The Board examination has come and gone. I write now three days after its completion for I have not the desire to write before, during, or immediately after- for my mind has, for three grueling months of study and sequestration, has exhausted nearly all of its finite energy, desiring nothing less than a night of uninterrupted repose. I shall narrate what has transpired:
Jun 9. There was some confusion, a day before the said examination, when I visited the local office of the PRC in the morning, as to why I was not on any of the listings posted. This brought me severe apprehension for, although I deem it impossible, the thought of being denied the examination (perhaps on some foolish technical grounds, whatever it may be) is beginning to creep into my mind. Patience, however, is indeed a virtue for when I came back in the afternoon, they had posted the entirety of the listings, which included therein my name. Sigh.
June 10. I was assigned to be in the University of Cebu Main, which was located not far from where I live, and so I walked the entire way. After climbing six flights of stairs and searching through mazes of halls, I found my room. It was smaller than last year's, but sufficiently airy. At the start of the first examination, I realized that I had not taken my breakfast, and so went through the first one hundred questions agonizingly with an aching tummy. I was surprised though that after lunch, unlike last year, I was not attacked by the usual after-meal somnolence (what they termed as 'sakit sa baboy') and finished the entirety of that day's questions with unimpaired concentration.
June 11. I started the second day of the examination with sufficient rest and food, so that the day went rather quickly. There were some (as there always are, apparently) who finished oh so early, going through two remaining tests in only an hour each and seemingly with relative ease. I have been told by so many CI's in the past to ignore them for they tend to make one lose his nerves. A gentleman, who seemed to be in his early thirties, always finishes ahead of everyone, and in his face I see the look of sheer confidence, with a somewhat aloof grin that I immediately despised. My CIs were right for it took a moment get my mind out of the man's irritating countenance and regain my concentration. After the finality of the examination, I could not wait to get home and half-ran my way back to my boarding house, in white uniform and all, under the searing afternoon sun.
I felt relieved, however, that the Board examination is finally behind me, and one that I hope would not have to go through ever again. All there is left to do now is to wait for the result. I have grown to hate waiting, especially when it is something as important as this, for it would mean that I would be putting myself in a state of anxiety and suspense for weeks to come. I thought it best to put it out of my mind, and so I spend my time reading or playing computer games. However, time is of the essence, I am getting old, and I must advance forth with haste. Thus, I am at present preparing for another review: the IELTS examination at the end of this month, hoping that I would be adequately ready by then. For this I am glad, for it gives me purpose for the moment and would ease the strain on my patience.
