Let's Do The News! (April 1, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- NO WATER FOR HOLY WEEK! Some parts in Manila and Cavite, serviced by Maynilad Water Services, will have no water during Holy Week.

- Mitsubishi Motors Philippines buys the mothballed Ford manufacturing plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna, and plans to relocate their headquarters from Cainta, Rizal, and manufacturing begins next year.

The old Ford manufacturing plant in Laguna

- Japanese motoring journalists were invited to drive the prototype version of the 2015 Daihatsu Copen. Yes, the brand's kei sports roadster is back and it will be heavily inspired from last year's KOPEN FUTURE ADVANCED concept as seen from the Tokyo Motor Show. According to reports, Daihatsu will be launching their reborn Copen this summer.

Pre-production model of the 2015 Daihatsu Copen

- Number of people died by the deadly Ebola Virus outbreak in Guinea, West Africa, has now risen to 78.

- Looks like Thailand's motor industry is really catching up to the top as Mitsubishi plans to establish their R&D center and test track in this country, and Volkswagen plans to put up their manufacturing plant here. General Motors is no stranger either as they announced that they have plans for Thailand to produce their own GM vehicle to comply with Phase 2 of the Thai government's eco car program.

- Vhong Navarro approves to use his mauling scene for his upcoming film.

- NATO sees no sign of the Russians pulling back from the Ukrainian border.

- There is still no sign of the MH370 cockpit transcript as the search for the missing plane continues.

- Senator Grace Poe denies rumors about her 2016 president candidacy.

- Actress Kristen Bell talks in a recent interview from hmv.com that she was once obsessed with The Little Mermaid when she was a little girl.

- Manhart tweaks the BMW M135i to have over 400HP of power and calls it the MH1 400, making the almost-hot hatch even more hotter.

- The Philippine Government warns that they are prepared for possible paybacks from China including the sabotage from the country's electric sector.

TTFN!!!

GT6: Cars that are Gran Turismo exclusive - FD2 Civic Type R

Today, we take a look at this FD2 Civic Type R. Launched in 2007, this is the first time the Civic Type R spawned a saloon after the previous three generations based on hatchback equivalents and this is based on the Asia-spec eighth generation Honda Civic. Sadly, this is the last Type R to be made in Japan because since 2010, Honda stopped sales of the Honda Civic and the ninth-generation model, sold globally, is not available in Japan as of now and never will be.

The FD2 Civic Type R will run through the Goodwood Hillclimb but at what time will it post?




It posted a 1:00.839 lap time!

It maybe the last Type R Honda that is MADE IN JAPAN but it makes good use of its athletic proportions as well as the iconic i-VTEC engine that powers it! It handles pretty well as what any high performance cars can do.

FD2 Honda Civic Type R - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

F1 2014: Malaysian GP

Using his pole position as his advantage, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton scored a clear win in Sepang, Malaysia, for the second round of the F1 2014 season, giving Mercedes F1 team a one-two finish with teammate Nico Rosberg placed second and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel placed 3rd.

There have been some numerous problems faced in this race such in the case of Sauber-Ferrari's Esteban Gutierrez faced gearbox problems and teammate Adrian Sutil had his racecar suffered a power unit failure. For Save The Ring's Jean-Eric Vergne, his vehicle's turbochargers gone haywire while Lotus's Pastor Maldonado's vehicle also suffered a power unit failure. It's not a good race for Red Bull newbie Daniel Ricciardo where he retired during lap 40.

Sergio Perez of Force India is the F1 driver's facing a very bad day in Malaysia when his racer faced gearbox issues at the start of the race.

Report: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/3/15638.html

The next race for this season will be held at Bahrain this April 6, 2014 and let's just hope no further crisis will happen before, during, and after the race.

Forza Motorsport 5: Message from ST

They called this the Fiesta ST and it's been several years ago when Ford launched a hot Fiesta. For this latest version, it seems that Ford managed to remember the hot hatch mantra that it's not what it does but it's how it does. It may not be quite a supercar slayer but this hot hatch knows how to make me smile in all the right corners.



This hot hatchback incorporates a precision-tuned and driver-focused powertrain and chassis to deliver the ultimate Fiesta driving experience.

Europe-spec models feature a 3-door model equipped with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine to achieve 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and offer 182 PS and 240 Nm of torque, while the US-Spec models, which Forza Motorsport 5 featured it, comes available exclusively as a 5-door model equipped with the same 1.6L EcoBoost engine but with an estimated 197 horsepower and 214 lb.-ft. of torque.

This model is the result of the collaboration between Team RS in Europe and SVT in the United States and it appeals to a wide global audience under the company's One Ford movement.



Although the roster of hot hatches can be somewhat few, the Fiesta ST is one of the hot hatches that really off the charts and really cuts it through the competition because it has some of the qualities a true hot hatch deserve; being fast, being maneuverable, being an all-rounder, and being made for everyday use. Overall, its fun factor is worth being worthy of being one of my favorite cars to drive in Forza Motorsport 5.

 



You do very well to have fun in this Fiesta on Forza 5 because this is one of the only 2014 models you can try on this game.

 

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: Adapting to Japan's 8% tax hike

As you may now that beginning in the 1st of April, 2014, all of Japan will face the rise of the national sales tax from 5% to 8%. This is the first time it happened since 1997 that a tax hike in Japan occurred. So, what does that mean? That means most Japanese will face even more pain in their pockets and why did Japan face such a dreaded hike? No one knows but some say it's the work of the Diet to push this country out of the debt zone but between you and me, that tactic won't work and expect the consumer spending to drop because of the new increase of the national tax that will really put a dent out of it.

So...how to put it this way regarding the 8% tax hike? Take this Toyota 86. The G model with the 6-speed model costs about 2,410,000 Japanese Yen, right? That's when the 5% was applied to it but what happens when we take it away? It costs 2,295,238 Yen. Now what happens when we applied this new 8% tax hike to the price...wanna know how much it costs? It now costs 2,478,857 Japanese Yen! That's about a 69k increase when the tax hike in Japan is implemented! Still, that price won't stop you from having one...I think.

What about your daily groceries? I'm not sure the average grocery spending per Japanese household but where I am sitting from, me and my family spend about 150 US Dollars of grocery spending per month...theoretically. Suppose with the 5% tax added to your monthly grocery, it costs about the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 160 US Dollars but what happens when you calculate it with Japan's new 8% tax hike? Wanna know how much? Well, I'd expect to be somewhat below the Japanese housewife's grocery shopping equivalent of 165 US Dollars, a $5 increase when the 8% hike was implemented. Hmmm....

Well, there are some companies trying to adapt to this new situation here in Japan. Bandai, for example, plans on introducing new Gashapon machines made to dispense high-value toys in larger, can-shaped packages. Those new cans sell for a high price but filled with big toys worth 200 to 500 Japanese Yen. Scaling that up, that's only 2 to 5 US Dollars. Then, there's Subaru, which plans to sell their new Levorg sports tourer this April. Although the pricing remains unknown before its Japan release, I'm expecting the pricing will be below 2.7 million yen and in theory, that new pricing was adopted with Japan's 8% sales tax. Well, what about that upcoming PS3-exclusive iM@S One For All? For starters, it says 7600 Yen plus tax for the normal version and 11,880 Yen plus tax for the limited edition 765 Pro New Produce Box. So, with the 8% tax, it costs about 8210 Japanese Yen for the normal one and 12,830 Yen for the limited edition. 8,210 Japanese Yen for a PS3 game in Japan? With an equivalent of about 83 US Dollars, buying a new video game in Japan seems costly now that the 8% hike is implemented.

You get the idea but if you're a foreigner who want to take a break in Japan, best be warned that with the 8% hike in sales tax, your single 100 yen coin is no use like what one penny is on American soil. Let's hope you got enough pocket money before your trip and make good use of those money exchange but for a recommendation, best to have about 200 US Dollars before you set off and when exchanged, you have about 20,600 Yen in your allowance...as a theory but still more is best when you set off because...what are you going to buy when you're in Japan? It's your money so decide well because with the 8% hike, your decisions have been shorten threefold.

I'm just saying but if you want to survive in Japan in the midst of the 8% tax hike, heed my advice and stay safe when you're out there. Gosh, I'm already getting myself a financial headache right now. Gonna get some rest right now but I hope you remember about surviving Japan in an 8% sales tax!

Good Luck!

Let's Do The News! (March 30, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- REMINDER: It's your last chance to buy or build a Ferrari in Car Town because you got until the end of March 2014 to collect one now! All of the out-of-stock Ferraris are in the car dealership for one final time including the LaFerrari hybrid supercar and the hardcore 458 Speciale.

- New coachbuilder David Brown Automotive has unveiled their maiden vehicle based on the Jaguar XK coupe and it's called the Speedback. Although it is based on the Jaguar XK, the Speedback has looks reminiscent of everyone's favorite secret agent car, the Aston Martin DB5.

2014 David Brown Automotive Speedback

- Bertone bankruptcy is confirmed and they got until the end of April 2014 to find a new, potential buyer.

- The GM Mass Recall crisis continues as 662,000 pickup trucks and Cruze sedans were added to the recall.

- Actress Maui Taylor pushes the investigation into the alleged concert scam in Dubai. PEP reports.

- The Department of Education wants internet shops near Iloilo schools to be regulated.

- An official report shows that those that are missing from the deadly landslide in Snohomish County has been down from 90 to 30.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines are ready to face the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters but asks them to join the peace process.

TTFN!!!

The Kids Choice Awards 2014

That night, it's that annual event of the year the kids and the kids-at-heart have been longing for and that event is none other than Nick's Kids Choice Awards and for 2014, Mark Wahlberg is the host for this year's awards and he's trying to prove in front of the audience that he's "unslimable" but in the end, guess who got the last laugh? It's Mark Wahlberg himself!



Anyway before the big night, there are new episodes of two of our favorite Nick shows such as Sam & Cat  and SpongeBob SquarePants. The latest episode of Sam & Cat sees the return of the familiar foes from iCarly such as the psycho named Nora and the boy who tried to take down iCarly, Nevel. Oh yeah, Gibby's also back in that special episode. The episode was titled #SuperPsycho and in that episode, the psycho Nora broke out of jail and then she kidnapped Dice, the boy that Sam and Cat were babysitting at. Desperate, as Sam and Cat seek help from Nevel, who's at the asylum, I think, to seek help finding out where Nora took Dice at.

In the end, Sam took down Nora and the cops arrested Nora but then, Nevel's escaped from the asylum.



After that, there's a new episode of SpongeBob and in that episode, SpongeBob was eager to see his idol, Kenny the Cat, coming to Bikini Bottom, but only found out that his idol was a phony.



After watching new episodes of those two hit Nick series, it's time for the big event. There have been some numerous special guests, musical numbers, and not to mention the green gooey slimy stuff they've saving it for the big one.

Kevin Hart won as the favorite funny star while Selena Gomez is the KCA 2014 favorite female singer, then Sam and Cat's Ariana Grande won as favorite TV actress, Austin and Ally's Ross Lynch as favorite TV actor, Sam & Cat as favorite TV show, comedian Adam Sandler as favorite movie actor, Robert Downey Jr. (the dude who played Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes) as favorite male buttkicker (their term used for action stars), and Frozen as favorite animated movie.

There are more of this year's winners that you can check it out at http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/2014/nominees/

Most importantly, the first ever Nickelodeon Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to the big boss behind some of our favorite comedy shows from Nickelodeon, something that tickled our childhood through the years and that big boss is none other than, ladies and gents, Mr. Dan Schneider.



The KCA 2014 is all about being controlled by viewers like you and in this year's show, viewers decided which slime stunt they want to see in this year's show and as chosen, it's the SLIME RODEO. Then, viewers decided whether if its actors Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson who want to get slimed and as chosen by viewers like you, both Austin and Cody got slimed! Fantastic!

I really hope I had fun watching this year's KCA as much as you do! What's your most memorable experience at this year's KCA?

What's in our Car Town garage today? (March 30, 2014)

What's in our Car Town garage today?

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

The GTS/4 is the open top version of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, known unofficially as the Daytona because of Ferrari's 1-2-3 finish in the February 1967 24 Hours of Daytona with the 330 P4, well that's the theory anyway. Even though it still comes with the same V12 as its hardtop equivalent, the Spider version is probably one of the rarest machines in history because 122 units have been made, less than the hardtop equivalent.

1969 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spider

1971 Buick Riviera

One of the most notable features in this third-generation Buick Riviera is the addition of the Max Trac, that's Buick's call for the traction control system that prevents the wheels from spinning out during acceleration on wet surfaces. The third-generation Riviera is powered by a 455 7.5L V8 engine mated with a 3-speed automatic gearbox but it has lower compression ratio to meet EPA regulations.

1971 Buick Riviera

Ferrari 288 GTO

This Ferrari was originally built to compete with the Group B race series but when fatal accidents spelled the end of the Group B racing, the 288 GTO never went into racing, leaving all 272 units be sold into road-legal cars. It's powered by a 2.9L V8 turbo engine that Ferrari says it will do 0-60mph in a four second mark and a top speed of 189mph, making this the first-ever road car to reach the 300kph mark.

1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE

It's quite bizarre that Lamborghini once made a shooting brake in the form of the Espada grand tourer which was styled by the famed Marcelo Gandini from Bertone, the same man behind the Countach. Aside from being a shooting brake, the Espada is the first bonafide four-seater Lambo with 1217 units built during its 10 year tenure. It is the first Lamborghini to come with an automatic gearbox capable to survive the torque of the 4.0L V12 engine but unlike any other automatic gearboxes, the automatic gearbox in the Espada had a rather bizarre gearing from D, 1, and R.

1972 Lamborghini Espada 400 GTE

Noah (2014 film)

The story of Noah's Ark has been widely popularized in different forms of media but for this year, looks like the folks from Paramount wanted to give it a new spin to a biblical tale of Noah's Ark by creating an "untold story" to one of the most legendary tales as the faithfuls might remember as NOAH making waves to one of the most awaited films to hit this Spring.

NOAH

So, why would they make this film about the epic tale of Noah's Ark? Well, for starters, this so-called untold story of an epic tale wanted to give the new generation a fresh and modernized take so that viewers, sometimes churchy joes, will have a unique idea of what this story is meant to be. It stars Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone (from The Sweeney movie, in case you remember this fella), Emma Watson (Hermione from the Harry Potter franchise), and Sir Anthony Hopkins (the original Dr. Hannibal Lecter), among many others.

Anyway, in this film, Noah was warned by an elder that a Great Flood is coming and it can't be stopped. When the end is near, Noah is on a race against time to save everything no matter what it takes. Well, you may heard that story from all of the versions of Noah's Ark but since this movie differentiates from all the other versions of Noah's Ark, everything about this story will never be the same...as a theory.

I know this movie tries to capture the new generation of churchy joes with its compelling storyline and the theme of courage, sacrifice, and hope but there are some chinks behind the film's defense and when you look at the first half, it feels like there has been some mashup of some fantasy movies you know. Feels a bit like, well, Lord of The Rings, Gladiator, Braveheart, Clash of the Titans, Beowulf, or any other fantasy films you have witnessed through the years. Noah really does had some references of those fantasy films when it comes to the first half but by the time the part about the Great Flood, it now kinda feels like Titanic meets 2012...or Perfect Storm meets Armageddon or any other disaster movie you may know.

In essence then, Noah is purely a combination of a fantasy movie and a disaster movie rather than focusing on being a movie targeted for the religious but despite all of the woes, it's still not quite bad.

I'd rate this an 2.5 out of 5 so it's okay...

Let's Do The News! (March 29, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- STILL MORE BAD CASE ON GM'S MASS RECALL: General Motors added 971,000 more cars in the cataclysmic mass recall regarding the highly fatal ignition switch problems, bringing it a total of almost 2.6 million units recalled by this fatal problem.

- A report states that Opel, the troubled European marque of General Motors, will be exiting the Chinese market next year but plans to produce a Buick model in their plant in Germany.

- Top Gear's on hot water...yet once again as an Indian actress sue the hit motoring show over the "slope" remark as seen at the show's Myanmar special, where the boys build a bridge in the River Kwai.

- BMW will build a brand new SUV at their newly established Spartanburg plant.

- Stability Control problems prompted Cadillac to recall their brand-new ELR PHEV coupe.

- Ferrari is in hot water right now over the legal battle of some 21-year-old's Facebook page.

- To prevent fires, Tesla arms the Model S electric saloon with some complementary titanium underbody shields.

- A voluntary safety recall was announced by Toyota for 119,000 units of the Toyota Pronard saloon over their airbag problems.

Toyota Pronard

- The latest update for Forza Motorsport 5 lets players keep their new DLC cars at no additional costs once they purchased any DLC Car Packs for the first time. When you purchased a DLC Car Pack for the first time, you’ll be given one-time-only access to each car in a pack, which you can add to your garage at no additional charge. This applies to current and upcoming FM5 DLC Packs as well as the recently announced Top Gear Car Pack, coming this Tuesday, which features 10 new rides to the game such as;

1966 Chaparral #66 Chaparral Cars 2E
2013 Holden #10 Xbox Racing Team Commodore VF
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2013 Audi RS4 Avant
1980 Renault 5 Turbo
1999 Lotus Elise Series 1 Sport 190
2011 Ford Transit SuperSportVan
1998 Nissan R390
2006 Hummer H1 Alpha
2013 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport

-  A Chinese report states that a Chinese aircraft have spotted three suspicious objects in the Malaysia jet search area.

- First gay marriages to take place in England and Wales.

- The popular boyband One Direction will perform the theme song for the Say I Love You live-action movie.

TTFN!!!

Araw-araw ang saya!

On the March 28, 2014 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Concert gags

- Gay dude thinks we're gay...time to teach him a lesson...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...online piracy!!!

- Senate hearing...director's cut.

- Bubble Gang does Sunshine Spaghetti by spoofing this commercial as SOONSHINE SPAGHETTI! No.1!

Bubble Gang does Sunshine Spaghetti

- More wise words from the wisest man in Bubble Gang, TATA LINO!

- Holdapper's got sore throat...

- Antonietta's back...with a vengeance! You'd better watch out!!!

- Istambay, Istamnbay sa Looban, may seksing napadpad sa tambayan, dahil sya ay pinagnanasaan, ang lahat ay gusto ng kan...TAHAN?!

- Don't buy some raw foods. Doctor's orders...

Forza Motorsport 5: Audi R8 V10 - old vs. new -

For the first time in Forza history, I finally got my hands on the brand new Audi R8 V10 or to be precise, the Audi R8 V10 plus. The facelifted version of the R8 looks pretty much the same but with the addition of the V10 plus model, it truly sets it apart from the old R8 V10 model, which you can find on Forza Motorsport 5.





The question is, is the plus version of the Audi R8 V10 really an improvement to the old Audi R8 V10? To find out, I went to the Top Gear Test Track using both the old R8 V10 and the new R8 V10 plus model. The fastest time is the winner.






For a quick briefing about the new Audi R8 V10 plus; it uses the Audi R8 5.2 FSi quattro as its base. The R8 V10 Plus features a new S tronic double-clutch transmission as well as the updated version of the 5.2 V10 engine generating 550HP of power output.

With those improvements, the R8 V10 Plus can accumulate a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of around 197mph.


The old Audi R8 V10 finished at the time of 1:22.314 while the new Audi R8 V10 Plus finished at 1:21.675, a second quicker. So, there we have it. The new R8 V10 Plus really made some improvements to keep Audi's first bonafide supercar with some Lamborghini components in it fresh and ready having aged through the years. Well, I'm glad I finally got behind the wheel of this facelifted R8 V10.

Let's Do The News! (March 28, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- Toyota revealed their contender for this summer's 24 Hours of Le Mans and this TS040 Le Mans racer is a hybrid-engine wielding one capable of unleashing over nine-hundred horsepower combined from the 3.7L petrol engine connected to a new motor-generator on the front axle as well as the unit in the rear.

2014 Toyota TS040

- As Japan's dreaded 8% sales tax hike draws near, most companies are bracing themselves for the tax hike with new and not-so-exciting ways to keep their businesses as usual. Bandai, for instance, revealed their capsule figure cans to counter the tax hike.

- Mark Gatiss confirms to write two Doctor Who episodes featuring Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor as production for Series 8 continues...

- Before The Pirate Fairy, the newest original video continuing the adventures of Tinker Bell and the Disney Fairies, comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray this April 1st, the journey continues as the teaser trailer for an upcoming Disney Fairies adventure, Legend of the NeverBeast, has arrived.

- The Season 5 finale of A&E's hit reality series, Duck Dynasty suffered low ratings. Why?

- Cedric Lee, the businessman who was one of the alleged suspects behind the mauling of Vhong Navarro a few months ago, gets charged by the P194-million tax evasion.

- Senator Manny Villar mulls running for the 2016 presidency.

- Metro Manila is one of the riskiest cities in the world in any event a natural calamity strikes according to a Swiss firm.

- Long lines outside the MRT stations to persists until the next two years.

- A judge from Makati City grants Janet Lim Napoles' request to undergo surgery.

- The MMDA revealed two new bicycle lanes in Quezon City.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (March 25, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Subway collaborates with Disney once again to promote Muppets Most Wanted by featuring limited-time-only Muppets Most Wanted backpacks, free for every Subway Kids Meal while supplies last. Ask your parents first, kids.

- Despite the political crisis happening in Thailand, it's business as usual as the 2014 Bangkok Motor Show opens to the motoring public until April 6, 2014. They'll be featuring Thai premieres of concept cars and production cars that I can't tell you what's what due to search engine reasons.

- After last year's launch of the lightweight 4C, Alfa Romeo plans that they'll be doing yearly updates to their sportscar.

- A Democrat wants the Department of Justice to create a compensation fund for those who are fallen victim to the General Motors-made cars that were recalled for lethal ignition problems.

- Also...a test drive with the new 2015 GMC Yukon XL at Anaheim ended in cinders due to the leaky gas tank.

- Ukrainians hate Russia over the annexation of the nation of Crimea and there's a rather bizarre stuff going on around as Russian-made cars or cars representing Russia or stuff with Soviet Union-related or whatever you can call were attacked by the Ukrainian people for protest reasons.

- Next Fast and Furious movie, set for next year's showing, will use Paul Walker impersonators and some computer graphic trickery. Quite an odd challenge since Paul died late last year in a deadly car crash.

- There is a report from PEP that just before the year ends, actress Bianca Gonzalez and basketball player JC Intal plan to get married. It's been quite a while after JC proposed to Bianca in front of the airport people a few moments ago.

- Mila Kunis (the actress behind Meg from Family Guy) and Ashton Kutcher are expecting for their first child...

- PHLPost released postal stamps with Megan Young in it in honor of her last year's win at the Miss World pageant.

- Malaysian newspapers have been shaded to black as a tribute to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

- Chinese families, mostly relatives from the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, slams Malaysian authorities for their lack of responsibilities.

- The world's top scientists are gathered in Tokyo, Japan for a week-long meeting regarding global environmental catastrophes that can heavily damage the global economy and ignite conflicts.

- The 2014 reboot of Fate/stay night TV anime series will retain the same cast as the original version.

- UP Diliman approves the proposal for their August opening of classes.

- Calum Worthy from Austin and Ally, listed the top 18 reasons why this show should be renewed for a new season...and here's why.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (March 24,2014)

The big scoop today...

- As the Malaysian Grand Prix of the 2014 Formula One season draws near, it seems the headlines are made before the race as members of the Scuderia Ferrari team booked themselves a stay at Kuala Lumpur's Cyberview Hotel, which in fact where relatives of the people remained missing in the Flight MH370 were staying. Because of the bookings filled, the relatives of the MH370 passengers were forced to leave. That's not right...

- The Hollywood version of The Grudge horror movie gets an update courtesy of producer Sam Raimi.

- It appears that Crimea's new Attorney General, Natalia Poklonskaya, gets a high liking from the Japanese people.

- IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Disney announced that The Incredibles sequel and a third Cars movie are in the works.

- Packages of condoms filled with drugs were intercepted by German customs officials.

- Senator Ralph Recto wants names and photos of the Philippines' most wanted criminals posted on social media.

- During the search for the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, a Chinese jet spotted floating "white objects". Could this be the debris from the missing MH370?

- A South-Korea bound Malaysian Airlines flight was diverted due to electrical failures.

- The family of embattled PMA cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia consider bringing his case to the Supreme Court.

TTFN!!!

Hyundai Sonata LF

The first Hyundai Sonata was launched in South Korea since November 1985 and next year, the Sonata's age will be reaching 30 years old. No wonder this is one of Korea's longest models in history and while we're still waiting for the Hyundai Sonata to reach its 30th year in 2015, looks like they got themselves a head-start by launching the latest seventh-generation of one of Korea's oldest car names.

2015 Hyundai Sonata

Well, the front view maybe more of a Subaru Legacy facsimile but the seventh-generation Sonata (LF) incorporates the carmaker's new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 first applied to last year's Genesis. This is by no means one of the most attractive saloons in its class or that's the theory because being a Korean, it's going to take a stiff competition against medium saloons from Europe, America, and Japan.

The new Sonata kinda focuses on four terms; RUN. TURN, STOP, and PROTECT. RUN refers to the engine choices, TURN refers to the handling characteristics although this new model now comes with some multilink cleverness, STOP and PROTECT refers to the safety features. Well, you get the idea but let's explain more about the new seventh-generation model from the bare essentials.

2015 Hyundai Sonata

2015 Hyundai Sonata interior

This new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design on the new Sonata takes a step further on how it looks and since it was Peter Schreyer's order, since he's now in charge of being the CEO of Hyundai Motor Group, the new boss wanted the new Sonata to be more of a facsimile to some European cars it will face and judging by the looks of it, this new model managed to pull it off in all of the right corners.

On the interior, the new Sonata is festooned with technology you might expect from a high-end business saloons and if you belong to the yuppie generation, this car might suit your style because not only you can feel comfortable on the driver's seat but you can get a bit spoiled on the infotainment system. Let's hope you're not a senior driver because you can find infotainment systems a bit to problematic in your kind of age.

At launch, the new, seventh-generation, LF Sonata carries on two petrol engines from the previous YF model such as the 2.0 Nu CVVL engine and the 2.4L Theta II GDi engine. First, the 2.0L CVVL engine produces about 168PS of power output, 201Nm of torque, and more importantly, combined fuel economy of 12.1km/L. Then, the 2.4L Theta II GDi engine develops a shy 193PS of power, 247Nm of torque, and 11.5km/L of fuel consumption. Although those fuel economy stats are stated by the manufacturer, your actual driving range can vary.

Both the 2.0L and the 2.4L GDi variants are mated with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Well, that's for the RUN statement of the Sonata but what about the statement of TURN?

In the handling stakes, the new Sonata comes with the multilink suspension setup so theoretically, the new model can handle like a European medium sedan and I am quite humbled by the result of what Hyundai did to keep up against their opposition. Once more, it even comes with Adaptive Shock Dampers to make the car more comfortable to drive in the bends. Couple that with the Vehicle Stability Management and the Vehicle Dynamics Control and you got yourself a well-civilized midsize saloon that is as sensible as reading a book on Korean culture.

2015 Hyundai Sonata

In the case of STOP and PROTECT, the new Sonata has been loaded with some optional safety features including the Forward Collision Warning System, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, Blind Spot Detection, and not to mention the Advanced Smart Parking Assist System where you can let the parking all by itself when it spots a vacant parking space. Useful if you are in a last minute to change your clothes for a big day.

Even though the new Sonata comes with seven airbags, there's one thing you will notice and nope, not from where you're seeing at, there's an additional airbag under the steering wheel! How did they added an airbag under the steering wheel? Well, isn't that witchcraft? I don't know but it's all in the name of PROTECT for the new Sonata.

The pricing starts at around 22,550,000 KRW (estimate $21,000) for the entry-level model with the 2.0L Nu CVVL engine while the top-end model with the 2.4L Theta II GDi engine is priced at 29,900,000 KRW (estimated $28,000) so it's a smart buy for the buck.

Available Colors: Ice White, Platinum Silver, Polished Metal, Remington Red, Coast Blue, Night Sky, Phantom Black.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Forza Motorsport 5: MINI - When you've got nothing to prove...

This is what every purists will say that this is a proper Mini Cooper. It's an original Mini Cooper, the one made in the UK and the one Sir Alec Issigonis gave birth to it since the 1950's. Despite being known to be the car targeted for the housewives, this boxy classic was been a proper track weapon and its involvement in the world of motorsports can't be outlooked in the middle of the race. For a small but mighty compact, the classic Mini Cooper is definitely a favorite among Forza fans everywhere because not only it was recognized as Mr. Bean's car but it had a starring role in the original Italian Job. Well, there's more to it than that, am I right?



Most big boys always go for big fancy sportscars to make up for their personal shortcomings but what if you got nothing to prove to the big boys? What do you got in front of them? Well, yes, you got yourself a Mini and you felt that you've been embarrassed in front of the big boys but when it comes to the cornering stakes, you know that the Mini does well than the big boys. It goes to show that might can be light and that Mini really toppled the convention where size matters. It's much more fun to drive than what any other big sports car do and in the end, looks like they had the last laugh now...



When you've got nothing to prove, the classic Mini Cooper S is here to help. It maybe small in size but it's one of the most enjoyable vintage classics to drive in Forza Motorsport 5.

Wow Mali Pa Rin! - 3/23/2014

On the March 23, 2014 episode of Wow Mali Pa Rin!

- BOY EPAL - This guy's ruining your conversations...even when he's not talking on you!

- MAGIC LAMAY - Is the coffin of a once-died magician (?)...make you hypnotized?

- In this week's JOEY'S ANGELS, we see if a blind guy gets an eye candy out of a babe...and puts the blame on other people.

- In this week's ANAK NG FU, Mr. Fu issues a challenge to those two men to see if they can score the most "holding hands while WOW MALI!"

- In this week's KRISSY IDEAS, Krissy teaches us how to pull the "balloon cake" prank on anyone's birthday party!

- BALLOON CAKE - Time for a slice of POP! In your face!

- GHOST 'TO MO BANG MATAKOT? - As tradition has it, Wow Mali still gets some scare tactics on unexpected people...

Why did you do that to me!

- SINO SHOCK? - A fun-ruining clown ruins a good party...until he literally ruined the party!

Gran Turismo 6: Timeless Classic Icons

The Mini Cooper, the VW Beetle, and the Fiat 500, classic icons that changed the automotive world through the years and now, it's time to find out which of these three timeless classic icons is the most iconic.

The place? Brands Hatch. The layout? The short Indy Circuit. The rule? Fastest time wins.

The Mini Cooper is a product of Sir Alec Issigonis and remains a purists' favorite over the Germanized modern Mini while the classic VW Beetle is the worldwide phenomenon that gave Volkswagen the reputation of being the "people's car" and the Fiat 500 is...well, it's one of Italy's contribution to the world. Mr. Bean drives a Mini, the Beetle is Herbie the Love Bug, and Lupin the Third drove a Fiat 500. They're all part of the pop culture craze but still, this is a GT6 science experiment and we're finding out whose the most iconic.

Although the Mini has the highest power of the three, it's heavier than the Fiat 500 but lighter than the Beetle, so it's a well-balanced classic city car that not only it looks good on the city streets but it's a good track-day car because the classic Mini has a racing pedigree. From the racetrack to the dirttrack, the Mini is always the David that trumps all the Goliaths in the motorsports history. The Fiat 500 may have a very low output but because it weighs over 500kg, you can find this car to be more maneuverable and more enjoyable to turn thanks to its lightweight bodywork. The Beetle though...it maybe the best of both worlds but even though it has more power than the old 500, it's heavier than the old 500.

After a lap round the Brands Hatch, here come the results...

1:06.219 - MINI

1:15.592 - Beetle

1:22.898 - 500

It's proven that the original and British-made classic Mini Cooper is by no means the most iconic of the three timeless classic due to its motorsports pedigree and a very high popularity among car enthusiasts and historians. Maybe that's why most purists prefer this more than the modern Mini that is made by BMW.