Monday hits, and we already have a quiz. I remember being extra early that day because our first subject teacher was assigned to lead the flag ceremony. I also remember having my phone beside me and thinking, “Okay, I’m prepared for this.” The reason? I had asked my sister what kind of quizzes we usually had, and she told me it was usually coding. She even handed me a reviewer, so I spent time reviewing, practicing, and doing trial and error.

Little did I know, I was preparing for the wrong thing. One of my classmates eventually told me that it was actually a written/form quiz, not a hands-on coding quiz. At that point, I was just like... well, there goes all that preparation.

There was also a funny moment before the quiz. Almost all of my classmates and I were standing in the middle of the quad, umbrellas in one hand and our phones in the other, while a teacher was announcing something. We were all trying to survive the heat while also reviewing. Thankfully, our Math teacher, Sir Greg, noticed us murmuring and struggling in the heat. He gestured that we could leave instead of staying there.

At the same time, Sir Peralta announced that they were going to have a brief meeting in the quad, so they would be a little late. Instead of staying in front of the computer room, we moved to the grass near the “We CCNHS” sign. And somehow, we looked like we were performing a ritual—everyone was reviewing and praying at the same time.

Then came the first quiz. BOOM. 8/20. No surprises, honestly, because I didn't properly study for the actual quiz. But looking back, I definitely could have done better if I had checked what kind of quiz we were actually going to have instead of immediately trusting what I heard.

Then Tuesday came, which was our preparation day for the HOQ. Sir Peralta gave us a form to download on our laptops, along with some photos and files that we needed to save for the HOQ. We also had to download the sample codes that we worked on the previous week.

Then, the most awaited and anticipated HOQ finally came. I should've been confident, right? I reviewed for almost three days! But no. I was nervous before I went to bed, and the moment I woke up, I was already nervous again. Then, when it was finally time to code... WHEW. I got dizzy. I panicked REALLY BAD. I was thinking, What should I do first? Write the scoresheet or start coding?Even though I was panicking, I still managed to remember some of the codes. But I still left the computer feeling devastated. I knew I could've done better.

And my score?

NUMBER 8 REALLY DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE ME ALONE.

But just when I was starting to lose hope, Sir Peralta announced that we would have a Take 2. That immediately gave me another chance, and this time, I was determined to get as much of the code right as possible.

So, once again, I went home and practiced. Trial and error. Again. I reviewed the codes, tried different things, and made sure I understood what I was doing instead of just hoping that I would remember everything during the quiz.

When the coding time came, it went much better. And then...

BOOM. 23. Okay, 23 was definitely better than 8. It wasn't exactly the score I was hoping for, but I was still proud that I improved. The second attempt showed me that I wasn't actually incapable of doing the coding—I just needed more practice and a little less panic.

Friday was more relaxed. Sir Peralta gave us the correct codes and went over our mistakes and corrections. It was helpful because I could finally see where I went wrong instead of just wondering why my code wasn't working.

This week honestly taught me that preparation isn't just about studying—it’s also about knowing what you're preparing for. I also learned that getting a low score doesn't mean I should stop trying. My first 8/20 and my first hands-on 8 were definitely not my favorite moments, but getting a 23 on the second attempt showed me that I could improve when I actually practiced and learned from my mistakes.

Week 3 was definitely a rollercoaster—from accidentally studying for the wrong quiz, to reviewing under the sun like we were performing a ritual, to getting an 8 twice, and finally improving on my second attempt. At least number 8 finally let me breathe a little.