April 29th, 2017 - the 30th ASEAN Summit, a summit of the top delegates from Southeast Asian countries gathered annually, took place at the Philippine International Convention Center amid the current issues surrounding not just in the Philippines but across Asia.
This is the first ASEAN Summit for Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte since he took power at the end of June, last year, and the theme for this year's summit draws inspiration from his campaign slogan; Partnering For Change, Engaging The World.
President Duterte, who became the center of attention from the media for his infamous war on drugs and extrajudicial killings that killed thousands of people since he took office, hosted this year's summit and in his opening speech, it's an honor to have the Philippines hosted this summit for this milestone year as the year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN since 1967.
While the ASEAN leaders talked little about the ongoing South China Sea issue, they've signed a declaration that will boost the ASEAN's civil service to achieve Vision 2025. This Declaration supports the first thematic priority of a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN under the Philippine Chairmanship of ASEAN 2017, according to Philippine Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala.
As with our little "secret agent" assignment wrapped up, look what I got from this weekend's Forzathon event. It's a 930-spec Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 and I know what I'm on about with this classic Porsche 911 later on but first...
Served as the flagship of the Porsche 911 range, the 911 Turbo 3.3 (930) was hailed as the fastest production car available in Germany at that moment of its introduction. Powered by a 3.3L flat-six engine and an air-to-air intercooler that helps with the pressurized air charge, it produces 300HP of power and does 0-60mph in five seconds. It can reach a top speed of 260.9kph (162mph). Thanks to emission regulations in Japan and US, Porsche stopped selling the 930 in the said countries but continue to sold in Canada as well as Mainland Europe. Anyway, so much to talk about the 930-spec Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3, look what you can do with that kind of Porsche...
It's not that much but if you give this 930 Porsche 911 Turbo a lot of power, say somewhere in the 900HP mark, and some other improvements to keep it competitive, what you can have here is an actual representation of the Blackbird as seen from the Wangan Midnight series and pitting alongside the Devil Z that you had in your garage, that is your S30 Fairlady Z tuned to the max to replicate such a monster, you can have a classic Wangan Midnight rivalry on the Land Down Under, when you find a nice straight line to toy around with, say a highway that stretches from the Outback to the Surfers Paradise. Pretty cool, wasn't it, but sadly this isn't the time for that because it's time to show the crowd how the Blackbird was made for...
So, the legend is TRUE. There really is such thing as the feared Blackbird from the Shutokou and now it has emerged on the streets of Australia! How scary was that? It's like the soul of the tormented emerged and it won't rest until it gets what it desired and yet, here we are, standing in front of the legend everyone's feared about aside from the Devil Z. You get the point but if you want your own little Blackbird, you'd best be hurry because you have this weekend to do so.
This car needs no explanation because this is the Bond car that started it all. Yes, this is the Aston Martin DB5, the Bond car that became a legend ever since it popped up in the Bond movie, Goldfinger, and do you expect me to talk? No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to drive!
If I can remember correctly, the DB5 is powered by a 4.0L six-cylinder engine generating 282 bhp (210 kW) of power and a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h). It was mated with a ZF five-speed transmission (except for some of the very first DB5s). About 1,023 DB5 units produced, mostly are hardtops.
The DB5 became the hallmark of the partnership between Aston Martin cars and James Bond movies since it first appeared in Goldfinger. Five decades later, it returned in Skyfall, featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond. It's fare to say that it's a great honor to drive the best Bond car 007 had, unless I don't trigger some lunacy that could infuriate Australian Intelligence...and yet, I did.
I did sent the DB5 on the race against movie star cars. From the Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard, the Boss Mustang from Diamonds are Forever, another Bond flick, the Supra from The Fast and the Furious, the AE86 from Initial D, among many other star cars that crave more than just popcorns and sodas. If you want, I had a little clip for that. Ready?
What? Like James Bond, it's "everything or nothing" but still, I had a lot of fun being Bond in the DB5 because when you see an Aston Martin, all you can think about is James Bond, right? It's like another mission, another hot girl, and another ruthless baddie for you if you're driving a Bond car like this, am I right? Everyday's a Bond movie, especially in the Land Down Under. What a day...
- Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam visited the Malacanang palace after arriving in the Philippines two days ago. President Rodrigo Duterte personally greeted the Sultan of Brunei after arriving at the Palace earlier.
- President Rodrigo Duterte says he will seal his fate for his bloody war on drugs and a complaint filed with the International Criminal Court won't stop him from pursuing his campaign. The former prosecutor said he was a man who was true to his word, including wiping out drugs, so he would accept the consequences, even if it meant prison, or death. Duterte even backlashes against local or foreign media over the extrajudicial killings issue.
- The activist group Common Causes released a report targeted against US President Donald Trump ahead of his 100th day in office this weekend.
- Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill alongside Bernie Sanders to end the U.S. fossil fuel use by the year 2050, hoping to super action on the state and local level, even as the Trump administration pushes the use of coal, oil, and natural gas production.
- The Formula One strategy group agrees on the proposal to ban the controversial shark fin and T-wing elements for next year's season.
- Nissan confirms that more models will receive the NISMO treatment anytime soon.
- Mazda announced a new three-row crossover SUV coming to Japan this year, tentatively called the CX-8.
- Bubbu! Desu wa! Dia Kurosawa from Love Live! Sunshine!! Joins the figma lineup! Available to order starting at 5,833 Yen plus tax and delivery and arrives this October.
The second season of Aikatsu Stars sees main character Yume Nijino living her school life in the Yotsuboshi Gakuin as one of the new members of S4. Accompanied by the only existing member Yuzu Nikaido and alongside newcomers Mahiru Kasumi and Ako Saotome, Yume Nijino is facing a much stiffer competition upon the arrival of Venus Ark, a boarding school with the luxury yacht as their front, and its star student, Elza Forte. Seeing Elza as a much fiercer rival onstage, Yume is on a quest to defend the title she've coveted from the start as well as her school's reputation in the battle between the two academies.
While the little girls can't wait until Thursday nights to see more of Yume, Rola, and the gang, as well as the new rivals Elza and Kirara, and the surprise return of someone they're familiar with, the opening and closing theme song from the show's second series are out in one maxi single CD. The opening theme song is titled STARDOM! and the closing theme song is Bon Bon Voyage!, both performed by, you guessed it, AIKATSU☆STARS! You know, the group. Not the TV show in case of confusing reasons.
Did you know that for limited quantities, there's a special accessory card for use in the DATA CARDDASS AIKATSU STARS game?
Aikatsu Stars airs on TV Tokyo every Thursday nights before Pokemon Sun and Moon.
- The Philippine National Police's NCRPO continues its target hardening in order to ensure the security of this Saturday's ASEAN Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center. While the PNP has yet to monitor potential threats, they are confident that the PNP will do everything to ensure no attack will be made during the summit.
- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez warned that they may soon implement the ban against open pit mining. Part of their crackdown on the mining sector, the DENR suspects that the operation of some mining companies cause major effect in the environment.
- Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam has arrived in the Philippines not just to attend this Saturday's ASEAN summit, but also for a state visit. The Sultan of Brunei is the first ASEAN leader to arrive for the ASEAN meeting on Saturday, April 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center. However, before that, Bolkiah will have a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacanang today.
- The disputed West Philippine Sea issue is in the country's interest to be discussed at the 30th ASEAN Summit but the government would also like to discuss the positive aspects of the said issue.
- US President Donald Trump told leaders from Canada and Mexico that he won't axe the NAFTA just yet but will move quickly to begin renegotiations, according to a White House official.
- Activision and Sledgehammer Games announced the latest installment of the Call Of Duty franchise titled Call Of Duty WWII. Bringing the franchise back to its roots, players will relive the tragic events of the Second World War while fighting their way through intense campaigns through France, Belgium, and across the Rhine into Germany. It will be released on the XBOX One and PS4 this November 3rd.
- Next month, Forza Horizon 3 goes extreme with the new Hot Wheels Expansion Pack. Included in the Expansion Pass, this new expansion brings the Hot Wheels fantasy come to life with insane high-speed stunts on miles of looping, banking, giant iconic orange Hot Wheels tracks. Players can even create their own stunt tracks with the new Stunt Swap feature as well. 10 new rides are ready including Hot Wheels icons such as the Twin Mill, the Bone Shaker, and the Rip Rod. There's also a brand new barn find waiting to be found as well.
- In case you were wandering, the producers behind BIOHAZARD 7 -resident evil- announced that the much-anticipated DLC, NOT A HERO, has been delayed until further notice. That's bad news for the fans but there's a little something that will cheer them up; Tokyo Marui made a replica of the assault shotgun to be appeared on BH7's NOT A HERO DLC; codenamed Thor's Hammer.
- The teaser trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle is out. This film is the sequel to the original Kingsman film.
Last Monday's Food City 500 race at the Bristol Motor Speedway shows that this race is a barrier-breaking experience for the best of NASCAR drivers, literally.
Reason why Monday because due to the rain occurred last Sunday, the Food City 500 race in Bristol has been delayed to Monday. Quite an inconvenience they got here, huh? But anyway, with the rain slowly disappearing with the hint of cloudy skies in Bristol, the race goes on as planned with shattering results.
There has been some wall-smackers and spin-outers as this race at Bristol is becoming as intense as the imminent summer. As Clint Bowyer might said "You'd think Jimmie would get tired of winning", and boy, he's wrong because behind all the spins and the through-the-wall collisions, the #48 nailed its second straight season win after fending off the likes of Bowyer, Truex Jr., and the others.
Anyway, the day after the race, there was a shocking announcement that the #88, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., will be stepping down from the world of NASCAR after this season. As the son of the legendary NASCAR champion, Earnhardt Jr. scored 26 overall wins in his career, two Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2014, and two championship wins in 1998 and 1999.
Next race is on Richmond International Raceway on the 30th.
- Typhoon Dante has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the eastern part of Southern Luzon. According to PAGASA, the storm was last spotted 1,170km east of Virac, Catanduanes, sustaining wind strength of up to 65 kph and gustiness of up to 80 kph.
- PNP Superintendent Ma. Cristina Nobleza remains under tactical interrogation. Reports told that the spokesperson for the Philippine National Police denied allegations that Nobleza is a deep penetration agent assigned to the Abu Sayyaf Group.
- The ASEAN member nations would adopt a much softer tone about the South China Sea issue on the upcoming summit happening this Saturday and exclude references to militarisation or island-building, according to a draft of the chairman’s statement.
- The People's Republic of China has launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier, which will join an existing one bought second-hand amid rising tensions over North Korea and worries about Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea. Reports told that the carrier is not expected to enter service until 2020.
- A South Korean court ruled that the ride-sharing app Uber illegally used private vehicles for commercial purposes, in the latest legal setback for the US firm in Asia's fourth biggest economy. Uber’s local unit has “admitted and repented” its illegal act and resolved the issue, a judge at Seoul Central District Court said in a ruling. The company was fined 10 million won.
- A Federal Court ruling blocked US President Donald Trump's attempt to punish the so-called sanctuary cities.
- Tennis superstar Serena Williams had no intention of sharing her pregnancy to the world last week but broke her silence when she accidentally uploaded the "20 weeks" photo of herself on social media.
- Descendants 2, the sequel to the hit 2015 Disney Channel Original Movie, will air this 21st of July!
- BMW adds a Touring variant of the range-topping M550d xDrive model, based on the new 5-Series.
- THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls' Kaede Takagaki, in her white swimsuit glory, joins Wave's DreamTech range of 1/8 scale figures. She's available to order starting at 12,800 Yen plus tax and delivery and arrives this September.
This is the Bentley Bentayga and yes, I know. It was from the Rockstar Energy Car Pack for Forza Horizon 3, I drove it last time on Blizzard Mountain, and I even decorated it with a touch of a princess from an idol school. So now why am I driving it again?
Well, there's one main reason why am I driving it again because I really liked it. I may not be used to driving an SUV made by the company behind the Continental GT but the more I drive the Bentayga, I'm starting to realize that there's more to this hunk of meat because despite being a luxury SUV built to cater against the Range Rover, the Bentayga really behaves like a sportscar and while I still have the Hime decor made by me, looks like everyone's going to upset about why a princess like her trashed the competition like it was nothing happened.
No matter how tough the opponents are, she's just minced them like marinated salisbury steak served on a fancy dinner plate at a five-star restaurant only reserved for VIPs, And if that wasn't enough, this classy SUV with the first-class comfort fit for a princess like her to take her on a ski holiday is not afraid to get her face dirty, especially when a strong cyclone hit Down Under. Yep, she really is that extraordinary for a Bentley...
She really is that good for a Bentley of that size and that Bentayga is no exception when it comes to surpass the competition with its style and performance that makes this Bentley extraordinary. Ahem, sorry about that, but that design I made for the car before is what made me fell in love with the Bentley Bentayga and for such a heavy luxo-barge, it still feels like a sportscar and it's not afraid to take on all comers.
So, the Bentayga really is like an invincible princess that stands the crowd, what's it like to take on against the one who is living the dream?
Yep, our old friend, the BMW M2. Hey, still got that Yume Nijino decor I made for that car since our first encounter! How was it then? Great? Anyway, we got two unrelated machines with two similarly themed designs and what we have here is a match between the princess and the dream. This can make a very interesting match.
For fair play, all of their upgrades have been stripped out and they can reclaim it after the match. With the upgrades stripped out and reverted back to normal, some arrangements have been made. Let's look at the stats; the Bentley Bentayga is powered by a 6.0L W12 engine producing 599HP of power and 663ft-lb of torque. It does 0-60mph in four seconds and onwards to 187 mph (301 km/h). The BMW M2 Coupe, meanwhile, is powered by a small 3.0L 6-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 365hp of power and 369ft-lb of torque. Despite producing very less than the Bentayga, has a 0-60mph time of 4.3 seconds and electronically limited to 155mph, it's two thousand pounds lighter than the Bentley.
Okay, let's translate these numbers into lap times and see who can make it to the Surfers Paradise Festival Site first. A standard Bentayga set the target time of 2:35.989 and the goal for the M2? BEAT THE CLOCK.
Before setting off, there's just one major confession about this stunt; with that grace and demeanor the Bentayga showed, feels like the M2 couldn't stand up to this challenge but with such confidence and optimism, this Bimmer, along with the design themed after Yume, is ready to show everything it has and without further ado, the battle between the greats has begun and I got it on the tape.
The time? 2:31.418! About four seconds faster than the mighty Bentayga! This is the moment I've been searching for! It's like Yume defeated Hime for the school's best idol and yes, you get the point. Anyway, enough about that idol trash because this shows that this isn't about size and power when it comes to competition because when you dream big, you can accomplish everything!
Man, what a night it was! Seeing a M2 defeating the Bentayga is like David pinned down Goliath and for a sportscar that is smaller than any other M car from BMW, the M2 really has a lot of ideas to share with. So, what do you say? Ready for your first day tomorrow morning? I'm looking forward to see what's next with this little M car filled with hopes and dreams for us all. Have fun.
THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS LITTLE STARS! Kira! Mankai Smile
Have you guys had fun with the Cinderella Girls Gekijo anime shorts every Tuesday nights? If some of you did enjoy these animated shorts featuring your favorite Cinderella Girls, there's the official theme song for the Cinderella Girls Gekijo shorts that won't leave you...belittled.
The title of the Cinderella Girls Gekijo theme song is Kira! Mankai Smile and the Cinderella Girls performed this song are Uzuki Shimamura (CV: Ayaka Ohashi), Miho Kohinata (CV: Minami Tsuda), Mayu Sakuma (CV: Yui Makino), Momoka Sakurai (CV: Haruka Terui), and Anzu Futaba (CV: Hiromi Igarashi).
Not only the full version of the theme song was featured but also solo versions of the said song, each performed by the Cinderella Girls mentioned above and to top it all off, they even added a bonus track performed by Uzuki herself, just to keep your hopes up.
The Cinderella Girls Gekijo shorts air every Tuesday nights at 9:55 PM JST on Tokyo MX.
Joseph Yun, the US special representative for North Korean policy, said he does not believe the North is ready to engage the US, Japan, and South Korea toward denuclearization.
During a meeting with senior diplomats in Tokyo, Yun said they agreed to coordinate all diplomatic, military and economic actions regarding the North. He said they will continue to work closely together and with their international partners. Yun also states that China plays a very important role and that the US, Japan, and South Korea will keep working closely with the country.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump wants the United Nations Security Council to impose harsher sanctions against the Korean Peninsula. Speaking to the meeting, Trump told that the status quo in North Korea is unacceptable, and that it is a problem to finally be solved. He stressed that the UN Security Council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions.
