F1 2015 - Bahrain GP

Image: Getty Images

The scorching hot weather in Sakhir, Bahrain, is no match for the heated Formula 1 battle where, once again, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton wins big this season while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen prevented Rosberg from gaining on Hamilton's rear, leaving Rosberg placed 3rd place. Before the race, McLaren's Jenson Button's F1 car did not start due to technical problems, probably an electrical fault.

In the driver's standings, Hamilton's in the lead by 93 points, with Rosberg 2nd place overall with 66 points, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel 3rd overall at 65 points.

The next race is at Spain on the 10th of May, 2015.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/headlines/2015/4/second-bahrain-win-for-hamilton-as-raikkonen-splits-mercedes.html

Honda S660 gains app for fake engine noises

With the launch of the Honda S660 kei roadster, every car enthusiasts in Japan only have braced themselves for the rebirth of the legendary Honda Beat and this is one of the most affordable sports cars money can buy if you live in Japan because this car's Japan-only. Anyway, to further up the ante on the S660, Honda once made an app that fires away some "fake engine noises" onto the car's speakers.

Sound of Honda

The app is called Sound of Honda and it's applicable for the 6-speed manual variants of the new Honda S660. This app fires a synthesized versions of engine noises from famous Honda machines such as the legendary McLaren-Honda MP4/5 Formula One car, the NSX-R, and the EK9 Civic Type R. I know it sounds kooky but does a small kei roadster deserve some fake engine sounds on the interior?

So far, Honda hasn't point out a release schedule on the Sound of Honda app but they will plan to make it available soon.

Report: http://carview.yahoo.co.jp/news/newmodel/20150420-10222315-carview/

The Geekdom's Guide to Interrogating your Husband

If you remember a certain episode of Orphan Black, Alison Hendrix once interrogated her husband Donnie about what he did during her sleep or else a glue gun torture on her husband. Yes, a glue gun burn can be very painful but only the most desperate housewives can pull the same trick as Alison's when it comes to dealing with their backstabbing husbands who are doing suspicious behaviors.

Today's husbands tend to do suspicious activities, even after hours. For example, you didn't know that your husband had a number two while claiming he was working overtime or he once went to a beerhouse with his mates. You were expected to have your husband come home as scheduled but when several hours passed and your husband didn't come home as scheduled, consider this a wake-up call for the soccer moms.

First, find something that will knock him unconscious. If you were arguing with your husband about what he did last night, wait till he turns his back, then smack him hard with a hard object to knock him unconscious. Alison used a golf club on her husband's head but if you don't have a golf club, any long object would do. Your broomstick, baseball bat, a frying pan, anything will do.

When your husband's already knocked out, find a safe place no one will see. Either the pantry, the laundry room, the bathroom, or the garage, be sure no one will notice that you had a knocked-out husband tied up for interrogation. Because your husband weighs more than you, best to drag him on his legs. For health-and-safety purposes, wear him a helmet so he won't feel the knock while dragging him on a safe place at home.

If you found a safe place, sit him in the chair and tie him tightly. When he wakes up, he'll be freaked out when he sees you what you're doing. Time to make him pay. Interrogate him about what sort of suspicious activities he done after hours. If you think he's lying, find something that is worth painful. Alison used a glue gun on her husband and if you did have a glue gun, make him tell the truth or else, let a drip of hot glue burn his chest in agony. If you didn't have a glue gun, there are alternatives; a drip of wax from a lit candle or a boiling water. Wives, take note.

BEWARE: If you didn't expect that you had a get-together or a children's party or a potluck at your home, make sure he didn't expect that you had guests! You can make sure he didn't expect that by cover him with an ear muff, blindfold, and something to muffle his mouth. Also, be on the lookout for unsuspecting intruders, even those with a nail gun aiming at a drug addict.

You can thank the Clone Club as well as your sestras for this approach when it comes to dealing with your backstabbing husband, unless he accidentally killed an evil genius who runs an evil corporation and then asks you to bury his corpse under your home.

The Geekdom's Guide to Interrogating your Husband.

Let's Do The News! (April 20, 2015)

- A Magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan on Monday morning. It occurred at around 1043 hours Japan Time and its epicenter was located off Japan's Yonaguni Island, which is close to Taiwan. It registered an intensity of 4 on the scale of 7 at Yonaguni. There was a tsunami warning issued for the southwestern region of Okinawa but an hour later, the advisory has been lifted. So far, no reports of casualties has been given.

- There was a new footage shown by the Islamic State terrorists showing the brutal killings of about 30 Ethiopian Christians.

- The leader of Yemen's Houthi militia accused Saudi Arabia of plotting to seize Yemen in the midst of the Saudi-led air strikes happening for over three weeks.  He states that Saudi plans to invade Yemen, its occupation, and placing this country again under its feet and hegemony.

- Following the reports on the sinking of a boat, carrying 700 migrants, in the Mediterranean sea, with only 28 survivors rescued, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi led calls for the European Union to take action on the sea migration, stating that the trafficking of migrants amounts to a new slave trade.

- On his Pakistani visit, Chinese president Xi Jinping is expected to announce his 46 billion dollar investment by building a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, running from Gwadar to Xinjiang in the hopes for boosting Pakistan's economy and help end power shortages.

- McLaren unveils the less-powerful version of the 570S called the 540C. Part of the McLaren's Super Series range, this new model starts at 126,000 Pounds and the 3.8L V8 turbo engine that powers it develops 540PS of power output and the same number for torque, while mated with a 7-speed SSG.

2016 McLaren 540C

- Following Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, Dreamworks announced a new TV series based on the How to Train Your Dragon films called Dragons: Race to the Edge. It will be a Netflix-original series and it will be streaming on Netflix very soon.

TTFN!!!

Balitang Six Six for 4/17/15

Balitang Six Six from the April 17, 2015 episode of Banana Nite:

- A man got himself a hangover finds himself some difficulty getting up from bed!

- A cyclist tries to pull some stunts got smacked by the bench!

- A criminal who got arrested by police swallowed the entire evidence by himself!

- A man tries to lift a barbell tries to hold his breath because his dog's going to poo!

- A woman who dances non-stop didn't realize she ripped her pants!

- A woman tries to relax at the park got splashed by the river!

Opel/Vauxhall Corsa E

2015 Opel Corsa

2015 Vauxhall Corsa

The Corsa city car has spawned its fifth-generation model and this new version of the city car popular among those who got themselves a learner's permit from the driving school tries to be more of a matured hatchback when tackling on areas that are very metropolitan to the drivers' eyes.

In terms of design, it's kinda more of a mashup between the smaller Adam and the bigger Astra. You can notice the Adam-esque front face and the Astra-ish rear view on it but by the looks of it, it isn't half bad at all.

There are different kinds of Corsas to choose from, ranging from a three-door model for those who don't have friends and a five-door model for those who do have friends. Whichever Corsa you choose, you have a choice of either a 1.0L ECOTEC, 1.2L, a 1.4 ecoFlex, a 1.4 Turbo, or a 1.3 CDTi engine.

2015 Opel Corsa

2015 Vauxhall Corsa

The ideal Corsa will be the one with the 1.0L ECOTEC engine with the 115PS power output and the 170Nm torque output because this kind of engine will give its bigger counterparts some good kicking. With that kind of engine, you can get through 0-100kph in 10.3 seconds and flatout in 195kph. That sounds quick for a supermini equipped with a very small engine and looks like this will pose a bigger threat to the Ford Fiesta.

For those who are fuel-conscious should go for the more fuel efficient 1.3 CDTi engine with the 95PS power output because of its 29.4 to 30.3km/L fuel consumption as well as its 89 to 87g/km CO2 emissions. Not bad for a diesel-powered supermini, though.

Transmission choices, depending on the variant, include a 5-speed manual, a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed automatic, or the 5-speed Easytronic gearbox.

The previous Corsa felt like you're trying to ride on a fire extinguisher-powered concierge trolley and although sounds cumbersome, the quality is worth betraying for the driver, especially those who got their driver's licenses. For the new model, the ride has been slightly improved as well as its handling despite the fact that some of the bodywork were derived from the previous generation. Although you may find it very cheap to handle like Postman Pat's but it is maneuverable and very accessible. As long as you satisfy its needs for a supermini, the Corsa will be as happy as a laughing baby.

2015 Opel Corsa interior

2015 Vauxhall Corsa interior

Apart from the "accessible" part, the interior is more likeable than the old one it replaces. It may be more of a ADAM lookalike but on high-end models, you get some nifty gadgets such as IntelliLink, which adds Bluetooth and iPod connectivity at your fingertips. It even comes with an optional app which allows the BringGo navigation app to work through the screen. Although I may find it to be a hassle than most sat-navs, it's money well spent.

The new Corsa starts at 11,980 Euros (9,175 Pounds in the UK) and it's still one of the not-so-bad cars money can buy, even for first-timers.

Photo: General Motors Europe

#BGSoapermanBatnaman

On the April 17, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...incomplete sentences!

- "Hindi ka pa handa" gags

- This salutatorian has something to say about her school's reputation but someone's stealing her show!

- Soaperman vs. Batnaman! The saddest superhero meets the complainable...

- The most unfair judge in the courtroom.

- A letter sender tells about his terrible bullying experience and the host extracts revenge on the bully.

- The Tolpu Bros. are addressing a complaint from firework vendors who are threatened by someone who didn't pay from them on T3 Nyo!

- Husband tries to address his wife's weight problems.

- Interview of a couple who experienced their worst train ride ever.

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Couch potato cosplayers only. NO GAMERS ALLOWED!!!

Time to interrupt your laughter for a while because...it's time to get serious. I'd just received a letter from a certain anime otaku from a certain area I can't tell where he or she is. The letter told me that people can dress whoever and whatever they want and regarding about my sister's Serena cosplay last Easter, the letter sender told me that no other girl would want to dress in her new outfit and they could just stick to the original outfit especially the ones as seen in the XY video games. The letter sender told me not to order anyone to do whatever I want.



Well, to the letter sender who wrote this message from me via my Tumblr, I reply you with a really big "DAMN YOU" because let me ask you one thing. Have you ever seen some Pokemon fan attending in a convention dressed as Serena in her new outfit like in the anime series? The answer is a really big NO because even if she watched the anime several times, she thinks that she like the old one better than the new one and that's disgraceful. Call yourself an anime fan? How dare you. And why do you want to dress as a video game character?

On the subject of Best Wishes cosplay, watching someone dressed as a female character never appeared in the Pokemon Best Wishes anime in the likes of Hilda or Rosa rather than Iris not only sounds degrading to the anime community but also a disgrace to those who have a concept of race and ethnicity. Says what but damn them who never watched that BW anime years ago.

Here's a top tip about Pokemon cosplay: COSPLAY AS THE ONES YOU SAW ON THE ANIME SERIES, NOT ON THE VIDEO GAMES! Just do as I told to do. Although I won't force you to do this, I hope you'll join my cause because I want to show the world that dressing as characters you saw on TV is better than dressing as video game characters and who can blame it?

There's nothing bad about cosplaying as your favorite character because cosplaying is our way to pass the time if you got bored and it's part of keeping our lives running like...pinching on your sibling and be the first to say ouch, crying on a funeral of someone who isn't your relative, drinking some sleeping pills and fight it with exercise, and watching your pet goldfish swim.

What really grinds my gears right now is people dressed as video game characters in a convention specifically made for couch potatoes who spend the rest of the time watching TV shows (cartoons, anime, sci-fi, drama, action), movies, even web shows like Bee & PuppyCat, RWBY, or Bravest Warriors. Of course, you can call yourself a couch potato when you spend too much time playing video games but this is totally off course now. I am sick of seeing anyone dressed as video game characters because for them, they think TV is for wimps and they better off playing than flickering some channels with their remotes.

Yes, I don't mind bumping on people dressed as video game characters because seeing them just makes me furious, furious enough to throw a golden axe to their controllers, hand held consoles, or smartphones while playing some pointless app games. I just want to see people dressed as their favorite TV and movie heroes and villains, not the ones from video games!

I know that sounds very harsh but what about video games that do have TV shows or movies? There was the Super Mario Bros. that do have their own terrible TV show and a movie (I know, I saw them and they were horrifying), Street Fighter that does have a not-so-bad TV cartoon, a web series called Assassin's Fist, and some live-action movies with the latter called The Legend of Chun-Li (which doesn't look bad for me), Pac-Man did have two cartoons with the latter is the utterly brilliant Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, Sonic The Hedgehog that spawns several cartoon shows with the latest Sonic cartoon called Sonic Boom, Resident Evil (Biohazard) that spawned numerous live-action films and they have big plans for the series' 20th anniversary next year, The iDOLM@STER which spawned some totally different anime shows as well as last year's movie...umm...there's too many to list but you know what, let's take it into consideration because this column is getting ugly right now.

As both a couch potato, a gamer, and a blogger who covers almost everything I saw, I respect people who dressed as their favorite characters. It's not that I'm upset or anything but seeing people who are into video games rather than those they've seen on their televisions at a convention is a strand too far and I'm starting to cross the line right now because gamers don't deserve to live in the community made by geeks and nerds for geeks and nerds. I know that geeks and nerds are different in every scientific way but if I see a gamer dressed as a video game character, I would really smash them to the ground, and by smashing them to the ground, I will LITERALLY smash them to the ground. FINISH HIM! Oops, there goes that video game line I wouldn't say that in this column.

Sadly, I wouldn't want to do such thing because I might disappoint someone who reads this, especially to a special buddy I met. That special buddy I met on the internet turns out to be a fan of The iDOLM@STER, just like me, and her favorite iM@S character is Haruka Amami, just like me. If you read this, I'm sorry. I've never meant to hurt your feelings because you were not just a good gamer but also a great anime otaku and an iM@S fan just like me. I'm very sorry for writing this because...I was just having fracas over the Serena cosplay from Pokemon.

Anyway, I guess I should end this column for now. Hope I don't get stressed by the time I wrote this and very sorry for those who got offended by this column. Please don't take it very seriously because I'm not taking it very seriously and I would never do that to a fellow nerd and geek like you.

How to dress as Bonnie

Bonnie is the little sister of Clemont, the Lumiose City Gym Leader, and although she’s too young to be a trainer just like her big brother, she has a very special friendship with a cute Electric-and-Fairy Pokemon named Dedenne. If she sees a very pretty lady, she would come approach to one and ask if she can take of her big brother. Sounds humorous but never mind because if you’re planning a Pokemon cosplay, here’s how to dress as Clemont’s little sister, Bonnie!




We’d recommend having a little girl from your family at a preschool age but in case you haven't got a little kid in your family, don’t worry because you can do this to yourself, unless if you’re a girl and if you have an adequate amount of budget to pull that off.

1) Start by finding a short-sleeved brown T-shirt but hopefully, the sleeves should not be too long or it will spoil it. If you got that kind of shirt, feel free to add a black ribbon on your shirt.

2) You need a white miniskirt for the outer part of your cosplay and for the inner part, some skin-tight cycling shorts (black, obviously).

3) Your hair needs to be blonde and short, although it’s difficult to match Bonnie’s hairstyle because of those round parts on it.

4) Although it’s difficult to find a yellow handbag similar to Bonnie’s, any handbag will do as long as it’s shoulder-carry and yellow.

5) Your shoes need to be pink. Any shoes will do as long as they’re pink and they’re not long-heeled. For a recommendation, why not find some pink clogs?

6) Optional: Bring a Dedenne plush with you

And there you have it. You can dress yourself as our favorite little sister who loves to ask out to take care of her big brother when she sees a pretty lady. That sounds comical but if you want to dress as Bonnie from Pokemon XY, follow these steps in no time.

Subaru Crossover7

When Subaru announced that they will discontinue their Exiga MPV after seven years, we were very skeptical about Subaru planning a replacement for the departed Exiga and as it turned out, their replacement turned out to be an Exiga risen from its grave like a zombie after dark, only to find out its been given some tougher looks and a new name.

2016 Subaru Crossover7

It's still an Exiga but since it has some new looks on the once-departed MPV, it's now been called the Crossover7 or to be more precise, the Exiga Crossover7. Yes. It's that concept MPV you saw at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show now became a reality and it's now ready for those who are ready with their Golden Week plans.

The Exiga Crossover7 maybe considered an SUV but in reality, it's just an MPV with some added ground clearance to make it look like it's ready to take on the world but even though this is a revived Exiga in the form of a so-called SUV, it's not half bad at the start because with seven seats inside, looks like a typical Japanese family will have their things to do during Golden Week ready. Think skydiving or going on a concert or kayaking, or whatever things a normal Japanese out-of-towner will do during Golden Week, this crossover MPV was made to do such purpose.

2016 Subaru Crossover7 interior

2016 Subaru Crossover7 interior

Since this is a family car, the Crossover7's interior matches the theme for being an adventurous car, although you do get some concessions of comfort such as satellite navigation, heated front seats, climate control, cup holders, so on, so forth. It its seven-seater arrangement, the boot space is not half bad and it's about as long as a golf cart lying down horizontally, which means, that's a lot of grocery shopping to be filled in. If you want more space, you can stow away the third row seats and that's more than enough to fit two medium-sized balikbayan boxes.

2016 Subaru Crossover7

The Crossover7 comes with the updated version of the FB25 boxer engine with Lineartronic CVT gearbox, like you get in the latest Subaru Legacy range. It produces 173PS of power output, 235Nm of torque, and thanks to its Lineartronic CVT gearbox, fuel economy is around 13.2km/L by JC08 Mode standards. Not quite as fuel efficient as the other MPVs but for a crossover of this magnitude, that doesn't sounds so bad.

As for the handling, well, thanks to Subaru's Symmetrical AWD, it's handy capable enough even when on places that are slippery when wet. If it's snowing in Hokkaido, the Crossover7, again thanks to its AWD, is well prepared to take on the worst and it's not half bad for an MPV that came back from the dead.

The Exiga Crossover7 costs 2,754,000 Yen, which is somewhat more expensive than the Forester but because this is the only seven-seater in the lineup, the Crossover7 is the only family-oriented Subaru you can buy and this would be the ideal car not just on the Golden Week but also on your upcoming summer holiday as well.

Available colors: Crystal White Pearl, Tungsten Metallic, Dark Blue Pearl, Platinum Grey Metallic, Crystal Black Silica.

Photo: Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

FH2 Storm Island: Welcome to Storm Island

There's a new challenge awaiting for me and this new challenge takes me on a brand new location where speed is no longer the issue, well perhaps some, because toughness and survival are the main course and if you want to achieve this kind of goal, you have to be the toughest to survive the most challenging place ever told. Welcome to Storm Island.

Forza Horizon 2 Storm Island is an XBOX One-only expansion and as the name suggests, you have to survive the harshest weather conditions and the most unforgiving terrain in order to become the Island Champion. There are new kinds of races you can find on Storm Island such as Brawl, Rampage, Extreme Cross Country, and the Gauntlet. There are more challenges to take on here and if you're tough enough to take on Storm Island, this might do the trick if you're looking for some more challenges. It's available to purchase at the XBOX Live marketplace.



Kicking off my survival of the fastest journey is this 2014 Ford Ranger T6 Rally Raid, a specially-prepped version of the said pickup truck that is no longer for sale in America. While this is fully-prepped to take on the most punishing terrain just like what it does during the Paris-Dakar, it comes with a race-prepped 5.0L engine developing 349HP of power and 413lb-ft of torque. It's yours to keep during your maiden voyage at Storm Island and on my maiden voyage, I'm taking on the first championship of this new location and yes...extreme weather occurs even in nighttime. Scary!



A heavy rainfall will kill me at the dead of the night but I managed to survive my first challenge. Although I might be expecting another threat of a heavy rainfall, I can't rest in my laurels here because I only got 11 more championships to complete to access the Island Finale.

For now, I'm taking myself a well-deserve rest before the next big one happens. Sigh...

When a Range Rover gets converted into a pickup

No. This isn't some kind of an editing trickery done by some sly mongrels. What you're looking here is one of STARTECH's creations and this is how an ultra luxurious Range Rover converted into a sport utility truck.

To be showcased at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show, STARTECH, a division of Brabus, managed to chopped the roof down and convert this uber-luxury SUV into a sport-utility truck. It's not just limited to such a bizarre conversion because it also comes with a widebody kit, 23-inch wheels, new suspension, custom exhaust, new interior, and an upgraded 5.0L supercharge V8 creating 526HP of power output.

When completed, it will be classified as a commercial vehicle rather than a luxury SUV, so import prices come cheap but in the meantime, it remains a show car set for its Shanghai debut so dream on.

Report: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/15/brabus-startech-range-rover-pickup-shanghai-official/