Kan-cheong spider..

don't know why.. just felt like that the whole of monday.. was worse at night though.. my mind was on the then-impending driving test the next morning.. went for my last revision monday night... just changed the shoes i was going to drive in last week.. I used to wear my old adidas pair.. but i found it tough to get "biting point" with that one.. so i swopped it with my new Zara pair..which i got using the vouchers from the youths that I received on my birthday.. that pair's much thinner..the sole i mean.. so i prayed that God will help me get used to the new pair.. which i did fairly quickly..

I always had a problem with the circuit slopes.. so i practised that like crazy that last lesson.. previously, i didn't used to have problems with the S or crank course.. but during those last 2 lessons.. kinda screwed up a bit..striked kerb in S course.. i even knocked a pole during vertical parking.. which never happened before.. sigh.. anyway.. i was ready as i could be at the end of monday's revision..instructor wished me well and i was on my way..

7th December 2004 was always going to be a day I would never forget.. had i gone into Tekong that fateful oct 21.. i would have passed out on 7th December.. now that that wasn't going to happen.. how "coincidental" that i would be taking my TP on my supposed passing-out date! This was made more queer given i had to stop driving lessons earlier cos' i was going to go in! This is testament that God answers prayers.. according to His time. Before I was supposd to go in on 21 Oct, I prayed that God would allow me to at least pass my TP before my BMT so that I could drive on the weekends.. well it's sort of answered.. He makes all things beautiful in His time.. now the only thing left for me is.. sad to say.. go for BMT.. but we'll talk about that sometime other..

I remember when I was there on monday night.. the re-test date for Class 3 (cars lah basically..) candidates was like 7 February 2005.. the morning of my test.. it was 14 Feb..(tot to myself.. hmm.. not bad valentine's day..) after i printed my test slip.. I glanced and saw it had become 17 Feb.. (i was like..ehh dont leh..so long..) anyway.. arrived at BBDC at 0845.. warm up was 0915 and test an hour later.. by 0900.. the warmup instructor collected my booklet.. I was assigned Car 1.. hmm... so 0915 came and i went.. did the warmup all okay.. instructor told me to watch out for hazards and drive safely.. Jeremy Chng and Jeremy Tan had earlier wished me well..Chng told me to "bring back my Class 3 [license]" to camp.. i was like.. okay.. i hope so too.. came back then was told to wait at level 2.. it was an agonising 25 minutes wait before 1015..at 1005 they called us into the room to ballot for test routes.. I was assigned Test route 1.. hmm.. okay i thought.. proceeded to check what's test-route 1..and horror of horrors.. it was Teck Whye area!! I have a phobia of that place..pple tell me it's high traffic and whatever.. definitely prefer the Bukit Batok housing estates.. or so i tot..

waited in the room for a while more..then my tester came.. his name was Soon i think..no not Teng Soon.. 1st to leave! something going on with the number 1 today.. after my warmup earlier.. my car was parked in lot 11..so as i made my way down to the car.. i glanced at my watch.. was 1020.. tot to myself.. someone out there's praying for me.. put my bag in the backseat and the tester and i got in and he said.. turn left.. I was like.. huh? so fast.. didn't say it lah of course..did my "acting".. adjusted the mirrors.. its all about acting lah driving.. just to show.. think i took too long.. he went "Turn Left" again.. okay lor.. signal left check left.. go..engaged 2nd gear before the bend.. was getting ready for him to hit the dashboard..that would have meant Emergency brake or e-brake..didn't happen.. turn right at 4.. into S course.. kinda made a mistake there.. crossed the centre line.. then hesistated cos there was a car coming... negotitated the S course well... as well as the vertical parking.. then went up slope to do umm.. slope.. thank God that was okay.. remember mumbling a quick prayer under my breath.. as soon as i released my handbrake he was like "ok turn left.. no. 9 directional change.." did that okay too.. then did my last circuit requirement.. parellel parking..remember thinking to myself..i have 6 items to do in circuit.. .."ehh how many i do already ah?".. did the parellel parking.. almost done when the tester said.. "okay move out".. I blur then.."huh move out?" "yeah".. okay lor he call me move i move lor.. then he said "no. 50 turn right out of circuit" as i tot to myself.."ehh got do anything wrong meh?" Friends once told me that testers either mark when you a make a mistake or they mark at the end of it all.. after the circuit.. i didn't see him marking.. so that was good.. decided to be unconcerned by his actions.. but instead to concentrate on my own perfomance. I was surprisingly calm during the test..God's wonderous ways again.. so i went out of circuit.. was glad that i didn't have to turn right out of circuit.. that would have been tough.. think i did the road okay.. changed lanes pretty fast.. this bike gave way to me.. think he saw i was on test..Had earlier prayed for good road conditions.. amazing how God works.. Towards the end.. as i realised i was on my way back.. I became more relaxed.. that also meant i lost a bit of concentration.. wanted to change gear never clutch in.. but think tester didn't see that.. made a u-turn.. and headed back to BBDC.. upon turning onto the stretch of road leading to BBDC.. Tester went " turn right.. back to office.." that kinda calmed me down.. but also made a mental note to not mess up on the home stretch.. stopped the car in front of the centre..before i had stopped.. the tester had already opened the door and was halfway out of the car.. hmm.. so eager to go out.. is it fail already? in total he marked my paper 4 times.. which means that had anyone been an 8 point penalty.. i would have a good chance of failing.. tot to myself..done my best.. cant change anything now..went into his office at level 2.. sat down.. heard my verdict.. "Bukit Batok area lane change abruptly, parallel parking turn steering on the spot.." he then proceeded to write the points.. tried to sneak a peek but his hands were strategically placed to cover my result.. he handed me my test slip... Was 1st to leave and1st to return.. and I was surprised, shocked and definitely over-the-moon when I saw that i was 1st in my group to pass! No. of points = 8, Result = passed.. couldn't stop smiling to myself after that..gave thanks for my result..then proceed to make my license..

Whew.. what a day... went back to camp and Jeremy Chng grinned when he saw me..how? he asked.. passed.. i replied.. "alright man! Congratulations..." who says that clerks dont have the same kind of camaraderie soldiers have in the field? he and i havd become closer cos' of work.. in fact all the NSFs have.. save for some.. after all.. we're in a war ourselves.. *grin*...

so that was that.. relived that I would not have to wait till Feb... drove home that night.. father picked me from Jurong Point.. and have been doing so since.. parking's a problem without the poles.. but i'm getting there..

That night.. Singapore came back to draw 1-1 with Vietnam.. nearly winning even.. tonight they face Indonesia.... i hope we win.. i'm a die-hard S'pore football fan.. regardless of what pple say.. still have that "Singapore Die-Hard fans" striped polo tee Uncle Tong gave me during the Malaysia Cup days..

I'm a sentimentalist. don't like to throw stuff that have special meaning to me.. that's why my room's a mess..

Dennis is enlisting this week.. he got his posting recently only.. cos he was pending medical status.. they decided not to downgrade him.. he decided to go in and be downgraded..

Diana's working now.. my hardworking better half.. she said she was to work till 12 plus tonight.. which kinda hurts me..not cos we cant meet.. but cos she's gotta work till so late.. otherwise she can't go on the cell group retreat tomorrow..am proud of her commitment to completing a task when she is umm.. tasked with one.. we're sending Qiming off as well.. he's going overseas.. to Tekong tomorrow.. Dennis' is the day after...

btw.. thinking of getting the motorola e398 phone.. but its camera phone..so sigh.. like the "hello moto" phrase as well...

Off for a good time at tanjong puteri golf resort..

Ba de ya - say do you remember
Ba de ya - dancing in september
Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day