Read this entry for a crash course on parking before you take your driving test at your own risk .

I have no license (so i'm hardly qualified) but writing helps me put things into perspective and so this happened .

in all seriousness, while i was trying to google for driving tips , i realized there were some questions i couldn't find the answer to (probably because i'm too bad at this) so this would help you if you were struggling like me .

background: manual car @ BBDC

here is the circuit map which is the starting point for the test .
in the event of an immediate failure in the circuit , the test ends at the circuit .

#1 Vertical Parking 

examples of vertical parking in the circuit would be lots 30, 31, 36, 35

to do for vertical parking: start the parking close to the white line, the closer , the better . just do not cross the white line . adjust the side mirrors straight down till you can see the end of the rear wheels . check blind spot before reversing and 2 to 3 times in between .

#2 Direction Change

examples for direction change in the circuit would be lots 9, 10, 11, 12, 23, 24, 25

the difference between direction change and vertical parking is that for direction change , you don't have to worry where to park close to . it is enclosed by 3 curbs at all sides .

to do for direction change: start by parking near the center (not too much to the left or right) . there is no need to adjust the side mirrors for direction change . check blind spot before reversing and 2 to 3 times in between .

#3 Parallel Parking

once you get the hang of it , it isn't that bad . hopefully this can help you in some way .

examples for parallel parking in the circuit would be lots 16 , 17, 18, 19

to do for parallel parking: start by parking near the curb (30-50 cm) . that's the length of a long ruler , so in reality it's really really near . adjust the side mirrors ,  check blind spot before reversing .

1. turn the steering wheel all the way to the left and reverse until you see the middle of the curb to your right from your right side mirror .
2. straighten your steering wheel and continue to reverse till you reach a white line . then , turn the steering wheel all the way right and reverse almost all the way in .
3. once your car is straight , straighten your steering wheel and continue to reverse a teeny little bit .

check the blind spots after steps 1 to 3 .

4. move forward about 60 cm, adjust the direction of your car if necessary . (meaning if your car is tilted to the right , turn the steering wheel left and move forward)
5. now that you have enough distance , it's time to reverse again . turn your steering wheel all the way left and reverse .
6. you can now adjust your side mirrors and move out by turning your steering wheel all the way to the right .

Other tips: in turning left , the lane to turn into would be the lane closest to you . in turning right , it would be the lane further from you if it is a 2 way lane   


--End of parking guide--

it has been about three months since i was here , and it feels like much longer . everything is peachy here (i hope it is for you too). it's really been a breeze , so much so that i don't have much to blog about . normally i write in this space when i feel like i have a lot on my mind or heart .  though i always figured i would come back to writing soon enough .

writing helps me with my mental state . sometimes i go through the motions without really feeling it and this helps tremendously .

till next time !