In an epic search for a new car I had the world to choose from, it was bliss. My love for the environment meant I had to choose one with low CO2 emissions, the emptiness in my little witty piggy banky meant it had to have high mileage per gallon, my high no. of crashes or incidents alike meant it had to be new, safe and have a small engine, and my head for contemporary designs meant it had to be ... well, perfect.

New, dazzling, & awing my eyes were set on the all new Ford Ka www.ford.co.uk/newka. I knew this car inside out, emissions, mpg, what additional spec could be added to which model n which couldn't, I knew the prices of the leather steering wheel, added ESP, curtain airbags, Bluetooth and voice control, alloys, unique pearlescent paint, A/C, leather trim, electric orange exterior pack, parking sensors, rear spoiler, everything. I knew everything about it.

I met my car and I was stunned.

It looked shit; small, tall and slightly awkward I climbed into its high vertical chair feeling out of place despite my 6ft size. I tried to make myself comfortable, adjusting the seat and the steering wheel, even clipped myself in with the seatbelt but nah, I still felt out of place. I grabbed the steering wheel hoping to feel its driveability, hard to touch and plasticy, the dashboard felt the same. I was in a massivised toy car which felt cheap and funny ... I had to get out quick.

I did manage to find my dream car, but my greatest realisation through this small journey was that,

"Knowing the path is different from walking the path".

I knew it so much in my head, through normal judging approaches, I knew it so well. But as soon as I touched the steering wheel I realised that "knowing" and "feeling" were different. "Knowing" and "doing" was different.

The Fire Rabbit
Fire adds an unspoken magnetism and mystery to the Rabbit. These creatures have a burning desire to get out there and live life to its fullest. They are active and adventurous and love anything that sparks their creativity or curiosity. They can throw tantrums here and there, if provoked, but most of the time they work very hard to avoid conflict or unpleasant confrontations. Fire Rabbits are charming and tend to push their emotions into the backs of their minds, but will speak up if necessary.

The Rabbit Lover
The Rabbit lover would never dream of wearing his heart on his sleeve. The Rabbit seems aloof, yet underneath is sensual and loving - a tough facade protects a tender interior. Rabbit folk are romantic yet realistic, generous yet mercenary. Rabbits are strongly Yin and, whether male or female, are in tune with the feminine part of their psyche. Their mothering instinct compels them to nurture others, and they have an innate love of home and family.

Who ever has been intimidated from even starting an argument in public or failed to follow through with an argument with people you don't really know? I put my hand up to that... although you may know me for one to be forward and lash everything out I have to say, I am not so much one to complain with services... but my dad's the opposite.

Eat anywhere with my dad and he is likely to call the waiter out and take away a dish from poor cooking or lack of quality in food. He is a chef though, so you might think it's ok cos he knows his stuff. But taking a step back we'll see that it's only cos he knows what to expect, as a pro or someone with experience.

Admiral, the insurance company of the person who admitted fault for our crash, offered me £600 for my car cos the repairs would've cost more than the car's value. Why £600? they compared it to market value (what it was selling for everywhere else) and found an exact match of my car that had done 72,000 miles, my car was 80,000 miles, and had told me they were actually giving me more than what my car would be worth due to mileage. I accepted thinking it sounded reasonable, and it probably does! I told my dad and he was like, noooo ask for £1800 bla bla bla... so I had to call up. I told Carly, the sweet voice on the other end of the phone from Admiral, and she was like there's no way. . . if you feel your car is worth that much you will have to find an advert of ur car, within 100 miles of Glasgow, showing so (cos cars from different locations valued differently). And this is where u's come in. U might have received a txt from me asking to help me and I offered £50 to anyone who could help me find one for more than £700... And extra bonus points for one over £1000. I obliterated my phone sending this txt to everyone and got a few responses. Out of the few who responded no one really came up with anything. Anyway, I did 2 hrs of searching, tops, myself and pulled out 1 at £880, 2 at £995, and 1 more at £1095. Mailed Carly and went to the gym. The next day, which is today, she calls back saying ... not that I could get as much as £1095 or even £1000, but said "I cannot offer u more than this, this is top notch for ur car as ur car is really not worth this much, but we can only offer £925 at the most, absolutely no more". This story may not have finished yet cos I’ve not told my dad, but this is a minimum offer of £925... and that means I just made £325 in 2hrs.................... just for arguing!!!!!!! Or disagreeing!!!! This is really me getting money to buy 5 pairs of shoes, or a Gucci or LV handbag just for arguing!! 2 hrs work only too!!! An expectation someone young or inexperienced, like me, is neither used to getting nor expecting. I did make a huge mistake though with providing that £880 advert, and that probably cost me a minimum of £75 for that one wee tiny mistake that I had actually thought of, but just did.

So my lessons sound clear; arguing PAYS, and not listening COSTS... even to what sounds the smart “selfish” thing to do, yeh? Maybe I owe it to myself for the amount of time & stress they’ve put me through.

Maybe we should not wait for time to catch up on us before we r rewarded with what we, in the back of our minds, expect, but spawn with showing dissatisfaction. Maybe we should try it and see if we are missing out elsewhere and see where it really pays also!