F1 2019: Australian GP

It's lights out and away we go as the whole world once again hearing things that make them go NEEEUM as the 2019 Formula 1 season kicked off at Albert Park, Melbourne, where the whole world can witness new and returning drivers in the lineup as well as the return of Robert Kubica in this motorsport. In addition, the points system has been improved for this season, meaning that there will be an extra point for whoever sets the fastest time. Anyway, now that everybody's familiar with the updates, let's get on with the Australian Grand Prix.

In the season opener, Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes managed to fend off the five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to clench the first win of the season. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, managed to complete the podium with a third place finish. Not bad for a Honda-powered Red Bull F1 car.

Behind the success comes with fails such as Daniel Avocado Ricciardo lost the wing at the start of the race, smoke is poured on Carlos Sainz's McLaren on Lap 11, trouble at the pit lane with Romain Grosjean at Lap 16, Ricciardo retired at Lap 31, Grosjean out at Lap 32, that pretty much sums it up.

Bottas, who won this race, has set the fastest lap time of 1:25.580 on this race.

The next race will be the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 31st of March.

2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship - Beaurepaires Melbourne 400

The Albert Park's come alive by two of the biggest races this weekend such as the F1 2019 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, and then this, the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 leg of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. Before the whole world goes NEEEUM, the Supercars heroes became the heroes of the weekend for the time being as the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 is poured with drama and the case of "hero today, gone tomorrow."

Beginning on Race 3 of the event, last year's defending champion Scott McLaughlin won the opener to keep his perfect start of the season. On Race 4 of the event known to be the 1,000th race in Supercars history (which is a groundbreaking milestone for Australian motor racing), there is no stopping McLaughlin from winning this milestone race in Supercars history, but in Race 5, seems that McLaughlin's car failed to start, ending his perfect start streak of the season, leaving Chaz Mostert his first win of the season. And in Race 6, the last race of this event, McLaughlin wins but Chaz Mostert took home the coveted Larry Perkins trophy.

The next event will be the Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint on the 5th to 7th of April, 2019.

PreCure Miracle Universe

Now that every family in Japan have introduced to the newest heroines from the newest PreCure installment for 2019, Star☆Twinkle PreCure, it's time for the girls to put their new magic powers to the test in this year's PreCure crossover movie where they are joined by their predecessors from two years past as they are set to save the universe from a certain evil.

PreCure Miracle Universe

PreCure Miracle Universe pits the newest PreCure installment, Star☆Twinkle PreCure, to an all new adventure as they team up with the heroines from Kira Kira PreCure A La Mode and HUGtto! PreCure to save the universe from a certain destruction and uncover the mystery of the Miracle Light.

Although Cure Star, Cure Milky, Cure Soleil, and Cure Selene are still fresh following last month's TV premiere, Japan's newest obsession still packing up some punches, kicks, and magic powers, something that their predecessors can't wait to witness them and while this film wasn't as big as last year's mega presentation known to PreCure fans many last fall, it really is one big reason why the newest PreCure installment is a cut above the rest of the shojo anime stuff we all know.

This latest PreCure film is a good showcase that every family in Japan is starting to love Star☆Twinkle PreCure more than any other shojo anime aired on TV and that really is a bottom line that really nailed it like their finishing moves.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5.

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 2

It's the second anniversary of the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! so let's celebrate with the second batch of the best J-POP songs covered by your favorite girl bands from BanG Dream!

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 2

To commemorate the second anniversary of the Garupa app game and with the game's season 2 now live, the second volume of the Girls Band Party! Cover Collection has arrived as the franchise's tribute to the rocking J-POP and anime songs in history keep on rocking and here's your chance to have this second batch.

For this second batch, Poppin'Party perform their version of the "Gekkan Shojo Nozaki Kun" Opening Theme, 君じゃなきゃダメみたい, and the "Eureka Seven" Opening Theme, DAYS. Next, Afterglow perform their version of the Re:Zero theme song, Redo, and ロストワンの号哭. For Pastel*Palettes, it's their version of ハッピーシンセサイザ and the "Ao Haru Ride" Opening Theme, 世界は恋に落ちている. For Roselia, it's their version of the "WHITE ALBUM" Opening Theme, 深愛, and シャルル. And finally, Hello, Happy World!'s take on the K-ON!! theme song, GO! GO! MANIAC, and Dragon Night. There are two new cover songs added as well in this album and both of these are now playable on the Garupa app game.

Enjoy the second batch of the Girls Band Party! Cover Collection and be sure to enjoy the latest season update of the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! app game, filled with new Band Stories to jump to, new costumes to look out for, and new ways to enjoy Garupa by yourself or your friends.

Happy 2nd anniversary, Garupa!

Let's Do The News! (March 16, 2019)

- A tropical depression off the Pacific coast may make landfall over Davao Oriental and bring rains over parts of Mindanao early next week. According to PAGASA, the tropical depression, to be named Chedeng, was located 1,505 kilometers east of Mindanao and was still outside the country’s area of responsibility.

- With several politicians named in the narco-list complaining about their inclusion, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency vouched for the accuracy of the “shame roster”, claiming it went through vigorous, meticulous and sufficient verification and revalidation process for 14 months.

- The DOST-PCIEERD and the National Water Resources Boards developed a new technology which may be the key in averting a water crisis.

- Students around the globe held climate change rallies. Students walked out of their classrooms in over 100 countries to protest climate inaction. They say their governments failed future generations by not cutting emissions and curbing global warming.

- Airlines fear long grounding of Boeing 737 MAX jets after Ethiopian crash.

- A former US Defense Intelligence Agency official will be jailed for 15 years after pleading guilty to charges of attempting to sell classified information to the Chinese, the Department of Justice said.

- An online propaganda magazine of the Islamic State group has confirmed the death of two French brothers who were members in air strikes by the US-led coalition.

- US diplomatic chief Mike Pompeo travels next week to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of Donald Trump’s administration in the midst of a heated re-election campaign.

- US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders cut his head on a shower door and received seven stitches, but he proceeded with his scheduled campaign events, according to his spokesperson.

- With Toyota named the official partner of the FIA-certified GT SPORT online championships, they made a special online event made for the new GR Supra sportscar, marking the brand's first entry to the world of esports.

- A former Georgia Tech assistant coach is being charged by the NCAA with Level I violations relating to an Atlanta strip club visit that sources told ESPN included current Chicago Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr. and former Georgia Tech and NBA player Jarrett Jack.

- FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that it is "feasible" to expand the 2022 World Cup, but that any plans to do so will need to be approved by the FIFA Congress in June.

TTFN!!!

Eiga no Osomatsu-san

For two seasons, the Matsuno sextuplets, stars of the hit TV Tokyo late night series Osomatsu-san gave us a wild ride of our lives and always end with a toilet finish, making them "kings on their throne" on their own right but no matter the toilet humor that shown thrown at us, the whole world fell in love with the Matsuno sextuplets and since they can't get enough of them, the movie adaptation of the hit series has arrived and this could be the turning point The Six Shame Faces are facing.

Eiga no Osomatsu-san

In this all-new adventure made as the sequel to the 2015 reboot show, the Matsuno sextuplets took on a bold new adventure where their attendance at a high school reunion became a bit of a sham for the boys because their former classmates now had jobs while theirs hadn't as always, when suddenly, they jumped back in time to meet their high school selves.

Seems that they took the idea from films where the main character meets his younger self from the past but judging by the tone of this film, Eiga no Osomatsu almost tones down its signature humor in favor for a more dramatic approach as the boys meet their teenage selves and determine what life awaits them whey they become their selves.

Still, while this is rather dramatic, there's no escaping the Osomatsu-san mania that has been adorned since the TV reboot in 2015 and while it feels so sombre and moderate, this movie is one main reason why we love the Six Shame Faces.

My rating: 3.6 out of 5.

The Grand Tour S3E10

This week's episode of Amazon Prime Video original's The Grand Tour Season 3 pits three hot hatchbacks in a millennial environment where getting viral is a thing of today with two legendary Italian sportscars are added to the mix.

The Grand Tour S3E10

The show starts with the best 80's supercars, the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach, examined by James May and Richard Hammond. When handed to Abbie Eaton, the Countach did it in 1:31.8 while the Testarossa did it in 1:37.4, both in the wet.

Then, it's the hot hatch comparo where Jeremy drives a new VW Polo GTi, Richard drives a new Ford Fiesta ST, and James drives a Toyota Yaris GRMN. It started out as a hot comparo until it turned into a youth-oriented one and later, getting the word out on the internet, by all means.

"The Youth Vote" is now playable on The Grand Tour Game on PS4 and XBOX One. Relieve the youth-oriented episode at your home, y'all.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Stephen Biegun calls for UN Security Council's help to denuclearize N. Korea

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun traveled to New York on Thursday local time to brief the UN Security Council on the outcome of the recent North Korea-U.S. summit in Vietnam's capital last month.

During an hour-long meeting with 15 members of the UN Security Council, including the five permanent ones -- China, France, Russia, the UK, and the U.S. -- it was reported that Biegun called for the support of the council to maintain dialogue with Pyeongyang while trying to deter the regime from any provocations, citing the recent reconstruction movements at the North's previous missile test site.

Biegun said Pyeongyang and Washington could not sign an agreement in Hanoi, but that the talks were "constructive" and the door is open for dialogue for North Korea.

Meanwhile, Cho Tae-yul, South Korea's Ambassador to the U.N, also participated in the meeting, following the invitation from the UNSC due to involvement in the denuclearization talks, despite non-membership. Cho hosted lunch talks with Biegun the same day to discuss the latest developments.




South Korea and the United States have agreed to maintain close cooperation to improve inter-Korean relations in a way that helps restart the nuclear dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Friday,the two sides had a working-group session in Washington on Thursday, local time.

Multiple sources say they agreed on a sanctions waiver required for video reunions for war separated families.

The State Department also said Seoul and Washington discussed efforts to achieve North Korea's final, fully verified denuclearization through the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.





According to reports by Bloomberg and other news outlets,Washington wants its allies to pay "cost-plus-50"  for the stationing of American troops, meaning U.S. allies in Asia and Europe would pay the full cost of hosting U.S. troops and 50 percent more for the privilege.

However, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, acting U.S. defense secretary Patrick Shanahan denied the reports.

Despite shooting down reports of a so-called "premium service", Shanahan said the U.S. is "not going to run a business" and it's "not going to run a charity".





South Korea and Japan have agreed to continue negotiations to avoid a further strain in ties over Seoul's court rulings on Japan's use of forced labor during World War two.

Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs, Kim Yong-kil, and his Japanese counterpart, Kenji Kanasugi met on Thursday,to discuss ways to resolve the bilateral dispute.

The session came amid reports that Tokyo is reviewing economic retaliation.

According to an official at the foreign ministry,the two sides agreed to avoid such actions, Kanasugi is scheduled to meet Seoul's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon on Friday to discuss North Korea's denuclearization.





South Korean President Moon Jae-in is in Cambodia on the last leg of his three-nation tour of the ASEAN region.

He is expected to talk about his administration's so-called New Southern Policy aimed at building bridges between South Korea and Southeast Asia.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (March 15, 2019)

- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Manila Water and Maynilad to release water from the Angat Dam today.

- A House leader believes that the release of the “narco-list” won’t have a huge impact on the May 13 polls, if only because voters already know who the “bad eggs” are among the candidates.

- Reelectionist Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said every barangay in the country should have a birthing facility to help reduce the risk of maternal and infant deaths.

- At least one gunam who targeted crowded mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killed numerous people, according to police, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern describing the shooting as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”. Local media reported at least nine people were dead and the South Island city was placed in lockdown as police hunted for an “active shooter.”

- UK lawmakers backed delaying Brexit but rejected second EU referendum.

- The US Senate voted 59-41 to reject President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration. Trump will veto this resolution but  eight more Senators needed vote to override his veto. Also, the US Congress voted to demand that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report be made public without a single lawmaker opposed it.

- Tesla unveiled their new Model Y crossover  with seven seats, a 0-60mph time of three and a half seconds and 483km of electric range.



- Porsche will reveal the Taycan electric sportscar this September.

- Cadillac unveiled their new badging system based on torque figures on every 2020 model vehicle's trim models.

- The NMKV partnership has intensified further with the launch of the new generation Dayz and eK Wagon lineup set to go on sale this month.

- LEVEL5 announced the title and June 6 release of their Yo-Kai Watch 4 Switch game as well as this year's movie featuring human versions of Yo-Kai characters.

- The very first Doraemon episode gets remade for a special episode airing this April 5 to commemorate 40 years of Doraemon.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: U.S. optimistic N. Korea will continue current state of not conducing nuke, missile tests

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed optimism North Korea will continue its current state of not conducting nuclear and missile tests.

During an interview with Texas radio station KPRC 2 on Wednesday local time,Pompeo also explained that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un pledged during the Hanoi Summit that his regime will not carry out further nuclear and missile tests.

However,Pompeo also stressed the international society has to put pressure on the regime through sanctions to urge Kim to make the right strategic choice.

Pompeo highlighted that denuclearization not only benefits the U.S., but the international community as a whole.

Speaking with other media outlets in Texas, Pompeo also urged Kim to take action,reiterating that action is the only thing that counts.




Top U.S. diplomats are meeting with key UN officials back-to-back to discuss North Korea sanctions.

Washington's Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, is traveling to New York on Thursdayto meet with the UN Security Council.

The U.S. State Department says Biegun will discuss the recent North Korea-U.S. summit and efforts to ensure the full implementation of UN resolutions until North Korea's final and fully verified denuclearization.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday and discussed the denuclearization issue.





A key word has been removed from the U.S. State Department's latest report on North Korea.

The report, released on Wednesday, shows the Trump administration could be shifting its stance on North Korea's human rights abuses.

In the U.S. State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,the word 'egregious' was removed in describing the North's human rights violations.

However, the 29-page section on North Korea still revealed a long list of human rights violations.

At a press briefing on Wednesday,..
the U.S. State Department's ambassador for democracy, human rights and labor Michael Kozak says
there has not been much progress in North Korea when it comes to the area of human rights.




Senior diplomats from South Korea and Japan will meet in Seoul this afternoon to discuss issues that are negatively impacting bilateral ties.

According to the foreign ministry, Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs, Kim Yong-kilwill hold talks with his Japanese counterpart, Kenji Kanasugi.

They will mainly exchange views on the South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Koreans for their unpaid work during World War Two.

Their previous meeting took place in Tokyo last month.



President Moon Jae-in will fly to Cambodia later in the day,the last stop of his three-nation tour to the ASEAN region.

Before departing for Phnom Penh, President Moon will attend a business forum in Malaysia,where a group of business leaders from Seoul will discuss some deals with local firms.

After landing in Cambodia, the president will meet with South Koreans living in the country.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (March 14, 2019)

- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signs law removing restrictions on agricultural free patents issued to farmers to unleash land titles as capital assets. Republic Act No. 11231 or the Agricultural Free Patent Reform Act lifts the restrictions imposed on the registration, acquisition, encumbrance, alienation, transfer and conveyance of land covered by free patents under the Public Land Act.

- The Assistant Exercise Director of Balikatan 35-2019 (BK35-2019), Major General Elvin B. Velasco visited the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Northern Luzon Command on Monday, to ensure the successful planning and execution of the upcoming Balikatan Exercises which is scheduled from April 1 to 12, 2019.

- The Department of Labor and Employment has assured that no overseas Filipino worker in the United Arab Emirates will be deported contrary to the news circulating online that the Middle Eastern country will deport all foreign workers starting in April this year.

- Facebook is suffering the most severe outage in its history, with key services rendered unusable for users globally. Facebook's main product, its two messaging apps and image-sharing site Instagram were all affected.

- Following yesterday's defeat of British PM Theresa May's Brexit deal, the House opened a debate whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union without a deal and turns out, MPs vote by 321 to 278 to rule out no deal Brexit. They told that the deal needs to be passed by next Wednesday or face Article 50 extension.

- The US Senate dealt a bipartisan blow to the Trump administration's foreign policy and his alliance with Riyadh, voting to end support for the bloody Saudi-led war effort in Yemen.

- The US decision to ground the Boeing 737 MAX came after authorities noted similarities between two recent crashes, eerily echoing reports from American pilots who complained of problems with the plane late last year.

- Nissan's Infiniti brand to leave Western Europe next year.

- AKB48 announced that they will not hold their General Election for the first time this year.

- The Falcis brothers claim that TV personality Kris Aquino is out to snuff their lives.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 4: Prelude to a...

Having fought my way through the Spring Seasonal Events, I got my hands on this Spring Season's prizes; one is a JDM classic emerged from the early years of the Heisei era and the other is a pumped-up bug made for rallycross purposes.





On the top, this is the fourth-generation Honda Prelude, a "futuristic specialty" front-wheel drive sports coupe that likened by Ayrton Senna just like in the TV commercials. From its futuristic dashboard display, unique styling, and its 2.2L 4-cylinder DOHC engine, the fourth-generation Prelude is one of the most noticeable JDM cars in the early years of the Heisei era.

Below, there's the VW Beetle GRC, the result of what happens whey they took the 21st Century Beetle and turned into a rallycross monster. It has a race-spec 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo engine producing 544HP of power and has a 0-60 time of just 2.1 seconds. Drivers like Tanner Foust and Scott Speed took part in this machine during the Global Rallycross matches.





So, now that I got these machines, it's time to take these beauties for a spin in separate ways as the Prelude goes street racing on British roads while the Beetle GRC kicks some dirt at Fortune Island.







Job well done, there's nothing else I can say.

Enjoy your new ride!