Saturday, July 29, 2017

Maine's TEAM RAMEN wins #DabarkadsGoals Grand Finals

Throughout the month of July, Eat Bulaga celebrated their 38th anniversary with the ultimate battle of the EB presenters known as #DabarkadsGoals. In here, the presenters are split into teams and do some performances as seen throughout 38 years of Eat Bulaga.

Photo: Official Eat Bulaga Facebook page

Before the grand finals, the show debuted their brand new Miss Millennial Philippines 2017 where millennial Filipinas from across the Philippines represent their home cities through this brand new beauty pageant happening only in Eat Bulaga where those who will make it in the grand finals very soon will win more than just big prizes but also represent her state or province as an ambassador.

Anyway, with the Miss Millennial Philippines 2017 contestants introduced and expect more in this brand new segment, let's move on to the #DabarkadsGoals Grand Finals. In here, it's all down to four teams comprising of Baste and That's My Bae Kim's Team Jupiter doing the Ricomambo, Alden Richards and Pareng Sinon's Team All Out doing the Let's Get Physical, Patricia Tumulak and That's My Bae Joel's Team Laban doing the Xanadu, and Maine Mendoza's Team Ramen.

After their star-studded performances, the judges has reached the verdict and the winner of the #DabarkadsGoals grand finals is Team Ramen!

So, with Maine's team won the #DabarkadsGoals, the month-long Eat Bulaga 38th anniversary celebration came to an end. Can't wait to see what's in store for next year's celebration!

Bubble Gang - July 28, 2017 #BGTruthOrDare

In the July 28, 2017 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Truth or dare gags

- Prepare for an all-out war against the Islaw Tampisaw International!


- Another Buhay ng Bakla Session

- Bea Bangenge and Toto Batotoy are talking about condiments!

- A lady tries to look like her idol...

- Mas Pinabonggang Sumbong Sumbong Kay Bonggang Bonggang Bongbong takes on men trying to use other forms of media to attract dates, people posting stuff about helpless people, and people became sports fans after a single conversation.

- A BF feels like he's not getting used to the messy neighborhood.

- Granny mans up against the inmates

- Basa-basa-pik!

Let's Do The News! (July 29, 2017)



- Senator Manny Pacquiao visits Marawi City to help boost the soldiers' morale. The People's Champion and politician arrived in full military gear prepared to have conversations with soldiers who have been in war against the ISIS-sympathizer, the Maute group.

- After a long battle at the Senate, the latest attempt to repeal the Obamacare has failed as three Republicans, including John McCain, voted against the bill, which needed a simple majority to pass. About 51 senators voted against it, including three Republicans, and 49 senators, mostly Republicans, voted for it. The so-called "skinny" repeal, which would have scaled back some of the more controversial provisions, is the third failed attempt to repeal Obamacare.

- The United Kingdom plans to send a warship to the South China Sea in the latest move to irk the Chinese government.

- The Regalia from FINAL FANTASY XV arrives in Forza Horizon 3. Starting the 1st of August, those who played either of these games will receive a special gift containing the car Noctis and The Brotherhood used for their adventures in the game.



- Actor Jared Harris will star in the upcoming HBO miniseries inspired from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

- Pagani made another special Zonda called the Fantasma Evo.

Pagani Zonda Fantasma Evo

TTFN!!!

Friday, July 28, 2017

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Malaysia sets Oct.2 for trial of female suspects in Kim Jong Nam killing



Malaysia will begin the trial of two female suspects accused of the dramatic murder of the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the 2nd of October, according to the High Court.

Appearing at the Shah Alam High Court near the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, are charged with murdering Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 by smearing his face with VX, a chemical the United Nations describes as a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, both will face the death penalty.

Defence lawyers have warned previously that they feared “trial by ambush”, with police not sharing evidence. Prosecutor Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad said the prosecution had given a further 33 documents and CCTV recordings to the defence, and would call between 30 and 40 witnesses, depending on the progress of the trial.

Source: Reuters

Let's Do The News! (July 28, 2017)



- President Rodrigo Duterte revived his proposal for the rebels to surrender, without yielding their firearms. The President also offered jobs and housing to the would-be rebel returnees. Duterte revealed that this is in conjunction with his dream to end the decades of fighting between the government and the communist rebels.

- One local member and three other members of the New People's Army were killed in an encounter against government forces in the town of Casiguran, Sorsogon City.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines is prepared to file charges against satirist Juana Change for unauthorized use of their military uniform during a protest amidst President Duterte's second SONA last July 24th.

- US President Donald Trump will travel on Friday to a New York community shocked by a recent spike of gang murders to highlights his efforts to curb illegal immigration and boost deportations. Trump will highlight his administration’s push to deport members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, better known as MS-13, the existence of which his White House blames on lax enforcement of illegal immigration from Central America.

- Thailand marks King Maha Vajiralongkorn's 65th birthday with major religious ceremonies and public display of loyalty around the country.

- Apple announced they will stop production of the iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle as consumers no longer have the need for the device due to advent of better smartphones. Both the Nano and Shuffle came out 12 years ago as cheaper alternatives to the Apple iPod.

- The all-new, eighth-generation, Rolls-Royce Phantom has been unveiled and it's now the most luxurious Phantom ever made, armed with the brand new 6.75L V12 Twin Turbo engine that produces 563HP of power and 900Nm of torque while mated to a brand new Satellite-Aided 8-speed automatic gearbox.

2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom

- Kemono Friends will return for second season but details remain unclear for now.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 3: WRX STi vs. The World







Surprised? You might thought that it was the same special WRX STi that I drove before in the festival but by the looks of it, it's different than the specially-prepped STi I made a couple a while back. Look closely what's new with my Subie from side to side.





As you may be aware, the S4-themed STi, so literally named because the current VA-spec WRX STi is based on the WRX S4, the one my cousin currently drives every day, has been changed to accommodate the latest members of S4, as showcased in the current season of Aikatsu Stars. I know, don't try to talk but I hope you'll like the latest redesign for my STi I made just for everyone.

The VA-spec Subaru WRX STi has always been my favorite Subaru since its inception and whether this sports sedan competed in the likes of rallycross or the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race, the one Subaru proudly calls its home after their WRC stint, it always suits itself to take on any battlefield it desires like a lone ronin without a fierce rival to fight on. I know that the decade-long rivalry between the Subie and the Evo is over because Mitsubishi killed the Evo after its two-decade-long presence in the world of street cars, but come on, this Subie still stands and loves to pick on any fight it lands on, whatever lay ahead.



Since I got all of the three areas around us after tackling a Goliath of challenges at each area, I decided to give the Subie a fresh new look a new kind of challenge to pick fights against the world's best but we're not doing it on the Land Down Under just yet because the Subie has to take on places beyond Down Under. Something like...



Blizzard Mountain! With such a snow-filled wonderland, it's the ideal place to see if the STi is as rally-proven as its ancestors. In order for the Subie to accommodate such frigid conditions Blizzard Mountain has to offer, some rally equipment has been made in order to survive such a harsh winter wonderland, and with the proper gear, let's see if the Subie loves snow...



So, if the WRX STi enjoys playing snowball fights, how about something a bit more extreme?



Ah! The Hot Wheels Thrilltopia, an orange-track rollercoaster ride that pushes your driving skills to the extreme limit, and with the Subie swapped its rally-tuned equipment to track-tuned equipment enough to take on Thrilltopia's terrifying twists and turns only the bravest can survive, it's now time to see if the Subie can feel the orange-track heat. Ready?



The Subie not just mastered snow but also mastered Hot Wheels! It's incredible that no matter where you put the WRX STi, it just keeps on going until the battle has been won and this car really is a defiant one thinking that even with its long-time rival gone, it just feels like it won the battle but even though the WRX STi ended the war between the Subies and the Evos by unanimous decision, there are countless battles this car will face and it never loses the art of war ascended by its ancestors.



So, with the job done, looks like this Subie is ready to head back Down Under to take some rest but there's a welcome home present awaiting this fierce Subie; a race!



Man, I love this Subie when it takes on all comers it came across the road and no matter the verdict, it will keep on fighting until its last drop.

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS - 2018 minor change

Suzuki's SX4 S-CROSS, a fully-imported compact crossover from Europe, has gained a recent minor change, and needless to say even though the facelifted model looks upwardly different than the previous model, it feels pretty much the same as the SX4 we are familiar with, having been on Japanese roads for two years now.

2018 Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS
2018 Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS

So, what's new about the 2018MY Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS? On the outside, it now has a new front design that looks conspicuously similar to, let's just say a BMW X1 or so they say. If you manage to squint your eyes even a tiny bit, you know that it looks very similar to the X1 but that new front grille adds a very dramatic look to the S-CROSS's exterior design because it adds some feel to it that you get from a compact crossover ready for every man for himself. On the inside, there's a hint of piano black paneling on the dashboard for a bit more feel to it as well as some redesigned climate control switches. Either way, it's still as accommodating as the last one and still has decent boot space depending on the seating arrangements as well as its luggage board to store some more.

2018 Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS interior
2018 Suzuki SX4 S-CROSS interior

Of course, you still have the same 1.6L petrol engine as the last time mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It delivers a reasonable 117PS of power output and 151Nm of torque, which is the same as last time, but in the case of fuel efficiency, you might want to look away now because the figures have been slightly decreased to around 15.2 (for 4WD models) and 16.2kmpl (for 2WD models). Well, that can't be right, but it's for honest reasons having found out that their old model cheated the fuel efficiency stakes, as well as a theory.

Joy of joys, the S-CROSS still has the revolutionary ALLGRIP system for the 4WD model, only this time it comes with the feed-forward function that allocates torque to the rear wheels before any slippage can occur. That sounds like an improvement by Suzuki standards and that feels like more than enough to believe for those who are too dynamic, too smart, and too exciting for Suzuki may need to reconsider before trying out the improved S-CROSS for a change.

So, how much is the new S-CROSS now? Suzuki's S-CROSS is now available for just 2,062,800 Yen for the front-wheel drive model up to 2,278,800 Yen for the four-wheel drive model. That sounds like a slight price bump but it remains a bargain for a compact crossover fully imported from Europe.

Available colors: Sphere Blue Pearl, Energetic Red Pearl, Cool White Pearl, and Cosmic Black Pearl Mica.

Photo: Suzuki Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (July 27, 2017)



- The death penalty, which has been passed on the third reading last March, was not part in the list of 35 bills that the Senate and the House of Representatives have decided to prioritize in the second regular session of the 17th Congress. Though on Wednesday, the Senate instead decided to pass the bills on Traffic and Congestion Crisis Act, National ID System, Tax Reforms, End of Contractualization, Anti-discrimination Bill, the revise 1987 Constitution, and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

- Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre will temporarily head the Bureau of Corrections, while there is no replacement yet for Director Benjamin Delos Santos.

- Officials of Marikina city hall are tightly monitoring the possible overflow of water from Marikina River. Around 1030, the water level in Marikina hits to 14.3 meters or Alert level No.1.

- US President Donald Trump announced that transgenders are barred from entering the military, reversing a year-old policy reviled by social conservatives. He made the declaration on Twitter, saying that American forces couldn't afford the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" of transgender service members. This announcement angered most of civil rights and the LGBT community.

- Meanwhile, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 13 senior Venezuelan officials as the country’s opposition launched a two-day strike against President Nicolas Maduro to scrap plans for a controversial new congress.

- Technology that allows alternation of human embryos have been carried out for the first time in the United States, according to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, which carried out the research. The research is believed to have broken new ground both in the number of embryos experimented upon and by demonstrating it is possible to safely and efficiently correct defective genes that cause inherited diseases, according to reports.

- The British Government announced that they will ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles beginning in 2040.

- Need For Speed Payback's customization trailer streamed. In this upcoming installment, you'll find many ways to upgrade your rides as well as expanding your garage for your future car collections.



- THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls' Rin Shibuya gets figurized by Aquamarine and this time, she's wearing the Starry Sky Bright as seen from the Starlight Stage app game. This figure's available to order starting at 13,000 Yen plus taxes and delivery and arrives this November.



- Conan Edogawa, the star of the Detective Conan franchise, gets his own Nendoroid! You can now order your favorite junior detective starting at 4,259 Yen plus tax and delivery and market launch will be this February.



TTFN!!!

RAGE RACER REMIX -THE 20th ANNIV. SOUNDS-

RAGE RACER REMIX -THE 20th ANNIV. SOUNDS-


Launched in the 1996 holiday season, Rage Racer is known to be as the sequel to the popular RIDGE RACER franchise on the PlayStation, Rage Racer delivers arcade-style racing at the comfort of their homes with a wide array of customizable machines while taking on four different circuits vying to become the real Rage Racer. This is the first time the mascot character, Reiko Nagase, made her appearance in this installment. Supersweep celebrates Rage Racer's 20th anniversary with the long-awaited soundtrack complete with remixes of BGMs heard from the PSX game.

This two-disc tribute to one of the most memorable Ridge Racer installments in its over two-decade history features remixed tunes as well as remastered background musics as heard from the game. Crafted by some of Bandai Namco's well-respected music composers in history, every music track is in tune to the high-octane sounds of Rage Racer and they're all revved up for your listening pleasure, wherever you may be.

The RAGE RACER REMIX two-disc compilation is a must-have for every racing video game aficionado who truly wish that Bandai Namco should make a brand new Ridge Racer for the new era of console game and with the franchise is nearing its 25th anniversary since the first Ridge Racer went out in the arcades since 1993, Bandai Namco should break its silence over this long-forgotten racing franchise with the most memorable techno music ever heard in the history of video game musics.

TRACK LISTINGS:

Disc One:
01 MENU SCREEN (Takahiro Eguchi Remix)
02 RAGE RACER (Sampling Masters MEGA Remix)
03 MATHEMABEAT (Sampling Masters AYA Remix)
04 LIGHTNING LUGE (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)
05 INDUSTRIA (Taku Inoue Remix)
06 HURRICANE HUB (Ryu☆ Remix)
07 MECH MONSTER (Yuu Miyake Bubbly Hoo Mix)
08 SILVER STREAM (J99 Remix)
09 STIMULATION (Hiroshi Okubo Remix)
10 VOLCANO VEHICLE (sanodg Remix)

Disc Two:
01 OPENING
02 PROLOGUE
03 MENU SCREEN
04 RAGE RACER
05 MATHEMABEAT
06 LIGHTNING LUGE
07 INDUSTRIA
08 HURRICANE HUB
09 MECH MONSTER
10 SILVER STREAM
11 STIMULATION
12 VOLCANO VEHICLE
13 DEEP DRIVE
14 REPLAY
15 REPLAY (TIME ATTACK)
16 RESULT
17 RANK UP
18 ENDING
19 END CREDITS
20 GAME OVER

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Suzuki adds 1.4L turbo on Escudo

2018 Suzuki Escudo

The current-generation Suzuki Escudo, fully imported from Europe, has received a brand new 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine for the 2018 model year.

This new variant for Suzuki's Euro import crossover comes with the brand new 1.4L Booster Jet turbocharged engine producing 136PS of power (19PS more than the 1.6L variant) and 210Nm of torque. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, fuel economy is expected at 16.8kmpl based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards.

To differentiate the turbocharged variant to the non-turbocharged Escudo, it's been given an X-TRAIL-inspired front face, red accents on the interior, and a brand new Bright Red 5 Black 2-tone roof exterior color.

Like the non-turbocharged Escudo, it still remains the ALLGRIP system as well as Radar Brake Support II system for this variant.

The Escudo 1.4L Turbo variant starts at 2,586,600 Japanese Yen.

Let's Do The News! (July 26, 2017)


- Government Chief Negotiator Silvestre Bello III is currently waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to terminate peace talks with the communist insurgents. Bello said it would take about 30 days after the receipt of the letter to formally terminate all negotiations.

- TV presenter and talent manager Lolit Solis has been in hot water after being bashed by some netizens during her appearance at the Alfred Vargas wedding. Some netizens said that the occasion was for civilized and educated people only.

- US President Donald Trump warned Iran to adhere to the terms of a nuclear deal with world powers or else face “big, big problems.” Trump administration officials, briefing reporters last week, said new economic sanctions against Iran were being prepared over its ballistic missile programme and for contributing to regional tensions.

- Foes of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro are to stage a two-day national strike from Wednesday in a final push to pressure him into abandoning a weekend election for a super-congress they say will institutionalize autocracy in the Latin American country.

- The death toll from the collapse of a four-storey building in the suburbs of Mumbai, India, is now 17 as rescuers removed debris searching for those still trapped, a police official said on Wednesday.

- Golden State Warriors' star player Stephen Curry sigs a $201 million extension with the championship-winning team.

- With just seven months to go, the song for the PyeongChang 2018 torch relay was unveiled and titled "Let Everyone Shine" performed by popular Korean singer Insooni. In the next 101 days, after being lit one week earlier in Olympia, Greece, the Olympic torch will touch Incheon by the 1st of November. 7,500 torchbearers will take part in the Torch Relay.

- Not too long ago, Microsoft announced that they will axe the most loved MS Paint application from their Autumn Creators Update but due to inconsistent public demand, the app is saved and it will be available at the Microsoft Store for free.

- Adobe will axe the Flash player at the end of 2020 as all web browsers blocking Flash over the past past year and Adobe plans to end support for it by the end of 2020.

- Mercedes-Benz announces its withdrawal from the DTM after the 2018 season and shifts focus on its Formula E entry beginning on the 2019-2020 season.

- The 2018 Ford Mustang's V8 variant can now do 0-60mph in 4 seconds courtesy of its brand new Drag Strip mode.

TTFN!!!

Range Rover Velar

Since the beginning, the Range Rover has been served as the flagship of the Land Rover lineup, but now, the Range Rover has been expanded into numerous models under its helm. There's a Range Rover Sport, which remains the only Range Rover model to have seven seats, and there's the smaller Range Rover Evoque that combines style and practicality at such size. Now, the Range Rover family welcomes their newest addition; the stylish and yet functional Range Rover Velar.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

There is one major reason why they called their newest Range Rover addition the Velar because this coupe-crossover's name harks back to the codeword used on the first Range Rover, which is basically a three-door SUV in the beginning. The goal of the Velar is capture the inspiration of the first Range Rover in terms of design while offering five-door practicality you would expect on a posh crossover. That's just statements from Land Rover themselves but under keen observation, the Velar's sizing is bigger than the Evoque but slightly smaller than the bigger Range Rovers, making it more of a middleman to the family than a chieftain of the tribe, even good-looking.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar interior
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar interior

Despite being smaller than its big brothers, the Velar's interior is about as cozier as a Jaguar XF in so many ways but what's revolting about the Velar's interior is that the dashboard's jam-packed with touch panels rather than buttons because every luxury carmakers know that the future of dashboards belong to touch panels and the thing about the use of touch panels is when your hands get smothered with too much finger foods, you'd better pack some hand sanitizers before touching those. That's a top tip but even though the dashboard's littered with too much touch panels from top to bottom, it's surprisingly accommodating and spacious as well. You'll find many great ways to enjoy it.

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar
Now, let's look what is like to drive the Velar and under the hood, the Velar offers almost the same choice of petrol and diesel engines as its close relative, the Jaguar F-Pace, with the most powerful in the range for the time being is the one with the Supercharged 3.0L V6 petrol engine producing 380HP of power and 450Nm of torque. With the 8-speed automatic gearbox, which is standard on all models, it does 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds and top speed normally limited to 155mph. That sounds quick even by SUV standards and then there's its signature Range Rover capability. Of course, for those who want more pull for their buck, there's the 300HP 3.0L V6 diesel engine delivering 700Nm of torque.

Of course, while there are most SUVs that can do all kinds of jobs better than the Velar, this new crossover sets the class apart with its legendary Range Rover capability inherited from the entire family tree. Like the available Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control, these handy-capable features allow the Velar to tackle almost all corners of the world; be it the Sahara desert, the Australian Outback, the African jungles, Patagonia, be any place as long as you are looking for a shortcut that will lead you to your point of interest quicker than luxury saloons. Then, there's the Intelligent Driveline Dynamics, which uses artificial intelligence to determine torque distribution, traction, and dynamics while being connected to its Dynamic Stability Control system, Torque Vectoring System and the Active Locking Rear Differential. And then, there's the electric power-assisted steering which adds a bit more feel every time a driver steers the Velar but sometimes, it can be prone to understeering and this calls for more painkillers when your arm aches from steering this crossover. It maybe an SUV but with that level of dynamics, the Velar really feels like an luxury saloon in so many angles and it's the ideal crossover for people who don't want to be late for their dinner reservations with their dates.

Speaking of dinner reservations, the Velar offers a wide range of advanced driver assistance systems, either standard or optional to ensure its preparedness on today's traffic conditions. From the Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Driver Condition Monitoring, Traffic Sign Recognition, Reverse Traffic Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, 360° Parking Aid, and Park Assist.

Should you buy it? Well, prices start from 44,575 to 84,195 GBP, so it isn't cheap for a luxury crossover of this size but for the new Range Rover Velar, it's all about the style, the interior, the choice of engines, and the legendary Range Rover characteristics you'd expect from the family tree. If the RR, the RR Sport, and the RR Evoque turn the world into their sandbox adventure, the Velar can and that really is a welcoming addition to the Range Rover family.

Photo: Jaguar Land Rover