My own set of (motorized) wheels :)

Yes, I have been driving my own car for the last one month. It's a 2 year old second hand Kia Rio that I bought. Why buy a car now? Firstly, I have been commuting to work on my bike for the past 2.5 years and I find that the traffic in the mornings is getting increasingly heavier and crazier. Honestly, I fear for my own safety at times and I do not want to end up injured or crippled and then Emily has to take care of me.

Secondly, I had a knee injury in the middle of the year. One of the reasons is probably because I was exercising too hard all the time and not giving my legs enough time to recover. It also does not help that almost every morning, I have to ride really hard from the serangoon fire station onwards till bendemeer primary in order to stay out of trouble. Hopefully, with the car, I will be able to recover more and train better :)

And of course, I want Emily to be comfortable and see different places with her. I have come to the point where I am getting sick and tired of always going to the same places to eat or relax. It does not help that taxi fares are now so expensive; it costs on average $8 to move anywhere!!

The last month has simply been great! I love the convenience that driving gives me. Moreover, my dad just had Total Knee Replacement surgery(more on that another day), so the car has been useful in ferrying him for his physio and dressing replacement sessions. I have also become Emily's chauffeur, fetching her to and from school most days:) I was also able to squeeze in a swim on some of the mornings when I had to go to school. Last Saturday night, I even drove the car through the Bukit Brown cemetery with Emily just for fun!

Well, I had a brief scare less than 1 week into driving my new car. Through my own carelessness and lack of familiarity with some roads, I actually drove past a traffic light just as it turned red! And that junction had a red light camera! I was worried sick because if caught driving through a red light, I can get fined $200 and get 12 demerit points. As a driver on probation, I can only accumulate 13 points in a year. Any more than that and my driving license will have to be revoked! There was really nothing I could do except pray and hope that the camera did not capture my offense. I checked my letterbox, the traffic police website and the LTA website everyday for the last one month, and I am really glad to say that NO, my offense was not captured! It's a good lesson learnt though, and now, I am more cautious approaching traffic junctions.