Forza Motorsport 7: Live your Dream

For the first time in Forza Motorsport 7, there's a Kia hatchback in town! Yes, with everyone toying around with the new Dell Gaming Car Pack, driving around the best racetracks in a Bugatti, I got a Kia, but it's time to shut up because the Kia hatchback in question turns out to be not as boring as everyone might expect. Need a little hint? It's the one that was used to beat two skateboarders on the twisty roads of Majorca.



This is Kia's first attempt to make a sports saloon that will rival against expensive European imports. It's called the Stinger and yes, that's a cool name for a cool sports saloon made by the Koreans. Wow, looks like the producers are getting the Winter Olympics spirit in there.



Before taking a spin, let's check out what's what about the Stinger. Kia Motors rattled the world with their rear-wheel drive luxury sports fastback called the Stinger when it was showcased to the world at the 2017 North American International Auto Show and then went on sale on the Korean market since May 2017.

Drawing inspiration from the 2011 GT Concept, the Stinger stays true to the concept design while delivering the dynamics and performance equivalent of expensive European imports with thanks to former BMW engineer Albert Biermann, who is head of Kia Motors' Vehicle Test and High Performance Development. Under the hood, it comes with a choice of three engines ranging from a the 2.2L CRDi-VGT engine with 202PS of power output, 2.0L Turbo GDi engine with 255PS of power output, and the fiery 3.3L Turbo V6 engine producing 370PS of power and 52kgf-m of torque, propelling the Stinger to a 0-100kph time of 4.9 seconds. All three engine choices are mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber torque converter.

The Stinger is rear-wheel drive as standard but the optional AWD system comes with Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control system that promises rear-wheel drive agility with adaptability on any road condition. It even comes with a wide array of active safety systems featuring a driver monitoring system for the first time in a Kia. It starts from 35,000,000 to 48,800,000 Korean Won.



Of course, the Stinger may not be as fast as the BMW M3 but it can outrun one of Kim Jong-Un's wonky northern missiles. Cue the tunnel explosions, please. Although luxurious in spirit, the Stinger really fizzes the drivers into thinking they're driving a Kia and because with all that dynamics and performance inspired from its Euro rivals, the Stinger never fails to impress and I have a feeling this could be my favorite Korean car in the game as I shall now demonstrate with a little lap round the Top Gear Track.





Sure, this car maybe Korean but it has the "Nerf This" expression we all love about and I can picture of me dressing as that Korean girl in a bodysuit riding a mecha from a videogame everybody loves but never mind all that because let's see how good the Stinger is...



Actually, the Stinger is about as fast as the second-generation BMW Z4 or the previous Chevrolet Camaro, but I'm not done yet because it's time to do a proper experiment at something fit for businessmen, something fit for business and leisure, something like...





Yes, it's Long Beach. Little did you know, in most Asian car commercials, the most common places to shoot an Asian car commercial can be either Spain, Australia, or most famously, California, USA. The Golden State, oh yeah, and to demonstrate if the Stinger has the guts to quash the Europeans, I'm picking the ideal candidate for this kind of comparo.





It's a Jaaaaaaaag XE with a supercharged V6 engine on it and because they are cultural opposites, this can make the ideal shootout for this comparo. Think d.Va versus Tracer. Oh, sorry, was that annoying? Now you all know what it feels like when I taste these two luxury saloons on the streets of Long Beach so let's see if the Stinger holds to the promise.



And now the results...

XE -1:48.119
Stinger - 1:47.640

Nerf this, Britain.



The Stinger really is Kia's tour de force against its European rivals but only just because there are some downsides to it. Still, despite its flaws, the Stinger is proof that the Koreans can really make a sports saloon that will challenge the world with pride and prestige so well done, Kia Motors, for the Stinger. Well, now that my talk with the Stinger done, come with me and I'll show you what've done to the Stinger.





A dreaming bird. No words to explain it.

Black Panther

Because February in America is known as Black History Month, the folks from Marvel celebrated this month with one of the boldest superhero flicks ever made, showing the world, especially in this political climate we're facing now, what black people are capable of in the world of superhero flicks in the film adaptation of Black Panther.

Black Panther

Crafted by director Ryan Coogler, Black Panther features a predominantly black cast and crew featuring Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, the Black Panther, The Jungle Book's Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira as Okoye, and Creed's Michael B. Jordan as villain Erik Killmonger, a mercenary plotting revenge against the nation of Wakanda. It also stars Martin Freeman as the CIA agent, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis, with a special cameo appearance of (ahem) you get the point but he's everywhere in every Marvel flick we ran into.

T'Challa, played by Boseman, returns to the kingdom of Wakanda to become the new king following the death of his father in a middle of a terrorist attack. However, with the sudden arrival of his old foe plotting to dethrone him, T'Challa's reign as the king of Wakanda is tested as he's engulfed in the conflict that will decide the fate of this isolated, technologically advanced nation.

Reading the tide of the times, Black Panther really is a relative movie that makes us think everything we saw in this film is related with the times we're facing right now and that makes everyone before watching the film very concern. Yes, we all got the whole Black Lives stuff that has been making headlines for so long and all of the white supremacist nonsense that has been plaguing the streets and in politics, but like every concerned people, even blacks, said, this film is a powerful reminder of what people of color can do even in a superhero flick like this. It's all about color for change and a clear example of what people can do in extraordinary ways when they're not taking their racial backgrounds for granted.

As the film progresses, we are starting to admire the strong Black feminism Lupita and Danai portrayed in this film, making them the ideal inspiration for Black women across America to make great strides not just in Hollywood but all around. We are starting to admire Michael B. Jordan's villainous role that reflects today's times, we love the film's background we love the fight scenes, the plot twists, it's everything we'd hope for in a superhero flick that celebrates Black heritage.

There are some drawbacks in this film that are too noticeable in the human eye like in the Busan scene where it doesn't look like it's Busan because it's too obvious but the biggest drawback is the appearance of a Lexus vehicle I don't really like. Yes, they've featured a Lexus GS F, which made us very jealous to have one someday, but annoyingly, they've featured the all-new Lexus LC 500 sports coupe, a car you've played one on GT Sport. Enough said.

Despite the faults and some few laughs in between, Black Panther is more than just a movie, it's a celebration of how people of color portray themselves in a historical and impressive kind of way and we have to give Marvel a heart-warming thanks for this incredible film. Looks like Black Panther's got our vote.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5.

PyeongChang 2018: February 16, 2018

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Luge, Snowboard, and Speed Skating are the highlights of Friday's PyeongChang Winter Olympics and let's get to know the winners of the day.

For the Men's Super G, Matthias Mayer of Austria wins the match while Frida Hansdotter of Sweden won the Ladies equivalent. At the Men's 15km Free, Dario Cologna of Switzerland is the victor, Hanna Huskova won the Ladies' Aerials, Yun Sungbin of South Korea wins the Men's Skeleton match, Michela Moioli of Italy for the Ladies' Snowboard Cross, and Esmee Visser for the Ladies' 5,000mm Speed Skating.

URL: https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/results/en/general/daily-schedule-date=2018-02-16.htm

The action in PyeongChang Winter Games continues...

Let's Do The News! (February 16, 2018)

- Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ, was temporarily detained in Hawaii after authorities found large amount of cash and spare parts of ammunitions inside the private plane he was onboard with. Members of the Customs and Border Enforcement arrested the self-proclaimed ‘appointed Son of God’ after they discovered more than $350,000 cash stuffed inside socks and spare parts of guns. Quiboloy is a Duterte supporter during the 2016 elections and he's the one who predicted that Duterte will be seated 18 years before his prediction turned real.

- A certain lawmaker is hastening the passing of the substitute bill for the Universal Social Pension Bill, or the increase in the monthly pension of senior citizens.

- China recognized the Philippines' right over 13-million-hectare undersea volcanic plateau east of Luzon amid the uproar of Filipino politicians over China's naming of some features in Benham Rise. But at the same time, the Asian  giant defended giving Chinese names to five of the undersea features and said that it was just following the rules under the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans’ Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names.

- It is revealed that the gunman behind yesterday's attack on a high school in Florida, Nikolas Jacob Cruz, took an Uber to get to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where he shot up several classrooms with a high-powered rifle before escaping and managing to evade officers for more than an hour, according to authorities. Cruz, 19, was being held without bond on 17 counts of first-degree premeditated murder in the attack at Douglas High in Parkland, which expelled him last year for disciplinary reasons, according to officials and court documents. Even more shocking that the Florida gunman has ties to a certain white supremacist group.

- Bigbang member Taeyang announced that he will enlist as an active-duty soldier next month, according to his talent agency. Taeyang and G Dragon were already waiting for their enlistment order early this month. It was G Dragon who first received his, and will be enlisting on Feb 27.

- Haas F1 team is the first to reveal their entry for the F1 2018 season with their VF-18, featuring the controversial halo cockpit protection system.

- The Forza Motorsport 7 Dell Gaming Car Pack has arrived and it's available now for free for Car Pass owners, featuring the long-awaited arrival of the Bugatti Chiron and other cars including the Kia Stinger and the Dodge Durango SRT.



- Yo-Kai Watch Shadowside gets a TV anime airing on April 13 on TV Tokyo with the storyline set after last year's film and now focuses on Natsume Amano's little brother, Keisuke. Aoi Yuki, who voiced Inaho Misora in the original anime, returns to voice Natsume Amano.

- Say hello to L'Antica in the latest update on the upcoming THE IDOLM@STER Shiny Colors game,

- Aya Hisakawa, currently voicing Kero-chan from the recent Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card TV series, will be voicing Bulma in the Dragon Ball Super series, replacing the late Hiromi Tsuru.

TTFN!!!

The Grand Tour Mozambique Special

Wrapping up the second series of Prime Video original series, The Grand Tour, the boys head off to Mozambique to do some so-called humanitarian work by delivering the fishes from the capital city Maputo to the village of Bingo.

The Grand Tour Mozambique Special

On the Mozambique special, Jeremy Clarkson drives a Nissan Datsun Truck which has an ice generator he stole from the hotel, James May drives an old Mercedes estate with some aquarium installed of it, and Richard Hammond, stupidly, goes for a two-wheeler TVS bike.

Before setting off, the boys gone fishing in a stormy day and things weren't gone well so on the next morning, they got buckets of fishes to start with, signalling the start of their journey to Bingo. Things are looking good until Hammond is losing his fishes and worse enough, approaching through the muddy waters, Hammond keeps falling and James' car is causing engine failures.

On the next day, James refills the aquarium with salt water, Jeremy replaced the broken ice generator and turn it into a foundry for fishes, and the journey continues. Sure, they faced another muddy roads up ahead but later on, they've been through the deepest, wettest, part of the road. The Datsun Truck made it, even the bike made it because Hammond found the narrowest part of the road, but sadly, it's the end of the road for James' Mercedes estate.

Third day, the Mercedes's engine was thrown away for good and now towed by Clarkson's pickup truck as the boys approaching Bingo. They've reached their destination and present the fish to the whole villagers but sadly, none of the villagers are interested on those.

And that concludes the second series of The Grand Tour. We've seen Richard destroyed an electric supercar, racing a Ford GT to Canada, driving a Bugatti Chiron to Italy, making an unscripted show, Jeremy making a Gymkhana spoof, boys driving Jags, solving the gas station problem, driving vintage racers, breaking a speed record, and gone offroading in Canada. They've presented some of the high-profile celebs in their Celebrity Face Off segment, tested out the newest cars, and so much more. Only problem is, who is the mystery driver lapping round cars round the Eboladrome anyway?

Still, that's it for The Grand Tour for now and let's hope the boys will be back for more.

PyeongChang 2018: February 15, 2018

On yesterday's PyeongChang games, Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Luge, Snowboard, and Speed Skating are the focus of that day and let's jot down who are the winners of the day.

Men's Downhill sees a one-two finish for Team Norway as Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud won gold and silver respectively. Mikaela Shiffrin of USA wins the Ladies' Giant Slalom, Hanna Oeberg of Sweden wins the Women's 15km Individual, another win for Norway as Johannes Thingnes Boe wins the Men's 20km Individual, Ragnhild Haga for the Ladies' 10km Free, the German duo of Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot wins the Pair Skating, Germany wins the Team Relay Competition, Pierre Vaultier of France wins the Men's Snowboard Cross, and Ted-Jan Bloemen of Canada wins the Men's 10,000m speed skating. Looks like the Norse are something to fear with in the PyeongChang Games.

URL: https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/results/en/general/daily-schedule-date=2018-02-15.htm

The action continues...

Sin Island

What we have here is something we, the movie-loving Filipinos, never had for several years, a steamy, sexy, and savage bold movie from Star Cinema that wants to capture the heydays of our Seiko Films fantasy. Well, you get the point but since Sin Island is Star Cinema's offering for the month of February, it's hard to describe what their first bold movie in decades feels like.

Sin Island

Starring Coleen Garcia, Nathalie Hart, and Xian Lim, Sin Island highlights on the story of David and Kanika who are happily married until Kanika's adultery ruined their relationship, causing David to make an affair with a woman named Tasha.

Being a typical Pinoy bold movie, it kind of feels like you're in a middle of a Seiko Films bold movie but this isn't a Seiko Film junk, this is a Star Cinema creation and it's directed by Gino M. Santos and because this film is as steamy, sexy, and savage as a Seiko Film movie, looking away might be the ideal bet because the scenes on this film are too intense even for mature viewing audiences. All that sexual depictions, all that savagery, and all that boldness, it's hard to fathom why they resurrect the Pinoy bold movie genre with Sin Island and that's just the bottom of the story.

My rating: 2.9 out of 5.