Melaka 1998

There were 30 of us in the class. Looking around at the students, cat was smiling. There were others older than cat who were taking the class too. Hehehe.. a case of ego, cat thinks.

Ooo..cat just hates it when it happens like this. They told us to be on time and there's this lecturer who is just taking his sweet time trying to figure out what's wrong with the LCD projector..going in and going out. The clock keeps on ticking away. Luckily cat brought a magazine and do not have to watch this slow motion lecturer searching for his marker pen.

"Okay, girls and guys. Before we start, I want all the guys to be on the right side, and girls to be on the left side" this is his opening speech. "Why, sir?" a cheeky voice peeped out. A shuffle here and there, and there we were sorted out by gender.

"First rule, no skirts allowed." the lecturer spoke again. A look between the girls.. well none of us are wearing skirts. "And", he continued "no tight jeans also for the girls". As he spoke, the guys were now looking at the girls. "For girls, no slippers, no walking around without shoes and no open sandals where can you see the toes". "Can I ask why sir and why is it directed to the girls only?" a slightly irritated voice peeped up again.

"If you must know, girl, we, the lecturers, are also the test drivers here. The view of a woman's toes, or a woman's feet can drive us crazy. We are supposed to keep an eye on where you put your foot. And we can't concentrate if we saw all these things".
Huh..? Either this guy is an alien or he's doing this to provoke a respond from us.
The worst part was that the lecture was in Malay and using such words that cat has never heard. And cat is not the only one with her mouth open.
Example :
You got 3 pedals to put your foot on.
a) clutch = 'klaj' (ok, acceptable)
b) brake = 'brek' (ok, easy)
c) Oil = 'cekam' (no!wrong)
Cekam is also the same as 'clutch'.
The 3rd pedal for speed is called a 'pemecut' and the starting switch where you put the key to start the engine is called a 'suis pencucuh'.It's like learning a foreign language. Ouch..this is really harder than cat thought.

And can anyone just explain to cat: 'why is it that regardless what the problem is and even if you have called the tow company, you still need to lift up your bonnet and keep it open? even when you have already parked your car at the side of the road (and you have already put the emergency signpost 5 meters from your car?') What will that achieve? So many questions.. and it's not even lunch time yet. Sob sob sob...



It was simply heaven when you were a passenger, sitting there and enjoying the view and let someone else worries about the engine, oil, jack and all that.
Can I do it? I can I can.. One day, I will surely laugh if I read this entry again.

Tomorrow (Saturday 6th Feb), Cat is going to the 2nd driving workshop. This is in one of the terms and condition you would have to do in order to get an 'L' license (L for Learner, I guess). There would be a theory class in the morning to get us familiarize with the 'insides' of a car (engine, battery and other weird and wired unnameable things). The afternoon would be a three hours of actually starting the engine and trying to get the car to move (laughing).

Actually, cat had learn how to drive a long time ago. Something happened on the day of the test that made cat phobia to driving. Now, after so many years cat has decided it's time to put aside all fear, and re learn how to drive again. (smile). Hoping that all goes well.

Isn't it funny how fear still has control on one's life. As a child fear is about being afraid of the dark,afraid of ghosts, afraid of dogs and frogs and unknown strangers. Parents would ingrained superstitions and frightening stories in order to ensure that a child is not up to mischief when their backs are turned. As you grow older the fears are still there but changed to afraid of not being accepted and afraid of failing tests. There has always been things to make you falter in your steps.

It's time to confront whatever that frightens you. If not, you would be left so far behind. It's all in the mind and you would not know what you would be able to achieve if you do not give it a try. Easier said than done but as they say: No pain, No gain.

*****

Tomorrow is the big day. The final driving test with the official JPJ Department. It's not the end of the world if one fails..but it would be better to pass it in one shot. Cat knows that she can drive..but just let a thing goes wrong and she will just PANIC! Ouch..cat really has a phobia with the word 'tests' and 'exams'. Even now, the butterflies are multiplying by dozens in her stomach.

Well that is not the point.
As the title mention, it's about wishes. Cat read in a book that if a minimum of 40 persons wishes or pray for a good thing to happen to you, if God is willing, the wishes will come true. Cat really wants to have the license. Cat thinks that she has done all the preparation that is needed..only that she is afraid of panicking (the engine dies, forgetting a step, hitting an animal on the road..). Just hope that you can help praying for this cat. (smile)

Cat would just like a help: Please pray for cat that everything goes boringly and smoothly. No suspense or surprises during the final test. Thank you in advance. :)

Now, what shall cat wear to the test? Ooo.. need to bring a small cushion in the bag, 1 mineral water, 1 camera (in case cat passes the exam ..grin..), a pen, the 'L' License', Identity card and..that's it. Think so..Ooo and some sweets to chew (and to stop cat from saying anything aloud).

Nite nite all..cat needs to wake up early tomorrow..as need to make a move as early as 7.30am on Tuesday (tomorrow). Going to try to get some sleep.. (smile), if she can..


OMG.. Kat was just browsing around and thought of looking up in google to see if there are anything on 'How To Drive A Car'..and yes there is!! You really can find anything on Google. wow..

*****

Cat found this on the BBC News and please God do not let cat reach that state. Let me get my license in a much much much less time than that :).

BBC News Asia Pacific:
A South Korean woman is celebrating after passing the written exam for a driving licence - on her 950th attempt.

After four years of trying, 68-year-old Cha Sa-soon finally managed to secure the 60 out of 100 points needed to pass the test. The grandmother has spent more than 5m won ($4,200, £2,600) on application fees for the test. Now Mrs Cha, who lives in Jeonju, 130 miles (210km) south of Seoul, must pass the practical test to get on the road.

According to the Korean Driver's Licence Agency, the 50-minute written test consists of 50 multiple-choice questions on road regulations and car maintenance. Mrs Cha had been trying to pass it since 13 April 2005, the Korea Times reported. She wanted a licence so that she could use a vehicle to sell vegetables and other goods, the newspaper said.

And her determination to pass the test has made her well-known at the Jeonju centre.
"She is really famous here. Not only agency employees but even some test-takers know her. Her challenging spirit is really amazing," one official was quoted as saying.
Speaking in February - after her 775th failure - Mrs Cha had appeared undaunted.

"I believe you can achieve your goal if you persistently pursue it," she told Reuters news agency. "So don't give up your dream, like me. Be strong and do your best."

******

The symptoms are all there :
* Feeling nauseous (no. It's not pregnancy :p LOL)
* Mood swings (from happy to sad and to happy again)
* Mania (elevated mood, inflated self-esteem; high energy, delusions)
* Depression (almost crying, lethargy, melancholy)
* Insomnia (did not sleep a wink last night ..grin)
* Loss of appetite (can hardly eat anything yesterday)
* Nausea and butterflies inside the stomach
* Headache, dizziness (ha! this is caused by lack of food and sleep, surely)
* Obsession and compulsive behavior (preoccupation with one thought, overwhelming thoughts)
* Loss of concentration (absent-mindedness, disorientation, daydreaming)
* Deep gut pain and general malaise

Are you thinking what cat is thinking? :) Surely not.. :) LOL
Cat is in love? (Grin) The symptoms are the same.. not able to sleep, stomach feeling like churning, smell of food just makes it worse. Sighing, looking at the almost not moving numbers on the digital clock, preoccupied, absentminded..



No, it's not falling in love. It's rather 'PANIC ATTACK'!

That is exactly how it is when a cat panic. The word test or exam brings out the worst in cat. The normally calm cat turns inside out 360 degrees to be an abnormal cat. With a big sign post put around her : BEWARE OF CAT! She is not responsible for what answer that might come out of her lips. Walking around and around the room..moping, talking to herself.. trying to remember all that she has learn for he driving test (laughing). Isn't it funny how the symptoms seems the same.



And at last..she has come back to her normal self. Yes.. :) she has passed the preliminary test (without it she cannot enter the official driving test next week) and yes TK :)it was hard. Cat was so busy that cat only had 1 day a week to learn how to drive. and sometimes it's 2 weeks before cat has the time. And the 'L' license is almost at it's expiry date. The fight against time and cramming everything into the head. A misunderstanding with a friend didn't make it better. And that is the reason for the Panic.



Going to sleep early tonight..need to recharge her energy.




“Warm summer sun, shine kindly here. Warm southern wind, blow softly here. Green sod above, lie light, lie light. Good night, dear Heart, Good night, good night.”

Driving is NOT easy.
No, it's not the parking or the driving or the 3 seconds corner, or the going over the bridge thing.

The tiring thing is that Kat being small. Sigh. The leg can reach the clutch but a bit hard to push it till the end. It takes 5 times of energy to adjust! To try see the white line is in tandem with the wheels (what wheels?) and try parking the car is making Kat sweat buckets.

Thank God the instructor is an angel..Never an angry word came out from his mouth..(remember it's 37degrees Celcius today). The most, he just laughs and press the brakes (which is hidden at the passenger's leg side). Hmm.. wonder what will he say if cat just press the brakes when Kat is sitting at the passenger side (and he is at the driver seat)? Hmm.. hehehe. Be good, Kat.

He even gave Kat a chewing gum to chew..as cat keep on reciting aloud on what to do...'Gear 1, Steering turn left 2 rounds, clutch, gear, reverse, another 3 turns of steering to the left, count to 4..' opps,sorry. opps, sorry. opps.. sorry again. 'Kat, chew the gum. Chew the gum' said he.

Not so bad for a first day driving, kan. At least he trusted cat enough to let cat drive on her own while he stands outside after 3 times going around the course. :) Thank you Mr Instructor. Kat will bring her own cushion for the next lesson.

******

Cat got speed on her mind.
No.. it's not drugs. :) It's really 'Speed' as in 'momentum' or 'Speed' the movie.
Cat has always enjoy running. But how long can she run and how fast can her legs go? Not very far and not very long. (grin). (FYI: A cat only runs when she feels like it. Otherwise, she just walks slowly..slowly.. much slower than a snail.. :p)

Cat just wonder.. why does the speed meter in a car shows a maximum speed of 180km/hour where as the city speed limit is only maximum at 60-80km/hour? At the highway, the maximum speed limit is at 110km/hour? In France, the maximum speed limit is at 130km/hour. How do you really know that the car can move as fast as 180km/hour? Has it been tested? Where do you do it? In a desert? In Malaysia? Surely not..

Thinking about this, cat has another question. Why do they put the speed meter there with a maximum speed capacity in the first place? False advertisement? You cannot prove it..because.. where do you want to experiment it? at 'Gurun'? Hmm.. it just makes cat wonder..


How fast is fast? Going at 80km/hour does not feel like fast anymore. At 120km/hour: This starts to feel more like it.. but other cars can still take over cat.

a) Does it means that bigger car has more speed? If that is so..why is a lorry slower than cat?
b) If the speed limit is 110km/h..and cat is driving at 115km/hour, then how is it possible that other cars can still overtake cat?
c) Why is there a horn when everyone tells you not to 'EVER' use the horn?
d) There are worse drivers than a woman : Old people and motorcyclists.
Well, a woman might get distracted but.. they really know how to use the brake and oil pedal. There are less accidents that involved a woman driver.
e) A passenger is supposed to be a passenger and helps to coordinate the where and how to get from point A to point B. A Driver drives and a passenger sits quietly and do not make any sudden noises that upsets the driver :p
f) When you opt to be a passenger, please do not insult the driver by :
1) Holding on to the bar at the top of the passenger's window as if your life depends on it when the driver makes a turn
2) Putting your hand on the handbrake when there's a traffic light blinking yellow color at 1km away..
3) Do not close your eyes each time the driver is trying to overtake another car.

That's all for today. :) One day, cat will get answer to the 180km/hour question and maybe also to the question of: how good is cat at using the car brakes?
At this time, next lesson: going into a spiral parking at a shopping complex. How many lessons are there really ye.. ?

Signing off,
Cat...

Why is cat putting all these pix instead of something that has to do with cars? cat dunno..wondering too..

*****

It's 7.30am and cat is at the office reading her work e-mails and finding solutions to reply to the customer's enquiries. All is quiet as no one else has arrived yet.
Cat just love this early hours alone before the others came bringing the cold air and the early morning 'news editions' (gossips actually) inside.

Cat loves the hearing their voices laughing, complaining about yesterday's events (what is an office without that burst of energy) but this quiet 1 1/2 hours sitting alone in front of her pc with a hot cup of tea is really something that cat treasured: arranging thoughts and programs for the day. Starting slowwwwly.. (smile) and then comes the rushing hour.. and finally slowing down a bit by 6.00pm.



Forrest Gump was saying that life is like a box of chocolates.. (grin. TK , I bet that you'll be laughing when you read this). For cat life & love is like driving a car. Why? Firstly, maybe because cat is in the midst of her driving lesson (getting to be 3 months..ahh, so slow.. cat just doesn't have the time to really practice :p).



When cat started learning to drive, cat did it against her will. (being challenged, nudged and pushed by teacher to do it. :p hehehe..). Cat just loved sitting at the passenger's seat..daydreaming, watching the view..you can't do that when you are driving.


But, when cat got the hang of it, just can't wait for the next lesson. Love feeling the car purring and gaining speed. (grin..we are not supposed to be speeding at this learning stage..but cat just loves to do a fast U-turn (an A+ on this) and turning at corners. Just to feel and know that you are controlling the situation.. :p cat guess you won't understand the feeling..Between afraid and daring yourself to try it and wondering how far you can go :)



But don't worry. Cat always check the tyres after a test drive :p and please be assure there's no lizards, frogs, birds or other small living things stuck on them :p
Yup.. nothing there :p hehehe

******
Cat has been tagged!!
TQ TK..ahh..but there's a slight problem..Cat has not yet got her license :p so what can she say about this topic?
Here goes...hehehe

1)Do you have a driving licence? (Adakah anda ada lesen memandu?)
Not yet.. sigh.. but coming soon. hehehe

2)When did you get your driving licence? (Bilakah anda dapat lesen memandu anda?)
Last week (in my dreams only..hehehe). In reality..sigh..not yet but hopefully next week

3)How many years of experience in driving? (Berapa lamakah pengalaman anda memandu?)
Hum.. very hard question this. If taking into count the driving lessons..well..it has been 3 months + 5 days and 20 minutes (hehehe)

4)Any bad experience? (Pengalaman pahit sewaktu memandu? )
Hmm..according to cat's longggg experience (LOL), it has been an 'almost' thing. Almost hitting the house gate, almost hitting her driving instructor (sorry, sir), almost hitting a motorcyclist while driving at 20km/h at the driving school, the engine died right in front of a parked police car while cat trying to drive around without license and ...lastly when cat didn't pass the parking test..sob..sob

5) Any good/memorable experience?? (Pengalaman manis sewaktu memandu)?
Memorable experience? Hmm.. what ye?..Oh yes! got two: When the driving instructor lets cat drive at 80km/h on the road..hehehe..that was fun. The 2nd one is when cat overtake a lorry.. that was a big accomplishment for this small cat who was once so reluctant to learn how to drive.

6)3 habits while driving? (3 tabiat ketika memandu?)
* Likes to talk out loud to her own self (LOL)
* Likes to say...'oppppsssss..' while pushing the brake :p
* Always want to look down at the gear stick, when she changes the gear manually.. :p dangerous that one..

7)3 things you dislike while driving? (3 perkara tidak disukai bila memandu)
* Being followed closely by another 'big' car or lorry
* Dislikes all traffic light and being the first car to stop at the white line
* Having a grumpy or a complaining person at the passenger's seat :p (Hey..cat is still learning..you should have more patience with her ). LOL


8) To tag other friends :p
Hmm.. cat just do not know who to tag :p. For those who knows cat and loves tags, please feel free to answer the questions. Thanks again TKfor the tag :)

*****

Independent. Hmm..such a big word and it has an even bigger meaning for cat. You might be bored with the car topic...but just humor cat a little bit more on this.. :) Cat promise that this will be the last article on driving :).

Cat has always been told that cat can't drive. Cat is not attentive enough, cat will get headache trying to know all the parts of a car, Cat will get lost, Cat will get into an accident. The funny part is that..when someone keeps telling you the same thing over and over again, you'll end up believing them (instead of yourself). He said that it's all for cat's own good as cat has never drive before.

A good friend has forced cat to take up driving. And cat has not regret it at all. Today, the good old soul has also let drive the car from the Mahkota Hotel to the front gate of cat's house (a good 50 minutes it took). Almost hitting the back of a bus and was surprised by a motorcycle suddenly appearing from nowhere, cat reached home beaming and safe. Not a bit frightened by it.

Sorry if cat is a bit childish sometimes. And a bit surprised by the simple things in life (simple for some people but new things to this cat). Seeing & living it for the very first time with her own eyes and 5 senses. Being treated like something fragile and helpless all the time can be stifling. Cat might not do things right, but cat can do it. That's the magic word: 'I can do it.'

Driving is like having a pair of wings, being one with the car, a part of it.. cat has fallen in love...with driving. :p This is the reason why cat has neglected writing in this memoir for some time. Cat is living, breathing, laughing and looking forward to life again. Yes, she is.


Nothing happens, unless first a dream.


P/s: Went to a petrol station and do suddenly realized that cat does not know how to
open the petrol tank. Ouch.. :) Had to ask the pump attendant and..there's a button to unlock the tank cover under the seat. :p Still learning new things everyday.. :p

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