Wednesday, August 2, 2017

AIKATSU SCRAPBOOK 01

AIKATSU SCRAPBOOK 01

Don't let the name fool you because even though you see the word "SCRAPBOOK" on it, because even though it says AIKATSU SCRAPBOOK 01 on it doesn't mean it has some drawings in it, instead, what you have here is another set of songs courtesy from the Photo on Stage app game, for those who just can't get enough for more Photokatsu songs to store in their playlist.

For this latest single, it has three brand new songs you have already listened on the game. The first is called "Sweet Sweet Girls' Talk", followed by キラキラ宣言, and followed by 星空のフロア. These tracks are all made by the girls from AIKATSU☆STARS and STAR☆ANIS and these songs can make great additions to your ever-growing Aikatsu playlist as it prepares for the franchise's 5th anniversary this year.

Aikatsu! Photo on Stage! is available to download now on the Google Play. Contains in-app purchases. Ask your parents first.

TRACK LISTINGS:
01 Sweet Sweet Girls' Talk
02 キラキラ宣言
03 星空のフロア
04 Sweet Sweet Girls' Talk (off vocal)
05 キラキラ宣言 (off vocal)
06 星空のフロア (off vocal)

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Let's Do The News! (August 1, 2017)



- Senator Ping Lacson requested that Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon explain the agency's process in approving shipments. The senators began investigating 6.4 billion pesos worth of shabu that was allowed entry by Customs and was seized by the National Bureau of Investigation in Valenzuela three months ago.

- In preparation for the 50th ASEAN Day to be held at the PICC this week, the Philippine National Police will deploy around 13,000 personnel for the security of Foreign Ministers and Diplomats.

- The evacuation order was lifted at the edge of a national forest in Southern California, after a wildfire threatening dozens of homes in the path of the flames.

- About 2,531 Afghan troops were killed and 4,238 wounded in the first four months of the year, according to the data from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan, a US Congressional watchdog.

- Talent manager and showbiz columnist Alfie Lorenzo died at the age of 78 due to heart failure. It was confirmed by his nephew Ramon.

- Ford Motor Company is challenging Lynk & Co, Geely's up-and-coming youth-focused brand, over trademark application, saying the brand name is too close to Ford's luxury brand, Lincoln. Reports told the US Patent and Trademark Office has extended the deadline for Ford to formally oppose trademark this month to November 15.

- Queenie Padilla counters back against netizens criticizing her for not showing the face of her newborn daughter, Mustahsina Mikailah Mir, upon her decision not to show her face on social media.

- Actor Aljur Abrenica is now part of the ABS-CBN family of stars.

TTFN!!!

FH3 Hot Wheels: Hunter SPECTRE

The Range Rover Sport SVR has been proven to be track-capable and offroad-ready Range Rover ever made for the discerning few and it's been featured in 007: SPECTRE where it met its fate with the snow plane during a snowy pursuit in Austria. If the RR Sport SVR has been proven to do almost everything at its disposal, what would happen if I sent the SVR to the most extreme challenge yet; the Hot Wheels Thrilltopia?



As we know, the Jaguar Land Rover team are very skillful in the art of PR marketing by doing some insane stuff when they launch a new car. They drove a Range Rover through a bridge made out of paper, their new Jag can drive through wires, an F-Pace can do insane loop-the-loops, there are so much insane stuff they ever made in honor of their new cars but for this, the Range Rover Sport SVR, what else to do with it than setting this track-honed sports utility vehicle on the wonderful world of Hot Wheels? Drive it, of course.



At stock, the RR Sport SVR feels pretty good to me, especially when I drove this one round Blizzard Mountain on frigid conditions, but because this is Hot Wheels, is a tough world out there so this hunk of British bulldog needs to get prepared for the worst outcome or else, get left behind in a stomping tantrum of high horsepower. In short, the hunter becomes the hunted. With all that taken care of, the Range Rover Sport prepares for an all-out war with the other SUVs and it's my job to do the impossible for the SVR or my name ain't Hunter SPECTRE. Get it?



Well, not much of a hunter myself but the hunter turned all of its competitors into its prey for tea and for the Range Rover Sport SVR, it managed to do the bold just like all of its relatives in the Jaguar Land Rover lineup done in the past. Needless to say, I want some more of the SVR because this has been one of my favorite SUVs since it got featured in SPECTRE. Like the dinosaur guarding Thrilltopia, this Range Rooney's a primal in every tangible way and it's the ideal SUV to turn the hunters into the hunted so watch out, naughty folks.

Monday, July 31, 2017

Finally Found Someone

Ever since we first saw John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo in A Very Special Love, we got hooked by the on-screen chemistry, their signature kilig moments, and the so-called sun dance that brightened ourselves out of our daily misery. Then came You Changed My Life and it was even gooder. After that, It Takes a Man and a Woman. Now, for 2017, John Lloyd and Sarah are back in a very original love story directed by Theodore Boborol which promises to deliver some more like they did back in their previous two films.

Finally Found Someone

From Star Cinema and VIVA films, Finally Found Someone brings back John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo in an all-original, yet, hugot-laden romcom that promises to feel like the films we are familiar with while stirring up some joy and sadness in a perfect chemistry you'd expect for a romcom like this. Sarah plays the role of Aprilyn, whose once-in-a-lifetime moment has been unexpectedly shattered when her groom disappeared at the day of the wedding, while John Lloyd plays the role of Raffy, a PR agent hired by the groom's father to help her move on. This film also stars Enchong Dee, Joey Marquez, Yayo Aguila, Dennis Padilla, and many more.

Unlike past films with John Lloyd and Sarah on it, this film is way different than the films mentioned because while the storyline is almost as original as the hugot-laden films that can ripple your heart like a tropical monsoon on a sunny day. Sure, you can expect lots and lots of hugot on this film but seeing them on-screen not only stirs up some feelings but also the nostalgia we reminisce back when you first saw them during your high school years and then you talked about them with your friends at school. When you think about it, it's almost like where the years go by and makes us a bit sad but flattering.

It maybe disappointing to talk about it at first but for nostalgia's sake, this film still shows brighten ourselves out of our daily misery just like the others, and Finally Found Someone takes the slice of cake.

My rating: 3.6 out of 5.

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Overton's 400


The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania for the Overton's 400 and controversy aside following reports that Target will withdrawn their sponsorship after this season, weekend at Pocono has became chaotic by NASCAR standards.

In the opening lap, Matt Kenseth triggered a multi-car wreck when his car got spun out of control, causing everyone behind him to come crashing through his car. In Lap 50, Kyle Busch cleared the first stage while Jimmie Johnson's car got spun out of control and it was a close call. In Lap 100, Flint Boyer nailed his first stage win.

After a chaotic Pocono Sunday, Kyle Busch nailed his first win of the series.

Next race is at Watkins Glen on the 6th of August for the I❤NY 355.

Let's Do The News! (July 31, 2017)



- Magdalo Partylist representative Gary Alejano compares the death of Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo Parojinog to the death of Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa. According to him, the incident with Parojinog reminded him of the death of Espinosa who was killed inside his own prison cell in Leyte.

- Alleged members of the New People's Army were spotted in an excavation site in Tanjay City, Negros Occidental, burning numerous construction equipment in Sitio Pilapil, Barangay Caticigan.

- Government forces are in an ongoing manhunt against members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters over the attack on Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu's helicopter.

- Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's legislative body has claimed a huge turnout in a controversial election for a new Constituent Assembly that would have the power to rewrite his country's constitution. The shocking win shifts the OPEC member country into dictatorship amid deadly protests that killed six people. Over eight million people cast ballots Sunday. The United States has vowed to take strong and swift action against "architects of authoritarianism" for the Venezuelans as a result of the recent "flawed" election.

- Russia's head of athletics Dmitry Shlyakhtin is travelling to London this week to address the sport's governing body in a bid to lift Russia's international ban. The president of Russia's athletics federation will make the speech at the International Association of Athletics Federations Congress on Thursday, a day before the World Championships begin at the London Stadium.

- Driverless cars are banned to operate on Indian roads to protect jobs, according to reports.

- A mysterious roadster from BMW will be unveiled on the 17th of August, ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

- After their successful career in endurance racing, Porsche announced that they will quit LMP1 and the World Endurance Championship at the end of this season as it prepares its 2019 entry into Formula E.

- The Persona 5 game will spawn a TV anime adaptation in 2018.

- Meet the real-life "Run Girls, Run!" idol unit who will appear in the upcoming Wake Up Girls! Shin Shou TV series airing this October.

TTFN!!!

FIA Formula E 2016-2017 FINALE


Montreal, Canada. The final destination for this season's FIA Formula E Championship. For the competitors, it's their last stop. The end of the long struggle. A place where a true winner is named after their globetrotting battle of the zero-emission machines.

Before I can tell you who wins this season's Formula E, let's mention first the winners of the first part of this epic, yet chaotic, Canada finale. In part one, Lucas di Grassi from ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport wins the race followed by TECHEETAH's Jean-Eric Vergne, and Stephane Sarrazin.



Now, let's focus on the final part of the Montreal ePrix. In the first lap, Sarrazin got spun out at the first corner and later, Buemi's car sustained some damage at the back, triggering a black flag on him to sort things out. If things couldn't get any worse for him, his pit stop at the third lap is seriously the end of his title defense. With Buemi just a speck on the rear mirror, attention goes to Jean-Eric Vergne and Felix Rosenqvist as the battle for the lead may not necessarily decide the fate of the final battle. Overtakes after overtakes, this final battle became one of the most exciting Formula E battles ever witnessed.

Jean-Eric Vergne from TECHEETAH wins the latter half of the Montreal ePrix but the winner of this season's FIA Formula E Championship goes to Lucas Di Grassi from ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport.



And that really is the end of this season's FIA Formula E Championship. Expect dramatic changes coming on the next season coming this fall and until then, congratulations to Di Grassi for winning this season.

F1 2017 - Hungarian GP


The Hungarian Grand Prix of the F1 2017 season in Budapest is all about letting this race gone insane from start to finish, much like every other race in this season, and in the case of two Red Bull drivers, it's all about the betrayal that led one of them bailed out from Budapest as when Max Verstappen hits his teammate Daniel Ricciardo as he understeers into Ricciardo's radiator. As a result, Ricciardo's out from the race and with that, Verstappen was slapped with a 10 second penalty and after pits, he dropped his position from 4th place to 5th.

Meanwhile, with Williams' Felipe Massa in sick leave, Paul di Resta covers his post but sadly, mechanical failures led him bailed out from the race after lap 63. Also out for some failure is Romain Grosjean from Haas.

Behind the misfortune comes Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who nailed another win for this season and his second Hungarian GP win for his career. Not only that, this is Ferrari's first one-two finish since 2004 when he and Raikkonen finished the race together. Despite Vettel's steering woes on his car, he managed to endure his way to the top of the podium, whatever lays ahead. After Ferrari's one-two finish comes the Mercedes-AMG team when Valtteri Bottas placed 3rd and Lewis Hamilton placed 4th. Fernando Alonso from McLaren made a good weekend of their career with their 6th place finish.

Vettel can have his summer break with the 14-point lead against Hamilton, 202 to 188 but the race returns on Spa-Francorchamps on the 27th of August.

Top Gear America - Made in America


The Americanized version of BBC's hit motoring show, Top Gear, returns with a new name and a new home on BBC America. In the pilot episode of Top Gear America, William "Bill" Fichtner, Tom "Wookie" Ford, and Antron Brown are driving back to the American border from Mexico using offroad buggies. It's a tough journey back home but life couldn't get even more crazier than this.

Meanwhile, Wookie lands in Marysville, Ohio, to examine the brand new Honda/Acura NSX hybrid supercar and then handed over to The Stig to set a lap time of 1:07.78. Then, Bill tries out the all-new Ford F-150 Raptor high-performance offroad truck.

Former baseball superstar C.J. Wilson is the first celebrity to do a lap round the track in a brand-new Honda Civic Hatchback and after some hearty conversations with the host, he set a lap time of 1:24.25.

The pilot episode of this new shows that it still has the heart of the original show, only American, and it's a fair say that it's much better to watch than the old Americanized Top Gear the History Channel removed. With a new home, new faces, and the same Top Gear craziness, this Top Gear America really is the ideal motoring show to pass the time and I strongly agree with that.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Tenth-Generation Honda Civic range

Speedo boys of Japan, rejoice. The Honda Civic is back after seven years of being absent in the Japanese market and this time, it's now available in three different styles to choose from; the sedan, the fully-imported hatchback from Europe, and the ultimate Civic experience for speedo boys everywhere known as the Type R.

2018 Honda Civic
2018 Honda Civic Hatchback
2018 Honda Civic Type R

At long last, all three Civics are now available to the Japanese market and while these three models are different in every single way, they both share the same goal to win back the Japanese public after their seven-year absence to their home market. As you may recall, the Honda Civic has stopped on the eighth generation model in 2010 and when the rest of the world got the controversial ninth-generation model, Japan didn't get one until 2015 where the FK2 Civic Type R became the only ninth-generation model sold in Japan within limited numbers. Now that the Civic is back for real, this tenth-generation model is ready to show Japan what this Civic is capable of, having been called by the rest of the world as "the best Civic ever."

First, let's analyze the design and for this tenth-generation model, the sedan looks very coupe-like in every tangible angle of perception while the hatchback model doesn't look like the boxy Civic hatchbacks of yesteryear and it's now more of a fastback per se. The new FK8 Civic Type R, which is now the first globally-available Civic Type R ever sold, uses the hatchback as its basis and makes it even loud enough for speedo boys to go "Fast and Furious" with it, just like the good old days. Either way, it's now the best-looking Civic ever made and you can forgive all its chinks around its well-sculpted lines.

2018 Honda Civic interior
2018 Honda Civic Hatchback interior
2018 Honda Civic Type R interior

Step inside on the interior and on a normal Civic saloon and hatchback, it doesn't feel like your Daddy's Civic anymore. In fact, it's so nice to live with and you can forget about the moment when you bought your Dad the wrong Civic for a birthday present. In fact, it's a definite improvement compared to the previous, not-for-Japan Civic my family currently having. The dashboard looks more similar to the old FK2 Civic Type R but way below, it kinda resembles like the old Porsche Panamera, minus the complicating stuff. It's even roomier in the back as well and in the case of the hatchback models, especially the Type R, there's a plenty of space for some old gym equipment your brother-in-law is selling online. Talk about family matters, am I right?

2018 Honda Civic
2018 Honda Civic Hatchback
2018 Honda Civic Type R

Speaking of family matters, all three Civic behave rather differently not just by their origin but also the way it moves. In the case of the normal variants, the Civic is powered by a 1.5L VTEC TURBO engine but power outputs differ in two body styles. The Japanese-built FC-spec Civic Sedan produces 173PS of power while the Civic Hatchback, fully imported from Europe, produces 182PS of power output. The sedan is mated exclusively with the CVT gearbox while the hatchback is mated with either a six-speed manual or a CVT gearbox. What's the difference? Well, the Japan-made sedan is made mostly to be comfortable family car your dad's using it for work or for leisure trips and nothing else to expect from being a normal saloon car that returns 19.4km/L of fuel efficiency while the Euro-imported hatchback model is the more dynamic alternative to your dad's saloon variant. Sure, it may have 18.0km/L of fuel efficiency but because it's fresh from the only country set to leave the European Union, the way it moves is somewhat reminiscent of European hatchbacks and it's so engaging to drive than the saloon variant because of its Euro-tuned dynamics. In conclusion, the sedan is made for efficiency while the hatchback is made for dynamism. Nothing else to talk about, especially when both of them come with Honda SENSING, a wide array of safety tech that will be beneficial in today's traffic conditions.

Now, onto the FK8 Civic Type R, the hatchback that dominated the Nurburgring, and because this is the first-ever Civic Type R to be sold globally, including the US (yes, really) and in the Philippines (in limited numbers), this car is too cool to be ignored by most racing games that were poisoned against car enthusiasts by baby boomers. I'm talking about you, Gran Turismo, Forza, and any racing video game I know and love that comes with real-life cars to play with. Unless these producers think like millennials, there's no way they would feature the new FK8 Civic Type R in racing games of today. In fact, apart from the impressive Nurburgring record, what those folks behind great racing games who are stuck being baby boomers who sourced cars from the baby boomer era from used car lots will miss is the newly improved chassis dynamics that were fine tuned to become the ultimate front-wheel drive track weapon as well as the upgraded 2.0L VTEC TURBO engine that produces 10PS more than the previous FK2, delivering 320PS of power and 400Nm of torque, while mated exclusively to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

When you engage the Civic Type R to +R mode, handling becomes more responsive and direct and in a racetrack, the new Civic Type R's ballistic dynamics is what every speedo boys in the world salivating for and what every people behind racing games acting like baby boomers are going to miss at when they ignore it for an old one and between you and me, that new Civic Type R is too ballistic to ignore and this should make the ideal warning shot to people behind Forza, Gran Turismo, or any racing video games we are familiar with to feature it or else. Come on, we're waiting for your response.

It's been an honor for Honda to bring the Civic back after its seven-year drought in the home market and with different kinds of Civics to choose from; from the efficient Japan-made saloon, the lively Euro-made hatchback, and the ultimate Type R ever made for the world over, every Civic is a gift to treasure it for lifetime, almost, and what would Honda be without the Civic.

Oh yeah, if you're asking for how much these Civics cost, listen up; the sedan starts at 2,650,320 Japanese Yen (around $27,000), while the fully-imported hatchback starts at 2,800,440 Japanese Yen (around $28,500), and the Type R starts at an utterly expensive 4,500,360 Japanese Yen (around $45,400). All of these Civics are available to order and it will be on sale at most Honda dealerships beginning late September.

Photo: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Tokyo Ghoul (2017 film)

If you are unfamiliar with Tokyo Ghoul, this hit manga series is about a young man who became a human-ghost hybrid with the iconic mask we are familiar with while dealing with the supernatural threats among us. It spawned two anime shows, numerous OVA projects, video games, and a stage play, making it a worthy popular franchise in its own right. Thanks to Tokyo Ghoul's hit success, there is now a live-action film which is part of the summer of live-action movie adaptations of this year and there's a lot of talking to be done.

Tokyo Ghoul (2017 film)
This live-action adaptation of the hit anime/manga franchise stars Masataka Kubota as Ken Kaneki, Fumika Shimizu as Toka Kirishima, Yuu Aoi as Rize Kamishiro, Nubuyuki from EXILE as Kotaro Amon, and many other names from the Japanese showbizness. It's directed by Super Star and like the manga it started it all, it''s about Ken who goes out on a date with Rize until he became a bait of Rize's appetizing interests and upon his unknown rescue, Ken transformed into a human-Ghoul hybrid (yes, he's bearing the iconic mask like you saw) and now drawn into a supernatural conflict in our world as the man about a Ghoul.

Reminiscent of those live-action Death Note films witnessed in your high school years, Tokyo Ghoul is a dark and gritty horror film that keeps on getting exciting as the tension builds up through the very end and because most moviegoers in Japan are in a middle of the summer-live-action-movie-adaptation-rush as demonstrated by this, Gintama, Jojo's and Ajin, you can expect that this live-action take on a cult favorite will become the talk of the town to write about it at the end of the day and it is and because the devil's in the details, Tokyo Ghoul really is a fun and exciting film to watch with your mates as you will be intoxicated by the sheer level of intense thrills this man about a Ghoul can do as well as the storyline which is as dark as the winter nights.

Obviously, the crowd's going abuzz over the live-action Tokyo Ghoul film and when it demonstrates is success as a film, you'd better stop using your mobile right now because you'll find others chattering about how awesome this film is and when you talk about Tokyo Ghoul right now, all you will see for the time being is nothing but movie tickets posted by moviegoers to see a man about a Ghoul.

My rating: 4 out of 5.

Atomic Blonde

"The first female 007 is here" or so they say as Charlize Theron proves to the world that even femme fatales can be as deadly as men when it comes to spy thrillers and this film, Atomic Blonde, is the perfect example of what happens when you put her in a dark storyline that blows all the action films away in a jiffy.

Atomic Blonde

Based on a popular comic book of the same name, Atomic Blonde takes place in Berlin during the final days of the Cold War, where MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton, played by Theron, sent on an assignment to take down a ruthless espionage ring that just killed an undercover agent for unknown reason. She teams up with station chief David Percival, played by James McAvoy, and together, they use whatever means necessary to gun down the target before it's too late.

When you see Theron pulling all the stops to deliver a massive action thriller unlike any other, everything you know about Atomic Blonde feels like every other spy movie you've ever know, especially though Bond and Bourne films from the past, and even though the film's dark storyline suits rather well for a Cold War-era timeline, it really is the perfect action thriller you can enjoy during the summer blockbuster season. It may not be one of the best action films of all time but for a margin of doubt, Atomic Blonde is a real "atomic" bomb to blow them away in a darker kind of way.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5.