Forza Motorsport 7: Dom's Demon

When the Dodge Challenger Demon unveiled to the world, everyone's cowered in fear over the most powerful production car in the world. With its 840HP from its 6.2L HEMI V8 and the fastest 0-60mph time of any production sportscar, 2.3 seconds to be precise, no wonder every supercar in the world got choked by the Demon's incredible straight line speed and as Forza fans, we wanted to see the most powerful V8 car in the world to be there. However, we got this instead...





Yes, this is still the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon we are familiar with, the one that made Europe tremble in fear because of its monstrous power output that upsets almost every supercar in the world but don't be fooled because this particular Dodge Demon belongs to, well let's cut to the chase, Dom Toretto.

This is Dom's Demon and you can now play it on FM7 via The Fate of The Furious car pack. While Dom's Ice Charger overshadowed the Demon when it comes to star appeal, this demon of a machine should not be overlooked because this is the muscle car well known to break every world record in history, especially the fact that being the first production car in the world that can do the longest wheelie as verified by Guinness Book of World Records and because of The Fate of The Furious, every Mopar fanatic wants to have one in their collection and as a matter of fact, it's the numbers they should be worrying about because the Demon is strictly a limited-edition Challenger available only in the US and Canada and because it starts at 84,995 US Dollars, it's the most expensive Dodge to buy, although cheaper to buy than those European exotics the Demon sets its pitchforks at.

The Americans are as ballsy as the fat man in charge of the nation who wanted to build more nukes against his enemies but for a Dodge Demon, this is a definitive point how Americans are capable of, building stuff that are astronomical enough to crush their rivals into dust to show everyone that they are the greatest people in the world. I'm impressed to think that with all 840HP unleashed from its V8 engine, the Demon has evolved from muscle car into exotic in its own right and it's time for me to prove that theory.



Here we are at the Top Gear Test Track just to see if the Demon has grown into a proper supercar that can eat almost everyone, even in its compatriots like the Corvette and the Ford GT. Of course, with no one ever turned up to the party because I suspect, they've got intimidated by the Demon's power output, and instead someone popped up bravely.





Yes, this is the Dodge Viper ACR, the most hardcore Viper ever made and even though this is the last of the Vipers before its demise, probably because the Hellcats already devoured it like Titans in the forest, its GTS-R-inspired dynamics is what made the ACR a road-legal racecar and it lapped round the Top Gear Test Track in 1:15.1.

Time to get some beer and nachos because this will be the most interesting comparo of them all as the Viper ACR goes up against Dom Toretto's Demon from F8. Time to get this show rolling...


And now the results...

1:14.945 - Viper ACR
1:24.267 - Dom's Demon

And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen. Even though the Demon is over 200HP more than the Viper, it couldn't beat the Viper in a lap round the track and I think there's a clear reason for that. One, it's heavier than the ACR, and second, drag tires don't usually work on track days. Sure, it can be a blast to drive on the drag straights but on the track, it's very challenging indeed and looks like the Viper ACR, despite its demise, finally teached the Demon a very painful lesson on the track.



For me, it's been an honor to drive Dom's Demon on Forza Motorsport 7. Even though it's not as quick as the Viper ACR, this car makes me want to go Vin Diesel all the way because of its appearance in The Fate of The Furious. Those who saw the Dodge Demon would make them think that's the car Dom Toretto drove in the film and this Vin Diesel-approved muscle car is just one of the main reasons why we're into cars like these. The crazier they get, the awesomer they become and the Demon is just one of the Fast and Furious cars that get the job done. Now that's Fast & Furious to you.

How to dress as Aikatsu characters (Part 2)

It's the Aikatsu franchise's 5th anniversary so let's celebrate by teaching you how to be as one of your favorite Aikatsu idols but because we have the original Aikatsu and the latest Aikatsu Stars, let's focus first on the original just for nostalgia purposes.

Last time, I already tackled how to dress as characters like Ichigo Hoshimiya, Aoi Kiriya, Ran Shibuki, and the others. Now, let's focus on the 2nd year arc where Starlight Gakuin faces a stiff competition against the best and the brightest from the prestigious Dream Academy.

Time to pick up where we left off as I will explain to you how to be as the other Aikatsu stars during the 2nd year arc and when I say "how to be", I mean mimicking their hairstyles because the outfits are too random for me to explain and these outfits are up to you. By the way, little kids, ask your parents first before doing so.

As Seira Otoshiro: Seira is one of the Dream Academy students who made a courtesy visit to Starlight Gakuin just to put some pressure on Ichigo and the pals, especially Akari Ozora, who was a newcomer back then. Because of her taste for Rock N' Roll, she represents the Swing Rock brand. Okay, being Seira, first get a very long red hair to start with, then put a big ponytail and a ribbon to finish it off. Once done, it's up to you to decide the outfits.

As Sora Kazesawa: Sora is one of the Dream Academy students who undergoes designer courses. She represents the Bohemian Sky brand. Getting a long blue hair is a start because Sora's hair has some purple gradient below so this should be tricky for color-blind cosplayers like me. If you get the gradient all sorted out, feel free to pick the outfits for your cosplay; either her Dream Academy uniform or one of her Bohemian Sky outfits onstage.

As Kii Saegusa: Kii is one of the Dream Academy students who undergoes producer courses and she's known for her love for a special cider known as the Aikatsu Drink. Getting a long blond hair is an easy task but the hard task is to recreate Kii's puffy twintails and with all that puff in Kii's twintails, this may take a fortnight.

As Maria Himesato: Maria's one of the Dream Academy students who is very skilled at makeup and nails. Maria's not quite the trickiest to recreate, especially when her hair is somewhat peach-colored and she has some floral stuff in front of her hair.

As Mikuru Natsuki: Mikuru is one-half of the newly established WM idol duo comprising of her and the once veteran idol of Starlight Gakuin, Mizuki Kanzaki. Recreating Mikuru's look is no problem. You just need a long beige-colored hairdo and some pigtails to do this and once you're done recreating Mikuru's look, feel free to choose whatever outfits you like.

Next time, let's focus on the characters introduced in the final season of the Aikatsu anime, also known as the Akari Generation where Akari Ozora became the main character of this final season before Aikatsu Stars took over the telly. Watch for it.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: SK-US joint drills begin Monday

The South Korean and US navies on Monday begun their massive combined drills off the coast of the Korean Peninsula amid heightened tensions. The allies plan to continue the Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise through Friday in the East Sea and the Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea.

The carrier strike group will train with South Korean warships and other defense aircrafts in the East Sea. Military officials in Seoul have reported movement of mobile missile launchers in North Korea, and remain on alert for any provocations.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is set to promise South Korea and Japan the protection of America's nuclear umbrella against North Korea in next month's speech. According to reports, President Trump will make the speech in Seoul during his 12-day visit to Asian nations.

Trump also suggested on Friday that negotiations with Pyongyang might still be possible, but that they remain ready for numerous possibilities.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (October 16, 2017)

- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that the slay of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute is a clear sign that they will finally put an end to the ongoing Marawi Siege anytime soon. Lorenzana confirmed early Monday that the two surviving leaders of the Marawi siege have been killed in an operation conducted by government troops.

- A recent PulseAsia survey confirmed that the majority of the Filipinos are supporting the Duterte administration's brutal campaign against drugs despite their belief that extrajudicial killings happen.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II yesterday contested the report of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee censuring him for supposedly ignoring the case involving the 6.4 million peso shabu shipment seized last May.

- French president Emmanuel Macron challenges US President Donald Trump's hardline stance on Iran, vowed to revoke Harvey Weinstein's Legion of Honor award and insisted that "France is back" in the world arena.

- Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro says in a newly released video that Venezuelans should vote in yesterday's gubernatorial elections to show the nation has a "vigorous democracy." Polls indicate the opposition has a chance to gain the majority of governorships for the first time in nearly two decades of socialist government. But Maduro says they'll still be subordinate to a pro-government assembly that is re-writing the constitution.

- The Norwegian government is planning to restructure its tax breaks for electric vehicles, which has thus far given the country the world's highest percentage of EV ownership.

- In Game 2 of the 2017 PBA Governor's Cup, Barangay Ginebra leads the game with two wins after defeating Meralco Bolts at the score of 86-76.

- Uber lodged a court appeal to overturn the Transport for London's decision to refuse renewals of their private hire operator license.

- Nissan will be replacing Renault in Formula E by 2019, according to reports.

- According to reports, Tesla sacked hundreds of employees in a week, including associates, team leaders, and supervisors. The staff firing is result of a company-wide annual review.

TTFN!!!

Second-generation Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Like its saloon equivalent, the all-new Jaguar XF Sportbrake promises to be quite a worthy contender with everything at its disposal such as style, performance, and technology, not to mention the added space for a luxury wagon of this size that is ideal for their next weekend trips at the great outdoors.

2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Billed as an ideal competitor against the likes of wagon versions of BMW's 5-Series, Audi's A6, or even the Mercedes E-Class, the new XF Sportbrake offers the same aspects as its saloon equivalent, only with the added space at the back so you'll have plenty of reasons to enjoy it.

Although it has the same styling as the saloon version, the Sportbrake's sideline has the ideal expression of "I'm sexy and you know it" and that's a plus for Jaguar there. With the witty combination of the XE-styled nose, F-Type-styled rear lamps, and the wagon body, this new Sportbrake really is an improvement compared to the old XF Sportbrake of yesteryears and who can blame them but the designers themselves just to show everyone what they're capable of.

While the inside functions the same as its saloon equivalent from the air conditioning, the touch-screen sat nav, everything, the Sportbrake offers more practicality than its German rivals apart from the 555-litre boot space. There's this hands-free gesture control feature that allows drivers to use gestures to operate not just the tailgate but also the sunroof as well. Scary but amazing by Jaguar standards. Apart from the gesture control that will surprise most owners, the new Sportbrake comes with the Intelligent Tailgate that can be adjusted in an event of height restrictions, a versatile 40:20:40 split-fold set-up on the rear seats, and so much more. This wagon is all about being prepared to be extra prepared because you never know when you are having a big day.

Just like the saloon variant, the new XF Sportbrake is lighter than the previous model because of extensive use of aluminium, and thanks to their reworked dynamics as applied on the saloon such as adaptive damping, front double wishbone and rear Integral Link suspension systems, the result is a wagon that handles like a sportscar, even though the electric power steering is a bruising experience.

What's even more amazing in the new Sportbrake is its intelligent AWD system with the added, wait for it, Intelligent Driveline Dynamics that comes with Dynamic Stability Control and torque vectoring. Torque vectoring! That means the new Sportbrake's AWD system can behave like the Ford Focus RS. Wait, this all-wheel drive is reminiscent of the ones as applied on the F-Type and the F-Pace crossover so it shouldn't be a problem to get intoxicated over its clever and amazing all-wheel drive system that can adapt through driving conditions with ease as well as the way you drive this thing.

Choice of engines? Well, the XF Sportbrake is offered with a wide variety of engines such as the highly-recommended Ingenium engine range that balances efficiency and performance at the same pace, and the 3.0L V6 diesel engine, which is the most powerful engine offered in the Sportbrake, with 300PS of power and 700Nm of torque. With so much torque, it has a towing capacity of up to 2,000kg. That V6 diesel sounds raunchy and nice but the Ingenium engines are a best best because they're very light and well-balanced.

As for safety, the Sportbrake, like the saloon equivalent, comes with a wide array of driver assist features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist, Blind Spot Monitor and Reverse Traffic Detection, and of course, Park Assist. With features like these, nothing says being prepared than having a Sportbrake that is prepared for almost everything.

Price? The new Sportbrake starts at 34,910 GBP, which is two grand more than the saloon equivalent but that prices rather well to the competition. To sum this thing up; the new Sportbrake may be slightly expensive than the saloon variant and it doesn't have the F-Type sourced V6 petrol that the saloon has but with a wide array of safety tech, relatively superior handling, and a healthy engine lineup, the new Sportbrake shows the Germans what they're capable of and that kind of perfection would not go unnoticed.

Source: Jaguar Land Rover

How to dress as Aikatsu characters (Part 1)

It's the Aikatsu franchise's 5th anniversary so let's celebrate by teaching you how to be as one of your favorite Aikatsu idols but because we have the original Aikatsu and the latest Aikatsu Stars, let's focus first on the original just for nostalgia purposes.

Of course, because Aikatsu is primarily a children's franchise, if you are going for tips to dress as your favorite Aikatsu characters in time for Halloween, best to have parents' supervision first before starting to dress as your favorite Aikatsu characters. Parents, take note if your little girl wants to dress as her favorite Aikatsu character, but if you're a seasoned cosplayer, feel free to take my advice anytime.

With so many outfits to choose from, you have been given free rein to dress whatever outfit you like as seen from Aikatsu, from their uniforms to on-stage co-ordes. Because of that, let's shift on the hairstyles per Aikatsu star because this is help determine whose Aikatsu star you're going to be at.

Okay, so let's get cracking beginning with this one...

As Ichigo Hoshimiya: It's simple being Ichigo Hoshimiya, really. You just need a long blond hair and a ribbon headband and voila! But make sure the ribbon in the ribbon headband I mentioned is as big as Ichigo's.

As Aoi Kiriya: The quiet one of the bunch, Aoi's hair, hence the name, is colored blue but the tail of her hair is facing on her left so take your time.

As Ran Shibuki: The easy part? A long brownish hair. The hard part? Your free rein to choose whatever outfit that suits this cosplay best.

As Mizuki Kanzaki: As the top dog of the Starlight Gakuin, Mizuki's hair is long and purplish but I'd recommend putting a tiara because that reflects her status of being the academy's top ace respected by many.

As Otome Arisugawa: This is the tricky one because while her hair color is a bit light brown-ish, the twintails are a trickiest to pull one off because her twintails have the shape of a baguette. If you're going to recreate Otome's twintails, better picture a baguette while doing so because this is very challenging indeed.

As Yurika Todo: Yurika is an idol who's into the gothic trend and her vampire instincts is what really terrified you down, especially when she has a pet bat named Alan. Being Yurika, you're going to need a long white hair to begin with, then there's the tricky part. Her spiraling twintails would require some extreme curling to recreate Yurika's look before setting off to find something to wear for your Yurika Todo cosplay.

As Sakura Kitaoji: Sakura's hairstyle is a short pink hair with some flowery hair accessory that takes about a fortnight to deal with. If you're happy replicating Sakura's hairstyle, feel free to pick whatever outfit you want for this cosplay.

As Kaede Ichinose: Kaede's the energetic top idol of the academy who was transferred from America and she's part of the Tristar posse consisting of her, Yurika, and Mizuki. If you're feeling as energetic as Kaede, her short red hair would work rather well and if you're happy with the short red hair, you have free rein over which outfits you want to wear, preferably either her uniform or any of her Magical Toy outfits onstage.

Next time on Part 2 of "How to dress as Aikatsu characters", let's focus on the characters introduced during the 2nd Year arc of the anime, including those from Dream Academy. Watch for it.

Fun at KawaiiWeen

Ah, autumn in Seattle, and with Halloween's just a few weeks away from now, there are a handful of Eager McBeavers are throwing in some pre-Halloween treats just to keep the festive spirit rolling. One such thing is the event called KawaiiWeen. Catered by the friendly folks from Kawaii In Seattle and Mahouto Market, this event is listed as one of The Stranger's Things to Do list and I am curious to see what is what.

KawaiiWeen, hence the name, it's a one-day celebration of all things creepy and cute and this event, held at the Nagomi Tea House just a walk from Uwajimaya, showcases some of the new and returning artists that showcase their coolest drawings dedicated to all things TV, anime, cartoon, video game, any kind of pop culture you can think of. Apart from the Artists' Alley, there are free candy, a Jack-o-Lantern coloring contest, and not to mention cosplays, which is big in this event, as long as they're in tune with the creepy-cute mantra.

Check out some of my pics...

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