Archive for the ‘Article Quotes’ Category
December 28, 2008
Here in the Philippines, a tricycle is a mini-taxi / public utility vehicle (PUV) assembled with a motorcycle and a roofed, all-steel sidecar. But like our iconic jeepney, there are mounting concerns about it’s environmental and economic viability considering the constantly rising fuel prices, toxic emissions, and the overall livelihood sustainability of the drivers and operators. Local government started addressing the problem last year when Electric Jeepneys started plying Makati roads. Recently, Taguig City joined in when it started to roll-out electric tricycles! COOL! 
These electric trikes (E3 for short) are supplied by Electric Vehicle Solutions Inc. (EVSI), a company specializing in eco-friendly, viable, and sustainable electric vehicles for a variety of purposes. When used as public transport conveyances, the power requirement for our vehicles is minimal compared to the exorbitant use of fuels by vehicles currently in use. The minimal power cost ensures that PUV drivers earn more, giving them a chance for a better life.
Among the other products they offer are the electric scooter/motorbikes and electric bicycles. For the E3s, the came up with five models/prototypes. There’s even a detailed FAQ about the E3.
To know more about this new electric transport, here are a couple of articles:
e-friendly!
-o-
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J0HNRANA
john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com
Posted in Article Quotes, Local Scene, Topic Off-Vespa | 1 Comment »
November 26, 2007
I almost missed this if not for Minggoy’s post in the Vespinoy forum. Turns out that yesterday’s ish of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine is all about motorcycles and the people who rides them.
Right on the cover is bossa nova singer, Sitti, wearing short shorts and boots while riding a Vespa! Vespa Nova, the cover story, was written by Eric Caruncho who’s himself a Vespa rider. Here’s an excerpt:
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Locally, the cult of the Vespa has experienced a growth spurt in recent years, fueled by the entry of the modern Vespas and the continued fetishization of the vintage ones. Local aficionados bond together through organized group rides, the annual Vespa Attack scooter rally, and through internet forums such as Vespinoy.com and Euroscoot.net. Last year, the Vespa Club of the Philippines was organized. It recently launched its own internet forum as well.
Vespa enthusiasts form a subset of the emerging Pinoy scooter culture. Spiralling fuel costs and worsening traffic congestion, together with the introduction of inexpensive “underbone” scooters available on installment have seen two-wheeled vehicle sales go through the roof (together with a corresponding increase in road accidents). Granted, Vespa aficionados tend to be older, better educated and financially better off than the typical underbone enthusiast (the modern Vespas costing many times more than the average Japanese or Chinese scoot). But for both, their rides signify the same things as the first Vespas did for their owners: a means of freedom, mobility, and self-expression.(read full article here)
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If you missed reading a copy, here’s a list of the other motorcycle-related articles in yesterday’s edition of SIM: Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Celebrities, Local Scene, Vespa Spottings | 23 Comments »
June 27, 2007
“MMDA Art” courtesy of Jun aka Amber / Model: Mario aka WaspUP
There is an uproar within the motorcycle community here in Metro Manila. The reason? MMDA’s plan to require all riders to stick (or worse, paint!) their license plate numbers on both sides of their helmets. Why? Allow me to quote the full text of their press release:
Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Metro mayors and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are considering enacting a resolution requiring motorcycle riders to paste up their license plate numbers on both sides of their helmets in a bid to curb the spate of snatching, hold-up and robbery cases perpetrated particularly by those riding on these two-wheeled motor bikes in tandem.
At yesterday’s regular Metro Manila Council meeting held at the MMDA office in Makati City, Fernando, together with Mayors Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of QuezonCity, outgoing Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio, Valenzuela’s Sherwin Gatchalian, Las Pinas’ Imelda Aguilar, PNP representatives and other local chief executives, arrived at a consensus to draft a resolution urging local government units (LGUs) to implement the proposed “Dual Motorcycle/Helmet License Plate Numbers” policy for motorcycle riders plying along Metro Manila’s thoroughfares.
Fernando strongly recommended that a common regulation be enacted by the 17 LGUs stipulating that motorcycle riders with no license plate number on their helmets should constitute a criminal offense and not just a mere traffic violation. Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Local Scene, Newsflash!, Rider's Issues | 18 Comments »
June 19, 2007
There has been a lot of movies in the past where the Vespa scooter figured prominently in the storyline. Some of these flicks you’ll see in my previous post here. And now, on its way to the cinemas are are a couple of upcoming Hollywood releases which got big stars & lead characters riding on Vespas. Watching the trailer and reading the plot summaries, these three films seem to be an interesting watch. See for yourself.
First of the list is Michael Bay’s (Armageddon) much-anticipated, summer blockbuster movie — Transformers. The image above is actually a collateral for the tie-up between Vespa USA and DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures where the former will be giving away a brand-new Vespa in their Vespaweeps promo. But don’t get too excited. There would be no transforming scooter joining Optimus Prime and the Autobots nor will there be one joining the evil forces of the Decepticons.
So what’s the Transformers-Vespa connection then? Here’s what Paolo Timoni, president/CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, has to say…
[from mediapost.com] In the movie, the hero — played by Shia LaBeouf — escapes from one of the protean mechanical horrors on a Vespa, which turns out to be the perfect escape vehicle because it is able to weave in and out of the apocalyptic wreckage of burning cars and rubble. The scooter’s role in “Transformers” will be about Vespa as an American brand. It’s not about Italian good living.
Sounds exciting. I’m actually curious to see how does that translate in the actual movie. Guess we all have to wait for this year’s 4th of July to find out. In the mean time, you can visit the official site at www.transformersmovie.com and see the trailer.
The next two movies are topbilled by Reese Witherspoon; and the other one, by Brad Pitt. Check them out riding their Vespas here. Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Celebrities, Characters, Movies | 2 Comments »
June 7, 2007
If its ever possible for grown man to be giddy about something, then that’s exactly how I’m feeling today!
Two days ago, a fellow Vespinoy (thanks bhong08!) told me that this blog has been featured in this month’s issue of FHM Philppines (Maureen Larrazabal on cover!). Wow, my blog mentioned in FHM… that’s a big thing — I told myself. So I bought the magazine and indeed they featured motorcycles in the Essential June: Vroom section. It even has a Brazilian babe (Wanessa) posing half-naked on top of a Harley. So I said, there’s no mistake about it; this should be the issue where my blog’s suppose to be. But no matter how many times I scan each and every page, I can’t seem to find my site mentioned anywhere. I even asked my wife to double check as she was as excited as me, but there’s really ziltch… nada… wala talaga! Risking sounding exposing myself as over-eager and egotistic, I hesitantly PM’d bhong08 and asked what page exactly did he see the feature. Turns out that it wasn’t FHM but the June ish of T3 magazine where he saw it. He got confused since he read the magazines one after the other. Yippee!!! So there really is a feature after all! So we went out again and asked my wife to buy a copy while I smoked and waited by the roadside parking.
As she went out the bookstore, I think I saw a nervous grin on her face. I asked her why, and she told me what’s in there was a review of my blog — the kind that has star ratings! Naturally, my excitement suddenly turned into anxiety. I wasn’t ready reading about how other writers think of my blog, especially not on a well circulated magazine! So while driving, I asked my wife to read it for me and I was blown away with what I heard. Sobrang proud and SOBRANG GALAK!
Here’s how the page (or half of it) looks like:
Obviously, I made the scan hardly readable so I’ll have the reason to type the entire text here and make this me-myself-and-I post a little longer… bwahaha! Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Personal, Site Review | 14 Comments »
March 18, 2007
Eric Caruncho, an Inquirer music writer and also a Vespa rider, wrote about the Pinoy-style scooter-culture taking over our streets in this article which appeared in today’s sundayINQUIRERmagazine (pages 4-5). The feature includes an interview with Nani Juarez (aka Dr. Scoot) and a couple of low-res pictures of Vespas line-up in Mall of Asia taken during the Vespa Attack II held last December.
Here’s are excerpts from the article which specifically touched on the Vespa:
In 1997, a local distributor (that would be Veloci ~J.R.) reintroduced the venerable Vespa PX150 , a nearly 30-year-old design, to encouraging sales. “The real boom came when gas prices rose in 2000,” he says. “Scooters became an alternative mode of transport, Honda built a factory, and everyone got into the picture.”
“You know the Pinoy, his scooter has to look good,” says Juarez. “Maborloloy (decked out). Not to flaunt it, but the scooter has to look trendy. People will spend more on [customizing] the motorcycle than they spent for the motorcycle itself.” Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Local Scene, Vespa Tidbits | 1 Comment »
November 3, 2006
New campaign bubbles with elegant quirkiness
(excerpt from Chicago Sun-Times – 10/30/06)
The holiday season is fast approaching and wine, liquor and spirits companies are gearing up for their biggest marketing push of the year.Moet & Chandon, one of the more famous top-tier Champagne brands, is doing its share via a new ad campaign from Kirshenbaum Bond/New York that carries the enticing tag line “Be Fabulous.” The tag sounds whimsical, but the print campaign itself strives to be both fanciful and quite romantic, in the way that only a truly French Champagne purveyor could make it.
Each execution portrays a rather off-the-wall scenario that still manages to convey a certain charm. In one ad, a fetchingly elegant and beaming woman attired in a smashing evening gown is perched on the back of a Vespa along with a case of Moet. Her date in the scooter’s driving seat is eyeing her with a big smile, as if to suggest “look what I got for the holidays!” The tongue-in-cheek copy reminds readers to “always travel with a chauffeur.” [read full article here.]
the case of Moet & Chandon being strapped to the rear rack of a Vespa
(screencap from the ad campaign’s `making of’ video )
Check out the print ad of the babe in gown here. Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Advertisements, Article Quotes, Screen Caps | 8 Comments »
October 25, 2006
The first time I saw the first branch of Yellow Cab Pizza in Makati Ave. back in 2001, my wife & I agreed that we have got to try the place. It just had that interesting appeal. When we went in, I’ve instantly assumed that it was a local franchise of a New York-based pizza place. The ‘feel’ of the store is just not local. The unpainted concrete façade, the b&w New York photographs, the big box & big slices and those ‘cute’ yellow delivery scoots. Bearing a name with the word ‘cab’ in a country that calls it a ‘taxi’ also doesn’t help.
It was only recently, while having a chat with our friends from Yabang Pinoy, when I learned that Yellow Cab Pizza is a 100% Filipino-owned company. The assumptions I had about the store is a product of a good market positioning and a great understanding of the Filipino psyche. I hate being swayed by any marketing gimmicks but their’s just hit me where I least expected it (subconscious) and I didn’t know that I already fell for it the moment I decided to my first visit. I have to say, it’s just pure marketing genius!
taken in their branch in Tagaytay | image courtesy of Constantine
Below is an article of Yellow Cab Pizza’s success story and its trademark yellow delivery scoots that have become the symbol the store is now known for.
honking to every Yellow Cabbie ,
-o-
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J0HNRANA
john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com
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Delivery with pizzazz
by: Aida Sevilla Mendoza | Inq7.net Roadtrip
The following is a business success story in which motor vehicles, two-wheeled as well as four-wheeled, played-and continue to play-a starring role. Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Local Scene, Photos | 10 Comments »
October 21, 2006
2006 maks the 6oth anniversary of the Vespa. It made its first public appearance in Italy back in April 1946. I got mine in April 2006 — talk about getting bitten by the bug wasp sixty years too late. Part of the brand’s charm is knowing the history behind it.
I share with you this article. Consider it your Vespa 101. =)
Read on!
-o-
{▫}
J0HNRANA
john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com
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Cool at any age: the Vespa hits 60!
by: Richard Owen
“Italy is celebrating the creation of a two-wheel style icon that has won hearts worldwide”
Audrey Hepburn and Jennifer Lopez were pleased to pose on one. It has inspired pop songs and films, and Italians are eager to hail its sleek design as the undisputed symbol of national pride.
Before – Audrey
Now – JLo!
Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Article Quotes, Celebrities, Photos | 2 Comments »
