Journey to the License: The End (Part 1)
As many who have been following my Instagram and Facebook would know, I've revealed last week that I passed my driving test, and am now officially a qualified driver! Although I passed my test on 4 Jan (9 days ago), I generally kept the pass as a secret from many till my Driver's License came and when I posted last week.
I realized that my previous 2 posts on the Journey to the License was not too well received, and perhaps they were a bit long winded. Therefore, I also decided that since I've made my test pass public, I will also wrap up the series by talking about what happened since I passed my internal evaluation till the driving test. As for what happened during stage 2-4, those interested can drop me a message, or maybe one day I'll write about it (or on a separate link).
I managed to pass my 5.01 Internal Evaluation on 23 December last year, having secured a rare Session 5 (the OT slot for BBDC instructors). Given that the date was near Christmas, many instructors were not around, and there were only around 20 cars in use! I was feeling very nervous initially, not only because I treated it like an exam, but also because I had a disastrous 4.02 lesson the previous day which I barely passed through.
I consider myself very lucky as I had an almost empty circuit and good condition roads to ride on. There were very few hiccups, and the instructor, who seemed very strict but is actually very nice once I started small talk to him, passed me and allowed me to book for my TP test. I was very thankful for the good luck and clear roads that day, so that I could perform well.
I had my first revision lesson the next day, 24 December at Session 4 (1320-1500). There were unfortunately many cars on the road so I needed some guidance (verbal not physical) changing lane in heavy traffic. Thankfully, there was not much other issues for this. The instructor diagnosed me with "lack of confidence" syndrome, which was perhaps the only reason why I didn't dare to book for my test. He mentioned that skill-wise I was going to pass, just that if I'm too nervous I may fail the test, but he can't help me with confidence, except encouraging me to keep trying and practicing.
Knowing that it was only a matter of time before I should take my TP test, I thought I couldn't keep revising and kicking the TP test down the road. Back then it was towards the end of the year, which was a lull period at work. It was the best chance for me to clear the test before the stresses of a new year started. Therefore, perhaps in a semi groggy state after Christmas duty, I booked my test on 26 December for 4 January 2019 (Monday), Test Session 7, Warmup time 1345, Test time 1450.
I also had my second and third revision sessions on the Session 8s (2110-2250) of 26 December (Wed) and 28 December (Fri). I did not expect to learn much, but I just wanted to relive some night driving before I went for my test. Because once my test is over, assuming I passed, I'll be a qualified driver and no longer have an instructor to save me from crashing. Given the low expectations I had for the lesson, I was also given a rather low quality instructor. I won't say he scolded me throughout the lesson but he was nagging throughout and giving basic instructions though I already knew what to do next. Thankfully this was just a revision lesson, rather than a learning lesson, so I didn't need to take in his nagging. I just tried blocking it out and drove to the best I could.
Of course, just when I thought I was doing well and was ready for my test, things had to turn to a bad note.
I had my fourth revision session on 29 December (Sat) at Session 4 1320-1500, since it was similar to my test timing. My driving was all right even in spite of heavy traffic. I had a rather eccentric instructor who looked a bit like Albert Einstein, who was very kind and gave good advice throughout. My one major mistake, however, came when I was going along a minor road along Bukit Batok. There was this Indian lady with her 2 sons at the side of the street. The elder son was playing with a soccer ball. In our theory, driving simulator, and risk forecast training, we were taught what to do when a ball flies out onto the street. But really, what are the chances it would happen? BUT IT DID. The boy, with a distinct lack of football skills, accidentally kicked the ball such that it flew in front of my car. I instinctively jam braked in case he ran out. After a brief second, his mother ran out to get the ball, seeing that I stopped.
Turns out, that was actually a wrong move. According to the instructor, only the ball flew out not a human. I could just slow down and e-brake later if the boy or his mum decided to run. There was also a car following rather closely behind, which would have crashed into me if he didn't e-brake in time too. Though I thought that different people would react differently in this situation, and that e-braking would be what people do, the instructor informed me points would be heavily deducted, or even an immediate failure, for an inappropriate action leading to an accident. The instructor concluded the lesson by saying "The chances of passing is high, but you need to react properly in unfortunate situations". It must really suck if I failed my TP test like that.
My fifth and sixth (the last) revision lessons were on 30 and 31 December (Sun and Mon) also at session 4. To my utter dismay, my driving was all right, but every lesson it seems that I had to make an immediate failure. For the 5th revision session, I knocked down the pole on brake on ramp, which was a mistake I've never seen anyone make before. The instructor was also shocked when the pole went down. It was also like a scene from a movie. My car went up the ramp, I hit the brake. 1 second later, the pole went down, almost like a delayed response. The feedback from the instructor was "You certainly would've passed, until you hit the pole, which you really shouldn't. It's an easy course." GG.
My last lesson really felt like coming full circle. Not only was I allocated the instructor from my very first lesson, it was also raining heavily, much like my first lesson. It was supposed to be like a final test to show how much I've learnt through the last 3 months, and my instructor also used the checklist to test me.
Perhaps I was bothered by the rain or too stressed by the "test", so I did a major error doing directional change. Instead of turning and 2 1/4 markings from the kerb, I turned at 3 1/2 due to not being able to see (and count) properly. I was totally thrown off guard when I reversed in but hit the kerb. I hit the kerb before but at that point I was shocked because I didn't think I made a mistake. I did correction and moved in properly, but when I moved out I struck the kerb 2 more times, and eventually the instructor told me to move on and I mounted the kerb.
The rest of the circuit was fine, and road driving was fine too, except that I was waiting for the roads to be clear before turning right, but I hesitated too much and waited for cars still very far away.
When I returned to the circuit, he made me try directional change again which I suddenly realized my earlier mistake. I did it properly this time and he taught me how to correct my mistakes in case I screwed up during the test, which I really shouldn't. He brought me out to the roads again to boost my confidence to turn when the chance came instead of delaying moving off, which I am very grateful for. Although safety is first and is of utmost importance, too much safety also is counterproductive. Sometimes we have to learn how to just say "f it" and "YOLO". Non-drivers or learner drivers may not get my point, but I believe qualified drivers would know what I mean.
However, after this lesson, I was very distraught. I just had 3 lessons with immediate failures, 2 lessons which is just driving at night with a naggy instructor, and 1 lesson which my driving was still shaky. How was I going to pass like this? The final lesson was on Monday and my test was on Friday. I had duty on Tuesday and no more lessons till the test. While all signs pointed to a most likely pass, I was still doubting myself due to my mistakes.
So how did my test date go? Find out tomorrow on Waydespectives!
I consider myself very lucky as I had an almost empty circuit and good condition roads to ride on. There were very few hiccups, and the instructor, who seemed very strict but is actually very nice once I started small talk to him, passed me and allowed me to book for my TP test. I was very thankful for the good luck and clear roads that day, so that I could perform well.
I had my first revision lesson the next day, 24 December at Session 4 (1320-1500). There were unfortunately many cars on the road so I needed some guidance (verbal not physical) changing lane in heavy traffic. Thankfully, there was not much other issues for this. The instructor diagnosed me with "lack of confidence" syndrome, which was perhaps the only reason why I didn't dare to book for my test. He mentioned that skill-wise I was going to pass, just that if I'm too nervous I may fail the test, but he can't help me with confidence, except encouraging me to keep trying and practicing.
Knowing that it was only a matter of time before I should take my TP test, I thought I couldn't keep revising and kicking the TP test down the road. Back then it was towards the end of the year, which was a lull period at work. It was the best chance for me to clear the test before the stresses of a new year started. Therefore, perhaps in a semi groggy state after Christmas duty, I booked my test on 26 December for 4 January 2019 (Monday), Test Session 7, Warmup time 1345, Test time 1450.
I also had my second and third revision sessions on the Session 8s (2110-2250) of 26 December (Wed) and 28 December (Fri). I did not expect to learn much, but I just wanted to relive some night driving before I went for my test. Because once my test is over, assuming I passed, I'll be a qualified driver and no longer have an instructor to save me from crashing. Given the low expectations I had for the lesson, I was also given a rather low quality instructor. I won't say he scolded me throughout the lesson but he was nagging throughout and giving basic instructions though I already knew what to do next. Thankfully this was just a revision lesson, rather than a learning lesson, so I didn't need to take in his nagging. I just tried blocking it out and drove to the best I could.
Of course, just when I thought I was doing well and was ready for my test, things had to turn to a bad note.
I had my fourth revision session on 29 December (Sat) at Session 4 1320-1500, since it was similar to my test timing. My driving was all right even in spite of heavy traffic. I had a rather eccentric instructor who looked a bit like Albert Einstein, who was very kind and gave good advice throughout. My one major mistake, however, came when I was going along a minor road along Bukit Batok. There was this Indian lady with her 2 sons at the side of the street. The elder son was playing with a soccer ball. In our theory, driving simulator, and risk forecast training, we were taught what to do when a ball flies out onto the street. But really, what are the chances it would happen? BUT IT DID. The boy, with a distinct lack of football skills, accidentally kicked the ball such that it flew in front of my car. I instinctively jam braked in case he ran out. After a brief second, his mother ran out to get the ball, seeing that I stopped.
Turns out, that was actually a wrong move. According to the instructor, only the ball flew out not a human. I could just slow down and e-brake later if the boy or his mum decided to run. There was also a car following rather closely behind, which would have crashed into me if he didn't e-brake in time too. Though I thought that different people would react differently in this situation, and that e-braking would be what people do, the instructor informed me points would be heavily deducted, or even an immediate failure, for an inappropriate action leading to an accident. The instructor concluded the lesson by saying "The chances of passing is high, but you need to react properly in unfortunate situations". It must really suck if I failed my TP test like that.
My fifth and sixth (the last) revision lessons were on 30 and 31 December (Sun and Mon) also at session 4. To my utter dismay, my driving was all right, but every lesson it seems that I had to make an immediate failure. For the 5th revision session, I knocked down the pole on brake on ramp, which was a mistake I've never seen anyone make before. The instructor was also shocked when the pole went down. It was also like a scene from a movie. My car went up the ramp, I hit the brake. 1 second later, the pole went down, almost like a delayed response. The feedback from the instructor was "You certainly would've passed, until you hit the pole, which you really shouldn't. It's an easy course." GG.
My last lesson really felt like coming full circle. Not only was I allocated the instructor from my very first lesson, it was also raining heavily, much like my first lesson. It was supposed to be like a final test to show how much I've learnt through the last 3 months, and my instructor also used the checklist to test me.
Perhaps I was bothered by the rain or too stressed by the "test", so I did a major error doing directional change. Instead of turning and 2 1/4 markings from the kerb, I turned at 3 1/2 due to not being able to see (and count) properly. I was totally thrown off guard when I reversed in but hit the kerb. I hit the kerb before but at that point I was shocked because I didn't think I made a mistake. I did correction and moved in properly, but when I moved out I struck the kerb 2 more times, and eventually the instructor told me to move on and I mounted the kerb.
The rest of the circuit was fine, and road driving was fine too, except that I was waiting for the roads to be clear before turning right, but I hesitated too much and waited for cars still very far away.
When I returned to the circuit, he made me try directional change again which I suddenly realized my earlier mistake. I did it properly this time and he taught me how to correct my mistakes in case I screwed up during the test, which I really shouldn't. He brought me out to the roads again to boost my confidence to turn when the chance came instead of delaying moving off, which I am very grateful for. Although safety is first and is of utmost importance, too much safety also is counterproductive. Sometimes we have to learn how to just say "f it" and "YOLO". Non-drivers or learner drivers may not get my point, but I believe qualified drivers would know what I mean.
However, after this lesson, I was very distraught. I just had 3 lessons with immediate failures, 2 lessons which is just driving at night with a naggy instructor, and 1 lesson which my driving was still shaky. How was I going to pass like this? The final lesson was on Monday and my test was on Friday. I had duty on Tuesday and no more lessons till the test. While all signs pointed to a most likely pass, I was still doubting myself due to my mistakes.
So how did my test date go? Find out tomorrow on Waydespectives!
TO BE CONTINUED
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