REMEMBERING 2014 (Conclusion)

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

- DongYan wedding - It was early August 2014 during Marian Rivera's self-titled variety show on GMA when one of the celebrity guests, none other than actor Dingdong Dantes, took the spotlight on national television. What he did is very special as both Marian and Dingdong are engaged as seen on public television. Fast forward to now, and the wedding between Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes finally happened since yesterday, December 30, 2014. Everyone witnessed the most exciting day of the showbiz couple's lives.

- Black people vs. white policemen - The killing of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by white policemen that pleaded "not guilty" for their crimes they commit against black people who are law-abiding citizens (or so they thought) sparked anger from the American public where mass protests occurred nationwide demanding justice for the black people killed by white policemen. The city of Ferguson, Missouri, where the shooting of Michael Brown by a white policeman took place, faced violent protests at an unprecedented scale, creating widespread disorder.

The Last Kapit-Bisig - The hit ABS-CBN daytime TV series, Be Careful With My Heart, concluded their two-year run with their final episode aired on November 28, 2014.

The final episode ends at Maya's birthday party where all of Maya's friends and family as well as the Lim family with Sir Chief on it as they said their memorable moments about Maya's life-changing moments that influenced most of the characters in the show. Everyone's together, singing their final Kapit-Bisig song to the very end.

It's been one heck of a wild ride while it lasted and even though this hit TV show ends, we all end up with a slight smile on our faces. Well, the adventures of Maya Dela Rosa and the Lim family have come to a bittersweet end but their KAPIT-BISIG message will live on.

The Be Careful With My Heart finale

Typhoon Hagupit - It was early December 2014 when weather officials reported there is an incoming typhoon approaching in the same region that was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last year. Called Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), it would have further intensified with sustained winds up to 175kph, causing heavy rainfall and storm surges. As it continued to track the Eastern Samar-Northern Samar area as of December 5, 2014, Hagupit packs maximum sustained winds of 215kph near the center and gusts of over 250kph. When it made landfall in Eastern Samar since the 6th of December and continues until it exits the Philippines within a week, it weakens and it was downgraded to a Tropical Depression.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, about 18 people died while the Philippine Red Cross states that 27 people have died in the aftermath of Hagupit. Damage to property has reached over 3 billion pesos while less than a million persons remaining in evacuation centers.

Republicans took over the House and the Senate - The Republicans won control of the Senate in the US mid-term elections since early November, increasing their power in the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, poised to take over the chamber, said that their victory is a vote against "a government that people can no longer trust".

Wire-walking through two skyscrapers - famed wire walker Nik Wallenda walked between two Chicago skyscrapers on a wire on the 2nd of November, 2014. His death-defying stunt is seen by many people not just in Chicago but on national television.

MMDA enforcers - On the 27th of November, 2014, an MMDA enforcer named Jorby Adriatico was reportedly beaten up by an owner of a Maserati Ghibli saloon after taking a picture of him making an illegal turn in Quezon City. 

Then, on the 19th of December, 2014, an MMDA enforcer named Sonny Acosta was heavily injured after being dragged an run over by a car in Cubao, Quezon City. He died on the 23rd at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City at about 2:30 PM.

2014 Super GT - For the 2014 Season, the GT500 champion for this season is the #23 MOTUL AUTECH GT-R, driven by Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli and the GT300 champion for this season is the #11 GAINER DIXCEL SLS driven by Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Bjorn Wirdheim.

The US-Cuban ties - After over five decades of hostility, the agreement between US and Cuba has been normalized. US President Barack Obama said that their policy against Cuba has failed and it's time to move on to work alongside with the Cuban government. Even Pope Francis is very happy to see the two nations working together for the first time. However, the trade embargo that plagued the Cuban economy since the nation turned to communism during the Cold War, lies within the US Congress and with the Republicans taking over, looks like it's a long way to normalize the relations between the two countries.

The Interview - The Interview is a comedy movie which stars comedians Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists assigned by the CIA to bring down the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Ahead of the movie's release, this film was jeopardized ever since Sony Pictures Entertainment's website's been hacked and threatened to terrorize movie theaters showing that film. Days later despite the risk of cancelling The Interview, Sony decided to resume releasing The Interview at selected cinemas across the US on Christmas Day.

2014 LA Auto Show - Cars like the Toyota Mirai, the new Mustang GT350, the Cadillac ATS-V, the Mazda CX-3, and more were featured at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show which ran from the 21st until the 30th of November at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Takata Airbag Recall - Japanese car parts maker Takata Corporation faced its biggest scandal of 2014 as this troubled company recalled over 17 million vehicles in the US and another 7 million globally due to the airbag's defective inflator and propellent devices that can be highly lethal when in the event of a crash, firing fragments into the occupants. Carmakers have recalled millions of vehicles with Takata airbags over fears of flying shrapnel from exploding airbags.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 - On the 28th of December, the Air Asia Flight QZ8501 plane carrying 162 people, destined from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore have disappeared. So far, the six bodies were found and at least three were recovered during the search. According to reports, they were spotted along with debris floating in the Java Sea off Borneo.

...anyway, there are so many stuff occurred over this year. Some are mentioned, others aren't but I think that's enough for that. Well, I guess this concludes this special segment about things I remembered in 2014. I hope the year 2015 will be a better one for me but I wouldn't waste some time telling some new year's resolution jibber jabber but here's hoping for a happy new year.

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Six)

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

Rose Fostanes - A 47-year-old Filipina caregiver named Rose Fostanes became the first ever winner in The X Factor Israel after her performance of Frank Sinatra's My Way.

GA's Delfin Lee arrested - The founder of the troubled Globe Asiatique, named Delfin Lee, was arrested over a P6.6 billion syndicated estafa case and accused of using fake documents to secure billions in peso' worth of loans for "ghost borrowers". He was arrested by the PNP's Task Force Tugis outside Hyatt Hotel in Malate, Manila.

Palawan is one of the best islands in the world - According to the Conde Nast's Reader's Choice Awards 2014, the beautiful Philippine paradise of Palawan is ranked as the #1 island in the world after it garnered 76,000 votes from readers.

2014 Mondial de l'Automobile - Cars like the new Audi TT, new BMW X6, Jaguar XE, new Mazda Roadster ND, new Mercedes-AMG C63, and many others were unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, held at the Paris expo Porte de Versailles since October.

Hong Kong protests - Protesters occupied the central district of Hong Kong since late September after hundreds of people opposing the pro-democracy occupation tried to tear down barricades. This phenomenon happened in Hong Kong is known as the "umbrella revolution".

Pistorius imprisoned - Handicapped Olympian who represented South Africa from the Olympics two years ago, Oscar Pistorius, is sentenced to five year imprisonment after being convicted of culpable homicide in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

BRING BACK OUR GIRLS - An Islamic extremist group known as the Boko Haram abducted over 273 schoolgirls in Nigeria.

Mazda Demio is Japan's 2014-2015 COTY - After numerous votes from the judges, the winner for Japan's 2014-2015 Car of the Year goes to the recently-launched, fourth-generation Mazda Demio (known as the Mazda2 in the world market), beating the likes of the Mercedes C-Class W205 and the BMW i3. With its 1.3L petrol and 1.5L diesel engines available as well as its innovative design, legendary Mazda dynamics, and its reasonable price, it's good to know that the new Demio is a sure winner to the home crowd.

2015 Mazda Demio

Top Gear in trouble in Argentina - While filming for the recently-aired Patagonia special, one such controversy occurred when the cast and crew of the BBC hit TV series had escaped from Argentina when the car in question Jeremy Clarkson used has a plate number in reference to the Falkland War in 1982. The Falklands War veterans got so angry, they're going to take them down so that's why, the whole Top Gear team have escaped.

Tia Pusit died - Veteran comedienne Tia Pusit died on the 2nd of October, 2014, at the age of 66 years old. That was confirmed by her buddy Inday Garutay. Tia Pusit, known by her real name Myrna Villanueva, was the youngest sibling of veteran comedienne Nova Villa and her acting career began in the 80's. Her last appearance was in the TV5 comedy series Confessions of a Torpe, which stars Ogie Alcasid, Alice Dixson, and Gelli de Belen.

Death of Juan Flavier - On the 30th of October, 2014, former Department of Health secretary Juan Flavier, famed for his "Let's DOH it" campaign, passed away of multiple organ failure. The remains of the former DOH secretary and senator was brought to the DOH complex for a necrological service on Tuesday, November 4th, 2014. Present DOH secretary Enrique Ona delivered a eulogy in his first public appearance since his controversial leave of absence.

20 years of Tekken - Tekken, the famed fighting franchise from Bandai Namco Games, celebrated its 20th anniversary and they've celebrated it with the announcement of the upcoming Tekken 7 as well as their collaboration with Pokemon for their Pokken Tournament.

Landing on a comet - On the 12th of November, 2014, after seven hours of waiting at the European Space Agency's mission control in Darmstadt, the people in charge of the Rosetta mission celebrated their historic accomplishment as the Philae spacecraft safely landed on the target comet and with the success of the Rosetta mission, scientists are able to witness what is like to be with the comet and study close up what happens when it gets closer to the sun. It occurred at 1600 hours GMT (0000 hours or midnight Philippine Standard Time) and they've landed twice according to Philae lander manager at the DLR German space center, Stephan Ulamec, because the probe's two harpoons haven't fired to fasten the craft down in the ultra-low gravity.

Philae lander

Welcome back to the Advanced Generation - Last November 2014, Pokemon fans from all over the world are enjoying with one of the most anticipated 3DS titles of 2014 which is more of a revived version of the original Pocket Monsters Ruby & Sapphire versions called Pocket Monsters Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Whether if they're a battle-ready veteran or a battle-shy rookie, these games will turn themselves into the deadliest of the ace trainers as they embark on a wonderful Hoenn region like they've never seen before. Whether they can choose between Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip, collect different kinds of Pokemon, train them to unleash utter devastation with clinical precision, battle against some of Hoenn's highly skilled trainers, wow the crowd with your Pokemon's moves in the Pokemon Contest Spectacular, fend off the war between Team Aqua and Team Magma, uncover the hidden prophecies lurking around the Hoenn region, make your own Secret Bases and share it to the world, go on a free-flight with Latias or Latios, witness new Mega Evolutions from your favorite Pokemons, and overall, unleash Groudon and Kyogre's true selves with Primal Reversion. There's even online connectivity where ace trainers meet up to battle or trade with their Pokemons.

...we'll continue this on the final part of this special segment. Please be patient...

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Five)

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

Ebola Outbreak

The widespread of the Ebola virus originated in Guinea and spreaded through neighboring countries throughout the West Africa and a few nations outside with isolated cases in Spain and the US. The Ebola virus is a zoonotic disease fatal to both humans and primates. It spreads by directly contact through the body fluids. Some say, fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural hosts of Ebola, thus naming them "ebola bats". Now, the World Health Organization announced a formal trial of a Canadian experimental vaccine called ZEBOV that cured two Ebola patients in the US. There's still more into this Ebola Outbreak.

ISIS

The Islamic State extremists that called themselves the ISIS have sparked headlines through this year. At the beginning of 2014, the ISIS took over Iraq and Syria with a massive group of armed terrorists. Started out in life as an al Qaeda splinter group and headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the goal of ISIS is to create an Islamic state across the Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria. They're notorious for killing dozens of people and carrying out televised executions, crucifixions and other acts.

Originally, extortion and robbery is their initial strategy for revenue but their leader shifted this strategy to generating resources through large-scale attacks aimed at capturing and holding territory.

Japan's top-secret stealth aircraft

Unable to purchase the high-tech F22 Raptor, the Japanese government secretly developed their own 5th generation fighter jet codenamed the ATD-X. This top-secret aircraft will incorporate three-paddle 3-axis thrust-vectoring, a fly-by-optics flight control system, active phased array radar, ECM, ESM, and Self Repairing Flight Control Capability. They're going to roll-out this Japan-made stealth aircraft by decade's end, 2018 to be exact.


Goodbye Car Town



Since its launch on the summer of 2010, Car Town, the social game on Facebook allows car enthusiasts to create garages, do jobs, collect and build cars, race against friends, and go on adventures. In its four year lifespan, Car Town's roster of cars; from JDM tuners, offroaders, American muscles, European exotics, service vehicles, and many others has been growing and it has partnered with Universal (for Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and The Fast and The Furious franchises), BBC (for Top Gear), IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA, Sony Pictures (for Ghostbusters) and so much more. The game's fan base keeps on growing thanks to the feature where players can create their own templates and show off their work on the global scale.

Sadly, the game's developer, Cie Games, announced that on the 29th of August, 2014, Car Town will be shutting down.

Hello Kitty's not a cat!



The year 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most loved cute characters of all time, Hello Kitty. When it was launched in 1974 by Sanrio, Hello Kitty won millions of fans and not only that, she spawned countless merchandises from toys, video games, clothing lines, and tons of Kitty-ness. If I can only remember that in the Philippines, there was a store called the Gift Gate where Hello Kitty and other Sanrio merchandises were sold exclusively there.

For its 40th birthday, Hello Kitty had a special exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, located somewhere in Los Angeles, California, since mid-October and after the exhibit, there's going to be a first-ever Hello Kitty-dedicated convention at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Christine R. Yano, the anthropologist from the University of Hawaii and author of her book titled "Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific" revealed that when she was working for the script for the show, the folks from Sanrio stopped by and told that Hello Kitty is NOT a cat.

Also, it is revealed that Hello Kitty is not her real name. In fact, her real name is in fact Kitty White. Her parents are named George and Mary. Her birthdate is November 1st, she's a Scorpio, she's a third-grader, and she has a twin sister named Mimmy (but we know that). What we also didn't know is...she's British.

FIA Formula E

The year 2014 gives birth to a brand new generation of motorsport. The FIA Formula-E Championship is a brand new FIA single-seater championship and the world's first fully-electric racing series. The inaugural season starts from September 2014 to June 2015, spanning 10 different locations from London, Beijing, and Miami.

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E is the first ever open-wheeler electric racing machine to be homologated by the FIA and this zero-emission racer aims to turn the tables of what is achievable in electric motorsport while balancing cost-effectiveness and sustainability.

It was built by the newly-established Spark Racing Technology while the monocoque chassis, built from carbon fiber and aluminum, was done by Dallara. The electric powertrain and electronics was sourced by McLaren Electronics System while the battery was sourced by the Williams F1 Team, producing 200kw of power while linked to a 5-speed Hewland sequential gearbox with fixed ratios.


In the opener of the FIA Formula E Championship, 10 teams, with two drivers each, are competing in the first season. The teams are AMLIN AGURI, ANDRETTI FORMULA E, AUDI SPORT ABT, CHINA RACING, DRAGON RACING, E.DAMS-RENAULT, MAHINDRA RACING, TRULLI, VENTURI, and VIRGIN RACING. There are selection of aces taking part in the opener; aces of all kinds such as motorsport icons, F1 testers, former Formula 1 racing drivers, even female drivers. The opening match will be in Beijing, the capital city of the People's Republic of China, on the 13th of September.

Enzo Pastor murder case



Filipino racing driver Enzo Pastor was reportedly shot dead on the 12th of June, 2014 by some unknown assailants while he was in a tow truck carrying an Asian V8 car to Clark International Speedway. Businessman Doming de Guzman III was arrested in Muntinlupa City since August 26 while PO2 Edgar Angel was arrested on the 23rd of August. Both are linked to Enzo's murder. Also, Enzo Pastor's wife, Dalia, was involved in the murder case as reports told she had an affair with de Guzman.

BMW's first FWD

Much to the dismay from BMW loyalists, the Germna luxury carmaker unveiled the 2-Series Active Tourer which is known to be the brand's first FWD car which uses the same platform as the New Mini F56. It was unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show last March and sales commenced last fall. This is just a start because by 2017, BMW plans to launch six FWD models including a next-gen 1-Series, next-gen X1, and more.

Death of Mark Gil

Veteran actor Mark Gil died on the 1st of September, 2014, at the age of 52 due to liver cirrhosis disease. Known by his full name Raphael Joseph Eigenmann, Mark Gil was born on the 25th of September, 1961 and he is one of the three children of Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil. He was the middle of the three siblings between Michael de Mesa and Cherie Gil, both are celebs. Most of Mark Gil's children have different showbiz careers. He was married to Maricar Jacinto eight years ago. His last appearance on television was in ABS-CBN's The Legal Wife, which starred Angel Locsin, Maja Salvador, and Jericho Rosales.

Apple iPhone 6



The 6th-generation Apple iPhone has been launched. It's available in two different sizes from the normal iPhone 6 and the taller iPhone 6 Plus. Whichever the iPhone 6 customers choose, they will be benefitted with enhanced retina display, improved iSight camera with new sensor with Focus Pixels and new video features, faster LTE download speeds, Touch ID technology, and the most advanced iOS8 operating system.

Twitpic shutdown



Twitpic, a site that lets user share pics on Twitter, has been shut down on the 25th of September, 2014. Reason for this closure is when a few weeks ago, Twitter demanded Twitpic to abandon their trademark application or risk losing access to their API.  Twitpic was launched in 2008 and its trademark application has been in the USPTO 5 years ago. Sadly, they don't have enough resources to maintain their trademark against Twitter.

NO to Scottish independence

Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom after 55% of the Scottish voters are against Scotland's independence while 45% of the voters want the two nations separated. It has been forewarned that when Scotland gained its independence, not only it will not be part of Great Britain but it will also means exit from the European Union and NATO.

Family Guy-Simpsons crossover

The Simpsons, one of the world's animated comedy greats that has been around for 25 years now, and Family Guy, even called a rip-off, it's Seth MacFarlane's biggest attempt to create a TV show that drives people crazy with its toilet humor, strong-ish language, sexual fantasies, and numerous references from other stuff. Now, what happens when they combine these two? The result, in all-out clash of two cartoon comedy greats showing who's boss, although there are a few trespassers popped out during this episode.


And yes, our dream of seeing Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson in a fistfight has finally came true. We've been waiting for this right moment to come in this special episode.

...oops. Time to exit this segment for a while. Maybe on Part Six perhaps...

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Four)

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

iM@S ONE FOR ALL



Launched on May 15, 2014, this PS3-exclusive iM@S game, titled The iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL, where, for the first time in the franchise, iM@S OFA gives players a chance to produce all 13 765PRO idols from Haruka Amami to Chihaya Kisaragi, from Ami and Mami Futami to Hibiki Ganaha, from Iori Minase to Yayoi Takatsuki. ONE FOR ALL is now story-focused, meaning the producer, that's you or me, will risk everything to help the idol overcome their personal difficulties and blossom into artists once and for all. The road of becoming a top idol was not easy because it takes an available resource and funds needed to keep them happy and pumped up from rehearsals, auditions, and from a live studio audience desperate for the idols to sing their face off.

Ace Combat Infinity



Launched in mid-May 2014, Ace Combat Infinity is the series' first-ever free-to-play flight shooting game made exclusively for the Playstation3. Whether if its a veteran mercenary or a battle-shy rookie, Ace Combat Infinity pits players behind the cockpit of some of the world's best aircrafts from the F22 Raptor, F14 Tomcat, F15 Strike Eagle, Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Mirage 2000, T50, or any other well-known aircrafts in history as well as fictitious ones as seen in numerous installments such as the Morgan from The Belkan War and the ASF-X Shinden II from Assault Horizon. Over two million players have been downloaded this free-to-play PS3 exclusive since its launch and engage in either campaign or online co-ops as well as the weekly challenges where prizes include special aircrafts, new emblems, research reports, or other prizes.

Elliot Rodger

It was the 24th of May, 2014, at around 9:30PM when a young adult named Elliot Rodger killed six people and injuring over a dozen of people in an area near the University of California. He crashed his BMW into a parked car and shot himself in the head after a crossfire with the cops. Elliot's been positively identified as the father who is an assistant director for The Hunger Games movie. Cops reported that this suspect's been mentally disturbed but a viral video revealed his hatred against women for not giving him romantic attention and lamented that he's still a virgin.

Thai coup d'etat

Moments after the ousting of Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra on charges of abuse of power since the 7th of May, 2014, the top officers from the Thai army have staged a coup d'etat, placing the entire nation under martial law. Three months later, the junta leader responsible for overthrowing an elected civilian government during the May 22 coup, that is General Prayuth Chan-ocha, took over Thailand as the nation's new prime minister following a royal endorsement from the nation's monarch.

Typhoon Rammasun a.k.a. Glenda

Between July 10 to 20, 2014, one of the strongest storms of 2014 that is Typhoon Rammasun, known by Filipinos as Glenda, wreak havoc on the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, killing over a hundred people at the affected areas.

2014 24 Hours of Le Mans



Even with Toyota's TS040 pole position and Porsche's return to Le Mans via the 919 Hybrid, it seems that Audi is still the king of 24 Heures du Mans after a 1-2 finish with the #2 R18 e-tron and the #1 R18 e-tron. The winning #2 R18 e-tron was driven by Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer for the LMP1 category. In the LMP2 category, a class win goes to the Jota Sport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan driven by Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and Oliver Turvey while in the GTE-Pro class, winner goes to the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 driven by Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella.

2014 Goodwood FoS

Every year, the latest models, concept cars, and historics, have been gathered at the glorious Goodwood Hill Climb for the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed. While nobody can beat the legendary record set by Nick Heidfeld in the past, this year's fastest on the Goodwood Fos belongs to the Peugeot 208 T16 driven by Sebastien Loeb.



The 7D



Aired on Disney XD since July 7, 2014, The 7D puts a new spin to the seven dwarves of the Snow White story. While it was made to about everything you knew about the seven dwarves ever again, The 7D, ordered by the Queen Delightful of Jollywood, are here to save the day from the troubles, especially against the Glooms.

Two new Vivillon patterns added!

Vivillon (Poke Ball pattern)

The Fancy Pattern Vivillon

Vivillon is mostly traded by players of Pokemon X and Pokemon Y because of different patterns most Pokemaniacs dying to collect them all. For 2014, two new limited-time Vivillon patterns have been distributed for the lucky gamers. First, there's the Fancy Pattern Vivillon which commemorates the Pokemon GTS' 100,000,000 trades milestone. Then, there's the Poke Ball Pattern Vivillon which was distributed by any other means worldwide.

Throughout the entire August, participating Pokemon Centers from all over Japan offered customers a special Poke Ball-pattered Vivillon (the one we saw in France last June) to use on the Pokemon X/Pokemon Y game on the 3DS. The special Poke Ball Vivillon is in Level 12 and it comes with a Classic Ribbon.


The Mythical Pokemon, Diancie

The 719th Pokemon, that is the Jewel Pokemon named Diancie, has been unveiled in preparation for the 2014 Pokemon XY movie titled Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, which was shown in Japanese cinemas since July 19, 2014. Moviegoers in Japan had gotten a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their own Diancie on Pokemon X or Pokemon Y via Mystery Gift and when Pokemon OR/AS was released on November, they can bring this mythical Pokemon in-game and receive a special Mega Stone essential to mega evolve it into Mega Diancie.

Also part of the movie's premiere is the special limited-time Pikachu Cafe held at Roppongi Hills last Summer.

Invasion of Pikachu at Yokohama Minato Mirai



From August 9 to 17, 2014, the streets of Yokohama Minato Mirai has been taken over by a horde of Pikachus from the Pokemon franchise for a very special event. There has been some fun and games as well as distribution of a special Pikachu nicknamed "ランドマーク" and it's in Level 10. The special event Pikachu learns Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Surf, and Holding Hands. It even comes with the Event Ribbon commemorating this said event.

Yoshi's name is...

Yoshi (日本名：ヨッシー), one of our favorite video game characters and one of Mario's friends who loves to eat just about everything in one gulp...or spitting fire or whatever the heck Yoshi does. Some conspiracist uncovered the long lost full name of Yoshi and that sparked outrage on us, video game geeks, or as I like to prefer, "childhood ruined".


Blake Harris, the author of Console Wars, obtained a highly top-secret document from Nintendo, in the form of a 1993 Nintendo character guide published so employees of licensing companies keep their facts straight. The top-secret document states that Yoshi's full name is "T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas". Aside from Yoshi's full name, that top-secret document also states that Mario's scientific name is "homo nintendonus", which explains a lot, Link almost killed Zelda, and Peach's gown is literally magically clean.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The year 2014 brought one of the most crazed internet attempts ever done by netizens worldwide. It's called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. What is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Although it remains shrouded in mystery, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a method to spread awareness towards the ALS disease or Lou Gehrig's Disease, a muscular degenerative disorder that affects the body's muscle neurons, rendering them immobilized, vital organ failure, and possibly fatal.

This challenge pits ordinary people filming themselves while getting spilled by a bucket full of ice cold water. Then, they nominate random people to do it in less than 24 hours or donate to the ALS foundation.

Doctor Who World Tour

To celebrate Season 8 of Doctor Who, featuring Peter Capaldi as The Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara, the BBC initiated a World Tour spanning across a multitude of countries including South Korea, New York, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and of course United Kingdom (including Wales).

The epic finale of the FPV saga





Ford Australia's high-performance FPV division revealed the epic finale of the FPV saga; the limited edition FPV GT F 351 saloon and the FPV Pursuit Ute. The FPV GT F features the Boss 5.0L supercharged aluminum V8 engine which develops 351kW (471HP) of power output, making this the most powerful engine ever made from Ford Australia. The Pursuit Ute uses the same V8 engine as the GT F but it produces 315kW (422HP) of power. Only 500 of the GT F models will be made as well as 120 Pursuit Utes but still, these are an appropriate grand goodbye to FPV.

...oh would you look at the time. Let's continue some time on Part Five.

REMEMBERING 2014 (Part Three)

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

2014 RDMA

The music lovers from all over North America had gone wild finding out who will take home the ARDY's in the 2014 Radio Disney Music Awards. The winners are:

Best Music Group - One Direction
Song of the Year - Come & Get It by Selena Gomez
Breakout Artist of the Year - Fifth Harmony
Best New Artist - Becky G
Radio Disney's Most Talked About Artist - Selena Gomez (@selenagomez)
Best Song to Rock Out to With Your BFF - Me & My Girls by Fifth Harmony
Artist With the Best Style - Zendaya
Fiercest Fans - Swifties (that's fans of Taylor Swift to you)
Best Musical Collaboration - Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran
Best Male Artist - Justin Timberlake
Best Female Artist - Demi Lovato
Favorite Roadtrip Song - Made in the USA by Demi Lovato
Favorite Song From a Movie or TV Show - Let It Go by Idina Menzel (from the movie Frozen)
Best Song to Dance To - Birthday by Selena Gomez
Catchiest New Song - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) by Ylvis
Best Crush Song - Still Into You by Paramore
Best Song That Makes You Smile - Ooh La La by Britney Spears

Bryan Castillo wins the BIGGEST LOSER PINOY EDITION Doubles

Last 2013, heavyweight pairs in all corners of the Philippines took part of their life-changing weight loss experience in The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition Doubles. After months of desperate struggle, all in the name of losing weight for the benefit of themselves, it has been one heck of a journey for those but on the finale, the final four; Bryan Castillo, Francis Asis, Kayen Lazaro, and Osie Nebreja, are on the center stage to find out who is THE BIGGEST LOSER.

Bryan Castillo wins The Biggest Loser after losing a total of 155lbs of his weight. He began with a very obese 293lbs but now, he weighs 139lbs! A 52.56% improvement! Kayen Lazaro placed as a 1st runner-up, having managed to drop 50.50% of her weight from 287 to 142lbs.

The end of the Hindustan Ambassador




The Hindustan Ambassador once started out in life as a Morris Oxford and when it was launched in 1957, it became the only passenger car produced in India until it became the symbol of social status and has been used to chauffeur high-ranking officials for many decades. After over 60 years of production, the Hindustan Ambassador has been discontinued because of poor sales, with only 2,200 units sold last 2013.

F1 2014

The 2014 season of Formula One has seen the biggest changes in the sport's 60-year history with new turbocharged power units and new aerodynamics, which combine to place more emphasis on racing skill and control in cars with more power delivery but less downforce than previous seasons. F1 fans didn't like what's changed but what they did like is the rivalry between two Mercedes F1 drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. These two are chasing against each other, vying for the world title, and in the end, it was Lewis Hamilton who declared the victor of the F1 2014 season.

Death of Maya Angelou

On May 28, 2014, notable American author, poet, and activist Maya Angelou died at the age of 86. The commemorated Afro-American poet-activist is respected for her inspiration to her fellow Americans and the world thanks to her strong presence of her literary works. She did read her poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1993.

The end of Saturday morning cartoons

Traditional Saturday morning cartoons on broadcast TV across the USA is now gone for good after over 50 years of entertaining kids since the Cold War. CW's Vortexx programming block, the last of its kinds, has been replaced by One Magnificent Morning block, which features educational and inspirational shows targeted for youth and parents, since early October 2014.

The Beast asteroid



The Beast "2014HQ124" asteroid made its close approach at an estimated 1:56AM Eastern Time Sunday, June 8, 2014 (1:56PM Philippine Standard Time) and its close approach is about three times the distance between the earth and the moon. Asteroid 2014 HQ124 is over 1000ft wide and travelled at 31,000mph, but it posed no threat to the planet because of its distance.

Miami vs. San Antonio...again

Last 2013, the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs spent seven games trading punches and the Heat became the surprise winner against Spurs. Now for the 2014 NBA Finals, it seems that odds are turned and it became a little bit more difficult than last year.

In the first game, the San Antonio Spurs kickstarted the 2014 NBA Finals after a 110-95 win against Miami Heat. Spurs won the first game of the finals. Then in the second game, the Miami Heat leveled the odds after the score of 98-96. In Game 3, San Antonio Spurs leading the game against Miami Heat at the score of 111-92. And in Game 4, Spurs still leading at the score of 107-86 against Miami Heat.

It's all down to this; Game 5, held at their home turf AT&T Center, and if Spurs win, they'll be declared as 2014 NBA Champions and they did, after ending Miami Heat's 2-win streak at the score of 104-87.

This is the fifth time the Spurs won the championship since winning their titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

Girl Meets World

On June 27th, 2014, Disney Channel aired Girl Meets World, which takes place several years after the original Boy Meets World. Enter Riley Matthews (played by newest sensation Rowan Blanchard), the daughter of BMW's Cory and Topanga Matthews, and her best friend Maya Hart (played by Sabrina Carpenter) as these two finding out what it takes to take on the world by themselves.



Rise of Hellcats

Chrysler Group LLC's SRT division launched two of the most powerful V8-powered cars that will terrify the world's mightiest into being the fastest. Enter the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. These two machines are powered by Chrysler Group's newly developed supercharged 6.2L V8 HEMI engine, which is more powerful than the C7 Z06 and the GT500 because it has exactly 707HP of power output!

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

San Mig Coffee goes big in PBA

The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers helmed themselves Grand Slam Champions. First, they've won the PBA Commissioner's Cup against the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in a best-of-5 match finals. Then, they've won the 2014 PBA Governor's Cup Finals against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the fifth and final game of the match. Now, the once-famed San Mig Coffee Super Mixers are now re-emerged as Purefoods Star Hotshots on the PBA.

Germany wins the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP Brasil

The two nations who rose from the top, Germany and Argentina, are battling to take home the coveted trophy and the title of FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 champion. Having spent the last 90 minutes of the match defending, kicking, passing, committing fouls, and whatever they can throw from their arsenal of the best football players of the nation, the epic climax to the FIFA WORLD CUP Brasil has became one of the biggest events in sports history.

Forward player Gotze is the German who scored the goal is the man who sent Germany taking home the coveted trophy and the prestigious title of FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 champion. Yes. 1-0. Germany wins. Germany is the 2014 WORLD CUP champions!

The Philippine Arena

On July 21, 2014, the members of Iglesia ni Cristo inaugurated the world's biggest indoor dome called the Philippine Arena. This arena, located in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, was opened just ahead of INC's centennial celebration on the 27th of July.

This arena took 8.7 billion pesos and 30 months to build the largest theater on Earth while leaving two construction workers died while building the arena. The four establishments that was housed by the arena itself are Eraño Manalo Medical Center, the Bulacan campus of the New Era University, the Philippine Stadium and the Philippine Sports Center

An average coliseum can seat up to 22,000 people but in this Philippine Arena, it has a seating capacity of over 55,000 people, more than the MOA Arena and the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The lot area is 74,000 square meters and 99,000 square meters on the total floor area.

...well, you must be tired. Come back for more on Part Four.

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.

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!