#BGGisingSaComa

On the January 2, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Ligawan strategies!

- Gising Sa Coma gags.

- The Tolpu Bros. are addressing a complaint from a shopper who bought a defective toy on T3 NYO!

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...fancams!

- Bubble Gang does Blend 45 Condensada by spoofing this commercial as BLONDE 45 CONDENSADA.

- Boxing referees couldn't get even sweeter...

- Don Cantoni's unhappy with his new and talented recruit...

- Top Secret Ni Annasandro

- This guy thinks he's pogi in every angle...

- Ang Alamat ng Lanzones

Let's Do The News! (January 1, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- So far, only seven bodies have been recovered from the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash site from the Java Sea off Borneo as severe weather hampered the search for the missing passengers from last week's disappearance.

- There has been a stampede occurred at Shanghai's Bund district during the New Year's Eve celebration. Some say the stampede happened when people stopping to pick up "play money" thrown from the balcony of a nightclub. According to reports, 35 people died while 42 are injured. Looks like they never made it to see the New Year through their very eyes.

- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that he's open to top-level inter-Korean talks while delivering his New Year's speech to present his government's policies for this year.

- Japan PM Shinzo Abe says that he will continue to stabilize Japan's government this year. Following on the Lower House election last month, he says that he has been tasked to continue to take full responsibility of his position with the strong support of his citizens.

- Meanwhile in Quezon City, residents of the Barangay Apolonio Samson faced a horrendous start to the New Year as reports told that over 2,000 houses were burned with the fire reaching General Alarm. The fire started at 0645 hours and the General Alarm was raised at 0810 hours Philippine Time.

- Dutch sportscar maker Donkervoort is teasing a special edition D8 GTO model called the Blister Berg, named after a private circuit.

Teaser for a special Donkervoort model

- Azumi Asakura, the VO behind Yukiho Hagiwara from The iDOLM@STER, has been reportedly being stalked. She moved multiple times to avoid stalker who would follow, find her home, and ambush her. Sheesh...What's going on with the iM@S voice actresses these days?

- Toymaker Hasbro is in deep trouble over their Play-Doh toy that parents got enraged over it because it's shaped like a man's private part. Can't mention the five-word P-word due to legal purposes but Hasbro's looking forward to replace the phallic-shaped extruder tool in its play set.

- If you missed the Liv's song for the New Year from the New Year's Eve episode of Liv and Maddie, check out this clip! It's called "You, Me and the Beat" and it's from the episode titled "New Year's Eve-A-Rooney".

TTFN!!!

Skoda Fabia Mk.3

2015 Skoda Fabia

The Skoda Fabia is now on its third generation and for the latest regeneration of Skoda's bestseller, this new model wants to go back to basics with its new platform, a new choice of engines, and a new design that looks pretty much average for the motorist's eye.

So, what's new? Everything. The design, the performance, the chassis, everything's new, and by the looks of it, it now resembles more like its German twin, the Volkswagen Polo, but with a little more oddball than the previous model. Because it wears the VW Group's MQB platform, the new Fabia is now 90mm wider and 31mm lower than the previous model. It's now lighter as well because of the new engine choices.

Depending on the variant, the new Fabia comes with a 1.0L MPi, 1.2 TSi, and 1.4 TDi. The most powerful in the lineup, for now, is the one with the 1.2 TSi engine developing 110PS of power and 175Nm of torque. With the 7-speed DSG equipped, 0-100kph takes about a moderate 9.4 seconds and a top speed of a not-so-much 196km/h. Not quite as fast as it seems but a little power goes a long way for first-time drivers who got themselves a driver's license for the very first.

Oh, and before you say it, No. There won't be a high-performance version of the Fabia because the previous version's hot model didn't meet up to its expectations.

2015 Skoda Fabia

Like any other commoner's car, the new Fabia feels somewhat average. It may not be brilliant to drive but it's not quite dull either. You can drive one of these for work or for the fun of it and the Fabia really balanced out with the comfort of the sedan, the touring-ness of a wagon, the spaciousness of the MPV, and the sportiness of a sports car. Still, this is a different story because this is a hatchback while the roomier Combi version is to follow but if you can balance that out, the new Fabia is a car with a whole lot of character to portray as. It can be comfortable, it can be spacious, it can be sporty, but overall, the new Fabia is working very hard to fit into any kind of role it sees fit.

2015 Skoda Fabia interior

While the interior is a fair bit average in terms of quality, it still works exactly as what a car should be and for the fun of it, you can fiddle its infotainment system if you have the knowledge because, for the first time, the new Fabia features the new SmartGate function which works like your smartphone as well as the new MirrorLink where your smartphone can be easily paired and use specific apps that both your phone and the car had. Looks like today's going to be a great day for the Fabia thanks to science, after all.

The new Fabia has a techno overload of gadgets. While some provide convenience to the occupants, most of the gadgets are here to make the new Fabia a safer car to be. There's the new Front Assistant with integrated City Emergency Braking Function and the Multi-Collision Brake, Driver Activity Assistant, Speed limiter, Hill-Hold Control, and electronic tire pressure monitor.

2015 Skoda Fabia

Should you buy one? The new Skoda Fabia starts at 234,900 Czech Koruna, which is the equivalent of around 8,500 Euros, so it's more affordable to own than the VW Polo or the VW Golf. It's a smart buy for the first timers but you'll need some more cash if you want to opt-in for some optional extras as well as the sat-nav that comes with MirrorLink and SmartGate just for the fun of it.

Photo: Skoda Auto a.s.

REMEMBERING 2014 (Conclusion)

Welcome back. Let's continue where we left off...

- DongYan wedding - It was early August 2014 during Marian Rivera's self-titled variety show on GMA when one of the celebrity guests, none other than actor Dingdong Dantes, took the spotlight on national television. What he did is very special as both Marian and Dingdong are engaged as seen on public television. Fast forward to now, and the wedding between Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes finally happened since yesterday, December 30, 2014. Everyone witnessed the most exciting day of the showbiz couple's lives.

- Black people vs. white policemen - The killing of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by white policemen that pleaded "not guilty" for their crimes they commit against black people who are law-abiding citizens (or so they thought) sparked anger from the American public where mass protests occurred nationwide demanding justice for the black people killed by white policemen. The city of Ferguson, Missouri, where the shooting of Michael Brown by a white policeman took place, faced violent protests at an unprecedented scale, creating widespread disorder.

The Last Kapit-Bisig - The hit ABS-CBN daytime TV series, Be Careful With My Heart, concluded their two-year run with their final episode aired on November 28, 2014.

The final episode ends at Maya's birthday party where all of Maya's friends and family as well as the Lim family with Sir Chief on it as they said their memorable moments about Maya's life-changing moments that influenced most of the characters in the show. Everyone's together, singing their final Kapit-Bisig song to the very end.

It's been one heck of a wild ride while it lasted and even though this hit TV show ends, we all end up with a slight smile on our faces. Well, the adventures of Maya Dela Rosa and the Lim family have come to a bittersweet end but their KAPIT-BISIG message will live on.

The Be Careful With My Heart finale

Typhoon Hagupit - It was early December 2014 when weather officials reported there is an incoming typhoon approaching in the same region that was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last year. Called Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), it would have further intensified with sustained winds up to 175kph, causing heavy rainfall and storm surges. As it continued to track the Eastern Samar-Northern Samar area as of December 5, 2014, Hagupit packs maximum sustained winds of 215kph near the center and gusts of over 250kph. When it made landfall in Eastern Samar since the 6th of December and continues until it exits the Philippines within a week, it weakens and it was downgraded to a Tropical Depression.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, about 18 people died while the Philippine Red Cross states that 27 people have died in the aftermath of Hagupit. Damage to property has reached over 3 billion pesos while less than a million persons remaining in evacuation centers.

Republicans took over the House and the Senate - The Republicans won control of the Senate in the US mid-term elections since early November, increasing their power in the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, poised to take over the chamber, said that their victory is a vote against "a government that people can no longer trust".

Wire-walking through two skyscrapers - famed wire walker Nik Wallenda walked between two Chicago skyscrapers on a wire on the 2nd of November, 2014. His death-defying stunt is seen by many people not just in Chicago but on national television.

MMDA enforcers - On the 27th of November, 2014, an MMDA enforcer named Jorby Adriatico was reportedly beaten up by an owner of a Maserati Ghibli saloon after taking a picture of him making an illegal turn in Quezon City. 

Then, on the 19th of December, 2014, an MMDA enforcer named Sonny Acosta was heavily injured after being dragged an run over by a car in Cubao, Quezon City. He died on the 23rd at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City at about 2:30 PM.

2014 Super GT - For the 2014 Season, the GT500 champion for this season is the #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R, driven by Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli and the GT300 champion for this season is the #11 GAINER DIXCEL SLS driven by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim.

The US-Cuban ties - After over five decades of hostility, the agreement between US and Cuba has been normalized. US President Barack Obama said that their policy against Cuba has failed and it's time to move on to work alongside with the Cuban government. Even Pope Francis is very happy to see the two nations working together for the first time. However, the trade embargo that plagued the Cuban economy since the nation turned to communism during the Cold War, lies within the US Congress and with the Republicans taking over, looks like it's a long way to normalize the relations between the two countries.

The Interview - The Interview is a comedy movie which stars comedians Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists assigned by the CIA to bring down the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ahead of the movie's release, this film was jeopardized ever since Sony Pictures Entertainment's website's been hacked and threatened to terrorize movie theaters showing that film. Days later despite the risk of cancelling The Interview, Sony decided to resume releasing The Interview at selected cinemas across the US on Christmas Day.

2014 LA Auto Show - Cars like the Toyota Mirai, the new Mustang GT350, the Cadillac ATS-V, the Mazda CX-3, and more were featured at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show which ran from the 21st until the 30th of November at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Takata Airbag Recall - Japanese car parts maker Takata Corporation faced its biggest scandal of 2014 as this troubled company recalled over 17 million vehicles in the US and another 7 million globally due to the airbag's defective inflator and propellent devices that can be highly lethal when in the event of a crash, firing fragments into the occupants. Carmakers have recalled millions of vehicles with Takata airbags over fears of flying shrapnel from exploding airbags.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 - On the 28th of December, the Air Asia Flight QZ8501 plane carrying 162 people, destined from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore have disappeared. So far, the six bodies were found and at least three were recovered during the search. According to reports, they were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off Borneo.

...anyway, there are so many stuff occurred over this year. Some are mentioned, others aren't but I think that's enough for that. Well, I guess this concludes this special segment about things I remembered in 2014. I hope the year 2015 will be a better one for me but I wouldn't waste some time telling some new year's resolution jibber jabber but here's hoping for a happy new year.

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Six)

Welcome back. Let's continue where we left off...

Rose Fostanes - A 47-year-old Filipina caregiver named Rose Fostanes became the first ever winner in The X Factor Israel after her performance of Frank Sinatra's My Way.

GA's Delfin Lee arrested - The founder of the troubled Globe Asiatique, named Delfin Lee, was arrested over a P6.6 billion syndicated estafa case and accused of using fake documents to secure billions in peso' worth of loans for "ghost borrowers". He was arrested by the PNP's Task Force Tugis outside Hyatt Hotel in Malate, Manila.

Palawan is one of the best islands in the world - According to the Conde Nast's Reader's Choice Awards 2014, the beautiful Philippine paradise of Palawan is ranked as the #1 island in the world after it garnered 76,000 votes from readers.

2014 Mondial de l'Automobile - Cars like the new Audi TT, new BMW X6, Jaguar XE, new Mazda Roadster ND, new Mercedes-AMG C63, and many others were unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, held at the Paris expo Porte de Versailles since October.

Hong Kong protests - Protesters occupied the central district of Hong Kong since late September after hundreds of people opposing the pro-democracy occupation tried to tear down barricades. This phenomenon happened in Hong Kong is known as the "umbrella revolution".

Pistorius imprisoned - Handicapped Olympian who represented South Africa from the Olympics two years ago, Oscar Pistorius, is sentenced to five year imprisonment after being convicted of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

BRING BACK OUR GIRLS - An Islamic extremist group known as the Boko Haram abducted over 273 schoolgirls in Nigeria.

Mazda Demio is Japan's 2014-2015 COTY - After numerous votes from the judges, the winner for Japan's 2014-2015 Car of the Year goes to the recently-launched, fourth-generation Mazda Demio (known as the Mazda2 in the world market), beating the likes of the Mercedes C-Class W205 and the BMW i3. With its 1.3L petrol and 1.5L diesel engines available as well as its innovative design, legendary Mazda dynamics, and its reasonable price, it's good to know that the new Demio is a sure winner to the home crowd.

2015 Mazda Demio

Top Gear in trouble in Argentina - While filming for the recently-aired Patagonia special, one such controversy occurred when the cast and crew of the BBC hit TV series had escaped from Argentina when the car in question Jeremy Clarkson used has a plate number in reference to the Falkland War in 1982. The Falklands War veterans got so angry, they're going to take them down so that's why, the whole Top Gear team have escaped.

Tia Pusit died - Veteran comedienne Tia Pusit died on the 2nd of October, 2014, at the age of 66 years old. That was confirmed by her buddy Inday Garutay. Tia Pusit, known by her real name Myrna Villanueva, was the youngest sibling of veteran comedienne Nova Villa and her acting career began in the 80's. Her last appearance was in the TV5 comedy series Confessions of a Torpe, which stars Ogie Alcasid, Alice Dixson, and Gelli de Belen.

Death of Juan Flavier - On the 30th of October, 2014, former Department of Health secretary Juan Flavier, famed for his "Let's DOH it" campaign, passed away of multiple organ failure. The remains of the former DOH secretary and senator was brought to the DOH complex for a necrological service on Tuesday, November 4th, 2014. Present DOH secretary Enrique Ona delivered a eulogy in his first public appearance since his controversial leave of absence.

20 years of Tekken - Tekken, the famed fighting franchise from Bandai Namco Games, celebrated its 20th anniversary and they've celebrated it with the announcement of the upcoming Tekken 7 as well as their collaboration with Pokemon for their Pokken Tournament.

Landing on a comet - On the 12th of November, 2014, after seven hours of waiting at the European Space Agency's mission control in Darmstadt, the people in charge of the Rosetta mission celebrated their historic accomplishment as the Philae spacecraft safely landed on the target comet and with the success of the Rosetta mission, scientists are able to witness what is like to be with the comet and study close up what happens when it gets closer to the sun. It occurred at 1600 hours GMT (0000 hours or midnight Philippine Standard Time) and they've landed twice according to Philae lander manager at the DLR German space center, Stephan Ulamec, because the probe's two harpoons haven't fired to fasten the craft down in the ultra-low gravity.

Philae lander

Welcome back to the Advanced Generation - Last November 2014, Pokemon fans from all over the world are enjoying with one of the most anticipated 3DS titles of 2014 which is more of a revived version of the original Pocket Monsters Ruby & Sapphire versions called Pocket Monsters Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Whether if they're a battle-ready veteran or a battle-shy rookie, these games will turn themselves into the deadliest of the ace trainers as they embark on a wonderful Hoenn region like they've never seen before. Whether they can choose between Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip, collect different kinds of Pokemon, train them to unleash utter devastation with clinical precision, battle against some of Hoenn's highly skilled trainers, wow the crowd with your Pokemon's moves in the Pokemon Contest Spectacular, fend off the war between Team Aqua and Team Magma, uncover the hidden prophecies lurking around the Hoenn region, make your own Secret Bases and share it to the world, go on a free-flight with Latias or Latios, witness new Mega Evolutions from your favorite Pokemons, and overall, unleash Groudon and Kyogre's true selves with Primal Reversion. There's even online connectivity where ace trainers meet up to battle or trade with their Pokemons.

...we'll continue this on the final part of this special segment. Please be patient...

Let's Do The News! (December 30, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Onto the situation of Tropical Storm Seniang (Jangmi), it has been accelerated through Luzon's Cuyo Island. According to PAGASA, the estimated rainfall amount is from 7.5 to 15mm per hour within the 300km diameter of the Tropical Storm.  As of 1600 hours Philippine Standard Time, the center of Seniang was estimated based on all available data including Cebu Doppler radar at 108km Southwest of Iloilo City. Max sustained winds is 65kph near the center and gustiness of up to 80kph. Areas under Signal No. 2 warning are Cuyo Island, Palawan, Guimaras, Southern Antique, and Southern Iloilo. Areas under Signal No. 1 are Calamian Group of Islands, Negros Occidental, Aklan, Capiz, rest of Iloilo, and the rest of Antique.

- Six bodies were found and at least three recovered in the search of the missing AirAsia Flight QZ8501 plane. According to reports, they were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off the Indonesian part of Borneo. An official told that 95% of the debris were likely from the missing aircraft. Last Sunday, the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 plane carrying 162 people from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore have disappeared.

- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a critic against leader Vladimir Putin, was given a suspended prison sentence of three-and-a-half years after being convicted in a high-profile fraud case while his brother Oleg is facing a three-and-a-half year custodial sentence. The brothers were convicted of stealing 30 million roubles from the firms, one of which is an affiliate of Yves Rocher, a French cosmetics company.

- Yamaguchi officials are culling over 37,000 chickens at a poultry farm after some dead chickens were tested positive for "bird flu". They're taking measures after receiving a report from the farm in Nagato City that 21 chickens are found dead on Sunday and Monday.

- According to the Department of Health, the prohibited firecracker known as the "piccolo" was identified as the main cause of fireworks-related injuries nationwide. According to their latest bulletin, about 113 out of 162 posted fireworks-related injuries were caused by piccolo and current figure on fireworks-related injuries are 67 cases lower than from 2009 to 2013.

- Teaser video of the upcoming 22nd season of Top Gear showed up. Stig's holiday is over. It's time to back to work very soon.



- Honda delays launch of their JDM Legend flagship hybrid saloon to February 20, 2014 due to quality concerns.

- Takara Tomy announced new additions to their Pokemon XY range of toys based from the game and TV series for the month of January 2015. Mega Metagross, Salamence, and Luxio are added to the MonColle lineup as well as three new Mega Evolution Packs to the lineup. The first features Magikarp, Gyarados, and Mega Gyarados, the second features Treecko, Grovyle, Sceptile, and Mega Sceptile, and the last features Mudkip, Marshtomp, Swampert, and Mega Swampert.

TTFN!!!

Gran Turismo 6: The Mazda LM55 VGT

So, this is Mazda's Christmas Present to all of the players of Gran Turismo 6, their representative of the game's Vision Gran Turismo range called the LM55 Vision Gran Turismo.




So, what's it all about the LM55? For a start, Mazda's virtual racing is the pinnacle of Mazda's motorsport heritage which dates back to the 787B, the first and only Japanese machine that won the 24 Heures du Mans since 1991. By the looks of it, it really resembles like the legendary 787B and this racing machine incorporates Mazda's Kodo -Soul in Motion- design philosophy that has been stapled through their production vehicles.

This is the first time I have ever seen a Kodo-designed Mazda in the history of video games but not what I'm expecting at because this is a fantasy machine forged from the minds of both carmaker Mazda Motor Corporation and developer Polyphony Digital Inc.

Its performance remains a mystery but the drivetrain is 4WD, allowing this machine to get through corners with unprecedented grip and agility. Aside from that, the extensive use of carbon fiber components and an advanced drivetrain technology, which remains a mystery for now, provides the LM55 an outstanding power-to-weight ratio beyond compare of its class.



I tried one of these via a special Seasonal Event made specifically for this car and whatever lap they set can own the LM55 VGT for no charge in-game but I decided to go for the Gold Target Time to see how good the LM55 really is. It feels twitchy at first and it's a bit difficult to master for a future LMP prototype like this when going too fast but when I'm becoming more careful and brave through the LM55's key fundamentals, I'm starting to realize how the LM55 learned its lesson from its 787B predecessor and no matter how tight the bends are and how high the elevation is, this machine really does the talking and with my great execution towards this machine, I've snagged the Gold Target in 1:15.509. Regardless of lap time, I got to keep it for use in-game.



With the LM55 under my care, looks like I decided to challenge this car against its predecessors at the Circuit de la Sarthe. First up is the 787B, the first and only Japanese Le Mans contender to win this enduring race and the other the Furai Concept, the concept that was once destroyed by a famed motoring show by accident. You may remember that pitiful moment, right? But no matter. I pit these two predecessors to the famed Le Mans Circuit and keep track of the times set. The legendary 787B set a lap time of 3:41.058 while the Furai Concept's lap time is 3:59.366.



The LM55 Vision Gran Turismo combines the best of both worlds. From the heritage of the 787B to the future technology of the Furai, the LM55 harmonizes both past and present from Mazda's motorsports involvement and when the going gets tough, this future machine keeps on going all the way through the very end. When I keep longing to this machine, I'm starting to respect its overwhelming performance carried out from the 787B and as the saying goes, great power comes great responsibility. It takes responsibility to master the LM55's hidden talent if I want to survive long tracks like this. After one lap round the Sarthe, the LM55 did it in 3:37.828, quicker than the 787B!

So there we are. The LM55 VGT follows where the 787B and the Furai Concept left off and when taken with great responsibility, this machine is worth capable of unleashing its inner potential, resulting to its winning formula that the 787B pulled off from its glorious past. With the LM55, the Vision GT lineup is now consisting of 12 fantasy machines starting from the Mercedes-Benz VGT. Look forward for more VGT cars coming this 2015!