It's been proximity 24 hours ago since I passed my driving test on 1st attempt. I'm so happy and can't believe 2 months ago, my last blogpost, I was still writing about my struggle. I decided to write down this surreal moment as I know it was Jesus that helped me so much along the way.
After yesterday, I'm very convinced that the holy spirit is real and does speak to us believers and divine intervention does happen.
On the day of my driving test I was a little nervous like most people. I had a blur vision that I would pass the night before but I was prepared to failed. The anticipation started from the weekend, then right to my last revision, now it all comes down to this test date. While I was strolling to bbdc thinking perhaps it was my last time walking the path, I said a short prayer "Dear God, I'm the righteousness of God in Christ, I pray from victory and that even I don't pass the test, Father you will still love me.. that I will learned from my mistakes and continued to improve as a driver..." something along the line and started to pray in tongues like always. When I reached the school I was 30mins early. I was getting abit nervous and started to find a seat and sit down to calm myself. I sat for maybe 5 mins and then I decided okie it is time. So I walked to the machine to scan my IC and waited for my warm up.
I was quickly assigned to a warm up car and a warm up instructor was randomly assigned to me. It was a young instructor, just 2 years older than me. So I started driving in the circuit. Everything was fine in the circuit till the slope. The instructor realized that slope was not my forte although I still managed to overcome the slope. Then we went out to the road and everything was quite okie too till I was at the T junction on a slope and started to panic when I couldn't released the handbrake properly. When I did, cars will coming along and I had to pulled up the handbrake again. What was worse was cars started to formed up behind me and I fumble again and car stalled. Eventually I moved off when the handbrake was released halfway. I started to blamed the handbrake but instructor assured me I was nervous and couldn't performed under pressure. He was saying just that incident alone can maybe get 6 demerit points? Heading back the instructor led me to do 1 final slope again at the sch exit. I did okie. He chatted with me a little and reminded me of the important stuff to note but my mind was just blank. I knew the things he said but whether I could execute them under pressure is just another thing altogether. So he led me to the tester room, brief me and wished me luck and went off.
While I was sitting at the room, more people were coming in. I just kept eating sweets to calm myself. That moment felt as though we are waiting for our death sentence. That moment felt like forever. Finally one by one we are called up. I was assigned test route 1. Off I go.
Adjusted everything, ready to move off. Within 10 sec moving off, the tester started to slam the dashboard. E-brake! Okie that was a lure. I intentionally change to gear 2 to wait for him to do that. S- course okie. Then vertical parking. My position was okie but I needed to move abit forward as I was over my turning line but I adjusted my mirror already, so I adjusted it back but I forgot to change back gear to 1. It was on reverse gear. Damn! I reverse abit then stop and realized. That was when tester started tapping on his tablet. As I performed the parking I turned abit late so my left side was too wide and right side to narrow. I adjusted 2 times but I feel it didn't make a lot of difference. There was a trainer car waiting for the lot and I started to panic abit and decided to go with the final position. Tester was just focus on whether I'm hitting the kerb and checking my blindspot.
After that I was caught in a weird situation. I was supposed to do a right turn. Right infront of me was a yellow box. There were 2 motorists at both end of the yellow box. 1 infront and 1 behind. Tester said to me, "so got motorbike cannot turn out ah". In mind I was thinking okie the angle is quite tight, think better to turn out after they moved off. So I reply "coz got motorbike". He said, "okie up to you, your judgement". Then he started tapping his tablet and indeed I got 2 demerit points for delay in moving off. I should have told him I would turn out if I have license already lol. Then went to slope. Cock up again! Everything was okie till I didn't fully released the handbrake. The car beeped twice but tester was still. Okie maybe I'm still safe.
D-change okie, crank course okie. Finally parallel parking. I did everything okie till the final turning point I forgot to turn! So the car was diagonal. F**K! I didn't realized till when I turn the steering wheel 4 times. So I adjust and adjust. The 1st time I adjust I forgot to check behind when reversing. Arghhh!! Okie finally I managed to park the car. It was definitely not my usual standard during lesson. Normally can execute all the obstacles with minimal adjustment.
Then when turning out from lot, tester said my turning was too wide. He was sighing, shaking head alittle and constantly tapping on his tablet. I remembered my instructors said, try to accumulate 0 demerit pts in the circuit. I see the tester busily tapping away and I thought I was gone already. My mind was telling me with about 4-5 mistakes and 2-4 demerit points for each, probably I have hit 20pts already and likely I have failed. When the tester asked me to drive out, I felt like giving up now. But I felt a prompting of a spirit. The spirit was just telling me don't be afraid, the circuit component is over, let's just complete this test and do well in the remaining half of the test despite the result. My flesh felt like giving up but the spirit was overwhelming. There was peace and my nervousness was gone. I would think that my test route was easy too. There was no slope.
Whenever there are moments where I have to stop the car due to traffic I would speak in tongues. I think the tester thought I was mumbling. Everything was pretty smooth on the road for me until when heading back I didn't know what to do, like where to park the car and the tester was like, "instructors never tell you ah?" in a frustrated tone.
I was directed back to the tester room while tester went to print my result. I was probably the last one to returned because there was no one else in the room. While waiting for the moment of truth I had a lots of thoughts going on in my head. Telling myself "its okie if failed.. just take again..." That moment felt like forever again and I started to speak in tongues. Finally tester came out like after 5mins. I couldn't really understand what he was trying to say coz he was mumbling. I just nodded and replied okie for everything. But I peep into the slip and was sure I have less than 20pts!. Then he asked got photograph and I was like WooooHoooo!!!! I PASSED!!!! PRAISE JESUS. If I will to think in the natural, no way I would passed. I accumulated 14pts in the circuit. Tester didn't minus pts from my slope. Got 2 demerit pts for incorrect braking which amount to 16pts in total. When on the road, by right we are supposed to check rear mirror before signal, before moving off and when doing bends. I'm sure I did not check all the time although I did most of the time. Tester could have failed me but I managed to passed. What was significant to me was really the moment when the spirit prompted me. It was like it knew the result and even gave me sign and vision the night before which I did not boldly declare.
Just to sidetrack. I had a similar incident when I was supposed to somehow grab 4 cathay move tix stubs in order to join a short film competition in 2 days as my team didn't have time to watch movies. I walked to the cathay and while I was there I felt the same spirit prompting me to just wait. But as you know the flesh is weak and I was doing everything I could to get the 4 tix. I sms afew friends who I knew are movie freaks but they all replied me saying usually they threw them away. I was looking through trash bags but there was no sight of tix stubs. I even went to the carpark to checked the bins or perhaps there might be some tix stubs on the floor or smth. No hope. Then I started to asked the tix usher and she directed me to the tix counter people. Hmm not very helpful. In my desperation I was prepared to spent money to buy 4 movie tix stubs already as it was almost 2 hours since I'm at cathay . But the spirit just wanted me to sit there. Then suddenly a cleaner uncle walked out to mop the floor. I asked him about the tix stubs and he kindly went to one the empty theatre to helped me find. He even said its a little challenging to get 4. 1 or 2 might be possible but he will try his best. In less than a minute he came out with exactly 4 tix stubs. He even said it was laid properly on a empty seat, exactly 4! God bless you uncle:) I knew God has gone ahead of me in that situation. And it was so effortless.
Coupled with yesterday incident, I'm almost sure God can speak to us. Although sometimes I cannot discern and my flesh will take over but I truly believe in divine intervention. The spirit is more powerful, it can guide us to victory. We just have to obey.
With that being said, if anyone out there is reading my blog and struggling in their driving, remember to go for more practices. I had in total 36 lessons with 4 practical revision. My advice is not to be afraid to failed. I was prepared to failed actually as I booked additional lessons beyond my test dates yesterday. I was a slow learner too. Having to take 10 lessons for stage 1 and 11 lessons to complete stage 2. Average students would likely take 5-6 lessons for each stage. And don't fear fear. It is just a emotional state that fluctuate. Let it come, let it go. Finally I just to give thanks to God again, and to all my bbdc group instructors for their patience and guidance and to my friends that prayed for me. My learning journey has been a roller coaster ride but this is what I called "adventure". Not sure if I want to get class 2B so see how bah=D
