I feel like it’s been ages since I last wrote anything. I've been tied up with reviewing my mistakes in writing and speaking, and there are so many! It's quite time-consuming. I might not even get the chance to learn anything new or practice my writing until I sort out all those new vocabulary and expressions. Especially since I’m mostly putting them aside with all the other—a complete new things I'm learning. Speaking of which, I really hope luck is on my side this time! Fingers crossed for some good news.

***

Risa winced, stomach churning, as Mr. Santos' reprimand washed over her. Her carefully rehearsed presentation, delivered verbatim from her verbose notes, had been a disaster. "Take it with a grain of salt, Risa," her teammate, Audy, patted her shoulder. "We can tweak it tonight, tackle it head-on tomorrow." They spent hours tossing aside unnecessary details, working to make the presentation less wonky and more concise. By morning, Risa wasn't sweating it anymore. She'd sorted the issues, and with a few key tweaks, her presentation ticked all the boxes. No more wincing this time —just a confident smile.