Stubborn butterflies in my stomach

9:19AM

Computer in my face

Reckoning day has come. This afternoon at 2PM marks my turn in that chopping board called panel presentation. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about all these (fast forward to April 2006: graduation day)...so excited that I think I'm overdoing it, hence, the fluttering butterflies.

They started coming in last night. Ever had that thing when you're absolutely sure about all the nitty gritty of something and yet somewhere deep down there, you feel like you're not sure anymore? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. It's the jitters.

But last night, I've decided to not give room to pressure, although admittedly (like most people I know), I work best when I'm cramming (but I don't recommend that...it drains a lot of fried chicken in your system, I'm telling you). So I slept on it. This morning, I was 7 minutes late for work. Darn! How irresponsible. Not after getting an office memo for habitual tardiness...

I better get my hands dirty. Wait, I know. COFFEE is the remedy.

Argh! Let me just get this done and over with...okay...breathe...


-- o0o --

3:35PM

All smiles at the PC

Today is a happy, a happy day

Today is a happy, a happy day...

['tis the music in my head. my niece can carry its tune like a 7-year-old diva]

Yipeee!!! I'm done (for the time being, that is)! What a big thorn taken out of my flesh. More thorns are still up for pulling, but let me relish this moment and mind about those later.

It's really terrifying to kill time. Hours ago, I felt like my heart was in my throat and only this (see my thumb and index finger only half an inch apart?) close to being popped out of my mouth! But now, it has settled back down in my rib cage.

I figured that coffee was not the remedy, but singing away the throbbing did the trick!

The one-hour presentation went on smoothly. It may be because it's a relief that the Dean was my undergrad thesis adviser, panelist #2 being one of the bosses in our library who knows me, and panelist #3 did not make it on schedule (she's based out of town). Fortunately, the questions raised were the same queries I have anticipated. My strategy: throw the questions back at them. Their response: route the same questions back to me, but this time with my much-needed answers. Clever.

They liked my research proposal. Both of them agreed that my paper has promise. Panelist #2, however, posed this not-so-mean comment just as I was about to leave the applications room, "I thought you've graduated long ago, Christine? Have you been sleeping all this time?"

Wow. Psychic.

So there. I passed.