Experience Drive-26

The second revision session before the actual test. Had the lesson on a Tuesday morning, as that would be during the time period of my test, so that I could simulate the traffic conditions in the circuit as well as on the road. Was expecting a different instructor, as before I managed to get the slots, there were no slots available for me to book only until 2 weeks before I managed to find slots from 9.50am to 11.30am. Went through every station in the circuit followed by another 2 test routes before the session ended. I still had problems with the parallel parking and waiting till it was safe enough to make a turn into another road. Other than that, my vehicle did not stall again.

Today, for the first time this semester, I studied. Cleared almost all the doubts that I had so far over the past 2 weeks. If only I had started earlier(just like what I did in the first semester), I might even be a chapter ahead of the class by now. During dinner, history repeated itself, once again. 9 years ago, I got a fish bone stuck in my throat. This evening, I got another stuck in the same area. The good thing was, compared to 9 years ago, this time it happened on a weekend. In the past, it was on the evening I had my dinner after coming home from school at 7pm, the day I had my SA2 Chinese paper in P3. Initially, I thoguht it would be fine to simply leave it in there since it was just a small bone, and it would cause alot of trouble if I had to get it out, until learning that if I left it there for more than a week, I could stand a chance to breathe my last breath. At least tonight we only took a minute to get it out, compared to the agonising 120 minutes we went through at NUH and lots more cash spent, compared to tonight, although we still had to leave home to extract the bone.

Since school started I havent really been able to remember my dreams as clearly as I used o during the holidays. Got a strong feeling it could be due to the amount of sleep I get each night. Perhaps I should turn in earlier each night. I want to remember my dreams. Who knows, that one dream might just help me in the future...

Experience Drive-25

We're coming close. That one lesson, we finalised that the one last problem I had in the circuit was the parallel parking. On the roads, as long as I paid attention to the traffic conditions and other vehicles, I would do fine. Stalled the vehicle once that day, while turning.

Today, as expected, was relaxed and easy-going. Covered couplings for ED, completed the tutorials, and completed the motor selection for the project. Guess I still have lots of catching up to do with the selection process and the stuff that I have got to take into consideration, other than just simply selecting the motor with the most suitable speed and power. Relatively short day, with lots of rain in the evening, enough to make me tired and sleepy.

Experience Drive-24

Saturday afternoon. Went through the whole test process. Warm up followed by the mock test. I committed lots of careless mistakes, such as mounting the kerb and striking the pole while doing the parallel parking. He took a short break efore we went for the evaluation. Scored a total of 12 points within the circuit, and I nearly failed the parallel parking segment. On the road, I took too long to turn twice, which cost me an additional 4 points. In all, I received 16 out of the maximum of 18 demerit points allowed. That was a close one. The final one in roughly less than a month's time, would cary much higher standards than that day. From that day on, it would be another 5 weekly revision sessions(except for one), before we come to the actual traffic police practical test.

This morning had a short reunion with Edward and Darren at Clementi. We took the shuttle bus to school, before carrying on toward our own venues for classes. CAD practical was, a challenge today, and I'm glad the lecturer received the email I sent him the night before. Got to know moe about the types of lines the program could draw and the ways the lines coud be manipulated to remove material from the solids. One thing I was sure of, this program is better than the one we were trained to use a year ago. Went for lunch, before going off for Calculus. The lecture was fast paced once again, though we managed to cover all the topics for the lecture. One thing that we were told. This module carried a failure rate of 23%,while the next one, Further Calculus, carried an appalling 100% failure rate for the previous semester! Wow. Let's hope we could bring down those numbers.

Looking forward to ED tomorrow.

Experience Drive-23

A nice Friday morning. That would be my first time driving an automatic transmission car. The instructor was really slacked. I was assgined to car 152. Really fun to drive with him. That day, I learnt that the automatic car has a nickname, the "toy car". Similar to a radio control car, there's no clutch pedal and no gears to control whilst driving on the road. It's easier to move off on slopes and traffic light junctions, though it is difficult to slow the vehicle down. We went for a drive around Bukit Panjang,Choa Chu Kang and near Yew Tee, before heading back to end the session. A great timing to have the lesson as well, for it helped me improve the lane change technique. Something I liked about the lesson, was I overtook 3 consecutive cars wih the 'L' plate. That was the first time I overtook a moving vehicle. Best of all, I did not have to worry about stalling the vehicle!
This morning all seemed fine, and perhaps, maybe also a little lucky? Missed the first bus when I was waiting to cross the busy road. Just as I reached the bus stop, the next bus arrived. Alighted at the bus interchange, only to notice the queue for the bus was way longer than I had expected! No wonder recent surveys had the result of more people driving private cars to work instead of taking the public transport. Immediately,I took an alternative route, which was faster, but more tiring as I had to walk about a kilometer or so to the classroom after alighting from the bus. Practical was great, especially with the air conditioning. That's the first time in a practical lesson that I nearly fell asleep. Went to complete some assignments before going for lunch and headed home to rush the assignments again, before heading back to school for a meeting that lasted an hour and 30minutes, before, once again, heading home. By now,I'm feeling so tired, I have put all other incomplete work aside. Good thing I had completed almost all my tutorials that are due next week, meaning I could have the weekend to complete my Calculus tutorial and other assignments assigned tomorrow and on Friday.

This semester is starting to become tiring, not stressful. If I were stressed, it would be due to the amount of work I could not complete due to the reductions in the number of breaks I always had while working on assignments.

Ok, so, for having an attitude of not treasuring what I had, bad things happen. If I had lost contact with something I held on to dearly, I'll start thinking wildly, not caring about what others would think until I felt a great impact on my cheek. To date, I have lost friends and possibly a gift that some longed to have. If only, the virtue of treasuring the wealth one had, could be taught.

Experience Drive-22

The second last lesson. Probably the last lesson in the course. Had a different instructor that Tuesday. I was attached to car 20 for that session. That lesson was pretty much like a revision session. He guided me through some of the stuff regarding techniques for the directional change and moving off on a slope. Apparently, that day I did not have any problems with the parallel parking, but I have forgotten exactly how I was able to do it. Had problems with the clutch as well, though I caused the car to stall on a slope. Finally, that was the first time, I was able to experience for myself how little I had to turn the wheel to make a simple lane change. I was also able to regulate the vehicle speed more efficiently and quickly. With that, I would have no problems with the evaluation on Saturday morning.

Today was tiring. School from 1 to 5. Overcame the fear of the module at least. Came up with lots of ideas, but none reflected on the route we were taking, community. We had a great idea, which was a combination of Events Management and Entrepreneurship, but nothing about Community. Asked him for hints after the lesson, and he gave me a couple of sites to check out. That saved quite a lot of time on trying to find the right route to take to bring us back on the right track. Alright. With less dreams to remember, I do feel at ease most of the time, and with less things to worry about, I could concentrate more on the stuff that require lots of attention. Now, I just have got to let go of the dreams that have happened and are not likely to repeat itself again. Hopefully, I could lose the ability to "see". That way, I could simply live on without worrying of what to do or not to do to avoid an event. Anyways, at the end of the day, if you're destined to go today, then it shall be today, vice versa.

Experience Drive-21

That's the 3rd last lesson for the whole course, before I am ready for the final test. Did more practices, and like the last two lessons, went through two test routes. So far, I never really find anything tough about the routes, except for the times where traffic could be really heavy. However, as it was on a Sunday afternoon, and the traffic was rather heavy, it was difficult trying to change lanes and making right turns and U-turns(mainly becuase I was slow in steering and acceleration). Improved for most of the items in the circuit, though I still had problems with the parallel parking and directional change. Stalled the vehicle once again.

As expected, today was going to be a heavy day. Cleared the first chapters for FM and SOM. The chapter on pressure in FM, is really easy. Managed to clear my tutorial in 50minutes(2 years back, I was never able to complete that many questions in under an hour). SOM, managed to clear my doubts of last week's lecture, thanks to the 10minutes of review before he went on to complete the last part of the chapter.


The first SOM tutorial was filled with laughter. All started with a question, which led to an hour of jokes. Great to have such a session after lunch, so that we could recharge ourselves for the last 4 hours of the day. As for its practical session today, had a great time though it was a little rushed. Did the tensile test for mild steel(it's what your car body is made of) once again(like what we did for EM exactly a year ago), except this time, the process was slower so that we could observe the characteristics of the material under large amounts of stress. Brought the specimen back home(since its necking was one of the better looking ones among the groups). Would have the pictures up soon, maybe tomorrow(if possible?).

Experience Drive-20

Almost there! Yet another revision session and lesson, which went relatively well. I still had problems with the parallel parking and directional change in the circuit, and till that point of time, I felt my performance on the road was fine. I stalled once on that day.

Was out the whole day, from 12 till 8. Before that, Uncle and aunt came over to deliver some apple juice(made with a secret formula), which tasted better than those you buy off the shelves! It's kind of for my brother to drink, to help him relax before the first day of an important examination tomorrow. Went out for lunch with parets, before I went to the driving school at 1.20, and took a train down to Bugis to meet them later on at5pm, before we went for dinner.

Finally this morning, I could remember my dream. It's about a kayaking event with a group of friends at a lake.We were told that the lake was infested with sharks and crocodiles, but we went on, till we saw lots of fins and eyes protruding from the water surface. We went to a beach, and we met with the same thing again. Weird, but at least, I managed to remember what I dreamt, after what happened the night before.

Experience Drive-19

Getting closer to the final test. That day was the first day I had my first lesson on defensive driving. It's the first of a set of 4 lessons(which also meant the course was near its completion. Basically, it's revision, with a topic to cover on drivng safely. The session went well, and I had ots of problems with the circuit items. However, I finally had a clean record for that lesson, with n0 vehicle stalls! Finally.

It's been a week since I last remembered a dream. Weird. When I do not think that much, something would happen. But not that week. Last night, I dreamt of something, but I have got no clue about what I dreamt, other than the fact that I was with people I knew. Who they were, I have no idea. Talk anmesia. Shortly after waking before opening the eye, I thought of that girl I had seen in the past 6 dreams I had some time ago. Does someone who looks like that even exist? If so, who is she exactly? How would I find her? On another note: Am I sick in the mind? Or, is my subconscious more "unique" than your average Joe? Why, are stuff that I least expect, happening at this point of time? It's really time I stopped thinking about unnecessary stuff that are out-of-this-world.

Experience Drive-18

Did the emergency brake and three point turn on that day. The emergency brake(also known as E-brake) is somewhat easy to catch. Simply step on the brakes, followed by the clutch just before the car stops. However, you have got to be fast. Afterall, that's the aim of the E-brake, to stop as quickly as possible to prevent an accident. Had a few tries, and I managed to get it, though I never had the chance to practice it again, due to the heavy traffic in the circuit.

Finally, after so long, we finally went onto the road again, to Chua Chu Kang. Went onto a stretch of road that was empty most of the time to practice the three-point turn. It's easier than the directional change in the circuit, for there's greater room to move the vehicle around. Tried a couple of tmes, before we returned to the circuit for more practise before the session ended. When we did the directional change, I forgot my sighting points and striked the kerb many times. He was disappointed, but I was sure that I could correct my mistakes within the next 3 lessons. Overall, the car stalled twice, once while trying out the three point turn for the first time, and once in the circuit.

The last day of the first week of level 2.2. Had lecture and tutorial for Engineering Design(ED). This module is really interesting and fun, maybe for now. Completed the first topic on motor selection today, and it was kind of easy. As the saying goes, "kindness begets kindness", I helped a friend with a couple of assignments back in August, and apparently, some of those stuff I did back then, would be covered in this module. So far I can be sure that the research I did on gears would help considerably, as I would be away for a camp in three weeks' time, which might cost me valuable lecture time. That lecture and tutorial(lasting 4 hours in all on that day) would cover on gears and gearboxes. This module is also linked to CAD. Went for lunch, back to class for our first Computer Aided Manufacturing(CAM) lecture before we had a 2-hour break.Went back to the IT Helpdesk once again, and this time, after slightly more than 2 hours, he managed to install the software for me. Thanks!

Had two hours of tutorial before we were done for the day. Got the feeling that this semester's got the most challenging, yet interesting modules. Tagged along to Cold Storage before heading home.

Went for an evening run today, and it was great. Nice, windy weather, few obstacles along the way. As planned, went into Bukit Timah Community Club to see if there was a water dispenser I could get a quick drink from, so that I would not need to bring a 1 dollar coin out during each run and wait an aiddtional 5 minutes just to buy a drink. Indeed there was one, just outside the toilets. The water was cold! That's the first time I stopped for a drink halfway through the whole run. On the way back, met Zijie at the bus stop, before completing the last 500metres.

Experience Drive-17

One day before I had the 17th lesson, I went for a driving simulator session. There was only the automatic transmission, so there wasn't a need to change any gear during the simulation. Was there with two others, a guy and a girl. From the way he drove, the steering was rather sensitive, but the pedals were the opposite. I went second, and was the only one that session who had no accidents. The main objectives of the session was to allow us to experience accidents without having to start one on the roads, and also to test our reaction times. Mine was the slowest, even I don't know why. That's the first and probably the last time I would have my lessons on Wednesdays.

A day later, I went for my 17th Lesson. Went on the slopes and did the vertical parking. The slope was still something that I was afraid of, and I stalled twice that day on the slope. After going on the slope for about 4 to 5 times that session, I finally overcame that phobia. For once, I managed to maintain my car's position on the slope without the handbrake, and using the half-clutch position, before moving off. Vertical parking is something that was really easy, though there are a couple of times I would turn the car late while reversing.

The second last day of the first week of the semester. Computer-Aided Design(CAD). We used the Wildfire3.0 software for the module, and it's easier to work with than AUTOCAD. However, this module is one that requires practise and is linked to two other modules, Computer-Aided Manufacturing(CAM) and Engineering Design(ED). I can look forward to doing lots of projects this semester, which would make the aim of achieving the full GPA of 4.0 really tough.

Had lunch, before going to the IT Helpdesk to get the software installed on the laptop, however there were some problems and due to time constraints, I would be going back tomorrow to try to get it installed again. Ended up being 10 minutes late for the Advanced Engineering Mathematics module, Calculus. Good thing I read up and prepared for the lecture beforehand. From next week, Thursdays would be just like the previous semester. A day of lessons from 9am to 4pm.

Experience Drive-16

Directional change and parallel parking. The directional change is easy, however there is the need to turn the steering wheel as soon as the car starts reversing. I had problems finding the right timing to turn the steering wheel at first, but once I managed to get the timing, the car would fit into the lot nicely, right in the middle. Before that, I had problems with early and late turning, which required for additional corrections before I was done with the item. Moving out, still causes a little problem. I usually turn the wheel too fast, causing the car to mount the kerb.

The parallel parking is, a problem, that I am still trying to perfect. Moving into the lot is smooth. However, the tough part is, how the heck do I ensure that the car is straight, in the middle of the lot? Moving ou is smooth as well.

Today went to school for briefing for the Computer Aided Manufacturing(CAM) practicals. Found out that, as a group, we were going to construct an F1 car(it's just a mini model), and race against other groups from other classes on Thursday, 11Th February 2010.

At 10, went with Jian Hui, Amanda, Hamzi,Jenere and Janna to Palza Sing. for lunch and get gifts for 2 friends' birthdays. Who, they'll find out tomorrow. Reached home at 4, got changed and went out for a run at 5. Intended to do a 15km run again, but after the second kilometer, I started having problems. A pretty bad stitch, gas in the stomach and a dry throat prevented me from going on properly. Walked every few hundred metres, and I gave up after passing the 9-kilometer mark. Took the shorter route home and rested. Good thing it's only the first week of school. Along the way, I thought I saw someone who looked like her, again. Anyway, I guess it might be time I stopped thinking too much unnecessary thoughts which might cause me unwanted trouble and stress. This semester's not going to be easy, going by the modules this semester.

Experience Drive-15

Halfway through the whole practical course. Did rather simple stuff that day. Touched up on the reversing technique, before going on to the first 2 items that would be tested in the circuit. The crank course and the S-course.

Main things are to ensure the car moves at low speed, and "feel" the wheel track of the car. With these two things in mind, nothing should go wrong, unless you forget to ensure safety around the vehicle, or turn the wheel slowly.

Today's the second day of school. Went to the driving centre for revision before heading to school. Fell asleep and forgot to press the bell when I woke. Missed the stop, and went to the bus stop outside CJC once again to take a bus back to school. Maybe for the next 2 or 3 weeks, i'll do the same, or maybe head further down on the expressway before crossing over to take a bus back to school, as even though I missed the stop, I arrived in school 40 minutes early. Today was rather, stressful. Went to class, formed a team after the briefing, and, it's come to one of the stuff I'm afraid of. There's some level of commitment involved(and I don't really like the idea of commitment), there's goig to be paper work being done to get people from outside the school involved, to help carry out a plan aimed at getting something done. One thing that was more of an encouragement, was, for the module, it is OK if the plan fails, as long as, something can be learnt from the experience so that the mistake does not happen again. Of course, that doesn't mean I should screw up the whole plan so that it fails!

And tonight, I realised my advisor would be different from the rest of the class, for this semester. Perhaps, I'll go meet him next week or the week after, most likely on a Wednesday? Anyone under him, who wants to go meet him with me?

Experience Drive-14

That day was the first time I had my lesson with a different instructor. The car was different s well. The steering wheel was light and easy to control, brakes were less sensitive, and the biting point of the cluth was different thn the car I had been driving for the past 13 lessons. I went halfway round the perimeter of the circuit on the first gear, when he asked if I knew that, as I was using a manual car, there was the constant need to change gears.



Anyways, got used to the car, and soon I was introduced to the features of the circuit. Each turn is labelled with a number. For each left turn, one should turn into the lane after the number. For right turns, one should turn into the lane before the number. There's also a traffic light in the circuit. Something special, is the lights change signals every 7 to 9 seconds. So be sure to proceed slowly(afterall, the car is travelling around the circuit at low speeds). Learnt about the blind wall as well. I stalled a total of three times. The lesson ended well that day, though I had the chance to experience driving in another car.



On to today. This morning was dramatic? Woke at 6.15 immediately after the alarm went off. Wow. And there I was, worried I would not be able to wake in time when I went to bed at 1am the night before. Took a bus to the interchange to transfer to 61 that would take me straight to school in an estimated 40minutes(a fully packed bus is common in the first month of school). There was white smoke coming from a bus when we arrived. Might be a burnout? Might be the brakes instead of the engine as there was no fire(I might be wrong though). The smell was bad, and the thick white smoke attracted a crowd. Boarded the bus at 7.10, and surprisingly, I arrived in school at 7.25(in just 15 minutes). Good thing I had my E63 to help me pass the time.



The first lecture was one that I was looking forward to. Fluid Mechanics. Doesn't seem to be a difficult module, and chances of doing well are high, since I an rest assured the lecturer is none other than the module leader for this semester. Went for the practical briefing after that at 10am. Our lecturer, looked more like a student, though. Went for a 4-hour break from 10 till 2, before having the second and final lecture of the day. Strength of Materials. Seems like I'm having some problems already. Alright. Damn. Wouldn't that mean I would not have y notes tomorrow to study,since I'm lending them to Wei Yong for photocopying tomorrow till Wednesday or Friday? It's alright, it's ok. I'll study Calculus instead.

Painfully, the wait continues slowly

Experience Drive-13

Learnt about overtaking and being overtaken. However, since I was moving at the same speed as other vehicles on the roads, there weren't chances to overtake any other vehicle. Overtaking is just like changing lanes, however, it's only temporary, for after overtaking the vehicle, one would have to return to the original lane once again. Till that day, I have never went beyond 60km/h on the roads.

Yesterday, went to Wei Fan's place to celebate her 18th birthday. Met up with them at Lakeside MRT Station before we went to her place via the same canal we used to run at back in those days. After some time, her current classmates arrived. Among them, there was one, who looked almost like her, except that, her hair was longer than the one I "saw" those nights. Up in my head, which said,"It might be her ya? You never know when might be the next time you might meet someone who has a resemblence that close."

However,my heart said,"Hey, it has happened once. Don't let it happen again. Ok? You saw her picture for the first time the other day, right? The girl you met online and dreamt about for 5 consecutive times, only to lose contact with 10 months later and find out that her looks are exactly the same as the one you saw in your dreams back in January this year. Be patient. Wait. The other girl you saw for the sixth time on Thursday, you might just meet her in person when the time is right. Don't give up."

There were only the few ofus who were able to cook and prepare the food at the pit. Though the light conditions were not as good as expected, and I did not help around much, we still managed to do a great job preparing food for everyone there. The night ended when we took photographs together and had the cake cutting ceremony.

Anyways, it's less than 10 hours to the start of the new school semester. been a long holiday, with lots of happenings, both good and bad. I'll remember the good, and take the bad home as valuable lessons learnt. Tomorrow's the start of a brand new day. Lost some friends in the past, but I'll be sure to meet new ones in the future.

Perhaps, That would bring me a step closer to finding you? I don't know how, but like Jon said, I get the feeling that the day we met is drawing closer ith each passing second.

Experience Drive-12

This post was pre-preapred, and I'll be typing it out tonight, before going on to tonight's post. At the time of this post, I was still on the way home.

I'll make this short though. That day's lesson was basically to hel me get used to changing lanes quickly on a road with fast moving traffic. There was a need for fast acceleration and reaction, so that I would be able to change lanes as soon as there was enough room to do so.

At that point of time, I was slow in accelerating, and I turned the wheel so much, it felt as though I was making a turn instead of moving on a straight road, although I was still able to change lanes. Still, I look forward to the day I never stalled a single time.

Experience Drive-11

Coming to the end of the second stage, I started having some problems again. Slopes, my worst fear on the road. Whenever I went up a slope, I never wanted to stop. When we finally did, I expected the worst, and make an effort to move off without stalling or rolling back.

We went on a step hill near hillview, and, surprisingly, I managed to hold the car at the half clutch position after releasing the handbrake! We came to the slope at Choa Chu Kang, and there, once again, the car rolled back a little, stalled, before I finally managed to get the car moving off again.

Learnt to look out for potential danger while driving on the roads, and it wasn't that difficult. Any corner, any junction, as long as I wasn't alone, there was every possibility that anything could happen.

On the way back, I was starting to feel tired. He noticed it as well, when I forgot about turning left just after he told me to. Even when we went back up the slope, I stalled twice at the same spot. That makes the number of times I stalled that day three times. He told me this just before we ended the lesson. "Driving requires your full concentration."

I'll remember that everytime I enter the driver's seat in future.

Experience Drive-10

We have come to the 10th lesson in the course. That day, we did U-turns. There are 3 kinds. Wide divivder, narrow divider and the roundabout. The wide divider U-turn is the easiest. For the narrow divider, there are two kinds. The narrow divider has 2 kinds. Traffic light controlled and non-traffic light controlled. The traffic light controlled U-turn is relatively straight forward. As for the non-traffic light controlled U-turn, there are 2 kinds. The first is similar to the wide divider U-turn(except that the divider is narrow). The second, has no divider at all. That's also known as the kerb-side U-turn.

The U-turn sounds fun to execute, but it's difficult to master, for one has to gauge the distance and speed of any on-coming vehicle as well as consider the amount of room available for the vehicle to make a complete U-turn.

This morning, I had the 6th 'sighting' of her. Another one of my weird dreams. I was at Chinatown, trying to take off on a large, white kite with cloth cut out of a bed sheet and head for Johor in Malaysia for a wedding. No matter how much I tried, I just could not take off. I gave my mother a phone call, before calling up my future wife, telling them I would be taking the bus instead. I got to the bus terminal, and met another friend who was also on the way to attend the wedding. We found a internet cafe there, and started playing Maplestory(apparently,I met my bride online through that game. It was my friend who introduced me to her), before we switched over to World of Warcraft(WOW). We did some quests while waiting for the bus to arrive in another hour's time. We came to a difficult quest, and I decided to check up a forum on how we could complete the quest. Since there was still some time left, I went looking at profiles. And there, I saw her picture. Her picture was a potrait, and she wore pink. Compared to "seeing" her in person in my dreams, she appeard to be cuter in the photograph. With that, I woke up.

Another weird dream. On second thought. If something like that were to come true, wouldn't I be two-timing my wife? But, if it were to mean something else, does it mean that unless I could do the impossible, I should not use the internet to find a partner, and it would be best I stopped searching once I have settled down with her, in case I allowed myself to wander off, carelessly falling for someone else? Or, could it be, that this girl I had been dreaming of for the past 6 times, I would never be able to find her, until the day I get married to someone else?

Experience Drive-9

In the past few lessons, we have always stayed on the left lane. But in that lesson, I finally learnt to change lanes, meaning we could use the second and at times, the third lane for driving. From 6.15 to 7, we were practicing lane changes and right turns very slowly, since it was still bright. Once it was dark, we went on a leisurely drive around the area.

One thing I had trouble with during lane changes. Acceleration. As you move inward toward the centre divider of the road, your speed has got to increase as well. I do accelerate, but the rate at which I accelerate is too slow. When the instructor asks me to accelerate faster, it was to the point it felt almost as if you were in the seat of an aircraft on the runway about to takeoff into the air.

Right turns are slightly more tricky than the left turns, as you have to give way to 2 directions of traffic, instead of just 1, as well as the skill to turn according to the curvature of the junction. Every junction has a slightly different curvature. For some, you don't have to turn the steering wheel alot. For others, you might need about half a turn of the wheel. Other than that, the technique is more or less the same.

Anyways, just came back from an evening out with slightly less than half of the Cebu team. Had a great time catching up with one another,though there were only 10 of us. Went to a ramen stall near Tanglin, before seeing off the girls from NJ at Orchard MRT, and we went on to Ngee Ann City for our desert. All of us had 2 scoops of ice cream each. And it was only around 10 before we set off for the MRT station and headed home. Hopefully we could meet again, the 26 of us, after the examinations are over in December?

Experience Drive-8

Lesson 8. Covered the topics about the types of pedestrian crossings and left turns. That was the first time I had my lesson in the evening. Started at 6.15, and ended at 7.55 in the evening. The drive at 6.15 was under normal daytime conditions, though traffic starts to get heavy along some roads. At 6.30pm, had to switch the position lights on. 30 minutes later at 7pm, the headlights were switched on. It feels cool to be able to drive with the lights on at night. However, there was an additional challenge. Although here in Singapore, you have street lights and reflective signs to guide you, there are still places that are dark and it's not as easy to spot pedestrians crossing the road. However, one great advantage of driving at night, is that looking out for vehicles before making a turn is way easier. All you have to do is look out for the beam of a vehicle's headlights, before making the turn. No light is as good as no vehicle present, though there is still a need to look out for pedestrians crossing the road.

Pedestrian crossings. There are 2 types. Traffic light and zebra crossings. These 2 types can be further classified into another 2 types. Traffic light crossings. The first type is commonly found at road junctions and T-junctions. The green men are automatically activated when the green light for same direction is on. The second type is found on 2-way roads, commonly found near schools and bus stops in neighbourhoods. However, these crossings are activated by a pushbutton that can be pressed by the pedestrian who intends to cross the road. Even if the pushbuttons are not activated(as shown by a small red light above the pushbuttons), it's good practice to prepare to stop at the crossing.

The second type of pedestrian crossing is the zebra crossing. The first type has markings on the road. The second is made up of a combination of a hump and crossing. Also known as a raised zebra crossing, there's a need to shift down to the second gear(since it's a hump). The zebra crossings are usually a combination of speed regulating stripes. They're easy to spot, and make sure you don't stop on the crossing and obstruct the path of a pedestrian, and you'll do just fine.

Next, left turns. The left turn is rather easy. As for all turns and bends, the second gear is usually used. Most left turns at uncontrolle junctions require one to stop before making the turn, so as to prevent one from making the turn as soon as he or she reaches the junction and forgets to look out for any possible danger and react to them before making the turn. At junctions, be sure to give way to pedestrians crossing the road on the left before making the turn.

That evening, I nearly caused an accident. It was at the zebra crossing near Hong Kah North Community Club. Just we came to the crossing, I failed to look out for a pedestrian, dressed in black who happened to step into our path just as I went up the raised zebra crossing. He jammed the brakes. The engine stalled. We stopped on the hump, just in front of her. A little more, and I would have caused an accident. That was scary. That was the first and only time the engine stalled that evening.

Somehow, I prefer driving in the evening compared to driving in the morning, though my mind is fresher at 10am in the morning. In the evening, there is a greater need to be able to react faster to any situation happening ahead.

Experience Drive-7

Second week into my practical driving course. I have reached the second stage of the course, where every lesson is conducted on the roads. Basically about getting myself used to the traffic on the road, such as the traffic lights, signs and markings on the roads. Relatively smooth drive, except for areas where there are gentle slopes.

With the car rolling backward just after relasing the brakes to step on the accelerator, the first thing to do would be to move off as fast as you could. However, that might make things worse, as for me, whenever I heard the engine over-revving, I would reduce the pressure on the pedal, and at the same time, release the clutch a little too much. As a result, the engine starts to vibrate rather violently(a warning sign that the engine is about to stall), or it stalls.

The safest and cheapest way to prevent such an incident is, after coming to a stop, release your brakes slightly. If you notice the car starting to roll back,immediately depress the brake pedal again, and engage the handbrakes. Just before moving off, engage the half-clutch position with the clutch and accelerator pedals. You would feel the car vibrating gently, a change in the engine sound, and you would also notice the front of the car just dipped slightly. Release the handbrakes, and the car would move off right after that.

Another way, would be to hold the half-clutch position with the accelerator such that the car does not roll backward, nor does it move off. The delay in moving off is shorter, but it would accelerate the rate the clutch lining wears out, should you need to hold the car in a stationary position on a slope for too long.

I stalled twice, once at the slip road beside the Shell petrol station near MI, and the second time, at the edge of the yellow box just after the green light came on at the junction next to Club CSC @ Bukit Batok.

Basically, there wasn't much of a need to pay attention to the signs and markings that warned for me to slow the car down, except near the traffic lights, as there was no point in having me reducing the car down further from 30km/h.

Experience Drive-6

That day, we did the sharp turns once again, before we went out on the roads again. This time, I suceeded in all the turns, and did not strike the kerb at all. Learnt about the checking of blind spots, and stopping along the side of a road. Relatively smooth, except that I stalled the car twice again.

The part where you check the blind spots is tricky. Some common mistakes drivers make include checking too early before turning or making lane changes, checking too long to the extent they are not able to react to anything that might be in the path of the vehicle, and forgetting to check or checking too late(after making a turn or lane change). For myself, at the start, it's always checking early or checking for too long. Till today, there were still moments where I ended up having the need to check twice as I looked over my shoulder too early. Sometimes, he had to guide me with the steering while I was still checking. Usually, just a quick glance would do the trick. It's really quick, but till now, I don't get how the tester would be able to notice a candidate checking the mirrors and blind spot.

Experience Drive-5

That day we had the 5th lesson, on a Saturday. Learnt about intermittent braking and its usefulness, though I did not see the difference with normal braking, as the techniques are very similar. I only felt its advantages when we were out on the roads again in the next few lessons.

Another thing we covered that day, was making sharp turns. I did terribly for that. In order to make a perfect turn, you had to be fast with your steering, but you also had to keep the vehicle moving at a low speed. For the whole lesson, of the 8 turns we made, I managed only 2 perfect turns. The rest were either wide turns or too sharp which caused the car to strike the kerb. The best turn I made that day, the last one in fact, was the turn where I made the car move on its right side. The whole left part of the car, was up on the kerb! We were both in shock, but as soon as I brought the car back down onto the road, he looked at me and started laughing. We changed seats and he showed me how it should have been done, before we were done for the day.

When he meant low speed, it was really low speed. The speed had to be so slow, that the speedometer's needle points at 0 from start to end.

Experience Drive-4

That was the first time in my life I drove on a public road. Went driving around the same route for about 10 to 15 times before the route was changed slightly. Passed my father's workplace quite a number of times as well. The main aim, to learn to accelerate and regulate the car's speed according to the traffic situation and condition. When we first started out, everything went relatively fine, until we came to the first slip road. Still unsure of how much of the steering wheel to turn, I made the car go wide at the turn. Good thing my instructor was there and we were going at a relatively slow speed. Once again, I locked my hands on the wheel, and he said,"Don't lock your hands. Let me help. If not, we're both going to end up in the big drain." Immediately I helped him as he turned the wheel to correct the path we were taking. Later on, at a couple more junctions, I made more sharp left turns, but it was easier for him to help and guide me during those times.

It sounds easy to do, but when it comes to sharing the road with other vehicles, doing so is tough for a first-timer who has little or no experence of driving on a public road. As time passes,one would find it as easy as playing an arcade game, just that safety is also taken into consideration to ensure the best experience on the roads.

Early this morning I had the same 'sighting' in a dream again, though it lasted for not more than 30 seconds. It lasted not more than 30 seconds. I saw her walkng past, and I woke up. End of dream. This time, I saw her wearing a red shirt and black shorts.

Had my first experience driving an auto transmission car today as well, and I'll cover that when the time comes. After the lesson, I saw someone who wore nearly the same attire as the girl I 'saw' in m dream the day before, except that the girl who walked pass me at the juncion outside the school was taller and slimmer.

Went home, before going to pick up my brother with my parents and went for lunch. Yet again, I saw another girl who had almost the same attire as the one I saw in the dream this morning, except that, like the first, she was slimmer, and wore a pair of glasses.

Experience Drive-3

The third lesson on Thursday. Did the same thing as the previous lesson, except this time we went round left bends, tried the 3rd gear and I learnt two of the three types of braking.

Stalled the car thrice on that day, and as for braking, I had gotten better, such that you would not feel the jerk jerking forward as much upon coming to a stop. Sometimes, we would not notice much difference when I changed from first to second gear and coming to a complete stop.

On to today. Had another weird dream. Attended a camp with a friend, at a school on a Friday. Booked in at 4pm, had activities till late, and we had the best night walk ever. Pitch black environment, used torches(those used in medival times) as torchlights and the monsters and ghosts, were real. We even entered the bridge of a space ship! The next morning had some games, before we had the prize pesentation. For some reason, the both of us were down to help with the area cleaning, and when we got back, we were dismissed.

Here's the weird part. A girl and her father, came to us, asking for a friendly match. Alright. THis match is something that would never happen in real life. Seen the anime Avatar? That's what happened. They controlled water, we controlled water. Behind them, was a boy who could control air. We sneaked up to him, told him our plan, and we got down to it. However, we were never successful. Until when we finally managed to carry out our plan, the girl suddenly ran to the washroom, and came out soon after, only to throw out. Someone threw a roll of toilet paper out as well, and out came the cleaner, angry about the mess she made. We just let her let lose her anger and she walked away. I went over to her with her father. He asked if she was fine before bringing her home. He thanked us for the time and took her home.

My friend and I stayed there for awhile to help with the cleaning, before going off. We went to the bus interchange together, before going our seperate ways. Went to wait for the bus, before, I met her again. Asked where her father was, she only said he had to rush back to work after something cropped up. Offered to accompany her home, and the dream ended when we boarded an SBS bus.

Here's the weird stuff. A camp at a school? A super realistic night walk that was out-of-this-world. A girl who I had seen in 4 dreams, including this one. The first sighting was in March this year. A bus insterchange that was fully air-conditioned.

Some traits. 160 to 165 in height, sky blue tee with some sliver lines and white shorts, shouldher-length hair tied up with a black band and, neither too thin nor plump. This might freak some out. Aged between 14 to 16(though I think it's more likely to be between 15 to 16).

Weird eh? Discussed this with Jon, and we both agreed it was weird with lots of weird stuff, though some parts might just become a reality. Honestly, I hope this dream doesn't come true in any possible way. As for that girl. I don't know if someone like that really exists in the real world, an even if someone really exists, I have nothing to say, other than, how was it even possible for me to dream of someone I have never met in real life?

Experience Drive-2

A day after the first lesson, went back he next day at 2.10pm for the second lesson. Didn't really do much, other than going round the circuit repeatedly for the whole duration, so that I could get used to the steering of the car round right bends and the shifting of gears. The whole time, I still had to count for two seconds so that I could release the clutch without causing the vehicle to vibrate violently while moving off.

It felt tough at first, but after an hour, it sank in. At the end of the day, I did not have much problems going round the bends, but I still had problems with the clutch. Upon changing to second gear, the car never fails to vibrate. Braking had improved, since the car wouldn't jerk as much whenever we came to a stop. I stalled the car twice on that lesson.

There were no lessons on Wednesdays, except for the first week of October. Wednsdays could be truly considered as the only day during the holidays where I could relax at home all day, till September ends.

Experience Drive-1

My 230th post. Its been almost a month since I sat down in the driver's seat of a Honda City for the first time. (I'm not very sure if it's fine to post this up.)

Monday, 7Th September at 9.50am, I went for the first driving lesson. When I first received my booking slip, I saw the car number, and thought,"Oh,ok. One. Six. Eight." I did not notice the "hidden meaning" the digits meant when pronunced in Chinese until my fourth lesson. Still can't get it? Wait till I post the 4th one then. My first impression? Scary, but when you're in the car, you get the feel as though everything was going to be fine. Here's something funny. However, for the first few lessons, I had a bit of a trust issue when he helped me with the steering, as well as the braking. I can't remember exactly what he said, but I was sure he told me something while we were going round a right bend, I locked my hands on the wheel while he was trying to help me with he steering. He said calmly,"If you don't let me help you, we might both end up going through the fence." It sounded funny, but if I had not allowed him to step in during that moment, we both might have ended up off the road.

There was an introduction to the car, such as the various parts, pre-drive checks, how to change a car tyre, and of course, how to start, move and steer the car. Being the slowest learner the world has ever seen, took me pretty long just to know the relation between the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals. We went through the fundamentals of driving. Depress the accelerator, listen to the engine, notice the engine revolving at 1,500 rounds per minute before slowly releasing the clutch(to the point where the car vibrates slightly, and the engine revolution decreases, also known as the 'biting point') and feel the car inching forward slowly. That's, easier said than done. Before that, we would count for 2 seconds the moment I achieved the biting point, before slowly releasigthe clutch and allow the car to move forward solely using the accelerator pedal. There was something he said when I was doing it for the first time. "Every car has a diferent biting point". I nodded, although I did not understand fully behind the meaning of that sentence, until the days I had 2 lessons with different instructors, which of course, meant I would be using different cars.

We went on to practice steering the car around right bends for the remaining time before calling it a day. I stalled the car for a record number of 5 times on that day. The lesson was fun, yet scary at times, especially when the car went wide at the bends for a couple of times during the last minutes of the lesson. Stalling, wasn'ta frightening experience, but it sure was embarrasing.

A Dream Too Real To Be A Dream

This is something I definitely have got to post. I had this dream on Friday morning. Something what made this dream special, was that it's another one of those dreams that I was able to remember every event down to nearly the smallest detail. Personally, dreams like these, have a relatively higher chance of becoming a reality in the near future compared to other dreams where I simply remember the brief events and the people involved.

I was driving a car(can't remember the make), before being chased by a police car in Malaysia on the highway. Was detained, and brought to a police station. (How was it, that I was able to drive a car whenI was still on my way to sittng for the driving test and getting my license?)I could remember everything that happened at the station. From the outsde it looked like a bungalow. On the inside, it was like an office. The walls were painted bottom-half yellow, top-half white. The windows had white grills. There were two officers, both Malay. The one who interrogated me, was the artise who acted in the series "Police and Thief"(weird,right?). As for the other, I did not really look at him, other than knowing that he was there, watching. Somehow, I answered every question truthfully, and the concluded that I was driving a car that did not belong to me(as it was a rental car)and that I had stolen the car. Weirdly, I simply acknowledged the crimes that I was found to be guilty of. And, the penalty to pay, was none other than capital punishment by shooting.

In that dream, it was so weird, yet it felt so real. I was so calm, yet I did not worry about what was yet to come. In that dream, I saw death as being born again, as though I had another life waiting for me to live after I had passed on. He took me to an empty room, had me facing the window, and held a rifle aimed at my back. I thought to myself," Don't worry. It will happen so fast, before you know it, you'll be born to a new family in another part of the world."

Before I knew it, I heard a loud bang. I fell to my knees, before fallng flat onto the ground. I felt my hearing disappear, and my eyesight became blurred. Before I knew it, I passed out, but not for long. I felt myself being dragged out by the feet, by the same officer who shot me with the rifle. The white-tiled flooring was stained as he dragged me through 3 rooms. He kept turning right. The moment we were in the thrid room, I slowly regained consciousness. That, was extremely weird and unnatural. How was I, having been shot right in the heart, still be able to be awake? I tasted blood in my mouth. I felt a mild pain in my chest, and my right palm was covered in blood. Perhaps, I unknowingly covered my wound with it when I fell? The officer was still nearby, talking on the phone, asking for a vehicle to take my body to a morgue.

I woke up. I lifted my head up slightly, and took a sweeping glance of the room. Feeling weak, I slowly opened my mouth, which leaked of blood. What about my arms, could I move them? Slowly, I moved my arms slightly. He was still on the phone, and I did not want to surprise anyone with any sudden movement. I jerked. The other officer noticed, and whispered to his colleague, who had just hung up the phone.

"Hey,hey! I think, he just moved."
"You sure? I knew very well I shot him fatally. Maybe it's his last breath."

He picked up my feet, and started dragging me out through the door. The time now, was after sunset. The sky was crimson. By now, I was fully awake, and felt alive, except for the pain in my chest. However, although my heart was still beating weakly, I felt some mild pain there. He turned me over at the carpark after we were out the main door, and there, still breathing, I stared him in the eye. He took a step back. He turned ghostly pale. "Why that look? You haven't killed me yet," I said, softly, blood leaking out like water flowing from a leaking tap each time I spoke a word.

"But how? I shot you straight in the heart."
"Yes, you did. But why am I still alive?"
"Nevermind. Hold him still. Don't worry. I promise you this time you won't feel anything after the shot."

I nodded. He walked over, loaded his revolver, covered its nozzle(is that what its called?) with the back of my head, and almost immediately, he pulled the trigger. I lost consciousness almost immediately. However, after a short while, I felt myself waking once again. This time, I stood up. The officers were still there, and they did not dare to move. My family arrived by car. "Now that you have tried to shoot me to death twice, do you mind letting me return to my family? With those 2 wounds, I don't think I would last beyond tonight." In shock, they nodded, to the extent it seemed as though they were having a fit. He gestered his hand, as if he were anxiously asking me to leave. I got in the car, and by now, the bleeding had stopped.

We got home, and the first thing I did was to head to the bed. My room was still just as messy as ever. Sitting there, I told my parents that I had to cancel the last 3 lessons for driving as soon as possible so that they could get a refund of the fees, and that it was pointless to cancel the test date, for there would be no refund even if we were to give up the slot to someone else. Weirdly, I never told them what to do after I had passed on. My family, and I did not feel nor show any signs of fear, happiness or feel sadness. We were calm. They agreed, and I went to the kitchen to get a drink and something to eat.

It was about 10pm in the night when I went to the secod floor to turn on the desktop. I saw my brother taking the model kit I had bought earlier on the 2nd of September when I took a short tour around Sengkang. (From that, I guessed that day might be my brother's birthday, this saturday, October 10th. But wait. Why would we, or I even drive to Malaysia on a Saturday just to celebrate my brother's birthday? Weird.) Suddenly, just as I was about to log into the computer, I started shaking violently and uncontrollably. "So his is how it feels to say goodbye. Just let me go on for a little longer and see them for one last time, please?"I thought, before waking at 4.38am in the morning.

"Huh? That was a dream? But it felt so real!" With that thought, I started shivering badly, the same way I shivered in that dream. Quickly, I reached out for the comforter I was lying on. Surprisingly, it was folded in half, along the side of the bed. How was I able to do that while I was dreaming? All I remember was lying over it before falling asleep, but not folding it in half as I fell asleep. In addition, why did the room suddenly become so cold, when only the fan was turned on, and the air conditioner was turned off throughout the night? I started to feel fear. What if, that dream really came true? Wouldn't all of us be in trouble? Was the comforter that was folded in half, and the extreme cold I felt upon waking some kind of a warning to prepare for the worst on that day, for the dream would definitely become a reality on the 10th of October, this Saturday? I don't know. If it was really going to happen, I rather stay home all day, if I were going to be the cause of it.

30 Days Later...

It's been a month hasn't it? Anyways, alot sure has happened in September alone. The start seemed fine, but as the days passed, it just got worse. Felt like a freefall that never ended. Wore a chute on my back, but never saw the need to release it to glide back to thes afety of the ground. This month, I had been dreaming. Lots of dreams that seem so real they might really become a reality in the near future. Some, I wished they would really happen. Some, I hoped not to dream of again. And some, I did not want to come true. However, there is some sort of a pre-requisite for the particular dream to come true. The more things I can remember from a dream, the clearer it is, the greater the chances that particular dream would come true.

First there's something that has been going on since the start of the year, but whether it would end the way I saw in a dream back in July, I really don't know.

Here's the dream. It took place in total darkness. Only voices could be heard. It all started with me meeting a girl, and soon, I came to know another guy and 2 more girls. We started chatting about everything under the sun. However, due to a simple problem about relationships, the bond was badly shaken. Rapidly, we stood strong and recovered. Sadly, things started getting worse, and a friend was lost. The mood was nearly back to normal after that when, all of a sudden I simply lost all connection with them.

On the 5th, I went for a competition. The day before, went with parents and brother to West Mall to change our handsets. My second phone(SE k770i) lost sensitivity to some keys a month back. I got myself the N63. Went home, played around with it a little, before turning in early that night. Had a competition the following morning.

Overslept that Sunday morning, rushed down and got ready. Very chaotic, as I did not know what to do. There was this Chinese student fro NUS, who gave me encouragement instead of giving me the "I'm-so-going-to-get-you-if-I-see-you-at-the-next-round" kind of look. The words,"Don't be so tense" still lingers whenever I remember the moments before the match. He wasn't my opponent. He was the opponent of my opponent. I went down, mentally prepared about the possibilities that I might be breathing my last breath down at the court. Once again, I had dreamt about it back during the June break. I was asked if I was fine at the end of the second round, and I foolishly requested to go on to the end. The dream ended when I was dealt two direct hits to the same spot on my head and I woke in shock.

So, we went in, got ready, and there we exchanged blows. He had the gangster-like look, but I didn't really care. Anyways, he made the first move. A combo to the stomach and head. That one left me seeing double for a couple of seconds. He continued to give me another kick to the chin, but fortunately, that was not considered as a hit. That's the first round. Took a breather, the coach advised me to make the first move in the second round. I did, and secured 2 points. The score now, was 2 to 4. He gave another blow to the head, this time my right, but the score remained. The round ended, still with a score of 2-4. This time I was really feeling giddy. The question came. I decided to go on. I made the first move, but failed to score a point. As I went for the head, he was faster and gave me a direct to the stomach once again, at the same spot. This time, an official and the coach stepped in, called for a medic, and called off the match. Went for lunch with the committee, before heading back, to wait for the prize presentation. I won a bronze.

After that, went to Bugis to meet up with some long lost friends from primary 6. There were 9 of us. Mr and Mrs Choy(Ms Wong, our relief teacher for the first semester in 2003) and their daughter joined us for dinner at Pasta Mania at Bugis. They left after we took photographs together, before we went down to Starbucks to slack till 10.45pm before taking the bus home. Reached home around 12.

Thats pretty much the first week of September. The next day, Monday, was the day I had my first driving lesson. Shall cover that over the next few posts, as I had already completed 19 lessons to date.