the signs were right after all.

1. My last driving lesson was on the 10th of March, taken by a young instructor. My previous experiences with young instructors have made me feel entirely demoralised. But this was a true exception. He was quiet for the first 20 minutes or so, and after a few minutes on the roads, he popped the question, "You didn't make it the previous round. May I know why?" He later added that the reason why he asked was that from the way I drove, like how I turn the steering wheel during turns and how I negotiate potential road hazards, it is as though I was an experienced driver. He felt that I had no reason to be coming back to CDC, except for lucklessness during the test. He was very encouraging, and possibly the best instructor to have ever taken me, in terms of how comfortable I feel as I drove beside him. As I strode to the bus stop on my way home, I wondered, "was that a sign?" It could mean two things - that I was ready to pass the driving test or that I could get complacent and screw things up on the day of the test.


2. As I was flipping through the Life! section of the papers later that day, unusually reading the horoscope portion, I was quite taken aback upon reading this for Capricorn: "You have come so far and so fast that you have the urge to rest. Buck up. You can see it through till the end. Feeling out of your element is normal, but you would not have been given this opportunity if you were not ready." Once again, I pondered, "is this another sign?" I didn't dare to think further because I didn't want to mount any unnecessary pressure on myself. My stand was to give the best I can, and if it didn't turn out as expected, I will resign to God's fate (after a lil moaning).

SO these two signs were right after all. When the tester marked the block representing 'PASSED', I couldn't believe my eyes. "Congrats," he said, and then reality sets in. It was a good news, an extremely good news. It's never quantifiable to measure my jubilation at the moment. It's just too great. I kept whispering words of thanks to God. After six months of stint with the CDC, it has finally ended. It has been a long time, since the very first lesson when I was taught on the basics of getting the car to move. I was especially proud of myself, for I knew this license was going to be something that I entirely own, with my own effort and money. Paying for the entire course of driving was not easy, especially when we do not get alot of allowance as NSF. But it was a promise that I kept to myself, that I want to take full responsibility of the costs so that at the end of the day, this license will be one that I treasure and be very proud of, and whose importance I fully embrace.

The first time on the road was an exciting experience. I pleaded my sister to allow me to drive to SOC, with her by my side. She was kind enough to sacrifice her time to accede to my request. It is a distant journey for a total amateur on the roads, from Tampines to Queenstown, via ECP and AYE. But I deliberately chose a time when the traffic was very light. There were alot of firsts: first time driving out of my neighbourhood carpark; first time driving on the expressway; first time being overtaken; first time overtaking another vehicle; first time hitting 105km/h; first time sending my second sister to work; first time sending myself to work etc.

This achievement is very personal and is something that I will treasure in a very long time to come. Yet another milestone in my life. =)