A few too-good encounters...

Last week, the producers gave us some free time so we have to visit some three dealerships in Renton.

Right, on that week, we visited dealers across Renton; mostly from Mazda, Toyota, and Honda. We came there because we're there to check out what's new.

First up, WALKER'S RENTON MAZDA. And I came here for this...

The 2013 Mazda CX-5. Yep, this full-fledged SKYACTIV crossover was our first stop. Unfortunately, someone bought it and we're too late to stop by its interior. Despite that, the Mazda CX-5 is now one of my favorites partly because this was made to be fuel-efficient and fun to drive. That's right. Who needs dull eco buttons and hybrids? The CX-5 is just the car for me because its a car that promises clean driving without sacrificing performance.

Since because I didn't have the chance to meet up with the new Mazda CX-5, I bump instead with this;

The 2012 Mazda 3 with SKYACTIV Technology. Like the CX-5, the Mazda 3 comes with a 2.0L SKYACTIV-G engine. Like the CX-5, it comes with a 6-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission. This transmission promises Good Fuel Economy, Easy Start up, Direct feel, and smooth shifting. 

Now, I don't need to worry about not having a SKYACTIV variant on the second generation Mazda 3 because earlier, the new Mazda 3 was already on sale in the Philippines for 999,000 Pesos. Sounds tempting but should you?

The CX-5 was already available in the Philippines for 1,452,000 Pesos in case you missed it.

In the tradition of following Top Gear's footsteps, we decided that we DON'T DO CONSUMER ADVICE AND NEVER WILL. We will never answer questions such as "which is better?", "how does it work", "is it all that better?" so on so forth. WE DON'T DO CONSUMER ADVICE. IT'S A WASTE OF TIME.

Now, we move on to TOYOTA OF RENTON and we found these...

This is a Prius PHV. This is Japan's answer to the Chevrolet Volt. You can do both; refueling it with petrol or recharge the batteries.

Here's the 2012 Scion iQ, which some say that this is a cheap blue-collar knock off to the Smart fortwo. A smart fortwo is like a Porsche because the engine is placed at the wrong place. This Scion iQ is not. It's a FWD micro mini.

It's a Toyota Prius with a bigger boot. It's called the Prius V. What it makes me feel though is sad. Thanks to conditions like the environment, the economy, tensions in the Middle East, and the relentless war on speed, ALL CARS WILL SOON...BE CONSIGNED TO THE HISTORY BOOKS. :-(

What? Did I said a Top Gear dialogue? Sorry. This kind Prius is essential if you're gone camping with you and your four pals. I even have that on Car Town and use it for CAR SHOW purposes thanks to the uniqueness I hardly worked on. What? What do you mean "you copy paste it"? Never mind. It's just bits of IDOLM@STER-ism, to be honest. But no matter. Prius V or Prius Alpha or Prius + is not available in Asia. Sorry, it's the rules.

It's the third-generation Toyota Yaris/Vitz. A car that I sure wish a video game will feature this...

The Toyota FJ Cruiser, an offroader's favorite and a complete Hummer copycat. Maybe something that I should prefer rather than the terrifying Marauder as seen on Top Gear. Overall, it's cheaper than the indestructible Marauder. He he he....

Now, we wandered off to the Renton Honda and we found this...

The facelifted 2012 Honda Insight. Yep, this one's far too cheaper than the Prius but only a few bought it.

This is one of my favorite hybrids, the Honda CR-Z. It happens when they have their brown rice smothered with Tabasco. A few CR-Z models have CVT but many have a 6-speed manual, making this special.

Don't worry, a few video games featured this...

And here it is, the all new 4th generation Honda CR-V. A car that has a rear view of a Vovlo XC60. How pity...

And that concludes of the front runners. If I was a complete clattering buttock who has a choice, what would be? The CX-5 because of its SKYACTIV technology? The Mazda 3? The Scion iQ because it has a sensible size? The Prius PHV because it can be refueled and recharged? The Prius V because it made me sad? The new Yaris because of its looks? The FJ Crusier because it's much more affordable than the Marauder? The Insight? The CR-Z because it is a sport hybrid? Or the new CR-V? Ugh, I wouldn't blame anyone who bought these because they deserve it. I am surely wish I want the CX-5 because for me. It's my winner. Yeah.

Let's Do The News! (June 1, 2012)

It's time for the news but it's raining and it always do because when June comes in the Philippines, it will always rains, even in school days.

Uh, excuse me. You know June is the start of the new school year and I know that it starts this Monday. Is the K12 in effect?

I'm not sure...

Anyway, I am not very very familiar about the K12 education curriculum but how does it work?

K - 12, an education curriculum I think it's too complicated because some say, kids from the school age (6 years old, perhaps?) have to start from kinder and their level of education has to end in the 12th grade before advancing to college. In the beginning we have, Kinder, Elementary (Grade 1 to 6) and High School (First Year to 4th Year).

Wait, wait, wait. Kinder, Grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, First Year, 2nd year, 3rd year, and fourth year. That's eleven. K to 12? What's for? Are they gonna add Grade 7 or 5th year?

(laughing)

I don't know. Either they gonna add another one for elementary or in high school but...um...agh... This whole K to 12 curriculum issue is a bit too complicated. If you guys going to school in June 4, take precautions because you don't know what comes next. He he he...

(laughing)

Anyway, forget about this K12 stuff. That's not the most of my problems. Now anyway, my 64GB fourth generation iPod Touch.

Yeah?

I got this one as a gift since Christmas 2010...

What happened?

There is a big problem on my iPod Touch because the Home button seems to be broken or stuck. I can't press it.

(awww)

Really?

I tried everything but it never worked. My iPod Touch 64GB was been in my possession for two years and now this. The home button doesn't work at all. Surely I want to find someone to repair it but sadly, they won't, and never will, fix an iPod Touch!

Really?

Yeah. It doesn't matter any broken Apple gadget you have. Even iPhone or iPad. If the home button is stuck, they'll never repair it but they'll trade you in a replacement within half the price.

(ooohh)

Half the price? How much is that iPod Touch 64GB of yours?

I think its 399USD but they'll charge me 199USD for a replacement! I think its too pricey.

Come on, either pay it or stuck with an iPod Touch with a broken Home button. You have a choice...

My money, I often spend it on mp3 music, Japanese music CDs, apps, figures, and now to put it on my shopping list, die-cast model cars. Is there time to accept the risk?

Some say, you have until tomorrow for this. Either accept it or stuck with it. You decide.

Oh, come on... It's too hard to decide!!!! Now anyway, Forza Motorsport 4, okay? Community Bounty Hunter, beat the Autumn Fallout lap time set by Forza player, F1SH0, to win a customized Jaguar D-Type. I think it was one of the hardest challenges the producers asked me to do.

Hmmm?

I tried everything using tuning kits provided by the people who beat F1SH0's time of 1:36.550. Even cars like the Nissan 370Z (last used by F1SH0), Lancia 037, and my unicorn car I got since March, the Honda NSX-R GT. I spent a whole hour to beat his time but nothing worked.

Whoa there? An hour worth of gameplay to beat F1SH0's time using the recommended cars but nothing worked?

Yeah, I tried. Until I came in at the final hour of the Community Bounty Hunter event. I used an NSX-R GT with a tuning kit set by someone who beat F1SH0's time and after a few laps elapsed. I did it. I eclipsed F1SH0's lap time.

Wow. What was your best?

1:36.454. A .096 seconds quicker than F1SH0's.

(applause)

Wow. Well done. Seems that you are going to get that D-Type, right?

Yes! Indeed I am!!!

Uh, if you get that, we're going to send it on the Top Gear Test Track for the lap time, right?

Yes! We will!

(applause)

Anyway, bad news. I got a message from T-Mobile about the AT&T merger deal.

Really, what is it?

Read...

"Free T-Mobile msg: The AT&T merger is off, but we've never slowed down. We're investing billions in network coverage & reliability. http://t-mobile.com/attoff"

Wha....Why?

Long story but I believe, the T-Mobile AT&T merge deal was cancelled. Axed. Gone. Removed. No more. That's it. T-Mobile never collide with AT&T.

(awwww)

Yeah. That really is bad news to T-Mobile subscribers. Sorry.

Now, anyway, Aquaplus, a maker behind the ToHeart2 series, they said that there's going to be a...get ready to groan ladies and gents....new PSP game coming late this year. No further details for now but a teaser site that says "A New Game? A Sequel?" on it with illustrations by Misato Mitsumi (ToHeart2, Comic Party games), Hisashi Kawata (To Heart, ToHeart2, White Album games), Tatsuki Amazuyu (Utawarerumono game), Kokonoka, Syungo Sumaki, and Bou (Muv-Luv).

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-05-30/teaser-image-for-new-aquaplus-psp-game-posted

Oh, come on! Nooo!!! When will Aquaplus make a PSVita game?

(laughing)

Come on, no one can hear you scream. Most Japanese game makers still rely on making PSP games rather than PSVita games because PSP sales in Japan are still strong.

Oh....How's this?!

Hatsune Miku PS Vita

What's that?

It's a PSVita with a Hatsune Miku on it! It was made to commemorate an upcoming Hatsune Miku game on the PSVita. This kind of PSVita will come out in the 3rd quarter of this year and what you also get are some of the peripherals, a 4GB bespoke memory card developed for the PSVita, and a new Hatsune Miku PSVita game. This was announced since the announcement of a new Crystal White PSVita color.

(ooohh)

And the cost...34,980 Japanese Yen. Which in Top Gear math, its about 35,000 Pesos. Sort of...

Gosh, even with Hatsune Miku on it, I think they wouldn't want to buy it because the games list on the PSVita is a bit less. If that new Hatsune Miku game on the PSVita is here, can the PSVita reach the top? Not so...

(laughing)

Look at this!

What?

2013 Volkswagen Scirocco GTS

It's a special edition 2013 Volkswagen Scirocco GTS debuted at this year's Leipzig Auto Show to celebrate 30 years since the MkII Scirocco's GTS variant. It comes with a 2.0-liter TSI petrol with 207hp (210PS) and comes equipped with bespoke styling cues that hark back to the more colorful 1970s and 1980s.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/volkswagen-to-debut-new-scirocco-gts-at.html

Oh that's real nice. It looks the same as the one that James and Jeremy making a commercial. Oops! 2-litre TSI! Can't do BERLIN TO WARSAW IN ONE TANK!

(awwww)

Anyway, when in Miami, some guy succumbed to drugs ate someone's face! I'm not joking! He ate someone's face!

(whoa!)

What? Oh no! Is this a zombie?

What? No. He's not a zombie. He's a guy succumbed to um...deadly synthetic pot known as Bath Salts!

Bath Salts? What was that?

It's an illegal drug that was made in China, sold online.

Aha! Another China-made product. Maybe those Chinese want to retaliate with a bit of bio-terror...

(audience laughing)

Now, in the case of a drug-succumbed man who ate a hobo's face like a zombie, the senate proposed a federal ban against bath salts and synthetic drugs, hopefully that this whole "Miami Zombie" thing won't be happened again. Period.

Scoop: http://www.munciefreepress.com/node/25801

Is this a ZOMBIE?

Speaking of zombie, have you seen the second season of "Kore wa Zombie desu ka?" known as "Kore wa Zombie desu ka? Of The Dead"?

(oooh)

Oh, nice anime. I give credit to that.

Guess what? Kore wa Zombie desu ka? Of The Dead ends next week. That was verified by the official Twitter account.

(awwww)

Oh, how sad...

But! After the end of the final episode, they will said a "super, super, super important announcement." on the official "Kore wa Zombie desu ka?" web page. Find out soon, okay?

Now anyway, breaking news. The Mercedes-Benz GL Class gets the AMG treatment. Here it is. Look:

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG

It is by far most the mammoth of the Mercedes-Benz AMG SUV range. Purely jurassic. A GL-Class mated with a V8 Twin Turbo engine. That's the Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG!

Further read: http://www.netcarshow.com/mercedes-benz/2013-gl63_amg/

Oohh! This what happens when this guy ate too much HUNGRYMAN! Heh...

(laughing)

That's some biceps on this one.

It is!

And that's the news!

Audi S8 (D4)

Two years ago, I discovered the third generation Audi A8 and on my observation, the new Audi A8 is one of the most advanced German premium full-size sedans ever made because of its sophisticated wizardry applied from head to toe. I love its design despite being the same as the old one, I love its legroom, I love its sat-nav, I love its Google Earth feature, I love its Bang & Olufsen audio system, I love everything. This Audi A8 is all about the ART OF PROGRESS. And now, a more tamed Audi S8 is here to suppress the most of the fat, boring, middle-aged, businessmen and make them feel like a hitman.

2013 Audi S8

2013 Audi S8

On the outside, you'd expect the same A8 exterior but because this is the S version, the Golf GTi of the Audi A8 range, you can expect a beefed up exterior that feels like it was injected with steroids. It kinda feels like an evil kapre showing up hundred percent of his power and tries to shake a young adventurer half to death. Yep, like an evil kapre on steroids. That's what that is.

The old S8 had a V10 FSI engine that is somewhat a blue-collar version of the Lamborghini V10 engine expected from the Gallardo. On this new one, downsizing was occurred and now, the magnificent Lamborghini-derived V10 engine has been thrown away for good and replaced it with a 4.0 V8 TFSi engine.

Audi V8 TFSi engine

Sometimes, downsizing is bad because most car enthusiasts think that engine downsizing is more like a downgrade but you have to think again because sometimes. downsizing is good because on this new 4.0L V8 TFSi engine, it can go 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, it has 520PS of power, 70 more than the old one, and 80lb-ft additional torque, a lot more torques, and it's quick! The reason why this new V8 engine equipped on the new D4 series Audi S8 is quicker and more powerful than the old S8 is simple, it was the twin turbos mounted on it. In reality, most European car makers have to rely on turbocharging if they want to pass stringent emission standards. Anyway, the new S8 is mated with an 8-speed tiptronic transmission and it comes with an idling stop system. The fuel economy of the new S8 is 10,1 l/100km combined and CO2 emissions of 235 g/km.

With such power do come with the price. It costs 111,900 Euros and there are some options and accessories that will make it a bit complicating. Let's see...um...For a 21-inch 5-spoke rotor-design rims, that will cost 2,100 Euros. 7,800 Euros for the Audi design selection interior, 920 Euros to have the car connected with Bluetooth Connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot, 3,020 Euros for the seat massage, 490 Euros for the rear view camera, so on so forth. It takes a flappy-paddle head to spend that! What are those?! I'm confused!!!!

Available colors are Brilliantschwarz, Ibisweiß, Eissilber Metallic, Gletscherweiß Metallic, Havannaschwarz Metallic, Oolonggrau Metalic, Quarzgrau Metallic, Smaragdschwarz Metallic, Prismsilber Kristalleffekt, Phantomschwarz Perleffeket. Daytonagray Perleffekt, Impalabeige Perleffekt, and Nachtblau Perleffekt.

My comment:

Even though the new S8 costs 111,900 Euros and it has a turbocharged V8 engine more powerful than the old V10 engine it replaces, this new S8 will try to tempt you that the king of German premium sedans has now became a lab rat's gym. Trust me on this, if you're gone crazy with this, you are going down.

Photo: AUDI AG

One down, 76 to go...

One-77 crash

The Aston Martin One-77, a million pound car that is limited to 77 units and it's already sold out, fast. Now, in Hong Kong, here comes the very first One-77 wreckage. That is one down, 76 to go. Perhaps it should have been renamed One-76. Get it? One-76 because the 77th is gone in Hong Kong.

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/rare-aston-martin-one-77-exotic-crashes.html

Volvo V40

With the entry-level Volvo S40 sedan and its wagon counterpart, the V50, officially officially DEAD, as in no more, discontinued, axed, bye-bye, disappeared on the Volvo lineup, the V40 name, as you are utterly familiar with this as the wagon counterpart of the first generation S40, has been revived from the start as Volvo's new 5-door hatchback that you can think of it as a C30 taking a Cialis. Oh wait, the Volvo C30 is DEAD too, I forgot to tell you...

2013 Volvo V40

With the S40 sedan, C30 3-door hatch, and the V50 wagon gone for good and off to the junkyard in the sky, this Nya Volvo V40 cannot act the same thing as those three does. It does not have the handling credentials of the C30, the riding comfort of the S40, and the versatility of the V50. I mean seriously, this new V40 was made to compete the likes of the Citroen DS4, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Renault Megane, and the Volkswagen Golf.

A Brit designer, Peter Horbury, said that the new Volvo V40 is the last Volvo to be designed by him before he transfer himself to the company that recently owned Volvo, which is Geely from China. That sounds weird but the Volvo design DNA first applied on the XC60 and the second-generation S60 is a reach for the V40 but sad to say, this design feels like a V60 with its shortened length. It's like doing something with a ball pen back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. You see?

2013 Volvo V40 interior

Inside the V40, what you expect is somewhat a mash-up between the familiar buttons you can find on the now defunct S40, in-dash monitor with sat-nav straight from the S60 and the instrumental panel, well, this is a bit too futuristic, to be fair. This instrumental panel maybe new to us but it changes if you select three driving modes; if someone is focused on performance, the V40's instrumental panel goes all red hot, if you're driving in normal mode, the instrumental panel's all a bit simple but if you're focused on Eco Driving, the instrumental panel's all green and an Eco Guide is seen at the left side. If that wasn't put you, how about looking at the roof of the V40? What you see here is a huge panoramic glass roof which can be a bit too problematic if bright sunlight comes directly at you. Talk about a design flaw but still, the V40 accommodates up to five people, 335L of load capacity, 1073mm of front leg room, 847mm of rear leg room, 953mm of front head room, and that's it.

2013 Volvo V40

There are various variants of the V40 available such as the 115HP D2, 150HP D3, 177HP D4, 150HP T3, and 180HP T4. Those choices may come with either a 6-speed manual and for some, a 6-speed automatic transmission for those who are not hairy chested. A V40 D2 variant will have a combined fuel consumption of 3.6L/100km while the turbocharged V40 T3 will have 5.4L/100km of combined fuel consumption. Most variants do come with an idling stop system that shuts off when stopped and then start again when your foot is on the pedal, to save fuel. Overall, most of these are certified EURO 5 COMPLIANT. Stefan Jacoby said that the V40 wraps you in a much comfortable interior with such ergonomics and technology that will make you feel informed, focused, and relaxed. I kinda agree to that but no. That's not far enough.

There are tons of safety features offered on the Volvo V40 such as Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Information System, Park Assist Pilot, Lane Keeping Aid, City Safety with automatic braking and then there was the world's first PEDESTRIAN AIRBAG. What is it? How does the V40's pedestrian airbag work?





So, convinced how the pedestrian airbag works? It's somewhat an airbag bolted to the V40 bonnet and it inflates when this car hit the pedestrian, saving a life in an event of an unfortunate accident. We know this is a world's first feature but take extreme precautions about this pedestrian airbag because not most of the time this new feature works in an event of a collision between you and the pedestrian.

The Volvo V40's colors include; Svart, Passion rod, Ice vit, Silver, Svart Metallic, Titanium gra, Caspian bla, Flaminco rod, Biarritz bla, Vibrant koppar, Raw Copper, Misty Blue, and Electric silver.

My Comment:

So, a very complicating new feature, a panoramic glass roof that can be somewhat a design flow, class leading driving dynamics, and a proof that the V40 is not a replacement to the S40, C30, and the V50. You might think that this nya V40 has the handling of the C30, the riding comfort of the S40, and the versatility of the V50, fused into one Scandinavian packaging but this new Volvo has a long way to go. If I were driving this car, I am not somewhat likely to be succumbed by the V40's elegance, sportiness, and the versatility. You have to think better than that, Volvo. It takes Juan to know Juan but in here, it doesn't.

Photo: Volvo Cars

Let's Do The News! (May 29, 2012)

You were saying that you've checked around the refrigerator and the pantry and you found out that there's not enough snacks for us, now?

Yes indeed. And just look at it! Look how horrible it is when you see a ref and the cabinet empty handed.

How about the cereal?

We don't have milk!

Oh! You have cereals...

Most cereals we have like Corn Flakes are rubbish!

Why?

No taste! I only prefer cereals like Frosted Flakes, Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Special K.

Oh I see. Speaking of which...what did you do?

I bought something next door such as Nestea, some Ice cream, some diet Coca-Cola, and that's it...To fum the habit.

Oh okay....

Now anyway, I picked up some news that our favorite Boy Pick Up is going to have a movie this June 6, 2012. It's titled BOY PICK UP THE MOVIE.

(ooohhh)

BOY PICK UP?

Indeed. This movie will delve deeper about Bubble Gang's tamed pickupista. It stars none other than Ogie Alcasid as BOY PICK UP, Solenn Heusaff, and Dennis Trillo as Bagwis, who serves as Boy Pick Up's main rival at the movie.

Wait! Bagwis? Main rival of Boy Pick Up? I thought it was Dahon because...um...you know, Dahon likes to throw everything he got but his tactics get foiled by Boy Pick Up.

(audience laughing)

That's different but still Dahon is here in the movie. Antonio Aquitania to you. Also coming are Boy2 Quizon as Push Back, the Moymoy Palaboy duo as Sukli and Bagoong, and of course Sam Pinto as Neneng B. Arriving on the movie were Gwen Zamora, Jackie Rice, Ellen Adarna, Sarah Lahbati, Diego, Eri Neeman, Pepe Smith and Lilia Cuntapay. And that wouldn't complete without Michael V as Mcbits! AYT! AYT! KATAHIMIKAN! KATAHIMIKAN!

(audience laughing)

Scoop: http://www.gmanetwork.com/films/articles/2012-05-28/33/Boy-Pick-Up-The-Movie-in-theaters-beginning-June-6#list

Oh, I'm so wanna see that film. It's just another one of Bubble Gang faves get the movie treatment. The next big thing since ANG SPOILED.

You know what I like about Boy Pick Up?

What?

Some say...he's explosive...

BAKIT?!

BOOM!!!!

(audience laughing and applause)

That's Boy Pick Up catchphrase! BOOM!

Henyo ka Pick Up!!

(applause continues)

I'm so into that! Now, anyway. Bad news.

What?

You know K-On? It's a mega popular manga turned into anime and last year's movie. Now I picked by some info that the manga's high school edition ends this June 28 while the college edition ends this June 9.

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-05-26/k-on-manga-high-school-edition-to-end-in-june

Hold on...High school edition? College edition? What was that?

Remember back in April 2011, moments after the part of the manga where the K-ON movie came from, the K-ON manga spawned two stories; the college edition highlights Mio, Yui, Ritsu, and Tsumugi in their college days while the High School edition highlights Azu-nyan, Ui, Jun, and others moments after the original four were graduated.

Oh, never heard of that....

There you go. Sad to say that both of them are reaching the grand finale.

(Awww)

That was verified at the July 2012 issue of Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine. Very sad indeed to see K-ON manga coming to a complete end. :-(

Yeah, you know what's more bad news? I saw something that a Lexus IS F and the Lexus IS250C modified by Fox Marketing for the SEMA Show got crushed.

(awwww)

Yep. Both SEMA Show Lexus cars got crushed. Too bad. And we have some footage here, let's see...

I wouldn't realize that both of these Lexus IS models got crushed even those that are modified for display at the SEMA Show. Aw...Off to the junkyard in the sky...Anyway, Aston Martin, they displayed a concept car that it turned out to be the replacement to the DBS at the Lake Como Concorso d'Eleganza.

Aston Martin AM310 concept

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/aston-martin-previews-new-dbs-with.html

Wait a minute. This looks like the Aston Martin Virage but what's it called?

It's a concept car called the AM310. No further details for now but by the looks of it, I think it looks more of a potential thoroughbred. There's no denying that this future Aston is going to be....

BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH....

(audience laughing)

What's bothering you?

I don't think I'm going to like this kind of Aston because...this is more of a Virage...S. Kind of...

(laughing)

Anyway, I have someone who has psoriasis, which is a skin condition that causes skin redness and irritation. Now, I picked up some science news that running reduces the risk of psoriasis.

(ooohhh)

Scoop: http://ph.she.yahoo.com/running-may-reduce-risks-psoriasis-162826424.html

Wait...Running reduces chances of psoriasis?!

Beats me, but that's science. That was a study biased by Brigham and Women's Hospital from the USA. Most women who love to do cardio workout reduces the risk of psoriasis.

Hmmm...That's good. I guess I should be running right now so I won't get psoriasis.

(laughing)

Now, anyway, Busou Shinki, Konami's popular customizable toy line, I heard that they will get their very own TV anime on Tokyo Broadcasting System.

(oooohh)

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-05-24/konami-busou-shinki-action-figures-get-tv-anime

Yep. You guessed it. Busou Shinki anime is coming and those behind it will be quite different from the Moon Angel web anime you saw a couple of months ago.

Busou Shinki....that popular Konami toy line....I heard that they did have two PSP games a couple of years ago you know.

Uh-huh, and they inspired three "CHARACTER SONG AND SPECIAL RADIO RONDO" CDs just so you know...Now anyway, the people will work for this upcoming Busou Shinki TBS anime are;

Director: Yasuhito Kikuchi (Infinite Stratos, Macross Frontier)

Series Script Editor: Masahiro Yokotani (Maria Holic; Steins;Gate, K-ON! scripts)

Character Design: Takahiro Kishida (Madoka Magica, Cheburashka Arere?)

Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Ryouma Ebata (Blue Exorcist; Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW's animation director's assistant)

Animation Production: 8-Bit (Infinite Stratos, Aquarion Evol)

Whoa there! The Busou Shinki anime will have staff from Infinite Stratos? Blimey...

Despite that, this is just another Konami product get an anime. Back in 2010, a Konami PSP game, Okami Kakushi, spawned an anime series. I never saw it but it's terrifying. That's it. Very terrifying.

(laughing)

You'd never forget that there was another Konami-related stuff spawned into anime. It was SENGOKU COLLECTION.

Check out the official site: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/sencolle/

You know, just by looking at some Konami-related stuff turned into a TV anime, it's got some commanding presence. The presence of a SOLID SNAKE...

(laughing)

Yeah yeah...Blah blah blah blah....

And that's the news. Now, Honda Fit...it's now on its 2013 Model Year and this time, it has additional models for the Honda Fit...

2013 Honda Fit lineup

The Fit Hybrid variant now gets the RS variant. Yep, that's right. HONDA FIT HYBRID RS. The sportiest evil twin of the Honda Fit Hybrid. It has the 1.5L VTEC engine with IMA and it's available with either a CVT or the hairy-chested 6MT. This HONDA FIT HYBRID RS has a feature too similar from the Honda CR-Z. Switch it to ECON mode and the ring goes green. Switch it to normal and the ring goes blue. Put it in SPORT and the ring goes RED!!! I like it. It's another hybrid Honda mated with a 6-speed manual transmission.

For the ladies, there's a Fit that is suitable for the typical Japanese woman. It's called the She's variant, available in 1.3L and 1.3L Hybrid models. What you expect on the Honda Fit She's are everything too girly. From its pinkish color, pink car key, pink stitching, and everything too feminine. Something only a 20-year-old Japanese girl with a driver's license would want.

2013 Honda Fit Hybrid RS

2013 Honda Fit She's

Scoop: http://autoc-one.jp/news/1070900/

URL: http://www.honda.co.jp/Fit/

And attention those who played THE IDOLM@STER 2 on the Playstation3. Coming this June 1, IM@S2 PS3 DLC Catalog 08...the one with...oh dear. This is exclusive to the PS3 version. It's the one with...ドレッシーアリス (costs 1500 Yen), レイニースズラン (costs 750 Yen), ランダムカラービューティ (costs 750 Yen), and デジタルスペースクラフト (costs 750 Yen). It seems new. A new song titled オーバーマスター will cost you 1800 Yen. It takes a flappy-paddle head to spend those. What are those? This looks new.

URL: http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/cs/list/idolmaster/im2/ps3/dlc/catalog8.php

Guys, meet the Lotus Cortina...

Now when I wasn't born yet and my mommy is still a kid, there was a kind of car that was made in the 1960's and it was proven to be a performance car icon. This classic you can find on Forza Motorsport 4's Top Gear Car Pack is known to be the DADDY OF SUPER SALOONS.

The Good Old Days...

This is the Ford Lotus Cortina. First produced in 1963 and it's only available in White with Sherwood Green stripe. It started out in life as a Mk1 Ford Cortina but Lotus performed some modifications on it, which includes the steering, suspension, 1500cc twin-cam engine, and a speedo that reads up to 140mph. This Lotus-tuned 1500cc engine produces 105HP, which is twice the power of the normal Ford Cortina. 0-60mph time of 10 seconds and a top speed of 108mph, meaning that the needle won't reach up to the limit. Despite that, this Lotus engine that give life to the modified Ford Cortina still harbors a spirit that best kept for Lotus.Cars. Not only power enhancements are involved but weight loss is also a part of the Lotus Cortina courtesy of aluminum doors and aluminum hood, 20kg less than the normal Ford Cortina but remember, this is much lighter than its rivals. Think about it, if you put it with a drag race against the Austin Healey 3000 Mk III, sorry to say that the Cortina will kick the Healey because it's lighter than the Austin Healey.

Scenic Route with the Cortina. How lovely...

Most car magazines praised the Lotus Cortina due to its striking performance and with the gearbox derived from the Lotus Elan, rumor has it that it can hit nearly 50mph in first gear and 70 in 2nd gear. Those Forza faithfuls who tried the Cortina really liked its gearbox because of its accuracy and the handling that is somewhat not so bad. It's not so skittish, it's not so unstable, it's as delicate as a piano concerto. In the race between power and size, this Lotus Cortina is not to shabby on that situation.

An icon steps in the Top Gear Track

For some delicious tidbits, the Cortina was heavily involved in motorsports. It was homologated to 1000 units and its race debut was in the Oulton Park Gold Cuo where it finished 3rd and 4th. In 1964, the Lotus Cortina led Jim Clark won the British Saloon Car Championship. That's not all, racers Jackie Stewart and Mike Beckwith became victors of the Marlboro 12-hour race. A 1-2 victory by Alan Mann Racing at the Motor 6 hour International Touring Car Race at Brands Hatch is just another example of Lotus Cortina-related wins.

There are so many stories involved about the Lotus Cortina taking part in motorsports, even rallying, but with this, this has the best racing pedigree than you can possibly imagine. A Ford Cortina retooled by Lotus, this is just something we admire and we love to call it a legend.

ITC280 Update 8

What I learned at week 8:


1) Here is an example of a loaded query string
formhandler.php?id=5

2) Here is a loaded query string as viewed in the source of a list page:
<a href="view.php?id=5">My PHP Book</a>


3) Here is what the above would look like in our actual code of a list page:
print '<a href="view.php?id=' . row['BookID'] . '">' . row['BookTitle'] . '</a>';


Score:

Test # 6: 61/100 (61%)

NOTES:

As of now, I should be doing that Assignment about List/View Pages. Since because I don't have classes tomorrow due to the Memorial Day holiday, I have plenty of time to finish it but there is a bit of a problem. I haven't started my project yet. I can't decide what will my project will be but I suspect, my head is all about cars.

That's it! Maybe instead of the kittens or muffins, because Mr. Bill Newman had it with those, I decided to use those as that List/View assignment. There are some requirements on my assignment due this Wednesday..


1. A list/view application featuring the look and feel of your website (theme), that correctly displays at least 20 records from a database table of your creation.  Each view page must have it's own image.
2. A link to your List page (with an appropriate name) in your application's navigation
3. A link to the SQL file you used to create the table and insert the data (on your construction page

I should be doing it now....

That is all

Mon Tulfo guested on Gandang Gabi Vice?!

On the May 27, 2012 episode of Gandang Gabi Vice, Mon Tulfo guested! In the midst of the Santiago-Tulfo fight that has been in the news for so long, it seems that Mon Tulfo really did guested on Gandang Gabi Vice but really? What's Mon Tulfo doing here? Maybe he's just trying to cool him down with a little chat with Vice Ganda.

Oh well. It's good to see him guested on Gandang Gabi Vice!

Bulilit Brownouts

Oh, if our former Bulilit Ella saw this, that's getting interesting because on that May 28, 2012 episode of Goin Bulilit, they spoofed the fantasy teen drama, Aryana, as a drama that is "pang-lupa na, pang-dagat pa" AROWANA. Get it? Arowana! Speaking of which, some brownout gags occurred. During brownouts, the Santiago vs. Tulfo issue gets a Goin Bulilit treatment as Raybart Santiago beaten up some cameraman while the Tolfu brothers warn Raybart and Baretta to watch out. Meanwhile, Goin Bulilit does a music video of Taylor Swift's TODAY WAS A FAIRYTALE. Then, what if there is such thing as BOTTOMLESS SOPAS? Yum! Sopas that never ran out even in the rain!

With sopas gone bottomless, our "makata" bulilits talk about what's TRENDING TOPIC that we LIKE, SHARE, AND POKE. It all ends with a READY GET SET GOIN game of LET'S CROSS THE BRIDGE WHEN WE GET THERE!

When in Monaco...

Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber wins the Formula One Monaco GP race. This turning into a random selection because the past six races involves six winners. Welcome to the winner's circle, Mark Webber! I wonder who's next on June 24's Europe GP at Valencia?

Race - Webber makes it six winners from six races 27 May 2012

       

Red Bull’s Mark Webber held his nerve throughout a nail-biting denouement to the Monaco Grand Prix, forging another little bit of motor racing history as for the first time ever a sixth different driver won the sixth race of the season.

But Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel were all nose to tail in his wheeltracks, covered by a 1.3s blanket after a desperate chase in which none of them could ever relax.

Webber took the lead at the start and held it from Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, but the McLaren driver lost third to Alonso during their sole pit stops. Vettel, meanwhile, had started on soft tyres in contrast to the super-softs on which the rest of the top 10 were obliged to start, since he hadn’t set a time in Q3. Thus he ran a much longer first stint and was able to take the lead as Webber, Rosberg, Alonso and Hamilton made their stops.

The race then became a fight of Red Bull team mate against team mate as Vettel and Webber traded lap times. Vettel held on until the 46th lap, hoping that the forecast for heavy rain would come true so that he would then have been in the pound seats as he nursed a lead of around 17s.

But the rain held off and eventually Vettel had to come in for his set of super-softs. The stop dropped him to fourth, but crucially he got out fractions ahead of Hamilton, who had Ferrari’s Felipe Massa on his case throughout the race. At times in the closing stages the top six were within 3.1s of one another, but in the final couple of laps Hamilton and Massa faded.

It was tense stuff as the gaps opened and closed like a concertina around the tight little track, and very light rain for a short while at Mirabeau added to the challenge. It was driving of the highest calibre as none of them made any mistakes, and in the end Webber held on to win by 0.6s with Rosberg another 0.3s ahead of Alonso, who was another 0.6s back. It was fabulous stuff.

And it didn’t end there as the nature of the track boxed people in and prevented much overtaking, as a beautifully-judged drive by Paul di Resta kept him ahead of Force India team mate Nico Hulkenberg by just a second, with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen only 1.4s further back. The Finn had a disappointing race for Lotus, and was hounded throughout by Bruno Senna who finished only 0.4s adrift to take the final point for Williams.

In the end, after a dramatic race of his own from the back of the grid, Sauber’s Sergio Perez grabbed 11th after Jean-Eric Vergne, an early pit stopper, was obliged to come in late for fresh rubber and thus lost the seventh he had earlier stolen from a struggling Michael Schumacher. Toro Rosso put their man on intermediate tyres just in case the rain came, but the gamble failed. It arrived 10 minutes after the chequered flag had fallen.

The Frenchman thus finished 12th, while Heikki Kovalainen gave Caterham a major boost with 13th place. The Finn had been in tough form all afternoon, holding off an off-form Jenson Button until the Briton spun his McLaren late in the race exiting the Swimming Pool and then soon retired. Kovalainen and Perez are under investigation for an incident in which the Finn kept the Mexican out wide in Ste Devote, obliging him to go into the escape road, but later Perez overtook him by cutting the chicane in a tit-for-tat move.

Behind them, Timo Glock was Marussia’s sole finisher in a race of high attrition, ahead of HRT’s Narain Karthikeyan.

Schumacher had a brush with Romain Grosjean at the start which spun the fancied Frenchman’s Lotus into immediate retirement, while further back Pastor Maldonado went from hero to zero by damaging his Williams’ front wing in the traffic and also quitting. Schumacher and Grosjean are under investigation for their incident. 

Pedro de la Rosa’s HRT stopped, as did Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber, then Caterham’s Vitaly Petrov, who set a brief fastest lap after an early tyre stop, ended his day in the pits with electrical trouble. Schumacher lost seventh to Vergne late in the race, then stopped with tyre problems. Charles Pic’s Marussia failed him, and Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo also failed to go the distance.

A hugely exciting race leaves Alonso at the head of the world championship chase with 76 points, ahead of the Red Bull drivers on 73 apiece, Hamilton hangs on in fourth with 63, Rosberg comes up to fifth with 59, then Raikkonen is sixth on 51 and an unhappy Button drops to seventh on 45.

In the constructors’ stakes, Red Bull lead with 146 to McLaren’s 108, but Ferrari draw level with Lotus on 86 apiece, from Mercedes on 61 ahead of Williams on 44 and Sauber on 41.

Scoop: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2012/5/13399.html

Mitsuoka K13 Viewt

For almost two decades, the Mitsuoka Viewt (光岡 ビュート) is much more of a Nissan March in Jaguar Mark 2's clothing. This time, the new Mitsuoka Viewt still has the same Jaguar Mark 2 clothing while using the Nissan March K13 as its basis. If you think that this K13 Viewt may just be an alternative to the Autech March K13 Bolero, well sorry to disappoint.

2013 Mitsuoka Viewt

Like the previous model, the K13 Viewt still...um...pretty much the same. Is it all new or just a...you know, a nip tuck? To differentiate it, you should look to the side view that is broadly similar to the Nissan March K13 and the new back as well. If the outside view wasn't too good enough to solve, how about getting to know the K13 Viewt's interior?

2013 Mitsuoka Viewt interior

Okay, the K13 Viewt's interior is pretty much more of a coach-built version of the interior you may find on the Nissan March K13. In some models, you do get a clock but you don't if you're opted for the sat-nav option. What's more, the leather around the Viewt's interior are everywhere, providing more luxury for the passengers despite the compact sizing and this could be more of a big shot if you're driving through at some prestigious academy in Japan. Those classy high school students would think to you that you're riding a vintage car and that's sosy. What a sosy car, you'll look. And that's too sosy if you're some blonde Japanese teenage girl.

Under the bonnet, it still has the HR12DE engine mated with the XTRONIC CVT transmission. This engine churns out 79PS of power, 106Nm of torque, and that's about it.

Available colors are Wine Red Metallic, British Green, White, and Black Metallic

My comment:

Even it still has the same Jaguar Mark 2 design, this K13 Viewt is much more of a sosy version of the Nissan March K13. This is much more like a high school girl in a wealthy socialite's body giggling about her first kiss while she was in 5th grade. You wouldn't blame to see this one approaching in the streets of Tokyo and everyone would be completely fooled that you're in to that car that is more retro futuristic. Seriously? Yes my fair lady. This is how your ojousama do all the time while she's at school. Now you know.

Photo: Mitsuoka Motor