Let's Do The News! (September 16, 2015)

- Sources say that China appears to be building three airstrips in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. They once made a 3,000 meter long area on the Subi Reef, and there's a possibility of building a second airstrip there. Now, the Chinese government are mulling a third airfield on Michief Reef, where walls surround a 3,000 meter loing area of reclaimed land.

- The Thai Police say that a certain human trafficking network for the ethnic Uygur minority carried out last month's Bangkok bomb attacks because it was angry at a police crackdown.

- The South Korean officials warned that the launch of a long-range ICBM by North Korea would be a grave provocation and blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions banning the nation's missile tests. As of now, the North Koreans have reached the final phase of developing a new military satellite.

- The Department of Education National Capital Region declared that there will be no classes on almost all schools from Metro Manila from November 17 to 20 amid the scheduled APEC Summit.

- The Philippine National Police is set to conduct a separate investigation  about what happened during the Mamasapano clash last January that killed 44 SAF members on their manhunt against the terrorist Marwan.

- Aston Martin confirms the DB11 grand tourer coming this 2016. This new machine will serve as the replacement to the DB9 and will incorporate Aston's new design language.

- Shocking news during the Frankfurt Motor Show press days as the CEO of BMW, Harald Kruger, fainted about five minutes into the BMW press conference. Looks like he had a difficult start at his first Frankfurt Motor Show press conference.

- Yes! AlDub is hitting the big screen as the inevitable duo of actor Alden Richards and Dubsmash queen Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza will star in the movie My Pabebe Love, which serves as the entry for this year's Metro Manila Film Festival.

- Eat Bulaga presenter Joey de Leon posted some cryptic messages about copying although his tweets never once mentioned about rival ABS-CBN show, It's Showtime, featured an internet sensation called Pastillas Girl looking for a new boyfriend via Twitter and some say she could be the equivalent of EB's famed AlDub duo.

TTFN!!!

Forza Motorsport 6: My first car!

Yes, we are back! Back to the racetrack where we can spend track days racing each other and share with the mates about how we're doing on the track. There are some trying to get their track-day swagger on, and there are others evaluating each others' cars in the way how they're connected to each other both man and machine.

Here we are, Forza Motorsport 6, the biggest birthday present in honor of the Forza franchise's 10th anniversary. Looks like 10 is the lucky number for 2015, right? So many stuff had their tens happened but enough for that. Let's kick off with the starter car I've chose at the start of Forza Motorsport 6.



And here it is...well, this is obviously familiar to most Forza fans too many. Yes, this is a Toyota 86 and the main reason that I chose this car at the start of the game is because this is by no means one of the most enjoyable cars to drive even a rookie would try to handle this car with ease.

At first, you may find this car prone to oversteering because this car's rear wheel drive but because it doesn't have much power as the other starter cars, it's accessible and very popular among players who recently started their FM6 or got it few days ago thanks to Ultimate Edition early access.



For my opening salvo, I decided to lap this car round the Top Gear Test Track and hold on. Haven't I done this before since FM5? Who cares? It's like an encore performance for me but because this is Forza Motorsport 6, I am seeing improvements happening...nearly.



As I lapped this 86 round the Top Gear track, it had set its first power lap time of my very own Forza 6 Top Gear power lap time of 1:34.472. Not as quick as what Stig set from the TV series but this is how it all begins for me. This is the beginning of a wonderful journey here at FM6.

Forza Motorsport 6

Forza Motorsport 6

For over 10 years since the first Forza Motorsport game came out in the spring of 2005, the Forza franchise never stop evolving into new and exciting ways while delivering the fans greater promises to drive some of the finest sportscars and make them unique thanks to community-created contents. In celebration of Forza Motorsport 's 10th anniversary, Forza Motorsport 6 is their birthday present for the fans delivering the most realistic Forza experience rookies and veterans will never forget.

At the start, you are welcomed by the brand new 2017 Ford GT supercar, a legend reborn, at the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and as you are driving your way through the finish line, you are officially welcomed to the world of Forza Motorsport 6 and you've been given a choice of a Mazda RX-7 FD, Toyota GT86, Golf VII R, or a Honda S2000, while taking on a qualifying series to jumpstart your road to Forza.

Forza Motorsport 6 promises to be the most realistic Forza to date because for the very first time in Forza history, players can race on rainy weather or nighttime, depending on the track. A couple of things to consider about the new changes while racing; while driving on a wet lap, cars are becoming more slippery when wet and be on the lookout for puddles because going faster will cause the car to go aquaplaning, losing the traction and making it difficult to turn, so exercise extreme caution while driving on a wet track. In nighttime, visibility is poor due to darkness of the track as well as the cooling of track temperature in nighttime so stay focus if you're looking for the perfect driving line while surviving the darkness. With these time and weather changes applied in FM6, players are expected heavy challenges while racing but because they've been through a lot of racing games, they're very confident in their abilities on track no matter the time or weather changes.

With some returning tracks from FM5 such as Prague, Nurburgring, Long Beach, Bathurst, and some others as well as the famed Top Gear Test Track, FM6 introduces new tracks to master such as Monza, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, Brands Hatch, Circuit of the Americas, Daytona, and Rio de Janeiro. Depending on the tracks, they're are different layouts as well as time and weather to choose from, and every track is a challenge to them.

Cars are the driving force of the Forza franchise and for FM6, we can expect returning favorites from past games as well as new additions such as the 2017 Ford GT, the new Ford F-150 Raptor, the new GT350R, the Golf VII R, Formula E machines as seen from the 2014-2015 season, the #3 Corvette C7.R, and many others. You can expect more cars to be added via DLC over the coming months and some surprises in store for later. In Forza tradition, players can make their car unique by tuning and designing just the way they want and share it to the world to gain funds.

In Career mode, players will take on the Stories of Motorsport, a five-chapter tale where players take on series of championships developed for specific cars and if they're not in the mood for those, there's showcase events where a series of special challenges are offered. They provide the car and the challenge, you'l do the rest. Simple as that.

There's also new to FM6 as well and that's the Mods feature, which allows them to help you win races or risk everything for higher rewards. Mods are categorized into three types; a Crew Mod which you can use as many times as you want that can help you with your car's performance, a single-use, a single-use Boost Mod that can change the tide of the race such as bonus XP or credits or making your car faster than ever, and then there's a Dare Mod where you will risk everything for bigger rewards like a decrease in power, view is locked in cockpit view, or start at last place. There are so many mods to collect depending on its rarity and you can collect them by either winning one on your free spin after levelling up or purchase them with credits.

There's so many things to do in the world of Forza Motorsport 6 and thanks to the addition of rain and nighttime racing, the desire for hard realism is becoming a reality for Forza faithfuls and if they want more from this game, this game is always ready for tomorrow thanks to additional contents coming your way soon.

If you have Forza Motorsport 6 for the very first time today, you can opt in for a Car Pass for just 29.99 dollars and that entitles you to six months of DLC Cars coming your way.

You can also avail for a VIP membership for 19.99 dollars and not only you'll receive five exclusive VIP cars, including the 2013 Ferrari 458 Speciale, 2012 Aston Martin V12 Zagato, 2013 Lamborghini Veneno, 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R, and the 1997 McLaren F1, but can expect VIP-only challenges as well as surprises in store for members over the coming weeks.

Lastly, there's the first DLC Pack called the Fast and Furious Car Pack featuring the best ten cars as seen from the Fast and Furious franchise. Yours for 9.99 dollars but it is included in the Deluxe and Ultimate Edition digital bundles of Forza Motorsport 6, if you've already preordered it days before its release.

Welcome to the world of Forza Motorsport 6, racers!

Let's Do The News! (September 15, 2015)

- North Korea is staging a possible long-range ICBM launch on the 70th anniversary of the nation's ruling party next month. According to intel, the director of the National Aerospace Development Administration is advancing the final stage of the development of a so-called observation satellite for weather forecasts. Rockets used to launch satellites can also be used as long-range ICBMs.

- All of the 15 Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture, residents that were missing due to the heavy rainfall that battered most of the city are found safe on Tuesday. Most of the city was inundated on Thursday when heavy rainfall flooded Kinugawa River, causing it to burst its bank.

- A boat carrying 130 refugees and migrants capsized off the remote island of Farmakonisi in the Aegean Sea on its way from Turkey to Greece on Sunday, killing 34 people on board. The site is about 20km from Turkey. Nearly 100 people were rescued by Greek coast guard.

- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said that the Philippines is ready to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit.

- Former senator Francis Pangilinan has resigned as presidential assistant for food security and agricultural modernization.

- A brand new chapter to the Pokemon XY saga is coming to Japan late next month. Here's your briefing, trainers: Airing this late October is a new chapter called Pokemon XY & Z on TV Tokyo and on this latest chapter, while Ash is continuing his quest for the Kalos League as well as Serena continuing her road to become Kalos Queen, we can expect the mysteries of the legendary Order Pokemon Zygarde as well as a different look of Ash's Greninja in the coming episodes. Also coming in the latest chapter is the saga of the villainous Team Flare, the ruthless organization bent on taking over the Kalos region. All will be revealed on the latest chapter of the XY saga next month.

- In case you missed the latest Eat Bulaga, it is confirmed that Yaya Dub won the wildcard round and advances to the grand finals of Bulaga Pa More Dabarkads Pa More. It's been a long week since these two dueled each other following with the kidnappings that kept the viewers shocked with awe but now with Yaya Dub is advancing to the grand finals of Dabarkads Pa More, do we expect more thrills for the AlDub tale?

- Hyundai joins the Gran Turismo 6's Vision Gran Turismo family with the unveiling of their N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo Concept racecar, set for 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling and coming soon to GT6 this fall.

- The first-ever Jaguar F-Pace crossover is fully unveiled in time for its 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show debut.

- The cast of Marvel's Jessica Jones, a Netflix-original series, will be making their appearances on next month's New York Comic Con.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (September 14, 2015)

- On early Monday morning, Mt. Aso on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu has erupted at around 0943 hours Japan time. The Meteorological Agency raised its alert level on three, meaning no one should approach the volcanoes.

-  Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga announced the revoking of an approval for landfill work in an area where the central government plans to relocate a US military base, saying it is the first step in stopping the construction of the base in Henoko district in Nago city, with all means necessary.

- Investigators believed that this is the work of an Uygur group behind last month's Bangkok bomb attacks. Investigators arrested two foreigners for their alleged role in the explosion that killed 20 people and injured over 120.

- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III spearheaded the inauguration of the controversial 700-million peso Iloilo Convention Center, located on a 1.7 hectare lot in Iloilo Business Park, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

- The Department of Labor and Employment secretary Rosalinda Baldoz warned overseas Filipino workers and their families against loan scams circulating the internet using the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration name and logo to make the false document appear legitimate.

- A classic 1971 Toyota Celica sportscar is this week's Jay Leno's Garage feature.

- Ready for Doctor Who this Saturday on BBC One? Check out the exclusive scene from the prologue of the first episode of the latest series starring Peter Capaldi as The Doctor.



- Announced at the end of the final episode of the Death Note live-action TV drama, there's going to be a "forbidden sequel" to 2006's Death Note films from the first one to The Last Note. Yes, you heard that right. There's a new Death Note movie coming next year featuring descendants of Kira and L.

- Check out the Aston Martin DB10, made for the upcoming 007: Spectre movie coming this autumn, in action.



TTFN!!!

GMA's Startalk ends their almost 20 year run on TV

For almost 20 years since its run in 1995, GMA's Startalk has been the longest-running weekly entertainment news and talk show that has been branded as the only showbiz authority in Philippine TV.

From past presenters such as Boy Abunda, Kris Aquino, Dawn Zulueta, Lorna Tolentino, Heart Evangelista, and Rosanna Roces, to present-day presenters such as Joey De Leon, Butch Francisco, Tito Ricky, and longtime presenter Lolit Solis, they have kept the show running for two decades by delivering non-stop and senseful showbiz news to everyone around the world.

Yesterday, their 1024th episode signalled the end of the Philippines' only showbiz authority where the presenters answered every viewers' questions from the world of Philippine showbizness as well as how past presenters recalled their moments.

It has been one heck of a ride for us, getting the latest showbiz news from generations after generations and there's never been a showbiz programme that lasts long as Startalk.

Thank you, Startalk.

#BGIslandOfDesire

On the September 11, 2015 episode of Bubble Gang...

- The ugly man crashes the party...and then some...

- Bridge gags

- The biggest mistake a married couple would commit...

- More words to live by from Tata Lino!

- Different kinds of delaying tactics explained.

- Maria Sofia Love enjoys some of Bubble Gang's hilarious sketches.

- One man is stranded on an island of desire!

- One reporter's idea to save his nearly defunct news program...

- Lait pa more with Lala Ytera!

- One man learns to fight back against a shouty female...and then some other females...

Remembering 9-11 (14 years ago)

*This is a repost

September 11, 2001.

I was in school at that day, but I'll never forget the images I saw on the news that day.

Terrorists hijacked four jet airliners filled with passengers. They crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, while a third plane hit a wing of the Pentagon, the American military HQ, in Washington D.C., and a fourth airplane crash landed somewhere near Pittsburgh. According to reports, over 3,000 people died. It was a tragic day that engulfed the world.

Even in today's times, the pain and the radical changes since 9/11 are still in our minds today and we are still very unsure what possible consequences will be facing on us if the world keeps on changing.

Let's Do The News! (September 11, 2015)

- Reports state that about three people have died and 23 missing by the massive floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall in eastern Japan.

- Meanwhile. rainwater has intermittently overflowed a drainage channel from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and spilled directly into the sea following the heavy rainfall that hit the eastern part of Japan.

- Voters in Singapore are casting ballots in today's general elections as attention is focused on how much ground the rival parties can gain as the public is increasingly unhappy with the rise of foreign workers and the widening wealth gap. A total of 89 seats are vacant in the first election since Lee Kuan Yew's death last March.

- The People's Republic of China is building an air facility on the Zamora Reef in South China Sea that will jeopardize the Philippines' possession of Pag-Asa Island.

- The Malacanang Palace rejected President Benigno Aquino III's proposal to declare a state of emergency due to the massive traffic jams in Metro Manila.

- The Sport Tourer for the new-generation Opel/Vauxhall Astra has been unveiled.

- Check out the latest TV advert for the upcoming 007: SPECTRE movie starring Daniel Craig as 007 James Bond.

- Young actor Enrique Gil  is allegedly involved in drunken incident.

- Over four million iPhone users have been downloaded THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage app game from the App Store since its release days after the Android version came out, according to Bandai Namco.

TTFN!!!

METAL GEAR SOLID V ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

METAL GEAR SOLID V
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the gripping conclusion to the Metal Gear Solid prequel saga where it centers on the legendary Big Boss awakened from a coma nine years after the destruction of Mother Base as seen on Ground Zeroes. Desperate for revenge, he was accompanied by his trusted partner Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller, his former rival Revolver "Shalashaska" Ocelot, and his men from Diamond Dogs, Punished "Venom" Snake vows to put an end to Cipher's dark conspiracy. Spanning from Afghanistan to Central Africa, the game gives players unprecedented stealth freedom in the form of open world gaming as well as treats in store from this game and the inevitable plot twists that will keep them guessing for more.

In honor of The Phantom Pain's launch, here comes the soundtrack which covers both the Ground Zeroes prologue and The Phantom Pain main story. Handcrafted by the veterans behind the background musics heard from the Metal Gear saga, this two disc album features not just the scores heard from both MGSV games but also licensed songs such as The Man Who Sold The World, Here's To You, Not Your Kind of People, and Nuclear. It even comes with The Phantom Pain's theme song, Sins of the Father by Donna Burke, who once provided her vocals from Peace Walker's Heavens Divide five years ago.

This two-disc compilation is a sure thing that will keep your Phantom Cigars smoking on while listening on the songs and scores heard in the most dramatic chapter in the Metal Gear Solid prequel saga.

Let's Do The News! (September 10, 2015)

- Torrential rains are causing floods throughout much of eastern Japan, washing away homes and rescuers are busy airlifting stranded people to safety. The floodwaters caused the dikes somewhere in the Ibaraki Prefecture heavily damaged.

- The Japanese Foreign Ministry is arranging high-level talks with the US and South Korea to discuss the possible launch of a missile by North Korea. Reports told that the North is holding an event next month to honor the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. There is a possibility that an ICBM launch may coincide with the event.

- According to reports, the culprit behind the Bangkok bomb attacks last month may have escaped abroad. The Thai police arrested two foreign men for their alleged involvement and extracted information that a man named "Izan" instructed him to make a bomb and hand it over to someone who is suspected to have carried out the attack.

- To prevent another heavy traffic that occurred last Tuesday in EDSA, the DPWH said that its road maintenance  team is up on clearing clogged drainage systems and expediting flood control projects.

- The Bangsamoro peace process has been tackled during the International Meeting for Peace Tirana in Albania while discussing the harsh scenarios in Syria and Nigeria's Boko Haram. The Government of the Philippines' chief peace negotiator Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer stated to the panelists that it was the Bangsamoro that led to the signing of the peace agreement between them and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

- Big news from Apple today; in preparation for the upcoming iOS9, the Cupertino-based tech giant unveiled the updated version of the iPhone 6 called the iPhone 6S as well as the new iPad Pro, new Apple Watch variants, and Apple TV.

- In time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokemon next year, The Pokemon Company International unveiled Pokemon GO, a totally new experience where everyone can catch Pokemon --- in the real world using their smartphone! In collaboration with Niantic, Inc., Pokemon GO gives players a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a Pokemon trainer in the real-world, catching, trading, and battling. There's a Bluetooth device called the Pokemon GO Plus which allows them to enjoy even when they're not looking at their smartphone. It's set to arrive next year on the App Store and Google Play for free with in-app purchases will be available.

- SPARTAAAAAAAANS!!!!! Leonidas from the film 300 gets his own figma from Good Smile Company!!!

- More idol madness coming in from the Bandai Namco portfolio and this time, they've unveiled an all-male 2.5D idol project called Dream Festival featuring five male idols with their real-life cast members. It's about five male idols working at a fictional talent agency and in this one, users can take advantage of Dream Festival Cards that can unlock outfits and performances during the idols' performances.

TTFN!!!

Daihatsu Cast Style and Cast Activa

It's a casting call for Japan's kei car maker Daihatsu as they've unveiled the new Cast range consisting of the Style, which is more of a successor to the Mira Gino and targets the Honda N-ONE, the Activa, which replaces the Terios Kid and targets the Suzuki Hustler, and a third one coming next one, which I believe to be the target of Suzuki's Alto Turbo RS.

But in the meantime, let's focus more on the two Cast models available for launch, starting with the Cast Style.

2016 Daihatsu Cast Style

2016 Daihatsu Cast Style interior

The Cast Style mimics the look of the old Mira Gino, which is known to be a poor man's Mini Cooper since the Nissan V_r_t_ (sorry, some letters blocked due to search query reasons), and it's a prime target for the female demographics in their adulthood because what they want for a kei car that something more of an accessory rather than a tool. For the Style model, it truly caters the very occasion with its Mira Gino-inspired looks, basic interior design, a choice of three interior accents, and an optional Diatone Sound System Plan with lots of extras too much to mention.

Powering the Cast Style is a choice of a KF-VE4 660cc engine that promises 30.0km/L of fuel economy and a KF-VET 660cc turbo engine with a fuel economy of up to 27.0km/L, all mated with a CVT gearbox and Daihatsu's fuel-efficient e:S technology derived from most kei-cars. Of course, you can opt in for a four-wheel drive variant when things get a little slippery but that 4WD system is best to be equipped to the next Cast lined up.

2016 Daihatsu Cast Activa

2016 Daihatsu Cast Activa interior

This is the Cast Activa, the crossover variant of the Cast and while it may not be as good as the Suzuki Hustler rival in terms of fuel efficiency, it's still the best looking of the kei crossovers. Since the Activa targets solely for the outdoorsy type of youth looking for some R&R, the exterior is well-themed to be more adventurous as well as the darker shade of its interior.

Like the Style model I've mentioned, the Activa is still powered by a choice of a KF-VE4 660cc engine that promises 30.0km/L of fuel economy and a KF-VET 660cc turbo engine with a fuel economy of up to 27.0km/L, all mated with a CVT gearbox and Daihatsu's fuel-efficient e:S technology. Whoa, did I just mentioned that from above? Well, you get the idea but that turbocharged variant of the Activa is incredibly 0.2km/L more than the turbocharged Suzuki Hustler, so it's a dead heat between the two Japanese kei crossovers.

For most models it comes with a very sophisticated front suspension setup, simple monocoque chassis, "D assist" power steering switch that can be turned off or on to take fate of the Cast's handling capabilities, and exclusive for the Activa; the Downhill Assist Control, which helps the Activa to be more efficient in the case of driving downhill.

With safety as its priority one; all Cast models come with Daihatsu's Smart Assist II consisting of Emergency Stop Signal system, Lane Departure Warning, Pedestrian Detection, and many other safety tech offered for these models.

The Cast Style starts from 1,220,400 to 1,641,600 Yen while the Cast Activa starts from 1,220,400 to 1,647,000 Yen respectively, so it is quite much when compared to Honda's N-ONE and the Suzuki Hustler but because these two are showing their ages, best to have one of these and see how the new Cast speaks to you as your starter car if you got yourself a driver's license for the first time.

Photo: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.