Seattle's Chinatown International District Dragon Fest 2015

Last weekend, I went to Seattle's Chinatown International District to experience the sights and sounds of the Dragon Fest 2015, where the best of Asian culture come together and celebrate to the hearts and minds of Asian Americans in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, I've been there last year but because of my enjoyment of going places, I decided to go there again, for the sake of enjoyment during the long summer days in America.



More photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHskcBGaii

My Video Journal:

Let's Do The News! (July 14, 2015)

- Greek PM Alexis Tsipras is on a fight to win support from coalition partners for the third bailout offered by eurozone leaders. Four pieces of legislation must be passed by the end of Wednesday including pension and VAT reforms. However, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos already opposed the measures. If the deal fails, Greece will be forced to leave the eurozone for good.

- The Mexican authorities are offering a 60 million peso reward for the capture of Joaquin Guzman, the nation's most wanted drug lord, who escaped from a maximum security prison on Saturday through a 1.5km-long tunnel.

- Korean president Park Geun-hye ordered her senior secretaries to look further in the subject of the need of amnesty in preparation of next month's 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

- Typhoon Nangka is expected to affect the southern and eastern parts of South Korea and Jeju Island, by weekends. This typhoon is moving northwards towards Japan and it's forecasted to bring heavy rainfall and strong winds.

- Over 200 South Koreans have embarked on a very special ride on the grand transcontinental train journey known as the Eurasia Friendship Express. They're divided into two teams; one will take Trans-Siberia Railway from Vladivostok while the other will depart from Beijing and take Trans-Mongolia Railway. It's a 20-day journey where participants will travel ten cities in five different nations, and establish ties. The final stop will be at Berlin, Germany.

- The Department of Education is already investigating the food poisoning incident in the CARAGA Region. They said that the students affected from the food poisoning were given proper health care, most were fully recovered and discharged from hospitals. Meanwhile, the Department of Health stressed the importance of food safety on acquiring and intake of unknown products as 1,925 people were reportedly affected last Friday, July 10, after they ate candies.

- September 6 is officially recognized as Shigeru Matsuzaki day according to the Japan Anniversary Association. It is the day when the famed singer made his debut. If you're a fan of the Katamari Damacy games, then you'll most likely to remember him for singing one of the game series' songs.

- The death toll from the General Motors ignition switch defects rises to 124 while 390 are reportedly injured.

- At last weekend's SDCC, the BBC announced a remake of the classic British children's cartoon, Danger Mouse and now, it's targeting for international audiences as possible. Actors Alexander Armstrong, Kevin Eldon, Stephen Fry, John Oliver, and Lena Headey will lend their voices for the upcoming animated series.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (July 13, 2015)

- The Eurozone leaders have reached an agreement over a third bailout after series of talks in Brussels, meaning that the risk of Greece leaving the eurozone has been averted...for now.

- A section of a Russian military barracks has been collapsed, killing 23 soldiers near the Siberian city of Omsk, according to officials.

- Part of the walls of the Aleppo Citadel, a Syrian world heritage site, has been damaged by an explosion.

- The Philippine Army will receive 10% of the total 95 billion peso-fund from the modernization program for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

- The families of the slain SAF 44 members received additional benefits from the government. Over 24 million pesos was distributed to the families by the Philippine National Police as they receive numerous donations for the SAF 44 received by the families from collected donations.

- Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, passed away at the age of 55 because of a bile duct growth.

- Another Pokemon Center-exclusive Nendoroid is on the radar. Following Pokemon Origins' Red and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's Champion Cynthia, N from Pokemon Black and White (Best Wishes) made his Nendoroid debut. Preorders are open at most Pokemon Centers across Japan this late July and deliveries will commence this late November 2016. What you'll get is a Nendoroid of a mysterious Pokemon trainer named N and alongside him is the legendary Pokemon Reshiram.

- The 1967 Plymouth Hurst Barracuda is this week's highlight of the Jay Leno's Garage webisode.

- Imagine if the world of Sherlock is set on a 19th-century London. Find out on this first look of the upcoming TV special of the hit BBC crime drama series!



TTFN!!!

Toyota Sienta - Second Generation

2016 Toyota Sienta

Mindful to the Japanese summer vacation, the Toyota Sienta MPV has now been regenerated after being stuck on its squarish looks for over a decade and this is the first time we expect the Sienta compact minivan to be fully changed from the ground-up but I'd expect some hot issues regarding the second-generation Sienta.

First and foremost, it's now essentially larger than its overdue predecessor and the boxy design of the previous model has been stripped off and made it more athletic similar to a jogger's running shoes or a sports bag. In essence then, the new Sienta redefines the leisure activity genre but truth be told, it became more of Japan's Fiat Doblo if I'm honest. There are couple of issues too aside from its design which looks like a distortion because for this new model, the Sienta emblem from the first one has been removed and replaced with the Toyota emblem on the front just to make it more sensible and a bit crazy.

2016 Toyota Sienta interior

2016 Toyota Sienta interior

Because it's so big, the Sienta's newly found status as a Leisure Activity vehicle never forgets the practicality term and for a seven-seater minivan, it isn't half bad at all but there are a couple of drawbacks because with seven seats present, there's no space to fill in your monthly groceries, much like the case of the Honda Jade when all three rows are present, and when you folded the third row seats, you've sacrifice the extra seats for some space so...that's a bad point for the new model there. On the driver's view, it's like a mashup between the Prius and its bigger minivans like the Noah and the Voxy.

On petrol models, the Sienta comes with Toyota's brand new 1.5L 2NR-FKE VVT-iE engine, the same that you expect from the recently-facelifted Corolla range. This new engine is one of Toyota's high-thermal efficiency engines that will launch by the end of this year. It uses the same framework as the Vitz's 1NR-FKE engine but with a longer piston stroke as well as increased diameters on the inlet and exhaust pipes. Couple that with the idling stop feature and the Super CVT-i gearbox and the fuel economy is expected to be up to 20.6km/L. That's 3.4km/L more than the old Sienta's.

However, there's a new hybrid model for the Sienta, and it's for those who are not in a hurry for anything. With the 1NZ-FXE engine mated with a 45kW electric motor and a traditional nickel metal hydride batter, total power output is a measly 100PS and thanks to the CVT gearbox, fuel economy is up to 27.2km/L.

Handling wise, the Sienta isn't what you call sporty but it's well civilized and uncomplicated for first-timers thanks to its rack and pinon steering, MacPherson strut and coil springs in the front suspension and a rear torsion beam for the rear suspension (FF only, 4WD models get rear double wishbones). It's a great car to handle but for a concept, it's a tad old-fashioned.

In terms of safety, the new Sienta is available with the brand new Toyota Safety Sense C package and because Toyota is now balancing the things that are fun with the things that are safe with great responsibility, this new package consists of Pre-Collision System uses a camera and a laser radar to scan incoming vehicles on the driver's twelves, the Lane Departure Alert uses a camera to detect white and yellow lane markings, and lastly, the Automatic High Beam detects oncoming vehicle's headlights and the taillights of cars in front, allowing its headlamps to be automatically switched between high beam and low beam.

2016 Toyota Sienta

The new Sienta starts at 1,689,709 up to 2,329,855 Yen and when targeted against the Honda Freed, this new Sienta makes it a great value for money and this is something what Leisure Lifestyle Enthusiasts are looking forward to if they're know what they're thinking.

Available colors: Super White II, White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Black Mica, Red Mica Metallic, Vintage Brown Pearl Crystal Shine, Air Yellow, Green Mica Metallic, and Blue Metallic.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

#BubbleGang - July 10, 2015

On the July 10, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Face it, the internet knows the truth. The internet really knows the evidences.

- Cellphone load gags

- Istambay, Istambay sa Looban, Tungkol sa Swerte at Kamalasan, Ang Topic ng Kwento ay Kantahan, Tutok na Para Inyong...MALAMAN!

- Soaperman and Batnaman face off against a supervillain!

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...disappointed posts!

- More advice giving from Tata Lino!

- This guy gets bullied by everyone!

- Too much to list for the old couple in the hopes of not forgetting it.

- Breaking up is a lot harder to explain to your bae.

- The Adventures of Redford Jr. and Babaless in...Wanted: Helper

Wanted: Helper

- Tsugi o Churva!

Let's Do The News! (July 10, 2015)

- The new Greek proposals on securing a vital third bailout described by the Eurogroup as "thorough" and according to Eurogroup leader Jeroen Dijsselbloem, a "major decision" could now be made at a eurozone finance meeting on Saturday. These new proposals could help ease the Greek debt crisis and prevent Greece from leaving the Eurozone.

- Five airports in Indonesia had been closed, including those in Bali, because of Mount Raung in East Java has been erupted with volcanic ash into the air for nearly a week, disrupting aircraft visibility.

- The Department of National Defense's plans on acquiring a shore-based missile system for the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been part of AFP's modernization program but both sides have agreed not to prioritize it but instead, the Philippine Army realigned its defense budget on buying more equipment for the soldiers.

- Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao held a prayer session in an Indonesian prison with a Filipina on death row for drug trafficking, named Mary Jane Veloso, who was reprieved last April and allowed officials to ask the Indonesian leader Joko Widodo to give her evidence in an investigation into the network accused of recruiting her.

- Ford Motor Company announced that production of the Focus sedan and hatchback as well as its C-MAX hybrid MPV equivalent in the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI, will cease after fiscal year 2018.

- In honor of its 76th year, DZRH, the first radio station in the Philippines, will hold its Makabagoing Bayanihan medical mission on the 11th of July from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM in key parts of Metro Manila.

- The first look on the upcoming Doctor Who Series 9 is on and expect bigger thrills for the 12th Doctor's return. Time to put on your shades, ladies and gents, because it's explosive in every angle! The 9th series of Doctor Who airs on BBC One this 19th of September.

TTFN!!!

A visit to the new Round 1 Southcenter branch

Now, there's something new opened at the west side of the Westfield South Center and what this is is an amusement center that most longtime visitors been longing for so long now and now, it's here and it's the one they've been waiting for; an amusement corner located in the west side of the Westfield South Center.

This is the South Center branch of Round 1 USA, the US subsidiary of Japan's bowling and amusement chain Round 1, and this is my first time entering this newly opened branch. If you parked near JCPenney or Seafood City, you'll gonna have to walk through the long way to find this branch located at the west side of the Westfield South Center. Since this is newly opened, some improvements have been made to keep the guests happy but first...

The opening times are different to what Westfield South Center's does because this branch opens everyday from 10:00 to 02:00. That's 10:00AM to 2:00 AM if you set it on the 12-hour format. By midnight, they don't allow minors under the age of 20 unless accompanied by a parent or a guardian. That's the rule, but anyway, let's go inside because I am dying to find out what's in store for South Center's Round 1.

This is unlike any other amusement chain I've ever been and there's a huge selection of arcade games in store for the visitors. There are shooting games, rhythm games, they even have prize stands where they can get some prizes, if they're lucky.

In typical Round 1 fashion, there's even a bowling alley for those who love to play bowling with their mates.

There's some karaoke rooms where friends and family can enjoy singing to their favorite songs of their choosing.

I remember thinking back when I'm beating Time Crisis 4, I once said that a mad game maker like Bandai Namco couldn't make games like these anymore but I was wrong because there is such thing as Time Crisis 5 at all. It's the first Time Crisis game that runs on Unreal Engine, same as Tekken 7, and while it retains the same Time Crisis formula, it features the brand new Double Pedal System where you can go left or right to shoot down covering enemies or cover from enemy fire. Welcome everyone to the most exhilarating installment of the Time Crisis series. I really want to play this latest installment but not now. I'll try it later on a later date.

As I ventured through the arcade stands in the new Round 1 South Center branch, I have found the cherry of the cake. It's Taiko no Tatsujin but this is the old Taiko no Tatsujin 14 I've encountered on Round 1. While it maybe as outdated as my iPod Touch, it sounds like it could be a gem.

The reason why it sounds like it could be a gem because this particular Taiko no Tatsujin not only offers a selection of anime theme songs, J-POP hits, and original songs, but also video game songs. What tickles my fancy that this Taiko no Tatsujin game had songs from, you've guessed it, THE IDOLM@STER, but aside from that, it has two Ridge Racer songs, and there's a song heard from ACE COMBAT JOINT ASSAULT called "In The Zone".

Playing Taiko no Tatsujin is so intense! You have to be so super-focused when it comes to playing this game before your hands get tired from all the drum-beating. I guess this is somewhat what life is for my certain buddy behind the sticks. Yes, I had a buddy from Arizona who loves IDOLM@STER, and she really enjoyed playing this game only when the song she chose was IDOLM@STER-related. I'm not on the same level as hers but I am really learning how to play that Taiko no Tatsujin game and play until my arms got tired...or one of my hands got a blister anyway. This is just fantastic.

So, producers of the Northwest, you have finally met your match. Looks like you've finally found a place to enjoy and what no better way to enjoy your P life than playing Taiko no Tatsujin while enjoying the songs from THE IDOLM@STER series. Useful bit of science, though.

I love going back to Round 1 but what I love most about going to Round 1 is playing that damn fantastic Taiko no Tatsujin game or if I had time, I can visit my family to take some time out from their daily lives. I can invite them to some karaoke sessions or bowling sessions but the one thing I don't want from them is using my Club Card's remaining tokens on some UFO catchers containing hard-to-get objects such as plushies.