Let's Do The News! (August 20, 2013)

Richard: Time now for the news and oh! Has anyone remember the whole flooding done by the hanging habagat last year?

(audience murmuring)

Jeremy: Well, I do. It was definitely a nightmare only global warming can come up. Anyway, what shocked me that Habagat strikes back ever since Typhoon Maring showed up in the Philippines since last weekend and during its tenure...well, how can you rate this insanity from one to ten?

James: Out of ten? Twelve perhaps.

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Why 12?

Richard: Are you making up some DW references, James?

(audience laughing)

James: Oh, I'm sorry. It was like "out of ten? Eleven" perhaps and because of the whole announcement that Peter Capaldi's going to be the new Doctor Who, I was allowed to say Twelve out of 10 when you are trying to rate something from one to ten,

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Anyway, enough about that. Onto the monsoon rains or what the netizens called "Habagat II", I can't believe the whole Metro Manila's turning into a water world and for the hell of it, some of the schools are turning into...well, swimming parks.

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: I think it's worse than last year's monsoon rains and it's also even worst than 2006's Typhoon Milenyo and 2009's Typhoon Ondoy combined! Well, that's a theory anyway.

James: Well, it's a good thing unlike the Typhoon Milenyo of 2006, it didn't caused power outage that left everyone in the dark for a week. Think about it, Jeremy... No power for a week, is it going to be like the TV show called REVOLUTION?

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Perhaps nobody's taking our advice about the whole HOVERVAN idea because if this idea was into everyone's heads, most of the motorists can survive through the flooded ideas. Now since they didn't heard about the HOVERVAN stint, it's stuck in the flood for them. Poor motorists stuck in the floods...

(audience laughing)

Richard: What about those who are working in the office? Remember, I once did Brainiac a few years ago about "office buoyancy aids", figuring out which of the office supplies makes a perfect buoyancy aids.

James: Ahem...

(audience laughing)

Richard: Too much? Well on the upside, it's going to be a long weekend for the lazy students who really wish they don't want to go to school. It's like their weekends getting a bit more longer and feels like they got themselves more of a sem break!

(audience laughing)

James: So...what are those students stayed at home during the monsoon rains these days?

Richard: Some studying for exams, some studying past lessons, some playing video games. Just saying but the latter part is what best sum up.

James: Hmmm....what about watching TV?

(audience laughing)

James: Guess they had some time to watch Ser Chief and Maya, eh?

Jeremy: Or Ryzza Mae...

(audience laughing)

Richard: Ryzza Mae?

Jeremy: Well, you know...ahem...(imitates Ryzza) THE RYZZA MAE SHOW!

(audience laughing)

Richard: Oh wait! Some are watching a show with a little girl on it, isn't it? I get it now...

Jeremy: Anyway, for details about the week-long Habagat threats, you must check the updates on the NDRCC site at http://ndrrmc.gov.ph/. Also, for whereabouts of Typhoon Maring, the monsoon rains, and flood updates, don't fear because DOST's Project Noah got your back. Visit http://www.noah.dost.gov.ph/ for updates. Thank you and stay safe.

(applause)

Richard: Anyway, while we're continuing over the whole Habagat-Maring threat, let's move on to Subaru because the BRZ, the FR sports coupe which is the same as the Toyota 86 that Jeremy drove it earlier in the year, has been updated for the 2014 model year so...what to expect? Well, the top of the line "S" model comes with reworked aerodynamics as well as the addition of a rear wing and for the stripped-out "RA" model can now be ordered with new front-ventilated disk brakes and Torsen LSD. What's suprising is that they even had a limited edition tS model. Here it is...

2014 Subaru BRZ tS

(ooohh)

Richard: That's limited to 250 units, exclusive to the Japanese market, no power gains to its 2.0L boxer engine, but the tS (or tuned by STi) is made to make the BRZ even better on the handling side because of its added suspension upgrades, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, Brembo brakes, large-diameter driveshaft, and an updated version of Vehicle Dynamics Control. However this is the GT Package were showing it and for this package, it makes the BRZ a bit "racy" if you know what I mean?

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: So, what's up with the GT Package?

Richard: Same handling upgrades to the regular tS model but you'll get black 18-inch wheels, rear dry-carbon rear spoiler, and Recaro seats wrapped in Alcantara. So, is this thorough enough for you?

Jeremy: Only if it's a bit more attractive to "Speedo Boys" many.

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Oh hey! Has anyone saw the movie THE CONJURING?

(audience murmuring)

James: Wait a minute...THE CONJURING?

Richard: Yeah, it's a horror movie based on real events. Scary but it's true. I just can't believe that everyone got scared over a true-to-life event that inspired this film.

Jeremy: Anyway, what's amusing is some netizen make a joke about THE CONJURING. Here it is...

THE CONJURAIN

(audience laughing hysterically)

Jeremy: Yes. Yes it is. THE CONJURAIN. Imagine if The Conjuring brought in to the typhoon disasters in the Philippines done by Typhoon Maring.

Richard: Whoa! That is pretty scary for a joke like this. THE CONJURAIN? Based on a true case files of PAGASA? Get outta town!

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: That's really was a nightmare you can't escape, even in the life-threatening monsoon rains! He he he...

Richard: Oh and aside from netizens making fun out of it, some are getting furious right about know and it's about the whole pork barrel scandal that's been around sometime. Some netizen thinks that pork barrel should be used to treat the victims of the latest typhoon Maring and monsoon rains but sadly, that pork barrel went through the wrong hands into some Napoles bastard.

(audience laughing)

Richard: As a matter of fact, Napoles, you should be the one to blame for this. You did this wrong and millions are affected because of your wrongdoings. (bleep) you, Napoles! (bleep) you!

(audience laughing)

James: Hey! Give your potty mouth and your middle finger a rest, okay?

Richard: Oh, sorry.

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Anyway, while in Japan, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota unveiled their newest GT500-class cars for next year's season. Here it is...

2014 SUPER GT GT500-class machines

(ooohh)

Jeremy: From Toyota, it's an unnamed Lexus that looks like the LF-CC Concept car, from Honda, it's their replacement to the race-only HSV-010 GT and that's based on the next NSX hybrid supercar, and from Nissan, an improved version of the R35 GT-R that has been on the block for a couple of years now.

James: I have a puzzling question about those two from Toyota and Honda, aren't they supposed to be production models? But those aren't. Lexus's new 2-door coupe won't arrive until next year and ditto for the Honda's future NSX which will arrive in 2015.

Jeremy: Well, I don't know but hey, at least Toyota finally retired the age-old SC430 Super GT racer for good. He he he...

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: But big bets for Nissan because when they made an updated version to the Super GT500-class GT-R, that signals the proof that Nissan's working on the NISMO version of the GT-R. Still, it's a mystery worth solving for...

(audience laughing)

Jeremy: Anyway, that is the end of the news and oh yeah, emergency hotlines just in case you are in the middle of the habagat right away...

Super GT 2013 Round 5 Suzuka

Yesterday was a big one at Suzuka Circuit for the fifth round of the Super GT 2013 season and yes, I got the results from this round.

On the GT500 Class:

3rd place - #36 PETRONAS TOM'S SC430 driven by Kazuki Nakajima and James Rossiter.

2nd place - #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R driven by Masataka Yanagida and Ronnie Quintarelli

WINNER - #18 Weider Modulo HSV-010 driven by Naoki Yamamoto and Frederic Makowiecki


On the GT300 Class:

3rd place - #62 LEON SLS driven by Haruki Kurosawa, Tsubasa Kurosawa, and Akihiko Nakaya.

2nd place - #52 OKINAWA-IMP SLS driven by Hinonori Takeuchi, Takeshi Tsuchiya, and Naoya Gamou.

WINNER - #61 SUBARU BRZ R&D SPORT driven by Tetsuya Yamano, Kota Sasaki, and Takuto Iguchi

Next round is at FUJI SPEEDWAY this September 7 to 8, 2013.

How Cute Is Your Character? - Mokona

10 cute characters brought in by me will face my CUTENESS TESTS; getting kissed, getting hugged, and against Isabella's cuteness in a bid to top my CUTENESS RANKER leaderboard.

Today's cute character is...

Mokona

Is it Mokona one of the cute critter as seen on Magic Knight Rayearth but not just that, Mokona's also their travelling companion that sends Syaoran and his friends to new and exciting places in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle?

Well, for this, it's the white Mokona we're featuring in because the black Mokona, also from Tsubasa but as seen on xxxHolic, is not our type so it's best to have the white Mokona instead. Anyway, Mokona's cute but...HOW CUTE IS MOKONA?

First test is...getting kissed. Just how kissable is Mokona? There's only one answer...a lot. It's not quite bad for Mokona to be kissed by CLAMP fans many but who cares about it? Mokona's got the "kissable" rating of : 8 out of 10.

Second test is...getting hugged. Just how huggable is Mokona? If it's a white Mokona, yes! Very! If it's a black Mokona then...no. It's not. A white Mokona's definitely a cute Mokona to be hugged for a very long time, especially when you have a big plushie modeled after the right Mokona. For that, it's a "huggable" rating of: 9 out of 10.

The final test is...against Isabella. Isabella says "Whatcha Doin?"...like this. What would Mokona do? However, this is totally irrelevant because Mokona's eyes remain shut for so long, so...Mokona didn't see the whole of  Isabella's cuteness! That's an unfair advantage and for that, well I was gonna give it a perfect 10 but because of its unfair advantage, I'm going to slash it to: 5 out of 10.

The white-colored Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle garnered a grand total of 22 out of 30 points, putting Mokona a tie to Adventure Time's BMO.

CUTENESS RANKER:

1) BMO - 22/30

2) Mokona - 22/30
3) Mog - 19/30

4) Adipose - 16/30

How cute do I rank it? VERY VERY CUTE! HOW CUTE IS YOUR CHARACTER?

The World of Toyota

It was Thursday afternoon and we went out to spend the whole day off. While my mom and my Ate Elise are heading to SM Mall of Asia to visit the Vitapops Inventor's Lab to waste their time with Baby Irvine, me and my dad went to World Trade Center Manila for this...



Yes, it's the World of Toyota. A motorshow hosted by Toyota Motor Philippines. It's held at the World Trade Center Manila from August 10 to August 18, 2013 and this Toyota-hosted motorshow is made to celebrate the good times Toyota has done to the Philippines.



The tickets cost 25 pesos per person so that sounds cheap. Very good though.



A trio of tuned Toyota 86s were featured but more specifically, the Rocket Bunny 86's. Can't believe that the Toyota 86 is a new generation tuner car made by speedo boys for speedo boys who want a cheap and reasonable sports car for the fun of it.



Takumi Fujiwara's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX AE86, the tail-happy, rubber-burning star of Initial D. With the manga ended, there's going to be a new movie and the final season in the works right now but despite its finish line, Takumi's AE86 is still one of the icons.



Step inside to The World of Toyota!







This is the all-new Toyota RAV4. It may not arrive in Japan sometime until 2014, although I'm not so sure why is this new model hasn't been arrived in Japan as of now but some say, when this new RAV4 reaches Japan next year, it could either be hybrid-powered or come with the long-rumored 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder engine. That's a theory, I think. Anyway, I had the time to look around with the new model which you can expect to arrive in Japan next year.







The current-generation Camry. Remember, in Japan, it's available only in hybrid but in most markets, it can either be available in petrol or hybrid. In the Philippines, only the petrol-powered Camry models are available.



Here in Japan, it's called Aqua but in the world market, this is called the Prius C, a hybrid compact car more cheaper and more fuel efficient than the normal Prius.





The third-generation Toyota Previa. Here in Japan, it's called Estima. This generation's been around for a couple of years but I have to say that it's still looking fresh through the years.







The Toyota Alphard luxury MPV. It's one of my favorite MPVs because of its commanding presence and this one's the top model with a 3.5L V6 engine under the hood. It maybe too much on the pricing trends but it's still an ideal executive minivan for the rich and famous.



Oh look! It's DJ Carla!



A Toyota FCV-R concept car on display.









The best of Toyota classics. Sometimes that oldies can be goldies, right? Old-school rules!



Now, let's head over to the Lexus booth!



Now look at that beauty. That's the Lexus LF-LC Concept Car. Looks sexy for a concept car like this, isn't it?





Goodness gracious! Could that be...? It is! It is the Lexus LFA supercar! Let's remember that production ended in December 2012 with the last LFA rolled off the assembly line in white color and in Nurburgring Package. The one in display is a white one, normal one perhaps. But still, I was very pleased to see a Lexus supercar on display.









Revisiting an old friend, the 2013 Lexus GS350 F-Sport. Let's recall that this car went on sale in Japan since January last year while its hybrid equivalent showed up in March 2012. The exact model, the GS350 F-Sport did showed up on XBOX 360's Forza Motorsport 4 via the August Playseat Car Pack. Ah, the memories...





The facelifted 2013MY Lexus LS...







Yes, in The World of Toyota, the all new 2014 Lexus IS was featured, although I'm not quite happy about its new look because...it's too extreme for its own good but this model, the IS350 F-Sport, is probably my pick. In Japan, it's available in 2.5L IS250, the 3.5L IS350, and the hybrid-powered IS300h.





That's the Toyota Century, Asia's only V12-powered executive saloon car used by the Japanese government officials, even those from the Diet. I bet that the Emperor has one.



The Toyota Sports 800. This classic small wonder is famed for its nickname; Yota-Hachi.



The Toyota 2000GT, Japan's first supercar as it claims.












Look at all those racing Toyota machines. Makes my adrenaline pumping hard...



With the biggest and the brightest Toyotas ever featured, I have to say that up until August 18, The World of Toyota has been a phenomenal success for Toyota fans across the Philippines and hey, this is probably the best Toyota-hosted car show I have ever been in ages.

Oh but wait!



You thought I forgot about this, eh? Yes, that's the Toyota 86. This is Toyota's reborn sports car made in collaboration with Subaru. It has a 2.0L boxer engine, 6-speed manual, and rear-wheel drive. Fast fact that to make the 86 less grippy, it's been fitted with skinny tires from a Toyota Prius and the results are sensational. You can be Ken Block in every runabout and you can break traction without breaking the speed limit. The 86 is made by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

So...um...that pretty much sums it up. That's the end of my cover-up with The World of Toyota. If you've been there, what's your favorite part of The World of Toyota?

OUTTAKES:

Sometimes, taking pictures by myself at The World of Toyota can be a bit rubbish and boring. So I had to mess it up. Don't tell the bookies.