Broooooom...Broom!

Hello! Been a while since my last blog! Well.. A month!

Been busy stitching the roads of Metro Manila lately... Masyado kasi siyang MALUWAG! :P

I sha-share ko naman ang driving experience ko. Partially giving my dear "READERS" some sort of a life-hack! ☺

How my Instructor see me. (photo not mine)

Actually matagal na 'kong may Student's Permit. Last year palang may permit na ako kaso lang I was soooo busy to utilize its function. (Yes na expired siya)

P.S.: Ikekwento ko 'to according to my twitter archive (Hahaha! follow me! @jcorhins on twitter).

I apologize I haven't took pictures during my journey to this.. I was pretty immersed with it.

So.. Here in Philippines how can I get to drive a car? You need a license! In my post I will be guiding you through on how to get a Driver's License!

Step 1 - Get a student's permit

a. Prepare the following!

-Bring your valid ID's (you only needed one but get bring 2 or 3 if possible). By valid ID I mean any government-issued ID.

-NSO-issued Birth Certificate

-Your own pen

-Money! (Bring PHP 500 to be sure)

-Any form of entertainment!

b. Go to any LTO extension office

c. Find someone whom you can ask where to get the Application for Driver’s License (ADL) form.

- In my experience LTO Taguig don't honor the downloadable form so why waste your ink? ;)

- This form is for FREE!

- After this you will submit this form to the same person who issued you one.

- You will have to do some sort of "driver's oath"

d. Wait for your form to be processed

- Medyo systematized naman na 'to upo ka lang at maghintay tawagin ang pangalan mo

- Picture and Signature taking lang ang hihintayin mo

e. Pay PHP 317.63 NO MORE NO LESS!

- Pero be aware na yung 0.37 cents mo ay di na mababalik (ang nakakainis na sistema ng Pilipinas -- isama na ang 0.50 cents na sukli sa PUVs)

- They may include a sleeve (non obligatory and for me useless) for PHP 20.00 pero you CAN insist not to avail one

f. Congrats may Student's Permit ka na!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Wag na wag wawalain ang receipt mo sa pagkuha ng Student's permit! Hinahanap itao kadalasan ng driving school para i-honor ang permit mo.

Step 2 - Use your student permit!

For me using my permit requires a driving school. Dalawa lang na driving school ang pinuntahan ko (ang consideration ko ay PRICE and CONVENIENCE) sila ay ang Red1 at ang A1 driving school. Ayun napunta ako sa A1 SM Bicutan branch. Nakapag-avail ako ng 10+1 hour promo nila so I have an 11-hour hands-on driving!

Enrollment and Orientation:

A1 accepts Debit, Credit Cards and Cash
(Note: PHP 6,600 ang 10 hr program nila)

 Dahil sa tamad ako tumawag muna ako to know kung kailan ang schedule ng orientation on their branch (which is Tuesdays). Pagka-register ko upo ako agad for orientation. Ang mga kaklase ko either driver sa company ko tulad kong bummer enjoying their life (HAHA!). A1 lecturers are good (esp the MOA branch one). Di ko na i-detail ang lectures dun ako sa HANDS-ON!

Hands-on:

Day 1 (2 hours) -- Starting procedure and all that stuff (Altis manual vehicle)

Estimated First Route. :)

Ugh! First day ko late ako! Sa bicutan traffic best option ang paglalakad! So my friend sweat is all over me I have to go to the restroom to cool down.First 30 minutes everything is fine.. Familiarize muna ng features. Nanganga ako kasi di ako sanay sa power doors (hinanap ko pa ang door lock :P). From SM Bicutan we took the Dona Soledad road going to the AYRPORT. TRAFFIC! Well parte ng training ko, the road is not of Metro Manila if the cars are freely flowing. :D

Sobrang nangalay ang kaliwang paa ko sa clutch! Now I know kung bakit marami ang umiinit ang ulo sa stop and go traffic! Si Sir Instructor ko chill lang sa upuan nya pinipihit ng unti ang manibela :)

After that I was sooo HAPPY! And primary goal ko lang kasi ay mapatakbo ang sasakyan ng walang casualty and I GET IT (small goals = key to fulfillment! :P)

Day 2 (3 hours) -- dapat sa training course na nila ako sa Las Pinas (Vios manual vehicle)

My first meeting with Sir Noel! Ang intimidating yet magaling na instructor!

So from Altis nag Vios naman ako. Medyo di bilib si Sir sa SKILLZ ko. Kaya pinaikot-ikot nya muna ako sa subdivision nila. May I just say. ANG SIKIP NG DAAN SA KANILA (which is advantageous sakin yun naman talaga ang realidad :D). I am SOO intimidated with Sir because all he do is talk and talk and talk and TALK!! Criticizing my driving skills (which on that level is soo much premature) as if I've driven a car for YEARS! I was asking him what did I done wrong and he would annoyingly respond to my polite inquiry with "Ewan ko sayo Sir alam mo naman ang ginagawa mo eh. Nasabi ko na yan sayo." where in fact he didn't say anything! I've lost my cool pero di ko parin siya sinasagot (cool not respect ☺). Tinatanong nya ako why do I love to put some gas in my car and I blatantly answered "Ako po kasi ayaw na ayaw ko makakita ng student driver na mabagal magmaneho lalo na sa congested area." -- di niya matanggap.

That session ended with me being frustrated not only with myself but also the way Sir teach

Day 3 (2 hours) -- I was like "OH NO!" si Sir Noel parin!

Second Route (again ESTIMATES lang)

Medyo relax na ako sa kanya. Well I think relax na rin siya sakin. Nakatahak na kami hanggang sa gilig ng NAIA! Pero di pa kami tumuloy sa training center kasi 2 hours session lang ako mabibitin "daw". Somewhere in Las Pinas residential area naman kami nagpractice. Nakakatuwa kasi naka-on na ang radio ngayon! Ay reclined na ang upuan ni Sir! Medyo chill na sya habang nagmamaneho ako. Di ko parin ma-master ang pag-estimate ng line (I prefer crashing with other vehicles than the gutter :P).

** Before day 3 I called Ma'am Marie Gold yung receptionist ng SM Bicutan branch to vent my frustration.

Day 4 (1 hour) -- Isang oras na meeting LATE ako! -- Nang 3 minutes lang naman :)

Iba instructor! Yes! Pero bv! Sabi sakin ni Sir masyado daw ako gigil sa gas. Ngayon naman sabi ng instructor ko pagong naman daw ako magpatakbo. UGH! :S

Day 5 (3 hours) -- Final day ko na! It was raining and I am scheduled for night driving!

Third and Final Route. Wow ang layo pala nun.

First time I am EARLY! I mean 20 minutes EARLY! So may time mag chit-chat sa reliever receptionist na galing pang Batangas. Sana pala maaga ako nung ibang mga meetings! We had a wonderful conversation! Na ease out ang frustration ko na matatapos ko na ang program ko pero di ko pa master lahat ng skills! Apparently I am not alone! Yes you will learn the basics in their driving program but there is a NEED TO PRACTICE OUTSIDE A1 (which is UGH kaya nga nag driving school kasi walang magtuturo sa labas then they always expect from their students to posses an inclined skills in driving -- doesn't that defeat the mere purpose/essence of a driving school?!). She told me that instructor can be sometimes intimidating and when that moment/time comes you just have to ignore them! Enjoy your driving pero syempre lahat ng required na skills nandyan parin! (SIPDE, mirrors etc...)

Last meeting na namin ni Sir Noel! Si Sir medyo BV nag vent out sakin ng inis nya sa student nya nung nakaraan (sinagot kasi siya). See! Kahit na anong inis mo sa tao lalo na kapag uncertain ka na if ever magkikita pa kayo ulit WAG NA WAG KA MAGSUNOG NG TULAY! Malay mo kailangan mo pa palang tumawid ulit dun edi wala na. ☺☺☺ Finally nasabi ko na sa kanya na masyado siyang intimidating para sa mga neophyte drivers! Yes intimidation can help pero syempre varying naman ang response ng tao sa ganung gesture. For me, being the instructor, dapat siya ang nagbe-bend according sa learning process ng kanyang tinuturuan! So ayun smooth naman ang driving ko papuntang training center. Practiced numerous parkings, road markings etc.. EH GUMAGABI NA! O.O I am seriously panicking nung pauwi na kami. So ang driving condition ay:

1. Poorly lit roads

2. None to NO VISIBLE road markings!

3. Raining

4. Medyo disperesed ang ilaw ng headlights sa windshield

5. Unclear ang side mirrors!

The face inside my head

Kulang nalang ibigay ko na sa kanya ang manibela! O.O

Pero nakarating naman kami ng SM Bicutan ng walang napapatay. :)

Sample Evaluation Sheet
(Si Sir Noel nagdrawing ng procedure on parking)

Backside.

Lecture:

Kada attend mo wag kalimutan magpa-signature ng slip na ito.

Lecture 1 -- SM Mall of Asia branch

FUN lecture!

Lecture 2 -- SM Bicutan branch

Unbelievably FAST!

** after my Lecture 2 I refuted my statement to Ma'am Marie Gold regarding Sir Noel. :)

Eto yung napagtanto ko sa ginawa ko:

* Red1 and A1 is NOT in any way related (sister company)

* Syempre mura ang Red1 because you have to pay for the name "A1" when you go to their school

* A1 is accepting credit cards AND debit cards (Yey!) while Red1 prefers cash (installment daw)

* Required ng 2 school na mag orientation muna ang students bago magsimula ng hands-on

-- nagets ko na ang purpose nila after and it is EFFECTIVE!

* All their lectures and orientations are done by schedule (no special session)

-- for A1 sa iba't-ibang branch nila available (mostly SM Malls)

-- sa Red1 branches din pero sa main branch nila somewhere near Taguig City Hall lang

* All the A1 merchandises won't make you a race car driver.

-- yung UNO at SEGUNDA books nila ang laman nun nasa lectures din kaso lang detailed (w/ pictures)

* Chill lang sa driving! Tandaan mo bayad mo ang GAS at CAR USE. ;)

Step 3 - Apply for your license

I am one of the lazy few who paid PHP 1600 to A1 for their licensing assistance (syempre for 'convenience').

You need to present this to their SM Southmall branch
(together with other requirements)

I was scheduled July 31 (Tuesday). Ako naman si pabida punta ng SM Southmall (o diba MALL TOUR lang? Haha!) ng 9 AM palang! Syempre nung una natutuwa pa ko kasi di ako late. Then I realized being too early is the same as being late. By "too early" I mean greater than 20 minutes early! Buti nalang may Morning Rush to entertain me (hirap na hirap ako magpigil ng tawa!). Nung nagbukas na ang mall deretso ako sa ATM Machine (wala akong cash O.O) tapos A1 na (use your M-O-U-T-H walang taong naliligaw kapag marunong magtanong).

When I entered A1 in SM Southmall marami nang tao. You will present your receipt to the receptionist then she will give you the Application for Driver’s License (ADL) form; parehas din yun sa ginamit mo sa student's permit!

BTW required ang 1 MONTH MATURITY ng Student's permit mo bago ka makapag-process ng Driver's License.

*scribble* *scribble* finish! Para akong nakikipag-karera sa fill-up. Haha! Tapos narealize ko walang "-" ang surname ko sa Student's permit! I've notified an A1 personnel regarding this and he said I have to prepare a hundred bucks for the name correction (which I don't get. Parehas lang naman ng Birth Certificate at Valid ID pati FORM ang binigay ko sa LTO Taguig at lahat yung may "-"). Lucky me dala ko ang mahiwagang clear book ko na may lamang Birth Certificate (orig and photocopy), NBI Clearance etc.. in short di ako na hassle! Nung tapos na lahat ng preparation pumunta na kami ng LTO Las Pinas. Torrential ang ulan! BV lang kasi punta kami sa roofless parking at medyo may baha na -- so unavoidable mabasa ang sapatos YUN PALA pwede naman kami isakay dun sa roofed area. O.O

LTO transaction with A1 assistance is SWIFT (well I must be stated -- parang middleman ang A1sa procedure)! First you need to secure your medical certificate. Bayad ng fee lesser than PHP 200. Yung doctor dun sa loob ng LTO Las Pinas compound medyo ano ah.. I was weighed with full clothes on + shoes -- ang weight ko lang daw ay 70KGS?! WTH?! That is my weight without heavy clothes! Ang sabi pa nung assistant nung doctor "Bakit sir gusto mo pa dagdagan natin?" -- her statement was wrong in many many ways! After nito punta ako dun sa doctor. Meron syang photocopy ng alphabets na nakadikit sa dingding (di ko sasabihing snellen chart yun kasi FAIL!) Basa naman ako. Passed!

* narinig ko sa mga nakasabay ko na may corrective eyeglasses na ang remarks lang sa kanya ng doctor was like "Ah.. May salamin ka pala" without asking the grade and other potential eye defects (such as astigmatism). -- IT WAS SOOO WROOOONG!!!

After that ibibigay mo yung papers mo dun sa A1 facilitator tapos bibigyan ka nya ng SPECIAL NUMBER (dayaaa! kasi yung iba nahihirapan makakuha nun e). After nun pipila ka na for picture and signature taking. Syempre nagawa ko na sya dati kaya medyo aware na ko sa procedure. Nung turn ko na tinanggal ko na ang backpack ko. Akmang ilalapag ko palang ang bag ko BAM napicturan na ko (walang retakes :(). Tapos etong sinumpa kong signature na parang kasama ko na poreber (nagsimula siya sa Country Rural Bank when I was 9 or something)!

After that hihintayin mo nalang ma process yung payment mo. Wala ka nang babayaran sa LTO (remember yung PHP 1800 na binayad mo? Dun na kukunin yun! Pero kung di ka nagpatulong sa A1  magbabayad ka sa cashier nila). Upo muna kami habang naghihintay mag ONLINE ang server nila. Medyo nag-fafail ang server ng LTO sa city na yun kaya tumagal ang processing namin. Pag di pa kasi na process yung payment di ka nila bibigyan ng ORIENTATION and WRITTEN EXAM (last step na yun para sa nag-avail ng assistance). Upo. Upo. Tayo. Upo. Lakad. Minsan tulog. Naghintay kami ng almost 5 hours (or more)!

Finally nag online. Nagawa na ang receipts namin. Pasok sa loob ng lecture room. Kuha folder mag "REVIEW" daw. Yung rereviewhin mo PAREHAS (almost) ng i-eexam and they are aware of that!

*Mini rant: Diba having a DRIVER'S LICENSE is a PRIVILEGE?! Why do you have to almost give the answers to the examinee?! Constantly reiterating the word "PRIVILEGE" implies that those who have acquired their license to drive a vehicle are deemed to be FIT and ROAD WORTHY drivers according to the LTO "STANDARD". Giving those reviewers to the examinee is almost synonymous to LTO LOWERING THEIR "STANDARD". Which is SO WRONG IS SOOOO MANY WAAAAYS!!!

May 1 hour ka para mag "REVIEW". Tapos exam na. 2 hours daw ang exam. Sa lahat ng nag exam ako ang nasa pinaka-dulo so ako ang huling nabigyan ng test paper. *scribble* *scribble* FINISH! -- karera nanaman (reckless answering :P). Yung katabi ko medyo may edad na kesa sakin. Nagtanong ng sagot sakin He was like "Diba blah blah blah blah?" Ako naman "Oo. Oo." without minding what he says.

Then upo mga 10 minutes lang hintay result. I got 35 out of 40! Yey! Unfortunately given those reviewers may bumabagsak pa daw.

*Another mini rant: sa 40 items test sa NON-PROFESSIONAL (you are not paid to drive) 10 items dun traffic signs. Sa loob ng test room may GIGANTIC CHART DUN NG TRAFFIC SIGNS. Now I don't wonder kung bakit palaging may road-related accident na nababalita sa primetime news. SO WROOONG!

Kapag nag-avail ka ng assitance ng A1 skipped na ang actual driving test. Kasi yung ginagawa mong hands-on driving na sa institution nila ang substitute dun.

Eto yung napagtanto ko sa ginawa ko:

* If you have the luxury of time mas maganda manual ka mag process ng step na to (no backer etc)

* Pumosing ng MAAYOS! Three years mong pagtyatyagaan ang License pic mo!

* Kahit na may "reviewer" at charts. Try mo sagutan ang exam to its truest sense.

Step 4 - Claim that LICENSE!

Dapat makukuha na namin ang license namin on that day din. Kaso nga nagloloko daw ang system ng LTO Las Pinas. So kukunin nalang sa respective A1 branches ang license.

As easy as that may ganito ka na!

TADAAA! Isa lang naman hiling ko. Wag naman mukhang MUGSHOT! Eh hindi! Kaya kahit tabingi ayan sya! :D

You can now hit the roads. Pero for me. Getting to know palang kami ni Pride. Pawis steering siya eh. Sabi nga ni Sir "Not until you've gain that confidence you are still not fit to drive". Yes I know how to drive but that doesn't necessarily mean I can drive. KNOW and CAN. Two different things. :)

As always I will end this post with:

Dahil mamaya na ang concert ng Linkin Park (as I post this) at ako tengga sa bahay. Eto nalang

Waiting for the End - Linkin Park (medyo creepy ang screencap ah.. Ala The Conjuring! -- dated na ah!)