Good News...

I've just found out that the results for the recent Nursing Board Examinations (given in November 2009) has been released. Immediately, I googled it and checked some names. I was so happy and proud upon seeing familiar names in the list. In my experience as a teacher, it's always great to see names of your students in lists such as this. Seeing your former students successful in their fields makes you really proud and feel like you've done a pretty good job. Not that they owe you anything, but you just really feel like a proud parent. I can't imagine how happy and proud their parents are. Also, it's much greater and more wonderful if the successful ones actually are very close to you.

So, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new nurses: Fatima and Khadijah Abduljalil. I know how hard this pair of sisters have worked for this. I am so proud of both of them. And, I am pretty sure that they will be successful women in their own right. Now that they've become nurses and proven that they can be such, I hope that they both devote some of their time honing their skills in writing. We don't exactly see nurse-writers everyday, do we? Hay, right now, I'm just so happy for both of them and all new nurses from MSU, especially those who, once in their lives, became my students.

On another note, I was sad that there were some names I couldn't find in the list, but, well, maybe it's just not their time yet. They probably have more things to learn and realize. I hope and pray that they don't give up. I know it can be really tough, but, as they say, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going!" And, to them I say, "keep going!"

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In other good news, an article I submitted to Philippine Daily Inquirer's Youngblood column got published on January 23rd. I wasn't expecting to be published again because I have friends who have submitted articles to such column more than once, but only got to have just one of their articles published. Some of them tell me that their articles don't even get to be published in PDI's website, where some articles that don't get published on the broadsheet get published, but they will not stop submitting until they are 30! Hehe:) I truly admire such determination.

The very first time I submitted an article for Youngblood was back in December 2003. I remember how I'd totally forgotten that I actually submitted an article because, well, it didn't appear in the broadsheet nor the website in the following days or even weeks. It was after almost two months that they contacted me to confirm some things that I remembered I'd submitted an article. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed beyond belief because I'd been such a huge fan of the column ever since I was in high school. I couldn't believe they were calling me and that they considered my article worthy to be published. And then, I guess it was after another week or two, February 5, 2004 to be exact, that it finally came out. (I can't find the url!) I was so happy. It was one item checked on my list of "Things I Want to Happen Before I'm 30!"

I did promise myself that I'd try and submit an article again. I mean, who knows, I might get published again, right? But, I never really got down to it. Until this year. I was thinking that this'd be my last chance to do so because I'd be 30 in March and Youngblood is only for people who are 29 years old or younger. I thought and thought of what to write, but all I had in mind was that if I were to submit anything to Youngblood, I'd like my article to promote reading.

I wrote and wrote on my journal, but I didn't think any of my entries was actually good enough to submit. And then, I remembered a blog entry I wrote some two years back. I wanted to read it because I felt it would provide me some ideas. I searched for it in my archives and found it. As I went through it, I felt good about it and so, I decided to just improve it, add some more to it, and submit it instead of writing a completely new one. So, I went on ahead and submitted it.

When two friends of mine sent me congratulatory Facebook messages about my article being published, at first I couldn't believe it! I checked our newspaper and, indeed, it was there. Alhamdulillah. It was amazing, too, that it was only a little more than a week after I submitted the article.

I am so happy that the two articles I actually had the courage of submitting to Youngblood both made it in print. I cannot thank God enough for such luck. And, I'd really like to thank everyone who have been congratulating me for this. I just really wish that people, especially young people, who have read the article felt, even in the slightest, how great reading is, what a great activity and, at the same time, a great help it is for anyone and everyone. So, everyone, let's read! :)