I passed my driving at the 4th attempt

Saturday, 3rd March 2007

This is the 2nd of 3 testimonies I have shared with those close to me, that I have decided to "make public" so that God may be glorified.

When I was in ACJC, one of the most envied possessions was a driving licence. Back then in the mid-eighties, the age limit was 17. A good friend of mine called Kenneth was born in May 1967, so he turned 17 in May 1984. He passed his Highway Code (that time there was only one theory test) by June, took less than 10 lessons (he used to drive his dad’s car before that so he already had the confidence), went for his practical test, and obtained his licence in Aug 1984. He would wave his licence around in front of us and coming from a well-to-do family, would also occasionally drive to the college as well.

I, on the other hand, am a Dec child, so I eagerly awaited my 17th birthday in Dec 1984, and hoped that I would similarly be able to wave my licence in front of my other friends. Shallow hor? But that was what we ex-ACS boys were like back then.

I took my Highway Code and passed it the 1st time, and was given a 1-yr PDL in Jan 1985. Unlike Kenneth, I never drove a car before that, so it took me about 25 lessons before I had enough confidence to take my 1st test.

The test went very smoothly for the 1st 15 minutes. There was only 1 final area to cover – the three-point turn. There was this lane in Lor 7 Toa Payoh where 3-point turns were made, and the tester asked me to drive there on the way back to the test centre. Alas, when attempting the 2nd-point of the turn, ie reversing, I hit the kerb and it meant immediate failure.

I remember the very words of the tester, “Why did you have to hit the kerb? I wanted to pass you one.” He then shook his head and asked me to drive back to the test centre. I had failed the test, and the licence had to wait another 3 months because that was lead time required to book the next test.

[Later on, my driving instructor told me that there was a red spot on the wall along that lane which I should have chosen to make the 3-point turn because that part of the lane was wider than other parts of it. She had ever mentioned this to me before, but obviously I was not paying attention because I had attempted the turn at another part of the lane]

I failed the next 2 tests (which I took in Jun and Sep 1985), and my already low self-esteem (because of my acne condition) became even lower. Meanwhile, others in my circle of friends, obtained their driving licence, but mine was still eluding me. What was even more depressing was that the ROV (LTA’s predecessor) was introducing a new scheme which involved 2 theory test – basic and advanced, and the practical test had an element that had to be carried out in a circuit! I had no choice but to take lessons in the circuit in Kampong Ubi, and also to sit for my advanced theory test.

Thankfully, God was merciful and I passed the advanced theory test, and also my 4th attempt at the practical test on 6 December 1985. Upon getting my licence, I took bus number 93 home. I was so excited, that I alighted at where Maris Stella was (a good 2 bus stops before where I was supposed to alight). It did not matter that it was raining quite heavily then either. I gladly danced in the rain all the way back home. After all, this was a milestone of achievement in my life that I would never forget. Not even 21 years later...

On 16 Mar 1986, I was drafted into the army. Army life was extremely tough for me because I was not only physically unfit, but also led a very sheltered life before. The training was mentally and physically very strenuous. Those were the days before the advent of mobile phones, so we had to queue up in front of the coin-a-phone and limit our calls to 9 minutes (when the buzzer would sound and the line would be cut). Army mates would queue up to speak to their girlfriends; I would queue up to speak to my mom. You can imagine how lousy I felt then.

Now, something happened to me in Feb 1986 (one month before I joined the army) that the only person in my family who knew about it was my sister Vivian. She was in the 2nd year of Hwa Chong JC and she knew that I admired one of her seniors (who had appeared on TV during the college debate). The college was holding a Valentine’s dance function and Vivian invited me to attend, telling me that particular girl would be there and she had just broken up with her boyfriend.

Having just gotten a licence, I proudly drove my mom’s Datsun 120Y to the college premises, and was looking forward to that night. Alas, when I parked the car and had just alighted from it, I saw that girl alighting from a Benz with another guy (Vivian later told me that the girl had been re-attached to her boyfriend). Needless to say, I never made it to the function. I went back to the car and drove back home, with Mr Mister’s Broken Wings playing from the portable stereo which I had placed on the back seat (back then, radios in cars were luxuries).

One particular afternoon in late March 1986, I was standing at the corridor outside my bunk. My whole life then flashed in front of me, an here I was at a crossroad in my life. The following thoughts came to my head.

• I was a failure in my studies. Had I studied harder in Sec 2, I would have been able to get into the Science stream and then pursue Medicine subsequently and need not have to go through such a tough army life.
• I was a failure as a son, because my parents had such high hopes of me from young to “take over the clinic”, but I had let them down by not studying hard enough in Sec 2.
• I was a failure in my love-life. The girl I admired had chosen someone else who was smarter than me and drove a bigger car.
• I was a failure in sports and physical activities, ending up in Platoon 33 of Jaguar Company, the weaklings’ platoon.

As I stood on that 5th floor of Camp 3 where my bunk was located and looked down towards the ground floor, one final thought came to my mind. Why don’t you just jump down and end it all?

Thank God for afterthoughts – what held me back were not thoughts of my family or the fact that I had a place in NUS waiting for me. What held me back was that driving licence that was merely 3 months’ old! God, in His mercy, knew that I would value a licence that took 4 attempts to obtain. God, in His mercy, knew that I would treasure a licence that was just obtained. Had I gotten the licence back in Mar 1984 after the 1st attempt, the outcome of the “battle in my mind” could have been tragically and fatally different.

Looking back, I thank God that He used that piece of paper to preserve my life, because He had plans for me like what is recorded in Jer 29:11. Three years later, He would direct me to meet the best girl ever in Jul 1988, and we would be married in Nov 1992. Twenty years later, He would direct me to the best cluster in PLMC, whose leaders have made such a great impact in my life, and who led my parents-in-law to Christ.

Rick Warren says that “God doesn’t waste a hurt”. The hurt that we go through is meant to minister and encourage others who are going through similar hurts. Isn’t God a good God? Glory be to His name alone!

Shalom
Malcolm