(Hours 34 & 35)

A rather difficult lesson proceeded today as I haven't been in front of the wheel for more than a week. A lot of the clutch skill seemed to have slipped out of my hands when I got the clutch work mixed up and did everything the opposite way.

A lot of the manoeuvres required a slow car for the slope in the road, but as the car fell into the slope in reverse, I would release the clutch thinking it would decrease the speed but it actually went quicker! I don't usually get this wrong,.. it's just been one of those days! ...What I call a 'stalling day'..

It's the last driving lesson I will have before I take my Theory Test... hopefully the next time I sit in the car, half the pressure will be off my back and I am able to perform better without the Theory in mind.

(Hours 32 & 33)

I feel my confidence on the road is coming back. It was just 2 days ago I still couldn't make observations quick enough to be safe on a roundabout.. today it finally came to me as I managed to approach a roundabout slowly allowing myself a longer time span and better control of the car.

As the car was not darting round, I did not have to worry so much about the steering, I could focus on the observations instead. This felt better personally as the thorough checks told me that the current situation was safe and I did not have to risk any chances, whereas on previous occasions the checks were all too quick for my mind to register the safety and the hazards. Knowing that my observations gave me a safety barrier, my confidence came running back to me as I was assured that there were no hazards ahead and I wasn't risking anything.

Occasionally you still have the 'clever' people to look out for.. I was on a 40 road this morning and my needle was on the number 40,.. a guy came overtaking me in his navy blue sports car.. clearly doing over 40 to have overtaken me.. the rear of his car weaving in and out of the lanes to avoid oncoming traffic while overtaking the '40' cars was unbelievable. I didn't see no red lights on his rear, or it might just be that 'his brake lights are faulty'.... The flashing headlights from other vehicles was enough to give anyone an epileptic fit. Another rushed past me to get to a STOP light haha

(Hours 30 & 31)

The majority of the drive was much smoother today as the busy hours were avoided. The traffic on the roundabouts wasn't so bad which allowed me to move out without a pause. As the learning hours are increasing, I am learning to anticipate the road more carefully, taking into account indications for their actions. On a roundabout, the observations still feel a little bit slow compared to the time used on one. Hopefully this will slowly correct itself as I gain more experience on the roundabouts.

No more eye candy in the Big Brother house.. Stuart's been evicted!

...For Mr. Kevin Cheng! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


I found it in a cake shop on Tuesday.. a 14" (6lb) sample cake with a pandan base and gelatin goldfish.. thought it would be suitable for today's occasion except that it says Melissa! haha sorry! I'm sure it'll taste just as good!

(Hours 28 & 29)

I personally set myself a target today for changing gears as I feel this needs to be corrected the most at this point of time. As I now know that the indication to changing gears is the sound of the engine, I am waiting for the sound to alert me that the car is not handling the current gear very well at it's current speed.

Driving the car today was quite difficult when a lorry behind me just constantly drove up close and left me no room at all... I tried dropping to 2nd gear just to manage the speed and give me time to drive over a sharp bend but little did I know that I put the car into 4th, which had caused me to speed over the bend and drive onto a kerb. If the lorry driver took the huge red 'L' into account and gave me some space, my experience today wouldn't have been so discouraging.

I met this lovely guy...

(Hours 26 & 27)

I practiced the left reverse and the turn in the road again. This time the turn in a road was done on a two lane road which was more tight compared to the last one as the road was narrower. However, the two that I did were successful which tells me that the clutch work is fine and the manoeuvres are smooth.

The parts that I need to concentrate on now are the big roads where I meet other cars and the observations carried out on a roundabout. Knowing what to do isn't difficult but it's putting it into practice that's hard. When on the road, it's hard to think of what needs to be done instantly to keep safe and doing it in the right order can be a mission itself. The roundabouts particularly need maximum focus as everything happens within the click of the fingers..

Learning to drive is a steep learning curve. The key to this is confidence.

(Hour 25)

It's been a long time since I've sat in front of the wheel,.. I thought I would have forgotten everything while I'd been away! Luckily, I still know how to start the car moving and how to reverse!

It's been a fun 1 hour drive in the time that I had to produce all that I could.. the funniest event that happened today was when I was going round a roundabout and set the indicator on to go right, but as I drove round I forgot which exit I wanted and almost made a 360! All the "DO NOT's" for a roundabout, I had probably committed today with some laughter.. the lane crossing and the reversing! It was a quiet roundabout which made all the faults safe but the petrol light remained flashing on the dashboard.. we were lucky to have escaped the roundabout before the car had retired.

Treasure what you have and don't seek for more.. loss is a result of greed.

I know some people out there will love this! It certainly brings back the old memories! Enjoy!