wandering... can't go home: Farewell my dear friend....

One final look at my GL

A few days back I bid goodbye to GL, an old and trusted friend. It was a 2008 Nissan Grand Livina, our first family car.

I vividly remember how elated I am when I first saw it at Nissan Gallery, Quezon Avenue. It was love at first sight.

Coming from a family where a college education is considered a luxury and finally realizing that I have now the capacity to own my first brand new car has made that day unforgettable as well.

Actually, after checking several MPVs and AUVs from other car brands, the wife and I were rooting for the larger Mitsubishi Fuzion. All necessary documents have been submitted to the car dealer but due to lack of time I opted to return back to my job abroad and postponed the deal. Furthermore, I decided to wait for the initial release of Nissan Grand Livina in June 2008 after reading positive reviews on the net.

Long story short, when I set my sights I was mesmerized by the plain beauty and exclusivity of Grand Livina; we were one of the first 10 owners of the said vehicle in the Philippines as confirmed by the car dealer.

The arrival of GL signaled the start of numerous road trips of my family. It brought us to as far as Pagudpod to the North ang Tagaytay to the South. Added to that were several trips to Subic and Baguio.

During one of our vacations at the City of Pines, I tried to push our luck at Mt. Sto Tomas where the Forevermore TV series was being shot since the wife and daughter were avid followers. Our car looked puny among the SUVs, AUVs and other powerful vehicles climbing the mountain overlooking Baguio City. Nevertheless, our GL didn't disappoint us. It never fails to amaze me how could a small and loaded car can conquer those steep trails.

On our first trip to Vigan, my rear right tire blew while cruising at 80 kph. Again, my GL withstood the test with flying colors though I lost several hours locating a brand new spare tire.

Coming from Laoag City where we celebrated Christmas in 2012, I drove for 15 hours back to Manila with several stop-overs; the only complaint I got from the family was the lack of vacant seats at McDonalds where we had our lunch. I never imagined that I would be able to drive for such long trip. That was the longest road trip we had until now.

One of my GL's trying moments was during typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009. Fortunately, I was on vacation when this typhoon dumped a month of rains in less than a day. The flood water rose rapidly in our area. In the nick of time I drove GL towards higher ground on knee deep flooded road. My GL gurgled and roared like a crazy lion. We were the last one who were able to leave our place safely; plenty of my neighbors' cars went underwater. After the deluge, we rented an apartment because we need to renovate our house from bungalow into 3 story structure. As expected, my GL rose to the occasion. I never used another vehicle in transporting our belongings.

After that event, I found another noble use for my GL. The wife and daughter put up an online shop in 2012. To break into the market we joined several bazaars at Eton Place, UP Diliman, Miriam College and some other places. All our merchandises, mannequin and other equipment were transported comfortably and safely by our ever dependable GL.

Suffice to say, there's no denying that GL has been a valuable part of our family. It was there during my kids' Proms and graduations. When my mother-in-law was hospitalized and badly needs blood transfusion, my GL was with me in the middle of the night searching for appropriate blood type from different hospitals.

Until now, I am saddened to see another vehicle park in our garage. I missed those moments when I would open GL's hood and check its oils, battery and everything inside it.

Besides its monetary equivalent, car is arguably one of the most prized possessions of a man. Perhaps because he understands that it is an extension of his being. In my case, GL never fails to follow my mood; it can be lazy and crazy at times or like a stabbed rat when my adrenaline runs high. There were even instances when the wife became jealous whenever I asked about GL first when I am at work; of course, that was during the early years of GL.