[DIARY] My Bittersweet JPJ Driving Test

Okay, so before I start this blog...what is this 'JPJ' thing? It's an acronym for the Malaysian Road Transport Department and they are the official examiners for every driving tests being held here in Malaysia...and today~ I had to go for that exact driving test...

I took the test today at INMAJU, Seremban and here's what happened that made me both relieved and a little peeved....

I arrived at INMAJU with my mom at 10:45AM and I had to rush a little to the waiting area for they were already calling out for the test-takers. I was given No.7 out of the group and it was quite nerve wrecking to be one of the first... =( To be honest, I was already very nervous from the days before and I tried to deal with the crazy butterflies in my stomach until I was called out to enter the car... Dun dun duuuunnn~~

So I entered the car, placed my bag on the passenger seat beside me, adjusted the seat, secured the safety belt and closed the door...and there I was, in front of my biggest enemy in the whole circuit; the HILL.
Yes, I HATE the hill so much...ever since my first practice, I knew I was going to have trouble on that hill... =_= Not to mention that the person in front of me, did the hill-thing so freaking fast and in the blink of an eye, it was my turn...
Okay then....so I put the car in gear 1, slowly paralleled my car with the yellow line, and drove up...and I stopped right in the middle of the line. I was quite anxious since, I was aiming for a little more in case of emergencies...so I asked if I could reverse and try again, but the examiner urged me to just move forward. I gave it a second thought and it would be HORRIFIC if I couldn't place the wheels correctly in my second try...so I braced myself, put the car in gear, had the handbrake ready and gunned the gas. As the car jerked slightly, I released the handbrake and..... I went over the hill smoothly~

It was such a refreshing feeling...I had a lot of trouble with this part but I managed to pull it off! It felt like a huge achievement for me... ^_^;;

I passed the circuit and I was quite happy that I defeated that Evil Hill of Doom....but little did I know that things were going downhill from there on....

After waiting for a few minutes, I was called to go for the final part of the test and that is the road-test. I felt okay...I wasn't as nervous as before but my hands still shivered slightly. I entered the car and greeted the examiner, gave him the marking sheet and was ready to make preparations before driving. From the get-go, I knew something was wrong. I am 5'1 or 156cm tall and I need to adjust the seat forward to be able to press the clutch comfortably...but I realized that the seat was somewhat...shorter than the other cars I've driven in INMAJU. I tried adjusting again and again but it was still very uncomfortable. However, the examiner simply told me to move on and I began driving.
The engine died 3 times despite my sincerest struggles with the balancing of the clutch and gas. It felt really weird...it was so different from all the other cars I've used for previous practices and I knew I was not comfortable. The car's acceleration became weird and random that I stayed around 40 km/h for I knew that if I went faster I might lose its control. Everything else was okay but when I was on my way back to INMAJU, I encountered a hill and I was ready with gear 2 since that was the gear I always used to climb that hill. As soon as the car was on the slope, I saw the speedometer arrow drop FAST and I knew something was REALLY wrong. I emergency braked and pulled up the handbrake but in that flurry to save the car from reversing into another car that was VERY CLOSE BEHIND, the engine died again and the examiner was pissed off... =.=;;

He drove me back to INMAJU and I was reflecting on the things I did wrong when I realized....I did EVERYTHING that made my previous practice go smoothly. I balanced the clutch and gas just as I've practiced AND as how I drove in the circuit from before...yet because of the faulty adjustment of the seat, I was uncomfortable and couldn't perform my best. However, nobody would listen to my complains about the seat and I was failed.

After scheduling my next exam, I did not feel frustrated or disappointed...because I KNEW that if I had voiced out my discomfort with the seat, things may have turned out a little differently. Instead, I just felt confused to HOW I lost control of the clutch that made the engine die multiple times...like, seriously...I didn't even release it completely but the engine died...what happened?
As of now, I'm repenting it with my own faults...I knew I was driving uncomfortably but I went along with it until it led to my failure.

I will try again next Thursday! And before that, I will practice again with my instructor and I will determine whether it was truly MY fault or that it was both the car and I...then again...I can't blame the poor little car.... X'D

Oh well... life has it's ups and downs! Just like those stupid Evil Hills of Doom!!!!






;3