So let me say first that this was how I understood my informal lessons with my boyfriend. Kudos to him as he was very patient with me. Though it's hard to forget how cold and clammy his hands were while instructing me to drive from QC to Manila. Talk about trust. Ha ha.
Honestly, you only have to be familiar with the parts of the car which takes about 5 minutes. The rest is now up to you. You just really have to put yourself out there and practice, practice, and more practice. Now let me start with the gears:
P - park (self-explanatory)
R - reverse (car will move backwards)
N - neutral (car will move forward or backward, depending on the slope)
D3, D2 and D1 - drive (car will always move forward; D2 for steeper slope and D1 for almost vertically-inclined road)
If you are stuck in traffic, I was told to put the car in 'Neutral' and then pull up the handbrake. This is to conserve the brake fluid because at this mode, you can release your step on the footbrake and the car will not move.
You only use two pedals when driving an automatic car, and you both use your right foot. I was instructed to always touch the heel of my foot on the bottom of the car so I can easily maneuver between gas and brake. The brake pedal is the one on the left, while the gas is the tiny pedal on the right.
T -
L - license
S - seatbelt
H - handbrake
B - brake
Ready, get set, drive! =)
Friendly note: Never forget your student permit and always drive with someone who has a professional license.