Anti-Carjacking 101

Here's a guide made by GMA News TV and was sent to me by a friend. Always stay alert!

First Car Accessories

The first two things I bought for my car are:

(1) Wheel lock

My husband advised that before I should prioritize getting a wheel lock for my car. A few days before my Hyundai Getz was delivered I went to Blade and Handyman to check what they had. Blade had cheaper wheel locks, but they were only good for wheel-to-pedal locking. I decided to get the one at Handyman which cost about PhP500, but was good for several locking features -- wheel to pedal, wheel lock, wheel to clutch, and clutch to break. I read though in an Inquirer.net article that the best way to protect your car is to place the lock on the wheel, so that's what I've been doing.

(2) Car shade

It could get really hot in Manila, so I got a car shade at Blade. I had a hard time choosing. I was torn between Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty! I decided to get the one with Mickey Mouse because I felt it had the least "kiddie-look".

Cost:

Wheel lock - PhP500 (Handy Man)
Car shade - PhP250 (Blade)

Hyundai Getz TV Ad

There's a number of Hyundai Getz TV ads on Youtube, but here's two cute ads featuring a red Hyundai Getz -

Our First "Long" Drive

My driving "boundary" in the last decade is Paranaque. My Dad did not want me to learn how to drive. I was stubborn though and enrolled myself at the A1 driving school when I was 21 years old. My Mom encouraged me to learn and my skills were further honed by our drivers, haha. Eventually my Mom would get me to do some tasks that required driving and I became an expert at ducking away from crazy tricycle drivers. My Dad gave up and eventually let me drive around, but only around Paranaque.

Anyway, I had the chance to test my driving skills last Sunday. We were scheduled to have lunch with my in-laws and I wanted to show them Minnie, so off we went to McKinley Hill after hearing mass and the blessing. I chose the route that I was most comfortable with.

My nerves were frazzled. I even had to ask the boys to be quiet so I can concentrate on driving. After awhile though I got comfortable and started chatting with them. I think hubby though was tense all the way to and from McKinley Hill. Haha! Minnie is easy to drive. I love how the it turns easily at the slightest touch of the steering wheel and its easy to make siksik in traffic too because it's small.

I drove a total of 25 kilometers on that day (no traffic! Whew!) and barely made a dent on the gas. Compared to my past driving experiences driving a Hyundai Getz is a walk in the park (provided there's no heavy traffic, buses and jeepneys!).

Driving Minnie at Night

It's been almost a year since I've last driven a car. Driving a brand new car without much practice is nerve wracking especially when all your "practice plans" never pan out. I had planned to take Minnie for a spin around our village and then the nearby mall last Saturday afternoon. Afternoon. I wanted to build my driving skills again minus the stress.

But things have so far not played to my cards. When I got out of our village to buy some cake for my aunt I was greeted by bumper to bumper traffic! My knees started to get wobbly, but good thing hubby's a good driver and he helped me get around. My second dilemma was parking Minnie. I wanted to buy at the mall because it was easier to park there, but we didn't have enough time so we just went to the nearby Red Ribbon. Rolling down the window helped a lot because drivers usually give way to female drivers. Haha.


And then we ended up going to the mall to get some groceries after my aunt's party. Getting there was easy even though it was evening. I thought it would be the same going home. I was wrong because when we got out traffic was bumper to bumper again and nobody wanted to give way. Hubby had to coach me all the way home. Haha. Take note though that I've been driving the same route for more than ten years now. It's just really scary when you're driving a new car.

Anyway, it's a huge milestone for me and Minnie and she played along beautifully. It was my first time to check out the headlights and all the little nice lights inside the car. Call me old-style, but I wish the radio lights weren't red.

Next up, my first "long" drive with Minnie.

Minnie's Blessing

In our country one's new car (whether it be brand new or second hand) it is a must to have it blessed. All you need to do is ask your parish church where you should park the car so that the priest can bless it after mass. He'd usually bless several cars at the same time and would bless its drivers.

I got Minnie on a Wednesday so when Sunday came we went to church 15 minutes early so we could park it at the spot where the priest usually holds car blessings. I had a bit of a fright during mass because we saw three men peering inside Minnie. Good thing one of my friends (he was outside for a parish activity) approached the men and they immediately left. Whew!

I ran after Fr. Luis after mass to request him to bless Minnie. After doing some chikka with other parishioners he was soon in front of Minnie. Hubby opened all the doors, engine hood and trunk so Fr. Luis can also bless the interior of the car.

After blessing the car, Fr. Luis blessed us and also said a prayer that we may be safe and for others to be safe too.

Happy Christening Minnie! May we and others always be safe!

Ways to Keep Your Car Safe from Carnappers

Thought I'd make a running list of references for this one. Here are some links:

8 Ways to Keep Your Vehicle Safe from Carnappers (article from Inquirer.net) - essentially says it's imperative to put  a wheel lock

*will update as I encounter some references