Saturday, August 04, 2007



Two thirty in the afternoon I jumped in the car and Mom drove me to Kumon for I was scheduled to take the queen test of all tests-- the Completion Test in Kumon Reading, that is. I arrived much earlier and the proctor did not come until quarter to four. So, I was blessed with ample time to browse through my previous L worksheets. But then, I also ended up accomplishing half of my three-page worksheets in math. Once the proctor arrived, I put down everything and she demonstrated how the test would work. She gave me an "untimed reading" which allowed me to understand all the test items but not answer yet. It took me about 10 mins to do it and finally, I held my pencil in one hand, started jotting down the required fields of information and stated my time. Once the digital clock flashed 3:57, I flipped the page and started.

Frankly, it was hard and confusing. Yes, half of it was based on my past L worksheets which sad to say, I have not reviewed. The other half was kind of revised so I had to think real hard while answering. It had a variety of literature ranging from Pride and Prejudice, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde up to Macbeth. There was actually no smooth transition. Also the directions varied from page to page. My mind was spinning-- I was getting dizzier by the minute plus confusion surrounded me. Who thought it would be all easy and smooth-flowing? Not me. Definitely. Not. Me.

My time duration was somewhere between the line of thirty to thirty-five minutes. The moment I wrote the finishing time, I handed my paper to the proctor who was, the whole time, beside me. While she was checking it, I bowed my head and started to pray. I prayed that a miracle would happen to save me from failing this test. And true enough, after some time, she (the proctor) held out her hand to congratulate me. I got a mark of 51/60. Good enough for a shallow LitNerd, eh? Truthfully, I wasn't expecting myself to do this well but as to how results point out, I think I underestimated my own capabilities too much. I may have done a little bit better if I just had faith in myself.

Going off to the brighter side, I am officially a Kumon Reading Completer. This step actually motivated me more in finishing my Kumon Math-- in which I still have six letters to go. I know it may be another long, rough road but it will surely be an incomparable experience. And, as how many people point out, Kumon will help me in the future. (Hopefully). Now, I am grateful that I successfully torn down the thought of giving up. And I congratulate myself for that.

Likewise, I am divinely inspired to do well in school. I am compelled to pushing myself to extremes at reasonable accounts. Moreover, strive or rather aim for excellence because I believe in myself that I can, now, handle things.

For all those who have insecurities and feel that they are inferior to majority, I think it's now time to get out of your comfort zones and really work on things which you do best. As they say, you never know unless you give it a try. And, if moments come wherein you tend to give up, just think of how many people you may inspire by a single, good deed. There is no opportunity that must end up as a waste. We all live for a purpose and our mission is to discover them.