hardest to solve a math problem.

It was something like this.

Log 20 with base number 22.

Log 22 with base number 20.

Since it was inside my dream, I couldn't fully utilize my logical faculties. To be said, Math isn't my strong subject.

Lots and lots of formulas appear in front of me; I could not understand the point of using those. As I didn't have a better clue, I followed the formula.

It resulted in lines and lines of calculations. The more I wrote, the closer it seems to uncover the real answer. At some point, my consciousness told me to just give up. That whatever math problem it was—I have no obligation to solve it.

I kept trying and trying.

In the end, I was unable to come with a solution.

Right after I woke up, I went and browsed the internet on how to calculate the base 20 logarithms. Starting with bases higher than 10. At first, I was like 'is this even possible?'.

Eventually, I found the number-base calculator. How the numbers in base 10 would look like in base 20 or 22.

It still didn't tell me how can I solve the logarithm.

So, I looked up its definition in the first place. Reading the Wiki Paddy Ah article, I shrugged my shoulders—thinking 'do they really have to make things so hard to understand?'.

There I realize—if I want some simplified explanations, I could just look for blogs.

They're meant more to provide the most accurate, unambiguous definition of the said words linked.

Nevertheless, I did end up with the answer.

The logarithm is an inverse of power (exponent) functions.

For example.

Log 100.

Base number 10.

It's simply about what exponent number 10 needs to become 100.

Log 9.

What exponent 10 needs to become 9.

Log 3, base number 2.

What exponent for 2 to become 3.

Thus.

Log 20 with base number 22.

It was the exponent for 22 to become 20.

Log 22 with base number 20.

...for 20 to become 22.

The actual solution wasn't even as complicated as my dream was.

I don't even need to use a formula for it.

It made me re-think about how I learned Math back in school.

We had always been stuck with using formulas for all the possible situations and memorizing how it goes.

Always been more about grades than the learning itself.

Not actually analyzing the problem but just go straight methodical. Thinking is indeed hard, especially when one ends up too bored, to even think.

Just because my grades are good, then I'm smart?

Boy, how wrong I was when I was finally out of school.

Nobody really cares about you and your grades.

Just whether you can get things done or not.

...and I finally got it done, my own way.

That's the most important point.

Those headache-inducing dreams no longer came.

I must've done well with my solution.

Yey.