Today was my driving test day! After 5 months of learning and spending about $1200 which is above average of what a private learner will spend, I PASSED my test!!

I was so nervous today before the test especially at the waiting room when about 12 people were waiting for the balloting of test routes and the testers to pick us.

I was lucky to pass because there were several mistakes i've made but maybe the tester was too good and lenient to let me pass with 12 demerit points (20 points means FAILED).

My first station at the circuit was the slope. I was hoping the car will not roll back the moment i released the handbrake. Lucky it didnt. But upon reaching the top, i realised i started the slope with gear 2! Very wrong. Should be gear 1. Damn, i thought, sure get penalised. . .

Next station was the directional change. It was fine til i turned out of the station. The tester suddenly told me my rear wheel had struck kerb. I didnt really feel it... but oh well, couldnt argue with him. 10 points gone, i thought...

Parallel parking was next. I was so nervous due to the previous two mistakes, i turned the steering wheel wrong twice. Supposed to turn right at one point but i turned left. I quickly turned right after realising it... Almost struck kerb again cuz he opened the door and checked but luckily didnt.. Hiaz... then after finishing parking, he told me i was not at the center of the lot. So he told me to reverse back a bit.. Done and so needed to move out. And so when i reversed back, turned the steering wheel right instead of left. But i managed to turn the correct way fast.. Up to this point, i thought 'Failed already lah.... hiaz..'

Then at crank course, there were 2 other drivers before me also on TP. So i was queuing behind them for the same crank course. And both of them actually need to reverse as they almost hit the kerb. Watching them from behind actually intensified my fear of striking the kerb too... but fortunately, it went smoothly.

The vertical parking and S-course were fine though...

So on to the route outside.. I got route 5. Quite okay i thought. And when outside, there was a T-junction. No traffic lights so gotta stop at the line first before turning left. There was this stupid car parked just about 2metres from the stop line. It was one lane so the tester told me to overtake. I gotta turn left after that but it was red light further down and there was this long long lorry so i couldnt turn out. The tester suddenly told me to turn right instead. He told me to slowly inch out to the yellow box. And so i did.. Many cars were coming from my right side but stopped behind the box...

The tester told me he will guide me so dont worry. I stopped at the yellow box waiting for cars to clear... When it was time, the tester told me, okay go now, go go go... then at this moment, on my right side, this taxi was so near to me i think it almost hit me. The taxi horned me and i could see the distance between his front and my side was like 10cm only... Damn, i got horned! After i moved out, i was so relieved that the taxi managed to stop in time or else, an accident will happen, and my hopes of passing the test will be dashed..

Ha, then when stopped at the junction, the tester actually asked me why that taxi like that one. I answered him saying our car already were moving out and that taxi insisted on moving, so almost hit me... ha. Then the tester somehow made a racist remark, asking me if that taxi driver was malay... Haha, i told him i didnt notice. Should have told him it was a malay so that it wont appear i wasnt looking at the taxi when i turned out...

But well, since i was supposed to turn left at that T-junction but turned right instead, my test route was cut short. I din even go quite far.. and shortly i was asked to go back to the test centre.. I thought, hiaz, maybe failed already, so the tester cut short my test so as not to waste time...

So i followed him to the 'Testers office where he ticked the checklist in front of me... at the same time, he asked me do i know i have struck the kerb. I told him i didnt really feel it, so didnt know.. And the next moment, he put a tick at the 'PASSED' box!

I was quite surprise to pass it despite so many things that happened. Other than the 10 points for striking kerb, 2 more points were from 'Sharp turn at junction'. I made this mistake twice but the first was not counted... Ha

Out of the probably 12 people in the waiting room with me earlier, I only saw 5 others who passed the test too.. And the rate maybe 50%! Quite average... heh

Well, i must thank this tester for being lenient with me... and most importantly my instructor although at some point i thought he was cheating my money cuz i was simply spending too much already... Ha. Nonetheless, i thanked him after the test and then i proceeded to watch a safety video and get my photo submitted for the license to be sent 2 weeks later... Ha


Anyway, went to my jc's class gathering cum Vagen's birthday party at his house on saturday night. Din intend to go at first, but well, last minute changed of decision. Took almost 1 hour to reach vagen's house cuz i wanted to walk there from Kovan mrt instead of asking him to fetch me.. Nah, din want to trouble him.. So after looking at the map, i tried to walk there. In the end, i was lost. Yah, that's the problem for landed property. So confusing.. I walked quite far til the other side of the landed property estate to the main road. But lucky, i managed to find Rosyth road and eventually his house...

Ha, then after looking at what Vagen had gotten for his birthday, i thought, maybe it is very worthwhile to hold such a party. Maybe for the food, he spent $500, but the amount of presents he got sure exceeded that amount... ha. Lih agreed with me too... Haha..

But still, this year many of us would be 21 years old already and i would be broke if i would to buy gifts for them....


Look at this, it is the new Mac Mini... How cool is it.