Third-generation Mazda Axela/3 (2017 update)

2017 Mazda Axela

Mazda has been given the third-generation Axela (3 in world markets) some major updates for the 2017 model year and while there are few cosmetic treatments offered in its design, apart from its revised front grille, there have been big changes on the inside such as the addition of the 1.5L SKYACTIV-D diesel engine as seen on the Demio and CX-3 and the brand new SKYACTIV-VEHICLE DYNAMICS tech that will change the way how it handles.

How does Mazda's brand new G-Vectoring Control work on the new Mazda Axela? The G-Vectoring Control varies engine torque in response to steering inputs, subtly controlling lateral and longitudinal acceleration forces, which works like a traction control but it modulates the throttle to optimize vertical control on each wheel, making the car's dynamics more refined than the previous model. Pretty soon, this new technology will be applied in any other SKYACTIV Mazdas, even the next-generation CX-5 due very soon. In short, G-Vectoring Control delivers a healthy balance of response and stability depending on the load of the wheels.

Apart from its clever vehicle dynamics, the 2017 Axela features a similar SKYACTIV-D 1.5L diesel engine as seen on the Demio and CX-3. This engine produces 105PS of power and 270Nm of torque and it was mated with a 6-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic gearbox only. Fuel economy is around 21.6km/L based on JC08 Mode standards, .2km/L more efficient than the 2.2L diesel engine mated with a 6-speed manual and let's hope Mazda's honest about these figures.

But if you have fears about unfair diesel, don't worry because the Axela can still be offered a SKYACTIV-G 1.5L petrol engine or the sedan-exclusive SKYACTIV-HYBRID variant which comes with a 2.0L petrol engine and a hybrid powertrain sourced from Toyota, delivering a 30.8km/L fuel economy fit enough for your next barkada trip.

Other features in the new Axela include optional i-ACTIV all-wheel drive, e-LOOP, i-Stop, i-DM, i-ACTIVSENSE safety systems, and many more.

Should you buy it? The new 2017 Axela starts from 1,760,400 to 3,310,200 Yen. That's a small price bump compared to the previous one but is it worth buying it? You'll never know until you tried the newly improved model packed with new dynamics that will make driving a little more interesting.

Photo: Mazda Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (July 14, 2016)

- In the aftermath of the South China Sea ruling that heavily favored the Philippines over China, Senator Ralph Recto on Thursday said that the "no gloating" policy of Malacanang over the recent arbitration case win is the best step to take. The senator said that curbing enthusiasm over the arbitral tribunal's favorable decision is a mature and reasoned reaction contrary to the tantrums thrown by other countries.

- Senator Migz Zubiri urged his fellow government officials and employees to take drug tests following his voluntary drug test. Zubiri said government officials should "walk the talk", adding he was shocked that government officials and employees have tested positive for drug use. On Wednesday, Zubiri subjected himself to a test for drug use with a private laboratory under contract with the Senate.

- The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft charges against former Vice President Jejomar Binay over alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II, which has been said to be overpriced. The Ombudsman also filed similar charges against dismissed Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and 22 others in February over alleged irregularities in the bidding and procurement for the construction of the 2.2 billion peso building.

- The US Republican Party is deeply divided less than a week before it nominates its candidate for president. Senior officials from previous Republican administrations suggest they will not vote Donald Trump. The billionaire is expected to be officially nominated at the Republican National Convention in Ohio, which runs from the 18th to the 21st of July.

- Japanese Emperor Akihito has expressed his intention to abdicate and hand over his position to Crown Prince Naruhito in the future. Sources say the 82-year-old Emperor conveyed the intention to Imperial Household Agency officials. He is still conducting a number of duties including his constitutional functions.

- Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer will personally inspect the first 1,000 DB11 units produced and will come with a bespoke inspection badge bearing his signature.

- She came from 2034 and now yours to preorder, here's your chance to preorder Aquamarine's Haru Kasukabe figure from the futuristic idol rhythm app game Tokyo 7th Sisters in her H-A-J-I-M-A-R-I-U-T-A-!! attire. You can order her figure right now for 11,500 Yen plus tax and deliveries will commence this May 2017.

Haru Kasukabe
H-A-J-I-M-A-R-I-U-T-A-!! ver.

- Fans of The New Prince of Tennis are going to love this as the Nendoroid of the series' main character Ryoma Echizen has unveiled. You can preorder him right now for 3,889 Yen plus tax and it will be delivered this October.

Nendoroid Ryoma Echizen

- Today marks the 52nd weeksary of AlDub.

TTFN!!!

F1 2016: British GP

Photo: Getty Images

Despite a drizzly rainy weather down at Silverstone, that didn't stop the knife-edge rivalry between the aces of Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, from fighting each other to the finish line, where in the end, Hamilton wins the race. That was a great day for a homegrown hero but another star in the race is Red Bull rookie Max Verstappen, who struggles to keep up against Rosberg even with transmission problems that hindered the German ace but ended on third place due to a ten-second penalty post-race.

Onto the total standings; the gap between Rosberg, who still leads with 168 points, and Hamilton, second place with 167 points, is now decreased to just one point, meaning it's too close to call for these two. Kimi Raikkonen from Ferrari, meanwhile, is now placed 3rd with 106 points.

The next race is set at Hungary on the 24th

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Seongju as THAAD site

South Korea and the United States picked the mountainous southern town of Seongju as the site for the THAAD deployment. The Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that "South Korea and the US' joint working group have proposed the Seongju area in Gyeongsangbukdo province and that the countries' defense ministers have approved it." The ministry said the placement of the THAAD system in Seongju would help more firmly secure the safety of South Koreans in one half to two third of the South Korean territory while dramatically increasing the capacity to defend key state facilities as well as the alliance forces. It said in selecting the final location, the joint working group considered military effectiveness and resident safety as top priorities and conducted comparative studies, on-site inspections and simulations. The latest decision came after the allies announced their decision to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea by the end of next year at the latest.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (July 13, 2016)

- Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, who spearheaded the arbitration case against China, hailed the ruling of the United Nations' Permanent Court of Arbitration. Earlier this year, Del Rosario retired from his post. He released a statement Tuesday evening as a private Filipino citizen following the international tribunal's ruling which favors the Philippines over China to the West Philippine Sea.

- The Malacanang on Wednesday welcomed the results of the latest Social Weather Stations survey which showed that eight out of ten Filipinos have much trust to President Rodrigo Duterte. The nationwide survey conducted from June 24 to 27 showed that 84% of the 1,200 respondents had faith on Duterte.

- China warned other countries Wednesday against threatening its interests in the South China Sea while at the same time extending an olive branch to the new Philippine government, after the tribunal that heavily favored the Philippines by stating China has no legal basis for its expansive claims there.

- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders officially endorses presumptive Democratic presidentiable Hillary Clinton during a joint rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Sanders concede his defeat in the Democratic nomination race and he described Clinton as the best candidate to fix the country's problems and stop Donald Trump in the November 8th elections.

- US President Barack Obama has called for unity in his country as he attended a memorial service in Dallas, Texas where a black male killed five police officers. Obama said the events have left people angry and hurt. He said it is as if the deepest fault lines of US democracy have suddenly been exposed.

- Two passenger trains crashed head-on in southern Italy on Tuesday. Local media reports say over 20 people were dead. The crash occurred on a single-track line in the Puglia region.

- Forza Motorsport 6's Turn 10 Select Car Pack, now available to download at the XBOX Live marketplace, features two of franchise's first; a semi-truck called a 2015 Mercedes-Benz #24 Tankpool24 Racing Truck and the tiny 1957 BMW Isetta 300 Export, among many others picked by the producers.

- The brand new Nissan Serena minivan was unveiled and its set to be available this late August 2016. The new model will be the first to use an autonomous driving feature called "ProPilot", which works similar to Tesla's Autopilot.

2017 Nissan Serena

- The MTRCB summoned execs from noontime show Eat Bulaga over Senator Tito Sotto's "victim-shaming" on the July 9 episode's "Juan For All, All For Juan" segment where netizens bashed him over the female winner in the segment's Sugod Bahay.

TTFN!!!

Imagine You & Me

To celebrate the imminent first anniversary of AlDub, the romantic movie that starred the phenomenal TV couple that gave birth to millions of fans from around the globe and record-breaking tweets has arrived and this film is the "ultimate" AlDub experience die-hard fans have waited for.

Imagine You & Me

Imagine You & Me maybe more than just being a long-awaited film that stars Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza as Andrew and Gara but this film is considered to be the perfect present for AlDub's 1st Anniversary. In fact, because this film is so romantic for the AlDub nations too many, this film was shot entirely from Italy.

Why Italy you may ask? Because Italy is home of the many scenic spots in this country such as Venice, Rome, the Vatican City, Tuscani, even the Amalfi. For AlDub, it's a golden opportunity to have this film shot at it and showcase their unique love story while they're at it. The producers we're very pleased by it.

As AlDub aficionados step inside the theater to watch this film, there are three things to expect in this film; laughter, romance, and tears. Those are the three and as a rule, best to watch the whole movie because one single bathroom break will ruin your once-in-a-lifetime experience to watch this movie you've been desperate to watch it and if you did, sorry. If you want to take a bathroom break, wait after the ending and if by ending, fans are starting to guess what kind of ending this movie will be and there is a very high chance that this film has the ending Lola Nidora never wanted to see but a dream come true for fans, I presume. No one knows what but best to watch the whole movie for the big answer on what would AlDub do at the end of the film.

To conclude, this film is a long-awaited present to the AlDub Nations across the Philippines and here's hoping that this film will be distributed worldwide for #TeamAbroad. We now have the movie but the AlDub Week isn't over yet because we still have 52nd weeksary of AlDub tomorrow and by Saturday, time to celebrate AlDub's 1st Anniversary. Are you ready?

My rating: 5 out of 5!

Gyakuten Saiban 6 Original Soundtrack

Gyakuten Saiban 6 Original Soundtrack now added to the court record.

Gyakuten Saiban 6 Original Soundtrack

Launched since June 9, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS, Gyakuten Saiban 6 (known as Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice) is the long-awaited installment of CAPCOM's hit franchise and it's part of honoring the Gyakuten Saiban franchise's 15th anniversary since the first one launched on the GBA in the autumn of 2001. In this new installment, Ryuichi Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright) ventures on a whole new trial in the Kingdom of Khura'in while Housuke Odoroki (Apollo Justice) tries to defend the honor of the law agency he and Naruhodo rest their hands on, whatever it takes. In addition to returning favorites, new characters mixed in with them including the Royal Priestess Rayfa Padma Khura'in. Fans ventured through different episodes on this installment such as Naruhodo's arrival at the Kingdom of Khura'in, a magic show where Minuki (Trucy) performs ended in disaster, a reunion with Mayoi Ayasato (Maya Fey) turns ugly, and it all leads to the biggest plot twist ever turned around. There was even an extra episode involves "marriage" and "time travel" as well as featuring the return of Masashi Yahari (Larry Butz) and Reiji Mitsurugi (Miles Edgeworth).

The original soundtrack, provided by CAPCOM's Suleputer label, based on the latest Gyakuten Saiban game has arrived and this two disc compilation features all of the background musics heard in the game as well as 2016 arranged versions of popular BGMs known to many Gyakuten Saiban fans, such as the highly recognizable "成歩堂龍一 ～異議あり!" tune. It covers the entire episodes of the game as well as the extra episode so fans can relive their favorite Gyakuten Saiban 6 moments at the comfort of their ears.

Present this evidence for those who already played Gyakuten Saiban 6? Take That!