Encountered the R172 SLK-Klasse

Hey there! Leopaul here!

Earlier before I went to Seattle Central Community College to take the final exam of my ITC 140 class, I just encountered a Mercedes-Benz SLK crossing the street.

What I saw there was its latest generation of the SLK-Klasse designated as R172. It looks cool though.

Gosh, I sure wish I want one of these...

Toyota Philippines launched the 2013MY LC200 but they launched the wrong Yaris...

Okay, it seems that Toyota Motor Philippines launched the facelifted 2013 Land Cruiser 200 which is right, but apparently, Toyota launched the wrong Toyota Yaris for the 2012 model year...

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

2012 Toyota Yaris? No that can't be right

Now if you would probably why did we get the old 2nd Generation Yaris, which got some minor change for the Thai market earlier, rather than the 3rd Generation Yaris which done a full model change in Japan since December 2010 is because my friend told me about Thailand's Eco Car program and only Honda and Nissan got that memo. Mitsubishi's next for their new Mirage and it seems Thailand's waiting for Toyota to approve eco car production. No wonder Thailand still remain production of the 2nd generation Yaris.

Scoop: http://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/toyota-launches-updated-land-cruiser-and-yaris.html

"Personalan" with the Veyron Super Sport

Everybody knows that the Bugatti Veyron is the pinnacle of the supercar world because of its orgy and mind numbing numbers. It may cost over a million dollars, producing almost a thousand horsepower, and a top speed that exceeds 200mph. Just that everybody think that the Veyron's the world's fastest but now it isn't. While the Veyron can do 253mph, the SSC Ultimate Aero can do 256mph, making it the fastest car ever made, not the Veyron. The Germans aren't very pleased...

For Bugatti's act of revenge against the American-made SSC Ultimate Aero, they created a monster that it proves to be the ultimate Bugatti in history, something that is wickedly powerful than the Veyron.

Hello, what's this? A Veyron in carbon fiber body?

Surely it's carbon fiber but it's more annoying
than The Annoying Orange!

Hmmm....It could be a Bugatti Veyron but this is a bit more than that. It doesn't look like a Veyron and it doesn't sound like one. This could only be one thing...

So, are we opening the Guinness Book of World Records with the words
"Fastest Man on Earth: James May"? Not exactly...

Behold! The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport! The fastest production car in the world! Really? But how? To be sure, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport has the same 0 to 60 time as the original Veyron, which is 2 and a half seconds, but now the 0 to 100 time has improved. It would do that in 4.5 seconds, which is the same as the Porsche 911 GT3 and this will go to an electronically-limited top speed of 258mph. The standard Veyron has 987HP of power but the Super Sport has 1183HP of power. Also, the new Veyron Super Sport has a new bodywork which proves to be lighter than the standard Veyron and some aerodynamic tweaks are done as well. This ultimate Veyron showed up at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours D'elegance and it costs 1.7 million British Pounds Sterling and Bugatti said that only 30 will be produced.

In one episode of Top Gear, James May returns to Ehra-Lessien, Volkswagen's top secret testing base, to max out the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Everybody knows that the top speed is limited to 415.07 km/h (257.91 mph) to prevent the wheels to blow off, right? What happens if it exceed? The team at Bugatti provided the Veyron Super Sport some extra durable tires that cost 20,000 Pounds per set and then James May is off to the max. He managed to max out in 417 km/h (259 mph) but after his run, Bugatti sent one of their test drivers to max it out and the record? Well, its 431.072 km/h (267.856 mph)!

When the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was handed to The Stig, it set an astonishing 1:16.8 lap time at the Top Gear Test Track, faster than the Gumpert Apollo S.

Stig makes a lap with the Bugatti Veyron SS!

That car will simply make you go bananas when you push this car to the max, especially when you make drag races with this one. Seeking this as an enemy would be somewhat fierce but seeking this as an ally would be somewhat trustworthy. Even though it has a very challenging handling, the speed is simply monstrous. Your brain might be easily take off when you push it too hard.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is applicable for those who owned the Forza Motorsport 4 Limited Collector's Edition. Those who are lucky enough would be wise to push the Bugatti Super Sport to the max.

Welcome Back: 2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4

The Concorde of the Road

This car you're familiar with, the Bugatti Veyron. The meeting point for the most collection of numbers; one million Pounds, one thousand horsepower, and a top speed of over 200mph. Sorry because I often watched too much Top Gear but the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 has a special place in Top Gear history, despite that the British government permitted the show that they Veyron has to be featured once per season.

It raced against a Cessna 182...

James May maxed out the Veyron in Ehra-Lessien...

It made a fight against a Euro Fighter Typhoon (and the Veyron lost that fight)

And finally, it won a drag race against the McLaren F1 in Abu Dhabi.

If that wasn't enough, The Stig set a lap time of 1:18.3 round the Top Gear Test Track. Just as we thought that the world's fastest car should be the fastest at the Top Gear Test Track but we are wrong because the weight of the Veyron surely can't keep up. It's cornering ability might be challenging but at the straights, it's unstoppable.

Surely, this is wickedly fast but as of now, the SSC Ultimate Aero kicked the Veyron's butt, which later the SSC got its butt kicked by the ultimate Veyron ever built which is the Veyron Super Sport, which I will talk about that later.

It doesn't matter because the Veyron is back on Forza Motorsport 4 and it is one of the many vehicles to explore in the game's Autovista feature.

Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) Vol. 31

The United States of America is leading country of car-commercial-song-loving petrolheads. Why? Because if they hear a music on a new car commercial, they would start asking what's the song. It always happen all the time. This time, I've encountered something and it's attacking me with the words "Song featured in March, 2012 Chevrolet TV commercial with four adults in a red car". Can't those car-commercial-song-loving petrolheads in America had enough? When will they stop this habit?

If they watched a new car commercial, they would hear a music. If they hear that music, they would start asking what's that song. If they start asking what's that song, they'll wait for answers. If they found what is the title of a car song, they'll find it and download it. If they did download it, they'll listen to this over and over. If they listen to this over and over, they'll plan to use this for their Forza 4 Top Gear Power Lap Time videos on YouTube. If they upload it, they'll encounter some e-mail that they have videos that may contain content that is owned by someone else. If they encounter it, they would dispute it. After disputing it and waiting for several days, they'll check that there's a message saying "Dispute rejected, claim has been reinstated." The whole "matched third party content" on YouTube is all too common because of (clears throat) your idea of using a car commercial song for such purposes...

Anyway, here comes another set of five Driving Musics to listen;

5) We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) by fun. - from the Chevrolet Sonic Stunt Anthem commercial. Get one now at Amazon MP3.

4) Wild World by Jose Feliciano - from the 2004 Nissan Stagea Japanese commercial. Find this song at SHIFT IV NISSAN CM TRACKS, available now.

3) できっこないを やらなくちゃ by Sambomaster - from the 2010 Nissan Serena C25 Japanese Commercial

2) 風と未来 by Ikimonogakari - from the 2010 Nissan Serena C26 Japanese Commercial

1) It's time to find out that song featured in March, 2012 Chevrolet TV commercial with four adults in a red car. To be specific, it's a commercial for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu ECO with eAssist. Anyway, for the song, it's titled "True" by Spandau Ballet.

And these are the car commercial songs for you to find. If you used those for YouTube purposes, those copyright holders, I'm afraid, will have to notify you and if you dispute those, it will always end with the words "Dispute rejected, claim has been reinstated." And on that bombshell, good bye!

F1 2012's opening salvo is McLaren's win

F1 2012 has already begun in Melbourne's Albert Park and McLaren-Mercedes' Jenson Button really kicked off his first win, pushing the famed Sebastian Vettel form Red Bull Racing to 2nd place and Lewis Hamilton from McLaren-Mercedes in 3rd.

Race - Button proves untouchable in Melbourne

McLaren’s Jenson Button drove a pluperfect race to take the lead of the world championship at Melbourne's Albert Park on Sunday, keeping his head and his lead even when a safety car intervention appeared to throw a beaten Sebastian Vettel a lifeline.

The 2009 world champion scored his third Australian Grand Prix victory in four years by taking the lead at the start from team mate Lewis Hamilton, who held a distant second until Vitaly Petrov stopped on the pit straight with power steering problems in his Caterham on the 36th lap and triggered the safety car deployment. McLaren had just pitted both of their cars that lap, but Vettel decided to stay out one longer and that, allied to benefit from the safety car, was enough to move his Red Bull into second.

When the racing resumed on Lap 42 Button simply checked out and left Vettel to fend off Hamilton and team mate Mark Webber, who’d been condemned to an afternoon of fighting back after a first-corner clash involving his Red Bull, Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus and Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India. 

As Vettel tried to claw back the deficit to Button, Webber closed in on Hamilton, whose McLaren never seemed as well balanced as his team mate’s. By the flag, Button was a comfortable 2.1s ahead of Vettel, with Hamilton 1.9s further down and Webber within 0.4s of him.

Further back, Fernando Alonso scored an excellent fifth for Ferrari after making a fantastic start to end the opening lap in eighth place from 12th on the grid. As the fast-starting Mercedes of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg faded - the former went off in Turn One on the 11th lap and damaged his car sufficiently to have to retire, and the latter simply lacked competitive pace - he moved into contention for his finishing position. It was a typically tough and professional race from the Spaniard.

In the latter stages he had to defend hard from Pastor Maldonado, who had pressured Lotus’s Romain Grosjean into early retirement on the second lap, the Frenchman breaking his front suspension against the rear of the passing Williams. The FW34 was showing excellent pace and the Venezuelan was dogging Alonso’s wheel tracks until he came to grief in Turn Six, where earlier he’d lost ground with a moment. 

This time he lost control and smacked the wall hard on the 57th lap, throwing away sixth place and setting up a fierce battle between the Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez, Raikkonen’s Lotus, the Toro Rossos of Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo, and Paul di Resta’s Force India. 

As Rosberg’s Mercedes ahead of them suddenly slowed on the last lap after a collision with Perez had deflated the left-rear tyre, Kobayashi made it home sixth from Raikkonen. Perez clung on for eighth, with Ricciardo separated from him by 0.0s, Di Resta 0.1s further back, and Vergne another 0.1s down and just outside the points after a promising debut. It was breath-taking stuff.

Rosberg was classified 12th on a deeply disappointing day for Mercedes, who lacked the pace in the race that they’d shown in qualifying. Williams were similarly distressed. Maldonado was classified 13th, while Bruno Senna was involved in the first corner melee, lost time then, and later had a silly collision with fellow countryman Felipe Massa which cost them both dear. He was a non-finisher in 16th. The incident is still being investigated by the stewards.

Between the Williams duo came the Marussias of Timo Glock and Charles Pic, which ran reliably in what amounted to their first serious test session.

Joining Hulkenberg, whose car was too badly damaged after the first-corner collision, Grosjean, Schumacher, Petrov and Massa on the retirement list was Heikki Kovalainen, whose Caterham dropped out with a left-hand front suspension problem. The Finn also picked up a five-place grid penalty for the next round in Malaysia for overtaking under the safety car.

The result leaves Button in the lead of the world championship with 25 points, to Vettel’s 18, Hamilton’s 15, Webber’s 12 and Alonso’s 10, while McLaren head the constructors’ points with 40 to Red Bull’s 30, Sauber’s 12 and Ferrari’s 10.

Scoop: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2012/3/13124.html

So, McLaren made a good start but the F1 2012 season has just getting started. More action will be happened on Sepang, Malaysia, this March 25!

Some dwende are making tuso at Lokomoko

On the March 18, 2012 episode of Lokomoko (on its Rated PG state)....

- Dwarf gags

- Tanong ko lang, kulang...pwede bang magtinda ng kotse sa garage sale?

- Another shooting gags on Lokomoko...

- Tanong ko lang, kulang...meron bang itlog ang eggplant?

- Lokomersyal in Instant Housing Authority!

- Tanong ko lang, kulang...kung gulay ang kinakain ng vegetarian, ano ang kinakain ng humanitarian?

- Tirsong Tuso tries to win the heart of the general's daughter but the general does a favor to Tirsong Tuso; make him walk again! This involves hurting the general and almost anyone...

- Tanong ko lang, kulang...kung may highway, meron bang low way?

- Tanong ko lang, kulang...may apple ba ang pineapple?

- Who's Line Is It Anyhow?!

1) Hindi lahat ng thirteen ay malas! - 13th Month Pay

2) Ramdam na ramdam ko ang init mo lalung lalo na kapag iniipit mo na ako. - Thermometer

3) Hindi naman ako hinete pero palagi na lang ako nasa ibabaw ng kabayo - Plantsa

Ay Mali!!!

4) Maluwag naman ang dinadaanan ko pero bakit patagilid pa rin ang lakad ko? - Alimango

5) Hindi lahat ng party ay masaya! - 3rd party

6) Huwag mo na akong gugulatin, mawawala ako. - Sinok

7) Masaya pa kayo tuwing nagstrike kayo!!! - Bowling

FLASHBACK: About The Namesake

The Namesake (film)

And now, it's time to revisit some of my memories in the past, this is the kind of movie I just watched while I was in Seattle Central Community College during my ESL 098 days...

I watched the movie adaptation of the book titled, The Namesake and it turned out to be great. As for me, watching film adaptations of the book makes them easy to understand and easy to learn what is in store for them. I strongly agree that watching the movie version of The Namesake is much more preferable than reading the entire Namesake book and I am glad that I saw this book come to life as a major motion picture from FOX Searchlight.

Although I find that this Namesake movie is more interesting to watch than reading the Namesake book, I find that there are differences from both the movie and the book and it would be preferable for me to list in my top three differences.

First, there was a scene that Gogol’s younger sister, Sonia, has an annaprasan, or rice ceremony. Like I said, annaprasan is a rice ceremony and it is a formal ceremony involves on the consumption of solid food. It also helps to predict their child’s future. I did not see Gogol’s annaprasan in the movie, only Sonia is.

Second, where is Ruth? In the movie, it only features two of Gogol Ganguli’s love interest; first is Maxine, and the last is Moushumi. This movie supposed to feature Gogol’s love interest, Ruth, in order to make it more interesting. Since the producers did not put the Ruth chapter on the film, I guess that it is best to read the book and see for myself. At least, I truly understand how the relationship between Gogol and Ruth feels like; they were lovers, then, they argue when Ruth returned to the United States, and avoiding each other from now on. Positively, I understand the Maxine chapter and the Moushumi chapter of the Namesake movie.

Lastly, who is Pierre? In the Moushumi chapter of the Namesake movie, they did not mention the names Graham and Dmitri. In the book, Gogol realized that Moushumi cheated him because of someone named Dmitri, but in the movie, Gogol was cheated by Moushumi because of the book she received from someone named Pierre. Who is Pierre anyway? What just happened? Well, despite different naming, it all goes according to the book.

Despite some of the differences happened, I think the Namesake movie followed the same path as the original Namesake book. I find it very understanding and helpful watching the Namesake movie and differentiate both the movie and the book itself.

Movie available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Namesake/dp/B0011Y13YG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332052063&sr=8-2

Book available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Namesake-Novel-Jhumpa-Lahiri/dp/0618485228/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332052063&sr=8-1

Let's Do The News (March 18, 2012)

And now the news! Let me just say that I'm glad that I'm finally got my hands on the all new PSVita yesterday.

This is my PSVita

Pretty neat huh? And to be sure, I also bought a 16GB memory card that is bespoke for the PSVita. To total it up, this costs over $300. Sorry, not very good with Top Gear math.

However, something's a miss because my sister, Elise, had bought herself the new iPad, which I reviewed earlier...

Our Ate Elise got herself the new iPad!

See? She finally got the brand new iPad! Shoot! It was close though. But anyway, what she got was the one with the 16GB model, which is the entry-level of the new iPad range. See if how far can her iPad go...

So, I have the PSVita, my Ate Elise got the new iPad, how hard can it be?

Anyway, now it's 71 years old for Philippine Airlines.  Seems that the Philippine-registered airline prepping up their new marketing strategy aimed at encouraging tourists to fly with Asia's oldest carrier. The new campaign "Love, Your PAL" is made for both inbound and outbound travelers to regain the glory of Philippine Airlines.

Scoop: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/27125/pal-embarks-on-re-branding-on-its-71st-year

So, this whole "Love, Your PAL" seems to be a marketing ploy, but can it work? Love your PAL? I just don't get it. This is just like you'll love your friends. It was like HEY LOOK AT ME! I LOVE MY PAL! (chuckling)

Looks like Richard Hammond's getting himself a new show that is made for Americans, by Americans, to Americans because the new show, Richard Hammond's Crash Course is coming to BBC America this April 16, 2012, right after the North American premiere of Top Gear series 18. Can't wait to watch that!

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/16/bbc-america-reveals-first-trailer-for-richard-hammonds-crash/

Anyway, with the popularity of Jeremy "Linsanity" Lin at the NBA , it seems that the Scandinavian automaker, Volvo, is on the hunt for Linsanity as the endorser for Volvo in the Chinese market.

Scoop: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/volvo-looking-to-tap-jeremy-lin-as-endorser-in-chinese-market-report

If that worked out, we could be seeing Linsanity selling Volvos in China but the question is, can this become a reality to boost sales?

Ugh...I think that's far enough. That's the news. Thank you very much...

Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) Vol. 30

So this is it. 30th volume of our never-ending Driving Music (What is the name of the song on car commercial?) segment. Those car-commercial-song-loving petrolheads never get off my butt heh? Most car-commercial-song-loving petrolheads are from USA and they always never stop searching. They always never stop terrorizing the search engine with search queries trying to find what is the name of the song on a new car commercial.

Come on someone who searched "skyactiv technology tv commercial song", you know it's an original composition and that's enough. And looks like we got ourselves a terrorist attacked me with the words "2013 gs lexus commercial song".

Look, this is the commercial for the 2013 Lexus GS as we know it...

Do you see it now, idiot from San Diego, California? THIS IS THE COMMERCIAL OF THE 2013 LEXUS GS! The song heard is an original composition. Please refrain from searching it you car-commercial-song-loving (or should I say car-commercial-song-hunting) petrolhead. Instead of hurting the search engine you just better start learning how to post a comment on my site or email me for questions!

Okay, now I think it's time for the moment I always do on this segment, list down another set of five Driving Musics (Car Commercial Songs) for you to find and discover.

5) Twilight by Electric Light Orchesta (Densha Otoko OST) - as heard from a Japanese Toyota Celica XX commercial.

4) Swing-Swing by Nicolas Repac - from the latest Citroen promotion TV commercial.

3) Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante - from the 1989 Toyota Carina ED Japanese TV Commercial.

2) High by James Blunt - from the GM Daewoo Winstorm 2009MY Korean TV Commercial.

1) Theme from Enter the Dragon by Lalo Schifrin - from the 1995 Toyota Curren Japanese TV Commercial

...and that's it. We're done on this. There's plenty of these driving songs to list in case someone attacked me again...

Welcome Back: 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged

Range Rover does look perfect on the jungle

Looks like Jeremy Clarkson's on a road trip to the Kilners

Let's play dashboard spot the difference!

Modified Range Rover by WALD seems to be okay...

The Range Rover...this one is much heavier than the Audi Q7 V12 TDi and BMW X5 M, and slower, and thirstier. But unlike those Germans, it does look a bit more majestic. This one comes with a supercharged V8 engine that powered a Jaguar, so I think this would be somewhat awkward to drive in places like Houston or Abu Dhabi, or places where petrol isn't cheap. In Forza Motorsport 4 though....I maybe a world's biggest Range Rover fan but this engine makes no sense. I saw that on Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Range Rover, the Audi Q7 V12 TDi, and the BMW X5 M.

To make this one more convincing, Jeremy Clarkson has one of these. We saw him driving his Range Rover on a trip to search for his roots that can be traced back to Jeremy Clarkson's great-great-great grandfather, John Kilner, inventor of the original Kilner jar. It was in one episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Also, this Range Rover is featured on Top Gear's original video launched in 2010 titled "Top Gear Apocalypse" for a game of "Dashboard Spot the Difference" with Richard Hammond and James May. It's funny and that's enough.

Imagine if the back of the Range Rover looks perfect to put a drinks cabinet just like the modified Range Rover by Overfinch in collaboration with Holland & Holland, the gun maker.

That looks good! Remember that we don't do "Drinking while Driving" but we do keep the drinks for emergency purposes. The Range Rover, still on its 3rd generation, maybe a bit staunch and a bit old but it is catching up...

ABT prepares its first tuning project for the new A3

2013 ABT Audi A3

The brand new, third generation, Audi A3 may have been premiered a few days ago in Geneva but the guys from ABT are prepping up their first tuning project for the A3's full model change.

Under the project name "AS3" they'll plan to tune its 2.0 TDi engine to provide 197hp of power while the 2.0L TFSi enigne will be tuned to provide 247hp of power.

Also, they'll plan to modify the suspension, add a four-tailpipe exhaust, better brakes, and some bodykit to make it convincing...

Scoop: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/03/abt-wastes-no-time-in-preparing-tune.html