Don't be intimidated by it; it is only a machine. Forget about all the stuff it can do for now and concentrate on making it do what YOU want it to do.
Try sewing on a single piece of folded cloth. If everything is OK when you do - tension is OK, stitches look good, no puckers, then it is probably operator error. If you are still having eye lashing and thread breakage, reseat your bobbin. It sounds like you may have it in upside down.