I did not make a post about the Desperadas because I believe they are a waste of time for me and plus the fact it would distort the order of my 100th post hoopla LOL. The banner and the short satire on my sidebar is enough to convey my sentiments but to boycott the show is a no-no because I do not watch the show. Pero I admit sobrang sarap mang Alaska. Para kang tinitikman ni Sharon Cuneta habang ninanam-nam ang iyong halo-halo o leche flan (it?s a commercial if you don?t get what I mean). There are more important things to blog about, like the environment for instance or the Burma incident perhaps. My clumsiness or even my 100th post (naks). Pero this 93rd entry, I have good news, though it really made my nose bled before I finally got it.

Okay allow me to share with you my nose bleeding experience with the NCLEX pre-exam preparations

On February of 2007, I finally received my eligibility from the commonwealth board of nurses telling me that I can already take the exam within one year.

When I read the letter, the date was December 5, 2006. It means that it took three months before the papers were finally delivered to our house. This explains why I have to take the exam this December because the turtle-clad nurses of Saipan were so slow in delivering my correspondence plus the fact that they do not have any means of communication with the candidates. It really made my nose bled.

How can a BON of a certain US territory have an office with only one staff, no phones or emails to communicate with? Mind boggling really: they almost sucked my blood dry because of irritation.

So since February of this year I?ve been reading my books and attending reviews in preparation for my exam.

Last month, I already registered for an exam awaiting my authorization to test.

After two weeks, just last Friday, I received my authorization to test via email. Therefore, this means I have to choose a date for my exam and have to call Pearson Vue?s (Pirson Vyu) call center in Australia to personally schedule my exam.

This was the real Balinguyngoy (nosebleed) experience:

Since last Monday, I have been buying PLDT budget cards to use for my overseas call in Australia to schedule my exam. Nevertheless, what puzzles me is this:

1. Why do we have to call the Pearson Vue call center (the test administrator of NCLEX?) and not just schedule everything online since we registered originally via their online site?
2. Why does it have to be Australia where in fact the Test Center is in Makati?

So in short, giving no further adieu to the technicalities and absurdities of my NCLEX schedule hoopla, I called the call center.

Day 1 Monday :

Answering Machine/Recorded message:

?Thank you for calling Pearson Vue.
For blah blah press 1.
for another blah blah press 2
if you are blah blah press 3
if another blah blah is blah press 4
to take the blah blah press 5
if you want to repeat this blah blah press 6?

Pressing the number 3:

?your call is now being transferred to a customer service representative. Please wait. This call maybe recorded for quality of service, thank you? (Annoying and deafening music starts playing)?

After 3 minutes (remember, it was an overseas call), a customer representative answered the phone:

(With a very thick Indian accent) ?Hello, Pearson Vue testing center how may I help you??

?Hello sir I want to schedule my exam?

?Please wait while I transfer you to a customer representative? (hindi pala sya ang receptionist, security guard pala sya).

Another recorded message was, heard on my end:

“Thank you for calling Pearson Vue. Our office is currently closed at the moment. Our office hours is 7 am to 6 pm Asia Pacific standard time (hello! Dami kayang bansa sa Asia Pacific na iba-iba ang oras!). You may call our customer service at your own time of convenience. Thank you toot… toot? toot?”

Binalinguyngoy ako sa galit. Ubos ang budget card ko sa walang say-say na tawag. So I said to myself? try uli bukas.

Day 2 Tuesday:

Again the same routine ng babaeng walang pahinga sa kaka-imik sa recorded message ng Pearson Vue:

?Thank you for calling Pearson Vue.
For blah blah press 1.
for another blah blah press 2
if you are blah blah press 3
if another blah blah is blah press 4
to take the blah blah press 5
if you want to repeat this blah blah press 6?

After 8 minutes of being on hold, transferred from representative to representative and entertained by the very annoying company song that made my ears bled, again I was told that the office is closed.

I rushed home and went online. This time I scheduled my exam via their website. But a pop up message confronted my bleeding nostrils:

?Exams scheduled in manila will be finalized via a customer service representative with this number?

So I wiped the blood from my nose and told my self that I would try the next day. I was really trying to beat the time to schedule my exam because the date that I chose might close.

Day 3 Wednesday:

I bought another budget card. And this time I practiced everything so that I wouldn?t be cut off from the line. And I was hoping that this time the office was open.

So I dialed again and then that familiar hag on the phone shrieked like a chipmunk into my already inflamed ear drums:

?Thank you for calling Pearson Vue.
For blah blah press 1.
for another blah blah press 2
if you are blah blah press 3
if another blah blah is blah press 4
to take the blah blah press 5
if you want to repeat this blah blah press 6?

After 8 minutes of waiting I finally got thru. Another thick Indian accented representative answered my call:

?Hello sir, how may I help you??

?I would like to schedule my exam?.

?Did you already receive your ATT (authorization to test)??

?Yes sir via email, just last Friday?

?Okay sir, what is your Authorization number??

?Huh? (kamot ulo?laki mata)?

?Your authorization number sir??

?I?m sorry but I don?t have it with me. It?s on my email.?

?Okay your Candidate Number instead?

Blood started dripping from my nostrils mixed with booger and snots because I have no idea what he was talking about.

?I?m sorry, I also don?t have it?

?So I cannot schedule you sir. I need those numbers to go through with your schedule?

?(Dumudugo na ang ilong sa galit!!!) Listen sir, I?ve been calling your line since Monday and it always cut me off. If it is not the woman being redundant with the press this press that buttons, it is the chipmunk who tells me to call later. Can you just get my name, my birthday, my address or even my underwear size instead? You don?t know the trouble and expenses I have been through just to schedule my exam?

(In a very monotonous and thick Indian accent) ?Sorry but I have to have those numbers because our system will not accept any kind of information except those numbers that were sent to you.?

?Okay fine. I will not waste my money and time anymore. I will just talk to my hand. Good day!?

I admit I was really flared up. But can you blame me? I already spent 300 bucks for a stupid phone call that wasn?t even worth the time. Plus the email sent to me did not mention anything about bringing those numbers so how would I know? Even my colleagues never mentioned anything about those digits.

Therefore, with a flared up mood, red flushed face, hot-tempered head and a bleeding nose, I went out of our review center and searched for the nearest computer shop. It was 12 noon and everywhere I go, computer shops were filled with students playing either Ragnarok or Warcraft.

Where are the computers when you badly needed them?

Until I stumbled upon the corner street, a computer shop without any customers. I rented the computer to access my email so that I could get the numbers. Until when I finally opened my account, I found out that the PC has no adobe reader. My ATT was in adobe format. so I have no choice but to download the adobe reader on that pc. However, it took me forever to at least reach the 10% of the download so I paid the amount charge and went off to find an adobe supported pc.

After 5 computer shops, a 4-block walk, a sweat filled shirt, and a very irked nurse, I finally downloaded my ATT which contains my numbers.

I went to my mom?s office and told her that whenever I used the budget card I always get busted. So I decided to call via International Direct. (211 php per minute ? imagine how expensive it is just to call them for a schedule. Very impractical).

So again as I dialed the number I was crossing my fingers and praying because I am anxious of the phone bill that I?m about to pay. Finally, I got through the first 8 minutes of horror and this time an Australian accented teller was on the line:

?Hello sir, how may I help you??

?Hello mam, you can schedule my exam for starters. My att number is etc etc?

(the woman interrupted me) ?I will ask for that information later sir? (excited ba naman!)

?Di wag!?

?Excuse me sir??

?Nothing, I said okay?

So in short, I gave all the information she needed: My ATT candidate number, my authorization number, my credit card number, my full name, address and signature tapos hulog sa dropboxes? in short I got through the process of calling the Pearson Vue at last.

At the end of the scheduling session, the customer service asked me:

?Is there anything else I can do for you sir?

?I Think that?s it mam. Actually I?m kinda relieved because I have been calling for days and??

I began to tell my story as if she was my phone pal and I was her party line? I was carried away? could you blame me? Until the woman cut me off?

?I?m sorry sir, we are not allowed to engage in personal conversations aside from your examination schedule?

?Oh sorry I got carried away? (nakalimutan ko overseas nga pala). ?Thanks for everything?.

?Thank you sir?

I hanged up the phone and jumped for joy in front of my mom who was busy tending her subordinates and staff.

I raised my hands and shouted at the top of my lungs: Yes! Pack You Pearson Vue!

And I kissed my mom goodbye, walked out of the office and kumandirit na ako sa kalsada pauwi ng bahay.

So ayan na… Tada….

my exam date is final: DECEMBER 26, 2007, feast of St. Stephen the first martyr who bled to death because of stoning. A nosebleed for a martyr?s blood. It all makes sense.

Pray for me ha before I get another Balinguyngoy! (Nosebleed in Filipino, Epistaxis in Medical Jargon).

Update: and because of my hectic time is now “official“, there would be changes in my blog habit.

Monday to Saturday Sched:
7am to 10pm – read, read, until my nose bleeds
10pm to 12 midnight – email and blog mode

Sundays:
7am to 12 noon – blog hopping and update
1 pm to 12 midnight – aral uli

Please bear with me until my NCLEX exam is due. This exam is very important to me. If I ever pass this marami ako matutulungan. so I hope you will understand If I wont be able to drop by on your blog as often as I want. Suportahan nyo na lang ako dito and I really need all your prayers (in cash or in kind LOL).

Pag after ng December 26 at nawala na blog ko sa intenet that means nagtago na ako ng tuluyan dahil sa kahihiyan… LOL God Bless all of you… now back to my Laptop lecturer…