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clarkewilliams-blog · 5 years

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hey lads!!! i’m reese ( 21, est, they/them ) and this here is clarke. i’ve played too many versions of him but i’ve revamped him a bit here to make him a slightly better player so he can have the contract that would let him fit somewhat into this rp lmao. all you need to know about me is that i fucking love hockey and my og team fucking sucks so all i’ve done for the past five years is love on prospects and watch them develop and ( sometimes ) make it to the nhl. so i apologize in advance for going absolute ham on the details of clarke’s path to the nhl no one cares abt. clarke’s a mix of some of my fav nhl prospects and players which i’ll list at the end if anyone cares. also i don’t really know anything about the rangers besides lundqvist being the king and how to properly pronounce skjei so bear with me here.

i’m always super excited to play clarke, so let’s get to it!!!

gregg sulkin. male. he/him. ／ clarke williams just pulled up blasting high hopes by panic! at the disco — that song is so them! you know, for a twenty-four year old nyr defenseman, i’ve heard they’re really -private, but that they make up for it by being so +easygoing. if i had to choose three things to describe them, i’d probably say cold lakewater against sweaty skin, the cool shadows around a spotlight, and an easy smile captured by an unnoticed camera. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble! ( reese, 21, est, they/them)

THE STORY

--- clarke williams was born on the coldest day of december in a snowstorm, it was only fitting then he would love the cold like nothing else. he fell in love with skating long before he did the sport of hockey : he loved how it made him feel, how exhilarating and freeing it was. when he was eight, he picked up his first hockey stick ( a little LATE by some standards ) and fell in love again.

--- he ascended beyond his peers quickly, driving the game from the blue line even at a young age. his high school made a bid for the coveted state championship TWICE : once his freshman year and again his sophomore year. they never did make it all the way and that’s something he wishes he could have experienced. despite not winning it all, he was noticed by scouts and invited to the tryout camp for the us national team development program. he made the program and finished his last two years of high school with the ntdp in ann arbor, michigan with the u17 and u18 teams, respectively.

--- after his graduation from the program, he was selected in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft, 49th overall to the san jose sharks ( IRONICALLY, that draft pick was originally from the rangers ). he was scouted by the university of north dakota, quinnapiac, and university of minnesota; ultimately, he committed to north dakota, the first school to offer him a scholarship. his freshman year he was selected to team usa at the 18u world juniors where they won gold (2014 u18 wjc), and again his junior year to the 20u world juniors where they won bronze (2016 wjc).

--- the end of his junior year he chose to sign his entry level contract with the sharks instead of finishing his final year at north dakota : they made the frozen four all three years of his tenure, finally winning it all in 2016. it seemed like a fitting time to move on. waiting out the full four years of college and going to free agency had never been on clarke’s mind, the sharks were the ones who’d seen something in him, drafted him, and believed in him — he was always going to sign with them. he finished the 15-16 season on a professional try out with the sharks’ ahl team, the san jose barracuda.

—- the next season (16-17) he played for the barracuda and was called up at the end of the season when injuries plagued the team. he played well during the playoffs but was held to no points and the next season despite his best efforts, he was sent down to the barracuda halfway through training camp. that season (17-18) he was called up in january, once again the sharks made playoffs and he played in them, building upon his progress from the season prior. he entered the off-season feeling like he was in a good place and ready to work through the season, determined to make the big club in october.

—- however, that off-season brought chaos. he’d already flown into san jose for training camp when his agent called with news of a trade. clarke was sent to ottawa as one of the many pieces in the erik karlsson trade. but it didn’t end there, he was still packing when news of a second trade hit : he’d been flipped to the new york rangers in exchange for a third round pick.

—- he arrived at rangers training camp with something to prove, determined to show not one but two teams they’d made a mistake in trading him. he still didn’t make the team straight out of camp, but he played a mere three games with the hartford wolfpack before an injury hit the rangers and he got the call to join the big club. determined to not let this opportunity slip through his hands, he played his heart out on the ice, having an impressive breakout season and establishing his place as a talented two-way defenseman. he did not get sent back down that year (18-19).

—- this past off-season, the team took a gamble and signed him to a lengthy contract instead of a bridge deal, 6 years 4.5 AAV. he starts the first year of this contract this upcoming season.

MISC

—- clarke spends his summers in minnesota at his family’s lake house. he 100% has that dumb minnesota energy and posts videos of him wakeboarding all the time. when he’s not training and preparing for the season or playing in da beauty league ( a summer minnesota hockey league ), he’s probably on a boat. he’s most likely just returned to new york very recently.

—- very calm off the ice ; very easy-going and likes to keep things light. it’s his way with dealing with stress and pressure : just pretend it isn’t there and it won’t affect you.— he’s a hella private person but kinda not in an obvious way?? like he doesn’t share much about himself, esp what he’s feeling or even when massive things happen in his life; even his mom doesn’t know a lot of things that happen/happened to him. however, at the same time he’s extremely personable and friendly, which makes it not super obvious to his friends that they don’t really know a ton about him until they really think about it.

— “tough as a junkyard dog” ; “an absolute beast” ; will play injured ( i don’t condone this and no one should but i can’t stop him… ). there’s this large blotchy thing on his neck that kinda looks like a hickey or rash but it’s actually a three a half inch scar he got when he was 16 when a skate slashed his neck. he’s very lucky it didn’t hit his main artery. it runs from about his adam’s apple and extends toward the side of his neck.

—- he lives in an apartment with two of his teammates during the season, it makes the rent a little more reasonable.

—- ain’t no lie, baby. bi bi bi. ( but on the DL obv ).

—- hockey may have been in clarke’s blood; however, his mother knew the merit of clarke being a well-rounded athlete : he ran cross-country and track, played baseball, and lacrosse. he especially excelled at baseball, but he absolutely hated the practices, so his stint with it did not last particular long. but he had a tough competitive streak, doing well in xc and track, and even lacrosse to a degree ( it certainly helped spades with his hand-eye coordination ). he started focuses more on hockey once hitting high school.

—- SEHNSUCHT : it’s a german word that roughly translates to a yearning for the future, and can maybe be considered a rough antonym for nostalgia. it’s rooted in a belief of constant improvement and that perfection is impossible to achieve ( but that it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for it anyway ). it fits will very well ; he’s not one to dwell on the past and is constantly working to improve himself and his game.

—- he really likes being high up, not because of any sense of ego but actually being high up and looking down at things helps him keep things in perspective ( everything is just a small part of each other ).

—- he hates when people worry about him which is real ironic since he worries about everyone else too much ; be it his team, his friends, or family. it comes with being extremely loyal. on the ice he hates to see teammates pushed around and pretty much will always do something about it.

—- he was raised by a single mother and he appreciates her very much #doubleshifting. it’s given him a humble outlook on life and for a while, he worked as a line cook in a diner to help pay for his hockey equipment. he never wanted to make the nhl for the money or fame, he just wanted to make a living playing the sport he loved. the most he’s made the tabloids was when he briefly dated a model/singer ( possible wc??? ) — they broke up after three months: she couldn’t cope with his schedule and said he was distracted from her.

—- he studied aeronautics in college because besides going into the nhl, the one thing he wanted to be was a pilot.

—- there’s this video of brock boeser where he says “y’know” 45 times in a three minute interview and that’s clarke trying to do media. ( like i said, dumb minnesota energy ).

—- PLAYING STYLE : clarke is an excellent two-way defenseman. his most prominent skill is his ability to skate. he’s very quick and evasive and very good on his edges. he’s good at defensive zone exits and capable of jumping up in the rush, and his speed allows him to get back quickly if he needs to. his slapshot finds its way through traffic and he’s looking to get more minutes on the second powerplay on the point. he can throw big hits when necessary and doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice his body to block shots. he’s good muscle on the ice when scrums break out.

—- 6’3” 201 lbs.

—- PLAY COMPARABLES: brendan guhle ( skating ability and speed ), seth jones ( two-way game ), jake mccabe ( physicality ).

—- PERSONALITY COMPARABLES : brock boeser, will borgen, casey mittelstadt ( just... dumb minnesota energy )

if you actually read all that... i’m very impressed and we definitely need to plot. i’m not one for listing wc’s mostly because i’m bad at them. i’ll be back later after my family thing to read intros, plot, and get interacting with you all!!

oh also fun fact, i also wrote most of this without brady skjei in mind until i went on campfriendly to find contract comparables and i lowkey kinda accidentally made brady skjei huh.

#excessintro #( fun fact: all of this is accurate minus the ottawa-rangers trade #that i made up just bc #i really wanted him to be part of the karl/sson trade whoops... )#( i really went ham on this i'm so sorry )

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gloieee · 4 years

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Fluctuations

This always happens. I started this blog entry from songs that struck me in late December to January and all that transpired during that month, which seems SO distant now. Let me see how I’ll divide this one up.

Starting with my thoughts back then: I had begun to feel better since my state from the fall, which I would perhaps like to dub “The Lost Season.” I felt more settled, finally starting to be maybe myself. I focused on passing the block, which was looking precarious at this point, and did. Struggled a bit with research, future career direction, trying to decide between pursuing the impossible for motivation vs. not being motivated at all, because I had proven myself incapable of walking that middle ground. Had therapy. Had a relatively lackluster but un-agonizing, relatively enjoyable and stable arrangement that took care of my fix while also preventing me from bad decision-making…for the most part. Guess I had some random, inconsequential sparks to keep me going too. Things were looking more settled and I was filled with determination for the future, at least on the academic front. And then some tiny thing happened, and totally irrelevant to the details, sent me on a spiral down my original trajectory, and I was slightly a wreck in January. As my close friend put it: I was getting R E K T constantly. More therapy. I would fluctuate from a state that seemed like polar opposites—whimsical lightheartedness; some idgaf confidence (rooted in truth, ahem, although it was buried quite deep down); a deep, penetrating sense of loneliness; confusion; some self-frustration & insecurity; and of course, some self-deprecation that pervades my being. But now, looking back, I think what pervades all these songs is a sense of apathy. There is an emotional distance—whether that be from numbness, lack of depth, an aversion to be vulnerable, or lacking the deeper sense of self-confidence/ security in myself. All the emotions were made worse by the fact that I felt shame towards how I was feeling, because it was the first time that these emotions may have stemmed from insecurity.

So here goes, Fluctuations:

2/1/2020

Really should not be doing this right now, but I’m already doing it without doing it, so will just do it (which looking back, sums up my approach to this past year).

This mood is so exactly how I feel:

NIKI- Chilly

Rediscovered myself, took back my heart Moved to a new city where I should be restartin' But I just feel nothin' Though something could grow I don't ever let it take root, oh Possibility all round me But I don't give a shit

I feel this about a lot of things, perhaps less than before, but I still have my moments. I’m in medical school, this place that I wanted so much, that some others feel so dedicated to and excited about, but sometimes I feel like I don’t give a shit. As I’ve noted, I feel as though a lot of my old crosses and struggles are returning. The new glitz of LA has worn off, and I’m unfortunately just me.

December's feelin chilly Takin' shots at the club to warm up and distract me from feelin empty Every now and then I would remember how you made me feel Oh, desolation and thrill

Nostalgia. That longing for the past. “every now and then” it does happen. I did take a lot of shots, and although it does warm me up in several ways, I’m not sure how often it distracts me from feeling empty.

To hell with "other halves" That's bullshit, I'm already whole alone That don't mean that I wanna be alone Tangled bodies to reset my heart but it just won't

I resonate with this so much. It reminds me of what Jo March says in the new Little Women film: “Women have minds and they have souls as well as just hearts. They’ve got ambition and they’ve got talent as well as just beauty. I am so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it! But—I am so lonely.”

Do you ever think about me? When she ain't around, is your bed cold without me? There ain't nothin' for me out here I'll stop asking questions, you take care

But of course, despite the queries, I know I should just stop asking questions and say take care and walk away. I’m getting a bit better with it definitely. But still not fully there.

______________________________________________________________________

Lyrics-wise, Jessie Reyes & JRM - Imported resonates deeper with me, but my unending love for 6lack prevented me from foregoing that one. Jessie is the lead in this first track, and I am* the lead of my life, so… And of course, my bank account isn’t looking mighty fine AT ALL, so that was an immediate eliminating factor.

Jessie’s voice is always laden with emotion, and there’s a penetrating pang, a sultry intensity to everything she’s saying. This song was the most accurate encapsulation of my state in Dec-Jan. I was trying to be better, to put myself in situations where I didn’t feel REKT afterwards, or in more refined terms, not feel immense distress. Yet, deep down I wanted to. I so loved making bad decisions—giving into that impulsive desire, stirring shit up in a slight way. It felt more true to myself in the moment.

Hi, my name is Doesn't Matter I like making bad decisions Let's wake up like nothing happened If we do it, say we didn't You, you're in love with somebody else Maybe I could offer some help Get over them by getting under me Hi, my name is not important I'm not from here, I'm imported I drink liquor like it's water Hope my liver can afford it I've been lying here, I'll be lying here I'm under the covers Like what happened here ain't nothing sacred Shit that got me fucked up is I know that dude just saw me naked

In some moments, this embodied the kind of interaction I wanted, or at least, felt right to me at the time. I love how this song captures the hallmarks of casual interactions, with a twist. Your name doesn’t matter, you wake up without any emotional attachments, unaffectionate, like something in between friends to acquaintances to strangers, as if nothing happened, despite a level of intimacy that was shared the night before. Despite popular opinion, it really couldn’t matter less that they’re in love with somebody else. You want to help them, not by becoming “the one”, but by replacing them physically, helping to forget for a night. Nightly trysts can be meaningful for sure, but there really isn’t anything sacred about this one. You’re over here worrying about superficial things like how this dude saw you naked rather than about how your capacity for emotional connection and depth could have been compromised.

Imported into someone else’s life in so many more ways than one; lying on so many more ways.

Of course, behind the chill, callousness of it all, there is a grain of realness:

Not interested in a broken heart But who'd a thought it'd take me ages? I ended up here 'cause my girls said "Fake it 'til you make it" I can tell you fucked up over Someone else you can't replace, and You finally realized That broken love just ain't worth saving You tryna lick the wounds But someone's not reciprocatin'

We aren’t trying to get feelings involved, but there’s a lingering shadow of how this all began. Fake it till you make it. But who’d have thought these pseudoscars would last as long as they did?

The last bit didn’t resonate much with me personally, surprisingly, but this is often how it goes in the realm of casual interactions. Glimpses of it in people of the emotionally unavailable kind, in that invariably tipsy, vulnerable pillow talk stage. The stuff that makes you defensive or overthink the next morning.

What I love about this one is that cheeky side-eye, that nod of confidence that co-exists with the uncertainty and vulnerability. You do want to keep it on the dl, you don’t want any of the emotional attachment, but also, you know you got it, you aren’t gonna hide it if it comes down to it and you know they still might get hooked:

Let's wake up like nothing happened If we do it, say we didn't If your friends ask if you hit it You can tell 'em, I'll admit it I wear that shit like a badge 'Cause I know that I got that kitty Get over them by getting under me But you might OD if you get too much of me

Such a seductive song that doesn’t try to at all, just a perfect blend of playful, crude, casual and real.

Zooming in on that badass sense of confidence, Ella Mai- Sauce comes in with a truly saucy bop on knowing your true worth, and being ready to drop anyone who don’t get it. We aren’t with you cause without them life sucks, we’re choosing to be with them, and they can be unchosen if they can’t handle the flavor. There’s always a fear of being too much for a lot of people, including myself—too emotional, too intense, too clingy, too crazy etc.—and Ella owns her everything, and puts the boys in their place:

Don't get emotional So I'd rather let you know Even though, I'm good without you I'm fucking with you regardless And if that's gon' hurt you Least you can say is I'm honest Good things don't always get to you the way that you want it I'm good without you but I'm fucking with you regardless So tell me if it gets too much Tell me if you bit too much Sorry that you can't keep up You're looking like you bit too much Boy, act right 'cause it's cool There's too much sauce in the food for you Too much sauce I got too much sauce, sauce It takes a strong man, strong shoulders You gotta level up if you want this (stop)

When you got these broad shoulders, def need one with strong shoulders as well.

But despite the UMPHHH about ourselves that rules deep down, we all still have our fleeting, very millennial moment of weakness, I’d like to think. I love how light Quinn XCII & Chelsea Cutler are—they capture those blurry nights with one too many drinks when you’re on your phone feeling nostalgic and emotional, feel those questions bubbling up that you don’t know the answers to and actually shouldn’t.

Why are we frayed at the edge, it's making me feel all to blame I wanna know what's the deal Where have you been and what do you think of me? Is there a new girl silently screaming your name? Why am I still holding on? I'm still holding on And I'm way too honest and you make me want it Why are we at such a distance? Find ourselves so out of frame Why are we drifting away from everything we wanted to save?

You want to hit up that one person from that one inconsequential but also kinda meaningful fling, or whatever gets you going. The song captures how you KNOW you shouldn’t, that it won’t amount to anything, but yet you give in from time to time. You know you should move on and are frustrated for not, but yet here you are.

It's old news, I should look for better Falling back to strangers, leave me hanging on Flare guns go off in my head, saying not to call you this late Still I dial those numbers every time Why do I replay those messages that you left at the tone last May? Slowly wishing you were never mine

The melody is upbeat and reminiscent of one of those somewhat last song moments at the bar when the music is winding down, the lights are on the verge of turning on, and you’re lightly sweaty and have that faded moment of compromised reality. It’s an inherently not-too-serious, universal emotion, still sung with a small, perhaps very slightly wry, smile on your face.

Niki’s Chilly hones in on this moment of weakness, but a more grounded, sober version. In retrospect, I think this was the most traditionally me song of the bunch, just cause I am a very moody girl at heart (mgp 5eva). Niki’s subdued voice is perfect--you can tell she’s not just indulging in an emotional moment and that it’s just straight up observations. She cares a lot still, but less about about that person she’s missing and more about the fact that that person has (partly) led her to feeling numb, and that she somehow hasn’t left that state.

But I ain't bitter, babe I've moved on, I just hate That nothing blooms since you

She points out an important distinction—you can move on from the person but not from the state that that person put you in. You can tell she’s fully aware of everything that’s happening, that she perhaps even knows what to do to get out of it, but can’t fully muster up the energy or that impetus to actually do so.

The most out of place song in the bunch, but I was intrigued by the progression of infatuation to love and a belief in that love over time, and to eventually walking away from something that you knew was so good for you:

Isaiah Rashad feat Syd- Silkk da Shocka

You give me all that you got

You make it stretch it and flip I fell in love with your thighs I learned it's more than your hips You know I'm caught in my vibe But I still give you my rib You hear them callin' my name But know it's hard for me here

I'm left at home by myself I chose the world in the end I say you know I'll be back You try your best to pretend I say you all that I want And when I make it, it's real I hear 'em callin' my name It's gettin' hard for me here

To know you love me It's rare to know you love me But yeah I know you love me It's rare I know you love me

There’s an enticing smoke and cloudiness that shrouds this track—you can feel the regret peeking out despite his compromised state, but of course, he doesn’t let himself fully realize that he made a mistake. He ends with a garbled monologue that shuts the whole thing down:

Feel so hollow unless you're usin' narcotics See I don't wanna be here if I don't gotta My weed habit so close to snortin' powder Got a few bitches but it's only bout a dollar Feel so hollow unless you're usin' narcotics See I don't wanna

And just after the self-indulgent haze of smoke, that early moment when you realize you’re indulging in something to numb the emotions, we’re fully in back our high and back to whimsical, light fun to forget all the Debbie downer bits. Might as well indulge in some steady, reliable fun if things can’t be inherently resolved yet:

Taylor Teyana feat Kanye West - Hurry

Keep your eyes all on this fatty If you like what you see take your hands and grab it Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry Late night get like all this real magic Ride it automatic till the sun come up, ooh Early, early, early, early

Every time she round, she get treat like the sidekick Until that side chick went and got some side dick

And after all the shits and giggles, the fun and games, there comes a time when you realize you need a change and that you’re ready for it—you’re ready to jump out the window. Big Sean, who I lowkey love for his lyrics—which seem just cheesy enough to be real—captures this state so well. It’s matter of fact, no buts, no fronting. This song felt like partly where I was at, partly something I needed to hear. Sometimes I’m Big Sean, sometimes I’m the girl he singing to. Honestly, despite him saying he doesn’t want to turn this into therapy, it felt like one—a necessary pep talk almost. He does it in a non-condescending, casual way. Some particular kernels of knowledge:

We already wasted too much time And your time is the only thing I wish was mine Know ya momma didn't raise you to take no disrespect, yeah I feel like real queens know how to keep the game in check, yeah You cried on my phone the whole night That time he crossed the line yeah, yeah, yeah (Oh I was there) I went to straighten his ass out And you told me never mind yeah The question isn't, "Do he love ya?" The question is, "Do ya love yourself?" You give the best advice to your friends and not take it for yourself You been up at night, sleep deprivation What's the hesitation? What's ya reservation? You been trippin', trippin' with no destination You need separation, you need recreation Look, Funny we ran into each other while we leaving You walked in with a perm And now yo hair look like The Weeknd's I know that you been needin' clarity Don't mean to sit ya down and turn this into therapy But you gave too much time to that boy charity, hear me

As someone who had just gotten a perm that was slightly difficult to control post-shower, had run into a lot of people, and definitely needed both clarity and therapy, this bit did kill me a little. Hoping mine didn’t look too much like the Weeknd’s though.

He still keeps it relaxed and light enough for us to swallow the medicine:

I don't mean to sound like the jealous type But you oughta know (oughta know) I think me and you should get together sometimes On the low low low (on the) Sometimes I wonder if you even know How much you worth, I gotta know Remember when you used to come through and hit the Mario Kart And you always picked the Princess I realized you was princess Way back then we the best thing that never happened, but

And an ironic song to cap it off. Mahalia- I Wish I Missed My Ex. Sometimes it’s easier to have someone to miss.

4.10. 2020

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thebrandtag · 6 years

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How to get driving license in Dubai. My experience :) via /r/dubai

How to get driving license in Dubai. My experience :)

Since there is a driving license post almost every week, I wanted to share how I got my license. Hope this will answer most common questions and help r/Dubai. All the prices and process I’ll be sharing is before VAT and according to the RTA’s licensing system as of November - December of 2017. English isn't my first language so please feel free to correct me :)

Schools and Pricing :

After comparing and reading a lot about the schools on reddit, I chose to go to Belhasa. Registration is fairly easy and you need some documents. You can see the pricing for Belhasa in the attached link below. Some of these fees are from RTA so I believe its standard for every school. If anyone has the pricing for other schools please share with us.

Let me clarify little bit about the prices, there are few options you can choose from.

http://ift.tt/2AGCBOj

Regular (the cheapest option) AED 60 per class

2 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5 weeks to finish your 40 classes. Fixed timing and days. Which means if you choose Sunday you have to choose Wednesday. And the timing is fixed as well. 2 hours per day.

Me being the poor me, I chose this option. Luckily I work in a job where I get my off day on weekdays, so I chose Sunday and Wednesday 8.30am to 10.30am.

Shifting (Flexible) AED 100 per class

3 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 12 classes per week so it will take you 3~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. You can choose the days and timings as per your linking!

VIP (Fastest) AED 150

4 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 16 classes per week so it will take you just 2~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. You can choose the days and timings as per your linking.

Friday AED 80

Only Friday classes. Totaling to 4 classes per week so it will take you 10~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. There are 3 time slots you can choose from.

Weekends AED 150

Classes will be on weekends. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. There are 3 time slots you can choose from.

Night AED 70

2 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5 weeks to finish your 40 classes. One time slot only 8pm-10pm.

Students get student discounts, please refer the link.

*These are the options given by Belhasa, other schools might have better options at better rates, but personally I will recommend you to stick with Blehasa and EDI. My colleagues chose DDC and Galadari beacuse they got discounts.

If you already have license in your home country you can choose to have 30 or 20 classes!

If your license is 2-5 years old you can take 30 classes,

If your license is 5+ years old you can take 20 classes,

I had license in my country for more than 5 years, but I have been in Dubai close to 5 years, and in my country we drive on the right side. And roads and drivers are vastly different from Dubai. So I chose 40 classes even though I could have taken 20. If you are very good and confident choose 30! (I know I should have 😉 cz it gets boring after sometime)

Registration :

This is fairly straight forward, go to any branch and tell them you want to open a file. You have to carry enough money for the registration and eye test. And you need these documents:

Passport or Passport and visa copies.

Emirates ID

4-6 Passport size photos

NOC – if you are in a category 3-5 job this is a must and it has to be with the seal of the company. This should be addressed to RTA and has to mention the category name** (In my case it was “License for **Light motor vehicle”). These are must and it won’t be approved if it doesn’t meet any one of the said criteria.

If you are on individual visa you need the NOC from the sponsor and his Visa page copy.

And if you want to deduct the number of classes you will have to carry the original DL from your country.

Eye test from a RTA approved test center. Cost 150-250dhs

You basically have to pay only the registration fee. But carry enough money to pay for the registration and the 8 theory classes. Around 1200 will be sufficient depending on your school. I paid 1500 DHS which included registration + theory classes and RTA theory exam fee (310 DHS)

Theory test :

You have to complete 8 theory classes before you can reserve your date for the exam. You have two options to finish your theory classes. You can either go to the driving center (Not the branches) sit through the lectures which usually happens on a weekend. Or you can do it online. I did it online and it was really easy and convenient. You can download the RTA app and do the mock exams, the mock exams have 80% questions from the actual exam. There are few videos to train you to understand the hazards. This is a bit tricky but choose the first hazard you see.

After this you go to your exam on the selected date and time. Click through it and you will get your results immediately. If you pass you can start your classes.

35 questions 5 videos total 40 marks. You have get above 30 to pass.

Instructors and Classes :

As I mentioned earlier I chose the cheapest option that was available, so I didn't get an option to choose the instructor but they told me I can change the instructor anytime I want incase I don't like the instructor.

Females have an option to get a male instructor with an additional cost of 10dhs per class.

Now the funny part is you never know how good or bad your instructor is until you compare him with someone else, but almost all the instructors in belhasa has good track records.

First day you have to drive inside the driving school for an hour. Just round and round it goes. Super boring if you can drive already but since I opted for 40 classes I had to do it.

I don't speak any language other than English and my mother tongue. So the classes were conducted in English and the instructor had fairly good communication skills. He thought me ALOT of things that I didn't know.

Unfortunately after doing 36 classes with the same instructor, he went on his vacation and I got another instructor.

Both were really good instructors, but both were using their phones while I drive and not really paying much attention to the road or my driving. I took this positively, thinking my driving is good enough for them to feel safe. Haha.

Parking and yard test :

After completing 16 - 20 classes ask you instructor to prepare you for parking test. Then if he agrees you will have 1-2 days classes dedicated for parking, emergency braking, and parking on a climb.

Parking test will be easy if you know what you are doing, local examiner will assess you. And if you fail one type of parking you only have to repeat that, but you will have to pay for extra classes and the exam fee again. So try to do it all in one go.

Tips -

Do not dry steer (turning the wheel when the car is stationary) this is an immediate fail.

Forget about the accelerator, just focus on the break paddle.

Even though it’s done in the yard and there will not be any cars around, do head checks and mirror checks. In the hill test there will be a stop line, make sure you stop there for 2-3 seconds.

Greet the examiner, wear nice cloths (I wore polo and chinos) and be pleasant. Subtle perfume will help 😉

The girls and guys who went before me didn’t do head checks and they were nervous af. Take your time, you get 5 minutes for parallel and 3 minutes for angle and garage parking. That’s plenty!! So take your time. Actually I had to do extra maneuvers in the garage parking, but maybe because I did the imaginary head checks or because I smelled good…. he passed me! The whole exam took around 5 minutes to complete.

Night classes and Highway classes :

After the parking test you have to do more classes (Yawn), and you have to do one mandatory night class where they will teach you about lights and night driving- Duhh!! But this will be done independently from your normal class days so check your calendars.

Assessment test :

When you do around 36 classes you can do the assessment test. This is done internally without any involvement from RTA. This is where schools try to extract money from you. So be careful. Belhasa was pretty chill about the whole thing, but I did stupid mistake I changed the lane without examiner telling me to (I changed because every time I take that road with my instructor, he will shout at me for not switching the lane), that’s an immediate fail (not following examiners instructions) but since I pretty much nailed everything else he passed me and assigned me additional 12 classes which cost me 720dhs (60x12). ¯_(ツ)_/¯

After competing that test, you get your highway classes. Pretty fun stuff! You get to drive at 120mph in al-ain highway.

After highway classes you will have newly introduced “independent driving” classes. Which is kinda tough if you don’t know the roads, basically there are 3 routes from your driving school to nearby places assigned by RTA. You will have to independently navigate and drive to those places. Apparently they are going to implement this in the final exam from next year. Lucky for me, not-today good sir, not today.

Final test :

The moment you have been waiting for! The boss fight! Technically this is just like the assessment test which is done internally but now by RTA. Depending on your examiner you will have to drive for 5-15mins.

Tips-

Same tips as parking test (See above)

Choose the time of your exam at round 9am to 11am, if evening at around 3-4pm. Basically make sure you choose a time when the roads are not that busy.

Check the door indicator, adjust the seat AND the steering. Adjust the mirrors. Turn back and ask the other passengers to fasten the seat belt, and say “thank you”

Check the mirror every 10-15 seconds, check before you break. Exaggerate these checks so the examiner will notice that you are checking.

Turn your head and check the roundabouts and intersections before you approach them (50m to 100m ahead), then check the center mirror before you slow down.

Be calm af, have a pleasant smile on your face.But don't drive slow or take too much time entering roundabouts and changing lanes.

Trust me, I finished my work at 12 midnight and went to “sleep” at around 2am woke up at 6.30am and my exam was at 9.10am. I was so bloody nervous I had nightmares of me failing the exam ☹ I didn’t sleep well at all. They will ask you to come 30mins early for the exam. This wait nearly killed me, I vomited a little bit in my mouth. LOL

Now the funny part is, when I got in to the car I asked me self

“Look If you had one shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted In one moment Would you capture Or just let it slip?” – mom's spaghetti by Eminem

3 guys, 1 car, 1 examiner. My name starts with “Y” so I was going last.

1st guy – Drove extremely slow, he entered the freeway and drove at around 60kmh. And when he had to switch lanes he tried to kill us all.

2nd guy – he was driving on the right most lane which will turn right ahed and Examiner told him “drive straight in the main road” notice how he didn’t tell him to switch the lane?! This guy didn’t switch, the examiner repeated “go straight in the main road” but nope, he repeated again but this guy didn’t switch and he turned right. -_- you guessed it - Fail.

Me guy – Drove little above the speed limits where possible and switched lanes after doing all the mirror checks. I had to drive much longer than the other two guys. Around 10-15mins which felt like a lifetime.

Confidence is key. Trust me when I say this, drive like a driver not like a student. I passed in the first try.

Now I see people here complain how racist and how skin color will get you the pass. But I’m a brown dude from south Asia who doesn’t even speak any other language except English. I don’t know anyone at Belhasa or RTA (dunno if that helps at all, LOL) I didn’t do VIP in fact I took the cheapest option. No wasta.

Now this is what happened with me, it will be different for you and for everyone else. But I hope this will help you guys, and if you have any other tips and tricks please comment so anyone who refer this will learn. I learnt a lot of tips and tricks reading r/Dubai You guys are awesome!!

Submitted December 08, 2017 at 01:41AM by unknownplan via reddit http://ift.tt/2jujVrw

#IFTTT #reddit

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