Konted's Make My Day: Tony Tuason of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tony Tuason Of Toronto

                Tony Tuason of Toronto used to own a Volvo car. A grey one with snow tires. He sold this to a new Russian immigrant. He now drives a Nissan Murano. And he swears that it is the best vehicle he has owned in all his 64 summers. All wheel drive, V-6, 3.5 CC, 260HP, with leather, roof, heated seats, alloy wheels, power seat, memory seats, bose stereo, CD, 6 CD changer, roof power and alarm system.

                Though he may appear inclined towards anything Nissan, Tony really has sufficient technical knowledge of most car engines, body and everything that forms part of what he terms as a sound and reliable motor system. Instead of downshifting and taking it easy, Tony is still very much active. He still works with Nissan Motors in Scarborough, Toronto as part of its sales staff. And he has received excellence and loyalty awards from said company. For a considerable length of time in the late 80s, he was sales manager of Ford Motors in Bahrain.

                Some may not know it that Tony, who was a seatmate in high school, entered and stayed in the seminary for 6 years, after which, he decided in his last year that priesthood was not, after all, his calling. There was a greater calling. Ask him what that was. But what he learned and absorbed in those years are still evident in his work ethic and personal values. Honesty, hard work and sincerity are some of the virtues manifested in his behavior. These traits contribute greatly to his credibility which is paramount in salesmanship.

             In our daily email exchanges, I can see the depth and the strength of his character. It seems like there is a deep well inside him from where he draws strength from time to time. Here are some excerpts:

               "Some people are greedy. Simple life lang dapat. Look at the poor. They have many children to feed, yet, they are still happy. Naka smile pa rin. But some of the very rich, they are depressed. Money can't buy you happiness. "

               " Gener, grabe ang evil men sa mundo. They wear coats and ties. They smell good. They drive luxury cars and own mansions. But deep inside them lurks evil.  Sabi ng teacher ko, Fr. William McGovern of New York, "Maxima Est Pessima", meaning, The best is the worst. "

              "Fr. Vincent De Towers, S.J., was my rector at the seminary. For 30 years, he was in the Philippines helping the poor. He was the son of a rich man from New York but he decided to dedicate his life helping others. I learned a lot from him. Before starting classes, he would invoke the power of the Holy Spirit to guide his mind and tongue. He was my teacher in Ethics and English grammar. Tall, white and lanky. "

              "Important sa seminarian ang Vespers, specially during the benediction. Kakanta ka ng Tantum Ergo. Sometimes tears come out of my eyes kasi you are in a state of happiness. Lalo na when I sing "Öh Sacred Heart, oh love divine" during Holy Communion. Nakakaiyak talaga. All my tears come out. When I look down, there is a puddle of tears below my eyes. Ang sabi ko luha ba yon? Nakakaiyak yung canta at solemn during Holy Communion. I never miss the tears. It is true that there is a supreme spiritual being inside all of us. And this supreme spiritual being propels us to make the prayer."

              In our high school days, Tony was a dead ringer for George Harrison of The Beatles as he sported the same haircut. Let me be generous with compliments. As for singing ability, there is where the similarity ends. If Tony was a dead ringer for Harrison in high school, he had a striking resemblance to action star Rudy Fernandez in college days. I am not exaggerating. Just look at the pics below.

             Though most of the time Tony is serious, he can also be humorous. Through story telling, he turns a very serious situation into an amusing and comical one. I still remember his story about the time he owned a fleet of mini buses plying the Malolos-Divisoria route. One early morning, while supervising, he assisted passengers as they prepared for the long journey to Divisoria. But when departure time came, the assigned bus driver could not be found. Tony, not wanting to further irk the passengers, was forced to drive the mini bus himself. The bus owner, all of a sudden, became the bus driver !! At the national highway, a vehicle cut his path and he almost lost control. Agitated, he was forced to draw a gun, but seconds later, he regained his composure.

             While Tony now resides in Toronto, our friendship, which dates back to the 60s, remains unbroken For there are several things we have in common. One is the willingness and eagerness to communicate with other people through emails. We do this almost everyday. Secondly, we both have the passion for reading. He likes reading good books. I am a voracious reader too. There is another one. We both like looking at pictures of beautiful women. We like talking about pretty women. Oh, oh....this one is a sensitive matter to discuss. Not now, not here. Next topic, please.

- Konted

Tony Tuason is now a permanent resident of Toronto, Canada. He has been there since 1990.

Tony Tuason's Nissan Murano. Take note of the yellow ribbon.

Tony Tuason's Volvo equipped with snow tires

Tony's new townhouse unit

Autumn Leaves

Tony Tuason of Scarborough Nissan(right) poses with Min Ho, sales manager of Sherway Nissan.

At an Auto Show in Toronto

Tony Tuason receives from a top official of Scarborough Nissan a Bulova watch with tiny diamonds for his loyalty to the company. To go with it is an Apple Ipad.