I Am Not a CPA

Unfortunately, I did not pass BEC. Not only does this mean that I have to re-take it, but it also means I am not a CPA (I would have been had I passed BEC) and even worse, I lost my FAR credit.

It has taken me a couple of days to write about this. I was really upset when I found out Thursday night. I didn't want to look at anything regarding the CPA exam – no blogs, no forums, no review books.

It hurts twice as much to learn you have to re-take two parts because you failed one. This is reminiscent of when a little girl riding her bicycle hits a raised chunk of sidewalk and goes flying off her bike, landing on the hard cement. But this time, not only does she scrape and bruise her knee and elbow so bad she can barely get up, but the doll she had in the bike basket is now sitting in the gutter. There is no saving the doll from the dirty water and anti-freeze mixture. So now this child has to limp home with a scratched up bicycle and no doll. The scars have faded, although I still see a trace of the one on my elbow.

It hurts but I have to move on and not dwell on this setback. I have to pick myself up after failing BEC and losing FAR. I signed up to re-take BEC at the end of August and I studied for an hour tonight. Slowly, I will get there. I just have to watch out for those raised sidewalks.

Which Will I have to Buy – a CPA Review Book or a Picture Frame for my CPA License?

This is where I am now - waiting for my BEC grade.

This grade is a pivotal factor - if I pass BEC, I will have finally passed the CPA exam after taking it 10 years on and off (yes, it took that long!). If I fail BEC, I lose my FAR credit (noooo!) and will have to re-take both BEC and FAR. It took me multiple tries to pass FAR so it would be devastating to lose it. I can't imagine having to go through that again, especially at this point in my career.

My words of advice – try to pass the CPA Exam as soon as you get out of school. Become one of those "slackers" who sit in the office unassigned studying instead of asking to help on clients. I used to think they were goofing off - you're being paid to work, not to study. But that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Those of my colleagues who studied passed in a year or two (with some exceptions, of course), while I increased my billable hours. They may or may not be doing as well as me now, but at least they are done with the CPA Exam.

I haven't posted anything in a while because my energy has been zapped between work, studying, work, life, work and work. I like my job and am happy to have it, but the hours have been long the past few months. Instead of writing for my blog, I end up going to sleep early or napping during my commute (I am actually typing this draft into my phone while fighting sleep during my morning commute). Must get ideas out before eyes close.

A few really cool things have happened that I would like to tell you about:

- My blog was mentioned in CGA Magazine in a piece called Blogging by Numbers by Mindy Abramowitz! I am under the category “Accountants-to-be Who Blog” (although I am more of a CPA-to-be since I am an accountant) I am so honored! CGA Magazine is published by the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. I want to say hi to all my Canadian readers!

- My blog is one year old :) Yay! It all started when I was looking for an outlet while unemployed and trying to pass the CPA Exam. Here are my first few posts.

- My garden is thriving. There were a few casualties though (peppers and eggplant plants) due to too much water collecting in one of the containers. I planted my vegetable plants in pots since the soil in my yard was too hard to dig. The lesson here: Make sure all your pots have drainage holes! I will write more about my garden in other posts.

- I passed REG! I was surprised because I had a really bad experience at the test center even before the test started. I had written a draft about it and will post it soon.

How are you doing? Let me know in the comments! Let me know if you are waiting for your grade in Wave 2 of this April-May testing window as well. Hopefully, we will all receive some good news this week!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for a Cold Day

Last Sunday, I thought I would make chicken soup for dinner. I know it’s not the traditional Super Bowl food, but it was cold where I live and the Mid-Atlantic states were still digging out from that huge snowstorm. I could go for some of this soup tonight!

Instead of watching the pre-game coverage, I was preparing a whole chicken to make chicken soup. I won’t go into details unless you ask, but I will say that cleaning the inside was gross.

For this recipe, I used a chicken just under 4 lbs to feed the 2 of us and have soup and chicken leftovers for dinner the next day. I also used baby carrots so I didn’t have to peel and cut carrots.


Niki’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for a Cold Day

Ingredients

- 1 approx 4 lb whole chicken
- Approx 1 gallon of water
- 4-5 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 1 medium onion, remove the skin (cut in half if you wish)
- Salt
- Pepper or peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- Egg noodles


Preparation

Clean your chicken by removing the fat at the neck and bottom openings of the chicken, just underneath its skin. Remove the insides (sometimes they are in a bag that you can just toss or use in another recipe). If it makes you feel better, wear vinyl gloves to do it. Run cool water into the chicken’s bottom opening and let it come out the neck opening. After a few passes, turn it the other way and run water through the neck to the bottom. Do this until the chicken looks clean inside.

Now place it in a pot. I used an 8 quart pot. Fill the pot with cool water up to about 2 to 2.5 inches from the top of the pot (you don’t want to go any higher because the water will flow out once it starts boiling. Bring to a boil and then lower to a medium simmer for 5-6 minutes. You may not agree with me, but I drain off the first boil to get rid of all that fat and gross stuff. My dad is a chef and recommends this method, so my mom and I have been using it and it makes good tasty soup.

Refill the pot with cool water and let it to boil again. Once it reaches a boil, turn down to a medium simmer for 30 minutes. During that time, occasionally skim off and discard the foam that floats at the top.

After 30 minutes, add the celery, carrots, onion, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Let it continue to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Occasionally skim the foam off and discard.

When done, remove the chicken and place in a casserole dish. Use a straining spoon to remove all the vegetables and whole spices. Strain the broth into another pot using a large strainer. I emptied half the broth into the other pot and the other half into a large Tupperware bowl for the next day. Leave the Tupperware out for a few minutes to cool off and then place it in the refrigerator partially covered – the heat needs to escape.

Bring the broth you are using to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add your egg noodles. I added half a 12 oz bag of egg noodles and followed the package directions. I also added some pieces of the chicken and vegetables.

There’s nothing like homemade chicken soup for a cold day! What’s your favorite cold day food or recipe?

A Cold Saturday Night

On this cold Saturday night in February, I am coming back to my blog.

New York was spared from major snowfall today. We just received a light dusting where I live. But it is still frigid outside, so I figure I will take this opportunity to get back to my favorite but recently neglected hobby.

I had taken some time off from posting for personal reasons. It is so sad that the thing that brings me the most joy was the easiest to drop when I needed to find more time for other things important at the time. I feel like my creativity has suffered and I lost touch with the blogging community as I haven’t kept up with my favorite blogs. (I will try to catch up ASAP!)

I am taking REG at the end of the month and have been trying to study. Unfortunately, as I am sure some of you have found, this is not an easy time to study. Calendar year-end close, reporting deadlines, auditors, January month-end close… there were so many things going on at work. Hopefully, next week I can start leaving work at a normal hour so I can have enough time to study in the evening.

I am using my Wiley book and plan to start with Business Law tomorrow. I want to get through a decent amount of material and leave the multiple choice questions to answer during my commute to and from work.

Is anyone else sitting (or have you sat) for a CPA Exam part in Jan-Feb? Have you found it difficult to find the time to study?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving in the US, so I wanted to wish my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I am making butternut squash as a side dish and will post the recipe tonight or tomorrow. I snuck a taste and it’s pretty good so far!

On another note, someone anonymously posted a comment to my blog which I decided to reject. The commenter incorrectly assumed that the people who commented on my post did not put in the necessary hours to pass. Maybe I didn’t THIS TIME, but how does he/she know how many hours we all studied? Give me a break. This commenter was very negative and I want this blog to be a place where we are comfortable venting about our experiences with the CPA Exam and sharing recipes and cooking techniques.

Negative comments do not help people pass the Exam; all they do is discourage people. I don’t think comments such as this person’s add value to my blog and as such will not approve them.

So to my readers: I don’t care how many hours you study, what counts is the quality of your studying! If you want it, you can do it! We will pass!

Why Can’t I Pass BEC?

Last night, it was windy and rainy here in NY, so we had a nice dinner at home. I made salmon steaks with rice pilaf. We paired the meal with a delicious Greek dry white wine – Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko-Athiri Santorini 2007.

After a very satisfying dinner and plenty of wine, I wasn't quite ready to jump back in to studying for REG. I checked my e-mails instead and was excited to see an e-mail from Another 71's site announcing that BEC grades were released! I sat for BEC in October and have been anxiously waiting for my grade. I know with BEC it can go either way (that is one deceptive test).

After entering the required info on the NASBA score page, I saw what I thought was a joke - a 68.

Wasn’t that my grade the last time I took it? I re-checked my NTS and I had entered the correct Section ID. Hmm... I checked my grades spreadsheet and saw I had scored a 67 the last time I took BEC. OK so this is definitely my score. Not just a failing grade, but only a 1 point increase.

Was I disappointed? Of course. I was hoping to print out a screen shot of a passing score to hang on my fridge door under the FAR and AUD score screen shots. Was I upset or crying (like the last time I failed a part)? Surprisingly, no. I was confused and wondered what sections I bombed. Nevertheless, the analysis will have to wait until the Candidate Performance Report arrives in the mail next week. What was my reaction then? I calmly logged onto Prometric's site and moved my REG exam from next Sunday to the end of January.

Want to know the reason why I didn't pass BEC?

I don't give myself enough time to study. I always start out strong and end up either procrastinating or something happens to me that moves studying to the back burner (working crazy hours, sustaining an injury). I want to do it right with REG; extra time but no procrastination. I will resume my studying today.

Interestingly enough, this clarity came after several glasses of wine, something that should impair this type of thinking.

Every time I fail, I wonder if this is for me. It’s perfectly logical to question yourself. If you keep trying and failing, you wonder if it's something you should stop pursuing.

I think like this for a few minutes and then I became angry. I am good at what I do. I may not be able to pass this stupid test but I'm not giving up. Why shouldn't I be a CPA? What makes someone who passed the exam any better than me at my job? Nothing! I don't care what anyone says. I will be a CPA in 2010!

Anyone else receive a failing CPA Exam score from this Oct-Nov score release? Feel free to vent in the comments. You are not alone! We can do it next time!

Smoothies

Last week at the supermarket, we picked up a bag of frozen peaches to make the smoothie recipe on the back of the package. It was funny because my husband expected something more like a Wendy’s Frosty (like a dessert); while I anticipated a healthy blended fruit and yogurt drink (not as thick).

The smoothie was thick (I read online that the frozen fruit is what produces a thicker smoothie than fresh fruit) and tasted strange but healthy at first (so we were both technically right). But as I kept drinking it, I started to actually like it. It was made with the frozen peaches, yogurt, honey and a splash of orange juice.

I haven’t had that many smoothies, but now I find myself craving them. On Sunday, I became desperate and created one using yogurt, milk, honey and applesauce. It was interesting, but I don’t think I would want it any time soon.

Do you like smoothies? What ingredients are in your favorite?

Hang in There!

I just got home from work and I know a few of you (maybe more than a few?) are also working late and will continue to work late this week due to a quarter close. Some of you (like me) are at the same time studying for the CPA Exam. Hang in there!

I am currently studying for BEC. This will be the 2nd time I am taking it. I was able to do Business Structure questions on my commute to and from work on Monday and Tuesday, but today I napped on the way in and couldn't study on the way home. Tomorrow morning, I plan to start doing IT questions. I already know I will be working late tomorrow night, so I doubt I will have time to study. I tried to plan my studying in advance, so I am not disappointed – any studying that I can squeeze in will be great.

I have found the following to be good ways to study during work (I should say work breaks):

- Bring your book and lunch to work so you can easily study and eat lunch at your desk or work cafeteria, outdoors bench, etc.

- Bring note cards or notes written on regular paper (a legal pad is even better) that you can leave on your desk to glance at and it will look like you are working (sneaky but effective)

- E-mail yourself notes in Word that you can open on your computer, read, and think about (good for memorizing definitions)

- Try to structure what you are studying with what you are doing at work. For example, if you have to create a capital lease schedule, read that chapter in your FAR book and use a GAAP guide for more details. I have found this effective since you learn by doing.

The most important thing is to only show your book when it is clear you are on a break (lunch or otherwise). You don’t want people to think you are studying when you should be working. Your superiors want you to pass, but won’t be thrilled if you study on company time.

I also wanted to let you know that I have written a handful of posts but haven’t had time to post them. It’s amazing how I can write these things fairly easily, but I can’t get to my computer. I have posts written in my phone (in Word mobile), on scraps of paper in my purse, and in a journal notebook. I have to get them posted! I also have a delicious soup recipe that I made last week.

How are you dealing with a crazy work/school and study schedule? Feel free to vent!

Love Bites and Bars

I had a Love Bite with my lunch today.

No, it’s not what you think. A Love Bite is this tiny snack bar (half of a Love Bar) Pret sells that in their words is “packed with dark chocolate, coconut, almonds, walnuts, chopped dates and raisins.” From what I see, the bottom consists of a crumbly soft graham cracker base with a condensed milk layer over it. On top are nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, raisins and the other goodies.

Even though the list of ingredients sounds like way too much sweetness for one snack, you can’t help but be drawn in by the clever name. I remember it tasted a little too rich the first time I had one, but now I look forward to having one after lunch as a mid-afternoon snack. I have thought about trying to replicate the recipe, but it looks like too much trouble for a snack.


Please excuse the pic; I took it with my cell phone (after I took a bite out of it!).

What is one of the most cleverly-named snacks you've tried?

I’m Back!

I want to apologize to my readers because I haven’t posted in a while.

For a little more than a month, I put in long hours at work due to a special project, severely limiting the amount of free time I had. I dedicated any extra time to studying for REG, but it was really difficult. Those hours weren't quality study hours since they were first thing in the morning while I was half asleep or late at night when I should be sleeping.

Two weeks before the CPA Exam, I was so frustrated that I began to debate whether I should even bother taking REG and wrote:

As I am sitting on an evening train home from work on Friday night, I am having a difficult time focusing on REG. I am so frustrated that I’m using the loose leaf scratch paper I was solving REG questions on to write this post to vent.

I never got a chance to post it, but it was good to let the frustration out through writing. I decided to commit to studying so I could pass REG. I started doing more questions and made a lot of progress.

I was on a roll, so of course something had to happen to derail my efforts. I sustained an eye injury at the worst possible time for studying but the best for work. It prevented me from making that final push to study at the end and from sitting for the Exam. The timing was fine at work because I was helping lead training sessions so I had a nice break from the computer.

I am fine now and since that project at work has wound down (at least for the time being), my work hours are more normal. Hopefully, my brain will resume thinking creatively so I can write more often.