As promised !!

Finally I found out what the problem was with uploading pictures and thanks to Fely who tested the pages for me until I finally got it right. Here are some pictures as promised. Hope you can see them.

And so we got Fuzzer !!

Many many posts ago, I announced that I had passed my English driving test and that I was looking to get a secondhand car. But because we were going on holiday, the search wasn't that serious, wasn't intense and even Fely helped me search for a few, but none ever appealed to me. Before the holiday, we got the Parker's Price Guide (this is a handy guidebook that gives you an idea of how much a second hand car, which model, from which year should ideally sell for so that you don't end up paying too much for a piece of crap). And we found a few potentially good cars within my budget, mostly small and economical so that I don't burn a hole in my pocket filling it up.

Yesterday Steve picked me up after work and we vaguely remember that the auction is normally held on a Tuesday at 4pm, so we decided to 'pop down and have a look look, see see'. It wasn't crowded as usual I think due to the rain but there were still people there who looked like they go there on a regular basis, drinking coffee from their own mugs and I suspect these are people who buy really cheap and tacky looking cars at a ridiculously low price, do them up and sell them again, making loads of money in the process. In the auction, sometimes you get quite lucky and can get some really good deals but these days, small and economical cars are in high demand so it's not surprising that a convertible SAAB or a BMW can fetch less money than a tiny, humble Nissan Micra or Ford KA or Citroen Saxo.

I was eyeing a 7-year-old Nissan Micra, black, with a sunroof (cool, i thought), and with full service history, reasonably low mileage and no visible scratch or dent (that's as much as you can hope for in a second hand car in an auction). Because we have been doing some research online, we know that realistically, this will be well beyond my budget and that other people would outbid my budget of £1500 pounds in a matter of seconds.

Like in a fashion show, the cars are being driven one by one to the bidding area, for people to touch, view and bid for, and then they are driven away again, either sold or rejected (poor things). The bidding process is very very fast (about less than 3 minutes per vehicle) and the guy talks even faster. Took me a few cars to fully understand his lingo and to understand how the bidding goes. Before the Nissan Micra, it was a Perodua Kancil and I was so tempted to bid for it because I had driven one before and I know it's quite okay. But I didn't in the end coz I thought I wanted something different this time and it went for £300, haha.

So finally, in came the Nissan Micra and the bidding started and my heart started to thud thud thud. I told Steve £1500 and that's it. So the bidding started at £800 and went up very quickly till £1200 and then it slowed down and it was a battle between me and another lady. We were very close to getting it at £1300 and suddenly she decided to outbid that and then we were outbidding each other at every £25 and £50 pounds, and brought it up to £1400, and I gave Steve the signal to carry on and we outbid her with £1425, and then £1425 and then he announced again £1425....... silence from the lady..... £1425... and the car is SOLD !! (with a wooden hammer being knocked on the table for the effect) .... and at that moment it hit me.... I just bought a car !!!!! I BOUGHT A CAR !!! yiiiipppieeeeeeeee !!!

It was the colour I like (mind you, when I embarked on a search for a second hand car, I was prepared to take any colour as long as it is in a good condition), and it's well looked after and it was within my budget !! We couldn't believe it. So to cut long story short, an hour later, Fuzzer was home with us. Because part of the registration number has F52ZZR, I decided to name her Fuzzer, haha.

This weekend, we will clean Fuzzer inside and out and I will upload some pretty pictures of Fuzzer for all to see. :)

In which, I managed to pass my driving test (sorry fely, copy-cat your trademark)

YESSSSSSSSS I am an official holder of a British Driving Licence !!!

It was the most tensed 40 minutes I have gone through in a while.

I still cannot believe that I am sitting here writing this post gloating about my recent 'success' !!

So I woke up early this morning and started going over all the different maneuvers in my head, all the tips and pointers to look out for when doing a reverse into a road, a reverse park behind a car and a three-point-turn on the road. I have all the mental markers in my head to make sure I remember all the right places and timing to turn the wheel once, or turn the wheel full lock or to straighten the wheels.

At 9am, my driving instructor Simon picked me up and we set off for some practice rounds before the test.

So as how I dreaded, all the 'MAGIC' moves from the previous lesson when no mistake was made had disappeared!! We did two practices in reverse parking and I touched the curb both times and had to re-do them!! (Sending beads of sweat, cold sweat, mind, down my forehead)

Then Mr.Simon patiently said, never mind, let's go do some reversing into the road. Aha, that i'm good at! So, off we went, in search of a corner I could reverse along into a road. And I had to re-do that as well!!! By this time, I was near to bursting into tears...

But Mr.Simon, being a good ol driving instructor (by the way, his number is 07711312881, if you're looking for a driving instructor around this area, he's really good) said to me in a calm, reassuring voice, "That's fine. It's not a problem. As long as you can demonstrate that you're a confident driver, everything will be fine."

With that in mind, I set off for my test with the tester sitting beside me.

Along the way, EVERYBODY was out to get me !! This postman was cycling erratically on the road and I had to swerve to avoid him; this granny decided to cross the road when I was approaching; and there were so many hills, steep hills and people kept popping out of their cars without looking !!! I did the reverse park alright, I guess (not brilliant) .. and I managed the reverse into a road without any hitch.. but my gear changing was AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL !! Like I said, there were so many hilllsss (damn all the steep roads in the UK).

Half an hour into the test, I was convinced I had failed. I misunderstood his instructions twice, indicating to turn when it wasn't time to turn yet (DOH); and at more than one point I wasn't sure if the speed limit was 30mph or 40mph, so I stuck to 35 (which is not very clever at all). Yes, I was told by Mr. Simon during practice, that you can strike a minor fault if you're going slower than the required speed limit (So I had this mental image of running everyone and everything down so that I can maintain the speed limit required).

Anyhoooo, back to the test scenario. I had sweat pouring down my back and from my forehead down my nose (Yes it was a beautiful sunny and glorious day).. and I looked at the clock and saw 10.54am, and thought to myself, surely, this test must be coming to an end now !! So after a few turns and a few more steep and bumpy roads, we turned round this corner and walahhh we were back at the test centre with Mr. Simon waiting faithfully by the side of the road (trying not to look disappointed or worried).

Then the tester said to me, " Right, Miss Peng, we have now completed the test (duh) and I can tell you that you have passed the test."....... Really?? Serious???? You're joking !!??

YAAAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! Was all I could think of at that time.

So it turned out that I had 11 minor faults (16 and I would have failed)... and sure enough, I got two strokes for gear changing (damn steep roads in the UK), a stroke here and there for reverse parking, and reverse into the road (I thought I did all right?!)... etc. Never mind, the important thing was, I passed !!

There we go, 6 months and approximately £350 later, I finally got my British Driving Licence !! Hoooray !!!

I am one step closer to my Fiat 500 !!!

Fiat 500

This is my dream car !!

If money wasn't an issue, as in, if I had a full-time permanent job with a stable income, this will definitely be my next car. It's got such a chic, cool and smooth design meant for girlie girls! Not every one likes it though. Some people liken it to a giant egg with wheels. Egg or no egg, I love it and every time I see one on the road I can't help myself but drool over it.

Check out the inside !! Nice kan? *Wiping off drool*

But, I think when the time comes for me to get a car because I desperately need one, it would be a ten-year-old second hand car from the auction site, either a Peugeot, a Nissan, or an old Ford KA, because that is all I can afford.

I have been taking driving lessons recently to prepare for my test. You would think that with close to 15 years of driving experience, it should be a doddle to pass this test. You and I, are sorely wrong. I have accumulated 15 long years of bad driving habits and they were very, very bad habits. It didn't help that my driving instructor, Simon (who charges me 40pounds per lesson of 2 hours), told me that the UK driving test is the world's second most difficult test to pass in the world. Geez, thanks for making me even more nervous now. Dah la I pay him 40 pounds each lesson, and not to mention 60 pounds for the test itself. If I fail this Friday, I can kiss goodbye to 60 pounds and rebook a test and wait for another 6 weeks before there is a free slot for a test date.

Anywayyyyyy, I had another lesson today. Three reverse parking in a roll, no mistake made. Three reversing into a corner in a roll, no mistake made. Three three-point-turns, no mistake made. So, fingers crossed, I shall be ready to pass my test come this Friday.

Am not nervous, am not nervous, am not nervous.....