CHRISTMAS 2014: Unwrapping my presents

It was Christmas Day and it's time to find out what presents did I got for this year's Christmas.

Gifts that I received for Christmas 2014:
 - a wireless speaker for my iPhone
- A talking Pikachu plush
- A Pokemon two-figure pack with Emolga and Litleo
- A Pokemon Mega Venusaur figure - iTunes gift card
- a black trenchcoat that my mom bought from Macy's

I just want to say thanks to my family for giving me good gifts this Christmas and to repay the favor, I gifted my sister Bea a Walking Dead wallet from Hot Topic, my little sis Ces a Pancham plush and a Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver, our baby boy some Hot Wheels toys and a Baymax plush, my mom a frying pan, my dad a headphone, and my big sis Elise a Blu-Ray Combo Pack of Disney's Frozen. Yes, I know. We watched it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special

The Doctor meets Santa Claus in the 2014 Christmas Special of BBC's Doctor Who titled Last Christmas. In the special, The Doctor and Clara met up with some strangers at the North Pole only to found out that they're stuck in a deadly dream only figuring a way out from a nightmare that kills them all. Celeb Nick Frost guested on the special as Santa Claus and this whole special brings the "believing in Santa" concept to a whole new meaning. Upon witnessing those mysterious creatures that cause them bad dreams in action, this whole Christmas special turned into something reminiscent of a movie called Alien.

What's weird in this special is one of the elves is played by actor Dan Starkey, the same man who did Strax the Sontaran Nurse in this series. Looks like the potato head showed off as an elf for all the wrong reasons. He he he...

As for the near end of the special, as everyone is awake and free from the dream crab's stranglehold, we witness how Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman, looked like when she's old. Don't worry though. Old Clara's just a dream. The Doctor finally made it in the right timeline, saved the real Clara, and the story ends. IT'S A LONG STORY. (Yes, Really. It Is)

For now, Doctor Who returns late 2015 for their ninth season and you guys deserved a well-deserved rest.

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Two)

Welcome back. Let's continue where we left off...

Flight MH370 is missing

Since March of this year, a Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, once schedule to arrive from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, went missing along with over 239 passengers in it.

The trouble with Ukraine

In February of this year, the nation of Ukraine is starting to face its worst. Viktor Yanukovych, who was once the president of Ukraine, vanished from his presence while many people are searching for his whereabouts. With Yanukovych's disappearance comes another trouble as the Russian government annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. With the annexation of Crimea comes a conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels. The world leaders accused Russia for supporting the separatists and issuing stringent sanctions against Russia.

Cadet Cudia

Aldrin Jeff Cudia, the Philippine Military Academy cadet who would have been graduated this year, faced the biggest mistake of his life. Reports told that he violated the Honor Code for being 2 minutes late for class and lying, and he's on the risk of being dismissed by the PMA.

Top Gear meets Phineas and Ferb

In honor of Platypus Day, the hosts of Top Gear made a special appearance in a Phineas and Ferb episode called "Live and Let Drive" where Perry, as Agent P, tries to stop Doof from stopping a famed Grand Prix. Just before that, one of the hosts, that is Richard Hammond, got interviewed by Phineas and Ferb on the "Take Two with Phineas and Ferb" short.

2014 Geneva Motor Show

Cars like the Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4, the new Audi TT, the new McLaren 650S, the Koenigsegg One:1 (the world's first megacar), and more were debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

Jjak contestant committed suicide

The SBS reality matchmaking show, Jjak, is in deep trouble because one of the contestants, a female one, committed suicide during a week-long production shoot at a guesthouse somewhere in Jeju Island. She found herself hanging with a hair dryer cord and left a suicide note stating she didn't want to live anymore.

Need For Speed Movie



One of the best-selling EA franchises in history, the Need For Speed franchise, has spawned a movie version like any other video game franchises in the world rarely spawn theatrical films for numerous reasons.

Although the film has nothing to do with all the Need For Speed video games from the past to present, it's worth enjoyable to watch because in this movie, Aaron Paul, familiar by many as Jesse Pinkman from the concluded Breaking Bad TV series, is the perfect actor to play the role in the movie. Aaron Paul played the role of Tobey Marshall, a man who runs a family business, an auto shop to be precise, and street races with his pals on his free time until tragedy struck to him. He was framed for the crime who didn't commit and two years later...he was freed from prison and plans revenge against whoever framed him. He takes on the "De Leon" race, similar from The Run from 2011's NFS The Run video game, which is a cross-country high-stakes street race that spans across the United States. Armed with the highly-customized Ford Mustang to the teeth, Toeby will risk everything to take down anyone who stands in his way and win the De Leon race to save his family business.

2014's a (so-called) great year for Pacman



Yes. I know. The year 2014 really is a (so-called) great year for the People's Champ, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao as he won the rematch against Timothy Bradley since April. Seven months later, he won against Chris Algieri in Macau. Fighting with his last breath, huh? That Pacman won't quit.

WrestleMania XXX

One of the most shocking moments in the history of WWE, the WrestleMania XXX sees an unexpecting appearance of Brock Lesnar as he puts The Undertaker's undefeated record to a devastating end thanks to Brock's signature F5 attack that countered The Undertaker's Tombstone attack. Undertaker's humiliating loss in WrestleMania XXX is probably known as one of the most humiliating moments in WWE history.

Sewol Tragedy

One of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea history, the MV Sewol that carries 476 people - mostly students taking on a field trip - was on its way from Incheon to Jeju Island, had been capsized. According to reports, over 304 people died, almost 250 of it were students. Lee Joon-Seok, the captain of this ship, was sentenced to 36 years in prison.

MH17 down

Moments after the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared and never to be seen again, another Malaysian Airlines flight banished from radar and this time it's the Flight MH17. A SAM from the alleged Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine shot down that mentioned flight since July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers including two infants, on board.

Anyway, that's enough for now. See you in Part Three.

What to watch on the 2014 MMFF?

Every Christmas Day in the Philippines, there's an annual film festival going on where all cinemas across the Philippines are allowed to showed all of the official entries from the festival we all know as the Metro Manila Film Festival. For 2014, we'd expect returns from our favorite movies while a few are new to us. So, what to watch?

Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo - This powerful biopic uncovers the untold story of Andres Bonifacio, a man who was born to lead the Philippines as the nation's first president during the era of the Spaniards' colonization. It stars Robin Padilla, Vina Morales, and Daniel Padilla.

English Only, Please - A romantic movie stars Derek Ramsay as a Fil-Am man who hires a translator, played by Jennylyn Mercado, to translate the letter he wrote for the woman who broke his heart.

The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin - The sequel to the first film sees Vice Ganda reprising his role as Praybeyt Benjamin. He once saved his nation from a renegade army but for this sequel, he's on a mission to protect a child prodigy, whose intelligence has been targeted by terrorists. It also stars Richard Yap and Tom Rodriguez.

Feng Shui 2 - Sequel to the 2004 horror movie that starred Kris Aquino, this new chapter stars Coco Martin as a young man who possesses an ancient mirror that caused him grievances.

Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2 - Sequel to Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles. Dingdong Dantes reprises his role as Makoy who is now caught on the conflict between different aswang families and a deadly conspiracy.

Magnum Muslim .357 - loosely a rebirth of the FPJ classic, George Estregan stars as a Muslim cop who battles his way against a criminal syndicate who abducted the Muslim princess, played by Sam Pinto.

My Big Bossing - sequel to last year's My Little Bossings, this movie brings back Vic Sotto, Ryzza Mae Dizon, Marian Rivera, Bimby Aquino, and many others. Three hilarious misadventures have been occurred in this sequel.

Shake Rattle, and Roll XV - the legendary horror anthology is back and for its 15th installment, it features a snake creature at the mall, a family of monsters, and a tiyanak hijacking a plane. Scary but fun.

The 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival runs now until the first week of January 2015 so if you're on a Christmas break, why not spend some time going to the theaters to watch one of the eight official entries to this year's film fest?

SPE to resume releasing "The Interview"

Good news! Looks like Sony Pictures will be releasing THE INTERVIEW after all but only at selected US theaters for Christmas Day. A statement from Sony Pictures said that they're never given up on releasing this upcoming film that stars comedians Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists summoned by the CIA to fly through North Korea to bring down their leader. They also said that they're continuing their efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so this film reaches the largest possible audience.

Looks like SPE doesn't want to end like this after North Korea allegedly hacked their websites and threatened to attempt terrorism against those who filmed that movie. They really had the strength to show this at very limited cinemas for Christmas in the US soil.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer Photo: Associated Press

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part One)

The year 2014 is almost at an end and we had so many memories faced this year. The good, the better, the best, the bad, the worst, whatever happened so far this year has been one heck of a rollercoaster ride for us and thank goodness, we're going on strong during the test of times. Just before it's New Year's Eve, time to wrap up this year with my serial yearender and I'll be randoming out what just happened this 2014 but let's make it short because I don't want my yearender to be a snoozefest so, let's begin.

Sherlock Lives! - BBC's Sherlock returned for season three since New Year's Day, January 1st, and the third season finally answered how Sherlock Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, cheated his death at the end of the second season, but that's just the start because after revelations about his fake death, Holmes and Dr. John Watson (played by Martin Freeman) teamed up once again as they race against time to stop a bomb before blowing up the British Parliament, saving John Watson's wedding by no means necessary, figuring out who is Magnussen in His Last Vow, and the end of the third season sees the return of a familiar face. Who could that be? Some say, like Sherlock, he just don't fear death.

The Polar Vortex - The East Coast of the United States of America faced one of the worst winter storms in history this year.

2014 NAIAS - Despite Detroit being a town declared bankrupt last 2013, that doesn't stop the NAIAS organizers from running the 2014 car show. On that event, they've unveiled new cars like the new BMW M3 and M4, new Cadillac ATS Coupe, new Corvette C7 Z06, new Chrysler 200, new Ford F-150, new Ford Mustang, and so much more.

The General Motors faulty ignition scandal - One of the most scandalous events occurred in the motoring world just before the Takata airbag crisis is American automotive giant General Motors when they've recalled over 780,000 vehicles worldwide due to faulty ignition switches.

41st Annie Awards - Cartoon Network's hit TV series Adventure Time named as the best animated TV/broadcast production for Children's Audience. Disney Junior's Sofia The First is named as the Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children, beating the likes of Doc McStuffins, and two preschool shows from Nickelodeon's Nick Jr such as Peter Rabbit and Bubble Guppies.

SUPER BOWL XLVIII - The Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl title against the formidable Denver Broncos.

Mudslide in Oso, WA - On the 22nd of March, a mudslide on a town near Oso, Washington, killed 43 people.

R.I.P. Roger Lloyd Pack - Veteran British actor Roger Lloyd-Pack died at the age of 69 from pancreatic cancer.

I Didn't Do It! - Former Kickin It actress Olivia Holt starred in the latest Disney Channel TV series called I Didn't Do It! It's about five friends getting involved into countless shenanigans one after another.

Good Bye Charlie - Good Luck Charlie, the Disney Channel TV series that starred Bridgit Mendler as Teddy Duncan, ended their four-season run.



Vhong Navarro vs. Deniece Cornejo, Cedric Lee, and others - this is one of the worst moments happened to "It's Showtime" presenter Vhong Navarro as he got tied, blindfolded, and beaten up by six unknown men at a condo at The Fort, Taguig City, since January 22. He believes that this is the work of Deniece Cornejo as well as businessman Cedric Lee and his ally Zimmer Raz. What's worse, this Showtime presenter got slammed by two more rape complaints, one of which was filed by Roxanne Cabanero.

The Legal Wife - One of the most intriguing dramas aired on ABS-CBN since the first quarter of 2014, The Legal Wife stars Angel Locsin as Monica, Maja Salvador as Nicole, and Jericho Rosales as Adrian. The Monica-Nicole rivalry is what kept this TV show burned with plot twists that sets the viewers' minds on fire and an ending worth questioning.

 

The Corvette Museum Sinkhole - A terrifying sinkhole occurred inside the famed Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA, swallowing eight Corvettes including those loaned from General Motors. No one is hurt from that car-tastrophe.

Six Nations 2014 - After five grueling rounds in the RBS Six Nations 2014, there is only one team that shook the world since Round 1, the team that performed an impressive show in the face of the fans, the team that stood up and be counted all the way to the very. So, who won the 2014 Six Nations? It's the IRFU from Ireland. The Irish rugby team declared the victor.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics - The 2014 Winter Olympics held at Sochi, Russia from February 7 to February 23, 2014. In the end of the Winter Olympics, Russia scored a grand total of 33 medals (13 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze) while USA garnered 28 medals (9 gold, 7 silver, 12 bronze) and Norway got 26 medals (11 gold, 5 silver, 10 bronze). The hosting nation, Russia, became the overall winning nation of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The end of Sochi 2014 marks the countdown of the next Winter Games as the Russians passed the torch to the hosting nation for the next 2018 Winter Olympics; South Korea.

More to come on Part Two!

CHRISTMAS 2014: Enjoying the final day of the Simbang Gabi

As you may now, the Simbang Gabi for 2014 has come to an end and oh, have you guys completed the whole nine days of Simbang Gabi masses? For me, I've completed them all. I managed to survive through all nine days of Simbang Gabi masses flawlessly but some of you didn't cut the mustard to complete all nine days due to some reasons but there's always next year, right?

From where I am standing, at Seattle's St. Edward's Parish, just a mile away from our home in Graham Street, Seattle, the last day of the Simbang Gabi took place and every year, Seattle's Archbishop Peter Sartain visited this church just to offer some words of wisdom to those attendees, and then some attendees and sponsors are offering him "gifts" at the near-end of the mass. It's been an honor to meet up with one of Northwest's high-profile and religious persons again.

Anyway, enough said. I think this is enough to talk much about what I did on the last day but more importantly is, I've completed all nine days of Simbang Gabi this year. Despite finishing the nine days of Simbang Gabi, looks like I'll be visiting this church again for the annual Christmas Eve mass but we decided to go for the one that held at 2200 hours Pacific Time. That's 10:00PM for the commoners. That gives my mom plenty of time to prepare our noche buena and after we arrived home for the mass, it's time to eat and when the clock strikes twelve, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Woo-hoo! I'm so excited to open my presents!

See you next time and when I got my presents, I'll post my unwrapping article about what presents I got for this year's Christmas.