lol.
September 11 2009(not 2001) was a marvelous day for me....why?
Lets take a look
Hooray!
Who wants a ride?
U want? U want?
Sorry you wont get it, cos i am too poor to own a car.
lol.
Three cheers to achieving 1 of my 3 personal goals of the year!
Whats left would be Napfa n A levels!
Completing my driving course feels so great.
Although the demerit points were quite plentiful, i am so glad i could pass.
I would have to thank the tester and my wonderful instructor for this.
I also have to thank lady luck for giving me a good tester.
I am very fortunate i didnt get one of those nasty and impatient tester whom people always attribute their failure to.
Mine wasn't particularly friendly though, he was reserved and simply sat quietly beside me through the whole test and this was good enough.
Words cant express my joy when i got my result, i was more than over the moon!
Let me share about my day....
Warning: The following paragraphs contains may contain extremely dry and boring stuff, do consider the X button on your browser now before u regret it.
The day started with me heading to school by 7.45am for 3 continuous hours of consultation.
It was simply delightful, 3 solid hours of learning. Power!
Following that i went home, on the bus it started to pour as i came into amk area.
Sian.
I was stuck at the bus stop after alighting as i didnt have an umbrella with me.
Waited painfully for 15mins or more for the rain to stop.
Obviously it did not, i considered buying an umbrella from a "mama" shop but i guessed paying 7 or 10 bucks for 1 use is not that worth it.
Moreover, i dont want the auntie to goat over my sorry plight.
In the end, i decided to summon some "odac spirit" and timed a run across the road when the rain was "smaller".
Drenched.
Thanks to the rain time was running short, and i have not had my lunch!
Nonetheless, i made it somehow and was waiting for my instructor under my block by 1pm.
Waited for 5min, he did not show up so i thought maybe there was a miscommunication cos my test was at 2.45pm, why should he come at 1?
I went home and "bam", his call came just after i stepped into the house.
"where r u?....blah, blah, blah"
In the end, i became the one who was late!
Hurried down again to meet him, his tone felt like i was really late for something as he asked me for my ic and pdl.
I started to get nervous as today was my test day and i am screwing up now.
As i drove, i kept thinking about the test, this day came so suddenly i felt like i wasnt prepared.
I drove into the circuit, not for the test but for my final practice before 2.45pm.
As if i wasn't scared enough, within the next hour, my instructor got me to try totally new stuff i had never tried before.
It was like some last minute rush and ,bloody hell, i panicked.
The worst one was the emergency stop, i was supposed to stop the car immediately when he made a "bang".
I depressed the brake pedal lightly on my 1st attempt, but it wasn't enough, my instructor plumped into his brake pedal on his side n the car jerked to a halt.
I was thrown forward due to my inertia in that instant.
It was the kind of sudden stop that make one "fly" forward suddenly, u get what i mean.
As if i wasn't scared enough, he is doing something like this now?
N it could be tested, omg.
After i did it properly on my second attempt, he told me to go park the car as its already 2.30pm.
The moment of truth, everything came flashing back, the lessons, the nagging, the scolding, the "near accidents", the mistakes.
Arrrgh, i wonder if i could ever pass.
I felt i was inadequately prepared.
Fear and anxiousness pent up inside me with no outlet.
I cant possibly go hysterical to my instructor, he is a middle age man, i think he would most likely give me a punch or give me a hairdryer treatment if i do.
Then he got me to go to the toilet(like that would help), before bringing me up to the 3rd storey of the SSDC building to await my judgment.
Help help, i cried out in my heart, to no avail.
I cant believe the state of nervousness i was it.
I tired all means to calm myself down, but i simply could not.
I wasn't even a quarter this scared when i took A levels last year, mind u i took As knowing at the back of my mind there is 99.99% chance of me failing.
Went up, he gave my documents to the office and got me to sit at a waiting area.
Then he blabbered a whole lot of last minute instructions which i did not seem to register any.
I only remembered him telling me to look at the test routes posted on the wall, then he change his mind and said that even if i dont look also nvm cos the tester will tell me where to go....
He spoke as if he was rushing for a plane while i was pulling him back.
Then he left.
Omg, now i am all alone.
Never once did i drive a car for the past 4 to 5 months without him nagging beside me.
At that moment, i felt like an abandon child.
My instructor had left me to die on my own.
Arrrrrr.
Aye... i met my childhood friend there, he was taking his btt.
So we chatted, but not for long as he left after his friend emerged from the test room.
Ok, then i was sitting there alone once again.
Soon, many more candidates came.
There were a total of 7 of us and anyone could tell from our faces that we were a bunch of balloons attached to an air pump, bursting any time.
One by one, the testers came out from their office and one by one the candidates left.
I would be laughing if i was merely an onlooker, the voice that came out from each mouth as they recited their ic no. to the tester was highly amusing.
Anyone could tell that each one of us were scared shyt no matter how strong a front one musters.
Finally, it was my call and i was the second last to leave.
My heart raced as i followed my tester to my car.
Ignited the engine, and took off.
Followed the tester's instructions, did some parking and all went well.
I did not mount any curbs as i made turns around those narrow bends, phew.
Then came the slope, drove up the slope and stopped.
Did the necessary stuff and proceed to go downhill.
Suddenly there was this "beep, beep, beep" sound and i had no idea where was it from.
I tried to check if it was anything i did but i could not identify what, then i hoped it was from his tablet pc or from one of the clocks in the car.
After like a minute, the tester finally told me, "U didn't release your handbrake.".
I went to the handbrake, and omg! yes it did not release it fully.
Immediately, i rectified it and apologised.
In my mind, i was like "Shit, i am dead, dead, how many point does this cost me? Did i fail already?"
I continued and to do other parkings and yeah! all was successful even the parallel parking.
My next fault came as i was exiting the curvy S like obstacle, my car stalled.
As i was used to "die car", i simply re-ignited the engine quickly hoping he did not notice.
Then i made many small minor errors too.
I thought i was quite jerky at some point of time every now and then too, and i took a look at him with each jerk.
Amazingly, he still sat there quietly.
Wasn't he afraid his tablet would fall off?
If it was my instructor, he would be nagging, nagging and nagging already.
It felt weird without the nagging.
After i exit the circuit, he told me we were doing test route 5.
In my mind, i was like "How the hell would i know what was test route 5? how could i possibly memeroise all 10 routes in 10 minutes under that condition."
But nvm, as he was going to tell me where to turn and guide me where to go.
Drove as per normal until he told me to make a particular turn.
Hey, this was not the usual route my instructor "trained" me to take.
Unfamiliar territory, have to rely on my skills.
Confidence!
Drove along the stretch of road passing by the temple when MP Seng was burnt by the crazy guy.
All was well until i made an early check on the blindspot due to poor anticipation.
After that stretch, he guided me back to the centre.
I was like "wow, so fast?"
Barely an hour, maybe only half.
Went back into the circuit, park the car and he said "Off the engine n follow me"
Upon saying that he immediately opened the door n left.
I was shocked and hurried, as a result, i turned off the engine even before changing to free gear and pulling the handbrake.
I did rectify it in the end, but i hoped he did not see.
Then i tried to pull the car keys out, but i could not!
I was like stuck, lol.
The tester was waiting, so i "hecked".
My instructor came running towards me as i close the door behind me, so i was like "ok, nvm".
Followed the tester up, awaiting my verdict.
As i reached the top storey, one of the candidates(who waited along with me) was standing there, smiling to me.
As i did not know her, i was thinking "better not respond in case she was smiling to someone behind me."
In any case, my mood was too solemn to care.
I was thinking about my mistakes and preparing myself mentally in the event that i fail.
Went into the testers' office, he told me to sit down n wait as he printed the results.
Then he returned with a paper in his hand, this was the moment.
As the place were i sat had a table a chair on each side i thought i had failed n he was going to go through the mistakes with me.
When he said "Well done(or sth like that), u passed.", I was elated!
Briming with happiness, i thanked him and exited the room with the report.
I could not contain my bliss, felt like shouting out or jumping for joy, but the entire place was filled with people and it would be very embarrassing to do so.
Nonetheless, there was a wide smile on my face, i could not believe i passed!
I went to wait outside room 5 to watch some video which was compulsory and i saw the girl who smiled to me from just now.
She had passed too and now i know why she smiled.
The excitement! I can feel it too.
lol.
I felt like calling my mom and everyone to spread the news, but that would be very idiotic as there was really a lot of people around.
So i just pressed pressed pressed to someone(whom i was pressing to since b4).
Among the 7 candidates from before, only 4 made it as only 4 of us were there.
Fortunately, i was 1 of them.
We shared a little of our joy as we waiting for the video session.
Guess what, the video was a road safety message for us "going to be drivers".
There were some gory scenes of accident victims to deter us from speeding.
Oh, i met two of my sec school friends too.
Met quite a few ppl today.
After the video, i had to wait again to apply for my licence.
Wait and wait all the time, sian, inefficient bureaucracy.
During the wait, the 4 of us conversed and i learned that this was the 2nd test attempt for most of them.
Wow, i am so lucky to pass in one attempt.
Yeepie!
K, then paid for the licence n went home.
$50 for a life-time licence.
Did not tell many about my great news although i was very eager to share.
Felt that some might find it very lame, or like "so what?", thus decided to contain my excitement.
After that, i called my instructor and told him about my result.
He was like "ok.....bye.", i think he is quite sad now that he had lost one source of income.
Lol.
But i would really like to thank him.
Although his nagging and scolding made me really detest driving lessons after sometime, it was these unlikeable stuff that made me learn.
But, sian.
After the test, i went home myself.
He did not fetch me home!
My driving lessons always ended at my "doorstep".
So ironic, passed the driving test yet i had to take bus home.
Now that i can drive, my next obstacle would be to get a car.
Would my dad let me drive his car?
Even if he did, i have never drove an automatic car.
N i have never parked a car without the poles.
HAHAHA.
To driving outside the "walls".
Scott signs off.
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