Thursday, 19 March 2015
There are three random people in the studio now, seemingly interviewing Teacher and one of them is taking his DSLR to shoot around the studio. Feels so weird... I shall take this opportunity to blog. These few days I didn't get to blog as often because I don't on my laptop anymore once I get home because I have already been on it the whole day in the studio. I can feel my eyesight deteriorating...
I had my first drive yesterday and it went OK. My reverse initially was too fast but then I got better at controlling my speed. Trying to drive a car without any experience was a bit tricky. It wasn't really hard, just confusing. I kept mistaking the clutch's function to be like the accelerator's because when I was a kid, the toy cars only has accelerator. My instructor was funny, he kept telling jokes and stories so there was an easygoing vibe. He allowed me to have plenty of time to catch up and relax because he don't want his students getting tension and he constantly told me to keep calm whenever anything happens and just neutralize the gear and pull the handbrake.
Luckily I wasn't panicky or anything as I feel like I had already prepared for it, kind of. Reading the book beforehand does help. The thing I dislike the most is the rear-view mirror, the one used to look at the back of the car. The convex shape makes far things look closer than they are and somehow looking at it makes me feel sick. I tend to rely more on the side mirrors whenever I am getting close to something because the gauge is better and clearer.
I can't imagine myself being able to drive on a real road someday. Well, I couldn't imagine I could drive one day too and now I can. "You must believe you can drive! You see why that guy so tension and stupid also now can drive so believe you can too!" I know that is meant to motivate me hahaha. But I think it should be OK since everyone seems OK while driving. He said I gotta up my confidence.
He left me alone to go tapao a drink and had trust in me to practice my go-front and reverse. I did a little small round too (he later said I shouldn't in case anything happened, but I thought he was referring to the big round) which went perfectly. I can concentrate better when he wasn't in the car with me or trying to help me steer lol. I tried to park and then I didn't stop in time and bang into the stone wall in front which caused the engine to die. There was quite a loud bang and I was really afraid I broke the front lights omg. A young Indian instructor came over, "You OK ah, girl? Where's your instructor?". I nodded and said he went to tapao something. (Later my instructor told me he shouldn't have left me alone because I was a newbie but I said I managed to practice and he was impressed with my parking.) Slowly I tried starting the car which die again and I tried again and reverse. I had to stop because a lorry was coming (careless of me not to check first), and then reverse my way out and later everything was OK. Phew.
I parked at my initial spot and was happy for myself that my parking was good!
Steering was hard at first; I get caught in confusion because I was trying to control my footing and also my hand (my instructor had to help me a few times). I was also doubtful to use the accelerator when he let me drive around the big round (yay~) and I contemplated about using clutch only to drive all my life. Accelerator was easier to control with the clutch once I got the hang of it but whenever I stopped and go again, the engine died. Practice, practice.
