The Journey

Hey! I took a short vacay just after the exam because,

IT FEELS SO GOOD TO BE HOME! 😌 

So, let me tell you what I had to go through during the 5-month reviewing spree. It was May and I had no freaking idea what was going on with me. I was excited and anxious at the same time. I am about to embark on a journey that will potentially change my future.
WARNING: Long Post 😀

All of us in 1 photo. Yes, we did not have beds. We slept on the floor. Sad lyf. 😢

The Journey. It wasn't easy. It wasn't hard either. It just depends on yourself. It's whether you make it hard, or easy. LOL I don't know what I'm saying. Okay, so there were 5 of us in our dorm. 3 of us went to the same review center, while the other 2 went to another review center. This allowed us to share our materials and knowledge, and "tricks" learned from each respective review centers. Another advantage of sharing the room with friends is the teaching and learning process. Of course, no one person can know it all. There were times when one of us, at random, just begin shouting questions and the others, sometimes, will respond. It was fun, spontaneously answering questions. 

There were also times, when two of my mates are solving a problem, but then they could not, and so another one comes in, and then another one comes in, and then all of us suddenly is solving the same question. It feels great! When a single problem can unify and make people help each other, it is then that you realize how small the world is, and how strong we humans can be if only we learn to cooperate and build relationships based on trust, we can make the world a better place. what. Oh sorry I got carried away. Oh yeah, about us solving a single problem. It's fascinating because, as we all know, there is no single solution to one problem, and when we start comparing answers and solutions, it widens our knowledge about it. We gain new insight, and we say, "Oh so that's possible!" and then your perspective changes. 

PROBLEMS: 

Of course, engineering problems are not the only problems we encountered. There were also personal problems. Chill. Relax. We are all on the same boat here. Okay. 

I had breakdowns too. Mostly at night when every one is asleep.  These were the hard times for me. There were nights, that I just overthink about everything. What if I'm I am going to fail? How will I deal with it? Some nights, I just get an hour of sleep. The pressure was real. So real. There were so many people looking out for me. I call them abangerz. Hehe. How did I manage? Positive thinking, inspiration, and sleep. Yep. Sleep. 

We also had a lot of fights and arguments between me and my then girlfriend, Andrea. Most them, were a day before a weekly examinations. And, believe or not, I passed most of my weekly examinations. Do you see what love can do? JK. We also broke up (and made up) during the 5 months that I was away. And I kind of let that add fuel to my desire of passing the board exam.

For every student, there is/are a couple of subjects that we just don't like for no particular reason. For me, it was STRENGTH OF MATERIALS. That subject is just batshit crazy. There is a formula FOR EVERY KIND OF SHAPE, like wtf. Maybe I would've able to bear it if it had some kind of derivation, but alas, it's just straight formula. Plug and play. Some of the formulas are similar which can be confusing. But, don't get your hopes down, brother! Sure, there are a lot of formulas, but there are ways to efficiently memorizing them. ;)

It's not that I hate strema (strength of materials), I just don't like it. Maybe I was sleepy while it was discussed. Maybe I'm just really not into the subject. Don't get me wrong, I TRIED to study this, but with no avail because just looking at the long list of formulas, I already get discouraged and stressed. So what I did was, I decided not to put anymore time and effort into this subject. But along the way, when my mates were exchanging questions and answers, I passively listen, and got some basic formulas right. AND! Luck was with me! As if all my prayers were answered! If I can recall correctly, THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM ABOUT STREMA IN THE ACTUAL BOARDS!

PRE-BOARDS:

The pre-boards. Whew. What an experience! During the 2 days of examination, the results were: an aching neck, an aching back, fatigued hand and fingers, and just stress. Sadly, I didn't pass the pre-boards, technically. In order to pass, we have to get at least 70 points in all of the subjects. Surprisingly, my highest was Math: 46, Elecs (Electronics): 45, GEAS (General Engineering and Applied Sciences): 42, and EST (Electronic Systems and Technologies): 38. What surprised me was my percentile ranking. Even though I only have 43% general weighted average, I ranked in at 88%, as in, I am in the top 30% of the whole review center's population (in Manila). Generally speaking, if you are in the top 30%, you will surely pass the boards. That was a reassuring, but it was not enough for we still have a long way to go. It did give me an idea on what I need to focus on, though.

To future board takers, please, don't skip the pre-board examination as it will gauge you; give you an insight about your current standing. And take the exam seriously and calmly.

Don't take my word for it, but legend says that the pre-board exams given by review centers are harder than the actual board exam.

FINAL STRETCH:

During the last-40-days-before-the-exam, our instructors posted a guide. It was an optional guide which distributed the subjects and topics according to the difficulty and the frequency a particular topic that came out in the previous board exams. At least that's what I think. I kind of followed it, but it was only for 1 subject. The rest, I was just skimming.

For the last 2 months we had to review, I changed my routine, but so did everyone else. I started taking Excel's Take 'N Exam, their online review platform. (I registered for a premium account which is activated from June to October, I was only able to fully utilize it towards the end, lol fml) My updated routine was, Monday, Wednesday, Friday (regular class), 8-11 am was for lectures/refresher. 11-12 was lunch, 12-2 was sleep (I/We sleep in the library :P) 2-3/4 was utilizing the materials in the library, 4-4:30 walk home, 4:30 - 5, rest, 5-8pm, computer shop. 8-9 dinner, 9-11ish, I try to review, but I end up playing. lol. When we have make up classes for Tuesday or Thursday, it's the same. When we have no class, I almost don't go out. Weekends, I rarely review. Sundays, when I wake up, everyone's gone. LOL. I wake up at around 10 am. Then I just play some games, and read virtual hoarded materials.

A day before the exam, our review center organized a thanksgiving mass to celebrate their 25th year in service, and to bless us, examinees for the exam. It was my first time attending a mass for the entire duration of the review. He he.

Mang Chad (Richard), which is one of my dorm-mates, offered us to be blessed by his church, The Church of Latter Day Saints. We agreed. I found this denomination interesting. Mang Chad sometimes tells us stories of his mission, and his church. So after our thanksgiving mass, we went to their church. In there, a former bishop, two missionaries, and a brother who recently passed his licensure exam, blessed us. The two missionaries I believe were from America, and from Samoa. I always thought that other nationalities speaking tagalog is heartwarming. So when they started talking, I was elated.

While I was in that room, I felt something different. My body was lighter, my heart was lighter, and even my mind. It's as if my soul is floating. Every second that passes I just feel like smiling. I mean, I was genuinely happy. Being in that room, with those missionaries and my friends, I felt happy. It was one experience I will not forget.

So it was finally examination day. It was around 5 am and it was raining. Thankfully the school we were assigned to was only a couple of minutes away. The school was a catholic school and had a church right beside it. The important thing to do is, pray, and just be calm. When they handed over the test question, I was shocked to see that everything is written in Line Mode! (If you have a scientific calculator, e. g. Casio 991ES/Plus, press [SHIFT] [MODE] [2]) It can be a bit confusing specially in the Math exam. The test question was not the only thing that shocked me though, the questions, too! I will leave that bit for you to experience.

RESULTS:

Results are generally released 2-3 days after the board exam. Our exam ended October 17, Monday. So results were expected to be released on the evening of October 20, Thursday. The waiting game was strong, but not for me. I mostly spent my time wandering around and buying stuff. Haha. I wandered Divisoria; bought some pokeballs, a pickachu stuffed toy, and a pair of long sleeves. I also got lost, lol. I also went to Greenhills with Melchor. I bought a 2DS and a Thousand Sunny Kit. So that was 2 days, the last day, I spent cleaning and packing my things. On the eve of Thursday was my trip home, hoping that during that time, the results will be released. Every chance I get, I check my phone for some messages, but there was none. So I decided to go online and check my inbox, and there my classmates were chatting. They were anxiously waiting for the results. On a side note, I said to my parents the last time I went home, that when they will see me next, I will already be an engineer.

I arrived home Friday morning. It was quiet, and there was no power because a hurricane recently wreaked havoc in our region. After a little bit of catching up with my nephews and a little bit of unpacking, I laid down in my soft, comfy bed. Oh, how I missed sleeping in a bed. Haha. My body was tired, but I just couldn't drift to sleep.

At around 9am that morning, I got a message from Melchor, saying "PAREHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH". I quickly asked him if the results were already out. I jumped out of bed to interview him. He was still in Manila, so he had the resources; Internet, and Electricity. He said that I don't know if I'll believe  it and said that I should just take a look at it myself, and I replied that we have no power. 

"Congrats Engr. Pucan ☺😀😁"

It took me some ti absorb it. To absorb the fact that I am now an Electronics Engineer!  WOAH WHAT. AMOY NA AMOY, IS IT REAL? IS IT REAL? Then messages began to flood my phone, and a few phone calls as well. That joy I felt that morning, was immeasurable. But I did not tell my parents right away. I turned on my mobile data and went to facebook. So many notifications! Yes! IT'S REAL. LASAP NA LASAP! REAL NA REAL, REAL NA REAL! I kept my cool and took some deep breaths. I literally could not stop pacing in my room. Then I went to find my mother, who was outside gardening. I went to hear and said, "Ma, nakapasa nak". (Mom, I passed the exam.) While holding my phone, she hugged me, and she hugged me tight. Then she started crying. I could not contain my feelings! It feels so great, making your mother happy. There is no better feeling in the world. My aunt was also near during that time, and she approached us. Asked us what was happening and when I told her, she joined the group hug. To feel your mother's hug and to make her happy, THE BEST. FEELING. IN. THE. WORLD. Finally, all of my parent's hard work paid off, and mine as well. Then I went to my dad, still teary eyed, and told him that I passed. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close, and he congratulated me. That smile on his face, is like worth millions. And to make them both happy and proud, made me happy. 

END.

P.S. I'm sorry this took too long to finish [and to post]. Procrastination took the better of me. I literally watched all the youtube videos I missed. I also indulged myself playing games and watching movies. Well, thank you for your patience and interest in my post! Hopefully, my next post will be some tips and hax for taking the board exam. Till then, Cheers!

✌