Sharlene San Pedro, IHAW NA!

On the November 22, 2013's Banana Nite's IHAW NA segment, the guest of the day was none other than former child star Sharlene San Pedro. Although a product of Star Circle Kids Quest, Sharlene San Pedro was been quite a successful child star in dramas like Mga Anghel na Walang Langit and Calla Lily. She's also one of the most successful Bulilits in Goin Bulilit and after her graduation along with Nash Aguas, Sharlene is currently part of the new season of Luv U.

Anakbayan Seattle's SIKLAB

if you've been busy learning Philippine history at your school, you did have a knack of knowledge about Andres Bonifacio, one of the greatest Filipino revolutionisits who established the Katipunan that led the revolt against the Spaniards in 1896.

November 30th 2013 marks the 150th birthday of the great Katipunero and Anakbayan Seattle, one of the most notable Fil-Am communities at the Northwest USA had a little tribute for him.

This event is called SIKLAB. Siklab is Tagalog for "spark" or "ignite" and like the namesake, it ignites the honor of Bonifacio's revolutionary spirit with a cultural showcase.

I was amazed that my little sister, Cecille, kindly lend us tickets for the show, each costing around $10 but whatever. Anyway, me and my family are in.

Here's the schedule. As you can see, my sister is taking part of the Katipunan Founding Speech along with Anakbayan Seattle's Derek Dizon.

The members giving us top 10 reasons why Bonifacio matters to us.

That man here is responsible for the Bonifacio fan arts by mixing his favorite cartoon characters with some Bonifacio twist.

In the stage, the man from Alay ng Kultuta showcased his Captain America fan art which he calls it "Captain Fil-Am". Get it? Filipino-American. Dual citizenship pays off...

After that, member Angela Pierce told us about "Mestiza" and after that...

Members Enrico Abadesco and Richard Arcelo, better known as Kounter Balance, are performing the song Midnight. Here's the clip:

After the performance, the members are taking highlights about the Superstorm Yolanda/Haiyan and the chronology during the aftermath of the superstorm that hit the Visayas region this month.

Then it was followed by a pledge drive where the audiences donate money to the Task Force Haiyan, dedicated to help Yolanda victims.

After the pledge, then it's the turn of Art of Verse to do some performance.

And now, it's the Katipunero Founding Speech as presented by my sister Cecille and Anakbayan Seattle member Derek.

After the speech, it's the step choreography as leas by member Celeste Duran.

After the choreography, the Kounter Balance return to perform Another Day, Another Dollar.

And that's it. That concludes the Anakbayan Seattle's SIKLAB event. I did enjoy being part of the cultural showcase igniting tribute to the legendary revolutionist that send the Filipinos fighting against the Spaniards. Not only it honors his spirit but also highlight Filipino youth that are still continuing his legacy.

Oh yeah. Sone hashtags left so you can tweet and post about the event.

"Sarap Kasi"

On the November 22, 2013 episode of Bubble Gang:

- Space Shuttle gags

- Investigating and blaming an accomplice...

- Ikaw at ang Ina knows about...pictures of hungry children with the captions that goes LIKE,  SHARE, or IGNORE.

- D Adventures of Susie Lualhati in...the construction yard.

- Bubble Gang does Fita by spoofing this commercial as TITA! Sarap kasi.

- Mr. Assimo in the bake shop.

- Some shady man is selling counterfeit diplomas.

- Say Alien to Brod Pete and pals in Ang Bagong Dating Doon as they will answer life's biggest questions.

- James Wang meets his fan.

SUPERSTORM YOLANDA: Death toll tops 5,200

The death toll from Superstorm Yolanda has been risen to over 5,200, making it one of the Philippines' most deadliest natural disasters. The only thing that stands in the path is  a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 1976 that killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people on the southern island of Mindanao. UN warns that 1.5 million children will face malnutrition.

Report": http://www.interaksyon.com/article/75410/yolanda-death-toll-tops-5200-un-warns-of-malnutrition-for-1-5-million-children

Honda N-WGN

The Honda N-Series kei cars serves as the next generation of Honda's kei cars, small cars promising good fuel economy for the masses. The N stands for NEW NEXT NIPPON NORIMONO and the N-Series kei cars were spearheaded by the N BOX since 2011, then followed by a more practical N BOX+ and the retro-inspired N-ONE last year. Now, 2013 sees the welcome addition to the ever-expanding Honda N-Series kei cars and say hello to the brand new N-WGN. Honda's answer to the Daihatsu Move and Suzuki Wagon R.

2014 Honda N-WGN

As always with all the Honda N-Series kei cars, "Hello Small World". The newest member of the Honda N-Series kei cars can be somewhat more of a class act to follow but judging by the looks of it, the N WGN is pretty much original and it doesn't make references to any other Honda cars ever made...except for the naming because WGN in the N-WGN name nods an ode to one of Honda's popular MPV for the masses, the StepWGN. For a bit of conspiracy about the N-WGN, some people say that this could serve as the replacement to the aging Life kei car. That's just either a conspiracy or a theory but we'll find out if there's any truth from them.

2014 Honda N-WGN

2014 Honda N-WGN Custom

Like any other kei cars which has a standard model and a custom model for those who have a sense of style, the new Honda N-WGN is available in two different styles; one is the normal N-WGN and the other one is the more stylish N-WGN Custom model, the one with a different headlamp and grille assembly, aggressive front bumper with fog lamp housings, different rear bumper, side skirts, rear spoiler, and some thin-spoked sports rims. Both of these models can be fitted with either a 58PS 660cc twin-cam three-cylinder engine or a turbocharged version which churns out the normal 64PS power output. On normal versions, the 660cc engine, with its CVT and idling stop system, which is part of Honda's Earth Dreams Technology, can get up to 29.2km/L on the JC08 cycle but that's just an estimate and for the drivers, fuel economy can vary so think before you write to them.

But still, 29.2kmpl of fuel economy is about .2kmpl more than the Daihatsu Move but .8kmpl short of the Suzuki Wagon R so therefore, it's in the middle position of the competition. In terms of weight, the new N-WGN weighs about 820kg, about 10 more than the Daihatsu Move and annoyingly, 70kg more than the Wagon R, so therefore it's the heaviest of the three.

2014 Honda N-WGN interior

2014 Honda N-WGN Custom interior

On the inside, the N-WGN tries to be more Honda-ish while keeping it simple in the name of kei-car activism. There's a steering wheel where you steer, there's a gear lever when you shift, there's aircon which has different settings from hot and cold, there's some seats where you can seat, there's a speedo where you can check how fast you're going, and the trademark Honda red engine switch for when you start it up. Simple really, this low-cost kei car tries to be more of a simpleton rather than an uncivilized Brainiac. He he he...

In terms of safety, the N-WGN has a wide array of safety features such as VSA, Hill Start Assist and Emergency Stop Signal (blinks hazard lamps during hard braking). City-Brake Active, side curtain airbag and front seat i-side airbag.

In terms of pricing, the new N-WGN starts at 1,131,000 Japanese Yen (about $11,200), which is about a hundred thousand yen more than the Move and the Wagon R but still, even it's the most expensive of the three, it's still competitively priced so there we are. What I believe that with all that blabbermouth about the new N-WGN, all I can conclude is simple, even though it's pricer than the Daihatsu Move, it's still more fuel efficient than the Daihatsu Move so if you are looking for a kei car for this class, best not to buy the Move, buy this Honda N-WGN. Although I had to warn that it's a hundred grand more expensive than the Move or the Wagon R but still, it's still a class act to follow.

PRICE LIST:

660 G - 1,131,000 Yen

660 G A Package - 1,250,000 Yen

660 G Turbo Package - 1,350,000 Yen

660 Custom G - 1,335,000 Yen

660 Custom G A Package - 1,450,000 Yen

660 Custom G Turbo Package - 1,510,000 Yen

660 G 4WD - 1,251,000 Yen

660 G A Package 4WD - 1,370,000 Yen

660 G Turbo Package 4WD - 1,470,000 Yen

660 Custom G 4WD - 1,455,000 Yen

660 Custom G A Package 4WD - 1,570,000 Yen

660 Custom G Turbo Package 4WD - 1,630,000 Yen

Available colors:

Premium White Pearl, Smart Black, Cutlery Silver Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic, Premium Flame Orange Metallic, Premium Deep Mocha Pearl, Cookie Cream, Horizon Turquoise Pearl, Premium Blue Moon Pearl, Premium Gold Purple Pearl.

Photo: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Hyundai reveals new Genesis logo

Hyundai Genesis logo (old)

Everyone's familiar with this Hyundai Genesis logo, right? Anyway, this is the Genesis logo when Hyundai's premium sedan was launched in January 2008. Now, Hyundai Motor Company revealed what I think to be the new logo for the Genesis and this new logo looks like this...

Hyundai Genesis logo (new)

Yes, this is the new Genesis logo, which will be in effect to the second-generation model coming soon.

Upcoming Genesis full model change rendering

Anyway, Hyundai released their teaser commercial for their next Genesis sedan featuring the Nurburgring. In the teaser clip, it only featured the Nurburgring and in the end, the new Genesis logo was featured. Here's the clip that sums it up...

Look for more details about the next Hyundai Genesis very soon.

Top Gear USA S04E09

Top Gear USA compares three brand new pickup trucks on that episode. Rutledge opts in a brand new 2014 Toyota Tundra while Tanner, being a Ford guy, goes for the Ford F-150 SuperCrew and Adam readies with the Ram 1500. 

The search for the best pickup truck begins and for the first task, the boys must drive their trucks from rough terrain to asphalt. By surprise, the V8-powered, brand new Tundra came first before the F150 while leaving Adam and Ram in the dirt.

Their first destination is the Malibu SpeedZone and for this challenge, the boys will find out how car-worthy these trucks are. While in the destination, Adam arrives with some injuries, which is not a case for this. Because of his injuries, he'll let The Stig drive his Ram for a change.

Thanks to The Stig, the Ram 1500 wins the challenge and their next challenge involves its family-friendly abilities. Drivers swap from presenter to ordinary people when they find a parking space. In the end, the F-150 King Ranch wins.

The next challenge is a daring one as the boys challenge the 0-60-0 stopping power of trucks. Get it wrong, and they're going through a lot of mess from themselves. By 6-inches near the collision, the new Tundra takes the win.

And now, they're headed to the Ontario Airport, testing how tough these pickups are but because they've headed too early, they pass time driving airport vehicles for fun.

After much mishaps, they're now ready for the final challenge: towing a big jumbo jet without hitting the airport vehicle obstacles. Yes, the Tundra has a big reputation for towing a space shuttle but will conquer another challenge for Toyota?!

Amazingly, it did and it done at 2:26. Can the F150 and the Ram beat that?

The Ram did it in 2:10 while the F150 finished in 1:42. Which means, the F150 with the EcoBoost engine won the towing challenge.