Saturday, July 23, 2011

[BBDC] my dRiving exPerience @bbdC (leSson 12 & 13)

Lesson 12: Saturday
Topic: Road Hazard

I literally have to drag myself to lesson today. And even though i know that time is running tight, i still insisted to go have breakfast at my favourite place just to cheer myself up. And yet again, i arrived just on the dot.

I really don't feel like going for more driving lessons anymore. You know it when you have to drag yourself to lesson every weekend. And it didn't pay that weekend morning are meant for sleeping late.

Today i got a new instructor that wasn't from my group. This is what happened when you don't pay to fix your group.

As i sat into the car, the instructor allows me to make a few rounds inside the circuit before going out. And it didn't help that i was feeling really lousy about my own driving. Soon enough, the instructor could point out my mistake as common as making turns and accelerating. We left the circuit and head off to look for road hazard so that i can practise the drill. The instructor was very sharp and could sense that i was totally in a OFF mode. He stopped me by the roadside and tried to understand my problems. I have to sound like a broken old record repeating the whole story on lane change and my incapability. Immediately, he told me he will solve my problem for me. So we changed seats and he first demonstrated getting across road hazard and then, "with my permission", he took me on a a tour to demonstrate how to lane change.

My root problem i figured was that i could not tell the speed of the rear coming vehicles and every time i hear "lane change", my basic instinct is to step on the brake cause i am not at all confident. The nice nice instructor took me on 2 rounds and demonstrated explicitly how to lane change in fast traffic. While he was driving, i looked at the rear using the mirror and he keep asking me if that particular condition is ok to lane change. With this method of his, i conquered 80% of my fear. What i thought was a "couldn't lane change" situation turns out to be a "could lane change" situation. He demonstrated lane change with a Jaguar and pissed off the driver. *thumbs up*

After going 2 rounds, he allow me back into the driver seat to practise for both the road hazard and lane change. Under his coaching, my confidence level rose and i feel so enlightened. He was very nice and allow me a lot more time to practise my lane change. By the time we returned to the circuit, the circuit was already empty.

I didn't managed to remember his name but his instructor number is 6355. Thank you!

Lesson 13: Saturday
Topic: Lane change in heavy traffic

I remembered i laughed when zh recall siok's weirdo "go-straight" instructor.
The world goes round.
Today, on board the car, the instructor just tell me
"Go straight unless i tell u otherwise. When there is no more opportunity to go straight, turn left by default."

With that, he retired into his seat and stared outside the car without paying attention to me.
I ended up going straight all the way.

I thought this is only going to be temporarily and contemplated whether to tell him that my lesson today is on lane change in heavy traffic. But i held back which i deeply regret because for the remaining 100 minutes in the course, apart from going straight and making left turn, i never really had an opportunity to right turn and not to mention lane change. When i realised that he was not interested in teaching me, i try to find opportunity to lane change and ended up being disciplined by him saying that i should not lane change and in fact should simply wait even thou there is a stationary vehicle in front of us. Finally after a big big detour that took me from bukit batok to choa chu kang to teck whye to jurong east to boon lay way to commonwealth ave to sunset way to ngee ann poly to bukit timah market (rest of the route i really cannot remember anymore), i was back at BBDC 10 minutes before the lesson ended. Reason? The instructor wanted to get ready to prepare to go and pick up his trainee from the next lesson at another fixed venue!

This instructor, i later realised, was from my fixed group. I thought it is going to affect their bonus if their fixed group students were to fail? How come he is simply "Bo chap"?

Or is he simply too tired to care?
I totally could not comprehend why there is a "Fetch and Send" service aka New Venue Scheme!
If anyone want to learn something, then he/she has to make an effort right?
How come anyone can come up with this stupid scheme of making the instructors going all the way to the trainee house to pick them up and commence lesson from there?
To me personally, this is a bit demeaning for the instructors.
They only have 10 mins of break time in between normal lessons and instead of being able to rest, they have to rush off to the next venue!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

The fees payable for being under this scheme is only $3.21!
This is even cheaper than getting a cab!
Is this genuine customer service @ work offered by BBDC?
Or this stupid gimmick offered by BBDC at the expense of their own instructors?

I can't help but to link this with the difficulties that my teachers-friends have shared with me.
If today adult are having such mentality, what are to say of their children?
My belief is simple.
Want something? Get it yourself!

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