Simply.Just.Pure.Me
20
Helping people find jobs
Qifa.Commonwealth.Hwa Chong.
BMTC II.AFS.SOA.PLAD
Ren.Ray.Jan.Yu
Woon.Zing.Ner.Aili.Re.Ngai.Li
Blue.White and hazel choc
Travelling.Reading
For 2007, I hope to...
:Enrich myself as much as possible before Uni:
:Do well in Uni:
:Visit Hong Kong or Taiwan:
:Learn hip-hop dancing:
:Not involve my car in any accident:
Free shoutbox @ ShoutMix
Return to Unit...
Whew... long time since i blogged... I din even realise it was that long! Lol...
Maybe it's too much tiring driving.
Maybe it's too exciting going back to unit.
Maybe it's too much change switching back to old biomechanism.
Wadeva the case, I'm back here! Haha
Ok so from where I left off last time.
So after the long day with night driving and all... the next day (fri) was also all extra stuff... Driving across a pool of water (which was supposed to simulate a flood-like kind of scenario) and also how to camoflouge our vehicle in the forest... like hello? The bloody vehicle so big u cover with all the canopy net enemy also can see lor!
Wadeva la... going to end of course soon anyway.
Then saturday we drove on the expressway for the first time after obtaining our licenses. It's like convoy driving with like 3 vehicles in one convoy, of which only the first vehicle of each convoy has an instructor to lead the way from Mandai camp (right next to the zoo) all the way to Seletar West Camp which is just opposite seletar airport.
I was so happy cuz the odds of being in a vehicle with an instructor is not so high, esp less so with my irritating instructor cuz we were all mashed up into different groups.
But... yes u can guess... SO SUAY u noe!!! I got into the same vehicle as my instructor.
And so yes... he was nagging almost throughout the whole journey. Becuz of wad? He claimed I was too slow.
Like hello? SAF vehicles' speed limit is 50 km/h, upon reaching will activate a loud screeching alarm going beep beep beep in one second. Yes that's 3 beeps per second for you.
And when 10 beeps are sounded continuously at one go, there is a small devious meter which jumps by one number and that small little jump can possibly cost you $150 and some time in kranji chalet with free hair-shave, free food and free strenous PT. How great!
And he was like rushing me to drive until like 5 or 6 beeps are heard b4 slowing down and after the beeping has stopped to accelerate again. And the cycle goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and I could go on and on and it wouldn't be enough to express my excruciating ride with my instructor.
Sigh. Ok nvm.
Come Monday, driving on E'way again. Same convoy as my instructor (yours truly was sadly unfortunately bounded to his convoy for the whole island wide driving thing, like seriously just my luck lah!).
But good thing is... I was in a different vehicle as him. The second one, right behind him. But still, he has to find some fault with me. And again it was the fact that I was driving too slowly and not being able to catch up with his vehicle.
Are u tired of me ranting about my instructor's complaints already? haha. Exactly how I felt too... So ya, u get the point...
Oh well, tuesday, I also dun want to say lah... U can guess hor. But it was a half day for me cuz I completed accumulating 200km on the road and had thus officially "graduated" from the course. Being extremely tired, I spent almost the whole afternoon sleeping. Hehe
Wed back to unit. But it was night shift. Estatic. No need for waking up at bloody 5.30am or 6am ever again! Course has ended!! hahahahaha
But I still had a morning driving lesson at BBDC. I'm gonna chiong all the way and hopefully be able to drive as early as feb or march next year! Then I can zoom my way on the roads and going out will be so much more convenient! Hahaha. But I'm gonna keep it from most ppl even when I do get my license or else I have to be their chauffers! WTH!!! Haha J/k la. At the most i'll just say that I got no car cuz my father shipped it to thailand! *Oops* Haha
Yep. Then night shift. As usual sleep depriving shift. Only had 2 1/2 hours of sleep. So was quite seh the whole of thursday. even when I had some sleep in the afternoon when I made my way to Sim Lim to get a new mouse I was still seh.
Oh my poor body! I can hear its pleas. How it is suffering because of sleep deprivation!!! Argh What the heck!
Then yesterday... haha finally time when we "eat" (chi1) the SAF... like literally. SAF ammo command celebrated its 36th anniversary yesterday evening at Crown Palace Restaurant which is tucked away at the top of some ulu 4 storey HDB kind of like building thingey in Yishun. Like wth... ask us go all the way there for a dinner? Haha. But wth. Free food. And summore we were given the morning and afternoon off as we had to "dress up" and "prepare" for the impending dinner in the evening.
Food was soooooo mediocre. Well it was ok for $25 per pax so well, I'm not complaining la. My mother's cooking can fight with them la. So disappointing u noe... No abalone, no shark's fin, and no crab too!
But service was good, and the activities that evening were somewhat quite entertaining as well. Heck! They even invited auntie abigail (the really thin, anorexic, man-turned-female I think who claims (s)he looks like Chu Mei Fung of the Taiwan scandal). And she was like singing and flirting with some of the NS guys seated near the stage. She was even like touching some of the better looking guys who were invited on stage to play some games haha.
You should have seen the violent reactions. Heck even the non-SAF patrons tucked away in some small VIP-ish room enjoying their private dinner came out to watch abigail strut her stuff muhahaha!!!
Ok then a rather lame but entertaining emcee took over. Ok lah, some of the games and competitions were quite lame but at least it provided entertainment throughout the dinner so it wasn't quiet and boring and akward lah...
The final competition of best dressed male and female was hilarious too. Esp the female one. Lol. Shan't elab. Thinking about it sets me laughing from time to time too hahaha...
Sigh. Then full-day duty today. Such a sad life I'm returning to anyway right? Haha... why so exciting hor? Heez. Ok lah quite slack today. Played this game called "XIII" on Xbox which is like CS-styled. And of course my talent for such games (or rather a lack thereof) was so obviously seen beside the prowess of lao da... Sigh. I'm so not suited for such games. *Sobs* I'd rather stick to games like Neverwinter Nights and Heroes haha.
Ok a rather long entry. Haven't had one for a real long time. Sorry if it was tiring to read. I just had to get it out. ><
Peace out
Terry
Terence pens his legacy at 11:36 PM Anxiety and estimation
Phew. Just ended a long day of training today. Night included. With night vision goggles and all. Like I will use those one day lol.
Anyway... the good news is... I passed my ML driving test!!! Yesterday actually... but I came home so exhausted that I just slept and din even have the energy to come online and blog. Haha. Driving under pressure-cooker conditions is not fun noe... it's tiring.
In any case, I'm glad I got a rather nice and unassuming tester. By that I mean he doesn't take one small mistake or kok-up from you as a sign that u are gonna screw up the whole drive that he starts with a mindset of failing you. And that meakes for a very smooth and un-nervous ride.
And road conditions were ok. Not too favourable but not too fuked up.
So anyway now we are into the last phase of the course - the transport operations module. Which is basically gei3-jua3 stuff. How to drive on uneven terrain, how to rescue a vehicle stuck in a bog, how to camoflouge your vehicle, how to drive through deep waters etc etc.
Hello? Singapore will encounter such situations often meh???
But wadeva. Now that I got my license, I will just finish the course as it should be.
More extra stuff tmr.
Half day of driving around singapore on saturday.
Full day driving around singapore on monday and tuesday.
And back to unit on wednesday. Night duty on wed which means I get to sleep in!!!
Wasted. Exhausted. I need rest.
Gonna be an antisocial freak for this coming weekend.
Terence pens his legacy at 9:34 PM
The 7 deadly sins... and how we always sucumb to them
Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Lust
This driving course is really a life-changing experience for me. Honest.
I self-reflected, self-learnt... so much about myself.
And how I always fall prey to the seven deadly sins when my life is brought to a low low point.
This morning was probably one of the lowest points in the whole driving course, and maybe my life too.
I just felt so demoralised. So beaten. So wasted. Like life has no meaning. No purpose. No goal.
Like there is no reason, simply no reason to carry on breathing, carry on struggling, carry on fighting.
Then I told myself that this is exactly what the evil forces want. They want us to give up. And along with the 7 deadly sins they tempt us.
Greed: When you share a cab with friends and they have been paying for the past few days, you do not take the initiative to pay out of fairness and courtesy simply because you feel like you are down and shouldn't be made to pay.
Gluttony: When you walk home past IMM and pick up a fattenign cup of Peach Milk Tea just because you tell yourself that binging will help you to ease your mood. When in reality, it will only make you fatter and bring more worries cause you look fat and start feeling conscious about appearances.
Envy: When someone you place on par, or below you, attains that pass on the first driving test you don't, and you feel so upset because according to your selfish beliefs, YOU deserve it, not HIM.
Pride: Not being to admit that you failed the driving test because of your carelessness and inattentiveness, and in the process spinning up excuses to argue how some rubbish truck caused you to fail.
Wrath: Getting edgy at the slightest touch. Feeling agitated so easily. Snapping when people call or ask you something.
Sloth: Just not wanting to do anything and laze around at home. Expecting things to be done for you and slogging your poor mom's guts out.
Lust: No details. Quite obvious. Especially when the internet is so easily accessible. *Oops*
I hope that I can overcome these sins and not fall prey.
And not give up.
PLAD, I'm coming back for you on the 23rd!!! I'm coming!
Terence pens his legacy at 6:56 PM
Overconfidence and underestimation
Ok parking test was on wednesday... And because I always did rather well for parking during normal practice sessions (it was the component I was most confident of passing), I thought I could clear it easily.
Judging from the title, u can guess that I was so wrong!
I failed on the first 2 attempts, only to pass today on the 3rd attempt. Just as a comparison, only I needed a third try, and only 7 needed a second try.
So there.
The first two failures were caused by really careless mistakes. Slight bumping into those notorious black and yellow poles... And the whistle was blown and the show was over.
But I had to say that being the last to go in the group for the first 2 attempts certainly did infuse a big bout of nervous energy into me! Haha
And today was also like the past two days... with me being the only one taking the test on a quiet friday morning...
And I did almost fail too... But the tester gave me a chance...
But no poles were touched that's why he didn't fail me...
In any case, I'm so glad it's over... And to be honest, I think this parking test, and in fact the whole driving course as of now, has taught me quite a bit about myself:
I crack under pressure.
It was the same for parking tests. It is the same for driving. Everytime I feel nervous or afraid, I would just screw up. Not exactly a trait I'm very proud of.
But strangely when it came to pressure from exam papers I wasn't very much affected. Maybe we all have been desensitised by 12 years of stress-based education...
But driving or handling an automotive per se, is so much different.
Next Monday's the parking test...
As much as my instructor scolded me or made unnecessary comments like "You will never pass!" or "Monday you are NOT going for test!", he wrapped up today on a nicer note.
He told us 4 (of his trainees) that we could pass, but it all boils down to how we play by ear on the road. Read: My driving is not sucky. It's just how I react to situations that occur on the road.
This, I hypothesise, would mean that if the roads were empty or only filled with light traffic on Monday, I would pass. Oh. and also I I don't make stupid mistakes in the circuit which I have a slight tendency of.
I hope and pray and hope and pray that next Monday will work out fine.
I want this so badly u never know...
LCP Terence Ang signing out. Hehe
Terence pens his legacy at 6:25 PM I went to course feeling slightly unwell today... but of course the worl doesn't stop spinning for you.
Thankfully todays' driving was the best so far... only a few lines of criticisms from the singer. In fact, my confidence has a reached a level such that I am confident enough to go for the driving test tmr if it were tmr...
Smilez :)
Tmr is parking test... I think should be able to pass!
1 day to parking test
6 days to driving test
11 days to EOC
Yay!
Terence pens his legacy at 8:18 PM I love the weekends.
Where I am free to do what I want... without having to hear anyone barking at me or having to do any work...
But then, as Sunday night approaches, that disgusting, unsettling feeling that Monday is coming creeps in... and the thought of having to hear my instructor barking at me for small little things is just... unsettling.
But slowly but surely, I am getting desensitised to those comments and shoutings... It's good mental training actually. Who knows, you may get a boss like this in the future. Then the skill of blocking out unnecessary voices from entering your mind comes in handy.
Had a wonderful evening with Ly yesterday. Dinner at ThaiExpress... hmm dun order the stewed beef glass noodles in some broth dish... it tastes SO HERBAL!!!
I should have stuck to the usual Phat Thai or green curry which is super yummilicious!!!
Then after that off to Kinokuniya cuz I ws getting bored at home and was thinking of getting myself a good read...
Passed the atrium of Ngee Ann City where the poor souls of the Subaru Challenge were desperately putting their hands on the cars and hoping to win the two cars up for grabs...
They looked so pitiful... surrounded in an area with onlookers observing them like visitors to the zoo lol...
And the spectators were also constantly making loud whistles and cheers and all and if i were the contestants I would be damn distracted and pissed cuz it's so DAMN NOISY!! haha...
Conclusion: I cannot join this kind of things... If I want a car I must save up :(
Ok so anyway at Kino... sigh the sad reality of being nearly broke set in... Opened my wallet. only about 20 something bucks left... If I buy a book... left a few dollars only lo...
So I decided to go budget and borrow from the library. Hehe
But I browsed thru a few good bks tho... and have taken note of the titles.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SO CHEAPSKATE!! MUHAHAHA
I love the weekends. Don't you?
Terence pens his legacy at 12:05 PM Sheng ri not so quai le today...
I passed my HSP test (SAF's version of advanced theory which is way harder cuz we have to memorise situations and regurgitate them word for word... wth)
I got lucky I guess... the instructor noticed my birthday on my SAF 11B (I.C.) and wished me happy birthday then proceeded to test me, dropping hints and giving me many chances along the way... really lucky
Then after that... *drum roll*...
Driving!!!
As usual, it was the mood killer. Scoldings and scoldings and scoldings...
Idiot, brainless and all the whatnots came out... He said I could drive but I wasn't thinking while on the road... too reliant on him...
And he deduced that from the fact that i often ask him for instructions when I meet situations...
And he retorted: "There are a million situations that can take place on the road! How you expect me to tell u all of them??!! U judge yourself la!"
DUH!
Of course I noe la... Use my judgement? Can? But when I use my judgement and make a mistake he will fuk me like siao... lidat how u expect me to use my judgement as and when I like??!!
Also... sometimes when i ask him whether I can move off or things like that, I'm just giving him some respect by asking him lor. If I bu4 ba3 ta1 fang4 zai4 yan3 li3, then I would have bo2 ka4 lan3 him and just do my own thing lo!
But he did hit the nail right on one spot... my brain is rather square...
And I was thinking that maybe it really has to do with the way I was educated. JC style I mean...
Where we were taught that A is A, cannot be B (for maths and science subjects la at least...)
And we were also always asked to ask questions when in doubt, resulting in a lack of confidence to use my own judgements sometimes... like currently...
Or maybe it's just me...
But from what I observe... the poorer drivers of the current batch of drivers are mostly JC and poly students... the more "studious" ones...
The others seem to faring MUCH better...
Myabe they have better comaraderie witht he instructors since they can converse in hokkien more fluently... and have more common topics like .... nvm...
Oh well... 3 more painful weeks... actually lemme do a countdown.
The last day of the course is officially 21st nov (mon) where we would be having a cross country rough terrain drive around s'pore... but that should be fine if I have gotten my license by then...
So let me put the last day of course as 19 nov (sat)
So that makes....
5 days to PARKING test...
10 days to 1st DRIVING test...
14 days to EOC (end-of-course)
I must ren3.....
Terence pens his legacy at 8:22 PM Sigh. Driving course just got worse...
Anyway we're now driving on the road... so it's most dangerous and all...
Last friday was the first lesson... which was quite ok acty... except for one dangerous swrve i made, everything else seemed rather manageable.
Saturday we went on the road for a second time... Perfecting my driving techniques and of course he was still singing la...
Then yesterday we went on the road the third time... and the most disastrous one yet.
I think it was probably a lack of sleep (due to being out the whole day on Sunday thus leading to exhaustion...) so I wasn't as alert as I should have been... as a result I was less than perfect in driving. Missed out lane markings, didn't lane change well and stuff
And I got a really loud melody from my instructor... Accompanied with the usual &$%! and all...
And it's really affecting my mood... Grrrr....
But that aside, I'm glad with how I spent the weekend. Saturday I managed to squeeze some time in for gym. Toning my body and all :) *Large grin* Haha... Ok dun luff...
Then Sunday I went to JB with ray and jan... Had the intention to buy a GameBoy Advanced cuz I heard it was cheaper in JB than S'pore... And ya having a portable gaming console seems like a good way to kill time on long trips
But boy was I sorely disappointed... the price is about the same as here... Still about S$150... So ex!!!
The consolation: I bought two rather ncie shirts... for a steal i would say hehe
I LOVE JB!! Things are so CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! (cheap cheap cheap cheap.....) Hahaha
Watched Corpse Bride at long last... Loved it so much... And I cried at the ending wedding scene too... Sigh... How to find such heart-wrenching love stories nowadays when love is centred around sex and lust, and physical attributes, not inner beauty. Tim Burton certainly made a fantastic film based on this issue and with the wonderful form of claymation...
LOVE IT!
Feeling good about today... Meeting with woon's clique and my sec sch frens later in the evening... To celebrate my bday...
I'm just glad it came at such a good time... In the midst of a dry punishing desert my oasis of comfort and joy emerges...
And I'm determined not to bow down to the stress and foul comments I hear in the course. At the most I'll fail but you noe wad? I'm not bothered. You'll have your year-end bonus reduced but I'm not that affected.
So there :p
Terence pens his legacy at 11:00 AM
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