MonstaDB

Mas magaling ka magsulat hon

Finding the girl of your dreams is somewhat like getting the car of your dreams; you will settle for nothing but the top of the line. This holds true for our first featured lady car enthusiast in our section called “Girls on Cars.” Ms Anna Karissa Marcial, or Keeshia for short, could be any man’s dream girl. Smart, witty, and attractive, Keeshia is presently taking up Masters in Psychology Services at the Assumption College and also works as Human Resources Officer in a manpower solutions company in Mandaluyong.
Keeshia began her love-affair with cars at an early age. She started driving her first car, a 1997 Nissan Sentra M/T, at the age of 17. Right now, she is driving a 2007 Kia Sorrento EX – a 5-seater SUV A/T, 4X4 with v6 engine. Looking at the specifications alone, this car obviously packs a lot of power and seems tailored to suit a man’s taste. But for Keeshia choosing a car is primarily about safety and comfort, which is why she is a great fan of the KIA Sorrento, however manly it may look.
Still, Keeshia admits that making her Kia Sorrento lady-like for her to drive posed quite a different challenge. To do this, she countered the Sorrento’s tough exterior with an interior embellished with an assortment of girlie, all-original Hello Kitty accessories. Hello Kitty has been her favorite character since kindergarten, and she has never outgrown collecting these well-loved Japanese novelty items. So it was only appropriate for her to expand her collection to her Kia Sorrento. In fact, her car boasts of all sorts of Hello Kitty accessories, including floor mats, stick shift covers, car pedals and seat belt covers. Even the mirrors are accessorized with the famous pink Sanrio characters – the original frames were replaced by fancy, colored Hello Kitty dolls. The list of Hello Kitty accessories in Keeshia’s Sorrento seems endless. She has Hello Kitty pillows, blankets, visors – and even a Hello Kitty trash can!
Inside, her Sorrento EX really looks like a sweet girl’s car. And according to Keeshia, the Hello Kitty accessories give her a sense of relaxation and delight while driving, even though at most times, she feels that she is driving in a rat-race – a stressful environment of cars bustling down the road and skirmishing on every angle, trying to overtake each other.
Accordingly, it cost her around PHP70K+ to acquire this all-original Hello Kitty collection. But Keeshia also admits that some of the accessories in her car were gifts from her loved ones – especially since there came a time when she didn’t want to spend any more for her collection, which to some may seem excessive already.
Joining car clubs or participating in car shows or competitions is not part of her plans right now. However, she laughingly admits that joining a car show as an event host or a model would make her think twice. With her looks and bubbly personality, this lady charmer certainly fits the profile.
When asked whether she plans to modify her car’s exterior into a Hello Kitty moving car house, Keeshia bursts into laughter. She explained that sometimes her father, an Assistant Commissioner of the PBA, would borrow her car. “At least give the man some sense of his manhood while driving my car,” she says with a chuckle as she shares what she would have done to dress the exterior of her car. “Given the chance, I’d love to paint it Hello Kitty pink with Hello Kitty decals all over it,” she says.
To those who are thinking of jazzing up their cars to create a visual delight, Keeshia has this advice: “Trends come and trends go, we have to think many times before we modify our cars. We buy a car to ride and go places and not just to parade it. Comfort and safety are essential.”
She also offers us a piece of advice: “For WheelsInStyle, make the whole world know that Pinoys are creative and resourceful when it comes to styling and making their cars look truly unique.” While for all car enthusiasts, she has this to say: “Drive safely! Fasten your seatbelts! Be alert! And stay alive!”

“What’s so funny about these kids is that every time they see my car, they just gently knock each other’s heads with their hands then show the peace sign after, while saying ‘pendong, kotseng kuba’,” Mags laughingly says. She’s referring to a silly child’s game which started during the 80’s and has become a tradition that until now, it is still being played although nobody knows how it got started. Seeing a Volkswagen Beetle, or “kotseng kuba,” or “bumblebee” as it is known takes us back down memory lane, at a time when it was the “King” of the road.

Mags, another featured female car enthusiast, is an officer at the customer service department of one of the leading local banks. Behind the sweet voice is a funny and cheerful gal – a person who brings delight to kids and adults alike in her own unique way, just by driving her 1972 green beetle.

“Ah! This beetle and I went through a lot of unforgettable memories,” she recalls. Her family got the beetle from a friend almost 6 years ago for about 45 thousand pesos only. It was very cheap, she admits, but owning a beetle had been her family’s dream since the 70’s. “It was so funny when we picked a name for this car. Our friends who also owned one, decided to name theirs after The Beatles band; and so Yoko, wife of the late rockstar John Lennon, was the name we chose for our beetle,” she says.

At one time, Mags also sported a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190 E-Class. Dubbed as “the Baby Benz”, it was the last incarnation of the Mercedes-Benz 190 model line-up and in 1993 was replaced by the C-Class models. Right now, she’s driving a 1994 Honda LX midnight blue, which she uses to go to work.

She had her beetle restored and modified – packed it with a 16 valve engine and equipped it with air conditioning, which is the reason why it needed to be installed with a big engine. She replaced the tires and had the exterior repainted green, a color she chose to make it look appealing to kids. Its eye-catching color makes it easy for kids to spot as they play “pendong, kotseng kuba” while she drives past them to take her family out on a weekend escape. It is not only kids who are captivated by this car; she’s had her share of attention from guys. “Every time I bring this car to a car wash, it never fails to get noticed, and up to one point someone took interest in asking if I had it for sale,” she says with a proud smile. “I love my beetle because it doesn’t only bring delight to other people but it also sparks a conversation,” she says.

She has had some unforgettable experiences with her lovely beetle – one of which is the time when she and her family went on a day trip to Tagaytay and the beetle just stalled after miles of travel. It seemed that her bumblebee didn’t want to be driven around on a long trip. Proudly, she also tells the story of when her beetle had its share of the spotlight in a local movie starring Heart Evangelista and Geof Eigenmann entitled “Because of You.” Her beetle’s unique look helped earn its 15 minutes of fame and an eight thousand pay check.

Vintage cars such as Mags’ beetle are a challenge to maintain. You must have the right connections to get the compatible parts since none of them are in production anymore. Luckily, she knows people in her circle who also have the same passion for beetles. The beetle is also one temperamental car – you must realize when to cool it down or else it may overheat and will have you running to the trunk to extinguish its fiery engine.

Asked if she would like to join any clubs or competitions with her beetle, Mags says she would want to but just doesn’t have the time, as work and family demand more of her life. Right now, she is happy just driving her beetle on a weekend – bringing delight and amusement to people who see her priceless treasure on the road.