Skip to main content

Are You Permitted?

By Anonymous
Gloria Kim

Early Saturday morning, students dragged their weary legs off their beds with half-closed eyes to get ready for a special day. With a tinge of nervousness and excitement, they set off for a long ride to the south end of the island to a place where every car moved at a speed of 10km/h: the JPJ driving center.
            Those who came to the JPJ center had already passed the first few obstacles in achieving a driver’s license. The very first thing that one must do to start the process is to select a driving school. Once enrolled at a school, the notoriously boring three-hour lecture on the basics of driving must be attended. Then a book to study for the theory test must be purchased. Only after passing this test, is one able to learn how to drive at the JPJ center.
            This was the process that many Dalat students have gone through to achieve their license. A few students took the initiative to acquire it in junior year; and by senior year, the majority of them had earned the “P” license, or the permit to drive in Malaysia. This year, 28 seniors drove themselves around.
            “I got my driver’s license because I wanted to have the freedom to travel where I wanted and also for the convenience of commuting from home to school. It greatly benefitted me because I am able to do what I need to do without disrupting my parents’ schedule. Being able to go out for lunch with my friends is also an incredible privilege,” said Noel Teng (12), one of the first few seniors who earned the “P.”
            The very first senior to have been “permitted” was Cheryl Yeap (12), who probably have fetched students around the most. Some seniors earned their license later in the year just to follow the trend.
            “Peer pressure was the biggest factor that motivated me to get my driver’s license. Otherwise, I would have gotten it after graduating from university,” said Ysabel Loh (12).
            Whether it was from peer pressure or for convenience, the students were each motivated to take up the challenge of earning a driver’s license in their high school year. From waking up early on a Saturday morning to obeying the traffic rules, they became more independent and responsible individuals.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DINGBAT DALAT STUDENT SPENDS PRECIOUS TIME CONJURING UP SELF-REFERENTIAL SENIOR SCRIBBLE RATHER THAN GATHERING LEGITIMATE WORK

By Anonymous
Yusoof Monawvil PENANG, MA - As the deadline drew near and the stars aligned in the night sky above the majestic waters of the Strait of Malacca, one particular Dalat student—Yusoof Monawvil (12), despite a plethora of school events to select and report on—opted instead to spend a remarkably well-wasted 24 minutes staring at a blank Google Docs page, fruitlessly drawing up and shooting down brainstormed ideas.  In a moment of sheer and undeniable epiphany, Monawvil deemed it only fitting to self-referentially satirize his own ingrained incompetence and dingbattery. Commenting on the flash of insight, Monawvil quoted himself, saying: “It all just kinda made sense. I went on DISCourse to look at the little rubric thing Ms. Grad and Mr. Hieber posted, and I checked if I was following all of the guidelines... And I technically am/was; [N]ot like there’s any specific direktive [sic] prohibiting self-quoting.”  In a turn of events, Monawvil did come to find his self-quoting en...
6 comments
Read more

"Spikeball, Swimming, and Sickness: The Remnants of Senior Sneak" by Ee Rynn Ong

By
“Guys, I think we’re here,” said Jonathan Ooi (12) as he peeked out of the lorry to catch the first glimpse of our Senior Sneak location. This year’s Senior Sneak was held in Nomad Adventure, Gopeng, and the organizers planned many activities for the Class of 2026, ranging from traditional games like congkak and batu seremban to adrenaline-pumping ropes courses and whitewater rafting. These scheduled activities proved to be some of the best highlights of the trip, but top of that, the seniors were also given some daily free time to chat, explore, and relax. Josh Stevens (12) had come prepared for this with two spikeball nets, which immediately attracted attention from people eager to spend time in the outdoor sun. The next five days saw spikeball veterans and newcomers alike, spending their precious one and a half hours daily around the unassuming circular net, smashing the yellow ball in hopes of a victory.  Caleb Evans (12) was one of the newbies to spikeball, learning how the g...
Post a Comment
Read more

“I Miss Her” by Nikhil Pillay

By
While most people had a fun week for mid-semester break, whether it was spent with family, or with friends on impact trips, no one had a more emotionally confusing week than Judson Kenneth Robert Nosker (12).  In the light of recent events, Judson, despite all odds, had gotten in a relationship with one of his classmates, and as the break started, he had started to spend a lot of time with her. While with her, he started to experience a new level of joy and completeness that he had never felt before. In the words of Judson Nosker, “The first half of the break was good, but the rest of it was horrible.”  The reason for such a quote and the roller coaster of emotion was because half way through the break, disaster had struck. Judson’s girlfriend had gone on a trip with her family to Thailand, leaving Judson all alone. For the rest of the week, Judson was in a state of longing for her presence.  His friends have reported numerous occasions when Judson would be sitting with t...
Post a Comment
Read more