Philippine Elections 2016 (UPDATE 1)

The story so far on the 2016 Philippine Elections...

• At the start of the elections, there are some vote-counting machines (VCMs) facing technical difficulties during voting procedures. Most precincts nationwide were set to open at 0500 hours Philippine time but Tacloban City's precinct 0306 caused long lines as the machine was not functioning, according to election watchdog group Kontradaya, as it received numerous complaints on VCM errors in the first hours of polling day.
• Presidential candidates Jejomar Binay, Mar Roxas, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, cast their votes in their respective polling precincts in the first few hours of voting.
• Former president and Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo casts her vote in a polling precinct in Lubao.
• Following the approval by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to vote outside his detention quarters, detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada voted at Xavier School in San Juan City.
• Vice Presidential candidate and Rodrigo Duterte's running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is confident that he is going to win in today's elections despite his poor performance in previous pre-election surveys.
• The Commission of Elections (COMELEC) said that they will validate reports on problems encountered in the automated election system.
• Teen stars Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo got criticized in social media regarding their photos showing them with their election ballots. There is a well known election rule that no one should take a picture or a selfie with you holding a ballot for secrecy reasons.

...more to come later.

Forza Motorsport 6: Sushi vs. Hamburger Redux

Remember several years ago when then-Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson tested an old Lotus Exige S (the one with the supercharged 2ZZ-GE engine in the middle) round the Top Gear Test Track and then raced against The Stig in a Ford Mustang and won? It was the old sushi vs. hamburger debate and now, that tale's about to be retold in its modern-day equivalents.



These are the modern-day equivalents I am talking about. Here, I've been rejoined by the V6-powered Lotus Exige S, the car capable of balancing big power and light weight at the same pace on the track. As for the Mustang side, I've gone for the most track-honed Mustang yet, the all-new GT350. Specifically, a specially-made GT350R. Let's hope this Mustang sounds as it should be because it's been updated twice after problems faced with the GT350's exhaust sound.

Anyway, what can you expect about these two? Well, both of these track-day, road-legal machines are well in tune with the racetracks thanks to its motorsport-derived dynamics that allows themselves to go through the corners as smooth as a baby's buttocks like those triplets in the picture. Although the Lotus Exige S V6 is a bulkier Lotus due to the bulk of its engine, its midship layout and its crafty dynamics still feels like the lightweight Lotus of yesteryears, making it the ideal track toy that you can use it harder and longer, as long as you don't pit in against ultra-lightweight machines like the Atom or the Mono because that would be suicidal.

The GT350R, a special model based on the GT350, is basically a hardcore sixth-generation Mustang I am really like and in fact, I like this one better than the old 1960's GT350 because the old GT350 is for Gran Turismo losers and the new GT350 is fit for Forza faithfuls like you and me. However, there are some idiots, presumably Gran Turismo fans, listed numerous things why they hate the new GT350 as well as many reasons not to buy one. One of the main reasons why is because it's a Forza car and you know how idiots react to cars featured in a Forza game. Anyway, while the V8 engine it powers it is not as powerful as the old GT500, its race-derived dynamics really compensates it and you can really set very fast lap times in this pony car if you set things right. Word of warning, however, is despite its newly sophisticated suspension setup like in the standard Mustang, it can still kick you off like a mechanical bull on the bar.




Now it's time to compare these two round the Top Gear Test Track and see if the whole sushi and hamburger debate still applies in this modern-day equivalents. Let's get crackin...


And now the results. The Lotus Exige S did it in 1:23.130 while the new Shelby GT350 did it in 1:23.389, meaning that light is right when it comes to track-day sportscars and looks like the sushi trumped the hamburger, but only just.

130 Years of Coca-cola

Today marks the 130th anniversary of Coca-cola, the world's number one softdrink everyone in the world loves to quench their first on. It's been years since the pharmacist John Pemberton invented the drink we all know and now, here we are, 130 years on, this drink can withstand the test of time. Shall we get started then?

Coke Emoticon Bottles

It was the year 1886 when Dr. John S. Pemberton invented this drink in Atlanta, Georgia and tried selling it to consumers at a local drugstore. When it went on sale, the crowd goes nuts over his invention, which he priced it for five cents back then. Two years after the first servings of Coca-cola served to the public, Pemberton died but he sold portions of his business to various parties, with the majority of the interest sold to Atlanta mogul Asa G. Candler. Under Candler's rule, distribution of Coca-cola expanded to soda fountains beyond Atlanta.

Why is it called "Coca-cola", you dare ask? Dr. Pemberton called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup, which is a fair dose for this drink. In 1891, Candler claimed his formula contained only a tenth of this amount. Once, this drink contained an estimated nine milligrams of cocaine per glass and that formula was subsequently removed in 1903.

The bottling became a major challenge back then because of the imitations of the beverage by competitors as well as lack of packaging consistency among the thousand bottling plants at the time. So, in 1916, the Cocal-cola bottle was created with the shape so recognizable even in the dark and then trademarked in 1977.

For more Coke history lessons, go to www.coca-colacompany.com and find the History section.

But now, Coca-cola has over 1.9 billion servings sold globally and with presence in all corners of the world including Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East, the whole world's gone Coke crazy. You turn yourself in a nearby store and say "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke", which is somewhat a legendary in the history of Coke advertising. From football player Mean Joe Greene tossing a Coke to a fan saying "hey kid, catch!", to the iconic Coca-cola polar bear. To open happiness, and now Taste the Feeling, nothing's more fun than sharing a Coke with everyone in the world with their names on it. I mean hey, that's the evolution of Coke advertising, if you know what I mean?

Coca-cola isn't more than just a drink because for most of us, it's a way of life. We use it to energize ourselves, for entertainment, for relaxation, there are so many reasons why we like to have a world of Coca-cola for ourselves but for us, we all share the same decision to stock ourselves some Coca-cola at home. Now, there are so many Coca-cola variants to choose from and whatever you are feeling, there's a Coca-cola that fits for you.

Here's for 130 years of Taste the Feeling with Coca-cola!

For more Coke-related videos, go to youtube.com/cocacola

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: N. Korea airs special Kim Jong-un speech

North Korea flagged a special announcement on state television Sunday, which turned out to be a recording of leader Kim Jong-un's speech the day before to a rare ruling party congress.

Long time ago, special announcements has preceded major events, such as a nuclear test or even the death of a top leader. However, state television simply began airing its recording of Mim's lengthy report to the congress on Saturday - a transcript of which had already been published by state media.

In his address, Kim unveiled a five-year economic plan and stressed that North Korea was a "responsible" nuclear power with no first-use policy and a commitment to non-proliferation.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

The New MINI (F56) Convertible

It's been two long years since the new MINI took the world like a tsunami walk and even though this is an entirely new model designed from scratch, its enlarged dimensions no longer made it called the MINI, perhaps the funny word Wumbo would have sound better because its sizing is a MINI no more. Because the F56 MINI has been around for two years (and no video game in sight to feature it just like the BMW i8), another variant has been added and this time, it's an open-top version.

2017 Mini Convertible

The new convertible version features all the similar bits and bobs from the new MINI, only this time with a soft-top roof that makes you think you're somewhat special on a hot summer. With the roof opened, this four-seater compact makes it the ideal barkada trip car that can take you from one point of interest after another, as long as you don't make it to places with very heavy traffic because you'd better close the roof and the windows until you smell crud in your lungs.

Under the hood, the open-top version offers the same engine choices as the hardtop model. In the high-end Cooper S model, it comes with the 2.0L petrol engine producing 192PS of power and 300Nm of torque. The One, meanwhile, comes with a 1.2L petrol, the normal Cooper comes with the 1.5L petrol, D with the 1.5L diesel engine, and the SD with the 2.0L turbodiesel engine. Of course, like all good convertibles in the world, it's slightly heavier than the hardtop equivalent, meaning the handling isn't what you call...ahem...MINIMALISM.

2017 Mini JCW Convertible

Even the high-performance John Cooper Works model couldn't cut it. Sure, it's got a turbocharged 2.0L petrol engine generating 231PS of power and 320Nm of torque as well as race-derived dynamics, but because this is heavier than the JCW hardtop, there is a slight difference between how it behaves on the road and how it feels on the track. If you didn't bother about how either the normal Mini Convertible or the Mini JCW Convertible behaves in both sides, it's still a stylish go-getter that you can use it on the road. Think a husky bodyguard who ended up having an ambition to become a beauty queen at a beauty pageant. That sounds awkward, though, and in partial terms of awkwardness, having the roof closed is the main idea of awkwardness because that roof kinda spoils its flavor of the month.

Should you drive this one with the roof open while on a moving traffic, the new Mini Convertible is not so bad to have one because you get the urban lifestyle you expect on a four-seater convertible of that size. However, if things get a little soggy or dirty, you'd better off with a public transport rather than driving with the roof closed. Wouldn't recommend it though.

Price? The all-new Mini Convertible starts at 21,900 Euros for the One, up to 35,350 Euros for the JCW Cabrio with the Steptronic gearbox on, so it's slightly costly to own than the hardtop.

FIA Formula E Moscow race for 2015-2016 season cancelled

The Moscow ePrix for the 2015-2016 season of the FIA Formula E Championship has been officially cancelled, according to Formula E organizers.

One of the main reasons of the cancellation of the Moscow ePrix, which was slated to occur this June, is the "recent and unforeseen circumstances related to road closures." The committee aren't aware about the city about closing the road.

With no replacement in sight, this season will have just nine cities on the calendar, with the two-part finale to be held in London.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/06/formula-e-cancels-moscow-race/

A farewell to AlDub

For less than a year, fans from all over the world have been part of the AlDub experience since the very beginning of this surreal Kalyeserye shindig on GMA's long-running TV variety show, Eat Bulaga. The couple had been through good times, bad times, even the ugliest of times, all in the name of love fans savoring it forever and ever.

Now, all good things must come to an end...almost...because on the recent Kalyeserye, the lolas have thrown in an Italian-themed despedida party for AlDub before heading off to Italy for the shooting of their romantic movie coming soon. After exchanging necessities, the gang headed off to the studio for one last bow for AlDub before setting off.

Since it's Mother's Day, Divina has something special in store for Lola Nidora. Yep, it's her children; Dr. Dorita (the mother of Doktora de Explorer) and Teodoro (Duhrizz's dad). They wished Lola Nidora a happy mother's day and after that, Lola Nidora's final act for AlDub.

So, this is where the gang part ways, and with AlDub heading off to Italy, the Kalyeserye tale has faced the final curtain. However, that does not mean the Kalyeserye gig is done because they will keep them updated for developments.

Happy Trip, AlDub! Oh, and congrats to Mackie Cao for being the grand winner of Just Duet.

Photo: Official Eat Bulaga Facebook page