Record My Mind

Banal Records of a Pedestrian Mind

Archive for the 'Motorbike' Category

Passed Lesson 7

I passed my 7th bike lesson on the first try yesterday evening. Very happy. Think instructor “pang chan”.

I need to remember the following:

  • Blindspots: Always check away from curb. For right turns, check right before turning will suffice. For left turns, check right then check left blindspot if you are first bike moving off. For second bike or moving bikes turning left, checking left blindspot will suffice.
  • U-turn: When in the deceleration lane before u-turn, to check towards the centre, i.e. left bike checks right and right bike checks left. Position the bike correctly so that another bike cannot squeeze through on your right. Your bike should not touch the yellow junction lines.
  • When doing the second last right turn in the circuit, signal right.


  • When switching lanes, check mirror clear, check blindspot clear then move into next lane smoothly, going at an angle without swerving.
  • Lesson 8 pass then can take test liao. Must book circuit and road revision and lesson 8. Wish me luck!

    posted by recordmymind in Motorbike,Records and have No Comments

    Passed Lesson 6

    Passed lesson 6 on second try. Totally unexpected, especially when there were several times I didn’t follow the positioning rules and had accelerated past a flashing green left arrow.

    Well, would like to record the following for future reference:

  • Only two bikes allowed in yellow box junction for right turn arrow


  • In filter lane, make sure foot not on zig zag lines


  • When pedestrian crossing and you are turning, if pedestrian is facing you, let pedestrian cross to
    the other end before moving off. Otherwise, you can move after pedestrian passes halfway mark.

  • Don’t move into position for second last right turn if there is a car in the lane.
  • Immediately signal right once you are out of circuit’s filter lane. Check blindspots.

  • When flashing arrow or amber light, stop if possible.
  • posted by recordmymind in Motorbike,Records and have No Comments

    RT & Practical bike lesson 6

    Well, the purpose of this blog is to record my life, no matter how meaningless it is. So here’s the record.

    Yesterday, I went for my second RT session, managed to run 2.4 km and bumped into a primary school friend whom I’ve not easily seen for ten years. He reminded me of so many things I forgot. He still remembered that I used to be regularly punished and hauled up for doing irritating things like spinning books. Amazing the amount of stuff he remembered and the amount of stuff I forgot. So many years ago, when I was still a school boy.

    And today, I went for my 6th bike lesson. Got a bike without a tail light, so that was an immediate failure. It was my first time riding on the road in Singapore. Not too bad, I think. I finally understood the following, which must be recorded down before I forget.

  • When going straight and stopping, form up in two lines in the following order: left, right, left, right etc.
  • When turning left on a lane that can also go straight (two arrows painted on the road), form up in one line to the left. Similarly, for turning right on a lane that can also go straight, form up in one line to the right.
  • When turning left on a lane that has only one arrow, form up in two lines in the following order: left, right, left, right etc. Similarly when turning right on a lane that has only one arrow, form up in two lines in the following order: right, left, right, left etc.
  • At a traffic junction, if you don’t see any traffic light boxes for a green arrow, only one bike is allowed to wait in the junction. If you see a box for a green arrow, two bikes can wait in the junction.
  • When turning in filter lane, line up in one row.
  • When returning to the circuit, signal left and remember that no more than two bikes or one car is allowed in the lane for the second last right turn. The second bike must be behind the first bike.
  • Never check gear and never allow your right foot to drop to the ground, that is an immediate failure.
  • Always hold on to front brakes when you come to a stop.
  • Stuff not recorded last year despite my intention:

  • Lao Jiu performance (too light hearted, too much light and cheer and too lacking in emotional depth that is found in the stark contrast between Lao Jiu’s world of puppetry, the Iron Horse corporation world and the world of hopes and aspirations of his family)
  • Omara Portuendo performance (versatile voice. impeccable timing and rhythm. Got the audience jiggling and managed to make Lim Yau lose his very perfect sense of timing for a while when she improvised)
  • Mid-year review of 2005
  • Managed to transcribed Roy Buchanan’s Tribute to Elmore James through Audacity (recommended by the ever reliable Chris and all-round best source on good deals
  • Read Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History and found it a good antidote the common stereotypes of Islam I’ve been exposed to in the media.
  • Read Getting Things Done. Highly recommended. Few books change my life or would make it better despite I spend so much time reading. But this would be one of the few that would change my life if only I could follow it. In fact, I’ve been applying the book’s principles at work and I think I’ve become more effective. The 2 minute rule is something I hope to live by everyday. Find out here (from 43 folders) and here (from BusinessWeek) what GTD is.
  • Spoke to Chris today, apparently he got interested in the book I’ve been blogging about. And I thought no one ever reads what I wrote. Well, that’s some motivation for me to write about the next chapter on skepticism even though to be read was not the reason why I blogged.

    While blogging, was listening to Sleepwalk from Joe Satriani’s Strange Beautiful Music. Not bad.

    Strange Beautiful Music

    posted by recordmymind in Motorbike,Music,Records,Stuff I've read and have No Comments