This is not a joke.

As someone in his late twenties, I’m uncovering my love languages while burrowing through deep-seated traumas. I used to think my love language was “quality time,” knowing that I’d love to give someone my undivided attention.

Phones down, ears up, and I’m only looking at you.

But the truth is I’ve been a goldfish the past few years. The people in my life know I’m listening while my face was buried in my phone. That, or I’m busy working on my laptop.

I never gave much thought to the love language that I speak. Not until I got the Honda HR-V 1.5 S CVT Honda Sensing for half a month.

I spent countless times sitting inside the car, parked, and pondering about myself and the life I’m living. Which, in any sense, is filed under things you can’t do when you’re commuting because you can only think on the fly and when the vehicle is moving.

I’ve never been the one to make an effort to drive and pick up/drop somebody off somewhere. I’ve been driving a manual, so combine that with being an athlete, my knees literally scream in pain.

Although there was always a tiny voice in my head, persuading me to make an effort for the people I love.

Still, my stubbornness prevailed. I’m not going to brave the Metro Manila traffic just to make someone else’s life convenient. (Share the struggle with me!!!)

Hello, character development

I live in the far east of the Capital, on an uphill slope where driving and commuting are both a hassle. On a payday Friday, I left early (around 10-ish) for a 2 o’clock meeting in the Fort. Yes, we have to be that early to avoid the traffic and secure parking. Can you imagine the effort to take someone for a ride?

Halfway through, I received a message from my friend Tacia (not Sasha) updating us where she was. The notification popped on the 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system, which is compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

My iPhone was charging at that time, which automatically connected to the screen. I asked my friend to call which I received clearly through the vehicle’s six-speaker sound setup.

After a quick conversation, I realized she was along the way if I took a short detour, which would push my estimated arrival off by 5 minutes.

I decided to pick her up in Alphaland Southgate and instead of just making her tag along for the ride, I decided to drop her off at our friend’s home in Kapitolyo.

There was something magical when driving the HR-V. Call it a je ne sais quoi, but it made me discover something about myself. It was comfortable to drive and it made my passengers (and even yours truly) feel safe and secure while inside the vehicle.

I never would’ve opted to give someone else a ride, but here we are, having a character development.

Long-lasting patience, pls, and thnx

I never went home after my Friday meetings at the Fort, deciding to sleep over at a friend’s place in the scary depths of Pasig City.

If you live in Manila, you’d know how horrible motorists are. Especially in Pasig City where motorcycles, tricycles, and pedestrians decide to cut off a passing vehicle.

No amount of honking can prevent these people or even make them apologize for their abrupt actions. Patience is required, so yes, we pray to have unlimited patience on the days we drive.

In situations like these, Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) through Honda Sensing helps alert the driver to avoid a collision. It comes with visual and audible warnings when there’s a possible impact and it automatically applies the brakes when necessary.

I’ve experienced it multiple times when motorists abruptly cut me off and I can only curse inside the vehicle. I have no time to honk since my focus is directed towards applying the brake to prevent crashing from a rider who’d only scratch his head when there’s an accident.

Since I was driving at night, the HR-V automatically turned on the high beams with its Auto High-Beam feature when there were no other vehicles ahead. It’s incredibly useful since some parts of the city remain dark due to towering trees, even with plenty of street lights. (Thank you, Mayor Vico!)

Highways of the East

The majority of my friends live in the east and the south, some even far outside the Metro. I already thought of having a long-distance relationship with my friends since a lot of us would opt to stay in our neighborhood instead of braving hellish traffic.

Trust us, it’d take you two to three hours to get to our destination most of the time.

The HR-V’s compartment is spacious enough to put all our bags

On one occasion, my friend Kalvin joined his first marathon ever. To show our support, I decided to wake up my co-elite athletes Chay and Betty on an early Sunday morning, telling them I was going to pick them up.

I first went to Marikina to pick up Chay and have her order my coffee ahead of time. Next, we went through Marcos Highway and C-5 to pick up Betty, which is quite scary when cars speed up since it’s early in the morning. Both highways are notorious for having multiple car accidents because most drivers won’t slow down.

Honda Sensing went into play again with its Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS). I stayed through the third lane to make sure I wouldn’t miss the exit and whenever I sped up and almost went out of my lane, the steering wheel vibrated to keep me in position.

This works hand-in-hand with the Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) which helped me steer the car back to the center of the lane.

I never got to experience the Lane Departure Warning (LDW) though, since it only works when the driver departs a lane without using the turn signal lights. Of course, this driver likes to announce his turn a hundred meters before actually departing my lane.

From South and back

The marathon was happening at the Bay City, where SM Mall of Asia is located. We waited and cheered for our friend when we saw him near the finish line.

After the marathon, we went to have brunch at Panco Cafe along Don Carlos Palanca Street in Makati, and then we capped our day off at One Bonifacio High Street.

L-R: Hanging out in High Street, Visiting friends in Parañaque, Elevator selfie in Pasig before driving to Mt. Ayaas in Rizal

A full day spent with the people you cherish makes you appreciate the life you’re living. And to be their designated driver, I’m honored and privileged to have them trust me with their safety.

Honda Sensing came with premium safety features that anyone would love to have in their vehicles. It gives an assurance that the vehicle has your back when things get out of your control.

Having this system is what made me realize that I love being a driver more than being a passenger prince. Perhaps I always knew about it, but I never got the opportunity to do so. The experience is worthwhile since it was my first time to actually drive from different locations in one day.

Sometimes, what we really need are opportunities to discover the love languages we speak. Having the HR-V with Honda Sensing for half a month, I realized that my love language wasn’t “quality time” anymore. It’s “acts of service” and I would drive for the people I love because I’d love to.