Parking Blunder

Driving is so easy. I don't know why it took me so long to realise this. I was one of those nuts who passed their driving test eons ago and then never really took up driving. I just kept renewing my license every 3 years. The truth was, I was too scared to drive. Plus, there were too many road bullies in KL.

I never drove in KL, until last year when Alex had to come to Melbourne first, leaving his spanking all new Honda Accord behind. So I had little choice but to drive. It was an automatic car, so getting reacquainted with the art of driving came easily.

However, parking was and still is a big problem. I knew I was in for a hard time when I first arrived in Melbourne. Taking another driving test proved to be a nightmare. Subsequently, I had to sit for the practical driving test 5 times before passing. Strangely, it wasn't the parking part of the tests that failed me.

Anyway, I eventually passed. But my parking skills, or rather the lack of it, are horrendous. It doesn't help that Alex seems to have a deep affinity with big cars. I suppose I should be so grateful and lucky to be driving a Mazda CX-7 but it's really huge for me. Worse, the gate of our garage is so narrow that I'm not allowed to drive in and out of the garage. So Alex has to drive the car out in the morning before he leaves for work and then drive it back in when he comes home in the evening.

And parking at Joshua's school is quite a challenge too. So I try to be early when sending him to or picking him up from school. Half the time I can't park straight and have to get out of the car, take a look at the car's position and then re-park. Quite embarrassing.

And the other day, at the car park of the nearby shopping mall, I nearly couldn't get the car into the parking bay. Actually, I almost hit the pillar next to me. Thankfully, 2 good Samaritans came to my aid and directed me. They must be laughing their heads off after that. Most embarrassing.

But last week, I witnessed something near Joshua's school that made me feel better. Another mum who just passed her driving test was doing what I was doing. She got out of the car and re-parked her car. Heh heh. I'm not alone after all.