Monday, September 8, 2014

F1 2014: Italian GP



Lewis Hamilton's win at Monza surely give the Brit of the Mercedes F1 team a fighting chance after his teammate/rival Nico Rosberg caused a rare error while getting his grip against his colleague, leaving him on 2nd. That leaves Hamilton the victor of this 53-lap race, followed by Rosberg in 2nd place, and Felipe Massa of Williams placed 3rd. Racers who didn't make it were Ferrari's Fernando Alonso because of ERS malfunction, and Marussia's Max Chilton because of an accident.

In the driver's standings, Rosberg's still in the lead by 22 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton while Red Bull Racing rookie Daniel Ricciardo retains his 3rd spot at 166 points.

Next race is on Singapore on the 21st of September.

Image: Top Gear



Wow Mali! - September 7, 2014

On the September 7, 2014 episode of Wow Mali! Lakas Ng Tama!

- JEEPNOTISMO - This old lady knows the power of hypnotism to take control of everyone inside the jeepney!



- SULO MGA KAPATID! - Angry mob? No. A cult following thinking you're the leader!



- KAHAWA-HAWA KA? - Sorry, there's something on your eye...



- On this episode's MR. FU, KERI MO?, Mr. Fu asked a challenger to do tasks as the streak goes up!

- ISANG TANONG, ISANG HALIK - You deserve a thank you kiss, folks!

- AY! FIVE - Sorry, he's not going to hi-5 you. He's hi-5-ing someone!


- POGI POINTS: ISA KANG ZIP-ZIP - The boys are challenged to ask someone to zip their pants while they're holding ice cream! The loser gets to run outside with his boxers!

- DIAMOND PEEL NA FEEL - We're not sure if we want our faces peeled by a mad derma...

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Tropa Mo Ko Nice Di Ba?! - September 6, 2014

On the September 6, 2014 episode of Tropa Mo Ko Nice Di Ba?!:

- The Tropa Mo Ko guys showed their wild side on their "zoo gags".

- The tension continues to pour on ANG DALAWA'T KALAHATING MRS. REAL, place your guesses here.

- Two girls can't really write their names right in GANDUMB AND GANDUMBER.

- The crowd from UPHSD Las Pinas are taking on the PAMINTA 101 segment where the differences of a man, a beki, and a paminta are shown.

- MR. SABEEH solves your life dilemmas!



- Two girls can't get their bills smaller right in GANDUMB AND GANDUMBER!

- Tuesday Vargas settles the misconceptions of a shrimp!

- The BFF -BEST FAKE FRIENDS- are bragging about their weight losses!

- The GANDUMB AND GANDUMBER girls got confused about the washing machine!

- Your embarrassing feelings on embarrassing situations are examined.

- The GANDUMB AND GANDUMBER girls don't really know what "NO OUTSIDE FOOD ALLOWED" means!

- POKE-POKAN NA in ISUBO MO BABY!

Doctor Who S08E03

Doctor Who S08E03

When The Doctor meets Robin Hood, the famed outlaw of the Sherwood Forest, sparks literally fly on the episode when Tom Riley guested as Robin Hood himself. Giving a twist on that night's episode, The Doctor, Clara, and Robin Hood team up to foil the evil plot set by the Sheriff, played by Ben Miller. The added sword fights, archery, and the merriment really is a nice cocktail for this episode and The Doctor's never ending mission to take down an alien plot really hits a bull's eye.

And now, some BTS from the episode titled "Robot of Sherwood":



NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW:

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Forza Motorsport 5 - 2014 Renault Spark SRT_01E at Silverstone GP Circuit

A few days ago, I tried out the Spark-Renault SRT_01E on Forza Motorsport 5 and I was very amazed that for a quiet racing machine like this, this zero-emission racing machine is proven to be serious enough to be part of the newly-established FIA Formula E championship. I might expect spectators getting bored watching this race because of the silence provided by these electric racers but who cares?

srt01e

Now, it's time for me to go to Silverstone for some further experiments on how track-worthy is this silent machinima of a racing machine is and because I will journey through real-world racing courses provided by Forza Motorsport 5, the SRT_01E is the prime specimen for my long-term experiment; which is the shakedown for the newborn zero-emission racer.

srt01e_2srt01e_3srt01e_4srt01e_5

And now, the video of the SRT_01E's simulation at Silverstone;



So, Silverstone isn't a bit of a challenge for the SRT_01E, eh? Next time, let's go to the Circuit de la Sarthe's Bugatti Circuit for further experimentations. Good bye!

#BGLasingSaGotohan

On the September 5, 2014 episode of Bubble Gang...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...too much liking on posts!

- "Lasing sa Gotohan" gags

- Lala Ytera tries to be supportive...NOT!

- The story of Dexter the BINATILYA continues as he gets a new look that displeases his dad.

- Bubble Gang does Pond's White Beauty by spoofing this commercial as FOND'S WHITE BEAUTY!

Bubble Gang does Pond's


- Everyone's favorite kontrabida, Antonietta, still has some teleserye cliches to spoil for the televiewers and faces off with a familiar face!

- More wise words from Tata Lino!

- ANG BAGONG DATING DOON INTERNATIONAL welcomes all your questions here and around the world!

Someone from the Cayman Islands told if there's something about good shepherds in Baguio. Their response: AIN'T NO RULES, AIN'T NO VOW. WE CAN DO IT ANYHOW. EYE AND EYE, WE'LL SEE YOU THROUGH. CAUSE EVERYDAY, WE PAY THE PRICE. WITH A LITTLE SACRIFICE. 'TILL THE JAM IS TRUE. OH YEAH! ALL RIGHT! WE'RE JAMMIN'. I WANNA JAMMIN' WITH YOU. WE'RE JAMMIN, JAMMIN, AND HOPE YOU LIKE JAMMIN' TOO. OOH BABY!

A PM from someone living from Kawit told where is the "hotspot". A personal hotspot can be found...in the middle!

A PM from someone living from Angeles City told if there are any wrong terms and these are the wrong terms;


  • Dinuktor - It's a word for forging but the "doctor" word in the dinuktor word? Only doctors can forge documents? That's wrong though, next time, use the word "pineke" because the "pineke" word really means forgery a lot.
  • Ginisa - Ginisa is Tagalog for grilled but when you read the tabloids saying "ginisa sa Senado", is there something grilling at the Senate? Mmm....Sounds delicious but it's preferable to use the word inihaw.
  • Sinabon is also wrong because...who would rather use a soap on a worst-case scenario? Instead of sinabon, why not use the word pinagalitan?
Someone told if who's that friend in the You Got a Friend song. The response; YOU JUST CALLED OUT MY NAME AND YOU KNOW WHEREVER I AM, I COME RUNNING TO SEE YOU AGAIN. Another response goes like; YOU AND I MUST MAKE A PACT, WE MUST BRING SALVATION BACK, JUST CALL MY NAME ALVIN TENG. Boom! There's the name!

- Cocktails named after girls...does it make your gal feel jealous?

Friday, September 5, 2014

Akumajo Dracula Lords of Shadow 2

Akumajo Dracula
Lords of Shadow 2 (PS3)

Akumajo Dracula
Lords of Shadow 2 (XBOX 360)

Four years ago, Konami and developer Mercury Steam wanted to give the secret origin of Dracula a powerful revision in Castlevania Lords of Shadow (日本名: キャッスルヴァニア ロード オブ シャドウ). After Gabriel Belmont, the one-time member of the "Brotherhood of Light", battled Satan in the underworld and at the end of the previous story, Dracula's secret origin and his connection with the Belmont clan was revealed. Welcome to the sequel: Akumajo Dracula Lords of Shadow 2 (日本名: 悪魔城ドラキュラ ロード オブ シャド2)

The sequel to the 2010 reboot, available on the PS3 and XBOX 360 consoles, delivers new twists, action, adventure, and challenges, as players take on the role of Dracula, the lord of the vampires, only this time he must take on the ultimate evil while taking on a new world; a modern world. Most of the familiar faces in the Dracula story returned and looks like fans wanted to expect this game to be far beyond compare against its predecessor...and it did, just.

First and foremost, you might think that it's simple to play than the last one but once you progress further, it gets harder and harder but when you get through the hang of it, it will be more rewarding and take advantage with all of the skills to survive through the last battle.

Similar to the light and dark magic from the first installment, Lords of Shadow 2 gives players another tactic to master; mastering void and chaos magic. Depending on the enemy you're facing, mastering the void magic and the chaos magic will give you an edge on the battle. You can also absorb the enemy's void or chaos magic as well and then use it wisely in the heated battle. This is just like the electrolytes from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. To be more powerful,, give everything you got to survive to the very end.

As you defeat numerous enemies, you'll gain experience and you'll need experience to spend on key items or even artwork from the game.

No Dracula game will ever be complete without ever-challenging boss battles that test the mettle of your battle-proven tactics. In LOS2, boss battles require your precise combat skills, either direct or area attacks, as well as guarding. If you want to unleash more powerful attacks, try for the chaos magic but if it's health restoration you're after if you're not in the time for healing items, void magic will help you. Make use of these and you can defeat even the most menacing of foes as you fight your way back to the castle.

Don't think you're done with this because even when you finished this game, there's still work that needs to be done because there are numerous achievements to complete and some difficulty settings to master. Once you've done this in the most difficult setting, you are worthy of it but if you want more challenges, you can also purchase the "Story of Alucard" DLC. In this DLC, you can take on the tale of Alucard, a vampire who wanted to end his bloodline.

The concluding tale of the Lords of Shadow story is definitely one of the must have for your PS3 or XBOX 360 and if you're a hardcore gamer, look no further.

I'm very happy that with this game, looks like there's hope for the franchise but there is one bit of problem because even with LOS2, looks like the future of this Castlevania franchise is in doubt right now. Some of the people involved in the development of the Castlevania franchise moved down south for numerous reasons and today, of course, it's hard to tell the future of the franchise because pretty soon, there won't be any other Dracula game for the next generation. And that made me sad...

Let's Do The News! (September 5, 2014)

Things we learned so far...

- Looks like our very own GILAS Pilipinas will bag their souvenir from their 2014 FIBA World Cup match because a miraculous OT brought the Philippine national basketball team bagged their first win after their 81-79 win against Senegal.

Photo: FIBA.com

- US President Barack Obama and British PM David Cameron joined forces in the fight against the Islamic State In Syria or ISIS.

- Frenda Seivelun and Shizuri Mugino from To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S anime series gets the Beach Queens treatment from Wave. Both of these figures are set to arrive this February with the MSRP of around 6,200 Japanese Yen.

Beach Queens Shizuri Mugino

Beach Queens Frenda Seivelun

- CMC's Jaguar Mark II resto-mod, designed by Ian Callum, has been approved for limited production!

Classic Motor Cars' Jaguar Mark II

- Only one Koenigsegg Agera hypercar has been recalled by the NHTSA for its TPMS problems.

agera_2
Koenigsegg Agera
-The C7-spec Audi A6 range has been given a minor change with new looks and new powertrain.  For added good news, the Multitronic CVT gearbox from the FF models has been dropped and replaced with S-tronic double clutch gearbox.

2015 Audi A6
- The Peugeot Exalt Concept from the Beijing Motor Show will make its Paris Motor Show debut next month, only this time, a different look on it.

2014 Peugeot Exalt Concept (Paris Motor Show model)

- The Divine DS Concept from Citroen previews a luxury compact car or rather...signalling an imminent sign that the DS from Citroen is becoming a stand-alone brand in its own right.

2014 Citroen Divine DS Concept
- BOO FOR BMW! BMW plans to launch six FWD models until late 2017.

2015 BMW 2 Series Active Tourer


- The members of the Air Force Academy men's gymnastics team were punished because of their underage drinking and rude behavior. No one knows what behavior was but there were no allegations of sexual abuse and drug abuse involved.

TTFN!!!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Let's Do The News! (September 4, 2014)

Things we learned so far...

- The GILAS Pilipinas team faced another loss against Puerto Rico at the score of 77-73 win at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. Even when GILAS kept losing, the Philippine national basketball team is still very happy to take on the world stage and they'll keep on playing for the sake of experience.

Photo: Youtube/FIBA


- The new Land Rover Discovery Sport was unveiled and this new crossover is served as the replacement to the ageing Freelander. The next-generation crossover boasts a wide array of electronics and seating for seven people, for the first time in a Land Rover.

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

- Revealed at this year's Salon Prive, the Morgan SP1 is a special machine handcrafted by the British carmaker's Special Projects division. The special machine features an ash wood frame combined with African Bubinga red hardwood, aluminum panels, sculpted wooden seats, and much more. It's powered by a 3.7L Ford V6 engine developing 280HP of power.

2014 Morgan SP1

- Nissan Motor Company's Andy Palmer is named as the new CEO of Aston Martin.

- Attention all Love Live fanatics! The folks from Good Smile Company unveiled a set of Nendoroid Petite figures featuring all nine μ's members wearing their stage outfits from the opening theme song "Sore wa Bokutachi no Kiseki'. Coming this January, each NenPetite costs 741 Japanese Yen (plus tax) and you have a chance to collect all nine μ's members; Honoka Kousaka, Umi Sonoda, Kotori Minami, Hanayo Koizumi, Rin Hoshizora, Maki Nishikino, Nico Yazawa, Eli Ayase, and Nozomi Tojo. There's even one secret figure as well!

Nendoroid Petite Love Live!:
Sore wa Bokutachi no Kiseki Ver.
- The South Korean government said that they would create a joint army between the South Korea and the United States, aiming to take out all North Korea's nuclear weapons in the event of an all-out conflict.

- Ayman al-Zawahiri, the chief of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, launched a new branch of global Islamist extremist movement to reinvigorate and expand its struggle in the Indian sub-continent.

- The Sandiganbayan rejected the transfer of Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. to a regular jail because of the lack of merit. Revilla, an actor-turned-politician, was accused for plunder over the PDAF scam.

- A clip from the FOX ADHD block introduced us a new word; PROD. What is PROD? Sad, but happy, but sad. Watch this clip and see for yourself!



- Arup Raha, the chief marshal of the Indian Air Force, states that they can't allow any delays on the $25 billion deal on the Rafale fighter aircraft.

TTFN!!!

25 Years of Mazda Roadster

The Mazda Roadster (MX-5 Miata in the world market) is now 25 years old. It grown up, it matured, but the secret formula for the Roadster's success never change; providing exhilarating thrills in a lightweight package, and that's good. While the Roadster was a Japanese sports car for the masses, it always goes under the influence of what true British sports cars do; aerodynamics over performance. As the late Colin Chapman from Lotus says that adding power makes you go faster on the straight line but subtracting weight makes you go faster everywhere. The Mazda Roadster is like that, being a lightweight car that makes you go faster everywhere.

Let's rewind the best 25 years of the Mazda Roadster with the best of what the past three generations have pulled together;

1) Eunos Roadster, we presented

The first Roadster (1989-1998)

The first Roadster (designated as NA) debuted in 1989 under the name, Eunos Roadster. which of course, Eunos is one of the brands from Mazda aside from Efini and Autozam back then. If you're new to the world of Japanese cars, let me get this straight; At the end of the 1980's, Mazda tries to diversify the Japanese car market by introducing three different marques. This is just like Toyota, Honda (with their Primo, Verno, and Clio marques), Mitsubishi, and Nissan from their heydays. The three marques are; Autozam (comprised of affordable entry-level cars), Efini (the exclusive luxury brand where the FD RX-7 is sold), and Eunos. Eunos is an upscale brand from Mazda and it's naming comes from the Greek word "eu" meaning "good" and "nos" referring to the abbreviation to the word "numbers".

For the list of Eunos cars aside from the Roaster, click here.

Anyway, The Eunos Roadster was exported worldwide as the Mazda MX-5 Miata. It was hugely popular among enthusiasts because of such lightweight chassis. The Eunos Roadster is powered with either a B6-ZE 1597cc 4-cylinder DOHC engine that produces 120ps/6500rpm of power or the BP-ZE 1839cc 4-cylinder DOHC engine that produces 130ps/6500rpm of power. There are so many special editions of the NA Roadster, including the S-Special, V-Special, or the J Limited. The first Roadster is all about choice.

2) ROADSTER, Reborn

The second Roadster (1998-2005)

In 1998, the arrival of the New Roadster came into reality. It even exported worldwide as the second-generation Mazda MX-5. The positive aspect about the NB Mazda Roadster is that it retains the styling from the Eunos Roadster, only this time, the retractable headlights from the NA Roadster has been replaced by the fixed headlights, providing the essence of style. This generation offers a 1.6L or a BP-ZE 1.8L 4-cylinder engine that produces either 145/160ps of power.

3) One car. One driver. One feeling.

The third Roadster (2005-2015)

In the year 2005, the Mazda Roadster (MX-5 Miata) received another full model change and gained the designation of NC. By November 2005, the NC Roadster won the 2005-2006 Japan Car of the Year.  When it first arrived in August 25, 2005, it became a sensation because the Mazda NC Roadster was just a miniature version of the Mazda RX-8 but the 3rd Roadster retains the 2-seater capacity from the previous two generations. The standard engine is the LF-VE 1998cc 4-cylinder DOHC engine that produces 170ps/6700-7000rpm of power and torque of 19.3kgf-m/5000rpm. Being an FR sportscar seems to be more enjoyable but for the Roadster, its about looking at its best. The concept of "One car. One drive. One feeling." really serves the point about the NC Roadster, even though in the year 2005, when the car was released, it gained a huge success and earned the title of being 2005-2006 Japan Car of the Year.

That's the end of it. These are the previous generations that helped shaped the Roadster image over the past two and a half decades and now, the moment of truth has arrived because Mazda finally showed the world the brand new 2016 Mazda Roadster (ND).

2016 Mazda Roadster
Set for its 2015 release, the new, fourth-generation, Mazda Roadster still retains the same Roadster legacy while gaining its new look and new features, although details remain scarce for now. With the KODO design language and SKYACTIV Technology in place, the ND Roadster will become the best Roadster the world has ever witnessed.

So thank you and happy 25th birthday, Mazda Roadster!

Renault Samsung New SM7 Nova

2015 Renault Samsung New SM7 Nova

The second-generation SM7, Renault Samsung's flagship saloon, has been around since it was launched in South Korea in August 2011 and has been around for three years here and in the People's Republic of China as the Renault Talisman. Yes, it's three years from now and it's time for the SM7 to get a minor change.

For the 2015MY minor model change, it's now called the "New SM7 Nova" and while it looks the same as the pre-facelift model, the New SM7 Nova features a brand new front face that, in my mind, looks better than the old one and this new look adds a dynamic flair for Renault Samsung's flagship saloon.

Although the interior looks the same as the outgoing model, there have been some minor updates to its hardware and for the fun of it, the "smart mirroring" system is introduced. The "smart mirroring" system uses Wi-Fi connectivity to link smartphones with the car's infotainment system. Best of all, it's standard on most variants.

2015 Renault Samsung New SM7 Nova

Like its pre-facelift model, the New SM7 Nova still comes with either a 2.5L or 3.5L V6 petrol engine while mated with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.5L V6 petrol engine develops 190HP of power, 243Nm of torque, and a fuel economy of 10.2km/L. The 3.5L V6 petrol engine, on the other hand, produces 258HP of power, 330Nm of torque, and 9.4km/L of fuel economy.

The SM7 Nova starts from 30,400,000 up to 38,700,000 Korean Won.

Photo: Renault Samsung Motors

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG

The Mercedes-AMG 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine, first applied on the A45 AMG last year, brewed a new age for the high-performance brand of Mercedes-Benz and while this new engine pushed the A45 AMG as the most powerful hot hatch ever made, this engine scored two victories for Mercedes-AMG. It won two categories of the "Engine of the Year Awards 2014" in "New engine 2014" and "1.8L to 2.0L", showing the world how great AMG is. With the engine now in A45 and its CLA45 compact sedan, looks like the GLA-Class compact crossover will join the fray as the GLA45 AMG.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG

Well, here it is and by its first appearance, it doesn't look that different from the A45 AMG, which is based on and when you park it alongside the CLA45 and the A45 AMG, you will notice that these triplets truly shared the same blood. When it's in the blood, it's in the blood.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG interior

Before the sortie, let's observe what's what about the GLA45 AMG. Well, yes. It's a jacked-up A45 AMG so you do get the similar looks from the A45 AMG. On the inside, it's a similar issue as well. The interior can be fitted with numerous extras such as a steering wheel wrapped in black nappa leather or Alcantara, seats upholstered in ARTICO man-made leather or DINAMICA microfiber, carbon-fiber trim, and different upholstery colors. That's sound unique and then we take a look at the engine that powers it.

The AMG 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine, found int he A45 and CLA45. develops 360PS of power and 450Nm of torque. It's mated with an AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed gearbox. How does it perform? I'll tell you that when it's sortie time.

Speaking of sortie time, it's time now for the GLA45's sortie and this is the perfect time to explain how does the GLA45 perform in the world around it and why this high-performance crossover should aware the various regions in the world that surrounds it. This can do 0-100kph in 4.8 seconds, slower than the A45 AMG, and the top speed electronically limited to 250kph. For a crossover, that's quicker than memorizing the whole "real Chinese soup" jingle from your head, but as a car, this is a different topic that needs further explanation.

Reason why it's slower than the A45 is because the GLA45 is somewhat 30kg heavier than the A45 AMG and when it comes to fuel consumption, not as good as the A45 because while the A45's fuel consumption is a combined 14.5km/L, the GLA45 would do it in 13.3km/L. That's a double whammy for the AMG crossover but don't be silly because we're not going to compare it to the A45, we'll be using the RS Q3 as its chief rival.

When compared to the RS Q3, the GLA45 really top trumps it. It's 0.7 seconds quicker in the 0-100kph time, 145kg lighter than the RS Q3, and it's 1.9km/L more fuel efficient than the RS Q3. Yeah. Simple as that.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG

In the mobility stakes, the GLA45 really made me unaware because why would some people think that it's more fun to have one than the car that looks quite the same? The A45 AMG is a good hot hatch but its mobility, thanks to its power steering, really needs some tough love from the driver especially when it comes with the 4MATIC 4-wheel drive system. On the GLA45 though, that's a similar issue but because it's heavier than the A45 AMG, it's kinda nowhere near as good in the corners. Yes, you do get some understeering issues, but with patience and mastery, you would really know how to mobilize it like an ace.

Since this is a crossover, what if you were in the case of tarmac, gravel, and snow? Thanks to the 4MATIC system and its high ground clearance, taking it to the dirt is all's well that performs well, although Mercedes-AMG still need some improvement though. Being a high-performance model, the GLA45 may not be quite suitable for your adventures as summer draws near to the climax and for day-to-day use, it's a so-so. It has a slightly bigger boot fit enough for your stuff you spent from shopping or groceries. It's a decent all-rounder because this crossover is made for the job but as a theory, it needs reworking to get the job done.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG

So, should you buy one? Uh...not quite yet because the GLA45's intro price starts at 55,871 Euros, which is almost six grand more than the A45 and it's almost 1,300 Euros more than the Audi RS Q3 but as part of the AMG suvs, this is affordable to buy unless you are a mogul breaking things badly for science. Well, that's the end of it. While it's not quite as good as an A45, I certainly don't want the GLA45 to be in the pile of shame, although it could need some work done before its next sortie on the next day.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz