S$3109.85

Yup, three thousand, one hundred and nine dollars, eighty-five cents.
That is how much my Class 3 driving license costs me.
Money well-spent? If not for that stupid auntie…
Ohh~~ Nevermind.

I feel sorta empty right now,
With nothing to look forward to.
I told my dad that I might want to take up motor bike lessons at the end of the year.

‘What? You can’t even ride a bicycle, you want to learn motor bike?’
Came the sharp answer.

Geez, cannot meh?
The motor bike instructors handsome what…

Celebration

I was buying lunch.

Saw the above cake in the showcase of the bakery.
How can I resist??

Green car on a cake.
Celebration for passing my driving test.
Perfect!

I have a sudden bout of sadness

When I woke up this morning.
Hey! It is one of the best night's sleep I ever had in weeks.
But I can't help feeling sad.

Why? You'd asked.

I passed my driving test!

So? Puzzling right?

That means I am no longer a student of SSDC.
No more looking forward to driving lessons.
No more waking up on a lesson morning, wondering whether it will rain or not.
No more looking for my allocated car in the parking area.
No more wondering who will be my instructor that day.
No more Mr Eng, or Mr Lin, or Mr Zaifi.

No!!!

I shall miss all of that...
SAD, right?

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!

That is the understatement of the year,
But not for me... Heehee...

Well, I was allocated car 40.
Mmm... Car 36 was much better, but I gotta make do right?
The clutch is terrible. Complain, complain.
Anyway, I went for my warm-up session with a instructor.
He was very nice.
I was very nervous, and he knows it.
He is extra patient with me. Encouraging me along the way.
The warm-up session went without hiccups.

Then I had to wait for my tester.
We had the usual ballot and the tester and test route is being assigned.
I have got a Mr Chew and test route 1.

Okay, test route 1. No problem... I hope~~.
But Mr Chew has a very stern face.
Thump-thump-thump!! <-- That's my heart beating against my chest. Nervous all over again. "Ok, let's go in the circuit." he says.

"Erm~, Mr Chew, would you like to put on the safety belt?" I asked.

"Nevermind, in the circuit nevermind... Go! Go!"

Okay, if you said so.

"Turn into 14, do vertical parking,"
*No problem.

"Turn left 27, slope,"
I did as told. But the car did not respond as well as I would like it to.
In fact, it was jerking so badly, that I apologised to the tester, at least 3 times.
Immediately he took my checklist and mark something.
I thought, great, I am a goner now. Kana at least 10 points and I have not even go onto the road yet.
Geez, need to book another test liao.

Funny, somehow that calm my nerves a bit.
I managed the rest of the circuit courses without any hitches.
Except for the parallel parking, which he made me straighten the car.
*No problem.

"Turn right. We go outside."

We went on the road.
Thereafter come a series of left and right, plus one u-turn.
While I was trying to change lane, this white lorry sound his horn.
True, I am very close to the white line, but I have not cut into his lane yet!
Sh*t! Again, Mr Chew marked something on my checklist.

On the way back to the driving centre, the green arrow for turning right just started to flash, and I am almost touching the line.
I decided to cross it.
Had I stopped, I will be stopping AFTER the stop line.
Mr Chew marked something again.
Sigh! Sure die lah! Kana marked so many things...

We are back in the driving centre already.
Mr Chew stared at my checklist for a very long time.
I guess he is wondering why should he pass me.

"You dun drive very safe, eh? Just now the lorry horn you, then you realise you are cutting into his lane."

"Also, just now I almost thought you are going to mount the kerb. Too close!"

I merely nodded to all these.

"Is this your first attempt?" he asked.

"Nope, my second... My first test didn't go very well."

Finally he put down my score and ticked.
I SCORED 16 POINTS AND PASSED!!!!!
Phew!

"Thank you Mr Chew! Frankly speaking I am very nervous. I normally dun drive like that!"

"Okay, take this, (the checklist), go to the counter with your colour photo. You have a colour photo, right?"

"I dunno, I think so..."

"You mean you don't know whether you have photo or not? If not, there is a box there which you can take instant ones..."

Wa lau! I super blur after the test, ok??

"Thanks again, Mr Chew." I managed to say as he got out of the car.

My warm up instructor was there, and he gave me the thumbs up.
I returned the gesture.

I passed, I passed, I passed!!!
*Dancing around... holding the checklist.


Bouquet of flowers --> Especially for Mr Eng.
For he is the only instructor who bothered to fill my booklet with diagrams.
For he is stern and concerned, and never losing his patience.
Thank you and good luck!

Panic!

Traffic Police Practical Test is tomorrow.
My fingers are shaking as I typed.
Geez, I felt even more nervous than the first time.
H*ll, it is only a small test what...
Fail, fail loh, at most re-take the test again.
Right, I think I said this the last time. Read here.

Blank.

That is the state of my mind now.
However, when I closed my eyes,
All I see is a road monster around AMK,
Waiting to gobble me up!
Yikes! Help~~!!
And I am stuck in the driver's seat,
And nowhere to run...

Bonk! Wake up!
I really hope I will be able to sleep tonight.
I actually had little (mostly no) sleep last night.
I spent most of the night tossing and turning in bed.

Yikes! I forgot when to check blind spot when doing directional change!
How?!? *Panics*
And I can't feel my legs!

'Ahhh... How come it's you?'

I asked, as Mr Eng got into the car.
I am pleasantly surprised.
Mr Eng is my favourite instructor.
He is the only instructor that filled my booklet with diagrams that is going to make me a good driver.

He grinned.

'You are doing OT, right? Wow! Got extra cash liao.' I said.

'What to do? You think I am like you, earning high pay...'

'Believe it or not, my take-home pay is not even $2k,' I replied.

'Still not high pay eh? If I dun do OT, I dun even get $1k...' Mr Eng replied, rather ruefully.

'Har, then you are earning more when you were a range warden...' I said.

'Precisely.'

That is the state of this world nowadays.
At least I hope Mr Eng is happy where he is now...
I have been lucky...
Money has never been much of an issue with me.
And we always spend within our means.

I should count my lucky stars.

Anyway, my revision lesson today didn't go very well.
I was a bit too eager to show Mr Eng that I can handle the car,
And I lost concentration a couple of times.
*Stick out tongue.

Anyway, I hope not to repeat the same mistakes on Friday.
It's going to kill me!

Help! I have no confidence, how?

"Phew! It’s hot isn’t it?"

My handsome instructor said as he got in the car.
I smiled.
He was the same instructor who took me last Friday.

I was dripping with sweat. I welcomed the coolness of the air-con in the car.
‘Yeah’, I replied.
‘And I ran all the way from the MRT station…’

‘You what? Don’t run, Fiona,’
‘I once had a trainee, he ran from the MRT station also,’
‘And he got a "oh-ba-kak" on his forehead. He fell down while running and hit his head on the curb.’

Ouch!

‘He was a NS man, so I ask him to see the medic later. He was given 2 days of bed rest. This sort of thing, don’t play a fool, can be very serious, you know…’

Blah, blah, blah…

We talked about a lot of things…
He is 32 years old, once made curry for 60 people, has 3 kids and had hurt his back during army training, etc…
So much so that I forgot little things like signal and blind spot checking…
*Sticks out tongue, sheepish.

Well, it is not all that smooth sailing today,
I got chided for not slowing down enough during lane changing…
*Sticks out tongue again.

And he says I am cute!
Wahahahaha!!!!

Anyway, at the end of the de-brief,
He says as long as I keep up with the way I did today, I should be ok.

Awww… So encouraging. Makes me very happy, anyway.

Third revision lesson

Today’s instructor is someone whom I have never met.
Hey, he is quite good-looking, ok?
And he is still living with his mom….
Hahahaha!!!
I know because he is complaining about the weather,
And how he has to call his mom to take his laundry in if it rains.

‘So… What happened during your test?’
I groaned.
Geez… I am repeating THE STORY to every instructor I meet…
Anyway, something to talk about in that 100 mins.

This time he manage to get to the root of my problems, right turns.
'Fiona, by the end of this lesson, you will be right turn expert.'
'Nobody will be able to bully you again. Never!'

Wow! Such strong words... I love him already.
I went through the drills.

End of the lesson, de-brief.
'Okay, Fiona. These are the mistakes you made,'
Blah, blah, blah.
'Fiona, frankly, in my honest opinion, you should not have fail that day.'
'It is just your bad luck...'

Awww... He almost made me cry.

‘Good morning, Mr Lin,’

I said as my instructor got into the car.
He recognised me right away.
‘I didn’t expect to see you again,’
‘I thought you have passed and gone for good!’

Well, I repeated the story of my first driving test to Mr Lin.
I can’t tell if he is sorry for me, or just plain sarcastic.
When we got on the road, he started pointing out all the Matrixes to me…
‘See? That corner over there?’
‘The auntie is standing there, laughing at you, hee… Hee… Hee…’
He even had special sound effects when I drove past the spot where I banged up.
Gosh! I had never laughed so hard since I started lessons.

‘Wah, no wonder lah, most of the instructors who has taught you, all convert to teaching auto cars liao….’

‘Must be you lah, test also kana accident… Haiz~~!’

‘Aiyoh! Go easy on the brakes, you carry on like that, I have to go teach bicycles at the safety park liao!’

Geez, imagine, I have to assure Mr Lin that he will not be teaching bicycles at the safety park, because I promise I will improve…

And I knock down 2 poles while doing parallel parking.

“Watch out for that car!”

Went for my driving lesson this morning.
The first after THAT incident.
I was all jittery... Shaking all over...
The instructor: Indian guy, teach auto cars.
The business at the school is so good,
All if not most of the instructors have to do OT.
And I saw them interviewing some new instructors...

Anyway, coming back to the lesson.
The instructor already know me from previous lessons.
Wow! His memory good hor...
"Hellooo~~, you are back! Going for second test, right? What happened during the first?"
He asked as he started the engine.
"..." I was stumped. :-( I dunno what to tell him.
"Okay... okay!" He smiled.
Suddenly I blurted,almost crying, "I don’t want to talk about it!"
But proceeded to tell him everything anyway, in a rather rapid fashion.
"Aiya! Not entirely your fault what. When we see L-plates or double Ls, we usually give way, because they are inexperience drivers."

I spent most of the time in the circuit for this lesson,
Might just as well, as I am not very confident on the road yet.
"Hold your foot on the accelerator. Step on the clutch to go slow."

STRESS!

At last I finished one set of the circuit courses, time to go on the road.
"Har, now?" I asked, not quite sure if I am up to it.
"Yeah, practise lar, dun worry, everything is going to be fine."
~~ So reassuring.

As I was turning out of the school, near NCS hub,
The instructor said, "Watch out for your friend,"
Guess what, the Hyundai Matrix (green one this time) suddenly cut into my lane,
To overtake a stationary vehicle.
I wasn’t travelling very fast, but if I were to accelerate, I am sure to have kiss his backside.
I hit the brakes. D*MN!

I made a lot on mistakes on the road…
None of them I care to repeat here.
Just hope that I will improve in the coming lessons.

After lesson, I went to see the mechanic that helped me the other time.
Surprise, surprise! He still remember me!
Guess not many students banged up the test cars. :-/
Except me. Heehee~~!
He is still very nice, and wished me luck for my coming test.

I am feeling so much better now, as I know I can still handle the car.
I will improve for the next lesson, I promise!

1 day to driving lessons

Tomorrow is THE DAY!
Excited and nervous at the same time.
I really hope I can still handle the car...
I still get flashbacks of that fateful day.
D*mn!
*Takes a deep breath.
No more scolding. Been doing that for the past 2 months.
I am not a revengeful person.
I just needed time to get over things...

Gotta rest early...
Better to concentrate on the road,
(Or the instructor?)

2 days to driving lessons

It was a dark and stormy day.
Stayed indoors.
Worked on my bead projects.
Hey! I am CONCENTRATING on the projects,
So no time to think about the driving lessons...
Till now.

Well, another 2 more days to go...
Somehow, I feel my confidence fade away...
I dunno why.
Geez, which reminds me, I better revise my lessons.
I had forgotten how to do directional change and parallel park.
Die lah! I gotta make good this time round.
*Deep breath, deep breath.

3 days to driving lessons

Dinner with Daddy at Swensens.
Over ice-cream, I was asking,
Do you think that my driving still got standard?
"No lah, sure drop a bit." Dad replied.

So encouraging, hor.

Humpf! I continue to poke my super long spoon into that super hard ice-cream...
I can never resist ice-cream.

Oh yes, I did not buy any PCs / laptops...
Not yet.

By the way, Dad paid for the meal.
:-D

4 days to driving lessons

Yup, anticipation!
Can't wait to get behind the wheel again.
I hope they (the driving school) allocate a handsome instructor to me;
So that I can concentrate better...
Wait a minute, concentrate on the road or the instructor?
The last time I concentrate on the instructor, I mount the kerb!
Concentrate on the road, on the road!!
*Sheepish

It will be my 34th lesson, I think...
Geez... At $58.80 per lesson,
That will be 34 x $58.80 = $1999.20!
Excluding entry fees, theory tests and practical test fees.
I am so broke!

There is going to be a roadshow at the office tomorrow.
IBM computers and notebooks.
My home PC is already 5 years old.
Imagine! Pentium 2, 350Mhz.
I think your grandmother's PC can run faster than mine!

I want a new PC / notebook!

Then I remembered I am so broke!
And I promised my dad I would get him a new phone.
Well, the phone is not a big problem...
I will be paying with the $1 coins from my "Fiona's Buy-A-Car Fund".
I can imagine now the cashier would be counting all the coins,
With a big pout on her face!
Well, I dun care!

5 days to driving lessons

I am counting down to my driving lesson.
I somehow feel relaxed...
Well, better not be too cocky.
Read: confident.
Thanks to the auntie, who really burst my ego.

I want my life back!

Yeah, I will have it back once I gain confidence again to take the driving test.
I can do it!
*Chest out, salute.

Thanks to all my friends who has to take all my nonsense during this trying period.
I love you all very much!
(Okay, I am not about to make this a love-declaring entry.)
*Sheepish.

I was violated!

I was making my way towards the escalator after I stepped out of the MRT station.
This girl was giving out slips of paper,
"Take one, mdm..." She said.
I smiled, and took it from her.

It was a lucky draw slip of some sort.
She was still walking along side with me.
"Mdm, are you working?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Mdm, are you married?"
"No...??"
"Mdm, are you engaged?"

What???!?

I handed back the lucky draw slip, saying,
"I don't want it anymore, thanks."
And walked away in a hurry.

That was an invasion of my privacy.
Geez... Why do I have to reveal my maritial status and family history to a mere stranger?
If she would just politely tell me she was doing a survey, I would have obliged.
H*ll, I feel so violated.

Argh!!

Who is more broke?

Just correspond with a friend via email today.
Both of us are complaining about $$$ issues,
And comparing who is more broke! Wahaha!

The reason for me being broke is...
I did not cater for extra driving lessons after the first test.
I am so sure I will pass then...
Cocky, right?
Let's just say I am confident...

Revision lessons start next week.
Haven't been driving since the accident...
Then again, I might freeze behind the wheel.....
* Frown and pout.

Been a lazy girl this weekend.
Spending some time on my bead projects.
Some of the inspiration came from the blog site from Urban....
My, these people uses some expensive stones...
The cheapskate me uses imitation only....
Hee.....