This weekend was the annual CA convocation ceremony, dinner and dance; the most fun an accountant is allowed to have.

The convocation ceremony was interesting since each graduate was introduced by another CA. Each introducer had one minute to give a brief speech and then then background music started playing academy award style. I found this style of ceremony very interesting. It took ninety minutes to go through all the candidates but the time passed quickly listening to humorous anecdotes. Naturally I chose my mother to introduce me, and now I am indebted to her since she didn't embarrass me.

All I need to do now is send in some paperwork and then I am officially a CA.

Two years of courses, three months of exam preparation, and thirteen hours of exam writing later; it all comes down to this:

Friday morning at 9:00 the UFE results will be released. Right now I am a bit anxious since I have been waiting for this for months. It seems like the closer I get to the results being released, the slower time passes. Anyway, I don't have long to wait now.

I'm nervous since while I know how to communicate to everyone that I passed, I really don't know how I would tell people that I failed. Good news is easy to spread, but bad news requires a bit more tact and planning. Right now I'm just not considering failure as an option, and if I do I'll work out some way to communicate the bad news.

The one interesting thing is the sheer amount of celebration/commiseration that goes along with the release of the results. This is basically the Bar Mitzvah of accounting. Here is a list of my social engagements going into the weekend:

• Thursday evening: Dinner with the other CA students and mentors from work
• Friday morning: Drinks at a dive bar after results are released with the other candidates
• Friday evening: Drinks with a larger group of CAs from work
• Saturday evening: Dinner with my parents

I am looking forward to the release of the results, but I am going to be dead tired by the end of the weekend with all this celebrating/commiserating.

And to finish off my UFE writing experience, a song of achievement and celebration. Today's song is a six minute long crescendo which just has 'victory' and 'win' written all over it.

The song for UFE day three: Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Gathering Storm.

Up, up, up your premium. Up, up, up your premium.
Scribble away!
And balance the books.
Up, up, up your premium.
Scribble away!
But manage the books.

It's fun to charter an accountant
And sail the wide accountancy,
To find, explore the funds offshore
And skirt the shoals of bankruptcy!

It can be manly in insurance.
We'll up your premium semi-annually.
It's all tax deductible.
We're fairly incorruptible,
We're sailing on the wide accountancy!

Monty Python, The Accountancy Shanty

Yesterday was an absolutely happy go-lucky song while today seems to have a theme of 'fear'. I'm moving from a psyche me up to a pick me up feel today.

The song for UFE day two: Hawksley Workman - Bullets.

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

Frank Herbert, Dune

As you can see I'm posting a slightly meaningful quote each day of the UFE. This strategy for success has not been recommended to me, but one that has been recommended is having a UFE song. Unfortunately I find having one song rather limiting, so I have a song for each day of the UFE.

The song for UFE day one: Fang Island - Daisy.

"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all."

Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency