the driving test...

i tried to sleep early last night to get well rested for the driving test but ended up tossing and turning the whole time anyway. no thanks to Ju On 2... anyways, i woke up at 7.30 this morning, washed up, got dressed and tried to de-zombify myself in the mirror using foundation on my dark eye rings. breakfast was a simple cup of milk tea and a Pop Tart. at 0840h, i drove with aunt J and Stacey to the DMV, parked and headed to the counter to register. my test was supposed to be at 0910h but the people ahead of me took a longer time so we waited for about 15 mins before i went out for the test.

we were hoping to get the male tester cos he's the lenient one, but i got a very mean Hispanic lady instead. i heard from Stacey that she doesn't talk to people, she barks at them, even her colleagues! that sure got my stomach in a knot. i guess i really wasn't familiar with the controls of the car, messed up the positions of the defoggers and emergency brakes (which is what we know as the handbrake in S'pore). after checking that the car was in working condition, the tester made me drive out. she really didn't make any conversation, only giving directions in curt sentences. on my part, i just made sure that i was focused on the road and following her directions. instead of the usual route that my aunt has been making me practice on, she took me a different way instead. no problem, i just have to follow regular traffic rules right? before we were even halfway through the practice route, she made me do 3 left turns to head back to the DMV. we drove in to the road on the side of the DMV to do the straight-line reverse part of the test, and the 3-point turn. i did them almost perfectly, except when my palm accidentally hit the honk while i was turning the steering wheel to turn back into the DMV parking lot after the 3-point turn.

i wasn't paying attention to the time taken for the test since i was doing all i could to concentrate on the test and make sure i didn't screw up. when Stacey saw me pulling into the parking lot, she went out of the DMV to look cos she thought i had failed cos usually, the test takes 20 mins but i was back in 10. my aunt who was still inside, also thought i was doomed. but after locking the car, i told Stacey the good news before we went in so she was relieved. my aunt was all solemn, walking to to me with the expression on her face that said "i knew it. she's finished."

"so you didn't pass?"

"no, i passed!"

"oh! i thought you were finished! i thought you failed cos you came back so soon! so you drove well then?"

"yeah, i guess i drove pretty well."

-_-''' i really don't stink at driving, it's her who's so fierce and nerve-wrecking all the time. even the meanie tester didn't make me wanna hurl, which is my usual feeling of dread every time i have to practice with her around. so after the unusually quick processing of paperwork, Stacey took us to macs and my aunt bought us breakfast. we shared hotcakes, sausage, omelet, a breakfast burrito, hash browns and i got an iced hazelnut coffee. mmm...

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it's really a load off my shoulders now that i've earned my license. now i don't have to face every other day with that trepidation looming above me like a rain cloud. i don't have to worry about putting dents and scratches on a car that's not mine. i don't have to grit my teeth and clench my fists telling myself not to talk back at her. i don't have to hold back the hot tears of anger and indignation when i get told off for no good reason at all. i don't have to listen to her raving mad driving psychobabble anymore. at least not until i'm heading back to LA.

in any case, i'd like to thank everyone reading this for all the support you guys have shown me in helping me get through those really rough times. Grace dear, thanks for staying up till wee hours of the morning to keep me company and for believing so firmly in me. i'd also like to thank my Ferdi darling for all the positive thinking he's been trying so hard to instill in me, for listening to my rants and tolerating my moodiness, for making me laugh when i'm down, for being himself, and for being mine. couldn't have done it without all of you.