I never got to blog about this then, but a few weeks back, I finally managed to get my driver’s license renewed. The whole exercise was a lot like pulling teeth, but I’m not going to complain as the whole thing was largely my fault.

My driver’s license expired in 2007. Back then, I didn’t have a car anymore, so I just put the whole thing on the back burner. Then I moved to Thailand and lost the expired card somewhere. When I moved back home, mum arranged for an Affidavit of Loss so I can get it sorted out, but I kept putting it off and putting it off. By the time I got around to it a few weeks ago, it has already been expired for over 2 years. And this means that LTO now had every right to make my life a living hell.

I practically had to start from scratch, sans the student’s permit and driving lessons. The worst part had to be the drug test. I’ve always hated public bathrooms, and having to use a horrible, smelly one in the dingiest LTO-accredited drug testing center imaginable to pee in a cup AND then personally transfer the contents in a teeny tiny bottle was absolute torture. Thank all the stars that the whole process didn’t last too long, so I was in and out and done with the medical hoopla within minutes. Really, that drug testing center/medical clinic was like a well-oiled machine. Why, they can even process car insurance while you wait!

The rest of the steps weren’t as horrible, thank heavens, but they were still unbelievably exhausting. I had to travel all the way to the main LTO office downtown – which is quite a long way away from where I live now, mind you – several times every day for nearly a week. I had to sit through a very boring lecture in a very stuffy room, take a written exam that I (naturally) aced, and a driving test.

I have to admit, I was very nervous about the driving part. Although I drove my own car for nearly 4 years, I have not driven at all in nearly 6, so I was absolutely terrified. We also had to supply our own vehicle, and since I didn’t have one, I had to borrow a car from one of my mum’s friends. Good thing she agreed – after all, not a lot of people would lend an unlicensed driver who hasn’t so much as driven a wagon in 6 years their car.

Well, as it turns out, my (and I imagine, her) fears were unfounded. The moment I got behind the wheel, it really was a lot like finding a long lost friend. I never realized how much I missed the freedom of driving. Even The Husband, who was always so skeptical about my driving skills, was thoroughly impressed. Tee hee.

It was a relief that the car was a stick (manual transmission), actually. I learned on a stick and drove a stick. I was once forced to drive an automatic once, and I hated every minute of it. There was just no . . . artistry to it. I guess my examiner saw that I’ve been driving for a while because he just asked me to parallel park and that was it. The other examinees took half the freakin’ morning. After that, I just had to take a quick trip to LTO one last time, and I got my driver’s license card within minutes.

I must say, I was very impressed with the new LTO, even after all the crap that I had to go through. If my license wasn’t expired for over 2 years, I would’ve been in and out of the LTO office (with the proper driver’s license card, mind you, and none of those shitty temporary receipt things) in about an hour. The Husband got his student’s permit (he had to start over because he lost his UK license) in 10 minutes. Truly, the things that government offices can do when they decide to join the rest of us in the Information Age never cease to amaze me.