The Pizzazzy

My poor blog has been neglected for some weeks. But hope meanwhile there have been a few sincere readers who were peeping in for updates. I have been keeping busy getting my house in order and also managing my new team at work.
 
And yes, hold your breath - working at improving my driving skills. It’s been 2 weeks that I am driving independently – to work, for shopping etc.
 
The other day I told Anand that I feel truly liberated now. I cannot describe the feeling, this one newly acquired skill has given me wings to come and go wherever I want and whenever I want. I am not dependent on his moods or his cricket schedules anymore.
 
A taste of this I got when last Saturday when he was acting his part of being a couch potato watching the back to back cricket telecasts of 2nd final with Australia and Under 19 finals in KL, I was out on the streets of Pune having a good time shopping with my sis, I also spent some time with Urjit when I went to Di’s place the same evening.
 
Now I drive to work everyday. I also put on the FM which I didn’t in the beginning as I tended to lose my concentration. I drive at my own sweet speed of 30-40 sometimes touching 50 on the highway and always stay on the left lane. On Saturday I went out for dinner with my friends and went in my car to the busy JM Road. I also, managed to drop a friend on my way back.
 
While I am at it let me also pen down some of the incidents:
 
Everyday was a struggle to get good marks from Anand, my driving teacher. Every other day when I made some basic mistake he would say 1 month or 1 week depending on how I drove that day. The time it would take for me to start driving independently. One fine morning we went for my weekend driving round. When we reached the ICICI ATM, Anand told me to drop him there and do a reverse and come back for him. While getting down the car he said “And the bonnet should be facing this side”. I was exasperated at this instruction and asked him what he meant, sounding quite offended. So, he replied that “Can’t say, you might come all the way in reverse gear”. ? This after all my driving skills at display. My teacher is hard to please. He would always remind me to display my multi tasking skill when I would fail to slow down, change gear and turn the steering wheel all at the same time. It seems quite easy now.
 
The second one is quite a learning experience for me. I brushed someone’s brand new Getz while taking a turn under the Hinjewadi fly over!! Well it was not completely my fault, since this middle aged person who was driving the car and was parallel to me suddenly cut me from the wrong side and that too at the turning. Since this patch was steep I could manage to brake just a second late. This man told me to stop and was a bit angry. I also told him firmly how he was wrong and how I was not able to brake immediately. Finally he left after advising me to drive safe. Anand believes that only lady drivers can get such leeway. 
 
Another one happened just after a few days, when I was moving out of the parking. I didn’t notice that the steering wheel was turned and when I put the car on the first gear and accelerated it was slightly angular path that the car took and the side of the car brushed one of the pillars. So, I have these scratches at two places to flaunt. Now, I make it a point to always get the wheels straight after reversing or parking and also check them beforehand.

These are my learning experiences and now the only thing to master is putting the car back in motion from its stationary position while at a gradient. The signal near Sadanand hotel on my way to office is really the tricky one. I have to wait nearby till the signal is green, but sometimes when the timing is wrong I have to manage it very skillfully. I will soon overcome this one also.

Now that I have put them down here these learning have become timeless and will stay with me forever. I have always heard men cursing lady drivers, may be there has been a trend where lady drivers panic while driving, I wish that logic and reflex always stays with every driver beyond the gender. My latest motto is always drive safe and do not over speed.