I AM horrible with directions. Without my street directory, I would probably end up in Johor Baru while trying to get to Parkway Parade.

The problem with street directories, however, is that they take time to read. But when I don't have time and am in a hurry, I end up plotting my route in between traffic lights when they turn red.

It usually doesn't work, which makes me even more harassed and, often, lost. Finally, I have to stop by the side to read the directory, and end up half an hour later for my already late appointment.

But all that is now history.

Last month, I finally forked out about $500 and got myself a GPS (Global Positioning System) car navigator - the Garmin Nuvi 300. It works real simple - you plug the power into the cigarette lighter socket and attach the GPS unit through a suction cup placed on a corner of your windscreen.

Now, it seems like the light of the galaxy is shining on me. If I want to get to Suntec City from the dark recesses of Toa Payoh Industrial Park, I simply tap on the GPS the "Where To?" bar on the touch screen, then tap "Spell Name" then S-U-N-T-E-C - by typing on the onscreen keyboard that pops up - and the GPS gives me an entire list of locations with the word Suntec in it.

Looking for a specific HDB block, road name or condominium? You can find it there, too. How about Ampang Yong Tow Foo at Sembawang, Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh at Rangoon Road and Botak Jones at Clementi. It's all there.

It's just so convenient. No more worries about whether I should take the CTE or PIE.

Following the directions on the GPS is easy. You see a map of the route you should be taking and an icon of your car moving along it. You can even check the proposed route if you are the type that likes the big picture. For me, I just follow the pleasant female voice that tells me "After 100m, turn left, then go up the ramp on the right."

Now, the Nuvi 300 does not come with any map, but there is an excellent Singapore community map at www.malsingmaps.com which is free to use. This map, updated by volunteers, provides information you don't normally get like lesser known eateries.

You can pay about $100 more to get a copy that comes with the official Garmin Singapore map.

The Garmin map works out of the box, but with the free community map you need to get your hands dirty to copy it from the website into an SD card and put it into the GPS.

But I went for malsingmaps, simply because the map there is always evolving as the community updates it regularly. In addition, you won't find the locations of local eateries in the official map.

Copying malsingmaps into the SD card takes some effort, but you can try it out at the www.malsingmaps.com website.

If you are looking for a good place to get this GPS, go to Perfect Watch at Sim Lim Square, on the ground floor, and look for the uncle.

Having the GPS is great fun, too, and for couples and families looking for some adventure this school holiday, simply take a drive into nowhere, and when you think you have gone far enough, turn on the GPS to search for eating places near your current location. I had some pretty fun times looking for new places to eat!

The other thing that the GPS does is that it takes you through small roads and new routes to your destination that is probably different from what you have tried before.

For $500, I have a constant travel and adventure guide. It's money well spent.