It wasn't really me. It was them.

"Glory to God!" -- those were the only words I could utter when I heard the good news. I was in Starbucks then, meeting my group in RLE to finalize our Nursing Care Plan. The day was being too hard on me since my cousins from the States and Australia were going back to their own hometowns (oh, I miss them!) Before I arrived in Starbucks Alabang, I had to ride with my cousins, who were on their way to the airport. The plan was to leave Laguna, which is where we stayed, at 8 a.m. and go straight to the airport. It sounded nice to me because our meeting with my groupmates would be at 10 a.m. We would then have 2 hours to travel all the way to Alabang. However, in Laguna, we had to wait for some relatives. It wasn't only until 9:30 a.m. that they've finally decided to start traveling. Yes, we left at 9:30, which leaves us with whopping 30 minutes to be in Alabang. As misfortune would strike me, my cousins felt very hungry, and so my uncle decided to eat in Pancake House, which is located in Caltex, SLEX. This, of course, delayed us again. This time, it was already 10:40. I figured that there was no chance I could catch up with my groupmates who were already complete in Starbucks with our clinical instructor, and were waiting for me since 1700 AD (Haha). But this was when everything came into place again. Aside from the fact that I enjoyed my breakfast in Pancake House (yummy roast beef!), Melo texted me, and said that they have not started yet since Ms. Mar, our clinical instructor, was still assisting the other group. This, in fact, made me smile. At least, I won't be actually that late. When we arrived in Starbucks, my uncle dropped me off; and I came to see my groupmates. Fortunately, they didn't get mad at me. I joined in and helped in brainstorming for our thesis defense. After the sharing of ideas, we decided to adjourn the meeting, and go to ATC. But before I could stand and march all the way to the mall, Mommy Joy (one of my classmates and groupmates) approached and congratulated me. I was puzzled then, and didn't know what she was talking about. Someone else came over (I couldn't remember who) and joined Mommy Joy in congratulating me. It turned out that they were referring to our APSA (a test for second year nursing students in order to assess their nursing skills). This test is not made by the school, but by the APSA center, and is given nationwide to most nursing schools. We had various tests, which included an IQ test. It'd be "one of our screening tests before we can get to move on into the capping ceremony" (as Femi would put it). Going back to the moment with Mommy Joy and this other friend of mine, they told me that I got the highest score in all the sections in second year. I must say that it was a moment when my heart pounded as though the bass was being played in a concert. "Glory to God!"-- those were the only words I could utter when I heard the good news. Yes, all praise be to my Lord Jesus Christ. If it weren't for Him and for the people who prayed for me, I'm very sure I would not have gained such a blessing. That is why I would like to take this opportunity to thank my God, the people who supported and prayed for me, including my parents, Ate Choi, Pastor Tessie, Tita Cleo (our spiritual leader), Sir Alvin (who texted me and gave me courage in taking the exam), Ate Hannah, Ate Ning, Tito Teddy (one of our pastors), my teachers who worked hard for us, and everyone else who served as an inspiration (I hope I didn't miss any). Surely, this made my day.



*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*
After two months, Ms. Mar told me that I topped our battery exam. All thanks to the same persons who helped me with the APSA. :)