THE TORTURE’S OVER…
Thursday, July 27th, 2006It is a first time for me.. to be so anxious and nervous waiting for my exam result to be released via e-mail. I think the feeling was even worse than waiting for my SPM result 6 years ago (OMG!! am i already THAT old?). I was tired, what with going to class straight after work and all..
I woke up quite early… 6.50am (yes maybe not early for some of you, but ask my siblings they’ll tell you that’s DAMN EARLY for me). Just a few minutes after 7am i checked my mail.. at first glance I didn’t notice there’s an e-mail from CiMA. after a few seconds then only i saw the e-mail I’ve been dreading to open. I clicked (suspense sampai luper nak Bismillah) and there it was.. the word that I’ve been waiting for so long to see.. The thing that will determine the course of my life for the rest of the year… PASS!!!! i actually PASSED the paper everyone told me i should’ve passed at first sitting..
My FOURTH sitting of the paper (THIRD if u consider the syllabus change).. i finally PASSED INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT!!!! With 59 marks… for those who doesn’t know jack about Chartered Accounting.. u won’t know how much it means to Pass with 59 marks.. it’s actually the highest mark i ever achieved (i never got marks above 60) but of course I knew my terrer-melampau juniors from the Fast Track programme will easily pass with better marks than me.. but i don’t care.. what matters is that i PASS!! and will receive the Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting from CiMA and my convocation will be in November. And that will shut up a lot of people at least for the rest of the year. I will still be over the moon if i pass with only 50.
Heck, they won’t put in your cert that u passed with flying colours or barely pass.. in Professional Exams, there’s only Pass or Fail. No such thing as First Class honours, Second Class, Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude or whatever else they call it. It’s just plain PASS or FAIL. There’s no such thing as begging/sucking up to your lecturer to pass you if you get 49 marks. That will never happen in Professional Exams. A fail is a fail. You’ll just have to suffer another semester just for that precious ONE mark.
I stormed into Kak We’s room and told her the good news. Then I called my Knight, who stayed up with me most of the time temaning me study… But he was still sleeping i guess and I think i heard him mumbled Congrats before the line was cut off. Flat battery. Good. Then I called Mama but she didn’t answer. Minutes later Mama called back after receiving my sms. Ku Zett (my youngest standard 1 sister) was shouting Congratulations in the background (she actually pronounced it correctly). Mama sounded happy. So did Ayahanda.
Finally.. i made it through.. to Strategic Level.. it was a nightmare to me just to get to final stage. I don’t doubt a bit that should i had chosen ACCA over CiMA i would’ve graduated by now. Because CiMA’s scope is wider and more towards real-life implementation and because ACCA’s structure is more lenient where you can take the final papers along with the optional papers. While in CiMA, as long as u haven’t complete that certain stage, u’ll NEVER be able to sit for the next stage’s level. It’s cruel. I know. And the new system was only introduced last year. Damn. Aku memang malang. But i always tell myself what Maylin told me when i had a nervous breakdown a day before the exam. "Of course it’s hard to be extraordinary, why would you want to be ordinary like others? it’s boring". Or something to that effect. I can’t remember the exact sentence.
I never actually thought of being extraordinary. I just don’t want to be ordinary. I went against a lot of people when i decided to pursue CiMA straight after my Diploma instead of taking the safer path of doing the Degree first (my family said at least i’ll have something to fall back on if i fail). Being the stubborn person that i always am.. I followed my heart, my hunch, my intuition and of course my brain. I chose CiMA.. and I have to admit it’s not a bed of roses… or a walk in the park.. There’s times when i wondered how life would be if i did fast track, if i did my degree first.. and lately… if i had chosen LAW over ACCOUNTING..
But here I am.. Finally the CiMA Finalist. I have to thank and extend my appreciation to everyone who have supported me through this journey.. (hahah.. macam dah pass CiMA jer.. korang tak buat CiMA korang takkan tahu betapa susahnye nak survive buat CiMA nih, serious!)
To Mama, for paying my repeat fees and always believe i can make it (tapi sumtimes ader gak ah time dier membebel sebab tak stadi), to Ron, who spurred me going when i felt like giving up.. for staying up so late to teman me study and encouraged me… to Kak We for believing in me but rarely forcing me to study, to Maylin for being the best listener when i bitched about how hard it is to do it alone and showering me with so many positive reassurances, to Esoh for letting me mess her living room with all my notes and books the night before the exam, to Mek Na for cheering at the sidelines, my sisters for being over-achievers and making me feel that I had to give my best so that I’m worthy to be their elder sister whom they can look up to, to Tett, Sa, my dearest roommates and futsal buddies (ak ah korang laa.. Che Wan, Nofad), Mahadi, Megat, my CiMA classmates, and every single person in my life who had try to understand my complicated course and keeping me going… I can’t thank you guys enough.. Thank you for being in my life.. Thank you for being great friends and supporters of mine.. I love you guys..
The torture has ended… I’m awake now… (the answer to my shout out - wake me up when the torture ends)
