October 02, 2006
On our way home from church yesterday, I asked my dad if I could drive us (five of us: me, Kuya, Ate Tricia, mom, dad) home. Just to see if he'd trust me enough to put our safety in my hands. He (reluctantly) agreed. We made the switch after a brief stopover in Rustan's Magallanes and it was probably less than ten kilometers to home.
Following the advice of my driving instructor Alfonso, I tried to keep it relatively slow and safe: no overtaking, no changing lanes, no shifting past 4th gear until told to. His advice made a lot of sense: if I went ahead with my own driving style and my dad found it too reckless (for him), then I won't get a chance to drive the car again for a long time. But less than a minute into driving, he told me to speed it up and do some lane-changing and overtaking. We ran into a bit of a roadblock near Sun Valley but I managed to get past it. By the time we got home, my mom was sweating profusely from nervousness but my dad told me "Pasado na. (You pass.)" He did give me a few tips about following jeepneys and trikes but aside from that, I'd say he was very proud.
Later in the evening, my mom and dad left for a four-day travel tour of Shanghai, China. They're traveling with their mahjong barkada so they're in good company. It's been a long time since my parents went on a vacation together and they really deserve this break.
Before they left, my dad told me "Ikaw na bahala sa sasakyan. (You're in charge of the car.)" Yeah right, as if I'd pay for the gas.
Following the advice of my driving instructor Alfonso, I tried to keep it relatively slow and safe: no overtaking, no changing lanes, no shifting past 4th gear until told to. His advice made a lot of sense: if I went ahead with my own driving style and my dad found it too reckless (for him), then I won't get a chance to drive the car again for a long time. But less than a minute into driving, he told me to speed it up and do some lane-changing and overtaking. We ran into a bit of a roadblock near Sun Valley but I managed to get past it. By the time we got home, my mom was sweating profusely from nervousness but my dad told me "Pasado na. (You pass.)" He did give me a few tips about following jeepneys and trikes but aside from that, I'd say he was very proud.
Later in the evening, my mom and dad left for a four-day travel tour of Shanghai, China. They're traveling with their mahjong barkada so they're in good company. It's been a long time since my parents went on a vacation together and they really deserve this break.
Before they left, my dad told me "Ikaw na bahala sa sasakyan. (You're in charge of the car.)" Yeah right, as if I'd pay for the gas.
haha Yeah, that's the problem with a car... Gas... :) Heard gas is really expensive there in the Philippines right now. It's been 8 months since I left.