journey to 2B

having gotten my 2B license recently, i figured that i ought to roughy write out the journey to obtaining the license from Kampong Ubi Training Centre, or more commonly known as ComfortDelGro Driving Centre. from what i understand, other places offer slightly different lesson structure.. nonetheless, the obstacle courses are the same.

i opened my driving lesson account late February 2018 and passed the traffic police test on the first try early September 2018. took longer than i hoped due to my transition from an undergraduate to a working adult in between.. plus some incident happening in June. nonetheless, i believe and know of some who start and clear all within 3 to 4 months. however, note that this is a really rough gauge.. since i heard most people, assuming they do not have any prior driving license, would take around half a year to clear.

this post will breakdown into three main portions: the theory lessons, the practical lessons, traffic police test.

theory lessons

i have class 3 license so i did not have to go for teh BTT lessons and test. from what i remembered, now you have to go for 4 lessons of BTT classes and an internal evaluation before the actual BTT test. for FTT, similar.. 4 classes and an internal evaluation. prior to practical lesson 6, you are expect to clear 3 lessons of defensive riding courses as well. these courses are not test but it is compulsory to attend them.

practical lessons

lesson 1: you will learn to the correct techniques to accelerate, brake and change gears. it is like being taught a completely new skill (in most people's cases, it is). you will be made to go back and forth on the motorbike before progress to making laps around a small area before finally going to making laps around the school.
lesson 2: you will learn to change lanes and make left/right turns within a small compound of the school, obeying the traffic lights and rules.
lesson 3: you will learn to clear the slope, figure of 8 under 11 seconds, crank course under 6 seconds.
lesson 4: you will learn to stay on the balancing beam for at least 6 seconds, clear the pylon slalom course under 6 seconds before moving to the emergency break portion.
lesson 5: personally, i find this lesson the most challenging to clear. you are assessed using all the circuit courses and you cannot score above 10 demerit points. you will be let off for one dry run before the real internal evaluation. every point counts, try not to lose points due to timings since they are very particular to small mistakes such as blind spot checking and wobbling.
lesson 6: pre-ride checks and familiarisation to the road. first lesson in public road so just follow instructions and you should pass on the first try.
lesson 7: road lesson as well but this time you learn to do a proper U-turn.
lesson 8: mock traffic police test. enough said.. just a min point to add on is that how you are penalised in this lesson is probably more lenient than the actual test.
circuit revision: more or less own time own target kind of thing. if it is your very first circuit revision ever, you will ba advised to sit and listen to the instructor's advices. he/she will got through the key points of the circuit that people usually throw points away. this is probably the only time to really ask any questions you may have since stuff you learned in the first few lessons might slip your mind by then.
road revision: an instructor will lead you out to the test route in the public roads after a warm up round in the circuit. both time you all will be in front, the instructor will be at the back. after each round, upon your return to the circuit, the instructor will point out your areas of improvement. if there is still time left after the two rounds out, you can do the circuit revision until time is up.

traffic police test

we were told to report before 7am if i remembered right despite the fact that the actual test will only start around 9am. this is due to a couple reasons i guess: many riders taking test, registration takes time, limited bikes to go around for the warm up.
now then, warm up is only one round and you can feel that things are moving with high time urgency. quite hectic and what not. instructors will also squeeze in final pointers and words of encouragement before the testers come down. do listen to all instructions really carefully.. especially those pertaining to how not to be wrongfully disqualified due to suspicion of cheating.
circuit sequence is the same as revision lessons, just that you do not get to choose the bike you will be taking.. so better get used to it fast or hope the clutch control is to your liking. the testers are very particular about all the small faults. wobbling, delay in moving off etc.
those with immediate failure in circuit will not move on to the public portion. note that, even if you get too high points in circuit, you most likely will still be allowed out so long you have not committed any immediate failure faults. timing during road portion is bad since it is a weekday morning with heavy traffic. just be patient and do not rush.
once everything is done, you will have to sit in a room and hope your name isn't called out.. if it is, chances are you have failed the test. after passing, their is also an expressway familiarisation course. just enjoy the course and follow all instructions clearly.

all in all, i spent roughly $1.3k including registration fees, gear costs and lesson fees. i understand this might be slightly higher than average and i am not that surprised. i repeated most lessons prior to lesson 6 and spammed quite a few revision lessons. at the end of the day, all worth it since i passed on my first try. well then, good luck riders!

something more

with thanks

yes this is an update of my life.

and so ends the last full work week of 2018.. here begins the last weekend of 2018. the new year is dawning. i cannot believe how much things have happened over the past 12 months. so many changes. so many new experiences. so many new people. as 2018 comes to a close, i thought i would be great to think back a little on what are the things i really appreciate and will hold on dear to.

i am thankful for a wonderful FYP mentor. a part of me still cannot believe that it was only this year i was struggling to produce the last bit of the results for my FYP and begin to write my thesis. moreover, i just got back from a somewhat traumatising trip to Malaysia, having cheating death (story which i will not share here). regardless, Prof. Teo Y. Y. had been ever so helpful, providing my guidance and fruitful feedback. despite his hectic schedule, i could still meet him in person for discussions on my thesis and presentation.

i am thankful for the friends i met in university. the 4 years in university could have been so much tougher without them. people from my first science orientation camp to the science committee members to random friends i met along the course of 4 years.. everyone of them has been helpful and supportive in his/her very own way.

i am thankful for my company and colleagues. moving into the working world can be a really scary thing but they are such a nice bunch.. so helpful and open. i could not feel any "ranking" system in this place. it seemed that everyone is working side by side and literally we are. i really appreciate how feedback, thoughts and opinions can be passed in any direction and to anyone. such a healthy place to work, learn and grow.

last but definitely not the least, i am thank for my family. without them, so many things could not have happen. like every other family, we may have squabbles and problems now and then.. nonetheless, those have not held us back but knit us closer together. may we all stay healthy and awesome forever. until next time then, cheers.